Away from the Chaos (Open)

Some fool would come, indeed. 

In form of Orianna, a fellow league champion. This place, the gardens of the Institute, were a place she visited, from time to time. 

The automaton lady did not feel anything, when passing through here. She couldn't feel the gentle breeze caressing her skin, could not enjoy the fresh air, or the marvelous little cacophony of life brimming around her. She was foreign, a foreign object. A metal piece stuck within living tissue. And yet she kept coming here. Living people enjoyed this place, and that mean she must too, somehow. 

So, Orianna kept coming. But rarely did she find company here. People avoided her, if they could. She felt like being surrounded by a repelling field, that kept the people away. Even small critters and bugs, that lived here, scattered, as she passed by, her metallic feet clanking against the stones. They were frightened by her - the ticking sounds coming from the inside, smell of steel and oil. Even to them, Orianna was foreign. I wonder if I should feel sad about it. People feel sad, when they are avoided.

However, that thought was disconnected emotionally. It was a cold contemplation on what to do. It was interrupted, however, when the metal girl spotted a presence around. A familiar presence. At first it was just the sound, the sound of a breather mask, of sorts... But as she got closer, she was able to recognize who it belonged to. Orianna's memory was perfect, like that of a machine - she never forgot anything. And she could tell who was making such sounds...

- Hello Kassadin. 

Her voice rang out eerily, as the Void Walker came into view. Orianna's relation with him was like with most other champions. She met them on fields of justice, fighting with, or against them. She saw them die many times. One would not agree it to be the best way to know someone, but for Orianna, that was the deepest she could get to know a person. Mostly because she'd never see or talk to them otherwise... So each opportunity was cherished, like this one.

- How are you doing today? Would you mind my presence? 

Orianna would stay a few paces away, head bobbing and twitching a bit, as she waited for an answer. 

- I am here to enjoy fresh air, warm sun and singing of birds. Orianna enjoyed such walks.

The automaton suddenly spoke of herself in third person, tilting her head, and turning her unblinking, glowing gaze towards Kassadin once more. He too, seemed to be foreign to this world. His helmet was frightening, tubes and odd color of skin made the man look outlandish. He no longer fit here. After being touched by the Void, nothing remained the same. However, it did not unsettle Orianna. The machine knew no fear, no notion of discomfort. Which allowed her to boldly approach any being, no matter how terrible it is. 

Orianna's mouth curled in a facsimile of a smile, as she made a few steps closer. Her smile was a bit too wide for comfort, however. Still, it was as honest as she was able to make it. Kassadin didn't seem to have minded her presence, otherwise, she figured, he would've sent her away, or left on his own, which meant she was clear to approach. Sound of mechanisms in motions would become louder the closer the mechanical maiden was, until she stood right next to the Void Walker.

- Why are you here, Kassadin? Are you here for the nature? Are you waiting for a friend?

If the mystery man even had any.

- I am also here to approach other living things. I wish to make friends. 

The automaton's voice tone remained as neutral and fakely cheery as it usually was, however it had a slight reverberating tone to it, a tremble. Which stood for a tint of melancholy. Orianna's head began turning then, to the right. It did so, slowly, eventually reaching a turn degree uncomfortable for a normal human, and easily beyond, making a full 360 degree turn. Her eyes kept darting left and right, as if trying to find somebody. And soon, there was a noise in the bush. Chirping sounds of electricity, and branches being torn. The next moment the nearest bush shattered into broken leaves and sticks, a round metallic object flying towards the two at great speeds, before ending up in Orianna's arms, bashing into her metallic chest lightly. It was the Ball. She giggled in its presence, and petted its metallic surface, before returning to talking to Kassadin.

- I am not having luck. Whenever I come, people leave. They stare and point. Some are like you - annoyed and dismissive. But it's ok. The Ball likes me. - with that, she hugged the Ball tighter, and it let out a happy-sounding electrical chirp in return. Orianna then let it go, and the construct, which was her dreaded weapon, just floated in midair, around her, slowly. The automaton then stared back at Kassadin again, with her unblinking gaze.

- What about you?

- A friend? 

Orianna's head twitched in curiosity, as she listened to the Void Walker speak of his friend. The way he acted was peculiar. The automaton often met such a scene in many books which she had read - usually people acted like this when speaking of someone that had been lost, long ago. 'Sent away' likely meant a departure of great length, the distance separating the two so much they could be considered dead, gone.

- What happened to that friend? Why was she sent away? - Orianna inquired, and waited for a bit, musing, as she expected an answer of some sort. Thinking and comparing the reclusive Kassadin to other creatures affiliated with the Void, which she knew of.

- You could find other friends. Malzahar has many friends, he's surrounded by a group of followers every time I see him. You are much alike. - the automaton stated, a rather innocent ring to her voice. She wasn't knowledgeable of the feud between the two Void-touched beings, and they did seem similar to her. The only difference being one of them was more 'touched' than the other. 

- You both use the purple magical energy, that brings silence and cold. Your voices are strange and distorted. Your titles have the 'Void' word in it...

Orianna already started listing similarities between the two champions, before Kassadin told her to stop. Despite the void champions' bitter enmity between one another, the automaton did not feel that way towards either of them. Both Malzahar and Kassadin were fun to play with ... or against, on the Fields of Justice. 

Her words ended abruptly, as soon as the request not to was voiced. As if one had pushed the button that stopped a recorder from playing. She just stared at Kassadin, in this awkward moment of silence, before speaking out again. Another question, one of many that she would pester the Void walker with, until he gets annoyed and sends her away.

- Why do you not like the Prophet?

- My ... creator?

Orianna seemed a bit baffled, when the Void Walker skillfully changed the subject towards the automaton herself. Although, she didn't understand at first who he was referring to. It took her several moments of searching through memory before making a corollary to who the people preferred to name exclusively as 'creator', as opposed to other titles. The automaton used a different word for the man.

- My father is named Corin Reveck, he owns a clockwork shop in Piltover. I love him very much. - she stated, her tone even and neutral, even as she pronounced the word 'love'. She smiled, showing that almost perfect facsimile of a smile once again, the one that nobody believer for real. The Ball let out happy chirps, upon the mentioning of the man, conveying more emotion than the more sentient automaton every did.

- He loves me very much too, and is always happy to see me. He is like the Ball... - Orianna drew an odd comparison, reaching out to hug her companion again. - Only human. 

Orianna often compared things and people to both her father, and the Ball. They were her two anchors in this world. Her only ones. 

- The Ball?

Orianna reiterated after Kassadin, and the spherical construct let out an excited chirp. The automaton's hand kept stroking the cold, hard surface, as if it were her pet, and gave it a bit of thought, before answering:

- The Ball is my only friend. It likes me and I like him. Father made the Ball for me to keep me safe. He also helps me kill things. It is fun.

The tone of the automaton changed slightly. Her words about her spherical weapon did not differ all too much from what she said about her father. But, this time it felt warmer, more sincere, somehow. Perhaps it was a more successful imitation of how a normal human would say such things, but it was still far from perfect. 

Suddenly, Orianna had released the Ball. Her joints bent outwardly, at an unnatural angle, as she reached at the key on her back, and began twisting and turning it in one direction, winding herself up. The key moved slowly, and heavily, with a distinct metallic screech. And when she was done, the ticking of her mechanical heart became louder. Enough to hear it beating within her steel chest. Her distorted body slowly returned to its normal, human-like posture.

- I like answering questions. - she chirped, forming a static smile. - It is fun. What else would you want to know?