Jinx was back to her usual cheerful self the next morning. She'd bounded down the stairs bright and early, arms full of art supplies. Magnolia had spent the last hour drawing with her, entertaining her with playful caricatures of Silco's goons. Jinx got a special kick out of the ones Magnolia did of Sevika, giggling and scribbling in angry eyebrows and buck teeth.

Magnolia was busy sketching a version of Sevika with cartoonish devil horns, when a voice sounded from over her shoulder.

"Having fun?"

The two culprits whirled to come face to face with Sevika herself, regarding their art with a less than impressed expression.

Embarrassed, Magnolia tried to cover up the worst of it, but Jinx only regarded the tall woman with a defiant expression.

"What do you want?" she questioned. Sevika glowered at the little girl.

"Silco says it's time for lessons." Jinx groaned but dutifully began to gather up her things, Magnolia joining in to help her. Coming across a sparkly blue sketchbook, she gasped in delight and presented it to Magnolia.

"So you can draw more stuff!" she proclaimed. Magnolia took it gratefully, murmuring her thanks and patting the little girl's hair affectionately.

Magnolia and Sevika both watched her bound up the stairs, the former with affection and the latter with irritation.

Turning back to Magnolia, Sevika gave her a sadistic smile.

"I think you need some lessons too," she said mischievously. "Follow me."

Without waiting for an answer, Sevika headed behind the bar, down the stairs that lead to the stock room. Deciding that not following direction was likely to get her in deeper trouble than whatever Sevika planned for her, Magnolia reluctantly followed.

Sevika was trying to kill her. There was no other explanation.

The stock room was a large, cool space, the late summer heat not reaching them so far underground. The center was clear, all of the shelves having been pushed up against the walls. It had always seemed like a wasteful way to organize the stock to Magnolia, but now she understood that it was a multi-purpose room.

Sevika had apparently been fully serious about her previous promise to teach Magnolia how to throw a punch, having brought her down here to do exactly that. In fact, she seemed convinced that she could make a full blown soldier out of her. At least that's what it felt like.

On hands and knees, Magnolia watched droplets of her sweat drip to the floor, praying to whoever or whatever would listen that she could just drop dead already.

Sevika's worn boots entered her field of vision, shortly followed by a strong hand yanking her to standing by the back of her dress, like a misbehaving kitten.

"One more round, sweet cheeks. I know you've got it in you," she goaded. Magnolia could hardly draw enough breath to protest, much less handle another round of sparring with a woman that seemed to have an endless reserve of energy.

As much as Sevika was relentless, she was also a surprisingly good teacher. She certainly took pleasure in taunting Magnolia and her 'little baby arms' but was equally generous with her praise. She was also definitely pulling her punches. While Magnolia had found herself on her ass more than once, it was mostly due to her own uncoordinated footwork. None of Sevika's undoubtedly devastating attacks had found their mark, the only true injuries being to Magnolia's pride.

Putting her fists up like Sevika had shown her, Magnolia decided to just get it over with and charged the bigger woman. With a grin being her only warning, Sevika ducked to the left, pivoted, and took Magnolia's legs right out from under her.

Gracelessly landing on her ass once more, Magnolia panted as she waited for the ceiling to stop spinning. Helplessly spread out like a starfish, she looked at Sevika looming over her, begging for mercy with her eyes. Catching her beseeching expression, Sevika let out a roar of a laugh and reached down her hand to help her up. She'd taken off her shawl and was now dressed in a cropped vest, showing off not only her muscles but also the immaculate detailing of her mechanical arm.

Sevika gave her a friendly pat on the back that knocked what little breath Magnolia had managed to catch right out of her.

"Go get cleaned up. I'm taking you out tonight." When Magnolia turned to argue that Silco was unlikely to allow that, Sevika only waved her with a dismissive gesture. "Don't you worry, I'll clear it with the boss man."

While a night out sounded like the last thing her exhausted body wanted to do, Magnolia figured it would be more pleasant than working on her feet all night. Nodding hesitantly at the other woman's unusually jovial expression, Magnolia did as she was asked.

Sevika in a bad mood was a fairly normal experience, something that Magnolia hadn't realized that she had gotten used to. Sevika in a good mood? A really good mood? That was weird.

Magnolia sipped her cocktail, watching Sevika over the rim with an amused smile. A voluptuous blonde was sprawled over her lap, her hands wandering all over Sevika's body. For all her grouchy attitude, the muscular woman was a real charmer when it came to women. She had a bold, swaggering way about her when she flirted with someone who caught her eye.

Magnolia, for her part, was enjoying her company. Sevika had a crass sort of sense of humour, which only got funnier as the night progressed. It felt good to spend time with someone friendly, even if she was definitely trying to give her alcohol poisoning.

The last shot that Sevika had forced on her was still rumbling around in her stomach, undecided if it was going to make its way back up. The music in this club was just as loud as at The Last Drop, but with the alcohol buzzing in her veins, Magnolia felt light and excited. The energy of the people crammed all around her was infectious, making her itch with the desire to move.

Throwing back the rest of her drink and standing up on unsteady legs, Magnolia balanced using the edge of the table. The world spun for a second before steadying, the crowd on the dance floor calling to her. Sevika looked up at her from whispering something undoubtedly dirty in the blonde's ear with a bemused expression.

"Where are you going?" she shouted over the music.

"To dance! I want to dance!" Magnolia exclaimed enthusiastically. Before the other woman could stop her, she was stumbling into the crowd, the closely pressed bodies keeping her upright. Quickly she was swallowed up, a blur of smiling faces and gyrating hips all around her. It felt so good to let loose. Magnolia closed her eyes and threw back her head, savouring the feeling of being completely out of control.

A series of friendly strangers flitted through her awareness, some dancing with her, some getting too handsy and earning an elbow to the face, some trying to talk to her over the boom of the music. Regardless, Magnolia felt amazing. The bodies all around her felt like an extension of her, all of them moving as one delighted, careless organism.

She could have been dancing for minutes or hours when the crowd parted in front of her to make room for the massive figure coming towards her. Blearily she realized it was Sevika, and gave her a sloppy grin, reaching out for her as if to hug her.

Before she made contact, the world tilted upside down, a kaleidoscope of vibrant colours. Magnolia realized that she was somehow in the air and moving, away from the dance floor. It took another minute to figure out that she was thrown over someone's shoulder, a warm, strong arm banding across the back of her thighs to keep her in place. She finally recognized the back she was being jostled against as Sevika's, the tall woman carrying her out of the club like a sack of potatoes.

The air outside was much cooler than the hot, cramped atmosphere inside, making Magnolia yelp as she was carried out. Disappointed at her evening being cut short, she kicked weakly against the hold on her legs. Sevika only shifted her shoulder to adjust her weight.

"Sorry, tuts, time for you to get home." Her voice dropped to a flirtatious tone as she spoke to someone on her other side. "I've got other plans." Her statement was followed by the unmistakable smack of a hand meeting someone's ass and then a melodious, feminine giggle.

"You're ditching me to get laid? Laaammee," Magnolia whined from her undignified position. Sevika barked out a laugh but offered no rebuttal, sympathetically patting her thigh where she held it and returning to exchange hushed words with her flavour of the night.

The journey home wasn't long, but the constant swaying and cool night air did wonders to help sober her up. By the time Sevika deposited her inside The Last Drop and steered her towards the stairs, she was able to make it up the steps with little issue. Turning to go further up to her room, Magnolia hesitated.

A thin strip of light was peeking out from under Silco's office door. It had to be the wee hours of the morning, but he was still in there, working on whatever it was that he worked on.

Chewing her bottom lip, Magnolia warred with herself. She'd given into the temptation of what Silco's office held once before and it hadn't gotten her anything but vaguely embarrassing memory.

But she couldn't help thinking of the quiet giggles exchanged by Sevika and her date, the sounds that would undoubtedly turn into sighs and moans by the end of the night. Was it so wrong, for her to want some of that for herself?

Spurred on by the unearned confidence of alcohol, Magnolia didn't let herself overthink it before she turned from the stairs and sauntered over to that very tempting door.

Marcus was starting to regret becoming Sherriff.

Far from the grand dreams he had of being a defender of the law, his days were instead filled with monotonous political meetings. There was always someone who wanted a favour or was trying to wriggle into his good graces.

Today, the man seated across from him was elegantly dressed, his jacket alone likely costing more than Marcus' rent for the month. Of course, that was also why he showed up at his office without so much as a call ahead. Entitled prick.

Putting on a practiced, professional expression, Marcus swallowed down his irritation.

"What can I help you with today, Mr. Rivington?" he asked.

The man pulled his lapels to straighten that extravagant jacket and sat up straighter.

"Your name is Marcus? May I call you Marcus?" he asked. Marcus gritted his teeth but offered a polite nod.

"Excellent, please call me Jurian," he continued, an equally practiced, charming smile on his face.

"What can I help you with today, Jurian?" Marcus repeated, the annoyance slightly leaking into his tone that time.

"I wish to file a missing person's report," Jurian stated. Marcus frowned in confusion.

"That can easily be done with any constable, sir, you did not need to wait for a meeting wtih me," he explained.

Jurian grimaced before elaborating.

"I wish to file a missing person's report for Magnolia Danverport."

Marcus barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Everyone and their dog already knew that the little heiress had flounced off with a lover to who knew where, her parents flimsy story about her illness quickly being torn apart. But apparently the fool in front of him couldn't fathom that his fiancé could run off on him. Marcus almost pitied him. Almost.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Rivington, but-"

"Jurian, please, call me Jurian," the other man interrupted, making Marcus take a breath to steady his rapidly unravelling nerves.

"I am very sorry, Jurian, but Ms. Danverport is not missing. Her family has formally announced that she is away due to a medical condition."

Jurian frowned, waving a hand to dismiss what Marcus had said.

"Respectfully, Marcus, you and I both know that this story is complete bullshit," he announced. "I have personal reasons to suspect that there was foul play involved in Magnolia's abrupt departure."

Marcus opened his mouth to argue, but Jurian held up a hand to stop him.

"I understand, of course, that it may be inappropriate to have the tax payer's money go to fund such a personal request, so I am more than happy to finance your time myself." Reaching into his jacket, Jurian pulled out a heavy sack of coin, placing it on the desk in front of Marcus. "I hop that this will suffice as a down payment, if you will."

Judging by the sized of the sack, it was easily enough pay for a whole year's worth of riding lessons at the prestigious Piltover Equestrian Society for Marcus's young daughter. He could already picture the absolute delight on her face if he came home and told her that she'd finally get to go.

Moving his gaze back up to Jurian, he contemplated the younger man for another moment. It wouldn't take long to pull together enough proof to satisfy him, making this the easiest coin he'd ever earned. Loosing a sigh, Marcus leaned back in his chair.

"I'll see what I can do," he informed Jurian. Beaming, Jurian stood up to go.

"Excellent, most excellent!"

Silco had been working through export reports he'd received from Renni earlier that day when a knock came at the door. A visitor this late usually meant something had gone completely off the rails, so Silco rubbed his forehead and braced himself.

"Come in," he barked.

The door swung open tentatively, Magnolia slipping in on unsteady feet. Silco regarded her with surprise.

He'd been pleased when Sevika had requested to take her out for the evening, hoping that a bond with the other woman would push Magnolia along in the direction that he wanted. He hadn't expected Sevika to get her absolutely sloshed.

Looking up at him through her lashes, Magnolia meandered over to his desk, coming around and leaning a hip on the edge.

"Hi," she said huskily, her cheeks flushed from the booze and her hair in a state of disarray.

He turned his chair to face her and quirked an eyebrow.

"Did you have a nice time with Sevika?" he inquired, somewhat amused at her intoxicated state.

Magnolia chuckled softly and bit her lip. "Yes, I did," she mused, eyes dragging shamelessly over his body. When she met his eyes again, there was something heated in her gaze. It sent a little thrill of awareness through him.

He'd slightly regretted toying with her quite so much in the bathroom, worried that his forwardness had pushed her too far. She was such a proper, Topside lady. He was willing to bet that her past lovers had stopped to fold their neatly pressed slacks before they fucked her.

But clearly, she was far from put off by his display, and was giving him a run for his money when it came to boldness.

Grasping him firmly by his tie, she used it to leverage herself into his lap, straddling him. Silco froze under her, hands going to the arm rests. Magnolia giggled, interlacing her fingers at the back of his neck.

"You're drunk," he told her flatly.

"Tipsy," she corrected with a smirk. Silco was hyper aware of where her legs pressed into his, of how her fingers just barely ghosted over the short hairs at the base of his skull. Her gaze turned heavy lidded as she pressed a little closer. "You look good in this suit," she mused, running a hand down his vest. Leaning closer still, Magnolia brushed her lips over the shell of his ear. "But I think you look even better without it."

Silco suppressed a groan, hands flexing on his arm rests. He was going to kill Sevika for getting her drunk.

"I don't take inebriated women into my bed," he replied tersely, hoping his prickly attitude would turn her off.

But Magnolia wasn't listening. Instead, she'd begun ghosting the tip of her nose across his jaw, slowly, dangerously migrating towards his mouth.

And then she pressed her lips to his.

She tasted like the fruit cocktails she'd undoubtedly been drinking all night, her lips soft and warm against his. Her kiss was sloppy, her hands winding up into his hair and giving a slight tug that made his cock twitch in his pants. Still, he resisted, gripping the arms of his chair harder, knuckles white from the strain. With a frustrated whine, Magnolia ground down on his lap, the delicious friction sending a shiver up his spine. Pulling back slightly, she watched him through hooded eyes for a moment, before leaning back in and biting down roughly on his bottom lip.

Silco's control snapped.

One hand roughly grabbed the soft swell of her ass, the other firmly grasping the back of her neck. All of the pent up desire he'd been feeling for her came out in that kiss, an almost vicious meeting of teeth and tongues and lips. Magnolia moaned into his mouth, writhing in his lap to get as much contact with him as possible. It was like music to his ears.

Wanting more, Silco rose with her in his arms, landing her ass on the edge of his desk. Magnolia's legs wound around him, her skirt having risen well above the swell of her hips, exposing her lacy black panties. He couldn't resist rocking his own hips against her core. He was already hard, his cock straining in his pants, so thinly separated from where he so desperately wanted to bury himself.

Magnolia threw her head back as he kissed down her neck, nipping and sucking the soft skin. The little sounds she made in response, the way she mewled his name, drove him absolutely mad.

But he couldn't do this, not like this. He needed her, so badly it made it almost impossible to think, and suspected that she craved him just as much. Yet if he took advantage of the situation now, he risked irreparably damaging the tentative trust that they'd started to build. There was every chance that she would sober up in the morning and feel horrified that she'd fallen into his bed when her inhibitions were weakened.

Ripping himself away, he pushed her down to the desk with a hand in the middle of her chest. He traced his fingers from her collarbone down to her waist, barely resisting the beautiful swell of her breasts.

Magnolia spread out beneath him was breathtaking. He pressed a thumb to her pouty lips, dragging it down towards her chin. The bright red lipstick she'd been wearing was already a mess and he took savage pleasure in ruining it further. She looked completely undone by him. Straight white teeth chased his finger, giving it a playful nip that sent a jolt straight to his cock.

Losing all reason again, Silco dove back in to claim her mouth, one hand grasping her jaw and the other gliding down to pull her hips down against his own. Grinding against her heat like a desperate teenager, Silco groaned into her mouth, her answering moan making him shudder. She was his most exquisite torture.

Tearing himself away from her mouth again, he pressed his face against the side of her throat, trying to ground himself, to catch his breath. Magnolia's squirming under him made that difficult, as did those insist little hands drawing patterns on his back and running through his hair.

He rose up above her, keeping her down with a hand on her shoulder when she went to follow.

"Not like this, little mouse," he rasped. "You want more, you come back to me when you can think straight."

Magnolia mewled in protest, hands reaching for his belt between her legs and tugging him closer. Silco hissed in a breath and planted his other hand beside her head.

"I said no," he repeated stiffly, creating distance between their hips. "You still want this, want me, in the morning, you come tell me. I won't turn you away."

Silco took one last, long look at her spread out before him like the most decadent feast. Whether she did take him up on his offer or not, he'd at the very least remember this moment in crystal clear detail to fuel his fantasies.

Before she could speak a word of protest, he heaved her up to standing, turned her around by the shoulders, and sent her teetering for the door with an affectionate pat on her ass.

She paused with her hand on the doorknob and peered back at him, hesitating. Silco waved his hands in a shooing motion and gave her a withering look. Blushing a darker red, Magnolia clumsily yanked open the door and disappeared into the hallway, the door shutting softly after her.

Silco collapsed into his chair and heaved a sigh, rubbing his hands over his face. Fuck, it had taken everything to stop himself. It took even more not to follow her to her bedroom and finish what they'd started.

Accepting that he was not getting any more work done that night, Silco stormed up to his bedroom, where he could at least give himself the release he so desperately needed.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Author's note: Oh baby, here we are! As promised, a very fun chapter.

I also was very amused by the contrast of Jurian desperately trying to find her while Magnolia is off living her best life, trying to get into Silco's pants. Poor Jurian, if only he knew lol

Please let me know what you think! I firmly believe that Silco has his own twisted moral compass, and in my heart he's a Consent King. Hawt. Also trying to keep this train on the tracks instead of derailing into full blown plotless smut territory lol. Not that there is anything with that.