⸻

Sett walked up what would have probably been the thousandth step of the trail he was following. Eventually coming to what he had assumed was the Shojin Monastery Lee had told him about. It had been a good while since he had seen his friend, without any contact back the half blood had a minor worry on his mind. Standing at the top of the stairs he stared at the large doors with a loud huff. Patting at his thighs to remove the bits of dust that clung to him as he trekked his way up. Sett had decided to go alone, fearing that his fighters would put everyone on edge. Ultimately, they ended up coming, but due to the boss' insisting for them to stay in the village, they did. It took Sett a few days to get there, but he wasn't too bothered by it. At some point he was kind of used to being out in the middle of nowhere, it kind of reminded him of where he grew up before settling in Navori.

Wiping the sweat from his brow he squinted, this place wasn't too bad. He was kind of surprised to find it so comfortably nestled into the land as it was. It smells a lot cleaner than Navori and the magic was a welcomed feeling, like a current of water rushing under and around him. (His ma would like this place.) Walking up cautiously he peeked around, staring at the walls and then the opened doorway that just seemed to be there. He couldn't hear anything. Nor did he really see anyone around. Shit did he come at a bad time? He scratched the back of his head, does he yell and break the silence or does he just walk in? Ears flicked around on the top of his head, swiveling around to hear anything. Man it was kind of quiet. Another step. Hm, maybe he should announce himself. Another. The intrusive thoughts are definitely winning.

             𝐡𝐞𝐫  𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠  𝐰𝐚𝐬  𝐚𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐝  𝐛𝐲  𝐭𝐡𝐞  𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐥𝐞  𝐨𝐟  𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐯𝐞𝐬,  𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐝𝐬  𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐢𝐧  𝐡𝐮𝐫𝐫𝐲  𝐚𝐧𝐝  𝐥𝐢𝐟𝐞  𝐝𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠  𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦  𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐛𝐲  𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐚.  even  the  hot  spring  the  intruder  currently  occupied  became  noticeably  colder  as  the  foreign  figure  approached.

stranger.  on  her  territory.  unthinkable.

though  deep  in  ionia,  approacher's  words  were  laced  with  disgust,  spoken  in  the  ancient  dialect  ⸻  with  unhidden  hatred  towards  the  land.

❝  ionians  are  not  welcome  here,  ❞  the  witch  sneers,  voice  dripping  with  magical  force  and  splitting  in  many.

oh,  how  foolish  and  naive  the  man  had  to  be  ⸻  to  willingly  wander  onto  syndra's  land;  deemed  cursed  and  deadly  by  any  who  entered  the  forests  and  meadows  and  came  back  alive.

it  was  not  often.

especially  when  they  asked  for  help  with  noxian  invasion,  yet  whoever  helped  with  getting  rid  of  ionians  was  worthy  of  gratitude,  though  never  expressed.

His teeth clench as he hears the monk speak. Ears tilting downwards pressing against the flat of his head, eyes turning upward to meet the covered gaze of Lee Sin. He gives a tug, tightening the fabric around his arm as he preps himself to head out. “Don’t.” he says, the word spoken quickly as if begging Lee to not speak anymore. But deep down Sett was aware of what Lee spoke of, being the boss of what was considered the biggest criminal underground was difficult. Ever since Lee found out about what went on besides the pit fights he felt tense. As if trying to tell Sett the moral repercussions of his actions would affect him more than they already had. What was he going to do, back out now and look like a coward?

He pulls on his coat, adjusting the fabric and the fur collar that outlines his shoulders. Hands falling to his side as his eyes turn downward to stare at his brass knuckles he held firmly in his palm. “I can’t change, not now. I’m doing this for more than me. Even if it fuckin’ sucks, Lee. You know that, so don’t give me your prophetic bullshit every Ionian says.” he whispers, voice dry as he swallows the lump in his throat.

“This, is all I know.”

He takes the other cat, this one a black puffball, holding them both in each giant hand. For a moment he seems shocked, his eyes softening at the tiny kittens before forcing himself to hide his adoration... terribly.

He stares at the small fluffy ball in the man's hands. Head tilted slightly as his ears perked, the kitten mimicking the same motion as it sniffed the air curiously. “What's that for?” he questions, barely giving the monk enough time to respond before gingerly taking the small kitten into his large hands. He carefully gave it a scratch, making sure that he didn’t hurt it will his claw. “Heey lil guy..” he whispers softly. “You’re so soft..”

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