"Ooh! That is soo pretty! Is that an Ionian? Like Daani? This Piltover place seems better than Demacia or Noxus." ~ Briar, The Controlled Hunger
I really do not like the down attack for hornet. But the crests make it so much more better. Reaper seems to be the one I like best.
Now.... a character from Arcane has already been spotted by the group. Any guesses?
Anyway do leave a comment, I love when new readers spam comments in the early chapters feels rewarding. Or a few stones. Or a review. I enjoy the graphs on the data side for this fic go up. Funny little tidbit for you guys, so a few months ago avg reader count was around 90 and now it is around 60. Obviously my erratic upload schedule is to fault for that but it just seemed interesting. Maybe people after stocking up chapters. Or maybe they forgot about it. I myself have quite a few I've forgotten about.
This chapter will be a trend. So keep looking out for chapters in a similar set.
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"Ticket." Said the woman at the end of the queue.
"We need one?" Daani asked.
The woman nodded, "Everyone needs a ticket to take the carriage. It is how we pay for and maintain it. Which is also why it is very minimal. Three gold per person. And nine for a family."
Daisy looked surprised, "Quite cheap."
"Where do we get this ticket?" Rell asked.
The woman pointed to the kiosk at the end of the street. One with a large queue.
"Quite the large queue for that." Briar commented. Standing still was not one of her strengths.
Faye squinted at the woman, "How do you get paid then? If the money from the tickets go to maintenance?"
The woman smiled, "I get paid by the council. Unfortunately it is my duty today to be the ticketmaster."
"HEY!" Someone called from behind them, "What's the hold up?"
"Nothing!" The woman called back, "Just something I need to check."
The murmurs from behind them softened.
"Hey.... one of you could stand in the line here and another over there. So you could just wave your family ticket and get in." She offered. "It is not the greatest solution but people will allow it since you are tourists." She frowned, "You are tourists right? Since you don't know about the tickets...."
"Yes." Gregori nodded, "We are here to explore both the Twin Cities."
"Alright then." She scrunched up her face and pointed to the kiosk.
The group then went to the back of the line while Gregori went to get the tickets alone.
"Do you think they'll consider Briar an adult or a child?" Daani asked.
Briar frowned not liking the joke, "I am older than you."
"Shut up Daani." Sydell spoke, "She will be considered an adult because she is one. Just because she is more free with her emotions does not make her a child."
"Thank you!" Briar smiled, " It seems I have been underestimated."
Daani raised his hands, "I was just joking...."
"Well lets see how your dinner like my joke then." Briar threatened.
Daani paled.
"Told you." Sydell replied.
"She is smarter than you though." Annie spoke up.
Their heads turned.
"She completed every single thing daddy gave her to solve. Even the harder magic questions. She can make and use runes that you guys can't even read." Annie answered.
"When?!" The group turned to Briar.
She shrugged, "When daddy saw me answer one question.... he decided that I could do them all. So I did."
"You knew this?" Faye asked Sydell who seemed unperturbed with this information.
Sydell nodded, "We live in the same house you know.... it is not hard to find that out. And she taught me quite a bit about the subject."
Rell looked shellshocked at this news. She had not expected to be the one underperforming. Briar seemed to be outshining her and everyone else. She made her mind up, her ferromancy needed to be perfect... not just good and she needed to make the runes on her body work a lot better than it was working currently.
Faye didn't mind the revelation too much. She was focusing on all aspects of magic. Runes were just one. Unlike her siblings that focused on only one part of themselves... she was focusing on everything... just to cover any of their shortcomings a little. A reliable support. That was what she had decided to become. Though she did grow impressed at Briar's work.
"Runes?" A man in a white coat stood behind them asked, "Like the ones in Hextech?"
Daisy shrugged, "Don't know what that is."
The man frowned, "You don't know Hextech?" He looked genuinely confused at the fact that they did not know about it.
"Yep." Annie said, popping the P.
"Well... Hextech is a combination of magic and technology... created by Councilman Jayce Talis and his friend Viktor." The man explained, "Almost everything here is now being powered by it. It has changed Piltover a lot in the decade it has been implemented."
"So you put it in everything?" Sydell asked, "Even in weapons?"
"Only recently." He answered. "They were only used in weapons after the attack on the memorial. Councilman Jayce was almost killed and that forced him to make weapons powered by the gems."
"How do they look?" Sydell pushed, "You called them gems right?"
The others didn't speak or interrupt because they understood what Sydell was doing. Gathering information. He didn't speak to people often..... only when he needed something that they had, information or anything else... did he speak.
"Gemstones. Yes." The man nodded, "They are these small round gems that glow a very soft blue.... like the enforcer uniform blue."
Sydell nodded. "And you are a member of the academy?" He was getting better at this. Observing the way his father maneuvered around a conversation and implementing it was showing some real results.
The man gave him a wide smile, "Yes! I am studying the effects of the gemstones on plant life with one of the professors at the Piltover Academy."
"And you are going home for the day?" Sydell asked as he tilted his head in the direction of the carriage.
"Indeed. Zaunite born and bred." The man nodded. "A little difficult to proclaim out loud due to all the attacks."
"I understand." Sydell nodded. "It is alright. We do not think anything less of you."
"Thank you." The man answered, feeling accepted. "What are you guys going to Zaun for?"
"Exploring." Sydell answered, "My family and I are exploring the Twin Cities."
"Ah... not the greatest time to be roaming around Zaun...." The man winced.
"Why?" Sydell asked, "Is something the problem?"
The man looked toward the city under them, "There is. The Chembarons are trying to extend their influence over new areas after the deaths of a couple. Currently there is a lot of friction between the three big ones. Just.... try to stay away from groups of people if you HAVE to explore Zaun. Or otherwise just skip it in its entirety and just stay up top."
"Well our father wants to look for something related to the goddess." Sydell shrugged, "And he believes Zaun has a statue or something similar to that."
"Of Janna?" The man frowned as he fell into thought, "I don't really know.... but if you do want some information regarding that.... you might need to find one of the older Zaunites. Most of us don't really believe in her anymore."
"Why?" Annie finally interrupted.
The man shrugged, "Zaun's fumes are really harsh and if there really was a goddess.... you would think she would help clear the fumes and let our people actually breathe clean air. The very air Piltover gets and takes for granted.
"Oh...." Annie fell silent, though her mind was on something else.
"But I would rather support the Kiramman. The previous Councilwoman Kiramman set up ventilation systems throughout the Twin Cities. It is why we even have some kind of air to breathe. It is why we don't drown in the fumes." The man looked toward the buildings with hope and desire.
"You plan on moving up here permanently?" Sydell asked noticing the man's emotions.
The man nodded. "Even though Zaun is my home.... but I do not think I want to raise a family there. It is just too dangerous. It.. It feels.... umm.... what's the word...." He tried to find the correct word to explain, "Bleak. Yes bleak. You cannot see growth without leaving Zaun. It is just how it is."
Sydell nodded in acceptance.
"Where are you guys from?" The man shifted the topic of the conversation.
"We were born in Noxus." Sydell explained, "But we have been travelling all our lives."
"All of you?" The man asked as he looked over the group.
Sydell nodded, "All of us. Along with our father.... who is on his way right now."
The man turned his head and noticed Gregori walk back, tickets in hand.
"A life on the road huh...." The man tried to imagine it, "I.. don't think that is the life for me."
"It definitely is not for everyone." Sydell nodded, accepting the man's view.
Gregori arrived and held the family ticket in his hand.
"Can I ask you something dad?" Daisy asked.
Gregori turned to her and nodded.
Daisy looked at the ticket in his hand and then his pocket. "You could have shown the coin. Even if they might not allow it..... you could still try right? It has worked all the way till now."
"We do not need to rely on the coin every single time Daisy." Gregori explained. "We can take our time. There is no rush here."