Of course, it was his job to buy dinner.
Ezreal hummed a Piltovan pop song as he weaved through the crowd, which was not at all thinned by how late it was. Then again, not much else to do here in Zuretta.
Cackles of raucous laughter echo from within the Watering Hole, the local bar where Bertand likely spent his nights. As he passed, a drunk staggered out onto the side of the road - retching an unholy amount of vomit. Ezreal considered making sure the red-faced man was ok; but then he notices a gargantuan shape cloaked in shadows, leaning menacingly on one of the bar's walls.
"Nevermind that - I'm brave, not stupid. You do you, Mr Obviously Malicious Figure."
The figure snaps to look at him, and the tip of a dagger peeks out from within its cloak.
Quickly diverting his gaze to the ground, Ezreal distracts himself with something less worrying - like finding dinner. Even as the Watering Hole disappeared out of view, the fear of being watched did not.
Honestly, Ezreal couldn't care less about what he ate - it was his roommate that he was worried about. Kai'Sa was probably the kind to go to fast food places and order nothing but a cup of black coffee; exceedingly bitter. Could she even still taste food?
"Surely everyone likes sweets right?" The explorer muses, stepping over a hole in the road. "Is there like a trick to this or should I just pick one at random?"
"You should probably move first, boy."
The speaker was the man from the lobby, and he did not look happy. Unlike at the Palace, his violet shawl pulled back to reveal a cruel face bearing a skeletal frown framed by the wisps of a goatee.
"Oh sorry! My bad!"
"Tch." The explorer bows awkwardly as the man shuffles onward, dragging along a particularly thin camel. "Damned Graverobber."
A Shuriman insult directed towards archeologists, especially because of the way Piltovans 'mistreated' Shurimans during expeditions. While Ezreal had to admit he was guilty of graverobbing, at least he didn't put any of his guides in danger.
"Couldn't it kill you to have a bit of patience, you purple prick?" Ezreal grumbles belligerently to himself, seeing as the stranger had already vanished into the crowd. His stomach churns - right, he still needed to find food for him and Kai'Sa.
After an embarrassing amount of time overthinking, he eventually landed on a simple local dish; roasted goat and bread seasoned with local herbs. Basically, the Shuirman version of a Piltovan sandwich. For dessert, the foreigner managed to get a bunch of sun-dried peaches for a discount, thanks to his trademark charm working its magic.
The boy finds a quiet place to relax, a narrow alley between two residential buildings, and decides to try some of his newly acquired local cuisine. The roast meat and bread was bearable for Shuriman food, but the dried peaches were a whole different beast.
"Pleh!" Ezreal spits out the peach as soon as it enters his mouth, wiping away the foul taste. "What is this, raw sugar on rocks? Did I just get scammed? Hope Kai'Sa likes them, because I am never touching these things again."
On second thought, Kai'Sa could have the better of the two food options - the peaches were Ezreal's mistake to fix. Even with his determination, the boy could barely eat half of the treacherous fruits. After gulping down another bite, Ezreal gives up - wrapping up the rest in a bag for later.
The thought of her twists a knot in his gut.
The girl's mood had been in a perpetual downcast ever since they had arrived at Zuretta, either she was on edge about fighting the Void or she was upset about whatever it was he did wrong.
"Man, why does she have to be so moody all the time? Like, I get it, the Void is serious business. I messed up, but we all do right?"
"Like what can I even say to her?" He pauses to take a swig of water from his canteen, kicking a small pebble. "Hey sorry I messed up at the Tunnel, next time I'll just fly over all the danger like you do. It's not like I can't fly or anything…."
Once the canteen runs dry and with nothing else to distract him, Ezreal had no other choice than to sit on the ground and confront his mistakes in silence. A punishment worse than death.
The only time the huntress had ever gotten seriously injured was at the temple where they had first met. Ezreal looked down at the Tear of Goddess; for all that it had given him, the jewel had come at a price. Kai'Sa did not hesitate even for a second to - literally - stick her arm out for his sake, and she had paid for it dearly. The tunnel just made things worse; it was his mistake that had once again cost them the mission.
At this rate, could Ezreal ever make it up to her?
"... Gods, she's starting to rub off me isn't she? Uncle was right, cynicism is like a virus."
"Who is Uncle?"
Ezreal nearly loses his head as he blinks backwards, his messy punch missing a blue blur. His assailant hovers in the air a safe distance away, revealing itself to be a cat sitting atop of a book. A talking cat.
"Is this a peach induced hallucination? Are you real?"
"No silly! I'm Yuumi, And this is Book!"
The book beneath the cat's paws ruffles its pages. Ezreal looked around to see if anyone else was seeing this, but no one spared him a glance as they passed by his alley. Either this was either a common occurrence or he was tripping balls.
"Uh hi. Ezreal."
"Cool!" Yuumi slides off Book, who flutters awkwardly as the cat 'loafs' atop of a trash can. "By the way, are you feeling ok? You look depressed as heck; sitting alone eating next to a trash can."
Ezreal chuckles, quickly scooting away from what he had thought was just a suspiciously shaped Shuriman rock.
"Psssh, it's nothing. Why would I ever be sad? I am Piltover's Number One Adventurer, Explorer and-"
"Oh? You're that Piltovan Rock Hunter everyone talks about right? The one everyone says talk too much?"
"First of all, that last part is not true. And the word is archeologist, not 'Rock Hunter'."
"Same thing." Yuumi rolls one paw. "Ok, so if you're not sad - can you help us for a bit?"
The cat reveals a shard of blue pottery in her paw The intricate carvings reek of powerful and whimsical magic, swirling patterns that bring to mind an orchestral symphony. The colors popped like fireworks in the night sky - and it wasn't too hard for Ezreal to figure out where such a work of art had come from.
"That's from - Bandle City is it?"
"Wow! You're good! He's good isn't he?" Book flutters their pages, it was clapping for him. Their gratitude made Ezreal feel more useful than he had been for the past two days. "Could you find out where the owner is? Like sniff it out?"
"I don't think so - am I supposed to be able to do that?"
"Ohhh…. Right." The kitten chuckles. "I forgot, you humans can't sniff things out like we can. Well, no biggie, we'll keep looking; this sand box isn't big enough to hide her forever!"
Ezreal is abruptly reminded of his own quest to find his parents.
"Well if you're looking for someone, maybe I can help with that?"
Book leans upwards, causing Yuumi to hang on for dear life with her claws as the paperback flicks forward to a portrait: depicting a light brown Yordle with circular glasses and an impressive stack of hats balanced atop of her head.
"She gives the best belly rubs, and like fish." The tome uses one page to prod Yuumi's shoulder. "Oh right, and her name is Norra."
From within the book, a paper bookmark slips out; and Ezreal takes it carefully within two gloved fingers. One could never be too sure with magic, especially Yordle magic. His uncle's anecdotes about the Yordle Professors at the Academy often involved explosions. Big ones.
"Just tear that thingy up and we'll be there as soon as pawsible-"
Again, he looks around at the crowd: none seem to notice or care about this crazy cat and her crazy book. Ezreal found their partnership to be rather strange, but who was he to talk? His partner of choice was a grumpy girl who wore a dead monster as a suit of armor.
"Have a good night!"
With a pop and a loud yelp, Yuumi and Book disappear into a portal - leaving only a patch of golden dust and the smell of mint.
"Huh." The explorer wrings his left hand, relaxing his tight grip around the gauntlet. "Is it weird I feel better after that? Yuumi should consider getting a job as a therapy cat."
Feeling good after helping a stranger, Ezreal decides to make his way back to the Palace of Dreams - and face the frankly terrifying girl that lay within.
While Ezreal may have been better at raiding temples than fighting the Void, he was determined to improve - for Kai'Sa.
And also to keep himself from dying. Self-preservation was at least second place in Ezreal's list of priorities.
Without Ezreal in the room, Kai'Sa could finally have some time to destress.
Her first priority was taking a warm shower. It was a therapeutic experience, despite the slight pain that came with removing her 'living' armor even for a second. After that, Kai'Sa had found herself a nice place on the edge of their room's window to sit and simply observe the Zuretta. For all its flaws, being back among humanity on the surface was a welcome break from her dismal reality underground.
The inn was the highest building in the area, overlooking dozens of small houses without being too close to the unbearably loud streets below. It was tranquil yet alive, bustling with farmers and merchants tending to their wares. Kai'Sa especially enjoyed watching the sunset, the sky turning a beautiful shade of oranges and violet.
The bathroom door is open and shut.
Ezreal had been awfully quiet ever since they had entered the room, perhaps he was more rattled at his near-death experience than Kai'Sa had first assumed. The huntress had been a bit rough in the way that she had carried him, perhaps a little too rough. The thought of hurting him unnerved Kai'Sa just a bit.
"That felt good. Cold water on a cold night?" The blond emerges from the smoke, whistling casually as he dries his hair with a towel. "Simply perfect."
It takes a hot minute for both of them to realize that Ezreal wasn't wearing a shirt. Kai'Sa noticed how surprisingly well-built he was beneath all those layers, and the strong flowery fragrance of whatever soap he had brought over from Piltover.
Why was her face so flushed all of a sudden?
She immediately grabs and tosses the nearest shirt within reach, which wasn't far considering how Ezreal had spread his stuff all over their room.
"Right, right - my bad." He laughed to himself. "Still getting used to this sharing a room thing."
The huntress takes another bite of the dried fruits he had bought for her. Kai'Sa couldn't remember the last time her dinner did not consist of scavenged scraps or unseasoned cooked meat. If she had dinner at all that is.
"Look, I know your suit purifies stuff, but those things are rancid. Bottom tier Shuriman food. Don't force yourself if you don't want to."
Kai'Sa tilted her head curiously, unable to tell if he was making a joke of some kind. With Ezreal, it was surprisingly difficult to discern.
"What? You actually like dried peaches?"
"They are my favorite food."
"Really? I mean, I won't judge but like - you know what, I guess they aren't that bad-"
She did not really care what he thought about her tastes, but it was kind of amusing to her to see Ezreal backpedaling at the first sign of trouble. Realizing that explaining himself would not help, the boy quickly quiets down. Unable to ever stay still, even when deep in thought, Ezreal's free hand was busy twirling a black fountain pen - distracting yet intriguing. It looked like something her father would have brought home from his journeys out of the village.
"You can have the bed, by the way." The explorer says, coughing into his palm "I'm more of a floor sleeper anyway."
"Floor?"
"Yeah, you know - because obviously you wouldn't want to just sleep on the same bed."
"Why not?" She blurts without thinking. "There is more than enough space."
Kai'Sa was just stating the obvious, was it not better for the both of them to rest well before continuing to battle the Void? Speaking from experience, sleeping on the ground was not comfortable. Despite this, Ezreal looked like she had threatened to murder him - face as red as the sunset.
"I mean yeah - uh…." He stumbles. "I mean, I'm down if you're down. But, but if you don't want to then I don't, won't, force you - I really don't mind sleeping on the floor, really- you know."
It is then that the huntress comes to a realization. No wonder he was so flustered, clearly Ezreal was afraid of her but too polite to outright deny her request. It was only natural to not want to sleep next to a monster, much less someone like her. Kai'Sa is quick to try and clear things up.
"Forget it. We will sleep separately."
"Wait wait, really?" Again, Ezreal surprised her. Shewould have assumed him to be more relieved, but the blond almost looked crestfallen. "I mean - honestly I don't mind sharing. At least, trying to share. For a night."
"Are you sure? I do not wish to put you in any danger."
"What? No, of course not it's just that- look, I trust you. It's not about the danger or what have you. I think we both should get a good night's rest after all the adventuring we've done."
"Sure."
Sensing a lull in the conversation, the explorer quickly returned to his writing with renewed zeal. As the room became filled with the scratch of pen on paper, Kai'Sa returned to her stargazing. The clouds had long left, revealing a beautiful series of constellations that she had long forgotten the names of.
"Just to clarify." Ezreal said, though Kai'Sa was not sure if he was speaking to her or to himself. "My back muscles are also really delicate - so even if I wanted to, I doubt I could sleep on the ground."
A flimsy excuse, but one that the girl decided not to delve into. She gave him a curt nod, making Ezreal exhale with visible relief . Then again, Kai'Sa saw no harm in sharing the bed; it is not like she was planning to sleep anyways.
Someone had to keep watch after all, and Kai'Sa was glad to do so for Ezreal's sake.
Day 2
We're at Zuretta right now, and there's only one room in my usual place- so I'm sharing a room with Kaisa. Apparently I've been spelling her name wrong the whole time. She thinks I can't handle the Void just yet, because I took like more than five seconds to escape from a horde of Callers.
Anyways, nothings happened today- outside of hallucinating a floating talking cat that is. We're going to take it slow, at least until we find someone or find another way to the Void tunnels. Whatever's kicking out the Xer'Sai from their home can probably wait a day or two anyway.
Also remind me to never eat anything peach ever again. Kaisa liked them though, so I guess I'll find her more the next time I go out.
We are going to share a bed and I don't know how that makes me feel.
Tomorrow we'll probably try to find someone who can take us to one of the other Void Tunnels. Oof, somehow I don't think it's going to be that easy.
She had overestimated the available space on the bed. With four pillows, divided equally between them despite the explorer's attempts to convince her that he did not need any pillows, Kai'Sa realized that the two of them were going to be sleeping quite close to one another. She made sure to withdraw her large plasma cannons as much as she could, though the tips still poked at her bedmate's shoulder.
"So." Ezreal asked awkwardly, pulling up the blanket to better cover his chest. "Now what?"
"We sleep. What else?"
"Right, right. My bad."