A/N: This was both a pain and a blast to write. I struggled with getting this chapter done due to the whole "meet-and-greet" cliche, and seeing as this is a fairly unorthodox pairing, it didn't sit well with me. I thank my friend for giving me an idea that sparked several others and actually helps to progress two main points that drive this relationship forward, one being a sadistic matriarch and the other a larger-than-life organization hunting mages. Hopefully the next few chapters are smoother sailing than this one, but otherwise, enjoy!
"We will not speak of zis, are we clear?"
Lux affirmed with a small nod, uncertain of her abilities to keep her voice under control and prevent the contents of her stomach lurching out. The blonde had every intention of a pleasant chat while wandering the marketplace while marveling at what Demacia had to offer for the day.
The reality of the situation was, however, their current predicament.
Fiora pinched the bridge of her nose when Lux managed to somehow shrink herself into an even smaller ball. Timid as a mouse, and even quieter than a mute, the younger woman seemed dead set on never moving and keeping her eyes locked on the door handle. The duelist had half a mind to ask why she led them into a cramped room that most likely served as a storage space for cleaning supplies, but refrained from saying something that might worsen their situation.
Earlier...
"F-Fiora...?"
In the blink of an eye, the duelist managed to bolt straight to her feet without so much as making sure the Crownguard was safe. Not even the painful wince coming from Lux's head hitting the ground lightly snapped her from her thoughts. And as much as Lux wanted to know if what happened really happened, a niggling feeling in her stomach told her to hold onto that question for a later time. So, as gracefully as one could be for being knocked over twice, Lux staggered to her feet and brushed off invisible dust coating her skirt. "Ahem, Fiora?"
"Se taire." Lux didn't have an inkling of what she said, but snapped her jaw shut immediately after. If looks could kill... "You have no right to address me by my first name. Zat is Mistress Laurent to you. I am head of House Laurent, and you will acknowledge me as such."
Honestly she seemed to be the type to enjoy being called 'mistress', but Lux banished that thought as quick as it came. "S-sorry. I just wanted to be sure you were okay Fi-" She stopped herself and swallowed thickly when the older woman stared at her expectantly. Lux could have sworn she saw the hint of a smile on those lips. "...Mistress Laurent. We took a pretty hard fall and your hand-"
Fiora's gaze snapped down to her right hand, lips pulling thin as a deep frown crested her features. Now that they weren't glued to each other on the ground, she had a free moment to inspect the damage. The fall ripped off the back of her glove and left bleeding welts on her skin, staining white silk. She scoffed and kept from Lux's reach, clenching her fist to test her grip. "It will heal quickly. It is just a scratch."
"Blasphemy," the blonde retorted and darted to the front of Fiora. She dared grab her hand, albeit carefully, and forced her to relax her fingers. "You're literally bleeding everywhere. You can get a new glove, but you can't get new skin." No matter how hard she tried, there seemed to be no way in maneuvering out of Lux's persistence. It wasn't for a lack of trying but rather the genuine concern on gentle features giving her pause. "Let me make this up to you, please. For the cake, and this."
Right, she completely forgot the poor dessert ruining the front of her suit. "I zink you've done enough."
Lux rolled her eyes and grabbed Fiora's upper arm, dragging her along. The strength in her grip and pull surprised the duelist, who had no other choice but to go along for the ride. "I'm not going to stitch you up. There are a few specialists I know of who can patch you up quickly."
Fiora raised her eyebrow at the excitable undertones. Something to file away for later... "...alright, I will give you zis one time to correct your mistake."
Now that they were together and not fighting the crowds separately, the people flooding the market seemed to part ways for the two as they made their way out of the Grand Plaza. Perhaps it was the oddity of seeing both houses intermingle after what felt like years since the incident. But with the way the crowds thinned out quickly and Lux's steadfast guidance, something told Fiora otherwise. Soon enough they passed the borders of the Grand Plaza and down a wide road with a few straggling citizens. Lux gave pleasant greetings on passing, but when it came to Fiora, their warm eyes hardened to daggers.
Fiora knew without a doubt she was deep in Crownguard territory.
"How much longer? I prefer not taking a property tour."
The blonde pointed to a small, modest-sized building just a few blocks down. Thankfully they avoided any more people so when Fiora stepped inside, she could feel the hostility slowly ebb away like the tides. The entrance to the rest of the building reminded her of old tales spun by her brothers and recounted by the elders.
It always began with a circle of pillars and a skylight beaming down to the center filled with arcane runes and magics. Five ancient wizards and witches formed a ring within the center; all of them powerful enough to will other mortals into becoming their puppets, robbing them of their will and their movements. They moved and toyed with them as if a game, forcefully sacrificing and reviving them time and time again for whatever sadistic pleasures they took part in. Fiora skirted the ring at the center, finding no such writings engraved in the floor, but the striking familiarity brought that particular memory to the surface in her mind. The Rune Wars were beyond anyone's time, yet the vivacity of those legends remained firmly imprinted in her mind to the point she swore she could see the light bend just enough to form shapes at the middle. Was that-
"Beautiful, isn't it?"
Lux's peppy voice broke her train of thoughts. The blonde had moved in the opposite direction, smiling fondly in her direction. Like breaking a spell, the room returned to normal and Fiora felt disoriented by the rush back to reality. "Reminds me a lot of the stories my uncle used to tell me."
"Impressive craftsmanship," Fiora admitted, stopping dead in her tracks. "Where are we?"
"This is actually – oh!" Lux dashed towards the other side of the room and the duelist followed her line of sight. She watched as the Crownguard practically hurl herself at the striking woman who caught her without so much as falling over, a serene smile splayed across her lips. "Sona! I didn't think you'd be in."
"Sona? As in, Sona Buvelle?" Wordlessly, the woman nodded. Fiora had no real issues with the Buvelle household and even attended one or two of Sona's performances when she had the time to spare and her schedule happened to coincide with them. So this place must belong to the Buvelles, which explained the lack of animosity towards her presence.
"I'm sorry to come on such short notice-" Sona shook her head, blue strands flying in the wind with her movements. Lux grabbed her hand and guided her over to Fiora, who stood ramrod straight to the point she could feel her back muscles protesting such abuse.
She had a fondness over the woman's music, and meeting her in person actually made her a little giddy on the inside. "We were in a bit of a tumble and she managed to scrape her hand up pretty badly. Do you think you can help her?"
Fiora didn't resist like she did with Lux when the Maven of the Strings took her hand. Soft, slender digits peeled away what remained of her glove. The frown on her face didn't look like it belonged and when their eyes met, the duelist had the tenacity to be a little sheepish. "It's a minor wound."
Sona shook her head once and that was all she needed to know the woman wasn't going to let her walk away. She led the duelist into a room off from the main entrance, and inside Fiora soaked in all the details. Aside from her unique instrument leaning against a bookshelf nearby, the room was filled with various herbs and equipment alike. Some she recognized immediately like gauze. Others made her a little wary but Sona led her away from all of them and instead to a table nearby.
Fiora took a seat in one of the chairs and relaxed her arm on the table to let Sona inspect the wound under a better light source. Lux followed them and leaned against the wall, watching in complete silence.
For the first time, the duelist felt awkward. Conversation had never been her strong point, at least in casual situations, and yet a strong desire to talk settled in her gut. Letting a few ideas bounce around her head, she finally settled on one in hopes of figuring out what exactly shaped the younger Crownguard. "How do 'ou know Lady Buvelle so well?"
Sona's head snapped up in Lux's direction. The blonde smiled warmly. "Lestara Buvelle extends a gracious hand towards the Illuminators, and her daughter Sona tends to accompany us to help soothe the distressed citizens we come across. It isn't often she is able to go out and meet others without fans swarming her, so we sort of provide protection and guidance for her to meet with the less fortunate."
"Zis does not- wait. 'ou are part of ze Illuminators?"
Lux laughed nervously, a finger scratching her cheek. "I thought it was common knowledge?"
"I have not followed ze business of ze Crownguards for some time, aside from ze necessities." Fiora's deadpan stare was enough to confirm the truth behind the statement. "So 'ou know Lady Buvelle through zem, yes?"
"More or less. She's been a welcome friend to the Illuminators since day one. And she's got a knack for helping people in need, whether it's just a song to listen to or patching someone up. Chalk it up to that horrible impediment she has."
Fiora looked over to Sona, who had returned to cleaning the wound and applying bitter-smelling ointments. True to Lux's word, the woman remedied her injury in no time at all, even going as far as to make sure she had a couple of extra bandages tucked into her coat pocket. For such a graceful woman and a kind soul, it truly was a tragedy for her to be without voice.
They were there for not more than fifteen minutes, yet Fiora felt entirely at home and honestly a bit pained to depart so soon. As Lux stepped outside, the duelist paused to thank Sona with a small smile. "I am grateful to be in 'our care. Is zere anyzing I can do in return?"
The silent woman didn't return the smile, instead reaching out to grasp her uninjured hand. At first Fiora assumed she wanted a handshake, but the way her thumb moved around on the back of it caught her attention. Slowly she raised their palms so Sona's thumb faced towards her, and she watched the patterns carefully.
It was a warning.
Hyper aware of her surroundings now, she dropped their hands and the smile vanished from her lips. "I will. 'ou're secret is safe with me."
"What was it that Sona mentioned?" Fiora blinked when she stepped into the sunlight, blocking the light from her eyes as they readjusted to the luminosity. She shrugged and feigned uncertainty. "Lady Buvelle does not speak, or have 'ou already forgotten."
Lux rolled her eyes, but didn't press the subject. "Of course I haven't. I was just curious."
"I simply zanked her for her kindness."
The blonde seemed unconvinced but switched topics though remained on a similar vein. "Sona doesn't like a lot of people she meets, if only because they're all Demacian and she's technically Ionian, so if you remember what happened-"
"Of course I do, I am no idiot." Demacia's passive stance on the Noxian invasion of Ionia left them in poor light.
"Well, she's friendly to a point, but she's never genuinely invested in a lot of people." Lux kept her tones low as they passed a few people until out of earshot again. "Her inability to speak makes it hard for her to connect outside of music."
Fiora gave Lux a careful once-over. "She does not seem to mind you."
The blonde flashed her a winsome grin, but faltered before she spoke again. Lux looked at her, or so she assumed until her eyes glazed over as if it went right past her. "Oh, Mother!" Fiora stiffened when Lux's cheerfulness returned full force. She could feel eyes digging into the back of her skull until she slowly turned around to meet that woman's gaze. "Hello Luxanna. Miss Laurent."
Her jaw locked. "Madame Crownguard."
A smile returned her greeting, but she could tell it didn't bear the same warmth and mirth as Lux's. "I see my daughter has given you a tour of our place." There was an underlying haughtiness that made the hairs on the back of Fiora's neck stand on edge. "I do hope everything has been pleasant for your visit thus far."
"Enjoyable, zough I zink we were just finishing." Fiora tucked her hand into her pocket, maintaining a neutral expression as a flicker of irritation crossed the other woman's face. The tension was palpable as was Lux's desperation to separate the two lest things escalate beyond redemption. I gotta stop them before it gets worse. "I was going to give her a tour of our home, since she was curious about the garden."
"Oh?" The middle-aged woman raised her eyebrow and twirled a lock of hair around her finger. "I would be pleased if you showed her. After all, we do have the finest gardens in all of Demacia."
Bullshit, Fiora mused. "Lady Crownguard kindly offered. It would be rude of me not to accept."
"I see... Well don't let me hold up you two. I have business I must tend to myself. Our home is open to you Miss Laurent, should you feel the need to visit in the near future." The woman strode past them, making no other acknowledgement of her presence despite the fact Fiora burned holes straight in her back. The nerve of that woman to gloat and bask in wealth garnered by that wicked tongue! "'ou're mother is... quite somezing. I don't zink we have met formally before."
Lux's deep sigh caught the duelist's attention. "She is something, that's for sure."
Present...
While the short tour of the garden left her a little more impressed than expected due to Lux's seemingly endless knowledge on every plant they had, Fiora found that notion squashed when she was pulled into this cramped closet to avoid someone catching them together. According to Lux, it would have been bad if Fiora was seen inside the spacious estate. Not that Fiora had an intention of touring it to begin with – it felt stuffy and completely ornate for no damn reason. "How long must we stay?"
"Maybe an hour? I don't honestly know." Lux finally unfurled herself only to wrap her arms around her legs instead. "I completely forgot they would be here today."
"Who?"
"Mageseekers." The air felt considerably colder when Lux uttered those words. "I mean they're nothing to me, but I don't like seeming them around. I'm just concerned they'll start interrogating anyone that isn't of this household."
"I don't have magic. I'm not afraid." Fiora glared at Lux.
Lux glared right back. "I'm not assuming you do. I'd just rather not have confrontations."
"I can handle myself."
The blonde sighed and closed her eyes. "I know."
They went quiet the rest of the time. Being holed up like this wasn't exactly in Fiora's agenda, but then again nothing that day had been in her agenda in the first place. A few minutes passed before she noticed the younger woman dozing off, scoffing quietly at her laziness before reaching for the door herself. She would have turned the knob, if not for the faint footsteps approaching their current hiding location.
"You said they passed through here?" Fiora's hand froze as she looked back at Lux. The woman was still knocked out.
"Maybe fifteen minutes ago, but I lost sight of them." There was an audible smack and a quiet groan of pain. Both male, and clearly looking for them. "You useless piece of shit. And now we're going to get our hides handed to us."
"Look, maybe it's for the best. Have you seen what that woman can do?"
Fiora smiled when they went silent. "...you know, let's just tell her they didn't stay long. I kind of want to keep my job."
The duelist had the sensibility to pull her hand away from the doorknob, waiting and biding her time until they were clear of the two men, before shaking Lux awake. "Hey, as much as I would love spending time watching 'ou sleep, I have ozer business to care for." The blonde blinked away the vestiges of sleep realizing they were still stuck inside the room. True to her word, nearly an hour passed before it was safe enough for them to step out.
Lux placed her hand on the doorknob before turning it slowly, keeping it as quiet as possible. "There is a door to the left at the end of this hall. Take a right at the first hallway you see, and there will be a path that leads to the garden. The northernmost is the longest route, but the least likely you'll run into someone on your way home."
Fiora's eyes narrowed. "Why are 'ou telling me zis?"
Lux looked at her, a bitter smile on her lips. "Because it's your best escape route. Let's meet again another day, yeah?"
Fiora stared at the amber liquid inside the glass. Despite only spending something on the order of half a day mingling with the youngest Crownguard, she felt far more drained than dueling endless people. There was so much information to process and things to go over, it would completely ruin any chance of her getting work done for the day. Blue eyes wandered over to the stack of papers nearby, and for the first time in her life she dreaded have to start on any of them.
A knock resounded in her space and she gave whomever it was a curt permission to enter. "Fiora?"
Said woman glanced up. "Ah, Nera."
A lopsided smile graced the snowy-haired woman's lips. "I thought you might be a bit famished." She brought over a small tray with some light food and a tall glass of water. "You've been in a dazed state since your return."
"Simply a lot to zink about is all." Still, the duelist accept the gesture and even went as far as to take a couple of bites. She forgot she hadn't eaten most the day, swept up in the whirlwind that was Lux's amiable personality.
"A bronze washer for your thoughts?"
Fiora sighed. "She is complicated, far more zan I expected." Her uninjured hand combed through her hair. Seeing as the other woman wouldn't leave her alone now that she knew the weight on her shoulders, it gave her some time to organize her thoughts. "At first, I believed her to be nozing more zan a sheltered child, but I don't zink zat is true."
"Curious. Anything that might pin her as a potential threat?" Fiora, for the briefest of moments, forgot her original objective. The day had been so full of events she completely forgot her intentions of meeting the young Crownguard.
And when she contemplated it more, it became harder to pinpoint...well, anything. "She is ambiguous. Her mozer was far easier to read, and full of nozing but false pleasantry."
"Hm..." Nera folded her arms over her chest. "I find that people like Lady Crownguard are, as cliché as it sounds, more than just the book cover. She bears an ulterior motive, but it must differ from her mother. For what, I cannot fathom, considering they are of the same household and share similar, if not identical, viewpoints."
"Exactly why I am concerned." Fiora couldn't break down any of their interactions today beyond just idle conversations, having no meaning greater than talking about the weather. Aside from a few details that gave Lux a slightly different image, she was still the same insufferable presence and somehow the duelist managed to tolerate it for that long. "I do not wish to speak about zis anymore. She requested anozer meeting, and zat may be better to figure what she aims for."
Nera didn't respond verbally, instead headed for the door. "Then I bid you a good evening, mistress. Please, do take care of yourself and that god-awful scrape on the back of your hand."
Fiora subconsciously drummed her fingers. "Not 'ou too."
Lux flopped face first into her bed, not bothering with still-damp hair or putting on clothes to save her decency. The day had been such a crazy mess of accidents and unplanned encounters, she felt completely drained of energy. Between an early start and a late conclusion, she was fairly certain she'd fall asleep right after her bath but her mind refused to quiet.
So instead, the blonde rolled onto her back and stared up at the ceiling. She didn't have it painted like the other places in the house, allowing her to think peacefully without distraction.
Fiora was, as she anticipated, very brash with her words to the point they stung. Like the weapon at her hip, she wasted no time in letting it be known her distaste for the Crownguard. That was to be expected of course. At the same time, it didn't escape her notice the smaller things the Laurent failed to hide – or had been so ingrained in her she didn't even realize it.
Things like stopping her head from colliding sickeningly with the ground, or keeping her hand hidden from her mother's sight after their confrontation. All of it made her wonder if Fiora was genuinely a cutthroat businesswoman or struggling to simply keep a positive image. So many questions rose from today than answers, and she knew without a doubt she'd meet with the duelist again soon. Fiora voiced her displeasure, even made moves to physically punctuate it, but never went as far as to hurting a hair on her head.
Lux brushed a finger over her lips, pink tinting her cheeks. She would probably be a good kisser... Why she went that far as to think about such a thing, Lux never knew. She never questioned her sexuality before, and even to this day still remained indecisive but with certain people, it was hard for her to keep away from dirtying thoughts. And Fiora proved that she was at least willing to make sure the young Crownguard was physically intact.
Then there was the healing house. Fiora's eyes lit up upon watching the faint forms dancing within the light, and it had been a huge risk she took to try and test the waters. Yet the woman hadn't so much as inquired about something being off in the room, which led to an even bigger question that followed her to her slumber.
Why didn't you accuse me of something like magic, when you saw that?
