From the shoreline, the ship looked hardly larger than a standard sailing vessel for domestic travel. But as they drew nearer, Lux realized they had only been staring at the bow of the ship. Baelhar rowed them towards one side and she found the rest of the ship stretch on.

Closer to a war frigate from this angle.

"This is a very strange ship, Captain," she commented, watching Baelhar align the rowboat under a set of beams sitting about where she assumed the deck was. "Most ships are made of wood, yet yours is metal.

"Aye, you are correct. Most of the ships in Piltover and Zaun have upgraded from wood due to the lack of longevity. The waters around Zaun are polluted with toxic chemicals that degrade the integrity of hulls if not carefully maintained. Wood tends to absorb and retain those chemicals which can lead to health issues for the crew, while metal resists a majority of those. It is much easier to acquire industrial-grade supplies in those parts as well." The captain stood up in their place and craned their head up towards the sky. "Adele, you up there?" Their voice echoed and boomed loudly, unlike the soft one just second ago.

A head poked out from underneath the beams. "Don't have anywhere else to go, Captain."

Baelhar folded their arms over their chest. "Enough with the sass. Can you lower the lift lines?"

Said person held out their hand in what Lux assumed to be acknowledgment. A few seconds later, something loud reverberated through the hull of the ship and two ropes descended from the beams above. Baelhar grabbed one while Kepi snagged the other and they secured the hooked ends to either side of the boat. "Fire it up, we're locked in!"

"A pulley system?"

The captain turned to the blonde who observed with a curious twinkle in her eye. "In a sense. You're familiar?"

Lux smiled faintly. "Demacia is old, but not primitive. I spent a lot of time reading."

The captain held onto the rope they secured and nodded to the other two seated in the middle. "I suggest you hold onto something, especially if you're not used to lifts."

Both grabbed onto either side of the rowboat when it began rising out of the water. The blonde clasped one hand over her ear – she'd never been near this much noise and commotion. Their ascent stopped when they neared the top of the beams and allowed them a better view of the deck.

Lux wasn't spared a second to indulge in the sights when the lift shifted them horizontally this time.

"Are you certain this is... safe?" Fiora questioned hesitantly as it halted once more.

"Half-certain." The lack of confidence from Baelhar earned an uneasy glare from the duelist. "We usually don't have to use the rescue boats unless it's a sinking ship. Even then we have different accommodations." Another person came around to meet them and grabbed one end of the rowboat, easily swinging them around until it jolted and stopped moving altogether.

"You can hop out now, boat's secure."

"Don't mind if I do," Kepi grumbled, jumping out a split second before Baelhar did. They helped Fiora out of the boat with an outstretched hand but the duelist turned back around and offered her own to Lux. She accepted it gratefully but when she pulled her other leg out, it caught the extra cabling. The blonde grasped onto Fiora's arms tightly, trying to balance herself with no avail.

"I got it. Hold still." A rough voice, but not unkind. 'Adele' didn't quite fit the person she envisioned carrying a graceful name. Shaggy, brown hair reached just under her chin and teal eyes bore into her own. Her face reminded her of war-hardened soldiers she often saw during military ceremonies. She reached into the rowboat and Lux felt the weight come off her foot.

Fiora beat her to expressing gratitude. "Merci."

"Mon plaisir."

Lux raised her eyebrow in surprise. The same dialect as Fiora?

"Tu connais ma langue?"

"Oui."

She noted the pleasant smile on the duelist's lips. Lux hadn't seen that kind of expression before. "A little rough, but it isn't your first language is it?"

"Hm." Neither acknowledgment or denial, Adele dropped the subject and sauntered towards the captain's side. "We should set sailing soon. Just before you arrived, I spotted two ships just a few clicks from our position."

Lux grimaced. "Likely Demacian. We have patrol ships that wander our coasts, especially in areas that aren't heavily populated to prevent invasions.

Baelhar nodded, but the frown never left their face. "Unsurprising our arrival didn't go unnoticed. We have been here a few days." They let out a deep sigh and combed a hand through long, white hair. "Demacia closing its ports wasn't anticipated, so we had to get creative. The shoreline doesn't offer much in the way of grounding the ship, and the rocky seabed in these parts risks tearing up the hull."

"I'm not concerned about them keeping up with us," Adele huffed, looking particularly displeased. "But I'd rather not test that theory out."

Baelhar finally got the hint and waved the others off. "We'll be sailing off shortly. Kepi can give you a proper tour since she knows it just as well as us both."

With the captain's hasty departure, Kepi rounded on Lux and Fiora. "Since we won't be back in Piltover-Zaun for a couple of days, I'll show you guys most of the areas you'll probably use. Might as well get comfortable while you can, seeing as we may take the long way around."

The points of interest above deck boiled down to upgraded variants of cannons with the added bonuses of 'harpoon guns' and 'shielded turrets', neither of which the Demacian nobles were acquainted with. The rest of the ship underneath wove a different story altogether. Typical search-and-rescue ships were outfitted with the basic necessities in keeping victims alive until they could be tended to in a secure environment.

Not this ship apparently.

"There is a medical bay on the left and the recreation room to the right," Kepi pointed out as they descended the metal stairs into the first floor. Both areas were divided by a narrow, well-lit hallway. "Not much to see here honestly since they're used mostly for housing rescued persons." Their entry into the second floor differed vastly from the one above. Fiora felt like stepping into someone's home, rather than boarding an actual ship.

"This is the primary living quarters. Open kitchen and lounging space, rooms down the hall in the back for the crew and its passengers. Hardy Har has their own quarters on the deck – easiest way to take command when things go south. There's not a lot of 'pretty' things to look at since it's supposed to be functional." Lux watched as Fiora wandered through the kitchen space, fingers dancing along the smooth, polished surface.

She saw longing in her eyes, but when their gazes met, it vanished as quickly as it came.

An idea struck her, something to tuck away for later that evening if time permitted.

"You mentioned 'crew', but so far we've only seen Adele and the Captain," Lux remarked, drawing her attention away from the duelist briefly. "Where is everyone else?"

"Right now, that's all there is. We left port without most of her crew on the orders of her Captain. If we ran into resistance, they wanted as few casualties as possible."

Lux winced. "But three people only?"

Kepi chuckled and held up her hand, putting up a finger as she counted up. "Captain Baelhar is incredibly perceptive. They were born for the seas and can tell when the winds change long before the best navigator out there will. Adele is a native Zaunite and ran with the Orphans for as long as she could remember. She's the only person I know of who'd bring a knife to a gunfight and make them regret their decisions."

Fiora liked the sound of Adele already.

"Then there's me. I built everything on this ship after we gutted it so if something seems off, I'll be the first to know." Kepi pointed to Fiora and Lux at the same time. "And then there's you two. I've never seen Miss Fiora fight, but I know you have a good heart when you took on that Voidling. Stupidly I might add since Celestial powers are the only thing that can subdue them but you kept it from chewing Blondie's head off."

The teen narrowed her eyes at Fiora. "Wait, you aren't an Aspect, are you?"

Said woman shook her head, holding up her arm and presenting her sleeve to Kepi. "This was unknowingly made by an Aspect. A tailored suit for the wedding, but it might as well have saved my life at least once by now."

Kepi inspected it closely, nodding to herself all the while. "Interesting. The hands of fate are really interesting." She hummed to herself quietly and paced the open room. Lux could have sworn the teenager was a younger version of Fiora. "It makes sense now. All of it, why we're here. Why I'm here, and why you're here..."

The ruminations raised the hair on the back of her neck. Lux drew closer to Fiora, whispering quietly enough so only she could hear. "Is this... normal?"

Fiora nodded mutely, more distracted in trying to figure out what the teen went on about.

The blonde sighed and ran a hand over her face. Now she was stuck with two people trapped in their own minds.

"...important than I thought." She missed out on some of the teenager's rambling, blinking owlishly when Kepi turned towards them with excitement. "I hope you guys are ready for information inundation."

Lux heard the duelist wince under her breath. "Can it wait?"

"We don't have time to wait-"

Fiora held up a hand, her voice softening a small degree. "Mon cher, we just need a moment to recuperate. This is the first moment of peace Lux and I have found in the last few days, perhaps weeks even. Allow us to refresh ourselves so we may focus on the more important matters at hand."

Kepi closed her mouth slowly. "You're... well, right. I didn't even show you your rooms yet. The heck am I thinking."

Lux sidled up to the teen's side and wrapped an arm reassuringly around her shoulder. "We're all wound up right now. It'll be good for us to take a moment and breathe."

"Right, of course." Kepi pointed towards the hallway past the kitchen. "Two closest doors are my room and Adele's, but the ones past that are available. They have their own showers but they're relatively easy to operate."

Each door had a plaque next to them that lit up as she approached. Words appeared on their surfaces like an invisible hand writing them out in an instant. "It's a keypad. Normally we have our own codes, but for you two the security measure is disabled. Think of it as a magical lock only you have the key to, except right now there's no lock on either one. Just press the number 'zero' and it'll open up like this."

Lux flinched when a low growl came from the woman at her side. "We are capable of learning these things, Kepi. We are not children."

The younger Crownguard rubbed the back of her neck, keeping her eyes averted. "Sorry... I'm - I got a bit overzealous."

The blonde looped her arms around each person's arm and hugged them close to her. She ignored the heated glare from Fiora and the surprised gasp from Kepi. "Breathe."

"Lux-"

"Miss-"

"I. Said. Breathe."

The other two silenced when Lux snapped before they could continue. Silence fell over them and the blonde counted in her head slowly until at least a full minute passed. She released the both of them when she felt safe enough to. "Better?"

Kepi nodded. Fiora just looked sheepish – Lux took that as a positive sign. She broke out in a small smile and tucked her arms behind herself. "We all need some rest first. No more worrying about stuff." She jabbed her index fingers firmly in the middle of the duelist's chest. "You just got out of being eaten alive. And you-" Lux poked the teenager square on her forehead. "-you've done quite a bit coming back for us, especially under unfavorable conditions. Just show us what we need to know, and we can figure it out from there."

The tension diffused immediately. Kepi answered whatever the questions the two had and left them when they had sufficient knowledge of the workings of their temporary living quarters. Lux tapped the keypad and the door slid open instead of swinging back, revealing the small interiors. Aside from a simple bed, a desk, a chair, and a door leading into what she assumed to be the bathroom, Kepi hadn't been wrong about its simplicity.

"Mon cher?"

Lux glanced behind her, finding Fiora half-way in her room. "Yes?"

The duelist pursed her lips, throat bobbing visibly. Clearly, she wanted to say something or else why grab her attention.

"Fiora, if you don't have anything to say-"

"-I'm sorry."

Lux raised an eyebrow. The duelist sighed audibly and let her head fall against the door frame.

"I'm just-"

"-tired, I know." The blonde stepped out of her room and crossed the hallway. She cupped Fiora's face and pulled her in for a soft kiss on her lips. "You're exhausted. Mentally and physically. You've been tested for so long and I could see your patience wearing thin."

The duelist chuckled bitterly, though it didn't have quite the bite normally intended towards others. She covered Lux's hand with her own, the warmth from her palm radiating into the blonde's. "I've slipped, haven't I?"

Lux shook her head, canted slightly. "Fiora, I've spent months with you. In fact, it's been nearly a year." The duelist's expression didn't change, but her eyes betrayed the thoughts running through her mind.

"I don't understand."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "To others, you're still the same as you've always been. Calculative and blunt. But I know the difference between when you're genuinely happy or absolutely livid." Lux pressed their foreheads together. "And I've watched you grow, change. You've gotten kinder. You're more forthcoming. It's been a year Fiora, think about it."

And she could see her taking those words to heart.

"It has been a year," the older woman echoed. "And with you in it."

Lux giggled softly, kissing the duelist's cheek. "I told you – I made my decision. And I'll keep reminding you until you get sick of hearing it from me and you repeat it yourself. It's not complicated and there's no hidden agenda. Everything from here on out, we face-"

"-together."

Lux smiled brilliantly. She pat the woman's face gently and skipped back towards her own room. "Now go shower. We both smell absolutely terrible."


Fiora ran her towel through her hair as she stepped out of her room. Having hot water after nearly a week of not being able to properly bathe left her in a much better mood. She felt a little guilty for indulging in a slightly longer shower than she normally took.

Such emotions lasted for all of half a second once the strong aroma of jasmine hit her nose.

The duelist stalked out of the hallway into the open space. Lux stood at the kitchen counter humming quietly as she sipped from a mug in one hand, distracted by some kind of device in the other. Fiora came up behind her, weaving her arms around her waist.

She nearly missed the breathy 'oh!' leaving the blonde's lips as she buried her face in damp strands.

"Where did you find tea?" Fiora purred.

"I asked Kepi if we had any. They don't have your normal variety but..." Lux replied somewhat dazedly. Fiora grinned to herself, knowing it was her fingers leaving circles on the flat of her abdomen that distracted the blonde like so. "I noticed you, uh..."

The duelist brushed away dark blonde hair, exposing the back of her neck to the cool cabin air.

"-you looked kind of homesick-"

Fiora leaned in close, letting warm breath wash over pale skin. She felt Lux shudder in her arms.

"-and I know tea... is-"

She definitely didn't miss the pleased moan when she pressed her lips gently to skin littered with goosebumps.

"Merci, mon cher." As quickly as she sneaked up on the unsuspecting woman, Fiora drew away and picked up the other mug. It was a little bit hotter than what she was used to, but she drank it all the same. She quirked an eyebrow when she settled into one of the metal stools surrounding the island, noticing Lux's eyes following her every move. "What?"

"You- I can't- wha-" The blonde sputtered as she tried to find her runaway brain. "You can't just do that, Fiora-"

"But I did."

Fiora grinned slyly behind her mug at the increasing heat in Lux's face.

"What was the point then?!"

She rested her chin in the palm of one hand.

"Je t'aime."

The words left her lips effortlessly. Lux looked ready to chide her for being so overly romantic.

The duelist never committed to half-truths. She gained nothing from half-ways, nothing from indecisiveness.

"You're a tease."

Fiora laughed boisterously. "Says the woman who pins me down all the time."

"You guys do know that the rooms are soundproof, right?"

Both heads turned in Kepi's direction, the teen appearing at the bottom of the stairs. She waved towards the sleeping quarters towards the back of the kitchen. "No one will know if you guys screw around."

Lux remained in a perpetual state of red and buried her face in her hands. Fiora scowled but ended up taking a lighter shade. "We are not savages."

"Didn't say you were, but even I can feel the sexual tension rolling off you two. Why do you think Adele and I haven't come down here?"

Kepi took turns looking back and forth at the two. "Wait, don't tell me-"

"No, we have not," Fiora bit back.

The younger Crownguard whistled lowly. "Explains a lot. If you guys need us, we're above deck. We managed to get out of Demacian waters so we're safe for now. I just came to make sure you guys are comfortable."

"Oui, we'll be fine."

Kepi raised both of her hands defensively, backing up towards the spiral staircase. "Hey, just checking. Don't shoot the messenger."


Fiora glanced down from her 'tablet' when the head at her chest shifted. Originally they agreed to sleep in separate rooms, but when the duelist answered the knocking at her door, she found a drowsy Lux rubbing her eyes of sleep and mumbling something about being 'uncomfortable alone.'

She nearly scolded the blonde for being so easily frightened. They were safe and away from danger, but she entertained Lux nonetheless.

When the blonde settled back down, Fiora heard faint groaning of the metal on the ship, not unlike wooden ships rocking in the waves. Chills ran up her spine at the disconcerting noise.

She understood.

"Mmm... Fiora?" Lux craned her head up. The duelist ran a hand through her hair, smiling when blue eyes vanished and a hum of contentment left Lux's lips. "...time is it?"

She glanced to the digital readout at the corner of the device and nearly dropped it on the blonde's head.

Holy shit. It's almost three in the morning.

"Really early, mon cher." Fiora kissed Lux's forehead, ignoring the quiet groan of defeat at her ambiguity. "Why don't you get back to sleep?"

"What are you still doing up?"

"Reading." Lots of reading – Fiora hadn't lied when she mentioned taking time to get better acquainted with knowledge she never touched upon. Lux explained the device Kepi left her to the duelist, and since then she couldn't part from it. The 'Pilto-Net' was exactly as the teen explained it to be – a vast library of knowledge conveniently accessible on something smaller than an actual book. The world outside of Demacia was astoundingly far more advanced than she imagined. Things she thought were progressive felt dated in comparison. The Aspects of the world were much more well-known than in Demacia, to the point each one even had a general description of their origins and their representation.

She dove into Ionia and its conflicts, learning of the wars that spilled blood into its magical soils. She couldn't stomach all the pain Sayo and Nera had gone through.

She searched for current documentation of Noxus' empire. They, too, were not immune to internal strife and conflict. Defected soldiers, a new figure rising to power, then the missing Hand of Noxus, Riven.

She sank into the mysteries of Shurima and its Void-torn history. She understood why Kepi had been so enamored by the prospects of traveling there.

Then the deep-rooted rivalry between the most progressive states in the world.

"Piltover Customs?" Lux sat up, letting the blanket covering them slide off. "How much of it have you read?"

"All of it."

She received a reproachful look.

"Okay, not all of it." Fiora chuckled when Lux pinched her arm. "Many are similar to Demacia's so I skipped over those."

"You're doing all this research and here I am snoring on your chest."

The duelist scoffed. "You do not snore. But you do make cute, little sounds."

Lux groaned. "Not creepy at all."

"You're the one using me as a pillow, mon cher."

"Please, Fiora," the blonde stressed, burying her face in her hands. Despite the dimly lit room, Fiora could see red tinting pale skin. "First, the kitchen incident and now you're taunting me. Am I just a toy for you?"

As quick as their light banter came, it vanished. Lux yelped when she found herself pinned to her back, twisted at her torso a bit awkwardly and staring up at the duelist under a small curtain of raven hair. Her wrists were trapped in vices, leaving her unable to escape even if she wanted to.

"You are not a toy."

Oh.

The blonde fought the urge to shudder at the way Fiora punctuated her words. A part of her desired to break eye contact yet her gut told her to stand her ground.

Blue met teal in a wordless stalemate.

Someone had to give in eventually or the silence would overwhelm her.

Lux sighed softly, breaking the quiet seeing as Fiora wouldn't. "So you were serious in the kitchen then?"

"Perhaps," mumbled the duelist.

The blonde saw it before in her eyes – the uncertainty, hesitation. Things she witnessed once before though on a much greater scale than now. She wriggled one of her hands and found Fiora easily relinquishing her hold. Lux held the duelist's face, thumb brushing over her cheekbone. "My dear love..."

Teal eyes widened a small margin.

"Tell me what's on your mind."

How could she really? Fiora shared many of her insecurities and doubts in private audience, but never did she disclose matters of her heart to the one person she trusted most in her life. When it came to Lux on the other hand...

"I... wish to do more," she finally admitted, averting her gaze with a troubled sigh. "But-"

"-it's okay," Lux interrupted with a finger pressed to Fiora's lips. "Not everything must be perfect, Fiora. Has anything we've done up to this point ever been to your plans?"

"Non, but I'd like for something to be."

"Even if it isn't, you're learning," Lux quipped. She seized a window of opportunity to flip their positions back and she straddled the duelist before she could try anything more. "As far as I'm concerned, you're quick to catch on. I will not push if you do not feel ready."

Fiora searched the blonde's face above her, trying to navigate the complicated maze she wandered into. She knew Lux craved physical contact – she hardly spared a moment since the wedding away from her side especially after all the near-death scares. Time after time she held herself back whenever their kisses drew them towards more visceral needs, though the line between the blonde's self-control and experience blurred a little more heavily than Fiora's own. The few moments Lux slipped, it left the duelist uncomfortably hot and desiring relief.

And the notion of the blonde being much more in tune with the body spoke to the pleasure Fiora took in being ruthless in combat.

She understood the sentiments.

And she very much wanted to see her let go.

Fiora clasped the back of her neck and drew her close, soft lips pressed to the shell of her ear.

"Teach me."

Lux whimpered.

Those words - partly inviting, a small fraction inquiring, but ultimately demanding.

The blonde took a slender hand and rested it at her hip.

"Start here. And follow my lead."

It would be a long, long morning.


A/N: ;)