"So you are Settrigh. It's… nice to put a name to a face." Yone says politely. Sett moves out of the sunlight so we can all see each other clearly. Sett raises an eyebrow.
"Who might you be?" Sett asks.
"Yasuo." The younger brother starts with the introductions.
"Yone."
"Huh. Never heard of ya." Sett dismisses them. He brushes by Yasuo and crouches down a little bit to look right at me. "You look like shit. Where's the little pipsqueak? The one that was ranting about you having a boyfriend."
"He's… not here right now…" It's a bit of a sensitive topic.
"Well, now that you're here, why don't you and I get… acquainted." The half-vastayan winks. He attempts to grab my arm when Yone steps between us.
"She needs food and rest." Yone states coolly. Yasuo gently pulls me back from the two men.
It… doesn't look good. At all. Yone is around the same height as Sett, but Sett's body almost makes the swordsman look small. Both seem to be glaring at each other. Yone's is cool, collected, and stern. Sett's is hot and determined. Neither of them are backing down.
"Remind me again, who are ya?" Sett's voice drops angrily. I force Yasuo to let me go and I step between the two.
"The person who takes care of her needs instead of their own." Yone takes a jab at the gladiator. I'm not exactly sure what's gotten into him.
"So, you're the competition pipsqueak mentioned." Sett's eyebrows rise and he pulls back. Yone narrows his eyes at the declaration. I try to shove the two apart, but it's hard to do that when I'm trapped in a sixteen year old body… against two men at least nineteen with their own training. Moving either of them without magic is going to be impossible… But I'm too tired to actually use magic… Actually, I'm too tired to have patience for this behaviour anyway…
"Look, I really don't know what you are talking about, but I need food and water pretty soon or I'm going right back to the hospital." I snap loudly. Yone and Sett both jump at my temper and back away from each other. Yasuo steps up next to me and places his hands on my shoulders. Neither Sett or Yone glare at Yasuo. What is up with them?
"Uh, yeah. Hey, you remember Ahna, right?" Sett starts to walk off. He doesn't try to grab me this time. Maybe it's because Yasuo has my back, maybe it's because Yone is there, I don't exactly know, but he's calmer as he walks off, leading us in a direction.
"Hard to forget. She was the only one trying to figure out how to help you while also keeping her business afloat." I recall.
"Yeah, well, whatever you did with her place gave her big bucks. She managed to grow the place. Instead of a little shop, she's got a restaurant near where I work." Sett smiles a little fondly at the memory. I may not have to see his face to know he's smiling. I can hear it in his voice.
"You work?" Yasuo asks conversationally. He's keeping himself calm. Yone trails behind us closely.
"Yeah. How else am I supposed to give my ma the best stuff?" Sett makes it seem like it's obvious. "How can you hear about me but not about my ma?"
"Starshadow told us. Leilah was… preoccupied." Yone attempts to be civil.
"Ah. So the pipsqueak is responsible. Makes sense. Otherwise you would have known not to claim what's mine." Sett says casually.
"Excuse me?" Yone's tone is very dark and angry. Yasuo tenses quite a bit. I frown. What is Sett trying to say?
"Meh. it's alright. I get it. Only the best huh? Say, whatcha been up to lately, Sparkles? Heard ya ended up in the hospital for a day." Sett changes the subject quickly.
"Uh, yeah. I got into trouble… a couple of times." I mumble slowly.
"I didn't hear anything about ya getting into a fight, though. How did ya get that badly hurt?"
"You don't know that Leilah can teleport all over Runeterra?" Yone questions. I shoot a confused glare at Yone. Something in his voice sounds… pointed? Smug? I never thought he could be smug… Apparently, even Yasuo is surprised as he's sharing the same look I have.
"She can? Damn. Never woulda thought that. Explains why I didn't hear anythin' bout her for a year. So, where ya come from to how you got so bad?" Sett keeps going, like hearing that I have another ability isn't something to be surprising. He knew I had magic, since I 'looked' like a rich person and could hold other backs. Teleporting is something completely different, though with me, anything is possible. He's… different now. He's calmer than I remember.
"The Shadow Isles." I answer honestly. Yasuo holds me back from smacking into Sett when he stops abruptly. Sett immediately turns around and stares down at me. I feel Yone walk up next to me, his arm around ym waist. I'm really not sure why, Sett isn't going to hurt me.
"You went to the Shadow Isles… And survived." Sett states the obvious. I sigh and nod. I know that it's a miracle that someone can survive being there, but still, I'm getting tired of repeating myself.
"And I was also mauled by a vulkodalk right after teleporting here." I add on. Sett blinks in surprise.
"How do you not have any scars or scratches? The damn things have some pretty powerful claws- Oh yeah. Healer. Right. Though, only a day or so?" Sett seems stunned.
"I've been… practicing." I explain softly. Sett nods and keeps moving.
"Interestin'. Damn. You would be somethin' Deviago would want ta have in his group of healers." Sett casually drops.
"Deviago? You know Deviago?" Yone asks. He's not smug or anything anymore. Just very curious.
"Yeah. He's the man that owns the colosseum. Pays me good." Sett shrugs.
"He was the one that sent for my brother and I. Stating that there's a vulkodalk infestation here." Yone answers.
"He asked for a Master Souma and got kids. Vulkodalks are no easy business." Sett cautions them.
"Master Souma taught me everything I know. Yone is one of the best dual swordsmen around. He's been able to spar some of our instructors into surrendering. Besides, the vulkodalks aren't that bad. We were able to take care of the pack that appeared in the square after all." Yasuo defends himself and his brother. Sett's entire posture changes. It… doesn't seem like he's challenging them anymore. If anything, he's respectful of them.
"Damn. Sorry for any offenses made. Thought you guys were just a bunch of bigshots lookin' to impress Sparkles." Sett holds his hands up.
"What about impressing me?" I ask. Yasuo covers his mouth to avoid letting out laughter, though we can all hear it. Yone snorts after a moment while Sett just shakes his head.
"You can take on the Black Mist and a vulkodalk mauling, but ya can't understand… How old are ya?" Sett chuckles a little bit.
"I'm still older than you." I stick my tongue out.
"You sure don't look or think like it, Sparkles. Anyway, here we are. Welcome to the 'Dark Beauty.'" Sett waves his arm, gesturing to a hole in the wall. When I look up, I realize that we're right under the colosseum that Sett had talked about getting in. Seems like Ahna made a nice place for herself, getting a location right inside the colosseum. The name of it… I decide to stay quiet about it. I really hope she didn't name it because of what I think...
"How did she manage to get a space right inside the colosseum?" I gasp a little bit as I follow Sett inside.
"Whateva you did made her business boom. She managed to buy the spot and now, it's the best place for food. Ahna!" Sett yells out. I look over to see both brothers be rather tense. Yasuo has one hand on his sword, Yone with his arms crossed. I rest my hand on Yone in concern.
"What's the matter?" I ask. He sighs before holding my hand tenderly. He gently bestows a kiss on my hand. That reminds me. I snap my head to the younger brother. "Didn't you have something to do?"
"Uh, well… I'm a little hungry myself. And I'd like to learn more about these gladiators. Fighting for money. Sounds a little interesting." Yasuo stammers. I tilt my head in confusion before looking back at Yone expectantly. His eyes soften when he looks in mine.
"Don't worry about it, Leilah. Get some food and water. I'm sure you want to catch up with Sett." Yone comments coolly. I shake my head.
"I want to spend as much time with all my friends as I can. That includes you two." I claim before grabbing both their hands and dragging them inside. Even if the name sounds a little… interesting, it's actually a very respectable place. There are tables and chairs littering the area, with customers grabbing their food and settling down. I can see some foods with lots of grease and others with a lot more greens. There aren't any people running around giving food, but the customers are getting up when a number is called and grabbing their food. They collect at a counter, where Ahna is personally handing them out. Away from the counter is a young woman. I think she's taking orders as whoever comes by behind us heads straight to her. They talk for a moment, then she writes things down. Sett's bypassed her altogether, leaning against the counter where food is given out.
"Ahna, lookie who's here." Sett gestures for us to come join him. There, Ahna's standing in an apron, barking orders to her staff while handing out food. All of the people around her are frantically trying to get all the orders cooked.
"Settrigh, boy if you are trying to get me to pay attention to another one of your whores here, I'm gonna- Well, I'll be. It's been two years and you haven't aged a day. Welcome to the establishment, Leilah." Ahna starts to rant before greeting me warmly. I shyly wave a hand, letting go of Yasuo's hand. Yone's hand tightens around mine when he realizes that I didn't let go of his.
"How have you been?" I greet her as energetically as I can, though to be honest, it's not as much as I like.
"You really made my business into something. Now, I'm working as the prime spot for food. Thank you for that. Gerald! Take over! And get me five number twelves! Yes, I said five twelves!" Ahna barks. I jump a little bit when the counter she was working at opens into a door. She closes it behind her as a young man comes up and starts reading orders. She wipes her hands and gives me a tight hug. I have to let go of Yone's hand to hug her back. She pulls away and starts to tilt my head left and right. "You're skin and bones. What happened to you while you were gone? GERALD! Make one of the twelves a twenty-two!"
"Um, a lot." I feel a little overwhelmed by how much she's switching between nice to be and barking orders.
"Well, you look like you're going to fall over! Get yourself to a seat, let Ol' Ahna take care of you and your friends. Usual, Sett?"
"You know it, Ahna. The number one." Sett requests. She nods before looking back into her kitchen.
"Boris! I told you number twelves! Those are the healthy rolls! Not the greasy ones, you dumbass! Three months you've been working here and you still are fucking it up! One more mistake like that and I'm gonna have your head!" Ahna shrieks and stomps back into her kitchen. Yone grabs my hand and gently pulls me to a round table nearby. He pulls out a chair for me. Once I fall into it, he gently pushes me in before taking a seat on my right. Sett takes a seat to my left and Yasuo directly across from me. Sett leans backwards into his seat.
"She's… an interesting person." Yone starts politely.
"Ahna's a woman that's sweet as suga and tough as nails. Not even I wanna go toe-to-toe with her when she's in a mood. And she's determined to make food for ya. Might as well do your best to eat what she gives ya. She'll raise hell if she thinks ya don't like it." Sett snorts.
"Numbers?" Yasuo asks. Yone's hand sneaks under the table to hold my hand. I let him do so.
"We don't ask for specific foods here. Numbers below fifteen are for people with a more physical life. Numbers after twenty five are for the audience. The cheap greasy stuff." Sett starts before hesitating.
"What about in between?" I voice.
"Those ones are for kids or those that look a little sickly." Sett reluctantly answers. I shrug my shoulders. I definitely feel tired.
"It's not an insult. Does she ever refuse to let people take food?" I keep the conversation going.
"There are times. Sometimes a little kid wants a gladiator's meal and she has to make a much smaller version, or someone coming in with sticks and bones requesting the greasy stuff and she makes a twenty-two. She takes good care of her customers. One of the reasons why she's so popular."
"Twenty-two?" I ask. I'm almost immediately answered when a simple but delicious smelling broth is gently placed in front of me. Yasuo and Yone help Ahna put down the kabobs she's made for them, while Sett gets a huge slab of meat and a good side of vegetables and some bread.
"There you go, dearies. Don't worry about paying. It's on the house, for the healer and the ones Deviago sent for. He's gonna cover their bill if I can help it." Ahna starts friendly before taking a darker turn.
"What's wrong with this Deviago?" Yone asks as he takes a bite. He looks pleasantly surprised at the taste. Yasuo happily digs into his meal. I take a sip from the soup and find it to be delicious. My stomach doesn't feel so bad after one bite, though I'm not sure if it's because I have something in my stomach or my magic is keeping me from feeling horrible.
"Bastard. He's been boss for around half a year. That's when things started to get shifty." Ahna grabs a seat from nearby and sits herself between Sett and Yasuo.
"Shifty?" Yasuo asks through a mouthy full of food. I can feel Yone's silent chastisement in his eyes.
"Yeah. He might be a people's man, but some things he's promised, like making the pits more entertaining, with more people, make me a little nervous. The appeal of the pits and fights are from seeing what a man is capable of. Hell, I enjoy watching this man fight because of his talents. What's the boss got planned? What could be more entertaining than seeing what a man is capable of?" Ahna questions, gesturing to Sett fondly. Yone and Yasuo are interested, even taking a break from their meals.
"Interesting. He said that?" Yone asks.
"He's been saying he'll get even more fighters. Thing is, the best fights are when people want to fight. Everyone that does is already there, so how is he gonna get more?" Ahna points out. She shakes her head, like she's clearing her head. "Now, whatcha boys doing here? And how do you know Dark Beauty?" Ahna looks at me pointedly. I groan and place a hand on my forehead. I can not believe it. She actually did it.
"Sett said that this place-" Yasuo starts when Ahna puts up a finger.
"I'm referring to the original Dark Beauty. Or should I be calling her Leilah?" Ahna laughs slightly. Yone raises an eyebrow.
"Your name means 'dark beauty'?" Yone asks.
"Mother insisted." I mumble while trying to drown myself in soup. "I wasn't even that much of a dark baby."
"At least they got the beauty part right." Sett finishes his meal. Wow. I'm still not halfway done with my meal and his is just gone. Yasuo is just about to finish while Yone is going the same pace as I am.
"How did you figure it out?" I sip on my soup, glowing a little bit.
"Oh, there was this shuriman group that came by. I was barking orders and some teenage girl came by, asking for food. She's working as my order taker right there." Ahna starts, pointing to the girl who is taking orders and handing them to the kitchen. She seems pretty well accustomed to the place. "The Shurimans noticed my kindness and asked how I was so kind when others weren't. Told them a sweet girl by the name of Leilah helped me out. They asked if you had dark hair. I asked why and they explained what the name meant. Decided I liked it and when I got this place, got the rights to name it as I- GERALDO! THAT HAD BETTER NOT BE A THIRTY BEING GIVEN TO A KID!" Ahna roars and leaves the table. Yasuo tries his best to not choke from laughing. Yone finishes his meal while I take the last bite. My stomach has never felt so full. She really does make amazing food.
"She's easily distracted by her business. Who can blame her? If she messes up, it's her restaurant's reputation on the line." Sett excuses her.
"She certainly has earned her reputation as the best food around." Yone states politely. Sett stretches his arms above his head and places them behind.
"Yeah. So, did you get anything useful out of that?" Sett asks, leaning forward and getting quieter. Yone nods.
"We at least have a clue. I'm not sure if we have anything else that would help us." Yone replies just as softly, sensing that Sett quieted for a reason.
"Whatever you got, make sure Sparkles is safe. Like I said before, she's… a person of interest." Sett says pointedly. Yone stiffens up and nods his head.
"Why give that advice?" Yasuo asks. Sett glances at me briefly before standing up.
"I may not like ya that much, but you care for Leilah. That's enough for me to know that you won't let anything happen to her. Just saying, I'm trusting ya to keep her safe." Sett murmurs as he leaves. Something about that makes me want to bristle a little bit. I don't get the chance to speak up when Sett's already left. Yone's shoulders drop a little bit as he sags down.
"Are you alright?" I ask, rubbing my thumb across the back of his. He nods, looking at me with soft eyes.
"Just a lot of information to process." Yone answers me.
"Something's not right with Deviago, that's for sure." Yasuo murmurs quietly. I gather up the empty plates, including Sett's left behind plate and bring them to where all the others are dropping them off. Yone and Yasuo are staying behind, quietly talking with each other. I take the moment away from everyone to find Ahna. She's reaming out the poor chef. He's much taller than her, but he's almost crying from how angry she is.
"Now get your mind in order and get cooking. I don't want to see any more shit mistakes today." Ahna snaps. Boris nods his head and bolts over to his station. Ahna sighs and comes back to me.
"Would he happen to be having a bad day?" I suggest quietly. She's a lot more… bossy than I remember.
"Sorta. He's a big softie, worried about all the folks that got caught up in the attack. None of his family was there, thankfully, but that doesn't make it easy on him. He's wondering just how many people were hurt and how much he can sneak out for the hospital. It's mostly why he's messing up orders. He was trying to make sure extra comfort food was being made. Idiot. I was planning on making extra for them anyway, but I can't have him messing up meals now." Ahna shakes her head affectionately.
"You know, you're very kind." I remark with a smile.
"I named the place after ya, remember? Gotta live up to your standards." Ahna winks. She then leans over the counter and gestures to me to lean in closer. I do so. "So, what's the deal with you? You look like hell took a giant bite out of you and spat you back out."
"Oh… well… it's not exactly a nice story. I just got here after coming from the-" I start to say when Ahna looks over my shoulder and presses a finger against my lips. She stands up tall. Something's wrong. The woman's fairly friendly, but she's not smiling with this person that just entered. I turn around to see who it is.
Three men walk into the restaurant. Two of them are much bigger. The man in front is wearing some of the fluffiest and flashy clothes I've ever seen. I think his top hat is taller than he is. He seems silly to me, but the two behind him make him look intimidating. My eyes widen when I recognize one of them. The man Goliath. He's here. His eyes are on me. I bury my face into my scarf a little bit, but he still recognises me. With a smirk, he leans down to the short man and whispers something into the man's ear. The short man listens attentively, locking his own eyes with mine. He makes a sharp gesture with white gloves. The two men behind him stalk forward, boxing me in. I desperately want to disappear right now, but I don't want to give away that I have magic. I'm also uncomfortable with using magic because of the tear in my core. It makes me wish Starshadow was here, he'd know how to handle this.
"What do you want, Deviago? I told you, I already paid rent for this place." Ahna snaps with her arms crossed. The two gladiators lean against the counter on opposite sides of me. I desperately look out, trying to find a familiar face. Yone and Yasuo both get up from their table and join us at the counter, but they are keeping their heads down. At least knowing that they are nearby is good enough for me. I take a deep breath to confront the man that is somehow shorter than me.
"This is a social visit. You already paid your rent. Who I want to talk to is this lovely lady in front of me. Might I take the moment to discuss business with you, miss?" Deviago's nasally voice wreaks havoc on my ears. It takes all of my willpower not to cover them. He grins as wide as he can, making a gold tooth gleam in the dim late. I really don't want to talk to this guy, but I'm not sure I have a choice.
"Um, what kind of business?" I ask quietly. The man grabs my shoulder rather tightly and guides me over to a large table in a corner. He snaps his fingers. Goliath and his friend stand in front of our table. They're big enough that I can't get a good glimpse past them. That makes me a lot more nervous. I take a deep breath, convincing myself that Yone would never leave me in a bad situation. He wouldn't…
"Why, I heard that you helped out today. With all those vulkodalks, you single handedly went around the battlefield, grabbing and protecting as many people as you could. Inspired so many different people into helping their fellow man. Without you, the results would have been catastrophic. So many people gone, just like that." He snaps his fingers loudly. I jump a little bit at the noise and my nerves being on edge. "But you saved them. Even better, more people came to your aid. They scurried out of the woodworks and grabbed their fellow man."
"It was the right thing to do." I mumble. His grin gets wider. He reaches a hand out and holds my hands. It feels so wrong. He's slimy, just like his words.
"Here's the thing, the gladiators in my colosseum are constantly being hurt. With your skills, they can be back to fighting fit in no time. You get money, a place to stay, and protection. All you gotta do is stay in the colosseum." Deviago caresses my hand. Everything is screaming at me how wrong this is, like Viego's power in my head.
"No, thank you." I bolt up, standing and trying to leave. Deviago whistles, making the two turn around. Goliath smirks and runs his eyes up and down my body. The urge to use my magic is much stronger. I almost use it when Yone clears his throat. All of us turn our attention to the barely contained swordsmen.
"Mr. Deviago. May we give our status on the infestation?" Yone asks politely. Only because I trained with him and got to know him that I can tell that Yone is furious. Yasuo has the same stormy look, only he's letting it slip onto his face. I want to sigh in relief at their intrusion. At least this way some secrets of my magic will still be hidden, like I can't control how much magic I use. I'm still recovering from everything, even if I didn't look like it. More than likely, after all this, I'm going to be sleeping for over a day.
"Ah, yes. Just let me finish my discussion with the girl first-" Deviago starts. Goliath grips onto my forearm. I can't stop myself from using my magic at that moment. I force him to let me go. The other gladiator reaches for me, but I use a little more magic to stop him as well. My chest tightens so much I have to reach for it.
"We're done." I hastily say before bolting out the restaurant. I feel really bad about leaving so quickly, but I can't stay in there anymore. I slam open the door and book it away. A few people starting to go in yelp when I accidentally slam the door in their face. I feel my nose break and start to gush. I cover my face while yelling apologies. I can't be there. I have to leave.
I'm blinded by my terror. I don't know where I run to. I don't know where I am. I don't even know how long. Somehow, one minute, the sun is up, the next, it's almost sunset. I find myself hiding in a corner, struggling to breath. I'm behind a few dumpsters. No one can see me. No one can find me. No one can possess me. I'm going to be alright. I have to be. I feel exhausted. I wrap my arms around my knees and just start rocking. I bury my face into my knees. I want Starshadow. I need my bonded. He'd know what to do. He always does. He can help me.
There's a bright light that opens up in front of me. I scoot back, trying to hide, but my back is already to the wall. I can't hide any further. I'm trapped. I'm going to be spotted. My magic… it's too low to make me disappear in time.
"Miss?" A man asks. I gasp and look up. There's a friendly face, one that I haven't seen in a long time.
"I remember you. You were the one that helped me with that man." I remark tiredly. He nods and kneels down in front of me.
"That's right. Are you ok?" He's concerned. I open my mouth, only nothing comes out. My throat is closed up. I don't need to speak to answer him though. I can see it in his eyes. He knows. "Do you have anyone here for you? The Kinkou Order?" I start to nod before shaking my head. I don't want to be found like this. "Do you have a place to stay?" I shake me head before noticing the building in front of me. With a confused face, I gesture to the building the man came out of. He glances back before nodding his head. "This is a Navori clinic. It's a small little place outside of Navori. We tend to the people tilling fields and too poor to live in the city. Would you like to stay here?"
Now that is an interesting question. I have a place with Yone. I could stay with them. They're probably worried about me. I did run off and leave them there. Though, maybe it's for the best. Yone didn't call for me to wait. Granted, Deviago's there. Maybe he'll come find me after his mission is over, like he originally wanted. Besides, if this place is far away, I can learn how to control my magic. Maybe this is a blessing in disguise. With that, I nod.
Leilah's default seems to be running away... It's not a bad default. At least she's alive and in safe hands, though that doesn't nessessarily solve the issue. At least she's found a way to get her break. She's definitely had a rough time of it lately. I almost feel bad for her... except I'm evil and you guys love it when Leilah overcomes whatever is happening.
With that said, what do you guys think of Deviago and his goons? I know the Sett vs Yone part was a little short, but I felt like Sett wouldn't have made a move unless he knew she knew his intentions. He's happy being her friend, as she was one stranger who helped and believed in him. He doesn't want to lose it, and he knows something is up with Deviago. It's not safe for her to be near him just yet. When he has everything he wants, he'll come after her fully, as he sees that being rich is a way to charm her. Yone is adorable in his jealousy, and Leilah is socially blind. All she knows is that she has feelings for Yone. Sett doesn't even come close to taking her heart, so she's not inclined to notice his advances. That's not to say she will never notice, but she's not looking at him with interest.
As Always... I'm going to change things up. I hope that you live your day to the fullest, taking advantage of whatever you can like Ekko (Without the time jump back). I hope you eat any obstacle in your path like Cho'gath (Not literally!) And that you all have an extraordinary day. P.S. Love to hear what you guys think about this chapter!