Ezreal couldn't bring himself to pay much attention to diplomatic meetings. They were just so long and boring and they hardly ever included him or his expertise anyway. Truth to be told, he wasn't even sure why he kept getting invited to them. If he was needed, he was always contactable through the Arcanum Majoris and he was pretty much always available to explore or to research an artefact that had been found. Nonetheless here he was at the diplomatic meeting of all the city-states of Valoran.
"Demacia will not stand by and allow that to happen!" Jarvan stood up abruptly, shaking Ezreal from his reverie, "No matter the circumstances senseless killing is not the answer."
Swain looked amused, "These bandits are harming Demacian travellers as well. So far, Demacia has done nothing while they do so." His gruff voice had a hint of laughter in it, "Noxus simply wants to do something. More than can be said for Demacia, I suppose."
"We must apprehend them, not engage them!" Garen stood by Jarvan's decision. His eyes shone with anger as he spoke, "What if they are a part of a larger organization? We would be losing valuable information."
"Then we'll kill them too," Katarina countered, "Demacia's efforts at apprehending the bandits have turned up nothing. It is time to change tactics."
Ezreal zoned back out quickly. He was never of use to Caitlyn and Jayce during these diplomatic meetings as he didn't know or care much for politics and while he had Piltover's best interests in mind, he wasn't as quick to understand how to reach those goals in agreements with other city-states.
He looked around, some other attendees looked as bored and out of it as he did. Lux looked like she was dying inside.
Ezreal looked away from her quickly, the pain of their breakup still hurt in his chest when he saw or tried to interact with her. It was so unfair and he didn't know how to react when it happened. He'd just gone home and cried it out. He still didn't know how to act around Lux. She treated him kindly and though it was not the same as when they were together, that kindness hurt more than the sharpest contempt could.
"...ruin found in the Noxian badlands."
Ezreal instantly tuned back into the conversation. He looked around trying to figure out who had spoken. This type of conversation almost always included him and was so rare to hear in these diplomatic meetings that it was exciting for Ezreal to hear that he would be needed.
"We will send Ezreal to explore it like always, will we not?" Lux asked matter-of-factly. It seemed she wanted to get this conversation over with as fast as possible so that bigger issues could be addressed. Despite her clear disinterest, she was at least listening.
"Noxus takes issue with this idea." Swain responded flatly. Ezreal was shocked. He was always the one to explore new areas and research old weaponry to find out if it was magical. It was his job and Swain took issue with it?
"I don't understand." Jarvan said, clearly confused by the sudden shift in opinion. Swain laughed.
"We all know how close young Ezreal is to Demacia's nobility. It would be foolish to send him alone when he could be feeding Noxus's secrets to Demacia." Swain explained. Jarvan stood up abruptly again.
Ezreal felt a pang of sadness.
"Ezreal I...heard some concerning rumours." Lux sat across from Ezreal in a small cafe. Ezreal looked at her quizzically but a part of him knew exactly what she was going to say. "I've heard that you...have slept with men?" She sounded confused and hurt.
"I…" Ezreal didn't know how to respond. He could lie, but the truth would come out sooner or later. It wasn't like it was supposed to be some secret. "...I have."
"Why wouldn't you tell me that?" Lux hissed, "So that I could make an informed decision on dating you!"
Ezreal was taken aback. He expected this, honestly, but he'd thought he could get away with his little fantasy for just a while longer.
"I...I don't know." He said, hanging his head slightly, "I'm sorry."
"I can't deal with this." Lux admitted, "You know such acts are considered sinful in my religion."
"Who told you?" Ezreal asked. Not many people knew about his bisexuality, he wanted to know who had gone and outed him.
"I'm not telling you." Lux huffed, "They protected me, as much as it hurts, and I will not punish them for that. I can't do this. We're through."
Ezreal shook his head. He needed to stop thinking so deeply about it at every moment. As much as it hurt it was already over and there was nothing he could do to change that.
"Demacia would never-"
"Those are just words to me." Swain cut him off, "Meaningless words."
Katarina stood up, clearly intending to mediate the two leaders, "Noxus would like to send a Noxian chaperone with Ezreal. Just to be safe, of course."
Jarvan looked offended, very offended, but a chaperone wouldn't hurt the exploration at all so long as they stayed out of his way. They may even be helpful as a second set of eyes.
"If that is what Noxus desires. Who will be sent?" Jarvan relented reluctantly. Katarina smiled, happy that her idea had gone over so easily and without another shouting match.
"Noxus will send Talon Du'Couteau." Swain said, happily. Talon immediately jumped into the conversation for the first time, ever, it seemed to Ezreal.
"Me? When was this decided?" He spat. He sat forward, a flash of anger crossing his face. Katarina tut tutted him quietly.
"I'm going to Demacia for trade negotiations and Darius is going to Zaun. You're the only one left to go!" She said, exasperated by his rough and impolite behavior.
"...Fine." Talon calmed down, seeing that he had no choice. There was no reason to make a scene over something he wasn't going to get a choice in either way. Talon leaned back into his chair, content to return to just listening to the various negotiations.
Ezreal breathed a sigh of relief. He would get to go on this exploration! He would get to be the one to discover the secrets of this ruin! He would have to do it with Talon in tow but Talon seemed like he wouldn't be too much trouble. So much for a second set of eyes though.
Talon seemed calm as the meeting progressed. But Ezreal could tell he was angry about being sent off to the middle of bumfuck nowhere with someone he didn't even like and who, honestly, didn't really like him.
Ezreal wasn't exactly stoked to be sent into the middle of nowhere with a Noxian either. He admitted he had some preconceived notions about Noxus and its people. He just didn't feel comfortable alone with them. Maybe that was wrong, but they were so...violent.
Soon enough all the big issues had been tackled to everyone's satisfaction, or at least tried to have been tackled. The bandits were still a problem no one could agree on with about a 50/50 vote on killing them or apprehending them.
Everyone began to get up and leave the room as the meeting came to a close. It felt like no one wanted to be there but yet everyone felt the need to stay and continue to talk about the issues at hand.
It was getting late and everyone wanted to return to their homes and sleep. Ezreal had other plans, though. He was to leave in three days for Noxus where he would rendezvous with Talon and they would explore this new ruin together.
He arrived home with Caitlyn and the two went their separate ways to their rooms quietly. Taking care of Ezreal's home had been too much for Caitlyn and she'd asked him to move in with her. Ezreal was barely home anyway so it made no difference to him. Caitlyn had actually gotten frustrated with him being home all the time after Lux had broken up with him.
He collapsed into bed, not even bothering to change his clothes. He had to start getting things ready for the expedition but right now he just wanted to sleep. Across the hall, Caitlyn's lights flicked out. Ezreal slowly got out of bed and closed his door.
He pulled his travelling backpack out of his closet. He wasn't sure why he kept putting it away when he would only take it out again to go adventure somewhere on Valoran.
Ezreal placed the backpack on the floor and opened it up. It was huge with lots of extra pockets and storage space outside of the main backpack. He used it for all of his travels. He had gotten the bag when he first started adventuring and dread the day it would have to be replaced.
Some questioned why he didn't use a magic bag that gave him more space but truthfully he just loved the bag he used so much he didn't want to give it up yet.
Ezreal took some blankets out of his closet, blankets he used for traveling, and began to roll them up tightly. He tied them together with a bit of fine rope and stuffed them down into the bag. The blankets were no longer soft but still served their purpose well. Knowing how cold it could get in any badlands it was important to be prepared.
A plastic tarp was the next thing he packed. It could help shield his work from the elements or provide a waterproof layer for his tent if necessary. He rolled it up tightly and neatly placed it in the corner of his bag with the blankets.
Ezreal grabbed his headlamp. It was going to be necessary when exploring a ruin to have something to light the way as they walked and discovered. He tucked it into the bag next to his blankets and tarp.
He leaned back, staring at his ceiling. Travelling with Talon? It sounded interesting at least. He didn't seem like the particularly talkative type nor did he seem like someone particularly interested in the artefacts of old. He was simply a warm body that could keep an eye on him and maybe even kill him if he were to misstep.
A shudder ran down Ezreal's spine as he considered the possibility of Talon just killing him on their expedition. Maybe Swain saw him as a threat now and wanted him dead and that was why Talon was assigned to this expedition.
He shook his head and clapped himself on the face lightly. There was no reason to think badly of the intentions of a nation that he truthfully didn't spend a whole lot of time learning about. There was nothing to suggest that Swain wanted him dead; he was just being...somewhat discriminatory. Noxians may not be popular but they had never done anything bad to him before. Why would they start now?
He sighed softly, running his hands through his hair. He had to prepare for this expedition. He was leaving soon and it was important to be properly prepared.
Ezreal stuffed a few more things in his backpack. A pocket knife, a first aid kit, all of his tools for handling artefacts, and a journal were all among the things he strategically placed in his backpack. He would have to carry a second bag of preserved foods, but it was a short trip so there was no need to bring too much.
He would go get preserved foods tomorrow, he decided, and yawned. With that, he peeled of his clothes. He threw his clothes into the pile on the floor. He wasn't going to be wearing his nice clothes for at least another month so there was no need to wash them any time soon.
Ezreal stretched and fell back into bed. He felt lighter and more relaxed without the heavy clothes he wore to diplomatic meetings on. His skin breathed in a sigh of relief at the release. The sheets felt soft and silky against his bare skin and sleep felt imminent.
He let his eyes slip closed. Almost instantly, he was transported to a soft field. The grass beneath his bare feet felt lovely and the weather was perfect. He sat down in the grass, letting each blade kiss his skin.
Ezreal relaxed back into the grass. He felt so calm and serene in his dream land. Some nights it was a beach, other nights a forest, but a simple field was enough to keep him happy. He looked up a the sky of his dreams. A few puffy clouds dotted the blue sky.
He sighed happily as he stared at the clouds. His dream would end soon but he wanted to enjoy the time he had left. He watched as the clouds passed by peacefully. If only real life could be this gentle all the time.
Ezreal blinked awake as light washed over his face. His room was perfectly faced so that the morning sun streamed through his windows, waking him every day he spent at home. He squinted his eyes a bit and pulled the covers up over his head. He wanted to sleep more but he knew he had things to do today.
He pushed the covers off and rolled out of bed almost literally. He stood up and stretched his body. A soft moan escaped him as he arched his back, lifting his arms up over his head. He rocked back and forth on his feet, trying in a sleepy haze to set his sights on his closet.
He found it and stumbled through the mess on the floor in the general direction of his clothes. He pulled a t-shirt and some jeans out from the disaster he called his closet. He looked at them quizzically. It didn't take long for him to reason that he didn't care if they matched.
He pulled the t-shirt over his head and then stepped into the jeans. He yawned, looking at himself in the long mirror Caitlyn had given him. She would probably have words about his choice of clothes or his bedhead, but neither of those things were of particular concern.
Ezreal combed his fingers through his hair. He was not really taking care of any of the knots in his hair, but called it successful anyway as his bedhead was tamed slightly. It would be a little while before any of the shops would open but it wasn't terrible to be up early.
Satisfied with his "carefree" appearance, he grabbed his wallet, keys, and shopping bag and headed out. He stepped out onto the streets of Piltover with a little spring in his step.
His first stop was a little cafe in an alley. Nowhere else could he get such good tea for only a few coins. He sat down at a small table in a corner and waited for the server to bring him his tea.
It didn't take long and the first sip tasted like heaven in a cup. The tea was delicious as always and slid down his throat so smoothly. It was the perfect temperature and just so wonderful.
After finishing his tea, Ezreal made his way out of the cafe. It was about time for most stores to start opening and he had to make his way over to the shop that sold foods to travelers.
The crowds that usually filled Piltover's streets had started to gather. Ezreal made his way through the crowd almost daintily, careful not to walk into anyone else.
He briskly walked down the streets of Piltover, taking in the familiar faint smell of smog. Industrialization had brought some unpleasant side effects but was an overall good look for Piltover.
Ezreal pushed the door to the shop open, smiling brightly.
"Hi, Ezreal. What can I get for you today?" The clerk asked, smiling back just as brightly. He was a regular here and they were always very kind to him. They even gave him discounts sometimes as a repeat customer.
"Uh," Ezreal thought for a second, "How about some preserved fruits, bread, peanut butter, and granola?" It was short trip so he didn't need much food for it.
The clerk shuffled around behind the counter picking things off of shelves. She began handing the things she was holding to Ezreal. She plucked a bag out from under the counter and filled it up with granola.
"Is this good?" She asked, holding up the bag. It was about half full with granola and, given the large size of the bag, it was a lot of granola.
"Yeah, that's fine." Ezreal held up a big thumbs up and started putting things away in his shopping bag. He would attach a food bag to his regular backpack when he got home, or maybe even just carry the shopping bag if he felt lazy enough.
Satisfied with his haul, Ezreal headed out of the shop and towards home. He wanted to relax before leaving on this expedition. He walked home, back through the familiar streets, taking in the sights and sounds of the bustling city.
He made it back home in record time and headed to his room. He pulled a smaller bag out of the closet and stuffed the food into it. He tied the bag to his main backpack and smiled at his handiwork. He would have no trouble on this expedition, just like always, he reassured himself.
He reclined onto his bed with a book. He had to make his way to Noxus the next day and get through their very harsh border policies, so he might as well relax while he still could. Talon was supposed to be at the border to collect him but he might just not show up and leave Ezreal on his own in a foreign city-state. That seemed like something he might do just for fun.
Ezreal shook the thoughts out of his head and tried to focus on his reading. He was determined to take some time to himself before leaving. He wiggled around in bed, trying to find the most comfortable way to sit and eventually he relaxed into his mountain of pillows for the night.
