Fifty

                                    

                                          
Up in Piltover everything seemed different.
The gush of air felt softer, gentler, while the taste of the salty sea water came with it. Unlike down in the Lanes it didn't taste of chemicals nor pollution.
It was just salty.
Never before had you experienced something like this.
Pulling a face, you managed to rise from the bench in the garden of Heimerdinger's courtyard and walked a few steps.
Grass nestled against the soles of your feet.
Grass, something you hadn't known before.
As another breeze danced through the branches of the trees, the leaves trembled and sang a song of nature.
It even smelled of flowers and fruits that were about to bloom.
Taking a deep breath in, you closed your eyes and raised your chin to let the warm rays of the sun kiss your cracked skin.
Your face wasn't the same anymore. It probably would never be the same again either.
Yet, you were alive.
Maybe you even gained more time to find help. Maybe you'd be able to live on.
The breeze chased goosebumps across your body.
Not a single thing in it was the same either. It was painful to move. Every single joint of yours felt like it was rusty and damaged.
But this was a price you were willing to pay for a second chance you didn't deserve.
"A nice life, isn't it?", a sarcastic voice asked.
A cold shiver crawled down your spine.
You refused to open your eyes, yet you couldn't help but pull a face as a reaction to the unwanted guest.
"You should leave.", you said in a cold voice.
Huffing could be heard.
"Come here.", Sevika said, as she leaned against the other side of the fence, face grim. "We had a deal."
With your eyebrows knitted together, you cracked your eyes open a bit and glared at her from the side.
"We do, don't we?", you asked and let your hands slide into one of your pockets.
After Heimerdinger had left you had managed to take a bit of the poro's fur. It wasn't a lot, barley enough to cover the palm of your hand.
But in the end it was more than nothing.
And you knew for a fact that both Sevika and Silco would have done a lot to get their hands on a single strand of the fur.
Slowly, you managed to walk over to where she stood, but kept your distance and leaned against a tree instead.
The shadows and the trunk gave you a bit of cover. Thankfully, no one who could see Sevika was around.
She would have been as noticeable as a drop of blood in freshly fallen snow.
Sevika greeted you with a smug smirk, arms crossed.
"You look well taken care of.", she noted while glancing you up and down. "Like a pet."
You pulled a face.
"I would rather be a well fed pet than spent one more day digging in the mud to survive.", you snarled and pulled out two small pieces of white fur to show it to her. "This is what you want."
Interested, her eyes widened and she tilted her head.
The expression on her face shifted, a greedy shimmer lit up inside her eyes.
"This is... what is this?", her hand tried to reach through the gaps in the fence but you pulled away.
There was no way she would try to climb to the other side.
As a founding member, Heimerdinger lived in a neighbourhood that was well secured by the constant presence of the highest ranks of enforcers.
They didn't just carry gadgets but also guns and heavy armour.
As a child of Zaun, you had seen those kinds of enforcers before. They were used for active war against protesters.
No matter how much of a giant Sevika was even she would struggle to resist those kinds of forces. And she was smart enough to know that herself.
So she remained standing on the other side.
That didn't keep her from gifting you a glance at her bare teeth though.
"It's the fur of a poro.", you said and twisted the small strands of white between the tips of your fingers. "Very valuable. Heimerdinger's most priced possession. I wonder... what Silco would need this for."
Her eyes wandered over your face.
"You took the shimmer."
Your lips flinched.
"I did. And I wasn't pleased."
She pulled a face, both sarcastic and annoyed.
"Don't blame me.", Sevika huffed. "I told you it comes with a price."
"It almost killed me."
"Well, it's a prototype after all."
A tsk escaped you.
Aching pain wrapped around your lungs.
For a moment, your body tensed. You had to press the palm of your hand against your chest to keep from coughing.
"It's stupid to put my life at risk even though I'm the only one who could get what you wanted.", you pulled out the rest of the poro fur. "Do not come here again. Leave me alone."
With a gaze as grim as night, you reached out to offer her what she desired so much.
For a moment, she stared at your hand. She didn't trust you a single bit.
But that didn't matter. After all, you didn't trust her either.
"Take it.", you said in a warning voice. "Or I'll change my mind."
You wanted to pull back.
Immediately, she snapped forward to snatch the fur from your hand.
"Thanks I guess.", she said and pulled the hood back over her head. "I wish you a long life. As a pet."
Rolling your eyes, you turned away to make her leave faster.
Steps reached your ears.
The next time you glanced over your shoulder, she was gone.
"Good...", you mumbled to yourself and walked back into the sun.
Your legs felt weak again.
With a sigh, you leaned against the trunk and let the warm rays of sun kiss your face.
"My love.", a voice suddenly called out.
You smiled.
"Viktor.", in a gentle manner, you wrapped your arms around his neck and kissed him. "How does it feel?"
Smirking, he raised an eyebrow.
"How does what feel?"
"Getting what you deserve. Heimerdinger's apprentice."
A chuckle escaped him.
"Your boyfriend.", he kissed you, so softly and longing that it made your heart skip a beat. "This time I'll make things right. You'll live. I'll make sure of that, my love. I love you."