Outside the League of Legends and the Institute of War lies a massive expanse of open territory, leading to Mount Targon in the south, as well as Mogron pass, Noxus to the East, and Demacia to the west. Here, many travelers wander to their destinations, either coming or going to and from the League...
(( Rud, don't bother posting, dude. You don't just say "I CAN RP WITH YOU" and then immediately ditch a person like that. That's not cool. So, instead, I'm RPing with Leona. We can do your thing later. Or maybe after Leona. But not right now. =/ ))
The sun was beginning to drop low in the sky, leaving a few hours between afternoon, evening, and night. it was at this time that Riven found herself on the outskirts of the Institute, having finished her visit with the former High Councilor. She'd learned little that truly helped her, but at least she had some direction...
She sighed and went about making her camp. She'd make camp here for the night, and try to figure out both where and what she wanted to go and do next. many possible paths were laid out, but which could she follow? It was frustrating being so...disconnected from her goals. They all seemed so far off.
Ever Since Ionia, she had tried to make everything better in some way, live her life more fully, and give it meaning. Though her hands were still stained with the sins of her past, and she would likely never forgive herself for them, she was still adamant about trying to atone for them, as well as the sins of her homeland. Sins that Grand General Jericho Swain seemed so keen on continuing... She shook her head as she placed her pack down and stretched.
She'd had a long day, and was simply looking forward to a warm fire, a hot meal, and a good night's sleep, hopefully leaving the torment of her past transgressions buried in her subconscious for a time, to allow her to focus more readily on the present...
Last Edit: Mar 6, 2013 2:00:39 GMT -5 by The Exile
Leona's footsteps were quite against the soft grass of the plains. Coming from Targon, she was heading towards the institute, simply going to take care of trivial champion matters. She looked up at the darkening sky, absentmindedly whispering a short prayer for the setting Sun. Sunlight then channeled into her shield, lighting her way as she walked. The breeze felt nice against her skin, and smile was on her face, all in all, she had had a good day of tending to the Solari.
The Radiant Dawn continued her walk until the shadow of another figure caught her eye, raising her shield, the Sunlight seemed to intensify until Riven's form came into view. Leona then quickened her pace. "Riven!" She called out to her fellow champion, curious as to why the Exile was out here.
Riven turned to face the sound of the voice, blade in hand. She squinted as if looking into the sun, and, in a way, she was. She blinked a few times before setting her blade at her side and looked to the Solari.
"Radiant Dawn..." Riven had no strong opinion of Leona, though their methods and beliefs in some ways were similar. To protect the things one cared most for, and fight for the purpose of protection. She regarded the woman as she neared her small camp. "Strange I would see you here. You're a fair distance from Targon and the Solari Temple."
"I am" Leona replied, lowering her shield when she was mere feet from Riven "I was called to the institute.. taking care of champion things. Minor things, really." The Solari stabbed her sword and shield into the ground, folding her arms across her chest. "What are you doing here? I mean.. I suppose you're a wanderer of sorts.. but you are a far distance away from anything yourself."
The Solari ran a hand through her firey red hair as she awaited Riven's reply.
Riven shrugged. "I was busy taking care of things myself... I had a talk with former High Councilor Relivash." She huffed a laugh. "If you could call it that. Something is wrong with him, and he spoke mainly in riddles and rhymes." She shook her head.
"I was simply settling in for the night, and to figure out where I must go from here."
Leona simply smiled when Riven laughed, it made her happy to see it. Riven wasn't usually in a laughing mood, and even if it wasn't "laughter" so to speak, it was still something. "And what did you have to speak to him about?" Leona replied back, letting her curiosity get the better of her, as she usually didn't bother snooping too deep in people's personal lives.
"And you know, you don't have to stay out here." Leona then said "The Solari temple may not be the lap of luxury, but it's better then the ground."
"I was attempting to gather information about what part Jericho Swain played in Kalamanda." Riven spoke as she went about setting up her camp. She wasn't very good dealing with people in one on one situations. She turned as Leona mentioned her staying at the Solari Temple.
"As strange a concept as it may be, I feel more at home out here than I would at the temple, though I thank you for your kindness..."
Post by radientdawn on Mar 6, 2013 18:23:52 GMT -5
"Swain?" Leona didn't care much for politics, and it showed, as her face was a mask of confusion. "Why would you want information on Swain?" Leona knew little of the Exile... Riven kept to herself, a lot, and never really got close to people. The Solari raised an eyebrow and sighed when Riven declined her offer, she expected as much. "Riven, your type of alienation is... not healthy. You are a strong warrior, no doubt. But I fear for your mental wellness." There was faint concern in Leona's voice as she said this.
Leona then simply shook her head slightly, running a hand through her hair again.
Last Edit: Mar 6, 2013 18:25:49 GMT -5 by radientdawn
"Because I am certain the future he is creating for Noxus is a dark one, and if I am to show him for the corrupt man that he is, I must find proof." Riven sighed, looking to her things on the ground, lost in thought. "Only a few people know what happened in Kalamanda. Relivash was one of them..." She shook her head.
"Unfortunately, what I gathered from him was less than what I would have liked..." Her train of thought was interrupted by Leona's next comment, however, and Riven's amber eyes turned to regard the woman at her side.
"Your concern is unwarranted, Solari. I'm no stranger to being alone, and my mind is no stranger to my thoughts." She looked away and crouched to unpack her bedroll and lay it upon the ground. "I'm fine, really..."
Post by radientdawn on Mar 6, 2013 22:41:27 GMT -5
"No Riven, you're not fine." Leona simply said, furrowing her brows slightly. "Anyone with eyes can see that." Leona sighed "I know what you witnessed in Ionia must have been.. horrible.. and I would hate to meet the person who walked away from that unscathed, but you're not allowing yourself to heal." The Solari sat down on the grass, her legs crossed. "You can't keep these feelings bottled up, or they'll eat you alive from the inside out." Leona's eyes shifted to the ground for a moment. "I learned that lesson the hard way." The Solari then shook her head slightly.
"You will stop at nothing to accomplish your goals, right? Well being alone like this, and letting your past mistakes fester inside you like a virus is not going to help that cause." Leona's features turned soft once more. "Please Riven, let me help you... let somebody help you."
Riven was silent for a while after Leona spoke. The only sounds that passed between the two of them were the faint whisper of the grass under the caress of the breeze, and the far off cry of a hawk as it circled overhead, looking for a meal.
"...I still hear them, you know?" She spoke quietly. "Their screams... I see their faces, the look in their eyes. I see them in my dreams, or hear them when it is quiet." She scoffed. "The people I killed...butchered, for Noxus, the homeland I loved. I remember hands, coated in blood so slick it made holding a weapon all but impossible, and the coppery taint in the air from the pools that were left behind." Riven turned to look at Leona, her eyes unreadable.
"What can you, or anyone, possibly say or do to heal something like that?" Riven was quiet as she let Leona take in the words. "Words will not bring them back... Good intentions will never return my family to me either." She sighed. "People have tried, I have tried... But...there are some wounds that will never heal, Solari. Those people...men, women, children, soldiers on both sides...I am a testament to the sins of that terrible war, and even if people begin to forget, if history cannot remember them, I will." Riven turned her gaze to her blade at her side.
"True forgiveness for my actions, true atonement...is unreachable. But I can still fight for the things I hold dear. I can fight for them, so that one day Runeterra will never have to suffer another scar like Ionia." Her hand idly reached out to the cracked weapon, and traced the runes with a fingertip.
"If I must carry that burden with me for the rest of my life...I could live with that. It isn't just my swing alone that guides the blade, Solari... They are with me, always... For, when I swing my blade, when I fight, I fight not just for my own atonement, but to give their lives meaning, and bring them peace at last..." Riven finished, still glancing at her blade, detailing the contours with her fingers, and eyes taking in every chip in the trusted weapon. She had much still to do. She couldn't let herself lose sight of that to focus on her own insecurities...
Last Edit: Mar 6, 2013 23:41:35 GMT -5 by The Exile
"Riven.." by this time sadness had seeped into Leona's voice, she then stood and placed her hand on the Exiles shoulder, her touch was soft, caring; like the warm rays of the Sun itself upon one's skin. The Solari eyes were a mix of concern, sadness, but most of all, understanding. Leona removed her hand and let it fall freely to her side.
"My friends... on Mount Targon... they are now dead because of me." Leona's voice was void of anything but caring and understanding. "I watched them be slaughtered, and I sat there... I did nothing, I could have stopped it, I could put myself in their place, but I did not. I could have let them fight their own battles, so they that were prepared, but I did not." Leona paused for a moment, the breeze blowing her hair slightly as it whistled through the trees, as if calling out to the two women below.
"Their blood is on my hands. There have been times where I awoke in my sleep, tears staining my eyes. It pains me to know that I could have done something..." The Solari shook her head. "Sometimes I wonder why the Sun chose me... But as my mentor told me, it chose me because I have compassion. And so do you, Riven." Leona said. "Words may not heal the pain, tears may not bring the people back, but you cannot let the pain consume you."
Leona walked around to face the snow-haired woman, her eyes locking with hers. "I am not asking you to forget them, Riven. I have never forgotten, and it has been over a decade." The wind continued to blow through the air, causing the grass to dance beneath them. "I am asking you to rest, for once, lay down your blade and find some sort of peace, for your own sake."
"Believe me.. this is not something you have to carry a lone.." The Solari's words then trailed off into the night sky.. swallowed up by the darkness, and on into the brink of nothingness.
Last Edit: Mar 7, 2013 0:24:27 GMT -5 by radientdawn
"It is my burden to carry, Solari. But with that burden comes my strength. When I feel as if I have nothing left...I think of them, and it grants me the strength to pick myself back up, and keep going." She continued to meet the woman's eyes.
"It pains me greatly, but understand that I can bear this burden alone. Sharing it with someone makes it no lighter, and changes nothing." She sighed. "Your kindness is very gracious, Solari, but I cannot seek a reprieve, not until I've met my goals... I'm sorry."
"I... I see..." Leona replied, letting out a defeated sigh, her gaze shifting the ground for a moment, her heart ached, it yearned to help the Exile, but, Leona could not help those who did not wish to be helped. The Solari warrior then looked back up at Riven, her feelings very expressive on her face. "Well.. can I help you get set up? Or simply provide you companionship for the night? The summoners can wait one more night."
Welcome to Maelstrom, Original Characters, Summoners and Champions alike. We are a divergent setting roleplay forum for the ever-popular MOBA by Riot, League of Legends. This means we are based in Riot canon, but your characters' actions can have a real, lasting impact on the world. Together, the Maelstrom community endeavors to bring the League of Legends setting and characters to life through collaborative storytelling and meaningful development. We welcome you along for the ride.
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