Two days later...
Lux had to wonder if this whole meeting with Fiora was to make a fool of herself. She arrived early – well, if several hours before the arranged time constituted being 'early' – only to remember the size of the plaza.
Considering it was designed to hold hundreds of thousands of Demacians during kingdom-wide ceremonies, massive did it no justice.
Still, being able to wander through the stalls and vendors without the fuss of the crowd gave her a chance to properly admire their wares. She knew from previous visits it took a solid hour or two to make a full circuit around the plaza, but she knew a few shortcuts here and there that got her where she needed to go. Either that, or lose someone on her tail. This was the first time she came out here unaccompanied, much to Eyrin's chagrin and against her warning. Honestly, her friend had absolutely no faith in her capabilities to handle herself.
Then again, nor did anyone else who tried to pick a bone with her when she didn't have her wand on hand.
She gave me a time, date, and location but doesn't she realize this place is huge? Lux frowned minutely as she approached the towering statues at the center. She'd seen them countless times, watched young children play and mimic its pose with wooden swords and paper hats. Carved out of an amalgamation of marble and petricite, the warrior loomed over the petite blonde, its shadow encompassing the entire area around herself. No matter how many times she came through here, it still sent shivers down her spine. Wide eyes stared up into its eyeless gaze, hidden behind an ornate helmet with hands gripped around the hilt of a remarkable sword. Six wings, all intricately detailed, erupted from the back in an impressive display.
The Winged Protector.
Lux closed her eyes and took a deep breath to steady her nerves. All Demacians strove to embody the ideals of justice she symbolized. Righteousness, purity, and most importantly to stay above the morasses of evil. The blonde looked upon her, in her younger years, as a beacon of hope and endless possibilities of her future. After all, what child wouldn't want to be like an angel cleansing the world of righteousness?
"A bronze washer for your thoughts?" Her attention snapped to someone approaching her, dressed in a full baker's uniform with hair as wild as the untamed winds and colored to twilight. Lux smiled demurely and shook her head when said woman stood next to her and followed her line of sight. "One day, she will return."
"Wasn't why I was looking." Lux averted her gaze when burning lavenders bore into the side of her head. "I needed a bit of courage and I wasn't expecting you."
The woman laughed, her voice reminiscent of a hundred souls echoing. "Hypocritical to see you use her image, wouldn't you think?"
"What brings you around, Martha?" Lux avoided the question and finally gathered enough courage to look her dead in the eyes. She managed to put on a warm smile, though she received none in return. "Surely little old me isn't interesting enough for you to step from the shadows."
'Martha' scoffed and folded her arms over her chest. "You, of all people, have a most interesting life." And by no over-exaggeration of the statement. No one else in the world remembered the birthright names of the mythological children of the Aspect, but Lux went beyond that. Extensive research into Demacia's history left fragmented pieces of time, at least with what was readily available. And when that wasn't enough, she manged to locate old tomes bearing the only record known of their origins – and the chaos that resulted of their clashing.
'Martha' could smite her on the spot, judge her for breaking literally every Demacian law for her exploration, and yet here they stood having a casual conversation in the early hours of the morning.
"You're also not usually here early in the mornings."
"Why are you in that uniform?"
"I bake."
Lux, for the first time in her life, actually managed to trip while standing still. She caught herself in time to stare incredulously at Martha. "You- wait. Are you serious?"
When Martha didn't smile or react, the blonde realized the gravity of the truth. Instead of remaining speechless, a grin broke out over her lips and she reached over to grab the baker's hands. "Oh. My. Goddess. You have to show me. I had no idea you could bake!"
Lux completely ignored the taken aback – and displeased – expression that crossed Martha's face. "Unhand me. I need those for later."
"Are you set up in Demacia? How come I've never known?"
Martha rolled her eyes and promptly retrieved her hands back from the now overzealous blonde. "Because you have the sensibility of a child when it comes to holding secrets. The last thing I need is for the kingdom to know that the other half of their Winged Protectors makes food to pass time." Lux stared at Martha's retreating figure, feeling slightly off-put by her comment and huffed quietly. For someone who trusted in her ability to keep her celestial secret safe, knowledge of her baking skills didn't seem to rank high on the 'need-to-keep-quiet' list.
Actually, the fact that Martha was more worried about people finding out she baked than the fact she existed bewildered Lux to the point she couldn't do anything but giggle.
"What?" Lux tried to hide her smile behind her hand when faced with the other woman's scowl, but failed miserably. "What's so funny?"
She hummed quietly and folded her hands behind her back. "If you bake, does your sister do anything then?"
Martha stared at her as if she grew two heads. "I haven't seen my sister in some time. That is something I wouldn't know."
Lux shrugged. "I mean if she's been gone for so long, what else could someone do in that span of time? Take a singing class? Start a music band?"
They stared at each other for a few moments before Martha shook her head. "My sister does not sing. You are a weird child."
"And yet you put up with me." The blonde rocked back and forth on her heels slowly, humming a quiet tune as the violet-haired celestial stared at her for another full minute.
Then finally, she turned back in the direction she headed in originally. "Come find me later today. I have preparations to return to."
Despite being near lunchtime, the entire plaza teemed with life and noise. Fiora was more apt to keep away from the hubbub but a meeting was a meeting. Nera knew this would be the perfect time and place, one I least enjoy. When her assistant came back that evening bearing a smile on her face, she knew the woman had been up to no good. And when she realized the date, she had half a mind to send her back to Ionia where she came from.
The Laurent daughter managed to squeeze out of the large crowd that passed her direction, keeping one hand ready on the hilt of her rapier on her hip. Even at times like these, her guard refused to drop.
"Ah! Mistress Laurent." Fiora deigned a small smile when a stall keeper flagged her down to his wares. "It is a rather rare sight to see you about on a day like this."
She surveyed the wide array of flowers present, inspecting them carefully without delivering an immediate response. One by one she sorted through the lot, impressed by what he could do. They were well-grown with a careful hand and fine fertilizers, but lacked something else that could make them truly vibrant. Fiora straightened back out with a simple rose in her hand and finally met the man's eyes. "I have an arrangement today. It is good to see 'ou are well z'ough."
He smiled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck. "On milady's kindness. I've not been able to do half as well as before without your benefaction. Would you care for a few to take with your uh... arrangement?"
Fiora rolled her eyes. "Not zat kind of zing."
"I insist you take at least a rose. It suits you milady." She didn't want to appear offensive, at least not in broad daylight among throngs of people. "A small token of appreciation for your generosity."
Feeling a bit awkward by the gesture, Fiora thanked him politely. She quickly switched the subject to more practical business or at least to something she was more familiar with. At first it was a pleasant chat seeing as Fiora did have a particular penchant with flora, and roses in particular. "Pardon me, but do you know who that young lady is?"
A bit disoriented from being taken out of her flow of thinking, Fiora glanced around herself just in time to see a streak of blonde hair vanish in the crowd. She turned back to him, confusion written clearly in her features. "Who?" How could she recognize someone that wasn't in their line of vision?
"Looks like you've got yourself a secret admirer. I admit, House Laurent has been doing a lot of good work and people around here have started speaking about you kindly." The sudden compliment caught her off guard. Having worked tirelessly, remembering the people behind the entities and properties she acquired slipped from her mind as of late. She looked down to the rose, not quite up to the standards of the one in her garden back home, and tutted quietly.
Remind me to give you a kiss, Nera. Moments like these reminded her of her own struggles and the position she put herself in. And now these people were in the same boat as her, able to live freely without doubt of where their next meal came from. A smile tugged the corner of her lips at the thought.
Unfortunately for her, it didn't go unnoticed and the man chuckled. "What I would give to be young again. Well, don't let me keep you long. Wouldn't want you to keep your party waiting long."
If only he knew how much she loathed having to meet Luxanna in broad daylight.
"So Martha." If Lux's shit-eating grin could get any bigger, some otherworldly force in the universe must have a sadistic streak larger than Noxians. 'Martha' rolled her eyes as she handed the young woman a modest-sized box. "I didn't know you regularly set up shop here."
"I've only started recently," she replied, following Lux's eyes to the other baked goods on display. "Call it a hunch for me to come to the capital."
The blonde frowned at those words. Martha's celestial blood meant no matter what they did to her – if discovered, they meant nothing. She saw things beyond their time, and the time before that, and as a result if she put herself directly in the heart of the kingdom, something big was coming. "Well at least I get to see you a bit more often."
A bittersweet smile crossed her features and the celestial leaned on the side of a display. "Is the sight of my sister not welcoming?"
"Don't get me wrong, she's the image Demacia was forged in." Lux reached over and squeezed Martha's hand gently. "But you're here. Where is she? Living on some kind of remote mountaintop?" For Lux, it was as simple as that. It didn't matter where people came from or what powers they had, she had to be kind to everyone or else the dream of living in harmony would never come to fruition.
For Martha, it was hard to put Lux through judgment. Her sister might not have the same visions, but something about the young woman drew her in. The time is not right... "You wouldn't be wrong in assuming so. Now, enough chat. Was there anything else you'd like?"
Lux didn't question the change in subjects, seeing as more people were coming through. Man, she must really know how to run a bakery. "Nope, the cake is enough. Thanks for saving one for me!"
"You do love your cakes. Now run along before you forget your little meeting, was it?"
Lux's eyes nearly bulged out of her sockets and before Martha could even blink, she had vanished from the area completely. The woman shook her head with a quiet chuckle, drawing the attention of her fellow coworker. "Martha, are you alright?"
The only thing she said; "Dawn is nearly upon us."
Fiora wandered through the marketplace as her mild irritation began growing. How was she supposed to find Lux in this Gods-forsaken mess and in this heat too? Given the fact she was equipped with her formal wear and not her usual, breathable suit, the raven-haired woman found herself growing sweaty far too much for her liking. If only she had been sensible and brought better shoes as well, then she wouldn't have such a long list of issues to deal with.
WHAM!
Or so she thought.
Someone ran into the duelist hard enough to knock them off their feet, but Fiora herself remain mostly unperturbed. At first concern washed over her senses, but when her hands ran over her clothes to smooth it out, she found some kind of... cream covering it? Her expression morphed into a horrified stare at the mess covering herself and sharp eyes went to the perpetrator. A young, blonde girl sat on the ground and rubbed the back of her head.
Clearly, she hadn't realized what happened. "Ow..."
As if presenting a starving wolf with fresh meat, Fiora's lips turned into a snarl and she stormed over to the fallen woman. Without so much as giving her a chance she grabbed her collar and hoisted her up in the air to the point she couldn't touch the ground. Fury burned in her eyes while poison laced her voice. "Of all ze people to do zis, 'ou are ze most insufferable brat I have ever met in my life."
The people around them scattered, trying to stay away from the scene as the blonde hung there helplessly. "I-I'm so sorry, I was in a rush to get somewhere and didn't see-"
"Paysan insolent!" Fiora nearly slapped the woman across her face, but stopped herself from doing so. They were out in public, and if anyone recognized who they were, it would harm her reputation if she tried anything stupid. Thankfully none of them seemed to recognize the language she spoke in – after all not many spoke in the same manner as she. Closing her eyes and willing herself to control her anger, she slowly set the woman down on her feet and released her collar. "'ou are Luxanna Crownguard, yes?"
"Of course I am, I have the crest-"
Fiora held up her hand, silencing the woman before clearing her throat and speaking through even tones. "Fiora Laurent, of House Laurent."
Oh my god, I am so stupid. Why did I have to go and do that? Stars, send help. Please. Lux, since her untimely collision with the youngest Laurent, had boarded a mental train and wrecked herself over and over again. Of all the people she had to bump into of course it had to be the one person she was most anxious to meet. And why did it have to be in the worst way possible?!
"Are 'ou even listening to me?" Lux squeaked right before she bumped into Fiora again, sheepishly shrugging her shoulders as the taller woman invaded her personal space. The duelist poked a finger into her chest, most assuredly leaving behind a bruise from that. "Pay attention, little lady."
Lux frowned at this and instead of shrinking away even more, she pushed against Fiora and forced her to step back once. "Hey, who are you calling a lady?! I have a name you know, and it's Luxanna?"
Fiora smirked, folding her arms over her chest. "Yes, Lady Crownguard."
The blonde growled and stomped her foot, tired of the barbed tongue Fiora possessed. "It's very clear that you do not hold me in high regards."
"I'm glad we have zat message loud and clear."
Lux threw her hands up in the air. The insufferable confidence of this woman-! "You don't like me? Well, I'd rather talk to a statue." As expected, the jab brought out a childish response. Of course someone like the blonde would retort in such a manner. But before she had a chance to respond, Lux silenced her with a finger to Fiora's mouth, not her own. "Let me try this again, and see if this satisfies your expectations. 'Hello, person-who-irrationally-wants-to-kill-me! It's so good to meet you!' That 'lady-like' enough for you?"
Fiora went silent, lips slightly parted and eyebrows raised. The brashness of her words and shutdown surprised her. She... read me that quickly, have I slipped? The duelist had a wicked poker face, and Demacians were dense enough to the point they missed the slight stings she left with them. But Lux managed to counter back with such an absurdly honest, to-the-point response it left her with no actual way to respond.
Lady Luck did not favor her today.
Just as Fiora responded, the crowds surged back around them and jostled them together. It took her all of her strength not to fall but when the blonde grabbed onto her clothes to keep herself from toppling over, there was nothing the duelist could do except go along for the ride. A small squeak and commotion later, the two found themselves face to face with mere millimeters between their lips. Somehow, Fiora's hand ended up behind Lux's head to stop it from colliding with the ground. Huh... interesting, she wondered if it happened subconsciously.
The first thing out of Lux's mouth was - "I'm sorry"
"Are 'ou okay?" - right as Fiora asked.
Like soft pillows against her lips, Fiora's eyes widened in shock as they both moved to speak at the same time. Lux looked ready to pass out.
Oh fuck. We kissed, didn't we?
