~ NO spoilers ~

The uninteresting hum of dutifulness poured down the stairwell, perplexing the Zaunite escort as she climbed the golden-rimmed steps. The feeling was powerful, and with every passing moment as she neared her Piltover apartment, it did not falter. Additionally, hints of impatience swirled into her emotional perception, only increasing in pungence.

Stopping at the end of the hallway that led to her residence, she was certain that someone was inside of it. And others roamed around the building.

There was a strong sense of agreement and unity, common to these strangers and fizzling at the edges of her sensory field. Their defined feeling of purpose indicated consolidation and that their presence was premeditated. She was reminded of law enforcement or perhaps a military force.

She had ceased walking a minute ago, and a few stirs of confusion and doubt in the emotional canvas confirmed her hunch that she was being watched. The courtesan sighed softly, tugging on the strap of her bag to press it more securely against her right-sided hip. The best option appeared to be to go on about her day. She was in no mood to confront those who lurked around her domicile, whoever they were, even if she supposed there was an average of only eight intruders. Turning back now would result almost surely in a fight, and she was not willing to attract the unwanted attention of neighbors or, worse, Enforcers. Even if she were able to escape them, which she was, and return to the Lanes in time for her appointment, that scenario did not appeal to her. Not while her roommate's safety was unclear.

The young woman strode defiantly to reach for the doorknob of her front door, after having turned her keys to no avail inside the keyhole; as she had foreseen, it was already unlocked. She smirked, exuding confidence, and opened the door wide.

   "I'm home!" she sing-songed , taunting her currently unseen visitors.

Within three steps, she had crossed the modest entryway. Enough ambition to turn a beggar into royalty smacked her in the face as she set foot into the main living space, making her wonder how she had missed it before.

Whoever she was expecting to see, it assuredly was not Ambessa Medarda.

The warlord stood proudly in front of the bed and her second-in-command was posted to her left, with his back to the wall on Hiedra's right.

   "Welcome. We were just waiting for you," the older woman sneered.

The front door slammed shut in the occupant's back, and she peered, out of the corner of her eye, that three Noxian guards had entered the apartment.

The sex worker forced her voice to be as flat as possible. "Where is he?"

The Noxian ruler's satisfaction was palpable.

   "Rest assured, your friend is out of harm's way."

   "Swear it," the hooker coldly demanded.

The head of the Medarda family simply scoffed.

   "What could I possibly gain from hurting him?"

The brunette exercised inhuman control to keep her sentences short and glacial.

   "Swear. It."

The male warrior who accompanied Ambessa exhaled loudly and clenched his weapon, glaring at the Zaunite.

His mistress frowned. "Enough with the formalities, child. You would not insist so much if you knew that it is him who led us to you."

   "With all due respect, you know very little about me. I insist to know if he's safe, or else I'll have to put an end to this charming ambush of yours. If you speak truthfully, I vow to listen to whatever it is you wish to say to me. Deal?" The immortal creature smirked, relieved that she was able to remain straightforward and to utter her thoughts evenly.

Hiding the anticipation she felt to acquire a Deal with Ambessa Medarda required more control than she had exerted in weeks.

The elder nodded, stabbing Hiedra with needles of her annoyance.

   "He is safe."

The sex worker hastily stepped in the direction of the bathroom to mask the trembling of her body as her new Mark etched itself into her soul. Glad to realize that the Mark was intact and, thus, her guest had not lied, she promptly reverted to her usual reckless manners.

Ambessa's leading commander stomped away from the wall to block her access. If there was no one to protect, she had no reason to deny the temptation to provoke the foreign guards, which would please her greatly.

   "May I use the restroom?"

She batted her eyelashes and displayed a roguish grin. The man merely grunted in refusal, staring contemptuously at her delectable face.

   "But I have to get ready," she added, coyly, pulling on her bag.

She steadily flooded him with infatuation, blurring his ability for decision-making. Disturbed, the Noxian male attempted to threaten her by closing in the space between them, before pounding his spear into the wooden floor. The prostitute smiled lustfully, reviewing him with her deep blue eyes.

She exclaimed, in a low and sultry voice, "Look at you... You're just the way I like 'em..!" She bit her lower lip and delicately climbed her left hand up his armor with her fingertips. She deftly hopped onto the tips of her toes and approached her mouth to his ear. "Big."

With a light tap of her nail against his chest plate, she caused him to stumble backwards. Leering at him and invigorated by the sweltering desire that he was brutally repressing, Hiedra paraded to position herself in front of a dresser which faced the large bed. Meanwhile, intrigue and outrage were at odds in Ambessa's mind. Regardless, she expressed herself distinctly.

   "Your friend had much to say about your person. I wonder if his accounts are accurate."

~

From the first encounter the warlord had with the courtesan, she was surprised by her visibly constructed facade. She was quite certain that the younger female was not truly unaffected by her and that her icy behavior was a front.

Indeed, on that occasion, a mere glance allowed the courtesan to determine that she would be ready to grovel to an unsightly extent if that is what it took for her to gain the favors of Ambessa Medarda.

This possibility did not bother her, she was more concerned that her usual technique of feigning weakness to appeal to leaders would not get her into the good graces of this woman. Although Ambessa was evidently a ruler who took pride in her absolute dominance over others, Hiedra suspected that those who submitted to her were seen as ordinary and disposable. However, outright defiance or disrespect were not advantageous alternatives. In this particular situation, neutrality of behavior would undoubtedly catch the ruthless Noxian ruler's attention.

Being implacably unresponsive and nonchalant in the presence of a woman so arousing would prove difficult. Regardless, the prostitute was always up for a challenge, even if it meant acting coldly and repressing her volatile instincts.

Both of these tactics were obviously unfamiliar to her, but she was determined to obtain the trust of the esteemed warlord.

The latter's suspicions had been more or less confirmed by the escort who shared his home with the mystifying girl.

   "I do not think anyone in all of Runeterra knows her motives, Ms. Medarda." The gorgeous man had shifted his green eyes to gaze thoughtfully at the sea when he had given this answer.

Even under the yoke of the menacing Noxian ruler, his voice was soft and measured. Furthermore, the head of the Medarda clan perceived the evident affection and strange admiration that the young man harbored toward his seductive roommate. Against all circumstances, a solid friendship seemed to exist between the two sex workers. Hiedra's reaction when she had entered their home had only proven the sincerity of their bond, which admittedly confounded the ruthless woman.

~

   "I can hardly say if what he told you was exaggerated without knowing his discourse."

The prostitute dropped her bag on the dresser, its contents clicketing and thudding concurrently, then sharply jerked her long coat off her body. The garment fell lazily at her heels, she stood with her back turned to all inside the room.

   "You must have an idea, I'm sure. From what I gathered, the two of you are close. Are you not more concerned by his betrayal?"

   "Evading, are we? I have no good reason to discuss my relationships with you, Ms. Medarda."

The hooker chuckled lightly and pulled open her bag, triggering Ambessa's man to approach his mistress protectively.

Infuriated, the liege threatened her loudly, "I can give you reason..!"

Any following sentences or actions she had planned were stopped short by the courtesan's trademark impulsivity. In a smooth motion, she was unclothing herself, beginning with her shirt.

Ambessa might have felt offended, but she was not keen to attack a half-naked woman whom she believed to be half her age. She rested her backside against the bed's footboard, almost sitting on the wooden structure, and observed the sex worker.

The trencher bent her upper body to pull off her pants, feeling both of the Noxians' eyes on her exposed skin. The hooker decided to taunt them, while she disposed of her clothes inside a drawer that ran along the top of the dresser, at her stomach's height.

   "You're lucky, I don't usually give this out for free."

With only two items of lace underwear clinging to her tattooed body, there was no doubt about the nature of her innuendo. The escort extirpated a pair of sheer black tights from her bag, listening to Mel's mother.

Her disdain was not concealed in any manner. "If Rictus is who you are trying to impress, you're wasting your time, as well as ours."

The creature silently slipped the socks over her graceful legs, before producing a sultry reply.

   "And what about you?"