Undeterred the man presses forward; missing a punch that would have probably hurt. The explorer ducked under another punch, only to be greeted with a knee to the face. Staggered, he is unable to block the oncoming kick.

Sprawled on the ground with his vision blurring,the boy watches as the blade is raised - poised to take his head.

Only for the blade to stop mid-air.

Every single person freezes as a humanoid figure appears out of thin air, scales shimmering to an obsidian black.

"It's here!" A bandit shrieks. "T-the Thing that Came Back!"

Glowing veins of purple plasma pulsed beneath her armor as Kai'Sa effortlessly threw the blade aside, the wailing man abandoning his shattered weapon and running for the hills. Most follow his example, discarding their weapons in favor of survival.

The Troll, however, is not most bandits.

The large man rushed forward, leaning back and throwing a punch that could probably pulverize buildings - only to hit nothing but empty space. The Troll looked around in dumb confusion; before a kick to the groin sent him falling to the ground. He couldn't even fall in peace before the huntress grabbed at his collar, lifting him up into the air.

Ezreal retrieves a Zaunian health potion from the pocket - downing it in one go. The taste is bitter, but one sip managed to remove the headache long enough for him to make coherent sentences. Which was good, because now that Kai'Sa had run out of enemies - all of her attention was on him.

"Ok-" He said, attempting to laugh while wiping away as much of the blood as he could from his face. "So how angry are we right now? Because I-"

His explanation is cut short when the girl flashed forward, grabbing his cheek within her hands. They were so close that he could see his face reflected in her eyespots. Gods, Ezreal looked like a mess.

"Are you still in pain?"

Her voice, while distorted by the mask, is slightly softer than her usual. While that wasn't saying much, to see Kai'Sa display any sort of emotion was a rare occurrence in and of itself.

"No, no - I'm fine. Got my healing potions and all that."

"Are you sure?" Kai'Sa presses one hand onto his forehead. "You are warm."

"That's just a side effect. Don't worry."

Sighing, the huntress pulls away. Using his canteen's water and a cloth, Ezreal wiped away the last bits of the dried blood on his forehead - at least now the wound had stopped bleeding.

"Thanks."

"Why didn't you fight?" She sighed with a hint of frustration. "Was it another fluke of your weapon?"

"I mean, why did I need to? I could have escaped anyway if I wanted to."

Kai'Sa looked at him as if Ezreal had grown a second head.

"Fine. I didn't want to hurt them, ok?" He admitted. "I can't control the gauntlet of Ne'Zuk just yet, and it kind of only has one setting; vaporize."

"I see."

Her clawed hand darts outward, catching an arrow mid-air and snapping it in half. Kai'Sa didn't even have to turn around, her cannons automatically firing a plasma missile in the direction of the retreating back of the bandit archer. The huntress took aim again, claws extending menacingly.

"Wait - you're not actually going to -"

"No." The huntress paused. "Not right now."

As the woman disappears into the shadows, Kai'Sa visibly relaxed; though her movements remained stiff as she turned back towards the explorer. Ezreal quickly made himself look a little more presentable, wiping the last bits of dust and blood off his face. Thank the Gods his goggles hadn't cracked.

She extends a hand, and the explorer takes it. Kai'Sa did not pull him up.

"I was asking for a shawl."

"Oh. Oh right."

After that awkward moment of disrobing, the two brush head for the main street in proper attire.

"So, what was that about? The Thing that Came Back?" He tries to break the ice, nudging her side playfully. "What kind of insult is that?"

"..."

The silence was utterly oppressive, Ezreal didn't exactly know what to say to lighten the mood and Kai'Sa was never a conversationalist to begin with. Gulping down the awkwardness, the explorer walked a little faster; only to notice his friend slowing down her pace.

"You ok back there?"

"Do not worry about me." She grunts. "I am not the one injured."

"Oh come on, it doesn't hurt that much anymore."

To both of their surprises, Kai'Sa interrupted herself with a yawn. Her mask flusteredly drops down to reveal a pair of dark eyebags on the huntress' otherwise pale face.

"Did you sleep last night?"

"Someone had to keep watch.'

"Why not ask me then? I can totally stay up all night if you had asked."

No response, but her silence told him all he needed to know.

This was yet another time Kai'Sa had to save his incompetent ass, and yet another moment when he proved that he wasn't good enough. Ezreal's self-pitying inner monologue only gets worse as he steals another glance at his roommate, who was trying and failing to stifle a yawn.

"Come on." he sighs. "Let's go back."

The explorer was up to something.

While the girl's senses were admittedly a bit dulled thanks to her lack of sleep, Kai'Sa could still make out his frantic movements over the running of water. Allowing her second skin to regrow over her human body, the girl readies herself for a potential fight - before stepping out the door.

"What is this?"

Room 015 was clean; most of Ezreal's belongings had been moved to one corner in a messy pile. The explorer had taken the time to set up curtains on the window, along with arranging the pillows on their bed. Kai'Sa noticed that they had multiplied, covering most of the mattress by virtue of their sheer number.

"Did you do all this?"

"I figured it would be nice for me to tidy things up a little bit and get some more pillows, because I can't imagine that armor being nice to sleep in." The boy explains. "Also, I'll be taking night watch - so all you have to do tonight is sleep tight and not let the bed-Voidborns bite."

"You are not keeping watch. You need to rest."

"Rest? Rest is for the weak - and do I really look like a weak person to you?"

Ezreal made a big show of flexing his arms; which made Kai'Sa worry even more. The huntress sat down at their dining table, which made the explorer's bravado evaporate instantly. Clearly, he was still a little afraid of her; something that Kai'Sa did not hold against him.

"But in all seriousness - I'm fine." He chuckled. "Trust me. These potions can fix anything."

"Let me check."

Leaning over, Kai'Sa pushed up his fringe; revealing not even a scar was left from where the arrow had nicked him. Up close, his dark gray eyes were bursting with flecks of cerulean. Ezreal's heartbeat was extremely loud - and the girl retreated to allow the explorer to calm down. He looked shaken and nervous, even long after she left.

Was this about the killings?

While she had seen the devastation of the attacks firsthand, the huntress knew it was not her role to intervene. Humans had never accepted her help in anything outside of killing; so Kai'Sa had stopped offering it long ago. She was a monster, and the only way for her to be useful was to kill other monsters.

"Why are you doing this?

"Doing what?"

"This investigation. It does not help us fight the Void, nor does it help us find a way to the Sai Khaleek. We should not concern ourselves with the problems of the city."

"What? So you're saying we should just ignore it?"

She can see the disbelief and brief flicker of outrage written all over the boy's face. Clearly, the explorer was invested; likely seeking to become some kind of 'hero' to these people. Ezreal was not a stupid person, but he sure acted like it sometimes.

"I mean - you're right - this is like a side quest to our whole fight and kill the Void thing. But like, does this whole animal killing thing not concern you? Not by a bit?"

"It is not our responsibility." She stated plainly, suppressing her quiet desire to do just that.

"But have you seen the people outside? Don't you maybe want to help them?"

"Animals die. It is part of life."

"You know, that sounds like what an animal murderer would say - is there something you're not telling me Kai'Sa?"

The implication hurt her more than she would like to admit. Her expression remained neutral, but somehow Ezreal still seemed to pick up on her turmoil.

"I - uh - was joking. I know you didn't do it, actually I have a suspect in mind but - uh - yeah."

"It does not matter." Kai'Sa sighed. "I am used to it."

A pause.

"Are you going to sleep now?"

"I told you - I do not need it."

Kai'Sa's tone left no room for discussion, but Ezreal went ahead and discussed anyway.

"You sure? That bed looks awfully comfortable, with all the pillows. Besides, doing all this was the least I could do after all your help today - consider it a gift of sorts."

"I cannot accept it."

"Come on, at least try it for a few seconds. If you don't feel tired, fine. I'll sleep and you can stay up."

"Hm."

"I mean, it does help with the whole Void thing. We can't exactly fight with only a couple of hours of shut-eye. Sleep deprivation has been shown to lead to increased mood swings, general irritability and-"

"Fine."

If only to make the boy quiet down, Kai'Sa moved towards their bed - full of new pillows and a fresh pair of sheets. The girl slipped into the fortress of cushions; sinking into the warm and comfortable embrace of the mattress. Despite her best efforts to not give Ezreal the satisfaction, Kai'Sa felt the tension physically leave her body; aching sore muscles crying in relief.

'Well?" Her roommate chirped smugly. "Do you like it?"

"It is better than sleeping on the ground. Or in a cave."

"Wait, what? Do you usually sleep in caves?"

"Sometimes."

"Euch. Remind me to buy you a sleeping bag."

As the girl adjusted her position, her second skin began to hum; plasma in her blood cooling down. Kai'Sa inadvertently let out another awkward yawn, shifting to face the window. She can make out the noise of pen on paper, presumably the boy updating his journal. The way he talked to himself as he wrote made the girl sleepier, half-listening to his mumbled descriptions of far away places.

"Oh, by the way Kai'Sa, one more thing-"

"Hm?" She looked over, eyes half-closed. "What is it?"

"Thanks. Not just for saving my life and all that, but also for putting up with me. Really means a lot."

"Hm."

The words made Kai'Sa feel warmer inside than usual, she could not remember the last time someone had gone out of their way to help her the way he did. Her arms wrap around one of the many pillows, squeezing it tightly against her chest.

As the girl drifts into sleep, she cannot help but replay Ezreal's words in her head.

Day 3

Something killed a bunch of farm animals, and I'm going to find out what.

If you ever read this - which you won't - I want to say that you should probably pick a less evil name then 'Rengar' if you're going around killing animals. Unless you were born with it.

We went back a bit earlier than usual. Kaisa was really tired today so I didn't want to stress her out too much - especially after the whole Tunnel incident. In unrelated news, do not go to the East Side of Zuretta. I made that mistake, got a bit cocky - and nearly lost all my coin.

Will update soon.

The image of his childhood crush hand feeding him macaroons fades out of his mind, replaced by the drab rocky roof of Room 015. Ezreal shakes himself awake, clutching at his head. He could have sworn he heard a human scream, one distinctly not part of his fantasies with Miss Crownguard.

"Wait, did I fall asleep? Crap, all-nighters are hard."

The explorer wanders to the window, and in the distance he can make out what looks like an unnatural glow - from outside of the city walls. Something was deeply wrong, and while most rational people would have ignored it and moved on; Ezreal's first instinct is to go check it out. He spares a glance at his roommate - and lets out a squeak of surprise.

Kai'Sa frowned in confusion as she shifted over, curling up further into her little ball of cushion comfort. He is reminded of tacos, a Noxian dish involving ingredients wrapped in flour bread. Despite the urgency of the situation, Ezreal remained planted to the spot; switching his attention from his sleeping friend to the open window.

"Keep watch, save a life, keep watch, or save a life?"

Another distant shriek reminds him someone could be dying out there. That was definitely a human scream.

"Screw it. I'll be quick."

Ezreal 'quietly' pushes one of the larger cabinets in front of the door, in case someone tried to enter their room while he was away. He takes a moment to catch his breath, pushing aside a pang of guilt, before arming himself with the gauntlet and teleporting one building over.

There was something out there - and it was about time he showed he was able to handle himself.