SANGUINCE.
TOO OFTEN SHE REGARDED ‘ PEACE ’ AS A GOAL, rather than merely a state of being. daily doses of meditation reminded her of the sweet serenity that could envelop one’s mind – what better place to do so than beside a gentle brook, surrounded by the gorgeous scenery ionia had to offer. having been brought up inside the kinkou headquarters, akali had spent the last few years idly exploring the landscapes that made up her home. even now there were still so many secrets left to uncover – if only she had the patience to give in to this explorer fantasy, rather than spend her days honing her blade against those that the kinkou refused to take out.
she made her way silently through the brush, careful to watch the shadows as she headed towards her usual spot – or close enough, at least. she could have sworn the trees shifted on their own whims, responding to whatever entity resided in this forest. akali had never cared for the stories when she was younger, though she had always listened as the elders spun tales of the magical creatures that would lure children into their woods to prey on. a smirk crossed her features at the memory – yeah right, a child wouldn’t last one bite.
as she pushed aside the last couple of branches to find where the river lay, she was surprised to find an unfamiliar figure knelt beside it. the woman looked so out of place – not only the dark clothes she wore, but her whole aura seemed different than any other foreigner she had come across. shaking her head as if to dismiss the notion, she removed one of her kunai from its place at her hip and gripped it tightly. better to be prepared.
“ luck with what? ” she called out, having overheard the other’s mumbling. even her voice seemed… out of place – was this one of the magical beings that resided here? shit, best not piss her off. akali swiftly but [ hopefully ] subtly hid her kunai behind her back, ready to strike if this being turned out to be more than just a gentle spirit.
to each nation, there belonged countless cultures of richness, vibrance, a certain spiritedness residing deep within its inhabitants, and for she who had walked upon the earth for centuries ( not always within the shadows of darkened forests or small, or otherwise abandoned, villages within demacia ), she had seen much with her timeless eyes, empyrean footsteps treading upon mortal grounds to walk amongst them as she once had, a lifetime ago. she appreciated the beauty of the world, all of the gems hidden beneath mountains of rubble, and all of the relics left forgotten with the passage of time. many things had changed, but culture was just as enduring as she was.
morgana stuck out like a sore thumb within the countrysides of ionia, even within its bustling cities, just as a noxian surely would have been spotted within a second and marked for death within demacian borders. ionia had always been a country she had adored, admired, a place that she hoped the rest of runeterra’s nations aspired to become. peace was not easy to come by, not even within ionia’s fields of harmony where nature flourished hand in hand with its people, but one day, surely, demacia, too, could find peace such as this. for centuries, she had been alone, working in solitude toward her mission, all with little to no progression —- it was bigger than bringing her sister to justice, demacia needed to be brought to justice. she couldn’t help but to wonder, would the kinkou be able to enlighten her, inspire her ? they kept the peace within ionia. morgana walked with direction, with purpose, but in truth, she didn’t know where to begin in finding the order.
a voice drew her out of her thoughts, and her pouting, for that matter, as an expression of mild surprise colored her countenance, brightening alabaster cheeks with a soft rosy tint. she blinked, once, twice, thick eyelashes fluttering. morgana took a moment to observe the other’s body language and the mask veiled upon her face ---- not hostile, but tense. she finally pulled her hand out of the water and straightened her posture just slightly. “ i’m looking for someone. something, rather. or, someones ? this country is enormous and its flowers and trees fickle. i’ve found they’ve led me astray quite often across different winding paths. i am quite frustrated. ”
