***AUTHOR'S NOTE***
It's not over yet.
Again, apologies to all of the followers of this story who were disappointed, angered or upset about my last update. It was late at night, I had come off of a ten loss streak of League, and at the very height of it all, I got the news that RIOT was butchering Elise's lore with a carving knife.
RIOT keeps pissing me off with their lore changes. It started with the removal of the Institute and Summoners, then when they reworked my beautiful fifi (Idgaf about the kit but I loved her aesthetic, couldn't even get a mothafuckin classic skin). At any rate, this story has now really become my own novel, so I figured I might as well put on my big badger pants, man up and do this shit.
I hope you all like this chapter, it gave me honey nut feelios to write. Remember guys I do have a now, it's the URL /HoneyBadgerDC, and I have a facebook page as well where you can contact me which is /Honeybadgerdcff.
That all being said, please enjoy the chapter.
-HoneyBadgerDC
"And here we are, one year later, without trouble or care, though he does have an intolerable habit of keeping his shoes on when he is indoors" Elise finished, sipping her coffee idly and smoothly as she softly closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of the warm, sweet drink on her tongue.
"Now that is quite the get together," Cassiopeia mused, leaning over the table, her scarlet lips curled into a devious smile, "I never would have pegged you as the type to give yourself to a man after such a short span of time, let alone outright admit a relationship?"
"I never said we were in a relationship," Elise said, rolling her eyes, "We are merely… close. He is a friend, a good friend, and someone I wish to protect."
"The kind of friend who spends nights at your abode, hmm? Perhaps the Spider Queen is growing more romantic in her old age," Leblanc laughed, "Come now darling, even you must admit, giving yourself to a man after such a short span of time is certainly odd, especially for you."
Elise's crimson eyes flickered open as she glared at Leblanc, settling her cup neatly in her lap. Her black lips expressionless as she took another ship, pausing as she did so.
"It isn't about the duration of the prior relationship, nor the level of emotional attachment. It is simply a matter of substance and value. Besides, it's not like he's in love with me."
"Oh I disagree," ahri purred, her tails flickering, "He's definitely in love with you. I saw you with him the other day, he looks at you like a man looks at gold. The question is, do you love him?"
Elise scoffed, "Love is a silly thing. I won't say I'm in love nor will I ever say it. Love is something that exists solely in children's tales and in the hearts of young girls who don't understand that the world is cruel and is out to get them."
"Oh don't be a spoil sport. You're far too proud, Elise. It's alright to admit you're in love," Leblanc laughed.
"Unlike you, Evaine, I actually tend to not like letting my body be touched by every young man with a charming smile and powerful arms."
It was Leblanc's turn to scoff as she rolled her eyes, "Don't be ridiculous. You make me sound like such a harlot. Come Elise, you know I'm better than that?"
"Curtis. Nathaniel. Ricardo. Cheng. Rico. Emilio. Jamal. Dante, Steven."
The names made Leblanc hide behind her cup as Ahri's ears perked.
"What are those?", asked the fox girl.
"The names of Leblanc's pool boys since I met the summoner, and, let's note that the pool net has never actually moved once. I know because even now, it has dust on it."
The table exploded into laughter as Leblanc went redder than Katarina Du Couteau's hair.
"B-Bah! You're all deplorable!"
Even Elise had to crack a giggle at the other's despair as the other femme fatales had their laugh. Truly, her friends were… Fun. It was nice to have other individuals she could socialize with and not be looked upon as intimidating or frightening.
"Though remember, Elise," Morgana said, breaking the jolly and calling attention, "While it is always pleasurable to allow yourself to be drawn into the throes of love and devotion, you must not forget your circumstance. You are an immortal, he is human."
The table fell at a harsh silence as Elise froze, her figure, poised and collected, gave off the slightest hint of a twitch, though she placed her cup down on the table gracefully as she steepled her fingers, her red eyes glistening.
"I am well aware of such things, Morgana," She said, "and I am well aware of the tragedies that such circumstance can bring. I have learned the hard way that my power makes me different, estranged from others. But it does not mean I cannot simply enjoy myself, if only for a short time."
"I believe it's a bad idea," Lissandra said, joining in with Morgana, "He is one of the sheep, beneath us in both status and power. I'm actually amazed that someone such as yourself would allow yourself to be infatuated with a peasant."
Elise's eyes flared red as magic flowed to her claws, her lips curling into a hint of a snarl as she clenched her fingers. Leblanc and Ahri frowning as they glared at their guests, Cassiopeia piquing an eyebrow in interest.
"You forget, Lissandra, that none of us here aside from Morgana and Cassiopeia are actually of noble birth. Such statements are both uncalled for, and, frankly, just insulting." She said.
"I always thought she was Noxian noble?" Ahri whispered to Leblanc.
"Just a silly rumor someone spread. Ignore it…"
Elise's eyes gleamed.
"You were once just another Freljord girl. Leblanc was but a member of a cult, and I, just a peasant Demacian farm girl. It does not matter the situation or status of your birth, but what you do with it that makes you relevant. Implying otherwise is truly what is beneath you."
Lissandra cocked her head, ignoring the other's apparent hostility and simply shrugging, "There's no reason to get so upset, I was merely stating a fact. Why bother fighting or denying it? You're an immortal, a different creature of this world, just like the rest of us. It's why we come together, to have commonality. But lately, it seems like you've forgotten something."
"And what's that?"
Lissandra smiled now, even with the cold vizor, her blue lips betrayed the obvious snarkiness in her comment, her tone practically drilling the words into Elise's ears.
"You're no different from the rest of us. You're a monster, pretending to be human to accomplish your aims and goals."
"Lissandra!" Leblanc barked, "How rude! We are not monsters, we do the world a service. Without us, there is not order, there isn't flow or change! We-"
Elise stopped her as she stood, her claws scratching the table as she narrowed her eyes to bore into the Ice Witch.
"Not all of us wish to be monsters," she said, quietly, "And some of us might even be tired of continuing as them."
With that, she turned away and strode out of the room, Leblanc chastising the others for ruining her routine get together.
"So you require another room with additional armouries and coat hangers, a new carriage with undead horses that can resist the claws of the isles, you need a new collar for the dragon when you turn it to your side, and you need nineteen barrels of armour polish" The summoner said, quickly jotting down notes on his forms as the enormous being in metal spoke, "Is there anything else you need, Champion Mordekaiser?"
The titan shook his head, his red eyes gleaming as they narrowed.
"No, Summoner. You've been a good listener. Lucky you, had you gotten one thing wrong, I was going to crush your head like a gnat. You are indeed fortunate to not be as much of a fool as you appear."
"Thank you, Champion Mordekaiser, always a pleasure to see you too."
"I can expect my conditions to be met within the week, then?"
"Yes sir, Champion Mordekaiser, I will ensure that everything is done precisely on schedule. It is my job, after all!"
"Indeed. Good, Summoner, very good. You give your title a good name, unlike the rest of the insufferable fools I am forced to deal with by the day."
"Only the best for you, Champion Mordekaiser."
"My friends call me Mord."
"Oh, alright, Mord."
"We are not friends, Summoner."
"... Yes sir, Champion Mordekaiser."
With that, the goliath stood, and lumbered out of the dark office, his colossal footsteps echoing through the halls of the basement of the institute. As he moved down the hallway, his red eyes flickered to take in the sight of the Spider Queen, making her way to the office.
"Business with your mortal toy again, Elise?" he asked, amused, "I can see why you like him, the man knows how to appease his superiors like a good subject."
The Spider Queen's only reaction as to stare bloody murder at him, her nose twitching in anger.
"He is not a toy. He is a respected friend of mine. You'd do well to acknowledge that."
The paladin of pain only laughed, "You are amusing, Spider Queen, all of you with young, still beating hearts are so amusing. You will learn in time, however, that if you truly desire your power, you must completely cut yourself off from the sheep. I had a Queen once, you know, multiples, actually, ones who I cared for a great deal, but they hindered me. Let me tell you, I never felt stronger than the day I crushed them beneath my mace. And do you see me today? Nothing stands in my way!"
Elise scoffed, "Don't you have anywhere else to be, Mordekaiser?"
"I'm merely trying to help a colleague."
"I didn't ask for, nor do I desire your help," she said, "Besides, you're the last one who can lecture me about mortal company."
"And why is that?"
"Because I know about your precious Demacian, you know, the one who you take flowers to all of the time?"
The giant went wide eyed, his gauntlets clenching as he towered over her.
"You know nothing of my arrangement with Sona!"
"I never said her name."
He leaned over now, crimson eyes meeting crimson eyes, the two islander's dark fury enough to snuff out the light in perhaps even Lux.
"... This discussion never happened."
"No, it didn't. Off you go."
Mordekaiser merely growled, before walking down the hallway.
Elise watched him go, before taking another deep sigh. Every step towards the office filled her with dread, her heart sinking from everyone's words. She knew she was a monster, she knew she was this horrible thing, but it had been her price for immortality. She couldn't just change that, she couldn't just give it up…
But why did she suddenly want too after all these years? For the first time in centuries, she wondered what it would be like to cut her finger and not have it mend. She wondered what it would feel like to enjoy a precious moment, because they are so limited. She wondered what it might be like to grow old. Gods how she had feared that for so long, and yet, eternal life seemed so… long. Why was her fear of such things fading?
She'd forgotten these fears long ago, living on her desire for power and knowledge, feeding off of her lust and thirst for strength, yet now, with the emerging of her once human emotions, she felt… empty. All of that strength, all of that power, yet there was nothing beneath it.
As she moved forward, she stepped into the office, moved around the desk, pushed the summoner back on his chair, and pushed herself over him, her red eyes meeting his green.
"Teach me to be human." She said, her voice a mixture of her normal and arachnid voice, "I desire it more than anything now. I don't know what it's like to be human anymore, I want to know."
He stared at her, a surprised expression on his face. He hadn't seen Elise this serious since the two had started together.
"What do you mean?" he asked, "Teach you to be human?"
"I want to know, can't you show me?" she asked, staring deeply into his eyes, her crimson hues betraying her desperation, "I don't want to be a monster. I don't want to do this anymore. Please, help me learn how to be human again."
He took her hands into his own, blinking at her as he met her gaze and nodded.
"Of course, Elise," he said, "You know I'd do anything for you, after all you've done for me, with how much you mean to me. Though I probably won't be able to do for you what you've accomplished for myself… You made me stronger, helped me put away my past and showed me what it was like to care about someone and be cared for in return… All I can show you is, well… how to be weaker."
"No," she said, shaking her head, "Not weaker. For the longest time i thought that, I thought that mortals were beneath me and that being human was a curse, but as I realize, people like you, human beings in general, they are more than I am. I live in fear of death, Jay," she said, "I've lived in fear of growing old and dying for centuries, I started out wanting revenge, but it hasn't satiated anything. All I've accomplished is bringing pain. I don't want to do that anymore, I no longer feel such desires. I want to… Dammit I want to feel something, that feeling I have with you, but even when you're not around."
"... Are you asking me to teach you how to be human, or how to be happy?" he asked.
"Both." she said, moving up and pressing her forehead against his, "I'm asking you to teach me both. I showed you what it was like to have power, I now need you to show me how I can give it up for something more…"
The summoner lifted his hands over her body, up into her crown. Slowly, he lifted it up, allowing her chin length black hair to gently spill out. Setting the item on his desk, his fingers moved into the silky lochs, her eyes slowly closing as his joined hers, their foreheads pressed together in a moment of pure intimacy.
"Will you love me?" she asked him after a moment, her breaths slow and steady as she moved her hands into his own dark hair, "Tell me truthfully."
He stared at her, "Elise…"
"Please, dear, tell me truthfully. Will you love a monster like me?"
He was quiet, before sitting up suddenly, the Spider Queen put on her back on his desk, surprised at the sudden action.
"I won't love the monster," he said, before placing his lips upon hers, the Spider Queen lulling into the kiss softly, "But I will love the woman I see beneath it all, and with that love, I will help you save yourself."
"And what if you can't?" she asked, "What if the woman disappears and the monster takes over truly?"
He thought it over for a moment, closing his eyes as he thought of everything that had happened to them over the last few months, all of those memories flooding through him, though the one that seemed to stand out the most was his first meeting with her on that cold winter night.
"I took a gamble with you before and won," he said, "I think my luck with you runs pretty high."
She lulled her eyes and sighed, though a hint of a smile could be seen on her black lips as her red hues flickered up at him.
"Then I too shall make a gamble," she said, "A wager with you, if you will."
"What's that?"
"Stand back…"
He did so, allowing her to get up and move around the desk, before summoning an item into her hands. It was something covered in a red cloth, long and thin.
"This is something I would trust no one else in the world with," she said, "It is the only thing that I know of that can harm me. Both physically and psychologically."
"Elise I don't know if I-"
"Please."
He sighed, anxiously lifting the cloth off of whatever it was, to reveal the shining steel of an archaic Demacian sword, the right side of the blade a tainted black.
"This sword is coated in the most powerful anti-toxicn in the world, Vilemaw's blood," she said, "I cut him with it in our first meeting. If this blade were to pierce my heart, its power would undo everything that I am, it would null Vilemaw's effects and cause me to lose everything I have gained."
"Elise I can't take this, this is…"
"That is my assurance that you will do what I ask of you."
"And that is?"
Her eyes hardened as he reluctantly took it.
"Our gamble is the same. If you win, I will be yours, to be your friend, your lover … Whatever it is you desire. If I win our gamble, however, and I am right in my incapability to resist the lure to power…"
She stared at the blade, her claw tracing across it.
"Then you must prove to me that you now care enough about me to stop me."
The summoner looked at the sword, then back to Elise, then back to the sword, then back at the woman.
"I will accept your bet on one condition." He said.
"And that is?"
"You have to put every last ounce of power and intelligence you've obtained over the years into helping yourself. You have to promise me that you will do whatever it takes to resist your temptations. You have to swear to me to be true to yourself."
One hand moved to his chest, the other to his chin as she came up to him, her smile soft and her eyes red, his fingers wrapping around her wrist softly.
"My dearest Jay, I would have it no other way," she said.
He nodded then, pulling her in close for one final kiss, his heart beating rapidly in his chest as he gave her the love she desired. The love his Queen desired.
"And will you love me?" he asked, softly.
"… Of course I will love you. I would not trust anyone who I did not."
"In that case, y'know, I liked it when I had you on the desk before, do you love me enough to close the door and maybe-"
"BAH YOU'RE DEPLORABLE!"
He laughed, loudly, the Spider Queen holding an irritated look before those lips cracked and she let out a joyful giggle of her own. Their laughter continued for about a minute afterwards, until his door slammed shut, locked, and the sign on it changed to "out to lunch."