Nerimazeth (Ezreal X FemaleCharacter, (LoA))

--- ☀ The Gauntlet of Ne'Zuk ☀ ---

"One moment!" I yell in response to a knock on my bedroom door.I had just finished settling down for the night and already had my bed clothes on. I grab my cloak and throw it over my shoulders, pulling it closed in the front to cover myself up.

I'm a little reluctant to open the door to the hallway. The storm had settled a little under an hour ago and I've had my window open since to air it out. I hope the tavern keeper has opened the other windows in the establishment. I really don't want to experience that awful smell again.

"Yes? Hello?" I open the door a crack to see who it could be. It wasn't a voice I recognized.

"Oh, hi. I'm sorry to bother you. Maybe I got the wrong room... He said the first room on the right didn't he?" The stranger mumbles the last part to himself.

"Who are you looking for?" I take a better look at the person outside. It's a young man with fluffy, light blond, almost-gold hair and bright, lively blue eyes. There are also faint blue triangle markings on his cheeks.

"Zeelo said there was an 'Akeda' staying here who helped patch me up earlier..." The man, only about a palm length taller than myself, makes eye contact with me. "But it's not like I was that badly hurt! You know, because I'm quite an experienced explorer, I totally know who to take care of myself!"

"Oh, it's you."

He seems to notice me clutching the front of my cloak together."Sor-sorry to interrupt you, you must have been in the middle of... stuff. I'll just come back tomorrow morning to thank him." He turns red and starts avoiding my eyes.

"What are you talking about? I'm Akeda... Moreover, you were in really bad shape earlier, don't even try to hide it."

"What?! You're Akeda?!"

"Yeah, I almost didn't recognize you either with a shirt on and not all sliced up. I didn't know your hair was so light." He cleans up quite nicely.

"Bu-but, your voice. It's so much softer than what I heard before."

"Yeah... I didn't enjoy that either... But! That's what trekking through a surprise sandstorm for 3 hours will do to a person's throat." Embarrassingly, I had made a wrong turn (due to lack of visibility, obviously) and ended up walking the long way around a large sand dune from Uzeris to the tavern. My water supply ended up mixed with more sand than what suits my tastes, relatively early on in my journey. "But I'm more or less back to normal now."

"I'm sorry, no pretty girl should ever have to see me like that. But thank you."

I try to stop my eye from twitching when he calls me a pretty girl. Normally, it should be a compliment, but it sounds somewhat irritating coming from him. "I've seen my fair share of curses and infections. You're just lucky I arrived as early as I did, else you would have been a goner!"

"Are you a travelling doctor by chance?"

"Huh?" It takes me a second to register the question even though it's not the first time I've been asked that. "Oh, no. I'm just a solo traveller that plans ahead."

"Really? Me too!" The blond says with child-like excitement before coughing and trying to compose himself. "Ahem. I mean, I am also a solo adventurer who likes to plan ahead, yeah."

"You don't say..." I'm not convinced.

"I've been on a bunch of expeditions! I have recovered many historical artifacts that I've donated to museums in Piltover or sold for a generously discounted price. I'd like to say that I'm pretty successful as an explorer and that I'm pretty experienced in the profession... As well as in other areas obviously... if you know what I mean." He tries leaning on the door frame and smirks.