TEN
POLAR OPPOSITE PAIRINGS
Quinn's blood went cold. The league. She had entirely forgotten the league, what if after the match they sent her back to Demacia, what if she couldn't get back here... Worst of all, what if she and Swain were to be on opposing sides of the match, Valor and Beatrice would have no choice to hurt one another. The league didn't know they were mates, one was Noxian, the other was Demacian. It went without saying that they'd be on opposing sides. Swain however, only had one question on his mind as he lowered his helm over his features.
"How did you know Quinn was here?" He asked, his eyes burning over the sash covering his face. The summoner, face half hidden in the hood of his fanciful, rune covered robe however did not seem in the faintest bit intimidated, staring right back at the lord of Noxus, his lip twitching up with the faintest hint of contemptuous disdain.
"The institute of war knows where all its champions are, Jericho. We must, for us to be able to call on you whenever the need arises. You know that." It took a moment for Quinn to notice, but the summoner hadn't called Swain by the name she knew him by, Jericho? So that was his first name... She had only ever heard him called Swain, and it had honestly never occurred to her that he might have another name, ridiculous as it was now that she thought about it. Jericho Swain growled under his breath as he put his cane down on a hall table, picking up his staff from its stand on the wall.
"Only my closest companions my call me by that name, Summoner."
The summoners smile only widened, a hint of teeth showing in a mocking grin. "Oh I do apologise, Lord Swain, I'll be sure to keep that in mind from now on. But don't you think we have more important things to be tending to than your preferred name? The institute is calling." He waved his hand as if to indicate a door, the door itself appeared as he did so, a swirling magenta portal tearing its way into being. Swain deigned not to give the rude mage more fuel and only nodded, stepping through the portal and fading into its magical interior, the Summoner looked to Quinn, the same snarky smile across his lips.
"Will you be joining us, Miss Harlington?" So he called Swain by his first name, and her by her last. This summoner really was just trying to rub them the wrong way, she wondered to herself why it was the institute saw it fit to send him to call them to it, instead of someone with manners. She simply glared at him as she stepped through the portal, the summoner stepping through a few moments later. Closing the portal with a literal snap of his fingers. The rush of wind filling the space ruffling Quinn's hair as she looked around the hall they had arrived in.
Like all of the institute, it was constructed from thick stone blocks, each carved with a rune, the long passage lit by braziers hanging from the ceiling, burning with a purple flame. Swain had been here dozens of times before and already he was on his way, his staff clicking against the stone with every step. Quinn however, was entirely lost, this was the side they summoned Noxian champions in, not Demacian ones. She was about to ask the summoner where it was she should be going when his mocking tone resounded from behind her, bouncing off the echoing walls. Looking all for the world like ancient, otherworldly catacombs, the institute was a rather foreboding place to be, especially with the strange noises that came from the sections they weren't allowed to enter, like the wild laughter that would resound from the room fiddlesticks was sealed within when he was not out on the fields of justice. It was by no definition of the word, homely.
"Great news miss Harlington! I'm your summoner for today." He laid a hand on her shoulder, a comradely gesture from anyone else, an irritating one from this particularly poor example of humanity, she got the sense that he was loving every moment of it. Thankfully, Valor's patience was not as strong as Quinn's and he nonchalantly moved his foot ever so slightly so as to rest atop the summoners hand, talons digging into the back of it. The Summoner yelped and pulled his hand back quickly, which was really rather a poor decision, it forced the talons deeper into the skin as he pulled away, opening 3 small wounds on his hand. "Stupid bird! Watch where you put your feet." He shoved past Quinn. Waving a hand for her to follow, "Or I won't watch where I put mine." Snarled the summoner over his shoulder. Quinn couldn't help but grin up at Valor as he fluffed himself up happily at having wiped that stupid smile off the man's face.
"Good job, Valor." He looked down to her, a cheeky twinkle in his eyes as he let out a gleeful caaw. Though, as she set off to follow her summoner for the day, Quinn thought on what that little mean gesture could mean for them, seeing as they had to deal with this petty man for a good while more. It meant one thing certainly.
This wasn't going to be a good day.
The pair of Scout and Eagle followed the Summoner for a while longer, eventually reaching the room where Summoners sent their champions to the Fields of Justice, and joined their minds with them before hand. twenty Pentagrams filled the rooms floor, in four rows. The ones on the outside for the summoners, the ones on the inside for the champions. Swain was currently standing before a young female summoner a good head and shoulders shorter than him, she had pretty, if roughly cut and poorly kempt dusty blonde hair, and had the look about her of a frightened mouse. Quinn rather got the sense that in that pairing, it would be Swain in the driver's seat. Her own summoner pulled her from the distraction, quite literally as he grabbed a hold of her wrist, rather roughly yanking her into her own pentagram as he stepped into his own, he turned to face her.
"Ready?" Before she even had time to nod, he'd place a hand on her brow, and she could feel the magic's of the summoner filling her mind. It felt rather like having someone standing over your shoulder, far too close for comfort. She could feel the Summoners thoughts in her own mind, his feelings, and his rancour for her and hers, particularly the bird who sat atop her shoulder. Staring balefully at the man, who returned the look in kind. "There, it's done. You and Jericho -" She caught Swain's shoulders tensing as he said that, he really was grating on the tyrant's nerves with his use of his given name, "- and you, are the first to arrive. So there will be a bit of a wait. You can go to the fields to wait now, or you can wait. I don't care." The summoner turned on his heel, not being needed in the room until it was time to go, as he made his way out, Quinn caught sight of him pulling a cigarette from somewhere in his robes. Meanwhile, now that he had left the room, Swain saw fit to ask his own, rather more polite Summoner a question. "Madgova, will Quinn and I be on the same team for this battle, or not?" The Tyrant's voice burned with its usual essence of command, which did nothing to help the poor girls nervousness, she seemed to be trying to sink into her robes as she smiled worriedly up at him.
"You're... You're from opposing cities. O-of course you're not on the same side, that's um... That's not a problem is it?" Her voice only helped strengthen Quinn's mental image of her as a mouse, little more than a timid squeaking. Indeed the two birds of prey in the room had both been eyeing her rather like they would a tasty meal until she spoke, at which point, both their eyes filled with sorrow, as they whipped to face one another. Beatrice hopped from her roost on Swain's shoulder to fly to her mate, landing beside him on Quinn's own mantle and allowing him to wrap his wings about her in a loving embrace, the smaller raven crooning sadly as she buried her head into the soft downy feathers of his chest. Swain watched the wordless exchange with pain, knowing what the pair might well have to do to one another today.
They may have to kill each other.
He let out a long sigh, and turned back to face the summoner known as Madgova. "Not for me, no. But it is not I in which my concern lies." Madgova looked from him to the pair of birds on Quinn's shoulder, her eyes slowly widening as it dawned on her why it was the pair seemed so eager to embrace each other, despite their opposing cities. Her hands both came to her mouth as her eyes in turn filled with sadness, she was a very sentimental and romantic woman.
"Your birds, they're... They're in love? Oh my god, I was wondering why Quinn was with you, but it makes sense now. Oh, you're going to have to fight each other, it's so sad... I'll -" The timid little summoner turned away from Swain to face the two tormented avians, "- I'll do my best to make sure you two never have to fight okay? I'll keep Swain away from Quinn as much as I can." Each and every person in the room suddenly felt their respect for the young girl go up in leaps and bounds, the two birds letting out caw's of thank you as Swain merely nodded, turning away from her to step towards Quinn, extending a hand for Beatrice.
"Come along, dear. We should get out there quickly, lest the other Demacian's see you together." Valor gave him a look that said he couldn't give a damn if the other members of his nation knew he was with the raven of their enemies leader, but Beatrice nodded, giving Valor once last loving nuzzle before hopping across to Swain's pauldron, the Tyrant turning on his heel and clicking his way back to the pentagram. "Madgova, if you will."
"Oh, uh-right, right." Madgova waved her hands in a spell, the pentagram below Swain slowly getting brighter and covering the tyrant within its glow, his silhouette slowly fading away until the Tyrant no longer stood within the room. Quinn stepped onto her own dais and looked to Madgova, seeing as her own, rather poor example of a summoner still had yet to return to the room.
"Hey Madgova, could you send me to the fields as well? My summoner's out smoking, and to be frank, I don't have to deal with him anymore than I have to." She gave the girl what she hoped was a smile of comradely suffering, knowing that Madgova had to deal with him most every day ,seeing as they worked at the institute together.
"Sure! I can do that Quinn. Yeah... No one really likes Stefan, he's a jerk... You know after a match on the fields, all he talks about is how many kills his champion got, and how much a better summoner he is than anyone who didn't get as many... Which usually means it's me." She looked down at the ground bashfully as she walked to occupy Stefan's abandoned control pentagram, Quinn frowned at the other girls sadness, laying a hand on her shoulder and smiling reassuringly, her other hand coming up to brush a bang from Mangrove's eyes
"Hey, I bet you're a great summoner, Madgova. You keep practising at it and you'll far outstrip him in no time at all, so just don't let him get to you, okay?" Madgova blushed at her compliments, but smiled all the same.
"Thanks Quinn... I'll do my best."
"Atta girl, now, shall we?" Madgova nodded and waved her hands in the same way she had for Swain, Quinn feeling her body slowly being pulled from reality. She'd never liked teleportation much, mostly for what came in the middle. On her way to the fields of Justice, Quinn found herself falling through what seemed to be an endless vortex of pure magic, chaotic swirls catching her and throwing her this way and that, Valor holding onto her painfully tight. Thankfully, the trip was brief, and she arrived at the platform at the north east end of the Fields, though for now, her only companions were Valor, as ever, and the diminutive yordle merchant just beside the rune covered ring. Who looked at her under a concerned furrowed brow.
"You all righ', missy? Yer lookin' a tad queezy."
"I, uh... Y-yeah. I'm fine. I'm fine." Quinn reassured him, but the yordle shook his head, reaching into his pack and pulling out a canteen.
"'Ere, 'ave a drink before the other champ's arrive, yeh look like you could use it." Quinn accepted the canteen gratefully and had a long draught from it, giving the merchant a smile as she handed the flask back. "Good luck out dere, young miss."
"Thanks." She looked to Valor, the bird's eyes still filled with worry. "I think we'll need it..."