Once Upon A Flight

I

When you are born into nobility there isn't much of a choice in the friends you make. Usually they "oh so happen" to be the children of other important people that you are meant to build a relationship with as the years go by; one of either indifference or slight annoyance embedded in few common grounds to open opportunities for eventual deals of mutual benefit. But future lord Ezreal Greenbriar has always been a contrarian who preferred mischief over the court norms. So of course the person he was meant to have a neutral relationship with became his most dearest friend.

As a child he cared not for etiquette and other expectations, and to be honest he still doesn't. He'd rather climb trees instead of simply flying in between branches, and dirtying his clothes in the forest mud while looking for shiny beetles, thank you very much. Having this in mind, it was clear that young master Ezreal didn't have any positive prospect over receiving a "partner to practice good manners" as they were to be obligated to put up with each other. He had no say on the matter, but had already caused too much trouble by accidentally breaking one of his uncle's prestigious vases, so the youngster promised he'd at least try to cooperate. Not exactly to have any effort, but would indeed try.

"So happy you could come" The faerie boy bursts out in the most polite way he manages, yet it is very noticeable how annoyed he is over spending the next hour in this situation.

He was too old for playdates, but this was exactly what the whole ordeal was. And it bothered him slightly how the girl in front of himself was taller than him already. Only by a few centimeters, but still noticeable to his keen eyes.

"And I'm so happy to be here!" The girl replies in an impeccable manner, but Ezreal catches the discreet glint of a shared annoyance that she definitely knew best how to hide from the grownups.

Seraphine Xingguang was a prime example of what a "proper lady" should probably look like, as she was standing in front of Ezreal with a perfect posture in an eye-catching tiger lily dress and green hair being perfectly tied into a high ponytail. Her smile wasn't too wide, nor too faint. It was perfect, too perfect. Practiced, Ezreal noticed, and those small cracks into her porcelain facade made the boy tilt his head to the side in curiosity. Seraphine noticed that as well, and the shift on her head position was more discreet than her new companion's. Both trading an amused look before their attentions were caught by Ezreal's father, the Lord of Summer, guiding them both to one of the study rooms where they were supposed to stay.

And thus the hour began to be counted, as the hourglass had been turned upside down and the rose quartz sand started to drop second by second to the empty half. Ezreal frowned even deeper once the doors were closed and he was to be left alone with Seraphine, taking a deep sigh as he moved towards her direction.

"Well, where do we-" But the faerie interrupted himself once he noticed Seraphine wasn't standing behind him as he thought, having to take a look around to see the girl already opening one of the curved windows to escape.

Ezreal stared at the scene indignantly. Oh so she could just run away as she pleased while he couldn't? Ezreal didn't think so, as he leaped and spread his wings to fly towards the girl, resting his hands on the window stool while Seraphine already was with her left knee bent on the other side of it.

"I thought you were a lady?" Ezreal questioned while he implicitly demanded an explanation, having it in the form of how Seraphine ironically shrugged while batting her eyelashes.

"And I am. A lady knows when to hide her true feelings so she can act out behind the others backs" She explained as if it were obvious, now understanding very well why Ezreal had such a reputation for getting in trouble "It would be easier for you if you didn't have 'troublemaker' written all over your face, milord"