The Bench

Summary: Small are the forgotten. Literally.
Characters: Poppy, Lulu, Tristana
Genre: Feels

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Fresh out of a match, two yordles shuffled through the open halls of the Institute of War and made their way towards the mess hall. As they did, they happened upon a most depressing scene. Poppy, the Iron Ambassador of Demacia, sat upon a bench in complete battle regalia; her hammer and shield laid upon the ground as she held her head in her hands. Tristana was the first to notice the depressed creature and pulled Lulu towards her and away from whatever invisible object had attracted her attention for the moment.

“Poppy? What're you doin' here looking so depressed for?” she asked politely. The ambassador merely waved her of, shaking her head in a miserable fashion. Unperturbed, Tristana set her cannon upon the bench and sat down beside Poppy, a hand of comfort upon her shoulder. “Hey come on, that's no way to act. What's wrong?”

Lulu stopped watching Pix zoom about long enough to realize Poppy's condition and frowned. “What's the matter Poppy? Did something happen to your hammer and shield? Ooh, are they cursed? Or too heavy? I can make them lighter!” So she did, and the weapons proceeded to float upwards until they were clicking against the high ceiling of the Institute. “Look! They're lighter now! You can swing 'em around with no problems!”

Poppy glanced at the ceiling and shook her head. “I can't reach them. Not that it matters much, I'm not a particularly popular choice in the League, and I doubt I will be. I don't need Whomper or my shield. I should probably just return to the blacksmith trade. I can at least be of use there.” Her tone was overwhelmingly morose.

“Hey that's no reason to be upset, look at me, I wasn't picked very much either,” responded Tristana bracingly. “And that meant no pretty explosions. For a really long time.”

Poppy rolled her eyes. “Yes, but you're picking up in popularity now Tristana. Especially after the Summoners introduced several modifications to the weapons available for purchase.”

Lulu hopped up and down excitedly. “I remember those changes! They added all sorts of new things like Wooman's Typhoon, Finder's Gauntlet and that one sword thing with a long name that I forget. What was it called Pix?” The faerie chimed musically and Lulu added exuberantly, “Bork!” With an indulgent grin she added on, “I buy it sometimes!” In an undertone she appends, “'Cuz it's purple.”

Tristana chose to smile weakly at the Sorceress' response and patted Poppy reassuringly on the back. “Look, your time'll come for sure Poppy, you just gotta stick it out. It isn't until just now that Summoners are looking for my talents, and I'm sure they'll be looking for yours soon too. Maybe one of them will realize what they can attune to you and you'll see a huge surge in popularity!”

Lulu nodded in agreement and added, “Yeah, and maybe you'll get so popular that the Summoners do something about it and say..” She affected a poorly done, masculine tone, “That Poppy is too strong. Much too strong. We should do something about it!” Her tone slipped back to it's usual self. “And then they'll do that thingy they do to every champ and summon a weaker form of you to the Field and then they'll say...” “This is much better. Now she's just right and won't make all the other champions all scared when she fights them, now she has to work to be scary! Ha ha! Ha ha ha!”

The other two regarded Lulu for a moment before Poppy looked back at Tristana and replied, “Perhaps I've been a bit too pessimistic. The latest season of matches has only just begun, and there is still time for the Iron Ambassador to prove her worth upon the Fields. I should spend less time feeling sorry for myself and more time training. I want to make whoever I face regret underestimating Whomper and I.” She smiled and looked at Lulu. “And on that note, I'd like my weapons back.”

Lulu's eyes widened. “Okay! Rocks, bowling balls and other heavy things!” She pointed dramatically at the still floating weapons and zapped them with a bright rainbow of colors. They plummeted into the shining floor of the hall, cracking it visibly and becoming stuck within the tiling. “Yay! They didn't turn into ducks this time! Can we eat now?”

Poppy tugged the weapons out of the ground- they were noticeably heavier than she remembered them and nodded. “Yes, I suppose so.”

“Everyone get on!” Lulu hopped atop her magic staff, which elongated, allowing the other two yordles to clamber aboard. With looks of apprehension, they did, and once they had settled Lulu pointed directly towards the mess hall and shouted, “Zippy!”

They crashed immediately into the wall besides the door.