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renatogpadilla · 1 month ago

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Sour News and Pretty Colors.

Garen Crownguard was having a day...

Between trying to find a way to hunt mages that didn't involve imprisoning them in that inhumane dungeon they called a jail and reckoning with the absolute chaos of the brewing rebellion, his stress levels were through the roof. Now, he had woken up at midnight to find the corpses of two of his men carried home on her sister's horse, and her sister being nowhere in sight, with only a note explaining that she was unharmed and would be staying the night to comfort a friend who had witnessed the fight to calm his nerves.

First things first, he didn't know that his sister had any friends, so that immediately raised some alarm bells in his mind... But he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt. To trust her to come home tomorrow with some somber explanation as to what had happened to the soldiers...

So when his sister showed up at sunup without a care in the world and a spring in her step so bouncy she was practically skipping in the halls, he knew there was more to last night that he'd imagined.

"Illuminator." He said. He thought using her title would make her see how serious the situation was. He was sorely mistaken.

"Good morning, brother!" She beamed. She was practically glowing. Not literally, thank the spirits, but she was close. "Early to work?"

"Hard not to be, when two corpses get delivered to me before first light." He didn't even try to hide how mad he was. "Lux, what happened last night? I was worried sick!"

Lux had completely forgotten about the dead soldiers until now. And now she felt sick to her stomach that she had...

"Oh. Oh, gods, right, that." She stammered. "Merde, I'm the worst... How to even begin? Do you have time to talk, brother? Somewhere private?"

"I kinda have to. It's a KIA report. Two of them in fact." He was not playing today. He didn't mean to sound mean! Really, he didn't! On a good day his talks with his sister actually provided a little levity from his work. But his men were dead and she seemed to have... what, forgotten? In the span of a single night??

Lux seemed to grasp the situation after that.

"You're right. I apologize. I'll tell you everything. It's a little hard to believe, though... I scarcely believe it myself."

They went to his office and sat down at his desk. The siblings didn't need it to feel official, but it helped to sink into their roles when death was involved.

Lux proceeded to recount everything that happened last night up until the fight. She tried to keep her friend as anonymous as possible. Garen didn't know what to think of that. The last time she'd kept a friend secret the King ended up dead and the Mage Rebellion had gotten its start...

"Lux... Really? Fiddlesticks? You expect me to believe a bedtime story killed these two?"

"Brother, on my life, it was real! And if that wasn't the actual Fiddlesticks and just some crazy good copycat, I was NOT going to stay and ask. That... thing could not be subdued. What it showed me... I won't pretend to believe it was anything other than an actual demon."

"Great," thought Garen, pinching the bridge of his nose. "As if everything else wasn't enough, now I also have to deal with demons from actual Hell."

"Well, if it was so dangerous, how did you take care of it?"

Lux paused. She gave her brother a look. Garen knew that look. The look that said 'You're not going to like what I'm about to say'.

Garen had learned to fear that look more than any monster.

"You know how I took care of it, brother."

Yup. There it was.

"Lux, you didn't!"

"I had to! Normal weapons did nothing!" She lowered her voice. "Only magic could hurt it! And besides, the only-" She managed to catch herself, but Garen finished the thought.

"The only witnesses were dead already..." He absolutely hated that he felt relief from that. But if it was between his men and his sister... Well, he thanked them for their sacrifice.

He sighed deep... He'd known for years his sister was a Mage... He and his aunt had tried everything to keep it under wraps. And they had! As far as Garen knew, nobody other than him, their aunt Tianna and... Sylas of Dregbourne knew. He still felt disgusted at that last one... But at least his hubris would make sure he didn't tell. Sylas was one for irony and showmanship. He wouldn't want to tell. He'd want to make Lux tell. Reveal herself to the world of her own volition in some twisted sense of full-circle irony... Garen just had to kill him before that happened. Simple!

And it was only those 3 that knew... And maybe the mage woman that had given Lux her staff, but she was a nobody. No one would believe her... Wherever it was that Lux had stashed her and her family. He knew she didn't tell him for their safety, but something about his sister hiding away Mages that may or may not know her secret somewhere for safety and him not knowing where that was felt like a powder keg preparing to blow...

And speaking of powder kegs...

"What about your friend?" He asked. It wasn't like his sister to stay the night anywhere... "Does she know?"

"Don't worry about... Isha. She's harmless. If she does know, she won't tell." Lux tried her best to sound convincing. She should know by now an 'if' would never be enough for Garen.

"'If', Lux?" Stress levels rising, somehow even more than they already were. Garen was almost impressed. He'd break his record at this point. 'How mad can I get before exploding!'. The King dying hadn't helped the last time he set that bar but it was coming close... "You KNOW we can't rely on conjecture! Shit, the last time it happened..."

"I KNOW, brother." Garen hoped his sister knew he only brought it up out of love... He didn't like striking that nerve any more than she did. "And Isha won't do that. Or anything of the sort. She knows that if she tells, she's dead too."

She was angry now. Garen truly hated how their conversations had started to devolve into this more often than not lately...

"So she's also a Mage?"

"No." Said Lux. Relaxing the slightest bit. "But your people won't see it like that."

That almost made Garen relax a little too. His soldier's mind said 'Good! Mutually assured destruction is a wonderful motivator to keep your mouth shut!' but his inner big brother felt like sister insisted on walking a tightrope.

He nodded his head and looked at the reports on his desk. He'd come up with something more believable than 'Sorry madame! Fiddlesticks killed your son!'. Blame it on a Mage with a theme. Wouldn't do much for their image, but his sister would be alright...

"If that's all, Sword-Captain?" His sister's voice rang. Using his old title like he wasn't a Commander now. Smooth, Lux.

"Yes, I suppose that'll be all. Just please, stay out of trouble, sister." He put all the kindness he could into those words. He hoped it came across that way, but just in case it didn't he added "You know I worry about you."

His baby sister went around his desk and kissed the top of his head. She didn't get to do that a lot unless he was sitting down, so she took the chance when she could. She hugged her big brother over his giant shoulderpads.

"I know. I love you too, Gar. And hey! You don't have to worry about me right now. I'll just take it slow, end my shift at midday and have a nice lunch outside... No more dangerous missions today." She turned to walk out of the room when Garden's voice stopped her.

"Gods, I hope you're right." He said. "Oh, sister? You have something on your hair."

He brought his hand up and rustled her hair, and when his hand came down it produced a single strand of blue.

The arching of his eyebrow told her exactly what he was thinking. She snatched the hair out of his hand. "Okay, Garen! Thank you, Garen! Good day, Garen!" she squealed and she walked out of the room as fast as her legs could carry her.

Jinx REALLY had to learn to clean her pillows...

And for the first time when relating to something in his sister's life, Garen didn't want to know...

*****

Lux rode Starfire to the hut as soon as her shift was over. She was hoping the dresses she'd picked out (one from her own closet, one new, she couldn't decide!) would be to her witch's liking...

She also had spent an egregious amount of time scouring her hair for more blue, just in case. She had been playing with her powers that morning and had had an idea... She'd left the hut before Jinx was awake, so she hadn't said goodbye properly, so she figured this would be a nice apology for being rude to such a gracious host.

When she knocked on the door (after feeding Star a carrot because she was a good girl that had carried two corpses last night without complaint and deserved the world) she heard Jinx's voice call out from inside.

"Come in, Flashlight, you know it's unlocked!"

"Yes, you should really do something about that!" She responded as she let herself in and immediately stopping in her tracks, finding her friend on that second outfit she allegedly (and apparently, actually) had. A white crop top (sleeveless, of course, Lux should have thought of that...) with shorts and long black socks that covered her whole legs, with Ekko's hoodie tied around her waist like a skirt over a pair of black combat boots.

Lux thinks she might have lit up the way Jinx was staring. In reality, her brain was just restarting.

She had never really seen her without the hoodie except the night of their big hug, but now that she noticed, Jinx herself wasn't malnourished. She was lean, but not as much as she had been in the dark (she had almost looked like a toothpick then) but now she got to see more of her, she turned out to be pretty toned. Go figure, she thought, you've been running from one person or the other your whole life, you were... bound to... be... fit... Oh, look! Little cloud tattoos! Lux hadn't seen those before!

She seemed to notice the staring. Did... did she mind? And more importantly, why was Lux even staring this much...?

"I know, bit of a radical change." Jinx said, pretending like she hadn't just factory-reset her friend's perception of her sexuality. Or at least that's the thought that jokingly crossed her mind. She was staring pretty hard. "You good, Lux?"

"So good... tooo be out of the office!" She stammered, reconsidering a few life choices. She really didn't see Jinx like that, but even she had to admit it: That look was capable of putting some unholy thoughts in people's heads...

"Thank the Spirits I brought these! You'd have people staring the whole way to Demacia City and back!" She said, holding up the bag with the dresses she'd picked out.

"Well, I do pride myself in my entrances!" She chuckled, grabbing the bag. "Okay, let's see the horror..."

She froze. Like, fully froze. Lux caught the faintest, quickest little smirk on the side of her face.

"Well, I guess I could make it work..." There were very few things that could have made Jinx feel like a little girl again. She'd just discovered another.

She dashed into her room and shut the door.

"I was thinking maybe some food first? You must be tired of jerky and tea all day." Lux suggested.

"Oh, yes, please! I miss coffee so much, you have NO idea!" Jinx mused. The first dress was a fluffy white thing with sleeves the size of one of Fishbone's shells. Not her cup of tea (gods, she needed that coffee), but she could tell immediately that this was a hand-me-down from Lux. She could just picture the little blond noble looking like the most perfect little doll in it. She also pictured her with a big blue bow on top of her head, for comedy, but it only ended up making her look more adorable.

That second dress was more her speed. A deep, ocean blue, with huge pockets that matched her frame wonderfully, if a little flowy... And again, sleeves... Ugh. But it was such a pretty dress, though!

Fine!

Lux heard a ripping noise from inside the room, and then another and physically cringed at the sound. "So... Maybe after that, I could give you a tour of the city? The main plaza is truly beautiful! You have to check it out! Oh, and the Palace! I wouldn't be able to take you in, of course, but as far as tourism goes the gates are a must!"

"Take me wherever, Flashlight, just nothing too exciting? I say that mostly for you. I don't intend to do nothin' but relax today and if you light up over there, we won't be getting no shut-eye later!" She finally figured what was wrong with the look... She sighed. Took all morning getting those right...

"Don't worry. I have been doing my breathing exercises, my meditation, I've even made sure to pick a route without that many gua-"

The door opened and Lux felt her hands shine under her gloves. Fiddlesticks and Sylas could have blown up the wall of the hut and jumped them both at that exact moment and it would have caught her less off-guard than seeing Jinx with her hair down.

"Sorry about the sleeves, but it had to be done!" She said, taking a few steps out and spinning around. "Okay, be honest. How bad is it?"

Okay, wow. She was gorgeous. Like, the 'bad girl' vibe of her other fits felt more like her, obviously, and Lux appreciated that rebellious spirit tremendously! But the hair down and the dress? She looked to Lux like she'd walked straight out of a story book. Like a fairy that had come here to cause mischief and get away with it through clever trickery and inconceivable violence. Now to find a way to express that platonically...

"You look like a princess."

Smooth, Lux.

"Well, considering where we're going, I'm guessing that's the vibe? And hey, look! Here's a knight lady in shining armor! Lucky me!" Jinx leaned her elbow on Lux's shoulder and poked at one of her ribs. Lux reminded herself to breathe. "Slight problem, though... This might still be too recognizable."

She fiddled with her hair as she said it. "I kept thinking it'd be safer to just cut it off..."

"N'y pensez même pas!" Lux thought she may have said that a bit too loud. She cleared her throat. "You look wonderful and if you ever think you should cut your hair, that's Fiddle-talk! Luckily for you, I thought about that as well! But first... do you like the dress?"

"It's wonderful, Flashlight. Cute." She answered. It could have been bright pink and it still would have meant the world just by virtue of being a gift from her. "I never saw myself as the princess-y type at all, always felt more like a Piltie thing growing up, you know? But... I don't know. It feels really nice to pretend for a day. Thank you."

"It means the world that you like it, friend. But don't see it as pretending! You can allow yourself to be pampered a bit! Nobody's going to stop you." Lux's heart was doing jumping jacks. She was so proud of her! And of herself a bit... She had gotten the reclusive witch of the woods into a fancy dress and out of her hut for a day, after all!

"Well, that is the point of today!" Jinx answered, beaming a smile. "Speaking of, you were saying about the hair...?"

"Oh! Yeah!" Lux had been practicing all night. She was so ready for this! "Okay, okay! Question: How is it that vision works?"

Well, that was unexpected. "Um... Eye catches light and makes images in our head?"

"Correct!" Oh, she was feeling herself! "And how does that work?"

"Ambient light bounces off of things and our eyes turn it into colors and depth...?" Jinx answered. She was starting to connect the dots.

"Très bien, mon ami! And now..." Oh, here it comes! "Let's say someone had the ability to... say... influence the way that light bounced off of things? The way your eyes caught it...?"

"Someone... magical, you mean? Hypothetically?" Jinx couldn't help but slip a nervous smile. She appreciated that Lux was getting a hang of her powers more, but something made her want to take a step back...

"Ding ding ding, Firework! I took a while to fall asleep last night - really comfy bed, by the way -"

"Thank you!"

"- and I kinda started experimenting a little to tire myself out and well..."

She snapped her fingers.

Jinx must have been tripping. She could swear something was different but what...? Oh...

Oh!

Lux's eyes were different. The big baby blues were gone, and in their place, a shimmering violet that matched Jinx's own.

"No way..."

She snapped her fingers again.

Now her blond hair was completely raven black. Jinx liked that look a lot, actually...

Another snap and her white and blue uniform had turned a dark, mossy green and black.

Snap!

The blue dress Jinx was wearing was now a striking white, it's soft trim at the bottom sporting black accents instead of darker blues.

Snap!

As promised, her hair changed next. Not a single color but the full kaleidoscope of human vision dancing and changing like a neon display on her head. She ran into her room and stood in front of her mirror, reveling in the wackyness of it all.

She caught herself smiling from ear to ear.

"Whaaaaaat the fuuuuuuck..." She whispered, chuckling to herself. "Lux, this is insane! I LOVE it!"

"Right?!" She snapped her finger again and the colors returned to normal, getting a little whimper of an 'aw' from Jinx. "I can disguise you, no problem!"

"Oh, I don't even know what to say! I... Well, 'thank you', obviously, but also I'm so proud of you!" Jinx gave her friend a big hug and Lux gladly returned the favor. Hey, she was giving the hugs now! Progress!

"You're welcome, Jinx. Truly. And I'll admit I'm kinda proud of myself." Her hand started changing colors as she said this, just to flex. Oh, this feeling in her chest was good! She could allow herself to be a little cocky, as a treat. "I think I'm truly starting to get the hang of it now... But, we'll have to table the color talk for now. We've, got lunch to get!"

A snap of her fingers and Jinx's hair turned a deep, cherry red. She kinda dug the color... Not really her vibe, but she could probably kill it in pigtails if she wanted to.

"Ooh, feisty!" Jinx said, checking herself out in the mirror.

"Well, if the shoe fits..."

"Oh, you." She wasn't wrong. "Well, that's the prep, then! Whisk me away, my lady, to a beautiful land of snacks and coffee and fairy tales!"

She did a little curtsey and Lux almost squee'd. She bowed and took a step to the side, framing the way out of the hut with a wave of her arm. "By all means, my fair witch, I'd be delighted to. If you would do me the honor?"

She held out her other arm for her and Jinx took it eagerly as they practically skipped out of the house...

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