Scheming
Riven handled the volatile emotional situation like her military training had taught her; she went about her business with her chin up and any trace of emotional weakness stuffed into the cramped recesses of her heart. And since Irelia seemed to be doing the exact same thing, it should have been easy to keep it all brushed aside. Instead, she found herself becoming irritable. Would that she could have visited with Lee Sin, but their search for Syndra was taking them all over the island.
Ahri had been able to pick up the faintest of magic trails in the Haiyang forest where the others had declared it to have gone cold. The results, however, held grim implications. The trail led straight to coast line where, off in the distance was an island. Less than a year ago the island had been home to the Kinkou Order, but after a brutal takeover, was now home to hundreds of ninja who practiced dark shadow arts.
If Syndra was now in league with the new Order's Master, then Ionia was in for far more trouble than they might have expected.
"We need to speak to Akali," Riven said for what seemed like the hundredth time that week as the two paced around the Placidium gazebo that overlooked the waterfall. "I know you're reluctant to trouble her after what she went through, but she's really the only one who might have some personal insight on the Shadow Order."
Irelia bowed her head under the weight of the Noxian's words, trembling fingertips pressed supportively into her temples. "I know," she sighed. "I know. You're right but I just…"
Unable to keep the frustration- which, despite her best efforts, had been trying to erupt from her chest since the incident with Ahri- Riven whirled around and growled, "You can't just ignore an obvious source of information because it might upset her. Things are gonna be a whole helluva lot worse for everyone without her." For a moment, it felt good to lash out, and feeling a little triumphant, she added, "Is it really worth the whole island not to get her to talk?"
And immediately the soaring feeling came crashing down as Irelia's lips drew up into a thin line and her brows furrowed angrily. "How very Noxian of you," she spat. "Disregard the one for the whole and never mind that the whole is made of the one."
Riven bristled, her hands curling into fists. "There's a point, Irelia, where you can't pretend it's not the truth. Even if it's so terribly Noxian."
The Captain let out a haughty laugh and turned on heel to stalk out of the cold November wind back into the warmth of the Placidium's main building. Normally she would have followed, but today Riven wanted to wallow in her own negativity. As hard as she was trying to keep her composure, spending hours and hours each day with someone who was perpetually just out of her grasp was exhausting. She'd had her taste and now she wasn't content to sit idly by as a friend, but she was forced to do just that. And it wasn't Irelia's fault that she was frustrated, but it was certainly easier to blame someone else than to admit her own failings.
Not today, she decided before stalking the opposite direction as Irelia toward the front gates. I'm not dealing with this today. This isn't my country and I am taking a break. It was a little sickening to abandon the project, but thrilling as well, and when she had walked half the distance to the Lito home and the sun was falling toward the mountains, she was actually smiling. When was the last time she'd taken time for herself?
She walked slowly, and when she'd finally reached the home, it had been dark for some time, but darkness in Ionia was serene unlike nights in Noxus, and she'd enjoyed her time under the stars. Out of habit, she checked the little brass mailbox and was surprised to find, among two letters addressed to Irelia, a thin envelope with her name scrawled on front in a militaristic print. She was even more surprised when she flipped it over and saw the seal of House DuCouteau. Eagerly, she ran up to her room to read it.
15 November, 23CLE
Riven,
I can't believe the Ionians haven't lynched you yet! Talon told me he's seen you at the Placidium. He's been there for mostly completely legal reasons. More importantly, you didn't even stay in touch with me as ordered, and as daughter of the Grand General of Noxus, I demand this be put to rights. So, my plus-one and I are going to come for a couple of weeks and pull you away from whatever stuff the Ionians have you doing. Compliance will earn my forgiveness. And by that I mean we're already on the way and you can expect us in a couple of weeks. Circumstances got a little weird in Demacia.
Katarina
Riven let out a hearty laugh at the assassin's tactless letter then read over it again before setting it on her bed. Katarina's request couldn't have come at a better time. She needed a distraction, something to get her mind away from her situation, and what better way than to visit with an old friend. She penned a scarcely legible response immediately.
It was an hour after she had placed the letter in the mailbox, eaten dinner and showered, that the front door slammed shut and the sound of angry footsteps pacing through the house snapped her from her happy mood. That answered the question about whether or not Irelia was still upset about earlier. With her jaw locked into a grim line, the Noxian descended the stairs into the kitchen.
"Welcome home," she called, propping herself against the door frame. "I was wondering if you were gonna stay up at the Placidium all night again."
"Thought about it," came Irelia's short response as she swept about the kitchen for a quick meal.
There was a moment of silence save for the clicking of the Ionian's chopsticks in her bowl of rice.
"So, I got a letter," Riven finally said. "From my friend, Katarina. She's coming to see me in a couple of weeks."
Irelia paused in her eating and looked up. "The Grand General's daughter."
Defiantly, the blonde crossed her arms. "Problem?"
At that, the Ionian seemed to wilt a little. "No," she shrugged. "Just keep her out of trouble. She is your responsibility, not mine. She is welcome to stay here, if she so wishes."
"She's bringing her Demacian," Riven said with a small smile. "I can't imagine that she'll be getting into anything crazy."
There was a small huff from the dark-haired woman which Riven recognized as her trying not to laugh, and no matter how happy the letter had made her, that felt infinitely better.
"I decided that you're right," Irelia admitted suddenly, her voice soft and apologetic. "I do need to talk to Akali, I've just been avoiding it because I'm afraid. You saw her right after. It was... I couldn't stand if that happened to her again because of me."
Riven shook her head and took a step closer to her friend. "I know, and that's why I shouldn't have said it the way I did. I'm sorry, Irelia."
For a moment, it seemed that Irelia was going to say something. She raised her hand, and it faltered between them, then finally came to rest on Riven's arm. "I can't hold anything against you," she marveled. "I think..." Riven's heart rose as Irelia bit her lip, then fell as she shook her head and dropped her hand. "Never mind. I, ah, well I'm going to bed. Please, sleep well." Turning, she set her bowl on the counter.
"Irelia."
The woman in question spun on heel, a pleading and eager look in her eyes. "Yes?" Her voice, quiet and thin with anxiety, gave Riven the courage she needed to close the gap between them. With trembling hands, the blonde reached over and brushed her thumb across the corner of her mouth.
"Rice," she remarked, throat dry. "On your face."
Irelia turned a bright shade of red. "R-right. Thank you?"
The questioning look on her face was almost enough to make Riven want to move the last few inches between them and erase any doubts in her mind about her feelings. But she had ideas now, and instead, the Noxian forced herself to take a deep breath and let her hand fall to her side. "You're welcome. G'night," she grinned, and with the shocked and disappointed face Irelia had made burned into her mind, she floated up the stairs.
Riven raised her hand in greeting to her red-headed friend who was trudging her way through the evening snow, pulling along her Demacian counterpart. It was amusing to her that it was Katarina who led Garen, a tiny slip of a woman in comparison but vibrant and wild where he was cool and controlled. Riven related to him in that way; she had been attracted to Katarina's fire once too.
In a flash the assassin had tossed her bag to Garen and dashed through the snow to take her by the arm, beaming. "Riven! How have you been?"
"Never been better. Seriously, I love Ionia," she confessed. "But come inside first. You look like you might freeze."
Katarina wrinkled her nose at the first part of her statement, but Garen interjected with a grateful, "Thanks. It never gets like this so early south of the Ironspike."
"Yes, it takes some adjusting to," Riven agreed as they shuffled through the front door of Irelia's home. In a few minutes they had all shed their wet traveling coats and taken the hot tea which Riven had learned to make once she learned how much Irelia liked it at the end of the day. "So, tell me what's been happening with you two," she pleaded once they had settled into the plush cushions pulled from the room's storage closet.
Sprawled out across the floor idly flipping a knife above her head, Katarina replied, "A whole lot of nothing. This is the first time in four hundred years that Noxus and Demacia haven't actively been at each other's' throats."
"I wonder why that is," the tow-headed woman quipped. "Could it have something to do with the face of Noxus falling for-"
"Yeah, yeah, shut up," the assassin ordered, pointing her knife in her direction; Garen reached across the table and plucked it from her fingers.
"It's not even that," he admitted as he twirled the tiny blade in his broad hands. "General DuCouteau and Noxus fought alongside the rest of us against the bigger threat. He's the most moderate Grand General Noxus has seen in a long time. Jarvan too, for Demacia. Things are changing."
Riven raised an eyebrow and propped her elbows on the table. "So what are you two actually doing?"
Katarina grinned. "A whole lot of nothing," she repeated. "Mostly by choice."
"So the truth comes out."
"We're 'traveling emissaries' for our governments," Garen corrected, sending the knife arcing back to Katarina with a slow flick of his wrist. "We do work. Sometimes."
The Noxian soldier glanced between the two as Katarina tensed and Garen's face twisted in a slight frown. "Sounds... ok?" she ventured, feeling confused as to what she missed. "Is that why you decided to come to Ionia?"
The red-head shrugged. "It was on the list, yeah. Say, you said you like Ionia? Better than Noxus?"
Filing away the obvious change of subject, Riven told them about her time in Ionia and the work she was doing with Irelia. She learned the true reason they had come to Ionia on such short notice from Katarina while Garen stared moodily out the window. They shared their problems in Demacia and she told them about their quest to find Syndra and the peace she'd been able to find in Ionia. By the time they'd finished their tea and worked through the simple sandwiches she'd thrown together, it was well into the night and the conversation reached a sleepy lull.
"It's not too far of a walk to the Placidium, and it takes us through the town if you want to go tomorrow morning," she informed as she picked up their dishes to wash. "I can introduce you to Irelia and Lee Sin and everyone else. Katarina, I hope you brought a lot of warm clothes, by the way."
Katarina waved a hand. "Details. We were in a hurry. I'll buy some stuff in town."
"Rich bitch," she muttered under her breath.
"I heard that!"
"You were supposed to," she smirked. "Come on, I'll show you the guest room." Shouldering their luggage before Garen could protest, Riven lead them upstairs to the room down the hall from hers. "Here. Will this work?"
The assassin was already throwing herself onto the massive bed before she could finish her question. "Perfect," she groaned. "See you at the ass crack of dawn."
Garen snorted, then said, "Thanks, Riven. We appreciate it."
She nodded. "Anytime. Good night."
When the door had clicked shut, Riven leaned against the wall with a happy sigh. Her whole life had been spent soaking up Noxian propaganda about the glory of battle. She was certain that if they had mentioned how good peacetime was, how cooperation could outweigh competition, that she would have abandoned ship a lot sooner. Knowing that there were people she could truly call friends, well, that made her appreciate her new life a whole lot more.
"So," Katarina drawled, playing with the ends of her scarf. "When are you going to make a move?"
Riven could feel her face heat up and her blood pressure rise. "Shut. Up," she hissed as she attempted to jab an elbow into her side only to miss as she dodged easily. "She's right there!"
The two Noxians were trailing behind Lee Sin, Irelia, and Garen as the Ionians led them through a tour of the Placidium. Irelia turned, an inquisitive look on her face; Riven shook her head and smiled.
"I mean it," the red-head whispered. "Don't be so indecisive. From what you've told me it sounds like she-"
"Kat," she warned. "I... I'll think about it. Now drop it."
"Thinking too much is the problem here," Katarina grumbled, but she crossed her arms and said no more. Riven sighed and pulled her back to the rest of the group where Lee Sin was describing the history of the Hirana and Shojin Monasteries.
"Maybe you two should go visit Hirana," Irelia interjected smoothly, shifting her gaze to Katarina and Riven. "It would appear you still need some private time to catch up."
Riven began to stammer out an excuse about why that wasn't necessary, but her red-headed friend interrupted with a coy smile spreading across her face, "I think you just read my mind, Ms. Lito. We were just talking about that, weren't we Riv? Little Noxian girl time?"
"What the hell, Kat?" the soldier hissed under her breath.
Lips unmoving from her saccharine smile, she shot back, "Play along."
The ghost of a grin flashed across Lee Sin's lined face and one of puzzlement across Garen's; Irelia's mouth twitched downward but she waved her hand and ground out, "Great. I could send word ahead. There's a village nearby you would have to stay at."
"Um, Katarina?" Garen finally mumbled. "What-?"
Her gloved hand pinched his cheek. "Such a sport, letting me and Riven have a day to ourselves. Weren't you wanting a little time to yourself anyway?" She gave him a wink that begged his cooperation.
"…Right, time alone, that's exactly what I want," he muttered sarcastically.
"Then it's settled!" Katarina chirped, taking both Riven and Irelia by the arm. "You know this tour is really great. Let's keep going!" Irelia shot a distrustful look over her shoulder at Riven who shrugged before leading them on.
"The Lady DuCouteau is quite the intermediary," Lee Sin commented.
Garen rolled his eyes. "Yeah, must be all those years of such successful diplomacy."
The monk let out a short, hearty laugh and clapped the Demacian on the shoulder with one of his scarred hands. "My instincts tell me that everything will be fine. Do not worry, Garen; Irelia and I will keep you busy in their absence. We would be hard-pressed to leave you truly alone in your time of need."
The larger man looked away embarrassed, but nodded his assent as he gazed after the red-head he was so taken by. "Unlike some," he sighed. "Well, better go find out what she has planned. My instincts are telling me that this is going to be a disaster."
"So that's when Riven will come back and make her move," Katarina finished with a triumphant grin.
"I hate you," the tow-headed woman groaned. "I hate you so much. This was such a mistake."
The assassin rolled her eyes and put a hand over her chest. "That hurts. I'm just trying to help. You saw the way she looked at me when she saw us together. That was pure jealously, friend."
"Why do you have to go away for a day to do this?" Garen questioned, a pitiful expression darkening his face.
"'Distance makes the heart grow fonder,'" she recited. "Or something like that. For them, of course."
"Oh, don't act like you're above all this," Riven jabbed. "You're not fooling anyone."
Katarina had the decency to blush. "Fine, whatever," she grumbled. "Garen, I promise we will only be a day. I already asked Lee Sin if he would talk to you for a bit and he seemed more than happy to do it. It could be really good for you to get some things off your chest without me looming over your shoulder."
The Demacian let out a heavy sigh and cast her doleful look. "Fine."
Riven let out a low whistle. "Damn Kat, you must be heartless if that face doesn't change your mind," she joked. Garen smirked.
"I'm as heartless as they come," she snorted. "C'mon, go pack up. Operation 'Help-Riven-get-some' is a go."
Riven groaned again. "I hate you."
The freezing coastal breeze skimmed across Syndra's skin but the woman merely clenched her fists a little tighter and dug her bare heels into the cold white sand.
"Why shouldn't I have killed them all?" she suddenly asked aloud. "I could have ended all our problems right then."
"You would have lost your life in the process," a low voice answered. "Patience will win us this war. You have sent the message and they will answer in time."
Through gritted teeth the Dark Sovereign spat, "Patience isn't exactly my greatest virtue, Zed."
A cold, armored hand came up to brush across her shoulders and the blades attached to it brushed against her neck. She shivered. "It is that passion which will ensure our victory if you can only wait," the masked man promised. "But you are not bound to me; if you wish to go, then go."
The proud woman bowed her head with a small shake.
"Then trust my judgment," Zed commanded. "You are powerful but think of what you can do with an army of shadows at your back."
She turned toward him, her eyes narrowed into a doubtful gaze. "Why did you come to me, Zed?"
A wicked chuckle echoed from inside the steel mask over his face. "Because you too have seen the truth and thrown off the shackles of your master. You have braved the darkness and know the strength that is found in it. We are alike, Syndra, and together, we can shroud Ionia in our shadows."
Slowly, a grin spread across her face, but her companion had since disappeared. She raised her arms to the darkening sky and let her power lift her from the surface of the world.
"Ionia will fall to me," she swore.
Um, so, I kind of love the idea of Syndra/Zed, don'tkillme.
