A Piltover Academy Student in Demacia (Lux/Jinx)

Chapter 1: Complications

!! THIS STORY DOESN'T BELONG TO ME, IT WAS WRITTEN BY @NatDammit ON AO3 !!https://archiveofourown.org/users/NatDammit/pseuds/NatDammit

https://archiveofourown.org/works/37735795/chapters/94211659

Powder flopped down onto the large, comfortable bed in the room that had been prepared for her. She barely remembered being introduced to Lord and Lady Buvelle, could only vaguely recall being led to her room by one of their daughters; the previous hour had been far too shocking for her brain to be expected to continue working properly. She stared at the ceiling, thinking about what had happened...

"Just remember, we're here to work, not for a vacation," Jayce said, in that incredibly obnoxious 'I'm-the-only-voice-of-reason-around-here' tone he so very much seemed to enjoy. "We can take some time today to unwind, but we need to stay focused and not get distracted by personal interests." His eyes darted towards her, just like they had every single time he'd brought it up on the ship (which had been annoyingly often).

"I told you, she lives in an entirely different city up north," Powder replied, shaking her head, forcing herself to remain civil; no sense in starting the project on a bad note. "Besides, it doesn't matter anyways, all that stuff is ancient history; that ship has long since..."

And then, as if the universe had been setting up her entire life around this one cosmic prank, Lux had turned the corner into the hallway. Because of course she was in Demacia City, instead of hundreds of miles away; of course Powder had run into her immediately, tired and ragged after a long journey; and of course Jayce and Viktor had been right there to see the whole scene. They'd each hurried off without so much as a passing greeting, but the damage had already been done; Powder had been forced to endure a long, unfairly accusatory speech from Jayce, one that escalated into an argument that lasted until they finally exchanged quick apologies before heading their separate ways (Jayce and Viktor were being given room and board by House Laurent).

She felt her face flush with embarrassment and frustration at the memory; she wanted to yell, hit the wall, perhaps throw a few things across the room, and then wrap it all up with a good old-fashioned crying breakdown. But she wasn't back home in the comfort of the Last Drop, or even in her room at the academy; she was in a strange land, surrounded by strange people, and her every action was almost certainly being scrutinized and judged. She was a representative of Hextech, of the small partnership that Jayce and Viktor had invited her into, and of the entire city of Piltover.

"Shit," she whispered to herself, covering her eyes with her hands. "I should've stayed home."

There was a soft knock. Powder sat up, staring at the blue-haired young woman standing in the doorway (kicking herself as she realized she had failed to close the door in her daze). The woman appeared roughly Vi's age, though she carried herself with a grace and delicacy that even Caitlyn would've struggled to match. She smiled and gave a nod, but said nothing.