pawnstorm | Late It's-Not-July-Anymore Catch-All!

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Late It's-Not-July-Anymore Catch-All!

Who: Lux Crownguard, and you!
When: Backdated to the later half of Delphine (post-dungeon)
Where: Caissa & Petrosian
What: Late month shenanigans and overflow for July's intro! Job listings that didn't make the last catch all (harvest soon, wonderwall), plus a few other prompts. If you want something specific, message me at

sheepyton!
Ratings: PG for the most part, but will change this if need be.
Warnings: None currently

♕ o1. SEEING DOUBLE (HALL OF GLORY).

[ Walking around the dorms, you might find that your eyes are playing tricks on you. Did you just see something strange out of the corner of your eye? A trick of the light, maybe? A vague shimmering, just out of your peripheral vision. Blink and its gone, however. Or was it even truly there? Spooky. ]

[ Yikes, where did that voice come from?! Suddenly from behind, Lux stands there, smiling as she almost always does, her head quirked slightly to one side. Curious, the bracelet on her wrist appears to be glowing..? ]

♕ o2. "FINE" ART (CAISSA).

[ What... what was she looking at exactly? Wandering around the Lucena Museum, soaking in all of the grandeur that Gammonian art had to offer (a good magician surrounds herself in as many strange and wonderful things as she can, after all), Lux was left more confused than anything.

She just didn't get art. Not at all.

Great sculptures and paintings of heroes past, sure, she can get into that. But here, she was stumped. It was a bit too weird. So, attempting to look like a good connoisseur of art, turning her head this way and that to try to at least somewhat analyze each piece, she found herself looking more and more confused. What was she even looking at here? She wasn't sure... ]

♕ o3. SOMEONE STOP THIS CRAZY THING! (PETROSIAN).

[ So weeding? Not her thing. A noble city girl born and bred, she hardly knew what a day out on the fields were like, and after taking about an hour to get a small area of land weeded, some poor farm hand took pity upon her.

She could work a tractor, right? Sure she could! Anyone can! Seriously, just... go do something. Here, take the keys to that tractor over there. There was no way she could get into trouble with that, the darned thing hasn't worked in years— ]

WATCH OUT!

[ Judging from the giant cloud of shimmering black smoke careening forward on the horizon, she's "fixed" the tractor! Well, "fix" being a relative term, at least. It's running. Chugging and sputtering, bucking against the spell she placed on it to make it run, the machine managed to wrest dominance from the young mage's hands, and had a score to settle apparently.

Poor thing, she's holding on for her dear life. THIS WAS NOT WHAT SHE HAD IN MIND. ]

♕ o4. A HOME AWAY FROM HOME (CAISSA).

[ What started off as a routine shopping trip has taken a significant detour. She intended to only go out looking for a calendar—something simple that she could use to keep track of holidays (and perhaps a few birthdays, while she was at it), but managed to get sidetracked along the way. A bit of window shopping never hurt anyone, right?

...And her room was a bit barren, wasn't it?

Moving between shops, the blond would occasionally stop, looking at something, picking it up and turning it over, before inevitably putting it back. Was she looking for something specific? ]

♕ o5. HELL'S KITCHEN (CAISSA).

[ The farmers in Petrosian had been nice enough to gift any and all heroes that helped them with produce from their crops, and Lux was no exception. But what would she do with all of this? She couldn't eat it all herself, it would go bad before she got to it. And you know, it might be nice to share with others. Yeah!

Cooking didn't seem so hard, she could probably handle it. And after convincing a few of the maids that she wanted to make something in the kitchen, and no it was all right she could manage herself, Lux went to work.

At first, it seemed fine. But after a while, a strange smell began to waft through the cafeteria. Then strange noises—pots clanking, worried mumblings ~~NO YOU GET BACK INTO THAT POT SO HELP HER~~. This is fine. Everything is fine. It didn't have to look perfect, right? I-it's the thought that counts, right?

If you choose to not intervene, she will continue her battle in the kitchen, for better or for ill.

Wandering out into the cafeteria, a large pot and lid in her arms, she looked harried. Like she had just seen a terrible crime take place in front of her. Her face somewhat smudged with... lord, what even was that, gravy? Were those scorch marks on her apron? Looking around, she spies a ~~victim~~ person. ]

[ Run. Dear lord, run. ]

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[ You're so kind. Only not, because you're still an ass. Don't think that that backhanded comment didn't go unnoticed. ]

The last I heard, people only get paid for being useful. Perhaps you should try it. Elsewhere.

Is that so? I'll be expecting my payment for the advice earlier, then.

[this guy]

Oh, have you actually done something useful for once? I think I might faint.

Edited 2016-08-16 02:52 (UTC)

How's that expression go? "Even a broken clock is right twice a day"?

[He doesn't like Lux but that doesn't make the shade she's throwing any less deserved.]

If you do end up fainting, just make sure you try to find a corner or something. There's still another 12 hours until I do something useful again, so if you block any walkways you'll just be an inconvenience.

[ She looked down her nose at him, a cool expression on her face. ]

Well I've never heard anything like that.

[ Come on, Lux, don't be difficult. Huffing a bit, the blond very visibly bristles, her shoulders rising stiffly, and her jaw tightly set. ]

How dare you.

Oh, thank god. If you haven't heard that expression, we might not be from the same world. That makes me feel a lot better.

[He opens the oven to check on something, then makes a displeased expression as he closes it again. The waiting around is the worst part of cooking.]

Huh. Something we can actually agree on. I think the world might be ending.

[ Was that meant to be an insult, or some strange idea of a joke.

As he opens the oven, Lux will subtly try to lean to the side in order to catch a glimpse. ]

[It's bread! Not the nicest or best loaf of bread on the planet, but it's bread nonetheless. It travels pretty well, so it's ideal for someone like Robin, who'd sooner just poison himself than let someone else do it.]

If it is, I'm sure I'll see you in hell, princess.

[He doesn't know if she's a princess, but it's pretty much his go-to noble insult.]

[ She hopes your bread burns, asshole. ]

Oh, I think you've got it wrong. You see, I walk a virtuous path, the path of light and justice, unlike some people.

[ She gave him a very pointed look. ]

But do tell me how the weather is down there. I hear it's a bit hot.

Regrettably, I was swept off somewhere else when I died, so I'll have to wait and see if I end up there next time.

[He opens the oven again. Not quite yet...maybe a few more minutes.]

On the other hand, maybe I'm already in hell, and you're just some phantom here to torment me for eternity.

[ She paused, the bite leaving her tone of voice. ]

When you died?

[ His second comment wouldn't go unnoticed, but would be filed away for later. There was something here that interested her far more than picking a fight. ]

I told you during our first conversation, right? I got what was coming to me. You didn't think they'd just slap me on the wrist and tell me to try harder next time after leading them on for two years, did you?

[...Wait, did she? He knew some people were seriously sheltered, but - well, it might be better to scope out her reaction first.]

I assumed that they locked you up. I didn't realize that they...

[ In her world, criminals, they... disappeared. The Crownguards were not directly in charge of that sort of thing, and her expertise was different. More covert.

Simply put, she never asked. No one in Demacia asked. It was taken care of, so it didn't concern her. ]

Well, now you do. The criminal was taken off the streets and everyone was better off for it. Except me, of course, but I think that goes without saying.

[To him, it really is as simple as that. It's a natural end to the life of one person trying to fend off an army.]

[ The way that he spoke about it so sardonically, as if laughing it off, laughing off her ignorance (her silly, noble girl ignorance), made her visibly pale. She took in a slow, long breath, the weight of his words, the enormity and the utter detachment of his tone...

Th-that was your own death you were talking about, Robin! ]

But—

[ Her tongue was heavy, her words coming slowly; and it was so abundantly clear that she was trying, desperately trying, to both work this out, and work it out in such a way that didn't concern her. Didn't concern her country. No that... couldn't be it. ]

But that's simply how things work in your world.

[ Congratulations, Robin, you may have just opened a hell of a Pandora's box. ]

Edited 2016-08-23 21:18 (UTC)

[Robin doesn't say anything for a handful of silent, awkward moments, giving Lux a look of careful scrutiny. He can't say anything about worlds he's never been to, but...it's probably the same in a lot of places. Jails are an expense. Their maintenance is an expense, and they must be maintained if only to keep the prisoners locked in. And if there's one thing Robin's life has taught him, more clearly than anything else, it's that people with enough money to build and maintain a jail often don't want to spend it like that. They often don't want to spend it at all, really, which is why thieves like himself are among the most irritating pests to them.

It's more efficient to just kill pests. And if that pest is a human, you get to make an example of them, too - you can teach everyone else that this is what will happen if they step out of line.

He got what was coming to him. He's said as much before - and he's not about to let someone feel bad for him about it. One overly-emotional girl in his life is already more than enough.]

...Yeah, okay. Whatever helps you sleep at night, princess. Lord knows you need your beauty rest, since there's nothing else appealing about you.

[For all he knows, she could be right. But he doubts it.

And if her reaction is any indication, she does too.]

[ She could feel him analyzing her, scrutinizing her over the slow realization, followed by a very quick denial of relevance. It... it didn't apply to her, to the people of Demacia, her people. That was not how the world worked. His world, yes, but hers...

(Then why would they just disappear like that? Why did no one talk about it?)

Even his scathing remark hardly seemed to gain him the same ire it might from her. A brief, dirty look at best. No explosions, no floundering, just something hollow that was more out of habit than any real emotion. ]

...Maybe I should just toss this out.

[ The pot full of... something. The one that she had turned the heat down on, so much so that it wasn't even simmering anymore. It had already been too far gone, so much so that even the most seasoned chef would not be able to rescue it.

But it wasn't that. She wanted to leave. Run away from this. This... conversation, this atmosphere. Run away from something. She wasn't sure what. Something that writhed in her stomach like a snake. ]

[He glances at her out of the corner of his eye. Truthfully, he'd like nothing more than to grind that last sliver of naivety to dust beneath his boot. It's what the nobility deserves after having their rose-tinted glasses slapped off their faces.

But Lux isn't reacting at all the way Robin thought she would, and while he might not be as uncomfortable as she is - while his viewpoint isn't being rocked nearly to the core as hers is - it's enough to make him pause.

If he's too harsh now, who's to say she won't just stop thinking about this? It's not like he didn't deserve what he got, but...]

...Yeah, maybe you should. Just remember that if something is too late to save, you can always start over.

[He isn't talking about cooking.]

[ Then maybe they were talking about the same thing after all. ]

I wouldn't even know where to begin.

[ Staring at the pot there, her expression hazy and distant, she lowered her eyes, frozen on the spot, not sure what to do. She should just... leave. Force some kind of biting retort at him and leave him to clean up the mess. In a way, he deserved it.

But his words hung heavily upon her, pinning her to that spot, to that feeling. What if she was wrong? What if she was wrong about everything? ]

[Robin pulls the bread out of the oven, setting it down on a counter.]

...As long as you've got a solid recipe, it'll turn out fine.

[That's not entirely true, literally or in the figurative manner in which he's using it. There are all sorts of things that can go wrong with such a radical shift in attitude - with anything, really, but people are among the most fallible creatures in the world.

But this girl is nothing if not stubborn, and strong, so whatever she decides to do with her feelings, Robin is sure she'll be successful at it.]

Edited 2016-08-31 05:18 (UTC)

[ A solid recipe... How would she even know what to look for? And would it even matter if she managed to find something serviceable at this point?

She sighed, discarding the contents of her burned and failed attempt at making something to share, her eyes lowered and expression hard to read. Normally someone should thank a person for their advice, even unsolicited, but if it was from Robin...

No, she didn't even have the endurance to fight with him at this point. So instead, she glanced at him from over one shoulder, a vague smile that didn't quite catch in her eyes curling her lips. ]

Enjoy your meal, Archer.

[ And turning, she left the kitchen to hime.

(...Hey, she didn't actually clean everything up!) ]

Edited (Fixing the name issue) 2016-09-03 18:43 (UTC)

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Late It's-Not-July-Anymore Catch-All!

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