Forge of worlds - League of legends fanfic

Chapter 32 - Gloom

'Alright, if you could choose your own life what would it be?'
Kai'Sa stared to the ceiling as soon as the question where asked. Her lavender eyes that caught every shimmering diamond that dazzled the surface. Though they had planned on going to the bakery to have a casual lunch, a detour had lead them to a building that had such a cosy exterior that she had walked inside to enter one of the few places that did not stick to it's high-tech, mechanical theme. Her eyes had widened when the floor was not made out of metal, marble or rock, it was old, polished wood. Red sofas that curled around tables and simple oil lanterns  that hung from the ceiling. Ezreal was not familiar with the place himself other than the name that had passed him by whenever he took a stroll through the city, since it were new to both of them it had only seemed right to give it a try.
With a piece of bread in her hands she thought of her wishes as a child, a time where she could dream of another universe. She had always wanted to become a traveller guide just like her father, he always told her stories of every corner of Shurima as he were the only man that withstood the void like no other and wore of any kind of threat. She dipped her piece of bread in a small bowl filled with sun dried tomatoes and took a bite before she were sure to answer.
'Alright so, I always wanted to be just like my father when I were just a child,' She paused her sentence when her taste buds tingled from the rich flavour. 'He accompanied merchants and travellers, protected them against anything that could harm them: Assassins, bandits, the void. He would always tell me stories of all the people he guided through the desert and I hoped one day to tag along, but now that I think of it,' With her lips pressed on to another she ripped another small piece of bread to dip it once again. 'When I were a child I got bored so easily because there wasn't much to do, that's why I cut those tethers in the first place. I think if the void never struck Icathia I would have become an explorer just like you.'
Ezreal raised both of his brows, his glass of water that were halfway on his mouth before he tilted his head. 'Really?'
Kai'Sa nodded, with a flick of her hand she threw the piece of bread in her mouth. 'My mother would always tell me how curious I were whenever I saw something new and I never knew my boundaries. My friends often called me the dreamer, there were so many things I could have achieved as a kid.' After she had chewed down her food she slowly grew flustered when she caught Ezreal staring amused in her direction, his head that was supported by his hand. It was strange that after so many months he still paid attention to whatever she said.
'You're talking as if your life is over, while it has only just begun,' Ezreal brushed his knuckles over the back of her hand, taking the bread out of her hand so he too enjoyed some of the sun dried tomatoes. 'Our promise, remember.'
Kai'Sa smiled faintly, her tender fingers brushed a strand of dark hair behind her ears as she nervously  intertwined her fingers when a waiter had arrived with their food. The scent of the damping food had truly given her the feeling she was blessed with yet another new exploration. Her mouth watered at the thought of what it would taste like, when the platter was served right before her her eyes widened at the sight of a potato that were cut open and stuffed with all sorts of vegetables and meat. A dinner like this were not common in Shurima and she savoured the moment to every second. 'Same question for you.' She quickly said before she raised a fork to prick in to the vegetable.
Ezreal did not have to think it through, even if his parents would not have travelled the world he would have gone out to venture it himself. Perhaps he would not have his gauntlet, since Ne'Zuk was not a common story among anyone. 'I doubt my life would have been any different even with my parents being around. It brought me a lot of good memories in life.' When his eyes locked with hers it had almost given her the feeling that she were one of those memories, or so she would like to believe. Resting her chin on the palm of her head she poked into her food, leaving little holes and dents as she were not sure if she were still hungry. Ezreal raised both of his brows and before she could even notice he had sneaked his hand all the way to her plate to steal a fork full with her food. He quickly raised his hands to stuff his mouth with it, but Kai'Sa's had already intercepted it by holding on to his wrists. The pair playfully fought over a small piece of food that scattered almost over the table because of their little wrestle. Both of them looked up as an elderly woman had pressed her index finger against her lips and asked them to be quiet, mumbling quietly how she hated the younger youth. Ezreal and Kai'Sa did their best not to burst out in laughter, once her cranky eyes had finally looked away to continue her conversation with her spouse Ezreal faintly bumped his elbow in her side, gesturing at the elderly couple. With a single word he whispered to her how she had to pay attention. The explorer hunched forward to prick another piece of potato and served it to her with trembling fingers. 'C-Careful dear, it's still warm,' The daughter of the void pressed her hand on her mouth and withheld a giggle, mimicking his every move she played along with his act. He teasingly shook his brows and winked at her. 'Would you like me to take your dentures out so you can gnaw it yourself?'
Kai'Sa tried her best to act like the elderly lady that herd all their goats and trembled the same way as she did. 'Don't worry Sugar, I can do it myself.' She opened her mouth and licked her lips as if they had been dry for hours and this was her last meal before she'd decease. Ezreal fed her slowly, his motions that were as slow and shaky. When the food had finally reached her mouth she gnawed on it, envisioning every chew of the herder when she ate one of the carrots she grew behind her house. The explorer watched for a few second, placing one hand below her jaw and the other resting on her hip, his fingers were gently pushed in her skin as he guided every chew. A chuckle rumbled from her throat as she tried her best to keep on the act, but she ultimately failed when Ezreal had rubbed his hand on her stomach as if she were a kid that had managed to eat her food without persistence. Ezreal held on to her with weakened hands when he too could no longer hold his laughter. If someone would have told her that at some point in her life she would meet a human that made her relive her past and make her laugh at the same time she would not have believed a single word and moved on as if the void were the only life she had to live. Kai'Sa slowly ran out of air after she had laughed for five straight minutes, leaning against him she rested her temple to his and closed her eyes. Nothing in this world could ever explain how grateful she was to live these moments, they were not a part of her dream, or so she hoped at least. Without putting any thought to it she raised her hand to rest it blindly on his cheek, feeling the warmth of his skin spreading from her chilly fingers. 'You're really here.' What she had hoped to be a whisper only her ears could hear, had slowly become a memory that she would cherish with her forever when his fingers intertwined in hers, the tip of his thumb that caressed over the palm of her hand.
'I'm not going anywhere.'

After hours spent trying to eat the same food they had been served at first, their conversations had mainly been about the world itself. Kai'Sa asked numerous questions about Ionia, the Vastaya, the stars and Demacia. Every glimpse he caught of her secretly planning thing in her head after every summarized story of his adventures he could only feel himself growing more fond of her with each minute. A month ago he would have hated himself for letting his guard down and grow multiple weaknesses that formed a single person: Her.
He sometimes panicked to think where everything would go from this point, would they still have to say goodbye from time to time? Would he stay with her after this evening? He even feared that there could be a day that he'd even grow tired of this, even though he could not imagine it in the slightest or in one of his worst nightmares, it still haunted him. Nothing was certain in his life and if he ever got bored of something he went out to another adventure, it was one of the reasons why he never stood all too long in Piltover, because he feared that he too would grow tired of the house his parents had built just to have a place for him to live and grow. All of those thoughts melted like snow before the sun every time her lavender eyes were locked on his, enticing the arrogant kid in him to show up every once in a while when his gloomy mood would take over. He knew that he could not let his fears create another grip on his life that would control him forever, he would not have any time left to live his life to the fullest. Before Lux and anyone else in his life he always thought that love would only be a bother and stop him in his tracks, if only his younger self knew what partner he had found he hoped to spend all his time with looking for new artefacts and lost places, even if she would not be his in the end.
'Ever wondered if your dad is still alive?' Ezreal had asked when his own thoughts had become so negatively sentimental that he had to focus his senses to something else.
Kai'Sa's pace slowed down, a mist had formed in her eyes. While he guided her on their path to his place he occasionally looked down at her to make sure she was alright, since she had been so awfully quiet after his question. 'I would like to believe he is still alive, he wasn't there when Icathia fell to ruins,' Her fingers hooked on her elbow, seemingly upset by the question. 'I know my mother died, her voice was the only one I had not heard once the ground collapsed. I'd rather have her die a quick death than starvation or being slaughtered by the void.'
He often forgot that she were only a child when she lost everything and that was not a figure of speech, she actually lost everything and everyone she loved deeply. 'What do you think your dad did after he saw everything?'
A chuckled rolled over her lips, but it was not out of amusement. It sounded like she exactly knew what he would do, that there could be nothing else. 'My father loved us more than anything in the world, he probably tried to dig us back up. He would find a way to enter the void and if that's true I can only believe he died not even a day strolling in those tunnels or corrupted by them.'
'Have you never tried to look for him?'
Kai'Sa stood still, the moon light shone on her as if it tried to show empathy for her loss and trail of thoughts. 'My father knows the void better than I do, it's almost improbable for him to die to them. I fear that if I look for him it will only end up in a fight. The void only knows hunger, he would try to kill me the moment I'm in his vision.'
A faint gasp sounded from her lips as soon as Ezreal held on to her hand, dragging her back in to reality. He hated to lose himself to thoughts that were only caused because of his fears and insecurities, but he despised it to see the girl he liked so much to fall for it herself. He won't allow that to happen as long as he's around. 'Hey, I would kill to find my parents again, wherever they might be. Once we're back in Shurima we'll go look for him. If he is as you told me to be I doubt he'd harm a single hair on your head.'
A curtain of tears dragged in front of Kai'Sa's eyes, but she did not show a single grain of emotion, it was as if she were confused, not knowing what to do when the time would come. He knew at that point that there was still so much for her to learn and embrace about herself. Ezreal took a few steps back, still facing her. She glanced from the ground and watched him move further and further away from her. With a devious smile brightening his face he raised his brows as a manner to challenge her. 'Last one to reach my place is a loser.'
Her confusion had quickly been replaced by surprise, there was no time for her to spare when Ezreal already ran ahead of her. With a smile driving all the negative thoughts and traumatic nightmares away she clenched her fists and rushed after him.