Curled inside the barrel, Janna stirred uneasily in the hours before dawn. The sky above Zaun was darker than normal, and her weather sense indicated that the clouds above were heavy with rain. Rain in Zaun could be noxious, as the many unregulated factories belched toxins in the sky. Occasionally, rain that developed over Zaun had carcinogenic or mutagenic effects, warping any passerby. But tendrils of wind roused Janna slightly to reassure her stirring mind. "Sleep." They impressed. They showed her images of gentle rain over the harbors, of salty mist, and dove grey sky. This rain would be safe. Another wind swept down from the pine needles reminding her that she was under cover. A few winds wrapped her in a shield that would protect her from the elements, and Janna settled back into a sound sleep.
However, the winds hadn't accounted for the rain barrel's location directly under a downspout. They didn't understand that light rain in the air would accumulate on a surface, and channel into a narrow brass tube, carrying enough force to break through their shields. And so, a splash of water abruptly jolted Janna out of her sleep. Immediately, Janna tensed, not recognizing her assailant as pure happenstance. But, she was only momentarily disoriented; Janna's survival had long been dependant on quick assessment and reaction. As the downspout deposited a second pulse of water onto her head, Janna realized she would have to leave her hiding place temporarily.
Bedraggled and soggy, Janna bore a distinct resemblance to a drowned rat as she hoisted herself out of the barrel. Her blond hair hung limply and tangled around her face. And as she looked down, she could barely suppress a cry of revulsion at her state. Her stolen tunic had been torn in last night's chase to the extent that it was no longer recognizable as clothing. In fact it was barely fit for rags. Her leggings were covered with grime, slime, muck, blood, and some slick brilliant green residue whose chemical composition she couldn't begin to guess. She was shocked that the caustic looking substance hadn't burned her legs. Janna felt claustrophobic just looking at them, and immediately peeled them off. Surprisingly, her underwear had remained intact. She shrugged off the shreds of her tunic, and stood mostly naked in the rain.
Without being called, the wind caressed her, bringing the moisture in to clean Janna's entire body. It scoured her head to toe, pulling each strand of her golden hair away from her face, untangling each from its neighbors. It wiped the tears away before Janna realized she was crying, from fear, pain, or gratitude she would never know. The wind cleansed her of her exhaustion, and from the hurts she had maintained. It pulled rain away from the parts of her back with abrasions from where the crumbling brick had scraped at her, and directed it to her aching shoulders. As a friendly gesture, the wind lifted her full breasts, providing them with momentary support while they cleaned the sweat and dust from her torso. The wind swept down her legs, and spent extra time scouring her ankles where there was the largest concentration of caked on mud. The wind urged her to lift each of her feet to be washed thoroughly and tenderly.
"You are ours." It said. "You are safe. You are beautiful."
As she stood in the lush grass, Janna felt the indescribable power around her. The rain beaded in her hair, and formed dewdrops on the ground. But it wasn't the water giving Janna these gifts, it was the wind squeezing the moisture out to please her. Now the wind was pushing the rain on, and allowing Janna to dry off. Quick breezes left her feeling utterly refreshed, and somehow free. Her hair, now dry moved lightly of its own accord in the swirling breeze as each breeze vied for attention. Some breezes focused on her eyes, bringing her images of distant places. One showed her the many shades of green from the Kumungu Jungle. Another provided her a view of never seen ice sculptures in the Freljord. Several winds attempted to press snippets of conversation into her ears. A slightly emboldened wind brought cool air around her breasts, causing her nipples to harden against the stimulation. An even bolder wind ran between her legs, drying her underwear and touching her most private places, causing her to gasp slightly.
But it was not images, or sounds, or tactile sensations brought on the wind that caused her to dive unceremoniously back into her barrel (which had been courteously moved a few feet away from the downspout to prevent further drenching from runoff). Instead, it was the actual sight of a pair of wizards emerging from the keep. The first wizard was a young man dressed in the white robes of an apprentice, with a fresh tattoo bleeding freely on his shoulder, a fire in his soul, and a large tome tucked under one arm. "Magic should be learned organically!" He shouted. "The restrictions are unbearable here."
The second was an old man, the headmaster of sorts, dressed in a black brocade robe denoting mastery. Specializing in no form of magic, but understanding all of them, the old man looked on the boy with pity in his eyes. "Ryze. Using thorn magic to bind raw power to your body is illegal in all of Runeterra, even in Zaun. You will be more restricted elsewhere."
"I cannot abide by the rules set down by cowards and weaklings." The young man roared.
The old mage did not bristle at the insult, he only sighed. "Zaun's magicians college is renowned for our willingness to stretch limitations and allow experimentation. You are free to go at any time, but I personally will be sorry. You have great potential Ryze."
"I will not condescend to study here a moment longer." Janna stared through a crack in the barrel as Ryze tore his white robe off revealing a bare chest covered in further tattoos and turned on his heel back into the building. The doors to the courtyard slammed behind him.
The old man waited a minute, and a middle aged man in heavily embellished grey robes denoting wealth and status joined him. Neither mentioned Ryze's departure. Instead, the headmaster looked on the other wizard with favor. "Your experiment has been approved by the advisory board, Dr. Rath. Congratulations, have you found a test subject?"
"Not yet." The newcomer shrugged. "A capricious gentleman called on my home last night, but I was out. We're meeting later this afternoon."
"How do you know he's the subject you need?"
"My wife spoke with this finely feathered man. He wants magic to get revenge on a thief, the best kind of motivation. And she claimed he was a gambling man." Inside the barrel, Janna froze. Twisted Fate was coming to breach her sanctuary.