The atmosphere in the Reflecting Chamber, as with most of the Institute, was filled with happiness and revelry. On the stage a four-man bebop band performed jazzified renditions of Valoran's Snowdown carols, making the atmosphere all the more jovial.

But if one were to venture into the smoke-filled area of the bar, the sounds and echoes of the revelry occurring in the other areas of the Reflecting Chamber is muffled by the ever-present melancholy mood surrounding the stools and booth seats. Several Summoners lounged about with cigars and cigarettes, seemingly unaffected by the Snowdown cheer. Rumble manned (Yordled?) his usual station behind the bar, serving drinks while donning his suited miniature mech.

It is into this hazy dullness that Ahri sashayed with a seductive strut.

She turned the head of many a Summoner and Champion, her essence orb flicking around her tails. Being a new Champion, many of the Summoners there had only seen Ahri in the published media circulated around the Institute of War. Seeing her in person, so close and so tantalizingly tempting made the majority of the men in that room sit a little bit straighter, trying their best to look the part. Ahri quickly surveyed the faces of the men throwing her lustful gazes, analyzing each one to see if they were worthy for her needs.

None.

She walked two deliberate laps around the bar until she was sure that had checked on each and every male sitting there. With every step she could feel the lust for her grow all around her, but still it seemed every man that sat in that room not good enough for her. Giving an irritated humph, Ahri sat herself down in one of the barstools, absentmindedly ordering a glass of Dack Janiels.

Why do all the good men have to be sleeping with other women?

With another lonesome pout, Ahri swiped the glass filled with orange-colored liquor, quickly gulping down the whiskey without acknowledging a thank you to the barman (baryordle?) handing her the drink.

Scoffing, Rumble walked away to resume his work of polishing cleaned glasses.

"Who pissed in her canteen?" he muttered to himself.

"Nobody," Ahri responded, much to his surprise; Rumble forgot to take note of her fox ears capable of catching a whisper uttered in a room all the way on the other side of the Institute.

Gritting her teeth after finishing off the rest of her glass with a large gulp, she continued,

"Which is exactly why I'm feeling this way."

Right after the last word was uttered, Taric strode into the Reflecting Chamber, his gait determined and confident. His lustrous brown hair shone beneath the bright cheerful lights shining from fixtures installed into the ceiling, highlighting the grim emotions displayed on his visage.

But once the Gem Knight passed several Summoners giving him their usual jeering looks, pointing openly at his soft complexion, mocking his long hair, that determined confidence once again withered away softly. His stride become a bit softer, just a tad bit smaller than before, then that determined look on his face began to wear away to be replaced with a nervous grin, until finally Taric walked at his usual pace, one of his hand rubbing his arm meekly as his feet made their way toward the bar.

Behind him, the cold snaked along the ground, hand in hand with fate. Everyone in the room felt the presence of both entities, resulting in simultaneous shivers and comments of 'Hey, did it just get chillier in here?'. These two forces of nature tailed Taric as slowly as they could, fate being as delicate as possible with his controlling fingers.

Finally Taric entered the smoky veil of the bar, sighing in small relief.

He had been here several times before for a drink, but mostly because he enjoyed the overall atmosphere encompassing the area; the accumulated cigarette smoke dulled the lights from shining off of his complexion and well-groomed hair, making him less visible to other people, thus making him less prone to insults and jabs. For Taric, the bar of the Reflecting Chamber was the only public location that he felt secure. Sure, people could still see him clearly, continuing with their ignorant assumptions, but at least his gem-like features couldn't shine in all their luster.

Planting himself down on a stool, he grinned at Rumble as the Yordle set down his cleaning and began strutting to his direction. Taric always enjoyed the company of the barman, as was the case with all the people who purchased a drink from him. Despite his fiery, mischievous personality, Rumble always became a bit more soft and tenderhearted when he worked inside of his suited bar-mech.

"Hey, look who's back!" Rumble exclaimed at Taric, who looked around shyly to check if anyone had noticed his loud welcome. Not wanting to be rude, he forced a chuckle at the Yordle and gave him the best grin he could under his lonesome circumstances.

"Yeah. Just wanted to have a drink," he replied softly.

"Psh. Obviously you lugnut. The usual?"

Taric gave this some thought before shaking his head.

"Something a bit…stronger."

Rumble gave him a raised eyebrow, stopping his progress of setting out a clean glass with his mechanized arms. The Yordle silently pondered this for a while, for it wasn't like Taric to order anything stronger than a beer. Amidst his silent confusion, his eyes wandered to the slumped figure of Ahri, her half-finished drink in one hand as her dead eyes stared into the liquid to search for answers. A sudden dawn of realization crossed his visage, his widened eyes deftly switching between the fox and the Gem Knight. Sure enough, both wore the same lonesome expression, and both even sighed at the exact same time. A mischievous grin crossed the Yordle's face as he reached for a Dack Janiel's, the same drink that was being gripped by the limp fox seated beside Taric.

"So you feelin' the Snowdown blues too huh?"

At this sudden question Taric felt as if someone had smacked him on the back, his eyes narrowing into a wince.

"Is that what they call it?" he inquired, his hand subconsciously bringing the glass Rumble had handed him to his lips. He nearly spat out the strong liquor, the whiskey much too strong to the man accustomed to tame ales and beers.

Rumble chuckled at this reaction before extracting a random unpolished glass from within a compartment embedded into his mechanical suit. Once his hands busied themselves with wiping the glass clean, he gave Taric an exasperated sigh.

"Come on you dingus, you've been here long enough haven'tcha?"

"Well…yes, but I'm still getting used to all of these terms you…Valoranites throw around. I have yet to figure out what a "dundering Void-flamingo" is…," Taric replied with distaste, his mind recalling the insult when it had been directed toward him due to his Summoner's unfavorable conduct in a match.

"Oh, never mind all that." Rumble suddenly sets down his work to lean against the counter, sighing whilst looking into Taric's eyes with a pitying look. "You still haven't made any…friends. Have you?"

Once again, Rumble's interjection hit Taric as hard as a punch in the gut. He winced and nodded slightly.

Rumble shook his head slowly. His prolonged eye contact finally made Taric uncomfortable, making him break it to gaze down into the liquor held within his glass.

The cold swept across his shoulders, fate looking upon her work with approval.

Silence ensued until that mischievous grin crossed reappeared on Rumble's face.

"Hey," he hissed, his eyes darting between Taric's raised head and Ahri's slumped shoulders.

Leaning forward with a slight struggle of hydraulics and pistons, the blue Yordle positioned himself directly next to Taric's ear.

"See that girl over there?"

Taric's eyes looked about to find the mentioned woman until finally resting on the red-clad nine-tailed fox, his eyes widening slightly at the sight of her sleek, white tails lazily twirling through the air, the black ears resting atop her head twitching idly.

Then his eyes wandered, taking in her perfect curves, the creamy skin that glowed beneath the ambient lighting of the bar. Blushing profusely he looked away, desperately shooing away the vulgar thoughts already trying to occupy his mind.

"Y-Yes. What about her?"

Rumble chuckles.

"You've heard about her right? That new fox Champion."

"I know about her. But why are we talking about her?"

"It seems like you two are in the same boat."

Taric's heart skipped a beat.

"Wh…What do you mean?"

"Don't play dumb with me. Snowdown blues is written all over her."

Sure enough, turning his head in Ahri's direction, Taric could see the same dead gaze that had been occupying his eyes when he had been lying disconsolate on the wooden table within his room. She was even positioned in the same posture he had been sitting in.

Taric's eyes softened, filled with compassion, his emotions instantly relating to hers.

Before Rumble could say anything more, the Gem Knight had already stood with his drink to walk over to her, moving down two, three seats in order to sit directly next to her.

Rumble chuckled once more, mumbling under his breath as he resumed his work.

"Go get 'em tiger."

Fate smiled at the cold, the strings connected to his long fingers directing Taric to sit in the stool next to Ahri's. It gave a silent nod to cold, prompting her to run a finger along Ahri's exposed shoulder.

Ahri shivered, waking from her "slumber". She looked around her, rolling her eyes at the exaggerated winks and cheesy grins thrown toward her direction. Sure, it was amusing the first few minutes she had been sitting there, but now the men were just getting desperate and annoying. Sitting upright, she took the glass on the counter before her and raised it to her lips before her peripheral vision suddenly caught the pair of eyes gawking at her.

Taric was utterly captivated. Never before had the Gem Knight seen such a beautiful woman, one that looked so…so…

…truly, truly, truly outrageous.

And this in turn was an understatement.

As Ahri's golden, uninterested pupils met with his eyes, Taric could feel something within his mind click.

Fate smiled. This was what one might describe as "love at first sight".

At the sight of the man before her, Ahri's eyes widened. Her breath caught slightly at the sight of his exposed arm muscles, the sheer burliness of his figure as a whole captivating her unsatisfied desire.

He was perfect for her needs.

Upon realizing that his eyes were latched with the woman's before him, Taric suddenly broke away quickly, his fine complexion turning red as he blushed profusely. A violent, nervous spasm suddenly rocks his body, his arm sweeping through the air, resulting in his drink to spill all over the bar counter.

Letting out a squeak of surprise, Taric's wild eyes skittered about along with his hands as he desperately tried to stop the spreading puddle of ice and liquor. Seeing that his efforts were futile, Taric instead shoved his elbow into the middle of the puddle of whiskey, resting his head upon it casually, pretending nothing had happened.

This whole ordeal happened in less than four seconds, and already Ahri could tell this was just the man she was looking for.

Her eyes that had been dismal and defeated suddenly swirled with their normal seductive gleam, a playful fire burning within her pupils. Her body rocked gently as she giggled at the man's antics.

At this sight Taric couldn't withhold a sudden sigh of awe. Without thinking, he suddenly whispered,

"Yo-You're beautiful."

Ahri is visibly taken aback by this, a hint of blush flittering onto her cheeks. She had heard this compliment hundreds of times before, but never had she heard it uttered so sincerely.

"Thank you."

"Wha-I uh…me…I'M TARIC," the gem knight blurted, stumbling over his words as he desperately tried to cover up his previous blunder, his complexion turning into a darker shade of crimson.

Simultaneously, he shoved his hand forward for a handshake. But instead of the empty air he had expected to meet once he extended his hand, Taric instead felt his right hand engulfed by a soft warmth.

He sees that Ahri's gaze was turned downward, her lips curled into an embarrassed grin, her cheeks now a deep red.

"Oh, Mister Taric…"

Following her eyes, he realized that the trajectory of his arm had somehow been diverted when he thrust it outward…

…resulting in his hand to become buried between Ahri's breasts.

A minute or two passes in very, very, very awkward silence, Taric's hand frozen in place, his jaw dropped. Then all at once, both parties swivel in their bar stools uncomfortably, turning their bodies away from each other once Taric's hand removed itself from Ahri's breast to awkwardly scratch the back of his head.

Facing a direction not visible to the woman sitting next to him, Taric silently cursed himself, making grimaces and scowls capable of scaring off even the most hardened man.

Behind him, he didn't notice Ahri observe him with amusement, giggling softly.

Well this is interesting. It's been a while since I met someone so…innocent.

Swiveling her body to face Taric's again, she grinned at his continued display of humility.

Deciding that it was time to move on, she gently clears her throat to catch his attention. Taric however was still enraptured with his shame, head in his hands, Ahri's small call for attention flying past his ears. Ahri repeated her action, this time clearing her throat just a bit louder. Taric continued to inadvertently ignore her.

Shaking her head in amusement, Ahri leaned forward, reaching out with her right hand.

"Hey…"

She gently placed her hand on his shoulder, giving it a slight squeeze.

"AH!"

Taric's slumped body suddenly bolted upright in a flash at Ahri's touch. She instinctively withdrew her hand in surprise at his sudden movement. He looked around to see the cause of the sudden contact with his body, eyes frantic. Once realizing it was Ahri's hand that had touched his shoulder, Taric immediately swiveled round to face her.

His eyes met hers, with his face wearing an expression of apology. His animated actions as he apologized amused Ahri greatly, the grin on her lips not at all forced.

"Look, I-I'm sorry. I swear it was an accid-"

Taric is cut short, Ahri's finger resting at his lips.

"Sssh…," Ahri softly hissed seductively, her eyes wearing their sultry glare.

"Let's just forget about that."

At this Taric's face nearly turned purple from the blossoms of blush pushing themselves onto his visage.

The cold grinned as she embraced his lips once the warmth of Ahri's finger withdrew with her hand.

The cold looked behind her shoulder with a smile, one of her cerulean eyes covered with that lock of hair that refused to stay atop her head. But once her gaze met with fate's, her visage turned to one of worry; fate's face is grim, a hint of sorrow tinting his eyes. Wondering what is wrong, the cold looked back to the scene of Ahri and Taric. Nothing seemed off, in fact, the two seemed to be getting along quite nicely, their gloomy moods totally done away with.

But after a moment of thinking, the cold's face finally dawned with realization; it was well-known among all the forces of nature that fate could foresee the future. This fact was obvious however; fate was the one who determined the future.

Upon this revelation the cold drifted next to fate as his fingers continued to control the events below. She gave him an anxious, questioning look, to which fate replied with a sad shake of his head.

Realizing that he would not tell her what he foresaw, the cold remained silent by his side, watching Ahri and Taric continue with their interactions.

"Anyway, let's just continue from the beginning shall we?" Ahri said with a giggle. At this, she thrust her hand forward with a wink. "My name is Ahri."

Taric stared at her hand before finally replying.

"O-Oh, I'm…Taric. Taric." Shakily the gem knight extended his hand to grasp Ahri's with a nervous grasp.

She giggled at his tentativeness, her hand dwarfed by Taric's large, manly fingers. After the brief handshake, the two stare at each other in a somewhat awkward silence.

"So Mister Taric…," Ahri said, keeping eye contact with him whilst reaching for her glass of Dack Janiels

"….are you enjoying the uh…Snowdown season?"

At this Taric winced. Conjuring up a quick fib, he instantly replied,

"O-Of course. I mean, everyone is aren't they?"

He could see a change in her face at this, but it is barely noticeable as a result of the glass partially covering her visage.

"It definitely seems that way."

Ahri sighed before covering the slip in her act with that grin of hers.

Silence.

Taric sat rigid on his stool, looking expectantly at Ahri for any other questions.

For him, it felt more like talking to an interviewer than a casual conversation at the bar.

Seeing that he couldn't say anything, Ahri played along.

"Do you come here often?"

"Y-yes actually. I like it here…even if I'm not really favorable to alcohol," Taric said with a nervous laugh.

"Mmm…you come alone?"

"Of co-…yes."

Ahri took a sip of her drink, the grin on her lips widening.

"Do you usually leave alone?"

"Uh…yes," Taric replied, completely oblivious to what Ahri was implying.

She giggled softly, amused at his cluelessness.

"So…I'm guessing you have no women in your life," Ahri said with a slow blink, her bottom lip entering her mouth slightly.

Blush returned to Taric's cheeks with the force of a powerful wind gust. Unable to utter an answer, he merely shook his head slowly. At this Ahri gave a satisfied mew. She turned her head away from her prey to take another sip of her drink.

"Alright, then. Why are you here?" Ahri asked, her legs crossed, head resting on her hand.

The question hung in the air for several seconds, the words intertwining themselves with slow notes played from the band up front.

"Wha-What do you mean?"

"Why did you come for a drink? There has to be a reason," Ahri questioned playfully, not realizing that her prying inquiry was forcing Taric to think, to formulate an acceptable answer.

Taric's mouth opened itself to answer, only to remain agape as the gem knight tried to find a suitable answer. But his open mouth could most likely also be accredited to the posture Ahri was sitting in; her elbow resting on the bar counter, her body faced towards his in a slanted posture, one leg placed atop the other, her left unoccupied hand drumming its fingers atop her bare thigh.

"I…uh…well…a drink…here…"

He continued to utter incoherent words, still unable to find a suitable reply.

Seeing the dilemma at hand, fate intervened, leaning in to Taric's ear.

Just tell the truth, he whispered, completely halting Taric's utterances.

Giving a sigh, the gem knight hung his head, his nervous eyes softening.

Ahri noticed the sudden change, raising an eyebrow.

"Is something wrong?"

"Yes…there is actually."

Raising his head once more, Ahri could see his anxious visage completely replaced with one that expressed sorrow, hurt. She felt her heart skip, her inner emotions utterly relating to the feelings displayed on his face.

Taric gave another sigh, turning his body toward the bar counter. The mess with his whiskey had long been cleaned by Rumble, leaving the bar as spotless as it was before.

A new drink had been poured for the gem knight, which lay untouched beside Ahri's half-consumed glass of liquor.

"I…I'm here because I'm lonely."

At these words Taric felt as if a load had been released from his shoulders, the honest truth finally uttered from his mouth. He turned his head to look at the woman seated beside him, his eyes still glazed with their solitary gaze.

Ahri stared at him, face blank.

How could someone be so…blunt? Her eyes still wide, she felt something begin to surface within her psyche, an emotion directed to the man before her; compassion.

From the longing look his eyes possessed to the thin, forced grin on his lips, Ahri could understand everything Taric was going through. Silence continued to fill the space between the two parties; Ahri's seductive aura all but disappeared. The desire to acquaint herself with the man before her other than the initially planned activities for that night continued to grow within her, and if it wasn't for interference by a certain outside force, this would have been the start of a problem-free romance, not a tragedy that I need to record.

But unfortunately for the fox woman and the gem knight, fate had other things in store.

What are you waiting for? He whispered into Ahri's ear, the cold watching over his shoulder with worried curiosity. This is your chance.

And just like that, Ahri's conflicting emotions disappeared, all replaced with her one sole desire to have a shoulder to cry on, a strong man to pleasure her. The switch within her mind switched, and all at once her seductive, sultry self appeared once more.

The cold drifted beside fate with a questioning look on her face. She saw what had occurred, fate's visage still grim and serious. Her small blue eyes analyzed the scene before her, observing how different it was compared to the atmosphere before fate's interference. Curious, the cold spoke for the first time, her soft, crackling voice lowered to a frosty whisper.

Why did you do that?

Fate looked on, oblivious to the cold's presence. He remained silent for the longest time, until finally he spoke, his voice still sober and businesslike.

It is my job.

With that, fate turned silent once more. Realizing that was the only answer she could receive the cold remained silent as well, joining fate to watch the events below them unfold.

Suddenly fate pointed his finger towards Ahri, silently prompting the cold to sweep over her once more, sending a chill down her spine.

This sudden chill, along with fate's soul-shifting whisper drove Ahri to action.

Deciding that it was time for her plans to come into fruition, she grinned sultrily at Taric, uncrossing her legs whilst repositioning herself to face him completely. Then with an over-exaggerated yawn, Ahri stretched her arms skyward, shutting her eyes tight. Clasping her fingers together, her arms reached up as far as they could go above her head, allowing her chest to be pushed outward in an obscene display of eye-popping proportions.

At this sight Taric blushed profusely, his eyes unable to tear themselves away from Ahri's body as she quivered faintly from her stretching efforts, her breasts bouncing ever so slightly as her arms continued to reach toward the sky. With a bit of a struggle, he politely turned his gaze away to look at Rumble, who was still cleaning glasses, observing the whole ordeal with amusement. Once their eyes met, the Yordle gave Taric a grin and an encouraging wink.

Finally Ahri released her held breath with a soft sigh, opening her golden pupils to gaze at the flustered man before her. She ignored the crowd of other men gawking at her all around with their jaws dropped.

"Do you know what time it is?" she asked with a coy look.

The sound of her voice made Taric swivel his head back towards her direction, only to cause his blush to brighten in intensity. Still completely rattled by the gratuitous sight of her creamy skin burned into his mind, Taric fumbled about, looking for the watch he always brought around in his pocket.

Finally he found it, stating the time to her in a stuttering voice.

"Well, well. I think it's about time for me to get home," Ahri said, grinning when she saw a look of sadness instantly cloud over Taric's eyes after she hopped onto her feet.

"But…" she continued with a whisper "…I wouldn't mind at all if we shared a drink at…your place."

By now Ahri is standing directly next to Taric's ear, her lips close enough to brush against his skin. Making sure that her tails acted as a shroud, Ahri allowed one tail to slowly slide down Taric's chest, until…

"M-Miss Ahri!"

At that, Taric bolted off of his stool right before her tail reached the most sensitive region on his body. Ahri turned around, giggling mischievously.

"How about it?"

Taric stood awkwardly, wary to stay at least a foot away from her.

"I-I um…"

He thought about this, pondering whether or not to accept Ahri's offer. In all his life, he had never been caught in this type of situation, and to speak truthfully, Taric's heart began to beat with excitement.

To have a woman in his room! One this beautiful at that! This was nothing short of being any man's dream. All the things that he could do to-

Taric shook these vulgar thoughts from his head vigorously. He wasn't the type of person who would take advantage of a woman like that. Besides, it looked like she had more than quite a few drinks already, who knows if she was drunk or not?

For the second time that night, fate intervened, whispering in Taric's ear with his authoritative voice.

Take her to your room. This is what you wanted right? Now you won't be lonely anymore.

Fate's whisper has the same effect it did with Ahri, something within Taric's brain clicked.

"S-Sure. But I-I hope you don't mind that I o-only have some...champagne."

Well, something in his brain somewhat clicked.

Grinning widely at his answer, Ahri instantly walked over to take him by the hand, much to the chagrin of the men around them. Blushing at the sudden contact of skin, the gem knight is forced to follow the fox woman as she led the both of them out of the Reflecting Chamber at a brisk pace.

Pushing the large double doors of the room open, music from the stage followed them as they walked through the halls of the Institute, the smooth notes of a piano accompanying the voices of Evelynn and Twisted Fate as they performed a duet. Their voices followed Ahri and Taric down the hall…

I simply must go-

But baby, it's cold outside.

The answer is no-

But baby, it's cold outside.

This welcome has been…

Been hopin' tht dropped in.

…so nice and warm.

Look out the window at that sto-

….until finally the large doors of the Reflecting Chamber shut closed, the cold tailing the fox and the gem knight, hand in hand with fate.

Following the two until they had reached Taric's room, fate placed a hand on the cold's shoulder to stop her from entering. Answering her bemused gaze, fate said,

It's best to give them their privacy until morning.

The cold blushed.

An hour passes.

One thing led to another. And another. And another.

On the floor of Taric's room, the wooden chair he had been sitting in several hours before is toppled on its back, lying beside an empty bottle of champagne.

The trail of destruction continued to escalate the closer it got to Taric's bed, broken glass and hastily-removed shoes giving way to piles of clothing.

It is obvious what is occurring atop the white sheets that spilled onto the ground, sounds of kissing and intimacy echoing around the room. A giggle or two slips out from the myriad of noises, along with an occasional moan.

Suddenly a struggle occurs, the locking lips of both parties separated, Taric responsible.

His cheeks flushed, breaths heavy, he looked up at the woman straddling him from above. The gem knight still wore his briefs, contrary to Ahri's completely naked body.

Gazing into Ahri's golden pools, Taric held her back with his hands, his thumbs stroking her bare shoulders. Her soft lips are curled into a playful smile.

"A-Are you sure about this Miss Ahri? We only have j-just met. You should go to your room and…we can get to know each other better later."

All at once, the smile from Ahri's face disappeared, replaced with an expression more sincere.

They gazed at each other for what seemed to be an eternity, faces lit by the toppled lamp that lay beside Taric's bed.

Then, one word is uttered from Ahri's lips.

"Please."

A random tear fell from her eye, taking Taric by complete surprise.

"Please," Ahri repeated, another tear streaming down her cheek, before being accompanied by another and another, her face contorted with a painful grimace.

Her body began to quiver as she continued to cry, the weeping escalating to the point of sobbing.

"Hey, hey…"

Taric sat up, removing Ahri's limp body from his waist before taking her in an embrace as she continued to cry, muffled sniffling heard as he hugged her. His hand stroked her hair, allowing her to continue crying into his chest, her warm tears trickling down his abdomen.

"Taric…please…I just…"

Withdrawing from the embrace, Taric kept her at arm's length away with his hands on her shoulders, watching intently as Ahri dried her tears with her hands. Finally she looked up at him, a fringe of hair covering one of her eyes still wet with tears.

"…Snowdown…I've always felt lonely during the time of Snowdown," Ahri uttered softly, shaking her head. "Every single year, since the day my family of died, I've been alone during this time of year. All the men who supposedly gave me their hearts, promised me love, they would always leave me to spend time with another person they held dear. Every single Snowdown I was forced to peer into the homes of people enjoying themselves, lovers loving, families laughing together in front of fireplaces, happy.

"Until I joined the League a few weeks ago, every year I would skirt towns and cities, trying my best to keep away from the welcoming lights reflected on the snow. I tried, because I knew I would only hurt myself if I saw happiness.

"When I was assigned a dormitory room here in the Institute, I was so happy. I thought that this year would be different. I thought someone would be there, that I wouldn't be lonely. But no, it's the same damn thing. I…I'm so…"

At that Ahri began to cry again, covering her face with her hands.

Taric embraced her again, nuzzling his nose into her hair.

"Ahri…you can stop."

They separated again, with Ahri looking at Taric with her glimmering eyes. He gave her a reassuring smile, wiping away the remnants of her tears with his thumbs, taking her face within his hands.

"You can stop crying. I'm here," Taric said softly, these words causing more tears to flow from Ahri's eyes.

"You don't need to be lonely this year. I'm here."

And he meant it. Maybe it was just because he completely understood what the fox felt, or that he also needed a shoulder to cry on. But for whatever reason, Taric knew at that moment that he loved her. They may have only met an hour ago, but as their lips met once more in an intimate kiss, Taric felt something well up from within him, something that he had never felt towards another person.

Together, the two halves fell onto the bed in a silent flourish of skin and fur, becoming one. Their kisses were deep, their touches soft and intimate. Their breaths grew heavy as they shared their bodies in a romp of passion and desire.

The cold had slipped inside, blushing at the sight. Fate stayed in the halls, stating that it was unnecessary for him to interfere. Her instincts urged her forward, the cold surrounding Ahri and Taric as their actions continued, their naked bodies moving as one.

Loneliness was a thing of the past.

Slowly the cold ebbed away, replaced by bodily warmth. Taric gave all he had to the woman before her, sharing feelings he had never shared with anyone else flowing freely in every action he executed. Ahri willingly accepted it all, eyes shut, brimming with pleasure and relief.

For the first time since his arrival on Runeterra, Taric felt accepted, needed. He felt like he finally had someone to rely on, someone who in turn could rely on him. He loosed all of his passion, continuing to embrace Ahri with vigor.

For the first time since her transformation, Ahri felt accepted. She felt that she had finally found a friend, someone who could accept her faults, someone who could comfort her in the only way she knew how to be comforted.

Little did either of them know that the feelings they had for each other would be destructive, contradictory with their personalities and the plans fate had in store for them.

With a moan of mirth, Taric reached the peak of his pleasure, his energy drained, spirit rejuvenated. Ahri's desire also spent, she fell to the bed with her partner, side by side. Panting with satisfaction, their bodies yearned for rest. Sealing the night with a deep kiss, Ahri and Taric smiled, crossing the threshold into the land of dreams.

The cold continued blushing as her fingers delicately brushed every inch of their bare bodies, content smile on their faces.

Sensing the emotions present in the door behind him, fate shook his head.

Well, things are just about to get very, very, depressing.

Just to clear things up, the next chapter directly coincides with the events in Mutual Benefits of a Troubled Man and a Seductress. You don't have to read that to understand what's going on, so don't worry.

This is probably the only thing in the story that's going to be smut, so sorry all of you usual fans.

I'm going to dedicate all of December to working on this fic, so sorry if I don't update anything until January.

Now be sure to review and all that jazz.

Excelsior!