"It's coarse to greet a guest with your back turned," a quiet, well-mannered feminine voice said.
"I have not expected anyone this early," Akali responded reservedly, turning around to face the newcomer. "I assume you are the instructor the Master mentioned?" she questioned, discarding a few other much ruder responses already forming in the back of her throat.
"Isn't it obvious, my dear?" the feminine voice commented. "Oh, forgive me," she halted briefly, faking an apology. "Where did my manners go? I'm Lady Carmilla Noel; for what it's worth, it's a pleasure to meet you, dear," she added, performing a slight courtly bow.
"My name is Akali, but I suspect you already know that," the Ionian woman replied quietly. She took a few steps forward and approached the noblewoman, who was still mostly coated in the lingering shadows. "Nonetheless, the feeling is mutual," she added after a short pause, returning the pleasantry.
As the silence's return was permitted, the assassin took an opportunity to inspect her new instructor with great intent. Even though Akali's face bore no emotions, the same could hardly be said about what was going on inside her head. The nerve-wracking train of thoughts that seemingly could go on and on was not the nicest occurrence she could think about, but she swallowed the gulp forming in her throat, making peace with her chaotic emotions.
Carmilla Noel towered over the dark-haired ninja for more than a head's length, keeping her deep amethyst eyes fixated upon the Ionian woman, openly tantalising. Clad in a fancy and undoubtedly disgustingly expensive dark-feather-embellished coat of emerald colour, she spread an invisible aura that mixed authority and coldness. Underneath it, fragments of a dark golden dress peeked out. From what she could see, the fabric was embroidered in a complex pattern she could not find proper words to describe. Overall, Noel's relatively dark outfit contrasted visibly with her smooth, satin-like, milky skin. To make this contrast even more apparent, Carmilla's long, curly hair was raven-black with only a few strands dyed snowy to make her look fashionable. She had her hair styled into a messy bun. A few of these locks were allowed to fall upon her porcelain-like skin, visibly staining it. Expectedly, as a noblewoman, her facial features were shapely and defined, and she had strong and high cheekbones. A smear of crimson red covering the woman's plump and delicate lips felt out of place, at least in Akali's opinion. Perhaps it was done purposefully to draw people's attention, she reasoned after a few moments of intense thinking about the reasoning behind it. Compared to the apparent contrast between her outfit and her milky skin, this felt forced, a messy mocking attempt.
"It's rude to stare, dear," Noel chuckled, partially covering her bloody-coloured lips with her left hand clad in a black leather glove. "Not that you're the first one I caught staring at me, nor you'll be the last one, but it's rude, nonetheless," she added after a short pause.
"I could have said the same about you, Lady Noel," the dark-haired woman responded immediately. "Inspecting other people is a habit of mine; one saved my life more than once. As you might have already been informed, I am an assassin coming from Ionian," she continued, taking a step forward. "In my case, it is a perfectly understandable behaviour … However, in your case, Lady Noel, I am not so certain. All this time, you have yet to blink or avert your gaze from me. Your amethyst eyes are beautiful, yet they have no power to see through me. Am I wrong?" she questioned with a smirk slowly creeping in.
"My apologies, dear," Carmilla retorted, giggling softly. "When Master asked me to teach you, I wasn't informed that you're this proficient in the 'game'," she explained. "It seems I vastly underestimated you, dear. And … for that, I'd like to apologise. I thought of you as but a beginner, but it'd be a plain insult from my side to call you as such."
"Was it a trial?" the Ionian woman asked, narrowing her eyes and intently seeking any sign of a lie.
"Yes, indeed," the raven-haired instructor replied with a small smile. "One that you passed soundly. Unfortunately, playing the 'game' would rarely be this easy," she added, curving her plump lips into a mocking smirk.
"This much, I figured," Akali remarked reservedly. "What can you teach me in a mere month?"
"That solely depends on your cognitive adaptability, dear," the noblewoman retorted, allowing her strict posture to be temporarily tainted with a nonchalant shrug. "I've seen my fair share of different banquets; the most memorable ones were always hosted in the capital. The 'game' is something greater than the way you speak or behave," she continued, taking a slight pause for the weight of her word to sink it. "The most proficient participants create a separate identity for the sake of the 'game'. This could yield various benefits, but the more one strays from one's true self, the easier it is to unwrap this seemingly complex veil and humiliate, exploit, or kill them."
"Given all you said, I believe I should have a slight edge, at least during the first masquerade ball that I am forced to partake in," the ninja commented after a few moments. "If we are lucky, only a few carefully picked people know about my true identity. With that, we should be capable, at least in theory, of creating a new one for me without the downsides you previously named."
"You're certain you haven't been involved in the 'game' previously?" Noel questioned, carefully considering how to respond. "If you were insignificant, then yes, we could've proceeded with your plan. However, as much as Master wanted to keep your presence in Noxus secret, unfortunately, a few very influential houses already know about you. As everyone involved in the 'game' has a goal or a specific role to play, I wouldn't be surprised if you were approached immediately," she added, allowing her tone to be tainted with something Akali found herself unable to describe or name properly. "Hence, we need to use your original identity. That being said, the details regarding your stay here might be blurred out."
"You want to create as much of a perfect lie as it is possible," the dark-haired assassin said bluntly. "When I was young … my mother told me that the best lies are the ones that contain more than a sliver of truth. From my perspective … what you try to accomplish is to create a façade covering the true reason behind my rather unexpected visit to Noxus. Though … I feel we have hardly anything to work with."
"That's true, dear," Carmilla agreed, nodding slowly. "You can't use a vague claim like you being brought here to train Katarina. Even though there's a fair share of truth hidden behind this statement, some of those nobles would've wanted to know more."
"Why do I have a feeling that whatever you are going to suggest, I will not like, Lady Noel?" the Ionian woman sighed, already speculating a few scenarios that she dreaded.
"We'll see, dear; we'll see," was all the noblewoman replied, her lip already forming into a wide smirk.
Before the raven-haired assassin could notice, the skies darkened once again, visibly announcing the fast-approaching night. Even though all the time she had spent locked in the room with her new teacher seemed to be reduced to a mere heartbeat in the depths of her mind, her body was exhausted. To some extent, all of this felt surreal, as if she had been allowed to keep dreaming nonsense for hours. Yet, the loud and painfully realistic sound of the doors closing behind Lady Noel immediately rendered this hopeful though inconsequential. That being said, akin to a magic word being uttered, the Ionian woman's body reminded itself of a hunger that it had neglected for so long. Hence, without as much as a second of hesitation, she exited the room, heading straight towards the kitchen, hoping some of the servants were still there.
After a few moments spent on a rather high-paced walk, she finally reached her destination. Thankfully, the room was still crowded with people trying to deal with various tasks. Some were going from pot to pot; some were picking trays already filled with fancy-looking dishes; some were supervising the process as a whole, slowly pacing around and exchanging a few words occasionally. Akali knew fully well that in normal circumstances, she should not have ventured here on her own; after all, to the mansion's servants, she was introduced as a guest of honour. Even though it had hardly any connection with reality, she could not think of a single reason worth tearing down that illusion. Perhaps she could benefit from it in the future.
"Excuse me," the dark-haired assassin started, trying to control her voice even though it became increasingly challenging with all these delicious smells completely overloading her starved mind.
"Oh," a tall and slender man clad in a flawlessly snowy uniform gasped, finally noticing Akali's entrance. "Miss Akali … pardon me for my clumsiness," he apologised quickly, nervously ruffling through his thin, short, blonde hair. "I hope you didn't have to wait long for me to notice your presence?"
"Nothing happened," the Ionian ninja reassured immediately. "I wonder whether you could provide me with something to eat? Due to my tight schedule today, I missed all the meals throughout the day," she added, flashing a small smile.
"Oh … I see," the blonde-haired man hummed. "Anything particular?"
"No, I will be grateful for anything, no matter how basic it is," Akali responded wholeheartedly.
"I'll have something prepared for you in a moment, Miss Akali," he said after a short pause. "However, I'm deeply sorry that I can't offer you the dinner we've served today," he added with a slight bow, most likely expecting some form of punishment.
"Pardon me, but what is your name?"
"Anthony Gearth," the man mumbled, slightly taken aback by the question.
"Thank you, Anthony Gearth."
"Would you like to wait here or in your room?" Gearth questioned, scratching his nape nervously.
"If it is not a problem, I would like to dine in Katarina's quarters," Akali said near immediately.
"Understandable," the blonde-haired man mumbled. His light and lively green eyes chaotically roamed around the room, not resting in one place for more than a moment. "I'll have someone deliver your meal, Miss Akali," he added, once again bowing slightly.
"Thank you," the dark-haired woman repeated once more before gracefully turning around and heading back towards the crimson-haired assassin's quarters.
It turned out Anthony chose Annette to handle the delivery, which Akali wordlessly welcomed. Considering that she had spent almost the entire day locked in the same room with Carmilla, she yearned for some fundamental human interactions. She even offered the brown-haired maid to join her as she was longing for some conversation, yet to her dismay, Annette offered her a sad smile, mentioning something about some still-lingering duties she needed to deal with. As much as the Ionian woman wanted to delve deeper into this matter, she knew it was far wiser to let her go. Perhaps they could have this conversation later on. However, Akali could hardly shake off the feeling that the 'duties' the girl had mentioned had something to do with things she had shared with her previously.
After a few painful minutes, the dark-haired woman finally shook her head, banning all the ideas from entering her mind. She was beyond exhausted, and dealing with all of these contradicting and bothersome pieces hardly sounded like a recipe for success. No … for now, she needed to focus on the food Gearth generously prepared for her. Then … and only then, she might try to find Katarina. After all, they did not speak throughout the day, and there were certain matters she needed to discuss with the crimson-haired Noxian. Shaking her head once more, she sighed heavily, giving up.
"One step at a time, Akali," she reminded herself.
With that in mind, she finally unwrapped the packaging Annette had given her a few minutes before. She quickly realised that it contained two pots covered with thin, transparent lids. Taking a closer look, she figured out it must have been some stew. Based on how these surfaces were all fogged up, the dish was still warm. With yet another sigh, she put down the containers on the table, heading towards the corridor. Apparently, Katarina had not dinned today as well. It was the only reasonable explanation behind these two portions. As much as Akali would have wanted to sit down and finally eat something, it would be rude. After all, she was asked to specifically look after the red-haired assassin whose temperament left a lot to be desired. Being her usual perfect self, she could not give up, no matter how difficult it would be. Hence, after a few short-lived moments, she found herself standing outside Katarina's room, hesitant about whether she should knock first or enter straight away.
After a temporal internal struggle, she decided it was certainly late, and she had gone through enough today to deal with the redhead's mood swings. With that in mind, she pressed against the handle, opening the door instantly. The room was coated in a rather comfortable dim light coming from sparse candles messily scattered all over. Taking a few steps forward, she delved into Katarina's lair, paying only marginal attention to her surroundings. After all, she deemed it hardly important to memorise the layout or what things the clearly spoiled and bratty assassin had stuffed into her quarters. That being said, it only took Akali a fleeting moment to locate Du Couteau. The usually ferocious crimson-red-haired woman lay on her king-sized bed, stripped almost naked, with a hefty leather-covered book resting on her side.
As much as the Ionian ninja tried, she could not prevent a wave of heat from surging throughout her frame. Even now, she could feel her cheeks reddening as if she was a damned virgin who had never seen another woman naked. That being said, Katarina was not fully nude, at least not entirely. She still had her panties and bra on, both lace and of purplish colour.
Why did she react this way? It was a question Akali would have paid a lot to know the answer. But, as things stood currently, it mattered little. For a fleeting moment, she considered whether to wake the red-haired beauty or to allow her a much-needed and perhaps well-earned rest. No … the dark-haired assassin knew all too well that their conversation should not be postponed further. Even though it had been only a day, the masquerade ball was slowly creeping in inch by inch.
"Katarina, please wake up," Akali said, her tone firm and controlled as she approached the obviously disgustingly expensive bed surrounded by an emerald canopy.
Author's notes section:
As I have mentioned previously, the main focus for June and July 2024 will be rewriting as many "My home is where my heart lies" chapters as possible. I'm currently working on rewriting the 5th chapter. As it will take me quite a while to finish, I'm providing you with this piece. I hope you will end up enjoying this chapter while waiting for another rewrite.
Ok ... this piece is finished. I think I like this chapter overall. Of course, a few things here and there could be handled better ... or perhaps the chapter could have been longer. That being said ... the next week I will focus solely on the rewriting process. If I have any luck, I should be able to post it around the next weekend. Please, keep your fingers crossed for me, as my sanity will be tested :)
Please note that the dialogues written in italics are thoughts.
As always, I would like to thank you for everything. See you soon :)
Changelog:
[2024-07-05] - A preview was released.
[2024-07-08] - A major update applied, focused on concluding the chapter.
References:
- Skycycle - It's Terror Time Again
- Elton John - Sacrifice
- Ratt - Givin' Yourself Away
- Nestor - Last To Know
- Judas Priest - Prisoner of your eyes
End of the author's notes section.