#(( also the title is also a bit of a w.i.p so -shrug- ))

[ratdad-ninjutsumaster-archive]

Esoteric (Prologue)

She had been searching for months.

Shinigami had left New York (and by extension, Karai) seven times in the past year. She had been granted permission of course, no questions asked, but Shinigami far preferred to be with her master’s clan than stuck in the heart of Tokyo in a loop of dead ends, foolish bribes, and desperate interrogations. And yet she kept coming back, promising herself it would be worth it if she succeeded, until she found was she was looking for. The discovery was sudden, unexpected, like an ambiguous image where the subject of the picture comes to light just when the trail seems to lead nowhere. Through the grand wooden double doors of the hidden back room of the temple she wandered, down through the halls of paper doors and ancient tapestries whose quality defied time, following the glow of candles and the steadily growing smell of agarwood. Now that Shinigami was finally, finally finding what she had searched for, a long-absent terror was taking hold of her heart.

Not without good reason of course. Shinigami had heard many stories of what became of those who followed this same path, most ending horribly, many involving her own bloodline; powerful, esoteric, and nearly erased completely from history.

Shini had studied these stories countless times. She memorized what mistakes those in the past made and pressed them deep into her heart, recounting the lessons diligently in her final steps from the wooden halls into a large paper room painted with prints of shinboku trees. She stopped in the doorway as her panic hit it’s pinnacle. The subject of her search was right there, unbothered as she reclined elegantly along a fainting couch, elevated like a throne at the center of the room. Long black hair, smooth and clean like that of a well-tended doll was strewn in waves over a golden kimono, suffused with so many countless layers that it was easy to lose oneself trying to distinguish the patterns. The fabric of her gown, much like the incense, filled the room wherever the lamps, flowers, artifacts, and other treasures didn’t touch. The figure was svelte and unusually tall, not like a giant or a monster, but like a goddess. Seven foot at least, though it was hard to tell from a distance.

Shinigami kept walking forward, pretending her legs weren’t shaking beneath her, excitement and fear threatening to destroy all composure. She spoke aloud, working to coax herself into the confident assurance she had the upper hand.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say you were hiding from me” “I like my privacy.”

The voice of the figure upon the throne was silky, deceivingly relaxing. The voice of a friend… no… a mother, a mother that knew their child better than they knew themselves, and Shini was quick to remember how many died due to their faith in that voice. Her hand quickly moved to her hat and she tightened her grip around the golden cats eye of the meteor hammer, hot to the touch like a machine being worked to it’s full capacity. Shini ignored the uncomfortable warmth radiating through her gloves and held it up by a length of chain.

“I am here to make use of my heirloom. You recognize it I’m sure.” The figure blinked slowly as she let out a gentle hum of understanding. Her black lashes fluttered like butterfly wings, rosebud lips soft and pale, eyes sharp, nose and face long but in a delicate and charming way. The traditional beauty depicted in ukiyo-e prints: A fox with wisdom past it’s years, and years beyond comprehension. Kitsune, the nine tailed fox.

In that instant Shini sympathized with every idiotic mistake every protagonists in those stories ever made. A moment of locking eyes with the creature, and she wished desperately that she could love Kitsune without damnation, almost as much as she wanted what she was risking everything to attain.

“You can’t harm me” Shinigami continued, forcing her way through her fascination as she held the meteor hammer higher “I have the Cat’s Eye. I have your seal.”

“I understand. The fate of Kavaxas was probably an encouraging sight, unless you were here looking for me the day he got his brief taste of freedom.” Shinigami was silent for a second. She wanted to ask Kitsune how she knew, but of course she knew. In any case it was best to assume she knew everything and only asked questions for the sake of irony and manipulation. Yes- this was an attempt to lead her down a rabbit hole, get distracted by a story, lose sight of her intentions and loosen her grip on her mind. Shinigami kept talking, kept on target.

“You know what I’m here for then”

Kitsune nodded again, and there was a pause between them. It was a mere few seconds of stillness, but Shinigami couldn’t help but jolt when Kitsune stood. Her rise from the chair was the picture elegance, but the fabric of her clothes swayed around her throne like they were a singular force, and for a brief moment Shini was certain they’d take hold of her and swallow her up like the ocean tide.

“Karai has suffered many things at the hand of Saki, so it’s two birds with one stone” Kitsune postulated “Spite the monster while giving the one you love everything he stole away…” Her eyes narrowed thoughtfully as she placing a curled finger to her bottom lip “Well, almost everything. I would need a far more than scattered ashes to give the poor girl back her mother, but Hamato Yoshi? Yes. Yes, that sounds like something that can be done.”

Shini caught her breath, still holding the cat’s eye high over her head as she took a step forward to make up for her earlier evidence of cowardice.

“Then you’ll do it”

“I can, but-“ “I know. I know there are limitations to what I can make you do” Shinigami said, surprising herself with how quick she was to interrupt. She was feeling herself bend beneath the pressure of this encounter and didn’t wish to look weak, but being overly aggressive would also prove a mistake. Creatures as old and unpredictable as Kitsune often valued conduct if nothing else, so she bowed and apologized without relenting her grip on the meteor hammer.

“I’m sorry, I know the eye protects me, but while demanding knowledge and wealth is one thing, raising a man from the dead is another altogether. However, I am willing to discuss…”

Shinigami hesitated, a subtle glimmer in Kitsune’s gaze frightening her. “… stipulations,”

Kitsune placed a hand to her chin, thinking over the suggestion (or at least playing like she was) and slowly descended the throne, gliding down to meet the witch standing in her doorway. Shinigami kept her eyes on the approaching figure, mind grasping in vain to take in the strange transformation she was witnessing. There was no appearance of Kitsune growing smaller, she remained unusually tall, but was somehow so much less imposing by the time she reached the floor. The robe trailed behind her, still breathtakingly beautiful, but it too had lost that godlike quality and hypnotizing pattern. Shinigami felt herself relax, though deep down she knew that all she was seeing was the wolf fastening herself into sheep’s clothing.

Shinigami lowered the meteor hammer but kept it in her hands, even as a tiny trail of smoke began to rise from her now fairly singed gloves and her hands twitched in pain.

“I suppose we should put together a contract then”

Shinigami nodded in agreement. Kitsune smiled sweetly and bent down, placing a long pale hand against her guest’s cheek. Shinigami didn’t flinch, strangely enough. She had flinched when the ancient rose to her feet, and yet now that she was feeling Kitsune’s fingers against her skin she leaned into it in spite of all self-understanding. It appeared to please the nine tailed fox in a way that made the witch remember her unease. “Don’t worry, I won’t make you write your name in blood” Kitsune reassured, the lighthearted gentility of her voice mismatching the nature of her words as she rose back to her full hight and wandered toward the corridors, gesturing for Shinigami to follow.

This time there was little hesitation, and the witch followed close behind the long golden train of the robe of the fox, her fear giving way to a cautious yet positive anticipation. After all, if this would make Karai happy in the end, then what was there to lose really?

[negotiatingwithmymuse]

Arcane’s A+ Parenting Week

Day 4: AU

Characters: Marcus & Powder

Takes place in my w.i.p. AU “Undercity with a Pinch of Topside”. (Don’t mind that the title vaguely sounds like this should be a cooking fic.) Essentially an AU where Grayson and Vander want to work for future and improved peace and interaction between Zaunites and Pilties. To accomplish this they decide to bring their successors into how they’ve been operating and make them spend time together and getting along. As result Marcus, Vi, Powder, Mylo and Claggor (Ekko is there sometimes) will be spending a lot of quality time together.

Presented in snippets, cause I couldn’t leave it short at the first. Or one of them at all.

Also small Silco “reference” for the canon time line

@arcanefandomweek

[*No beta]

“Marcus, are we there yet?” Powder asked, her annoyance was raising more than her interest. 

“For your information we are very close. As a matter of fact, I’m going to need you to cover your ears and keep them covered.” He said.

The pair were a brief odd site for the Piltover citizens. Chief Deputy Sheriff Marcus awkwardly steering a blindfolded blue haired girl through the crowd. But the people recognized the duo’s most likely destination, as such confused looks were replaced with soft looks of awe.

Powder��s birthday had passed three days ago and to say the young girl was hurt and upset was an understatement. When he came to retrieve her from the Last Drop she put on an admittedly adorable display. Crossing her arms, cheeks puff out in anger and only willing to offer her back to him. 

It took a bit of begging but eventually she turned to face him, interested in whatever he was offering to do to make up for his absence. She caved into her interest when Marcus presented a new set of Piltie clothes, which was now adorned in. A soft blue shirt with short sleeves that puffed at the shoulders and stopped a little below her waist. The end of the shirt had small triangle slits, where one could see a dark blue belt. Her pants were white with large light blue vertical stripes, slightly puffed before slimming down at her ankles. She light brown sandals that met the end of the pants legs in a manner that made them look sewn together.

She had also been caught off guard, as she always was, when she saw Marcus in a more casual outfit. She’d grown so accustomed to seeing him either in his uniform or in his Undercity attire. A blue shirt a bit lighter than her own with decorative patterns on the shoulder length sleeves and sides. His pants were a light tannish color held up by a dark brown belt. The pants also had a slight puffy quality to them, but ceased at the slimed cuts above his knees. His own sandals went higher than Powder’s own,  stopping somewhat below his knee. Earlier Powder had joked that he looked like a dad.

“What’s that smell?” Powder asked, despite knowing she wouldn’t hear Marcus’ answer.

He grinned nonetheless. The smell was getting stronger and despite her ears being covered she was starting to make out a myriad of sounds. Then Marcus stopped her and she could sense him kneeling down. The  volume of the sound increased some as he pulled her hands away from her ears.

“Ready?” He asked and she could hear the joy in his voice.

“Ugh I guess?” She responded with a shrug. “What am I supposed to be ready for?”

Marcus gave a soft chuckle and finally undid the blindfold.

“Happy Birthday Powder!”  He slightly shouted to avoid drawing too much attention to them.

It took a few seconds for her eyes to readjust to the reintroduction of light, but once they did they were alight with glee.

“Oh my gods, oh my gods.” She was jumping with excitement.

Food stalls and games. A small carousel could be seen in the distance along with other small rides. Throngs of people gathered around individuals selling items or putting on a performance. Marcus had brought her to a carnival.

“Now Vander said you could be here for the full day or until you want to leave. So let’s not tire out too quickly!” Marcus’ last words evolved into a yelp. 

Powder had grabbed his hand and took off, dragging him into the carnival proper.

—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Marcus said he would buy whatever she wanted, but Powder had yet to really choose anything. She kept wondering between vendors but either couldn’t decide what she wanted or nothing interested her. Instead she bounced between a few game stalls and rides. The previous stop was at the petting zoo where Powder learned about his Poro allergy which left him with a mild case of sneezes and watery eyes.

Currently she was perched upon the rhino while riding the carousel. Marcus had temporarily disappeared to grab a treat for both of them, returning just as the ride was coming to an end. Sliding off the rhino she ran out along with a throng of children , fighting against other children who raced to claim the carousel animal of their choice.

“Where’d you go?” Powder asked, then her eyes drifted down to his occupied hands. “What are those?”

In each hand Marcus held two sticks with large red orbs at the end of them. He offered one to her.

“It’s a candy apple. And it’s as good as it looks.”

Powder eyed the sweet expectantly. She opened her mouth wide and took a large bite. She made a satisfied sound, savoring the flavor. Marcus didn’t even think that her response would involve such a large smile.

“Looks like you fell in love.” Marcus joked.

“Mmmm.” She beamed, taking another bite of the apple. “It's so so good. We have to get another one before we leave.”

—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

One finished apple, one magic show, one puppet show and several vendor stalls later Powder and Marcus settled down in an eating area. Marcus secured them a table, a slim glass of beer and sandwich in front of him. Outside of one sip and one bite Marcus didn’t eat much. Powder didn’t care for the selection at the food stall he chose or its immediate neighbors. He’d given her his coin pouch and kept an eye on her, thankful that she was finally reaching the front of her line.

“Chief Deputy Sheriff? What a surprise to see you here out of uniform.” A rather haughty voice said.

Looking over across the table stood  Councilman Salo  in a casual manner. Or as dressed down as someone as wealthy and high ranked as Salo could be. A mostly white outfit with a red sleeveless jacket that Marcus almost had a hood attached to, but the sight might have confused him more. The entire outfit, including the long black boots, were accented with gold. The only thing that appeared normal about the councilman was the overly topped sundae that he held. It was barely a secret that Salo had an immense sweet tooth.

Marcus didn’t know whether to stand out of habit or remain seated. In the end he stayed seated but gave a slight bow that almost made his forehead meet the table. The moment he raised his hand Powder was there standing behind the councilman staring up and inspecting him. She and Marcus locked eyes and Powder jerked a thumb towards Salo with a smirk. Marcus had no idea what to say or do, he didn’t know if she was trying to inquire about something or up to mischief. 

“I take it your time here means that you’ve found some breakthrough in the current string of thefts?” He asked loftily.

A string of thefts that were targeting homes of those in higher ranked homes. A very daring set of thieves who had even stolen from Councilman Salo’s, Shoola’s and Kirammin’s homes. Marcus was holding back a look of annoyance, when he looked behind Salo trying to figure out what Powder hadn’t joined him yet. The moment he did immediately pulled his lips together tightly.

Powder was behind the councilman mimicking him, she held her meal of meat skewers like he held his sundae. Her head was held high, back straight and hand on her hip. He averted his eyes back to Salo.

“We’re working on a lead Councilman Salo, but the case has been causing a lot of stress. We’ve been taking limited time off among the entire precinct, this just happens to be my day.” Marcus replied, but made the mistake of looking back to Powder.

“Well as long as progress is being made I suppose. Though one would think the Chief Deputy would be dedicating all his time to such an important matter. For our enforcers to be so slack that even the houses of councilmen and councilwomen are being robbed is embarrassing.”

Any other time Marcus, despite himself, would have struggled to hold back the anger on his face. Now he found himself struggling to hold a straight face. Salo and Powder had played with their food, checked their nails and postured flamboyantly. It didn’t help matters that Powder was putting on a much more exaggerated face. Marcus brought his hand up, covering his mouth and keeping a grip on his jaw.

That’s when Salo finally realized that there was someone behind him. Marcus’ heart leaped into his throat, but Powder knew what she was doing. The moment the blond haired man laid eyes on her she’d already had her eyes wide and innocent, her free arm shyly behind her back. She exaggerated the image of a sweeter child than she already was.

“Hello, Councilman Salo,” She said giving a curtsy. “It's nice  to meet you.”

“Oh,” Salo was caught a bit off guard. “It's nice to meet you as well…Marcus who is this?”

Powder went around the table to sit next to Marcus, giving him a proud and playful smile.

“This is Powder. She’s the daughter of a good friend, I’m watching over her for the day.” Marcus answered.

“It’s my birthday present.” Powder said, hugging Marcus’ arm. “I’m so excited to be here.”

She said it with so much sugar in her voice, but it wasn’t a lie. He had seen so and she expressed every so often in her excitement.

“Were you the one who let Marcus have the day off?” She added.

This caused Salo to pause in his response. He wasn’t particularly good with kids and floundered when it came to talking with them. In the end he tended to just fall back to agreeing with most of the things they said or hinted at.

“Um, yes in a way. We don’t want our enforcers to get worn out. Their job is very stressful.” He said mustering the best smile he could. “And I wouldn’t want to intrude anymore on your day. So, Chief Deputy Sheriff I’ll be on my way. I look forward to seeing back at work the next day.”

Bidding farewell Councilman Salo left, his last words sounding a bit perturbed. They watched until he was far away past the food stalls.

“What an uppity asshole.” Powder said.

“Ha!” Marcus couldn’t help it.

Powder was right, but it was more so her swearing that caught him off guard. It was surprisingly rare when she did so each time he couldn’t help but find it funny.

—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Marcus!” Powder pulled the older man to a stop.

The sun was starting to set and they’d already had their second round of food. There was already a second round of rides, third for vendors and where now through their second pass of the games. The direction the girl was pointing to was a shooting game that she had only briefly glanced at earlier. 

“What, you’re interested in playing it now?” Marcus followed her over. “What changed?”

“The prizes!”

Earlier Marcus only looked at the stall long enough to see what type of game it was, Powder obviously took a better look than he thought. The sign at the stall listed 30 points minimum for a consolation prize, 50 for a small prize, 70 for medium, 120 for large and mechanical toys and 300 for the extra large and more valuable prizes. His eyes scanned the collection of gadgets and couldn’t pinpoint one that would have captured Powder’s interest. 

Some of them were ones that one way or another ended up in the Lanes, a  few had Undercity counterparts and the rest really weren’t anything that engaging.

“What exactly are you aiming to get?” 

“The shark!” Powder exclaimed with manic desire in hers.

The look on her face was scaring him some. The shark in question was a giant plush that didn’t look like it belonged in Piltover. Honestly it looked like it dropped from the heavens for Powder but landed in Piltover by mistake. It was a large plush, easily bigger than her but smaller than him. There was wild jagged neon orange and neon light blue that passed around the eyes giving the shark a nastier glare and ended at the top of the dorsal fin. A new set of patterns in neon pink and neon green started from the fins and  went in a sharp pattern down the side of the shark’s body. The pattern didn’t quite touch or connect at the top of the shark’s back and ended at the tail.

“Okay.” Was all that Marcus could say.

The approached stall as a set father and son were leaving; the son in tears and the father fuming. 

“How much is it to play?” Marcus asked the oily looking man.

“1 set, 30 coins.” He said with a rough voice handing a toy gun to Marcus.

Marcus simply pushed the man’s hand downward so that he was now holding it to Powder. She grabbed it quickly and began examining it, setting her aim on the course. The booth man took the money and backed up to the game's starting button. As he did Marcus watched him closely; he could still make out the crying of the child from before.

“Okay, little lady, ready?” He asked; Powder nodded excitedly. “And…GO!”

He hit the button and the targets came to life; swinging from the top, rising from the bottom and racing side to side. Unlike the arcade the carnivals targets were smaller, moved faster and were worth far less points. It wasn’t much of a surprise to see why some people might not have even reached the medium prizes. Marcus could make out several different looking prizes in the back.

‘He must change the prizes out to draw a crowd.’ Marcus thought. ‘Dumb bastard.’

The stall attendant probably no one would want the shark and put it up at the top to fill space. Unfortunately for him the prize attracted Powder and she had already made her way past qualifying for a medium prize.  Marcus wasn’t surprised and felt proud for her when her skills started drawing in a crowd.

Five more shots and Powder was at 180 points. There was more than enough time for her to hit 300. Powder knew this, Marcus knew this and the booth’s owner knew this. The slimy man took a step back and stepped on a switch. When the next ball hit the target it didn’t move. Powder thought it weird, but ignored it. That was until the third target didn’t move, then the fifth, followed by the sixth and onward. In the end Powder accumulated 202 points.

“Woo! Nice run there sweety.” The man said. “Thought you were going to go all the way, but hey you still put up a good fight. Which third row prize do you want?”

 Powder glared at the man and sat the gun down roughly.

“You cheated.” She confronted him.

“It’s not nice to lie about someone mi-”

“You Cheated!” She yelled. “I hit all those last targets and they didn’t move all of a sudden. Everyone saw it!”

“Which means they saw you mess up.” He said with a smug shrug. “You choked at the end, it happens sometimes. Buddy, you should get your kid to calm-You can’t be back here!”

He yelled as Marcus hopped over the counter and walked up to the machine. He eyed the switch on the floor, before turning to the booth man who was now looking at him nervously. Marcus tapped the switch lightly with his foot.

“What’s this do?” He leveled a look at the thin man.

“It’s…an emergency stop.” The man sounded unsure with his answer even to himself.

“Do you need one of those with a machine like this?” Marcus peered behind the gallery. “I’m familiar with something like this. All you’d need to do is just pull the power cord here. Comes apart easier than you think.”

“Well this machine is different. Maybe yours is out of-” The man was cut off, but the sound of the machine activated.

Marcus hit the start button and made his way back to the “emergency switch” never taking his eyes off the man. Unsurprisingly when Marcus stepped on the switch the targets didn’t stop moving. Removing his foot Marcus noted that the button stayed down. 

“Powder,” Marcus took a gun and tossed it to her. “Take a few shots.”

She aimed and hit every target, but not one moved. Marcus held his hand up signaling Powder to stop. He stepped on the switch once more, returning it to its inactive state. The moment Marcus pulled his foot away Powder continued to fire, the targets spinning as a result of small balls hitting them dead center.

The oily man was sweating, not sure which way he should try to escape. Marcus grabbed the man by his collar and was prepared to say something when Powder spoke first.

“I want to go another round.” She looked calm again despite everything.

Marcus looked at her confused. She was serious about wanting to play. Marcus took one of the unused guns and set it down in front of her.

“I want you to play with me.” She said looking Marcus in the eyes. “And I want you to pay him.”

“You want me to do what?” Marcus eyebrows shot up in shock.

Powder couldn’t help laughing at the look on his face.

“I want you to pay him for both of us to play.”

“After this you can play for free. Hell, can we even get the shark right now?”

Powder shook her head.

“He can’t cheat now, so it’ll be like a fair game. I don’t want to tell you to spend more money on this guy, but…” She paused looking over the cowering man. “I really want to embarrass him.”

“You Undercity kids are scary.” He whispered to her.

Marcus took another gun and hopped back over the counter to join Powder. He pointed to the booth man. 

“You stay right there. The only thing you better do is hit that start button, understand?” Marcus told the man who only nodded yes.

“Countdown!” Powder said. “Ready? And…Go!”

At her command the oily man started the machine and she and Marcus started firing. Until they started having to hang around Marcus Powder didn’t have much competition when it came to the shooting gallery at the arcade. Mylo was the closest she had to a challenge, but that didn’t count for much and while Marcus had yet to beat her he repeatedly got dangerously close to beating her. So it was fun to disregard their shooting rivalry for teaming up for a score. With each pull of the trigger there was a satisfying chime and spin of a hit target. Their points climbed exponentially.

Already having gotten used to the targets’ movements and speed, Powder ended the session with almost 500 points. Marcus was a little embarrassed as he only barely just made it a little over 300 points. Powder raised her hand and Marcus high fived her in return. In the end Powder got her ridiculous shark. They also took another 300 point prize taking an odd mechanical ball looking device. Neither had no idea of what it was but the crying boy from earlier was very happy when Marcus gave it to him.

The remaining points went to a small prize and a medium prize. For his personal prize Marcus chose a simple little mobile car toy. The medium prize was a music box that Powder then presented to Marcus.

“Now you have something to give Nara when you see her.” She teased.

Marcus blushed, looking away. Powder teasing him about his love life was still a favorite pastime of hers.

—--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

When the night fell the carnival came to a close, the last spectacle of the night was a large firework show. Now with the day concluded Marcus started making his way to the funicular. He held a sleeping Powder in his arms. Her arms secured around his neck. One of his arms was weighed down more by a bag they eventually had to buy for treats and valuables from the vendors. His stride was a bit awkward however as he also had Powder’s shark tied to his back.

At this time of night there were less people on the funicular than usual. He knew of some of the secret passages that lead down into the Undercity, but with Powder and everything else it was easier to use the funicular. Not that that mattered given that it was the default meeting area if Powder and he stayed at the carnival until nightfall.  Sure enough there was Vander waiting for them at the top.

“What on earth is that?” The large man eyed the plush as Marcus passed Powder to him.

“This is Powder’s new and beloved shark.” Marcus answered, handing over the bag. “These are some other things she’s got. There’s also some food in there and 7 candy apples. One for her, one for you, Vi, Mylo, Claggor, Ekko and Benzo.” Vander peered into the bag before slugging it onto his shoulder. Marcus then passed him the shark which Vander adjusted to hold underneath his armpit. Vander’s other arm easily held Powder close to him.

“Thank you Marcus, I’m sure she really appreciated it.” Vander said as he smiled down at the sleeping girl.

“It's nothing. We had a good time.” Marcus had his own warm smile  looking at Powder. “I’m just happy I got to make her birthday up. The force has been so busy so I’m going to have to miss out seeing them for a while longer. So the others might be a little upset with me.” “No, I think they’ll be fine.” Vander said. “When you finally get back to them I’m sure they’ll have all sorts of plans for you to be a part of.”

“I’m sure. But for now I need to get home.” Marcus yawned.

“Yeah, I need to get this one to bed as well. See yah Marcus, get home safely ok.”

“You too.”

With that goodbye Marcus and Vander went their separate ways home. Marcus having to switch his thoughts to sleep and work. Vander ignoring odd glances at he received carrying home his daughter, still dressed as a Piltie, and her giant shark.