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She had stood beside her in the memorial for those lost in the tragedy. She watched her from the corner of her eye, silently. How the strong features contorted in a mixture of anger and sadness, saw her flesh hand gripping at the spear, her hold growing shaky from how tightly she held it. Most important of all, she'd seen her eyes soften as she put two papers to the pile, and saw how the gray irises rose to follow their path as they swirled, danced together, and were then extinguished into the deep dark of the night sky. She was old enough that the ones she lost could've been her children. Shoola shivered at the thought, shaking her head to put it out of her mind, no, surely not something so cruel, but then again, death isn't fair in its pickings, and it's rarely gentle, that much she knew.
She would lie if she said she hadn't been surprised to see her at the council afterwards, a zaunite in that very room, sitting in the chair next to hers, she never thought she'd see the day. The woman was visibly tired, but more so terribly, deeply angry, and not without reason. The council disliked her inherently, but none could help but gaze away from her when she spoke of what they rightfully owed her people, the damage they had caused with mere greed for control, how children were orphaned, imprisoned, abandoned, how adults fell into vice, sickness, violence…it was enough to make Shoola herself feel shameful. No one could look her in the eye to tell her she wasn't completely in the right, those eyes were sharp, and would cut through you like a blade on tender skin the moment yours met them. Before she had even noticed, she was raising her hand to second Sevika's motions, and with the Kiramman's financing, her and the Medarda's backing in Noxus, the council began to grow concerned at the zaunite's seemingly growing influence.
After weeks of being in the council, that had been the first motion they'd approve, fixing the ventilation system, cleaning up the street, rebuilding the Last drop, and transplanting a couple trees into fertile soil to better the air quality. Such basic, necessary actions, yet it had taken the zaunite all her might to get just that past the council, which was reluctant to grant her even an ounce of power. Independence seemed to be a far cry still.
It had been about a month since that meeting when Shoola was stopped at the foot of the newly repaired Council's staircase. The zaunite was smoking a cigar, but swiftly put it out under her boot as she came to face the woman. Quite considerate, she thought to herself. “Thought you might like to see the result of your investment” she simply said, almost mocking the council's haughty manner of speech. Shoola found herself following her, and she had the sinking feeling she would have followed her regardless of what she'd said. Despite how tired she looked, how much she'd sacrificed, the people she'd lost, she still stood firm, and that made the councilor want to stand right beside her, soak in that pure strength just to bask in how it felt to not be frozen by fear. She admired her, she came to realize, and soon understood why she was to be revered by those who followed her lead.
As they crossed the bridge, Sevika led her through somewhere that could not be Zaun, not the one she'd caught a glimpse of in the memorial, not the one that bore the tales of horror she'd been scared by as a child; and sometimes as an adult, to her own shame. The architecture of it was still quite tightly packed together, but the greenish hue of the toxic gasses released by the mines had almost but disappeared. Trees were planted upon the streets, giving shade to vendors and clean air to inhabitants. The fact Shoola hadn't needed a breathing mask just to come into the domain was astonishing in itself. The streets were decorated with hanging lights that made the incoming evening less daunting, combating the neons with a soft hue to contrast them. This much had been managed in only months, with seemingly little funding, what it had taken to fix just the council's roof, doubling the budget given to this project.
As she turned to see Sevika she seemed almost…pleased, she spoke of how this zaunite boy had planned out how to rebuild and plant most of this, a vision of what Zaun could be straight from another world. She was more on the brawn of it, helping haul the materials and building most of it herself. The councilor couldn't help but notice how her gaze lingered on a rudimentary statue as they passed it, that of a large man, a smaller woman with braided hair, and a little kid with a hat. The zaunite almost stopped at it, but only managed to pet the statue of the little one as she passed it, growing eerily, almost sadly silent.
They made it to “The Last Drop”, as Sevika had called it, though there was no sign to indicate such a name in the newly rebuilt bar. A force of habit, she supposed. They sat at the stools, and as they drank some admittedly cheap whiskey, Shoola was more than blown away by what she had seen, and couldn't help but tell the woman before her all about it. A real chance of change, she never thought she could be part of something like that. They talked on for a while, and she had never wanted to know someone as much as she wished to know Sevika, to learn of such strength. She was all but a wonder to her, a woman that had been sickly most of her life, weakened by her body and left only her mind.
However, as the night went on, she saw Sevika grow more tired, more at ease, and even if she'd like to think it was her doing- the woman had all but drank the equivalent of half a bottle of whiskey in the while they'd talked together. Reasoning it'd be best if she didn't leave Zaun on her own at night, she footed the bill and asked for one of the rooms upstairs. Luckily, Sevika could still walk, albeit assisted, since the councilor didn't think she had it in her to even attempt and haul the zaunite's body up the stairs. She came to the room with a sigh, closing the door behind them as Sevika slumped into one of the beds. Makes sense that the woman was tired, so she couldn't really hold it against her. She moved to sit down on her bed, speaking softly down at the zaunite. “Miss Sevika, how are you feeling?” She asked just in case, reluctant to be near her if the answer was anywhere close to nauseous. Yet the zaunite shook her head, looking up at Shoola before a sniffle seemed to echo in the silence of the room.
Shoola stilled, eyes wide as she looked down to see what could only be described as silent crying. Water misted at the woman's eyes, falling down almost without effort, not even a furrow of her brow. “...Those stupid kids” she'd mutter under her breath, a hand coming to cover her eyes as a shaky exhale left her. The councilor was frozen in place, never had she predicted this woman, so seemingly strong and unshakeable, could break down before her. This should've shattered her image of her, the fearless visage of someone who could set aside all emotion in the face of a goal, but somehow, this utter, devastating sadness she had so well concealed made her admiration run even deeper. She hesitantly reached out, her hand shaking in a manner much too similar to the first time she raised it in favor of the zaunite, and ran her jewelry clad fingers through her hair in an attempt to calm her down. Sevika's hair had grown since she entered the council, her bangs still short, but the hair at the back of her head concealed into a small ponytail. Shoola undid it in favor of easing the tension at her skull, she supposed the alcohol was already working overtime in that front.
As Shoola petted her hair, Sevika had tried to be on guard, flinching at the first contact, but soon melting into it despite herself. Her eyes opened to gaze up at the councilor, her gaze so soft it was almost unrecognizable from what she'd seen in any negotiation. She shivered at it, such a vulnerable position this woman was in, and she was trusting her to be the one to comfort her?...it dawned on the councilor that the zaunite may not have anyone else left to look after her, and it stung her heart so profoundly that she could've broken down right there as well. A soft, delicate hand was lowered to cup Sevika's face, brown eyes boring into tired grays, Sevika's hand coming to press it against her cheek as she nuzzled it. She wondered what she should do, for she wanted nothing more than to be the woman's strength in that very moment, to be the one standing beside her to ensure she had something to fall back on, she wanted that soft look in her eyes to be kept to the confines of this room, away from the harshness of the world.
She hesitantly leaned in, fueled by only clues of what it could be this woman needed of her. Her insistence on her coming to Zaun, the way she seemed to talk more calmly around her, how she'd felt her gaze had lingered on her as she sat down on the stool on the bar before the zaunite. She waited, noses touching, her breath growing heavy, and seeing no reciprocity, she was about to pull away before a mechanical hand came to her shoulder, and a shaky, almost imperceptible ‘please’ was uttered by Sevika. She needed no further incentive, moving in so that their lips touched, a sweet, soft encounter. The councilor continued on, kissing the woman before her as gently as she could manage, like she was dealing with the petal of a delicate flower, at which she could hear another sniffle come her way. She didn't need to wonder if she was used to softness, and all indicated this type of attention had rarely found the zaunite, and damn it all if the councilor wouldn't show her all the care she had to offer.
After a few more moments, she pulled away, earning a soft sigh from Sevika as she left kisses on her cheek, on her neck, slowly undoing the leather belt at her pants and pulling them off of her as she continued to warm up her skin with her attentions. She took off her robe in a manner most graceful, moving to lie down next to Sevika, her jewelry clad fingers slowly etching the body beneath them, lightly touching her through the cloth of her tank top, caressing her stomach and thighs. She would've moved to take off the enhancements to touch anything more sensitive, but soon was stopped by a hand at her wrist, Sevika breathing heavily as she placed it back on her chest wordlessly. She could only give the woman before her a pleading look the councilor wasn't soon to forget, like she couldn't wait any longer, not for the warmth she'd been denied. Shoola let out a small breath to try and calm herself, basking in the warmth of her lithe body against Sevika's broadness. She needed to remind herself that she was still dealing with something delicate, even if the something in question was twice her size.
She looked the woman in the eye and gave only an understanding nod “...Alright, but I'll need you to be very still, you understand?” She asked, soft yet firm as she could, her free hand coming to grip the larger woman's waist in her hold to make good on keeping her hips from moving. Sevika seemed to consider it a moment before nodding, apparently not used to this sort of dynamic, but rather accepting it over another night on her own. Soon Shoola's fingers went under Sevika's tank top, raking softly at the skin of her toned stomach, lifting the fabric up with her movement to free the woman's scarred chest into view. Her fingers delicately treaded each scar with an airy lightness, like a knife against flesh, as long as there lay no sudden movements, it only left a cold shiver in its wake. Sevika struggled against herself not to move, her back instinctively aching to arch into the light touches, her breath shaky as the cool gold would brush against her nipple, just to be soothed by the councilors' soft palm a moment later. She groaned as she felt the fingers slide back down her now shivering stomach, finally dipping between her thighs where she needed it most. She let out a sigh of relief, made more high pitched than she'd like as the councilor pressed her bared self against her to lean in close enough to go back to kissing her neck. She felt her chest breathe against her own, her fresh hand coming to rest at Shoola's waist, marveling at how it could almost fully wrap around it. She was shaken from her thoughts of holding the woman down by the waist as she ate her out within an inch of her life as the golden fingers began to lightly caress her sex, earning a groan from her.
“Spread your legs further” The councilor only whispered against the zaunite's ear, leaving out the part where she'd clarify she needed more room to avoid hurting her, wondering if she'd obey just because she told her to do so. Sevika silently gulped, turning slightly in Shoola's hold so that her back was flat against the bed, thick thighs slowly parting to reveal slickened folds into the moonlight seeping into the room through the window. The councilor smiled at the sight, leaning in onto Sevika's side to place a kiss on her earlobe. “Well done” was softly uttered as the zaunite shivered at the cold metal against the warmth of her cunt, feeling them caress her in a manner so delicate and slow that there was no way they'd dig into her most intimate weakness, but the pointed ends of those fingers kept her on edge regardless. She gasped as the woman's thumb rested on her clit, the gold slowly sliding down so the pointed tip would slightly catch the sensitive in a manner that had her holding her breath, and even as it slid down again to free it from such torment, her entire body stilled as she felt an index finger slide effortlessly in. She felt her thighs quiver as she felt the pointed tip of it brush ever so lightly against her insides, the feeling of danger only accentuated by how calm the councilor was, drawing circles on her waist with her free hand and placing soft kisses to her neck at her side, the dichotomy of gentleness and controlled harshness almost too much to bear.
Shoola could feel the zaunite's breath grow a little too quick to her liking under her hand. She pulled away from her neck, sitting up to look down at Sevika with a comforting smile. “It 's alright. Don't worry, you just need to stay nice and still like you've until now, I won't let anything happen to you” she reassured her gently, another finger joining the one already inside and curling up into her to try and relax her. Sevika sighed as she looked up at Shoola, swallowing before closing her eyes and trying to trust the woman above her to know how to manage her body. The fingers sped up their motions, and she could only lie still and take the pleasure, melting into the bed below her as she felt the metal grind against her insides, how she could feel the metal catch on her outer lips just to slide back in with ease. All this while wet, squelching sounds filled the room, letting the zaunite know she was probably drenching the fingers playing with her in such a manner to an almost shameful degree.
She would've never stood for this, letting somebody be so intrinsically in control of her body, much less someone like the woman beside her. But she felt liberated, somewhat. All responsibility was laying on someone else's shoulders for a change, she only had to lie back and take the pleasure freely offered to her. She opened her eyes only briefly, long enough to see the councilor looking down at her, taking her in at her truest moment, with no facade or act to pull, her soul bared to her in this cold room on a creaky mattress, and offering nothing but the most sincere, loving smile.
It wasn't long before she was climaxing over the councilor's hand, her breath hitching as a small, deep whine escaped her lips. She breathed heavily as she recovered, a sigh of relief at the fingers sliding out, and melting into the soft caressing of her thigh afterwards. She suddenly became aware her throat felt dry as she was offered a glass of water by the councilor, gulping it down in one swig. She was relieved the councilor allowed her to eat her out in return not long after she recovered, reveling in the force grabbing at her hair to drive her further, being able to grasp the lithe woman's waist in her hands as she dived in between her thighs, her very own way of saying ‘thank you’. She felt a bit more like herself afterwards, still, she didn't deny the woman the right to hug her head to her chest as they drifted off to sleep in that very bed, caressing her hair.
It had been the first time in months Sevika had gotten a full night's sleep.