The Assistant (Closed)

Ethan had heard the Brackern coming long before he had placed a single claw upon the door, though still he waited for the Vanguard to finish knocking before he opened the door. His entirely impassive expression was directed downwards at the beast whose eyes only barely came up to his waist. Thankfully, the door opened inward, Ethan reflected, taking a few steps back to stop the noble creature craning his neck unnecessarily.

"Greetings, Crystal Vanguard. Shall we take a walk? I suspect we have something of import to discuss." Ethan politely asked, nodding down the hallways as he did so. He didn't feel as though he needed an answer to begin collecting his usual supplies. Pen, paper, a small bundle of paperwork in case he was called away to do something else.

With that in his possession, he stepped out through the door and tapped the first lock with his hextech key, casting a spell upon the door to lock it a second time before fishing out a mechanical key as well and locking the door a third time. The keys vanished into Ethan's robes as he held out a hand to the Brackern, motioning down the hall. "Now, what is it you'd like to talk about, Vanguard?" Ethan asked, respect very obvious in his voice. He had always been a fan of Skarner, summoning him back when that was something he found himself with the time to do. His wisdom was always an inspiration, during his years as a bronze and silver summoner.

Ethan walked and listened at once, steps falling ahead of the crystal behemoth's own, though less frequently. A wave of his hand chose a direction for them to head in, toward the back of the building. Luckily, the Brackern was long-winded, so they were already most of the way to the place Ethan had wanted to bring Skarner.

"As much as I would love to volunteer myself for such a position, I cannot. I am a very busy man, however..." Ethan began, sauntering ahead of Skarner to push open the massive double doors that lead to the Gardens. They were largely natural, cultivated only insofar as to place a few of the more beautiful, exotic specimens from around the world here. It was tended to by the summoners, though there was no particular schedule that kept them in line. Many of them did so of their own accord, in their down time, as so many of them used the gardens to relax when not swamped.

More importantly, it was huge, like most of the Institute was, lit by individual floating stones that glowed in a soft blue. More than enough room to converse with such a large creature in peace, as well as being less likely to have swarms of people to stare at the mobile gemstone. "I can have an aide prepared for you, if you would like it. Perhaps they will be able to aid you in understanding human culture better. In fact, I believe I already have someone in mind for the position."

As they entered a small clearing, Ethan sat down in the midst of tall grasses and wildflowers, his blonde hair barely showing through the greenery as his eyes closed. He spoke anyway, despite his almost meditative state. "I trust you would not object to such an arrangement?"

"I will be sure that you two speak beforehand. I would not simply assign you someone without giving you a chance to acquaint yourself." Ethan said, giving the tiniest of nods. He had always loved the gardens, known to spend countless hours in his earlier, less busy years in quiet, contemplative meditation. Of course, he could not bring himself to try tending the flowers, his thumb a metaphorical black to the required green that seemed all but necessary for the task.

"What was it you wished to speak about, Vanguard?" He finished, opening one eye to meet the impressive creature's gaze, a respectful and relaxed smile covering his features.

"Skarner, there has been almost no spare time where our organization has not worked to clean the world we know." Ethan explained, giving the brackern a knowing look. "Recently, we have been very busy. The Void's incursions into the Freljord, our own compromised security and Noxus leaving our fold, each of these events have sent all of our summoners into a frantic state, attempting to solve each of these issues."

His brow furrowed and his gaze dropped to the ground, pausing a moment to think about the breadth of the events that had taken place, as far back as the freeing of the imprisoned champions. Despicable, certainly, but even the League was not infallible.

"With that said, however, we are completely aware of the dangers of Rune Magic. Its use threatens more than your race, more than simply the way of life you had. It threatens Runeterra itself. It will not simply send your race under the ground, it will tear the world apart at the seams." Ethan looked back up to the hulking, animate crystal and spoke with conviction.

"We are here to help you. We hope that you too are here to help us. You, and by extension, your kind, know things about our world that we could never understand on such an elemental level. Help us help you, Skarner."

Ethan's posture loosened slightly, a look of both confusion and thought flashing across his face before departing. He could understand the brackern's plight, their goals had been considerably wide-spread since Skarner's induction to their ranks. Still, he had always thought Skarner to be at least a little bit older than most. Older, wiser, and much more immune to the flow of time than humans, most of whom were relatively short-lived. Ethan let out the tiniest of sighs.

"Skarner, it has been many years since you and your kind were driven under the earth. I will not ask for your trust, as much as I wish to have it. You are, to a degree, correct, however. Humans have been known to be terribly cruel, selfish to a degree that confuses and amazes me..." Ethan began, raising his hand and giving a flick of his wrist, a shimmering golden orb encompassing the brackern, a very common summoner spell, Barrier, the only summoner spell that Ethan had ever truly liked. "We do not allow Rune Magic anymore. This, this type of magic, this is what we allow." The magic faded as Ethan's hand closed once more.

"I sense that, despite having been awakened for some time, you have seen so little done for you and for your race. I implore you, please, understand that this is not done to undercut the significance of your kind or your noble goal. There are some humans that still to this day, wish for nothing but their own gain, and truly I cannot say they will ever not exist, for I do not possess that knowledge. Humans are volatile, and despite the fact that I am one... I cannot even come near the claim of understanding all of them." Ethan chuckled softly and looked out to a nearby patch of delicate sky colored flowers. "But we are not all that way. I wish to help you, truly, but I have many, many obligations."

"No one is more aware of the situation surrounding your race's exodus and I can think of no one better than you to offer information into what precisely caused you to awaken, as well as what made your kind sink initially." Ethan furrowed his brow and then alighted immediately, snapping his fingers. "I think... I think I've just come up with an idea. But it will take some time. It is... Complex magic, and I am not even certain if it will function as I think it may."

"And that's certainly something we'll be keeping track of, Vanguard. Your people are old and wise, the Institute would be foolish to risk their well-being, when it's possible they could have the knowledge and experience to remedy this wounded world..." Ethan mused, giving a tiny smile as his fingers passed through the grass at his feet.

"Tomorrow, when the sun is at its highest point in the sky, would you mind returning here? I would fetch your assistant now but I find myself shorter and shorter on time recently." Ethan said, his gaze once more locking with Skarner's before he continued. "When I have more details on the procedure between you and I, I will be certain to send you word. Is this acceptable?"