"So, you leaving too?" Ekko asked IX as Ajuna was enjoying his pepperoni pizza.
"Sorry little dude, with how busy I've been with my art, the competition in piltover , and my new legs acting up I just don't have the time like I used to." He explained as he finished his Birdio wings. "Also I don't think us 3 is really enough to be called a gang." He added.
Ekko sighed as he lowered his head, ever since VI left the gang and none of the lost children were fit to lead any heist they had begun to disband one by one. They still hung out from time to time, but with VIII continuing his music career, VIIctoria getting into Zaun tech and IX gaining a following as an artist, things haven't been the same as they used to.
An awkward silence currently filled the space between the 3 of them until IX spoke again. "Soooo, I heard you've gotten a bunch of scholarships for PU." IX stated as he started sipping his fruit punch.
Ajuna almost choked on his pizza, childishly giggling at the unfortunate acronym.
Ekko flinched for a second before answering. "Oh! uhhh yeah... My parents have been urging me to apply for them, and I also did get top 10 in my test scores I guess." Ekko said, attempting to be nonchalant despite shifting uncomfortably at the thought of attending the university.
"Yeah Ekko's got a... what was it called, fully paid tutition?" Ajuna mentioned after finishing his pizza slice Ekko elbowing him, but it was too late.
IX spat out all the fruit punch he was drinking when he heard what Ajuna tried to say. "WHAT!?" IX exclaimed as he stood up in shock everyone in Birdio's staring at the commotion.
"Excuse me, is there a problem here?" one of the employees said, her name tag reading Sivir.
"Not at all! My friend hear has fully paid tuition for P-"
"IX!" Ekko spat out, wanting his friend to shut up and not announce to the whole world about his scholarships.
"Oh yeah sorry..." IX sat back down as Sivir cautiously backed away.
"It's nothing really, I'm gonna be going to Zaun tech anyway." Ekko stated.
"Why! Dude this is a once in a life time opportunity!" IX said, beginning to sound like his parents, minus the adrenaline coursing through his veins.
"I'm not going to betray Zaun." Ekko said his face as cold as the ice that was in IX's drink.
"Who said anything about betraying Zaun?" IX said before something clicked in his head. "...Hey man, is this about VI?"
"No..." Ekko said, but IX could tell he was lying when the boy's eyes darted to the side. "Okay look it isn't all because of VI, but I'm not going to sell out to the pilties like she did."
"Look Ekko, I know the whole VI situation is still-err- complicated, but attending PU doesn't mean your selling us out." IX said, standing up to place a hand on Ekko's shoulder. IX had come to accept VI's new status as Piltover's enforcer, in fact he doesn't hold anything against her decision, but Ekko on the other hand... "Piltover, Zaun, or hell even if you somehow found your self on the moon, you'll always be one of us." IX said before taking his leave.
"Thanks man." Ekko smiled, he still didn't want to go to PU, but it felt nice that he had friends that would always support him. "Good luck on your art." the two exchanged fist bumps before IX made his a way to the door.
"Oh and Ekko?" IX tossed a spray can at Ekko who caught it with both hands. "Think you could spray my portrait on the wall, I would do it my self but I don't have somewhere to be right now."
"Sure thing."
"Hey Ekko, how many of us are up on the wall?" Ajuna asked as the two of them walked through what was essentially where Zaun and Piltover met, also not too far from the Birdios they were just at. Ajuna made sure to stay close to Ekko, as to not get lost in the crowded area.
"Pretty much the whole gang except us two." Ekko said. The wall he was referring was a the wall of an abandoned building that the lost children used as a hideout before Ekko and Ajuna joined. Back then the original leader "I" had died in a fight against a rival gang, the lost children had spray painted a portrait of him on the outer wall of the hideout, and ever since then whenever a member left regardless of the circumstance, the gang vowed that a portrait of them would be put on that wall. Normally IX would be the one to do the portraits, but this time he has entrusted Ekko with his. This wasn't his first time putting a portrait on the wall, about a year ago he had sprayed X's portrait on the wall when things... happened.
"Excuse me! Pardon me!" Ekko heard someone hastily making their way through the crowded sidewalk but he couldn't see who it was. "I'm going to be lat-Ack!" Ekko felt something soft and fluffy ram into his leg.
"What the?" Ekko turned towards the whatever bumped into him, and was suprised to see a fluffy yordle adorning goggles and loads of paper work flying about.
"My papers!" The yordle tried to grab all his papers in a panic, the surrounding piltovans simply passing by without a second thought, a few even gave a disgusted expression when noticing the yordle.
"Typical pilties." Ekko grunted as he and ajuna began to help the poor man and pick up his papers various pieces of hextech scattered about.
"Okay I at least have this and- Oh dear where's the resume!?" The yordle exclaimed before noticing the white haired boy presenting some more paper work to him.
"Here you go sir." Ekko said, still surprised to see a yordle in the flesh.
"Why thank you boy, I surely owe you one." He said as he took the paper work and stuffed it in his bag.
"Ooooh what's this thing?" Ajuna said as he carried something that glowed blue that read CH-2 on it and when he slightly shifted his hand it began to blink.
"Aaaay don't touch that!" He said as he snatched it from Ajuna and attempted to throw it high in the sky, but before the device could leave his hand it exploded, leaving the yordle with charcoal black edges on his fur and electricity coursing through his body.
"Crap! you okay!" Ekko winced as the yordle tried to get out of his stunned state.
"I'm okay...us yordles are very, very durable." He weezed out as he fell on the concrete sidewalk.
"Sorry I broke your... whatever that was." Ajuna apologized, helping the yordle up on his feet.
"The CH-12 Electron Storm Grenade, and don't worry I can always make another in short time. Anyways thank you boys for helping me gather my thing."
"No problem misterrr?..."
"Heimerdinger!" Heimerdinger greeted, shaking both Ajuna and Ekko's hand. "And you are?"
"The names Ekko; and the kid that broke your grenade is Ajuna." Ekko said ruffling Ajunas head like one would their younger sibling.
"Well it's been a pleasure meeting you two but I'm afraid I have somewhere very important to be; I hope our paths cross again soon." Heimerdinger said, rushing towards his destination.
"He seems nice; i don't get why people have problems with yordles." Ajuna questioned.
"Don't know, guess that's just how pilties are." Ekko said, in his eyes this kinda of stuff never happens in Zaun, people didn't care whether you were a yordle, vastayan, or even a mage.
"I don't think all pilties are like that." Ajuna stated as the two continued to walk towards the portrait wall.
"Well a lot of them sure didn't help Heimerdinger." Ekko said.
"Well I'm sure they just didn't notice him; he is pretty small." Ajuna reasoned, his optimism never faltering.
"Yeah... guess so." Ekko was going to mention how a few of the pilties had disgusted looks on their faces when seeing the yordle, but decided against it, wanting to drop the subject of pilties from his mind. But unfortunatley for Ekko, he was going to have to deal with more pilties. When he and Ajuna finally made it to the old hideout, they noticed there were some people over at the wall, they weren't sure why someone would be at the abandoned building, but once they noticed white paint brushing over the portraits of the former lost children Ekko and Ajuna ran like hell.
"Hey what the hell are you doing!" Ekko exclaimed as they made it over to the portrait wall.
"Who's asking?" A man who was currently painting over the portrait of a happy bright X looking up towards the sky.
Ekko didn't answer, instead snatching the roller from his hand and tossing it aside as he tried desperately to rub the paint off. "Nonononono..." Ekko pleaded, but to no avail, most of the paint had already dried up.
"Hey kid! knock it off before I call the authorities!" Another man walked up with a name tag that read "Kyle", from his uniform you could tell he was the one in charge. His threat was meaningless to Ekko, far from the first time he dealt with cops.
"Do you have any idea what you've done!? What you just erased!?" Ekko exclaimed, rational though becoming an after thought. Ekko was furious, the memories, the memorials, the send offs, all seemed to be taken away buy white strokes.
"Did you make this?" The man who formerly held the roller assumed. "Sorry kid, Clan Ferros brought the building and we were hired for renova-" The poor guy didn't finish his sentence before Ekko hit the back of his knee, forcing the man down and held him by the shirt.
"Dam Piltie!" Ekko exclaimed, showing fury similar to VI back in the day.
"Ekko Stop!" Ajuna exclaimed as he and the other man pulled Ekko back and prevented him from beating the crap out of the guy.
"That's it kid, Get out of here or else!" Kyle exclaimed, having enough of Ekko's interference.
"Hey is their a problem here?" Everyone turned their heads to see the new voice that had introduced themselves. Everyone, especially Ekko and Ajuna ;were shocked to see a familiar face.
"Oh great another on-" Kyle was about too assume from the newcomers appearance that they were simply another trouble making Zaunite, but he quickly recognized the pink hair and massive gauntlets.
"Oh! The enforcer... " Kyle relaxed, even though it was the infamously violent VI he was glad that any Warden had come to take care of the situation. "Yes! We were hired to do renovations here and this child is interfering with our work!"
"VI!" Ajuna and Ekko called to the enforcer, her eyes widening as she noticed her friends that she hadn't seen in over a year.
"Ekko? Ajuna?" VI had know idea why they were here.
"VI! You have to stop them! their messing with the send off wall! The old hideout!" Ekko pleaded, hoping that despite everything that had happened that VI would somehow fix everything, just like she would when she was a part of the lost children.
"What..." VI wasn't sure how she didn't notice, probably because of all the equipment and giant masses of white paint, but she finally realized that the portraits made ont he send off wall were being painted over, and that the building being brought and renovated was that of her old hideout. VI's fist and teeth clenched, anger flowing through her body. The man that was almost assaulted buy Ekko took a quick glance at the wall. Although he had already painted over it he remembered that VI's face was one that wall, at first he thought it was just a fan that had done it, but now he realizes that there was much more to the grafitti art.
"Weredeadweredeadweredeadweredead!" The man thought as he braced for what he believed was going to be a beatdown buy the enforcer. Ekko for a second was estatic, VI was just like she had always been and she was going to show the pilties what happens when one messes witht he lost children, but then that hope in his eyes turned into confusion as VI's fist softened and her expression attempted to calm down.
"I see, sorry Ekko but your gonna have to come with me..." On one hand, the demon version of herself on her right shoulder told her to beat the ever living shit out of the renovators, but the angelic Caitlyn on her left shoulder urged her to not resort to violence, especially when these guys were just doing their job and most likely had no malicious intent. Ultimately VI went against usual nature and decided to handle things without her fist.
"This is a joke right!? your just gonna let the Pilt-" Ekko was about to go on a grief fulled rant, but stopped when he noticed Ajuna walking towards their former leader. "Ajuna what are you doing?"
"It's getting late, and I'm tired." Ajuna said, but Ekko knew he really meant to say lets not start trouble and just drop it. Ekko unwillingly complied and just dropped it.
"Fine..." Ekko grunted as he, Ajuna, and Vi began to leave their old hideout. Once they were a fair distance away Ajuna suddenly launched himself at VI, giving her the tightest hug he could possibly give.
"We missed you so much VI!" Ajuna began to tear of as he held himself close.
"I missed you too little dude." VI smiled as she patted his head with her massive gauntlet, though her smile faltered once she saw Ekko's disappointed expression. "So... how have you guys been."
"We're fine... Perfectly fine." Ekko spat out.
"I see.. so how has the gang been? I heard they-"
"Disbanded... Oh and X Became very fluent in guns...Wonder why?" Ekko said as he crossed his arms, If words could hurt what Ekko said pierced VI, but she couldn't blame him, after allwhat he said was true. Soon followed a moment of awkward and tense silence, VI lightly scratching an itch in the back of her neck with one of her gauntlet's big fingers.
"Low blow dude..." Ajuna called Ekko out before turning to VI."The gangs doing great! IX is entering an art contest in Piltover, VIIctoria is having fun in Zauntech, and VIII's got a huge gig for the music festival next month!" Ajuna smiled, hoping to brighten up the mood.
"Glad they're doing well." VI smiled, happy to hear her old friends are okay. Suddenly VI's phone began to ring, the ringtone being the same as it always has been. "Crap!" VI muttered as she saw the caller ID Cup cake. "Hey sorry guys I got to take this call real quick." VI quickly disengaged one of her gauntlets letting it drop to the floor. "Hey Cait... sorry I'm taking long something kinda came up... yeah yeah I'll be there... bringing the donuts now... see you soon Cupcake." VI hanged up the phone, quickly sticking her tongue at it like a child even though their was no video chat. When she turned to look at Ekko, she was quick to realize he somehow looked more bothered.
"So... Cupcake huh? You left us for some true love crap?" Ekko said, he knew VI only said cupcake for two reasons, either someone she was going to beat the crap out of, or as a nickname for woman that she had her eyes on.
"It isn't like that Ekko." VI said, regretting the slip up of using the nickname. "And even if it was you know I wouldn't leave for something like that."
"Then why did you leave!" Ekko exclaimed, beginning to get a bit heated. "Because all Roman told us was that you couldn't do crime anymore after the the last heist went to shit, but that doesn't explain you becoming a Warden and however the hell that happened is "classified!". Ekko had tried all he could to find out what had happened to make VI become a Warden, but all he could find were wild rumors and everytime he looked up an interview or conference that brought up that question Caitlyn or VI would simply dodge it.
"Look Ekko, yes it's classified and I really REALLY want to tell you everything but I-I just can't." VI explained, pleading for Ekko to understand.
"You know what? Fine, don't tell me, I'm sure it's some crazy top secret fate of society crap or whatever." Ekko said, accepting the fact that he won't get a straight answer. "I just hope you know what your doing."
After another awkward silence VI looked up at the sky, noticing day had become night and looking at the time it was pretty late. "Hey you guys mind if I give you a ride home, it's late out and knowing Zaun..."
"No thanks, we can take care of ourselves." Ekko answered. "C'mon Ajuna let's go." Ekko said turning his back to walk home.
"But Ekko We haven't seen VI since forever, and we are pretty far from home..." Ajuna reasoned.
"Look Ajuna, we could take care of our-" Ekko was about to argue but stopped when he notice that Ajuna was giving him a very sorrowful expression, like a poor boy begging for even a tiny drop of water. But Ekko knew this face, it was the same exact face Ajuna would give to distract pilties as the others snuck in and stole their stuff, or as a way to get favors, and Ekko wasn't going to let this pity face manipulate him. Then again Ajuna did look really sad, and despite the current tension it had been long time since they had seen VI, and- " *SIGH*Fffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffine you win."
"YAAAY!" Ajuna cheered as he jumped up and down.
"Never change Ajuna." VI said before the trio started walking. After getting donuts and heading down two blocks they came across a police car, there were two people there, someone sitting in the back seat and Sheriff Caitlyn waiting for VI outside the car.
" So you volunteer to get donuts and once again it takes you over an hour; and you brought new companions this time." Caitlyn stated with a slight hint of annoyance.
"Sorry about that, I was catching up with some old friends. Ekko and Ajuna, this is Cupcake; Cupcake, meet Ekko and Ajuna." As she was being introduced Caitlyn examined the boys, noticing Ekko was clearly in a sour mood while Ajuna seemed to be in a pretty happy one.
"Oh, so these are you friends from your former gang?" Caitlyn stated, remembering some photos VI showed her. "It's a pleasure to meet you both, VI had told me many great things about you." Caitlyn extended her hand for a handshake. "Also my name is Caitlyn, NOT cupcake." Caitlyn clarified as she gave a snickering VI a judging look.
"I know who you are piltie, also your hat is stupid." Ekko spat, if there was one person he didn't want to talk to it was the sheriff of piltover, especially if she had anything to do with VI leaving. Ekko simply avoided the handshake and stood next to the backseat waiting for it to be open. Caitlyn wasn't too shocked buy the reaction, figuring that she and someone from the lost children wouldn't make for a good combination.
"My names Ajuna!" The boy said, making sure to not leave Caitlyn's hand hanging. "Also don't mind him, I think your hat looks great!"
"Thank you; your hat is quite nice as well." Caitlyn was suprised buy how accepting Ajuna was of her existence, even going as far as trying to cheer her up, even though Ekko's attitude didn't really offend her all that much.
Ekko suddenly realized something, looking at Caitlyn's hat that she had started wearing from about 9 months back. "Wait isn't that Devaki's h-" Ekko was interrupted when he heard a tapping from the back seat. Ekko turned to see a blonde haired boy who fogged up the window with his breath and wrote "Get me out of here, I will pay you handsomely ;)"
It took Ekko a while to get a feel of the guy considering his not so formal attire, but he figured considering the attempt at a bribe and that the attire seemed pretty pricy, he was definitely piltovan. Ekko snickered as he fogged up the window, writing his reply in the form of drawing a middle finger and "Sorry I'm not a sellout."
The blonde kid simply shrugged and wrote back "Worth a shot \( -_-)/."
Soon Ekko heard the door unlock and he let Ajuna enter the car first, probably be smart to not sit next to the guy you just flipped off. "Ah, I see I'm not the only one being taken against my will." The blonde boy said.
"Actually we're getting a ride home." Ajuna corrected.
"What!? you guys get to carpool while I get behind bars." The blonde complained.
"Well you shouldn't have gotten caught stowing away on a boat after you had gone missing for a whole month." Caitlyn stated as she started the car.
"Oh c'mon! It's not like anyone got hurt!" The boy pleaded. "Look name your price, money, favors, a life time supply of cupcakes!?"
"For the last time no bribe in the world is going to get you out of this situation." Caitlyn stated with a cold stare.
"Look at the very least, can we do this without uncle Lymere finding out."
"Oh he's gonna find out. every. single. detail."
"I'm doomed." The boy slouched in dramatic fashion.
Ekko couldn't hep but roll his eyes at the hyperbole coming from the guy. "This is gonna be a long ride..." Soon the car started, their next destination being Ajuna and Ekko's place.
"Hey so what's your names?" The blonde boy asked, eager to strike up a conversation.
"My names Ajuna, and this is my best friend Ekko." Ajuna smiled.
"Nice to meet you guys, the names Ezreal."