A/N: I'm ba~ack. :3
Secondary Note: Yikes, so somehow along the way formatting issues janked up stuff within the chapter. I've gone ahead and reuploaded it to correct the problem areas.
The first thing Lux took notice of were the dark bags under Nera's eyes when said woman greeted her at the front door.
"Ah... g'morning." Even her usual formal greeting came out far more casual and nonchalant than what she knew of the snowy-haired woman. She made to reply until a sharp yawn overtook Nera, the other woman barely managing to hide it behind her hand in time. "My apologies, I've yet to sleep."
Sleep? "Is everything alright?"
Nera stepped away from the door and let Lux through. She didn't answer until she shut the doors behind them. "We received an alarming message last night from the main estate. An emergency of sorts dealing with a family displaced by all the conflict. Sylas launched an attack on the town that burned it to the ground."
Lux frowned. "My deepest condolences."
"Doesn't even begin to describe it," Nera continued, rubbing her eyes with one hand. "Are you familiar with House Rhodes?"
She met them once, but it had been years since. "Vaguely."
"The Matrons of House Rhodes have always been under close watch by the Mageseekers for years."
That struck her curiously. "Matrons?"
"Their House is governed by two ruling women, one of which is a well-known lecturer for the young and the other is a traveling archivist. In fact their entire family is probably the most un-Demacian in all of the kingdom. The archivist is the most mysterious to many except for within the family, but unsurprisingly so considering her numerous treks into Shurima and its lands for artifact investigation." Nera sighed deeply, looking a little more awake than just a moment ago. "What many do not know is that she possesses an ancient relic similar to that of the etwahl Miss Buvelle has, in a slightly different form. It is a scroll tome carved from arcane materials and imbued with incredible power. It allows the user, well, chosen to speak any language unfamiliar to them, even as far as giving the soundless their own voice."
A sinking feeling settled in the blonde's stomach. "Don't tell me-"
"-it was destroyed? Heavens forbid mortal weapons or magic from mere mortals is enough to inflict a scratch on its page." They stopped outside Fiora's office door. "No, if that were the case milady and I wouldn't even be home. Both Matrons suffered heavy losses property wise. They lost much of their wealth in that and many of the possessions they have are invaluable magical artifacts that would have otherwise been lost to time."
That seemed very unlike Sylas to launch an attack on fellow mages, especially if he could see their magic. "What prompted the arson?"
"They refused to assist his cause. He tried to take the archivist's scroll, but it refused to work for him. In response he had his mages attack the entire town." The snowy-haired woman sighed and let her head fall against the door with a soft thud. Exhaustion crept through her body and lined her features. "Both Matrons are good-willed people. They have always used their money to better those they come across, and this attack demoralized them heavily. We offered our funds to help them rebuild whatever they need."
"Perhaps I can speak with my family on this. See if we can send assistance as well."
Nera shook her head firmly. "No, this is a delicate matter involving a lot of law-breaking. If Crownguard were to get involved, we'll be exposing House Laurent far too much."
The blonde placed a hand on Nera's arm. "Through the Illuminators."
The snowy-haired woman blinked as the cogs in her mind turned a few clicks more. "Right, of course."
"Do not worry. You haven't slept and for good reason."
"Nera, did you- oh!" Lux glanced behind them and found Eyrin approaching them with a book tucked under one arm. "Morning Lux."
"Morning Eyrin. I didn't realize you weren't home."
Eyrin grinned. "A nifty trick I've learned. Haven't you found it odd that your mother hasn't been questioning my whereabouts?"
Come to think of it, Lux nearly forgot about Augatha altogether for quite some time now. The few recent times she met with her the woman never inquired about Eyrin.
"Turns out I can create some semblance of shadowy mirages. Useful when you need to slip away for a moment or two and since they're connected to me, I can sense what happens to them. So If I'm needed back, I can warp back in a few moments."
"And one I constantly remind you to be careful of," Nera interjected, annoyance written clearly in her eyes.
Lux noticed how close Eyrin was to the older woman. "Oh hush, if it was problematic you'd have stopped me ages ago."
Nera huffed and groused quietly. "It worries me."
"And I appreciate your concern." Much to the blonde's surprise, Eyrin leaned up to plant a soft kiss to Nera's cheek, prompting her to go a delicate shade of pink. "Let me handle it for now. You need to sleep and I'm sure Lux and I can manage ourselves."
Nera regarded them for an extra second longer, but slipped away down the hall to what Lux presumed to be her quarters. The blonde folded her arms over her chest, staring expectantly at Eyrin to explain herself.
"What?"
"That kiss?"
Eyrin blushed, ducking her head sheepishly. "She's... nice. Really nice, okay? I may have been a little smitten with her for a while."
Lux nudged her arm and hummed teasingly. "Is that why you've been sneaking out?"
"Yes." Eyrin looked away abashedly. Her blunt honesty refreshed her, actually. "Nera's presence comforts me, kind of like an anchor against the waves or a roof against a storm. The voices never do leave, but just being by her side quiets them. Or rather even they like her being around so they don't bother me as much."
"And here I thought I had issues with crushes."
Eyrin jabbed her finger in her side, receiving a small peal of laughter. "You still do. Speaking of which, you should probably talk to Fiora about what you found out. She's working right now, or at least that's what Nera told me. Considering how dead she looked on her feet when she answered the door for me, I'm pretty certain Fiora's faring no better."
Lux raised an eyebrow when Eyrin retreated in the direction Nera vanished off to. "And where are you going?"
The raven-haired woman paused for a brief moment. "Believe it or not, Nera enjoys cuddling a lot when she sleeps. Helps her stay asleep. Also part of the reason why I'm always so tired – I travel a lot."
"It's not that far and you've been doing it often though."
Eyrin glanced back at her, expression unreadable.
She hid something.
Lux didn't ask, trusting her gut instinct to leave it well alone.
Fiora, in fact, was nowhere to be found inside her office. Lux knocked twice with delay, only daring to peer inside when no acknowledgment came. Aside from the scattered pages across her desk and the various books piled up on the corners, the room was void of any presence aside from herself.
She caught the faint sound of running water and her eyes went to the ajar door leading into what she assumed to be the duelist's private quarters. Showers were still somewhat a novelty concept to her as baths were still fairly common through the kingdom. Fiora really did embody the epitome of modern progress in an archaic world.
She's probably washing... Washing meant no clothes on.
Fiora is in there, naked, and unsuspecting.
Lux's curiosity warred with her panicky mind.
I am not violating that trust. She spent too long trying to get into the duelist's good graces.
But... she doesn't hate you.
No, per Fiora's statement weeks ago, she liked Lux.
And she did kind of...
The ghost of Fiora's svelte body from that night sent shudders down her spine.
Okay, we are not going down that road.
Lux chose to inspect whatever Fiora had been working on. She would be chided for getting into her business undoubtedly, but she needed a distraction from the... well, distraction in the other room. While she couldn't understand everything scribbled out, she garnered their purpose at a glance; all of them were taped to various parts of the well-worn map stretched across the tabletop. Red lines pointed to different areas circled, branching off in different directions and she followed each one to yet another area.
Clues, she realized as each note bore different handwriting from each other. Only two forms were consistent across the map, one of which she recognized as Fiora's eloquent cursive. The other reminded her of some Ionian texts, though much smoother and cleaner – probably Nera's.
What have you been doing? How have you been doing this? This level of information isn't possible unless-
Unless she had a messenger constantly on the move.
And suddenly Eyrin's lack of presence at the Crownguard estate made much more sense.
It dawned on Lux.
Fiora had a sprawling network of contacts across Demacia, all of them answering to her.
She siphoned information from not a singular entity but the collective of their people in tracking his whereabouts and his appearances.
Fiora is banding together every resource at her disposal. All for someone who asked her to bring her mother home.
Lux stood at the heart of her mastermind at work, plotting every step and utilizing every asset she had. This wasn't just a map, but the time and effort of the woman she admired from afar as well as near. All of this for a teenager who had been sent away and came back home to a world that hated people of her blood. A desperate soul who wanted someone back she loved.
Fiora did all of this for a child.
Lux could only imagine what she sacrificed for the people.
No, she knew exactly what the duelist did, had done, and will probably do.
She really does care about Demacia.
Suddenly, her little stint at the Mageseeker's Complex could have been done much sooner and without her reservations. So concerned she was with being caught by threat of her family, she forgot the bigger picture and what Fiora risked.
She put everything on the line, even her own name and title.
Lux felt very, very small.
"If no for your blonde hair, I would have thought you were a stranger." Lux snapped her head to the side, finding the woman prevalent in her present thoughts leaning against the doorway with folded arms. The clarity of her voice cut her thoughts off, scattering them to the recesses of her brain like the papers on the desk. Fiora was mostly dressed – loose silk pants spared her lower half decency and the towel draped around her neck only came down enough to hide just enough for the imagination. Judging by the swell of her breast, it would fit perfectly in the blonde's hand with a little extra. Her damp hair looked like it had only been roughly combed once.
Yet her disheveled and barely-together looks weren't what made her heart skip beats and her mind completely blank.
It was the intense heat and admiration burning in those teal eyes.
"What makes you say that?" Lux tittered, catching herself staring a bit too long. She was surprised she could formulate a coherent question. Going back to the map didn't do much for the frazzled blonde – it only gave her somewhere to look at instead of facing her embarrassment.
"You look troubled." Fiora sounded genuine and unaware of Lux's lack of composure.
Considering the matter weighing on their shoulders, wasn't it perfectly reasonable to be anything but pleased? "I'm not always sunshine and smiles, Fiora."
Lux's breath caught in her throat when a warm body pressed to her back and strong hands settled on her shoulders. The turmoil grasping her mind eased as dexterous fingers kneaded soothing circles before working their way to her upper arms and down towards her hands in lighter brushes. No, it was the entire situation, the ever-present warmth suffusing her back, the tender kisses pressed to the nape of her neck, and the firm grasp of Fiora's fingers interlocking with her own anchoring her.
"I know you aren't, little light." Unlike Sylas who used that rare nickname for her like an owner endeared to their pet, Fiora added weight to those two little words. It hid the unspoken promise of protection, shielding her spark and assuaging all her fears. "You're human."
Why? Why do you have to be this way?
No matter how hard she tried, Lux couldn't escape the maelstrom dragging her in. Every moment she spent with Fiora meant melding her emotions together with her rationale. Fiora irritated her from the very beginning. A haughty woman with a tongue sharp enough to cut through stell and a hand skilled enough to punctuate them. She challenged every notion and conception Lux threw at her and took them down one by one like the people who spread rumors behind her back, until all the blonde had left was doubt and uncertainty for the Laurent.
And Fiora rebuilt herself, unknowingly, right in front of Lux
Underneath the veneer of titles and honors, laws and secrets, Lux stood in the embrace of another person who stripped herself bare and allowed her to see what the world refused. She had every capacity for compassion as she did hate, but the tides demanding her to bend to their force left her no choice except to choose the latter. Lux felt the desire for human contact, for simple pleasures and gentle touches, brimming underneath Fiora's skin and simmering in her eyes.
All Fiora wanted was someone to love.
Lux had fallen for her. Hard.
And clearly the duelist did a little more than favor her.
It scared Lux.
Was it the frowned-upon notion of loving another woman? Of pining for someone the same as herself?
No, absolutely not.
When she finally mustered up enough courage to twist around and meet the taller woman's gaze, her unmasked beauty up close captivated her and left her speechless yet again. And it hit her like a stone right then and there. Lux didn't want this to change. She wanted to go back in time and undo the mistakes she made because nothing else in this kingdom, in this world, made any lick of sense except for her.
"Fiora...?'
Blue eyes darted down to rosy lips parted enough to tease pearly whites. Lux bit her lower lip lightly when she realized the duelist also looked down. She cupped a cheek with one hand to redirect Fiora's gaze back up.
"May I...?" Anxious, unsure. Qualities alien to the duelist, yet so very perfect in this moment. Lux held Fiora's face in both of her hands now, unadulterated affection surging through her system.
So vulnerable, so shy, so human.
Just two humans on this world.
Just two women finding comfort within each other.
Just like herself.
Lux rested her forehead against Fiora's. She hated how those pretty eyes vanished from sight. She wanted to freeze time right there, just so she could lose herself in their mystery.
Fiora's heart hammered in her chest – Lux felt it, felt their heartbeats sync up to tempo. The blonde flushed as the duelist leaned in slowly.
Gods above, she's so cute..
Lux craned her head up, but stopped short from meeting Fiora halfway. She brushed against her lightly, teasing out a small chase.
"It's okay."
And just like that, they crashed together. Slowly, hesitantly. Unlike their first kiss, this one spared them time. Lux marveled at how plush and full Fiora's lips felt against her own and opted to let the duelist take the lead.
One step at a time, one kiss at a time.
And Fiora proved a quick learner.
Their slow dance picked up with every nudge in the right direction. Every soft peck gave Fiora confidence and Lux felt their kisses grow less chaste. Despite her possessing more experience overall, Fiora proved to be a competent and willing partner.
When Fiora swiped her tongue across her lips, Lux acquiesced without objection.
She took advantage of the duelist's momentary surprise to grab the reins again. She glided her tongue along Fiora's and explored her oral cavity. Lux moaned softly at her taste, reminding her that she possessed an array of fine Demacian wines and likely sipped one throughout the night despite the lack of any indicator.
Somewhere along the way, they finally broke apart for air. Lux kept her forehead pressed to Fiora's, though she realized they were no longer by the desk.
In fact, she managed to pin Fiora to the shelves in the middle of their make-out session.
And like before, the duelist didn't seem to mind being bent at awkward angles.
"That was... something," Fiora remarked absentmindedly, tongue darting out to sample a taste of the blonde still on her lips.
Lux's face burned so hotly, she was sure the temperature of the room rose a few degrees from it. "S-sorry..."
Fiora hummed humorously, the corner of her lips quirking up in a sly grin. "For what, mon cher?"
It was her turn to be speechless. Could she stop being so goddamn sexy?
"Would you like me to?"
Lux blinked. "Did I..."
Fiora snickered quietly. "Oui."
The blonde buried her face in her hands. How quickly the mood shifted to something far less intense. "I know you said you wouldn't kill me, but please kill me now."
Heartwarming laughter left Fiora, rumbling her chest and reverberating through Lux when the duelist hugged her close. "You are honest. I like that."
And there it was again – that flutter of butterflies in her stomach at the thinly-veiled praise. Lux came to love the little compliments and the surge of pride every time she placed a block into solidifying the bridge between her and the duelist.
Fiora's steadfast presence chased away her demons and fears, even if only for a moment.
Maybe this is how Eyrin feels around Nera? I can't really fault her for that...
"I hate to break such a pleasant mood, but what did you come here for?"
Lux frowned slightly, remembering the reason for her visit and sighed quietly. "The other day at the complex, I picked up some information. It pales in comparison to what you have here..." She gestured towards the map. "But I thought it would help somehow."
Fiora matched her expression, though she reached up to tuck loose blonde hair behind her ear. "Non, do not think so little. Sometimes even the smallest piece can finish the puzzle."
"It's more about that man-"
"Kasim?"
Lux nodded. "Kasim Crownguard." She let the name sink in, watching Fiora's face carefully.
Confusion appeared first – appropriately so. "Crownguard? He is related to you?"
"He was my aunt's son."
Then the disconnect. "He turned himself over to the Mageseekers? But why?"
Lux remained quiet, watching the gears turn in that brilliant mind behind teal eyes.
"Is that how the Mageseekers knew to move?" The duelist released Lux from her grip as the pieces fell into place. "And since he was Crownguard, this means your family has-"
"-way too much power in a kingdom that is supposed to be ruled, by fair hands and a council."
For whatever reason, a mounting sense of dread settled in the Laurent's stomach. Lux refused to make eye contact with her with arms folded over her stomach. The timid girl felt as alien as the one she observed earlier.
"Your family is full of mages." And her father had tried to marry her off, not with the hopes and prospects of gaining political advantages, but to unite their homes to provide a shield against possible persecution. He told her this much – in the form of revealing why he poisoned her ill-fated future husband that night. She never did make the connection up to Lux, and even beyond that.
It explained the echoing messages Kepi left her.
'Friends in high places.'
Kepi wasn't just any ordinary child.
She was Kasim's daughter.
She was a Crownguard, directly descended from royal blood.
Yet none of them knew she existed in the first place. How?
'The Wind isn't my only friend.'
Kepi brimmed with magic, so much that even the spirits took notice.
'I don't know where he is, but until Ma comes home, I'm not going back to Piltover.'
They hid Kepi, Fiora realized, her expression melding into shock at the weight of the teenager's decision to return. Kepi came home, risking her own exposure to the rest of the kingdom, to see through that the people around herself were safe and sound. That she couldn't rest until then.
She reminded the duelist so much of herself.
"Lux?"
"Mmm..." the blonde replied distractedly.
Fiora turned the tables on her, cupping her cheeks and leaning forward to plant a soft kiss on her forehead.
Lux, Kepi, herself. They were all trapped in this political landmine far bigger than just paltry gestures and petty discrepancies. Fiora earned her freedom to forge her name, do right by her methods and avoided the worst of possibilities. Kepi found her freedom within Piltover, far from the overreaching hands of Demacia.
Lux didn't share the same luxury. Trapped and bound by her name – a curse to those wronged by her family, a blessing to those who knew of her through the Illuminators, and a convenient pawn for the elite to shuffle around as they pleased. And somehow, despite all of this, she managed to find the Laurent, defy every expectation set for her, and allowed her a glimpse of the chaos plaguing every level of their family.
Fiora no longer saw the same, naive girl she collided into that day.
No, Lux stood before her full of as much mystery as herself and underneath that mask she hid turmoil from the public's eye.
"I promised Kepi I would find Mina and bring her back. I don't go back on promises." She closed her eyes and took a slow, deep breath. She needed a moment to find the right words, especially given a singular piece of information that made everything fall into place and gave her a platform to stand by her decisions.
"However, I will also promise you, I will protect you as well. No matter what happens." She tucked a finger under Lux's chin and brought her gaze up. "You earned that. You are not your family, you have goals and dreams as much as Kepi does."
And with how long it took for the both of them to finally open up, Fiora had no reservations about what to do now.
"I will not stand for this insolence. If they must take you away from me, then they will do so over my dead body."
