The last of the poke bowls had been scraped clean. Cole leaned back in the booth, stomach full, heart just a little lighter after his talk with Kai'Sa.
She was mid-laugh, chopsticks twirling, when the rhythmic click of boots on polished floor caught his ear. Confident. Calculated. Not a walk that belonged to waitstaff—or customers.
Kai'Sa's smile thinned. She heard it too.
Then a voice slid into the air, smooth as velvet and twice as dangerous.
"Well, well. I thought I recognized those pretty shoulders."
Cole turned.
She leaned against their booth like she owned it—one hand resting on the backrest, hips cocked just right, red hair cascading in lazy waves over one eye. Twin pistols holstered at her hips, but it was the smile that hit first. Sharp. Slow. Like she knew she could steal your wallet and your breath in the same move.
"Sarah Fortune," Kai'Sa said, her voice calm in the way a drawn bowstring is calm.
"Hey, sugar." Miss Fortune winked, then turned to Cole, eyes gleaming like sunlight off a knife. "And who's this tall drink of trouble?"
"Cole," he said, blinking. "Manager. K/DA."
"Manager, huh?" Her gaze swept over him—appraising, unhurried, amused. "Tall, dangerous, and on the clock. I like that in a man."
Kai'Sa cleared her throat, sharp and sudden. "He's also taken."
Cole raised an eyebrow, glancing sideways. Was he? She didn't look at him.
Miss Fortune laughed softly, head tilting. "Didn't know the Void came with leash laws."
Kai'Sa's smile was all teeth. "Big talk from Captain Double-Barrel."
Their banter crackled with something old and unresolved—like kindling that hadn't caught fire yet, but would with one wrong spark.
Cole leaned back, letting it play out, half-amused until Miss Fortune shifted, elbows on the table, chin resting on her knuckles.
"Relax," she said. "I'm just saying hi. Not every day K/DA strolls into one of my places."
"This is yours?" Cole asked.
She smirked. "One of many. Tahm Kench is the face. I'm the wallet with taste." She tapped the table with a red-tipped nail. "Don't tell the tax office."
"Cross my heart," Cole replied, dry.
"Good." Her voice dipped half an octave. "Because I might need a little… private consultation. You seem like a man who knows how to manage talent."
Kai'Sa exhaled sharply through her nose. "Okay, Sarah. He's working. And we were leaving."
Miss Fortune stood with a sigh, pouting just enough to be theatrical. "Aw. Just when I was starting to like him."
She plucked a sleek, black card from her belt and set it on the table—crimson anchor embossed on the front.
"If K/DA ever needs a last-minute venue in Bilgewater—or a favor that can't be bought—you know who to call."
She gave Cole one last slow wink before sauntering off, hips swaying, pistols gleaming like punctuation marks to a sentence she'd left unfinished.
Kai'Sa stared at the card like it was a live grenade.
Cole broke the silence. "She always like that?"
Kai'Sa scoffed. "Worse when cameras are off." She stood, grabbing her jacket. "Let's go before she circles back and asks for your measurements."
Cole followed, amused. "You know her well?"
"We've worked with her. Logistics stuff. Permits, ships, the occasional black market favor…" She grimaced. "She's helpful. And a headache."
"She seemed nice," Cole said, utterly deadpan.
Kai'Sa shot him a sideways glare.
He smirked. "You jealous?"
She stopped at the door. "No," she said a little too fast. "I just don't want your first STI to come with dual pistols and a pirate accent."
Cole chuckled. "Fair warning."
They stepped out into the sunlight. Warmth hit his skin—briefly chasing away the shadows still clinging to recent memories.
The wind carried sea salt and spice from the kitchen vents behind them.
On the restaurant's second floor, Miss Fortune leaned over a balcony, wine glass in hand, watching him go with a thoughtful smile.
"Interesting," she murmured, swirling the red liquid. "Very interesting."
[You've earned 150 SP from gaining Miss Fortune's interest.]
___
Back at HQ, Cole scanned Mundo's list of contacts. Names jumped out at him.
"Let's see… Jax, Yone, Riven… Viktor… Zilean…"
Some were mercenaries. Others were pillars of Runeterran society. But they all had one thing in common: a shared disdain for the Void.
He exhaled. "I think my best bet is Morgana. She knows more than she lets on. I'll need to ask Eve."
He sank into the couch, letting his head rest back against the cushion.
And found himself staring up at Akali's grinning face, upside down and far too close.
"Hey, Cole."
"Hey." Neither of them moved.
"How'd the meeting with Mundo go?"
"Good." Her arms slinked around his torso.
"Yeah?" she murmured into his neck.
"Ran into an old friend of yours."
"Oh?"
"Miss Fortune."
Akali went quiet. "She didn't try anything, did she?"
Cole chuckled. "Didn't get the chance. Kai'Sa went full guard dog."
He felt Akali smirk against his skin. "Good."
Author's Note:
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