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I always take your thoughts and criticisms into account to better my own writing.
- Wings
Two weeks.
Two entire weeks, she had spent holding onto a naive impossibility.
Every day, for two weeks, she believed that THIS, this would be the day that she would run into him again.
Every night, for two weeks, she went back to the small pond in the forest, hoping that the shadowy reaper would once again show himself.
And every time, for two weeks, she was disappointed, each event creating another crack on her fragile heart of hope.
And after those two weeks, Lux was drowning once again. Her hope had been shattered through the battering of her own naivety. It was pointless. One gasp of air in a lifetime of drowning, not to save her life, but only to give her hope that would be wrenched away again beneath the stormy waves.
But she did not give up. She would not give up. It was her last link to sanity, to holding on to life. It was stupid, foolish even. She was a person adrift in a stormy sea, and she had latched onto the first thing that passed her by.
Even if that thing happened to be a shark.
But, not all was a disappointment. On the morn after her fortnight of dismay, a messenger came to her door with welcome news.
Her friend, one of the only true friends she had in Demacia, had returned from her expedition. This brought perhaps the first true smile to Lux's face. And with it, it brought her clarity. An idea.
The afternoon found Lux in the garden, wearing a simple yet lovely dress of periwinkle blue and white. A dress befitting her as a noble, yet casual for a stroll in the royal gardens. And accompanying her was none other than Quinn.
Quinn was dressed in a simple tunic and pants. Despite the fact that she was a woman, Quinn had always preferred to wear the clothes of a man in most situations. Form over fashion, as she always put it.
The past half hour had been pleasantries between the two friends. Quinn was, perhaps, one of Lux's only true friends here. She was the only one who didn't judge Lux nor expect anything of her. Their personalities and origins were extremely varying too, Lux being nobleborn while Quinn was commonborn. Their first meeting had been back when they were little girls. Lux was an 'arrogant snot' back then, as Quinn put it, and Quinn had been a 'brash tomboy', as Lux put it.
They had met, they had exchanged words and then Quinn had punched Lux. Fast forward from that, and they became close friends. Funny how that worked.
"So, that's all I've been doing in my travels around the land on this excursion," Quinn said, looking at Lux with an easy smile, "What have you been up to, Young Lady Crownguard?"
Quinn mockingly said the last line, because she knew how much Lux hated being that. It was easy teasing that was expected between friends and it brought a rare smile to Lux's face rather than insult her. "Well… There's been developments." Lux said in a small voice.
"Oh?" Quinn's interest was peaked.
"There's this man I met-"
"Oh a man! Spill all the details, leave nothing hidden!"
"Hold on, hold on! It's nothing like that!"
Quinn laughed as Lux flustered before Quinn motioned for her to go on. Lux sighed.
"He's… unexpected."
Quinn's smile stopped as she detected the seriousness in Lux's voice. "How so?"
"Well… He's not from around here. At all. And I've never met him again except for one time."
"Oh boy. That doesn't sound very pleasant, Lux."
"That's why I'm very glad you're here Quinn."
Quinn looked quizzical, but said nothing, so Lux went on.
"I know you have your… sources on finding people."
"Lux." Quinn said in a low, warning voice. Not that she was warning Lux about anything, but it was more about concern for where Lux was going with this. "Who is this man?"
"He's an assassin."
Quinn was silent, staring at Lux in surprise though her face was the same, her eyes intense. It made Lux slightly uneasy given Quinn's eagle-like eyes. And then Quinn said, "I don't think this is a good idea in the least Lux."
"But yours is going very we-"
"SHHH!" Quinn interrupted her, looking around cautiously, before scowling at Lux. "You want the whole kingdom to know, dummy?" She said in a lowered but angry voice.
"Sorry." Lux admonished in a low voice as well, before going on, "Well… I was hoping you or Talon could help me find this man…"
"By the void, Lux, I reaaaaally would advise against this idea." Quinn said. "You can always find another guy. You know, one who doesn't kill for a living."
"But you-"
"I'm an exception, Lux. I'm sorry to play that card, but its true. I'm the closest thing you can get to being a Demacian Assassin. Me and Talon have had a loooong, illustrious history. I can't even count how many times we've come close to killing each other, while attempting to kill each other." Quinn said, utterly serious now. "You're not me, Lux. And he's not Talon. What's to say this man sees you as anything at all?"
"I know the risks, Quinn, I swear. I've spent the last two weeks dwelling on it." Lux said, searching her friend's face. "Please." She added, pleadingly.
Quinn looked torn, looking at her friend who was pleading with her for her help. Quinn clenched her fists before looking away, sighing in defeat. "Fine. I know a guy who is in the… channels. But Lux." Quinn looked at Lux again, with severe eyes. "You must promise me, promise, that you're not going to do anything stupid. Alright? If I find any sign, any at all, about your life being in danger because of this, I will not hesitate to go to your brother about this."
"Quinn!"
"I'm sorry Lux, but I'm not going to risk the life of my best friend over her infatuation! I'm helping you with what you asked, but I will step in and do whatever it takes to protect you. You can't blame me for doing that Lux, you know you'd do the same if our places were reversed."
"I-" Lux paused, defeated, knowing that Quinn had a very good point. "Alright, that's fair." Lux admitted.
Quinn drew Lux in for a hug, and Lux hugged her tightly as well. "I hope you know what you're doing, Lux."
"I do. I'll be safe, I promise you Quinn. Thank you."
…
The next day, Lux dressed up in inconspicuous clothing. Brown pants, a dark tunic and a cloak over her shoulders that had a hood to hide her features. She left her estate's grounds on horseback, pulling her hood up once she was out of the noble's area, heading into the city proper.
She passed through the streets of Demacia, the city of Marble and Order. Even in the city, everything was clean, pristine, the very picture of perfection. But even such a 'perfect' city like Demacia had it's underbelly.
The Warrens, as they were called, was near the outer edges of the city while still being within its great walls. The changes in the buildings and roads were clear. Wide, straight roads of white stone gave way to winding, uneven cobbled streets. Large buildings of stone and glass turned into wooden shacks. Well dressed and perfumed pedestrians turned into unkempt and unclean peasants. The environment around her worsened as she travelled deeper into the warrens.
Finally she found the tavern that Quinn had directed her to. 'The Lost Patrol' it was called. Ironic, in a way. It was a dingy, lowset building of wood and stone. She tied her horse at the nearest horse post and made the rest of the way to the tavern on foot. Despite the conditions of life in the warrens here, crime was still low. People here were poor and unclean, but they weren't criminals. There was very little risk of muggings or murder. So Lux had no fear to walk through the place. Everyone was walking about, minding their own businesses and going about their own lives.
She opened the door to the tavern, attracting the attention of a few patrons, who looked away after giving her a cursory glance. She walked in, wrinkling her nose under her hood. It smelled of stale ale and sweaty bodies in here. She let herself adjust to this… environment, as she walked over to the bar. A scarred bartender was in the process of cleaning a mug behind the counter, looking up at her as she approached. Despite his scarred face, bald head and obviously muscular form, he had a kindly face as he offered her a hospitable smile.
"Evenin' lass, what shall ye be 'aving? He said to her, the commoner's dialect heavy in his accent.
Lux glanced to her sides, making sure no one was overhearing, before she repeated what Quinn had told him, " Metal claws, sweetened jaws."
The bartender rose an eyebrow at her as his friendly demeanor shifted away to something more neutral. He cocked his head towards the stairs as he said, "One floo' down, doo' at teh end."
Lux nodded and left behind a single gold coin on the counter, as instructed by Quinn, before walking off towards the destination the bartender had directed her to. She felt his stare following her and worked very hard to maintain a steady walk, despite her innards feeling like jelly. She was very out of her element in here.
Walking down the stairs, the din of the bar above her faded into a muffle background noise as she entered an underground hallway with many doors. The smell of sweat was stronger here as she heard muffled sounds from the doors she passed.
She didn't need three guesses to figure out what those sounds were being caused by.
She walked down to the end of the hallway, where a solid wooden door barred her path. She knocked on it as Quinn had instructed her. Three raps, pause, two raps, pause, three raps.
She then waited. A few seconds later, there was a sound of a deadbolt being pulled open as the door opened, and she came face to face with a very large man, armored and armed quite unlike a soldier. The guard looked her up and down, before stepping aside for her to enter. She stepped into a very unexpected office room, furnished like one would expect a noble's office to be. A carpeted floor, mahogany furniture. A large desk, behind which a man in very find clothes sat.
"Ah, a patron. Welcome, welcome!" The man said, standing up with an easy grace and gesturing to the seats on the other side of the desk. "Please, have a seat."
Lux walked over and sat down on the seat offered, the man waiting for her to be seated before he sat down as well. He had noble-like features. A thin, dignified face with high cheekbones, cropped hair that was greying at the sides and a pair of small reading glasses.
"Now, what can I help you with, miss?"
"I need your services to find me a man." She said, willing her voice not to waver. She was very close to her goal.
"Certainly, that is the services we offer, though it is a service."
"I can pay." Lux said simply.
The man gestured with his hand for her to go on, while also saying, "Who do you wish to find?"
"An assassin, most likely Ionian."
There was a few moments of silence as the man behind the desk studied her, before straightening.
"Why would a woman like you require an assassin? Please be informed that we reserve the rights to deny service to anyone who might have an affiliation to law or othe-"
"I wish to hire him. I wish to buy a Death Mark."
Silence.
The man leaned forward.
"Young miss, I would implore you to think very, very hard about this decision. A Death Mark is not something one should buy lightly. You are sanctioning the death of a person. This is not an attempt at someone's life, you will be taking a person's life." He said seriously.
"I am completely sure of my decision, sir. I have had a lot of time to think about this."
The man remained silent, staring at her despite the fact that he couldn't see her face properly due to her hood. Despite that, Lux held his scrutinizing stare.
"So be it. Who do you wish to hire."
"Do you know of an Ionian Assassin called Kayn?"
The man scratched his chin as he thought. "Yes, I am aware of him. But you should know his fee does not come cheap. He is part of an order that is one of the best in Valoran, and he is one of the best in that order. You cannot back out of this deal once you take it, or it will be your end."
"Gold is of no issue."
"Alright. I will take a small fee as commission, the rest shall be paid by you to the assassin after the deed is done." The man brought out some documents and began to sift through them. "And who would you like to hire the Mark on?"
Lux paused. This was it. This was the moment she had been preparing for ever since she decided to ask for Quinn's help. She had lied awake all night thinking on this matter, on this decision. Once she spoke the words, there was no going back. Not only would she be committing perhaps one of the biggest mistakes in her life, but she would also be breaking her promise to her dearest friend. The very friend who had helped her set this meeting up. If anything went wrong, she would be damning her friend to a lifetime of guilt.
Lux took a deep breath, bringing out the payment for the man's services as she spoke resolutely.
"Luxanna Crownguard."