Katarina was expounding on her new favorite topic over breakfast. "...and then I'll raise the baby to be an assassin. Can you imagine a Crownguard slitting throats?" She slapped the table for emphasis, nodding her head in pleasure at her plan. Cass murmured a vague noise of agreement without looking up.

"I don't have to," said Talon, picking up another piece of toast.

She shot him a narrow-eyed look of displeasure.

"What." Choosing to be defiant this morning, was he?

"Luxanna slits throats with the best of them."

She felt less pleasure than usual watching him pile an enormous amount of jam on his toast to feed his ridiculous sweet-tooth.

"Liar."

Cass looked up, attention captured by an entirely different part of the statement.

"Ooh. "Luxaaaaanna" is it?"

"I'm not her friend, and I'll be damned if I call her "Miss Crownguard."" He took a vicious bite of jam.

Cassiopeia's throaty laugh coiled out. "A very sound point." She returned her attention to her papers.

Katarina redirected the conversation back to the important flaw in his statement. "Whatever you call her, she's never slit a throat in her life."

"In Noxus. I saw her." He glowered back at her. "Invisibility." He wiggled his fingers.

"Maybe once, but not regularly."

"She could."

Katarina put her elbows on the table to rest her chin on her hands and open her eyes wide. "And you know this because of your deep, soulful connection to Miss Lux-a-nna?"

Cass tittered, bringing clawed fingers up to cover her mouth. Talon's glower deepened.

"We play tag."

Katarina leaned back, blinking in confusion. "Tag."

"Yes," he growled, and disappeared.

Both sisters rose frantically from their chairs. Cass turned this way and that seeking to catch a scent of him with her tongue. Katarina concentrated on weaving her blades through the air in defensive patterns. How does he do that when you're looking right at him? She wondered for the ten thousandth time. Sparring with Talon had given her a new empathy for victims of her Shunpo. Still no sympathy, but empathy she now had.

Talon reappeared behind Cass and tapped her jugular with two fingers. "Thus," he said, and vaulted backwards away from Cassiopeia's retaliatory strike.

"God, Cass! Not inside!" Katarina said, backing away from the poisonous cloud.

She turned back to Talon. "So you play non-lethal throat-slitting games with Luxanna Crownguard." Talon just stared back at her, face flat, his hand reaching up casually to touch his own throat. Or, wait, maybe not casually. What had he said?

"With the best?" she burst out. "That means she gets you too!" Cass ceased her squawking to gape at Talon, who only frowned more and yanked his traitor hand down to his side. Katarina stifled a giggle. "Oh, I have got to hear this from the horse's mouth." Cass sprang forward, petrifying Talon in his first step of pursuit, shouting, "You'd better share!" to Katarina's retreating back.