#i see the first two like new lore janna can act as irelia's 'muse' kinda

[bladesurgence]

five times kissed

i.

Let me be stronger, Irelia had prayed, so that I can do what I must.

With every Noxian that fell to her blades, two more came to take their place. Irelia felt caught in a river of blood, a torrential flood that pounded away against her strength. Even if she didn’t have to lift her blades, each swing weighed heavier and heavier until she could barely lift her head to regard her next opponent.

My vengeance, she thought in between swings, is not yet complete.

Only the image of that admiral sprawled before her blades, unceremoniously disposed of in the same way he murdered her family, kept Irelia going. Her hatred would’ve pushed her to the breaking point if not for the intervention of a spirit, as instantaneous as the wind. The breeze sent a chill through Irelia, and as it picked up in force, the battlefield began to part before her. Allies and enemies alike moved away from her as the wind wrapped her inside an invisible circle.

“What…?” Irelia asked to herself. She heard a voice come through the gale, as soothing as a spring day, as holy as an angelic choir.

Let your heart be guided not by your enmity, it urged her, but your compassion. What would your lineage think?

She felt as if soft lips had caressed her forehead, like a tickle from dewdrops in the early morning, and then the wind left as soon as it came.

ii.

“It’s not that I’m against this,” Irelia says, keeping her gaze low. “But I’ve never been at ease with these sorts of powers.”

Janna lowers herself to the ground, her dress alighting around her as gravity takes over. Even without floating, her figure is imposing, not because she looks threatening, but because she never loses her elegance. A finger reaches to straighten out her windswept locks, and Irelia feels a shaking in her knees.

Gesturing to Irelia’s blades, Janna raises an eyebrow. “And those? Are they any different from what I am about to bestow upon you?”

Irelia turns her head, and sighs. “I’ve learned to live with them. I’ve always wanted to wield my father’s blade as his successor, but… not like this. But it’s not like I can give this gift away. It’s essential to me. To my survival.”

:You should be more confident.” Janna reaches out to place her hands on Irelia’s shoulders. “I have decided to trust you because of this humility. Your selflessness brings out a genuine nobility in your actions. But you must not let opportunities like this pass you by, either.”

Irelia nods, inclining her head in a short bow. “If it’s to carry out your will, I’m happy to obey.”

She feels Janna’s hands move up to the sides of her neck, and then a fragrant scent of pine and rosemary. Then Janna’s lips glide over hers for a second before she backs away. For a moment the deep, cerulean blue of Janna’s eyes fills Irelia’s vision, and then she returns to where she was standing before.

“I refuse to think of you as a mere servant.”

iii.

Irelia has never flown before. The air belonged to the creatures of the sky, after all, and she has always been more than content to traverse the land on her own two feet. But as the wind rushes through her hair, and she watches the land pass under her, she begins to understand the exhilaration that comes with flights of fancy.

She and Janna sit on a cloud created from the guardian’s own source of magic, and it feels smoother than the finest horse. Irelia nudges Janna, who’s smiling along with her, and points at the forest trailing away in a sea of green.

“The world seems… smaller from up here.”

Janna chuckles. “It does make things look simpler. Are you enjoying, jiějiě?”

Irelia lets out an exhale, and then leans over to give Janna’s cheek a quick kiss. “Absolutely.”

iv.

Wiping the sweat that drips down her cheek, Irelia puts her tools down for a minute and lets out a breath. She counts her blessings that Janna could come check out her plane on such a short notice - other mechanics in the city might have been busy. But even with a professional taking care of the faulty engine, Irelia refuses to just watch her do it. She lies underneath the plane, doing her best to assist Janna as she works on the hull.

“Are you going to be in town for long, Irelia?”

Irelia scrubs off some grease from her fingers with a rag, tossing it aside and returning to work. “I might stay a night. I have to hurry back home, though - the grand prix in Ionia is always stuffed to the brim with tough competition.”

“Ooh, I’d love to watch you race one day!”

“I’d love that.”

She can see Janna pause her work for a second, and then move as if turning towards her. “Irelia, can you come up for a second? You might want to take a look at this.”

Irelia pulls herself out from under the plane. She’s about to get up when Janna kneels, placing a hand on her chest, and swoops down to kiss her. Irelia smells the strong trace of oil on both of them, but her lips are still sweet, if a bit dry. She blinks. “Um. What was that for?”

“Consider it like a pinky promise.” Janna winks. “What, you don’t do that in Ionia?”

v.

“The Order of the Lotus encourages us to be open with our emotions,” Irelia explains, letting out a sigh as she strokes Janna’s hair. “I am sure you may consider this strange, but…”

“A little foreign.” Janna’s arms are wrapped around Irelia’s waist, her head resting along Irelia’s chest. Her finger runs along the curve of her arm with a lax curiosity. “But I can see myself getting used to it.”

Irelia tilts her head down to kiss Janna’s forehead, her arm wrapping around to pull Janna closer. “That’s… good, then. This kind of intimacy helps bring inner peace to one’s mind.” She leans down again, kissing her lips this time. “If I am too forward, don’t hesitate to let me know.”

The next time she goes for a kiss, Janna pushes up against her, and Irelia inhales as she feels the weight of another body return her sentiments. Their kisses are deep, measured with patient breaths, and when Janna pulls away her lips graze against Irelia’s ear. She shivers.

“I wouldn’t worry about that.”