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This is my first attempt at writing fan-fiction, so any advise you could offer to me would be greatly appreciated, and I will update this as soon as a brilliant idea crosses my mind. Also, the story is semi OOC and may eventually turn into yuri, but I'm just rolling with whatever ideas come into my mind, so not even I know yet.
The first signs of dawn were merely beginning to show through the almost closed blinds that were customary for the building in which she resided. Irelia propped herself up on one of the pillows that she had been given upon "moving" to the building. She rested her head back against the cold wall and looked around the small room that she had been assigned to. Claiming to only hold the bare necessities of life would have been considered an understatement. She peered around the room, traces of light lingering around the still dark room. But she supposed that it was only for the better. . Across the room she spotted a simple oven, to allow her to sustain herself properly, a fridge in which to store the food she could only assume that she would soon be given, and a handful of plates, bowls and eating utensils. She felt the pain that the small amount of light peering delicately through the windows had been bestowing upon her. She hadn't seen much light over the last three days, as she'd been moved to the building that held most of the champions in the league. She'd been moved in a boat, then a long series of trains to get her to where she was now. The building in which she currently resided was slightly north of the institute of war and slightly east of the howling marsh. She moved her arms around slightly to test her muscle co-ordination. They moved fine, but she could tell that she would need to put in some time in order to get her back to where she felt comfortable inside her own body. She could already tell that the days she had spent without practicing were already begging to take their toll on her. She pulled the two standard issue blankets off of her and swung her legs off of the side of her bed. She was dressed in a nightgown, most likely put on her by the people in charge of shipping her here. She placed her hands on the bed, and let out a deep sigh.
"Welcome to the league of legends" She whispered to herself in a joking manner "where all we do is supply you with a small room with almost nothing in it, and hope you can live on your own".
Wasn't this supposed to be an honor? Wasn't she supposed to be treated like a champion, not a prisoner? She quickly dismissed the thought, and decided that she was just rambling on pointlessly because couldn't remember eating anything over the last three days. The trip was so long that she was administered sleeping gas before her journey had begun to save her the joy of staring at the ceiling of the dark train carts and boats that she had traveled on. She was most likely administered food while she was being shipped around, but they had given her far too much sleeping medicine for any of her memories of the last few days to be any more than several seconds of slurred, inaudible noises or sudden flashes of light followed by the darkness. She pushed down on her arms and lifted herself up; supporting herself on her own two legs. Her floor was a nice carpeted design, with a nice diamond pattern, which she assumed was blue and green, but the lack of light made it difficult to determine what the two colors really were. She slouched her way over to the small kitchen that she had, and opened the fridge. The light shot out, Illuminating the entire room, and nearly blinding her. Realizing the terrible choice she just made, she closed the door of the fridge and walked over to the simple marble counter directly beside it. The marble felt cool to the touch, and looked rather nice from what she could tell. She looked around the floor for anything that she thought would be of use. Near what looked like the door, she saw two small figures in the shadows, in the form of what looked like slippers; she walked over and slipped her feet into them, being sure to walk slowly to avoid straining any of her muscles. After not moving for several days, being sure to not over-use her muscles was her number 1 priority. She didn't want to lose even more time training, seeing as she knew her combat efficiency would be lower than what she wished it to be. Deciding on how to pass the time, she decided to walk back to her bed and see if she could fall back asleep. As she was on her way back to her bed, she heard a knock came across her door, and she wandered back to answer.
"Miss Irelia, have you awoken yet?" came a calm voice from across the door. She took note of the voice, which she interpreted to be that of a man.
"I suppose you could say I'm awake, but not quite up yet, if you get what I mean" she replied sheepishly.
The voice on the other side of the door seemed to break out in a short series of laughs before replying; "You're having one of those mornings huh? It seems to be occurring to most of the new arrivals. Travelling sickness is what we think it is. Your sleeping habits have been thrown out of whack, so your body is just trying to re-adjust. It happens to even the best of us." He replied. "Is everything alright? Do you think you are in need of any medication, or would you rather just get situated yourself?"
"I seem to be alright, although any medication for headaches would be quite helpful right now" She exclaimed. "Also, is there anywhere that I can have a shower? I don't believe that I have bathed for several days now, and I want the other champion's first impressions of me to not be that I take no regard to my personal hygiene."
The voice on the other side of the door stopped for a little bit, and she could hear the rustling of a bag. Perhaps he was getting her some medication or a pamphlet? He replied soon after with "Can I come in?"
She considered the thought for a second, and then decided to open the door. He seemed like a nice person, and she could use all the friendly people and helpful advice she could get right now. The door opened with a flash of light, irritating her still-adjusting eyes. She turned away, and he apologized for letting the light in so bluntly. He quickly realized his mistake and pulled the door behind him, letting it close with the force of the pull, and it fell in to place with a reassuring "thud".
"That was completely my mistake; I should've known that your eyes are still sensitive. But I think that I have some medication to help you out with that too. Oh, and by the way, I'm Nick, and I'll be your situating officer. It's my job to make sure that your transition from your home to the league goes off without a hitch, so that you can get training as soon as you feel you can"
Irelia replied smartly "So you're a doorman, a doctor and a situating officer? You must be an everyman." She replied before letting out a series of quick laughs.
He let out a short laugh before replying "I'm also a lawyer, a pet salesmen and a philanthropist in my spare time."
She looked back at him "Now you're just joking with me, even though I just got up I can still tell that"
"You seem to catch on pretty quickly." He was still rummaging around in the medium sized leather bag that he had in front of him, attached around his shoulder with a long, brown leather strap. The bad itself read "Medication only. Not to be used by anyone without consent from Dr. Stevenson and during the situating process". Shortly after he pulled out two small bottles, both were small, white bottles with a tight screw-on cap. He handed them over to her, giving her some time to read what was on the front. They read "Situating sickness pills" and "social adjustment pills" The label on the first bottle made sense, but the second one seemed strange.
"Umm, what is this?" She barked at the man in front of her. "Why did you give me social adjustment pills? Do you not think that I can get along with society by myself, so I need some medication to get along with people? Is that what this is?" Irelia had now lost her temper. The man seemed to notice the anger that portrayed from her voice, and immediately tried to justify the actions he had just done.
"Well, you see" He begun. "Those are standard issue to everyone who was just transported here. They're not what the label on the front of the bottle leads you to believe. They're pills designed to get your body back into a way that you can perform out in a public environment. Here, I'll even show you." He stepped back several steps, leaving Irelia to think about what he was doing. Then, out of the darkness, several small, circular objects were being thrown at her, with the sole direction being given. Catch. She managed to catch one, and the last four hit her and fell to the ground, each landing with a small "thump" before bouncing several feet in a random direction. Her eyes had adjusted enough to the darkness that she could now begin making out the man's basic form. He stood about 6'1, wearing normal, everyday clothing. The object she held in her hand, along with the four on the floor, she could now determine were apples. She looked up at him and shot him an angry glare, at which he laughed. "I told you" Irelia considered what he just said. She wasn't really ready to go into a public area right now without embarrassing herself. Irelia loosened up. He wasn't here to embarrass her. He was here to help her.
"Ok, you got me" She pronounced jokingly. "Now how long will it take for these pills to take affect?"
"Do you take long showers?" He replied, hoping that for once the words he wanted to get out got out the right way.
"It all depends. Does this place have hot water?"
"Well, that all depends if the person assigned to getting you up and ready likes you. Now I'll give you this. How about I let you have hot water, and we meet up sometime over lunch sometime on me? Sound fair?"
"I've had far worse deals than this. That sounds about fair to me." She replied with a grin. Although right now that was the last thing that she had on her mind. Right now all that she could think about was the warm shower that he had promised her. He told her to take the pills that he gave her, collected the apples off of the floor, and left. She took the pills she was given, in which there were two, stumbled around until she found the light switch, and flicked it on.
The pills seemed to act fast. The bright light that had only minutes ago nearly blinded her now seemed familiar. She then realized that she was still holding the apple that she had caught. She sunk in her teeth and tore out a large chunk. The flavor was soothing to her, being the first thing that she had eaten in days. But the apple wasn't grown here, she could tell that just from the flavor. Apples grown locally were less flavorful than the one she had been given. This one had a taste that stuck around after she had swallowed it, and the taste was pleasant. She could tell that this apple was grown in her home town of Ionia. She despised the apples that were grown locally. They were more for money than for enjoyment. But Ionian apples were grown to please the consumer first, make money second. She could already feel her homesickness sinking in.
She walked into the bathroom, locked the door and placed the apple down on the counter. In the bathroom were a sink, a mirror, and a simple shower. "Enough to get the job done, plain and simple" she thought to herself. She turned the tap and placed her hand in front of the stream of water. She felt the warm water immediately rush across her hand, warming her cold hand with a soft, tingling feeling. She unrobed, and stepped inside. There was not a curtain, but rather a glass door to this shower. The door was enough to stop people from looking in, and these rooms were only meant for one person. She showered herself, made sure to clean herself from head to toe. She sat around in the shower, enjoying the first shower she would've had in days. Eventually, she decided that she needed to get out of the shower, so she stepped outside, being sure not place her foot on the small mat that sat just outside the shower, wrapped herself in a towel from the towel rack, and checked herself in the mirror. She did basic motor checks of her fingers and arms, and once she was satisfied, she grabbed the apple back off the counter, took another bite, and stepped out.
She walked across the room over to the counter and peered outside the blinds just above the sink. The daylight now beamed all over her room and she dozed off, looking at and absorbing the rays of the sun before she finished off her apple, and carefully throwing it several feet beside her into a small garbage can. The apple landed with a proud clunk as it bounced against the side of the garbage can before coming to rest at the bottom. She checked her fridge out, and looked for a real meal to eat. Some form of small vegetable plate caught her eye, and she took it out and placed it on the counter. From the corner of her eye, she noticed a box had appeared on her bed. On it, it was labeled "personal belongings" and below it, her name. She pulled open the small flaps on the box, and inside she found all of her clothes. Some were formal, some were informal. She got herself dressed in some casual clothing, checked to see if there was anything else hidden around her room, and once she was satisfied that there wasn't, she went back over to the counter, took some vegetables off of the tray, closed it and replaced it back where it was originally in the fridge, and walked out of her room.
She found herself in a hallway open on the left, closed on the right. The floor was a wood floor, nice, but not amazing. On the right, spaced exactly, were more doors, presumably to more rooms. On the right was a balcony with a small railing, and below it, was a large green mat outlined with training dummies, punching bags, and a shooting range. She wandered around aimlessly for several minutes, hoping to find something to occupy her time until someone told her what to do. She may have been a general back in her home city of Ionia, but here, she was just another champion. She still had not received her mantle of decorum, or her blade, both of which she cherished dearly. She was soon interrupted on her adventure by a friend from back in Ionia, Karma. Karma had to bump into her before she even noticed her though.
"Are you in a rush to get somewhere Karma? You seem to be in a bit of a hurry." Asked Irelia. "I'm not used to seeing you rushing around."
Karma took several seconds to realize that someone was even talking to her before she replied. She seemed to be too busy staring off down the hallway to even realize that her friend was trying to talk to her.
"Sorry about that Irelia, I think that I'm still suffering from the situating sickness. From what I was told everyone new to the league must meet down in the lobby to attend a ceremony of some sort. I wasn't informed of what though."
"What ceremony? I wasn't told that we had to attend any form of ceremony."
Karma didn't bother to respond to. Instead, she grabbed her by the forearm and pulled her along, returning to the pace she was going before she was interrupted. Soon after, they arrived at the lobby, and saw the rest of the champions gathered around. The lobby was large and elegant, covered in paintings and sculptures, plaques with achievements of past champions, and a temporary podium situated in the middle of the room. The duo rushed down the flight of stairs and mingled into the group of champions. The group was very diverse. Everyone from Luxanna and Garen Crownguard to Singed the mad chemist were among the group. Soon, a tall man rose from a chair situated in the back of the lobby and rose to the pedestal, cleared his throat, and then began to address the group of champions.
"You have all been gathered here today to join the league of legends. You have come from far and wide, from Ionia to the plague jungles to Demacia. The journey must not have been comfortable, but it was necessary for us to gather you all here today. You all must know that twenty years ago, the rune war set runeterra onto a course of disaster. The institute of war has devised a way to prevent another gruesome war from occurring, by creating the league of legends and field of justice. We have gathered you all here today to prepare you for your oncoming battles on the fields of justice. The reason we have gathered you all here instead of allowing you to remain in your homes and cities is simple. We require you to become acquainted with your fellow champions and summoners. This is not a choice; you may not fight in the league of legends by yourself. Victory upon the fields will require trust and teamwork, and these two things are not just granted to everybody. So become friendly with your fellow champions and summoners. You will be with them for a long time, so try not to create too many enemies. From the institute of war, and from all our fellow summoners, we wish you luck, and good results upon the fields." and with that, his body seemingly vanished.
Silence filled the lobby as quickly as the speaker's voice had, and no one spoke. Everyone sat around and let what the speaker had just said sink in. His message was simple. Make friends, not enemies. No one could deny that. But Irelia felt as though the speaker was attempting to hide a deeper meaning. He wouldn't just bring everyone together to make friends. People could communicate and make friends back where they came from. This man was hiding something, but she couldn't point a finger at it. Eventually, the silence was broken by another voice, but this time not coming from a speaker on the pedestal. The voice seemed to come straight from the air surrounding them, a soft, feminine voice.
"We would now like to recommend that all of you who have failed to receive all of the contents that you packed including weapons, armor, or personal valuables that you have not already received to return to your rooms and collect them, as they should have been delivered to you by this point. If, under any circumstance you have not received them by the time you have returned to your room, to contact your situating officer and inform them that you appear to be missing something, and they will find your missing equipment or belonging. And, as a final word, welcome to the league of legends, and we hope you enjoy your stay." The voice cut off, and everyone sat there, wondering what to do next. Quickly, some champions began to walk out, Irelia quickly followed suit.
She returned back to her room, to find that a second box had been placed onto her bed, alongside the box of her valuables. Inside she found her suit of armor, her blade and her mantle of decorum, along with a small restraining device to hold her blade to her back when not in use to avoid stabbing someone unintentionally. She grabbed the new box, walked over to her bathroom, and looked into the mirror, gently placing the mantle onto her head and insuring that it was placed perfectly. She didn't want people to think that she place it on her head without the highest level of honor. She took out the blade, and as she placed a hand on it, it flew up beside her and the four blades extended into an 'X' formation. She gave it a quick smirk and placed the restraining device on the back of her shirt, with some difficulty. She gave a quick telepathic signal to her blade, telling it to place itself onto the device, which it did so obediently. She had been able to control the blade with her mind ever since she was nearly killed in the grand stand of the placidium. Once Soraka had anchored her fading soul, the blade was able to levitate on its own, and she was able to control it just by thinking. She walked out of her bathroom in order to get some more room, and then tested out the device several times, telling the blade to detach and then reattach itself. It would always extend once released, and would return into its docile form of placing the four blades into two lines above and below the orb, before reattaching itself snugly onto her back. After looking herself over one more time in the bathroom mirror to ensure that she appeared presentable to the other summoners and walked to the door.
"And so it begins" she muttered to herself before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.
In case you're wondering why Irelia's blade didn't murder everyone on on board the train/boat was because they were never far apart. No weapons were aloud in the same sleeping chamber as the champions in case of a crash, so her blade was just placed in a box and kept nearby, and transported along with the rest of the weapons after they had arrived, and after the mandatory check of all weapons. And with champions like Katerina and Talon, you can imagine how long that would've taken. Also, her blade isn't aloud to kill anyone unless its in her control, which is explained in chapter 2. I thought I'd added in that information but it seems it crossed my mind