Worth
Disclaimer: In no way in hell do I own this. And this is something I'd like to clear out of my mind before I get back to one of my other fics...
"Lux? Luxanna dear?"
The light mage blearly blinks her eyes open as she lifts her head from the books that are scattered and piled up on the table.
"Yes?" Lux asks, looking to see a woman approaching her. She blinks before looking back at the mess on the table, "Oh!" She squeaks when the head librarian approaches her, "I-I'm really sorry about the books. I'll put them back- I promise!"
The older woman sighs, shaking her head with a small comforting smile as she gently pats the light mage's shoulder.
"My dear, don't worry about it. You are one of the best students from the College of Magic and never once did you ruin anything in this library. I'll take care of those books."
Lux can't help but feel bad for the amount of time she has been spending in the Royal Demacian Library. "Are you sure?" She asks worried.
"Luxanna," The patron chuckles, patting the young woman, "Don't worry about me. I have seen several patrons come in and out. I have memorized every book in here. If I truly need help, I will come over to you."
The young blonde girl sighs, resigned to it, "If you say so... so, what's the matter?"
"Oh!" The elder woman's eyes crinckles in concern, "There is someone here to see you."
That doesn't surprise Lux. She wasn't surprised if it was her mother, who has come by to check up on her and see if she is ready to go home and sleep for the rest of the day. A few visitors have been her former collegaues from the College of Magic - most of them curious to see how Lux has been and what she has been up to. A few of them did dare question her time within the League, but she manages to reply to them with the basics on what the Institute is.
"I suppose my mother has come for me again..." Lux sighs, weariness evident in her eyes as she picks up a small book, "I'll be checking this book out."
"Ah, let me get that for you, dear," The head librarian escorts the light mage towards the main hallway before handing the small book over to Lux, "I'm afraid it isn't your mother; she has left me with this," She hands the surprised light mage a small envelope.
"Do you know who it is?" Lux blinks, taking the envelope and placing it into her small purse; she knows that it is - money for food and there is a key for home.
The elder woman blinks before chuckling, "Actually, my dear, this gentleman said he is a good friend of yours. I believe he said he came from the Institute?"
That made the light mage stop in midstep, her blue eyes widening in surprise at the mentioning of where the stranger was from. "The... Institute?" She whispers to herself, hoping that it wasn't any of the summoners or institute commanders who are coming to take her back.
"Lux? Dear?"
She blinks, a small smile gracing her face as she faces the head librarian, "I-It's nothing. Thank you for letting me know."
Lux was honestly frightened to know who was waiting for her.
"Have a good day, Lux. Your visitor is waiting for you in the main entrance hall," The head librarian smiles before resuming her duties in the library. The light mage nods before turning around, slowly walking towards the entrance, gripping her purse and book at hand.
When did I last saw anyone from the League? She silently gulps, her steps quickening in nervousness as she begins to head out towards entrance. If anybody from League was to try and find her, they can't find her due to her change in clothing.
While she kept her headband on, her outfit is that of her civilian clothing. While she was learning within the College of Magic, Lux decided to try and hide her identity as a Crownguard by purchasing a few outfits (she knows her mother Lilia and her father will not approve). Instead, her parents thought she needs to fully show herself as a Crownguard; enter in as one, leave the College of Magic as paragon - a title usually fit for a Crownguard. Her brother is hailed as a hero to all of Demacia with his mighty blade; Lux was known to be as Garen's little sister, the light mage, the prodigy.
After going through great ordeals and testing through various missions for Demacia and Ionia, she is a fantastic ally and eventually entered in the League as The Lady of Luminosity. her outfit is that of customary Demacian: blue, white, yellow armor and clothing (some of the Demacians in League were exceptions). She was even one of the few spies sent to figure out more about the war in Kalamada, the one Demacia is known to have a swift victory over. But after those events in League...
No! Don't think of it... She bites her lower lip as she quickly walks towards the doors to exit out before ducking her head to descend down the stairs, lightly skipping a few steps, Just find a way and give the League visitor the slip-
"Lux?"
She give out a small yelp when her name was called, causing her to slightly stumble in her step before recovering. She hoped nobody saw that-
"Lux!"
Whoever it was, he must have recognized her. Quickening her speed, Lux squeezes her book and purse as she begins a quick run towards her home as she hears someone running after her, calling out for her.
"Wait, Lux!"
She doesn't take a second glance; if she was lucky, this visitor doesn't know Demacia very well, so she can outrun the League Visitor easily. Looking around, she can see some areas and vendors in the areas that she can sneak into. Giving a quick glance, Lux can see an empty alley near a corner. A small smile creeps on her lips; perhaps she can outrun him with her light magic.
Giving a small whisper of a simple light orb spell, Lux allows the small light orb float in midair as she turns into the empty alley. There should be enough light to distract him, Her blue eyes glint micheviously as she whispers the command for the orb to burst, giving a small flash of light to temporary blind the visitor.
She hears some people wincing from the small flash; she mentally apologizes for the trouble, but it was necessary.
"Thank goodness," She murmurs to herself as she straightens herself before looking around the area to see if the coast was clear-
Someone yanks her back into the alley by grabbing her left arm, "There you are!"
...or not.
"Let me go!" Lux was about to shover her elbow against the intruder's stomach when she was forced to turn around to see surprised dark blue-grey eyes and red triangle markings on his cheeks. She freezes in the person's arms before her light blue orbs widen in alarm.
"E-Ezreal?" Lux finally squeaks in surprise, seeing the Prodigal Explorer in front of her.
"Finally!" The Prodigal Explorer sighs in relief, his dark blue eyes shining in relief before he grins, "You were really hard to catch; I thought I'd lose you in the streets for a minute."
"I thought you were some League official," Lux confesses, looking down in embarrassment, "...Sorry, Ezreal."
"It's okay. ...wait, you thought I was one of them?" Ezreal blinks before he chuckles, gently patting Lux's shoulders, "Hey, come on! I'm not like those guys! You know me better than that. Besides..." He smiles, seeing his best friend in front of him once again, "...I missed you."
The blonde mage blinks before breaking in to a beaming smile and hugs him, "I missed you too, Ezreal! Oh god... it's been a while!" She can feel the explorer slightly sqwauk before he chuckles, wrapping his arms around her waist.
"You actually are wearing something else other than that blue and white I've seen you wear," The explorer can't help but admit that the Lady of Luminosity is wearing actual civilian clothing as he releases from the hug to take a full view of Lux, "It actually looks good on you."
"Really?" Lux does a small twirl before a small giggle bubbles from her, "I was afraid people will still recognize me even though this outfit I bought. Speaking of," She glances over at Ezreal with slight confusion, "Did you know where I was?"
The explorer slightly grimaces, running his gloved hand through his hair, "I actually stopped by your residences, but your mother told me you were at the Grand Library in the city. She also told me to let you know that she'll be out on a tour with the other houses for the next month, so..."
"Oh." The blonde woman blinks before sighing, "...and I'm taking she left me in charge of the house while she is gone?"
"That," Ezreal nods before looking concerned, "Lux. Is everything still okay?"
The light mage bits her lower lip before she sighs, "...I want to say that I'm fine, but..."
"It's not, is it," The explorer isn't as dull in terms of emotions; he's seen it before, especially throughout his travels. He sighs, placing his hands around her shoulders, "Everyone back there at the League has been wondering about you. Even Nami's been wondering where you've been for the past couple of months," Ezreal then pauses, "Your brother's been worried along with the other Demacians. They're wondering if everything's okay with you. If..." He frowns, seeing the slight ire that creeps up on Lux's face, "...eh, bad subject to trek on?"
"You can say that," Lux bitterly replies, leaning against the walls of one of the homes as she looks out over to the Demancian street markets, "It's something... that's still fresh on my mind. It's just..." she closes her eyes before looking back at Ezreal, "...I'm getting tired of fighting. I feel my life draining whenever I feel or hear anything regarding the war between Demacia and Noxus. Even when I look at the Summoner's Rift..."
Her voice trails off before letting a forlorn sigh escape her. Ezreal can't help but wonder if Lux has been through a lot; aside Annie (well, that kid was twisted to begin with anyway- who the hell spews out a bear and fire at the same time!?), Lux is perhaps one of the youngest members to enter inside the League... and the first ones to have been sent out in the front lines of actual war herself as opposed to the tiffs and battles for summoners.
Perhaps the war between Demacia and Noxus carries over, even outside the battlegrounds.
"...it's stupid."
Lux blinks, looking up to see Ezreal, whose jaws are slightly clenched. He sighs, looking at her, "I hate Noxians to a high extent because of what they want to do, but I don't like those who resort to violence just to get what they want. Even if some of them are... well," he gestures towards the looming towers of the castles of Demacia, "...you know. I don't know how it feels to have a full burden of being an example of a city-state, but having a burden sucks."
"It does," Lux nods, starting to slightly relax, "But while I can't blame others... It feels suffocating. I have to cater to my mother's whims while my father is gone, to what Demacia wants, to what... Garen wants..." she trails off, knowing how fully Garen wants her to be set as a hero to all of Demacians. He was one of them.
But her? Even if she was held in the highest honor, she can't help but wonder if the many lives taken in the battle field are worth the effort. She has also seen how it has affected others, most especially towards Prince Jarven IV, Vayne, her closest friends, and her brother and his obessesion to find a worthy opponent. Both physically and mentally, the tensions between every champion is very high, especially in the League...
"Did... Garen sent you to find me?" She quietly asks Ezreal. If she knows her family well, she should know that out of all people, Garen treats Lux like a companion in war; someone he can just look at as a comrade instead of what she was hoping to be viewed as a younger sister or any acknowledgement as a sibling. After the battles against Noxus and other enemies, Garen isn't the older brother Lux looks up to. Yes, he has changed (drastically) and her father and mother hold him to the highest honor for his duties.
And knowing after the events that transpired in the League a while back, Lux has an inkling of suspicion that Garen only wants her to return just so she won't make a fool out of the Crownguard name and in Demacia's honor.
Instead of what she was expecting (she was expecting some guilty look from him or something similar befpore saying, 'Yes, Garen sent me to find you, blah blah blah'), she sees surprise written on his face.
"No. I came here to check on you myself," Ezreal admits with truthness in his voice, "I just missed my best friend." And a small smile, "...and my sparring partner. I wanted to see if you were okay."
Lux looks surprised to hear this. The other few times she left the League for personal purposes, there were people sent to look for her (mostly summoners), mostly represented by Garen or any of the high priests who have witnessed her low performance in battle. Not even her brother can take family over duty. But, to hear that someone actually worried about her and even went out his way to search for her...
"Ezreal..." She can't help but feel a swell of emotion in her voice before hugging him for the second time. This time, she didn't hear him protest or such; he returns her embrace.
"Though, Garen is concerned and worried about your well-being," The explorer grumbles in irritation, "The others are too. Hell, even the yordles want to know where the heck you ran off too."
"I know... I must have worried a few people like you mentioned earlier," The blonde closes her eyes, feeling tired from talking about the League (and thinking about it), "But... just for this once, can we not talk about it?"
The blonde explorer looks at the light mage in slight surprise before nodding, gently releasing his embrace from her again (this time, a light blush accompanying him), "Y-Yeah. Sorry. Guess whatever made you leave the League was that bad, huh?"
You have no idea, Ez... Lux slightly nods, "I'll... I'll give you the short version later." She can see Ezreal nod, his lips pulled into a tight thin line as he tries to figure out what to say next without pulling a sensitive point in the light mage's current state of mind.
The peace only lasted a couple seconds when they heard a growl come from Ezreal's stomach, causing him to slightly blush. Lux blinks before she giggles, looking up to see his embarrassed face.
"Well... this is... awkward. And it's not funny!" The explorer mutters, glaring at the now snickering Lux, "...do you know if there's a place where we can grab a bite to eat?"
"I was wondering if you wanted to come to lunch with me anyway," Lux's smile slightly fades, "Are you returning to the League after this?"
Ezreal shakes his head as he escorts Lux out, "Actually, I don't have anything else to do for the next few days; the League allowed me a couple of days to rest. But first, I need some food!"
The light mage beams, "Great! I have a good spot for you to try. I've been meaning to let you come visit here at one time!"
"And here I am... though I'm going to get lost on the way," Ezreal looks around to the various buildings, "Dang. I really need a map for this, huh?"
"Yup!" Lux's laughter came light as Ezreal scowls.
But she can tell the traveler is enjoying himself. Looping her right arm around Ezreal's left, she grins, "Let me lead the way, then!"
"Don't you mean light the way?" The explorer grins before trying to prevent his best friend poking him, "Hey, hey! I was joking!"
"Ha ha, very funny!" Lux retorts, but the smile betrays her.
It's good to see you again, Ezreal.
He can see how cleverly disguised she was; even with her civilian clothing on, her shining blonde hair distinguishes her from any other Demacian. When he sees her looking around before beginning to run off, he wondered if she has sensed him; after all, he was perched on top of the Grand Library of Demacia, away from the guards' eyes and the civilians. It wasn't until when he sees that explorer that he realizes that he wasn't the only one after her.
Damn.
And when said explorer finally caught up to the light mage by using that damned shifting move of his (after he notices the light mage activates her light orb, one of her signiture moves), he made damn well sure he was well-hidden from the two. Even when he overheard the conversation, he can tell that the light mage was serious about her being tired about being in the war, how it has changed lots and affected others...
It has changed you too, huh?
The mentioning of her brother, that idiotic brute, should have invoked some sort of response for her to be surprised and making her wonder if she should return due to her brother's worried nature.
To his surprise, she even reacted coldly to the thought of a member of her family, the paragon of Demacia, worried about her. Even he can tell the explorer knew what subjects not to tred upon in the future.
After all, the explorer was not there first hand to see the true events that unfolded in Noxus, Kalamada, or Demacia. He hears how the explorer hates the people from his nation (I'm honestly not surprised, The man quietly snorts to himself), the way wars are changing others. What he wasn't expecting was how... tired Luxanna sounded when she mentioned how she was supposed to uphold the tradition as one of the heroes of Demacia.
As her enemy (as Katarina was to Garen), wasn't having an equal match enough for a reason why she must uphold her Demacian honor?
Interesting. You're the opposite of the Demacians I see on the field as of now...
The fact that the explorer came to see for himself to see if the light mage was all right was a white lie; he did witness Garen asking Ezreal about Lux. It was also another reason why he decided to leave the League aside carrying out more missions for Noxus (as unusual as it is to any Noxian hero); he wanted to see how the light mage was.
A gentle laugh cuts though his thoughts as he sees the young girl change back into her cheerful self (even if the looks of weariness is evident in her face) before guiding Ezreal out of the alleyway towards the streets of Demacia. He did not miss that she begins to guide him, pointing out every mark in the clean city. Narrowing his eyes, he begins to trail them, blending in with the shadows of the buildings and towers.
Despite her cheerful disposition, he can tell Lux is bothered about something. All that left is that he has to exploit it. He did say he was on a mission, but one given to himself; not one given by any of the Noxian individuals or generals, nor by any member of his family or the so-called 'allies' of Noxus.
Well... Katarina knew about it, but she didn't stop him. She is trying to find a way to distract Garen, while he carries out what he truly wants.
It's not enough to hide you away from me, Luxanna. The assassin mentally notes to track the light mage down, to remind her of what is truly important to her.
...even if it meant throwing away his honor for the sake to see the light mage back on the fields, fighting.
TBC
Ahahahahahahaha shit. I should have placed in an Out of Character warning in here.
And yes, I am a League player.