[IC] Before the Dark - A Star Guardian Tale

[KatKook]

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"Let's get this party started!"

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Location: Valoran Academy, Song Residential Home.

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Ahri raised her brow, and looked back at the cafeteria, seeing the table they were sat at earlier still empty. Ahri's ears raised up as she bounced in place. "You guys haven't eaten yet? Don't get the cheese pasta, it's like cold pasta with milk, trust me you don't want to eat that." Said Ahri with a laugh.

Time jumps to later at seven, her father was out of town, and she was setting up the house so nothing gets destroyed. She then heard a knock on the door, and it was no surprise that the first person to arrive was Sarah, though right beside her was Neeko since she didn't know where she was going. "You practically live here, don't you." Sarah then just walked in with no warning and dropped a paper bag in Ahri's hands, "Popcorn?" Ahri asked, Sarah was already walking towards Ahri's room. "You know it, I'll be in your room." Sarah said, she had already taken off her shoes before entering the main part of the house. "Don't touch the-" Sarah had already cut her off, "The photo, I know I know." Ahri then turned back to Neeko, "Neeko got colourful bubble drinks!" She exclaimed, holding up a plastic bag of soft drinks. "Just put it on the table upstairs, and take your shoes off." Ahri said pointing towards the stairs behind her, party should start as soon and she is pretty excited. She lead Neeko upstairs and as soon as they entered the room, Sarah was already wrapped in Ahri's covers with Boki and Baki summoned on the bed. "Sup, we watching Wind Samurai tonight, disc is already in your player." Said Sarah as she pointed at the TV across from the bed. "Sarah lives here?" Neeko asked, and simultaneously, Ahri answered "No." And Sarah answered Hah, yeah." which confused Neeko more than it should.

[Veluda]

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~ 𝓧𝓪𝔂𝓪𝓱 ~

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Location: Streets of Valoran

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Xayah yawned a bit while walking towards Ahri's house. She was used to lying in bed around this time, either texting Rakan or watching some television before going to sleep. Saki was fluttering around her head, chirping nonstop. It kept saying that it was excited to be part of the sleepover. "Hahah ok ok calm down buddy. I get it." Even with her remark, Saki was simply happy that they were about to spend some quality time with their team. As they kept walking, a text popped up on Xayah's phone.

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To: Xayah

From: Rakan

You on your way?

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Xayah laughs at Rakan's worrying.

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To: Rakan

From: Xayah

Don't worry about me "dad". I'll be perfectly fine. I mean, if somebody tried to pull something on me, I'm pretty sure they won't leave alive.

---

Soon after, Rakan's final reply came.

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To: Xayah

From: Rakan

Alright. I'll be hanging out with Vlad and Ekko. And I think the kid that Sarah's teaching is coming too. Good chance to mess with him. Anyways, you guys have fun. Love ya.

---

Xayah blushes at Rakan's last two words. She never really understood how and why Rakan always manages to make her feel flustered, but she has welcomed the feeling at this point. She texted back a short "I love you too" to him before stuffing her phone in her pocket. Then she was reminded of something. "Hey Saki, wanna get some extra food before we go to Ahri?" The bird happily agreed. "Alright. There's a convenience store we can go to but we're gonna have to take a short detour. Stay close." She then turns a corner into an alleyway. It was dark and gloomy, but Xayah was used to surroundings like this. Out of nowhere however, two menacing figures showed themselves.

"Hoho, what'chu doin' here little girlie?" came one. "Pretty dangerous for anyone to be walkin' around here." said the second. The two goons gave her a really nasty smile. "Whaddya say we go to our place to avoid some...issues taking place here yeah?" the first says as he slowly brings out a knife. Xayah on the other hand, has remained silent all this time, a dark look starting to creep onto her face. "Hmph. Idiots are always idiots I suppose." A vein bulged on the second goon's head. "WHAT DIDJA SAY YOU BRAT?!" The first goon fully brought out the knife. "Girlie, I suggest you keep that mouth of yours shut..." He walks to her and puts a heavy hand on her shoulder. "...or this little friend of mine might end up in places you don't wanna know." At this point, Xayah couldn't control herself anymore. Her eyes glowed menacingly. Her wings starting to make an appearance. Even Saki was pissed. The two goons backed away, scared of the unnatural events unfolding before them. Xayah looked them in the eyes before opening her mouth, her words dripping with venom.



And in a flash, both goons had quills embedded in their throats, blood spilling out like a fountain. Xayah made sure to avoid the scene so that Ahri wouldn't notice anything on her. Saki suddenly asked her something. "Oh don't worry. Nobody's ever going to know what happened." As she says this, the quills that were previously sticking out of the throats of the goons started dissipating into stardust. "One of the perks of being a Star Guardian is that we don't leave traces of our activity behind. This might be the first time I'm glad that we're so glittery and sparkly." She gives a slightly grim laugh. "Now come on, we still gotta get our snacks." The two then proceed multiple bags of chips and a bottle of soda.

5 minutes later...

Xayah arrived at Ahri's doorstep and was readying herself. *inhale* "You can do this Xayah. This is just a sleepover with your close friends. Nothing will go wrong. Trust Ahri." After pepping herself up, she rings the doorbell. "Ahri? I'm here."

[KatKook]

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"A class S sleep over."

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Location: Valoran Academy, Song Residential Home.

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Ahri heard the doorbell ring from upstairs, before then she was watching Neeko and Sarah argue over bejewled moves and what flavour of popcorn they should pick first. Though the argument ended in Sarah's favour of saving Sour Cream for the last because it is the best flavour. Ahri slipped on her slippers and hurried downstairs. "Coming!" Ahri called out, she opened the door to see Xayah standing there with some food of her own. She looked Xayah up and down, and said "Food, upstairs, room on the right." She then walked over to the kitchen and felt that Xayah may or may not have shown some star guardian prowess within the past twenty minutes. Since this was a relationship built on trust, Ahri needed to ask. "You had to go guardian? Something come up?" Ahri asked, though Ahri could read some nervousness in her eyes, it definitely wasn't because of the question, it was because of the party. The landline then rang, "Actually hold that thought for a sec," Ahri picked up the phone and heard that it was the pizza place, Ahri and the pizza guy started arguing, saying that her pizza is going to be another 20 minutes because the main path to the house was blocked by a crime scene. After that Ahri understood, "Well, Pizza's late, so... Well... Uh... We can eat your crisps for the time being."

Ahri kept her emotions at bay, she wasn't going to let anything out until Xayah spilled some beans. "You wouldn't happen to have anything to do with why the pizza's late? Please tell me that wasn't you." Said Ahri, she was pleading Xayah would tell her the truth.

[Veluda]

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~ 𝓧𝓪𝔂𝓪𝓱 ~

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Location: Song Residential Home

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Xayah wondered how she should answer the questions. Saki chirped from her shoulder. *sigh* "Yep. There goes the 'nobody's ever going to know' part." She placed the bag filled with chips down and stood up properly. "To answer all your questions, yes. I had to go Guardian. Also, I was 100% at the 'crime scene'." She made sure to emphasize the quotations on "crime scene". "BUT! Don't freak out. I'll clarify some things." She held out her hand to count off the things she wanted to say. "1) The two freaks reeked of alcohol. I assume you already know what that means. 2) I may or may not have been threatened to be sexually assaulted by two ugly men--" She visibly shivers when she said that. Saki also chirped in displeasure. "--and 3) One of them pulled a knife on me." She pulls her hand back and crosses her arms. "I don't know your morals about those types of scenarios, but I absolutely hate men who think they're so high and mighty but don't have anything to prove." Her expression softens a bit as she continues. "Don't worry. I made sure to completely avoid touching them and to not leave any sort of evidence behind. Saki can vouch for me." Said bird nods. "And..." Xayah frowns as she holds her left arm, anxiety starting to show. "...I've had enough similar encounters back in my younger days. Not...sexual, but..." Her voice starts to waiver at one point until it was completely inaudible. Once she regains a bit of composure, she lowers her head. "Sorry... This was supposed to be a fun night...but I ruined it." Her frown grows.

[KatKook]

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"Pizza's late :("

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Location: Song Residential Home.

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"I'm not going to freak, it's defence and all that." Said Ahri, she raised her hands up to her chest, palms towards xayah in a defensive manor. "The only thing you did wrong was delay pizza, I was about to enjoy me some margarita pizza." Ahri then moved next to Xayah and wrapped one of her arms around her neck. "I trust your judgement, if it meant you had to defend yourself like that, then I don't see anything wrong with that... Well maybe you could turn down the brutal murder." Ahri said, she tried to lift up the spirits of the room with that joke. Ahri then moved away for a moment to grab the bag of crisps. "Don't beat yourself up over it, I've had my fair share of... Uh... Incidents." Ahri said with a shrug, she then grabbed Xayah's hand and started dragging her upstairs, "Come on, we're watching like an old movie called wind samurai, Sarah's movie choices are awesome."

As she walked upstairs, she was pretty chill about the situation and she was willing to forget it ever happened as long as it doesn't happen again. "So, Syndra's on her way?" Ahri asked, opening the door to her room, and the scene was Neeko on Sarah's lap, she looked like she tripped, and Sarah was holding the picture that Ahri told Sarah not to touch. "Sarah! What in the name of the stars are you doing?" Ahri exclaimed in an extremely angry tone, rushing over to Sarah to grab the picture. "Sarah, honestly I thought you knew-" Neeko then stopped Ahri "It was Neeko, Neeko is sorry..." Ahri then looked at Sarah then slowly calmed down. "I was just trying to stop her, sorry... So uhh... Wind Samurai?" Sarah asked, Ahri just nodded, then her smile came back on. "Yeah, yeah, I'll go make some popcorn." Said Ahri as she grabbed the butter flavoured one then made her way downstairs.

[Veluda]

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~ 𝓧𝓪𝔂𝓪𝓱 ~

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Location: Song Residential Home

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"By the way, Syndra said she's on her way!" yelled Xayah as Ahri went downstairs. She then turned towards the two sprawled on the floor. 'I wonder what's so important about that picture...' she thought to herself. She then remembers that she left her personal bag of snacks downstairs and rushed to get it. In the middle of her short trip however, her phone buzzed. She brings it out to find a message from Rakan.

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To: Xayah

From: Rakan

okok, so i know that i shouldnt bug you right now but oh my god this is hilarious. vlad suggested that we make the kid drink some beer to give him the true freshman experience. problem was that the kid refused to drink cuz his mom told him not to. so ekko got the bright idea to grab some iced tea and tried to bait him into drinking it. man, i guess he really took the phrase "mind over matter" with this one, dude thinks he actually drank real beer XD

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There was also a picture attached to the message. It was Ezreal, hunched over from drinking the "beer" Ekko gave him. She couldn't help but laugh on the way down. "Oh my god. Poor kid." As she grabbed her snack bag, she thought about asking about the picture, but then decided to leave it for another time. "Welp, time to scarf these down." She heads up into the room to watch the movie along with Sarah and Neeko.

[KatKook]

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"I miss you..."

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Location: Song Residential Home.

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Ahri looked down at the photo she clutched in her hand, the picture was stained with dried tears and what appeared to be a mug ring that probably had coffee. Ahri ran her finger on the paper, but the sudden appearance of Xayah immediately snapped her out of the mood, causing her ears to stand fully straight instead of the sad drooped down. Xayah just came down to grab those crisps she bought earlier. Ahri then just shook her head and put the microwave popcorn in the microwave, and while that was popping in there, she grabbed a few bowls to fill up and just waited.

Back upstairs, Sarah was explaining to Neeko that the picture is one of Ahri's few reminders of her mother, and she hates people touching it because it is already pretty and could disintegrate at any moment. Sarah turned to the door to see Xayah walk in, she flaunted a a few bag of crisps in their way and Sarah immediately grew a smile, she needed to relax so she sat by the foot of the bed and asked Xayah. "So, Rakan huh?" Sarah said, raising her brows, a small smug smirk slowly formed on her face "Pretty crazy that you two ended up together."

[Veluda]

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~ 𝓧𝓪𝔂𝓪𝓱 ~

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Location: Song Residential Home

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Xayah was already loving where this was headed. A smile made its way to her face. "Who would've thunk huh? A former rebel getting with apparently one of the craziest battle-dancers ever known to man. Or at least that's what he said." A small chirp that sounded like a laugh came from Saki. "I normally hate people like him, but there was just something special about that idiot that seemed to...charm me." She sat down on the bed and grabbed a pillow, her cheeks starting to flush. Saki on the other hand flew onto the bed and went into a roost position. "I mean, I did nearly cry when I first saw him. But I blame my many years of getting deprived of interaction with my kin." She started twirling her hair. "Maybe it was his persistence that got to me. He made me partner up with him just so that he'll answer my questions after all." A small laugh escapes her lips. "Can't believe I was scared for nothing too. Considering his personality, I thought that we would be the playboy type. But in every instance that a girl asked him out, he always said no." She sighs in content. Then the quills on her wing started to glow a bit. "But still...damn women won't stop going for him. One of them even tried to flirt with him in front of me!

[KatKook]

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"I didn't realise that was the case."

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Location: Song Residential Home.

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Sarah immediately smiled at the sight of Xayah getting flustered, it wasn't a common sight so she didn't expect it at all. She then was ready to calm her down as soon as her feathers started to glow. "Whoa girl, let's calm down. Didn't realise you were the jealous type." Said Sarah as she raised her hands to try and keep her in check, if the girl does explode into a flash of pink and purple feathers Sarah was ready to calm her down by force! Or a stern talking to, "Rakan's a good guy, are you scared he'll leave you or somethin'?" Sarah asked, she may have been poking the bear too much with that question but these questions usually provide closure, and it is a sleep over after all so these types of questions are asked all the time. Sarah turned to her front, now steering clear from any further eye contact, "Then again, I wouldn't know anything about dating, or being in a relationship."

[Veluda]

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~ 𝓧𝓪𝔂𝓪𝓱 ~

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Location: Song Residential Home

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"Well to answer your question..." She twiddles with her thumbs. "Not really. It's just that, it makes me feel really insecure when another girl tries to get too close to him." She pouts a bit. "This is the first time I've been in a proper relationship after all. It would make sense to be a bit worried right?" Saki, sensing its partner's uneasiness, scuttles over to her feet and affectionately rubs against it. Xayah smiled and slowly rubbed her understanding companion. "But I trust Rakan. He may be an idiot most of the time, but the times where he's serious bring out the best in him." She brings out her phone to open a picture the two of them took during a date. Both of them had big smiles on their faces and enjoyed their time together. "If I remember correctly, there was this one girl that really, and I mean really, tried to hit on him." Xayah snickered while remembering the story. "Essentially, she was trying to make me look bad by spreading some crap about me while also openly insulting me...in front of him." She puts her phone down and continues. "I think that was the first time I've ever seen Rakan pop a vein in his head." A small laugh escaped her mouth. "Needless to say, the girl never stood a chance against him." She then looks at Sarah's head which was turned away from her. "By the way, what's with that reaction to dating?" A questioning, but smug look was plastered on Xayah's face. "Sarah Fortune, diva extraordinaire second to Ahri, doesn't have a boyfriend? Do I have to write that down on my book of bullshit?" she says.

[KatKook]

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"I didn't realise that was the case."

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Location: Song Residential Home.

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"Well you gotta believe it, cause it is true." Sarah replied with a chuckle, visibly shrugging with her arms, she turned to Neeko who was laying on her stomach playing on Sarah's phone. "I did have my fair share of guys wanting to date me but I turned them all down... A few girls even tried, but come on, you expect me to have a boyfriend before Ahri does?" Sarah asked, turning to Xayah, she was smiling but her eyes said otherwise. "Maybe I'm waiting for someone to choose me, who knows right?" Sarah said, as she turned to the door, Neeko then immediately sat up and shuffled over to Sarah's side, holding her hands to her chest she said "Neeko will be Sarah's girlfriend! Or-" She immediately shape shifted into Ezreal, "Boyfriend!" Sarah then immediately had a disgusted look, "Ew, ew not the kid!" She exclaimed in laughter, as she placed her hand on Neeko's face to hide Ezreal's face. Neeko then turned back into herself and wrapped her arms around Sarah, nuzzling against her neck. "Okay okay, calm down." Sarah said, patting Neeko's head, "Neeko is now Sarah's girlfriend!" Sarah just laughed, and looked back at Xayah, "Ain't ready for that hun, let's calm down."

[Veluda]

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~ 𝓧𝓪𝔂𝓪𝓱 ~

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Location: Song Residential Home

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That look on Sarah's face didn't go by unnoticed by Xayah. Before she could ask about it though, her phone buzzed along with the doorbell ringing a few seconds after. "I'll get it!" she said out loud for everyone to hear. She then proceeded to hop off the bed and run downstairs, Saki flying after her. As it caught up, it perched on her head. It chirped about something regarding to Syndra's late arrival. "I know right? Syndra's usually punctual so this is a first. Maybe something came up." As she reaches the door, she opens it to reveal Syndra who was wearing a very loose fitting sweater that said "Do It No Balls". "...really?" Syndra only made a questioning face. "What?" Xayah just holds the bridge of her nose. "Whatever. Just come in. Ahri's been waiting for you." As she moves aside for Syndra, each member of Multi followed carrying a bag of food that their partner seem to have bought. "So that's why you were late." Syndra turned to look at her. "Of course. I just don't pick any random snack to munch on. I have my preferences." Xayah just laughed at Syndra's personality. "Well whatever the case, the other two are upstairs. Just be careful around Neeko. She's suddenly calling Sarah her girlfriend and you don't wanna be at the end of all that glomping." Syndra chuckles. "I'll keep that in mind." As Syndra and Xayah started to walk upstairs, the Vastayan stopped for a bit to call out to Ahri. "We'll head up now. Don't take too long and watch that popcorn. Don't wanna heat it too much now would we?" The two then resumed walking up the stairs.

[KatKook]

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"Devious is one of the words that describes me."

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Location: Song Residential Home.

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The only reason Ahri was taking so long with the popcorn was because the microwave decided to break tonight, and her dad won't be able to get a replacement until a few days from now. The doorbell rang and Ahri immediately turned to the door, but as soon as she did she heard someone from upstairs call out they were going to get it, based on the deepness of the voice, it appeared to be Xayah. Soon she heard the foot steps hurry down the stairs, it didn't sound like Sarah or Neeko's socks, but instead sounded like a certain Vastayan's feet. It was Xayah, she opened the door for Syndra, they exchanged pleasantries before welcoming her in. The sweater definitely was a choice, "Surprised to see you not wearing that Varsity Jacket!" Syndra looked at Ahri, as a few Multis were bouncing beside her, "It needed a wash." Said the senior as she then moved along with Xayah upstairs. The Microwave then beeped and the popcorn finally should be good by now. Ahri opened the door and thanked the stars that it wasn't burnt, she pulled out of the microwave with the tips of her fingers and poured it on the bowls she prepared. "Kiko..." She let out, and from on top fo the microwave came the small vulpine companion slowly floating down onto Ahri. "Would you mind helping me?" Said Ahri as she raised a bowl of popcorn to Kiko. Kiko then squinted his eyes before nodding, Kiko took the bowl from Ahri and sat on her head. "I suppose that works..." Ahri then grabbed the other bowl and made her way upstairs, Kiko was really good at balancing, so that shouldn't be a problem for him.

As Ahri climbed up the stairs she heard screams and noises from her room, seems like they were having fun. She opened the door and saw Neeko trying to give Sarah a kiss, Sarah was keeping her away by pulling her head back and her arm on Neeko's forehead. Sarah turned to Ahri and called out, "A little help!?" Neeko continued to try even though she wasn't going to get close anytime soon. Ahri laughed and put the bowls down on the desk to her side, "Please?!" Sarah called out, Ahri then just raised her brow, "Come on! Do something, anything!" Sarah continued, Ahri then cleared her throat and pointed Neeko and exclaimed, "Stay away from my girlfriend!" Neeko and Sarah then turned to Ahri and simultaneously said "What?!" Both their jaws dropped and they exchanged looks, "You heard me!" She then grabbed Sarah's arm and pulled her up, "She's my honeybear~" Ahri then wrapped her arms around Sarah's arm. "N-Neeko no believe you!" Neeko called out, pointing back at Ahri, her hands clenched to her sides after she had pointed. Ahri then had that smirk, you know, the smirk when she's about to do something devious. "Oh, you don't believe me?" She then put her hand on Sarah's opposite cheek, turned her head towards her and kissed her on the lips. After she pulled away she looked at Neeko, "Still don't believe me?" Neeko then had her mouth open as she was in shock, "N-Neeko believe you..." Ahri then saw Sarah in the mouth something in the corner of her eye, "What the fu-" Ahri then smiled and let go of Sarah like nothing happened, "Well you shouldn't believe me, 'cause it aint true." Said Ahri as she made her way back to the popcorn.

Sarah and Neeko both turned to her, Sarah in more of a shock than Neeko. Ahri then winked at Neeko, which made Neeko think, but before she could think deeper Ahri interjected, "I'm just showing you that you shouldn't force someone to be your girlfriend, okay Neeko?" Neeko then put her fingers under her chin like she was in thought and replied "Okay," Ahri then added another line as she picked up the bowls, "You should wait for that person to want you to be their girlfriend first okay?" Neeko nodded at that, then triumphantly raised her fists in the air, "Then Neeko will work hard to be one of your girlfriends!" Ahri then smiled, and replied "Yeah! That's the spiri- Whoa!" Sarah pulled her to the side and started whispering, "What the hell was that?" Sarah asked, Ahri then started whispering back, "You said I should do something," They were both ducked down a bit, and Sarah's hands were all over the place since she was a mix of confused, flustered, and a little turned on. "Yeah, but why'd you kiss me?" Asked Sarah, Ahri then smiled and whispered back, "It worked didn't it?" To be fair it did work, "Good work." Said Ahri with a wink as she lighly slapped Sarah's bum. "What?" Sarah whispered as her hands made the confused gesture, Ahri then took the popcorn bowls and made her way to Xayah and Syndra, "I got the popcorn!" She called out, Sarah still stood there as she turned to Xayah and Syndra, she then let out another confused "What?" since she was still very much confused.

[Veluda]

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~ 𝓧𝓪𝔂𝓪𝓱 ~

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Location: Song Residential Home

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Xayah blinked at what just happened. Syndra on the other hand, was not fazed in the slightest. "Get used to it. She's a fox for a reason. And they're quite mischievous creatures you know?" Xayah shook her head. "Hmm, you have a point but..." She looked over to Neeko who seemed to be absolutely deep in thought. It seems that she's serious, very serious, about wanting to be one of their girlfriends. 'That'll be one hell of a threesome at one point. Well, if it even gets there in the first place.' It seemed that someone else was having a bit of hard time coping though. Sarah was visibly shaken from the ordeal. Her eyes were wide open and she looked like she was contemplating on something. 'Maybe her sexuality...' Xayah thinks with a small grin. It was to be expected though. Just think, Valoran Academy's one and only beauty queen Song Ahri suddenly kissed you. Who wouldn't be in shock? The more she thought about it, the funnier the prospect of poking fun at it became. Xayah leaned in to whisper something to Syndra. "Hey, I wanna try doing something." Syndra's eyebrows went up. "Oh? It would seem that birds have their own side of mischievousness as well." Said Vastayan couldn't help but smugly grin. After being offered their bowls of popcorn, Xayah then proceeded to walk towards Sarah and gave her a small nudge. "So about your 'preferences'..." She then sat down on the floor near the bed and urged Sarah to sit next to her.

[KatKook]

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"An unexpected expectation."

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Location: Song Residential Home.

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Sarah shook her head as she was nudged to snap out of it, she saw Xayah urge her to come sit next to her, she watched Ahri talk to Neeko about relationships before proceeding to listen to Xayah. Sarah raised her brow at Xayah, sitting down next to her, legs up with her elbows resting on her knees, her head was down as she asked. "What do you want?" She asked, letting out a sigh, her heart was racing and her breathing was irregular, was she blushing? She was. "What do you mean 'preferences?'" Sarah asked, turning her head to Xayah, her eyes were filled with both confusion and angst. Does Ahri know? There is no way Ahri could possibly have known. She glanced over at Syndra for moment, and she was looking at both of them, did the two have something in mind? Whatever it was, Sarah would probably just end up more confused.

[Veluda]

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~ 𝓧𝓪𝔂𝓪𝓱 ~

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Location: Song Residential Home

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"Oh don't be coy with me Sarah." She threw a piece of popcorn in her mouth. "I may not be good at being 'girly', but I know a hint when I see it." She gulps down her food, then gestures for Saki to bring their bag over. "And you my friend, have shown a massive one." As Saki brings the bag, Xayah digs into it and finds one of her favorite brands of chips as well as the slightly larger than normal soda bottle they bought. "That flustered face, confused look, hands trying to reach god knows what..." She pops the bottle open, a fizzing sound emanating from it. "...it was the same for me when I realized I was in love with Rakan." She takes a swig, then with a satisfied face, looks Sarah straight in the eyes.

"You like her don't you?"

[KatKook]

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"Quite the endeavour."

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Location: Song Residential Home.

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Sarah let out a smile and glanced at Ahri, before looking back down at the ground, she raised three fingers up and replied with "Three years, from the moment I saw her you know." She then remembered, she didn't know what to do, especially when she was transported in this new world, Ahri had always been her guiding light, had always been there for her, had always been her 'Captain', and from where she came from, she was usually captain. "I kept it in me, which is really not like me at all, just because she's someone I didn't want to lose." She looked at Xayah then let out a sigh, a small smile appearing on her face, she could see Ahri in the background, teaching Neeko more about phones. "Ahri knows that." Sarah continued to smile but deep down she was definitely frustrated, "She knows more than she lets out you know, that's standard Song Ahri." She looked at Xayah deep in the eyes, "Now that you've figured out my secret, you can't tell anyone. Not even your boyfriend. because I will shoot you. In the face. Really hard. Multiple times. And would probably reload as well. And do it again." With that long list of insults, she added one more thing. "And before you say 'why don't I go after her?' Let me tell you, Being friends with her is definitely way better than being in a relationship with her." Sarah then grunted as stood up, walking towards Ahri, reached her arm around Ahri to grab a piece of popcorn from the bowl she was holding.

"You tasted good, you been eating vanilla ice cream again?" Ahri turned her head to see her taller second hand woman, she smiled and replied "You know it-" then they both went on to say "Cherry not included!" which resulted to both of them laughing since they bonded pretty well. As Ahri turned back to Neeko, Sarah turned to Xayah and gave her a shushing gesture silently, she enjoyed being friends with Ahri, she wouldn't want to ruin that.

[Veluda]

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~ 𝓧𝓪𝔂𝓪𝓱 ~

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Location: Song Residential Home

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Xayah watched as Sarah and Ahri had a good laugh together. As she saw the two bond, she smiled gently. It was practically the same when she and Rakan became official. She was so stubborn about her feelings that without his help, she would've always bottled up her thoughts. But through trial and error, he managed to find a way to her heart. She absolutely fell for him too, and she doesn't regret it. Then a frown slowly made its way to her face. Yes, it was a happy sight to see them bond, but the problem lies in the fact that one of them is currently withholding a great deal of angst and sorrow. It made her feel bad to see her friend like this. 'Three fucking years...jeez.' She cursed under her breath. When Sarah turned back to her and gave her a hushing sign, she gave her friend a sad look and shook her head. It was then that Syndra decided to intervene. "To be fair, I understand why Sarah would think that way." Xayah turned her way and gave her a look that said 'how?' "For starters, Ahri's...nature, makes her a bit unpredictable. Sarah might be conscious of how she'll react if it comes to the point of a confession. They're both women after all." Syndra had a very good point. "...but that's just not living life to your fullest." The Vastayan sighed and took out her phone.

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To: Sarah

From: Xayah

Better get some courage. Before everything is too late I mean.

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Once she sent it, she took one sad, last look at the two. Then she returned her focus on the movie in front of her.

[KatKook]

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"What lies underneath."

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Location: Song Residential Home.

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Ahri continued to laugh with Sarah, they made a few jokes and all but when Sarah's phone buzzed and she gave Xayah a look, something had to be up. She looked over to Xayah who looked like she had just spoken with Syndra and thought for moment. Did she have to talk to them? Yes, she did. "Hold on a moment, I gotta talk to those two in my 'office'." Sarah raised her brow at that statement, she then realised what she meant by office and it usually meant it wasn't going to be a good talk. "Alright, don't let me get in your way." Sarah said, stepping back and falling back on the bed to give Ahri what she needed. Ahri nodded and thanked Sarah, before walking over to her window and opening it, letting the cold wind in. "Hey, you two! Step into my office real quick." Said Ahri, as she climbed out the window and onto the roof, she gestured the two to follow them so they better follow or someone's going to get kicked out the house.

[Veluda]

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~ 𝓧𝓪𝔂𝓪𝓱 ~

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Location: Song Residential Home

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"..." The Vastayan was dumbfounded at what she heard. "Did she just say 'office'?" Xayah pointed towards the open window. "Then jumped out onto the roof?" Xayah has gotten into hairy situations with Ahri before, all of which required a stern talking to. Being pulled into alleyways, rooms and hallways included. This however, was just absurd. It was nearly midnight, the air was so chilly that the cold was starting to seep into her jacket. "Are you fucking serious...?" Her feathers shivered from the temperature. She liked this kind of weather, but something about this particular night made it slightly unbearable. She clutched her arms close to her body and rubbed them together, warmth starting to spread a little bit. Syndra on the other hand, was unfazed.

"Guess you don't really have to worry about anything huh?" Xayah looked at Syndra's outfit for the second time that night. An oversized sweater that had "Do It No Balls" on the front, sweatpants that beat even Swain's and his companions, along with a pair of fuzzy slippers that had the shape of a cat. "...you walked here in those?" She pointed to Syndra's footwear. "We're Star Guardians remember? Floaty powers and all included." Xayah's eyebrow rose as she started walking towards the window. "You know Ahri's gonna kill you if she hears about that right?" Syndra followed suit. "Oh don't worry. I only floated by a few inches off the ground. I made it still look like I'm walking, but in reality my feet felt absolutely no resistance at all." The two were now at the windowsill and were preparing to jump up. Saki, watch the snacks okay? Oh and Sarah, don't be afraid to grab some too." Saki chirped in agreement. "Same goes for you Multi." The three purple balls squeaked and nodded. With that, the two jumped onto the roof. "So what'd you want to talk about?"