A Boy and His Fox – Ch. 2
Jamming my hands into my pockets I continued to walk down the street, Ahri leading the way back to her home where I was to spend my next fifteen years. In all honesty, it was not a thought I was overly ecstatic about, but as a summoner I had responsibilities, even if it was to essentially babysit a child trapped in the body of a stunningly beautiful woman. For a long while, neither of us spoke though occasionally she would look over her shoulder, the same unnerving grin on her face that she had since we left the Hall. I looked past her and when she turned back around it was only then that I saw the sun setting below the horizon as if it were a beautiful painting. The waters off the coast sparkled like diamonds as the sky was splashed with pinks and oranges that were almost breathtaking to behold.
"Hey Summoner. Runeterra to Summoner." I blinked a few times before I realized that I must have spaced out. I turned to see Ahri, a strange look on her face. One that almost looked as if it could be concern. "Are you alright Summoner? You just kind of stopped there."
My cheeks became a light rosy pink in embarrassment and not wishing to give the woman more ammunition I gave a light laugh in order to throw of suspicion. "Oh yeah sorry, I was just lost in thought for a moment there. Don't worry about me." I chuckled once more and as she flashed another concerned look at me the sly smile returned before she turned back around, leading me down the road.
"Well try to keep up instead of undressing me with your eyes. We'll be there shortly." Oh the way that woman could get on my nerves. I couldn't tell if she was just trying to grind my gears or if she was truly so arrogant to believe that every man in Valoran would be unable to resist her appearances and fling themselves to her feet.
"You and I both know that I was not doing so." I snapped quickly, brushing my way past her, eager to get to our destination. Anything that would allow me to be alone in my thoughts for a moment without her teasing.
After a few more minutes Arya stepped forward giving a "Tada" and gesturing towards her home. I was so shocked I dropped my belongings right where I stood. After, I managed to come to my senses.
"You're kidding me. You don't live here." I looked down at the two foot diameter hole that led into the darkness underground. "I mean I know you're part fox and all…but even you don't strike me as the kind to literally live in a hole in the ground." Ahri crossed her arms defensively.
"Hey! You don't see me making fun of your stupid clothes or anything. Don't insult my home, you haven't even been inside it yet." She walked towards the hole in the ground and sat on the earth, placing her legs over the edge so that they dangled into the pit.
"Inside of…it's a hole…in the ground! I can already tell you what's inside of it, a whole lot of dirt, roots, and occasionally a delusional fox-woman who believes herself to be in a real house!" Ahri shot me a dirty look and stood up walking towards me and shoving me with her arm causing me to stumble slightly before I regained my balance.
"Now listen here prick, you might not think much of me or the way I live, but I'm offering you a place in my house and the very least you can do is have just enough of a shred of manhood that you don't openly insult me in public." Her words stunned me, and I realized I had struck a nerve. Part of me knew that it would be right to apologize, but honestly, she'd been giving me trouble all day. Why should I be the one to apologize when she would not? At the very least I could humor her.
"Fine, let us go inside, oh Lady of the Manor." My tone was dripping with toxic sarcasm that caused Ahri's tails to puff up slightly. Letting it go she turned away and once more swung her legs over the rim, before slipping inside. As I walked to the rim I could hear her calling down. "Toss down your things then jump in. Don't worry you'll be safe."
Safe? Just how deep was this thing? Throwing my briefcase into the pit I could hear the sound of its leather binding scraping against something and I gave a groan, knowing that on the way down I'd probably leave some skin and blood on intruding roots. Taking a deep breath to steady myself I plunged into the darkness, and immediately I knew I was falling…a lot. The walls went past me in a blur and for what seemed like an entire minute I could feel my stomach plunging into my throat. Finally I felt something smooth catch me in a curve similar to the way a dejada is shaped. I continued to slide down the thing at a high speed and it was then I was shocked to find a house. A full sized house, underneath the city that had been built Gods know when by Gods know who. I soon found myself rushing through a round hole where a door was open and bracing myself for impact I felt myself leave the earth before landing on a coffee table…on my back…hard.
Ahri smirked at me, shutting the door behind me and dusting off her hands before she helped me to my feet. I groaned softly and placing a hand on the small of my back I pressed leaning backwards and cracking my spine to help relieve the pain. "Thanks for the uh…soft landing."
Ahri once more huffed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Is that all you have to say?" She tapped her foot impatiently as she waited for my apology.
"Oh right, I really liked your slide." She threw her arms up in the air as she walked away from me. I knew what she wanted but I'd be damned if she got me to eat my own words and give her something to hold over my head. Looking around I realized something was missing. "Ummm, Ahri…where are my things?"
Ahri smirked before turning back to me and leaning against the door frame of the kitchen. "Wouldn't you like to know?" She teased with a wink as she turned back and entered the kitchen, her nine tails splayed around her like a silvery halo. I frowned. I know that this psychopath did not just throw away my belongings. What the hell was she thinking?!
"Ahri…what did you do to my stuff?" I asked through gritted teeth as I walked towards the kitchen, feeling anger bubble up inside of me. She flashed me that same incredibly aggravating smirk again before laughing.
"They're at the bottom of the well." She said matter-of-factly, as if it were a perfectly normal response to the question. "Besides Mr. Big Powerful Summoner, you didn't need any of that stuff anyway."
I paused. "The bottom…of the well. You threw my clothes, my books, and my belongings into a well?!" My voice began to grow louder as my temper started to show, a fiery burning igniting behind my eyes before Ahri walked to me gently placing her hand on my shoulder and letting one of her claws softly trail down my chest. The strangely affectionate action caused me to stop and realizing what had happened she quickly moved her hand away with a giggle.
"Well now that I've gotten your attention. The reason I threw your stuff out is because I got you some new belongings, or that is belongings for whichever summoner would be bound to me." I was shocked to say the least.
"What if you hadn't gotten bound to a summoner? Even Duchess Karma wasn't bound, how did you know someone would become bound to you?" Ahri straightened suddenly as though my question had caught her off guard and she began stumbling over her words.
"W—well I mean c'mon. Wh-why wouldn't I have been bound? I am only the most gorgeous champion in existence, competing for the attention of nerds? Child's play." The word 'nerd' caused me to frown a bit but seeing as how she'd thrown my things away, I, for the time being, had to trust her.
"I don't suppose I have any other choice." I turned towards her and gestured with a sweeping motion to lead the way. She smiled and walked in front of me, and did I catch a light sway in her hips? Surely not.
Ahri led me further into the belly of her house until we came upon a simple wooden door, and leaning against the wall beside it, she propped the bottom of her left foot against the wall with a smile.
"Well, here you are. You'll find that there are clothes in the drawers and there are fresh linens in the closet for the bed." I looked deep into those glimmering golden eyes of hers and held my gaze there for a moment before looking away once more. Gently placing my hand on the door I pushed it open, walking wordlessly inside and immediately I turned giving her a quizzical look. She frowned softly. "You don't like it?"
"No, no. I like it's just…" I turned back to the room, every surface covered in a thick layer of dust. "How long ago did you say that you bought this stuff?" I walked into the room, leaving footprint behind me as I gently sat on the bed. Despite its incredible comfort a cloud of dust exploded into the air causing me to cough and wheeze before turning back to Ahri who was carefully examining the toe of her shoe.
"About seven years ago…" she muttered softly. Unable to hear her I stepped closer and repeated my question. She sighed softly. "About seven years ago. It used to belong to my old summoner…my original summoner." The room got really quiet after that and I just looked at my feet, examining them as closely as Ahri was hers.
I finally decided that I had to break the silence. "Well umm…we could clean it tonight. After that, we get to celebrate right? I mean you got a summoner and I got a champion, that's something isn't it?" Ahri looked up beaming with excitement.
"Hell yes it is! I've got a bottle of wine in the pantry. I'll go get it and some glasses." She smiled brightly and seemed to skip happily down the hall way as I stuck my head into the corridor to make sure she was truly gone.
Immediately I got to work. Pulling a small marble out of my pocket I closed my eyes and letting out a soft breath onto the thing, I felt the familiar tingling that came with my magic. The marble began to swell up until it was about the size of a basketball, glowing a bright blue before I put it on the empty pedestal in the middle of the room. This was a Sphere of Influence, otherwise known as the Summoner's Sphere. It contained all of the magical spells I had learned over the years in the academy, as well as serving as both the control and the bird's eye when on the Field of Justice. I had always been shy about performing magic in front of other people. The way they oohed and aahed made me uncomfortable, so I began ensuring that when I performed magic, the room would be empty.
I closed my eyes, letting the tingling sensation flow from the orb into my body and closing my eyes I began to focus on the room. In my mind's eye the layout of the room slowly came into view, and in a matter of seconds it was a crystal clear exact replica. One word escaped from my lips as I cast the spell. "Cleanse." As if a great whirlwind swept through the room, there was a howling noise in the air around me and when things fell still once more I opened my eyes revealing the room to be completely free of dust and debris. "Perfect." I smiled just as I heard Ahri's footsteps coming down the hall. The look on her face when she came in was absolutely priceless.
"How did you…you cleaned the entire room? I was only gone for two minutes." She walked in and began to examine the Summoner's Sphere with interest, holding up her Orb of Deception for comparison as I decided to play coy.
"What do you mean? The room was already plenty clean. I just came in and straightened up a bit. Put my Sphere down…you know." I pretended to be disinterested in the her curiosity but as I reached for the bottle of wine to open it Ahri pulled it away from my grasp sticking out her tongue playfully.
"If you want it Summoner you'll have to chase me first." And with that she was gone, a small trail of blue spiritual fire in her wake. I sighed, she really was like a little kid. But, I figured I could indulge her immaturity for one night, and leaping from the bed where I sat I chased after her.
That night, when we finally were out of breath and we both decided to call a truce, we opened the bottle of wine. It wasn't very fancy in the slightest, rather the wine had almost no alcohol in it and tasted a bit more like sweet grape juice. I could tell from the expression on Ahri's face she hoped I hadn't noticed. Normally, I would have used this moment to knock her down a few pegs, but something stopped me. Taking a deep breath I drank the wine, feeling the soft tingling warmth flow through my body as I did. Ahri smiled softly tucking a bit of her hair behind her pointy fox ears, before sipping her own glass. That night we didn't talk much, truthfully, there wasn't really anything to say. Each one knew that the other one was uncomfortable with the situation, and because of our pride, neither of us would say so. Once the bottle was drained, I stood up and thanked Ahri for the drink and the company. As I turned to walk down the hall she stopped me.
"Hold on a second…did you say what I think you just said?" I blinked unsure of what she was referring to. "You thanked me…you actually thanked me for drinking with you." She gave a toothed grin that warned of an incoming teasing from her and immediately she came up to me and poked the tip of my nose. "I knew it! You did want to pick me as your champion!" She laughed loudly, her cheeks red from the booze. "I can't believe you actually thanked me; that is priceless. So much for that tough, gritty image you were going for huh, kid?"
Perhaps it was the wine talking through me but I smacked her hand from my face, my slightly glazed eyes glaring at her. "First off, no. I didn't want you as a champion. In fact other than the murderous psychopaths, you were at the very bottom of my list. And second off, don't for a second think that there was any meaning in my thanks. I did it out of social graces, not out of genuine gratitude. As far as I'm concerned, you, the wine, and this shithole you call a house…I'd trade it in a second for a different champion. And don't call me kid."
She stopped laughing almost immediately, falling into a hushed voice. "I see…" she whispered softly before her eyes flared up in anger. "Well you know what, the reason why you became my summoner is because no one else wanted you! You're nothing but an insensitive dickweed, and if I had my choice I'd have drained you of your life energy a long time ago."
Stumbling past her I waved off her words, not really caring what she thought of me. I was in the right here, not her. I was the one who got stuck with a lousy champion, not the other way around. She had been giving me hassle ever since we met in that room, and I was willing to wager that as time went by she wouldn't stop even for an instant. "Go to sleep." I commanded in a rather flat tone. "We've got training for the exhibition tomorrow, so we're getting up early. If we're ever going to make an influence in the League we're going to have to shape you up into a decent combatant."
"Fine." She replied quietly crossing her arms over her chest before turning away from me, her black hair swishing behind her as she went into her room, leaving me alone in the den. I turned back from the empty wine glasses and bottle before heading back to the room she gave me. As I kicked off my boots, and stripped out of my clothing, I began to ponder on what she said. The heat and humidity of being underground was getting to me, sleeping in my undergarments seemed rational enough, even at the risk of Ahri's teasing if she were to find out. As I laid my head onto the pillow I felt something hard beneath it. Rubbing my head gently I reached under the pillow to find a picture. It was of a younger looking Ahri, standing next to a man with a stern expression on his face, a strange contrast to the smile plastered on Ahri's face as she stood outside the Hall of Justice where we had met earlier today. It was strange…in her eyes there was a certain glow, one that I hadn't seen before. Placing the picture on the nightstand, sleep overcame me and that night I dreamt no dreams.
I woke up the next morning to the sound of porcelain shattering upon the ground, and opening my eyes I saw Ahri staring at the night stand, at her feet a tray that contained what appeared to be breakfast. Following her gaze, I looked to the portrait then back to her. "Oh, I found this last night under my pillow. I didn't really know where else to put it, but now that you've found it I guess you'll want it somewhere." Ahri stood there silently for a moment before she finally spoke.
"Yeah I have the perfect place for it." She lifted the small picture frame and clutched it to her chest before taking it and using her foxfire, incinerated the photograph to ash. I watched her silently, unsure of what to say to her. Her business was her own after all, she probably wouldn't tell me if I asked. I turned to leave the bed and slipping out from under the covers my feet touched the cool stone tile as Ahri gasped before giggling softly. "You sleep in your underwear?"
Damn it. I had forgotten about that. I quickly brushed my way past her before retreating into my closet, taking one of the multitudes of clothing from it. I walked past her quickly as she covered her mouth trying not to laugh and heading towards the bathhouse I simply turned over my shoulder. "Don't forget to clean up the mess you spilled."
Leaving her standing there I went to the hot springs that Ahri had informed me of earlier and sitting in the warm water I let out a sigh, allowing it to rejuvenate and clean my body. I pondered about the strange woman. Born in a world she did not belong to, unable to prevent herself from consuming those around her by manipulating their emotions. And now this photograph and her reaction to it. It was if it were dear to her, but at the same time, the one thing she loathed in this world more than any other; even more so than me. After a few moments of silence I stood, and began to get dressed in the new clothes. As I finished dressing myself, I walked towards the house, old clothes in hand. I had already decided I would hide them, just in case Ahri decided to throw them in the well again, and I hoped that she wasn't still sore about the mess comment earlier. I walked inside and approaching my room I heard a soft sniffling noise.
I stopped, and turning my head to look inside I saw Ahri on her knees, a pile of broken plates collected on the tray. I was surprised to discover that she was the source of the mysterious sniffling I heard, and knowing her…well for the one day I had, she didn't strike me as the emotional type. I took a deep breath not wanting to kick her while she was down, even though I wouldn't be surprised if she didn't return the favor. I put a big smile on my face and entered. "Alright Ahri, I'm dressed and ready for training. I hope you are too, because the first place we're going for training is a bit of a doozy."
Jumping at the sound of my voice she quickly ran the back of her hand across her nose before turning back with a smile. "Yes, I'm ready. But…don't you think we should eat first?" She gestured to the broken plates and smiling, I walked besides her picking the stack up for her. "Well, I don't think you're going to want to eat this stuff seeing as how it's fallen on the ground. But…I can appreciate that you attempted to bring me breakfast. The least I can do for you now is cook something."
I took off towards the kitchen with the broken dishes as Ahri stared after me, shocked. She followed after wards keeping in step with me. "Wait…did you just say you were going to cook?"
"That's right."
"Like…food? Like real food, food?"
"Umm…yeah, unless you know some other definition of the word cooking."
"Would it surprise you if I knew something you didn't know?"
"A little, yes."
She stayed silent for a moment as I entered the kitchen and opened her refrigerator to see what ingredients she had available. I began to struggle in my mind trying to recall just what exactly foxes ate and decided the best thing to do would be to go simple. Eggs and bacon it is. I could feel her watching me curiously, as if she couldn't believe the thought of a man in the kitchen. I sighed. This was normally the reaction I got anytime someone caught me cooking or baking. Pulling a mixing bowl from the cabinet I placed it on the counter top and cracking two eggs, into the bowl, began creating the pancake batter. I checked off the list in my head as I added them to the mixture: 2 cups flour, 4 tablespoons of sugar, 4 teaspoons of baking powder, teaspoon of salt, 2 cups milk, 2 tablespoons of butter (melted), and finally two tablespoons of coconut oil to give it a hint of sweetness and fluffiness. As I finished mixing the ingredients I placed three skillets over the gas stove and turning to Ahri I blushed softly. "Umm…Ahri would you mind…" Immediately she used her magical flames to ignite the pilots before turning back to watch me with great interest. The eggs and bacon were easy enough to prepare and after a few minutes the food was done, a pile of pancakes with eggs and bacon sitting on the dining room table in front of a slightly impressed Ahri.
"That…actually looks really good." She said softly before picking up some and placing it on her plate. I smiled, watching for her to take the first bite. The best part of cooking or baking, as any chef in the world will tell you, is watching as someone tries your food for the first time. She chewed it for a bit before swallowing and the familiar smile of approval came to her lips before she began to eat more. I smiled and joined her, no words being needed to be spoken between us. Once we were finished, I cleaned up before smiling at her.
"Now that we've gotten that interruption out of the way…let us begin." I took her hand in mine and pulled her to my room. "Place your hands on the orb." After she did so I followed suit closing my eyes tightly as I began to picture where I wanted to go in my mind's eye. Shortly thereafter, I felt a stinging chill roll across my cheek and opening my eyes I smiled, for here both Ahri and I stood upon the haunted bridge of the Freljord. We both stood upon the place known to the league as the Howling Abyss.
"Where…are we?" Ahri asked softly as she looked around, amazed by the snow and the icy statues. I smiled at her and gently tapped her on the shoulder to get her to focus.
"We, Ahri, are in one of the League's lesser known Fields of Justice known as The Howling Abyss. Usually five champions meet here to go head to head in a completely full forced all out brawl. But today we'll be practicing our synchronization with a friend of mine." I turned as a figure stepped out from the cold shadows across the bridge, her deep black hood covering long white hair and on her back was a bow made entirely of ice. "Are you ready Ahri? Because we're about to begin your first day of training."
Ahri smiled nodding in agreement as the bitter cold wind swept around us, chilling us to the bone. She turned towards the silhouette on the other end of the bridge and forming her Orb of Deception she got into her fighting stance, ready for combat. "I'm ready Summoner, I am at your command." I smiled and taking hold of the Sphere of Influence I gave it a gentle twist as it glowed and gave a satisfying hum. And with that, our first trial would begin.
To be continued…
