Nothing Like Paradise (Part 1)

"GAAAAAHH AHAHAHAHAHAHAA!" Gangplank bellowed as he merrily pounded his fist down on the wooden table he was sitting on. Beside the hearty pirate sat a large keg of his own moonshine and a small bag of oranges. There was a large group of champions from all over Runeterra clustered around the ocean side table, listening to the pirate's tale.

"ARHARHAR TELL EM WHAT HAPPENED NEXT!" The pirate demanded, still laughing.

"Well, you see, we thought Nami was some kind of fish, so after we caught her, we almost tried to cook her!" Miss Fortune continued. The entire rest of the group sitting at the table burst out laughing at that, save for Nami of course, who nervously shrank down, trying to hide her face beneath the table. Realistically, the story of their meeting with Nami was really not all that entertaining, but that was the miracle of alcohol. Everything suddenly seemed a whole lot more hilarious when everyone was beyond drunk. What made things even easier for them was the fact that the resort they were staying at insisted on "paying all of their expenses in full". In other words, there wasn't a limit to how much alcohol, food, or housing they wanted; everything was free for them to use.

Off to the side, Irelia turned her slightly flushed face to gaze at the merry crowd.

So peaceful... If only it were always like this... The Ionian mused with a small smile on her face. Before she could allow her mind to wander further, however, a voice called out to her.

"Greetings, Irelia." A stoic, feminine voice spoke from behind her. Turning her head, Irelia blinked before her eyes focused and she gazed upon the Ionian before her.

"Oh! Uhm... Karma!... Didn't know you came!..." Irelia said sheepishly. She tried to hide her mug of beer behind her back as she turned, but the action almost caused her to trip. Karma chuckled at Irelia's efforts and quickly replied.

"It's okay Irelia, you should celebrate your accomplishments every so often." Karma concluded with a wry smile on her face.

Irelia laughed with appreciation of Karma's acceptance and turned back to the raucous group at the table, as Gangplank's obnoxiously loud laughter drew her attention once more. Leaning over the side of the table, Gangplank had caught Nami in a headlock, pulled her onto the table, and was pretending to take a bite out of her head. Everyone at the table seemed to find his antics incredibly hilarious. Everyone except Nami of course.

"Poor thing..." Karma commented, clicking her tongue in disapproval of the group's drunken behavior. Fortunately, Nami wasn't drunk enough nor was she defenseless enough to simply allow herself to be bullied around. Using her staff, she bopped Gangplank repeatedly on the head before using the item to slap the pirate hard across the face. The action immediately caused Gangplank to release Nami as her final strike launched him backwards out of his chair and down into a heap on the floor. Nami fled immediately, diving into the protection of the ocean. The other champions hardly seemed to notice as they were busy laughing at Gangplank. Absolutely drunk, Gangplank too joined in their laughter, completely unaware that he was the one being laughed at.

Irelia chuckled slightly with exasperation, mildly admiring the pirate's ability to entirely forget about his worries and embrace the moment.

"So... Karma..." Irelia started before clearing her throat and attempting to un-slur her speech, "What brought you here?"

"I am... looking out for the safety of my country." Karma answered concisely, clearly using her language in a manner to disguise the true nature of her attendance.

"You're keeping an eye on her." Irelia answered, seeing directly through Karma's guise despite being slightly tipsy with alchohol.

"Indeed." Karma replied. "Though I suppose I too need to indulge myself every so often..." she quickly added, seemingly producing a glass of wine out of nowhere.

Irelia smiled wryly at the enlightened Ionian before breaking her gaze and glancing off in the direction of a lone silhouette perched precariously atop a steep cliff of rocks overlooking the ocean below. Karma followed Irelia's gaze to the lone figure.

"She has been there since you arrived, I assume?" Karma asked, not breaking her gaze on the figure's silhouette. Irelia nodded mutely, but offered no words in response to Karma's inquiry.

"Did she... eat anything?" Karma added after a few moments of silence. Irelia shook her head, still not speaking. Karma sighed and pursed her lips into a thin line.

"Worried about her?" Irelia finally asked, seeming mildly surprised with Karma's attitude.

"I am not concerned about her. I am concerned for the people who put her in that position." Karma answered with a pointed look at Irelia.

"Wh-But I already apologized and everything!" Irelia answered hastily, taken aback slightly by Karma's almost accusative statement. Karma chuckled and smiled as she turned her gaze away from Irelia.

"I wasn't referring to you, Irelia, I was... referring to the summoners." Karma stated. "The sovereign is not one to take such punishment without taking her own vengeance. Even now, she is likely plotting... Scheming for some way to extract her revenge..."

After Karma finished her musing, Irelia turned to walked up to the counter of the beach front bar and motioned for the bartender to assist her.

"May I help you?" The man asked politely. Irelia nodded slightly before replying.

"Anything small to eat?" she inquired lightly. The bartender seemed slightly surprised with her request.

"I'm sorry, we do not have much of a selection at this bar, there is however an all you can eat buffet inside the resort." The bartender replied, making a slight gesture behind him in attempt to guide Irelia towards their dining area.

"Thank you, but I'm really just trying to get something small..." Irelia replied insistently.

"Uhm... well we do make small cold cut sandwiches here, I could prepare one for you if that would be to your liking." The man answered sounding somewhat confused with Irelia's desires.

"That would be perfect." Irelia replied immediately, prompting the man to turn and disappear into the area behind the bar. Irelia also left the bar, returning to Karma's side.

"So..." Karma paused "Alcohol makes you hungry?" she inquired lightly, trying to tease Irelia for her indulgence.

"It isn't for me." Irelia replied, rolling her eyes slightly.

"Oh?" Karma replied curiously, "Then who?"

Irelia answered by tossing her head in the direction of Syndra's silhouette. Karma raised an eyebrow in surprise, but before she could say anything, the bartender returned and addressed Irelia.

"Ma'am, your sandwich is ready." The bartender called out, proffering a plate with a neat cold cut sandwich perched atop its surface.

"Thank you." Irelia replied curtly. As the bartender turned to leave, Irelia glanced at Karma before speaking up.

"Hey, you were the one that brought up whether or not she ate anything." Irelia stated flatly. Karma answered with a wry half smile and a small exasperated shake of her head. With that, Irelia turned and left, slowly making her way down the beach to the cliffs where the sovereign sat alone. Karma, on the other hand, watched and smiled as the Ionian warrior carefully made her way, taking care not to trip or fall in her tipsy daze. Finally, Karma sighed and smiled further.

"Much to learn, Irelia... Much to learn..." Karma whispered to herself before finally turning and disappearing back into the resort.

Ascending the steps to the cliff top where Syndra was seated proved to be a challenge particularly when Irelia was already tipsy with alcohol. After a good ten minutes of slow progress and multiple close calls, the Ionian warrior finally arrived atop the cliffs. Now only a few meters behind Syndra, Irelia took a few calming deep breaths and blinked a few times, trying to focus her eyes through the cloudy haze of tipsiness. Syndra, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with the Ionian approaching her.

"Hey..." Irelia called out from her position, trying to grab Syndra's attention.

Although Syndra knew who it was behind her, she pretended not to notice, hoping that her feigned ignorance would be enough to deter the warrior from bothering her. Of course, Irelia was far to persistent to be turned away with such a technique.

"Syndra..." Irelia called out again, taking a few steps towards the seated mage.

From behind the sovereign, Irelia could see the mage's shoulders a sag with exasperated annoyance.

"What do you want from me now, you balance obsessed fool?" Syndra demanded, turning her head slightly and fixing Irelia with a murderous glare through the corner of her eye.

Being partially drunk and unable to see entirely straight, Irelia didn't recognize the glare.

"I... uhm... brought you something to eat... since, like, y'know you've been sitting here all day and haven't eaten anything..." Irelia blundered forward cluelessly in one long run on sentence.

Syndra turned away with annoyance after having a clear glimpse of Irelia's face which was slightly flushed due to alcohol.

"I have no interest in eating your poison." Syndra stated flatly, implying that Irelia had done something to the food in order to cause further harm to her.

"Poison?..." Irelia asked, semi-coherently. "But it's just a sandwich..." She continued.

Syndra grit her teeth with annoyed anger. The alcohol was clearly starting to affect Irelia's cognitive abilities. With a grunt of disgust, Syndra snatched up a bottle from beside her leg and took a sip of the bright orange liquid inside.

"What's... that...?" Irelia asked, blinking furiously in attempt to get her eyes to focus on whatever it was Syndra was drinking.

Syndra ignored her.

With no further options, Irelia shuffled forwards to get a closer look at Syndra's drink. Vaguely, she was able to make out a bright red sticker and the word "fire".

"Ugh..." Irelia finally spoke up in mild distaste. "Fireball is disgusting. How can you drink all that?"

Syndra ignored her again.

With no reply from the sovereign, Irelia moved right up beside the mage, took a seat beside her, and attempted to take the powerful drink from her.

"Isn't that the strongest drink here? You shouldn't drink that much..." Irelia spoke up, her speech more coherent now.

With immense annoyance with Irelia's proximity to her, Syndra swung the drink out of the way of Irelia's reach.

"Don't ever tell me what to do." Syndra snarled as she rose from her position. In one final act of spite, Syndra lifted the bottle to her lips and downed the remaining liquid. It burned like an inferno as it travelled down her throat, but Syndra didn't let the pain show in her face, wanting only to prove Irelia wrong in every facet of her argument. After giving the seated Ionian another one of her trade mark glares, Syndra snatched the sandwich off of Irelia's plate and briskly turned on her heel, swiftly making her way down the steps to the beach. Unwilling to be left alone, Irelia too rose from her seat and started following the mage, until Syndra whirled on her and snarled angrily.

"Stay away from me. You reek of weakness." the sovereign spat nastily. With that, Syndra continued walking down the steps, stopping briefly only to tear off a piece of the sandwich and toss it down a crab hole in the rocks. After a few moments, a decently sized crab emerged from the hole with the piece of sandwich in its claw. From her position, Irelia thought she saw the barest of all smiles cross Syndra's face, but it was gone in an instant. Without further thought, Syndra took the rest of the sandwich and dropped it on the crab with a small bounce. The creature immediately dragged its prize down into the depths of its home. Finally, the mage continued down the steps and disappeared into the comfort of the resort, leaving Irelia alone to her thoughts.

Hours Later...

Irelia was the only champion that remained awake into the young hours of the early morning. With most of the champions passed out drunk or asleep in their own private rooms, Irelia alone sat in the darkness of the night. It was peaceful. Only the sounds of snoring and waves wafted through the night. But to Irelia, things were far less peaceful. Once again, she was unable to shake her mind from thinking about the potentially volatile situation she created when she asked the sovereign for her assistance. From her seat atop the resort balcony, Irelia sighed as she gazed out across the beach.

"It's not my fault..." Irelia told herself, trying to convince herself that such a thing were actually true. Realistically, it really wasn't her fault at all. None the less, she still felt as though it was her that had perpetrated the series of events that created the situation as it was now.

"Ugh... Syndra..." Irelia muttered to herself. As if on cue, there was a sudden creak and click as the resort's front door opened and closed, allowing one individual to exit the building. Syndra. Peering over the railing of the balcony, Irelia gawked as her eyes settled on the sovereign. Syndra had changed out of her classic attire into a simple black summer dress which flowed loosely about her. Though she still wore her headdress and earpieces, the mage looked vastly different dressed in summer ware. Oblivious to Irelia's presence, Syndra left immediately, striding away in the direction of the cliffs she was at just a few hours before. Curious, Irelia rose from her seat and dashed down the stairs to the ground floor, quietly but quickly tailing the mage to her destination wherever and whatever it was.

Irelia finally caught up to Syndra just past the steps to the cliff overlook. However, to the surprise of the Ionian warrior, Syndra didn't take the path up. Instead, she continued walking past her favorite location and proceeded down a windy path just off to the side of the cliffs. Still, Irelia trailed the mage until finally, Syndra reached her destination. A secluded cove on the other side of the cliffs, hidden and protected from view by the large rock face. Irelia took a moment to embrace the serenity of the untouched cove before returning her attention to Syndra. The mage had finally reached the small patch of sandy beach which met the water's edge. Calmly, Syndra took a moment to breathe in the smell of the salty air, allowing the scent to relax her restless mind. Then, she did what Irelia never would have expected. Reaching up to her head, Syndra gently removed her headdress and earpieces, gently setting the three items down on a dry rock far from ocean's gentle waves. Free of both adornments, Syndra shook her hair out, allowing her long pure white hair to wave down about her in free flowing tresses. Syndra didn't stop there though, moving closer to the water, Syndra slowly shuffled forward until the ebb and flow of the ocean gently washed over her feet. Then, with a slow and deliberate motion, Syndra brought her hands to the neck tie of her dress, undoing the knot with a single swift tug. Instantly, the dress dropped away, revealing a modest black swimsuit.

Irelia stared in disbelief. Only one word crossed her mind. Flawless. Indeed, the term was an apt way to describe the mage. With her swimsuit clinging relentlessly to her body, the curves and flawless form of Syndra's body were accentuated to their fullest extent. Even the glowing rune engrained in the mage's back could do little to offset her natural beauty. Irelia stared... and continued staring long after Syndra had waded into the water and momentarily disappeared into the depths of the ocean. Irelia's eyes only able to track the mage by the faint glow of the rune burned into Syndra's back.

Minutes passed as Syndra gently glided her way about, more often than not just allowing herself to drift aimlessly in pristine water. Midway through, however, Syndra's gaze changed from peaceful to a hardened grimace. Irelia could only wonder as to what it was that had spoiled the mage's mood. She got an answer pretty quick. As she neared a flat rock near the side of the cove, Syndra reached out and gently lifted herself up onto the stone surface. Curling her knees to her chest and folding her arms around her legs, Syndra spoke out harshly.

"And how long will you spy on me." Syndra questioned dangerously.

Irelia froze instantly, thinking that Syndra had somehow noticed her despite the far distance between them. It wasn't her that Syndra was referring to though, it was another set of eyes.

Peaking out shyly from behind a rock near Syndra, Nami poked her head out to fix her large eyes on the sovereign. Syndra's gaze changed into a slight smirk as she recognized her victim from the rift match. Nami gulped apprehensively as she slid out from behind her rock into clear view.

"Well?" Syndra demanded threateningly.

Abruptly, Nami's demeanor changed from one of fear to one of extreme curiosity.

"Uhm..." Nami answered hesitantly.

"Uhm what? Out with it." Syndra spat with a frown.

Either Nami didn't recognize Syndra's tone as a threat or she thought Syndra was giving her permission to ask her question.

"What's it like?!" Nami asked childishly, her eyes shining brightly with expectation and curiousity.

Syndra was taken aback, completely unaware of what Nami was referring to.

"What is what like? Power? Power is fun!" Syndra answered with a gesture of her hands.

It was Nami's turn to frown, but the look passed in a matter of miliseconds.

"Not power... Feet!" Nami exclaimed excitedly. "Feet are so strange!"

Syndra's brow furrowed in absolute confusion.

"What do you mean what are feet like? What kind of idiotic question is that?" Syndra answered furiously, still quite clearly baffled by Nami's fascination with legs and feet.

Forgetting her prior apprehension, Nami swam towards Syndra until she was directly in front of the mage.

"Feet are weird! Why do you need feet when you could have one tail?" Nami inquired, her curiosity not diminished by the slightest amount. Nami swam circles around Syndra, trying to get a complete inspection of her legs.

"I am not some zoo animal for display!" Syndra snarled nastily, glaring at the mermaid.

"What's a zoo?" Nami asked immediately, her large eyes twinkling with even more curiosity.

Syndra grit her teeth with frustration.

"Quite clearly something you belong in." the sovereign replied insultingly.

Nami either didn't understand the remark or chose to ignore it altogether.

"What's this?" Nami asked, poking Syndra in the back, directly on the rune.

Immediately, Syndra's back arched, and her face contorted with pain. Nami instantly stopped the pressure, glancing curiously at Syndra due to the unexpected response to her prodding.

"I'm sorry did I hurt you?" Nami asked timidly.

"NOTHING CAN HURT ME." Syndra yelled at the mermaid, angry at both her persistence and childish curiosity.

Nami bit her lip and gazed at Syndra shyly, quite clearly unconvinced that she had not hurt Syndra by poking the rune. Still concerned, Nami spoke up again.

"Are you-"

"Yes I am fine. Quite. Fine." Syndra interrupted rudely.

"I can-"

"YOU HAVE TRIED MY PATIENCE ENOUGH FOR A DAY, FISH-THING! BEGONE!" Syndra in a loud and angered voice. She glared daggers at the mermaid, clearly expressing her desire for the mermaid to leave.

Nami shrank into the water until only her eyes were above the water's surface. After a few moments, Nami surfaced slightly so her mouth was above the water.

"Sorry..." She whispered meekly, though her eyes still shined with curiosity.

Furious with the mermaid, Syndra uncurled her legs and slid off the rock and into the water, swiftly making her way back towards the beach. Once she was back on dry land, she snatched her dress off the sand and immediately threw the garment back on her person. Finally, she replaced her headdress and earpieces before glancing back at the cove for any sign of Nami's presence.

There was none.

"Good riddance..." Syndra muttered and turned to leave.

Author's Notes:

Hello again everyone, thank you for reading and another thank you to those of you who have critiqued my writing, it is very much helpful in allowing me to figure out where to improve and what to do/what not to do. Hopefully the story isn't moving along too slow for you guys, I'm doing my best to build up the relationship between these two without making everything seem rushed. In other words, I'm trying to make things "natural". That is if "natural" even applies to this situation... Anyhow, there's a long ways to go as far as this story goes. We are probably only around 15% complete. Rest assured, things will pick up a little more and have some nice action as well as some other champions featured in the chapters to come.

Hope to see you all there and once again thank you for reading!