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Mel had never actually been to the Undercity – Zaun. That was right. She should probably get that sorted before she ended up offending anyone. So, she’d never been to Zaun before. Given her position as Councilor, she really should have, since technically Piltover still governed the region. But like many other Councilors, she stayed as far away from the area as she could.
It was a dangerous place, as she was told. Then again, so was Noxus, and she had spent a better part of her childhood there. Mel would have liked to believe that her life in Noxus gave her some sort of advantage as she took the elevator down to the depths of Zaun, but that would be completely wrong. There was nothing in the world that could have prepared her for the world she stepped into.
It was like nothing else she had ever seen. For one, everything was darker than Piltover – a mix of the lack of proper lighting and the geography of the region. The next thing she noticed was the way people carried themselves. Many of them had scowls on their faces, squinting at her whenever she looked at them for a little too long. Staring was inappropriate no matter where one came from, of course. She tried her best to navigate on her own, to the establishment that Jayce and Viktor had told her about. It was a bar, or at least was a bar? She didn’t really understand the details on that particular subject.
Thankfully, she would not be meeting with Silco, the kingpin of Zaun, a brutal man with nothing but ice in his chest. She would be meeting with one of his close associates though: Sevika. No last name, just as the other Zaunites Mel had met. As soon as Jayce had given over the woman’s name, Mel wondered what she would be like.
Traveling through Zaun was nearly impossible for anyone but a local. There wasn’t a multitude of signage, and she wasn’t going to ask anyone anytime soon for directions. She relied on the minuscule amount of context she could pull from her surroundings and decided that was the best she was going to get. What she should have done was ask Jayce if he could tell Sevika to meet her at the elevator. That likely wouldn’t have gone over well though. Maybe it was better this way.
“You stick out like a sore thumb here, Councilor.”
Mel whipped around, so quickly her neck hurt. The hood she used to obscure her face dropped. She never felt so exposed.
There was a woman standing before her, hair tied back low. There were dark bags under her eyes, and her lips were pursed. Her eyes were the color of shining iron. A scar etched down her face.
She was beautiful.
“Sevika?”
Sevika – or at least she presumed that’s who the woman was – raised a brow, “Medarda then.” She didn’t reach out a hand for Mel to shake. Instead, she turned her back and walked off down the bustling street.
For a moment, Mel was stuck in her spot, flabbergasted at whatever she had just witnessed. After another second, she got a hold of herself and followed Sevika down the road. It was likely she was going to the bar that Jayce had spoken about. Navigation was easier with someone who actually knew where they were going, so Mel stuck close to the woman’s back. Sevika was a few inches taller than her, which Mel didn’t know how to feel about. She knew that height did not equate to strength or power, but Sevika radiated both in a way that Mel had never seen before.
Mel hesitated for a second. She was in over her head.
Sevika turned. “Already backing out before we get to the negotiations?”
Mel took a deep breath. This was the fate of Piltover in her hands. One woman couldn’t ruin that. No matter how beautiful she was.
Mel was guided up the stairs and into an office. Sevika didn’t step behind the desk like Mel would have expected; instead, she stood in front of it, one arm holding herself up.
The closer Mel examined her, curious as to why she wasn’t using both arms, she realized that Sevika didn’t have another arm to lean on. Not an arm made of flesh at least. Tiny glints of metal gleamed under the cloak Sevika had wrapped around her shoulders. The woman had a prosthetic then.
Mel held her head high, her shoulders back, as she stood in the center of the room. “Silco tells me you're the leader of the Council of Zaun now.”
“Cut the pleasantries, Medarda. Are we going to talk about Piltover or not,” Sevika pushed herself off of the desk and stood before Mel, towering over her, “‘cause if we’re not, then you coming down here was a waste.”
Mel swallowed, hard. “Let’s talk about Piltover then.” There had been many people in her life who thought they could intimidate her, Sevika wasn’t the first, and wouldn’t be the last. None of them had ever instilled such a reaction that Sevika did though. She was completely different in her own right.
Piltover though. She had to focus on Piltover. “The Council is well aware that their less than… legal shipments are becoming more difficult to receive.”
Sevika smirked which made Mel’s chest burn. “I can't take credit for that one sadly.”
Of course she couldn’t. Of course things were more difficult than that.
They continued speaking about the simple things. Well, as long as one considered discussing the illegal activities of politicians and the rebel groups trying to hold them responsible. Easy. Right. Just like it was easy to stand in front of Sevika and pretend that she was absolutely losing her mind every time Sevika looked at her.
Mel couldn’t believe that she saw one pretty woman and was fumbling over herself trying to keep herself afloat. It was completely embarrassing.
The two grew more relaxed with one another as the night stretched on.
Mel was shocked at how easy it was to speak with Sevika. The woman didn’t talk much about her own life, only vague details about what she did for Silco and what her position of head Councilor meant for Zaun. Mel wanted to stay for as long as possible, to hear her open up more, see the smirk that danced across her lips pop up again.
Alcohol was brought out, as was the case in many political deals such as these, and Mel had to hold herself back from downing anymore than a glass. If she got tipsy she’d end up saying something she couldn’t take back. No matter how much she wanted to put a hand on Sevika’s arm and tell her that they were going to make wonderful partners, she couldn’t. This was fresh, like a new wound, time would need to sew it back up before she went poking at it anymore.
That didn’t mean she wasn’t thinking of Sevika the entire time she walked back to the elevator, the woman by her side. She almost felt like a young girl all over again – that was, if she was allowed to have experiences such as these as a young girl.
She stood in front of the elevator that would take her back to where she belonged, to Piltover. Mel turned and gave Sevika one last look over. “I assume we’ll be seeing more of each other in the future then?” The meeting had gone well enough. At least no arguments were started, at least, not those that threatened the future of possible peace.
Sevika grinned.
Mel shivered.
“I think that’s more up to you, princess.”
Oh gods, politics was going to be Mel’s death, but it was such a sweet death.