'You've been grumpy all week'
...
...
Thunk
"Ow- Hey!" Rell jolted from her inner-grumbling and turned her head to glare accursedly over at Gabe was was sat across from her on the unused spare bed in the room, his lap empty of one recently thrown book.
'I can't talk to you if you don't look.'
Rell's chest deflated with a huff. 'Sorry.'
She picked up and tilted the book Gabe had lobbed over so the morning light that shone through her sole window allowed her to better inspect it. It was a thick novel, the same one she had seen him reading several times over by this point. 'Maiden of Iron'..?
'Are you not bored of this yet?'
Gabe shrugged. 'I really like the story.'
'What's it about again?'
'A young girl raised to wield an incredible power rises against her oppressive country and takes matters into her own hands.'
"Huh..." 'She sounds badass.'
'You should read it.'
"Eh..." Rell drawled aloud, shrugging. Her physical act was enough to tell that she didn't care that much.
Reading had never been something that was able to hold her interest. As if that wasn't easily apparent, she casually but accurately tossed the book back into the boy's lap. Gabe paid it no mind, staring at her expectantly and she frowned under his gaze.
"What..?"
'You've been grumpy all week.' He repeated now that she was looking his way.
"Yeah, well..." Rell scoffed, sinking back into her bed, arms crossed indignantly until she remembered to sign. 'She would've come by now. Normally.'
She sighed, thinking about the phone currently hidden underneath her pillow. Many messages had been sent from her end but with Riven's complete underestimation of the bulkiness of her schedule there had only been sparse replies in return. Riven had apologised instantly with her first message, but Rell had found herself disappointed nevertheless. She knew not to blame Riven, it just kind of... sucked.
A patting of a palm on fabric had her look back to Gabe.
'You miss her?'
The wild-haired girl stammered a mess of denials, not wanting to admit he had hit the nail on the head. Luckily, a loud series of vibrations from beneath her pillow wholly took her attention. Hurriedly, she swiped her hand beneath the pillow and retrieved the smartphone, grinning upon seeing a number of messages from Riven.
Super Awesome Adult: Got another damn photoshoot today… You learned that entire song? That's awesome! I'm so proud of you! :) I have good news, too! I'll be home soon, 2 days! When do you want me to visit?
Despite rolling her eyes at the name Riven had given herself in the phone - she still needed to change that - Rell buzzed at the messages, barely managing to contain herself at both the praise and Riven being back in the city soon. She began to respond when a loud, vocal tone rose from the deaf and mute boy, who was pointing at the device, alarmed.
'Yes, I have a phone.'
'You'll get in trouble!'
'Only if they find out. Which they won't.' Rell rolled her eyes, then beckoned Gabe over, pointing to the phone's front camera.
Gabe vigorously shook his head in response, to which Rell shrugged.
'Suit yourself.'
She spun in her spot on her bed and held her phone out at arms length, ensuring that Gabe was in the background. With a quirky smirk, she make the horns with her free hand and took the pic before he could successfully duck out of the frame. Rell spluttered a laugh at the resulting image. A flailing posture with his off-guard expression captured perfectly.
"Ha! I'm so saving this." She said aloud, mirthfully.
"Saving what exactly?"
Practised reactions upon recognising the sudden, familiarly snide voice allowed Rell to quickly drop the phone between her legs and hide it from view before the Directress had fully opened the ajar door. Now stood in the threshold to Rell's bedroom, she looked down her nose at the rebellious teen suspiciously; expectantly. In return, Rell expertly feigned a blasé demeanour.
"Saving what now?"
The Directress frowned, lingering a few seconds longer on Rell before switching to the other current occupant of her room. Gabe, having also hurriedly returned to reading his book upon seeing Rell's hasty action, saw her looking his way and met her gaze. She indicated outside the room with a jab of her thumb.
"Tell him they'll be here to see him soon." She instructed Rell, not bothering to look back at her.
Rell scowled but managed to hold her tongue at her dismissive attitude and translated, for Gabe's sake. The boy nodded and signed his thanks, but the Directress was already leaving as soon as she had appeared. He paid it no mind, turning back to warn Rell to be more careful, but saw her slumped back against her headboard with a more sullen demeanour.
In the corner of her eye, she spotted his quizzical gaze and huffed dejectedly. 'That woman has taken you out a lot recently.'
Her attitude not coming through in her signing, Gabe smiled and nodded innocently. 'She's nice!'
Rell showed indifference, her mood soured by the Directress' brief appearance, instead grabbing her guitar that stood propped against her bed by it's neck and hauling it into her lap. She began to steadily play the song she had managed to fully memorise, attempting to clear her head. The small frown that tugged at her sole friend's lips wasn't missed, Rell spotting it from the corner of her eye but not addressing it. In fact, she tried her best to block out her surroundings, as well as the churning feeling in her gut she was all too familiar with.
The orphanage had been her home since she could remember and there were never names or faces of the people who had dumped her here in the first place in her memories.
She had always been boisterous and short-tempered, but the rebellious streak in her had certainly developed, along with a healthy level of distrust, once she had learned she had simply been unwanted. As a result, she was the oldest here, pushing away anyone and everyone to the point of only having one instance in which a foster couple took her in for a second time, truly making an effort for her. But she pushed them away all the same. They were a nice family, too. And the last.
Rell had always had friends within the orphanage. Little by little, though, they each left with a new family and she remained, the griping loneliness growing in her with each departure and further bristling her to the world around her. Of course, new children like Annie found themselves at the orphanage and while they had warmed up to her, the age gap made her become more of a sisterly figure than a friend.
Gabriel had been around only a year less than herself. There were simply less people who were willing to take on the extra challenge that came with adopting a deaf child. But now, it seemed someone happily overlooked that small-minded factor and the loneliness crept back each time she had taken him to spend time together.
She huffed through her nose, only weakly strumming away at the strings of her guitar. The thought of her best friend possibly leaving left her bitter. Gabe would get a family, and she'd still be there. There was jealousy and a strong sense of futility at knowing she couldn't do anything to have him stay, as much as she wanted to be able to.
A sharp and sudden pain on her head had Rell flinch from her mulling, hands pausing. Gabe had moved across, the younger boy's arm outstretched, his fingers having just flicked Rell square on her forehead. Her eyes began to narrow into a glare at his action, but stopped upon noticing the small frown he had worn was already absent.
Rell blinked, taking in the usual warm smile that tended to be Gabe's default. Contrary to her, he always managed to remain optimistic and his open and upbeat attitude did counteract Rell's negativity and stubbornness. He had the patience to deal with her attitude, just like that very moment. At the very least, they'd have each other, having a sense of solidarity. That's what Rell had always thought.
"I'm an idiot." She stated out loud, openly insulting herself for her mindset.
Her best friend was getting something he'd hoped for ever since he was first placed in the orphanage. What was she doing acting all bitter and self-entitled right now?
'You are.'
"Eh?" Rell narrowed her eyes at Gabe. "Don't read my lips!"
Gabe shook his head in the negative with a cheeky glint in his eye, then pointed to her guitar and continued to sign.
'I wish I could hear you play. You seem good!'
Rell scoffed lightheartedly at the comment. 'Be grateful you're deaf, then.' She joked, sharing a laugh with him.
Then, an idea came to her mind and she sat up and shuffled to the edge of the bed, beckoning him to her right side. She took one of his hands and placed it against the butt of her guitar. At first Gabe was clueless, until Rell made a heavy strum down all of the strings. He jumped, his hand jolting away from the guitar, and Rell grinned.
'You felt it?'
Gabe only nodded vigorously in response, replacing his hand with eagerness. Rell continued to play the song she had been playing for several minutes now. Her eyes were mainly trained on Gabe, watching his reactions, only looking away to check her hand's positioning every so often. After a point, he had closed his eyes to put his full concentration into feeling the vibrations of the guitar through his hand, a goofy smile splitting his face while Rell watched on fondly.
She shouldn't be focusing on what could possibly be. If what she expected to happen, happened, then she should make the most of whatever time remained.
When she had finished that song, she moved on to an older one Riven had taught her. Then another, until the Directress reappeared alongside a taller woman with bobbed, raven-black hair to call Gabe away.
She mirrored the wave he offered as he was guided away, holding a smiling façade that wavered once the door was closed behind them. Ruffling her hair in frustration and making more mussed than it already was, she retrieved her re-hidden phone from where she had returned it under her pillow then slumped herself onto the plush cushion. The screen unlocked to the photo she had taken, the floundering figure of Gabe in the background earning a chuckle despite her conflicted mood.
Swapping to her message thread with Riven, she checked the door was shut properly, re-read Riven's last message, then began tapping away a reply.
Super Awesome Adult: When do you want me to visit?
Rell: Soon pls.
Bright light from the screen at the opposite end of Evelynn's chambers lit up the rest of the otherwise darkened room. It was nearing midday, though hard to surmise without a clock. The curtains where drawn tight shut with only the thinnest streaks of sunlight leaking in.
Contently propped up against the headboard of her bed and wearing naught but her bedtime lingerie, Evelynn's attention was glued to the TV while she watched whatever show had currently taken her interest. Between her hands, she cradled a large thermos of coffee that she had prepared far earlier in the morning with the aim of not requiring to leave her comfortable linen sheets for at least the first half of the day.
It had been a busy week for Evelynn, what with her meetings with Tobias and newly decided plans to release yet another fragrance. On top of such, Riven had been away since the start of the week as part of their label's plans to advertise their new signing. Her girlfriend had been so busy herself that texts between them had been fleeting and usually in the evening, making the week pass even slower.
Thus, she had sagely decided to make the most of the quiet, plan-free Saturday morning.
Doing nothing.
A repeated knocking rose from the other side of her bedroom, the third of that day so far, and the Diva rolled her eyes.
"Are you still asleep?" Ahri's slightly muffled, accusatory voice asked with disbelief.
"...Yes."
"Eve, it's noon!"
"Your point?"
A resigned sigh sounded, followed by the sound of retreating footsteps. Evelynn happily returned to her show, snuggling deeper into her covers. She remained that way a minute or so longer until her phone buzzed by her pillow. Groaning, her attitude to the caller performed a one-eighty upon reading Riven's name and she swiped it to her ear instantly.
"Honey!" She spoke, not hiding her joy at being able to hear Riven's voice.
"Hey, Evie!" Riven seemed equally pleased, but held an amused intonation. "I just got a text from Ahri. Told me to tell you to get out of bed."
Evelynn rolled her eyes, smirking. "Tell her she's not my mother."
"You aren't busy?"
"Not right now. And I want to make the most of it..."
A scoff reached Evelynn's ears. "I'm jealous. I've been shoved into a car for another photoshoot…"
Despite the somewhat disconcerted tone Evelynn picked up, she smiled fondly. Riven had been thrown head first into the hectic schedules that came with Sarah Fortune's label. Compact and hectic. Evelynn had been concerned that Riven would have had trouble keeping afloat. In actuality, from what the rocker had managed to communicate in her sporadic messages, Riven seemed to be, for the most part, coping well with the busyness of it all.
"I'm proud of you, Honey." Evelynn uttered affectionately.
"Yeah, well… you said that the other day..." Riven's voice responded almost bashfully.
"Yes, but now I can actually say it." Evelynn retorted cheerfully.
The quip earned her the husky laugh that she had yet to have heard over the past week. Her heart fluttered.
"Oh, we just arrived. I have to go." Riven's mirth stopped upon realising she has arrived at her destination. She sighed. "Missing you, Evie."
"And I you, Honey. Hope to see you soon." Evelynn gave a soft smack of her lips into the mic and ended the call.
A shaky breath left her as she returned to watching the TV. It had been a number of years since she had last found herself missing another's company. A hand found her chest in an attempt to quell the accompanying feeling within. The phone in her other hand vibrated once again, distracting her from it as she pulled up the message it had just received.
Honey3: You should really get up so Ahri doesn't keep asking me though thanks~!
"Who's side are you on..?" Evelynn mused aloud after a singular tut.
Whining that then emanated from below the right side of her bed took her attention. Evelynn leant her body to peek down to where Second was currently laying. Riven's loyal companion, unable to remain in the apartment while she was away due to Sivir's unpredictable delivery shifts, had been spending the week in the care of K/DA. Much to the excitement of all but Ahri, who had been promised a treat as thanks. Flat out on his back with his legs-plus-prosthetic reaching for the ceiling and tongue hanging from his open mouth, the aging hound was probably asleep in one of the oddest positions comprehendible. Evelynn stifled a giggle and quietly took a picture of the catatonic dog, making a mental note to send it to his owner.
She was able to spend another half hour of zero activity before the Ahri hammered on the door again. Evelynn groaned as the noise stirred Second from his slumber, heaving himself to his feet and looking to the door curiously.
"...What, Ahri?"
"Your magazine arrived. Get out of bed if you want it."
Ahri left after giving her ultimatum and Evelynn quickly realised, judging by how Second was now whining and plodding around near the door, that her morning of laziness was over. It had only just turned midday...
She forced herself up and out of her bed and trudged over to the door to allow Second his freedom. After ushering him out towards the main floor of the penthouse, she headed for her wardrobe, only bothering to add a semi-translucent, lavender robe to her scant attire before also leaving.
A content sigh left her as her soles stepped along the plush carpet of the hallway. It was always a pleasant sensation, and why she often trekked the apartment barefoot. She paused just before the steps to stretch her arms over her head, revelling in the relief her popping back and joints provided.
"EVE. EVE. EVELYNN. EVEEVEEVEEVEEVE!"
The Diva started at Ahri's loud, panicked yelps of her name. More confused than concerned, she resumed her pace to reach the top of the stairs, looking down into the lounge. She found Ahri shrunken deeply into the large armchair, doing her upmost to distance herself from the large German Shepherd that currently was propped onto the same seat eagerly greeting her.
Ahri's eyes frantically flicked between the friendly dog and her best friend. "Pleaseremovehim."
There was nothing but amusement on Evelynn's face at Ahri's predicament, but she acquiesced. A short, melodic whistle brought Second's attention to her and he happily wobbled over, following her by the heel towards the dining table where a jumble of the day's post had been dumped.
Riffling through the pile until she eventually pulled out the latest issue of her favourite music magazine, Evelynn admired the cover. While the print was easily accessible online, there was a nostalgic comfort she found in reading the physical copy just like she had done since her early teen years.
"Are the children out?" Evelynn asked casually, focused on the reused smouldering look of Riven's face that was situated in the lower-left corner of the cover, biting her lip. That glower...
"Yep! 'Kali's ran off for a rap battle downtown and Bokkie's probably being all mushy with Sivir while Rivey's not at the apartment." Ahri sniggered at Evelynn's term for the younger members of their group, having managed to settle herself after the assault of the friendly hound. "They'll be back for her interview on 'Between The Axes' later, don't worry!"
"Not that I was." Evelynn rolled her eyes and made her way back to the lounge, absently scritching Second's head and directing him to lie by the coffee table.
Ahri followed Evelynn returning, magazine in hand. "This issue has the piece with Rivey, right?"
After a nod of confirmation, Ahri squealed excitedly and stood from her perch, tentatively sidling around an innocently observing Second to plonk herself next to Evelynn as she begin to read.
Evelynn flurried through the pages of the magazine until she found an entire page dedicated to an interview with Riven. It had been held by PopRox and transcribed for the reader much like K/DA's had been back when they first formed.
It was as basic an interview as could be possible. Brief, with a focus of promoting the professional release of all her existing music, though making sure it was clear they were the first to be able to hold an interview. Nothing new to Evelynn, or Ahri for that matter, but they both were overjoyed to see that Riven seemed to take the questioning in her stride.
"Look at her~!" Ahri squealed excitedly for her friend. Her eyes wandered across the page to look at the few photos that had been taken to accompany the interview and she focused on one particular image of Riven with an arm raised, running a hand through her ashen locks. Her well-toned arm muscles were bare in the tank top she wore. "Look at her…"
"Down, Foxy." Evelynn lifted the open magazine to the side to bonk her long time friend. "You don't even like women."
"A girl can still appreciate…" Ahri argued back after recoiling and nursing her tender forehead, then saw Evelynn return to near scrutinising the photos. "Like how your Rivey looks?"
It made sense how Ahri interpreted Evelynn's attentiveness, but she was mistaken. The Diva's lips pursed as the tone in Riven's voice at the mention of having to do the photoshoots rang in her mind, followed by that brief glimpse she'd gained of Riven's scar and her reaction to Evelynn simply even grazing it. No wonder Riven sounder unsure about having photos taken of her. At least she seemed comfortable enough in her first shoot, judging by the pictures. But still…
Ahri didn't missed her pertubed expression, slight as it was. "…Eve? What's wrong?"
"Hm?" Evelynn turned her head to face Ahri, her features adopting a honed poker face, holding the magazine closer to her instinctually. "Meaning?"
"Eve…"
Ahri's furrowed brow showed that she saw through the guise, and they held their locked gazes silently for several seconds until Eve broke it off, sighing.
"There are some things she doesn't want people to know of." She divulged, deciding to confide in her best friend, albeit vaguely. "It's not my place to say."
"Oh." Ahri said simply, a thought coming to her head. "Is it why you two haven-"
"Ahri." Evelynn spoke her name sternly, a firm look in her piercing, amber eyes. She repeated herself. "It's not my place to say."
"…Sorry." The foxy singer apologised, realising she was pressing too far, but was sharp enough to discern that what Evelynn was referring to was likely related to what had happened the night the rest of K/DA had first met Riven.
She leant across to rest her head against Evelynn's silk-laden shoulder, both offering reassurance and finding a comfortable angle to peer back down at the magazine page.
"If it helps ease your mind…" A hand rose to press a finger against one of the photos of Riven. The same one she had made eyes a moment ago, namely the defiant look that shone in olive-skinned woman's honeyed eyes. "Look at her. She's strong. She's got this." She nudged into Evelynn's body affectionately. "And besides, she has all of us now. We don't need to know the details to help."
"…Appreciated, Foxy." Evelynn eventually, in turn, leant into Ahri.
Ahri spotted the slightest of smiles grace Evelynn's lips and adorned a sly, fox-like grin. "I bet you just want Rivey here so you can give her all the smooches and cyuddles, huh~?"
"…" A look of disgust crossed Evelynn's face at Ahri's sickeningly cutesy act. She promptly straightened her posture, then stood, Ahri falling prone on the couch with the removal of her support. "I'm reading the rest of this in my room."
A exaggerated whine of protest left Ahri's pouty lips as she watched Evelynn retreat back up the stairs, but she smiled upon spying Evelynn's own amusement straining to be withheld in the brief side-profile glimpse of the Diva's face as she circumferenced the couch. While she was usually the most serious of the group, there were times in which she could act a little silly for her friends. She didn't mind at all.
"Your clothes are on the chair. I'll be back in five minutes, please be changed before then."
"S-Sure..."
There was a brief moment of awkwardness after the door shut behind the assistant who left Riven in her assigned dressing room. She swayed back and forth on her feet, letting out a puff of air as she took in the layout.
It was a fairly basic dressing room, as far as she was aware with her highly limited knowledge anyway. A vanity table was against the wall to her right, with a wide wardrobe opposite and a folding screen along the back wall. The aforementioned chair was tucked under the table with her selected clothing slung over it. She made her way to the changing screen, scooping up the clothing as she passed. Behind the screen was a full-body mirror held up on a moveable frame. Paying her reflection no heed, she placed the change of clothes down on the floor neatly and began to undress, her mind wandering during the mundane task.
The past week had been a completely new experience for Riven. It was a far stretch from anything she'd had to do before. Having been thrown into an interview right away, it had set the pace for the rest of the week. Being carted around from one place to the next, following a packed schedule to the letter and finding herself having barely more than brief moments to herself to be able to contact anyone. Come the evenings, she had begun to feel so burnt out that she would be asleep as soon as she fell onto the bed of whatever hotel room she had been booked into. It almost gave her a weird sense of nostalgia, remembering how cruel Teneff's training routines could get and how dead she'd feel afterwards.
The phone call she'd managed to have with Evelynn just ten minutes ago had been short but was enough to build her energy back up for her make it through the few days that remained before she would be done with all of the initial promotional work. If anything, though, the call only made her want to see and talk to Evelynn more.
After spending every day together, in some capacity, during the month of them being a couple, being away from her girlfriend for over a week was making her antsy. Considering Riven would either spend nights over in Evelynn's room or vice versa, she had grown used to Evelynn's comforting warmth and waking up next to her. Waking up in a different hotel room every day was a comparatively alien feeling. Riven's thoughts held as she pulled her beloved Pentakill tee over her head. In the corner of her eye, she caught sight of the gruesome scar on her side and grimaced. Despite sharing a bed more often than not, there hadn't been any progression in their physical intimacy since Riven's panic attack on the day of her signing. She just couldn't bring herself to allow Evelynn to see it. The tee was dropped to the floor and the hand holding it came to rest against the mottled flesh. Her eyes flinched shut and she hissed, the sensitive skin spiking with memorised pain upon contact, sounds of that day flooding her ears. A sickening green flashed beneath her eyelids.
A sharp rapping on the entrance to the changing room quickly snapped her back. Her hand quickly recoiled from her torso, clenching at her side as she forced her rising breaths to temper down.
"One minute and then we need you!" The voice of the same assistant from earlier called through the door.
"Y- O-Okay!" Riven yelled back, holding her voice together as she quickly set to stripping off her jeans. How long had she just been stood there? "S-Sorry! Still getting dressed!"
"Hurry it up!" They responded, impatient.
Riven did so, shaking her head free of any lingering feelings or memories. She hurriedly pulled on the outfit that had been picked out for her. A leather jacket not unlike her own gifted to her by Evelynn, a purposely frayed tank top with a low neckline, a pair of leather shorts that only reached the tops of her strong thighs, and a pair of heavy boots rounded off the set.
A moment was spent by Riven inspecting the tank top, frowning at the low V-neck that honestly dipped a smidge too far for her liking. While she wasn't nearly as gifted as her girlfriend, her chest was ample enough for her to feel somewhat uncomfortable with how much cleavage was being shown.
Another repetition of knocks on the door got her moving, greeting the assistant on the other side with an apology who simply waved for her to follow. She was guided down to a second room, where a woman hastily but expertly applied more make-up than she would ever willingly wear. The end result was similar to that of which matched the smokey eyed visage used for her profile image. Just with more... things? She still wasn't well versed in make-up despite the ambush she endured two weeks ago.
As quickly as she was thrown in she was pulled back out and escorted to a large, open room, mostly empty aside for a wide photo set. A simple one with a black cloth background. A number of staff manned various camera positions and lighting equipment, with a single woman being sat central to the set barking out demands.
Stood on the set itself, Riven's eyes instantly latched onto a pale, slender woman who appeared to be near finishing with her own shoot. Red-head was held back in a tight ponytail to avoid any strands falling into a perfectly sculpted face. Seemingly endless legs disappeared into a deep red and black dress that left nothing of her otherwise petite but equally flawless proportions to the imagination. The tail of the dress was segmented into four streaks, and the shoulders were adorned by two firm spines of fabric that reached behind her head. A striking woman for definite; a beauty in every sense of the word. And she was good at what she did, fluidly swapping between poses on request.
The assistant Riven was following came to a stop ahead of her to speak with the woman in the chair, who she assumed to be the director. She only paid the two of them a brief heed before looking back to the model, only to find the woman's piercing maroon, nigh deep red, eyes trained directly on her, holding an inquisitive glint. The director then called the shoot to a close after being informed of Riven's arrival, and the model excused herself from the set, not relieving Riven of her sharp gaze. At the same time, Riven was again brought forward towards the set, closer to the woman who would simply not look away. As they were about to pass, she stopped.
"Hello, little Rockstar." The model addressed Riven, her voice silken in tone.
Up close, Riven realised they were similar in height.
"Hey, your shoot's done! Don't delay my next model!" The Director's abrupt shout from beside them only made the model roll her eyes passively.
She merely raised a finger to silence him.
"Hush, Darling. The camera's need to be prepared as it is." She told the Director sharply, then turned back to Riven with a small quirk at the corners of her lips. She gave Riven a once over. "I've heard all about you..."
Trying not to notice the huff being put on by the woman the model shut down, Riven blinked. "...You have..?"
"Oh yes." The model answered simply. In all honesty, the woman had a familiar vibe about her. The way she acted reminded Riven of- "I'm a friend of Evelynn's."
-Ah.
"You're all she talks about nowadays." The woman quipped, holding out a hand. "Elise."
"Er, Riven!" Riven took her hand and shook it steadily. Elise's words then caught up with her. "She talks about me!?"
"Oh, in confidence, don't fret." Elise reassured her. "Evelynn can barely shut up about you." A predatory glint sparked in her eyes as they raked down Riven's appearance. "Though, I can see why. You're something..."
"T-Thank you?" Riven spluttered bashfully at the compliment. "You know..?"
"Oh, I've been sworn to secrecy, don't fret." Elise rested her stance onto one leg. "She tells me everything, and I, her. We're close."
The cogs in Riven's brain began to whir again, a memory from when Evelynn had taken her shopping surfacing. One of an old lover remaining a close friend. A possessiveness overcame her.
"...When you say close..?" She questioned, frowning suspiciously as she crossed her arms.
There was a very slight falter in Elise's suave demeanour at Riven's conjecture, before a soft giggle bubbled from her throat.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Dear. While our little soirée was enjoyable, it was simply that. Short but sweet." Elise smiled reassuringly. "She's all yours, don't worry~."
Riven wasn't offered the time to manage the blush that had quickly risen to her features, both at Elise's words and embarrassment at her show of jealousy. The director cut in and they managed to share a wave in parting as Riven was ushered towards the set.
The shoot itself was a blur for Riven. Commands were barked at her by the overbearing director with regards to the poses she was required to take in quick succession. At first, she found herself floundering. It was as if the director expected her to be a natural instantly. At a certain point, she had caught the watchful eyes of Elise, who had hung around behind the line of cameras to observe for her own curiosity. An encouraging gesture sent her way by the model seemed to help settle her somewhat, but it was still a trial to match the pace that had been set.
After a while, she was handed a sparkling fresh electric guitar, which she had awed over right up to the moment she was instructed to smash it into the floor. Naturally, she balked at the direction and, upon being pressured to do so, felt a piece of her heart break as she sundered the piece of equipment that was easily over triple the price of her own axe. One final picture was taken with the broken neck of the poor guitar being held by her left side, the main body resting up on her right shoulder as she stared down the camera. The director then stood from her chair and called an pause to the shoot.
Riven handed off the now ruined instrument to a member of staff and took a sigh of relief. She stepped away to the side of the set and welcomed the break.
The inspecting gaze that was locked onto her by the director didn't go unnoticed, but she didn't give it any thought as Elise approached her once again.
"I suppose this is your first time doing this?" She inquired.
"I did a little one at the start of all this for an magazine interview but… this is your full-time job..?" Riven uttered with incredulity as the model reached her. She puffed her cheeks out at the amused nod Elise gave in response. "And there I thought you just stood there and looked pretty…
"Well, I definitely do that too." The beauty quipped confidently, then nodded towards the still staring woman. "Though, having worked with her before, this one is quite the slave driver." She offered a reassuring smile." You're doing well."
"Appreciate the support." Riven thanked her in turn.
The clearing of a throat drew their attention to the the director who had also walked up. She didn't say anything straight away, pondering to herself while continuing to scan Riven. She'd had her jacket removed for more recent shots, her trim arms now on display along with her strong legs in her shorts.
"How about a change in wardrobe?" She asked curtly.
"Such as?" Not entirely sure of her intention, Riven addressed her hesitantly.
"You look like a strong woman, it's easy to see." The director stated matter-of-factly. "I was thinking we emphasise this. I'm sure your just as fit here."
To follow her statement she had reached out to tap a knuckle against Riven's torso, only for Riven to instantly take a step back to avoid it.
"I-I don't think that's necessary." She hurriedly shut down the idea, but the director seemed unfazed.
"I was thinking a crop, maybe?" Their outstretched hand rose to come to their chin in a pondering pose. "Strong women are popular these days."
"I'd really rather not." Riven said forcefully, a hand unconsciously resting over her clothed scar.
She found herself quickly becoming agitated by both the woman ignoring her and just the thought of people even seeing it, not just the people working around the set but, of course, those who would see the images. To her side, Elise had tracked Riven's hand down to her waist.
"Plus, it would definitely make you more appealing to other audiences."
Riven stifled. "Wha-!? That's not the point!"
"I'll see if we can source something suitable." The director continued thinking aloud, completely blanking Riven's protests.
She went to raise a hand to call an aid over, only for a pale, slender hand to stop her by the wrist. Elise drew the director in, offering a cold stare.
"Stop while you're ahead." Her silken voice held a sharp, threatening tone.
The director frowned at her interruption. "I'm simply proposing ideas."
"And you're ignoring her when she's clearly uncomfortable with them." Elise indicated to Riven with a tip of her head. "I thought I'd kindly remind you that this little Dear is a close friend of Evelynn's. I'm not sure it's in your best interests to cross her."
The director shrank at the insinuation, humbly pulling her arm free and stepping away, though glaring at the model. "I suppose we're done, then."
They both watch her retreat to her chair dejectedly and resume barking demands to her staff, then left the set to head for their respective changing rooms. Riven's being closer, the singer stopped outside her door.
"Thanks for that. She was... intense."
"Think nothing of it, Dear." Elise waved her off casually. "As well as being a slave driver, that one has a habit of getting ahead of herself."
Riven huffed a small chuckle. "You seem used to dealing with her."
"Years of practise. I've worked with her plenty." Elise mused, pausing for a moment, mulling over her thoughts. When they reached Riven's door and the singer was about to bid her goodbye, she spoke up. "You seemed distressed back there. You alright, Sweetie?"
Riven's hand faltered in it's movement to open her changing room door and the small smile that had remained from their talk withered.
"… I… yeah. I just didn't want…" Riven paused, catching herself. Uncertainty crossed her face and Elise watched the same hand instinctively ghost to her side before Riven caught herself, dropping it down. She shook her head, offering a forced smile. "Yeah, fine."
Elise inclined her head curiously, but knew better than to pry into other people's matters. A trait that definitely set her apart from her dearest friend, Evelynn. One she had tried many a time to work out of her, and failed equally.
"Alright then. I'm sure you have a busy schedule, don't let me keep you." She held out a hand once again. "A pleasure to meet you."
"Yeah, a live interview..." Riven shuddered, then clasped and shook her hand, offering an appreciative look at Elise's restraint. "Likewise. Thanks again."
"Think nothing of it." Elise gave her a wink. "If I'm around the next time you're here, don't be a stranger."
With that, Elise turned away and left, and Riven entered her room to change. Locking the door, she began to undress while on her way to the screen. By the time she was behind it, she had just pulled the tank top over her head. Her eyes locked onto her torso again and her wavering façade dropped. With a spent groan, she fell into a crouch, resting her arms on her and her head in her hands, blocking her own vision, fingers lacing through her bangs.
Just a month ago, she hadn't had to think or worry about anyone seeing her. Now, there were people all around her paying close attention to her. Cameras. Evelynn.
A vibration rose from the pocket of the crumpled, discarded jeans on the floor nearby. Her sight was granted back to her as she reached out towards the phone that was peeping out from one of the pockets, lingering hesitantly before snatching it up. As if the devil had read her thoughts, she was met with a message from Evelynn.
Evie: Hope the shoot's going well Honey~ x
Riven read through the messages a number of times. Simply doing that alleviated some amount of the stress building in the back of her mind. She unlocked the device to reply, a small smile edging at her mouth that quickly vanished when she thought about what she could say.
What could she say? With how she currently felt, it wouldn't be anything positive and she'd much prefer to talk about such when Evelynn could offer more than reassuring words. Especially when it was something like this.
Backing out of the thread, Riven noticed that Rell had also replied during her time shooting, but she didn't have the energy to open the message. Enough time had passed during her deliberations that the phone had locked and she found herself glaring at her reflection.
A growl of frustration rumbled in her throat, digging the phone's edge into her forehead as if the dull ache it caused would distract her. "…Fuck."
Ever since she discovered Evelynn was aware of her scar, Riven found herself being hyper conscious to any stimulus or risk of it being exposed. It would linger at the back of her mind more often than not now, along with the memories that accompanied it. It took an even greater toll when added onto the swamped schedule she'd been following.
It was tiring.
Another month wait until an update, apologies for that guys, gals and non-binary pals. On the bright side, I ended up making the decision to cut a third of this chapter out and have it at the start of the next one, so hopefully that chapter won't also take a month to be written with some of it already half written! *Fingers crossed*
Regarding Gabriel/Gabe, I thought I'd mention that he's not an OC in the sense of me creating the name and his relation to Rell. He has an original universe (OU) counterpart in the lore of the LoL and I thought including him in this story starting from his first appearance would be fun. I'm curious to know if anyone made the link.
Finally, after I uploaded the last chapter, I wrote a one-shot OU story between Evelynn and Elise that I very much enjoyed writing. If anyone thinks that's of their interests please check it out and tell me what you thought! :)
Hope this chapter was worth the wait!