INCORPOREAL
without form

Vayne doesn't know who they think they're kidding.

It's a scrim match, practice for tomorrow. Zaun and Piltover had gotten into a little disagreement over waste removal. Specifically, the Zaunite corporations have been dumping highly radioactive sludge into the bay and the mess reached Piltovian shores. A match was arranged to settle the conflict with each city-state requesting assistance from their respective allies. Vayne volunteered to help, mostly because she heard a few unsavory rumors connecting Zaunite tech with black magic. Enforcing a couple of corporate limitatons could only help her in the long run.

The Piltovian team consisted of Ziggs in the mid lane, Jayce in the top lane, Vi in the jungle, and Vayne in the bot lane with Sona support. Or it was supposed to be Sona support, but the Maven of Strings had a concert today and couldn't come to practice. Lux was called in to substitute. Now ordinarily, Vayne would have no complaints laning with Lux. She was an excellent team player, a brilliant strategist, and an all around pleasant person - if a tad too cheery at times. No, Vayne really had nothing to complain about. Except…

The Zaunite team had Mundo in the top lane, Victor in the mid lane, Warwick in the jungle, and Thresh supporting Jinx in the bot lane. It's a fairly tricky team but Vayne wasn't particularly worried. No, her problem lay solely on the enemy ADC. Once they met in lane, Jinx saw Lux and her eyes lit up with unholy glee. It takes a lot to scare Vayne but she saw those red eyes flash and felt a chill crawl down her spine.

For the first couple of minutes, everything was calm and it was mostly a farm fest. Thresh and Lux sat in the bushes as Vi and Warwick focused more on the top and mid lanes. Vayne and Jinx were left to last hit at their leisure. But just as Vayne began to feel a modicum of safety (boredom), Jinx opened her big, fat mouth and started to sing.

"Oh - oh - oh - oh - oh - oh - oh - oh - oh - oh - oh - oh! Caught in a bad romance! Oh - oh - oh - oh - oh - oh - oh - oh - oh - oh - oh - oh! Caught in a bad romance!"

A minute and a half later, she's still singing. She's also put an obscene amount of focus on Vayne's support, almost ignoring her entirely. It's a testament to Thresh's abilities that Jinx managed to survive for so long. The Chain Warden, for his part, appears vaguely amused by the proceedings.

Vayne winces in sympathy as Lux dodges a Zap! shot only to get a hook to the face. As she is dragged over, Jinx leers at her, dropping the chompers and doubling the crowd control.

"I want it bad, your bad romance," she croons, peppering Lux with bullets.

Vayne yells at her summoner and the Heal is cast, saving her support from the brink of death. She quickly follows up with a Condemn, stunning Jinx against the nearby wall. Lux seizes the oppurtunity and limps away, recalling to base. No kills, but Jinx falls blessedly silent in the absence of Lux.

Of course, it is a momentary reprieve and the second Lux returns, Jinx starts singing again. Vayne watches as Lux grits her teeth and continues her dodging dance. But the relentless focus is taking its toll.

"You and me could write a bad romance!" Jinx sings, hitting Lux with a well aimed Zap! shot.

"Careful, Crownguard," Vayne warns. "Any more and her ult will kill you."

"I am aware, Shauna," Lux pants, glaring at her. "I'm not an idiot."

Vayne huffs and returns her attention to farming.

Lux goes off to ward up. Again, a moment of reprieve as Jinx goes quiet with Lux out of her immediate sight. It ends all too soon as the singing starts up once more. Vayne lowers her crossbow, staring at a mute, equally confused Jinx. Lux reappears in lane, belting out the song with everything she got.

"'Cause you're a criminal as long as you're mine!" Lux catches Jinx's gaze and smirks, absolutely unapologetic.

Vayne feels a headache build behind her eyes as confusion drains from Jinx's expression, replaced with unbridled glee. Then, they're off. Jinx hardly bothers to properly farm, too busy with her impromptu duet with Lux. It would be a distinct advantage if Vayne could summon her focus. But although Lux is truly gifted in many areas, such as espionage and battle strategy, music is not her forte. She is horribly and painfully off key, with her voice cracking the way ice hisses in hot water. If utilized correctly, it could be an effective form of torture.

Vayne shares a look with Thresh and they nod. He leaves to ward anywhere, just away from bot lane. She heads off to farm the krugs, giving only a cursory heads up to Vi. It leaves Lux and Jinx alone in lane. Vayne would be surprised if either noticed the absence of her and Thresh. Both are too wrapped up in their little "thing".

Honestly, she doesn't know who they think they're fooling. There's a wordless something between Jinx and Lux, made of smug smirks and challenging grins. It's obvious in the way they dodged each other's skill shots, as if following the steps of a beloved dance. Intimacy and familiarity laces their every interaction, weaving a complex, nuanced cocoon around them - a barrier to keep everyone away.

Vayne thinks it especially fortunate that Demacia is allies with Piltover, not Zaun. The idea of Jinx and Lux laning together is a truly frightening thought. They wouldn't be unstoppable, but they would be a daunting pair to face, made all the more dangerous by their nameless, intangible "something".