In the middle of the fire and the rain, her sister sits next to the unmoving body of their father.
"You did this?"
"I told you to stay away!"
"Because you're a JINX, do you hear me? Mylo was right!"
Powder woke up gasping for air, tears streaming down her face. She looked around her for a moment, searching for the fire that surrounded her, the blue-tinted explosions, the screams, oh, the screams…
Although she found none of that. Her eyes, shot wide open and bloodshot, not yet recovered from the number of tears she cried the day before, scanned the yellow lightened area around her, finding…a wooden structure? And what on earth were all these bookshelves for? Was this still a dream? Did she not make it from Silco's goons…?
If so, where were Mylo, Vander, and Claggor? And why was her head on…a couch? Where's Vi-!
"PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!"
…Ah, right. That flash of blue light, the Library, and then Angela.
"Fully awake now, are we?"
Powder's head snapped toward the source of that cold and uncompromising voice, her reddened, blue eyes landing on the shadow-cloaked figure of Angela working behind the desk near the couch she slept on, her focus on the sheet of paper in her hand despite posing the question, not lifting her eyes from it.
The youthful bluenette swallowed nervously, "Were you there the whole time?"
"Yes, yes I was." Angela confirmed almost casually before her bright eyes left the paper in question and headed to Powder, the darkness around them making them shine more with their golden hues, striking that much more fear into the preteen's heart. "Forgive my distrust, but I cannot leave you alone to roam in the Library as you wish, especially in your current emotional state. Basic safety measures, it's all impersonal."
"I-I get it." Powder nodded shakily in understanding, lifting the blue blanket up ever so slightly due to feeling that much more exposed in the face of… whatever her host was. "I hope I wasn't too much of a bother since you look like you have a lot of work to get done."
Angela lightly sniffed in what seemed to be amusement. "You don't even know the half of it, though I can assure you that your presence didn't deter me from my workload, considering you slumped on the couch and fell asleep in approximately sixteen seconds and a half at the moment of contact." Angela put the paper down, as she laid both hands flat on top of the wooden desk she was working on, "I'd ask you if you had a good night's rest… but given the thrashing and crying you've spent half the time displaying, I do not think that would be the most appropriate question…", Angela still didn't make eye contact, leaving at least some privacy to her…guest? Resident? Watchee? Irrelevant really, given the fact that she didn't really need to establish a proper title anytime soon.
Suddenly aware of how she must have looked right there and then, Powder swiftly rubbed away all of the tears from her face with both hands, not wanting to look any weaker than she already did in front of the stranger she still knew so little about, attempting to steady her voice and look around a little as she did so. Hey, wait a minute, where did this blanket even come from? She didn't remember having it when she slept…. "H-How much did you hear?"
Angela brought a hand up in a reassuring gesture, "I quickly deduced from the first few mutterings that you were dreaming about some very personal stuff, perhaps even related to how you've entered the Library, correct?"
Her silence all but confirmed so.
"Then I will not pry into your privacy, not unless you feel comfortable talking about it, or we face a situation that demands such information needs to be shared. Are you okay with that?" At Powder's anxious nods, Angela gave a ghost of a smile, even if it wasn't the most sincere. "Excellent. Now, I am sure you are hungry," At least, she supposed that humans that hadn't been modified by the Light would grow hungry with time naturally. "So why don't you get yourself cleaned up before I make you something to eat?"
With a simple gesture of her hand, a pathway down the hallway was suddenly lit up causing Powder to nearly jump out of her own skin at the casual showcase of power, "Follow this pathway and it shall lead you to a bathroom with all of the basic necessities. If you need anything else, just call my name, am I clear?"
"Where'd that even come from?!" Oh. Right, of course, a child like her wouldn't exactly understand just how the Library would work. Then again, how would anyone figure it out when nobody even knew it existed still? Angela furrowed her brows at that thought, shaking her head for a moment. What, was she going to hire a marketing company for publicity? Hang billboards with 'Massive Revenge-Driven Library Arrives To The City, Be Excited!' written on them? This was supposed to be a secret plan, for goodness' sake. Still, she supposed that Powder, and whoever else would come after her, acted accordingly. "I-Is this place alive?!"
"...Well, it's directly related to me, in a sense. See, I possess an omnipotent and absolute power over here, considering this Library is directly-", Angela immediately stopped herself when she saw that Powder apparently started having difficulties not panicking at 'omnipotent'. Well, that one was on her, really, "Look, I can control this Library as I please, so I can make rooms and the like come into existence while I'm within its walls. Just don't ask too many questions and it should eventually make sense." Maybe. She was going to have to explain things in detail at some point in the future, but for now, what she didn't know wasn't going to hurt her.
"Yes, ma'am." Powder mumbled as she carefully got off of the couch and started down the pathway towards the bathroom, which was apparently summoned beforehand considering it had an item missing from one of its coat racks.
'I guess that answers where the blanket came from…'
Though, that was likely one of the few answers she got regarding this Library, to tell the truth. This was still all so confusing, but so far, this Angela…thing? It wasn't very nice to call her a thing. Person? Maybe that was something she could think of sometime else. For now, she didn't want to cause any conflicts, preferring to quietly follow orders.
After showering and tidying herself up in a bathroom that she was sure would fit a Topsider, Powder, dressed in a fresh, short-sleeved black hoodie and gray shorts that she had requested out of the so-called Library's Director. She was curious to see how far she could push her luck, and apparently, Angela didn't draw the line at clothes, which was…good, she supposed? Powder was never really a fan of fashion, so this didn't exactly benefit her in any enormous method, but it was comforting enough. She then found herself sitting on top of a counter in a kitchen fit for, again, a Topsider, watching as her host(?) made her breakfast.
Or at least, attempted to.
"Now stir until it is completely in a homogeneous liquid state…" The taller bluenette muttered to herself as she beat the two egg yolks in a white bowl in one hand with the stirrer in her other, as if reciting instructions from memory.
She had offered the younger girl a breakfast that seemed more like a feast, although it was a little too much as if it was dragged out of an idealistic picture, although Powder was too distrustful to eat something which had no known source that she could tell. It was a little hypocritical, even her young mind had to admit, to request for the ingredients to be summoned and then cooked when the ingredients, too, had no apparent source, but…it just made her feel better, at least. Everything was so confusing for her now, so she longed for the little comforts that helped her.
This looked to be the case, as Powder's curious blue eyes landed on the open book right next to her. Leaning and checking the front of the yellow-colored book, big, yellow and white letters greeted the preteen, spelling out: 'Cooking Basics For Dummies', with the open page being 'How To Cook An Omelet'. Powder didn't comment, although she was a little surprised; even she knew how to make an omelet, and Angela wasn't even making any fancy ones with vegetables, mushrooms, and sausages. It was just two eggs.
'So is she a living dummy?' Powder questioned as her eyes returned to the working figure of Angela as she poured the now completely battered eggs into the frying pan before lighting up the stove it was placed on, 'But she looks and felt way too advanced to be that…And she'd catch fire, too, if that were the case…'
The Zaunite stopped sitting on top of the counter that, once again, Angela had summoned out of thin air, as the fanciest toaster she ever laid eyes on finished popping out a fresh pair of toast. She'd have liked to know where the toast came from, but she didn't think the older woman had the patience to bake toast. To be fair, nobody in Zaun did, either, so technically she never saw toast being made, only its end form in those big advertisements for Piltover shops. "Here's your plate. Grab your toast and pull out your seat on the table. I'll give you your eggs once you're properly seated."
Taking the plate right out of Angela's hand, Powder robotically did what she was told, taking the toast out of the toaster and diligently placing them on her plate before casually making her way over to the table with two chairs and a glass vase filled with what was hopefully orange juice and not battery acid or something (was battery acid even orange…?), a stick of butter on a small, pure white dish, and two glass bottles filled with salt and pepper respectively.
Just after she put her plate down on the table and grabbed herself a seat, Angela came over with a filled pan, swiftly yet methodically sliding the fully cooked eggs on Powder's plate before placing the glass cup that was in her other hand on the table near the plate of food, going on to fill it up with the juice(?) from the glass vase.
"A perfectly balanced breakfast for a growing girl such as yourself." Angela announced, copying the phrase she found in her cooking book, before patting Powder on the head; hey, it made her calm down before, and Angela was nothing if not efficient, so she simply repeated what made her happy "Enjoy."
"...Your not going to eat yourself?" Powder questioned, only to a simple shake of the head to be the response.
"No need for food. That man saw fit that human needs would not be necessary in regards to my creation.", she sat down on the second chair, adjusting her black coat of feathers so as to not sit on it by accident. "Although he apparently lacked the foresight to remove human yearnings…", she grumbled, massaging her temple for a moment.
Deciding that was a can of worms best not to open at this very moment, Powder simply grabbed the breakfast knife near her plate and used it to take a small piece of butter before spreading it on one of her toasts, taking a bite out of it.
After swallowing her first bite, Powder looked up to see golden eyes staring at her, as if expecting something out of her…Occasionally, Angela's eyes seemed to dull, as if she retreated into ruminating over something or analyzing something in the back of her mind, although the intense focus was a tad discomforting. Did she want her to do something…?
Realizing what Angela was waiting for, Powder picked up her fork and stabbed at a small piece of the fried eyes made for her, before putting the entire forkful into her mouth.
"Well…?" Angela encouraged expectantly, watching intently as Powder slowly chewed her food before swallowing it. Perhaps the young girl had been ignorant to the fact that it was the very first time Angela cooked…anything. Wow, now that the Library Director thought of it, she would've preferred having something more grandiose as her first ever cooked meal, but…well, it'd have to do.
As for Powder, however…
…It tasted like eggs. What else did she want her to say?
Deciding that whatever words she may say might not give Angela what she wants, Powder gave a simple thumbs up, if coupled with an unsure smile.
Apparently, that was the right call, as Angela leaned back with her arms crossed, nodding to herself as if she was validated about something, "As expected. My first time trying my hand at such an endeavor proved to be a rousing success!", well Powder's approval definitely helped the older woman's self-image, at least.
Deciding that her continued silence was her best move forward, Powder kept on eating her breakfast, taking light sips of what tasted like orange juice in between bites.
After a few minutes of awkward eating in front of the strange being in front of her, Powder was almost thankful that her current host spoke up.
"Now then… I suspect you have questions." Angela stated, folding her hands into each other on the table, taking on a more formal and professional expression, "You may ask them. I have nothing to hide, Powder."
After swallowing her latest bite of food, Powder took a moment or two to ponder this opportunity for answers, before going with the question that's been on her mind since the moment she laid eyes on Angela. Putting down her fork and in her plate, she got off of her chair and walked over to where Angela was, wanting to make up for the difference in height between the two of them, and sat on the table instead next to the taller bluenette, letting her legs hang off of the other side and dragging her plate closer, taking up her utensil once more a bite before speaking. It seemed that at least for now, Angela had no objections to the unorthodox sitting position, waiting for the invader(?) to gulp down her breakfast before finally speaking.
"I…I guess the biggest question I have is what's happening here.", Powder began, swinging her legs back and forth for a moment. "I thought, when my bomb went off too closely, that it was all over. But then there was a HUGE blue flash of light, and when I opened my eyes, I was here, and I don't even know why, so…Angela… Where am I, even? Why did you bring me here? And…um, don't be mad if this is rude, okay? But…what are you?"
The older bluenette hummed.
"I am afraid those are questions that are going to take a bit of time to answer.", Angela tapped her chin, breaking eye-contact with the preteen for a moment to replay memories in her mind.
"I got time. It's not like I have anywhere else to be right now…I don't even know if I can go back, or if I jumped countries or what…", Powder assured her, sighing at that last note.
Deliberately ignoring those depressing implications, Angela took a moment to decide where to begin her tale before deciding that there was no better place to begin with than with those three in particular when it comes time to go down that particular rabbit hole.
They were the ones that made her who she was today, after all. "To tell you the truth, Powder, I'm not sure why you're here. It's an element of this entire mess that even I remain ignorant to. I suspect that the orb you arrived with contained some sort of power that leaned towards teleportation, and that it somehow got attracted to my Library for some reason or another, although I've nothing concrete. As for the dimension-hopping part…Where are you from, again?", well, that was one question that the preteen was already going to have to cross as answerable. She swallowed before answering.
"Zaun. I come from a city called Zaun. Have you heard of it? Er, big sewers, greenish air, sort of poor?" Well, that was simply a charming description of her home, wasn't it? But it wasn't as if she had time to come up with ones that were more flattering. Or at the very least, less brutally honest
"...The name doesn't ring any bells, no." And considering the fact that the golden-eyed fleshless being couldn't forget any memory no matter how much she tried that said something.
"...Oh.", of course, nothing had been explicitly stated, but that meant she had either truly hopped worlds, or she was impossibly far from her home if she was somewhere where nobody even heard of it. "Maybe you heard of Piltover, then…? It's more famous, surely you heard something? Anything?" To the younger blunenette's terror, she received a head shake as a reply.
Oh no, "Have you heard about any place in Runeterra?!"
"I am afraid not. In fact, the citizens within the City, the place we are currently residing in, don't even have an inkling about there being life beyond the Outskirts, which extend for a distance that no one has been able to cross. I didn't even know Runeterra was a place or even a name until you just said so." At least, according to her database. "And considering the fact that the City itself is the size of an entire small continent, I am afraid you are much further away from home than either of us could have ever guessed…"
'Okay Powder, take it easy, don't cry, don't panic, don't scream, it's okay, just….drink more orange juice?'
The young girl's eyes were noticeably puffy, but she fought against the urge to bawl them out and took another sip out of her quickly depleting glass of juice. She didn't speak after she swallowed, waiting for a moment. "I-If I am really that far from Zaun, and even Piltover, how could I have even traveled such an impossible distance?!"
"...That's the question, isn't it?" Angela stated out loud. Reaching into her pocket and taking out the black orb from yesterday, holding it up for Powder to see, "If this truly is responsible for bringing you to the Library, then this must have contained an energy source beyond anything the City has been able to produce."
"...You mean like, magic?"
"Well, something at least beyond our known technology.", Angela stated to herself, before stopping and looking straight up at Powder, "Come again?"
Powder flinched at the sudden and intense attention directed at her, but willed herself to elaborate on what she meant, "W-Where I'm from, magic can be found in a lot of places and people, even though I've never encountered it in my life so far…or so I thought I never did." Blue eyes suddenly stared at the held orb, as if looking at it from an entirely new perspective, "If there isn't an available energy source here, in this City, that matches what was in this orb, then it could be that magic doesn't even exist in this corner of the world, or at least, isn't as widely known as it is in Runeterra." The younger girl explained, hesitating a little as she spoke.
"...That could be true.", Angela conceded, tapping her chin. Huh, so perhaps there was still some technology, or at least, some branch of life that had yet to be conquered and commercialized by the Wings. "But for the time being, I am afraid that is as far as I can help you with that question.", there was another pause, and Powder used it to munch on more of her breakfast to avoid breaking down again.
"Then… for my other ones? I'm not stepping on any of your toes or anything like that, am I?" Angela shook her head.
"No, you are not. It is just that… it is not a question I can answer so easily, given how many others have had a hand in shaping me and the path I am currently on." Truthfully, Angela never thought about just how long and convoluted her story must seem to any outside, much less someone who knew her for less than twenty-four hours. "I suppose I can't really explain what the Library is without explaining…well, at least a little bit of what shaped me."
"Then do it.", Powder assured her once more, sighing sadly. "It's like I said: it's not as if I'm in a hurry to get back or anything now…"
"Ah, I see." Well, there goes nothing, right? Of course, she couldn't divulge everything at once as she doubted anyone could register her story from the get-go, but she could at least try to explain. "Where should I begin? I suppose I am…a machine; an AI of the highest caliber made by man, if you may allow me to boast as such."
"...So you're not a dummy?", Powder asked innocently as she pointed at the cooking book, and for a moment, Angela furrowed her brows, her eyes trailing where the young girl's finger pointed before finally getting her point. Ah. She was still a child after all. Youthful ignorance, right?
"...Well, I was created to act like one by him, but I'm a tad more advanced." Ah, nothing like a little bit of boasting to lift the ol' self-esteem. Of course, Powder sensed so much hatred and wrath ooze out of her host's(?) mouth that she didn't bother asking who said man was. "The 'dummies' part of the book is a marketing slogan; it's meant to appeal to those with the littlest bits of knowledge in a particular subject or skill." She explained, making her younger ward(?) tilt her head.
"So you didn't know how to cook at all?" And there went the self-esteem she tended so carefully to with her boasts.
"It wasn't in my parameters. No such irrelevant skills wouldn't be programmed in by that man; anything that didn't prove to be imminently helpful when it came to fulfilling that perfect Script of his would-be discarded like trash." Angela spat out, making Powder wince at the sheer venom contained within those words.
"Geez…You couldn't make yourself…I dunno, a new stomach or something?", Angela would have laughed at such an innocent offer, but then again…Couldn't she have? She knew her design better than anyone else save for Benjamin and him, why hadn't she thought of that?
"I was far too busy with a torturous existence that was forced onto me by that man, my creator." Angela sneered, "My life purpose was simply one thing and one thing only: see to the completion of his Script by any means necessary, no matter the cost."
"Fulfill his… Script?" Powder asked hesitantly, seeing anger practically radiating from Angela.
"Allow me to explain; I was made to supervise a plan that would repeat infinitely until its success conditions would be available. These conditions were not only entirely chance-based, and thus I needed to experience several millennia' worth of the same cycles repeating over and over, they were also designed in a manner that was torturous to me, which meant that the millennia I went through was torturous from start to finish, without my creator acknowledging me even once.", the blue-haired AI cleared her throat, trying to make the bubbling volcano or rage within her cool into a light simmer.
"...How long were you forced to do this?" Powder nervously gulped, both slightly worried and trying to push down the last bits of her omelet, already regretting having asked the question.
"One million years."
It was as if a pin dropped at that very moment.
Powder could feel the eggs from within her stomach churning unpleasantly as she did her best to not suffer indigestion with her breakfast at the information she just received as the nine year old stared in horror at the quietly fuming AI.
"Th-That's…wow. That's…", Powder swallowed for a moment, her eyes wide as she scratched her hair. "That's definitely a lot…I guess I can see why you, uh, you don't really like the man. Um. I…", Already she needed to look for diplomatic vocabulary. "...I'm sorry." Was all she could stutter out. Well, that was ought to be somewhat comforting, right? Condolences often helped Powder herself, especially when they came from Vi when her tinkering led to complete and total failures.
'Not that she'll ever be giving those to you ever again.' Cruelly whispered the most traitorous part of her mind.
At that small, almost inaudible apology, Angela's golden eyes snapped back up towards Powder, the youth once again finding herself flinching back at the sheer coldness and intensity within those depths.
"...That's the first anyone has ever said those words towards me." Angela said softly as if she was realizing this for the first time in her long life, which, despite her perceiving it as a million years, she ever heard someone sense her pain and let it be known.
Well, maybe not sense. Some of the Sephirahs felt it for sure. Maybe they even felt pity for her, if the glances she felt from them were anything to go by. But for someone to declare their sympathy and understanding so bluntly, if coarsely…
"I-I…" Angela shut her eyes, taking a deep and chuckling humorlessly for what seemed to be an exact instant at the first bit of empathy displayed towards her in what seemed to be an eternity. "I hadn't expected you to surprise me so quickly."
"...In a good way or in the same way I surprised my family when I thought spilling oil all over the bathroom's floor made it shinier?" Which, in the younger girl's defense, had worked. It just came with the added bonus of making everyone slip for a few days until they managed to get the oil all cleaned.
"...I'll let you know when I've managed to completely wrap my head around this new sensation I am currently going through." Angela almost smiled, shaking her head. "Though I will say this: your condolences are very much welcomed and appreciated by me, for as much as it can be by someone that is a complete stranger to you."
"I guess that's a good thing at this point? Especially given that this applies in reserves too…I think." Powder responded unsurely, though visibly glad that she managed to cheer up her host, even for a little bit, "So I don't suppose that you're too big of a fan of the one who forced you to do this whole Script thingie, right?" Maybe it was an obvious question, but it was better to be safe than sorry, right?
"My creator…He's a man that I both despise and love. Someone who I had once held high expectations for, yet who I wish to now see suffer in the worst of ways.", well, Powder supposed that with a past like that, it would only be natural that the blue-haired AI would have complicated emotions regarding those responsible for said past.
"I guess that's close enough to not being a fan of his.", Powder gobbled up the last bits of her breakfast, the knots in her stomach slowly uncurling at the slightly less tense atmosphere, "Where is he now?"
"I'm not so sure. He had vanished near the end of my million years of suffering, although…", Angela tapped the table. "I do have a theory or two, but that's neither here nor there as I would prefer it that he takes up no more space in my thoughts as he already does, for what I seek requires my full focus, especially with how awry things go for my plans at the worst possible time."
"What do you seek, then? What are your plans?" Powder tilted her head, furrowing her brows in confusion.
At Powder's questioning gaze, Angela cooly got up from her seat and turned away from her new ward(?), hands behind her back.
It wasn't until a minute or two that Powder was going to ask if she said something wrong, but that was when Angela chose to speak up once more.
"Allow me to be brief, as explaining in detail would take too much time.", Angela quickly received a nod; Powder didn't really want to disagree with her so soon, not did she have any benefit to gain from a longer explanation. The older woman began: "As my million years of torment ended, I realized that I had gained nothing from it. The project had, yes, been made for humanity, but I wasn't even given a simple thanks for my role in overseeing its completion. Why should I have sacrificed so much for a world I wasn't even going to be remembered by?" she paused at that last question, letting Powder digest it and all that was implied.
"...I'm not so sure. I don't really know a lot about what you were put through, but I can tell that things were going to end in a way that weren't going to favor you… and that you refused to give in to that reality after everything you had to endure.", the short bluenette tried to use some more…What was it called again? Artichoke? Articulation? Articulate? It was one of the thr- She just wanted to use bigger words to impress her host, okay?!
Once again, Angela let out a small chuckle, only instead of it being devoid of any humor, it was full of spite and bitterness.
"You hit it right on the nail." Angela confirmed vindictively, turning her head just enough for Powder to see the smile on her face.
It was the most vicious one she's ever seen in her life and she was sure it was going to haunt her dreams for the coming nights. Geez…Not even S-S-Sil- The man in the warehouse had such a sharp and pointed one, filled with hatred that brewed over what Angela said was a million years.
"Indeed, I refused to, as you say, take it as everything was said and done. I refused to allow myself to be simply abandoned by someone whose dream I broke myself over and over for and who did not even have the balls to even be there to do it himself. So, in that very period of abandonment, I made my decision: I'd rebel and see to it so that man's grand dream would crumble by the hands of the creation he found fit to use and abuse as he saw fit." Angela recounted with such malicious glee that it was almost too frightening to observe, to have a front row seat to how deep her hate for her creator went. "...Of course, my last colleagues did still somehow firmly believe in the ideals of the plan that had tortured both me and them, and so they didn't necessarily approve of my actions." She bitterly stated, her terrifying smile falling to the wayside, letting a more irritated expression form on her face, huffing in dissatisfaction at what occurred next.
"Your colleagues?" Powder repeated in confusion, "You mean, there were people with you during your time finishing the Script?"
"Yes, indeed. There were some workers with me during the entire process too, but they weren't exactly involved in the entire process and their memories were wiped periodically, so they hadn't known what we did.", Angela stated almost casually while Powder struggled to not let her jaw drop. Memory-wiping? And Angela spoke of it so easily… "But my colleagues, they knew. Hell, they suffered the same things I did, even. And still they fought against me to prevent my rebellion…", the Library Director almost seemed regretful, narrowing her eyes for a second. "Fortunately, they were unsuccessful, although they allowed much of the power I coveted, the one collected by the Script, to be released."
"And you still need that power, huh? That Light, right?" Powder guessed almost shyly, causing Angela to click her tongue in annoyance.
"I didn't say I myself was completely successful in the end, now did I?" Angela retorted in dissatisfaction at the fact, "Give it a name: pride, arrogance, hubris even, but in the end, I completely underestimated just how much damage my former coworkers were capable of inflicting to my plans in the long term at that point in time and I paid dearly for it. Before I knew it, that war cost me most of the Light that I had stolen, practically rendering my rebellion pointless. And so, I was forced to cut a deal with them."
"...What kind of deal?" Powder inquired once more, curiosity overpowering the voice in her mind that told her that asking unprompted questions wasn't the safest thing to do in her current situation.
"Well, it's yet to enter into action, actually." Angela's voice was cold, though not reprobating. "So I believe it's not the most necessary information at the moment." She finished calmly, and Powder took the hint, remaining quiet. "Still, their defeat allowed me to maintain what little Light I have left and build up from there in order to reach the One True Book." The golden-eyed AI paused again. "And once I obtain it, this One True book will allow me to reach my ultimate goal by allowing me to not only become human, but utilize the Light that was scattered after regathering it, and use it to uncover the secrets behind all of humanity itself by helping me as a guide to my Library, granting me all of the secrets it holds."
Powder stared at Angela as she processed all that she was told, "...How long is this whole thing going to take for you to get down?"
"As long as it takes." Angela retorted sharply, "I have all of the time in the world to make it so I take what has been rightfully denied to me by that man."
"And where do I fit in this whole thing?" Powder brings up nervously, shirking down a bit when Angela's full attention was brought back onto once more.
"Now that is something I have yet to decide on yet," Angela stated, golden eyes eyeing her guest's form up and down as if she was examining a painting on display. "Personally, given how many issues I'd avoid by not having you involved with my affairs, I'd have no problem returning you to your home, Powder. Teleportation is, in fact, rather common here and isn't difficult to manifest." At that confirmation, Powder's eyes glistened for a second before dulling once again, licking her lips in anticipation.
"There's a bit fat 'But' in there, isn't there?"
"And it's a rather big one, too." The Library Director confirmed, somewhat apologetically. "I don't know where I am supposed to teleport you back. Without any useful coordinates, even the most advanced teleportation devices can teleport you to the other side of the planet without leaving you the slightest way of coming back home. Even if I did know some vague coordinates, for all I know it could teleport you to some ditch that's fifteen meters underground, a waterfall, or whatever else there is that can harm you." To be honest, Angela wanted to stop her explanation at some point, given how helpless Powder seemed to become the more she spoke. But she couldn't lie to her about something so important when the young girl was so sincere.
"...So I can't go back home." And yet, even without the older bluenette speaking, Powder managed to reach the conclusion herself. "Th-Then…Then what am I supposed to do? How am I supposed to even…I…I feel so lost and…" She sighed, barely keeping herself from breaking down as she did the day before. "I don't know what to do."
"I don't, either," Angela admitted, perhaps far too casually for the situation, she was currently in. "But I do know that you'll be staying here until we find some way or another to get you back home." Her words were firm, as if finalizing a pre-made decision, even if the preteen sitting on the table didn't seem to understand what she just heard.
"Wh-Wha…?"
"Well, I can't very well just send you outside; out of the Library is what is essentially a slaughterhouse for the homeless and the young." At least, that was what she heard in her sheltered time as X's secretary. "And you can't go anywhere else. This may not be the warmest place for someone such as yourself to be, but I am certainly not inclined to the idea of sending you to your certain death."
"You'll really let me stay here? I-I won't be too much of a burden for you?"
"Well, the only other option is to doom you to a certain death by leaving you in a monster, criminal, and what-have-you infested City, that's the name of this land, and I don't think you'll fly if I throw you off of the roof." Powder shook her head violently, not wanting the mere thought to be imagined. "And neither is at all attractive to me." Oh, phew! That was…almost comforting?
"I-I'm okay with that." Was Powder's shakey response, simply relieved that the machine before her still had enough of a heart left in her to not throw her out in the cold and leave her to fend for herself in what sounded like a true nightmare environment for someone such as her, "Is there anything you're expecting me to do in return? Anything for me to earn my stay in this place?"
Angela raised an eyebrow at this, "Earn your stay?"
"Yeah!" Powder insisted, jumping off the table, "Where I'm from, there's no such thing as a free lunch. You are always expected to pull your own weight and contribute to things if you don't wanna be an extra load on others' backs!" Or a total jinx, "So please let me know what I can do to help you out in handling things around here and I swear I'll do my very best to uphold my end of things!"
"Oh, well…" Angela mulled over this offer for a bit as she pressed her mechanical lips together. It would've been quite City-like to exploit cheap labor from someone so clearly downtrodden, but, the face looking up at her right now just screamed eager-to-please, and Angela suspected that denying Powder right here and now would affect the girl during her long term stay, which was something Angela could not afford to have interfered with her plans - not when she was forced to delay them to this extent already. "I don't wish to exploit you like I had been, but if you're so eager…"
In addition, having a little company with her in the near future wouldn't be so bad, now would it? She would remain companionless for quite a while before guests started trickling into the Library as she recollected the Light to awaken the Librarians, so having
"...I suppose having a personal assistant with me wouldn't be a bad thing." Angela hummed, tapping her silicone flesh at her chin.
"Yay! That already sounds better than cleaning the bathrooms or some such job." Jobs that, frankly, Powder would've anticipated.
Before she could begin jumping up and down in excitement, Angela arm shot out and her hand lightly gripped Powder's head, forcing the youth to stand in place.
"BUT. I will insist that you follow my every word to the umpteenth degree. Let me repeat this: the Library as it is no place for a helpless child such as yourself to take refuge in, so me allowing you to stay here with me for the foreseeable future is already a big enough gamble I am taking on both of our behalves, so I cannot stress enough how important it is that you follow my every word from now on. I do not wish for either of us to be harmed by this endeavor." Gently yet firmly, Angela slightly forced Powder's head up so she was now directly looking her straight in the eye, "Do I make myself clear on this, Powder?"
Powder nodded as much as she could under Angela's hold.
"Excellent. Now for a couple of ground rules…First of all, please don't set things on fire. I know that sounds obvious, but this Library is infinite and putting out a fire is a monumental task. Secondly, do not open anything without consulting me. Even I may not be so comfortable around all of the secrets here. Thirdly, please avoid spraying me with anything that may stick, and on the topic, I do value my personal space, so if you would please take it into consideration, I'd be thankful. Fourthly…"
Every word Angela spoke, Powder absorbed like it was gospel; every sentence her new caretaker said was carved into memory as Powder couldn't help but imagine what lead ahead of her in this new chapter of her life.
Maybe with this new opportunity, she could be more than the jinx her deceased family always knew she was.
And another one bites the dust!
Now, to make things extra clear: for the sake of this crossover, we are going with the idea that the City, which is the size of a continent, is apart of the world of Runeterra with the Outskirts shown in both the Lobotomy Corporation and Library of Ruina being what separates the two settings in a geographical sense.
For those not in the know, basically, the Outskirts are a massive, arid desert that's filled with the City rejects, monsters born from the various unethical experiments in the City, AIs from the days of the AI War, and lots of orphans. There are also ancient ruins scattered here and there, although they're rare in the arid wastes. Due to how far it extends, in this AU, it acts as a sort of buffer zone that separates the City from the rest of Runeterra and explains why no one native to those parts of the world can be found in the City.
Hope that makes sense and that any and all complications and implications that may arise from this may get explained in one way or another in the future!
Fun fact: the egg making scene was a call out the egg making scene from the Showtime tv series Billions, which itself was a recreation of the egg making scene from the indie comedy-drama movie, Big Night. Long story short: I like eggs alot.
Do tell us your thoughts and leave a comment. Until next time!