Despite everything, this hasn't been the longest time between uploads. I'm impressed with myself.
For context, it's been getting busy over my end so if uploads become monthly more often than not, that's the case. Apologies guyz D:
Hope the wait is worth it :)
Rell's eyes were the size of dinner plates by the time the elevator door opened up into the penthouse. From setting her sights on Evelynn's car, to the size of the building K/DA's penthouse sat atop of, to the size and look of the apartment itself, it was all on a level of extravagance that the orphan girl couldn't think to comprehend.
"It's okay." Riven patted Rell on the shoulder reassuringly as she ushered the stock-still girl out of the elevator. "I'm only just getting used to it."
"Excuse me, Honey. I won't be long." Stepping past the 'normal' pair, Evelynn walked with purposeful strides, making a beeline for her bedroom and, specifically, her wardrobe.
They watched her disappear up the stairs to the bedrooms, then were distracted by sounds of cluttering and clanking from their left.
"Did I just hear elevator go ding? Was that Eve? The hell was she wearing?" Following her slew of questions, Ahri appeared from behind the kitchen countertop staring in the direction Evelynn had gone, following the path back to the apartment's entrance. Elation shone on her face upon spotting Riven. "Rivey~!"
The leader of K/DA pushed herself away from the countertop excitedly and scurried out of the kitchen towards them. It was an odd sight, that being the foxy singer wearing an apron and powdered with flour; Ahri not being one to cook. She gave no heed to her messiness, though, as she outstretched her arms and flung herself into Riven, wrapping her tightly in a squeezing hug.
Ahri squealed happily. "I missed you~!"
"It's been a week…" Riven trailed off with a light-hearted chuckle, then pulled a hand away from the hug to inspect the flour now coating her palm. "You've been baking?"
"Trying her best." The huskier voice of Kai'Sa rose from the kitchen, who was also making her way out towards them. "Ahri, you can't just ditch the cooking…"
Ahri's cheeks puffed out into a childish pout that she sent to Kai'Sa as she released Riven. Ignoring her, K/DA's Dancer stepped in to offer her own gentle embrace to Riven.
"Nice to see you, Riv."
Riven gave her a small squeeze. "You too, Kai'."
At their appearance, Rell had retreated a step behind Riven. Already trying to take in the grandeur of where she was, seeing Ahri, one of the most renowned faces of the music industry, up close left her a slight bit daunted. She was noticed by Ahri after the singer had huffed to the side at Kai'Sa's scolding.
The singer's expression lightened and she approached Rell. "Are you the girl Rivey visits?"
"Ah..! Um…" Rell found herself tripping over her words as the stunning blonde reached out to hold her face and gently squeeze her cheeks.
"You're adorable~!" Ahri squeed. "I love your hair! And your clothes!" She took in Rell's anarchy tee and leather jeans. "So rebellious~!"
At Ahri's coos of affection, Riven turned from speaking with Kai'Sa to find Rell having adopted a deep redness beneath her dark complexion. The poor girl was flustered beyond belief, eyes unfocused but unable to look away from the celebrity in front of her. With a side glance to Kai'Sa, who was also observing, a knowing look was shared between them after which she decided to step in and rescue her student.
"Yes, she's the one I visit." Riven answered on Rell's behalf, prying Ahri's hand's away from the floundering girl. "And yes. Her hair is awesome."
Ahri asking why she's there
"Ahri, you're overwhelming the poor girl." Kai'Sa in turn guided Ahri back a few paces, who offered a sheepish apology.
With Riven's interruption allowing her to regain some form of cognisance, Rell tore her eyes away from Ahri to meekly look away at the nearest wall, fiddling with her fingers. "…You told them about me?"
"Yeah." Riven gave a nonchalant shrug. "Complaining, mostly."
Rell's head whipped back to face her, shyness instantly replaced with a fiery look after Riven's teasing jab. "Bite me."
"Awweh! Her attitude so cute!" Ahri squealed, still held by Kai'Sa.
Rell instantly prepared to shrink away, but something then seemed to switch in the foxy woman's mind. Her face turned serious and she took a firm but gentle hold of Riven's nearest arm.
"Are things okay? We've all been worried, not hearing from you since the interview and all. I was so excited to see you that I forgot." Ahri's grip tightened and her eyes darkened upon thinking back to the interview with Draven. "That bastard."
Ahri's demeanour and curse threw Riven at first, but she patted Ahri's hand reassuringly. "I'm fine, don't worry."
"We saw some of the tabloids this morning, too." Kai'Sa added, concern on her face.
"It's nothing to worry about." The rocker sent a matching smile to Kai'Sa, then cringed sheepishly. "Though, I should probably tell you guys about that at some point."
"Oh." Ahri shared a look of surprise with the dancer over her shoulder, recalling what Evelynn had vaguely hinted towards during the previous week. "Well, don't feel like you're forced to tell us anything you don't want to, alright?"
Having not been there to hear anything from Evelynn, Kai'Sa appeared slightly befuddled at the exchange. In her wisdom, she didn't press further and simply offered a kind smile. "Anyhow, we're glad you're doing okay."
"I appreciate it." Riven bowed her head in thanks to the both of them. "I finally had a good sleep, too. Evelynn being there helped me relax a ton."
"Oho." Ahri wiggled her eyebrows suggestively in response to what Riven said, revitalising the linger mood.
"Ah, no." Bluntly, Riven quickly denied the implication.
Beside them, Rell had adorned a quizzical look after hearing their discussion and had opened her mouth to question it before a loud bark rang through the penthouse. A yelp followed courtesy of a flinching Ahri. Awkward, arrhythmic scampering and clacking following, accompanied by the voice of K/DA's rapper shouting after it. Both grew louder until Second haphazardly rounded the corner with a speed betraying his age, half skidding on the polished wooden flooring. He made a beeline for Riven, the path already clear thanks to Ahri having spun within Kai'Sa's grip preemptively to now be shielded behind taller woman. The retired hound's still-bulky mass collided with Riven, who had crouched to greet him, happily accepting the onslaught of licks and wiggles of uncontrolled excitement at his owner's return. She returned his affection tenfold, hugging and rubbing his torso and nuzzling his slobbering face until he recognised a familiar explosion of blonde hair stood just behind Riven.
Second padded out of Riven's lap and curiously circled Rell, who was understandably nervous of the canine who's head was easily level with her stomach. After a moment, and a cocked head, he butted himself into her gut and then sat, looking up at her expectantly. After a go ahead from Riven, Rell reached down the tentatively ruffle the space of his missing ear, earning a grumble of appreciation at the phantom itch being scratched.
While her old brother-in-arms occupied himself with the teen, Riven sent an amused look to Ahri's peeping face over Kai'Sa's shoulder. "A week with him hasn't helped any?"
"He's very friendly." With a vigorous shaking of the head in the negative came Ahri's firm response, earning chuckles from the other two singers.
A few seconds behind, Akali also appeared, sliding to a halt. Her wild head of hair was loose from her usual ponytail and fell messily around her face.
"Hey, good to see you! Sorry, we were chilling in my room but he went all alert when he heard Evelynn's door shut and then went crazy when we heard your voice!" She took a breath to fill her lungs after her busy explanation and sprint, noticing who Second was currently with. "Who's the kid?"
Rell's eyes shot up to narrow towards Akali. "Kid?"
"That kid is only four years younger than you, Akali." Riven explained flatly, recognising Rell's abrasive tone.
The boisterous teen left Second and stomped up to Riven's side. She gave Akali a once over and scoffed snidely. "And taller than you, apparently."
Akali balked at the challenging statement. "What? No way!"
"Oh boy." Ahri muttered from behind her dancer shield, one hand coming to rest on her face.
Everyone watched as Akali went to meet Rell head on, never breaking eye contact. At first, she exuded confidence, though it slowly began to wain the closer she got, morphing into a grimace as their foreheads touched. Rell, on the other hand, smirked victoriously.
"Guh."
"Look at that. She's actually taller if you count the hair." Kai'Sa observed matter-of-factly.
"Urusai, Bokk-ah!?"
Akali recoiled, clutching the back of her head that now throbbed with sharp pain following a berating slap from Evelynn, who had just returned from her room. Newly dressed, she sported a look much more typical of herself. A form-fitting maroon turtleneck jumper with an exaggerated length that reached her knees, with what looked like black leggings underneath.
"No fighting with kids, Rogue." She said flatly as she walked past to take Riven's wrist. "Shall we, Honey?"
"Ah, yeah. Lemme just..." Riven nodded, then looked to a sulking Akali, indicating to Second. "Do you have his lead?"
Akali's stroppy attitude didn't fade at the question. She simply, and slowly, left to retrieve the requested item.
Bzzz
"-lynn. Can y-"
Bzzz
…
Bzzz
"-se tell her-
Bzzz
…
Bzzz
"-op doing that?"
Bz-
A gloved hand settled on Rell's, stopping her from further fiddling with the control console that was installed between the back seats of the escort vehicle. Once again, the young girl was in awe at all the fancy tech and couldn't help herself.
"Okay, enough now." Riven tried to sound stern in her acquiescence to the pleadings of Zed that rose up through from the front of the car, being cut off intermittently by the rising and lowering of the divider window.
Tried being the operative word. She stifled her own sniggering as best she could, absently playing with Second's ear while he obediently perched in the open space between her legs.
However, Evelynn, who was sat in one of the two rear-facing seats opposite them, wore a look of controlled amusement. She craned her neck round to reply to her bodyguard.
"Oh, let her have her fun." Her voice dripped with sadism towards Zed's sanity.
Rell's face lit up with glee, and the resulting groan from the driver's seat was cut off by the once again rising divider.
"I've never seen a dog like that though, gotta say." Rell commented, voice filtering through a mouthful of taco.
"That was a dog?" Riven blinked, swallowing her own food. "I thought it was some sort of weird lizard. The thing was terrified of Second just standing near him. The crazy old guy at the stall didn't appreciate it either…"
The pair of them were sat on a bench just too the side of the main square of the city, flanked by the two other members of detail Evelynn had brought with them, who by just standing there would easily dissuade anyone who even thought to approach them. Plenty still stared, either from the recognition of Riven or simply the sight of their detail.
They happily munched on the food Riven had bought in the Halloween market while they awaited Evelynn and Zed to return from the nearby outdoor ice rink with their hired skates. Second currently had his head rested on one of Riven's thighs, looking up at her expectantly for a tasty morsel of human food.
It had taken longer than expected to circumvent the market than they had first expected. It had been a new experience for both of them. Rell hadn't seen much outside of the orphanage, other than her rebellious escapes in recent years, and Riven was similar, having enrolled in the military the moment she had been old enough to leave her old dumping ground. Thus, the groups' progression through the market had been slow with the two of them marvelling at every stall as if they were both Rell's age.
Peering past the food held to her mouth, Riven glanced down to Rell. Added to her attire was now Riven's khaki jacket, offered up when the teen had begun to shiver in the cool mid-autumn air, despite it only being the middle of the day. With their clear differences in stature, it had been far too large for her. This resulted in the bottom of the jacket hanging by her hips. The sleeves, too, had been folded once over to avoid loosely hanging over her hands. This left Riven in the tank-top she had thrown on in her hurry to head to the orphanage, but she was handling the chilly air well enough.
The rocker was pleased to see the much lighter attitude Rell was sporting now. It was clear that being out of the confines of the Black Rose for even just over two hours had already done her the world of good. Her mood had certainly begun to improve following their brief time at the K/DA penthouse, Riven had noticed, and she was pretty sure she could pinpoint the exact moment.
"…Ahri, huh?"
A powerful spray of chewed taco preluded the look of absolute wide-eyed alarm on Rell's face as she shook her head in frenzied denial at the unexpected statement.
"Wha-! Wh-! N-No! I mean, she's pretty, but, No! But-" The poor, off guard girl flailed with her hands as she tried clumsily wiped away the mess around her mouth, blood rushing to her cheeks once more. "Y'know! She's a celebrity! She-"
Her panicked voice devolved into a half-whine, half-squeak. She had spotted the narrowed eyes and smug grin that signalled that Riven saw right through her.
"I recognise a young 'me' when I see it." Riven said pointedly, dropping her teasing to offer a warm smile.
Rell relented, settling to nod weakly and return to face forward, fidgeting. "I've seen her in pictures and stuff, but in person…" She hid her face with her taco, redness dominating her features. "She called me adorable and I couldn't say anything… how embarrassing…"
"I don't blame you. She's pretty pretty."
"No joke…" Rell huffed sardonically thinking about her useless crushing over the pop-star.
Riven leaned in, inquisitive. "So… just girls, or..?"
Rell flustered further. "No, no… Boys can be… neat…"
"Neat, huh?" Riven couldn't help but sputter a chuckle. She paused to mull over a thought while she crumpled her empty paper into a ball, taking a moment to aim before successfully lobbing it into a nearby bin. A brief struggle followed as she pulled back on Second's lead after the hound made a break to try and catch the flying object, reigning him in. "Guh… So Gab-?"
"Nope."
This time Riven's laughter was unabated at Rell's firm answer. "Alright, well… I can give advice with the liking girls thing, but the boys thing?" She mock shivered, earning a small chuckle from the teen that she joined in on, then sighed to collect herself. "How long have you known?"
"A while, I guess?" Rell admitted. "You?"
"I was older than you are now." Riven nodded to confirm what she said following a look of shock from Rell. "I was actually dating a guy at the time, in high-school. He took me back to his house after a month to meet his family and he had a sister our age." She indicated to her left eye, a faint smile at the memory. "Had a scar right here. Red-head; greenest eyes I've ever seen. And I was just: wow. I could tell it was different to how I'd ever felt about my boyfriend."
A brief silence fell between them. Rell seemed to be contemplating what Riven had told her. For a while, they just watched the bustling crowd around them meander by, going about their own business in the busy city centre. Riven returned a friendly wave to a gentleman who had recognised her in passing and simply wished her a good day.
"There was another girl at the orphanage a few years ago." She spoke up. "At some point, I realised me trying to get her attention all the time was more than me liking her as a friend." A groan left her at the thought of yet another child who had left her behind. "God. I'm nearly 17 and I'm still stuck there…"
Riven pursed her lips, seeing Rell's mood flatten at the mention of the orphanage. The last thing Riven wanted was to bring the day down again.
"Hey." She nudged the frowning girl. "Don't forget I was never adopted. I turned out just fine."
A scowl crossed her face as Rell made an skeptical expression as if to ask 'Did you, though?' and Riven nudged her again, harder this time out of playful scorn. Obviously, Rell's mood hadn't dropped as much as she first thought.
"Sorry, sorry." Rell apologised through a short burst of laughter, though her face did fall back into a state of bittersweetness. "It still hurts when no-one wants you for who you are." She scoffed. "Even my parents…"
Riven rested back against the bench, propping herself up on her hands and mulling over her words. "You know what is good for people like us?" She asked, waiting for some form of response that eventually came as a clueless look and a shrug. "In a way, we get to choose our family. We aren't stuck with people just because we were born with them as our family. Hell, I only found my family when I was 21. Even if it wasn't for that long…"
Rell blinked, the fact that Riven's words seemed to end on a rather wistful note not going unnoticed. They offered a point of view she hadn't paid any form of heed to before. The more optimistic outlook wasn't something she could fully say she could subscribe to at the moment, though. But, that last part…
Riven noticed Rell's somewhat confused, questioning gaze, as well as the approaching forms of Evelynn and Zed, the former carrying two pairs of ice-skates, and the bodyguard holding another pair. Rell also noticed them.
She smiled plaintively as she stood to greet her girlfriend, guiding Second along with her. "I'll tell you another time."
The quizzical expression held on Rell's face as she hopped to her feet, a step being Riven. Evelynn reached out to both of them, one of the two pairs of skates she had brought in each hand. They took their respective footwear and Evelynn took her own; the pair held by Zed.
"Have either of you been skating before." The Diva asked simply, nodded in acknowledgement at the blank stares and shake of heads from both teacher and student. "Not to worry. I can offer some pointers."
She turned on her heel, indicating them towards the temporary rink. They moved in formation, with Zed leading and his subordinates taking the rear.
"You make it seem like you've done this a lot, Evie." Riven sidled up to Evelynn while she stated this, their arms brushing.
Evelynn explained as she leaned into the touch, briefly nuzzling into the crook of Riven's neck. "Well, I have been skating since I was a child. We lived near a lake that froze over in the winter and my mother-" She suddenly held her tongue and Riven felt her stiffen as she straightened herself. Evelynn held her usual poker face, pointing to a seating area by the entrance to the rink. "Anyhow, put your blades on here."
Rell passed them both to do so. Riven remained standing, a quirk in her eyebrow at Evelynn's own dismissal of the first mention she had heard the Diva make of her parents. Evelynn played her off casually, mirroring her with her own critical look and shooing her over to the bench to sit next to Rell, signalling for on of Zed's subordinates to take Second's lead.
Evelynn set to swiftly equipping her own skate-wear with practised dexterity and stood, spotting the teen struggling to fasten her straps. Stepping over with ease, balancing on the blades as if they were any other footwear, she knelt before Rell.
"Need a hand?" She asked with a kind smile, already reaching to replace Rell's own hands.
"Y-Yeah, thanks." Rell accepted the assistance, sitting back to let Evelynn secure her skates.
Futilely fiddling with her own, Riven pouted at the attention Rell was receiving. "Evie~, I need help too~."
"Ah, Zed. Can you tighten Riven's skates for me?" Evelynn didn't miss a beat, sending a quick teasing glance to her girlfriend and then up to the Second-In-Command of K/DA's detail.
In turn, Zed gave a gesture of disbelief to his client but, at a tilt of the head from Evelynn, reluctantly acquiesced. He was stone-faced in his movement to kneel down in front of Riven, who matched his expression perfectly.
"…"
"…"
Neither of them budged from their locked gazes, finding solidarity as victims of Evelynn's antics. Though, Zed's eyes also held a modicum of accusation. It was her who gave Evelynn the chance, after all.
"Evie." Riven eventually spoke, voice bland and unamused. This definitely wasn't what she had envisioned. "I hate you."
"No, you don't." Evelynn's short but sweet titter rose into the air, a humoured smirk on her face as she stood from helping an equally amused Rell, guiding the teen to her own unsteady feet. "Come on."
She was the first to step onto the ice, finding her balance with ease, gliding a few feet away then spinning to a halt to beckon Riven on.
The rocker, who had approached with far less finesse, held onto either side if the entrance to the rink. There was little confidence in her posture, one blade on the ice with little weight behind it. The constant disorientating rush of passing skaters didn't help her concentration.
Riven held out her hand. "Help me balance?"
"Nope." Evelynn made no effort to take the gloved hand. "And make sure to ball your fists."
"What do you mean? Why noOO-BUH!?"
"Fists, Honey. And that's why." Evelynn answered matter-of-factly, looking down to the pile of Riven that was now flat out on the ice. After unconsciously taking an extra step to reach out for Evelynn, Riven's feet instantly slipped from under her, allowing her to abruptly acquaint herself with the rink. "No way could I hold your weight. You'd just take me with you." Sniggering from the rink's entrance had her switch her gaze to Rell and she pointed over to the teen. "You too, young lady."
Rell's snickers petered out in an instant as she looked between Evelynn and Riven, who was currently struggling to heave herself back up with the help of the rink's wall. She bolstered herself with obstinate determination and put a foot forward with more confidence than Riven had shown, although feigned. When her foot felt secure, she supported herself like Riven had and successfully planted both feet onto the ice. A few seconds passed of her just standing there, finding her balance, after which she looked to Evelynn with elation.
Then also crashed down to the ice a second later, her feet sliding out from under her off-balance posture.
"Pahahah!" Riven jaunted her student from her precarious position at the edge of the rink. "Who's laughing now, you bra-AAT!?"
Lifting a hand to chide Rell, her support vanished and she slid back down the wall onto the ice. The force of the fall had her slowly drift the few feet over to Rell's position like a human sized curling stone, her head nudging the teen's midriff.
Evelynn just watched the mess unfold silently, the pair now trying their best to stand with each other as support, only to soon meet the ice once again. Raising a hand to silently apologise to passing skaters who had to avoid the floundering duo - who were frankly more starstruck by Evelynn's presence - she skated forward and helped them to their feet one after the other and guided them to the wall.
"Not to worry." She attempted to reassure them both, despite the look of futility they shared. "You'll pick up the basics quickly. Just follow what I do. You'll be skating in no time."
"You look great, Evie!"
From the near centre of the rink, used by the more accomplished skaters, Evelynn sent her girlfriend a narrowed stare. She was evidently not approving of Riven's current position.
Leant against the wall of the rink, happily stood on the opposite side, booted feet contently planted on solid, frictional ground. Second was back in her possession, up on his hind legs and propped against the wall also, head cocked curiously watching people slide by constantly.
Riven rested her head in a hand and sent a wink back to the Diva, happily watching Evelynn's form effortlessly manoeuvre backwards across the ice with the posture of a figure skater. She had given up in her own attempts on the rink after the… - tenth? Twelfth? - …reacquaintance with the ice surface, much to Evelynn's disappointment. It just wasn't meant to be, Riven had figured.
The sound of a snapping shutter of a camera had her roll her eyes with a grunt and she reluctantly averted her sight from Evelynn to look back over her shoulder. A small gaggle of paparazzi had gathered during their time on the ice, assumedly thanks to alerts to their presence there from a member or two of the public that had recognised them. The gathered tabloid reporters were being kept at a distance by Zed's subordinates, while Zed himself was stood a step behind and to the side of Riven.
How did she know they were for tabloids..?
"Is it true you have a disfigurement!?"
"Why is it you refuse to show your body!?"
An unabated grunt of annoyance grumbled from Riven's throat and she only offered a middle finger to the cameras as an answer.
That was why.
A bump into the wall beside her an a following 'oof' stole her attention, Rell having awkwardly come to a stop with a slam. Unlike Riven, Rell had managed to successfully apply some Evelynn's teachings before being left to her own devices. She had since been carefully circling the circumference of the ring and slowly gaining confidence. Stopping was currently her prime weakness.
"They're still here?" She asked with surprise, looking over to the paparazzi while ruffling Second's head.
"Yup." Riven accentuated her displeasure by popping her lips exaggeratedly.
Rell glanced between Riven and the calling after her, having seen her flip them off. "Hey can I do that too?"
Riven scoffed at the question. "Why are you asking me for permission?"
"Good point." She shrugged and grinned rebelliously, raising both hands in the direction of the reporters, middle fingered primed. "Fuck you guys!"
The repeated flurry of questions faltered briefly at the sight of an unknown kid sending them the double bird, the persistent media men seeming almost confused. Following a rambunctious laugh that was cut short by her declining balance, her hands not currently clinging to the wall, Rell wobbled before replacing her grip on the side. Riven watched with amusement and the entire scene, fondness in her eyes at the teen's unruly personality, but it soon faded at her follow up question.
"What are those idiots on about anyway?" Rell inquired, curiosity clear. "Disfigurement?"
"Ah, well…" Riven right hand unconsciously came to fidget with her gloved left wrist. Her hesitance was clear. "…I've got… some scars. They're kind of ugly, so…"
A moment of quiet held between them following her disclosure, Riven avoiding eye contact. It felt weird, for lack of more specific word, to be telling Rell that sort of stuff. But, they were certainly growing close and it also felt right to at least make her aware of such instead if finding out some other way.
That being said, she should probably do the same for the rest of K/DA, like she had mentioned to Ahri and Kai'Sa earlier. Sivir already knew and was still the only person to have seen her stomach, thanks to that post-shower incident when they first moved in together.
And what was she even going to do about this whole-
"Huh, badass." Rell's blunt comment snapped Riven from her building thoughts.
Her head whipped back to regard the teen, eyes wide in surprise at Rell's choice of words. Then, she found herself laughing. After hearing something that was the complete opposite of what she had expected, that being some form of pity, she couldn't help herself. It was short, but her mind was lighter for it.
"Well, thanks, I guess." Riven lightly bopped a gloved fist down against Rell's nearest arm. "I'm not forgetting that you think I'm badass."
"Pssh, no, not you. The-" Rell gave up, rolling her eyes as she adjusted herself on the ice. "I'm gonna keep giving this a try. Catch you later."
With that, she half-slid/half-wobbled away to complete more circuits of the rink. Riven bid her off with a lazy wave, the same look returning along with a smile.
"She's mouthy. I don't like her."
The grisly voice of Zed caused Riven to jolt, having completely forgotten about his presence behind her. Or lack thereof. The bodyguard could easily have been an assassin in a past life…
Recovering, Riven shrugged. "She grows on you."
Only Evelynn's car was parked in one of the few empty bays outside the Black Rose Orphanage. Zed and his subordinates had been dismissed once they had left the city centre and returned to the K/DA garage. From there, Evelynn had retrieved her own car to use to return Rell.
Riven swung the car door shut behind her after letting Rell out of the rear seats, apologising to Second who had also attempted to follow the teen out. She returned the wink sent her way by Evelynn, who remained sat behind the seat. Like with how she had dismissed their escort, the Diva was enabling Riven to have a moment with Rell to herself, at the rocker's own request.
After mouthing that she'll be quick, Riven left her girlfriend to catch up with Rell. The teen was a few steps ahead, nearly hopping down the lit path that led through to the orphanage, the lights illuminating her messy golden hair and making her stand out even more in the darkening winter afternoon.
She was eagerly babbling about the movie they had just been to watch; the last item on the day's quickly thrown together itinerary. It had been the latest and final release in a series of blockbuster superhero films that Rell rarely ever had the chance to watch on the big screen, twice total before that moment. For both instances, she had proudly admitted to - unsurprisingly - sneaking out of the Black Rose to watch two of the many releases alone. Other than that, Rell had needed to wait until Layka brought in DVDs of each release that she had bought for her own son.
It was safe to say that Rell was on a total high since the movie had ended. From walking out of the cinema to that present moment she barely paused for breath in her excitedly going on about all the parts she had loved: character interactions, epic cinematic moments, funny scenes, everything.
As for Riven…
She chewed the inside of her cheek to restrain a chuckle at the visual memory of Rell's disappointed and pensive expression. '…I liked the parts where they beat each other up.' Riven's simple answer in response to Rell asking for her own thoughts on the film, the finale of a series Riven hadn't followed whatsoever.
'Uncultured', Rell had called her.
Well, at least it was better than the despairing groan Rell emitted after Evelynn had asked, for the third time, which of the characters was the bad guy.
The closer Rell came in proximity to the orphanage, though, her chatter waned and her steps became heavier, now trudging along. The slower pace enabled Riven to catch up with ease and pat her nearest shoulder gently.
"You alright there?"
Rell merely huffed at first, kicking a small stone along the slabbed pathway. "Today passed way too fast." With a jerk of her head she indicated to the redbrick building ahead of them. "Back already…"
"Time flies when you're having fun!" Riven quipped, opting to keep her mood light over the sympathy in the back of her mind.
"I guess that's why living here drags like a bitch." Rell shot back, stopping short of the entrance and scowling at the door, shoving her hands deep into the pockets of Riven's jacket. "God I hate it here so much."
Hand still in place, Riven squeezed Rell's shoulder. "It'll get better."
"Will it, though?" Rell instantly protested. "Now that Gabe's been adopted, there's no-one anywhere near my age anymore! I mean, Annie and the other kids like me - and I like them, too! - but…"
She hesitated, but certainly looked like she had more to say in what was quickly becoming a much needed rant. Wisely, Riven kept quiet until she was positive Rell was finished.
"…I feel like I'm only going to actually enjoy anything when I'm doing something with you and I don't know how often that'll be, y'know? And I know that I can be a handful and it's probably annoying and bothersome as hell for you to deal with but I want you to know that I'm really grateful for what you've done for me with the guitar stuff and today despite me being me because I don't want you to leave one day and never come ba-"
"Okay, okay. Slow down. Pause." Riven now decided to cut in. She circled to crouch down in front of the snowballing teen, hand still remaining steadfast and comforting on Rell's shoulder. "Deep breath, alright?"
Now that they were facing each other, Riven noticed the shimmering in Rell's eyes and, as she breathed in as instructed, the shakiness on the intake pulled at her heart. The sight was such a stark contrast from Rell's usual bravado. She had obviously been bottling all of that up since the start of the day and once she had started she'd not been able to stop, her vulnerability and fear now out in the open.
"Listen." Riven adjusted herself to better look up into Rell's glossy, amber orbs. "Have I ever said you're a bother to me? No, I haven't!" She saw Rell's lips purse and continued, her tone gentle and reassuring. "Sure, you can be a brat sometimes, and stubborn as all hell, but what kind of person would I be to ditch you over that?"
Scoffing, Rell looked away dejectedly. "The rest of them."
Riven's eyes softened at her answer. Years of being tossed from household to household, to eventually never being fostered to one again, had certainly left Rell jaded and closed off towards the people that had been, or still are, a part of her life. Not to mention creating some clear insecurities. That being said, though…
"Well, i'm not. Never will be." Riven sighed. Her free hand scratched at her scarred cheekbone while she contemplated her words. "When we first met, you were so stubborn that Sivir and I had to trick you into telling us where you were from." She watched Rell grimace, recalling her attitude towards Riven that day. "Now though? What we talked about earlier? I know that was a big deal for you, from experience. And just then, letting out what you've been worrying about to me. Do you know how happy it makes me to know that you trust me enough to talk to me about what you have today?" Riven smiled earnestly. "I'm really happy, Rell. And if that's my reward for dealing with a bit of attitude? I'm not going anywhere."
Rell's lower lip quivered once before she bit down to hide it and she crossed her arms awkwardly - defensively, as if to contain herself. "WeL-" She hurriedly cleared her throat to hide the wobble in her voice, looking over Riven's head to focus on anything but her. "Well, you aren't that bad for an adult, so…"
Riven's hand left Rell's shoulder and opened it out. The teen recognised the invitation and, after a moment of meek deliberation, she wrapped riven in a tight hug for the second time that day. Riven held her tightly with that one arm, her other hand on the floor, stabilising her crouched position following the impact of Rell's embrace. She leaned her head into the mussed, dyed blonde tresses.
"I'm glad I met you."
A sharp exhale of air was all Riven received in return at first, until Rell eventually spoke up. "I'm glad I ran away to get your autograph. Sorry I was such a brat."
"'Was'?"
"…Fine… 'Am'."
Riven laughed, releasing Rell from the hug and standing straight and nodding towards the door. "See you soon?"
"See you soon." Rell nodded, letting out one last shaky breath before walking past. She then paused, spinning and fiddling at the zipper of the jacket she was still wearing. "Oh, sorry. Lemme jus-"
"Hold onto it." Riven cut her off, waving her away. "I don't wear it that much anymore anyway."
"So you're just giving me your hand-me-downs? Wow."
"Hey."
Rell snorted and promptly apologised, clutching tightly to the front of the jacket despite her jests. "Thanks. See ya."
With that, she swung open the wooden door to the building, the announcement of her return to Layka being the last thing Riven heard before it closed behind her. Turning on her heel, she returned to the car, but found her hand lingering on the handle as she looked back to the Black Rose. Once again, a hand rose to itch her cheek unconsciously.
"Planning on getting in?"
Evelynn's voice pulled her from her thoughts. She spun to see the Diva now also out of the car, arms leaning on the roof with her chin rested on top. There was a indiscernible glint in her eyes. When did Evelynn leave the car? Had she been stood there a while?
"Ah, sorry." Riven said simply, opening the passenger side door and obliging with Evelynn's request.
"She's a nice girl." Evelynn remarked, now back behind the wheel.
The comment earned a raise of Riven's brows; a huge compliment when spoken from the popstar's mouth. It warmed Riven to hear her approval.
"And a much better skater." She added with brutal criticism.
"H-Hey…" Riven could only weakly protest to the truthful statement.
The signature smirk crossed Evelynn's lips as she started the engine and began the drive back to Riven's apartment. Riven spent most of it in a peaceful silence, watching the dusk-lit city fly past her window. In her head, she replayed the conversations she'd shared with Rell that day, a smile holding while she lingered on the teen's enthusiastic hug.
"Penny for your thoughts, Honey?"
Turning her head round to her girlfriend, she saw Evelynn's gaze flit between herself and the road. It was clear she was at least a little curious about what had been said between them. They would have been in her line of vision, after all. Her thoughts, however, recalled what she and Rell shared earlier that day by the rink, along with Evelynn's brief mention of her past, and Riven's own curiosity grew.
"Evie, when did you know you didn't just like guys?" She asked, taking the chance to learn more about her girlfriend.
The apparent randomness of the question caused Evelynn to blink in surprise, but she didn't seem off-put. Instead she seemed to ponder for a moment before answering. "Do you want the honest truth?"
"Um, sure?"
"I went clubbing on my twentieth." Evelynn began matter-of-factly. "I was with Elise. Just Elise. We'd recently met at a gala and had gotten along swimmingly. I drank a lot. Woke up next to her in the morning."
Riven's eyes boggled. "O-Oh. And… how did you deal with that..?"
Evelynn shrugged nonchalantly. "Morning sex."
The cogs in Riven's head whirred as she processed Evelynn's casually given disclosure. The lackadaisical attitude towards such a matter just seeming typical of her. That was Evelynn in a nutshell.
"…Oh."
I hope this chapter was enjoyable. I had a lot of fun writing some parts of this upload.
Only two more chapters to go of this 'arc', then we'll nearly be into the home stretch!. Not to say it won't still be a ways off, considering I don't know how long the final arc of this story will be ;D
Thanks for reading, and thanks to those that review, I love reading them so much!