#qi:starter

Qiyana gave a sigh of relief, a heavy breath leaving her as the final note of the show had played. She was exhausted, but she loved hearing the crowd cheer for her and the rest of the True Damage squad. With a final bow for the night, their tour had finally come to an end. The group was ushered back stage, security following behind as they were taken to the dressing rooms for a brief talk with the management. These post show meetings were annoying, but at least it was the last one. As their manager rambled on about the show and the group’s performance, Qiyana stood off to the side leaning against the wall trying to catch her breath still. The final shows were always the hardest, but at least their last city was their home town. The diva waited patiently for the meeting to finish, when she noticed the door of the dressing room swing open. There, stood one of the other show managers and a new face she didn’t recognize.

The plan was simple: travel to other lands and recruit allies to aid in protecting Ixaocan from Piltovians. Sounded simple enough. Though the princess had no idea if her mission would be successful, she was still determined to continue her journey. With her servant Bayal beside her, and a few more elementalists following suit, Qiyana felt confident in her entourage. Well, maybe not so much with Bayal. Still, something had to come from this journey, otherwise all the arguing with her parents would have been for nothing. If she were to show up empty handed after all the big talking she did, her parents would never have any faith in her. Nor would they ever consider her for the throne. 

The group had traveled through Ionia wherever they were free to roam and explore. They had only been traveling the region for a couple days, and already Qiyana had become impatient. She had gone around, asking anyone who would listen, to see if there were any strong fighters looking to join her numbers. Time and time again, she was either turned away or disappointed with those who did come forth. In true Qiyana fashion, she fought every warrior who claimed to be strong, and defeated each one with little to no effort. If they couldn’t hold their own against the Princess, they were worthless to her cause.

With Qiyana's patience thinning, the group hurried along to continue their seemingly useless mission. With each “warrior” the princess challenged, little by little, she began to catch wind of of rumors circling a fighting arena. The more the group traveled, the more the rumors began to sound true. With every bit of information Qiyana could manage to gather, she urged her entourage to follow her in the hopes of finding such an arena.

Eventually the little information she had found or bribed for, led the princess to a sight she would have never imagined. Before her, stood an absolute giant. Of course, Qiyana herself wasn’t very tall. But this man easily towered over her and her entire entourage. The princess could feel a wave of intimidation hitting her as she faced the stranger. Still, she refused to let any sign of shock or intimidation show on her face. With her servants at her sides, Qiyana stood there, head held high and hands on her hips. Someone of his build was certainly a candidate for the princess’ interest.

A long, heavy sigh left the princess’ lips as she sat in a chair in front of her vanity. She had been sitting in the same position for a couple hours while her servants worked tirelessly on her hair and makeup. She was dressed in a long sleeved jade gown that draped to the floor and hugged the curves of her body. The bottom of the dresse was embroidered with gold patterns, and a touch of small crystals. Qiyana had never felt so dressed up, her usual clothes paled in comparison to the gown. She wore a set of earrings and a large necklace that matched the crown she typically wore. However, despite the beautiful attire, the princess was hardly excited.

One of her servants carefully placed the crown on top of Qiyana’s head and let out a satisfied sigh.

“You look lovely Princess.” She spoke, gently patting Qiyana’s shoulders before taking a step back. The princess stood up from her seat and turned on her heel before she stepped away from the vanity.

“Thank you, you did a wonderful job.” Her words were quiet, her usual confident tone lacking. She was not ready to sign her freedom away, much less to a stranger. Vastaya and Humans had not been on the greatest of terms, but with this arrangement between herself and their prince, things would change. She knew her duty as a princess, yet she had never wanted to escape it so badly til now.