Unstable Matters Chapter 8: Playing the Fool (Part 1)

To Zac, and any miscreants he feels fit to share this with,

I know there are many questions you would like to ask me about why I have chosen you for this assignment. The answer to those questions will reveal themselves in time. Whether you will be ready for them, however, is a matter of your own fortitude in the face of certain adversity.

I make no apologies for throwing you into something that will reveal itself to be bigger than you had first imagined. Just as I decided to use you, you decided to take the risk of stepping forward and entering the world you have been sheltered from. If you do not hold it against me for providing you with the incentive to be assertive, then you will surely grow into the role of the hero you imagine yourself to be.

With that having been said, I will cut to the chase.

I have been told that the Order of the Shadows is in possession of a historic artifact that predates the Institute of War's founding. I have also been told that this artifact is something of incredible power, despite the fact that it is assuredly neither a weapon or something related to the arcane arts.

How they have acquired something of such value is irrelevant. What matters is that Zed, the current master of the Order of the Shadows, has agreed to trade the artifact to me in return for modern weapons, and training for his followers on how to use them. The ship you will be boarding, the Garuda, is carrying the weapons and supplies that will be traded to the Order of the Shadows in return for the artifact. All other factors in this trade (for example, the approval of the Ionian Council of Elders) are irrelevant to me. All that matters is that the artifact is brought back to Noxus in tact.

Undoubtedly there are many factors that might try to impede this simple trade from being completed. How you deal with them will be left to your discretion. Keep in mind that Katarina has her own predictable ways of dealing with problems.

Do not fear. Do not hesitate. Do not dawdle.

All that matters is that this artifact is brought back to me.

Signed,

Jericho Swain, High Command Grand General and Supreme Leader of Noxus.

March 31st, 2014 CLE

"Wow…"

Zac watched Ahri's eyes flutter in a slow draw, an attesting tribute to the flood of thoughts that were probably swimming around in her noggin. His own lack of eyelids (or pupils for that matter) had been the only reason he hadn't had such a vacant look on his face from reading the letter too.

The same letter addressed to him from Swain, now in Ahri's hands, had been more forthcoming than he had expected. Still, it was all very confusing to him. There were many strange things taking place around him every day, but in spite of it all, he had been mostly spared from the controlled chaos that the Institute of War managed every day. That had all ended swiftly and suddenly without mercy, after his own conscious had volunteered him for something he could only pray he was ready for.

He was now walking straight on into a world where people held their brutal, unlocked, and inexorable hatreds of each other like some pampered treasure. A treasure passed down from generation to generation, and nurtured in ways that only human civilizations were capable of.

By the look LeBlanc had been giving him, she would have destroyed him if she could. The entire time her eyes had been glaring at him with an unforgiving expression. Those same eyes and their hard indicative surface, that glowed with the life of malignantly inextinguishable coals. He had tried his best to ignore her that entire time, perhaps out of a stronger fear of Jericho Swain, who had been a patient host by all accords. He was unaware of any qualms LeBlanc might have had with him, yet, by her loveless face that had been stone set into mean lines of barely controlled hostility, he knew that she could not have hated him more.

It was clear something had happened over the night between his earlier fight on Summoner's Rift and the meeting with Swain. Something that he couldn't help but fear was a foreboding sign of how many different powers had an active interest in deciding his fate once he stepped outside of the Institute. Maybe LeBlanc had wanted to oversee the deal in place of Katarina? Then why so much hostility toward him?

The more answers he got, the less things made sense.

"Zac. Listen to me."

"This is important," said Riven, with an insistence that made him instinctively trust her. There was a commanding respect in her voice that made everything else on his mind die the moment she spoke. Even the fact that they were all crowded around a single table (part of an outdoor cafe Ahri had dragged them to) took a step back to what Riven was about to say.

"We need to be on the same page here, do you understand me? I need to know what I missed earlier this morning. Has anyone from any other city-state tried to contact you before this? Have you talked to anyone else?"

"I went over to the Ionian quarter before I met up with you this morning," Zac recalled, stopping to think about what had happened earlier in the day. Out of the corner of his eyes, he snuck a jealous glance at the caramel and whipped cream fruit parfait Ahri had ordered for herself.

"Why did you go there? Were there any other Champions there too?"

"I went and I talked with Lee Sin," Zac explained, not sure of the look Riven was now giving him. It didn't occur to him that it might have been because her fears about their lives were drawing attention equal to a very delicious looking dessert. "I wanted some advice… And I wanted to try and see how they would react to me being there before this whole thing was going to start."

He had half expected Riven to yell at him for doing something foolish, but when she did not, he patted himself on the back mentally for maybe doing the right thing. It then crossed his mind that maybe she had gone and done the exact same thing at some point and time before he had become a Champion for the League.

"What did you talk about? What did he say?"

"He just…" Zac recalled the words of the Blind Monk, and wondered if their understanding of each other had been mutual. "He told me to follow my heart. I know it sounds like metaphorical and philosophical mumbo jumbo, but I think he meant it."

To his surprise for the second time, Riven simply nodded with a sympathetic understanding.

"Was there anyone else?"

"Karma and Irelia were there too, but I left before they could talk to me. I know they wanted to speak with me too," Zac said, frowning at the thought of what would have probably been more trouble than he wanted to deal with. "Oh, and Blitzcrank and Orianna were there too. I'm not really sure why, though."

"Blitzcrank and Orianna?"

"Yeah. Something about trying to learn more about what it means to be human. I guess spiritual enlightenment isn't something we've learned to program on hextech powered drives yet, huh."

"Think hard, Zac. Was there anyone else? Maybe from yesterday too?"

"I…" Zac began, but hesitated as he started to realize the implications of what had already happened. "I remember talking to Luxanna yesterday. She was warning me about what was going to happen today."

"What did you tell her? No, try to remember first, what did she tell you?"

"She told me that Katarina would come later in the day to talk to me about this," Zac said, taking the letter from Ahri and sliding it over to Riven with the wording down on the surface. "I remember it because she was supposed to be spying on me, but after talking to me, she went and played hookey to go on a date with Ezreal instead."

A piggish snort escaped from Ahri's lips, before she began banging her hand down on the table to suppress some girlish giggles. Riven groaned, rubbing her temples and laying her elbows down on the table being shared by all of them. Between them both, Zac fidgeted nervously unsure if he had said something damning.

"Zac… Sometimes," Riven started, only to stop herself with an exasperated shake of her head.

"What? Was it something I said?"

"No. It's nothing at all," Ahri said, stroking his arm soothingly after she had collected herself. "You're perfectly fine the way you are. You shouldn't change for anyone unless you're happy with it too."

"Really?"

"Really," Ahri said with a confidence of someone who knew. "Unless it's me or Riven saying so. Then you have to do what we tell you."

"Oh, of course," Zac muttered, finding himself mirroring the deep sulking frowns he was getting to know Riven for. "I really should have seen that coming."

"Let's hold up on the conspiracies for a little," Ahri continued, ignoring the Secret Weapon's usual utterances. "Riven, what are you going to do?"

"...Do what?" the Exile asked with a notable hesitancy, not sure what she was being lead into. Like an older sibling who was determined to have her way, Ahri took another bite of her parfait before pointing the spoon Riven's way.

"We should bring you to a clinic to get that nasty gash cleaned up."

"It's fine," Riven said, gently touching the bandage that had been taped to the side of her face from events earlier. For some reason, Ahri had been carrying around the supplies needed for some basic first aid to her injury. An odd fact that hadn't slipped by the Exile. By now the wounds had closed, leaving behind a dull throbbing that was all too familiar from times gone by.

"It doesn't look fine. Don't you want to get it treated before tomorrow?"

"Leave it be, Ahri," Riven commanded, making it clear that her body wasn't something up for debate. But that was only the beginning of the endless barrage of inquiries in store for her.

"Then what about your things? Clothes? Supplies? Weapons? Don't tell me you're going to go back on your first mission for Noxus in those rags you wandered Valoran in."

"I happen to like those rags, thank you very much," Riven bit back, remembering that she was still dressed in the same dynasty clothes Ahri had picked out for her earlier in the day. At least she had managed to weasel out of being a test dummy for the fox's arsenal of makeup and cosmetics. "Why do you care, anyway? Just because you're coming with us, doesn't mean I trust you."

"Riven, you wound me," Ahri placed a hand over her heart, and her other over her forehead swooning in mock pain. "So cold! So hostile! And after all I've done for you too."

"You're a soul-sucking parasite," Riven said, snapping back with all of the bluntness expected of a Noxian. "Everything is just a game to you. Why do you even care about any of this at all? Don't you hate Irelia and Karma for being on your back all of the time? Why are you doing something they would hold against you?"

Zac watched all of the playful facade slowly drain from Ahri's face, replaced by a cool and calculating glare that signified that she did not have something clever to say back for once. Something in his head was telling him to back away from the mounting confrontation, but he knew that it involved him as much as it did the two powerful women at his sides.

"I have my reasons, as I'm sure you know," Ahri confessed after a little, taking another bite of her treat as she did.

"Déjà vu," Zac mouthed, looking at Riven purposefully. If either of them had heard him, they made no signs of it.

"I'm a little surprised. For once it seems like someone has done their homework."

"You're not some deep mystery," Riven said, still determined to try and cut through Ahri's own veils with her sharpened words. "You're not some wandering soul looking to walk down the path of enlightenment. Forget all that bullshit Ionians spew about balance, because I don't care how much the Institute claims you're evolving. Humans have their morals which they throw away when it's convenient. If you're claiming to be human, why would you be any different?"

"I guess trust isn't something you picked up while wandering around the world, huh?"

"You're the one who has no place here. We both want answers," Riven demanded, and Zac found himself agreeing despite being spoken for without his consent. "What's your angle here? What do you get out of all of this? Do you really think we're stupid enough to believe that you want to get a free tour of the world?"

"Hmph. You want us to spill our guts about each others life stories here?" Ahri asked, gesturing to the countless people passing them by while taking another bite out of her parfait. Scooping out a slice of strawberry, she picked it up off of her spoon delicately with her lips. Wrapping her tongue around it in a slow and deliberate manner, she brought her teeth down and severed the fruit slice in two. "Listen to yourself. You're wound up tighter than—"

"You're afraid of something too, aren't you?"

Again, the insight of the Exile to cut through facades amazed Zac. Where Riven had gleamed her powers of perception, he didn't know, and probably would never. But her simple question and accusation hybrid found its mark, causing Ahri to choke on the slice of fruit she had almost swallowed. Struggling to contain her coughing fit, Zac handed Ahri his glass of water on the table which was downed quickly.

"You're not like him," Riven continued, not satisfied with the reaction she had gotten. Zac frowned a bit, realizing that she was talking about him now. "He's afraid because he's green to the world. He knows what he's getting into, but he's working up the courage to take that first step anyway. But you? What are you running from? Why are you running away from the one place in the world where you get all of the love and attention you've always wanted?"

"Don't play psycho-analyst with me," Ahri growled back, between raspy and shallow coughs. She cleared her throat loudly, wiping her mouth with the back of her wrist messily. "We all have our secrets, don't we? Why can't you just let mine lie?"

"It doesn't work like that. If you want in, then you have to give us a reason why."

"..."

"..."

"..."

Caught in the middle of an unstoppable forcing pushing against an immovable object. Zac silently prayed to whatever gods that would listen that this wouldn't be a regular occurrence, as Ahri and Riven were as different from each other as characteristically possible. It was an achy reminder that he lacked the backbone to assert himself, in more ways than one. The last thing he wanted was to have to choose between them.

The points Riven had brought up had been true, in a lot of ways he hadn't been comfortable outright saying. There were a lot of questions he had when it came to Ahri's behavior, most of which he had chalked up to the inherent nature of the soul-sucking gumiho. He had realized a while ago that she was using him for her own reasons. She wasn't the first, and wouldn't be the last. Maybe he had been something that caught her eye, and out of sheer curiosity, she had stuck around to get to satisfy that same curiosity. At least before the master plan of the master tactician had been revealed.

There didn't seem to be any malicious intent behind it. Or at least Ahri was doing a very good job of hiding her true intentions, as was entirely possible given her impressive history. Was there something much more sinister being plotted in the depths of every night? What were the things an evolving enigma of her caliber feared?

"Look, Ahri," Zac began, feeling as if it was his responsibility to break the stalemate in front of him. The look she gave him made him regret trying to talk to her first.

"I know, I know!" Ahri shouted at him, not in anger but a more general frustration. "Even if Riven's being a complete bitch about it, she's right. I owe you both an explanation."

Running a hand through her own hair and pushing her bangs aside, she then consciously looked around where they were all sitting together. It was the same look she had worn when she had revealed her apprenticeship with LeBlanc to him only a day ago. Again, Zac was reminded of his own inability to keep a low profile in plain sight. Maybe it was impossible for someone like himself, but he could ask for tips and pointers about such things later from those who knew better.

"I'm worried about Syndra," Ahri began, stopping for a second again to look around and consider her own thoughts. Zac and Riven both waited patiently, giving her the time needed to organize her case to them. "It's about her relationship with Zed. That stupid girl doesn't know what she's getting into."

"I don't think she needs anyone's help," Zac remarked, he and Riven exchanging looks from finding the image hard to believe. "Are we talking about the same person? The woman who's always going on about 'power this' and—"

"Zac, shut up."

Zac could have sworn his own mouth made a wet slapping sound from the speed of it shutting closed. Those three words had been said with such a bitter bite that it had completely winded him of any other thoughts. He was vividly reminded of the piercing stare LeBlanc had been giving him earlier, with how Ahri's eyes were now stabbing into him. Maybe the nine-tailed fox had picked up more from her studies than even she knew.

"Don't talk like you know her. She's not this dark tyrant with some twisted intent to rule Ionia with her terrible and god-like powers," Ahri continued, the audible frustration in her voice rising. "She's just a little girl, running around like an idiot, doing what she thinks adults do when you have powers like she does."

Zac opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again. That was something he hadn't thought about. He didn't know much of anything when it came to the self-titled Dark Sovereign, but from what he could remember there had always been something off about the silver-haired mage. Strange fashion sense aside, there was always a dramatic flare Syndra seemed to have when doing everything. Thinking about it, there were more than a few Champions like that, but when it came to characters who were laying their personality on a little thick, Syndra could certainly take the cake. If what Ahri was saying was right, was everything about the Dark Sovereign just the naive fantasies of a little girl that wanted to be treated as an adult?

"I don't even know when it happened," Ahri huffed, continuing still. "But something tells me that she's completely fallen in love with Zed. I mean, what the hell!? Doesn't she know how dangerous he is!? She's probably acting like a stupid puppy chasing after his shadow!"

"Wait, wait, wait. Okay. Let me get this straight," Zac felt forced to ask, but waited for a few seconds to ensure that Ahri's tirade was finished. "You're telling me that you want to come with us, because you're worried about Syndra? And that you're worried because Syndra is in a secret relationship with...Zed?"

"I wish it were that easy," Ahri bemoaned, pulling at her own two ears in frustration. "I'm sure you know that there's political tension over this...this...thing we're supposed to be getting and giving to Swain. You know how Zed is one of the most popular Champions in the entire League, right? I've heard stories that he's using a lot of his influence and wealth to fix the damage to Ionia sustained from the war. This thing was probably given to Zed as a show of respect toward how the Order of the Shadows has done a lot for Ionia, despite their differences in beliefs. The Council of Elders didn't used to have any power to do anything, but if they've kept the rank and file of the Ionian army from the war..."

I guess that explains the look in her eyes from before, Zac silently thought to himself, remembering the awe-like haze Ahri had been in ever since reading Swain's letter.

"The Ionian army," Riven said, in a way that Zac knew meant she was thinking about the memories her past. "I'm surprised they didn't disband it after the war ended. I guess someone likes the idea of having a lot of muscle on call, instead of a bunch of volunteers from different schools."

"That explains where Irelia has been these last months," Zac commented, unable to think of anything else he could contribute that wouldn't get him yelled at. "But how could they justify using so much force against one person?"

"Remember; Syndra is considered a rogue mage and a dangerous criminal by Ionian laws," Riven explained to him. "Zed is too famous for them to fight directly, but if they spin it that he's purposefully harboring a dangerous fugitive, they could use their hunt for Syndra as an excuse to cover up their attempts at stealing back the mystery artifact."

"And if Zed is only pretending to love Syndra, he could use her as a bargaining chip to make sure his deal goes through. But if their love is mutual," Zac said, starting to put together the horribly complex puzzle in front of him. "Then Zed has no intention of bowing to any pressure to hand over Syndra. If the Ionian army is actually used against him, it will lead to the civil war Swain was talking about."

"This whole deal could have struck because Zed senses what the Council of Elders have planned for him," Riven said, reaching out and clutching the letter Swain had written. "These weapons on this ship aren't for Zed's followers to finish off the Kinkou. They're for defending themselves against the numbers of the Ionian army."

"I never thought she would be a Champion the League. When she showed up out of the blue, it was just…" Ahri wistfully sighed, eyes glossing over at the memories. In her mind, it was terribly surprising how that same girl who had been unable to even read and write to a degree had grown into such a powerful being. "That first day, when I went up to her and asked if she remembered me… She had changed, but I could tell that she was still a little girl pretending to be an adult. Maybe I was hoping that fighting in the League of Legends would keep her out of trouble. Or teach her some common sense about how complicated the world is. Maybe I should have known she would be dragged back into the politics of Ionia…"

"So your fame inspired her to come here, and now you feel responsible for her," Riven said, in a tone that seemed to hint that she felt Ahri was on the receiving end of some long due moral reckoning. Zac would have asked how she knew, if it weren't for Ahri's own pose of sitting hunched over the table with her fists pressed down against her legs. The nine-tailed fox looked absolutely grief stricken; a complete shift in mood from only a few minutes ago.

"You're right. She came here because she heard about me," Ahri bemoaned regretfully. "I had completely forgotten about her until she just showed up a year later. And of course she brought all of her problems from the past with her."

"So Syndra is here because of you," Riven mumbled wistfully, looking down at Ahri in a way that just seemed outright disdainful. "She's a favorite for a lot Summoners. I wonder what the other Ionian Champions would think, after learning that she's your creation."

"Blackmail is a little low for you, don't you think?" Ahri said back coldly, understanding Riven's unsubtle message.

"Who ever said anything about that?" Riven waved Ahri off, mimicking the playful and syrupy tones the nine-tailed fox sometimes used. "I just think that it would be fitting that you would be done in by someone inspired by your selfish behavior."

"Hmph. Well, that's my story," Ahri finished, throwing her arms up in the air in surrender. "You can believe me or not, you know. But either way, now that I know what's going on, I'm going back to Ionia to try and stop this whole mess. I can either come with you, or we'll see each other there."

"Yeah, I see what you mean." Zac let out a loud sigh of resignation, mimicking Ahri's own pose. He then looked over to Riven on his right, who seemed to be giving him a stern glower for sympathizing with a story that maybe didn't have a single grain of truth to it. He just shook his head at her in return, signifying that while she was right, his mind was already made up.

"Riven, do you know the layout of the Ionian islands?"

The Exile shot him a look that meant she knew exactly where he leading her with his question. It wasn't a happy one. Not caring, he decided to press on.

"...No."

"Well, I don't either. Do you think any of the Ionian Champions will give us a tour if we're traveling with Katarina?"

"No."

"Do you think Syndra would listen to either of us if we told her to stay out of our way?"

Riven didn't bother to vocalize her answer for the last question. But again, he didn't care.

"Then I guess she's coming with us." Zac nodded Ahri's way, who gave him a silent smile in thanks. He could hear Riven grumbling something under her breath, but decided to ignore it.

Rolling his neck back and looking up to the sky, he couldn't be entirely sure, but it seemed like time was still passing by steadily. All around them people were still going about their business, oblivious to the political machinations being discussed right in front of them. Undoubtedly someone or some group from the Institute was keeping tabs on them, but if they had any stake in what was being discussed, they weren't eager to make it known.

Watching the clouds go by, his thoughts drifted back to what Ahri had said earlier; even if the Institute was such a negative and stagnant place to live in, there was something to be said that the three of them could sit at a single table together and not attract unwanted attention. Being able to find little bits of normalcy when you couldn't expect any was something too easily taken for granted. What would he be giving up in leaving the Institute for the real world? Or maybe the question was how much?

"Well now that that's decided," Zac began, blinking as he focused back on the world that shared the ground underneath his feet. "So, uh, what now?"

"You tell me, commander," Riven said in mocking tones, still a bit irate from having his decision override her own so easily. "You're the one they hired. We're just here for the ride."

"Oh, don't be like that Riven," Ahri said, grinning from ear to ear as she did. "Don't pout because he likes me more than you. It's your own fault for being so hostile all of the time."

"As if I care about that!" Riven snapped back angrily, almost jumping out of her seat as she did. Making an effort to keep her cool, she settled for crossing her arms over her chest and leaning back in her seat sulkily. "I wish you two would take this more seriously. Both of you make me feel like I'm babysitting two children."

"If I'm a child, then you're the moody teenage rebel," Ahri remarked back, still smirking smugly out of the unexpected rise she had gotten. She could practically visualize the steam coming out of Riven's ears. "Does that make Zac our father?"

"I don't even want to know who your mother is," Zac said with a laugh. "The only person I can think of would be...Morgana?"

"Morgana!?" Ahri asked aghast, shocked at the idea. The dark angel was one of the last females in the League she could imagine being motherly to anything. "What on Runeterra makes you say that!?"

"...You know, I don't know," Zac said, suddenly finding that the reasoning for his answer had disappeared. "I really don't. I just… Uh… Huh… Well that was weird."

"I had some of that nasty tea she serves people," Ahri recalled, sticking her tongue out at the thought of the smelly brew she had hesitantly accepted. "I can't believe I let her pressure me into drinking that stuff. It gave me nightmares for a week after."

"Nightmares? Wow, I hope that doesn't happen to me," Zac said, cringing at the thought.

"What? Did she give some to you too?"

"Yeah, actually," Zac recalled, thinking back to the rush of events that had transpired in only a single day's time. Everything from a cancelled fight on Summoner's Rift, to fighting again on the Howling Abyss, to then being solicited by Katarina and later hired by Swain. That small trip to Sinful Succulence seemed insignificant by comparison, and yet, it felt as if there was something he was forgetting…

"Wait, that's right!"

"What? What is it!?" Riven said with concern, noticing how Zac's face had changed like he had remembered something critical.

"Vi and Caitlyn! When you ditched me outside of the Institute, it was Vi that handed me that weird note to go see Morgana."

"Oh, er..." Ahri coughed a little from remembering the events prior, and she shifted in her seat awkwardly. "No hard feelings, right? Ah, hehe..."

"She told me to go get 'the baker's special' or something. I didn't get to ask for it, but I think they were talking about that weird tea Morgana served you too. She knew I was coming, and had it ready for me when I walked in!"

"That doesn't make any sense," Riven said quietly. "Piltover's Champions don't have any connections with Morgana. Why would Vi tell you to go there and get something suspicious like that? How have you been feeling?"

"I haven't had any nightmares, if that's any indication," Zac said, looking down at himself. He then turned to Ahri, "So why did you drink that stuff? I just kind of...just...went along with it when she offered it to me."

"Me? I, uh," Ahri stammered, seemingly caught off guard by the simple question. "She told me that it was good for my health. You know, my beautiful complexion and...and… Well, I guess I just believed her too. She's always been knowledgeable in so many other things. At least when I got to meet her when I was studying with LeBlanc."

"Right…" Zac said, taking note of her hesitancy but deciding to shelve it for another time. "Speaking of LeBlanc, I never really got to ask. What's it like learning from her? Do you think that she's going to try anything against Katarina? Something we would need to watch out for?"

"Her? Probably," Ahri scoffed loudly, rolling her eyes as she did. "You wouldn't believe how crazy she can be sometimes. Sometimes she's this cool and collected master, like you would expect out of the leader of some shadowy organization of magic users. But other days she's fuming and ranting about Swain to herself, like some crazy teenage girl who thinks her boyfriend is cheating on her. I can't pin her down, to be honest."

"Something's always told me she isn't quite there," Zac remarked with a smirk, before dropping it when he remembered that the leader of the Black Rose could be one of the unseen forces subtly spying on them by some unknown power. "Maybe she's divided her brain one too many times with her mirror image."

"Hehehe, you said it! She's such a drama queen about everything. I can't believe an old bag like her is as strong as she is."

"That doesn't sound good, though," Riven said, in a way that seemed to hold a foreboding reverence for the person in question. "Someone like LeBlanc won't be content sitting on the sidelines, if she can improve the Black Rose's image at the expense of the Noxian military nobility."

"There's a lot of bad blood between them, isn't there?" Ahri asked, reaching back over for her dessert that she had pushed aside.

"It's more than that. The fight between the military clique and the magic practitioners of Noxus goes back...centuries," Riven explained, scratching her head as she did. "I don't know a lot about it, actually."

"Ooh? I guess someone didn't pay attention in officer school. Didn't they teach you anything other than how to swing a sword?" Ahri teased, pushing the spooner in her mouth back and forth as she did.

"I didn't join the Noxian army as an officer. I worked my way up from the bottom, just replacing my superiors as they were killed. Before I knew it, I was getting orders to pass down that I couldn't read because my schooling only covered the basics of writing." Riven answered with a face that seemed to want to laugh, but slowly changed into a frown as time went on. "And before you ask; no, I don't want to talk about it."

"Spoilsport," Ahri said, sticking her tongue out at her. "Don't tease us and just leave us hanging like that. Someday we're gonna' get to know you better, whether you like it or not."

"Not happening, so good luck with that," Riven said, in a way that made it clear anything further about herself was not going to be answered that day.

"Sigh. Well, what now then? Are we forgetting about anything?" Ahri said, looking back between Riven and Zac. "You two seem to have the answers to everything, right?"

"There's no accounting for the unaccountable," Zac said, shrugging as he did. "Unless the island of Ionia sinks this afternoon, or a giant asteroid comes down from space and destroyed the planet, I think we'll be getting on that ship tomorrow."

"And I meant what I said before though, Riven. You are not going on an epic adventure around the world dressed like you fell out of a dumpster outside of an armor shop."

"Alright, alright, fine! But I'm not letting dress me up like a doll either," Riven said, painfully aware of how much pink there was between the knee socks and matching skirt of the hanbok Ahri had forced her to wear. "The only thing I want to wear is a good set of armor. Which is something you don't have in your wardrobe."

"In that case, may I make a suggestion?"

On its own, the fourth unoccupied chair at the square table pulled itself out. All three Champions watched as the air around the seat shimmered with a glistening sparkle, like the rays of the sun were being folded and bent around it. To Zac, it was like staring at the reflecting surface of a mirror that had been applied to the surface of a garment. Something like a cloak, or large poncho with a hood that could cover an entire person's body. There were tiny imperfections, minor distortions from the folds of the fabric that could be seen up close, but they would be impossible to see in the evening or dead of night.

But suddenly, like a magician revealing themselves in front of their audience, the wearer of said garment blew the invisibility shroud into the air, letting it float gently back down to earth and into her hands. Sitting pleasantly and casually crossing her legs comfortably, Luxanna Crownguard beamed a bright smile to them all, still dressed in the same blue sorceress getup that she had been wearing a day ago.

"...Do you really wear that costume when you spy on people?" Zac felt the need to ask, the eccentric blue costume being one of the furthest things he could imagine as stealthy.

"I could go an ask Poppy to whip you something up for tomorrow," Luxanna continued to Riven, ignoring Zac's question and the looks she was getting from people passing by her little performance. "She really does live up to her reputation. I bet she could forge you something that would feel like you've owned it your entire life."

"...Crownguard," Riven said flatly, unamused by the small show of magic put on by the young light mage. "What do you want?"

"Really? How cold!" Luxanna pretended to shiver, leaning back in her seat and away from Riven. "We've been friends for years, and this is how you treat me? I heard about you getting attacked outside of the Noxian quarter, and I wanted to see if you were alright."

"Friends don't spy on each other for political purposes. Your concern is touching, but I doubt that's the only reason. You're a spy; one of Demacia's best, even. I know that Zac traded those documents to you in return for information, so what is it you want from us now?"

"Well, I'm also here because I thought I could help you with your mutual problem," Luxanna explained, pointing to Zac as she did. "You want to learn about how Katarina fights, right? Well, I happen to know someone who can help you with that. And before you ask, it's not my brother. He may be an officer in the Dauntless Vanguard, but you're better off asking Shyvana to teach you about transforming into a dragon than getting sword lessons from him."

"Hey, wait a minute," Zac interrupted. "No offense, but I've come to learn that nothing is free from anyone around here. I already gave you those documents I got, so what do you want in return now?"

"Tsk, tsk! Some things are more important than the normal petty grievances we have with each other, Zac." Luxanna waggled a finger at him disapprovingly, her tone of voice shifting to an intensity of someone driven by a cause they felt was greater than themselves. "I'll have you know that the Crown is personally investing a lot of men into trying to unravel the mystery of what Swain is after with this deal. Since you're all on good terms with us, it's only right that we do what we can to make sure you're prepared for anything that could happen out in the world."

Zac nodded at her words, taking note that letter Swain had written to him had disappeared from the table. He hoped that either Ahri or Riven had been a step ahead of him, and two ahead of Luxanna in that regard.

"Well if you're offering, then I guess I have no reason to refuse," Zac said, noting that lack of protest from Riven was inclining him to going along with whatever Luxanna would have in store for them. "So what do you have in mind?"

"It just so happens that a certain Grand Duelist in our Quarter has a lot of time on her hands," Luxanna explained, with the tiniest hint of impish mischief apparent in her words. "I thought we could put her skills to good use, since she considers Katarina one of her arch-rivals in the League."

"It sounds like to me… That you haven't asked her yet?" Riven asked, some doubt clear in her voice. Luxanna gave her an apathetic shrug, as if to brush away any concerns.

"She's not as busy as you might think. Of course she oversees the weapons training for a lot of amateur Summoners, but between you and me, she just likes barking orders to cute guys in tight training suits."

"Oh, of course. I should have known," Zac said, chuckling lightly with Ahri who was laughing too. Luxanna beamed a bright smile, before getting out of her seat and motioning for them to follow her.

"Well, shall we get going then?"

"Sure. Lead on," Zac said, gesturing for Luxanna to guide them to their destination.

Waiting for Zac and Riven to get up from their seats, Ahri stood up slowly to make sure that she wouldn't knock her own seat over from all of her tails rising with her at once. Stopping to take a self-conscious glance around, she was mildly surprised that they hadn't drawn a gawking crowd of spectators from the Institute's city, all eager to see League Champions up close. There was no privacy or personal time to be found outside of the Institute's walls, all because of the fame and notoriety that came with Champion status. It was the polar opposite of how she had lived her semi-feral life in Ionia, before seeking out the Institute. Even if she never let onto it, her feelings were stilled mixed about being popular with many Summoners of different city-states.

Walking behind Luxanna but ahead of Zac and Riven, Ahri let her thoughts guide her as she followed behind their newest arrival. It wasn't long before she felt a hand tug on the long sleeves of her hanbok.

"I need you to distract Lux."

Turning to her right side, Riven had quickened her pace to whisper her request without Luxanna noticing. Ahri raised an eyebrow in amusement; a wordless way of wanting to know why, all the while staying silent to make sure that her request wouldn't be compromised. Riven frowned, afraid of saying more that might be caught, and not sure of what else to say in general to convince her.

"Just do it. I'll owe you if you do."

Maybe that had been a little too much offered for something relatively simple, but Riven didn't have the time to be particular. Satisfied with her offering, she watched Ahri walk ahead in a quickened pace, so that she was now walking shoulder to shoulder with Luxanna.

"Soooo, tell me! What's it like to date a famous explorer and adventurer?"

"W-what!? Who—!?" Luxanna spluttered, nearly tripped over her own two feet as she did. "Who told you that!?" she demanded in a sharp whisper, much quieter than her initial outburst.

"Don't play dumb, girl. I've seen how you look at him when you're supporting him from behind."

With the distraction working in full force, Riven grabbed onto Zac's arm and motioned for him to lean over so she could try and talk to him without Luxanna hearing. He bent himself down to her level just a bit, to make sure she wouldn't have to speak too loudly over all of the people they were walking past.

"Meet me in the seventh reflection chamber tonight. You'll know when."

"What for?"

Zac felt Riven hit him on the arm firmly, and he knew it was for asking a stupid question at a stupid time. The look in her eyes seemed to belong to someone who was piecing together a plan of her own. He would just have to wait and see how it involved him. Ahead of them both, the endless barrage of intriguing questions and lewd proposals was still ongoing

"Since he's a bastard, would he be Ezreal Crownguard when you get hitched?" Ahri asked, taking note of what had just happened behind her, but deciding to press on for her own amusement.

"Ahri, please!" Luxanna said aghast, reversing back to her recited and dutiful tones. "Don't say obscene things like that! How could you even be so...so…"

"A busy woman like yourself has no time for puppy love," Ahri lectured sternly. "You should know what you're getting into. That boy is wanderlust incarnate, you know. Do you really think you could fulfill your duties to Demacia, and stay in a relationship with him?"

"There's nothing wrong with dreaming," Luxanna defended. "Well, sometimes anyway," she added after, albeit much more quietly.

"I guess it could work out." Ahri put a finger to his chin, looking up at the sky wistfully. "After all, I don't even want to think about what kind of guy your family would try to hook you up with in some arranged marriage. You two are kind of like a modern fairy tale, huh?"

"It's nothing like that. We just started dating, so why does everyone make it out to be more than it is?"

"Every relation starts somewhere, my dear little virgin. After all," Ahri continued with a grin, making sure to lean in close enough so that the air from every word spoken could be felt against her ear. "Who knows where love can take you?"

"Okay, okay! Enough!" Luxanna shoved Ahri away, with the nine-tailed fox giggling madly as she did. "It's not like that! And I don't want you going around spreading rumors about it either!"

"Oh, perish the thought." Ahri rolled her eyes, waving Luxanna's concerns off. "I don't want to know what it's like having an overly protective older brother over your shoulder your entire life. Can't you imagine it? Having members of the Dauntless Vanguard stalking you while you're out stalking others."

"Please, my brother isn't that immature," Luxanna said, a look then crossing her face that made it seems like she doubted her own words. "At least, not now anyway. Everyone is so busy with this new conspiracy that I don't think my brother would have any people to spare anyway."

"You would say that even if it weren't true though, wouldn't you?"

"Oh no." Luxanna visibly flinched. "I cannot begin to describe how much I do not want to go back home to Demacia to deliver my report. People in the Security Brigade are at each others throats for answers that just don't exist right now."

"Report?" That caught her interest. "About what?"

"Oh, you know. Stuff," said Luxanna, with her own playful air now that she had her own weapon to use. "Sorry, but even if I was just keeping track of how many personal grudges Champions have with each other, it would still be a state secret. But that's enough about me, what about you?"

"Me?" Ahri asked, finding the tables turning suddenly.

"Yes, you! How did you get caught up in this?" Luxanna said, asking the question Ahri sensed was coming.

"We're old friends actually," Ahri lied, knowing that she would be exposed for it. At least not immediately. "He's someone you can confide in, you know? When I heard that he had gotten himself involved in this whole mess, I just felt like I needed to go with him."

"You and Zac?" Luxanna questioned, sounding mildly surprised. Her voice did not betray the fact that the speaker was a master spy, as well as having good knowledge of interrogation tactics too. "I wouldn't have guessed. I don't think I've ever seen you two together."

"Oh, well you know how some people can be," Ahri groaned. "Everyone is so judgemental these days. I can only imagine what people would be writing in tabloids and newspapers if we hung out together in public more often. That's something you're going to have to worry about now too, I guess."

"So it's not something...like...that?" Luxanna asked, crossing her fingers at Ahri while tilting her head in curiousity. The gumiho couldn't help but give a wryly smirk at her imagination, looking up to the sky again as she did.

"Not at all. He's just a really good listener. And I told you, didn't I? I don't believe in love. I've had enough people who promise me the world, and I've had enough people who promised me other's worlds. It's all chemical, bestial, or whatever."

"That's cold Ahri, even for you. I know with all of the crazy things in our world, that it's hard to believe in things that are unseen." Luxanna looked up to the sky as she spoke, maybe to try and see what Ahri was looking at too. "Faith in the unknown can be comforting to people, you know? I like to believe that there's someone out in the world who is perfect for me. We'll find each other, some day."

"A soulmate then? Guided by something like destiny? Or a divine power?" Ahri scoffed at the idea. "The last time something celestial revealed itself to the world, it came in the form of a banana tossing uni-goat."

"If there's one thing I've learned, it's that everything needs to be taken with a pinch of salt," Luxanna said, gesturing around them both. "If you had asked me what I thought my life would be like when I was drafted into the Demacian military, I never could have fantasized it would be something like this."

"You've changed alright. All of us have changed. You're a woman of the world now," Ahri commented simply, not elaborating further. But the look of innocent curiosity Luxanna gave her in reaction made her feel obligated to explain herself.

"Hmm… Do you remember a season ago? When Quinn and Sona wanted to help Shyvana?"

"Of course," Luxanna answered lightly. "We all felt so bad for her. The only time Shyv and Prince Jarvan could be together was when they're fighting for their lives on a Field of Justice. It's not exactly the way to formulate a healthy relationship."

"Right. And do you remember what you used to tell us all of the time?"

"...No, I don't," Luxanna admitted, after thinking about it in silence for a good minute.

"Well, I remember you being very unhelpful to our efforts," Ahri reminisced, ignoring the wordless look of protest she was getting. "You were always in the Institute's library, stealing information to bring back to Demacia. I can't remember how many times you used the word 'duty' or 'responsibility' to excuse yourself from helping us, as if everything in the world had to operate by some strict schedule written on paper."

"I don't remember it that way," Luxanna argued with a sour glower, adjusting the pointy sorceress hat on her head as she did.

"Well I do. The point is, young lady, is that people are like dice; we throw ourselves in the direction of our choosing. Zac has worked up the courage to take a broad first step into the unknown, and as a close friend, I want to support him."

Luxanna stayed silent for another minute to process the points presented to her. The world around them was slowly changing the close they got back to the Institute and out of the surrounding city. So too, the echoing hustle and bustle of the city was being replaced by the stoic silence the Institute of War commanded over the world. The hums of magic, the echos of people walking, and the reverberations of lectures being held in open halls. Still walking at an even pace with Ahri, and with Riven and Zac behind them, she turned and looked at the nine-tailed fox with a face of worried concern.

"I don't understand. Why are you telling me this?"

Ahri let another wryly grin slip, and Luxanna knew that she had wanted her to ask. "So you have something to trade with Karma and Irelia, when they come to you asking questions. Consider it my thanks for putting up with me for so long."

"Don't say it like that." Luxanna's concern grew even more, and she looked sheepishly at her in hopes of a better interpretation. "You make it sound like you're going off to die. I happen to like you for who you are, you know."

"Do you really mean that?"

"Of course! I wouldn't lie to you. Even if I am a soldier, I still have the right to choose to be truthful or not to anyone I meet."

"Would you say that even if it weren't?"

"Yes, but that's besides the point," Luxanna conceded, to stop their conversation from heading down a predictable path.

"...Are you trying to save me?"

"I don't know," Luxanna said in confusion. "Are you in need of saving?"

"The problem I'm having," Ahri admitted penitently, but also with a hint of pride, "is that I don't have any allegiance to anything or anyone but myself. I'm selfish like that, Lux. I can't stand the idea of being tied down by things like relationships or commitments. I don't even know when I'm serious, or when I'm kidding myself or faking it. I'm sure Karma and Irelia just think I'm wasting my potential, but it's my damned life and I want to do what I want to do."

Listening closely as the nine-tailed fox went on, Luxanna felt herself being reminded of just how much Ahri was an oddity to her. She was peculiar, rationally irrational and illogically logical about a lot of things. Frankly, despite being able to captivate audiences and entice complete strangers, to Luxanna she did not make consistent sense. Which in itself made a lot more sense, when she remembered that the beautiful woman who constantly teased and coached her was a wild animal in a human shell.

So too, aside from her fashion sense, there was nothing Ionian about her to speak of. Ahri was one of the few people she knew that had been changed by the Institute of War, so to speak. Even if she wasn't even aware of it. A new breed of human, that didn't seem to possess any of the innate character traits the different city-states on Valoran had evolved over the centuries that had passed. A part of Luxanna wondered how different she herself would be, if she hadn't been instilled with the great patriotic loyalty to her home city-state. To somehow be happier in a world where there was no one to esteem, and no figure to look up to whose merit persisted without blemish for more than a day.

All of this was coming to her mind with the way Ahri was behaving right next to her. It was a test, Luxanna then realized. A test to determine her worth as a friend. No, not a friend; an ally in the future. She was being analyzed by someone lost at sea, surrounded only by the endless expanse of waters that represented the world outside of the Institute. A world where everyone knew who she was, but it meant nothing all the same.

And her only relief was that she wasn't alone.

Luxanna waited for Ahri to finish, agreeing with her points dutifully as would be expected of her. Making sure that the gumiho was finished, she then spoke.

"You're right, of course. I like Ezreal."

"You should try to be with him when you can."

"I'll do that. If he needs anything for his expeditions, I can have it paid for too."

"I'm not sure he would want that, but you can go ahead and try."

"I think he would accept, if I offered it to him. He only really goes back and forth between Piltover and the Mogron Pass. I've heard he's always wanted to travel to exotic places, like Ionia."

Luxanna flashed Ahri a smile, different from the kind that embodied the Lady of Luminosity, to which the gumiho returned too. Before they had both realized it, they had reached the base of the long marble steps that lead up to the Institute of War's front entrance. From there it would only be a short teleport from the entrance to any part of the Institute, using the hextech machines afforded to Champions in the lobby.

"Shall we?" Ahri asked, gesturing to the stairs leading the back into the Institute of War. Behind them both, Zac and Riven stood waiting.

"Yep!" Luxanna said in agreement. "I love it when a plan comes together!"