Hi everyone !

Prepare for some slice of life with Taric and Lulu. I'll admit this one is maybe even more pointless than the others but oh well, have some cuteness in your WE ! On a side note, I quite wanted to make Taric a "credible" character, 'cause I really like this guy, I just hope it worked !

Guest : Thank you for the review ! =D

Victor : Thank you too :3 !

As usual, feel free to leave reviews, commentary or corrections (this text is unbeta'd) !

Please enjoy !

Opal

Small steps in the gravel. A 'Thank you, Mister summoner !', then a child laugh and a faint magical presence. Sounds like someone is back from the Institute. I put my knife down. The fruit salad could wait five more minutes. I wiped my hands clean and headed towards the entrance. The door opened, letting in a small sorceress, whose hat was almost larger than her, and her shiny companion.

'Taric ! Taric ! I'm home !'

'I see that, Lulu. Welcome.'

The young yordle rushed into my arms as I knelt. We shared a short hug and she quickly made her way to the couch. I heard her chatting with Pix as I chopped small piece of fruit and even smaller ones for the fae. Soon enough, the little girl came, moved a chair and jumped on it to see what I was doing. She was at a safe distance, but I didn't like it when she was standing on a chair. I gave her a smile and she understood. She sat but seemed to be bored.

'Do you remember where the sugar is, Lulu ?'

'Of course !'

'Fetch it, we'll get some water.'

I took out a scale, its weights, a mixing bowl, a large glass, a ramekin, a wooden spoon and my bottle of cherry syrup. I brought everything on the coffee table and took Lulu to the well. She gave the bucket to me and took the rope in hand. She pulled with all her strength but I had to help her bring it back, and we got back inside. I placed the weight on the scale, so Lulu would simply have to measure the right amount of sugar, after I emptied the bucket in the basin in the kitchen. I poured three glass in the mixing bowl and gave the next instructions to the young girl. I watched over my shoulder as she was dedicated not to make the syrup overflow and to find the perfect balance with the sugar.

I felt like a single father sometimes. Not that it was unpleasant. Besides, Lulu really needed it. Alienated by her kin with no family left and a little defective sense of reality. Probably welcomed by the League because she had nowhere to go and was too young to live on her own. However, allowing her on the fields of justice was according to me a mistake. Of course, her birth date indicated she was way older than most of the champion of the League. But she was maybe eight years old at best ! The Field where sometimes a frightful place to be, even for adults. When I thought about it, I always had a sour taste in my mouth. A found a little consolation that the League allowed some of us, including Sona, Tristana, Janna and Teemo, to become her guardians. She had made some friends, like Annie, Nunu. I even heard about her crush on Veigar, although that little guy only sounded like troubles to me. We were uncle, aunts, friends, not parents, nor a real family, but we all contributed to her personal equilibrium. She would always remain playful and eccentric, as were most of the Yordles. She simply had a little of innocent madness thrown in. And her heart was as big as her hat, so everything should be alright for her.

'Uncle Taric ? I did what you told me to !'

'Good, can you bring the bowl ? The fruits are almost ready. Oh, Lulu ?' he called.

'Yep ?'

'You can add one more handful of sugar if you want.'

'You're the best !'

The smile had to be the cutest I had seen since I arrived in Runeterra. She had put her hat on the couch and carried the bowl on her head after throwing the handful of sugar like it was some kind of magic powder. I stirred the juice one last time and kept some in a new ramekin with the smallest fruit pieces. I mixed the remaining juice and fruits, then put the two preparation in the refrigerator. They should be ready for dinner.

'Thank you for your help, Lulu. Will you tell me how was your day at the Institute ?'

We settled down on the couch and she pretended to think really hard about what she was going to tell me, as did Pix. The little fae's wings changed colors and they giggled together. Lulu then told me how she met two new summoners, who were kind to her, and that she also met Annie, although it was on the other side of the Rift.

'You know, I feared that she wouldn't talk to me anymore ! But we're still friends !'

'Did you met someone else that you knew ?'

'I saw the champion that eat everything ! He even tried to swallow me whole !', she saw Taric's worried face. 'Don't worry, I transmogulated him so he couldn't. And they all know the rules well. I had a lot of fun, today.'

I always cringed when Lulu mentioned a Void creature or a Noxian. Not that the others nations representatives were above violence and brutality, but I named the worst offenders. While we simply couldn't put such a severe restriction on Lulu's opponents, we at least got to spare her from the artificial death she could have experienced on the Fields. When the pain became unbearable or she was about to suffer a lethal injury, Pix had the responsibility to shrink her Yordle friend until they could both fit in her hat and wait safely until her summoner called them in the fountain. Some accidents did happened the first few times. But now everything seemed in order. The little girl suddenly let out a yawn and rubbed her eyes.

'Do you want to take a nap before dinner ?'

'I'm okay, just a little sleepy...'

'It's okay, I'm also tired after the summoning sometimes. I won't eat the fruit salad without you, promise.'

She finally surrendered and slid off the couch. I took her hand and led her to the guest room. She climbed on the bed, took off her hat and hooked it on the headboard. She also pulled the necklace she had around her neck from underneath her dress. The jewel was round, smooth, a vibrant orange. A beautiful fire opal, framed in a light alloy. Apparently, I was caught staring at the stone, because she covered it with her hands and stuck her tongue out with a giggle. I tickled her as a small revenge and tucked her in when she got under the covers to defend herself. Pix settled down on the pillow and let the light surrounding her die a little. I left the door ajar and whispered :

'Come in the living room when you wake up, okay ?'

She nodded. Her eyes closed gently. She looked so peaceful. In the corner of my eyes, I saw the last ray of light in the room made my gift to her look like a piece of setting sun. An opal, for harmony.