Disclaimer: League of Legends belongs to Riot

I kept walking forward, further and further away from the PC bang. It was really noisy outside. People were hanging out with their friends, families, and significant others. I guess this made sense since it was a Friday night. I stuck my hands in my pockets to keep them warm. It was chilly outside, but I wasn't quite ready to return to the warmth of the PC bang.

I really needed to clear my head. It was filled with negative thoughts. Hurtle was offered the opportunity of a lifetime and I even told myself over and over again that I was going to support him no matter decision he made. Worlds was his dream, not mine, so it wouldn't matter if I made it there or not.

But there was still our teammates to think about. We got to know them pretty well over the past couple of months. We learned that Adept made a deal with his parents in hopes to follow his own dreams: to play mid over AD carry. He wanted to prove to his parents that he and his team could make it – that we could make it to Worlds. He did his best to take on the role as our leader and worked hard to improve his shot calling. He also spent a lot of time trying to get to know me and Hurtle so we'd feel like we were apart of their group.

On the other hand there was Cyan. Cyan was still a little rough around the edges, but she was nice at times. Sure she still primarily ganked for Adept, and struggled to call objectives, but she was trying hard to improve. More importantly, she was trying her best to get along with Hurtle and me– okay, scratch that. She was trying her best to get along with me. She and Hurtle still argued a lot, but we learned by now that it's all fun and games (I hope).

Then there was Hades. He was the most mature of us all. He knew how to read situations well and direct conversations. Which is kind of funny given the fact that he doesn't talk much. Even though he's only a year older, he takes good care of all of us. Hades is definitely the most reliable in game, too. He's always consistent during the laning phase and always knows when to roam or to teleport into a fight. Hades is also never picky – there are times when Adept will tell him to play a certain champion, and he doesn't complain. He told me that it didn't matter who he played as, all that mattered was that he was playing with his friends. They made playing fun for him.

This was no longer about Hurtle and me. It wasn't just the two of us anymore. We were now part of a group of five… at least for now. I'm sure that if Hurtle left, our group would slowly diminish. I don't know if I could play with a different AD carry. Then it would just be Hurtle, me and the trio. Three different groups instead of one. If I'm not willing to play with another AD carry, then there would be no point in keeping me as their support. I'm sure we all could remain as friends, but things would definitely be different.

As I was trying to sort through my thoughts, I didn't realize that I wandered really far off. When I stopped walking, I didn't recognize any of my surroundings – not that I recognize anything in Korea.

'Whoops' I thought as I turned around. I was walking straight, right? That just meant I had to walk straight in the other direction.

'I'm not lost!' I told myself as I proceeded to walk back in a straight line.

Five minutes had passed.

'Man, I walked far.'

Ten minutes had passed.

'Still not lost.'

Half an hour had passed.

'Did I already pass it?' I turned around and started to walk back.

An hour had passed.

'Okay. I'm lost.' I finally admit this to myself. Maybe it wasn't smart for me to walk alone in a foreign place. I looked around trying to find something – anything that would help me figure out where I was, but everything was in Korean.

I stood there for another ten minutes, praying that Hurtle and Hades would find me. Maybe they would notice that I was missing? I was gone for a long time.

"Are you lost?"

I turned around to see who was talking to me. In front of me stood a teenage girl. She was very skinny and had long black hair. But the most important thing was that she spoke English.

"Yes," I told her immediately. I wasn't even going to try to pretend that I wasn't. I was lost and this girl could be the key for me to find the way back to my friends.

She giggled at my response and I looked at her confused. "Sorry, you just answered so bluntly," the girl laughed. "I wasn't expecting a direct answer from you," she explained. I blushed slightly.

"But you did look lost," the girl nodded. 'Was I that obvious?'

"Oh! I almost forgot, I'm Karissa," the girl stuck her hand out.

"Stella," I said, shaking her hand.

"KARISSA!" a voice called out and I saw a petite older woman quickly walk over. "You shouldn't run off like that," the woman scolded.

"But she looked lost! I had to help her!" Karissa explained to the woman. That's when the woman noticed my presence. She turned to look at me.

"Is that true?" she asked me.

"Y-yes. I am lost," I answered her.

"Ah…" she looked at Karissa once more, "that is still no reason to run off!"

"But mom—" Karissa started.

"But you did the right thing," Karissa's mother stated. The two of them shared a smile before turning their attention back to me.

"What's your name?" the mother asked me.

"Stella," I told her.

"That's a pretty name," she complimented me. I muttered a quiet thanks. "You can call me Midi," she said. Her name sounded awfully familiar, but I couldn't pinpoint it.

"Really mom?" Karissa questioned Midi.

"I like that nickname," Midi shrugged.

"It's cute," I returned the compliment.

"See Karissa," Midi smiled and her daughter just rolled her eyes. "So where are you supposed to go?" Midi asked me, taking her daughter's hand. Karissa looked like she was only 12. Even though my parents told me over and over again not to talk to strangers, I felt like I could trust them. Probably because Midi seemed really motherly and not like someone who would hurt me.

"I'm supposed to meet my friends at a PC bang," I told her truthfully. She frowned when I said that.

"Oh my, there's quite a few of them around here," she said. Then it was my turn to frown. How was I going to find them now?

"Do you remember how it looked like?" she asked for more information. I closed my eyes and tried to picture the place we entered.

"Now that I think about it… there was a giant neon octopus outside," I rose an eyebrow as I said that. "Not sure if that helps at all—"

"I think I know the place you're talking about. It's not too far from here," Midi interrupted me.

"REALLY?" I exclaimed. She nodded and gave me a reassuring smile.

"Shall we go?" she asked. I nodded happily.

"Yes, please," I answered and she lead the way.

"So Stella, what brings you to Korea?" Midi asked me.

"What do you mean?"

"Well you're obviously not from around here…" Midi giggled.

"Right…" I mumbled. I almost forgot that I was lost.

"Mom, you're embarrassing her!" Karissa complained.

"Sorry dear," Midi said, but the grin stayed on her face.

"I'm actually here to go watch the League of Legends World Championships," I told them.

"Cool! We are too!" Karissa squealed. I rose an eyebrow. I would have never guessed that they were League fans.

"Really?" I asked with disbelief.

"Yeah, my daddy's old team is playing in the finals," Karissa grinned. My eyes widened.

"Your dad was a professional player?"

"Yeah! He was really popular," she bragged.

"Karissa!" Midi snapped.

"What? She doesn't seem like a crazy fan," Karissa commented. 'That's a good thing, I guess.'

"Don't worry, I know the feeling," I admitted to them. Usually I kept my parents out of conversation when I met new people, but this was an exception because I knew I could relate to Karissa.

"Really?" Karissa asked me curiously.

"Yeah, my parents were professionals too," I said scratching the back of my head.

"Oh?" Midi seemed a little suspicious. "Who are they?"

"Aphromoo and Doublelift," I answered.

"Oh!" Midi exclaimed, halting and turning around to look at me.

"You're Zaqueri and Peter's little girl."

"Yeah," I shrugged like it was no big deal. 'Wait she knows their names.'

"It's nice to finally meet you," she smiled, "What a coincidence—oh we're here."

I followed her gaze and saw the big neon octopus sign. "This is it," I confirmed.

"STELLA ROSE BLACK."

I winced when I heard my full name. Hurtle never used my full name, but given the circumstances it was probably appropriate. He started running over to me with Hades and Lust not too far behind. Once Hurtle was in reach, he lunged forward and engulfed me in a big hug. I stumbled a couple steps back due to the momentum.

"Hey Hurtle," I said weakly, "You're crushing me." He hugged me tighter before letting go.

"You deserve it," he glared. "How could you just walk off like that!" he started to complain, "You said you were going to look for Hades, but then Hades told me that you never found him!"

"Jasper, calm down," Hades stated.

"Yeah Jasper, she's safe now," Midi agreed. Hurtle whipped around when Midi spoke.

"Aunt Midi?" he asked. I rose an eyebrow, 'Aunt Midi?'

"Hi Aunt Midi," Lust grinned. 'Lust too?'

"Hi boys," she responded, giving them both a hug. Karissa tugged on her mother's shirt. "They're your father's teammates' kids," Midi told her.

"Oh," Karissa stepped forward, "Hi, I'm Karissa," she introduced herself.

"Hi Karissa," Hurtle grinned.

"Nice to meet you," Lust said. Hades nodded to show his acknowledgement.

"I didn't know you knew Aunt Midi," Hurtle directed at me.

"I just met her," I told him, "Karissa ran up to me when I was… uhm, lost," I said sheepishly.

"Oh yeah, we're not done with that conversation," Hurtle glared. "Wait until your parents hear about this," he muttered under his breath before turning back to everyone.

"Aunt Midi, where is Uncle Dyrus?" Hurtle asked. 'Ohh, Karissa is Dyrus's daughter.' I recalled that they were supposed to be at the reunion, but had a family reunion in Hawaii to attend.

"He's actually at the hotel with your's and Lust's parents," Midi informed him. "Shall we head over?"

Everyone nodded in agreement. Today had been really tiring.

With the help of Midi and Hades, we were able to make our way back to the hotel.

"They should be at the restaurant," Midi told us.

"Midi!" everyone chorused when they spotted her. Uncle Turtle beckoned her over.

"Wow you managed to find everyone," Aphromoo commented when he saw us following her.

"Where did you go?" a dirty blonde asked Lust. I assumed it was his father, Bjergsen. He had mentioned who his parents were when I briefly met him at the reunion. I looked to Bjergsen's right. There was a Korean man standing next to him who I assumed was Lustboy. That meant that the last unfamiliar face had to be Dyrus.

"I went to the PC bang with my team," Lust told his parents, "And then Jasper found me there."

"Oh hey Jasper!" Bjergsen greeted. Hurtle walked over to them to say hi. "Going to join Jang-ho's team?" he asked.

"I still haven't decided yet," Hurtle told him.

"What? Turtle!" Bjergsen looked over at Uncle Turtle who was planted in between my parents. "Why hasn't he decided on coming over here yet?" he demanded for an explanation.

Uncle Turtle had his signature grin on his face, "Didn't you hear? He has another offer."

"What offer could be better than coming over here?" Bjergsen asked.

"The offer to play on the same team as our daughter," Aphromoo chimed in.

"Oh? Your daughter plays?" Bjergsen said, looking in my direction.

"Yeah, Hurtle's been playing with her ranked 5s team," Aphromoo informed him.

"Are they in the LCS?"

"Nah, they're going to try to get into the Challenger scene first and then make their way up," Hai stated.

"Oh? Is your son on the team as well?" Bjergsen asked him.

"Yeah, their captain is Dimitri's best friend."

"And our daughter is Jasper's best friend," Aphromoo added.

"But Jasper has the opportunity to join a qualified team in Korea," Bjergsen stated it like it was the obvious choice. Dade and Lustboy were talking to each other on the side, trying not to get involved. Surprisingly, Doublelift stayed quiet during the whole exchange.

"Jasper will decide what he thinks is best for him," Uncle Xpecial jumped into the conversation. I shot him a thankful look and he smiled at me.

"Boys, let's not argue about this in front of the kids," Midi said sternly. Compared to everyone else around her, she was very small, but everyone stopped at her command.

"God, I love that woman," I heard Dyrus mutter. This led to eye rolling from several people around the table.

"That was very interesting," I mumbled as I stood beside Hurtle in the elevator. We were heading back to our hotel rooms. Midi and Karissa left early because Karissa was getting tired. On the other hand, Hades stayed to converse with the adults while my parents stayed to catch up with their old friends. I was exhausted from being lost for an hour and decided that it was time to turn in for the day. Hurtle offered to walk me back, making a subtle joke about me getting lost. Luckily my parents didn't pick up on it.

Hurtle didn't say anything as we walked to my hotel room.

"Coming in?" I asked him, and he nodded before entering. I took a seat on my bed and he took a seat on my parents'.

"Alright, what's wrong Jasper?" I asked him. He had been abnormally quiet during the whole trip here.

He looked at me and frowned. His frown gradually turned into a pout and he crossed his arms.

"You don't know how worried I was when we couldn't find you!" Hurtle complained. I winced when he said that.

"… sorry—" I tried to apologize, but he continued.

"Don't 'sorry' me!" he snapped, making air quotes. "Your parents gave me the responsibility to make sure you didn't get abducted by some crazy lunatic and you thought it was smart to go wandering off!"

It was very rare for Hurtle to get angry with me. He was always so relaxed.

"Then the person at the counter said he remembered seeing a girl stroll out!" Hurtle was making hand motions now, "And when we couldn't find you outside, I panicked!"

During his rant, I got off the bed and walked over to sit next to him.

"Thanks Hurtle," I interrupted him as I wrapped my arms around him. He returned the hug.

"Don't think that you can—"

"Thanks Hurtle," I repeated and he pouted when I interrupted him again. I squeezed him tighter, returning the bone crushing hug he gave me earlier.

"A-Aph. I can't breathe!" he complained. I gave him a look that told him 'You deserved it' and he rolled his eyes.

"Did I tell you that you're the best?" I asked him.

"You don't have to tell me for me to know—ow!" I hit him with a pillow.

"Your ego is showing," I scoffed.

"That's a mighty fine ego I have," Hurtle grinned. This was the Hurtle I knew and loved.

"But really, I'm sorry for wandering off," I frowned.

"Why did you do it?" Hurtle asked me in curiosity. I groaned before smashing my face in the pillow before answering him.

"Aph, I don't speak face-smashed-into-pillow-nese," Hurtle informed me. I let my arms fall to my side.

"Really?" I asked, bewildered. "I thought everyone knew—"

"Aph," he interrupted me. 'Man, we really like interrupting each other,' I thought, but I knew it wasn't time to joke around… even though Hurtle did start it.

"I don't want you to leave," I finally told him how I felt.

"I'm still here Aph," he looked confused.

"I mean, I don't want you to move to Korea," I sighed, flopping down onto the bed. I stared at the hotel room ceiling. I heard Hurtle copying my movements. This felt oddly familiar.

"I don't think I want to move here either," he said truthfully.

"WHAT?" I flung my body upwards back into my sitting position and stared at him. He smiled at me.

"I've grown kind of fond of our team," Hurtle started, bringing his hands behind the back of his head. "If I join Lust's team, then I would have to move over to Korea," he continued. 'Well that was obvious.' He couldn't exactly play for the team while he was in Berlin. The ping would be a major problem, not to mention the time difference.

"I'd have to get situated here, and then I would have to get used to homeschooling." I laid back down on the bed. "I don't know if I'd like being home-schooled. I know my situation would be completely different from Hades, but still – it worries me." That was right. Hades had a difficult time adjusting to home-schooling.

"Then I have to get used to playing with my new teammates."

"Rather, they'll have to get used to playing with you," I grinned. He smiled back.

"And I'd have to learn Korean because Lust won't be able to translate for me all the time," Hurtle frowned, "And I hate not being able to be in control of my circumstances."

"What if I get lost like you did?" Hurtle said, nudging me.

"Then you'll find Aunt Midi to help guide you back?" I joked.

"Then you'll greet me with a bone-crushing hug?" Hurtle laughed. "But really Aph, I think today helped me realize that life would be completely miserable without you," he exaggerated.

"The cheese," I pointed out.

"I'll show you cheese," he grinned, flashing me a devilish look.

"N-no! I surrender!" I squirmed, trying to move away from his reach.

"You're no fun," Hurtle pouted as I used the pillow to cover my sides.

"But that's why you can't leave me," I grinned. He rolled his eyes.

"Your ego is showing, Aph," he repeated my earlier words.

"Aww, but you know you love meee," I whined in a very Hurtle-like fashion.

"Maybe I should really consider Korea—"

"Don't you dare!" I shouted, hitting him with the pillow. He deflected it, and stole it from my grasp. "M-my pillow!" I complained, reaching for it. He held it further away from me.

"I'm not going to leave you Aph," Hurtle told me softly.

"You better not," I smirked, grabbing the pillow during his moment of weakness.

"I mean it," he said, trying to wrestle the pillow from me.

"Promise?" I asked, letting go of the pillow. I held my pinky out. The look on his face told me that this was the cheesiest thing, but I didn't care.

"Promise."

Our pinkies interlocked and at that moment, I knew I wasn't going to lose my best friend.

11/30/14