I am Akali, the Fist of Shadow. Tread lightly, for a loud step is a dead one. Such is the way of the ninja. ((Christmas Sweater Akali by Runescratch)) ((THIS BLOG IS ON A PERMANENT SEMI-HIATUS AND HAS NO REGULAR UPDATING ROUTINE.)) ((Independent RP Blog for Akali from League of Legends. Please read the rules before interacting with me. I track the tag shadowedkamas.)) M!A: None. Ends: N/A
   Splat. The snowball lands square on Zedâs neck, his mind too preoccupied by attempting to create the perfect snowman for him to be able to dodge.
   He blinks, trying to process what just happened when he feels a drop of icy cold water trailing down his back. He arches forward, trying to get the droplet anywhere but his spine, but find himself distinctly unsuccessful. I shouldâve worn a cloak with a hood on it, he thinks, but the thought is cut off by the thump of another snowball and immediate overwhelming feeling of coldCOLDCOLD!
   Zed whirls around, scooping up a snowball as he stands up. âShen! Thatâs not fair!âÂ
   Shen laughs in response. âCome and get and me!â He shouts, making a face towards Zed, who pelts the snow in his hand at his brother.
   Shen ducks under the densely packed snowball, then turns and runs away, hands covering his head. Zed sighs, then scoops up another snowball.
   Shen wonât win this fight, not if he has anything to do with it.
   Before long, the sounds of whoops, laughter, and jeers ring out through the courtyard, and other disciples join in the battle.
   It is chaos. Snow flies left and right, and people fall into snowdrifts, pushed down by others seeking to get an advantage.
   Inside the Kinkouâs temple, Kusho watches, a cup of tea held in his hand. Part of him says that he should stop this madness, but then he spies Zed tackling Shen, stuffing snow down his clothing, and he cannot help but laugh.
   It is Snowdown, a time for happiness. He can allow the children to enjoy their youth a while longer.
((So basically the other night I had this sudden desire to write some holiday-related piece and well here it is. This is SFW - the Read More is simply for length.
I drew some inspiration from this piece (which isnât mine).
Itâs like 3am so I have very little care for any typos I mightâve made and Iâll probably look at it later and cry over any errors I might find lmao))
--
She sits beside a tree of Ionian cherry blossom - or rather, it would be laden with blossom had it not been winter. Instead the cold sinks into her skin and bones - but Akali has weathered through worse.
The tree itself is bare, as it should be in winter - though some enterprising young disciple had decorated it with various bauble  sourced from the village market. Akali suspects a certain yordle to be behind it - but then Kennen had always been far more in tune with the emotional health of the Kinkou than she had.
After all, that is why he was the Heart of the Tempest, was it not?
She is not here, however, to admire the Snowdown ornaments. Nor is she here to partake in the chaos as various disciples of all ages engage in snow-related activities. She knows that Kennen is out there conducting a snowball fight, while Shen is meditating in the presence of a group making snowmen - while he may not be actively supervising, his presence will give their students some measure of safety.
But Akali is alone, and that is how she wants it to be.
For once the tree is not the only thing in this area - the kunoichi has brought out a small table, on which is a tea set for one. The woman has spent enough time cross-legged in meditation, her trance such that she noticed not the cold that penetrated her clothes. In any case, her tea should be brewed by now. Reaching for the pot, she fills her cup, the aroma and steam proving that it is precisely how she wants it.
Yet...it is missing something.
âSister.â
The formal address in their local tongue is not something Akali often hears in such a familiar voice - and so she starts, her gaze lifting from her cup to the speaker who has suddenly appeared before her. The figure is half her size, and so when he presses his palms together and bows in the traditional and formal greeting, he becomes even shorter. Akali blinks, further taken aback - it is not like Kennen to be this solemn or settled. âI thought you were supervising the others. Is something wrong?â she asks, automatically responding in the same tongue.
âYes, but not with them. Theyâre fine. Shen said heâd keep an eye on them,â the yordle replies, having risen from his bow. Akali continues to eye him, uncertain of his intentions.Â
âIf not them, then who or what is the issue?â
âI thought you might like some company,â replies the young yet surprisingly-perceptive younger ninja.
Akali knows that Kennen does not like being still. He doesnât like contemplation or solemnity. He is lightning and energy and cheeky laughter. So when she hears him say these words, she divines his true meaning - and lets him see her lips curl in a smile of welcome. âFor you, the table will always have a space, little brother.â
And Kennen - hyperactive. bouncy, laughing Kennen - bows respectfully before producing his own cup and sitting down at the table opposite her. She watches as he arranges himself in the proper position before she reaches for the pot to pour him some tea. She half-expects that to be all, but then he surprises her once more by first thanking her in their local tongue, and then bowing over their tea cups. Caught off-guard, she reacts automatically to return the bow, falling back on years of tradition - and then, finally, she understands: Kennen is going through all this effort and ceremony for her. She knows that, though he may seem bored by it, deep down it is something he holds only the utmost respect for - even if only because they are the customs of the place he now calls home.
The tea is hot and comforting, but it is not the source of the warmth spreading through her bones at that very moment.
From very few people would she take that same request at face value - and from even fewer would she even consider it. Renzus, however, for all his known character and behaviour, had actually earned her consideration at least - and she knew that was a concession she gave to very few indeed. Her stance remained unchanged, though she allowed him to see the change in her eyes that let him know she was actually considering his request.
And she was. She knew Renzus was a man of the shadows. It was in his nature to choose to operate from the dark and with intrigue - to hide. She knew this because she was the same. To have such an offer from someone that acted in a way so similar to her that they could be kindred spiritsâŠ
The woman never left her ready stance as she raised her hands to remove her mask. Revealed, she let the man gaze on her face as she waited patiently for his. Her decision to respect his request had been made. âI see and understand your meaning behind your request Renzus, and I would honour it.â
As it was, so should it be. With hands moving with stoic surety, the First Crow pulled his hood back, revealing to Akali the visage that so few people in Valoran had the privilege to behold. So many did not know him beyond the shadows of his cowl, or the sweeping of his sable robes. More still only knew him by the marks he left behind, or from instructions bearing his seal. That he would reveal to Akali his face was the sign of his willingness to not only cooperate, but be an ally of the Kinkou.
There was a silence that passed between the two of them, as both scrutinized the other. Even as the ninja was no doubt observing and memorizing every facet of his visage, every clue she could glean from his scars and calluses. In turn, Renzus met her emerald-green eyes, quietly appreciating the hidden gleam of intelligence, focus and determination within. Perhaps he shouldnât have been surprised, then, that beneath the appearance, which wasnât unappealing in the slightest, lay a deadly and implacable warrior.
Maybe it was an Ionian thing.
He broke the silence first, with a slight, mercurial smile. âIâm actually surprised that Shen agreed to have us meet. For the longest time, I was under the impression that my influence might be seen as interference here in Ionia.â
Akali had not only expected the return of her gesture - no, she had known that he would also reveal himself. After all, despite all his work in the shadows, Renzus was a man of honour in this way - much like Akali herself in fact, a commonality that was not lost on the kunoichi. She saw nothing in his face that disabused her of this notion. Beyond the physical appearance, she saw nothing but an unfading will and quiet wit - something that no doubt had contributed to his stealthy rise in the world of espionage. They were traits she could and did appreciate.
A nod was her first choice of reply, her own lips quirking at the corner - as much emotion as she would show those not in the Kinkou. âSome things are inevitable, as Shen knows. And besides-â she finally allowed a proper, if slight, smile to cross her face â-he also knows full well that our paths would cross sooner or later - whether dictated by Balance...or myself.â
After all, the trio were one of equality - Shen may be considered their de facto leader, but he also expected both her and Kennen to make independent decisions when the time called.Â
âAs for your influence...for now, not yet.â Akali shrugged, the move subtle yet elegant - it was quite apparent she respected Renzus enough to allow her guard to drop even slightly in terms of interactions. Unspoken was the comment that, had the opinion been to the contrary, their confrontation would probably be far ore aggressive - yet even so, Akali knew theyâd receive some form of warning. It was how the Kinkou operated after all. But the point was moot in any case - Akali, for all her skill at reading the paths that energy took, deferred to Shen on his judgements, and in his role of Watching the Stars the ninja had judged them of no direct harm to either them or Ionia.
Spies, after all, were inevitable. What wasnât inevitable was whether the codes they acted by were ones that the Kinkou took kindly to - but in this case, the ones the Crows ran by had yet to be of concern.
The Crows, Akali had swiftly realised, were only noticed when they wanted to be - a trait that she both shared and appreciated.
But back to the topic at hand: âThere is no issue with this. For me, judgement is delivered. If Shen has a problem with it, he will say-â though, considering his talents, she suspected heâd tell Renzus in person â-and he has not, as far as Iâm aware. Like I said earlier, it is merely curiousity.â
In fact, it had taken a long time to set up this encounter. Renzus, in particular, had a way of vanishing into thin air - energy and all. No doubt it was simply another facet of his own unknown talents. From one shadowy warrior to another, Akali recognised that in him at least.
Pruning the tree? How apt a metaphor. Renzus listened to Akali speak, silent as he pondered what she told him. Any insight into the Kinkou was welcome, for it would help him understand them, and thus form better methods for dealing with them. For the moment, what he understood of the ninja trio boiled down to the notion that the triumvirate worked like a well-oiled, perfectly-tuned machine, an instrument through which balance was enforced in all things.
Much like the Crows themselves.
âAllow me to express my gratitude that my affairs have not troubled the Kinkou in any way.â The First Crow inclined his head in the slightest of nods towards the kunoichi, his hands clasped behind his back. He thought harder, wondering if he should pursue a particular line of conversation, before deciding on perhaps easing into the topic. Subtlety was a trait he was certain that Akali might appreciate.
âBefore I speak of other things, however, might I make a small proposal?â He inquired, turning to face Akali, grey eyes observing her stance and reactions with the sternest of scrutiny. âAs a gesture of goodwill, as a gesture of mutual respectâŠwe conduct this conversation face-to-face. No masks, no cowls. Consider this my offering, from Crows to Kinkou. I have nothing to hide from you.â
Knowing that she did not need to say anything to accept his thanks, Akali only inclined her head silently. It seemed that they were both people of words well-chosen, rather than brashly announced or few spoken - and in all honesty, the thought sat fine with her. Often dialogue was just another training field, where the sparring was with wit and word as opposed to blades and blood. Akali had crossed tongues with many of her own brethren in that regard - Kennen in particular enjoyed doing for the sake of banter.
But then things became interesting...Very interesting.
This was not only a request that caught Akaliâs attention - no, the kunoichi freely admitted to herself that it intrigued her. The slightest tilt of her head was all she afforded him as a way of her first reaction, knowing that the man was well-trained enough to catch even her tiniest move.Â
From very few people would she take that same request at face value - and from even fewer would she even consider it. Renzus, however, for all his known character and behaviour, had actually earned her consideration at least - and she knew that was a concession she gave to very few indeed. Her stance remained unchanged, though she allowed him to see the change in her eyes that let him know she was actually considering his request.
And she was. She knew Renzus was a man of the shadows. It was in his nature to choose to operate from the dark and with intrigue - to hide. She knew this because she was the same. To have such an offer from someone that acted in a way so similar to her that they could be kindred spirits...
The woman never left her ready stance as she raised her hands to remove her mask. Revealed, she let the man gaze on her face as she waited patiently for his. Her decision to respect his request had been made. âI see and understand your meaning behind your request Renzus, and I would honour it.â
