Runaterra's Institute of War.

1030, morning hours - Cafeteria

"Who let Rek'Sai eat avocados again!?"

On the very hall where champions usually ate their food and chit chatted about their daily occurrences, chaos.

On the floor, next to the buffet, a vile, stinky mess of purple, putrid green and radioactive fluids. Or in other words, a well documented piece of void-creature vomit, and in this case, Rek'Sai's breakfast.

"God, why did I sign up for this job?" And the man responsible for cleaning such a nefarious mess, Kidd D' Leon, otherwise known as Kidd. A young citizen, orange mob on his head, average height and very much powerless. Since birth, unable to use, wear, detect or apply magic, and therefore useless to his Summoner Family, D' Leon. A congregation of powerful mages and exceptional people. People that, since birth, did not want him in the family crest. In other words, an exile. And recently, a janitor for the Institute.

And really, the only job that paid a decent amount of money and did not require you to use or control magic, or be an amazing scientist, or be an immortal, walking furnace to enter.

"Zzzraaagh" Next to the janitor, lay Rek'Sai, down on her back with the belly up in full view, as it pulsed a strange, green type of light. As of a month ago, she was banned from eating avocados, something about magnesium messing up with her internal process of food and drinks.

Unfortunately for everyone involved, Avocado's turned out to be a delicious favorite for Rek Sai, making things quite complicated.

"Raaaagh"

"I heard you already, you're forgiven" Kidd's mop quickly started cleaning, a magical device made by The Great Inventor Viktor himself as a gift when Kidd offered himself for experiments. A basic trade, Kidd lacked a real leg, and Viktor had wanted to create the greatest prosthesis. They had agreed, and now Kidd had a new leg, and a mop able to clean galactic waste, "But you need to stop eating avocado, one of these days you might just explode, alright?" Carefully, he swiped left and right with his mop, and the thing magically absorbed everything, then a mini portal installed at the end of the mop would send all the waste to a huge bin on the outsides of the Institute.

"It was Teemo, he put those avocados there for Reksi to eat! Now she's feeling all blue and it's his fault!" Out of the corner of his eye, a purple Yordle accused another Yordle of this incident. Lulu the Fae Sorceress.

"Tell that to the summoners, I have no power over any champion" Kidd played dumb, because the last time he tried berating Teemo he'd earned himself a poison dart that left him unable to work for a week. And because he really didn't have any power over any champion whatsoever. Only Summoners had some, and even that was pretty limited.

"You are looking pretty red today, Janitor Kidd!" The Pix master remained next to him, which meant never stop talking, "Maybe you'd like to play a game? I love games!"

"Uh…not right now, if possible. I have to clean Wukong's room next, and that's going to be a challenge…" At the idea, the purple Yordle grimaced and wished him good luck before bolting away to find someone else to bother or have fun with.

Left to his own devices, Kidd finished cleaning before walking away from the Cafeteria, but not before taking a few cookies from the buffet and stuffing his face with them. A reward after cleaning such atrocious mess, he deemed.

Nearing the door to the exit while pushing his small cleaning cart , he was stopped by a tattooed arm and the usual smell of a cigar.

It was Gangplank, with his face stoic and as oppressive as ever.

The Janitor and the pirate stared at each other for a little while, frowning as they did so in a silent battle of wits, before Gangplank nodded and took a pouch of gold out of his vest.

"Last bet's earnings. Don't know how you do it, but you were right, Rumble's last invention blew up in smoke yesterday"

"It was quite telling, you're just too stubborn to see the bigger picture" Replying back, Kidd made sure no one was watching before taking the pouch of gold and hiding it in his pockets, "Here, I promised" He took out of his other pocket a shiny, juicy orange and offered it to the pirate, "It's got…yeah, inside of it" Gangplank laughed and nodded at the same time, happy with the delivery.

"You'll see your money in your dorm after ten" The Pirate promised before he finally let go of his blockage, and Kidd barely even nodded before darting away.

This business of theirs was splendid, but it was a bad idea to do such negotiations in clear view. Kidd knew the pirate liked risks, but the risks a champion of the league would face over drug smuggling would be far more lenient than the ones he, a janitor, would face.

Still, the money was good.

The hallways of the Institute were both wide and tall, fit for all types of champions, from small to huge. The flow of people walking through and fo, was increasingly annoying. Summoners here and there, champions fighting…it made Janitor Work slower and more tedious.

Reaching the dormitories, the mass of people was reduced. Here, only champions walked around, either waking up, going to sleep, hanging out or lazing it up. It's not like all champions in the League stayed within the institute's dorms, but most did.

Wukong's room was on the deeper end, and Kidd was grateful that the Monkey King was nowhere around, having decided to participate in day long matches today in specific. Trying to clean a room next to him was like trying to concentrate on deep study while inside a Pentakill concert.

Entering the hallway and making his way to the dorm in question, he continuously nodded to people around the place.

"Hey, Kidd"

Riven, bruised and bandaged up after her last fight with Yasuo, nodded his way and Kidd nodded back, smiling before walking past her.

"Kidd, thank you for cleaning up the Dojo!"

A small squirrel wearing ninja attire saluted him, and Kidd saluted back without words. Kennen was always energetic, and it was a good thing to see him happy. When he wasn't, you could be electrocuted by merely annoying him.

"OK"

A monotone voice, void of emotion. Rumble wasn't really a guy of many words, but that was fine by him.

All doors had customized traits that the champions added themselves to differentiate one door from the other, but in Wukong's case, it was quite literally drawings of bananas and jungle trees.

"Now where's my…keys?" He took out a small golden key, magical and bright. It was the master key, and it opened almost all doors around the Institute.

Pushing the door open, a loud groan escaped his mouth.

God, monkeys were always a disaster. Food laying around everywhere in the bedroom, with multiple clothes and trash stashed on different locations around the whole room. It was a disaster, and the smell

"I'm gonna poison one of your bananas one day, I swear it on my life" The orange haired janitor muttered under his breath, before he pushed the cart and entered the jungle of shit in front of him.

First, he took out his mop, which could also be used as a broom, and started brushing away the trash, collecting it all into a single space before he clicked a button and the broom started sucking the garbage away. Then he proceeded with the filth stains, on the Monkey King's bed, and on the carpet with his own formula of acid and then bleach. Not the most optimal, and pretty strong, but it did the job and the Institute didn't offer anything else for him to use.

The clothes and attires, he merely put them on the bed. He was a janitor, not a housekeeper and he'd not fold the clothes or clean them. Another horrible thing about Wukong, was that he used no underwear, and he'd wear his pants for days at a time without changing or bathing, so his pants reeked and were stained all over the inside.

Without stopping, he took out his trusty rosy spray and applied it all over the room, making sure the stench of animal and putrid banana was cleaned up from the air.

Once the air was finally breathable, Kidd searched through his cart and took out new mattresses and blankets, removing the old ones and replacing them with the new soft and clean blankets.

Overall, the room fought him for about an hour, and only after everything was squeaky clean did he deem the fight over and him the winner. No banana peels, no trash, no weird monkey smell.

Proud of his work, Kidd jumped out of the room, cart in hand, and started rushing out of the dorm, using the speed and inertia to use his cart as a skateboard of sorts, the way people would when going through the supermarket.

"Careful, man!" He was about to stop before crashing into a champion, but realizing it was Zac, he kept going. Zac started laughing, accepting the challenge before pulling the space between his legs up, turning into a small arc where the cart could barely pass through. Kidd was standing on the lower bar of the cart so he was a little taller, and so he got a mouthful of whatever Zac was made of.

Disgusting.

"See you, Kidd!" Zac waved at the janitor, and the janitor waved back before taking his exit, fighting to remove the green goo off his face . Only a few months in the Institute, and he already managed to make some champion friends for him to count on.

Reaching the main hall and entrance, he checked his pad and opened up the task list. Surprisingly, he was done for the day. Now he could go on and do whatever.

In this case, that meant smuggling shit to champions in need.

So he went straight to his bedroom, conveniently close to the entrance of the Institute and slightly separated from all living spaces. It was a small room, with a bed and a kitchen plus a shower. Nothing fancy, nothing too deplorable either, which was a good sign to Kidd.

Leaving his cart outside, ready for any emergencies, he entered the room and closed the door with a lock. On another day, he'd drop his body on the bed and rest for the remaining hours of today, but right now, he had a list of things to get ready.

Or in other words, packages to prepare.

He sat down on the bed, and started working.

"Okay…what's it gonna be today?" Bringing out another tablet, a dark one different from the one he used to janitor tasks, he started reading the text on it. On his side, literally on the bed, a pouch of coin rested next to his pillow. How Gangplank managed to deliver the gold without opening his door was a wonder on its own.

Almost every champion in the league required different types of things the Institute just couldn't get their hands on, or that was outright illegal for an institution to obtain.

And this list had most of those requirements listed.

Drudanae Oranges x 5 - This was his first and most loyal customer, Gangplank. The man was vile, and a villain one hundred percent, but also very much loyal to criminality and the whole sense of smuggling and trafficking. And Drudanae was a drug used to hallucinate in your sleep, which was one of the pirate's favorite activities.

It had taken a while and a lot of secrecy, plus favors from Gangplank himself to earn himself another customer.

Ionian Alcohol x 3 bottles or 1 barrel - And his second customer, it was of course, Gragas. Requesting his usual, Ionian Alcohol. Which is basically liquor induced in a pool of magic, cherry flavored, very much illegal on this side of the realm.

Then, word spread out somewhat slowly, and soon enough after the second week, he had earned himself a few other customers on the line.

Runic Stones x 1 - This was Riven, and runic stones were not banned, but were actually quite stupidly hard to obtain the official way. This was her first request, but he could comprehend the situation. Her sword needed runes to activate itself, and the stronger the Runic Stone embedded into it, the stronger she became.

Powder x As much as you can get, cute boy - This request, of course, came from their local crazy bastard, Powder…otherwise known as Jinx. This was another criminal, and she always asked for as much powder one could get their hands on. Before, Malcolm Graves would sell her some of his spares, but now she'd found out Kidd's business, and she was quite happy with Kidd's business.

About to close the pad, the orange haired janitor noticed a new unidentified request. Cheering silently, he took notice of the message.

Roses, a bunch of them. Room 291 - This request was…strange, and it didn't have a name. Worst of all, you could get roses literally inside the Institute, albeit you'd have to take them from Zyra's garden, and she wasn't really keen on anyone stepping a single foot on said garden.

But it was a job, so he'd do it nonetheless.

Said and done, he closed the pad and took onwards the second phase, reaching for a locked briefcase under his bed. The combination, not needed, because you actually needed his voice for it to open.

"Plethora of fallacies" Kidd voiced out the password and opened up his briefcase. At first, the thing was empty, but once he clicked a button on the deep end of the briefcase, the contents suddenly filled out the case, money in bucks and golden coins alike filling every space out.

He had many briefcases like this, but for today's hunt, he'd only need a few bunch of golden coins.

Counting the gold Gangplank paid him from last week's casual betting, he only picked another pouch of coins before taking his leave. Mostly because half of the requests were things he'd gather instead of buying from black markets.

He then changed clothes into something more comfortable, plus boots to gather the flowers, and then he took off, closing and locking the door to his room afterwards.

Approaching the entrance, he closed in to a hooded summoner, no name, that was assigned for daily teleporting. A boring position, and one that Kidd was glad he would never be placed in for the sole reason of his lacking mana and magical abilities.

"Hey!" He saluted the summoner, and the hooded guy nodded back to him, knowing where this was heading to already, "Y'know where already, here's the 10 coins" It wasn't really allowed for the janitor to use the teleportation services, but there wasn't really a clean rule about it. The rules said: Free for champions to use, so Kidd just had to pay instead. Or at least, that was the loophole.

"Field of justice, outskirts of Demacia?" The summoner confirmed, and Kidd shook his head in denial.

"Nah, actually, just send me to Ionia's forest. It'll be quicker that way"

"Two hours, then I'll bring you back?" The summoner asked again and Kidd nodded, finishing their negotiation with another five coins handed to the hooded guy.

"Here, you've been cool about this" He placed the coins on the hooded guy's hands and smiled, with the summoner smiling back. Fifteen golden coins was already an absurd amount of money for something that was supposed to be free, and it could buy you a whole day of meals or certain clothes or items you'd like to buy.

Kidd paid this because he knew summoners like this one got paid terribly wrong, and because he needed to travel either way.

"Ok, close your eyes, yada yada yada…"

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

An hour later, 1:00 pm. Outskirts of Ionia.

"I hate, hate, hate this stupid man eater vines"

It had taken a long time for Kidd to obtain a Runic Stone, mostly because they were mostly found under certain stones around Ionia's forest. Pixies created them and left them there after their usage, and over centuries, they turned into a runic stone, spending all those years absorbing mana from the forest.

And then making his way to the outskirts of Ionia, Kidd found himself trapped by flesh eating vines. That was an experience altogether.

Now he was walking into the black market, usually hidden by magic but ultimately known around the entire region. Even people like Karma the Counselor stopped by the market and allowed them to continue working since it was a way to keep balance in society.

Kidd continued walking through the outskirts, sticking to the large barrier of defense Ionia had lift up after the first Noxian attack, until he couldn't walk no more. A magical, invisible barrier stopped him in place.

He touched the invisible wall four times in quick succession, then waited, then knocked three more times.

Instantly, a hooded figure appeared through the wall. Tall and muscular, it was a guard for the black market.

"Passwo-Ah, it's you. Come in" The man quickly recognized Kidd and took his hand, guiding him into the market.

The scene changed, and instead of forest and rivers, the place turned into a huge unofficial market plaza, filled with multiple huts and stores manned by people who weren't liked by the royalty or Ionias elders. All selling shit that went from just rare, to outright illegal. Prices were unfair, people were nasty and the smell was horrible, but this was where most of the things Kidd needed. And alas, a place he kinda grew up in.

Checking out the goods from the entrance, Kidd quickly skipped most chit chat. When buying, it was a good idea to never let anyone distract you or convince you to buy something you don't absolutely need.

And so he skipped most of the entrance and the mid-section of the district, until he reached the end, a darker place filled with fancy stores instead of the usual hand made about to break type of shops installed around the entrance.

These were the most powerful around the black market district, and the only place where you could find Ionian Liquor.

Walking into the store with a troll skull hanging on top of the entrance, he quickly made himself known to the owner.

"Marianne!" Kidd shouted, and from behind the counter of the store, a small bit of force magic gathered, exploding into light. When the light dissipated, a woman stood in place, with a voluptuous, well cared for body, red long hair and long nails. Her green eyes were enhanced by make up and her head was adorned by a small wizard hat.

"Oh! But if it is my precious Kiddo!" The woman, probably double on his age, extended her arms and leaned over the counter. Kidd could only sweat drop and comply, leaning into the counter as well and hugging the beautiful lady, "It's been far too long! My spies say you've been buying around the market lately, why not come visit your beautiful Marianne?"

Marianne, and almost all of the permanent stores in the black market, had actually watched over Kidd years ago, after getting exiled from the family when he was only five. They knew him well enough, and even now when he was twenty one, they still remembered his face and kept a warm place for him to crash at if ever needed.

Truly, a criminal family. But a family nevertheless.

"I can't…the objects you sell are not something a regular smuggler needs" He replied back, fixing his shirt and hair after she ruffled and messed with them.

"Oh? And this time it's different?"

"A client requested for a specific type of alcohol...I know you have it, so maybe we could strike a deal? He sounds like he'll be a constant source" Kidd explained, making a face. He was used to striking negotiation with dealers and sellers…but not with someone he considered his auntie of sorts.

"Ah, Ionian Alcohol. A delicacy, you do know your dear Marianne loves her alcohol, yes?" She countered back in a calm tone and Kidd internally sighed.

She'd sell it at a high cost, truly.

"Uh, I know…I do know, but we could, I'm not sure, agree on some terms? I have two pouches filled with gold, they asked for three bottles minimum" He threw in a bit of hope, and internally grimaced. He was edging the trade, almost asking for more than he was going to give back, but it would be worth it.

The red haired wizard squinted her eyes at him in a pensive position, before humming.

"Fine, I'll give you a whole barrel, but I want twenty five percent" Kidd blinked in surprise, confused. A whole barrel for two pouches of coin, and only twenty five percent in returns. He was about to say something, but Marianne anticipated it, "Kidd, you're literally like a son to me. If you need help, I'll provide it, because here we love you, okay?" His heart clenched and Kidd had to cough to hide the stream of emotions showering him.

He was a very sentimental guy, but showing that to people was almost always a mistake. With Marianne, he could show himself a little more.

"Thanks…those words mean a lot, you know it" When she offered her arms, Kidd rolled his eyes but didn't complain and hugged the woman back, trying not to think about how she was so tall and her chest clashed with his cheeks.

"Here, the barrel" She took out from her pockets a small black box, and the reason why her store was so expensive to begin with.

This witch used magic to reduce items to a miniature version of themselves. In this case, there was a one meter tall barrel inside a box so small it could fit in your pocket without issues.

"You already know how to dispel and apply back my magic, yes?" Kidd nodded before she handed him a small scroll, "Payment, through black birds. One will be visiting you every two weeks. Are you okay with that?" Kidd nodded again, taking the scroll and only giving it a quick view before he stashed it in his pockets.

"Two weeks works, twenty five percent out of all barrel earnings" He repeated and the redhead witch nodded, smiling and satisfied with the deal, "Thank you, Auntie. Here's the money" Her eyes shone bright at the designated name Kidd mentioned…it had been years since the last time he said it. Kidd placed the pouches of gold on her counter.

"Aww" She cooed cutely, and Kidd decided it was time to take his leave before the summoner brought him back, "Take care, love!" She waved away and then disappeared from sight, teleporting away. Kidd nodded anyway and exited the place.

He had approximately 30 minutes left, but the last request was the easiest one to get.

Quickly, he throttled back towards the entrance and turned right before he found the exit. Straight to a secret location.

It was a hallway, a small one, dark and eerie, and where not many people dared enter, mostly because it wasn't so trustworthy and because not many people knew there even was a store here.

Getting through the darkness, he found a store lit up only by a lantern hanging up from the wall. Small and cozy, not as terrifying as the rest of the hallway.

"Hey! You're back, great!" On the other side of the store, a small Yordle woman, with pigtails and dark hair. Her purple skin made it difficult to see her through all the darkness, but thanks to her bright golden eyes, he didn't have as much trouble.

"Hey Dally, how's the stand going?" Kidd had learned about this stand thanks to the Yordle herself, who had tried to promote her store and services without much success around the district.

"Oh you know, I've had only a few customers, but you always come back for more!" Cheery and happy going, the Yordle really had no place putting her stand in such a dark corner of the district, and it was only thanks to her fear of sunlight and spotlight that made it so she could only hide in the shadows of light.

"That's good to know. I actually have a bigger order now, that drudanae? A success" He praised the Yordle's herb, and she cheered up in the air. She had been the one cultivating and growing the herbs and it was a good thing all around that it actually worked, "I need five more oranges filled with that stuff, if you can? Ten gold each"

Her eyes immediately shone bright and stars appeared from their insides. If there was anything the Yordle liked more than the darkness itself, it was money. A lot of it.

"Ten for each!? You got it, Kidd! Give me ten minutes and I'll have them ready for you!" Hyper, the Yordle skipped towards the back of her stand and got to work, while Kidd waited patiently outside.

He still had some time left, so maybe he could go search for the roses around the forest instead of risking it inside Zyra's garden…

"Here ya' go, Kidd. Five oranges superfilled with drudanae!" Excited, the Yordle handed him a brown bag with oranges. Feeling the weight, Kidd lifted an eyebrow her way, "I added one extra…hehe, y-you've been a good customer" The Yordle sheepishly laughed, rubbing her feet on the ground in embarrassment.

"Thank you lots, Dally" He smiled her way and Dally nodded back quickly, "You don't happen to know if roses grow nearby this district, yeah?"

The Yordle's eyes shot open and she quickly denied with her head.

"O-Oh, roses? You know…I love roses, heh- ahh, I don't know, but m-maybe there's some by the running river next door?" Her cheeks turned purple and she scratched the back of her head in a shyness overload.

Kidd felt bad, he didn't want the Yordle to misunderstand.

"Thanks, a client requested them…" Her eyes turned down from disappointment and she nodded, acknowledging his comment, "But maybe next time I drop by, I'll bring you some, I don't know…it'll be a surprise, k'?" Dally's eyes regained their brightness and she nodded eagerly in return.

"Thank you, Kidd…you're always so kind…so handsome…" She whispered the last part, and it didn't reach Kidd's ears.

"See you around, Dally. Take care, district's a nasty place at times" He waved back at the hyper Yordle before he took off once again, happy with the information given to him.

The whole process had taken him about forty minutes, leaving him with a little less than twenty to find pristine roses…kind of a hard task, but he'd rely on his good luck to find them before the time ran out.

"Done for the day, Kidd?" The guard at the entrance also knew Kidd since he was a child, and they were on good terms even if he was known to be a bit of a bitter guy.

"Yup! Time to go back home, thank you for keeping the place safe, Henry" The guard nodded his thanks back to Kidd before stepping aside and letting him get through.

Walking forward, the environment turned back to forests and rivers and overall healthy wilderness, characteristic of Ionia. He only had a few minutes left, so he rushed towards the nearest river, to try and look around for a bunch of roses. He knew he'd seen some days before, so it was only a matter of luck.

Sadly, ten minutes into the search, he realized he had no such luck and the light embracing his body signaled that time was up and the summoner was already teleporting him back.

Damn, to Zyra he'd go.

0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0-0

8:30 PM, night time, Institute.

"And here, three bottles of Ionian alcohol"

A loud laughter filled the empty hallways of the Institute. Gragas, laughing as he received the ordered bottles of Ionian liquor.

"Damn boy, I didn't think you'd get them! Yer crazy, Kidd!" Laughing and laughing, Kidd realized they hadn't even agreed on a certain price for the alcohol.

In either case, Gragas took out from seemingly nowhere a huge pouch of golden coins and placed it on both of Kidd's hands. He almost fell down to the floor from the weight.

"Here ya' go, two hundred coins. Dunno where ya' got this from , but it must'va been a tonna money" And it was, sort of. It was a deal, but he knew the pouches he gave his auntie must've been at least a hundred coins each. The barrel would last him for as much as twenty or so bottles, so he was happy with the exchange. He'd earn money on the late game, and it'd be far more than what he was aiming for.

Plus, he'd reconnected with his auntie after months of not hearing anything about her, so it was a good trade.

"Let me know how it tastes, I need to make some other deliveries, have a good night!" Kidd skipped, with Gragas barely acknowledging his exit, entranced with his newly gained bottles of alcohol. His room was filled with them, and it reeked of a man who did not shower and did nothing but drink.

He cared not so long he paid for his services.

Next, he reached door 70, and it was, funnily enough, made of dark oak wood and gold, the same one used for boats and ships. It was Gangplank's door.

Knocking on it, it took a while before the man opened the door. He was shirtless and with a cigar on his mouth, the same one Graves usually smoked.

"Ah, Kidd. Thought it'd take you 'till tomorrow" His mood was far calmer now than usual, mainly because this was his dealer, and because Kidd was one of the few people the vile man tolerated, "Here, a hundred coins" With deft hands, the pirate handed Kidd a pouch and then took hold of the drudanae bag, nodding towards the janitor as he did so, "One day I'll find a source for this shit, but until then, I'm countin' on ya'" The man cackled and Kidd denied with his head.

"Let's hope not, shit's good money" Gangplank's cackle turned to full laughter, and he cursed Kidd before slamming the door shut. If one thing the pirate could understand and respect, was the janitor's great desire for money.

Kidd sighed, weighted the pouch given to him, and after deeming it the correct weight, he started walking towards his next objective.

"Anyone home?" He voiced out once he reached a normal door, number 107. He'd already gone through this hallway before in the morning, to clean Kong's room.

It took a while before he tried knocking again, and this time the door opened slowly.

"Kidd…you showed up" On the other side, it was Riven. Wearing some short pants and bandages instead of proper underwear. It was a well known fact that she knew little to no decor regarding privacy and did not care.

Were he some type of anime protagonist, he'd blushed at the sight. But he wasn't, and he merely nodded back and waited for her to elaborate.

"I didn't think you'd actually…" She stepped aside and let him into her room. Unlike most, Riven did not personalize it. It had a desk, a bed and a shower, nothing else, and no decoration from her part. Mostly because she didn't need none. Noxus wasn't a place for art, and as far as he was concerned, she had been exiled years ago.

So Riven was mostly a blank page of a person. And this was her first time buying from him, clearly since she asked him to come in and take a seat.

"Of course, you placed a request and gave your name and room number," Kidd said, before reaching into his backpack and pulling out the rune. It was a big one, even by runic standards, and it shone bright with letters written into them. It was Pixie language, not something anyone alive but Lulu and maybe that old blue man Ryze could understand.

"That's one precious rune, thank you" Riven reached for the rune, but Kidd took it away from her hands.

"And the payment would be—"

"P-Payment!?" Riven's eyes shot open, and her face flushed red, "A-Ah…Gragas didn't mention any—dammit that stupid fatso…" Kidd sweatdropped, because there was no way Riven actually thought this service would be for free. He did understand though, Gragas wasn't only an alcoholic but a great liar too.

"…yeah, it wasn't easy to obtain that rune" Kidd tried to indirectly convince Riven, but she shook her head in denial, not allowing him to continue.

"N-No, I understand…it's only fair, really" She stood up and sighed, removing a strand of white hair from her face before taking a deep breath, "S-So, are we doing it right now? I…I haven't showered yet, and I'd need a minute to prepare…."

It was Kidd's turn to frown and be caught in surprise, "What? No! I meant…payment, like, money! I wouldn't—uh, I mean I would but this isn't that type of service. I get you something you need, and you pay me money for it" It took a huge toll to explain it, and by the end of it Kidd's was flushed as red as Riven's.

"Oh…what a relief" The white haired exile sighed before chuckling, "I'm sorry…In Noxus I was taught another type of trading…I never participated in it, but seeing as you already brought the Runic Stone I thought…" Kidd quickly denied with his head once again, and Riven nodded, understanding, "Okay! So what's it gonna be? Let me take a look at my savings…"

Riven went to her nearest drawer, and dragging it open, Kidd was met with fortune. A huge ton of bills and golden coins, all stacked together. Riven was by all means and definition, very well off.

"I never really buy anything and the Institute provides food and housing for free…they've been paying us for taking matches and I guess I never used any money so…is five hundred coins okay?" She asked and Kidd gulped dry in return.

Five hundred coins was absurd, too absurd. Too crazy, only for one runic stone he found near the Ionian river.

God, he wanted that money. But Riven had been nothing but kind to him, and he'd end up feeling terrible for lying to her.

"…no, that would be too much. Two hundred is fine, Riven" He finally gave it out with still a solidly high price for the rune.

"Thanks, Kidd. This is a great help"

"Don't mention it…really, don't tell the summoners"

"No way, my lips are sealed tight!" She made a motion of a zip of lips and smiled at Kidd.

"I appreciate that…" Then the shorter guy stood up and walked to the door, "I have another delivery to make so…if you'd excuse me"

"Sure, go ahead. Make sure to close the door when you leave" Again, Riven had no motion for anything regarding decorum, but it's not like that was a bad thing.

So Kidd took his leave and regretfully headed go his next destination.

Zyra's garden.

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9:50 PM Night time, Zyra's Garden

"Hey, I know this looks wrong but…"

Late at night, trapped in thorns and vines, Kidd hadn't expected he'd spend a good portion of an hour embraced by nature and pain after picking up a few roses from Zyra's garden. Without her permission.

"How dare you come in and try to steal one of my precious roses? How dare you pretend to have an explanation?" The Strangle Thorn, otherwise known as Queen of the Jungle Zyra, was awake and seething, her eyes bright and fully red, and in her hand, vines kept concentrating on a small spot. She was ready to kill him on the spot, no doubt.

"O-Okay, no excuses, I swear…" Kidd's sweat was cold and he had to swallow a lump in his throat. This woman-thing was a real danger to him, and he had to get out of it, quickly, "I'll make it up to ya'!" An idea popped in his head and he reached into his pocket for a certain thing that had a chance of saving him.

"What could a mere janitor ever do to compensate for stealing from my garden!?" The plant queen screeched in anger and Kidd took out the orange filled with Drudanae flowers.

"This!" He shoved it in the plant's face, and the Witch stared at the orange in confusion, her anger leaving her for a second.

She took a deep whiff and realized this was no normal orange.

"Drudanae" He quickly explained, "I give you Drudanae flowers, and you let me go, how's that sound?" He hoped it worked. According to Dally, Drudanae were non-existent anywhere but in the most precise and certain conditions, and even though it wasn't an endangered species, the normal eye would almost never find Drudanae growing anywhere.

He hoped Zyra would grow interested in it, and by the looks of it, she did.

"Hmm" Humming, she took hold of the orange in his hand and sliced it open with only a single nail. Out of it, a bunch of Drudanae flowers sprouted out, some dropping on the floor and others on Zyra's hand. To say the plant-lady was intrigued would be an understatement, "I've…heard about this plant, how did you…?"

Her demeanor changed to one of a curious child, and Kidd merely looked below him to the vines keeping him in place, silently asking for release.

The Queen Plant frowned, but then she finally agreed and removed the vines surrounding his body.

"I have a contact that grows them, she said that they need special care and well, I bought some from her. Maybe you can try grow some, the seeds are inside the leaves"

"I know that, you shall not pretend to know better than me…but, I'll accept the deal…in return, you are to bring me more flowers like this" Kidd sweatdropped, since there was no money involved in this trade…but it was his life in the end that he was saving.

"Okay, how about we see if these flowers are enough and if they aren't you can reach out to me through this number and request more, how's that?" Offering a way to avoid giving anything for free, Zyra went quiet for a second, before nodding in agreement and taking the note Kidd handed him.

"I admit I've never quite used the tablet given to us by the Institute, but…I'll reach out if necessary" Zyra finished, before motioning with her head, "Now drop those flowers, if you are to use something from my garden, let it be pristine beauty" Kidd didn't quite understand but he still dropped the flowers, and they were immediately swallowed by Zyra's magical soil.

Then she made another motion with her hand and Kidd understood, immediately walking with her around the garden. The place was huge and filled with different types of vegetation and flora.

Reaching a small hole in the ground, Zyra moved her hands and it quickly opened up wide, showing stairs that lead down below.

"Stay here, I will retrieve the flowers, don't enter. A human like you can't survive long without oxygen" Kidd nodded, thankful he wouldn't have to follow her down that weird and eerie hole anyway.

A few minutes later, the sound of vines moving caught his attention, and from the hole emerged a rose, held by magical vines. One had a note stuck to her thorns.

Never try to steal from my garden again. You shall hear from me again, now get out of here.

The handwriting was pristine and Kidd nodded once again in agreement, taking the roses, which were beautifully red, healthy and bright with recent life. On the top, they had some shiny dust placed on them, changing colours every now and then, probably Zyra's doing. Overall, these were beautiful flowers, and it had cost him nothing to obtain them.

Happy, he checked his dark tablet once again to check the last delivery's room number, and at the number he sighed.

Room 291…that was as far as a room could be, and it was actually on the second floor of the Institute.

Sigh… he wouldn't be able to get Powder for Jinx…he just hoped she could wait until tomorrow. Knowing the type of person she was though, he doubted it.

Knowing Jinx, he's going to wake up with a hole in his wall.

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10:30 PM Late night, second floor of the Institute dorms.

The door to 291 was..strange, it had a lot of drawings in it, about foxes and forests. And it had lots of notes, from probably fans or something of the sort, all saying things like 'I love you' and 'You're the best idol'.

Kidd could only assume this was one of those Idol Champions who had tours around the world and were actually really famous in Runaterra.

He wondered why would such a champion need flowers delivered to their room, but he wouldn't skip the job if it was already placed.

Two knocks and a bit of movement could already be heard from the other side of the door, it's tenant probably surprised he actually arrived this late at night.

After a minute, the door opened, and a sweet scent of lavender invaded his nostrils.

"Oh! Hey! You really showed up!" And the champion, it was that Nine - Tailed fox, Ahri the Witch. Cheery, with her hair clearly wet and recently showered, as the rest of her body. Unlike how he'd usually caught glimpses of her, this time she was wearing pink pajamas, covering her full body except for her very obviously untamable white fluffy tails. "You're Kidd, yeah? Institute Janitor?" Her eyes were filled with kindness and a bit of mischief, all innate of her foxy nature.

"That's me, yeah. We haven't met before but I've heard a lot of things about you, Miss Ahri" Her ears twitched and then lowered down a little bit.

"Ah…I hope you haven't heard any bad things…" Kidd sweatdropped, because some were bad, others were good. He could always drop a white lie.

"Nah, people say you're really funny to talk to" And that was true. But it was said through the mouth of Lulu, who always found fun talking to anybody alive or dead, or even a rock, "And you sing really well…I have a few of your songs in my device" He took out his regular tablet, the one used as a janitor, and showed her his music selection. It had a few metal songs, others from Pentakill, and a few with her name on it.

"That's great. I know you're lying about the first part, but you're cute so I'll let it go" She giggled.

"And these are the roses you ordered" He brought them out from his backpack, and carefully showed them to Ahri. The fox-woman awed in return, happy and giddy with the flowers.

"They are beautiful! These…oh wow, they have Zyra's mana traces, did you get them from her garden?" Kidd sighed and nodded, feeling tired from the literal hassle that it had been to obtain. Ahri took the flowers and started smelling them

"The Strangle Thorn herself…" He chuckled dryly and Ahri shared the sentiment.

"I know that look, she's not easy to handle…and I really thank you for bringing them to me" She was by all means grateful by the looks of it, but it was clear she wanted more.

"Uh, I usually never ask why my clients ask for their stuff but..why do you need flowers, Miss Ahri?"

"Oh, stop it with the Miss, I'm…well, I'm old, but not that old. Hehe" She giggled again. Kidd realized, her giggles and mood were slightly strange. A little fake, "And...well, it doesn't really matter. I guess I wanted flowers, I know I have fans and all that but I wanted someone to actually…eh, I guess it doesn't matter, it sounds a little lame now…"

Kidd understood the situation, and after pondering his options, he quickly snatched the flowers from the Fox-Lady hands, and after nodding her way in assurance, he closed her door.

It was time to play a character.

After waiting a few seconds for the shock to roll off his client, Kidd knocked on the door once again, and Ahri opened it immediately. Her eyes were confused and wide.

Kidd placed his eyes on the floor and shuffled his feet in embarrassing fashion. Giving himself a shy look. He hid the flowers behind his back before starting.

"Hi, Ahri…I'm not a fan, and you don't know me, but I saw you the other day walking towards the cafeteria and I just couldn't help but think…" His eyes lifted up until they matched with hers and he smiled, "That you're really beautiful. So, er, I wanted to give you these flowers?" He offered the roses back to the fox witch, and in return, Ahri couldn't help but blush and smile, not her usual smile but one showing her fangs. Her tails were swaying left and right and she immediately jumped and hugged the janitor.

"This is exactly what I wanted!" She squealed in delight, crushing him into a bear hug, with her tails joining the embrace, "Aww, thank you, Kidd. You didn't have to"

"It's fine, I understand some people can get a little lonely" He patted her back awkwardly and waited for her emotions to settle down.

"Come in, come in, I'll get your payment, you just take a seat" She hummed, turning around and letting him into her room.

His eyes opened wide. The room, unlike the ones on the main floor, was huge. It had wardrobes, closets, a door to a bathroom, a small night table, a window showing Zyra's garden and a lot of space. In the middle, a huge bed. So huge he wondered why Ahri would need such space, even though the bed was filled with different types of pillow and plushies.

He took a seat on the nearest strange but comfy bean bags around and waited while Ahri entered a door he couldn't really pinpoint as anything else but a second room. Unfortunately for him, the sofa was just too comfy.

"You know, it's been a while since I had anyone in my room…er, that sounded naughty, but I didn't mean it that way" Ahri mentioned as she hummed a song, searching through her drawers for the money. After receiving no answer, she made a face and silently berated herself, "This is not how you interact with people" She whispered to herself and sighed.

For a while now, Ahri had decided to start gathering friends the right way, instead of flirting her way into men's hearts. Women she could befriend with no issue, but with men…her foxy instincts always acted, and for some time now she'd tried to keep them in check. Needless to say, it was a hard battle and it had left her feeling lonely, and most of all, unhappy.

Finding the money, she smiled before turning back.

"Sorry if that made you uncomfortable, I'm trying to change a little bit and-" She stopped in her tracks abruptly and giggled loudly.

The janitor had fallen asleep, with one hand supporting his head has his whole body sunk into her Poro Bean Bag. Ahri merely stared at him, her magic screaming that the guy was absolutely exhausted out of his mind.

"He's too cute" Was the last thing she said before she dragged a blanket, placed it on top of Kidd and then turned all the lights off.

Sweet dreams,, Smuggler

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8:30 AM

Kidd woke up with a start, feeling dizzy and confused. Opening his eyes wide open, it took some seconds before his blurry vision connected the dots and returned back to normal, and instantly he realized, this wasn't his bedroom. Or his bed, or even the floor he worked on.

"Whu-.." He tried talking, but he was still a little dizzy. Yesterday had turned out to be a long day, and he didn't even remember where or when he fell asleep.

But by the looks of it, he'd find out soon.

"Morning!" From the corner of his eye, tails and fox ears. Ahri was standing next to him with a smile on her face, her usual attire on plus a few new bracelets from her fans, "You slept like a log!" Giggles, hops, jumps. Ahri was all energy from morning to night, all day long. Probably thanks to her fox side or maybe just her personality as a whole

Kidd, realizing the position he was in, stood up and bowed, attempting to apologize.

"Oh, no no no! Don't, please. I was the one that didn't wake you up, you looked so tired, and you were so kind to me I decided to let you crash for the night!" Ahri clasped her hands together and bowed.

Seeing an Elite Champion like her bow like that made Kidd feel a little strange, and he waved his hand in front of him to dismiss the entire scenario.

"It's fine, it's my fault. I don't usually fall asleep on my client's furniture…" He joked, and Ahri snorted in return, finding it all too funny. Kidd was a serious guy, but his hair and clothes were disheveled, all up in the wrong places.

"We'll make this our small little secret, how's that?" Offering a peace treaty, Kidd nodded in return with a small smile, scratching the back of his head in embarrassment. This was a first in his line of job, and he wasn't too happy about it. Luckily, it happened with a friendly champion like Ahri and not someone like Viktor, who if you fell asleep with would probably trade your right arm with a robotic arm and call it a favor.

"Sure…thank you"

"Nonsense, and here, don't forget this" From within her cleavage, she took out an envelope and offered it to Kidd, "300 golden coins, exchange it at the Institute Finance department" Kidd sweatdropped, because this was a dangerous way to expose him. But it was money nonetheless, so he'd figure out a way to lie his way through so the Institute wouldn't suspect him of anything shady.

"That's a lot, thanks" He smiled her way and Ahri nodded back to him, leaning in to plant a small kiss on his forehead, forcing a blush out of him.

"Sorry, you're just too cute. Don't worry about the money, I have so much from my tours I'll never use any of it, so feel free to keep indulging me in my requests and expect better payments next time" She winked at Kidd and his cash heart swelled up with happiness.

Easy jobs with good payment? Count him in.

"You're too kind, Ahri. Have a good day with your matches, I need to get on with my duties…as always, don't let the Institute or too many people know about me"

"Of course not!" She giggled and Kidd finally decided it was time to leave, cracking his back as he did so. Sleeping on a bean bag was not the most comfortable practice.

In the back of his mind, a small reminder kept ringing in. He hadn't delivered Jinx's powder…which was a dangerous thing to miss…

He just hoped nothing bad happened while he was away from his office…

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9:00 AM, First floor, Institute Entrance.

Kidd sighed.

He did see this coming, but it was still quite annoying.

The wall to his room wasn't obliterated (a miracle considering this was Jinx) but it was painted with dark and red colours, a few insults and a sticky face poking their tongue out. On the last part of the vandalism, lay the name Jinx, and a 'FIND ME AT THE ARMORY ASAP' written next to her name..

Kidd could only grunt in response, because he had it coming, and thankfully, the mad woman hadn't decided to actually throw his whole door down to the floor.

So with a heavy mood, he changed clothes, freshened up, and then pushed his Janitor Cart out towards his first duty listed.

God, being a Smuggler Janitor was…hard work.

Really, really hard work.

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This is the end to my ONE SHOT, that I may turn into a full story depending on how it performs. I really like Kidd and the whole idea behind smuggling, so I may write a few more chapters regardless of anything else.

The Institute idea, as well as the name behind the fanfic is inspired (and I have the permission of Ark19) by Therapy for Champions at low cost, and most of the world building will have similarities with that of Ark19's work.

Thank you for reading and have a nice day!