Author notes- yahoo, another chapter. First off thanks for following and whatnot, it means a lot. I'm very happy as I've finally decided which ending I want to go with the story. I think a lot of you will be very surprised by what happens. Anyway hope you guys enjoy and see you in chapter 15.
(Elise POV)
Colorful.
If I had to sum up the lavishing Hotel's far from average of a bar in one word, colorful would be the word I'd use to describe it. Every corner of the brightly lit tavern was littered with, to sum it up, drunkards and seemingly depressed folk sitting at the stool section. The smell of alcohol was so heavy in the air that it almost became unbearable-keep in mind I don't drink- but I continued nonetheless in search of Kennen. Of course I didn't go unnoticed in the establishment, a drunk and rather large summoner clumsily stumbling in front of me with the creepiest smile on a person's face I've ever see. Drink in one hand, other extended in some strange gesture, he attempted to make chit-chat with me. I silently cursed this nurse outfit, having been required to wear it by Shen when I was "voluntarily" helping them out due to the rising population of sick this time of year. Even Akali had mentioned that the outfit seemed…a bit distracting.
"Hey Elise, I didnt's lnow you hrinked." His breath of course smelled like he had downed a barrel of graga's beer that he had kept under his ass. "You wanna join –
I gently swatted his shoulder, causing the idiotic summoner to fall to the floor in a blur of purple before stepping towards the actually bar area. Behind me I heard a series of laughs from what I assumed were his friends, some of them throwing insults toward their friend. Finally I had a clear view of Kennen, the yordle sitting with his friend Rumble. He was dressed in his snow camouflaged get-up, his fluffy ears protruding out the top. Rumble was wearing some sort of Tuxedo, and I must admit he did look quite adorable. But I didn't have time to indulge in the circle of yordle cuteness that was before me, I needed questions to be answered. Before I could start questioning him I would need to secure a seat next to him, and that was particularly hard because there was what I assumed a summoner sitting right next to him, minding his own business and taking occasionally sips of his beer. The ends of his blue shirt swayed behind him gently as he shifted in his chair before returning into idle once more.
Actually.
I gingerly take a seat next to him, not even a second later the bartender making his presence known.
"Hello Elise, I must say that it is a rarity to see you here." His tone was genuinely surprised and in a bit of a teasing fashion I scoffed with obvious humor. He looked pretty average, green eyes, brown hair and a black shirt covering his torso.
"What, a little lady like me can't have a drink?" I say slyly. The bartender let out a chuckle before nodding in understanding and asking me what I would like to drink.
"WhiteAzalea," I ask nicely, a drink I remembered Katarina recommending me once. He runs off to another section of the bar and starts mixing various liquids with such fervor and elegance that I was momentarily stunned, so this is what a bartender was capable of. As I said, I never really was much of a drinker. I used to see it as only slowing and numbing down ones senses, but Kennen was quite the avid drinker and he was still one quick little yordle. I'm sure one drink wouldn't sabotage me, plus it wasn't like I didn't need it at the moment. With the supposive demon that made me this way showing up all of the sudden and the scarcity of answers, it seemed a drink would calm my nerves, if only for a little while. I would make sure I wouldn't overdo it.
Tap.
My thoughts scattered as the bartender plopped a beautiful top circular heavy glass in front of me, its contents an exquisite red liquid that looked staggeringly similar to blood along with a wedge of lemon plopped along the edges. I lick my lips, a familiar feeling that was akin to earlier, a pestering thirsty feeling in the bottom of my throat. Suddenly images flickered in my head, images of the demon, but most importantly what stuck out the most was a clear view of his neck, so crystal clear that I could see faint blue vain lines trailing along it.
"Your drink Elise," I heard the bartender announce nicely.
I immediately shake my head in a weak attempt to clear it before giving the bartender a dismissive wave along with a weak thank you. Thankfully that seems to appease him before he walks off to who cares where, leaving me alone with my own thoughts and my unique drink.
"Something on your mind Elise?"
I turn to owner of the gentle voice, the summoner sitting next to my partner. His green eye's held a look of curiosity in them that I could not place, but they intrigued me nonetheless. One hand is tucked underneath his chest, the other dancing around his glass that held his brown-yellowish liquor. Hmm, there was something else that I couldn't place about him but…
"You could say..." I trail, dancing around the actual topic in hopes that he wouldn't pursue in conversation. I really didn't want to talk to anyone at the moment, much rather preferring to dive into my drink before me and my own mind. Of course, things wouldn't go my way. I took only a sip of the bitter drink before he spoke.
"Someone on your mind perhaps?" A sparring glance reveals the bottom of his glass for only a second before he settles it back down on the sleek brown counter. He catches me looking and quickly raises an eyebrow in wonder, as if he had forgotten what invoked me to look at him at the first place. I sigh before looking away.
"Of course not. I have neither time nor patience for such things," I say with finality before taking another sip of my bitter yet quite addictive drink. Underneath the bitter initial taste there was a hidden sweetness to it that made its bitterness tolerable.
"Hmmm," he hums before casting his look away from me and back towards his own drink. My eyebrow twitches somewhat as I expected him to explain why he simply "hummed" like that, but he didn't seem as if he was going to elaborate.
"What's that suppose to mean summoner?" I demand roughly, watching cautiously as he laughs to himself before turning towards me with somewhat of a grin.
"You say that yet here you are, at a bar talking to a complete stranger," he pointed out with a lazy wave of his hand.
I opened my mouth slightly in the beginning of an attempt to retort, but unfortunately he was right. He had caught me red-handed. A small laugh escapes me-mostly due from defeat- before I look in the mysterious man's green eyes.
"You win summoner. I am having people trouble, but not the kind I think you are imagining," I say solemnly before resting my head gently in the palm of my left hand, the other tracing the rim of my half-full drink as I merely watched him. I know we weren't supposed to show our emotions, but at this point, with all these questions and feelings running through my head, I really didn't care at this point about the small bits and whatnot. I didn't know whether these thoughts were provoked from my drink or not, but if I had to guess…
"Want to talk about it?" the summoner asked me nicely. Despite his gentle voice his tone held something that I couldn't place…something familiar. Again the feeling that nibbled at the edge of my brain, like I was trying to remember something important but I couldn't. Who was this man?
"Who are you?" I ask so softly it surprise's even myself. He chuckles lightly, before looking at me with those beautiful green eyes of his. Again the feeling of familiarity tugged at my mind, flashing an image of the demon that tried to trick me earlier today, this time though it was his face.
Then it clicked.
The same man sticking next to me had the same colored eyes as the demon from earlier. I knew there was something off about him but I just couldn't place it. It was so obvious but I had been wrapped up in my own thoughts that I hardly noticed. The eyes, the odd feeling I could only relate to earlier, it must've been him. My eyes narrowed as I watched him, taking note of every movement he did.
"Don't' you want to know the truth, or do you want to call me a demon and run me out?" he asked, a bit hurt in his tone.
My heart raced, I stopped the small tracing of the glass with my fingers and quickly placed them on the counter. He could disguise himself, which could be problematic. What was the extent of his powers, the thought ate at me unnervingly.
Tap, tap.
Now I had a decision to make. I could make a scene and end it with him probably slipping away, or I could maybe get the answer's I've been seeking since I had meet him. Thinking my window of opportunity was slipping, I was about to answer him before I remember Kennen being seated right next to him. I quickly lean back and am surprised to see him, not seated but dancing around in a drunken haze with rumble while pretending to toss his shurikens towards him. I shook my head disappointingly before returning back to sitting normally in my seat.
"I ask the questions, you answer them got it? If I don't think you're telling the truth I'll drop your ass where you sit." He nods his head with a wide smile on his face. "Why are you smiling for?" I snap quickly. Much to my annoyance his smile didn't falter, in fact it only seemed to grow wider.
"Because I might get my Elise back," he replied in a soft tone. How foolish did he think I was? I would not fall for his fake display of emotions. I would get my answers and then decide what to do with him.
"My first questions…tell me about myself." I really wasn't expecting much from this question that I would particularly like, but I wanted to know as much as I could about myself, whether he was lying or not I would determine myself when it came to it. I know that sounded stupid but I was desperate, I felt like I've just been going through the motions of the day, not actually directing the motions. Everything was new to me, nothing nor nobody I could truly relate to with memories. If I was being honest I felt like I was living a lie of a life.
He seems to smile at the question, scratching his head in nervousness before finally addressing me. Is this what a demon acts like? If he was indeed acting, he was doing a rather good job.
"Well I'm not really sure because I didn't become your slave until about two years ago," he started before I interrupted him rudely.
"Slave?" I interject quizzingly. I was already weary of his story; there was no way I would promote slavery. But then again this was the old me he was talking about.
"Yes, slave. You weren't a saint that's for sure," he finished in a matter -of- fact tone before taking a sip of his liquor. He was almost out, the only filling in his glass being only a sliver of his drink left. The bartender must've noticed too because he strolled over and asked him If he wanted a refill, to which he obliged with a nod. After the man left he let out a sigh and cast his look towards me, a weary smile on his face.
"You took me into your home and gave me, a mere slave a home. You treated me like a human being, taking off my collar even when you knew nothing about me. You also gave me something, at the time I wanted so badly I could taste it," he said in a reminiscent kind of tone.
"And what would that be," I inquired nosily.
"Revenge," he finished solemnly. "But that's for another time," he added dismissively with another small smile.
Tap.
"Thanks," he said nicely towards the bartender as he took a casual sip of his liquor. A thought crossed my mind as I watched him sip his drink, how much drinks had he had so far? He was already drinking when she came in, who knows how many drinks he downed before she took a seat next to him.
"How many drinks have you had?" I asked callously. I cared little if he had a drinking problem, but I would not let that hinder him in telling me about my possible past.
"Don't worry Elise, it's like my third one," he said with a grin.
A warm feeling spread through, one that I couldn't place. Was this…nervousness? Why did this man invoke such feelings from me? Did he still have some sort of spell over me…or was this the old me's feelings?
I refocus in on the task at hand and ask him to continue.
"You bit into me and injected me with you blood, effectively giving me the same powers you possessed at the time."
"Which was?" I asked nervously though I could already tell what he was going to say.
"Well I'm pretty sure you gave me the power to turn into a spider and whatnot but I'm not certain," he said while laughing nervously.
"What do you mean you're not certain?" I snapped, causing him to hold his hands up defensively.
"Well, you know I never really got the chance to use them after…" he lowered his hands and looked towards the counter, his short bangs casting a shadow over his eyes.
"After what?" I urged him continue. Surprising me immensely, I saw a drop of liquid fall on the counter space underneath him.
"After you were taken from me," he said sadly. "Allow me to tell of the day you were taken from me."
