A/N Sup, I've been meaning to do this for a bit but this time felt appropriate. So there are some spoilers for the main story of REbooted, specifically around the start of the Liberation Arc. But if you're not worried about that then this is just a remake of an old one-shot I made a bit back. It was actually through a one word review of this story's original form I made a close friend for years. I don't expect much from this story as it's short and not the most in depth but it's dear to me for that reason. I hope she's doing well and maybe one day our paths will cross again. Chapter Fourteen just needs some editing before it's released, so probably some time next month. Other than that I hope you all enjoy this one shot of fluffy Halloween themed goodness. As with that one word review, I'm willing to talk things out about my stories and I hope you all enjoy it.
"Cute~"
XxxX
Relaxing in her new room at the Hooded Manor, Vex is glad that her walls keep the sounds of celebration outside where it belongs. Her peace is soon disturbed by a knocking sound and she feels her room moving. Knowing that only one person could do this, the Gloomist tries to hide underneath her bed only for it to sink into the floor.
"Vex are you there? Are you decent? If you're in there I need to ask you a favor." The owner of the house rings out from the surrounding walls. Sighing, the yordle teen walks past the various empty plates and empty energy drink cans to open her purple door.
"What do you want Hooded?"
"Oh good you're here. I could use your help with something tonight. You see Lulu and Gnar are going trick-or-treating tonight and I need someone to watch over them for me. All you have to do is teleport around with them and make sure they don't get into trouble." He explains to the Gloomist before clapping his hands together. Despite their title, the Coalition leader isn't wearing their signature hood and an orange dress shirt instead of red.
"Do I have to? Couldn't you get someone else to handle this? I didn't really feel like going out tonight."
"I tried but everyone else was busy doing something tonight or ran off. Come on, just go with them for a bit and I'll do you a favor."
"Ugh, fine! But I want a new look from the mirror so no one recognizes me. I've got a rep you know." The angsty yordle reluctantly agrees knowing her overdramatics don't work on the Demacian. Being teleported to his office, the two walk towards his special mirror room. "Oh and this is a family friendly evening so nothing too off putting okay Vex?"
"Whatever, sure."
LGSS
"Aww, don't the three of you just look menacing. Just wait right here while I get the last of the things y'all will need and my own outfit." The Hooded tells the gathered yordles after taking note of their outfits. To Vex's dismay Lulu has decided to go as a witch as well, one Bewitching and the other Wicked, and Gnar has decided to take on his La Ilusion outfit.
"Okie dokie Mr. Hooded. I'm so excited for tonight! Are you excited too twinsie Vex?" Lulu asks her annoyed guardian for the evening. When the younger mage tries to hug her, Vex tries to command her shadow to redirect the Fae Sorceress towards an unsuspecting Gnar only to have it not respond.
"Shadow come on, she's going to smother me at this rate."
"I think she goes by a different name with that skin!"
"Well what is it?! Lulu get off me."
"Okay."
"Funny enough, Pump Kin."
"Isn't that what you say whenever you use magic? All your attacks are Pumpkin something."
"No no Vex it's Pump and then Kin for your shadow's name. Mine is just pumpkin. Anyways, are you three excited for tonight?" The Hooded asks of the yordle trio after returning with their outfit. Getting two excited responses and a groan, the Coalitionist takes what he can get before returning with what he needs.
Standing there in an orange long coat lined with yellow and red floral designs, the Hooded adjust their skull mask. Summoning a mirror, he notes how the magic of the Multiversal Mirror has changed his eyes to a bright pink. Snapping his fingers, the Coalitionist's hood manifests over their head in a roll of flames before framing his head in a circle of warm fire. Satisfied for now with their look, the Hooded reaches into their pockets and pulls out three chocolate bars for the yordles. He also gives Vex a special octangular box with a blinking red button in the middle.
"That's a cringe name."
"Well the other version of you doesn't think so. Now don't be out too late you three, or there will be terrible consequences!" He warns the yordles and even shifts his outfit's warm Eidola Vida colors to their cooler Eidola Muerte version. While the children take his warning to heart, Vex simply rolls her eyes but internally thinks the transition was kind of cool.
"We won't let you down sir."
"Okanoo."
"Glad to hear it. Now when the button turns blue it means it's charged up to open a portal to your next destination. Remember to be careful around strangers, don't eat any of your treats until you get home, and have fun. I'm going now." The Hooded informs them before disappearing in a flash of blue light. Sighing and wanting to get the night over, the Gloomist points the box and opens up a portal to Bilgewater.
:LGSS
Arriving on the Butcher's Bridge, the diminutive trick or treaters get a good view of the port city as it still is under reconstruction. They also see Bilgewater for the first time in it's history celebrating at the time of the discontinued Harrowing. Whereas previously citizens would cower in fear inside of their homes, the residents of the city are out in force and celebrating the Coalition's recent victory. While most of the locals are drinking, wearing bright colors, and wearing face paint resembling undead, some are a bit more somber and leaving memorials to those they've lost at this time.
"Alright stay close to me and let's go around seeing if anyone wants to give stuff out. I will leave you guys behind by the way." Vex tells the two younger yordles so they make sure to stay close to her. Summoning Pump Kin under herself, the Gloomist feels the Hooded's box vibrate before a paper list of potential spots appears in her pocket.
Getting some sweet bread with frosting in the shape of ghouls from a vendor, the trio go from door to door asking for gifts. Eventually they work their way down to the docks where people have set up blankets to sleep near their fallen relative's memorials. Gnar almost makes the mistake of eating some bacon left out on one of the shrines but a quick Whimsy stops him long enough for Lulu to grab him. From there they look for the Syren and locate it via it's sails decorated in Miss Fortune's logo; Shock and Awe holding up a heart. Unfortunately there doesn't appear to be a gangplank connecting it to the docks so they're left wondering how to get up there. Luckily a coral reef rises out of the waters and a starfish vastayan waves for them to hop on. Listening to her, the trio grab onto the sea creature and ride it upwards. Hopping onto the deck, the two youngest yordles hand off the side of the taffrail to say thanks to the Coalitionist.
"Come on you two, the thing is already beeping so we need to hurry it up here. Hey MF are you here or did we waste a bunch of time?" Vex asks while banging on the doors to the Captain's quarters. She is soon answered by a stumbling Miss Fortune, who giggles a bit before straightening herself against the doorframe.
"Oh no! Two spooky witches and a ghost cat are on my ship. Hic! 'Cuse me. Hang on one second, I shoooould have some candies for you three." Sarah tells the trick-or-treaters before she bursts into another giggling fit.
"Are you sick Miss Fortune? You smell like medicine." Lulu observes, causing the Queen of Bilgewater to straighten up.
"Sorry kids, I've been celebrating a bit too hard lately. Also being a queen is surprisingly boring nowadays with the Ruination and Gangplank gone. Let me get you those candy skulls so you can be on your way." She tells the children before heading back into her cabin to retrieve the aforementioned sweets. Placing one in each of their bags, the redhead then watches as Vex opens a portal to Ionia and they leave.
As the Captain heads back inside to enjoy the rest of her night, a figure on the docks clenches their fist at having just missed her prey.
LGSS
Arriving in the capital of Ionia, the trio of trick-or-treaters are greeted by a group of passing orphans in costumes as well. As it turns out they are from the monastery Lady Sona is from and so the yordles decide to travel with them for the duration of their stay in Ionia. Walking down the Palicidium's natural roads, Vex almost laughs at how along with pumpkins the locals have used watermelons and other random vegetables for lanterns. Lulu and Gnar can't hold in their laughter though and because of that Vex misses an alert on the portal maker. Some time passes and despite the lanterns starting to die out and filling their bags up nicely, the trio decide to be a bit greedy despite the teleporter warning them to move on.
Walking over the crest of a hill overlooking the capital, a fierce looking horse carries it's cloaked rider. Rearing itself, Ulemko lands with an annoyed huff that blows past it's lipless, razor sharp teeth. Despite his current passenger's history with himself and her neck pats, the spirit horse can't wait to complain to the Hooded or the Star-Crossed Dragoons when it gets back home. But for now it's duty is to carry the sugar crazed woman to her destination. As a scarred finger points to their targets, the midnight black steed begins to race downhill towards them as she screams her war cry for chasing people.
"I think Pix saw a house around the corner we could try."
"Bah nogo! Fly fly."
"We'll hit those places up in a bit. Alright, that's four long long gummies. Now the Hooded can't complain about me not bringing him what he wanted from here. Wait, what's that?"
"Chocolate!"
Suga pico!"
"Oh nooo! Gnar is right, it's Riven! Run!" Lulu screams as the yordles begin running to try and make enough distance to teleport away. Despite the younger yordles' usage of Whimsy and being Hyper, the monstrous steed catches up to them and Riven is able to knock them up into the air and into her clutches with a shockwave from her sword.
Slipping into the shadows, Vex is able to avoid the sugar crazed rider and watches as she carries Lulu and Gnar into the nearby woods. Following them as quietly as possible, it doesn't take long before the Gloomist finds the cloaked woman shaking the Fae Sorceress for candy. Sneaking past Ulemko, who's busy gnawing on a skull shaped watermelon, the yordle reaches into her bag. Throwing the chocolate bar the Hooded gave her, she waits for the ravenous exile to run after it before opening the next portal. Hurrying through it, Vex, Lulu, and Gnar find themselves on the streets of Piltover before Riven realizes they are missing.
LGSS
"Oh there you children, where have you been? My nephew asked me to walk with you all for a bit and I've been waiting here for twenty minutes." A concerned Cassandra asks the panting group of yordles. Before she can forget, Lulu casts a spell to hide their appearances so they'll look human.
"His crazy, ugh why did I run? Riven chased us and I had to help these two," Vex explains between pants and eagerly accepts some bottled water from Caitlyn's mother. Looking down the street they've appeared on, the teen sees the locals burning an effigy of a man in armor.
"What are they doing that for? Gnar? Gnar?!" Lulu yells in a panic before her friend quickly snaps back awake. Realizing that the youngest of their group is growing sleepy, the Kiraman matriarch smiles before motioning for the trick-or-treaters to follow her.
"Well you see little one, a long time ago there was a revolutionary and he caused a lot of trouble. While he retired from that life, the people of this city never forgot what he did and so to remember him they've made a tradition of burning effigies. But don't worry, it started out as spiteful but nowadays we use it as a reason to give out goodie bags." She assures the yordles while enjoying the warm autumn breeze. Knowing that the Bluewind Court has the best treats, Cassadra leads the children towards Piltover's most affluent neighborhood.
Stopping to get some caramel apples, they arrive to see children roaming the streets with their own guardians. One pair in particular catches their attention and vice versa when they turn a corner. Standing there is Camille and next to her is a girl dressing up to try looking like her cybernetic great aunt. The girl's smile grows at seeing her aunt and she rushes up to hug her as fast as her tin foil wrapped legs can carry her.
"Hello Lily! Camille."
"Good evening Cassandra, Lily dear go ahead with the other… fuzzy rat children? Ah yordles, lovely." Camille tells her favorite relative before she can hear one of the two woman's usual verbal spats Making it to the next manor before the Steel Shadow makes a comment on if the revelers got Cassandra's father's face right, Vex feels a hand on her sleeve.
"Great auntie Camille says I should hold my guardian's hand when I'm not with her."
"Oh uhh sure kid."
"Your sleeve feels cozy. Do you three want to eat dinner at my house? My parents are out and I finished all my lessons earlier." The blue eyed nine year asks of the other children. Seeing that she's a bit lonely tonight and wants friends, the Gloomist rolls her eyes and agrees.
"Yay new friend!"
"Yaj!"
"Pardon for leaving you unattended young mistress. Now what was all this cheering about?" Camille asks as they walk away from the door with their treats. She then takes a step back when Gnar gets too curious about her blade legs.
"Great auntie, can we have them over for supper?"
"Young lady, these are not regular children. { "They're not." } No, they're yordles dear. Magical creatures that tend to cause trouble wherever they go." The cybernetic woman explains to the future head of the house. Unfortunately her reasoning is lost on the young girl who only heard magic and yordles.
"Then we should be respon-respon."
"Take your time dear. Think of the words and sound them out in your head." The Chief Intelligencer instructs her relative as she struggles with the word. Kneeling down and holding her hands, the girl calms down and she speaks once more.
"It is our responsibility to keep them from causing trouble isn't it? We should invite them so they don't curse people right?" Lily questions her elder who smiles at her slightly. Realizing she can't argue against the girl, Camille stands back up and recommends a route for them to take.
Eventually they finish gathering goodies and the group head to the Ferros family mansion. At the gates, Cassandra bids her farewell to the children as she knows she wouldn't be welcome on the property. Heading inside and taking a left in the foyer, the children find themselves greeted by a feast prepared by the servants. As dinner progresses Camille finds herself a bit appalled by the yordle's seeming lack of manners but holds her tongue. She does this because she doesn't want to crush the wonder in Lily's eyes; wonder inspired by seeing a living shadow picking up a bread basket or a faerie sharing some apple pie with it's friend. It's not too long after dinner is finished that Vex hears the beeps coming from her teleporter. Giving Lulu and Gnar a chance to tell the sleepy heiress goodbye, the yordles prepare to leave through their portal when the Fae Sorceress jokes to the Gray Lady, "Thank you for the food. We won't put any witch curses on you for the candy too."
LGSS
After several more uneventful trips to other nations, the yordles eventually return to the Coalition's island capital of Arcadia. Ignoring the still ongoing celebrations in the restored city of Helia, they head towards the Hooded's Mansion. While walking among the trees with their ghostly blue leaves flickering like flames, they hear the whiny of Ulemko. Running as fast as they can towards their caretaker's residence, the group find him sitting by a campfire making s'mores.
"Hooded, help us! Riven is losing her mind!" Vex shouts to the home's owner just as the Exile burst forth from the treeline. Standing up, the Coalition's leader walks forward and holds out his hand.
"Chocolate!"
"I know dear. Ulemko, stop!" Caleb commands his former stead who promptly listens and flings RIven towards him. Latching his feet to the ground with Coercion tendrils, the Demacian grabs her as she is flying through the air before turning them both spectral with a whisper of, "Hold your breath and don't die."
As the pair fall backwards into the ground, Gnar gets slightly scared but is quickly assured by Lulu the Hooded would return. Her words quickly prove to be true as the tendrils act as a pivot and the two champions perform a three hundred and sixty swing. Releasing the aura of orange and purples his outfit gives them, the man quickly stuffs a s'more into the Noxian's mouth before flicking her forehead.
"I'm glad you were willing to watch them but you better not pull any stunts like that again you hear me? { "Mhm." } Good, now come on if we hurry we can all catch the end of the party in town." Caleb scolds his partner before setting her down in the grass to smooth her hurt forehead. "Now then, did you kids have fun?"
"Yeah!"
"Hoya!"
"Wait what? You told me that you had no one to watch over them?!" Vex asks in utter disbelief at the Hooded's apparent scheming.
"Not really. I needed you to watch over Gnar and Lulu but then I wanted someone to keep an eye out for the three of you. To be honest I'm surprised you went back for them. You could've left at just about any point but you stayed. So did you have fun?" The Hooded asks in return while petting the Exile. Taking joy in how flustered the teen is getting, he suppresses a laugh.
"I guess. Anyway go join your normie party, I'm going back to my room so don't bug me."
"I'll give you two candy bars Vex, one for that earlier sacrifice and as payment for staying with them. You can get a third if you come to the party with us, I know at least a few spirits will be there and a hallowed treant. If you're interested of course." He tells her in a bit of a display of goading and reverse psychology.
"Sure. I mean sure, whatever."
"Cute."
XxxX
Happy Halloween, Day of the Dead, and whatever celebrations come your way.