CHAPTER SEVEN

She hadn't slept properly in days, and it was starting to show. The skin beneath her pale eyes had darkened into bruised half moons. Despite it, Lux was alert as ever. The past week or so had been nothing but near constant movement as the pair fled Demacian territory. Public transportation had been out of the question due to how recognizable Lux was, so the journey had been arduous to say the least.

Referencing what little landmarks she had happened to see in her previous excursions into Noxian territory, she reasoned that they had at least another day's worth of travel before making it to the city. The musty mattress she laid on only reminded her of the ache in the lower part of her spine.

It was well into the evening and she figured they would be on the move again shortly. Although she couldn't remember exactly when, the pair had taken to traveling during the dark hours of the day. Made sense. The only thing worse than someone seeing her on the way out of the city was someone knowing where they were going. She didn't even know where they were going.

Talon's whereabouts were presently unknown to her. What had begun as a trip under his scrutinous eye had quickly dissipated into a relaxed adventure. Regardless, she still didn't trust him. For all she knew she was on the last stretch of a racetrack that lead to her death. What she wouldn't give to have her wand back.

At least she had her own room. She had rested in her undergarments so that her clothes could dry after she washed them. There was no doubt a feeling of reluctance that would come when it was time to put them back on. Lux was tired of them. Maybe Talon would provide her with some new ones before they reached the city.

An odd sense of companionship had grown between them in the time they spent together. She didn't know what he did when he wasn't around, but he was her only source of company. As much as she hated to admit it, she was just as much a social creature as anyone else.

Stretching, Lux rested her head on her hands and stared at the ceiling with pursed lips. The rage she felt at Jarvan's homicide was still very much present, but the explosive force of it had ebbed into a throb. There was nothing she could do about it presently. Her survival was more important. He was already dead.

Footsteps echoed downstairs in the old building and she turned her head to face her door where knocking would probably come shortly after.

Lux hesitated as Talon knocked. Exhausted and not wanting to hurry into her damp clothes, she sighed.

"Come in," she said. She supposed that she should care, but somehow having Talon see her mostly naked wasn't uncomfortable to her - over the past few days, he had seen her in much worse states.

Talon walked inside, his arms full of clothes, and said, "I had to guess on the sizes, but I'm good at visualizing."

Talon looked up and noticed Lux's lack of modesty, asking, "Would you rather I wait outside the room?"

She shook her head as Talon put her clothes next to her on the bed. Lux was mildly impressed, but did her best not to show it. Given that Talon likely had to find these in some general store in a small Noxus town, the selection was surprisingly decent and at least looked to be her size. She blushed lightly at the panties and bras he had selected. Not lingerie, but not exactly modest either.

"Thanks, Talon," she said before she could catch herself. He nodded and sat next to her, looking at her closely.

"These marks are a shame. I think we can afford a few extra hours of sleep tonight. We're ahead of schedule," he said, lightly caressing her face. She turned away, just barely. Frowning, she thought she should push him away, but she couldn't deny that his touch and caring felt... welcome. As much as she didn't want to admit it, he was attractive in a dark, serious way.

Lux moved closer to him, finding herself kissing his hand. The assassin responded by pulling her closer. With surprising warmth, he pressed his lips against hers.

It was wrong. Lux found tears rushing to her eyes while she returned the kiss - not with warmth, necessarily, but with desperation. She hadn't felt this kind of passion and spontaneity in a long time. Nothing like this had happened between her and Jarvan.

They found themselves separating after a time to breathe.

Lux looked down, unable to meet his eyes.

Talon separated from her, realizing that words in this situation would do no good. He put a hand on her shoulder for a moment, and then walked into the next room.

"If we travel enough tomorrow, we should reach our destination shortly after sunset," Talon said, his speech slightly muffled by the sound of the faucet.

Lux nodded, but then realized that Talon had left the room, "What will happen then? Will you kill me?"

The door creaked open in response, and Lux heard the sound of Talon's boots moving slowly toward her before feeling the weight of him sitting down on the mattress next to her.

"...That isn't my call," he said.

"But what do you think, Talon? Whoever is in charge of you can't have me just go back to Demacia, even under an alternate identity. I know too much," Lux said, looking at Talon again. He met her gaze with his light brown eyes.

"I have influence in this group. I'll see what I can do for you, Lux," he said, standing. He continued, "you should sleep. Tomorrow is our last day of travel."

Lux again found words pointless in this situation, watching Talon's cloaked form walk through the door, the blades on the fringes of the cape glinting in the darkness before the door closed behind him. She laid back on the bed and looked through the window to her side.

'What future is there for me?' ,she wondered. The sparse, distant streetlights of a small Noxian town outside did nothing to brighten her outlook.

'Why couldn't I have been kidnapped by a radical assassin from Piltover instead? I'm sure the beds there are more comfortable, and the sight of those star-rods always made me feel more comfortable...', she thought. Naturally, thinking of Piltover made her think of Ezreal. He would've been concerned for her, but what would he actually be able to do? It was unlikely of Garen to cooperate with him to find her, even in this severe of a situation.

If Talon's leader didn't kill her, it wasn't likely they would be able to hold her prisoner or keep her in obscurity for long. The Institute and the Demacian Army had more power than nearly any other organization in Valoran, and she was important to both of them. Even so, she couldn't ignore the possibility that she may not escape from this situation alive…

She sighed and stood up, walking into the washroom. The small, dusty mirror revealed a small surprise; her countenance was much lighter than she had expected. She could still feel Talon's hands and lips against her, and she recognized the scent of leather and steel that always clung to him - still faintly present.

She shook her head, knowing she shouldn't be thinking of Talon this way. Recalling the otherwise uneventful evening she had shared with Jarvan sometime before he died, he had told her that her service would be required to track down a Noxian agent because there could be a possible attack on a member of the Demacian royal court. Of course, neither of them had ever expected that it would be the prince himself. Although this was all that Jarvan had stated explicitly, if she had still been able to carry out the mission she would have wanted to bring back a more thorough answer to Demacian authorities. Why kill Jarvan? Was there more to this plan?

It was with these thoughts that she allowed herself to drift to sleep. Perhaps it would be uninterrupted for the first time in months.