And now the universe ends...
Chapter XI
Vasher sat in the corner, crossing her arms and pouting as she slipped down in her chair.
"You know you're supposed to sit up," her twin brother told her, "Mother said,"
"But it's boring," Vasher groaned, thunking her head against the wood, "Why can't they finish up already…"
"'Cause Aunt Sejuani made a tribe mad and Mother and Father are trying to fix it," Torin stated, his almost luminous blue eyes watching the scene intently.
"You're so...boring!" his sister huffed.
"I just find it interesting," Torin shrugged.
Vasher gave a sly grin and tugged on her brother's shirt.
"Hey, Torin?" she asked.
"Hmm?" he replied, not taking his eyes off the people in front of him.
"If I told you I always tell lies, am I telling the truth?" she asked.
Torin frowned, Vasher could almost hear the gears turning.
"Well...if you told me that then you would be telling the truth...but that would also be a lie because if you were a liar you couldn't be telling the truth. But then that also makes you not a liar because you'd be telling the truth that makes you a l-l-liar again. But y-y-you're t-t-telling the truth…"
He kept going on and Vasher watched in almost savage glee as her brother seemed to lock up and then black out.
"YES!" she crowed, "GOT HIM AGAIN!"
"Vasher!" came her mother's yell as she quickly came over to her children, picking up the glitched, slightly sparking Project child and patting his cheeks, making him wake up.
"...Hi," Torin blinked, "Did I…"
"Vasher what have I told you about doing this to your brother?" Ashe scolded.
"But it's fun!" she whined, "And I'm bored!"
"Room. Now," Ashe ordered, looking up at some of the guards, "Please make sure she stays there until this is over. And could one of you take Torin to the infirmary, I'll be there shortly,"
The guards nodded and took the children before Ashe returned to her husband and sister's sides.
"What am I going to do about that child…" she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose.
Vasher huffed, flopping onto her bed. It wasn't fair. Why couldn't she just have a bit of fun every once in a while?
It was only when she looked up that she noticed the dark silhouette hanging from her ceiling.
She opened her mouth to yell, but it had already dropped down onto her bed. It latched a hand to her mouth, preventing her from crying out. Her curtains were closed too, so no one would be able to see her. Neither could she see the figure in front of her.
"Vasher Ingrid Ashesdotter," it whispered, its voice oddly distorted. "I have been watching you for some time."
What does this thing want? She thought, beads of sweat dripping from her brow.
"Your knack for chaos and mayhem is unparalleled," it continued. "In all my years of existence, I've never seen one with talent such as yours."
Ice started forming along the hand at her mouth, as Vasher's powers started to awaken. A handy gift from her mother. But to her shock, its hand started getting warmer, warm enough to melt her powers away.
"That's not going to work on me," it said. "But don't worry. I'm not going to hurt you."
It chuckled darkly. "Oh no, I have plans for you, Vasher. Your skills would be of great use to me."
"So, with that in mind, I only have one thing to say."
It leaned in, and Vasher recoiled, shying away from it.
Oh gods, oh gods, oh gods… She thought frantically.
And then…
It revealed itself to be a grinning Helios.
"Do you know da wae?"
Leona felt a chill crawl up her spine.
She couldn't tell what had been the source of her nervousness, but something had made her shudder.
"He's done something…" Cira growled.
"What?" Leona asked.
"Helios…"
"What makes you think that?"
"I just feel it," Cira huffed.
"You're being paranoid. Honestly, Cira!"
"Can you blame me…"
"You haven't enacted your prank yet,"
"Don't care! He's done two on me already and I've only done one!"
Leona shook her head and went back to her work. She'd decided she wanted to do something to remember her family by for when the time came. So, with her mother's guidance, she'd taken up weaving. Currently working on a tapestry that featured their family of six. She'd gotten about a quarter of the way through, working on the sky and the mountain.
Perhaps...perhaps it would be able to snap her out of it once again.
"I don't want to go back," Cira whispered.
"I don't either," Leona agreed, "But I've noticed and I'm sure you have too...there's moments where the world just...it seems off,"
"I have...I wonder if the others have felt this too?"
"I don't know," Leona admitted, "But, if all goes well...we can stop it. Maybe we won't have to go back,"
She gave a bitter laugh.
"Who am I kidding…" she finally said, a tear streaking down her face as she put her head in her hands and sobbed.
Helios really had no idea why he was so nervous. It was just lunch.
Yeah, but it's also a date, his inner consciousness reminded him. A date with Ahri.
Fair point.
They'd both agreed on a sashimi place that Akali worked at. It sounded intriguing enough, and it had to be good if a champion had a part-time job there, right?
He waited near the entrance, dressed in a simple t-shirt and jeans with sneakers. It was only a casual date, so there was no need for anything fancy.
When his date finally arrived, he immediately backtracked on that idea.
Because damn, she was drop-dead gorgeous.
She was wearing a red button-up blouse, with a tight black skirt that went all the way down to her knees. She wore thigh-high stockings and black heels to complete the set. She'd used a hair tie to hold her jet-black locks in a ponytail, though she let two strips of hair fall down to frame both sides of her face.
She noticed him staring, and she blushed.
"Uh...hi." Helios said, still spellbound.
"Hi," she fiddled with one of the loose pieces of hair. "Are… you, um, okay?"
"Yeah." He replied. "Just...you look beautiful, is all."
Her cheeks went slightly brighter, evident even with her blush. "You look nice too." She stepped closer to Helios. Trying to avoid any more slight awkwardness, she pulled him towards the door. "But… let's go in already."
Unbeknownst to him, the real reason she was so hasty was so that he wouldn't notice her eyes meandering over his arms, and the way his biceps flexed against the fabric of his shirt.
"Yo, Akali!" Helios called, just as they stepped inside. "Think your skills can match my appetite?"
The kitchen wasn't behind closed doors. Instead, it sat behind a barrier in the middle of the restaurant, so that the guests had the option to watch the chefs cook. Akali herself was hard at work, directing the others as needed.
"I'm a little busy right now," she called, "I'll get to you in a second,"
He shrugged. A waiter came up to them, asking where they'd like to be seated. After a short discussion with his girlfriend (he was still getting used to calling her that), they decided to sit out back, in a patio owned by the restaurant. They could still see inside the restaurant, but they still had fresh air.
Helios felt a tingle on his neck.
"We're being watched," he said.
The red-hot glares of every guy without a girlfriend in the market were searing into his skull.
Ahri sighed. "Its… to be expected with mine and Ariel's reputation." A tail curled around the back of her chair. "We'll probably just have to ignore them."
"I don't really mind being the nemesis of single men everywhere." He leaned back in his chair, grinning. "If I get to date the sexiest woman alive, I'd say it's a fair tradeoff."
Her eyes turned blue, though the blush was still noticeable. "No matter what though, being the sun automatically makes you the hottest man alive." She grinned. "And wouldn't that mean the two sexiest people are dating?" With that, Ariel left Ahri staring somewhat blankly at Helios.
His face went red. "Erm...I guess, yeah?"
Taking in a deep breath, Ahri clasped her hands over the table. "Sorry about Ariel. But, you are rather stunning," she admitted, a smile on her face.
"Um...thanks. It means a lot that you think so," he replied, beaming bashfully.
"Alright, I'm sorry that took so long," Akali sighed, "It's been busy,"
"Nah, it's alright, I get it," he said. "Ahri, you want to order first?"
She nodded and looked to the assassin. "What's the special for today?"
"Well, I believe that it's either Friendship or California rolls," she stated, "You can thank Akela for the latter one. I've never seen someone look so surprised when we mentioned it. Poor cook…"
Her eyes flashed black as Akela gave a grin.
"The look on his face… 'what in the worlds is a "California"?'" she chuckled.
She tilted her head as she seemed to discuss with Ariel. "The friendship roll, please."
"Alright…" she wrote down on the notepad before looking at Helios and jabbing the pencil at him, "I swear if you say 'five of everything' or anything of that caliber, I'm going to stab you repeatedly with my kamas,"
Helios snickered at Ahri's choice, then pouted. "It's not my fault we gods need so much food…" he grumbled.
"What's the most filling thing you've got on the menu, then?" He asked.
"Either the Rainbow or Surf and Turf roll," Akela told him, I can get you a few orders of them, but not too many since I'm the only cook and we still have customers,"
"Three of each, if you can manage," he replied. "That should be plenty."
"Alright," she nodded, writing it down, "Anything to drink?"
"Depends on what you've got," he said. "Any recommendations?"
"Just about anything, like you probably know, we Chosens have had quite the impact here," Akela shrugged, "Though, if you can hold your liquor, the sake is quite good,"
"It's actually impossible for me to get drunk, so that sounds good," he replied.
"Really," Akela deadpanned, "You know what...I'm not going to contest that, I'll just get you that. Ahri? Ariel?"
"The two of us will just have a water, I think," the fox replied.
"Alright, I will be back in a bit," Akali nodded, walking off and leaving the two alone.
"So…" Helios said awkwardly, once the silence between them became deafening, "what exactly are people supposed to talk about when they're on a date?"
"From what I know, things about each other, to get to know about each other, but I honestly feel like that's pretty much a cliche at this point."
"And, y'know, it's not like we need to, considering," he added.
She nodded and bumped her foot against his under the table.
He looked down, surprised.
"Did you really just do that?" He asked, amused.
She shrugged, grinning at him and did it again.
He bumped hers in return, though he was careful not to hurt her.
She smirked and, then laughed as she continued their little 'fight.' Immediately after her next bump though, Ariel muttered a comment to Ahri, questioning their sanity. The fox didn't respond with more than a shrug to her Chosen though.
Helios laughed. "What are we even doing?" He apparently shared Ariel's thoughts, though with a greater degree of mirth.
"Messing around?" she suggested. "Dunno entirely; I thought it was fun."
"It was," he agreed, then suddenly leaned across the table to kiss her. She let out a squeak, then purred, leaning in to trace her hand along his jawline.
He pulled away, smirking. "I'm probably not going to get tired of that anytime soon."
Ahri's gaze seemed a bit distant as she replied, "I don't think I will either."
Helios paused, then sighed. "They're still looking at us."
"Who?" Ahri asked, a grin creeping up on her face.
Helios jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "My newfound mortal enemies. Who else?"
"I don't see anyone." She squinted her eyes as she pretended to look for them.
He deadpanned, then chuckled. What a tease.
An idea popped into his head, and his grin became mischievous. "Wanna see something cool?" He asked.
"Sure."
He squinted at the Summoners watching them, concentrating. Ahri watched with amazement as vapor began rising from their drinks, coalescing and condensating above them. When they'd finished, dozens of miniature clouds hovered over them.
Then thunder boomed in each one, and the Summoners fell victim to thunderstorms of assorted beverages.
She cackled as she watched and then looked to him. "That's amazing!" Her tails curled in delight and she reached across the table to give him a peck on the cheek.
He smiled, wiping a bead of sweat from his other cheek. "I'm glad you liked it. I can use my own heat to subtly manipulate air currents. With enough concentration, well...I can do what I just did. It takes a lot of effort, though, so don't expect me to do it often."
She nodded and began tapping the table with her nails, creating a clicking sound. "It's still amusing to watch them." She grinned as she continued doing just that.
"As long as they don't try anything idiotic, I'm inclined to agree," he replied.
"Oh!" He snapped his fingers. "Speaking of watching, I saw the match you had this morning. You were awesome."
She shrugged. "I feel bad for Azir though, his summoner was rude. Poor guy… honestly if I get picked by that summoner I'm half inclined to try to fight him a bit. Have him blame it on pathing…"
"Why does the Tribunal even keep people like that around?" He asked. "You'd think they'd want their Summoners to set a good example."
She shrugged. "I don't know what they think all the time. He'll definitely get kicked out at some point if he keeps it up, though. The more of us that bring it up, the less good things they'll have to say about him."
"Hopefully," he said. He frowned. "You know, there's actually a god of toxicity. We don't invite him to a lot of parties."
She tilted her head. "Is there actually a god for literally everything? And are they always similar to what they represent in their physical appearance? Or just you?" she teased.
"No, there's actually a god or goddess for everything," he replied with a sigh. "It's a bit of a pain to manage sometimes."
"I can imagine." Ahri leaned back in her chair, rubbing one of her ears with a hand. "Family reunions must be a mess."
"You have no idea," he said. "And to answer your question, yes, we do look like what we represent. Most of us gods are physically impressive, but some more than others."
He smirked, propping his elbows on the table. "So don't expect to see a lot of gods with hot bods like mine. These abs are exclusive."
She grinned at him across the table. "Good thing I claimed them then, huh?"
"Sorry this took so long," came Akali's voice as she returned with food in hand, "There was a massive rush inside...another Champion showed up and the crowd…"
She gave a shrug and set the food down.
"But it's alright now,"
"Thanks, Akali, Akela," Ahri murmured as she took her water and drank.
Helios thanked them as well, before his brow furrowed. "Wait, which champion?" He asked, just as the ninja was about to leave. "There's only so many that draw a crowd."
"Three actually, though the latter two are quietly minding their own business," Akela stated, "Draven, Darius and Fiora,"
His face instantly sprouted an evil grin.
"...Now I see where Leona gets that look…" Akali deadpanned, "What are you plotting…"
"Me? Plot? I would never!" Helios exclaimed. "You offend me, Akali. Don't you trust me?"
"Not as far as Deshi could throw you,"
Ariel snickered. "Helios, I think Ahri and you are already getting along better than both of you thought. You two are already in the part of the relationship where you are quoting each other." She gave a sweet smile and let out a small 'aww.'
"Well, I certainly can't complain," he replied happily. "Just means I'm doing my job as her boyfriend right."
"So, where are they sitting?" He asked Akali. "Purely out of curiosity, of course."
"Inside. Darius and Fiora are on opposite sides of the room, Draven is with his brother. Why…"
"I find it very odd that Darius and Fiora aren't sitting together." Helios started digging into his rolls with his fork and knife (they were each three times the size of a normal roll). "Wouldn't you agree, milady?"
"Indeed," Ahri said as she popped a piece of her friendship roll into her mouth. After she finished chewing, she continued. "Maybe we should see if they'd enjoy sharing a table instead of the three of them taking up two. Such a waste of space, isn't it?"
"A pity, it truly is." He shook his head sympathetically.
"...Why do I have a bad feeling about this…"
"That'd be your intuition talking," he answered.
"I really shouldn't let you leave the table, should I...but you're going to and I can't stop you, aren't you?"
"What do you think?" He asked. "No, of course not."
And with that, he practically inhaled his three rolls.
"...I'm going to say I know nothing of this because I would really rather not have a Project angry at me," she said, walking off to the kitchen.
"Just the way I like it." He stretched his fingers outward, cracking the joints. "Alright babe, how do you want to do this?" He asked Ahri.
"Well, we always have magic, and it could be used to spice this up a bit, couldn't it? So how about you go and hang with the guys and I will…"
She made a few gestures with her hands, and he nodded in understanding.
"Got it." He went and explained the situation to Akali, and though she was clearly unhappy with it, she knew it was futile to resist, so she just agreed to go along with it. He also compensated her with his payment, which was another fist-sized diamond from Targon.
Ahri quickly downed her water, then left with the glass, careful not to draw attention to herself. She returned a few minutes later, the glass partially filled with a bright pink liquid. A stronger mixture was required for this operation, given how thick-headed the targets could be. Helios had already prepared a distraction, but that didn't really surprise her, given how fast he could be.
What she didn't know was that he had an accomplice, obeying his inconspicuous gestures from the shadows across the market. It was a secret intended to be revealed later. He didn't want to spoil the surprise.
The two of them snickered to each other once they'd completed their tasks, then waited.
As planned, Fiora let out a string of curses in French as Akali "accidentally" spilled her drink on her table as she handed it to her.
"Sorry, Victoria," Akela told her, "It was an accident,"
Victoria grumbled, wiping herself off.
"Is zere anywhere I can go to get cleaned up?" she asked.
"Bathroom is that way,"
"Merci," Fiora nodded as she got up and started that way.
You know what to do, Helios mouthed, watching from his table.
"Fiora," Akali started.
"Qua?" she asked.
"I can get you another table, this one's...not exactly in the best shape,"
"Fine, fine just let me get zis cleaned up before it dries and gets sticky," she huffed, "I don't want to spend three hours cleaning this out of my struts…"
"...Fiora, Victoria...I am so sorry…" Akela groaned.
"Agreed…" Akali nodded.
Helios rubbed his hands like an evil genius, mentally cackling.
Akali looked at the table he had in mind as Fiora left to clean up. Draven was lounging in the booth, flipping through the menu while wearing his signature smirk. Darius was seated in the chair across from him, clearly displeased with having to spend lunch with his brother. Even more so when considering the dozens of fanboys and fangirls that Draven had brought with him.
Go. Helios mouthed, motioning her towards them with his hands.
The Fist of Shadow grumbled before walking over to the two and giving a winning smile.
"Sorry to interrupt you, but you might have to take a third diner,"
"What do you mean?" Darius asked.
His brother gave him a smack to the chest.
"What he means is, 'We'd be honored to take one of Draven's fans!'"
"That wasn't what I meant at all," Darius growled.
"Well, suck it up," Akela growled, glaring at Darius as the inner 'cop' came out, "the place is packed and she's going to sit here until something opens up,"
Fiora then returned from the bathroom, still muttering curses.
Her eyes landed on their table.
"...Oh non," she growled, her cheeks turning a stunning shade of scarlet, "No way."
"It's all we have due to someone's entourage," Akali apologized.
"I'm not sitting with 'im," Fiora seethed, glaring at Draven.
"Then you'll go hungry," came the deadpan from Akela, "and if what Zed told us is right, you're one of the few Projects that has to eat,"
There was a low metallic growl, but Fiora grudgingly came over and sat down…as far away from Draven as she could. Draven looked at her with...slight fear it seemed, while Darius did his best to avoid eye contact, his ears a bit red.
"Hey, Draven." Helios walked up to their table. "Need a bailout?"
Draven snorted.
"Draven is not afraid of her," he said, though his eyes kind of said otherwise.
Fiora rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, a soft rumbling growl filtering through her chest.
"Then why do I smell urine?" He asked.
Draven shot a nasty look at Darius, who attempted to hide his laughter by coughing. The marksman got up, stiffly and walked away.
His fans immediately bolted after him, leaving the restaurant almost empty. Akali blinked, stunned.
Fiora looked at Helios, eyes narrowing slightly.
"What are you doing 'ere...and did you 'ave somezing to do with zis," she growled.
"Actually, no," he replied. "I've got a hot date of my own, so I'll be getting back to that now. Just wanted to have a shot at Draven, because he pisses me off." He waved. "Later."
"Well that is a thing…" Seamus blinked.
"I still 'ave a bad feeling about zis," Victoria stated.
" 'Hot date of my own' he said," the Hand of Noxus muttered, "Did he...but we're…"
"...I knew I smelled a rat," came the growl as the Grand Duelist crossed her arms again and glared at the direction Helios had gone, "Darius...I know we've been close, but I cannot stand your brother,"
"I barely stand him either, but he is family," Darius replied, "So now what,"
"I suppose we play along for a while…" Fiora grumbled, "I need to get food soon otherwise I'll shut down,"
"You waited until the last second again, didn't you,"
"Non!" she blinked only to shrink down as Darius raised an eyebrow, "...Oui...but I 'ad good reason. I've been busy,"
"Doesn't give you an excuse, Fiora,"
Fiora sighed.
"At least Akali knows what I ordered...it should be 'ere soon,"
The two of them elected to just watch Akali while she cooked. It was interesting, seeing their food being prepared up close. Neither of them felt like they had much else to say to each other anyways, so it was also a decent way to pass the time. Fiora didn't really feel like moving to another table, either. She didn't mind Darius' company.
The ground lurched beneath their feet, and they stumbled in their seats, gripping the sides of the table. Akali tripped, faceplanting in the kitchen. A torrent of Ionian curses followed.
...yeepyeepyeepyeepyeepyeepyeepyeepYEEPYEEPYEEPYEEP…
"WHAT ARE THESE DOING HERE?!" Akela roared as a fluffy little ball of white fur hopped up on her face, licking her nose.
Fiora shrieked, while Darius staggered under the weight of poros by the thousand. Helios had erected a barrier of hard light, making sure that his girlfriend wouldn't be consumed by the flood of fur. He himself slunk through the horde, using it as cover while he snuck towards their table. He quickly applied Ahri's condensed magic to their food, the mixture quickly sinking into it. He then slunk back into his chair through his barrier, as if the whole thing had never happened.
The horde's numbers finally dwindled, and the trio was left with around a few dozen poros.
"Wha-'ow…?!" Fiora sputtered, looking at one of the fuzzballs that lingered.
The poro chirped and licked her as she raised a hand to pet it, trying not to hurt it.
"I wonder…" Darius hummed, looking pointedly at Helios.
Fiora's eyes narrowed as she looked at him and then at the food.
"I swear if 'e did somezing…" she growled as her stomach growled back at her in protest, "...I don't like zis but I 'ave no choice…"
"I'm sure it's not going to be that bad," he told her.
"Hey, look at Draven!" Helios pointed. "Since when was he an exhibitionist?"
Draven preened while Darius pinched the bridge of his nose. Fiora looked at the younger brother and an evil smirk crossed her face.
"Awful small, isn't 'e?" she asked, "For someone with zat big of an ego...I was expecting, I don't know, more,"
Darius bit his lip, trying not to laugh.
Draven glared at her, muttering something under his breath. Fiora winced as she caught the word 'machine'. Darius' face darkened, like storm clouds, and he grabbed his brother by the scruff.
"Apologize," he ordered, "No, better, get out,"
Draven opened his mouth to protest, but the look his brother gave him shut him up.
He launched into a fit of screaming, however, as Helios suddenly kicked him through the roof. His cries slowly faded into the distance, until they couldn't be heard anymore.
"He'll be fine, don't worry." Helios dusted off his hands. "I kicked him in the direction of the hospital. He should be out in a few weeks."
He looked at Darius pointedly. "You owe me."
Darius nodded.
"I'm almost afraid of what you'll want in return," he said warily.
"Oh, don't worry about it," he replied, waving him off. "I'll get what I want pretty soon anyways. Now I'm off to enjoy my date with Ahri for real, so don't expect me to do you any more favors."
"...That worries me even more," Darius huffed.
He and Fiora were finally able to get to their meals, heartily digging into them.
The aphrodisiac was already working its magic not five seconds after.
"Popcorn?" Helios produced a bag out of nowhere, by the power of The Plot.
She shrugged and grabbed a handful. "I don't see why not." She began to watch intently.
A light, warm feeling surged through Fiora as she looked at Darius. With a little bit of horror, she looked at her food and then at Helios.
"I'm going to kill him," she thought.
"Did he just…" Victoria blinked.
Fiora said nothing. She tried to fight but it wasn't working very well in her favor.
"Give in to the Ship Side, Fiora. It is your destiny."
"I'm going to stab you," she threatened.
"What's wrong?" Seamus asked, looking at Victoria, who was trying to fight the lovey-dovey feelings as he put an arm around her.
"He spiked the food…" she growled, "Like what he did with Ci-!"
She yelped in surprise as he suddenly kissed her. However, when he let go, he looked quite embarrassed.
"Victoria...Fiora I…" he stammered, "I don't know what came over me there,"
"...Oh forget it," Fiora sighed, before taking control and giving him a kiss back.
She was none too pleased at being an object of amusement, especially since she helped with the very same thing in the first place...but it did feel good kissing him.
Helios and Ahri couldn't stop laughing.
Fiora's cheeks turned scarlet as she heard it, but Darius waved them off.
"Let them laugh," he shrugged, "I don't care,"
He gave her a kiss again. He could smell the sweet, delicate floral scent of her perfume and it tasted like it as well. But there was a sharp, metallic tang under it. He knew what it was, but in all honesty? He rather liked it.
She was swept away from the smell of his aftershave, a strong, woodsy, smokey taste that made her want more...but she kept a firm hold on her emotions just as she had been trained to do for many, many years. Perhaps when they were in a more...private...setting.
"Oh gods, the inner monologues are priceless."
Ariel looked at him. "Should I ask?"
"Not really."
"Kay."
"OI!" Helios yelled at the two nobles. "YOU GUYS GONNA GET IT ON NOW, OR WHAT?!"
The two broke out of their kiss and glared daggers at him.
"Boooooooooo. What kind of shitty entertainment is this?"
"Not your entertainment," Fiora growled, static lacing her voice.
"Fine, but I'd better see Darius Junior running around the manor in a few years, or else," he replied.
Both Champions turned a shocking shade of red as Fiora hid her head in her hands and Darius awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.
"Well, we should probably head out," Helios said. "We're both finished, and I paid already, so we'll just leave you two to get down and dirty."
Both renewed their glares.
He shrugged it off, offering his hand to Ahri as he stood. "Shall we, milady? I hear that the lake in the Ionian district's worth checking out."
She smiled as she took his hand and rested her head on his shoulder. "I think it sounds like a wonderful idea."
"Later, lovebirds." He waved at the others as they left.
The two looked at each other. Darius paid for the meal, got up, holding his hand to Fiora.
"After you," he told her, getting the Grand Duelist's cheeks to turn just about the same shade as her circuits.
The day was hot, especially since it was the middle of spring, but the lakewater was cool, and the wind produced a soothing breeze as it skimmed along the surface. The trees also provided a recluse from the glaring rays of the sun, for which Helios apologized. It wasn't something he could alter without screwing over the climate.
Helios hummed, as he strolled hand-in-hand with Ahri along the dirt path that ran beside the lake. "Leona would probably resent me if she heard me say this, but Ionia's honestly my favorite part of Runeterra."
Her gaze went from the scenery to him and her ears twitched as she tilted her head. "Why would that be? Isn't Targon your home?"
"It is, but…" He winced. "Well, y'know, it's not exactly the funnest place to be."
"True," she murmured, and squeezed his hand a bit tighter. "Why do you like Ionia then?"
A melodious twittering made them look to the tree at their right. A bird perched there on a branch, eyeing them curiously. It was small, but extremely colorful, adorned with a myriad of shades of red and yellow. The Institute had gone to great lengths to import wildlife from every region to the appropriate market districts.
"That's one reason." Helios smiled. "Targon's got some neat stuff, sure, but you won't find colors like that anywhere else."
Ahri tails curled as she watched the bird. "The land is rather pretty. I don't know if it's the the magic or just naturally rich earth… the life there just flourishes."
"Both," he replied. "The soil was fertile to begin with, but the magic acts as a performance steroid."
Helios smirked at her. "You know, Ionian people soak up the magic too. The land produces top-tier waifus as a result."
"Wai-?" she was cut off by a certain voice in her head, then she blushed. "Ariel just… explained…"
"I mean it," he said. "That's literally how it works. I mean, you've got Sona, Syndra, Irelia…"
He smiled, brushing a stray lock of hair away from her cheek. "You."
She gave a small smile of her own and leaned forward to kiss him.
He sighed blissfully. Gods, this woman was incredible.
SPLAT!
Helios jerked away from the kiss, as a splotch of white suddenly splattered onto his head.
He looked up to see a pigeon fly into the trees. It didn't take much effort to figure out what happened.
"YOU DAMN SKY RAT!" He screamed after it. "IF I HAD THE CHANCE, I'D EXTERMINATE THE ENTIRE LOT OF YOU!"
Ahri blinked, staring at him for a moment. Her face was blank for a moment before she suddenly burst out in laughter.
"What?" He asked, unamused. "You think it's funny that my head's covered in bird dookie, is that it?"
She snorted before slowly nodding as she continued her fit.
"Alright, alright," he said, "I see how it is."
He wiped some of the gunk from his hair, weighing it in his hand as he grinned devilishly.
Ahri sputtered a bit as she suddenly noticed. "Wait, what are you-?!"
He swiped his hand at her, flinging it onto her clothes.
She stared at him for a moment before shrieking, "HELIOS!" and throwing herself at him.
He laughed, dancing around her. "Not so fun when it's you getting dookied, is it?"
"You are insufferable!" she continued chasing him, though her laughter returned.
He suddenly flashed behind her, sweeping her up in his arms.
"Well, if you really want me to clean you up…" He said.
He waggled his eyebrows. "I'd be more than happy to oblige."
It took her a moment to figure out what she meant. Her eyes widened, and she started smacking at his arms and chest as he marched towards the lake.
"Wait! No! Not like THIS!" she shrieked, still giggling as she pounded on his chest.
"Aaaand a-one!" He started swinging her in his arms. "And a-two! And a-THREE!"
He tossed her into the lake. When she came back up, the bird dookie was gone, albeit at the cost of her clothes, which were sopping wet.
Her ears were folded against her head and her nose barely peeked out of the water. Her hair clung to her face as she stared at him. After a moment, Ahri finally lifted her head out of the water. "Now my fur's gonna be a mess!"
"Remind me again as to who laughed at my new hairdo." Helios pointed at his head, which still had excrement on it.
She shrugged. "It was funny."
"So was throwing you in," he countered.
"Oh really?" she blew a kiss at him and grinned as she watched Helios begin to stumble towards her spot in the water.
"What- no, that's not fai-" He grunted, trying to shake off the effects. "Dammit why- not like-"
She smirked as she moved through the water towards him a bit, not coming all the way out and simply waiting for him to recover from her charm.
"You know, you're really hot when you do that…" Helios mumbled, staggering closer. The charm's effects were actually getting stronger. "You should do it more of-"
She jumped out of the water and knocked him under with her, a giant grin on her face.
"GAH!" He yelped, just before she forced him underwater. He thrashed and flailed under her, but more from shock than actual panic. Eventually, she let him go and he surfaced, wiping the water out of his eyes. The charm's effects had been washed away, too. He deadpanned at her, but couldn't keep it up in front of her snickering. He broke out into a snicker of his own, shaking out his hair, which was now clean.
"Well played, woman," He conceded. "Well played."
She ended up hugging him, sopping wet tails and all. "I will admit, despite the mess, this has all been nice." She paused. "Even the bird."
He laughed. "I suppose so."
They waded into the shallows, and he pulled off his shirt, wringing it out.
Ahri paused on her way out of the water as she noticed him. She traced his muscles with her eyes and almost purred (she barely caught herself). Ariel made a small appearance in the form of another laugh escaping the fox.
"What?" He asked, with a curious smile and a brow quirked. "What's the matter?"
Helios saw where she was looking, and he let his smile widen. "Like what you see?"
Golden eyes resumed staring for a moment before she snapped herself out of it and looked him in his eyes. "Huh?"
He casually flexed his deltoids, and her eyes bulged as the muscle rippled.
Her face turned a wonderful color of red and she turned her eyes away from him.
He tossed his shirt aside and advanced on her, picking her up and wading back into the water.
She leaned against him and closed her eyes.
She yelped as she felt cold water against her skin. Helios had set her down in the lake again, albeit gently. He got down on his hands and knees, then swiftly descended to capture her lips in a kiss. She moaned into it, clawing one hand through his hair while the other fondled the muscles that had so entranced her earlier. The once again soaking wet tails curled their ways around him as she held herself tight to him, not wanting to let go.
When he finally released the kiss, Ahri let out a sigh of absolute bliss. She buried her face against his neck as he pulled her into his arms. To her delight, he'd raised his body temperature, drying her blouse so that she wouldn't get cold. They stayed that way for a while, despite how ridiculous it looked, snuggled up against each other. There was nowhere they'd rather be.
A purring sound came from her throat as she remained there. "Helios?" she asked after a moment.
"Mm?"
"Why do you like me?" she asked quietly. "We were friends and all, and I know we were close before now, but… what made you cross that final line?" Ahri's golden eyes stared into his.
He puffed out a breath of air, thinking. "There wasn't just one thing. There were a lot of factors involved, I guess. As a start...I'd say your eyes."
"My… eyes?"
"Mhm." He nodded. "They're captivating." He smiled sweetly. "I love the way they shimmer when you laugh."
The fox smiled and slowly kissed him again.
He snickered, glad that she was pleased with his answer. "I didn't finish," he said, pulling away.
"There's also your ears and tails." He brushed his fingers over the edge of her left ear, then slid it down her body until it reached one of her tails, delicately playing with the tip. She oddly seemed to like it. "I like the way they move based on what you're feeling. It's honestly adorable to see your ears fold in when you're pouting, especially when your whisker marks are considered."
She stuck her tongue out at him in a childish manner, but smiled at him still.
"But, what pushed me over the edge most of all was, well...you. You're always so confident in what you do. Sure, it might take you a little encouragement sometimes, but once you commit to something, you absolutely rock it." His smirk was both smug and sheepish. "I like a woman who knows how to strut her stuff." For a moment, his face turned melancholy. "You're also willing to put up with my...anger issues. And that means a lot to me. It shows me how kind and considerate you really are. You're not just beautiful on the surface, Ahri. Everything about you is beautiful, inside and out." He absent-mindedly scratched her behind the ears, smiling softly. "Once people started feeding me the idea, it really wasn't all that hard to fall for you."
She smiled and kissed him once more. "I'm glad."
Helios really had no idea how many times they'd kissed since they'd gotten together, but he didn't care. The readers could gag all they wanted, he had a girlfriend, for gods' sake, and he was going to take advantage of that fact.
"What about you?" He asked. "What made you choose me? Um, not to...put pressure on you or anything. Just, y'know...curious."
She paused for a moment before responding. "To be honest, just about everything. It did start with your competitiveness when the two of us had that dance off, now that I think about it."
"So...I successfully wooed you because I'm suave, sexy and fun to be around," He concluded.
She huffed. "You're also funny and have a great sense of humor. Not to mention kind… you helped me after Cira's prank. You didn't make fun of me for it either. You just helped." Ahri slowly reached up and traced his chin.
"Clown makeup is a hell no one should have to endure," he chuckled, leaning into her hand. "I'd have been a pretty shitty friend if I'd left you hanging."
She shrugged. "You also easily deal with my…" Her eyes flashed blue. "Multiple personalities," Ariel teased.
He shrugged. "Ariel's played her part at being my wingman (wing-woman? I dunno if that's an actual thing), so it's not really an issue." He laced his fingers with hers. "As long as I get to keep doing this with you, I can handle it just fine."
Ahri smiled and squeezed his hand. "That's fine by me."
There was a buzz at Helios's hip and he frowned, reaching down to pull out his phone, which, fortunately, was waterproof. "Hello?" He said, putting it to his ear.
"Heeeeeeeliooooooossss! I can see you from across the lake! When are we gonna have more fun!?" Vasher demanded.
Ahri blinked, ears twitching as she picked up the sound.
"Vasher, I don't know if you noticed, but I'm kind of on a date," he said, exasperated. "I know that you're eager, but there's a time and place for everything."
"Va...sher?" she stared for a moment. "...The institute is done for."
"Re-lax, it's not like we're going to blow up the Tribunal or anything," Helios replied. "It'll be relatively harmless, you have my word."
"Besides…" He cupped her cheek, tilting her face up towards him. "You don't have to worry about a thing. You know I'd never make you a target."
She smiled, then gave a partial scowl. "You might not, but someone else…." she glanced at his phone.
"Vasher, remember what we discussed," Helios said into his phone. "You leave the bae alone, got it?"
"...Fiiiiine," she huffed.
"There, see?" He said to Ahri. "You'll be fine."
Ahri sighed and nodded. "Fine for now." The fox closed her eyes and simply lay there with Helios.
He sighed contentedly.
All in all, not bad for a first date.
Later that night…
WHAM!
The door to Singed's lab exploded off its hinges, and the Mad Chemist jumped up from his latest concoction.
"Ah. There you are," Helios said with a sneer. "I've been meaning to talk to you for a while."
"What do you want," his Chosen, Alice, growled, "We're busy,"
"Oh, you know, just to chat about a few things," he snarled back, cracking his knuckles. "I was thinking we'd start with the Ionian invasion. Remember that one?"
"War is never pretty," Singed stated.
He received a left hook to the jaw in reply. He slammed back against the wall, blood spurting from his nose.
"You should know by now to watch your mouth around me," Helios said, glowering. "Especially with your reputation, you damn psychopath."
The Mad Chemist glared, opening his mouth to speak before stopping, listening to a voice only he could hear.
He gave a sigh.
"Again. What do you want," he demanded, "The past is in the past, can't be changed. So if you are wanting to talk about long dead people I suggest you go find a Shadow Isles specter and chat with them,"
Helios didn't reply, moving to inspect the shelves, which were laden with chemicals. He picked up a vial that was oddly cold to the touch, filled with some sort of white powder.
He hummed. "White phosphorus. Dangerous stuff." He glared pointedly at the chemist. "And what might you be planning to do with something so combustible?"
"Put that down!" Alice yelled.
"Answer the question first. I know what kind of stuff you use on the Rift, Alice. This isn't it."
"Not your concern but since you're currently holding it and not going to put it down...I've been seeing what I could do with it on the Rift," she growled, "I told him that this could help us deal more damage,"
"Hm." He set it back on the shelf. "Fair enough. As for what I want…"
He pointed at the door. "Out. Now."
"This is our lab!" she protested, "You're the trespasser here!"
Her eyes flickered and Singed shook his head.
"Alice, pick and choose your battles," he reminded her, "I am an old man and he is a god. While I might be stronger than a normal man due to chemical influence and you. I'm no match for him,"
He grabbed a few of his more volatile concoctions and went out.
"Right." Helios rubbed his hands together gleefully once he was alone. "Vasher, get in here. It's time for you to learn from the master."
The Freljordian princess skipped in, standing on her tiptoes as she peered over the table edge.
"How much do you know about chemistry?" He asked.
"Uh…" she shrugged, "I know not to touch 'em…"
"Toss that idea away," he replied. "It's meaningless now."
"Kay!" she nodded, "So what we doin'?"
He told her.
An evil grin spread across her fair face as her green eyes lit up.
"This'll be fun!"
"But dangerous," he reminded her. "We'll have to do this quietly. If we don't, your mother's going to kill us."
She nodded, zipping her mouth shut.
"Alright, now pay attention." He pulled up one of Singed's whiteboards in front of her. It looked like he'd been working on something important, scribbling down notes and chemical equations with a black marker.
Helios promptly erased every last note, and replaced it with an equation of his own, which took up the entire board.
"How much of this do you understand?" Helios gestured with the marker to what he'd made.
"Some of it," she admitted, "put the red one in the blue one and make a purple one,"
"Good! You know most of it, then." He nodded with approval. "Get the finer details down, and we're good to go."
He explained what she needed to do, then directed her to the necessary materials.
"We're going to need one-hundred fifty-six vials in total," he told her. "I'll take half the workload, so that's seventy-eight for you. Think you can manage that?"
"Kay!"
Due to their inhuman speed, they managed to finish in around fifteen minutes. They had one-hundred fifty six vials of a steaming, bubbly mixture, with a smell that made the nose wrinkle.
"Now, this is the hard part." Helios gathered up his half. "Just pour this stuff on their face, and the rest will be taken care of. Oh, and try not to wake anyone up. It might be the middle of the night, but the last thing we need is Nidalee chasing us through the halls with her spear."
"Or Momma grounding me…"
"Want me to give you some advice, Vasher?" Helios said. "Punishment only works if you comply."
"True…."
She grabbed the mixture and started out.
"And this is where it gets fun." Helios maliciously grinned.
Krista opened her eyes as her internal alarm told her to get up. Since she was dead, she didn't exactly need to sleep. However, it was one of the few things she still kept to, just out of habit. Her bare feet hit the floor and she padded to the dresser, sweeping her hair up in a ponytail, tied with a thin band of mist. She gave a smile. When she did that...she almost looked like herself back on Earth…
Except, that wasn't what she saw in the mirror.
"What is that on our face?" Kalista demanded.
The answer was a spectral green mustache, just as perky and bushy as Braum's. Both ends stretched across her face, and the bottom completely covered her mouth.
"...I'm gonna kill him," Krista seethed, "Cira, I'm going to help you in any way I can…"
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Institute, Ashe was shrieking up a storm, while her husband tried to console her.
"VASHER!" Ashe yelled, her form flickering to gunmetal silver and sharp edges as her Marauder skin took form.
But Vasher, as usual, was nowhere to be found. Tryndamere however went to the bathroom and got out the razor, trying to shave it away as Matthew looked very unamused.
"I told myself I'd never get a mustache…" he growled.
The mustache, however, would not be so easily defeated. To his amazement, it sprouted back into existence in a matter of seconds, like it'd never been shaved at all.
"...I'm going to ground that girl…" Matthew huffed.
Hailey couldn't stop laughing.
Aurelion couldn't stop cringing.
He'd witnessed the wonders and oddities of the universe thousands of times over during the dozens of millennia of his existence, yet the concept of a celestial mustache had been entirely foreign to him up until now.
"Why couldn't be have turned out like his sister…" Aurelion growled.
"Admit it, life would be boring if he was!" Hailey grinned, "Besides, we look fabulous,"
"Oh no he's corrupted you as well…" came the growl from the Star Forger.
Selene needed an icepack. Her migraine was coming on faster than usual.
This was utterly ridiculous, even for her brother. A glittering silver mustache didn't suit her at all. And no matter how many times she'd tried to shave it off, it kept growing back. She'd even tried using her powers to burn it off, but that didn't work either.
"I'm going to go mad," she just about whimpered in her bathroom. "I'm just going to slip one day, and that'll be the end of it."
Then again, maybe that wouldn't be such a bad thing.
Leona had been trying to be the mediator between Helios and Cira over the course of their rivalry, but she'd just about had enough this time.
She and Cira were starting to consider living at the Institute, just so that it would be easier to throttle Helios.
"I told you…" Cira preened as Leona held a quiet, in shock Artemis, who was staring cross eyed at the tiny red mustache that bloomed over her upper lip.
"Screw honor," she growled, "he's going to get it now."
"I really am rubbing off on you!" came Cira's grin.
Nearly every champion in the Institute was out for blood. They'd all gathered at Helios's doorstep, clad in their nightwear (for those who wore such things), each bearing a different version of Braum's mustache. Braum himself was nowhere to be seen.
"Helios, open up!" Selene pounded on the door. "We know you're in there!"
"Come out and face us like a god!" Leona snapped.
No reply.
"Well?" Selene demanded. "If you're not going to let us in, we're going to do it ourselves!"
Nothing.
She summoned her scythe. The blade flashed twice, creating an X-shaped cut in the door. She blasted the pieces apart with her powers, stepping across the threshold.
Helios's bed was empty. He'd clearly been here, judging by the shabby arrangement of the covers, but he himself had vanished.
"Where is he?" Leona asked.
"Check the food court," Selene said. "If I know my brother, and if he's not here, he's probably stuffing himself as we speak."
"Mama...what if it was Vasher?" Artemis asked, tugging on her mother's skirt.
Leona said nothing, seemingly trying to mull over that possibility.
"It was him," Cira adamantly insisted, "it has to be!"
"But what if Artemis is right and it's not him…" Leona reasoned, "Selene, what do you think?"
She sharply inhaled, as a thought occurred to her.
"We need to find them," she declared. "Now."
They raced towards the food court, anxiety tugging at Selene's chest. If she was right…
They found Ahri sitting by herself at one of the smaller cafés, a plate stained with syrup and flecked with egg bits sitting on the table. Two other plates blemished with the same scraps sat on either side of her. Her face was mustache-free, proof of her boyfriend's involvement.
The fox stared at the whole group for a moment and somehow managed to keep a straight face as she looked to each of them. "Hello, did you need anything from me? I just finished eating and was about to go to my room…" She stood up and watched Selene.
Her eyes narrowed. "Where is he?"
She batted her eyes and looked at the goddess innocently. "Whosoever would you mean?"
"Considering you are the only one here without this done to them, I think you know," Leona growled, her voice heavy with metallic undertones.
She shrugged. "He didn't tell me where he was going. Claimed it was 'safer for him for me to not know.'"
"...he did it." Leona stated, "I'm convinced,"
"CORRECT!" Helios's voice boomed.
"And yet...not quite." Everyone looked up to see Helios standing with his arms behind his back on the roof of the café, dressed in his pajamas and a maroon bathrobe.
Duel of the Fates suddenly started playing.
Everyone's eyes widened, as they saw he wasn't alone.
Selene started trembling. Leona, Ashe and Tryndamere fell to their knees as unmitigated horror wracked their nervous systems.
"Hiiiiiiiiiii!" Vasher beamed.
"We're all doomed…." Leona groaned.
Helios and Vasher broke out into a fit of maniacal laughter, clawing their hands and cackling to the roof. Thunder boomed overhead, and heavy rains gushed down from the skies outside.
"Vasher…" Ashe growled, "what did you do,"
"Oh, she only did exactly what I told her to do," Helios breezily replied. "She makes a great minion."
"Annnnd the end of Runeterra has come," Matthew sighed, earning an elbow from his wife.
"How many…" she finally asked, glaring at her daughter.
"Everyone!" she grinned, "Even the other Kindred, Lucian and Leona!"
They were nowhere in sight though, most likely holed up in the rooms they had been given to use during their stay.
"Why me though?" Artemis piped up.
"I kinda thought you were Apolla," Vasher admitted, "Sorry Missy. You guys were all clumped up like a little group of poros,"
"We'll get to you later, don't worry," Helios assured her. "The corruption process is relatively simple anyways."
Artemis shook her head and gave a pretty smile.
"Nah, I don't wanna be a minion. Too yellow,"
"Too late. Make the meme, you're on the team."
"Nooooooooo!"
"YES," they both said.
"Mama!" Artemis pleaded and her mother held her, glaring at Helios with all the fire she had in her.
"Anyhoo, the mustaches will probably wear off in, say...a month?" Helios guessed. "So, y'know. Have fun with that."
"Oh just you wait," Leona hissed, "We'll get you for this,"
"No, you really won't," he replied. "In fact, you'll probably thank us in a minute."
"Whatever makes you think that?"
"We neglected to mention the effect the formula had on Braum."
"...Wh-What did you do to uncle Braum…" Torin asked, peeking from behind his mother's leg.
"Well, see, here's the thing." Helios placed his hands together. "It's a widely known scientific fact that Braum's mustache can't get any more fabulous than it already is. I don't think anyone can dispute that."
Nothing from the others. He wasn't wrong.
"Soooooo….the formula didn't really do anything for his mustache," he continued, "but all that hair still had to go somewhere."
He pointed to a Freljordian bar across the food court. "BEHOLD!"
They were met with the most glorious thing anyone had ever witnessed.
Braum's head was adorned with a full mane of hair, silky smooth and flowing dramatically in the (strangely nonexistent) breeze. Even Taric's hair couldn't hope to match it. He winked at them from where he sat, sipping from a mug filled to the brim with goat's milk. The single female champions swooned.
"Vasher, we've really outdone ourselves with this one." Helios sniffed, wiping away a tear. "It's absolutely magnificent."
"Yep!" she chirped, "Uncle Braum was happy!"
"I think science has finally reached its apex," he said. "Still mad, Leo?"
"Very,"
"You're no fun."
"And you have no sense of restraint," Selene drily replied.
"Shush. Don't use Syndra's trigger word."
"What? I just said that you don't have a sense of restraint."
"Oh, gods, you said it again!"
"I'm more angry with the fact you did this to care honestly," Silvia growled, holding Aiko, who had just woken up and started to wail.
Amelia shot her daughter a glare "You, young lady, are grounded until you are fifty,"
"Momma!" Vasher whined.
"Aiko, if you calm down right now, I'll paint your dad's mustache pink."
Her screaming turned to laughter.
"Oh gods, he's infected the children."
"I did that a while ago, sis."
"Not all of them, fortunately," Pantheon replied, looking at Artemis and Torin, who still didn't look pleased at the predicament.
"Welp, we'd love to stay and chat, but we have more evil schemes to plan." Helios looked down at Vasher. "We should go deface that giant statue of Avarosa in your mom's front yard."
She giggled and took his hand.
"Vasher don't you dare!" Ashe started, beginning to run forwards to her daughter.
"Bye!" The two of them skedaddled, leaving silhouettes made of dust in their place.
"Annnnd they're gone," Amelia growled, "I know where I'm heading…"
"I'll go with you," her husband sighed, "That girl is going to be such a handful…"
Everyone frowned, as they heard the sound of uncontrollable sobbing coming from the floor. Selene had curled up into a ball, her face buried in her arms as she wept.
"Lady Selene?" Diana asked.
"My life is going to suuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck," she wailed, her composure gone.
"I'm sure it won't be so bad…"
"What kind of rock have you been living under?!" She replied. "One of them was bad enough, but this?!" She started rocking back and forth on her rear. "I'm not going to last a week."
"It'll calm down...eventually," Diana admitted, "Just, weather it,"
"I don't want to."
"You have to," Diana told her, "If I wasn't allowed to give up all those years ago after being hunted. You can get through this. At least you don't have to worry about them killing you. You're still his sister and I doubt he'd let anything harm you,"
"No."
She stared, poker-faced.
Next up...someone decides to get back at Helios. How well they succeed? You'll just have to see!
Chosens Used (We Are Warriors)
Leona- Cira Noble (Jonson)
Pantheon-Arthur Jonson
Braum-Piotr Kozlov
Kindred-Dianne Faye (Diamond)
Aurelion Sol-Hailey Cannon
Kalista-Krista Rhon
Ahri-Ariel Royal
Ashe- Amelia Whitworth (Hodges)
Tryndamere-Matthew Hodges
Syndra-Silvia Lazar
Akali-Akela Hisou (Korrigan)
Darius- Seamus O'Connor
Draven-Finley O'Connor
Fiora-Victoria Meraux
Chosens Used (We Are Chosen)
Kindred-Dianne Faye
Lucian-Arthur Jonson (Senna-Cira Noble)
Leona-Janie Noble
...And then there are Helios and Selene.
Anyway, hope you liked it. If you did, please let me know!
Qui vállë tóquetë, ván tecë (If no review comes from y'all; no story comes from me)
Máriessë ar mára tecië
Farewell and fair writing
Elhini Prime signing off.
