Chapter 7:

Riven was woken up with a smack to the head with a staff, LeBlanc looming over her with an unimpressed look. She sat up, the bed covers falling off her and rubbed the side of her head where LeBlanc had hit her.

"What?" She asked.

"I want your answer." Riven rubbed at her eyes, still half asleep.

"My answer?"

"Yes. Did you think I was going to let you go home and ask permission from your girlfriend?" Riven swung her legs over the edge of the bed, looking up at the Deceiver. "Do you not want power? Because I can find someone else." Riven sat in silence in response to that question. "That's what I thought. I'll contact you again when it is time for you to return to Noxus."

Riven watched as LeBlanc left in one of her own passageways then moved to begin sorting out her belongings. She wasn't exactly sure how she was going to spin this to Irelia when she returned home, how do you spin participating in a coup? Riven grabbed her things and headed for the door. This had taken far less time than she had thought, she had at least expected to be participating in some sort of planning session before they went ahead but it seemed as if LeBlanc already knew what she was going to do.

Riven took her time on her way back to the Placidium, she was already far ahead of schedule after only having stayed at the Institute for one night. She chose to stay one night a small inn on the main route back. She could make the trip in less than twenty four hours if she didn't choose to stop but stopping gave her time to think about what she would say when she got back.

It was in the late evening the next day that she finally returned to the Placidium, to their home. She unlocked the front door and was met with Irelia sitting at the dining room table as if she had been waiting for Riven to return, a sight that gave Riven a sinking feeling. Her suspicions were confirmed when she locked eyes with Irelia, a look of both anger and disappointment on her face.

"Who are you seeing?" She asked in a sharp tone, the question puzzling Riven.

"Sorry, what?"

"You disappeared for four days, saying you were going to the Institute to help Luxanna Crownguard with something and the next day she turns up here on a diplomatic mission from Demacia, having no clue about the letters and meeting you told me about before you left. So, let me ask you again, who are you seeing?" Even though Irelia was right to be mad, she had caught Riven in a lie, she couldn't lie about being a little hurt that the Captain had thought she was cheating on her or that she was even capable of it.

"I'm not seeing anyone."

"Then where were you?"

"I was at the Institute. I just didn't go there to see Luxanna Crownguard." Riven said as she dropped her bag and rune sword by the door, not taking the time to put them away properly, it wasn't the moment for that.

"So you are seeing someone, another champion?"

"No, I'm not seeing anyone. I had a meeting with LeBlanc." Irelia's expression changed from pain and anger to largely confusion.

"LeBlanc? Why would you meet with her?"

"After the Elders signed the accords and after I gave my testimony, I hid in the gardens for a few hours to calm down. She approached me and offered to help me change Noxus. At first I refused to accept an offer from her but after months of living here as an outsider, I began to miss home even if it isn't perfect. She's come up with a plan to change things, one she wants me to participate in." The anger that had disappeared made its return to Irelia's face as she stood up, kicking the chair out from behind her.

"How could you do something so reckless? You know who she is. You know what they're all like and you risked everything because you're homesick?" Irelia yelled causing Riven to take a small step backwards. In all their time together, Irelia had never spoken to her like that before. Riven felt herself begin to panic, what had she done? Irelia never got this mad; she even thought that Riven was cheating on her.

"I'm sorry, I'll go." She managed to murmur out, not even loud enough for Irelia to really hear her as she stepped back out the front door.

It wasn't until Riven had walked a fair distance away from the home that she realised she had left her gear back on the floor in the entranceway of the house, she didn't have anything with her for the cold weather and she was beginning to feel the chill now as it got later into the night. Riven leaned up against the wall in an alleyway, sliding down into a crouched position and wrapping her arms around her knees. She was going to give Irelia some space and hope for the best, Riven had no experience when it came to things like this and she was certainly not very good at coping with her own emotions let alone someone else's.

Riven woke up when she felt some hands on her shoulders, she hadn't even realised that she'd managed to fall asleep despite the cold. In front of her, Irelia was in a crouched position, looking her in the eyes. She certainly looked a lot calmer than she had hours prior.

"Come back home, you're going to freeze to death." Riven hesitated to move before Irelia ran her hands down her forearms, creating friction to keep her warm and giving her a comforting touch. "I'm sorry I assumed you were cheating on me, that wasn't fair but lying to me wasn't fair either, even if you were planning to tell me later. I think I can come around to this idea, I just need to know more and have some time, okay?" Riven nodded, standing up with the help of Irelia, now that she moved she realised how cold she was. Irelia quickly wrapped her up in a jacket and started taking her back home. Once the pair had arrived back home, Riven sat down at the dining table across from Irelia who smiled softly at her.

"I don't know the details of the exact plan yet, but LeBlanc is wanting to remove Swain in order to replace him with someone else. She wants the someone else to be me." Irelia quirked her eyebrow.

"Why you?"

"She wants someone she thinks she can use as a pawn, someone who won't get in her way but I'm not afraid of her."

"Is it just LeBlanc?"

"No, Katarina Du Couteau, Cassiopeia Du Couteau and their adopted sibling Talon are also involved. Possibly others that I haven't met yet." Irelia scowled slightly at the mention of Riven's name, most likely thinking about the attempt made on her life months ago by the assassin.

"And when is this plan supposed to commence?"

"LeBlanc will contact me when I need to return to Noxus and then we'll go from there, I think." Irelia looked down at her hands, thinking intensely.

"I'll need some time to think about this. That's… a lot of information." Riven nodded. "For now, just come to bed so I can hold you, okay?" Riven smiled slightly and followed the Ionian back up to their bedroom.