Leona's private quarters within the Institute were large compared to what she was used to. Usually the delegations were afforded the private rooms for all their Champions to use. As such, the rooms were designed to accommodate many people, with arrangements made to respect privacy. To top it off, the private bathing areas attached to the rooms were just as big. The "bath" could easily be considered a pool in her eyes. In the end, she couldn't complain.
She had stripped down into her smallclothes, her armor carefully arranged on a display mannequin for polishing and maintenance later. She could have had the Solari acolytes attend to the task, but that wasn't her style. Before she became Solari, she was Rakkor, a warrior. Growing up in the Rakkor tribe drilled the importance of proper maintenance of weapons and equipment into her bones. She trusted nobody else to care
for her weapons and armor.
The sun had already set on the land of Runeterra and without the worry of another match tomorrow, Leona's thoughts turned to other matters. She made her way through a curtain-covered doorway and into the adjoining bath chamber, though the size of the bath felt more like a pool in her opinion. The chamber had an open roof, and through it, she could see the first stars begin to dot the sky.
Leona discarded the rest of her clothing before slipping into the large bath. The water was hot, something she welcomed to soothe the aches and pains from the day's match. As she recounted the events, her arm ached. The thought of Darius driving his axe through her shield seemed to trigger the ache. She shuddered at the thought of a blow like that landing on Ahri, unprotected.
Leona's thoughts turned to the request Ahri had made, and while she wasn't able to give her an answer due Darius' interruption, she was thankful for the extra time to think it over. She chuckled, remembering how Ahri's face lit up as soon as they were able to speak one on one. She had the air of a young girl asking her crush on a date.
"Oh dear." Leona's eyes widened at the realization. She sunk into the water. She could feel her face flush, and while she wanted to think it was because of the heat of the bath, the thought of spending time alone with Ahri had her flustered. She began wondering if Ahri hadn't secretly casted her charm spell on her at some point.
Trying to distract herself, Leona turned her gaze up to the night sky. The stars shimmered next to a crescent moon. Leona's thoughts turned to one Solari acolyte back on Mt. Targon. The acolyte had an insatiable appetite for knowledge, something Leona admired. Unfortunately, the acolyte had a habit of questioning the Solari's reverence of the Sun and its place in Solari society. This, of course, led to punishment, but the acolyte's inquisitive nature never diminished. It was obvious the punishments passed down by the Solari Elders had no effect. Leona made a mental note to speak with them when she returned about alternatives.
"Questioning tradition," Leona closed her eyes and laughed to herself, "Sounds familiar."
A splash at the far end of the bath startled her, pulling her from her thoughts. She watched as the water bubbled up, popping and fizzing, before spewing out a sickly green cloud that quickly filled the room. Leona immediately jumped out of the water, donning a bath robe as she backed away toward the curtained divide. It wasn't long before she felt the effects of the gas. She grabbed the curtains to push them aside, only to rip them down as she stumbled backward.
The entire room had begun to spin.
Covering her nose and mouth made little difference and within moments, she collapsed onto the hard stone floor of the bath chamber. Her vision blurred as she started to lose consciousness, but she could still make out a figure, standing at the far edge of the skylight, a bright blue flash, and then darkness.
"What have we here?" The anger in Ahri's voice was plain as she addressed the hooded figure who had been crouching next to the skylight over Leona's bathing chambers, "I've half a mind to gouge your eyes out. Try and convince me otherwise."
The figure spun around, his surprise evident despite the mask that covered half his face. "Ahri?!" He recognized her instantly, many people did between her ears and tails. He was clad in black garb, "What are you doing here?"
Ahri froze, "That- That's none of YOUR concern!" her reply was defensive, and she could feel the fur on her tails standing on end from embarrassment.
Ahri dashed forward, stopping short of Spirit Rushing into him, grabbing him by the collar before he could make a break for the edge of the roof. In one swift motion she tripped him up, bringing him face first onto the roof. She twisted his arm behind him for good measure, causing him to cry out in pain. The sound of bubbling and fizzing from below caught her ears, and she peered over the edge into the bathing chamber. The waters churned and a heavy green mist filled the room.
"What did you do?!" Ahri's eyes went wide when she saw Leona's robed figure laying on the floor, her chest rising and falling rapidly.
"See for yourself. Me or Her, Fox, your choice." His words tested her patience.
She growled as she released him. She took a moment to take in the distance between the roof and the bath, and from where she stood to Leona. She took a deep breath and jumped down through the skylight before masked man could get to his feet. A burst of blue energy had her close the distance with Leona in an instant. She scooped Leona up, thankful that the Solari was significantly lighter without the armor. A second burst of spirit rush got the two of them out of the bath chamber and halfway through the bedroom. The green mist was still present, and had begun stinging Ahri's eyes. She sprinted for the door as three blue fox-fire spirits appeared, floating momentarily before launching toward the heavy wooden door, blasting it open in a brilliant blue explosion.
Ahri charged into the hallway, past two stunned Solari guards. She layed Leona down only when she felt safe enough away from the gas in the room. The guards ran up behind her behind Ahri as she confirmed she was still breathing.
"Lady Leona?! What's the meaning of this?"
"An assassin. Get help!" Ahri stood, turning around to see the two standing dumbfounded. "NOW!"
One guard took off down the hallway as the other knelt next to Leona, reaching for a skin of water he had strapped to his hip. Ahri stepped up to a nearby window, cracking it open. Below her the cliff dropped off, but the roof wasn't too far off. Unfortunately there was a bit of an overhang that would make climbing difficult.
"Lady Ahri?" The guard looked at her.
"Keep her safe. I'm going after him." A telling blue glow surrounded her as she jumped out, and one last burst of energy propelled her upward. She cleared the overhang and landed onto the roof with ease. To her surprise, the assassin hadn't run. He was waiting.
"Tch, at least give me the pleasure of a chase." Ahri scoffed.
"My task requires me to claim two lives this night." His eyes fixated on her, his voice low.
"And you're 0 for 2, still." Ahri's confident defiance masked her worry for Leona. She could only hope that the guards were able to get help before Leona succumbed to whatever goddamn poison he exposed her to.
The revelation caught him off guard as his eyes widened in disbelief, "How?!"
"There's a reason we're chosen to fight in the League." Ahri grinned, "Now be a good little pawn and tell me who your master is."
"If I return to the Order empty handed, I'm a dead man." He was shaking, "At the least I'll take you with me!"
The glow of her orb illuminated the determination on Ahri's face as she readied herself for whatever he was planning. "In that case, don't hold back."
He dashed forward and in the blink of an eye his form was right in front of her. Reflexively, Ahri fired off her charm spell only to see it pass through the black figure. A glint of light tipped her off to an incoming shuriken that had been thrown, which she dodged with ease. It was the second shuriken that she only noticed after it grazed her cheek.
Ahri winced at the pain, a light touch to her face revealed some bleeding. The shadowy form stood, unmoving, but its owner was nowhere to be found. She maintained her composure, orb in hand, as she stepped around the shadow-figure, eyeing it for hints to any sort of movement. After a moment, she turned her back to it. "It's not nice to toy with a girl like this, you know."
The sound was faint, and to a normal human being, it would've been undetectable. She felt the gush of wind blow past her followed by the sound of a blade unsheathing from behind. Ahri spun around to meet her attacker, dropping to a low crouch. Her gamble paid off as the Assassin's blade swung high over her head, causing him to overextend and lose his balance.
In one fluid motion, Ahri sent her orb through his exposed chest, knocking him up into the air high enough for her to move out from under him. The orb passed back through him from behind, causing him to fall back to the roof harder than he otherwise would. Ahri swore she felt the entire Institute shake with the impact.
The orb returned to her hand glowing green instead of blue. "Now, let's see who your master is."
Ahri absorbed the orb, and with it, fragments of the Assassin's soul. Fragments of memories flashed in her mind. His memories. Places, experiences, victories, and defeats all momentarily re-lived by her. For the most part, she was indifferent. Much of these life experiences she had seen before when she was less restrictive of how, and on whom, she used this power. Two places caught her attention. Ionia, areas of the island nation yet unknown to her, and Noxus.
The memories ceased and she was left staring at the Assassin, still laying on the ground. She watched as he shuddered, then all at once, was still. Beneath him, a portal opened leading into nothing but darkness. Shadowy hands and tendrils reached up from the black hole, wrapping around the body before pulling it in. A moment later, he was gone. All that remained on the roof of the Assassin was a lone shuriken which Ahri picked up, tucking it away as she made her way to the edge of the roof that overlooked a small courtyard. She jumped down and rushed back into the building, silently praying that Leona received the help she needed before it was too late.