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It was a cloudy night that Diana couldn't tolerate. Actually, she didn't like it when clouds hid the Moon - the full Moon. To her, it's like an unlikeable day to others.
As she prepared some tea and snacks, she heard movements in the woods near her house. Ionia is indeed a land full of mysteries , Diana thought and was aware if there were an intruder. And wonders , a small smile appeared on her face when she recalled her first day here.
Karma had shown her around while Akali was checking the garden for intruders - without saying a word to Diana. When Akali was back, Diana and Karma were having small talks on the back porch. Diana’s reflexes hadn’t worn out yet, she spotted Akali and almost ‘killed’ her with her Cresent Strike.
“Hey! Watch out, albino,” She said through gritted teeth. Her eyes drew Diana’s attention, there’s something she could easily read but couldn’t. What are you hiding?
“Sorry.” Diana apologized. “I thought you were an animal.” She smirked, though she tried to loosen up the mood. To her bad luck, it didn’t work out well.
“Who do you call an animal ?” Akali squinted at her suspiciously. Oh, a little wrinkle on her nose bridge. So are you angry? Good.
“You, little lizard.” Diana could see her sudden built up fury in those crimson eyes of hers.
“Akali, dear, please don’t scare our guest away.” Karma tried to calm her down with her authoritative voice. “Irelia won’t be -”
“I know!” Akali raised her voice and groaned. “Just fuck you,” She said as she stomped away.
They followed her with their gaze when Karma spoke, “I’m so sorry, Chosen. I believed she would’ve behaved even when you insult her.”
“No, it’s okay. I’m the one who should take the blame. I thought it would lighten up the mood, though, it wasn’t a wise move of me … and I was scared that she followed me to kill in my sleep.” The bitter in her voice stung like hundreds of needles in her heart. Diana felt a hand on her back.
“I think you should rest. It’s not good for you to be cautious all the time.” Karma started stroking Diana’s back. “Even hunters rest so the preys can do the same.”
And that sentence had set Diana at ease for a while and now she is drinking tea, eating her favorite kind of biscuits and sitting on the edge of the back porch. She tried to enjoy her night with her Goddess but no. The rustling in the woods didn’t stop and it annoyed Diana. Something had to bother her and this was the least she expected.
Leona stepped out of the bushes. She breathed heavily like she’d been running a marathon. Her eyes told thousands of emotions but mostly melancholy, regret and hope; her hair was matted, her armor and her blade were covered with blood. Diana didn't want to know whose blood was.
Leona dropped her weapon and her shield as well and fell onto her knees. Even her bag fell off of her shoulders to the ground. Tears shone in her amber eyes and rolled down through her face.
“ Diana …” She whispered with a trembling voice. “Diana!” She got on her feet so fast it triggered Diana who pointed her Moonblade at her. Leona halted midway and wondered if she slept with that. “I-.”
“Stop right where you are and don’t say a word,” Diana warned. “Why are you here? And how the fuck did you get there?”
Leona didn’t answer her, she just stood there and she was thinking whether to say something or not.
“Answer me!” She shouted.
“You wanted me to shut up seconds ago and now you want me to speak? Make up your mind!” Leona saw her grip tighten and her piercing glare on her. “Okay, okay, you won. I’m here because of you.”
Diana raised one of her eyebrows.
“You aren’t good at pointing out the differences, are you?”
“All I can see an idiot covered in blood.” Diana spat at her.
“An idiot covered in blood has been chosen by the Sun and I’ve been seeing things that I can’t get out of my head.” Leona approached Diana slowly, being cautious not to scare her further - it might cost her life.
“You are…?”
“The Chosen of the Sun.” She finished her sentence. “Yes. The opposite of the Chosen of the Moon. Ones’ believe I should hunt you down for the crime you did but the others’ well…”
“Well?” Diana was unrestful.
“The others’ believe the Sun and the Moon are more than being in an alliance.” Leona started her tale while leaning onto the edge of the back porch, facing to the woods. “They told me about a long forgotten religion where the Solari and the Lunari haven’t existed, where everybody was in harmony and where nobody labeled the other’s action - except if it was a murder. Oh, and the best part of it, you could leave everything behind and never going back.” She sighed.
“They were just so perfect to exist someone had to destroy it. Someone was jealous or greedy or both, I don’t know what drove them.” She looked at Diana, checking if she were listening to her. She gave her a half-sided smile. Before she’d continued her story, she wet her lips, but Diana interfered.
“So you’re explaining to me that some people have been telling you about the Empyrean?”
Leona nodded as a response. “And about a cave that glows in purple and this cave’s got portals pretty much everywhere or something like that.”
“The Void,” Diana said as she lowered her weapon. “How much do you know about it?”
“This is all I know, sorry.” A sheepish smile appeared. “I haven’t seen any visions since I stepped in Ionia.”
“Huh, seems like the Sun’s changed her mind about you.” Diana joked.
“That’s not nice of you.”
“You’re the one who speaks? You tried to kill me and now you’re here chit-chatting about the Empyrean and the Void. Who do you think you are?” She scolded her like a teacher their students.
“An ascended girl who seeks her other half,” Leona answered her rhetorical question.
“Her what?”
“Remember when I said we’re more than being in an alliance? I think they hinted about a stronger relationship.”
“No way. Let me guess, it’s being a nemesis for each other until one of us dies?” Diana asked with a nonchalant attitude.
“Yes! Wait, what? No! I think it is… “ Leona stopped talking - she felt a huge dumpling in her throat. She had to swallow it down and find her voice again. “It is… Love .”
That nonchalant look deformed. A disgusted expression took over her beautiful features and an annoyed groan escaped her mouth. Why love ? “And you’re expecting me to love you?”
“Of course not!” Ouch, you stabbed my fragile heart, Diana. “If you’re okay with this term, I’d like you to like me. Or I should say, at least tolerate me.”
Diana hesitated a little. “Okay,” She said as she put her blade down beside her, “The first step of tolerating you, go have a shower. You stink like a skunk.”
“Thank you, Diana.” Leona’s eyes gleamed like the Sun herself and it caught Diana’s attention.
Why am I so amused by the eyes? Ugh, I hate it. And why is she saying my name if we are friends or something…?
Leona gathered her belonging. She sheathed her sword, she put her bag on her right and her shield on her left shoulder. “Where can I put before I clean them?”
“Technically everywhere but not here. I want to enjoy my night without disturbance.” Diana answered before she’d sipped from her almost cold tea. Just do as you wish and don’t bother me, skunk.
Leona acknowledged her. When she was in the house, her eyebrows ran up to her hairline. She didn’t know that Diana liked to live in a shack. The whole house consisted of one huge room with a small kitchen and a bathroom - and maybe a little pantry somewhere in the house.
The furnishing wasn’t a big deal as well, a huge wardrobe on the right, next to it was a drawer; on the left, there was a sofa with a matching armchair and a small coffee table in front of them. Near the kitchen there was a small table with two chairs and a vase on top of it - a beautiful sunflower was in it. Sunflower, huh?
So Leona put Zenith Blade and the Shield of Daybreak and her bag between the wall and the wardrobe. She entered the small bathroom and had a shower. The cool water cleared her thoughts and smoothed her muscles in an odd way. Leona wrapped a towel around her body and dried her hair with another one.
Meanwhile, Diana realized the clouds were giving space to the Moon which was shining gracefully and illuminated her surroundings. A small smile appeared on her face, murmuring a small pray. At the end of it, she drank the rest of her tea, put down the mug and after some seconds, she felt Leona’s presence not so far from her. It irritated her how warm she was.
Leona was sitting next to Diana in towels - one on her body, another in her hair. She stole the last one of the biscuit from the plate and shoved into her mouth as nothing happened.
“I saw that, thief,” Diana said with a twitching eye.
“You didn’t see anything.” Leona denied her act with a stuffed mouth.
“Then explain why I see cookie crumbs on your lips?”
Leona swallowed.
“Did you swallow the whole cookie?! Are you crazy?” Her eyes grew wide and jaw dropped.
“Calm down, Diana, I’ve chewed properly before swallowing.” Leona closed her mouth with her index finger and smiled. “Close it or a fly might fly into it.” Then she cupped her cheek, caressing her cheekbone with her thumb, a gentle gaze was there.
Oh shit. Don’t fall for that, Don’t you even think about it. Diana crawled closer to her, their lips were inches apart. Oh fuck it, Diana, just go after her and tear her apart. She didn’t hesitate and she was the first who leaned in. She could savor that goddamn last cookie’s taste in her mouth. And she was the first one who broke the contact before she’d bit Leona’s bottom lip. She looked away, pink dusted her face and bit her lower lip; she could slap herself. I’m an actual moron. What if she doesn’t like me or girls in general? “I can explain -”
“Wait, let me think straight.” Leona paused for a second. “I can’t.”
Good because I can't think straight. Diana stared at her like she was some saint figure. She stared too long, it made Leona uncomfortable.
Leona waved in front of her a couple of times. “Hello? Someone’s home?”
“Huh?” She blushed harder and pushed her away but her hands remained on her shoulders. “Yeah, just need my personal space.”
“ You are in my personal space, Diana.” Leona chuckled. It chimed as a thousand wind chimes on a windy night.
Diana's hands were warmed up. “You’re hot as hell.”
“Well, baby, want me to warm your whole body?” A cocky grin showed up.
“Oh fuck me.”
“Gladly.” Leona winked at her.
How long has she been this flirty? Dear Goddess, please, help me.
“You know,” Leona started saying, “I didn’t know that, my fairest Moon is an actual mess. All I’ve done so far I looked at you and maybe stole a cookie from you.”
“So you admit your crimes, cookie thief.”
“Crimes?” Leona crept closer, now there was no space between them. She put her arm around Diana’s waist, making sure she wouldn’t escape.
Diana had enough of this madness, she freed herself from Leona’s grip easily and stood up. “Number one crime, you stole the last piece of my favorite cookie.” She picked up the empty plate and the empty mug. “Number two, you disturbed me with your mere presence.”
“What about number three?” Leona asked as she followed Diana into the kitchen after she’d closed the door behind her. “I know you have a pretty long list just for my crimes.” A shit eating grin appeared on her lips. “And I want to know all of them.”
“Why?”
“I’m just curious.” She shrugged.
“If you’re this curious then just look at me and think about what did you say minutes ago.” She stole a glance from her, she saw that Leona’s thinking so hard that her cogs could compete with a church’s clock mechanism.
“Oh…” Leona said.
Diana sighed and didn’t turn around. She couldn’t face her, not like this. She wasn’t drunk enough to handle the situation. But she hadn’t had to wait long, Leona’s muscular arms were around her waist again and her head on her left shoulder.
“When did you realize? And how? I haven’t known you before your arrival at the temple.”
“I don’t know? I think when I saw you at that hell. And I had visions on my way here about a certain girl whose face burned like the Sun.”
“Weird, I had a vision about a woman whose beauty can compete with the Moon’s.”
“I thought you only praise the Sun.” Diana scoffed.
“Anyone can commit heresy.” I hope I didn’t cross the border.
“Watch your tongue, Solari.”
Oops.
“I’m sorry, Cookie Monster.” Leona kissed Diana behind her ear.
“What did you call me?”
“A Cookie Monster,” Leona repeated herself.
“Just to be clear, we only have one Cookie Monster and it is you.”
“Well then, Dewdrop, I -”
“Clean your equipment and get dressed already! I want to rest.” Diana freed herself again and a sigh escaped her mouth. “You might be tired as well…” She whispered under her nose.
Leona watched her prepare the room. She’d stared at her for a solid minute before she acted; she took out a robe which she put on after she dropped the towels. Her hands were running through her hair many times until she’s satisfied and knotted a thread at the end of her mane. Then she took out her cleaning equipment and started her work.
At the same time, Diana made the bed on the floor and tossed a pillow and a blanket on the sofa. She brought her Moonblade in the house and put it on the drawer. Then she laid down on her bed, ready to sleep.
As she was almost in the land of dreams, Leona snuggled up to her left.
“You know I put a pillow and a blanket on the sofa,” Diana said, half asleep.
“I know, but you’re more appealing to me. Besides, I’d like to sleep next to you and your bed seems comfier than the sofa.”
“Whatever. Just let me sleep already, you Cookie Mon.”
Leona put her right arm across Diana’s abdomen and her left arm under her head, using it as a pillow. “Goodnight, Dewdrop.”
Diana’s responded was a soft, sleepy groan.