"Fade to Dust" // TEA TIME BUDDY YOU'RE BACK
The Demacian plains surrounding the city were quiet on a mid-summers day. The wind blew lazily across the rolling hills, trees swaying in the afternoon sun, birds chirping their songs of beauty and grace. The city itself was abuzz with the hustle and bustle of the days work. Traders and stall workers preaching their goods and trying to appeal to the mass as the life of many continued on through the winding roads and buildings. TavernsĀ were alive with bards and raconteurs telling their stories through music and voice. Towards the center of the city, where the House of Crownguard lay, the city held less people, but a panic was arising.
Within the inner halls of the manor, shouts could be heard for medics and servants to come immediately to the training grounds. Panic streaked many house guests as they made their way to look onto the matter. Guards ushered the weak willed people away from the scene, their faces ashen and stricken with shock. Within a ring of people, Garen could be seen crouched over a still body, blood slowly pooling from a practice sword wound on the upper left shoulder.
Dabbing his mouth with his handkerchief, Cho'Gath sighs with content as he sits back from his massive meal. Lux sits at the opposite end of the small table, anxiously staring at Cho'Gath as she finishes her small plate of food, clearly uninterested in consuming any more for some time. Commotion could be heard in the hall, pulling Cho from his mindless banter on how poorly cooked food tastes. Standing up, he leans forwards to be about a foot from Lux's face, and smiles. "It was a pleasure to have lunch with you, but it seems there is something of large interest happening." Cho'Gath says, tipping his top hat at a frozen in place Lux. She nods her head once, then goes back to staring at her plate as Cho'Gath leaves the room, grabbing his tea as he exits.
Following the commotion, Cho'Gath comes upon the scene on the training grounds. The scent of blood filled the air as he looked over the circle. People turned at multiple speeds as his shadow and figure towered over him, the circle dividing so he may move forwards and examine the scene closer. "Much more polite than those Noxian scum..." He mutters, bending down and making his face parallel with the back of Garen's head. Weeping breaths could be heard as Garen's shoulders shook with the effort of his horror. Cho'Gath peered over his shoulder to see a petite figure clutched in his arms. Shallow, rasping breaths escaped through the mouth of Evette, as her chest rose and fell with the effort of hanging on.
Her shoulder looked broken beyond repair. Splinters and shards of a wooden practice sword lay embedded in her skin, the bone jutting out from a nasty gash. Blood was leaking quickly form the wound, the occasional spurt coming forth and spraying Garen with more than there already was. Her eyes were closed, but tears leaked slowly down her face as she cringed in pain. "I... Why... Evette..." Garen rasped, barely able to string together words. "I never... Never meant..." He tried before coming once again to his moans of emotional agony. Cho'Gath put a claw down on the Demacian's shoulder, his presence becoming known.
Clutching Evette to his chest, Garen looked up at Cho'Gath with hatred and defiance. "You shall not claim her! She is no meal, you Voidborn beast!" He shouted, anger searing through his words. Shrugging off the claw violently, Garen brushes aside hairs on Evette's face, tucking them behind her ears. "It'll be... Okay..." He mutters, putting his forehead to hers. "I had no intention of consumption, Spinner. She is a friend of mine as well." Cho'Gath says sympathetically. "I share some of your grief, Soldier." Garen shoots him a dark look, but says nothing as the medics and servants of the house rush onto the training grounds. Letting slack to the body, Garen and Cho'Gath watch on as they begin assessing the damage.
The face of the head surgeon creases as the medicinal staff whisper to one another quietly. "What is it?" Garen asks, wiping away tears as he begins to regain composure. Cho'Gath can smell the imminent death of Evette coming, but says nothing, and waits with masked sorrow. The surgeon looks at Garen, then shakes his head slowly, lowering his eyes to the ground. Enraged, Garen grabs the surgeon by the shoulders. "No! You're wrong! She can be saved. She has to be saved!" He screams, tears flowing anew, as he violently shakes the surgeon. "There is nothing we... We can do!" The surgeon manages to get out through the aggressive shaking. "Lies!" Garen shouts, grabbing for the other practice sword.
Cho'Gath quickly snatches Garen with a claw around the waist, slamming him into the ground and knocking the wind out of him. "Behave like the soldier you are, Spinner!" Cho'Gath shouts, his voice rumbling the ground around them. "Honor her with dignity and respect, not chaos and destruction!" He adds, holding Garen firmly as he reigns in his rage. Releasing him once he is calmed, Garen crawls over to Evette and grasps her hand, his weeping reduced to a frown and the odd tear running down his face. As he watches her, Evette's eyes flicker open, and pulled Garen down to whisper in his ear. When she was done, he sat back on his heels and curled into a ball. "Carry him off, Crownguard servants." Cho'Gath commanded, the stone faced onlookers suddenly snapping back to reality and going about their business. Cho'Gath called for a sheet to be placed over Evette as Garen was carried off to his room. making sure her face was still visible, Cho'Gath crouched beside Evette.
"Your time is not long here, Young One." Cho'Gath says, his grief at a friend lost showing. The arm lay lifeless as her side, the shoulder no longer leaking blood, but dribbling whats left within her body. "Death will not be long." He adds, grabbing her chin gingerly and turning it to face him. Her eyes cracked open enough to see into his green eyes. A small smile spread across her face at the sight of the Voidborn. "One last tea then, my cooked meat hating friend?" She managed through shallow breaths, her voice barely audible. A sad smile split Cho'Gaths face as he lifted her nearly limp body up enough to sip from his tea cup. Laying her back down, her eyes shut as a few tears escaped. A smile painted her face. "Tell... Tell Garen... That I..." She managed before her voice cut off. Brushing aside a few loose strands, Cho'Gath looked on in sadness. "I will tell him, Evette. Do not worry on it."
She smiled again before her last breath left her lips. Cho"Gath could no longer smell the life within her. Moving the sheet to cover up her face, Cho'Gath stood and looked around at the people who remained. Many clutched those they love, the women dabbing tears away from their face, the men standing resolute and as guardians. One by one they saluted, as servants with a litter came in to carry away the body. Cho'Gath looked on as the body was carried into the household. He walked away as Garen's lone wails could be heard echoing in the area, his dread overshadowing the gloom of the hour. Deciding to tell him at a later date, Cho'Gath looked at the horizon, remembering Evette, hoping the memories of her and her eternal soul will live on, as her body, over time, fades to dust.
