Caged Bird

Chapter One: Mistakes


Gods, I hope he didn't hear me slam the door…

Quinn held her breath, her hand slowly clasped over her mouth, and backed away from the closet door carefully. The soft sound of boots against carpet was amplified tenfold because of the silence. The scout didn't know what would happen to her if she was caught and she certainly didn't want to find out.

Her golden eyes jolted around the dark, confined closet she was now stuck in— not a single place for her to hide. There were very few clothes hanging, blades were lodged into the walls, and it smelled just like him. Just like Talon, the man she was supposed to gather information about.

This was just a simple "search and retrieve" mission

Quinn was sent out by Prince Jarvan to collect anything she could find on this slippery assassin. The scout tried to convince her prince that sneaking into another champion's room was against the rules in the Institute but he ignored her. Jarvan had been suspecting that the Du Couteau family had something to do with Demacian diplomats being found dead. As paranoid as Prince Jarvan could be at times, there could have been a connection between the dead Demacian officials and the infamous family of assassins. So, Quinn didn't argue with him any further.

He had sent this three strongest teammates to follow each remaining member of the Du Couteau clan. Shyvana was responsible on tracking Cassiopeia while Garen was assigned Katarina. Although, Quinn did wonder why Jarvan chose to send a seven-foot knight on a stealth mission.

It was not surprising that Prince Jarvan had given Quinn Talon considering their history. Jarvan theorized that Quinn knew all of the assassin's tricks just because she had fought with him a few times while on her missions. The scout knew that wasn't true. Talon was always surprising her with something new each time they clashed. But nonetheless, she had to obey her prince's orders.

The young Demacian thought her plan to sneak into his room in the Halls of Justice was foolproof— get in while he was out in a Rift match, take what she needed, and leave. But one thing she didn't count on was someone filling in for Talon and him returning back to his room merely minutes later. In a panic when she heard his key open the door, Quinn bolted into his closet.

I have to admit that this wasn't my brightest idea

Her ears picked up on Talon walking around his room again. She could see his shadow moving from in between the door panels. Quinn took a step forward and saw the assassin take in a deep breath before he began stretching. He pulled his arms across his chest, behind his neck, and then around his back. The scout's felt her face heat up when Talon tore off his shirt and threw it carelessly on his bed. She chewed on her thumb while he tied up his long brown hair, giving her a clear view of his angular face.

He definitely doesn't look like your average ugly Noxian…

Talon dropped to the carpet and began to do push-ups. The scout walked closer until her nose was pressed against the door. She watched the assassin's muscles flex each time he dropped down to the carpet and back up again. His strong arms that were usually covered by long, violet sleeves never faltered. Quinn counted in her head.

One, two, five, ten, twenty, fifty, eighty, one-hundred. Amazing…

The assassin hopped off the floor, wiping his now sweaty face with his wrist. A bead of sweat dripped off his chin and rolled down his heaving chest. Talon pulled the tie from his hair, shaking it loose and onto his broad shoulders. He let out a loud but slow sigh while he dropped down to touch the tips of his boots. Quinn couldn't help but notice each muscle in his back and the scars that covered him.

"Wow," she whispered.

The scout noticed that Talon had abruptly stopped stretching and his head popped up. Quinn quickly covered her mouth, internally screaming at herself when the assassin stood up straight. Talon's amber eyes narrowed at his closet door before he made his way over. The scout quickly moved away from the door as his hand reached for the handle. Her back hit the wall but she pressed on it further as if she could break through it, her boots slipping against the soft carpet. Light filled the dark closet and Quinn could see the assassin's silhouette before her.

"You lost, scout?" The Noxian snarled. Quinn shook her head as Talon yanked her by her collar out of his closet. He knocked her onto the floor when she tried to escape through his bedroom door. "What are you doing in here?"

"I was just—"

Quinn's golden eyes betrayed her as they wandered down the assassin's war-hardened body. She watched his abdominal muscles and chest expand and retract as he breathed. The scout forced her eyes off his body and back to his amber eyes but that didn't reduce the redness in her cheeks. If she ignored the fact that Talon was her sworn enemy and a Noxian she would consider him to her type— he was strong, handsome, tactful, and she didn't mind a sharp tongue. Playful banter was cute to her. She didn't notice her eyes had moved back down his body until she heard Talon snicker.

"You were spying on me, you little pervert." Talon laughed when he saw that the younger woman's cheeks were bright crimson. He leaned against his front door, "You know, you could have just asked me to come in. I would have let you in if you wanted to watch me get all sweat. I'd even let you join me."

"I-I'm not here for that!" Quinn tore her eyes away from the assassin completely.

"Then why are you here?" Talon's voice became more serious, "If you're here to steal something from me like your little Demacian crew, I'm going to turn you into the High Summoners."

"I wasn't—"

"Don't even try to lie. Katarina already told me that you're half-dragon ally had stolen a magic mirror from Cassiopeia." Talon said, "The High Summoners are already dealing with it now. So, you want to explain yourself?"

"I don't have to tell you anything," the scout growled as she looked back at Talon.

"You'd like to leave then," he asked. Quinn's brow raised in confusion but she answered him with a single nod. Talon smirked, "Talk and I'll let you go. I promise not to involve the High Summoners."

"Go to hell," Quinn snarled.

"You made your choice, scout." He shrugged before kicking the door knob off his door. Quinn's eyes widened at the bronze knob lying on the floor. She looked back up at the assassin with confused golden eyes.

"What is wrong with you?"

"Damn, where do I begin?" Talon darkly joked as he walked over to his dresser and picked a couple of daggers from one of its drawers. Quinn quickly crawled as far away as she could from Talon, expecting only the worst from him. He raised a thick brow at her, "Easy, scout. They're not meant for you. Well, they are in a way."

Talon stepped back over to his front door and stood still as he thought. He reached up and pierced one dagger through the wooden door to the frame, sticking them together. The assassin gave the door an experimental tug and smile when he saw that it wouldn't come loose. Talon drove more daggers into it and patted his hands clean of woodchips. Quinn looked around him from where she was sitting, scowling.

How long is he intending to keep me in here? Someone is bound to come looking for me sooner or later…

Quinn's thoughts were interrupted when the assassin laughed as he tried to pry the door open. It didn't even move a centimeter. He turned back around, smirking at the scout.

"Get up," he said.

"What?"

"I said get up," he commanded. He grabbed the scout by her arm when she didn't obey. Talon shoved her into the front door, "Try and open it."

Quinn glared at the man while she clutched the part of her forearm where he touched her. A few seconds passed before she turned her attention to the messed up door. Her golden eyes looked up at the daggers, she was a bit too short for her to reach unless she hopped for them.

Genius… If I even tried to escape, I would have to pick out the daggers one by one… I would make a lot of noise, and I would be caught before I could make a run for it…

The scout poked the broken doorknob. The flat side of it was still in the wood, meaning the latch holding the door to the frame was still holding. Her fingertips tried turning the flat part but it was no use— it wouldn't move without the rest of the doorknob.

This man is going through a lot of trouble to keep me here…

"I can't," Quinn growled lowly.

"Exactly," the assassin darkly chuckled.

Quinn remained by the door as Talon walked off. She heard him sit on his bed and sigh. She watched him from the corner of her eye, seeing rest his head on his pillow and fold his arms behind his head.

"Do you want to sit down?" Talon asked the scout. She answered him by plopping herself right in front of the door, her back towards him. He chucked, "Have it your way then. From the looks of it, we're going to be here for a while."

"I doubt that," Quinn said under her breath.

"Did you just say more than two words?" Talon joked as he sat back up, hanging his legs off the edge of his bed. "What makes you think you won't be here for long?"

"My team will come looking for me. They know I'm here," the scout said coldly.

"So, you were sent here?"

"N-No, I came on my own," Quinn lied.

The scout heard Talon sigh and she turned to face him, pressing her back against the door. He ran his fingers through his hair as he thought. The assassin finally looked back at her, his amber eyes striking sudden alarm in Quinn.

"I can tell when you are lying, scout. You stutter," Talon explained. Quinn averted her eyes from him in embarrassment. "You also don't look me in the eye."

"Shut up, you don't know anything about me!"

Talon's amber eyes narrowed at her harsh tone. He lightly shook his head before getting to his feet, making Quinn press her back against the door in distress. The assassin knelt down in front of her, grabbed her chin, and forced her to look at him.

"I know you were born in a small village outside of Demacia. I know you had a twin brother and lost him at a young age," Talon said calmly as he watched the pain creep into her golden eyes.

"Please, stop." Quinn whispered as she pushed weakly against his hand.

"I know you talk to your bird and it talks back. I know you take your coffee black and you would do anything for Demacia even trespass into my room. I know they had to because you're not a petty thief, you're better than that, scout."

"Get away from me," Quinn shoved the assassin.

"I will when you tell me why you're here. It's that simple."

"I won't."

"Fine… Then I'm going to assume you are here because you were intending to steal from me. You're not the brave scout I thought you were." Talon said lowly in her ear before he moved away. "You're going to be here for a while, scout, so you might as well make yourself comfortable."


Notes: Greetings, thank you for reading. This story is rated T now but, if I decide to, could be rated M soon. Also, this story won't update as frequently as my others but it will update.

See you next chapter!