Admittedly, it wasn't the first time Katarina had failed when it came to combat. Her weak spot for love is what almost cost her the ability to see in one eye on the battlefield, it was no place for compassion, and when her eye was almost lost during that Demacian battle, it was then she realised she couldn't allow such emotions to distract her in times of need.
Until she met Talon.
It was almost like the two were made for each other, a deadly combination of magic and trickery, the bouncing and casting of blades, the shedding of blood and skin. In combat, they were almost undefeatable. They would react to each others reactions, targeting the same, or multiple enemies, their movements flowing gracefully, without a single falter. Each landing the perfect strike of a blade, ending life within a matter of seconds.
Just perfect.
General Du Couteau had long been missing, for four years in fact, so Katarina, Cassiopea and Talon had not entirely given up the search for him, but instead, joined the League, in the hope that he would one day reach out to them. It had been three years since they joined, and still no word from their father, but their fame had equally grown.
Talon, possibly the least popular of the three was still one of the highest paid and summoned champions in the League. His knowhow to turn invisible in a round of blades was thing that hit him a shot in successing to the top ranks, as well causing his enemies to bleed which was almost impossible to do on the rift due to it's magical barriers.
Cassiopea, the second in the line of the Du Coutea household was the dark horse between the three of them. She kept every ounce of her privacy to herself, and didn't spill a single word to anyone, including her sister. But on the battlefield, she was ready to bare all. A single spit of venom was all it took before she could assassinate anyone that got in her way, but turning people into stone was her strong point, and undoubtedly her most favored assets.
And finally, Katarina, The Sinister Blade, the undeafeated queen of blades, is most certainly the most popular of the DuCoutea household. She most definitely does not lack in finesse, as her moves completely intertwine with Talon's, causing the perfect recipe for disaster. Her skill was unmatched, her concentration admirable.
She was just perfect.
Time had long passed since their first arrival at the Demacian border, and they were a force to be reckoned with, as were the rest of the Noxian crew. Draven and Darius, two glorious brothers who not very often fought together, but when they did, Noxus would drink and party themselves into a heavy hangover that would last them days. These two, were the most peculiar of Noxus champions, they both loathed and (almost) loved each other, but the friendship between Darius, the older of the two, and Swain, the new leader of the Noxian Army, was what kept the Du Couteau's far, far away.
It was almost end of season, which meant all champions, if they chose to do so, would go back to their homeland and celebrate their achievements during the season. It was a time the three would feel melancholy about, as Katarina and Cassiopea's mother long disappeared before they could even begin to recall memories, and people across Runeterra knew about the suspicious disappearance of their father.
Talon was, however, humbled by it. A once feared shadow in the street, turned into a visionary for Noxian Diplomacy, he was loved and cherished by everyone, they all were, not equally loved, but all had earned the difficult to gain respect from the hard people of Noxus.
Winter had arrived to Noxus. It's streets dusted with ever so innocent looking snow, overshadowing what evil once prevailed on it's cobbles and blood-stained roads, even the darkest of roads were now hard to hide in, and it's people were the most noticable. Wearing darker clothing, draped over themselves. This part of Noxus are a modest people, not much care for appearances.
The poorer side of Noxus was full to the brim with children running around, making snowmen, throwing snowballs - clashing mid air, blowing up to dust on impact, flying in all directions. The families had fallen on tough times, and Talon found himself, year after year, recalling wretched but heartwarming years down in those streets. Staring out of his window, his thoughts traced back to the family who first took him in - the Luteces. A family of 19, all orphans, earning their wage through reasonable means, be it factory work, carpeting, housekeeping, all kept in order by a couple who could not have graced themselves with such children. Talon was their 20th 'little horror', as they used to call him. He chuckled to himself, and pushed his shoulder off the window and headed towards the door, when he was met by a small white light and a flash of red hair. He threw his arm behind him and pulled whatever he grabbed onto.
Curtain.
"If you want to play hide and seek again, you're going to have to try harder." Talon called, teasingly with his authoritative voice.
His eyes calmly grazed the room, looking for fiery hair. Corner to corner, wardrobe to wardrobe.. Slowly scanning each any every moment for any sign.
"Come on.. Where are you hiding.." He whispered as he crept around the room, arms out ready to fight.
"Ha haaa!" She laughed as she landed on his shoulders in a flash of white light and a whip of red hair.
"Go Talon, go!" She screamed with joy, waving her arm around in the air like a cowboy. He fell backwards onto the bed, holding her legs in place. He turned around, still holding onto her legs and pull her down the bed.
"Got'cha." He smirked, towering over her body. Talon's long hair flowed with his movements, and it almost felt like it was trapping her face to stay looking at him.
"Quicker than last time, slowpoke." She said as she poked his nose with minor force. He grunted and lowered his face to hers, gently breathing over her eager lips as she lay waiting for him to move, she lifted her head up and their lips met in a mixture of small giggles and cuddles as Talon moved his arms under her. They sunk into one another, relishing in the warmth during the cold winter morning, it was nice to have such comforts so easily available.
After a few moments of bliss, he lifted his head up and lovingly stared into Katarina's Jade green eyes. They both smiled. Talon lifted himself off her and gently tugged to pull her up into a hug. She wasn't much shorter than him, but enough to make a difference, her head was lifted, and his resting comfortably on her shoulder.
"To think we used to.. dislike each other." Talon said with a smirk.
"Pfft, dislike?" She let go of the hug gently and moved herself towards the edge of the bed to stand up.
"Despise, more like."
"True, true.. Anyway, do we have anything scheduled for today? Or anything that needs doing in particular?" His tone of voice was something Katarina was used to, it was subtle to everyone else, but her, it was his 'do we have any contracts today' voice. 'Do we have anyone to assassinate'.
"Yes, as a matter of fact. This one, fresh in this morning." She reached into her dressing gown pocket and pulled out a brown envelope, sealed with a wax print.
"I haven't opened it yet, I was waiting for you to wake up." She passed it over to him.
"How thoughtful." He said in a scheming tone.
The wax seal on the letter was black with flecks of gold, an unusual choice of colour, he thought. The crest imprinted on it was even more interesting though, a gun crossed with a katana hovering over what looks like a pit of flames. He ran his fingers over it, he had never seen this before in his life.
His face was full of confusion.
He lifted it up gesturing it towards her.
"Do you recognise this crest?"
"Vaguely."
"You do?"
She sat down by Talon and accepted the letter from his hand, he shifted his legs so that they were hanging off the bed.
"Yes. It's a possibility of two Noxian Families. Not nobles like us.." Talon's face was full of even more confusion.
"..Aristocrats." She said unwillingly, knowing it would displease Talon, which it did. She giggled.
"Now, on a more serious note.. The two families, think of them as.. Romeo and Juliet's families. Ancient rivals, back when no country got along, way before the league opened. One family is of Ionia descent, they are called the Kimura family, the other is Bilgewater, named Pearltine. Being, at the time, two of the richest families across Runeterra, trading was great with them. Pearltine would supply the weapons and new warfare necessary to the Kimura family, and the Kimura family would return the favour by trading traditional jewellery, precious gems.. You name it."
He shifted closer with intrigue.
".. Until one day, the families decided it would be best to being their own trading company, Runeterra's first, in fact. They resided here, in Noxus, almost the central country in Runeterra. For years it was a great success, they had traders from the Freljord, Shurima, people travelled from everywhere to see the market and the wonders of other places. Bearing in mind, Talon, these families are both extremely rich and influential.."
"Yes of course.. But where does this lead to?"
"I'm getting onto that!" She frowned. "Anyway.. the two families had of course, different values, and with each new leader of Noxus, the families grew further and further apart.."
"Torn apart by politics and royalty?"
"Precisely."
"Until one day, Pearltine decided they weren't recieving good enough payments, considering how many workers they had compared to the Kimura family.. So they declared a sort of war. More of a gangwar if you ask me. The Kimura family hired and trained streetrats and urchins, believing once taught from scratch, they would be more efficient than the Pearltine's gang, whilst the Bilgewater family bought out mercenaries. This is what would lead the split between the slums, and the higher points of noxus."
He said nothing, but took the letter gently out of Katarina's hand , and began to pick at the wax seal.