Ingenuous adj. 1: showing innocent or childlike simplicity and candidness, 2: lacking craft or subtlety
"Pop-sy?"
Poppy bolted upright, the line of drool trailing down along her chin chill against the cool air. She blinked blearily, pushing herself out of the chair and barely keeping her footing as she fell the last couple of inches to the floor.
"Lulu!" Poppy hurried to the edge of the barrier as quickly as her leaden legs would allow. "How are you feeling?"
The question was a bit unfair, locked up as she was with every antimage spell the League had at its disposal. Even as magically ungifted as she was, Poppy could see the telltale purple of Lulu's power as it drifted away from her to be absorbed by the numerous glowing rings of runes and wingdings. The barrier contrasted starkly to the otherwise cheery atmosphere of the room, the window lit like sunlight and several vases with flowers (no tulips) spread around to add some extra cheer.
Every time a sparkle winded out, Poppy felt the sadness in her gut a little more strongly.
"I feel…" Lulu paused, tilting her head. She was dressed in a simple shift, and without her signature hat she looked she looked small, her face largely hidden by her masses of unkempt purple hair. "Fuzzy. But not the normal fuzzy," she frowned, "the normal fuzzy."
She stared at Poppy with those large green eyes, and for once Poppy understood exactly what she meant. She shivered.
They talked a little while longer before Karma came in and motioned for Poppy to join her outside, Poppy said her goodbyes, to which Lulu only nodded absently.
Poppy started with thanking Karma for all she and the other champions had done. Magic was something she could not touch herself, and she had felt largely useless in this, so the least she could do was thank those who could.
"She seems physically healthy enough," Karma told Poppy in hushed tones in the hallway.
Poppy could understand her tone. Though there was no one to disturb in the tunnel-like passageway far beneath the Institute, the bands of runes ringing the walls made her feel like she was intruding into the lair of something old and dark.
"Her magic is chaotic under ordinary circumstances. We know far more about balancing such powers than maintaining the delicate imbalances Lulu relies on." She shook her head, lips pursing slightly. "Do you know if something happened to trigger this change?"
Poppy shook her head. "I'm sorry, I told you everything I know. She'd been acting strangely for several days before, but I don't remember anything that could have been the cause. And Lux didn't sense anything either, when we first saw her that afternoon."
Karma's face saddened. "Unfortunately, then, I don't know what we can do for her. Of course we'll keep observing, but if nothing arises…"
Poppy's gaze flicked from Karma at sparkles in the corner of her eye. The pixie fluttered into the hallway, his magenta glow clashing with the dark walls and pale light. He stopped, directly across from Poppy, staring at her.
"We may not know," Poppy said slowly, eyes locked on Pix, "but he might."
She didn't know how long she'd be gone, and packed accordingly. Still, her heavy pack wasn't nearly as intimidating as the task at hand.
Her ambassador armor hung on its rack, shining in the morning sunlight. Poppy stared at it for a moment, then went to the chest at the foot of her bed. Moving the layers of items on the top to the mattress, she finally reached the very bottom. There, still looking like it had the day she had left for Demacia, was the outfit she had worn that fateful trip.
She put it on, adding a few utilitarian pieces of armor she had accumulated over the years. Finally, she shouldered her pack and hammer, and locked her door.
The pixie waited for her outside. He gazed at her with what Poppy guessed was an inquisitive look.
Poppy still couldn't shake the feeling of how bizarre this entire situation was. But then, it was bizarre seeing him alone. Really, she was just doing what she always did: trying to restore some normality.
Nodding, Poppy followed the pixie out of the Institute.