Hey everyone! Have a great week! Also as always own nothing except for my OC. Be cool everyone! Enjoy!

Chapter 26. An Arrow carries will and intent. Whats your goal?

In a training area of the Institute dedicated for marksman, a particular marksman was having a hard time keeping the focus of his arrows. To the untrained eye, his aiming was perfect, but other marksman could have noticed it without any trouble. He was missing his targets, you see they were moving slightly to the sides.

They of course were in the bullseye, but that deviation was unacceptable for someone of his skill level. He wasn't supposed to fail. And the one at his side in training wasn't making it easier.

"Look at that, your arrows are all over the place!"

Draven…

Few things could affect his patience as the Executioner from Noxus, known for his endless capability to speak every thought without a problem or a care of who might hear him, Draven was many things. Sadly, he was also deadly precise in his movements. His throwing axes never failing to hit the spot he wanted to hit.

If Draven wanted to stop you from running he could, and if he wanted to maim you and not kill you, he also could do it. His precision with the weapons he seemingly juggled all over the place was second to none.

That didn't mean he was feeling happy of having his marksmanship questioned.

"What do you care?"

Draven snorted at looking at Varus.

"I am just saying, if you are showing such a poor show you might need to go somewhere else, somewhere in which your failure doesn't make Draven precision look too big… know what? Stay, you make me look even better by failing"

Draven laughed and Varus was getting angry. He was about to shoot an arrow at him when his arm seemingly moved to the side aiming at a target and not Draven. Draven took notice of the unnatural move the arm of Varus took and only whistled.

"Someone having problems?"

Varus looked with anger in his eyes, but Draven remained unfazed. He had seen an angry Darius and Swain before. A darkin wasn't all that scary compared to those two when they were actually angry at him. He let him be and simply pointed to the door.

"You know, you can see Soraka or anyone, is not funny to make fun of a marksman who is obviously having problems"

Draven threw an ax at the target Varus had just hit. The ax destroying the arrow and ricocheting back at Draven who only laughed. What made Varus angry wasn't Draven destroying the construct arrow, what made him angry, was the fact Draven did it while hitting the dead center of the target without any problem.

He was truly insufferable to him.

After a round of fishing and Master Yi knowing Cid, everyone was making their way to their respective places, hoping to find some relaxation before matches, and in the case of the therapist and a nine tailed fox, just spending time together in his office.

"So you don't have a match today?"

Ahri gave him a small nod before letting herself fall on the couch of the office. She had become rather used to the couch to the point she could feel herself relaxing every time she let herself in it.

"I don't, but I also do, my matches tend to be on the later side of the day, so the mornings are always free for me"

Cid was curious regarding her answer.

"I thought everyone always had matches"

Ahri gave a nod while looking at him with her fangs showing. She was really relaxed on the couch.

"Everyone has matches, but there are periods of time that only a few keep having constant matches, the rest of us take that period as vacations, we have a few matches, but the majority are played between the same Champions, this gives the rest a chance to relax doing whatever they want"

Cid nodded. He took to sketch Ahri, in a way it was always fun to sketch her many faces, her many sides showing her relaxation to the times she was hyperactively happy.

"Well, is good to know you can relax"

She offered him a smile as she patted a spot in the couch.

"Hey, you are always sitting behind the desk, why not sit with me?"

Cid chuckled pointing the paper.

"Well, I am always sketching, so is sort of normal that I need a desk for that"

Ahri chuckled but kept patting the spot beside her.

"Come on, not sketching for a day won't kill you"

Cid smiled and nodded.

"I shall take your word then"

He stood from the desk and took to sit in the couch, the couch of the office was big enough to have two people in it, it was probably the most luxurious item of the office, and it wasn't that amazing. It was just a couch, but to Cid, it represented a great commodity. Specially for those times he fell asleep in odd places.

As he was sitting he found himself enveloped in the tails of Ahri who was also hugging him from behind. The action send him falling directly on her, she was laughing as her tails kept him warm in a comforting way.

"See, isn't this comfier than the desk?"

Her mischievous smile showed how much she was enjoying it.

Truth was, she was hoping to spend more time with him. Mainly because spending time with him brought her best side out. She could be herself without any care nor worry. She knew whatever happened, he would treat her the same way, or even throw a small compliment at her. And in a way she was used at compliments, but the way the came from the therapist always made her smile because she could feel it.

The honesty.

Many said words all the time, compliments specially, but they never truly mean them. And so, hearing an honest compliment always made her smile. Specially knowing from who it came.

"This is indeed comfier than my desk, but not comfier than the park bench I slept last time"

Ahri chuckled before asking him what he meant. And so, a story started regarding his last couple of days. By the end Ahri was laughing so much she almost choke him by the strength of her hug on him as she tried to contain her laughter.

"I would have loved to see Poppy in costume! And to believe you even slept on a desk, you truly need to change those sleeping habits of yours"

Cid getting back the air in his lungs chuckled with her nodding.

"Maybe I do"

Ahri repositioned herself holding him close as she started to hum in thought. He wasn't sure what was Ahri thinking, her body language and her ability to disguise her thoughts were always impressive, while her tails could serve as an indicator in knowing her thoughts, as they were enveloping him in a hug it was hard to know her thoughts.

"What are you thinking?"

She smiled her humming stopping for a second before looking him directly in the eyes. It was at moments like those that Cid remembered how Ahri was taller than him.

"Oh, you know, I was thinking maybe you could start changing your sleeping habits… why not try to fall asleep in the couch?"

Cid chuckled.

"Would be hard, I mean I don't want to fall asleep over you"

Ahri eyes twinkled with mischief as her smile grew.

"I wouldn't mind it…"

Cid got embarrassed as his face became red, he couldn't run away as the tails of Ahri and her arms were keeping him close. He tried to think of a retort to say to her, but her smile and the look in her eyes made it impossible. In the end he knew he had fallen on her setup. So, with a sigh he smiled at her.

"Let's try then…"

Ahri nodded and positioned herself on the couch so he could fully rest with her behind him. It took a few moments for both to position themselves on the couch. Ahri had to remove her tails from him as he moved in place. Once both were in place her tails took to keep both covered. Cid was having a hard time relaxing as he had never been in a situation like that one before.

Ahri took notice he was having a hard time relaxing. So she took to start humming as she took him in a hug. The hug tensed him for a moment, but her humming started to make him get relaxed. Ahri found herself feeling happy as she took notice of how easily he was starting to relax. After a bit of time, he ended up falling asleep. She never stopped her humming as she was enjoying the moment.

Ahri found herself unable to sleep. Her dreams were pretty much the scene she found herself in. So, there was no need to sleep for her, not when reality was looking like her dreams.

Varus had taken Draven advice. Rather than an advice it had been something obvious, he went to see the Starchild. Soraka.

When she heard about Varus situation in the practice she noticed his body was in good health, nothing out of place, nor anything out of the ordinary in his body. The darkin was resistant, and while not having the vitality of other Champions, she saw nothing wrong with him. That left only one possible problem.

"Varus… I think your problems lies in your mind… not in your body, I couldn't find anything in you that requires my healing"

Varus sighed. He feared that particular answer. Because it meant the problem was lying with the other two in his body.

Valmar and Kai. It was hard to discern whose voice was whose. Human voices always were hard to discern for him.

Why must you be so angry?

Varus wasn't sure who of the two had spoken. But what really surprised him was that Soraka was seemingly taking notes.

"Okay, if I recall, there is a mind reader here in the Institute, maybe he can also communicate with Valmar and Kai?"

Varus was about to ask the Starchild how she knew their names. But he remembered. Soraka knew the names and backgrounds of everyone she had ever healed in the Institute. She was one of the more knowledgeable beings but refused to speak anything related to the people she had healed before. Saying it wasn't her place to tell.

Such a waste of precious information.

Is called respecting others privacy… she doesn't want to speak their secrets.

Varus found himself sighing. It was a lot of trouble hearing their voices, especially as the only sound he wanted to hear was his arrows hitting the dead center on the targets.

"I will see this mind reader… do you know where to find him"

Soraka nodded and offered a piece of paper from a stack.

"I was given this by a summoner, it has the way to his office, best of luck to all three of you"

Varus was about to retort when he sighed.

"Thank you…"

He didn't need the two voices on his head telling him to be polite to the Starchild.

As Varus made his way to the office of the so called mind reader he took notice of humming coming from inside. He took to try to open the door and get done with the problem. He found the door locked.

Knocking is important. You don't own the place.

"Valmar…"

Varus sighed taking to knock the door. He could hear footsteps from the other side. When the door opened he was met with an angry looking fox he already had met before.

"Varus… what do you need?"

Varus was about to tell her to move. But he needed the control of his body, better to play their game.

"Ahri… I came to see a mind reader, Soraka sent me to see him"

Ahri sighed. Before speaking in a low voice no one could have heard. But he wasn't a human and heard the sound of her mumbling.

"We were having a good time…"

As Ahri moved from the door pointing to Varus to enter, she got close to the couch and crouched to the sleeping face of the therapist.

"Cid… wake up, someone came to see you"

The therapist didn't take long to get awake, he stretched his arms and nodded at Ahri who offered him his glasses back.

"Thanks Ahri, and who might you be sir?"

Cid took to look at the figure of the purple skinned man and remembered Ezreal. The last of the three Darkins.

"Varus, or as the summoners have come to call me, The Arrow of Retribution"

Cid took a nod before standing from the couch. Ahri helped him balance and Varus took notice of how he walked. It seemed he was lacking a leg and was using something in its place.

"My name is Cid, therapist for the Institute. Well Varus, what brought you to my office"

Varus took a place in the couch, Cid took notice of Ahri going behind him and whispering to him.

"I will be on your room, best of luck"

Cid nodded at her. He appreciated the fact she gave them space for the therapy. Varus spoke as soon as she left.

"I am having… troubles with myself"

Cid took a moment to understand that. But when he took notice of the way Varus carried himself it only brought more questions than answers.

"I try to aim, but they keep messing with my shots, and they simply are starting to become a bother"

Cid nodded. He kept looking the contradicting body signals.

"Varus, forgive my interruption, but allow me to tell you a story"

At this Varus raised an eyebrow. He was showing a clear lack of interest, but he also took notice how his hands had suddenly got together, a sign he was placing his attention. The story was a short one, but it was useful. For it showed Cid an insight of the mind of Varus.

He showed clear disinterest in the story, his hands showed he was placing attention, the tapping of his foot in a part close to the climax showed his need to hear the end of the story.

Varus body language was contradicting all over itself.

"I still lack the insight of how this works to help me"

Cid nodded.

"Tell me Varus, you have ever hunted an animal?"

Varus kept in thought but nodded. He didn't understand where he was going with the question.

He seems interested in the hunt?
Maybe he likes to see the animals and is looking for a common ground.

"What does a rabbit does when you try to get close to him?"

Oh! He raises his ears as it hears footsteps
Does it? I mean, they never see the arrow coming.
They get to react at times.

Varus head ringed with the voices of the other two and he spoke.

"They look for the threat around them"

Cid nodded.

"Would it be weird for a rabbit to raise his ears, yet instead of running, his left side tried to move to a direction, and the right to the other one?"

Varus took a nod.

"Of course, it would be impossible, you speak as if the rabbit had two separate personalities, one looking for a different direction than the other"

Cid nodded.

"Then explain me why you act like if you were three people at the same time"

Varus eyes opened in surprise.

Hey!
Did he take notice?
Did he enter our mind?

Varus quickly took to form an arrow and aimed at the therapist. Cid kept his focus on the arms of Varus. He took notice of how the bow was moving in a different direction before pointing at him again.

Lower that!
Don't go killing him! What has he done to you?!

"How?"

The question sounded forced, and that was all that Cid needed to know.

"I heard from Ezreal how Darkins worked. You were all sealed and became weapons, without a host you cant exist. Aatrox, the blade took control over its host long ago. Kayne and Raast are always fighting for control on whose get to dominate the other. Ezreal said there were rumors that the bow sealed in the Pit of Pallas had seemingly fused with two others"

Cid took to point at the bow.

"You are the sealed bow, but your body is not one, but two people, right? The rumors aren't simply rumors"

Varus lowered the bow and took to sit again in the couch. He was silent for a moment.

"Your kind is incredibly weak… yet you managed to seal me and my brothers, my sister too…"

Cid was surprised. There were other Darkins?

"How many of you are out there Varus?"

Varus seemed to sigh for a moment.

"We were five"

Cid nodded. So Ezreal was right on all his clues. He would have to share that with him… guessing Varus allowed him.

"I see… and you hate my kind?"

Varus took a nod again.

"Your kind sealed us, and separated us, you will get what is coming to you"

Stop that…
It will never help you Varus…

"I see, but don't you think you are sounding rather… sad?"

Varus raised an eyebrow at this, Cid took it as a sign to continue.

"You are alive, free of your seal, you can do whatever you want… and all you want is to do the same things that got you sealed? The world is beautiful Varus, but only for those willing to see it with open eyes"

Varus laughed.

"Do you really think the world is beautiful? Is full of battles between your own kind"

Cid nodded smiling.

"Yes, there are many conflicts, and yet there are many places without conflict, people working hard to survive and keep forward. Everyone in the world is trying to move forward, and those who stay in the past will stay and die there Varus"

Cid pointed behind him.

"Behind me, is someone I care deeply, and she is someone who has seen more much suffering than you… and she smiles the kindest. She cares the most for her friends… what you carry with you Varus is insignificant to what others carry… you can grow up, or you can be the same you were in the past"

Varus was in thought.

There is no need for killing unnecessarily…
You got us right? Good or bad, we all share this body…
We all share this life.
So why not make the best of it?

Varus seemed to be in thought. He simply stood up and left the office. Cid took a sigh as he heard Ahri walking behind him.

"Wasn't that… harsh?"

Cid took a nod before looking at her.

"It was, but Varus is different, Varus is prideful, he is unique, and he has two voices in his head aside of his own… I needed to speak with him so he can help himself. He is not alone Ahri"

Cid took to see the figure of Varus losing itself in the hallways.

"He is the kind of person who works better in self-reflection. Varus needed advice, but he will get better after he speaks with himself, after all, he is never truly alone you know?"

Ahri went and closed the door of the office and took to look at him. Her expression showed the remorse of a children who had done something bad.

"I… I sort of eavesdropped on you and Varus… I was afraid he would hurt you"

Cid could only smile. While she had sort of broken the privacy on the office, he wasn't angry, after all neither he nor Varus noticed.

"Well, you didn't do anything bad, but please respect the privacy next time"

Cid offered her a smile and she nodded. She seemed to play with her hands before speaking again, she had something on her mind she needed to let out.

"Did…did you mean it? What you said to Varus… do you care so much?"

Cid understood what she meant.

"Of course, I mean it, you smile with the biggest kindest in here"

Ahri smiled and after standing offered a hug that ended up lifting Cid from the floor. Her strength made him flinch as it was obvious how happy she felt. He could only hope Varus found his own happiness.

Varus was back in the training area. He looked at the target and breathed. He could hear them speaking.

Will you try?
We have traveled before, we could show you the beautiful places Ionia has.
We could even go somewhere else, the world is big, there are surely other places.
Who knows… maybe we will all come to enjoy it?
An eternity is a long time Varus…
Why don't we all make the best of it?

Varus seemingly nodded at himself. He pointed an arrow and it went straight ahead. Nothing made the arrow change, it had will and intent behind it. An arrow that wouldn't miss it mark anymore. He found himself smiling, something which was a rarity nowadays.

He shot a second, a third, a fourth, and kept shooting arrows at the target. None missing its mark. There was a beauty in the target, and there was a bigger sense of happiness in an arrow flying straight ahead without missing its mark. His precision was back.

"Thanks…"

Varus spoke to seemingly no one in particular. But the voices in his head knew who he had offered those thanks. And they were thankful too. If they had to share a body for an eternity. Might as well be on good terms.

Ahri felt happy, it had been a great time so far. Yet she had to leave for a match when a summoner came to call for her.

"Well... duty calls eh? I will see you when the matches are over"

Cid nodded smiling at her.

"Do your best, I know you can manage it"

Ahri found herself feeling motivated. Before leaving she offered a last hug and kissed her friend on the cheek.

"Take care! Don't get in trouble!"

She left dashing quickly going with the summoner, the faster she could win the matches, the faster she would be with her friend.

Cid found himself smiling and waving in her direction. It was always nice to spend time with Ahri. But she was right, he had a prone to getting into troubles. Hopefully, nothing would happen that required his attention.

At the thought he shivered. He had jinxed himself by thinking that. Before he could get on sketching a summoner called for him.

"Therapist? We would like your services with a particular creature"

Cid didn't like the term creature. Mostly because that was a term that shouldn't be used lightly.

"Is a Champion, he seems to be rather to angry and we thought maybe you could help"

Cid sighed before nodding.

"Can I request a bit of help?"

The summoner nodded asking who he wanted to ask for help.

Cid had still to know all the Champions, there was simply a lot and he had yet to know them, so he thought maybe it was time to offer his thanks.

"Is Shen free?"

The summoner nodded.

"Then please tell him I would need a hand, tell me where to go, that way I will be on the road as you look for Shen"

The summoner nodded and pointed him in the direction.

Cid didn't want to admit it, but teleporting still left him with nausea, so he would avoid it if possible.

When he went to the direction he took on the many robbed summoners who were keeping a seeming sort of wolf in place inside a barrier. Cid took notice of the look of the wolf, he looked humanoid, he seemed to be able to walk in two legs and then chose to move in four to get speed. There was also a machine on his back. Cid approached the closest summoner to speak with him.

"What is going?"

The summoner looked at the therapist before pointing at the wolf.

"Warwick seems to be getting out of control, we don't know why, he just suddenly lost control"

Cid nodded. He would have to wait for Shen.

"Need a hand?"

Cid felt he could have a heart attack at the voice of Shen behind him. He was about to ask him when he came and simply spoke the answer himself.

"Ninja, right…. And yes I would appreciate your help with Warwick"

Shen nodded. Cid took notice of how suddenly there seemed to appear a huge ethereal sword near Shen. The ninja pointed at the ethereal sword.

"Stay close to it all the time"

Cid nodded. Both approached Warwick and the summoners opened a small entry on the barrier for them. They entered fast fearing Warwick might take the chance to escape. Before Cid could speak he found himself protected by Shen who was seemingly holding Warwick with a strength he never thought the ninja had.

"Refrain from hurting this man Warwick… he just came to help you"

Warwick snarled before speaking.

"You are prey!"

Cid wasn't so much surprised that Warwick could speak. Rather what surprised him was the look of his eyes. Those eyes weren't clear, the pupils looked to react weirdly… like the effects of someone who had been drugged.

"Shen… can you knock him out?"

Shen seemed to be in thought before nodding. In a quick motion Shen was behind Warwick. The wolf couldn't react fast enough as Shen hit him with all his strength at the base of his neck. The hit seemingly incapacitating the wolf who snarled before falling to the floor.

"Keep him right there!"

Cid got close to Warwick, the wolf eyes looking savage. Then he was sure.

"Something is wrong with his eyes… he looks as if someone drugged him…"

Cid motioned for a summoner.

"Can you… heal him? Or do something about him? He seems to be under the effects of a drug"

The summoner was in thought before nodding.

"I can cleanse any impurity out of his body, whatever isn't normal in his body will be cleansed… let me try"

The summoner focused on Warwick, picturing the image in his mind of a sphere he then released his magic which surrounded Warwick, after a few seconds Shen could feel how Warwick wasn't fighting back as much. He released the wolf who seemingly looked at his surroundings, he wasn't afraid. No, he was confused.

"Where?"

Cid took to see Warwick eyes, they showed ferocity, instincts, but what they didn't show was the rage of before. That rage had been artificial it seemed. Cid decided to spoke.

"The Institute, the summoners kept you in a barrier when you seemingly started to let your rage clear"

Warwick nodded. Before he could ask, Cid offered his hand at him.

"Cid, therapist for the Institute"

Warwick couldn't remember the last time anyone offered him a hand. He took it, the hand of the therapist looking insignificant in his clawed hand.

"Warwick…"

Cid nodded. With a smile, he sat on the floor prompting Warwick to do the same. The summoners and Shen were surprised at the exchange in front of them. They didn't know what was going on, but the fact that the therapist was speaking so easily with Warwick surprised them. Was he not afraid?

"Well Warwick, let me tell you of my day"

He proceeded to tell him of his sketches and his meeting with Varus.

"He seems… different, but I don't know if I would dare say he is evil, have you met anyone evil recently Warwick?"

Warwick body tensed, his memory seeming to work, Cid could see rage in him, but it wasn't the same rage as before. He snarled before seemingly losing the rage.

"I…I smelled blood… lost control…"

Cid nodded.

"Why did you lose control?"

The summoners all were enthralled at looking the therapist speaking with Warwick. They all were surprised at seeing the beast so calm. It was sitting in the floor in the same way, his gaze focused on the therapist. Both chatting simply. Warwick had smelled blood, this fueled his rage, rage that for what Cid was learning got pumped by the many pumps of machinery inside of him. Alchemical rage. Everyone in the room except for Shen and Cid knew of the experiments Singed had done on Warwick.

It came as a surprise when Warwick mentioned Singed to the therapist. They had to enter his mind in a trial to see if he was worthy of being a Champion as he wouldn't speak to them. Yet here he was, speaking everything with the therapist.

"Singed was right… I was never a good man… if I ever was one"

Cid stood from sitting and offered his hand at Warwick.

"A good man is the one who accepts a handshake, and just then you accepted mine right?"

Warwick seemed lost before taking his hand again. Cid smiled.

"Your claws can surely rip my hand in a second, I wouldn't even feel it… yet you just shake my hand again. In my books you are a good man"

Warwick seemingly laughed. It was a dry laugh, seemingly more to the sound a hyena would release. He shook his hand again before speaking.

"I am a good man, aren't I?"

It was Cid turn to laugh.

"A good man with rage issues, but hey, no one is perfect, you know what make us good?"

Warwick was curious of this, the group of summoners who had placed the barrier were curious as well. But the most expectant of the answer was The Eye of Twilight.

"What makes us good is our ability to do the right thing when is needed. I know little of you Warwick, but I bet you do the right thing when is needed"

The summoners knew of the past killings of Warwick, and how he later ended up only killing those who spilled blood on Zaun… was Warwick good?

They couldn't say. To them he was a beast.

For the therapist who was shaking the claw of the beast. He was shaking hands with a good man who had many issues on him.

Shen was in thought at the answer.

"What make us good. Is our ability to do the right thing when is needed"

Was Zed good then? Should opportunity appear… would Zed do the right thing? It was interesting to think about it. A different concept. The concept would be on his mind for the rest of the day.

Warwick found himself laughin again before releasing the hand of the therapist. He took on his look, frail, his glasses showed his eyes who were full of curiosity but also of hope, those were the eyes of a good man. And Warwick found himself helping him stand from the floor by pulling him up. It seems he was also really light.

"Thanks… I can't remember where the blood came from… but I feel better"

Cid smiled.

"If you need to chat, feel free to visit my office, a good man is always welcome through the doors of my office, and even if you don't think you are a good man you can enter. I don't mind such things"

Warwick ended up laughing before walking away. The summoners were stunned. The exchange had seemingly happened without much problems. As they all took to leave a summoner stayed as Cid approached Shen.

"Hey, thanks. I wanted to thank you for the help with the notes, they were useful… also thanks for the help with Warwick, I doubt things would have been so easy had you not held him in place"

Shen nodded at Cid. Before he could leave he heard him speak again.

"You know, it wouldn't hurt to try to laugh more Shen"

Shen sighed. He had to remain the way he was. The world was tough. He didn't had time for laughs…

"Stop me if you know this one Shen. A Noxian, a Demacian and a ninja enter a bar, the bartender looks at them and welcomes them. You know what the bartender says?"

Shen stayed still. That wasn't what he expected to hear. Taking his silence as approval Cid continued.

"Good to see you two… get it? Because he can't see the ninja?"

The summoner who was still around ended up laughing. It had been a horrible joke. A truly horrible joke. And Shen was hating himself at the fact he was smiling under his mask at the horrible joke.

"You should try to tell it to Akali, I bet she will laugh"

Shen seemingly nodded and left. Cid smiled knowing he had made Shen smile. Or hoped too.

"Well done therapist… you did a great job"

Cid looked at the robbed summoner. The summoner took away the hood revealing a woman who seemed young. She was tall and had her brown hair short and messy. She smiled and it was obvious she was still laughing about the joke.

"Summoner Hariku, at your orders"

Cid smiled.

"Cid, therapist at your orders"

She nodded and offered her hand for a handshake. After it she pointed at the door.

"You did great… I wanted to tell you I will try looking the source of the blood, normally the Institute is clean of it to avoid getting Warwick in rage"

Cid nodded.

"Thanks, but I don't think you stayed behind only to tell me that did you?"

She smiled noddingly and took a piece of paper.

"I heard about this bet going on about your relationship with a champion…. And I was hoping to know if you wouldn't mind giving me some information, we aren't that well paid for our work, and the money of the bet would really help me… hey where are you going!"

At the middle of her speech, Cid had gone away as soon as he heard the words bet. He wasn't feeling like dealing with that. He sighed as he heard the summoner behind him.

"Come on! You look like a kind man, surely you don't mind helping a beautiful lady?"

She winked at him which only made him sigh more as he kept walking.

"Come on, just a hint? What letter does her name start with? A or S?"

Cid kept walking. He needed to get away from her. Before he could think of an excuse as to leave her behind he took notice of how suddenly it was silent around him. He looked behind and saw the woman soundly sleeping on the floor. Before he could ask he felt a tug on his hand and took to see Zoe.

"Hey! Mind giving me a hand? Great! Thanks, I knew I could count with you! Let us go!"

Cid wasn't sure what was happening. But he only laughed it off as Zoe pulled him away leaving a summoner soundly sleeping on the floor.

"Sure let us go!"

Had Cid known he was going to be spying at Ezreal on the gardens outside of the Institute he would have said no.

"Why can't we… just speak with him?"

Zoe gasped at this, the sole idea was ludicrous to her. It wasn't like they just could approach Ezreal.

"That would be impossible, Ezreal surely…"

Zoe was a second to late in her speech as Cid had taken to walk to Ezreal.

"Ez! Mind if we tag along?"

Ezreal who was seemingly taking notes on a few flowers on the garden smiled at hearing the voice of the therapist.

"Of course not, feel free to offer your input on this, you know of plants, right?"

Cid nodded as he took Zoe by her hand and took her with him.

"You don't mind my friend, do you?"

Ezreal looked at Zoe and shrugged.

"As long as she doesn't damage the plants I see no problem"

Zoe was smiling at Ezreal and nodded. She felt thankful at the mind reader.

"Well, what do you got here then?"

Cid approached Ezreal and looked at the plants, they seemed like the small bulbs of the plants Zyra had in her own garden. Still this one looked with a different color. Cid took a closer look and understood the reason.

"This one is lacking nutrients, probably hasn't been having luck at getting bugs"

The plants of Zyra needed nutrients through eating others, so it wasn't weird for one to have a bad luck period.

"Looks that way, well in any case I am surprised it holds so well"

Cid nodded. Zoe was looking at Ezreal taking notes on any movement he made.

"Well, unless physically attacked, the plant will survive pretty much any climate, it can even grow on cold places and stay alive. Is a plant that can resist anything, but physical attacks to it will break it easily. But when it matures, then is a problem"

Ezreal nodded. He knew the plant thanks to Zyra. She could be a harsh opponent to have, but also a reliable ally.

"I see… I heard those rumors, but the bulbs seem to have appeared not long ago… so I am guessing Zyra must have planted it here"

Cid nodded.

"Is not a plant that can just grow out of nowhere, so that might be the case, still is a good plant to keep the garden safe, I mean, most plants don't feed on insects, so this one"

"Keeps the garden safe. Allowing the plants to grow healthy even if this one in particular does not"

Cid and Ezreal looked behind them and saw Zyra walking in their direction. Before Ezreal could explain anything she raised a hand at his face.

"I know you are not damaging any plant. Don't worry… this time"

She looked from Ezreal to Cid and offered her hand. Cid already knew what she wanted and kissed her hand lightly. She smiled before pointing to Zoe.

"You are new… what brings you here?"

Before Zoe could speak, and in Cid thoughts, get into troubles with Zyra, he spoke.

"She came with me, we came to see if we could help Ezreal for a while"

Zoe took the hint and nodded with a smile. She approached Ezreal offering a hug at him.

"Yeah! We only came to help"

Zyra noticed the obvious lie of the therapist and could only smile in his direction. Cid took the sign as a way of her saying she knew. He could only smile and lightly point to Zoe. She got the message and kept walking close to him.

"I heard about a bet going, and couldn't avoid but wonder, you wouldn't mind offering a hint right"

Cid sighed. Before he could speak she opened her hand showing a bulb.

"I wouldn't mind offering a plant of my collection in exchange for the hint"

Ezreal eyes shined. Zyra would never part with any plant of hers, making the work of observation on them a hard one, and a dangerous one at that, but here she was. Offering a plant herself.

Ezreal looked with begging eyes at Cid.

"Please Cid… this would help a lot in my research!"

Cid sighed looking at Ezreal. He was really thinking about it. Zoe entered too in the conversation.

"Yeah! Think how much it would mean to Ezreal!"

Cid sighed before looking at Zyra. She was smiling, she was enjoying the whole situation he was in. Cid could only nod at himself before speaking.

"You don't mind giving the plant to Ezreal?"

She nodded smiling at him.

"Not at all, I know he will keep it safe… he knows the risk of mistreating plants"

Ezreal nodded at her and then kept looking at Cid. His eyes were expectant and it was obvious he wanted the plant. With a last sigh Cid signed to Zyra to approach.

"Okay… I am only giving you one hint"

Zyra nodded smiling.

"She…she spends a lot of time with me"

Zyra smiled before pointing the flaw in his intent of deflecting her question.

"That doesn't work and you know it Cid… after all, both of them spend a lot of time with you"

Cid sighed. He was a bad liar and he knew it. He approached her and whispered to her. Zyra eyes opened up in surprise.

"You mean that?"

Cid nodded. And Zyra saw the truth in his words. She offered a smile at him.

"Best of luck then… Ezreal, I will be looking for a pot to place the plant in, come to pick it in the garden tomorrow"

Cid smiled at the wishes of luck from Zyra. He wasn't expecting the hug from Ezreal.

"Man! You don't know how much you have helped my research! This means a lot!"

Ezreal took the hands of Cid in his making the scene awkward for Cid. As Ezreal kept expressing his thanks. Zyra only laughed at the scene, was anyone else seeing the scene, they would have thought Ezreal was confessing to Cid.

And a part of Zoe was confused. She felt betrayed. Her friend who had offered her the chance to be so close to Ezreal was now taking him away! Yet, another part of her couldn't deny the weird feelings she felt at seeing Ezreal interact with her friend. It was a mix of conflicting emotions, for one side, Ezreal wasn't hugging her and holding her hands, on the other, it was weirdly interesting to see Ezreal interact that way with her friend…

She would wait before deciding what emotion won more.

"I know! I am taking you with me to Shurima as thanks! You will love it!"

Before Cid could speak anything he found himself alone with Zyra and Zoe as Ezreal flashed away. He was feeling confused as Zyra outright started to laugh loudly and Zoe was in thought.

"What… what just happened?"

Zyra was the first to speak up.

"You know, I think you just got yourself a male admirer… oh no, this might change the bets…"

Zyra actually seemed worried on the bets changing. Zoe was in thought before offering her hand at Cid. Before he could speak she spoke her thoughts.

"I don't know how I feel about it, but you are not Lux… and if you make Ezreal happy I think I can accept it"

Cid eyes opened in surprise.

"I am… not into Ezreal… I mean I don't think we could be a couple, don't you think you got more chance with him?"

Before Zoe could speak, Zyra made her thoughts clear.

"Oh, were the rumors true? I heard you were into men and women"

Before Cid could explain to her about that he got surprised and asked.

"From where are all these rumors coming from?!"

At this Zyra laughed again before speaking.

"Let us say, a rat has been keeping close tabs on you"

Cid didn't get what she meant with a rat, the usual saying was a bird. But before he could ask more of it Ezreal flashed again in front of him taking his hand.

"Come on! Already got a summoner to teleport us to Shurima"

Cid could feel the wave of nausea incoming, before he could say anything Ezreal had flashed away with him. Zoe was left alone with Zyra and spoke to her.

"Is it weird I thought it was cute seeing them together?"

Zyra could only laugh before waving her off.

"I think the bets have changed… what do you say about entering the bets? We could share the earnings"

Zoe smiled at the idea.

"What you got in mind?"

CUT!

Well this was fun to write. A rat has been keeping tabs on the therapist? Who could it be! We all know lol. Well everyone! Have a great start this week, we will be seeing more of Warwick and Varus in the near future. Also Valguien thanks for the notes on Jhin! You really helped me there, I will have to correct those details in the future.

Chapters left for the Pentakill concert: 2