Discomfit v. 1: to frustrate the plans of: thwart, 2: to put into a state of perplexity and embarrassment: disconcert

"Poppy, would you be able to assist me?"

Somehow her voice carried through the roar of the furnace and clang of hammers.

Poppy placed her tongs down carefully and turned. "Of course, Karma, what do you need?"

Karma looked out of place in the smithy. Posed serenely in her elegant Ionian dress she stood out starkly against the soot and flames.

Of course, Poppy stood out too. Even right outside the Institute of War, not many Yordle women frequented the forge, much less worked at them.

Poppy pushed up her visor and walked to join Karma. They left the building together to talk on the bustling street. Even with the sun beating down and market day in full swing around them, the air was cool and quiet in comparison.

"So what is it?" Poppy asked, standing on her toes to buy a roll from the baker's stand. "I doubt you would have come here to find me if it wasn't important."

Karma smiled, purchasing a roll of her own. "You are right. Though I do wish I had more time to visit the town. My duties at home and at the League keep me too busy to do so."

Poppy chewed her roll, stretching her arms and waiting patiently. It was a nice day, and apparently the issue wasn't particularly time sensitive.

"So you and Lulu have been friendly recently."

Poppy sighed, her good mood evaporating. "What has she done now?"

Karma ripped off a piece of bread and popped it into her mouth. "The Ionian Cultural Association is hosting an event at the Institute, and brought several historic artifacts with them. This morning one went missing, and we think Lulu took it."

"And you're sure it was her? Given the target, I can think of several parties who might want them."

Karma's lips quirked. "But none of them would have left a sparkly flower sculpture of a poro in their place."

Poppy nodded. Yeah, that sounded like Lulu all right.

"I do not ask you because I am angry," Karma continued. "I just need the box back."

"I'll go talk to her." Poppy stashed her roll in her pouch and turned to leave.

"Just so you know, I am glad you two have become friends. Lulu is…eccentric, but her heart is in the right place."

Nodding again, Poppy headed out into the crowd.

The walk gave Poppy plenty of time to think.

Apparently she was Lulu's keeper now. She had come to the League to negotiate peace, and better the place of Yordles across Valoran. Instead she had become the babysitter for loopiest person she'd ever met.

The walk gave her plenty of time to think. And stew.

Poppy found Lulu in the forest just outside Summoner's Rift in a glade they'd visited before. Lulu sat in the middle of the clearing, largely obscured by her oversized hat. The box in question danced around her chasing that nasty pixie.
"Lulu."

Lulu turned, eyes sparkling. "Popsy! Come play with us! This game needs a fifth player!"

Poppy entered the clearing as Lulu jumped up. "Lulu, we need to talk."

"You're right!" Lulu nodded sagely. "You don't know the rules yet! So first you count the colors-"

"Stop!" Poppy yelled. After spending an hour trudging through the forest going through everything that was wrong with this whole situation, her patience was wearing thin. She snatched at the frocking Ionian artifact. It dodged out of her reach, somehow managing to look at her disappointedly despite not having a face. "Lulu, you can't keep doing this! You can't just keep running wild and doing whatever you want without any thought for the consequences!"

Lulu frowned. "What do you mean? Consequentialities are always wildly running."

"Consequences!" Poppy hissed, making another grab at the box. She caught it this time, and grasped the squirming thing to her chest. "The results of these ridiculous things you do!" The flailing box smacked Poppy in the chin. "Can you please take the enchantment off this thing?"

Lulu tapped the box absently with her staff. The lack of shame on her face infuriated Poppy; if anything she looked more confused than upset.

"Why are you taking Boxy? Boxy just wanted to go outside!"

"Have you been listening at all?" Poppy shouted back. "You can't just take things!

"But Boxy wanted to go! I was helping!" Lulu wailed.

"Boxy can't talk, you nitwit!" Poppy yelled. "It's bad enough that the rest of Runeterra looks at us as children. Why do you have to prove them right?"

The damn pixie chose that moment fly straight at Poppy's face. Poppy flinched back, swatting at the annoying thing with her free hand. She managed to get a hit in, but the nasty thing hung on and bit her, hard.

Poppy yelled and dropped the box.

It fell to the ground and shattered.

"No! Boxy!"

"Look what you made me do! If you just wouldn't make up things this never would have happened!"

Lulu's eyes were wide and wet and wouldn't meet Poppy's. "Are you saying that if no one else hears it I shouldn't listen?"

Poppy paused picking up the pieces of the box. "Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying."

Lulu didn't look at her. Poppy continued angrily grabbing shards of ceramic. How was she going to explain this to Karma? Poppy wanted to be the sane one; with people like Ziggs and Veigar representing Yordles in the League, she had her work cut out for her.

Finding the last little leg of the priceless Ionian artifact, Poppy stared at the little pile of fragments in her hands and felt defeated. Why did she even try anymore? Everything she did just made things worse.

The tip of Lulu's staff wobbled into her vision, dipping to touch the shards of box before Poppy could pull away. The pile exploded in a flash of purple sparkles.
When the dust cleared the box remained, a little shinier but otherwise as good as new.

Poppy looked up. Lulu sat over at the edge of the glade with her pixie on her shoulder, curled in on herself.

Setting the box down carefully on the ground and went to join her.

"I'm sorry," Poppy said quietly. "I shouldn't have yelled."

Lulu sniffled.

Poppy hugged her legs to her chest. "I just…I've been trying so hard, and everything's been going wrong…" She paused, taking a long breath. "But you're my best friend here. And I'm really sorry I hurt you over something so stupid. Especially when you were the one who ended up fixing it all."

Lulu glanced in her direction, eyes downcast. "I won't listen to things no one else hears anymore."

Poppy shifted over and clasped her hand. "You can listen. Just ask their people before you take them outside again, okay?"

"Mm!"

Lulu's expression changed from distraught to exuberant so fast it made Poppy worry. She made a mental note to do something nice for the other Yordle real soon.

"And if I start being a jerk again, turn me into one of those squirrel things or something. Now I need to go bring Boxy back to Karma." She got up, then paused. "Would you like to come too?"

Lulu jumped up, grinning ear to ear, and nodding enthusiastically.

"Boxy just wanted to go outside."

Poppy kept her face neutral as she watched Karma. After what happened earlier, she was going to stand by Lulu. After all, Lulu had been one of the few to stand by her.

"Well, thank you for obliging him, Lulu. This is a special type of ceramic that reacts to sunlight. We need to take it out regularly so it can retain its luster." Karma took the box and placed it carefully on a sunny pedestal.

Poppy glanced at Lulu. The woman was still a mystery, but more and more she was learning there was a method to her madness.

Karma came back to them and handed them each a plate with a flaky Ionian pastry. She smiled at each of them. "Thank you both for your help."
Poppy felt Karma's gaze linger on her.

Karma returned to preparing for her event.

Poppy turned to Lulu. "Want to eat these in the practice yard? Lux is trying out some new spells today, and it should be quite the show."

Lulu beamed. "I've never met a sparkly I didn't like! Except that one time with that pomegranate…"

They walked out into the sunshine, Poppy nibbling on her pastry and Lulu chattering on.

Poppy smiled.