A Search Through Runeterra (Arcane)

"I may be outnumbered, but not even the odds can stand against me!"~Xin Zhao, the Seneschal of Demacia

I haven't seen the new superman movie yet but I am pretty sure I will like it. The current movie scene is a lot of hyper violence and dark and gritty stories. This would be nice.

And with a new movie we get new superman fics. Lets hope they are less kill everyone while having a harem and more just being an unconditional good guy.

I wanted to come up with names and I realized something. Just use name from esports players and the like. It might be fun easter eggs for people in the know.

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"Where are we going daddy?" Daisy asked.

Gregori looked at Eileen, "Your aunt's home."

"Really?"

He nodded, then turned to Willa, "Will you be able to cook something when we get there?"

"There are quite a lot of ingredients there for cooking." Eileen spoke as she led them through the streets.

Gregori noticed quite a few eyes on them as they walked past.

None of them were in a good state.

The children, Eileen and Willa were blood covered. Gregori looked like a homeless man with torn clothes. The two beasts that followed looked like the predators they actually were.

People stepped away as they walked. They gave way to the people who looked dangerous. 

Sighing, Gregori asked Eileen, "Do you have servants at your place?"

"Of course!" Eileen answered, "I am a noble. I cannot be living without a few servants at least. It is both expected and required." She turned her head slightly, "Why do you ask?"

He pointed toward the children then at her and then at himself. "Have you seen the state of us? We need fresh clothes as well as a shower to wash the blood off of us."

"Oh yeah..." She finally noticed the attention on them. She had generally ignored the entirety of the looks they were getting. She was a noble woman. People tended to stare. And in worse cases, when she returned in her full armor, people definitely stared. The attention was nothing new to her. Though this particular kind was.... new.

"I'll have them get us all new clothes." She said as she continued on forward.

Close to an hour later they had arrived at the place.

"I know its not the most fancy place.... but it should suit your needs." Eileen stated as she walked into the home.

The home given to them by the Crownguards paled in comparison to this. This was at least twice as big with a bigger garden and a large statue in the center. A statue of a badger. Accents of gold ran through the pure white statue.

"Petricite." Eileen said as she pointed at that, "Don't touch it." She chuckled, "Worse.... don't break it."

"Impressive statue." Gregori commented.

Eileen beamed. "Thanks. Got it gifted to me by the Durands when I saved one of them from the maw of a dragon. Wanted to research one up close for their statue. Barely survived that. Though they are still trying to complete that particular statue."

Gregori turned to her in surprise, "Does it move?"

"Move?" Eileen looked baffled. "Its a statue."

"Galio's statue moved." Gregori stated, "Fought as well."

"That was true?" Eileen asked.

Gregori nodded.

Realization flashed in her eyes as she spoke, "That must be why they had been running around so excitedly when you were imprisoned." She tapped her chin. "A moving statue....."

"A talking one too."

Her head shot toward him, "Talking? It is sentient?"

Gregori nodded.

"Do you think it remembers things?" Eileen asked, "When it was still?"

Gregori frowned, "Why? What did you do?"

"Poured the finest ale on it and tried to light it on fire." Eileen answered bashfully.

"Intoxicated?" Came the follow up question.

Eileen nodded, "Fun times."

"Young lady!" Willa reprimanded, "That is not how someone of your stature should behave. That too in public!"

Eileen smiled sheepishly. "It was fun though."

"Was it six years ago?" Willa asked while frowning.

"Yeah." Eileen nodded.

Willa gasped, "That was why people stopped asking for your hand in marriage. Your actions weren't unknown! What about your prospects now?!"

Eileen shrugged, "Though it wasn't planned.... it was worth it. Who wants to marry a wild woman like me? Keeps the idiots away while I get to actually live my life. Why do you think I have this home? Alain is the only one who still stay with our parents. Not independent at all. Or rather at this point.... they are dependent on him."

"Lady Spiritmight." A servant opened the doors. Though Gregori could see his hands shaking from fear at their blood soaked selves and the terrifying beasts.

Eileen smiled and placed a hand on the man's shoulder, "Its fine Marcus. We were just attacked. We lived."

Marcus winced, more out of the fact that she had just placed a bloody hand on his shoulder. She wouldn't care about it but these were his clothes. He was about to say something but then he caught of the beasts once again and just nodded.

"And don't worry about the beasts." Eileen spoke as she entered the home. "They are harmless."

Willa snorted at the comment.

"They are!" Daisy reinforced as she skipped in alongside Annie.

Gregori gave the man a nod and walked in. Sydell, observing his father did the exact same. Observing the two of them, Daani decided to walk in without saying or doing anything.

Rell and Faye just walked in ignoring the man and Briar gave him a smile and a wave, "Hi!"

"Um.. hello?"

Soon he was left alone staring at their backs.

GRRR

Ah.

He wasn't alone.

Slowly, he turned back and faced the two beasts. His hands and legs began to tremble.

The two beasts looked at him for a while, then lost interest and then just laid on the grass.

"Oh Marcus! Can you have the beasts washed?" Eileen called out from the front.

She had posed it as a question..... but it wasn't one.

When a noble asked such a question..... it was only a question in name. Instead it was an order. Just given politely.

He didn't reply to it.

He couldn't.

"Elly!" Eileen's voice echoed once more as the doors began to close, "Run a bath please! And get us all clothes!"

That night, Gregori sat with his children in the garden outside the home. In his hands, were Briar's bandages.

He was making a new set for her.

"Briar?" He asked as a thought occurred to him.

She turned to him with a tilt of her head and looked at him questioningly.

"Can you transform back?" 

It seemed possible. If she had control over her transformation and still resembled a human when compared to her previous look. It might be completely viable to expect her to be able to transform.

She looked at him in thought before she frowned and shut her eyes.

Gregori watched her try and he encouraged, "Imagine how you felt before transforming. How your body was.... how you want your body to be. Then slowly imagine your body changing back. Your magic should do the rest."

Briar tried long and hard.

But there was no change.

Her face fell.

Gregori brought her into a hug. He liked it these days. Physical contact. Displays of love through hugs and kisses.

It made him feel better.

And it definitely made them feel better.

Briar tightened the hug. "Am I going to be stuck like this?"

Gregori pulled away from her and plopped her down on the ground. "We still have this Briar." He held up the new set of bandages. "See."

She looked at them and slowly nodded.

Though he caught sight of her sideways looks at her siblings. More specifically at their arms and legs.

They were bare.

And hers were always going to be wrapped in those bandages.

"You are getting a hand on this Briar." Caalyx spoke from the side. "The bandages are helping control your magic. Eventually you should be able to be completely free of them and any worry of looking different."

Gregori nodded, "He is correct you know. This transformation is different from your previous state." He pointed at her face, "Your eyes are still normal. Your body is still proportional. Legs are fine. You are fine. These...." He pointed to her claws and elbows, "They are new..... but also temporary. You have seen my own horns and claws. They go away. Yours will too."

"But its not the same." Briar protested.

Gregori shook his head, "It is. Both are a result of blood magic."

"But-"

Gregori grabbed her hand and began wrapping it, "Relax little thorn. We are here for you. We will always be there for you. I will always be there."

As he wrapped her arms, the magic in them slowly began to recede. The sharp appendages on her elbows began to mend back into her and her claws changed back into her own hands. He then lifted her legs up and did the same to them. Finally, with a small amount of leftover bandage, he wrapped it around her neck. Her hair that was blood red began to shift, changing hue to pink and then back to white.

"Hey!" Daisy pointed at Briar. "She gets both mine and Annie's hair colors."

A smile spread out on Briar's face.