Torn from her daydreams by a subtle occupation in the corner of her eye, Summoner Eleanor's gaze directed itself towards the intruder. In an instant her eyes shot open as her heartbeat ceased. The fork between her thumb and forefinger threatened to clatter against her tray as her bottom jaw seemingly gained several pounds of weight. She was effectively stunned, her eyes met with the pale frame of Thresh in his human form seated at the edge of her table, calmly looking right back at her.

The clamoring din of the dining room seemed to fade as she held a silent eye contact with the Champion who held her-for lack of a better word-affections. He looked back at her with a gaze that was equal parts dissecting and curious. A warm shiver wove around her spine.

The sum of all her furtive glances and subtle looks at the Chain Warden outside of the Fields were tantamount to nothing now as she beheld him. Mostly because she could feel him doing the same to her.

It had been a week since their last encounter, an encounter that only added to the chill that had frosted over her skin as she held Thresh's gaze. She remembered his words, and she knew that his sudden appearance was premeditated. He was here to take her away.

To where, she did not know. As to whether or not she would follow him…

"Miss…Eleanor," Thresh finally spoke, his lips lingering on the first letter of her name for far too long. The chain coiled around her spine tightened, suddenly hot after he said her name. "It's been far too long since we last had a conversation. I apologize for my absence."

The abrupt end to each of his sentences seemed to end with strange hooks, latching into Eleanor's attention. Her eyes flickered to the small grin on his icy lips, and couldn't help but let her eyes wander down towards the chiseled chest threatening to expose itself behind his deep-cut shirt. The jailbreak attempt of her heart was suddenly brought to her attention as it battered against her ribcage.

She found his eyes again, to which Thresh's grin curled wider.

He was here to take her. To where, she did not know.

"I missed you, Eleanor. I hope you didn't forget the promise I made. I'm sure you had plenty of…time, to think it through, haven't you?"

Eleanor gulped. Most likely audibly.

"Y-Yes I did. And honestly I think that-"

She was interrupted by Thresh, who let his head loll back gently with an exaggerated groan. He closed his eyes as if to savor an invisible candy before slowly putting himself back into place, slowly opening his eyes to hook onto hers again, and slowly licking his thin lips.

"I…apologize," he said softly, the gaze of his jade pupils suddenly wandering erratically. "It's just that every single syllable that rolls out of those plump, sweet lips of yours…"

Eleanor very nearly fainted.

Thresh suddenly stood, the creak of the wood bench against the stonework floor inaudible.

"I missed you, Eleanor," he restated. "And I insist that the promise I made be fulfilled."

Eleanor opened her lips again, the fork between her fingers on her lap. She felt his eyes, boring into her. She felt her heat rise to something awful.

Whether or not she would follow him…

The Chain Warden made his way to her side of the table, every step measured and slow. He enjoyed watching this girl cower before him. The tendrils of his soul reached out to feel her every quiver, and he longed to make her quiver further.

Eleanor essentially turned mute once Thresh took her hand, guiding her paralyzed legs to stand with him. She let out small, short bursts of breath that she desperately tried to hide.

"Now then, care for a walk?"

Her only answer was to follow him as they walked out of the dining chamber, her hand the cold one.

With an arcane shatter and a subsequent twinkling barrage, the enemy nexus exploded. A shared sigh of relief sounded through the room, immediately followed by the obligatory clapping and occasional whoop of victory. Summoner Eleanor resigned to a small smile, her eyes glimmering in the arcane light of her summoning orb.

"Good game, Thresh," she said meekly through her telepathic link.

The Chain Warden looked up at her from the rift, slowly morphing into his human form. His intense eyes caught hers, her heart dipping. Then, a grin, her pulse dipping further.

"Always a pleasure, Miss Eleanor."

With that, the link was severed, and the orb in her hands dissipated into mystic vapor.

She was left with the pound of her heart, to which she shook her head, hoping the motion would essentially shake away her thoughts.

Suddenly a hand found her shoulder. Amidst the ruckus of celebration, a fellow Summoner gleamed back at her.

"Good game, Eleanor. Man, I just love laning with you," he excitedly said through a mouthful of protein bar. "You know, you and Thresh have some great chemistry. I can hear your banter through the link bleed, and it really sounds like you two understand each other."

A blush bloomed on Eleanor's face, making her turn away in hopes of concealing her face with the hood on her robe.

"Oh, no," she laughed, cursing the telepathic links and their occasional overlapping. "H-He's just very easy to talk to, that's all."

The Summoner chewed noisily as he looked into the Summoning nexus thoughtfully.

"I see. Hm, well that's interesting. I've always been sort of put off by him, considering all of that creepy shit he says in-game. But hey, because of that, maybe I'll give him a shot one day when I play support."

The Summoner gave Eleanor a pat on the back, giving her a parting nod and another obligatory "good game". She meekly smiled back. As soon as he left, she let out a relieved sigh. She wasn't usually so reserved, as proven by her verbal conduct during matches. It was just when she interacted with a particular Champion.

The Chain Warden flashed through her mind again, the grin he had given her at the end of her recent game gripping her heart.

Once again she shook her head. Her fixation on the man was something that had been developing over the past few years ever since his release. There was just something about him. The way he carried himself whenever he walked through the halls of the Institute, the cold, impersonal glare he gave anyone looking at him in his human form, how reserved and quiet he was off of the Rift. Or maybe it was the way he spoke whenever she Summoned him, the words sent through their telepathic link warm and cordial, albeit curt. He would crack a joke or two sometimes, almost making her giggle, which was probably something that Summoner heard during of the link bleeds.

Eleanor's interest in Thresh was a mystery even to herself, but one thing was for certain: her attraction grew each and every day.

As she exited the Summoning Chamber into the stony walls of the Institute, her heart nearly stopped as she found Thresh pacing directly in her path. She had half a mind to turn around and leave, but his gaze found hers, effectively gluing her feet in place.

Thresh slowly walked over to her, sensing the trepidation through her blush. He need not reach out with the tendrils of his soul. He drank her in, this human who interested him so greatly. The arcane light fixtures on the walls illuminated the face below her hood, the dirty blonde of her natural curls accentuating her sharp jawline. The jade of her eyes reached out to him in a trepid wide-eyed gaze, giving Thresh a sensation that almost made him lick his lips. He could see her figure through the robe and was almost tempted to run his pale hands along its sides, though he fought the urge lest he scare her away.

However, as his feet stopped him in front of her, he lost to one urge- his hand reached over, pulling back on her hood. As the cloth fell behind her head to further reveal the Summoner's visage and the blonde curls that framed it, Thresh let out an approving huff through his nostrils.

His fingers trailed the side of her head, pressing softly against her cheek as she turned towards it.

"So beautiful," the Chain Warden muttered, his whisper almost a hiss.

Eleanor could hardly breathe. Suddenly Thresh retrieved his pale hand, clasping it once again behind him.

"I'm . Sorry, Summoner. I got carried away."

"N-No, it's perfectly fine," she stammered, certain that her face was crimson. She secretly thanked gods that she was the last one out of the chamber.

A silence quickly settled between them as Thresh continued looking down at her with a grin that was almost sinister. Her knees were close to quivering.

"U-Uh, good. Good game, out. There today, Thresh," Eleanor spat out, unable to conjure up another topic of conversation. "It's always nice to-"

"Yes…it is indeed always a pleasure," he interrupted, the last word rolling off of his tongue. He paused, looking into her eyes as if searching for something. "Tell you what, Miss Eleanor. How about we meet the same time next week in the Reflecting Chamber for…a drink?"

Eleanor was struck dumb. Here stood Thresh, the champion she basically had a crush on, asking her out on a date. She could count the number of interactions she had had with him on three of her fingers, and yet, here he was.

She stammered, a little lost for words, before he placed his hand on her shoulder.

"Good," he said affirmatively. Before he walked off behind her, she could feel his breath on her ear as he whispered, "I'm looking forward to it."

Eleanor was left clutching her fingers as she looked on the ground, ear burning from Thresh's hot whisper.

His hand burned into hers, making her heart pound. The last time his hand had touched her…

Eleanor suddenly came to her senses, stopping her feet. Thresh looked back at her with a bemused expression. She looked back with a defiant glare. Crush or not, what he did the week before wasn't something she should take lying down.

"Thresh, I've had it up to here with you. This whole time we've talked together, and the only thing it seems you want to do is take advantage of me."

He smiled, letting go of her hand. He always loved when his prey put up a fight.

"Is there anything wrong with that?"

At those words, Eleanor knew the appropriate responses; at most, she could have slapped him in the face, at least, let out a scoff and left. However, she picked the third option and tried to stammer out a response. She maintained her glare (although with her blush it looked more like a pout).

"Y-You…You-"

"I what?" Thresh countered with a step forward, essentially shutting her up. "In the course of these weeks you haven't resisted to my…advances. So why now? Have you found some other man to use you in my absence?"

Eleanor's lips moved, but words refused to form. She found herself cornered, backed up against a wall, again. She cursed him in her head, cursing his full control over her.

The warden grinned again as he looked at her, her eyes quivering with a delicious amount of fear, the breath shivering past her soft lips in silent whispers as her chest slowly heaved. He wanted to take her, and if it were not for his intended experiment later that night, he would have taken her in that hallway.

"Admit it, Miss Eleanor," he intoned. "You like the way I treat you. I can read the way your soul bounds when I'm around, the way your thoughts flitter when our minds are linked…and ever since that night two weeks ago, you've wanted me to touch you again."

Eleanor tried shaking her head but was struck frozen when his hand appeared on her cheek. His fingers were curled and he stroked the softness of her face. The sensation broke her in a way only he could, her head leaning against his touch as she closed her eyes and instantly surrendered.

She knew she shouldn't even have bothered putting up a fight. Who was she kidding? This was Thresh, the ghostly spectre she fantasized about at night, the Champion she had affections for ever since his release. She wanted to touch that pale skin of his human form, allowing those lithe fingers to grip her hair, letting him take advantage of her in any way he pleased…

A soft green glow snuck past the enclosure of her eyelids, snapping her out of her reverie. Her eyes met his, panic stabbing her when she realized just how close they were. She broke his gaze, looking at his right hand as a spectral translucent green wisped from his fingers. She suddenly remembered her thoughts a second earlier, quickly connecting the dots.

"What did you do to me?" she said, her shaky question turning into a whisper.

"Nothing. Only revealing to your mind what your soul really wants…" he said sinisterly, biting his lip. Eleanor let out a shuddering sigh, her eyes suddenly fixated on his mouth.

"Th-That's…bullshit."

She squeaked suddenly as Thresh moved in as close as he could, her breasts pushing up against his solid chest. She was forced to turn her chin upwards feeling his hot breath wisping over her face.

His hand moved aside a stray lock of blonde, making contact with her cheek. She felt it meander down her neck, progressing off her shoulder to trail down her arm. The hand made an abrupt turn, coasting along the fabric beneath her chest, its thumb fondling teasingly through her robes as it settled at her waist. Eleanor's breath stopped as his other hand grabbed the back of her neck.

"Is it really?"

At this point, as those thin lips descended upon hers, she knew the answer was "no".

"No way can I still believe this shit. That thin, pasty white creep still turns you on?"

A pillow was quickly hurled at Janna's face, effectively shutting her up as she fell back on the bed with a muffled giggle.

"Shut up, Janna. You know I didn't mean it like that," Eleanor retorted with a hint of frustration, sitting cross-legged at the foot of the bed. She scooted up to join her friend, lying next to her with her arms and legs sprawled. "It just felt…so strange. I stood there for a good minute after he just whispered into my ear. His breath was so…hot."

Instinctively her hand thumbed over the earlobe in question.

She could hear Janna sigh as the sorceress reached over to play with her wavy hair.

"Tell me, hun, when was the last time you've gotten laid?" Janna asked softly.

"And how is that any of your business?"

"That long ago, huh? Well let me tell you something. Maybe you're just deprived. I mean, you've gotta be if you're getting all hot and bothered over Mr. Bondage Ghost. Might as well be hitting on Nocturne or someth-"

"Knock it off, Janna. Seriously," Eleanor shot. She wasn't in the mood.

"Alright, alright, I'll lay off. Just looking out for you, sister. It isn't healthy for such a young, virile woman such as yourself to waste away and crush over someone you never talk to for all this time. Much less some creep from the Shadow Isles. What do you even find so attractive about him?"

As Eleanor lay there, looking at the wood-paneled ceiling, Janna's question nibbled at her mind. She stayed silent for a few moments, squinting into her thoughts.

"Well…there's just something about the way he presents himself…not just when he's in that human form either, but the way he talks to me when we're linked…it's like he understands me, weird as that might sound."

Janna scoffed. "Weird is right. The only things I've heard from him are how he loves misery and the taste of torment."

"Yeah…I was sort of intimidated by that when I first Summoned him, but when you talk to him, he's just…so different. Warm. Yes, that's definitely a word for it. He's warm. Very polite."

"I'm sure…" Janna considered her words, silent as she took her turn to ponder. "Well…I guess he does have really nice abs."

"Of course that's the only thing you'd come up with, you slut," Eleanor sighed.

"Hey! I haven't even had sex in a week!"

"Ooh, impressive," she affirmed with a roll of her eyes.

"Well," Janna resigned. "At least I'm enjoying myself. This body isn't going to last forever."

Eleanor chuckled. Her best friend never really was good at defending herself when it came to the topic of her promiscuity. But she didn't mind her lifestyle. In truth the sorceress was one of the pickier Champions, as opposed to other…looser ones.

"All of that aside, you're going, right?" Janna said, the question taking Eleanor off guard.

"G-Going? To what?"

Janna sat up, running her fingers through her golden hair. She reached over and poked Eleanor's side, gaining a small squirm.

"Oh, don't play dumb with me. The date Thresh asked you to today."

Eleanor slowly sat up too, her eyes suddenly growing more distant.

"Oh. Right."

All at once the Summoner's demeanor changed, a blush blossoming on her cheeks as she pulled her legs back for a hug.

"Godsdammit, there you go again," Janna said with an exasperated sigh. "Just go for it. This is the guy you've been utterly creaming over for months and he's asked you out on a date. Are you seriously going to let this opportunity just pass you by?"

The fireplace in the corner slowly crackled as Eleanor allowed a silence to settle. Janna started absentmindedly braiding her hair as she waited for her answer. It frustrated her when she saw her friend like this, uncharacteristically meek.

In fact, it frustrated her whenever she saw Eleanor outside of these closed doors. Hood always up, always looking a little withdrawn. The only times she would be herself was when they were alone together in their respective rooms or during an intense match. Either way, it wasn't really enough to show the world who she truly was.

An epiphany struck Janna, halting her fingers from threading the golden streaks between them. A grin curled on her lips. Maybe a night with Thresh was exactly what her friend needed.

She shot Eleanor another look, shaking her head softly at the sight of the Summoner still hugging her knees, hiding from whatever apparition of decision that had decided to haunt her.

"Well, I guess I have no choice", Janna thought to herself.

Quickly getting to her feet, Janna's eyes instantly flashed a cobalt blue. A staff materialized in her hand, miniscule crystalline shards forging together, tinkling through the air. A harsh wind encircled the wind mage, taking her off her feet as the cold air embraced her being.

Before Eleanor could react, she felt invisible hands lift her off the bed, higher and higher, grabbing her by her limbs to stretch her apart.

She squealed as she was turned over facing downwards towards the floor.

"J-Janna, what the fuck are you doing?" she yelled as the ascension towards the high ceiling stopped. Janna grinned, eyes regaining their normal tint.

"So are you going to the date or not?"

"Is that what this is about? Seriously?!"

"It's a simple yes or no, hun, c'mon," Janna eased, greatly amused by the sight of Eleanor floating above her.

Her eyes widened suddenly when she heard a crackle of runic magic followed by a flash of blue. The blue came in the form of several rings encompassing Eleanor's body, their force shuddering everything loose within the dormitory room. Janna heard a vase crash before a shatter resounded and Eleanor disappeared from her invisible shackles.

Eleanor reappeared atop a desk with a blue flourish, scattering various paperwork and a whole tin of pens. Taking a stance she muttered something under her breath as Janna readied another burst of wind from her staff. A whirl of air rushed towards the Summoner, but in a cloud of electric yellow Eleanor was gone, only to materialize in another arcane flash right behind Janna.

The wind mage didn't have enough time to react as she felt a hot sizzle on her back, causing her to yelp in pain. A split second later, the skimpy embroidered top that covered her chest fell to the ground, leaving her half-naked. It took less than a second for her to realize Eleanor had just used an igniting spell on the clasp.

"Oh my gods, Eleanor. You know that one was my favorite."

She turned to face the Summoner and was met with a cheeky grin. Oh, she was gonna get it.

She twirled her staff with a sinister grin and blasted another shot. Eleanor flashed again, allowing the blast of air to slam against her dorm room door. However, this move was anticipated, and as she materialized over her bed, a crystalline bird shattered against her chest, the shirt and the bra shredded to pieces. In moments, Eleanor felt a nullifying force leaden her limbs.

As she landed on the sheets of her bed, she scoffed at the move, giving Janna a look of pure malice.

"Godsdammit, Janna, you know how expensive bras are theesh…daysh…ahm gun-" she accused before being cut off by the slowing effects of Janna's spell.

The wind mage floated over and trapped Eleanor beneath her.

"Heh, now we're even. So. Are you going or not?"

Eleanor gave her a defiant glare before suddenly muttering something else under her breath, her eyes glowing a deep emerald.

"Oh no you don't-" Janna said as her hands attempted to silence her before being pushed onto her back. Now it was her turn to be trapped as Eleanor put her hands over her mouth, the healing incantation successfully ridding her of Janna's stun.

A malicious grin was on her face as she finally took victory over adversary. Only to have the grin turn into a scrunched-up, painful laugh. Within seconds she fell onto her back, laughing hysterically, tears forming in her eyelids as Janna hit the secret spot behind her knees, tickling without any notion of mercy.

"So," Janna said maliciously, loudly enough to pierce Eleanor's squealing laughter. "You're going. To that. Date. Right?"

Driven to a corner, Eleanor finally caved in.

"Yes! Yes, godsdammit, I'll go!"

Janna let out a satisfied sigh, her hands still working their evil.

"Excellent."

Unbeknownst to the two girls as Eleanor rolled and writhed beneath Janna's sinister touch, the door was wide open, courtesy to one of Janna's blasts of air.

In the doorframe stood Malzahar, painting equipment in his arms for his weekly appointment with Eleanor. She had promised him they'd be able to finally use Janna as a model after months of delayed promise. So he had looked forward to this particular session after a particularly strenuous week on the Fields. And yet, instead of a warm welcome and a hug like he usually got, the prophet was only met with the sight of his friend and their proposed model wrestling atop a bed, topless, oblivious to the world around them.

He let out a sigh and shook his head, closing the door behind him as he floated away.

"I give up."

His skittering voidling let out a little squeak of affirmation.

Eleanor let out a squeak through her nostrils as Thresh's lips met hers. That was it. She was giving up.

No matter how cold Thresh looked in his human form, white and, "pasty" (as Janna put it), his touch was so warm. And now as his lips ravished hers, his heat was scintillating. She breathed in his scent, one that whispered of dead clovers. Her hands darted, somewhere, anywhere, before finally finding Thresh's shoulders. She didn't even notice his right hand on the move.

Her heart skidded to a halt at the soft brush of his lips against hers. This, all along, was what she wanted. She couldn't deny what Thresh saw in her. That desire and the want that she had harbored. Maybe Janna was right. Maybe she did need to get laid.

Thresh's lips shifted, and for the shortest moment she felt his tongue brush against the front of her teeth. At that, she let out another burst of breath from her nostrils before her eyes shot open at Thresh's grip of one of her breasts. She separated from his mouth about to utter a word of protest before she felt her hands being bound, the rattle of materializing chains overcoming the sound of her heavy breaths.

"Th-Thresh, what are you doing? Somebody could see us," she hissed. Even as she scolded him, she couldn't help but feel herself getting lost in his eyes, the grin on his lips as evil as what his hand was doing through her robe.

"Let them see," he whispered against her nose, his left hand gripping her hair. She almost let out a moan as he pulled her in again, but she resisted against him.

She could feel herself getting hot, and she knew this was what the bastard wanted. She squirmed against her restraints as Thresh groped her other breast, pleasuring her in a way that she wouldn't have thought possible through so much cloth.

She let out a breathless sigh as Thresh's second attempt succeeded, his lips capturing hers. Eleanor knew at that point that he wasn't going to stop. He wanted something from her.

His lips dismounted, traversing over her cheek before letting his tongue past. Eleanor shivered, tilting her head back against the wall as the warm wetness trailed down her neck. At the end of its trek, reached with his left hand and pulled on the collar of the shirt she wore inside, capturing her revealed collarbone with his lips. He sucked almost ravenously, his teeth digging fiery little marks into her fresh skin.

Eleanor's heart stopped, but amidst this, she knew she had to stop it.

"Thresh…" she said breathlessly, his name almost coming out as a moan. "What do you want…from me?"

In response the warden gave one last suckle before moving to the base of her neck and biting down. Eleanor squealed.

Thresh's hot breath meandered up her throat as he removed his hand from her breast, grabbing the bottom of her chin with his thumb and forefinger.

He guided her eyes to look into his. His lips were still locked in that malicious grin.

"All I want from you, dear, is for you to tell me…what you want."

Eleanor breathed through her mouth in heaves. She shook her head, jade eyes drooping from the sudden burst of arousal.

"I. I-I don't know what you…mean."

Thresh grinned maliciously.

"Yes, you do…you're just too meek to tell me."

At that, Eleanor felt something cold and smooth coil around her legs from beneath her robes. The realization that they were chains made her panic. Unfortunately for her, the tightening coil of the chains ensured she would not be able to protest.

Her eyes filled with the fear and anxious anticipation of what was to come, looking at Thresh with a plead. It drove the chain warden absolutely insane.

Eleanor felt the two chains slowly make their progress upwards on her smooth legs, coiling around her calves, then slithering over her thighs, making their way under her skirt. She shivered at the thought of what Thresh was going to do as he took a step back, watching her squirm in her restraints, a tinge of sweat on her neck melding with the faint trail of saliva he had left behind.

"Pl-Please, Thresh, let me go."

"Tell me what you want, Miss Eleanor."

Tears finally began to spill from her eyes, rolling down the intense blush on her cheeks.

"Thresh-"

"Tell me. What you. Want," Thresh urged, the intensity in his eyes forcing Eleanor into more submission.

One of the chains suddenly stopped its progress, its head poking around inside of her robe like a metallic snake. It continued up inside her skirt, tentatively brushing her upper thighs, finding its target with its nose. Eleanor bit her lip at the coldness of the steel against her skin, letting out a surprised gasp as the chain suddenly curled around her panties, its steel pressing against her bareness.

Thresh raised an eyebrow.

"Mmm…you're surprisingly moist, Miss Eleanor. Maybe this is a hint of your true desire? But I'm afraid I can't be too certain without a…verbal confirmation."

Eleanor merely leaned forward and replied with a groan, half of her face now obscured by her wavy dirty blonde. In her disheveled state, she didn't know what to say. She only wanted it to stop. Yet, as the chain tore her underwear off of her body, she couldn't help but feel excited. Another shiver ran through her body as the links of the chain ran over her bare mound, teasingly relenting with its pressure.

"Oh, I apologize. It must be uncomfortably cold…allow me," Thresh offered.

Suddenly the steel chain below her grew warm, deliciously so. All at once, Eleanor's eyes squeezed shut at the sensation of the warmth coiled around her legs, and the heat teasingly rubbing her moistness.

"Please, Thresh…I want you to…stop," she attempted, looking at him with desperation.

He merely chuckled.

"I know you're lying, Miss Eleanor. All I need is the truth, and we can continue this elsewhere."

Before she could retort about "continuing this elsewhere", the head of the hot chain slowly slithered its head inside of her. She let out an exclamation akin to the child of a squeal and a moan. It resounded through the hall, bouncing and amplifying. The thought of somebody hearing her drove her into a panic. But as the chain was slowly sucked into her heat, she couldn't restrain the pleasure from being expressed through her voice.

One link, two links, three links, four links, one by one they entered her. She tightened around the hot steel, pleading with her eyes. However looking at the warden only made it worse. She wanted his hands on her again, his lips. She tried shaking the thoughts away but they only stayed, coiling around her mind like the chains around her body.

At the sixth link, the chain suddenly began exiting, each link that popped out sending electricity up her spine. Then, all at once, they shoved back in again, making her squeal. She felt another hot chain ease its way behind her, its tip prodding at her rear, seeking entry into the fleshy crevice.

She was panting by now as Thresh continued to torture her with pleasure, the impersonal steel of his chains making her desperate for something else. The chain behind her finally began to slither inside of her tight rear, to which she almost screamed. She didn't want this, she wanted him.

She wanted him.

"Th-Thresh, please stop I-I want you," Eleanor said through pants, a clear trail of drool trailing down the side of her mouth.

All at once the chains stopped, and Thresh stepped closer.

"What….was that?" he said, the grin wider.

She looked at him with those desperate, quivering eyes, with a pathetic face that only made the warden want to stick himself inside of those lips all the more.

"I want you."

"To do what, Miss Eleanor?"

She groaned as the chain inside of her began to move again.

"T-To do this. Whatever it is, they're doing…"

She blushed again, eyes on the ground.

"And what are my chains doing, Miss Eleanor? What exactly do you want me to do?"

She stayed silent, words at the back of her throat. She remembered her confrontation with Janna, hugging her legs, ignoring the questions shot at her until-

Thresh's hand lifted her head by her chin, forcing her to look at him.

"What exactly, do you want me to do, Eleanor?"

Eleanor felt the slick exit of the chain inside of her, feeling its tip suddenly begin rubbing against her clit. The electric sensation made her dizzy with arousal.

She gathered herself together, looking at the man who owned her now, body and soul.

"I want you to fuck me, Thresh."

The chain warden's face couldn't have been any more brighter. A sinister look crept into his eyes.

The chains retracted into the nether, their metallic rattle resounding through the hall. Without anything to support her, Eleanor fell forward into his chest.

"Now that's what I wanted to hear, Summoner…"

Eleanor bit her lip, feeling the warmth of her juices dripping down her legs and onto the floor.

The pitter-patter of the drums fell like rain against pavement. Eleanor drank another sip of her bourbon, letting its warmth drip down the inside of her throat.

The walking bass line kicked in, entrenched by the wispy chords of the piano. An alto sax joined in the fray, weaving its way between the heavy and the light.

Eleanor had been in the Reflection Chamber for five minutes, arriving ten minutes before the meeting time with Thresh. The atmosphere was upbeat and mellow, Summoners and Champions lounging as they usually would on nights like these. The domed ceiling was lit by runic light fixtures that reflected the golden sunlight that kissed Mount Targon every morning, dimmed just right to ensure that the atmosphere stayed melancholy.

Her focus on the entrance to the chamber was momentarily subdued as Rumble picked up her glass. He operated his tuxedoed miniature mech, as he usually did when he worked nights at the bar. With a few pulls of his levers and a press of several buttons, Eleanor's glass was filled again, Dack Janiel's on the rocks.

She acknowledged him with a nod of thanks, to which Rumble winked.

"So, who's the lucky guy you're waiting for?" Rumble inquired whilst drying some glasses as his mech presumably went on autopilot washing some dishes.

Eleanor blushed slightly, before grinning.

"Thresh," she said, the name rolling off her tongue in a way that would make any man that night jealous. Rumble raised his eyebrows.

"Interesting. First date, I assume?"

"Why, yes. How'd you know?"

"Listen here, lady. Worked this bar for almost as long as this whole damn Institute's been standing. I know," he said with a wink.

Eleanor giggled softly, letting a lock of hair that she had curled earlier that evening into her line of vision. The stool beneath her squeaked softly as she turned towards the door again, only to have her view blocked by Thresh's grinning face.

She let out a squeak.

"Good evening, Miss Eleanor," he greeted, his voice soft and inviting.

"G-Good evening, Thresh," she replied, the blush on her face quickly spreading. "How are you tonight?"

"I'm doing quite fine. Didn't really have any matches to hassle me today, nothing…interesting. Only thing I did look forward to was you."

Nothing could have stifled Eleanor's blush.

"O-Oh, well, would you like a drink?"

"I don't drink."

"I see," she said, right before taking a long draught of her bourbon. She offered him a smile as he kept looking at her.

Gods, the way he looked at her. His eyes seemed like they were ripping a hole inside her, browsing through whatever they found before leaving everything all shuffled and dissected.

The conversation began to flow more smoothly then. It was certainly hard to talk to a man like Thresh, even if you weren't attracted to him. But it wasn't impossible.

She even had him give in and take a few sips from a drink she bought him, to which his nose scrunched and his whole face contorted into a lump that Eleanor could only describe as "fucking adorable".

The night waned on and the pair had long since broken all the ice, warming the water enough to take a swim. It was near midnight that Thresh suggested that they take a walk. Whatever that meant, Eleanor accepted, receiving a wink from the blue yordle behind the counter.

A few turns in the corridors later, and she suddenly found herself against a wall, heart pounding for an exit from her chest. She didn't know how, but Thresh had somehow directed her into this position. He had his hand resting on the wall beside her head, and his eyes looked deep into hers. A silence ensued for a good minute as the wind from an open window behind him whispered sweet nothings to the hall. Eleanor's lip quivered, and she swore her knees were shaking. Then, Thresh reached over with his hand and ran his thumb over her lips, before smoothing his hand down her jawline, traversing it down her neck. He settled on her collarbone, which he caressed with his thumb smoothly, pressing down softly for a reaction.

Eleanor still stood petrified, unable to say anything, unable to think.

"I enjoyed tonight very much, Miss Eleanor…and I would like to spend another night like this with you very soon," Thresh whispered, his words brushing over her face like the humid air of a day in August. "Unfortunately I have business to attend to for the next few days, so I was thinking…next week? We could take another walk together…" his hand suddenly smoothed down her arm, resting on her waist now, slithering to the small of her back. "…and we could talk…more too," he suggested as the hand brought her against him. Her vision filled with his lips, then his eyes, and his breath mingled with hers as his mouth rested a mere centimeter away from hers. The shared breath made her feel lightheaded, as did the sensation of his chest pressing against her breasts so tightly.

Thresh moved in slowly, their worlds melding together when-

Eleanor pushed him away with all her might, panting for breath.

"I. I'm sorry," she spat out before muttering a short incantation to flash away.

As Thresh was left standing in the hall, lips itching and thirsty, he scoffed, scratching the back of his neck tentatively.

However, a smile managed to crack on his lips.

He always did love it when his prey put up a fight.