New Adventures by Pent Ghelsburg
Disclaimer: The characters depicted in this work are purely fictional. Any resemblance to persons alive or dead is purely coincidental. They are the original and rightful intellectual property of their creators. I use them with permission and respect. This work involves combat that features underaged characters You have been warned.
The world is always in a constant state of turmoil. The warring regions of the realm are constantly always at each other's throats. Each of the grand nations always claims that they are in the right and should have the imperial justice to have dominion overall. Not since the Shuriman era has Runeterra been so fractured. An unstable peace remains over the region and its people.
However, there is one place that is removed from the eyes of woodby invaders. Its presence is only the stuff of legend. Its inhabitants, the Yordles, are the only people who know how to access its magical gates. Bandle City has remained astray of the perpetual state of conflict for eras. Its people and leaders have always espoused to keep out of affairs of the other mortal races of Runeterra.
Several generations of Bandle have come and passed, all-knowing the persistent peace that existed and set them aside from the other so-called civilized nations. Little did they realize that the Operatives of the mothership had always been hard at work to maintain the fragile peace. Its minders keep close eyes on portals into their world so that they might remain removed from the reality of the other races.
The people of Bandle City were a tightly knit community. The furry race of Yordles and other magical creatures inhabited the area. It was a civilization built on equality and prosperity, allowing each of its citizens to achieve whatever they wanted both personally and professionally. What government existed served as nothing more than a figurehead since they wanted to maintain the sense of equity within the community.
The town was a small one dominated by lush green forests with trees far larger than its inhabitants. The yordles who lived there all had small homes that were no more than two stories for the traditional family only had one child. Each family would be expected to devote their time and energy to raising the kid so that they could grow up to be productive members of society. Every child was expected to go to the local community school where they would learn academics and the values of Bandle culture.
One such family was the Yordle Liang clan. They were a first-generation immigrant family from the distant region of Ionia. However, they had moved to Bandle after the conflict between Ionia and Noxus had descended into an all-out armed war. The Liang clan had been relocated for a few years now. Their first and only child had been born in Bandle and had never got to experience the conflicts of the outside world.
Now on his 12th summer, Hailun had begun his training as an aspirant. Since most Yordles were magical creatures, those that had martial prowess were seen as outside of the norm and sometimes recruited by the elite team known as the Mothership. At a young age, Hailun had begun swordplay, though always in playful competitions between himself and his other young Yordle friends.
As a yordle, Hailun was a furry creature of small stature. His fur pattern resembled that of a red panda. He was very much your typical boy who enjoyed sports and roughhousing with his friends. The cub was a very studious one, always was keen on learning new things. He was especially fond of the arts and even wrote poetry in his free time. However, his favorite thing was swordplay even going far as to take up Kendo and other martial arts at a young age.
Hailun went to the only school in all of Bandle City. It was an academy designed to teach everything that a young yordle needed to know to survive outside the safety of the school itself. Schools depended on the student's maturity but ranged from academics, magic, training, survival, and combat. The school and its staff were highly regarded and the place was more than big enough to accommodate the small population of the city.
Agents of the mothership and mingling commandos who were employed by the school noticed his "talents" in the schoolyard where he was brandishing off bullies with his unrefined version of martial arts. Each of his contests was met with more and more interest by the administrators of both groups. However, he never noticed these watchers. His playful activities and wooden sword were only ever yielded for fun and he never used what he knew of martial arts for nefarious purposes.
One day, Hailun was at school going through a lesson learning some alchemical properties of plants in the region. Hailun wasn't the best at the sciences but he did his best to achieve success in his lessons. His instructors often noticed his unwillingness to work with others, even when they suggested he didn't work alone. Hailun wasn't the most social kid in the school and he mostly kept to himself.
On the day in question, he was quietly rifling through some leaves. The assignment required finding the appropriate one for a sedative. They all looked the same to him and Hailun couldn't be sure which one was the correct one to use. As he was looking closely at a withered leaf, he noticed a shadow step towards him in front of where he was standing behind a table. He lowered the foliage and saw another boy on the opposite side of it.
The kid was slightly larger than he was and seemed to be looking right at Hailun. His eyes were a strange bright blue and seemed to be sparkling a bit. The cub had mostly dark fur with brown hair atop his head that matched. Only the bottom of his face seemed to be a lighter hue, at least from what the smaller yordle could see.
"Greetings. Would you like a partner for the assignment?" The mysterious boy asked.
The smaller yordle shrugged. "Sure, I guess."
The bigger boy stepped in near the other one as the smaller one eyed him. The bigger one was wearing a purple hoodie with jean shorts while the smaller one was wearing a red t-shirt with cargo pants. The school allowed casual stuff as the kids hadn't quite graduated into the scout training camp. At 13 years of age, they were quite a while away before they were assigned a mentor who would guide them towards their expected role in Bandle society.
"So what are you working on?" The bigger yordle moved up a stool and sat down on it but continued to fidget while still in place.
Hailun picked up the brightest red leaf. "Figuring out which one is the best for eating."
"And you can do that by just looking at it?" The hooded yordle reached out and grabbed one of the leaves on the table and looked at it.
The red panda cocked his head to the side awkwardly. "Do you have a better idea? By the way, what's your name? You never told me."
"Oh…right. Sorry about that. You can call me, Kennen. What's yours?" The brown-furred boy reached out to shake the other cub's hand.
The smaller boy met the gesture with his own. "My name is Hailun."
"Anyways, yes. The easiest way to do this is by doing a few survival tests, I learned when facing the harrowing trials of ascension." Kennen folded his arms expectantly looking at the other, sure he had already gone through the ordeal.
Hailun huffed. "I haven't gone through that yet. Mine is scheduled this coming Spring."
"That's alright. There are a few basic tests it should pass. The smell test, the touch test, and finally the taste test." Kennen puffed out his chest proudly upon sharing this knowledge.
The red panda shrugged showing a look of confusion. "What do you mean?"
The bigger yordle picked up a leaf and held it up to his nose. The object smelt fresh and of dew. Kennen found that it was almost like a spearmint aroma.
"So first, you make sure it doesn't smell strong or unpleasant. Try it." The brown-furred boy handed the leaf over to his new friend.
Hailun took a hold of the leaf and smelled it. "Yeah, it doesn't smell bad."
"Great. The next step is to rub it against the inside of your arm." Kennen pointed at the chelidon of the other kid.
The red panda moved the leaf from his nose to the other side of his elbow. "Alright, I'll try it."
"So do you feel any itching or burning?" The bigger Yordle relaxed his arms to his side and waited for the other's response.
Hailun itched his arm as the small leaf caused a reaction on his skin. "It kind of makes me feel itchy."
Kennen took a spare leaf and repeated the same motion to see if he could
"So that means you don't eat it. Look at my arm and you can see that mine caused no reaction." The bigger yordle showed the chelidon side of his arm.
The red panda took a look at it and saw no evidence of redness or swelling. "Yeah, your right. So that means you can eat it?"
"Nope, The final step is to taste a little bit of it and see how it tastes. Just take a small taste and don't swallow it." Kennen mimicked the action after doing the first step himself.
Sure enough, the little budded leaf proved to have no taste and the yordle stuck the entire thing in his maw before gnawing on it.
The smaller cub smiled. "Thanks for showing me. I think I understand."
"That's good. You can show the headmistress then." Kennen looked down at the other leaves on the table, wondering if anything else should be done with them.
Hailun had a look of curiosity upon his face. "So what now?"
"We wait for instructions. I am sure there will be more lessons." The brown yordle sat back in an attempt to relax but his short legs always remained in motion.
Kennen hummed as he waited for the instructor to give them something else to do. She was walking around and visiting the other student's desks to check where they were at in the task. Eventually, she made her way around and soon found her way back to where
Kennen and Hailun were situated. She peered over the counter and looked at the collection of leaves, many of which were still on the desk below.
"What did you two find out?" She pulled a couple of the leaves up and dropped them back on the desk, wholly expecting nothing to have been done.
Kennen proceeded to share what information he knew about survival and picking out consumables with the woman. She nodded and smiled.
"How about you?" She pointed at Hailun and waited expectantly.
The red panda-yordle cocked his head up at her. "Well, let me show you."
Hailun repeated the three-step process he'd just been shown by Kennen. The woman took interest in his little show and smiled. She was now satisfied that it seemed like the boy understood even know it was not her teaching that had achieved it.
"Very good. Nice job" She began to walk away.
Hailun huffed and looked over at Kennen who smirked at him. The two boys brimmed with pride as they had shown their knowledge. It was always nice to be recognized, even if it seemed like a small ordeal overall. The woman returned to the front of the room before long. She instructed everyone to clean up and get ready for the end of the day. The red panda began to pick up his thing with his new friend following in suit.
The two-headed out into the hallway together. In the hall there were a few more kids around, none of which Hailun knew very well. Immediately Kennen recognized one of his better friends drifting through the corridors of the building. The red-furred yordle watched as the two shared a quick handshake. Hailun looked over the arrival and saw that they had almost a blue tint to their fur color.
Hailun looked the other yordle over and saw that they had a toothy grin and seemed to be wearing a baseball jersey of the local team. It appeared that they were a girl, which was only apparent from the two blond pigtails atop her head.
"Hey, Citizen Kennen. What have you done for the community today?" The girl folded her arms as she prided herself on being a model citizen.
Kennen rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah. You don't have to play that game with me, Poppy. I've been diligent in my work as always."
"For sure! Do you want in on the game later? We could use your speed for the outfield." She gripped a small baseball in her palm.
The bigger yordle nodded his head. "For sure. You can count me in. After school?"
"Aye. Don't be late." The girl gave a fist bump to Kennen and made her way down the hall.
Kennen parted from Hailun without another word to him, seeming intent on seeing some of his more regular friends. The red panda made its way down the narrow halls. The floors were lined with linoleum which had smelt of fresh wax despite it being later in the day. As the boy made his way down the halls his shoes squeaked and echoed down the corridor. Hailun continued to make his way to his next class, which was combat training.
Combat training was held outside in the schoolyard. They cornered it off from the sporting portion of the field but both types of activities were more or less housed in the same basic area. The young yordle made his way to the enclosed area inside of the back of the school building. Once he was outside, he had to allow his eyes to adjust for a moment even though the area was kept darker since trees were rather lush and full of foliage all around the bandlewood.
Hailun took in a breath of fresh air and headed towards the equipment shack. There was one for the girls and one for the boys and he entered into the one with the male symbol on the door. Inside was a little bit darker and the floor creaked as the old wood that the building was made from was well past its prime. Inside he made his way to his locker which was kept toward the end of the facility. He was passed by an unfamiliar boy who was already half undressed.
The red panda waved at the other boy whose fur was pitch black. He barely looked up and was only wearing boxers to cover his otherwise naked body. His eyes burned a bright yellow as he stared at the other boy, covering himself with a nearby towel to maintain some sense of vanity between the two. The cub snapped his finger and in a split second his body was covered by some purple robes with metallic accents.
The black yordle got up and vanished in a puff of grey smoke, followed by a high-pitched, almost maniacal laugh that echoed through the chamber. Hailun felt a chill run through his spine. He looked around and took a deep breath trying to shake off the rather chilling encounter. The cub continued walking towards his locker and unfastened the lock to get his gear out. The anticipation and thrill of training changed his disposition to one of confidence.
Hailun changed into his gear and grabbed his kendo stick. All cubs who were charged with training were told not to use the real thing as they didn't want to incur any serious injury. Of course, sometimes led to lesser ones but these were few and far between. The boy fixed up his safety harness over his clothing that would serve to lessen any blow he might encounter. Once he was ready he stepped back outside.
Hailun enjoyed the breeze for a moment and looked for the drill instructor. He peered his head over the horizon looking for any signs of one of the older yordles who were assigned to the post. A few moments later he noticed an older woman who was wearing the distinguished crimson coat, that indicated she was a master of some sort. She stood idly with a few of the younger yordles crowded around her waiting for whatever instruction she would place on them.
Hailun made his way over towards her, the woman noticed him and gestured him to come to her. Once he had joined them, the longer blue-furred yordle held up her hand to garner some form of silence. All of the cubs knew who she was.
"Greetings younglings. Today we shall witness four bouts and one model between myself and another member of the staff. Please be mindful of your opponent. Remember this is only training, the goal is to get experience and not to hurt your fellow students." Panya beckoned in a firm yet confident tone before lowering her paw.
The cubs around her began to arise in a ruckus. The time before any bout was always one of ordered chaos. The young yordles began chattering, wondering who would be called.
"First Veigar and Carson. To the sparring area, please." The woman pushed herself back in front of the crowd, knowing that she may have to prevent a full-blown bout from erupting.
A cloud of black smoke began to move through the crowd, the shadow below it ominous and looming looking much larger than the gaseous presence itself. It emerged before long, floating aimlessly near one of the edges of the arena. A figure soon appeared from the shadow below it, slithering into a juvenile shape of a yordle. Hailun watched it take form, seeing the similar black-furred yordle from earlier. The small boy held a staff larger than he was.
"Carson? Are you here?" The woman called out again as the second boy had yet to show himself yet.
Everyone looked around to see if they could find the competitor. The boy was found to be hiding in the back of the crowd, not seeing to be ready to go to battle just yet. Hailun looked at him and noticed that he was trembling. He decided to speak up in defense of the distraught boy.
Hailun pushed himself through the crowd of other kids. "I will stand in for him."
"Very well. Carson, you will go next then. Hailun to the other side of the training arena." She pointed to where she was talking about.
The red panda placed his hand on the end of his wooden blade and made his way towards the edge of the arena. He looked to the other side where Veigar was standing, his eyes burning brightly seeming intent on the battle before him.
Panya raised her hand and lowered it. "Begin. The first one to land three blows will be decided to be the winner."
Hailun unsheathed his wooden sword and looked before him. Veigar did not make a single move, his shadow seeming larger than was normal for a boy his age. The red panda lurched forward and made the first move, the black yordle did not even flinch. Hailun was certain he would land a blow easily if the other boy did not act. As Hailun neared, veigar huffed and gripped his staff lightly. Hailun swung forward as Veigar disappeared.
Hailun flung into a tumble as his swing had missed its mark. Recoiling and looking back he saw no signs of the other cub. Had Veigar fled the scene? Hailun wasn't certain that was the case. A burst of light laughter resonated through the arena and the red panda picked himself up to prepare himself for whatever was to come. The yordle walked forward and looked all around him, seeing only the circle of kids who were watching the match.
Just as he reached the center, he felt a slight tap on his shoulder. Looking back he saw no sign of an apparent figure. Only sand rose with the wind as he looked around.
Panya called out. "One-Nil"
Hailun wasn't even sure he was hit but apparently, that was the case as he was still trying to gather exactly what was going on. Suddenly he was tripped by an unknown force as he found himself flat on his butt.
Panya beckoned a second time. "Two-Nil"
Hailun was getting frustrated but did not lose his cool. He picked himself up once again.
"Show yourself…" He uttered in a whisper.
Veigar overheard the request and laughed once again. A cloud of smoke appeared and from within emerged the black yordle boy. He lurched forward and grasped his staff" The boy's yellow eyes pierced through the red panda.
This time Hailun was more defensive than before and yet Veigar did not make a move. The red panda boy stepped forward in a single motion. Veigar smirked and snapped his fingers. The staff from his hand-propelled forward with great speed. The red panda watched as it launched toward him and readied
his wooden blade in an attempt to deflect it. Just as he was about to deflect it, Veigar disappeared once again. Just as Hailun was blocking away the staff, he felt a poke at his shoulder.
"Three-Nil. Match and Set. Shake hands and return to the audience." Panya said as she stood there watching idly.
Hailun wasn't entirely sure what had just happened but it was apparent that he'd lost. Veigar reappeared in front of him with a smirk on his face. The drill instructor didn't seem that shocked as if Veigar had shown this act before.
"Good match," Hailun said as the two boys stood eye to eye.
Veigar said nothing, still maintaining a sly smirk on his face. The two cubs shook hands and separated, Hailun wasn't entirely sure what to think.
Once they went their separate ways, they were filed into the group with the rest of the kids. Panya began her lesson in full, doing some basic exercises with the kids to work off their energy. She provided each of their staff and they practiced drills with the weapons, each of them spaced so that they did not hit each other. With each move that the drill instructor made, the kids were expected to follow in mind.
Hailun stood next to the black yordle, occasionally looking over at him. Veigar didn't even touch the thing, seeming to manage to levitate it with his willpower. Still, he seemed to manage to follow along with all the same. Hailun kept in lock and step with each of the other cubs, not trying to compete with any of them since he had essentially been put into his place by Veigar. No one had said anything about it but Hailun's pride had been damaged despite not knowing anyone well.
The rest of the training session went like normal with the kids being able to keep up with the instructor. When it was over the woman dismissed them. Hailun looked for Veigar but the black yordle was nowhere to be seen. Looking around, all he could see was the others kids leaving. It was a while before the next class so Hailun decided to go to the chamber of reflection, where he was hoping to recollect his thoughts.
The chamber of reflection was where yordles went to meditate and relax. It was a free access area and even people who didn't go to the school often went there. Hailun made his way from the training area to just outside the school where lush trees and green acres dominated. The smell of lotus flowers was piqued in the wind as the pink plants dotted against the water. Just outside the school walls was a small pool of water with intentionally placed lily pads placed around its borders.
Hailun had heard about the place before from other students but in his short stay at the school, he had only ever passed by it. He arrived at the side of the pool and looked into it. Its still and serine surface reflected his image at him. He peered upward and saw that there was one other person there. It seemed to be another boy yordle whose eyes were entirely closed, with his legs folded inward.
Hailun tried to be quiet but a twig snapped as he approached the water. Looking up, he noticed the other yordles eyes did not open. The red panda sat down and folded his knees before closing his own eyes. He could overhear the sound of birds chirping in the distance, which was making it hard to focus. Hailun did not meditate often and so he was not entirely used to the practice. As he sat there he could feel the slight wind blowing against his fur.
The young yordle tried to relax enough to listen to his thoughts. His mind was distracted by other things, such as his recent loss, and so he could never really quite himself. A few moments later he felt a tap on the shoulder. Hailun opened his eyes and saw that it was the yordle from the other side of the pond. The boy still had his eyes shut and the red panda did not immediately recognize him. The other yordles neck mane was the only thing that distinguished him as the cub had said nothing and just walked away.
Hailun assumed it was time to go back since he was disturbed by the other yordle. He picked himself up from the pond and dusted himself off with the back of his paws. He was no longer thinking about his former defeat, so he felt a little better emotionally. The red panda heard the gong being panged in the distance, which meant that the day would soon resume from where it left off. He knew he only had 2 classes left and was looking forward to the end of the day when he could enjoy himself.
He returned to the confines of the school and entered the hallway where all of the other yordle cubs were trafficking to their next class. His next class was magic, which was by far his weakest since he had no connection to the arcane arts. Despite being magical creatures, neither Hailun nor his parents had developed any in the practice of magic. Even still the cub was expected to attend the class just as every young yordle was.
The red panda hated the fact that this particular class was the busiest. The room was always full and busy with life as the teacher was well past his prime. The man was a grizzled old veteran who had been summoned out of retirement by the vestiges of the mothership, for they could not replace him during the last break. Despite his age, the man was as energetic as he had always been and many students considered him a celestial for it seemed age did not affect him.
Hailun entered into the chambers of magic, where he saw the other students were still gathering for the lesson. The teacher at the front was writing some arcane font on the board with some chalk, surely a relic of a bygone era which many did not partake in. The red panda noticed that a student tried to throw a paper at the instructor which was stopped in midair just before the back of the head of the teacher.
Hailun watched as it was propelled back to its origin and hit the very same person who threw it. The class laughed as the mischievous yordle was paid back in full by the undiscerning man at the center. The teen made his way to one of the seats near the center and got comfortable. The one good thing about the room is that the chairs were actually cushioned and so many students took advantage of it and often hung out here during idle time.
The rest of the class filed in and no further mischief was made since the first attempt had been felled by the instructor. The elder yordle turned around, seeming to float in place as he glided there in long flowing crimson robes. His staff sitting idly near his desk a little ways from where he stood. He pointed at a random yordle kid and class. The girl came forward in the class. She had blue skin, much like poppy but hair that was light purple and overall unkempt.
"Young lady, I would have you summon a weapon of your choice from the void. Be careful not to pull a spirit with it, less we have to feel it but be prepared all the same." The man folded his legs and continued to float in the air.
The young yordle looked at him curiously, not sure what he expected of her. He gravitated near to where she was and handed him a small stick.
"Search within yourself and you will find the answer. The energy of the bandlewood is all around us and is capable of serving when needed. Use it to your advantage."
The old man raised his two hands into the arm, a small portal forming above his head. A bright light formed from it as a small dagger extended. He allowed the small weapon to pour into his palm, flattening upon impact.
He displayed it to the girl. Her eyes looked upon with awe as he had summoned the thing from thin air.
"Now you try. All is not as it seems." He covered his palm and revealed it once again to show that the dagger was but an illusion.
She looked at the small twig in her hand. The thing looked no different than any other wood fallen from a tree.
"Close your eyes. Imagine what you need to summon and how it connects to the world. Imagine the void from whence it came and connect it to the real world…reach within and pull it out."
She did as she was told and closed her eyes. The room was entirely silent as they looked upon her with intent curiosity. The question among all of them was a collective…Would she be able to do it?
After a few moments of silence, a similar golden portal formed just behind her. It was nowhere near as big as the one the elder had summoned moments ago, but still, it was there. Some of the kids in the audience responded in awes with elicited sounds of "Oh…" A darkened shadow emerged from within as a small staff started to emerge from within.
"Good, continue imagining the staff as it is now farming from the collective magics of the bandlewood." The man continued to support her effort.
Eventually, the staff fell from where it was being suspended by the light. It lightly fell into her palm and she grasped it as if she expected it to do so.
The whole class applauded and shouted in joy, the girl smiling as she opened her eyes once again. Looking upon the staff with glee, she noticed it was mostly a regular staff save for the tip that was gnarled and curled into looped circles. A single leaf held from its tip within the center, shining a light green color to indicate its magical properties.
"Good job Lulu. You may sit down." The man showed her off as he continued his lesson after proving his point that anyone was capable of magic if they put their mind to it.
Hailun paid attention to the rest of the class, still only partially believing that he could pull off the same task. Once the class was over and the man disappeared without a trace. Most everyone who witnessed this feat went to pay homage to Lulu, none of them seem bothered by the magical prowess of the old man. The red panda decided that he could wait to pay respect to the girl. Hailun showed his way out of the class, making sure to avoid the crush of the crowd.
It was almost the end of the day now and Hailun only had one class left. The
final class of the day was engineering. All yordle students were expected to develop one thing that they could use in the real world every year they went to the school. Until this point Hailun had been working on a little robot he could keep as a pet. The thing was designed to look like the shards of the earth mother and he had made great progress to this point of the year.
The class was rather laid back and the instructor seldom really bothered the kids unless they got really out of hand. Hailun arrived and saw that the young woman was at her desk like always. He looked around the class and saw that many of the kids were already hard at work in preparing whatever they were making. The red panda waved to the instructor who only nodded back at him. The woman was one of the most popular staff members since she was so laid back compared to her coworkers.
Hailun went to his desk and saw that the parts were still there from the other day. His partner was already hard at work on what they were doing. The other yordle was a quiet one and Hailun had never heard him say anything. This particular yordle was one of the only ones who had a tail and the ring of fur near the boy's tip was more colorful than virtually any other yordles. Many of the other kids joked that the boy did not know how to speak but Hailun wasn't sure what to make of him, as he was a pretty solitary life.
Hailun looked over at the other cub and checked what he was doing. The orange furred yordle had something made out of bone that seemed to resemble some sort of boomerang. He was making some of the indistinguishable noise and his tail with blue tip was swishing behind him. Hailun decided to not bother him and go back to making his robot. The parts were already scattered along with his desk, complete with a miniature set of tools in which he could tinker.
He began to assemble it, not having any particular order in mind. The little robot didn't look like much but occasionally it fizzed out and show that it was partly operational. He began to fiddle with the wiring, connecting to one end to one of the others. When the two touched, he was shocked and let out a sudden yelp. Some of the other kids looked over at him to see what was happening, one of which approached him.
The other kid had quite a large head for a yordle. The yordle had blonde curly hair and was one of the only ones that wore glasses.
"Having trouble there? Try this…" The smaller boy said once he was close enough to touch the other cub's project.
The short circuit was solved rather simply and Hailun watched as the leg of the little robot jittered ever so slightly before falling silent once again.
"Never match the same color wire, it messes with the circuitry." The boy said as he fiddled with his glasses and returned to his own space.
Hailun had never noticed the other boy, but he was surprised he was able to solve the problem with such ease. The red panda made a mental note to himself to pick up some pointers from the other cub after class.
When the class was over, Hailun made a point to go looking for him but by the time he did so, the other boy was nowhere to be seen. Hailun continued to look for him, looking out for the unmistakable curly blonde hair. Eventually, he ran into the other cub going through his locker in the hallways. It was the end of the day and most of the other kids had already left by this point so finding him wasn't that difficult.
"Hey, I wanted to thank you for helping me out earlier." The red panda boy said to the shorter yordle.
The blonde boy nodded. "Sure, no problem. Machines are sort of my interest."
"What's your name anyhow? Maybe we can be partners or something in the future." Hailun didn't want to be rude and tried to take an interest in the other boy.
The smaller yordle looked up at the other boy. "You can call me Heimer but my full name is Heimerdinger."
"Cool, nice to meet you." Hailun offered his paw and the other cub shook it gingerly.
Heimer waved and showed himself out as he needed to get home for the afternoon activities with his family.
It was finally time to go home and Hailun was looking forward to returning to his humble abode. It hadn't been a long day but he wanted to relax and get some time to read something or get a light workout in before he went to sleep. He began walking out of the building, occasionally looking around to see if he spotted any of his friends. Of course, many of them were long gone at this point since many rushed out of the building, the second that the bell rang.
Hailun made his way out of the building and took a second to enjoy the breeze under the gaze of the now falling sun. It was late enough in the afternoon for it to not be that hot out and in combination with the fall climate, it was a comfortable feeling. The red panda took a deep breath of the air, feeling confident about the day he had just had. He couldn't wait to share it with his parents and began to skip home, seeming to be without a care in the world.
When he arrived home, he was greeted by his father who still very much had a thick Ionian accent that only his wife fully understood.
"G'fternun Lad. Ow'r Ya?" The man folded his arms and waited patiently at the door for his son to answer him.
It took a second for Hailun to register what his dad said. "I'm alright. How was work?"
"Frilly Fant, ya know?" His dad still was very much used to Ionian slang and verbiage.
Hailun hadn't heard those words in a while so it took him a second to understand them. "That's good. Mom home yet?"
"Nay. G'inside fore it rins." The man opened the door and goaded his son to enter.
Hailun did what his old man requested and wasn't about to give him grief. The father was strict when he needed to be but there weren't many occasions where the red panda boy incurred his wraith. The boy took off his shoes and shuffled into his room.
Hailun's room was a typical boys' room. He was very fond of martial arts and so his uniform was folded on the side with a punching column near one side of the room. Hailun's prized possession was a sword rack, one of which was a family heirloom he was posed to get when he was older. Over the years he had become adept with real blades but he wasn't quite an expert just yet. His parents had already entrusted him with the weapon even know he hadn't come to maturity just yet.
Hailun plopped on his bed, still fully clothed just staring at the ceiling wondering what he could do with the rest of the day. It was still early in the day and he had no homework to work on. His mind began to wander a bit and he began to think about his match earlier in the day. It still bothered him a little that he lost and he made a personal promise to himself that he would do better in the future. Hailun was one of those kids who wanted to be the best in what he took pride in.
After a while of daydreaming, he was summoned downstairs by the collective call of his parents. Hailun could smell whatever his parents had cooked and his rumbling stomach reminded him that it was dinner time. He hopped out of bed and joined his parents at the table. They were already waiting for him and looked at him when he entered the room.
"How was school?" His mother asked him since it was the first time she'd seen him since the last morning.
The boy smiled. "It was alright. I think I made a new friend."
"Oh did you? When will be meet them?" The mother smiled as she was glad he had finally made a friend at his new school.
The cub shrugged. "I dunno. I didn't ask them over yet."
"Well, please do. We'd love to meet them." The woman went over to where her kid was and patted him on the shoulder.
The two joined the table and began joining in a feast of mutton and freshly grown vegetables from the family garden. The family chatted on about their days, with the father's story being the longest since he was long in the tooth. When it was over, Hailun helped with cleaning up which never took a lot of time. His parents retired to the living room, leaving him to his own devices in making sure the kitchen and living room were clean.
When all was complete, he retired to his bedroom. It was getting dark now so he flicked his finger, causing one of the candles to come on in his room. Looking out the window, he could see the star-lit sky beyond the bandlewood. He couldn't help what was beyond the world. He barely remembered Ionia now and wanted a grand adventure one day when he got older. His mind began to wander, considering what the next day would bring him.
