Author's note: This chapter is pretty similar to last chapter. I just couldn't fit all four of them into one chapter :). Hope you enjoy.
Rumble glared at the plate he was currently washing, only half of his mind on the task; the other half was consumed with the events of today. At the thought of Klive's smug grin, his grip on the plate tightened. Of all the torment that ugly, obnoxious yordle had put him though, this definitely took the cake. The droopy-eared teen's taunts didn't faze him (most of the time, they were so unimaginative it was laughable) and the beat downs were normal (Rumble had long ago learnt not to give the bigger teen any satisfaction from reacting. He had even broken the twelve-year-old's nose without causing the smaller boy to cry out). Even when Klive occasionally went after his friends it didn't hurt as much; sure he hated it, but he knew they were strong enough to take care of themselves. This however, was different. He put his heart and soul into every project he made; every creation and every experiment contained a piece of him. A piece Klive had broken when he'd destroyed his workshop.
"I know you're angry, but do you have to take it out on the dishes? They've done nothing to you," a gentle voice broke through his negative thoughts.
The twelve-year-old glanced sheepishly at the plate he'd been scrubbing for the last ten minutes, noticing the giant puddle forming on the bench. "Sorry."
His mother gave him a soft hug. "It's ok. I know you're upset."
A sigh could be heard across the room as Chuck joined his wife and son. "I'm sorry there wasn't more we could do. I called the police, and they're looking into it, but unfortunately, they doubt there's much they can do without proof. Sorry son."
Rumble kept his eyes on the plate, "Figures."
Rosalyn looked at her small son, taking in the quiet fury radiating off him in waves. In public, Rumble's anger and feistiness was loud and belligerent; he didn't care if he upset anyone with his directness and he always made sure that those who hurt him knew exactly what he thought of them. But when he was alone (or with the few yordles he truly cared about) his anger and sadness were much more internalised, trying to not let the others know it was bothering him.
However, the boy had always been pretty hopeless at hiding his feelings, especially from his mother; she could see exactly how much this was hurting him. But the pale blue female also knew that the way he dealt with the pain was by busying himself first and then talking when he was ready.
So she simply moved next to the boy, putting the clean dishes away she chatted to her wiry husband. Rumble welcomed the distraction; using the words and the chores as a way to ground himself, even if it was obvious he was only half listening.
They were almost finished when Rumble finally spoke. "I just don't understand why he continues to pick on me. It's been seven years and I'm still his favourite target."
Rosalyn had no answer to that. Instead she sighed before saying, "Well, at least he's finishing school at the end of this year, so you won't have to put up with him after that."
"Right," Rumble mumbled half-heartedly. He didn't bother to tell her that it wasn't just Klive. Sure the senior was the worst perpetrator, but there were plenty of other kids in every grade that he frequently had run ins with.
"Is," he asked hesitantly, "is there something wrong with me?" He would never have admitted these doubts if it was just Klive and his goons he had to look out for; but considering just how many students he'd had conflicts with, he did sometimes wonder if it had something to do with the way he was.
His parents exchanged looks before Rosalyn turned to her son. The blue yordling refused to meet her eyes.
"Rumble," she told him softly. "There is nothing wrong with you."
His amber eyes stayed glued to the cup he was currently washing as he continued in a subdued voice, "Mr Jadefellow says my temper gets me into a lot of trouble."
His parent's eyes met again, Chuck's brown ones narrowing into an expression that promised a firm chat with the boy's teacher in the future. The female, however, once more took charge.
"Rumble, look at me." Reluctantly he let her gentle hand turn his head, meeting her soft amber eyes. "You may not be perfect. But that doesn't mean anything is wrong with you."
"Ya mama's right," Chuck joined the two of them. "Yes ya have a short-fuse; and I'm sorry son but you got that from me." An amused look passed between the two adults as they remembered some of the more … memorable interactions that had occurred when they first met. "It's something I've had to work on ma whole life, just like you will. But let me tell you, from ma own personal experience, you have to accept ya whole self – flaws and all – before you can go about fixing ya weaknesses."
"No one is perfect," the blue female continued, never breaking eye contact. "But your flaws are not what define you. Your papa has just as strong a temper as you, but I love him anyway. Isn't it the same with your friends? They're not perfect, are they?"
"No," the blue boy conceded.
"But you like them anyway. Why?"
"Because," Rumble didn't even know where to begin. "Because they're great! They're kind and caring and smart and funny and they don't care about what others think. They're brave and enthusiastic and are interested in so many weird and cool topics rather than the boring stuff the other kids talk about and-" He also didn't know where to stop.
His mum cut him off with a chuckle, "Exactly. You like them not because they're perfect, but because their strengths and talents outweigh their flaws and weaknesses. It's the same with you Rumble."
"You may have a mean temper and a smart mouth," Chuck ruffled the boy's hair causing him to laugh and pull away. "But ya also smart, passionate, resourceful and extremely loyal, just to name a few."
"Never let your weakness define who you are, Rumble. You just need to be yourself and you'll go far."
The small yordle gave his parents a tight hug. "Thanks mama and papa."
They returned the rare contact with just as much love; trying to convey as much compassion to their son as they could.
Pulling back Chuck smiled. "We can do the rest of the dishes. Why don't you take the rest of the night off."
"Actually," the twelve-year-old rubbed the back of his neck. "I think I'd like to spend tonight with you guys."
Rosalyn gave him a soft smile, "We'd love that."
"How about we play a board game," Chuck suggested. "It's been a while since we've had time play one of those altogether."
"Yeah!" Rumble exclaimed excitedly. "I'll go grab them."
Tristana lay on her stomach in bed, struggling to concentrate on the question in front of her. After reading it for the fifth time over without taking it in however, she gave up, laying her head on the book with a sigh as her concentration fully focused on the events of the afternoon in distaste.
Before she could dwell on them for too long however, a knock on her door drew her attention.
"It's open," the girl called.
Her father's white head popped through, "Hey Tristy, just thought I'd give you a heads up that your mother and I are going to both be home for dinner tonight. So please, play nice."
Tristana sighed. As her mother was pretty much in charge of the upcoming gala, both of her parents had been extremely busy this week. Most nights she'd been spending at her friends' places to ease some of the pressure off of them. And while she was glad that the two of them finally had some time to rest, she really didn't want to put up with her mother's antics after today's events.
Still, looking up at her dad's exhausted expression, she gave in. "Ok. I'll try."
Charlie gave her a tired smile, "Thanks Tristy. Also, just thought I'd warn you in advance: she's bringing home your dress."
The blue girl groaned, flopping backwards in an exaggerated action as her father chuckled.
Perfect, the yordling thought with a sour expression, just what I needed to top off today.
Noticing her sullen mood, the fluffy male entered further into the room. "Hey, are you ok?"
"Yeah," she lied. "Just a bit stuck on this history quiz. Think you could help?"
"Of course," he smiled, joining her on her bed when she scooted over to make room for him. Looking over the question she was currently working on, he started explaining the origin of the Great Hunt. However, no matter how much she tried to pay attention to what her father was saying, the twelve-year-old still couldn't concentrate.
Sensing his daughter's distraction, the pale yordle raised an eyebrow. "Ok, what's really going on? You love learning about Megling, but tonight I can barely hold your attention."
The white-haired girl let out a long breath before admitting, "One of the kids at school destroyed our project."
Her father frowned. "That is unfortunate. I'm sorry Tristana, I know how much that project meant to all of you."
"Yeah," the yordling's response lacked lustre.
"So," his tone became serious, "What are you going to do about it?"
"Huh?"
His expression softened, though the intensity remained. "Unfortunately, not everything in life is going to go as you plan. Bad things happen, that's a given. Because no matter what you do or how much you plan, some things in life are just not going to go your way. But how you react to them, and what you do afterwards, that is what separates the good from the great. It's an important skill to learn in life, especially if you want to be a Megling. So I'll ask you again: what are you going to do about it?"
She gave him a half-hearted grin, "I don't suppose ditching the party to redo the project and then beating up Klive is the correct answer?"
"Nope," the white yordle returned her grin. "Try again."
The blue girl sighed again, "I'm wondering if redoing the project is even worth it. I don't know if we have the time and trying to rush it just won't be fun for any of us."
Her dad nodded, "That is a good point. It's also a very mature thing to consider, because it is important to be able to evaluate whether something is still worth pursuing despite previous investment. However, I also think you and your friends definitely have the ability to reproduce the project if you put your minds to it, so don't rule it out just yet."
"Well," Tristana thought about it more seriously. "We still have the presentation, so we don't need to do that again. And considering how little time it took us last time to put it together, I do think it's doable even with my limited freedom on Saturday. About the only thing holding us back is parts. Rumble and Ziggs had to search for days last time to find all the necessary components and this time we only have four days. But… I also don't know what the others have, so… I'm thinking tomorrow maybe we should stockpile what we have and what we think we can achieve and make a decision from there?"
"That seems like a very good plan," Charlie praised, causing the girl to smile.
"Thanks father," she gave him a hug.
"Any time Tristy," he returned it.
"And what exactly is going on here?"
The two yordles turned to see Pearl standing in the doorway with an eyebrow raised. The lady looked exhausted, with bags under her eyes and her normally immaculate azure hair falling out of its bun. But she still managed to hold herself with an air of authority.
"Father's helping me with my homework," the blue girl stated, causing her mother's expression to soften.
"It's nice to know that despite all of this disruption, you've still found time to keep your studies up."
"Of course," the yordle girl didn't bother to mention that it was mostly because she needed to keep her grades up if she wanted to apply for the Megling Commandos when she was old enough. She really didn't feel like fighting with her mother tonight. Plus, she had promised her dad.
"Oh!" Pearl brightened as she remembered why she'd headed straight here in the first place. "I have something for you! You'll love it, I promise."
She quickly left the room, just long enough for father and daughter to exchange looks, before she was back. "Tada!" she showed the dress off.
Tristana had to admit, as far as dresses went, it was nice. It wasn't gaudy or tacky or covered in glitter. The chiffon, sleeveless bodice was modest but well fitted, with an intricate pattern that wound down the left side and across the right side of the skirt. The skirt itself attached at the fitted waist to fall in a half-circle ruffle at the knees, providing an elegant look while still providing ease of movement. However, there was one glaringly obvious flaw that had the blue girl wrinkling her nose in disgust.
"It's pink." Tristana loathed the feminine colour and all it represented.
The girl would have said more but a resigned, pleading look from her father had her biting her tongue. She had promised after all.
Pearl looked apologetic, sending her husband an embarrassed look before she turned back to her daughter. "I'm sorry Tristana. I know you don't like the colour but it was the best I could find on short notice; all the other dresses were either tacky, too revealing or wouldn't fit you. Besides, as much as you don't like it, the colour really does suit you."
Tristana didn't exactly agree, but instead of saying anything, she simply spoke between gritted teeth. "It's fine. I suppose it could be worse and it's only for one night after all."
The white-furred male sent his daughter a grateful look that Pearl completely missed as she took in her child's statement with pleasant surprise. Honestly, she'd been expecting a lot more resistance and was grateful that she didn't have to fight about it tonight.
"You'll have a great time, don't worry," she told the yordling enthusiastically. "It truly will be a night to remember, I promise."
"I can hardly wait," the blue girl's voice dripped with sarcasm.
"Ok," Charlie clapped his hands together, sensing that the situation was starting to deteriorate. "It's getting late; so why don't we go start dinner."
I had a ball writing these chapters. Seeing the relationships between the different yordle families is so much fun :). Let me know what you think :).
Skullion123: Ah I was wondering if this was going to be brought up. It's probably good to address it here. So I have said in the past that I wasn't going to introduce pairings for quite a while and this is still true. I have also been deliberately vague on the whole Teemo/Tristana/Rumble triangle because it's an important part of the grand story line. This does not necessarily mean certain characters feelings aren't going to be obvious, they're just not going to be resolved for a while. Rumble in particular is someone whose feelings I could always picture occurring very early on, and it's important because this is going to be a very big part of his character later on. For better or for worse I'll let you guys find out as I write. Anyway, thank you for your support no matter who ends up together. Sometimes the pressure from people wanting a certain pairing can be very overwhelming, especially as a relatively new writer.