"Would, uh, would…"

"Yes, Hecarim?"

"Would you like to…"

"What was that, Hecarim? I couldn't quite make out what you just said."

"…Wouldyouliketogototheballwithme?"

Elise stared at Hecarim with an amused but flattered look on her face. The undead centaur was standing before her, his armored head slightly looking away. He was trying painfully hard to keep himself composed, and Elise felt severely tempted to tease him into an embarrassed mess. But, seeing as how she had mentioned the ball to him and planted the idea of taking her to the event over the past few weeks, she felt it would be just a little too mean and unfair to torment her poor companion any longer. The spider woman straightened her posture, composed herself to look as elegant and serious as possible, and looked Hecarim straight in the "eyes."

"Yes."

"Really?!...er, I mean, very good. I shall pick you up at four on the day of the ball, then?"

"I look forward to seeing you then, my dear."

"Yes, well, hrmm, back to work I suppose."

"Until next time. Send Raquel my regards."

Hecarim nodded before walking away, his head held high and a dignified look present on his face. Elise saw none of that though, as her eyes were focused on the wagging spectral tail that spoke volumes of how the horse lord was actually feeling. She giggled softly and smiled as her companion left the clearing. Standing up, she snapped her fingers; multiple spiderlings swarmed into the vicinity to clean up the table where the two Shadow Isles denizens just had their latest tea party. As the spiderlings did their work, Elise looked back on the past few weeks.

The spider priestess had visited her friend LeBlanc in Noxus after a meeting with her congregation. The illusory mage told her that one of wealthiest Noxian nobles was going to throw a ball to celebrate some overpriced, nonsensical matter. Regardless of the purpose of the affair, it turned out that Elise had been invited. Apparently, her position as the leader of a cult made her an "exotic" potential guest. The spider woman didn't particularly care for how she was perceived by the nobility of Noxus so long as she was able to eventually lure some of them into Vilemaw's mandibles. That and persuade them into funding her cult. Anyway, what made her personally interested in the affair was that she hadn't been to a high class social event in some time and she felt she could use the occasion to stretch her legs on the ballroom floor. Of course, once LeBlanc had told her that each guest was allowed to bring a date, she immediately planned to go with her precious companion.

Influencing Hecarim had been easy enough, though to be honest, it wasn't exactly "influencing" if he actually wanted to go. Elise felt her face flush slightly as she noted that over the past few years Hecarim had increasingly sought out and desired her company to the point that not seeing each other for some time led to emotional aches. She knew that he would take any special occasion as an opportunity to spend time with her, and this ball wouldn't be an exception. He was just about the person he used to be in life, albeit a lot more bloodthirsty, but that change wasn't especially terrible. Elise smiled serenely to herself. A simple mention of the ball to the warhorse after a meeting at the castle had immediately piqued his interest. Once she wistfully noted that she would like to attend the event with a date, he had immediately dashed off saying that he had some plans to make. She had neglected to mention that as the invited guest she should have been the one inviting him to accompany her, but she knew that both of them had always enjoyed the more traditional approach. And so, after a couple weeks, she invited him to enjoy some tea with her and let the opportuneness of the moment take care of everything else.

"Well then, my pets, I shall have to make my own preparations now, won't I?"

The spiderlings around her, now finished cleaning the table, nodded and clicked their mandibles in agreement.

"How about this one?"

"Too small."

"This one?"

"Too big."

"Surely, this one shall do?"

"It looks like Thresh ripped a hole in the back."

"Come now, Hecarim, how can you be so—oh, well what do you know, I think Thresh really did rip a hole in this one."

Hecarim grumbled discontentedly as Karthus sorted through a large pile of clothes, some ornate, some fancy, and some just tacky. The horse lord knew that Karthus was one of the more fashion-minded individuals in the Isles, but he was starting to lose hope that the lich would be able to put together an outfit fit for a high-class ball. He was also beginning to wonder if the Deathsinger would even be able to find clothing that could cover his equine…derriere.

"Hrm, the Chain Warden owes me five gold pieces for this hole. That and the cookies he still hasn't replaced."

"That does not concern me. Can you help me or not? Perhaps I should have gone to Mordekaiser."

"Bah, forget that tin man! He would just give you one of his metal suits. I helped you with that outfit when you took the Spider Queen to dinner on that…whatever that holiday was, didn't I? Could you not simply use that one?"

"As economical as that sounds, Deathsinger, this ball requires a more…frilly kind of outfit."

"And where on Runeterra did you hear that? Is that what the Spider Queen told you?"

"Well, no, I had some of my men sneak into Noxus and find out the style of clothing Noxian nobles wear."

"You mean you had your men scare some poor sucker halfway to death for this information?"

"Uh…maybe all the way."

Karthus laughed briskly, the echoes of his voice spreading throughout the room as the lich tried to imagine Hecarim's absurd attempts at obtaining fashion information. Hecarim grumbled again, this time with a bit more aggravation, and Karthus quickly resumed his search. After a few minutes, the Deathsinger pulled out a few pieces of clothing and arranged them together. He turned around and presented the outfit to the now-hoof tapping centaur. Hecarim stared at the outfit, silently nodding his head as he took note of the frilly-looking blue bow tie that rested on top of an ornate dark grey shirt.

"It seems my faith in you has not been misplaced, Karthus. I think this will do just fine."

Karthus smiled vainly at the horse lord's words.

"None shall ever match my skill in these arts. Now, I'm going to have a…friend of mine adjust these, so I'm going to need to take some measurements. And yes, I'll make sure these pants are altered for your…non-human legs."

"You have my thanks, Deathsinger."

"Hrmm. Just show those empty-minded Noxians how a champion of the Shadow Isles dresses. And do not forget our deal."

"Yes, yes, the next set of prisoners I take I'll bring to you."

"Good."

"…By the way…"

"Yes?"

"By 'friend,' do you mean one of those old ladies you keep trying to hit on?"

"Hush! Tabitha is one of the finest clothes makers in all of Runeterra! And never underestimate the beauty of the elderly. So close to death, it's just perfect…"

Hecarim rolled his eyes, or, well, tried to, seeing as how he didn't have eyes. But he found himself smiling as he pictured his own ideal of female perfection.

Elise put the finishing touches on her makeup when she heard her doorbell ring. She snapped a finger and a few spiderlings rushed downstairs, one climbing on top of another to open the door. Unfortunately for them, the door opened inwards, so they tumbled over as the thick slab of metal and wood pushed them off balance. One of the spiderlings looked up and saw its mistress's guest and quickly scurried up the stairs to alert her.

"I am here for the lady, Elise, if she'll have me."

Elise smiled at the sound of her companion's voice and nodded at the spiderling that skittered into the room to announce Hecarim's arrival. She stood up and, after finding the evening gloves she was looking for, turned to the open doorway ready to make her appearance.

"The lady would certainly be pleased with your company, good sir. She only wishes that you will be happy with hers."

Hecarim smiled broadly at his companion's response as he looked up. He opened his mouth to laugh, but silence came out instead as he found himself staring at the stunning woman who was now standing at the top of the stairs. Elise was wearing a long dress in her customary black and red, a lone strap on her left shoulder along with a trail of cloth flowing down her back adding an air of class to her appearance. Her face possessed a haunting beauty, even more so than usual. If looks could kill, Hecarim knew that she'd leave the ballroom filled with corpses. The spectral centaur suddenly felt tempted to bring his glaive with him to the ball, for he was certain that she would turn heads and attract attention that he definitely would not enjoy. Unfortunately, he knew Elise wouldn't exactly appreciate him chopping up the other guests. There'd be too much of a mess and they'd never be invited to another ball in Noxus. Hecarim let out a short sigh before smiling again as he saw his companion begin to walk down the stairs.

"Well, my dear, I see you've found the appropriate clothes for tonight."

Hecarim chuckled as he thought back on the effort Karthus put into getting his outfit put together.

"I did my research and acted accordingly. I did not want you to be accompanied by an ill-dressed fool."

Elise smiled as she reached the bottom of the stairs.

"Your efforts were certainly fruitful. I cannot think of a better-dressed centaur who will be there."

"I think I'll be the only centaur there."

Elise laughed softly as she walked up to the finely-dressed centaur. She took a moment to inspect his long cloak and the almost gauntlet-like gloves he was wearing.

"Regardless, you will be the most handsome 'person' there tonight."

Hecarim felt a rush of sweet bashfulness course through his mind even though he was physically incapable of blushing. The ghostly fire in his helm glowed brightly instead.

"And you will be the most beautiful."

Elise's cheeks filled with a pink tint as she looked into the horse lord's "eyes."

"Thank you, Hecarim. If you continue to speak such sweet words, then who knows how many women will swoon before you in the future?"

Hecarim laughed mirthfully at the spider woman's words, believing them to be some sort of joke seeing as how he was generally terrible at complimenting women. Elise smiled once more as she paused to straighten the undead centaur's bowtie. After a second, she suddenly tightened the strings.

"Of course, I'd have to kill said women."

Hecarim immediately stopped laughing as he looked down at his companion, unsure of what to say. He suddenly understood that his worries about Elise's possible interactions with the opposite gender were returned in kind. The shared sentiment warmed his ghostly heart, and he subsequently found himself smiling.

"And here I was worrying about wanting to slice apart the lechers who will no doubt harass you tonight."

Elise let out an amused laugh at the horse lord's words before smiling warmly. She took hold of his hand.

"Then let us hope we can get through the night without spilling too much blood. Shall we be off?"

Hecarim grinned and nodded.

Hecarim and his passenger companion arrived at the manor a little after most of the other guests had entered the building. As he helped Elise off of his back in a dark corner where they couldn't be seen, he looked down at his clothes and checked to see if they wind hadn't ruffled them too much. Elise did the same, and after noting that everything was in order, she looked up at Hecarim with an appreciative smile.

"I have to be honest, Hecarim, I'm surprised we actually made it on time. It wasn't too long ago that it would take a day to reach Noxus from the Isles."

Hecarim let out a prideful huff as he straightened his back.

"I have spent the past weeks learning to the most specific detail the fastest way to reach Noxus. It took much effort, but I am happy to see the results."

"Indeed. Excellent work, my dear. Now, let me go in first so I can freshen up and find Emilia."

Hecarim looked at the spider woman bemusedly. Elise paused for a moment before understanding what was confusing him.

"LeBlanc."

The horse lord quickly nodded in comprehension.

"I'll bring her back to disguise you after I greet the hostess and, ah, 'scout out' the building. It would do us both good to have an escape route available if something should go awry."

Hecarim laughed softly while nodding his head again. Not that a ball would be a battle, but it always paid to be able to "tactically retreat."

"As you wish, Elise. I will wait for your return."

Elise smiled and patted her companion's cheek.

"Now be good, my dear. If anyone should happen to see you…be clean and quiet, please?"

"Of course."

"Elise, it's so good to see you! Jericho's talking politics with some general, and I've gotten bored pretending to be other people's dates."

"It's good to see you too, Emilia. Hecarim is outside in the back. Hopefully the inevitable commotion his appearance shall bring will provide you with some amusement."

LeBlanc let out a cheerful laugh as she held a straightened palm below her mouth.

"Perfect. I can only imagine how Madame Marxine is going to react to his presence. She won't stop going on and on about how she's met 'exotic' foreigners all of her life. I've been seriously tempted to silence her, but I'm just not quite up to mustering that sort of magic right now."

Elise laughed softly at her friend's complaints while trying her best not to roll her eyes. Always needing followers and funds to maintain her cult, she felt that if anyone had to constantly endure the babblings of wealthy and powerful fools, it was her.

"Well then, I shall have to satiate the good madam's taste for exotic guests for now. Give me just a moment to give my greetings and then we can go to Hecarim."

"Very well. But be quick! I see Sir Boresalot coming over and I can only lie to his face so many times that I think his cats are wonderful."

"Fear not, Emilia, it'll be just a moment."

An hour later, Hecarim snapped to attention when he felt something drop onto his back. He quickly turned his head around and relaxed when he saw Elise sitting on his coat with a look that was part apologetic and part dead. He then heard a "poof" sound, and he looked back forward and almost reared back his head when he found himself face to face with a woman he assumed was LeBlanc.

"So you're the infamous Hecarim, I see. I never thought I'd have to prepare so many ready-to-use transformation spells for one…uh, 'person.'"

Hecarim slightly bowed his head and crossed an arm over his chest.

"Indeed, I am Hecarim, the Shadow of War. If you are the Madame LeBlanc Elise has spoken of in the past, then I am honored to meet you. I must also thank you for the assistance your spells have provided us in the past."

LeBlanc smiled proudly at the horse lord's words.

"My, thank you for the kind greetings, Master Shadow of War. And there is no need for thanks; I am always willing to lend my expertise to my darling friend and, by extension, those she holds dear."

Hecarim nodded before both of them looked at Elise who appeared as if she needed a strong drink.

"Is…everything alright, Elise?"

Elise turned to her companion and remained silent for a moment before reaching for the warhorse's hand.

"Hecarim?"

"Yes, Elise?"

"Whatever you do, remain silent around Madame Marxine."

"…What?"

"The hostess of this ball. It is beyond my comprehension how that woman can go on for so long about how she enjoys the 'exotic' in this world."

"I, uh, I still don't understand."

Elise looked at Hecarim, and the undead centaur almost quivered in fear at the horror reflected in the spider woman's eyes.

"She will find you exotic. She will obsess over your appearance and the fact that you are a centaur. Remain silent and I will take care of the talking. If she believes you are mute, then hopefully she will lose interest quickly and free us from her ramblings."

"Is she why it's been about an hour since you left?"

Elise simply nodded, her face still beautiful but rather weary.

"I do apologize for making you wait, Hecarim. I trust that everything was well in my absence?"

Hecarim lightly squeezed Elise's hand while smiling.

"Everything was ok. Fear not, I wasn't exactly bored. Someone—the gardener, I think—almost saw me and I ambushed him reflexively. I made sure to keep things clean as you asked. It's strange; I'll admit, I almost felt like an assassin. …I think I liked it."

Elise chuckled at her companion's childishness and quickly dismounted from his back. She looked down at the ground.

"Where is the corpse?"

"Oh, under the bush Madame LeBlanc is standing next to."

LeBlanc immediately made a small leap away from the body-concealing shrubbery and quickly cast an invisibility spell that ensured that the dead man would not be found. She turned to the smiling Shadow Isles denizens and cleared her throat.

"Well then, let's get this over with before I have to hide any more bodies. Stand still, Master Gardener-Slayer; this will take just a second."

Hecarim complied with the illusory mage's instructions and soon found himself looking like a living centaur once more. He thanked LeBlanc for her magic while Elise took the moment to feel the faux hide underneath the warhorse's coat.

"It never really is quite the same."

"That's no surprise seeing as how you spend so much of your time with him, Elise. It'll fool everyone else, and that's all we need, isn't it?"

Elise briefly nodded before looking up at Hecarim's still iron visage.

"Well then, are you ready, my dear?"

Hecarim looked at Elise before smiling broadly. He nodded his head firmly.

"I am yours to dance with this night."