Dead drops were not the most common method for contacting assassins in Valoran, especially when the League of Legends had almost entirely banned their trade. Of course, you could put an infinite number of rules and bans on something, but that never stopped the most prolific line of work in the world. If there were two people left alive in the world, someone would want someone dead. The rooftop dead drop was one of the few locations that Talon still found contracts in this age of protracted peace. It was a tenuous peace at best and contracts were scarce and increasingly dangerous because of it. The Institute of War had been trying to stomp the trade out completely; more than a few unwary assassins had found themselves caught when they had taken a less-than-reputable contract. Luckily, this one seemed legitimate enough and Talon's inside sources had informed him that the Institute was currently unaware of his activities.
Up on this Noxian rooftop, Talon reached his free hand into the pigeon cage and grabbed the bird. A small cylinder attached to its leg held the details that he needed for his mission; and more importantly, the reward on this target's head. Just over a thousand gold coins, with a promise of a bonus for a clean kill. A small smirk crossed his face. 'Clean', the contract read. As though there was anything but.
He reread the description. Details were sparse; a Noxian defector that had slipped off to Ionia after the war. Apparently his target – a woman – held critical information on the Noxian military and was seeking asylum from the Ionians in exchange for this information. Something bothered him about the contract, but he repressed the thoughts. If someone was willing to sell out the Noxian military, they needed to be removed.
The assassin took one last look at the pigeon, checking for a small mark that his contact had promised would be on the bird to verify that it was, in fact, a Noxian contract and not a trap. Assured, Talon released the pigeon, which immediately flew into the night sky. After adjusting his hood, the assassin turned to leave the dead drop. He had a lot of ground to cover.
The Lunar Festival was always a massive celebration, but this year was special. Celebrating the anniversary of the end of the Noxian occupation caused the entirety of Ionia to attempt to cram itself into the Presidium. Talon sat himself on the rooftop of one of the many temples that surrounded the Great Tree. He could smell the aromatic blossoms from his perch and heard the music and laughter far below. It was a surprisingly clear and crisp evening and every breath caused a cloud of icy crystals to form before his face. Even from up on his perch, Talon could feel the energetic and upbeat nature of the festival. An assassination here would be swift and almost unnoticeable, if pulled off correctly.
To blend in with the crowd, he had donned some dark leather armour and a themed blade. The trim of his cuirass was heavily embroidered and detailed with a draconic pattern, while the long cape had several thick veins of leather and blades at the end of the veins. His left arm was wrapped in tight cloth with a set of shuriken hidden within the linen. His right arm was sheathed in an enormous, jagged blade and the gauntlet that held the blade in place was capped with a large, ornate dragon's head. Teeth jut from either side of the blade to encircle his hand, which made the blade equally dangerous from either side.
Standing before he continued on his way, Talon took in the scene around him. The temple he was on had large red lanterns hanging from every peak of the roof and a steady rain of fragrant pink blossoms rained down around his head. A couple landed in his long, chestnut hair, causing him to flick his head to dislodge them. After flexing his bare arms, Talon stepped to the edge of the roof and dropped down into the streets.
Landing silently and with grace that even a cat would be jealous of, Talon glanced around the celebration. No one seemed to mind his sudden appearance, though his blade caught a couple strange glances. He reached up to adjust his mask and set off to find his mark. The details were sparse at best, but from what he could gather, a woman matching the description he had been given was seen around the outskirts of the city earlier that day. Why she was skulking around the outskirts was beyond him, but it made sense to hide amongst the rabble as opposed to trying to blend in with the city.
The Presidium was heavily decorated and all around him, children chased each other through the streets. Several times he had a tot bump into his leg only to glance up, babble a fast apology, and then take off once again. Parents seemed to have given up trying to control the heavily sugared-up mass in check, which simply added to the chaos. After the fifth or sixth time he felt his gait lurch due to a youngster, Talon shot a withering glare at the child before slipping off into a side alley. It would be easier to move through the streets above ground level.
Swiftly scaling the building, Talon hopped up onto the tiled roof. His gaze fell around him and he once again set off for his destination. With unimpeded movement he made good time across the rooftops, though more than once he had to pause to reorient himself. Here in Ionia, especially with the lanterns and the noise, it was difficult for him to keep his sense of direction. At the same time, he had spent very little time in the Presidium on the handful of occasions that he had actually been in Ionia. They did not normally take too well to outsiders in their sanctum – less so when those outsiders happened to be Noxian.
His pace picked up as he got the lay of the rooftop landscape. In the beginning he had to be careful and check his footfalls on the tile for fear of losing his balance. Once Talon managed to gauge the slipperiness and how firm the tiles were going to be under his feet, he sped up. Throwing himself from rooftop to rooftop, Talon managed to cover great distances. Only twice did he have to stop to reassess his direction of travel – once at the river, and once as he came up on the last known location of his target.
The assassin slowed his breakneck pace as he stepped into the shadows on a rooftop overlooking a small shanty village. He frowned slightly as he looked around the buildings. It seemed an odd place for a politically motivated person to hide, but in a way, it made sense. If his target was here, she would be difficult to hunt down. He sat down on top of the building and cast his eyes around in an attempt to find her. Legs folded under his body, the Noxian waited to strike. It would not be long before his unwary target wandered into view.
And sure enough, within the hour, he saw a woman that matched the description. She wandered from shack to run-down shack, seeming to duck inside and disappear for a few moments at each one. Talon observed her carefully and tried to pick up any other distinguishing factors. Her weaponry was another mark against her – it matched the description as well as she did. From this distance Talon could not make out the details of her face, but the description had been vague at best in that regard. Not that it mattered. When every other detail matched, it was almost impossible to mistake one for another.
Talon watched her carefully as she wound her way through the shanty and then turned to head into the city proper. Seizing the moment, the Noxian flung himself off the roof and aimed his blade at her neck. A swift kill, he thought, one worth much more than he would have valued it at. When his blade sliced through air, however, he realized that he might have underestimated this opponent.
Her blade raised, the woman stood firm and ready to fight him in the shadows. They were just far enough away from the shanty so that their fight would not be noticed and both of them seemed keen to keep it that way.
"Assassin… why are you here?" she spat, which caused Talon to hesitate. He recognized that voice. No, it was coincidence. His blade came up once more and he lunged, this time sliding another blade into his left hand. A quick over-under combo, aiming to draw her guard high while striking low, fell upon a pair of swift, parrying movements. How she could move that quickly was beyond him, but it was obvious that she was a Noxian. No one else could have matched him.
"Fine. Prepare to meet your maker." Talon snarled and faded into the shadows, melding with the darkness that enveloped the pair.
"Wai-" She began, but his stealthy strike silenced her. He blinked into existence behind her and swiftly wrapped his bladed arm around her throat, aiming to silence her once and for all. However, a burst of energy radiated out from her upturned sword and blew him off his feet.
Tumbling across the cobblestones, Talon grunted and coughed before rapidly climbing to his feet. He did not hesitate before he flung his arm upward and released a hail of spiraling shuriken at his intended target. The woman cried out in pain as her armour was pierced in several places, but she neither faltered nor fell. Instead, she raised her sword and charged forward, the heavy blade swinging down into Talon's raised blade.
The loud clang caused both of their teeth to grit and both tried to use the parried blow to their advantage. Talon spun to one side and then found himself chest-to-chest with the woman. She snarled darkly at him and hit him in the chest with the pommel of her sword, winding the Noxian and knocking him back. With a swing of the wrist he brought his blade up defensively and tried to counter her next blow, which knocked him sideways and into the dirt. Her third blow connected with the cobble below him as Talon threw himself to one side. A swift kick to the shins brought his mark down, but she was quickly back on her feet.
Talon kicked his legs and flipped back onto his feet before he flung himself forward, determined to end this battle. Almost reading his movements, the woman swung her blade to counter his blow once again. Though defensive, she seemed able to read and dictate the flow of battle incredibly well. This time, when steel met steel, Talon blinked out of existence once again. Melded into the shadows, he began to circle, watching for an opening.
"Face me, coward!" The woman hissed through teeth clenched in pain. She circled wildly in an attempt to keep her guard raised in every direction at once. Again, her voice struck Talon as exceptionally familiar, but he still could not place it.
A moment of hesitation in her rotation was the opening Talon had waited for. He lunged forward just as she moved to close the gap. His blade caught the scales of her mail and slid to one side, leaving a long but shallow gash along her side and hip. In return, she brought her pulsating blade down across his back and arm. The blow staggered both combatants and they fell to the side, coughing and writhing in pain. It only took them a second to regain their fighting spirit and they rose once again, but the battle came to a very rapid halt.
"… Talon?" Her voice broke as she realized who her attacker was and her blade fell to her side immediately. The blow had dislodged the large red scarf he had used to hide his face.
Suddenly, her voice clicked. Talon's bladed arm fell to his side as he realized who his mark was. With confusion filling his voice, Talon stepped forward. "Riven? What are you doing here?"
"I should ask you the same." She spat, panting heavily. The Noxian fighter kept her blade clasped tightly in her gauntlet, less he attack again. Their battle seemed suspended while both reevaluated their position. "Stand down?"
"I will if you do." He replied gruffly. The pair warily dropped their blades before stepping fully into the moonlight. "Explain yourself. Why are you selling Noxian secrets?"
Riven's eyes went wide before narrowing rapidly. "S-Selling secrets!? Is that what this is about? You're here to kill me!?"
The venom in her voice caught him off guard and Talon retreated slightly. "I-I'm not accusing… I… well, why are you here, if not to sell secrets?"
With a huff, the swordswoman grabbed an item that Talon had not seen her drop when she was attacked. A heavy bag, Riven pulled it open and shoved it into his face. Confused, Talon reached inside and pulled free a stuffed poro. He turned it over in his hands, confused. "What?" when his eyes came back up, he saw Riven's face colouring rapidly.
"Are these the secrets you were told I was selling?" she snapped, unable to meet his gaze.
Carefully, Talon replaced the plush toy. "No… but I do believe we need to speak."
It did not take long for Riven to lead Talon to a small pagoda that overlooked one of the Presidium's many waterfalls. On the way there she was stone silent and refused any attempt at an apology or conversation that Talon offered. Though his mind was reeling from the implications of what had just transpired, he found himself more curious about why she was here in the first place.
Her regular Noxian armour had disappeared in favour of something very Ionian. A two-piece silken under armour protected and covered her arms, torso, and legs in loose-fitting and comfortable garments, a solid basis from which she could wear the rest of her gear. Instead of wearing traditional greaves, she had cloth and leather sabatons that reached her knees. They afforded her strong footwear while also proving to be exceptionally quiet. Dyed a dark, steely blue, they matched her cuisses and shoulder pads. On her right shoulder she wore only a light vambrace made from leather with golden scales inlaid in the material that ran from her shoulder to her gauntlet. True to form, her right gauntlet was oversized and exceptionally heavy, undecorated but snug with a thick, yeti-fur lining. Her left shoulder pad sported a large golden dragon, while her cuirass carried the same scaly inlay that her vambrace did. Her left arm was completely unprotected save the spaulder, but she used that free arm in concert with her sword exceptionally well.
However, it was her hair that caught Talon the most off guard. Typically loose and shaggy, Riven had gotten it trimmed into a tight bob that framed her face exceptionally well. A jade hair ornament bunched her hair into a bun atop her head and she kept two loose locks on either side of the bob. No matter how hard he tried, he simply could not shake the feeling that she had tried to look like an oversized, white beetle.
A single lantern up the street only dimly lit the pagoda that she chose, and the roaring waterfall would keep their conversation as private as they could hope. His eyes flicked over the structure instinctively and took in the green tile roof as well as the bright red wood that held it in place. She sat down on a long bench along the back fence of the pagoda and patted the spot next to her for him. After a moment of hesitation, Talon sat beside her and an awkward silence ensued. Both of them were very aware of the fact that Talon had nearly ended Riven's life – and that the battle was close enough to have gone either way.
Finally, he spoke up. "What are you doing here?"
The Noxian at his side sighed softly and brushed her perfectly manicured bangs from her face before she replied so quietly that he had to lean in to hear. "I am giving toys to the children displaced by the Noxian war."
Talon bit the inside of his lip as he processed that. He remembered growing up on the streets of Noxus, and how hard it could be. He remembered not having a family, nor many friends. He also remembered bringing bread to a starving, white-haired girl in the streets. Never did he ask her name, but he remembered his words to her.
"Don't wait for your strength to fade before acting." Riven spoke before he could. Talon glanced at her, surprised that her mind had been in the same place as his. "The Noxian way. Strength above all. Strength of mind, strength of body. Strength of cunning, strength of might, strength… of any kind. That was what I believed, and that is what I was taught. Talon, the war wasn't a war. It was a massacre. It was butchery. We slaughtered hundreds, even thousands, daily. We used gas. We used magic. We used every means available to us, and we never gave them a chance." As she spoke, Talon could see the tears beginning to well up in Riven's eyes. He knew that she had seen the worst and he had never agreed with the war, but seeing her like this got to him.
"I wanted a war, Talon. I wanted to fight and to prove myself a leader of the Noxian people. To carry my blade into battle and fell worthy foes until one of them bested me. It never happened. We raped, pillaged, and slaughtered. There was no honour, there was nothing but victory at any cost. I can't let that atrocity cause any more harm than it already has.
"The farms in Galrin, Navori, and Shon-Xan still have trouble growing food. Some of the towns have been so badly decimated that they ceased to exist entirely. There are mass bone yards – not even graves – because we couldn't even be bothered to bury the corpses. Is this war? Is this the Noxian way?"
Riven drew a shuddering breath before exhaling in an attempt to calm herself. It took a moment before Talon spoke. "No. It is not the Noxian way." His arm wrapped around her middle and he traced the gash in her silken garments. "But neither is helping those who don't deserve it. These Ionians, they are we-" he began, but Riven cut him off angrily.
"No! They are not weak! They fought hard and valiantly. They outfought Noxians, and we stooped to dirty tactics that they couldn't fight against! How is that the Noxian way?" she snapped, glaring at him through tears. Talon hesitated. Emotions were supposed to be un-Noxian. Showing weakness was not the Noxian way, but the more he thought about it, the more it seemed to make sense. Fighting about something passionately made one's resolve infinitely stronger. The Ionians fought passionately for their homeland and they stopped an army many times larger, stronger, and more technologically advanced.
Talon licked his dry lips before he tried again. "Alright. Then explain this to me. Explain it like I'm an idiot."
Her eyes narrowed, but he caught the faintest hint of a smirk. "You are an idiot." But after a deep breath, Riven continued. "After the war, when Noxus retreated, I came back to see what came of Ionia. We were banned from entering Ionian lands, but it was easy to sneak in. What I saw was utter annihilation. Children without families, or with families so devastated by the war that they couldn't even provide clean water anymore. When Noxus pulled back, they scorched everything, from the crops to the water. Even the Summoners of the League can't find a way to purify the water yet. Many of the families came to the big cities to try to find work or a living. With so many people showing up…" she trailed off and let Talon finish for her.
"There's no way that the cities can absorb them." He replied flatly as he was once again forced to remember his existence on the streets. "So they beg, or they starve. Sometimes both."
"Ionians are stupid. They're too proud to beg, so they just starve." Riven scoffed, but then she looked at her hands in her lap. "I remembered being on the streets. I remembered how hard it was, living day by day, trying to feed myself on the scraps that others threw away." Her eyes flicked up to his for a moment before she had to look away once again. "Then I remembered a thief helping me, without me asking him to. He brought me bread one day. Shoes another. It wasn't much, but it got me through. It gave me hope that some day I would be strong."
Riven felt his arm tighten around her middle as she brought back the memories. Ever since she had seen Talon in the League, she knew that he was the thief. She had never spoken to him and he had not gone out of his way to speak with her, so she simply assumed that it was forgotten and in the past. But today, that presumption had been blown to pieces. "If a Noxian was willing to help another Noxian on the premise of getting stronger one day… why can't a Noxian help an Ionian so that they may one day be as strong as they deserve to be. We can't have strong Noxians without strong enemies."
"But Demacia-" Talon began, only to hear Riven chortle at his side.
When he glanced down, she had her fingers over her lips. "Demacia? Really, Talon? Do you consider any of those spoiled brats a challenge? Has Lux's light blinded you that badly?" She was teasing, but she knew that she was picking at a scab.
Talon growled at Riven and moved to pull away. "No, I'm not blind! I just don't understand how a defeated nation will ever be strong enough to stand against a true Noxus."
Without ceremony, Riven clocked him on the side of the head with her gauntlet. "You know as well as I do that those who have suffered the most fight the hardest."
His eyes met hers and after a long moment where they both seemed to lose themselves, Talon nodded. It was true. Riven had fought long and hard and rose through the ranks with exceptional skill. She was inarguably one of the strongest fighters that he knew. The blood dribbling down his shoulder could attest to the veracity of that.
He paused to lick his lips before speaking once again. "Look. I… just tell me why. Why are you giving these Ionians gifts?"
Riven paused for a long moment and then shrugged helplessly. "Because I helped put them where they are. I need to atone for my mistakes if I ever want to become stronger. This is my atonement. It's not much, but maybe a loaf of bread will breed the next great generals."
The waterfall that thundered away behind the pair only punctuated the silence that fell between them. Talon found Riven's strength and resolve oddly comforting, while Riven found that explaining her dirty little secret made the secret that much sweeter. Would Talon turn her in? Probably. He had done worse for less before. But at this moment, she could do nothing but pray that he felt the same way she did. After a few moments of silence, Talon spoke up.
"I don't suppose there's any way I can convince you to come back to Noxus now, is there? After all, you've got a price on your head."
Riven merely snorted and chuckled. "I haven't made my rounds yet. There's still children waiting for me."
With an arched eyebrow, Talon gave her a strange look. "How long have you been doing this?"
Rubbing the back of her neck and blushing slightly, Riven cleared her throat. "This is the fifth year…" The reaction she got from Talon threw her off balance, though. Instead of laughing or leaving, Talon reached for the heavy bag of toys and slung it over his shoulder.
"Then we'd better get to work."
Riven hardly had time to pick her jaw up off the floor before she sprung up off the bench and jogged to catch up with the Noxian before her. "H-hey! What do you think you're doing!?"
Talon turned to her and she could see his thin lips curl into that little smirk she had not seen for twenty years. "I helped one street rat turn into the strongest warrior in Noxus. It'd be a sin for me to dodge the chance again."
Overcome with emotions, Riven stood stunned and tried to find words. She could see Talon's smug smirk growing by the moment and the longer she stayed silent, the wider that smirk grew. Finally, in a last ditch effort to silence the assassin, she threw herself forward, wrapped her arms around his neck, and kissed him. It was something that she had dreamed of doing for years – thanking the masked thief that had given her the strength when she had none – and finally silencing Talon for being a smug asshole was a nice bonus.
However, Riven's master plan seemed to backfire slightly when neither Noxian proved to be in too much of a hurry to pull away from the other. When they did finally part, Riven found her heart fluttering ever so slightly while Talon's glazed look and the light smear of pink in his face hinted at what neither of them would admit out loud.
Hastily clearing her throat, Riven stepped past Talon and nodded towards the city. "Let's go. We've got a lot of ground to cover." Their injuries forgotten, the pair slipped off into the night.
Talon carried the large sack around as Riven stopped in at every shanty or house that she could find. The gifts were generic, but the way the children's eyes lit up at even the smallest gift seemed to make the entire process worthwhile. Every family received a few trinkets and some kind words; none seemed to realize that the pair was Noxian. Or, if they did, they hardly cared.
However, the two things that consistently surprised him were much harder to notice. The surprise in the parents' eyes seemed to be a running theme. Many had felt forgotten and marginalized by the war and their government. Now, some stranger was showing up on the Lunar Revel and was giving their children gifts. He saw surprise, more than a few hidden tears, and elation that surpassed the children in their doorways. It took him a couple stops before he started to understand why they were so taken by a pair of random gift givers, but after a while, he found their smiles infectious. It felt oddly satisfying in a way that even a blade couldn't match.
Though Talon could tell that he did not have the same motivation that Riven did, he was starting to understand why she decided to help those in need. Her actions, directly or indirectly, had caused the suffering of these people.
Once they left the house of a particularly shy little girl, Riven turned to Talon and glanced at the bag. "Empty?" He held the bag and shook it for her.
"Cleaned out."
She gave him a nod and then took the bag from him. "Good." A quick flick of the wrist and she folded it into a more manageable size and then stuffed it away into her armour. "We'll call this even." When he raised an eyebrow in confusion, the warrior gave him a smirk. "You tried to kill me just a couple hours ago, moron. This makes us even."
Talon rolled his eyes. "Fine. Then I'll be taking my leave."
"No, you're not." Riven placed herself in front of the assassin and planted her hand on her hip. Her look caused Talon to pause, suddenly taken back by her attitude.
"What?" For the first time in his life, the Noxian was worried about what was coming next.
"You heard me. You're staying here. We leave when I say we do." Her voice dared him to argue.
Instead, he tried to weasel his way out of it. "I've got nothing to do here and you've given your presents out. What's the point of staying?"
Riven copied his smug little smirk. "We're staying for the Revel. And you are going to accompany me." When she turned coyly to display the enormous blade at her side, Talon understood the terms. With a roll of the eyes, he stepped forward to accept his fate. But instead of leading off, Riven took his hand and laced her fingers through his. "This isn't Noxus. You'll have to play along, unless you want to get revealed. Understood?"
A resigned nod was the only answer she received for her troubles. With a gentle tug she lead the way up several flights of winding staircases back into the Presidium Core. This time, however, Talon took time to look around. Each of the stairs had a carefully carved scene in the stone. Moss growing off the humidity thrown by the waterfall had been carefully trimmed to form grass and trees, while coloured stones were used to represent the important aspects of the scenes before him. He could not help but marvel at how clean everything was, especially so close to such a large volume of water.
In the Presidium itself, Riven found herself drawn to the crowd. All over, small shops and stands had sprung up overnight. Now, food, games, and decorations were readily available to anyone willing to join the festivities. The first thing Riven dragged Talon off to was a small stand for face painting. With a smile on her face, she conned the assassin into the chair and rapidly spoke to the face painters. Before Talon could protest, he found a brush in his face and lines being drawn across his nose and cheeks. Beside him, the Exile had fallen into another seat, closed her eyes, and awaited her own décor. Grudgingly, Talon acceded. When he reopened his eyes and glanced in the mirror, he had to smile to himself. Whiskers, stripes, and heavy lining around his eyes; he looked like some combination of man and beast. A tiger, he guessed. When he turned to face Riven, his mirth grew further: a cute little nose, wide eyes, and huge, painted buckteeth.
"A rabbit? Really?" He teased as he stood and handed the artist a few gold coins for their trouble. Riven simply blew him a raspberry and paid.
"At least I'm not some wet cat." She replied, eyes twinkling. Talon rolled his eyes and chuckled quietly. As he went to step away, he felt Riven's hand once again find his and their fingers laced immediately. The first time had been awkward and a bit uncomfortable; the second time, their fingers interwove as though that were their natural state.
Next, Riven dragged Talon over to try some traditional Ionian cuisine from the vendors. From sake, pork dumplings and red bean cakes, she got him to try other, lesser-known meals such as teotguk, a soup with rice cakes, and even a single bite of skuon – which, judging by the fact that Riven laughed at him and refused to try any herself, was probably as disgusting as it tasted. However, he managed to choke a couple bites down and was rewarded with a tall jar of a strange drink. The first sip confused the assassin – it tasted vaguely like some fruits that he had sampled at the Institute of War, but a sudden burst of a completely different flavor caught him off guard. He spluttered instinctively, which caused Riven to crack up once again.
"What is that!?" Talon demanded, almost angrily. The flavor was not offensive, just surprising.
Still chuckling, Riven explained. "It's called zhen zhu nai cha." Her pronounciation drew a chuckle from the woman working behind the small booth, but Riven ignored her. "It's a special drink from Ionia… that weird taste you had was a bubble. I think yours is…" She glanced at the menu and tried to puzzle out what the flavor was. "I think it's mango and pineapple with… vanilla." Riven nodded, proud that she managed to puzzle through the Ionian script on the sign.
After taking another, more cautious sip, Talon offered her the straw. "It's good. Surprised me." Riven did not bother simply taking a sip from the straw; she snatched the jug from his hands and took a long drag, only stopping when her cheeks were full. After swallowing heavily, the Noxian smirked contentedly at Talon. In a split second, her expression changed. Her eyes went wide, and then she threw her arms over her head. A strangled groan of pain escaped her lips as she slumped into her very confused date.
"Brain freeze." Was her obvious whine. "Icy." Talon simply snorted and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, keeping the over-enthusiastic Noxian close until she thawed.
The rest of the night flew past the pair as Riven flitted from stand to stand and activity to activity, showing a side of herself to Talon that he could have never imagined she possessed. Seeing her like this helped him find his own balance. Normally reserved, Talon found himself smiling and laughing on more than one occasion, usually due to some antics that Riven decided to put him through. She led the way the whole time and he was simply along for the ride. And it felt right, following her like this. He never had to check his back or worry about what was coming next. For the first time in his life, he relaxed.
Their night ended with the pair laying on a rocky outcropping above the Presidium, side by side as they watched the fireworks crackle off above them. Time and again, a bright flash of light filled the night sky with the outline or silhouette of some animal associated with the Ionian calendar. With the year of the Horse dawning, Riven counted almost twice as many horses as she did any other creature. In a lull between two salvos of fireworks, the fighter glanced over at the assassin.
"Was this better?"
Talon turned and raised an eyebrow at her question. "Better than…?"
"Killing me." She replied flatly.
Now it was Talon's turn to glance away awkwardly. "I came expecting to find a mark. A body deserving of a blade. What I found was a friend. Someone to spend a night with, even if it was in foreign and hostile territory."
Riven pursed her lips and pondered for a long moment. Then, she offered her hand to him. When he took it, Riven pulled closer and leaned her head on his shoulder. "I want to amend that." Talon nodded. "You came looking for gold. For another body. Instead, you found a date." Her cheeks coloured very slightly as she said those words, but when she turned to face Talon to see his reaction to her amendment, his lips promised her that it had been a correct assumption.
- FIN -