My intention was to post this on Wednesday, but it took a bit longer than expected! Enjoy and feel free to leave a review! Feedback is always helpful =)!
Why am I running? Am I really that anxious? You fool, go talk to him! Teemo thought to himself before stopping just outside of the Bandle City Headquarters. He gave a heavy breath before making his way down the steps and planting himself on a nearby bench. "Get ahold of yourself, Scout!" He muttered, garnering a few strange glances from passing yordles.
"…Teemo?" A voice came from behind, causing Teemo to stiffen. Canting his head, he looked to the source of the voice before rising to his feet.
"Kennen." He was frozen in place, only managing to form a timid smile." It's good to-…"
But before he could get another word out, he felt himself nearly tackled to the ground, surprisingly strong arms embracing him tightly.
"I can't believe it! It's really you! Look at you! You're a Scout of the Mothership! A Captain! I hardly recognized you with that goofy hat on!" Kennen said with excitement, giving the green cap a light tap.
Teemo wrapped his arms around his childhood friend, all doubts and nervousness melting away. He let out a hearty chuckle before grabbing Kennen by the shoulders. "Me?! Look at YOU! A ninja! A champion of Ionia. Who would have thought…"
The two friends relished in each other's reunion before breaking the embrace.
Teemo cleared his throat. "I guess we have quite a lot of catching up to do. Say, it's only half passed noon, care to grab a bite to eat? I'm buyin'…" Teemo asked, resting his hands on his hips.
"For sure! Is Roan's Tavern still in business? I've been craving their cream pie for…well, for years!" Kennen said with a bashful laugh.
Teemo turned on his heel and started making his way down the street, waving for Kennen to follow. "Sure is, come on, I'll lead the way!" He glanced back briefly, flashing the purple-clad yordle a smirk. "Unless you remember?"
Kennen rolled his eyes and grinned. "Har-har. As a matter of fact, I…don't." He mumbled, glancing around the various buildings. Many of them were quite familiar to him, though some seemed slightly off. "Did some of these buildings get a new paint job or something? I don't recognize some of them." Kennen inquired before picking up the pace to catch up with Teemo.
Teemo nodded. "Let's just say a Noxian warband got a little too close for comfort once. We managed to evacuate the citizens to a safe domain prior to the attack. They were easily defeated and there were no casualties. It was kind of an embarrassing defeat for the Noxians, really. Unfortunately, a few of the buildings were sacked. Most of them were rebuilt though. I think that was around…five years ago?"
Teemo gestured to one particularly unique building. Though the structure was clearly of yordle design, it was exceptionally larger than the surrounding buildings, dwarfed only by the Bandle City Headquarters.
"The Bandle City School for the Gifted and Enlightened." Teemo said rather passively, pausing for a moment to gauge Kennen's reaction.
Kennen marveled at the structure. "It's amazing! Though…I don't understand. Bandle City already has a schoolhouse…"
Teemo nodded. "Piltover thought it would strengthen its alliance with Bandle City by funding a school made specifically for young yordles who aspire to attend the Academy of Science & Progress in Piltover one day. I guess you could call it something of a 'preparation school'. It certainly seems to have paid off!" Teemo began walking again, mumbling something about some people not being completely thrilled with the idea.
Kennen didn't seem to hear the mumble as he trailed behind, his eyes still glued to the house of learning. "So much has changed…" He muttered to himself.
The streets were quite busy at this time, which made keeping up with Teemo, who was exceedingly light on his feet-even when walking, a bit difficult. Hordes of chattering yordles bumped past the two, a few giving Kennen odd looks and some even stopping in their stride as he passed. He had no doubts that they were curious about his strange attire…or perhaps they even recognized him?
Kennen shrugged off the idea as they approached their destination, an old looking building with a sign that read "The Prancing Thistle". The seductive smell of cooked food and malted brews drifted past them as they entered the rather dank looking tavern. The sound of laughter, loud banter, and clinging glass was no doubt an ever-present noise but seemed to get louder as they approached the bar.
A young but particularly hirsute Yordle greeted them with a wide mustachioed smile. "Aha! Captain Teemo! What'll it be, the usual then?"
Teemo nodded. "And one for my friend here, as well!..Oh, and a side of cream pie!" Teemo looked over his shoulder to smile at Kennen before tapping his chin. "Hm…make that two slices!"
The yordle patron's smile only grew. "Two Honeybrew meads and two slices of cream pie, coming right up!" He exclaimed before walking into the kitchen area.
Kennen tilted his head as he watched the yordle leave. "That wasn't Roan…was it? If it was, then he hasn't aged a day!"
Teemo turned around and put his back to the bar as they waited. "Oldman Roan retired a few years ago. That's his son, Meeks! Good guy."
"Alright Captain, here you are!" Meeks returned with two mugs of ale in hand and two plates of pie strategically balanced on his arms. "Half off as always." The yordle gave Teemo a wink before setting everything on the bar.
Teemo reached into his pocket and removed a few coins before sliding them across to the barkeep, garnering another wide smile from Meeks "You can keep the change." Teemo chimed before the two grabbed their meal and took it to a nearby table.
"Half off? That's a generous discount…" Kennen said as they sat down at a table situated by a window overlooking the market district down the hill from the tavern, a very nostalgic sight for Kennen.
"Military discount. I'd be happy to pay full price, but Meeks always insists." Teemo said with a shrug. "Shall we?"
Kennen wasted no time digging into the thick slice of pie, pausing only to take a sip of the sweet honey mead. Teemo watched his friend with amusement, deciding to indulge in his share at a slower pace.
Kennen gave a long sigh of satisfaction as he finished scarfing down the last of his pie. He rose the mug to his lips to wash it all down but paused as he caught Teemo staring at him, causing him to quirk a brow in response. "What?"
Teemo blinked and tore his gaze away, giving a soft chuckle. "And I thought I was hungry."
Kennen snickered before taking his sip. "Sorry Teems." He clicked his tongue. "So." He muttered.
"So." Teemo echoed, leaning forward.
"You go first!" Kennen said, excitement growing in his voice once again.
Teemo crossed his arms from across the table and gave a thoughtful hum. "Where to begin…"
Teemo was among a dozen yordles of similar age, standing motionless in a line before a much older, decorated yordle with shaggy brows and squinted eyes.
"Cadets! Attention!" The yordle yelled, prompting the long line of young recruits to salute simultaneously.
"Sir, yes sir!" They all cried in unison.
"I am Staff Sargeant Pewterpot, your Senior Drill Instructor. For the next several hours you will refer to me as sir, and nothing but. If I hear anything but 'sir' from your mugs, you will find yourself suddenly and inexplicably eating dirt. Do I make myself clear?" Pewterpot called out, slowly pacing along the long line.
"Sir, yes sir!" The cadets yelled out.
"That's what I like to hear. You twelve are here because you have surpassed the rigors of basic training with flying colors." He paused in his pacing. "But if I were you, I would not be getting too excited."
A fair haired yordle standing at Teemo's left gave him a quick nudge. He shifted his gaze to her in question, still trying his best to remain unwaveringly still.
She leaned over and whispered in his ear. "This guy sure is a crotchety old-…"
She was unfortunately cut short as the Drill Instructor cleared his voice, his normally squinty eyes wide and red.
"You there! Cadet! Step forward…" He growled, trotting closer.
The girl gave a gulp and marched out of the line before stopping in front of the Drill Instructor. "Sir, yes sir?" She questioned, an anxious look on her face.
"What is your name Cadet?" He yelled in her face.
"Tristana, sir…" She muttered.
"Louder! Sound off like you have some sense!" He commanded.
"Tristana, sir!" She yelled in response. Teemo's ears perked as he heard an annoyed edge in her voice. This girl sure had moxie.
"Tristana. A pretty name to match a pretty face. I don't reckon it will be so pretty if I hear another outburst like that while I'm debriefing. Do you, cadet?" The Drill Sergeant asked, giving her a very deep frown.
"N-no sir! I'm sorry sir!" She yelled once more.
The Drill Sergeant nodded for her to return to her place in line.
Tristana took a step back, her face turning red with embarrassment.
"That goes for each and every one of you." He said, giving Teemo a piercing glare as he passed. "You will not speak unless spoken to and you will all act on my command. Am I understood?"
"Sir, yes sir!" The chorus of recruits yelled.
"You will meet me in the training fields in zero six hundred hours! Do not be late! There is nothing that stings my nerves more than a late recruit! At ease!" The Drill Instructor yelled before marching off into a nearby garrison.
Teemo relaxed his shoulders and gave a sigh before turning his attention to the girl at his side. "That was pretty rough…" He muttered.
"Tell me about it…" She murmured through he hands which were currently cupped over her face in frustration.
"…You're right though. He is a crotchety old prune." Teemo said with a snicker.
Tristana looked to the crème colored yordle, a smile crawling across his face. She held out a hand to Teemo. "Tristana."
Teemo took the hand and gave a firm shake. "Teemo."
Suddenly, the Drill Instructor barged out of the building and pointed a finger at the dozen cadets. "The fields are approximately three miles north from this location. Why for the love of Jadefellow haven't you maggots started the trek?! Move! Move! Move!" Pewterpot yelled.
After a grueling jog through the summer heat, the cadets arrived at what appeared to be an intricate obstacle course. Drill Instructor Pewterpot was waiting for them as they arrived.
"For an old fart he sure is spry. He already beat us here!" Tristana grumbled to Teemo who only laughed.
Pewterpot waited for the cadets to form in a line before speaking.
"Before you is a very demanding obstacle-course. Very few have been able to complete it and even fewer have been able to complete it gracefully. To progress through to the next rank and receive division placement, you will be expected to complete this course to the best of your ability. Various targets are placed around the course." Pewterpot gestured to a table with a wide variety of makeshift weaponry. "You will choose your weapon of choice and be expected to demonstrate your proficiency with said weapon. Your performance will reflect greatly on your placement Is that understood?"
Many of the cadets suddenly looked quite worried as many were still untrained in weapon proficiency, but sounded their approval nonetheless. "Sir, yes sir!"
"Go!" The Drill Sergeant blew loudly into a whistle, prompting the dozen cadets to begin.
Teemo rushed over to the table, eyeing the selection. Sword…crossbow… throwing knives…axe…blowdart…mace…BLOWDART! He swiped up the slim stick and carefully collected a few darts, storing them around the leather band of his helmet. He rushed over to the first obstacle, making quick and surprisingly accurate work of the target dummies. He briefly glanced over his shoulder to see three other yordles behind him, one of them being Tristana, wielding what appeared to be a handheld trebuchet, vaguely resembling a crossbow, with small clay spheres for ammunitions.
Teemo's eyes narrowed as he continued through the obstacles, which suddenly seemed quite monotonous. Time appeared to falter around him as he moved through the course with frightening speed and accuracy. He no longer saw who was behind him, only the targets before him, determined to make his mark on every single one.
Teemo panted as he reached the end of the course only to find…he was the only one there.
Soon after, Tristana was the second to arrive, a wide smile across her face." Piece-of-cake!" She exclaimed, sitting down in the grass to catch her breath. She quirked a brow as she looked over to Teemo, who seemed quite distant at the moment. "Hey, you alright? Hope the heat's not getting to you…"
Teemo, who had been staring downward, suddenly snapped out of his trance and gave a relieved look. "Sorry, was just catching my breath. Fancy seeing you in second." He snickered, plopping down next to her.
She gave his shoulder a light punch. "Well, not my fault you went all commando on the obstacle course…Every one of your shots were headshots, you know." She said, giving him a rather strange look. "Pretty impressive for a cadet."
Teemo gave a bashful smile and shrugged a shoulder. He looked down to the blowdart still in his hand. "I don't know what came over me…"
A few minutes had passed and only a small number of cadets had managed to complete the course. Pewterpot blew into his whistle once more. "Times up, recruits! Corral at the end of the course and get ready for your placements!"
As the last of the cadets merged into an orderly line, Pewterpot was busy whispering to another yordle who appeared to be dressed in a uniform belonging to a Scout of the Mothership. The scout prodded Pewterpot's shoulder and pointed in Teemo's direction. Pewterpot gave the yordle a brief nod before stepping forward. "The divisions are as follows: Homefront Vanguards, Marine Watchers, Aerial Expeditionary Core, Scouts of the Mothership, and Megling Commandos. Upon being placed at a division, you will travel to the respect garrison belonging to said division."
Pewterpot began to go down the list, pairing cadet names with a division, one by one. "…Samewell, Homefront…Dellin, Homefront…Lila, Marine…Tristana, Megling…Teemo, Scouts…Brennen, Aerial…"
Teemo's eyes went wide as he was given his division.
The Scouts of the Mothership were the intelligence division of Bandle City, and were considered one of the most prestigious military placements one could achieve.
Frozen in disbelief, he was suddenly brought back to reality when Tristana's fist nudged his shoulder. It seemed all the placements had been given and many of the cadets had already left to travel to their respective garrison.
"Scouts of the Mothership, what an amazing honor!" Tristana said with elation in her voice.
Teemo smiled at the fair haired yordle. "Yeah…Kind of a curve ball. It hasn't sunk in yet. You should be pretty proud too, Commando."
Tristana grinned. "I was hoping for that. It's such a huge relief." She looked over to see two other cadets who had been selected for the Megling division run off. "I gotta bounce, but hey, it was nice meeting you Teemo…or should I say 'scout'?"
Teemo waved her off and began to make his way to the Scout's garrison…only to realize he had no idea where it was. He looked around to see if there was anyone else who had been selected for the Scouts of the Mothership, but saw no one…save for the scout who had been speaking to Pewterpot.
"Cadet Teemo?" The female scout called out.
Teemo immediately stiffened his posture and gave a firm salute. "Sir-..er..Ma'am, yes ma'am!"
"At ease, cadet, you're coming with me. I'm First Lieutenant Pepperstash, your new senior Drill Instructor. Let's make haste!" The woman smiled at the young yordle before turning to exit the course.
"She's a lot nicer than Pewterpot…" Teemo thought as he trailed behind her and marched to his future.
"And…the rest is history, I suppose. I served Bandle City and climbed the ranks." Teemo concluded, taking another sip from his mead.
"To be honest? I'm not all that surprised. I knew you would do some pretty great things, Teemo. Besides, seems like a good fit, considering you were always such a huge fanboy of the Scouts growing up!" Kennen chimed.
Teemo grinned, letting the 'fanboy' comment slide. "I don't know about great, but I do my part. I guess that's all that matters." Teemo said with confidence before looking expectantly at Kennen. "Your turn now!"
Kennen shifted in his seat. "There's really not much to tell...I pulled something of a prank whenever my folks took us on a trip to Ionia and it landed me in heap of trouble…or at least that's what I thought. Next thing I know, the head of some ancient ninja clan-The Kinkou, propositioned me to join their fold. It took quite a lot of convincing myself…and my parents, but I realized that if I was to truly make a difference on Valoran, this was my only opportunity. So I took it. They told me I would be training to fill a vacancy in some great order-The Triumvirate. The teachings of the Kinkou were brutal and rigorous, but they summoned in me powers I never knew I possessed and I embraced it." Kennen muttered, looking down at his hands. There was a sudden solemnness to his voice
Teemo rested his elbows on the table and nodded. The citizens of Bandle City have always weary of magic. Perhaps it was best that Kennen had stayed in Ionia all this time? At least there he can make a real difference, without fear of being chastised for it, Teemo thought to himself.
"My companions, Shen and Akali, they are practically family to me and I would follow them across all of Runeterra." Kennnen continued.
"Technically you have." Teemo added.
Kennen tilted his head for a moment before nodding." Good point." He gave a heavy sigh and looked back to Teemo. "It was…terribly lonely at times. Not long after I joined the Triumvirate, the Ionian government started turning away all foreign couriers out of fear of espionage. The law is still in place to this day…The Kinkou also forbids all contact with family and friends beyond missives. Shen and Akali haven't spoken to their families for decades."
Teemo pursed his lips in surprise. So that's why he never wrote back. That explains so much! "Wait…that means you haven't spoken to your parents in…"
Kennen nodded, his shoulders slumping some as he spoke. "…Eleven years."
Teemo seemed perplexed by the daunting number. "Are you going to-…" Teemo paused suddenly and began to turn pale, though Kennen didn't seem to notice.
Kennen nodded, his gaze now glued to the table. "Visit? I was actually planning on surprising them this evening." He looked back up to Teemo, only to find the scout with a troubled look on his face.
Teemo's heart sank as something terribly grim dawned on him and he could only stare at Kennen, unsure of what to say. For he suddenly recalled many years ago when an old yordle couple were among the many casualties of a Bilgewater raid on a ship headed north for Ionia. A couple which he knew to be none other than Kennen's parents.
A bit of a long chapter, but I hope you enjoyed! I should have the next one up in four to five days or so. Also, I may change the rating of this story later on for reasons :D Not sure yet.