Snowdown Tales

Chapter Seven—Quinn's Gift (Part 1)


"So why aren't you participating in the gift exchange again, Quinn?" Lux asked as she carried her own present to the Institute's common room. It was a small box wrapped in a golden paper and a large gold bow. Quinn tore her attention from the decorations hanging in the hallway and gave it to the young mage. Valor sat on her shoulders, admiring all the colorful lights.

"There was no one I could exchange a gift with in the Demacian Elite. Galio and Xin are exchanging, so are Prince Jarvan and Shyvana, and I'm assuming that gift is for your brother." The scout answered as she pointed at the present. Lux's face flushed, holding the small box closer to her chest. Quinn and Valor glanced at each other, both looking puzzled.

"A-Actually this is for Ezreal." The light mage stuttered. "But don't tell my brother!"

"Your secret is safe with us." The scout reassured Lux as she zipped her lips, Valor nodding on his partner's shoulders. Lux grinned back at the rangers as they stepped into the common room.

It was still rather early in the day, no one was in the room other than Garen, Vi, and Caitlyn. Piltover's Finest had Garen adjusting the large pine tree in the middle of the room. He looked as if he had been lifting the tree into different spots of the room from all the pine needles trailing on the ornate carpet.

Caitlyn tapped her finger on her chin, walking around the tree as she inspected it. The juggernaut shook his hair free of pine needles and glanced over to his sister and the rangers. He gave a small wave and started to walk towards them.

"We have to find somewhere to do this." The light mage whispered to the scout. Lux haphazardly tossed the present into Quinn's arms before Garen reached them.

"Good afternoon, ladies and Valor." He greeted them.

"Is Sheriff Caitlyn making you lift that big tree around? It's three times your size." Lux said as she poked her head around her brother, watching Caitlyn shake her head at the tree.

"Yes but it's no trouble on my part." He chuckled, "I haven't even broken a sweat." Quinn and Valor glanced at each other, their expressions unamused.

"General Garen, I don't like the light here. May I ask for your assistance again?" Caitlyn called from behind them. The sheriff turned around to Vi, who had her back against the wall. "Vi, go check on the snowball fight in the training grounds. Knowing Sejuani and Tryndamere, it will get messy and I need you to break them up."

"Yeah, yeah." Vi shrugged. She popped her knuckles before she exited the room.

"Alright, Sheriff." Garen grunted as he lifted the tree up, "Where do you want this at?"

"By the window. If it snows tonight, the lighting would be just perfect against it." Caitlyn smiled as she pointed. Garen turned, causing the tall tree's branches to shake uncontrollably and knock off a large ornament. Lux and Quinn jumped away from the glass ball's path, covering their ears as they expected it to smash on the carpet.

But there was no shatter.

Quinn uncovered her ears and glanced down, her eyes searching the carpet for the ornament. Her eyes only found a pair of boots. The scout looked up and saw a familiar assassin before her—it was Talon. He stood there with the ornament in his hand and the usual cross expression on his face.

She noticed that he had a gift under his arm. It was a small, rectangular shape wrapped in a cobalt paper and silver bow. The assassin hid the gift behind his back, making Quinn look back up at his dark brown eyes. The two stared at each other, unmoving.

"Uhh…" Talon mumbled.

"Thank you." Caitlyn said as she plucked the glass ball from the assassin's hand.

"Hey, Talon!" Shouted a voice from the hallway. Quinn noticed the assassin's eyes narrow as soon as he recognized whose voice it was. Katarina, Talon's sister, broke into the room. Although she wasn't in her usual leather jacket and boots—she was wearing a short dress and striped stockings accompanied with reindeer antlers that jingled as she walked over to Talon. "I was calling you. Riven and Yasuo just sent a bunch of people to Soraka, want to go laugh at them with me?"

"I'm…" The assassin's voice trailed off as his eyes glanced over at Quinn. The conflicted look on Talon's face confused the scout, "Sure." He sighed. The two Noxians exited the room without another word.

"Uh, Garen?" Quinn heard Lux ask. She turned to see the light mage waving her hand in front of her brother's eyes. The juggernaut's face was as red as a tomato and his body frozen. Quinn followed his gaze to the door, guessing he saw what Katarina was wearing. "Are you okay?"

"He sure is sweating a lot." Caitlyn added. Quinn and Valor glanced at each other, smirking. "Maybe we should just leave the tree by the window for now."


"Thank you for coming with me, Quinn." Lux said as she fixed her hair in the reflection of picture frame. Quinn leaned on the wall, grinning at the girl. The light mage looked at her face from different angles and took a deep breath. "Okay, where is he?"

"Valor told me that Ezreal was on his way over here from the map room." The scout replied, scratching her eagle's feathers. "What are you two being so secretive about? It's just a gift."

"Uh, well." Lux turned to the scout, her face full of worry. She played with the ends of her hair, "We are sort of dating."

"Sort of?" Quinn chuckled.

"Okay we are but you and Valor are the only ones who know. So please, can we keep this a secret?"

"We won't tell a soul." Quinn said, crossing her heart. "May I ask you something?"

"Anything!" The light mage said cheerfully.

"Did you notice something odd when we were in the common room? With Talon." Quinn asked, "He looked…"

"Conflicted? Yeah, I saw it." Lux turned back to the picture frame and adjusted her headband. "I think he was going to say something to you too until Katarina walked in."

"It was very odd. I've only seen that cold glare on his face while on the Rift and here in the Halls too."

"You say that like you look at him often enough to notice." Lux smirked. Quinn's face felt hot, realizing that she had done just that. Valor snickered beside her.

"I don't—"

"I'm joking with you, Quinn." The light mage giggled. "Although, I wouldn't blame you if you did. He isn't the ugliest Noxian."

"Well—"

"Lux!" Called a voice from behind Quinn. From the wide grin on the mage's face, the scout could only guess it was Ezreal. Lux skipped over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Happy Snowdown!"

"Happy Snowdown, Ez!" Lux giggled, kissing his cheek. Ezreal noticed the rangers grinning at them and he flushed.

Quinn zipped her lip as she turned the other way, letting the young couple have their moment. Valor, however, snickered at Ezreal as he tensed up from Lux kissing him again. The scout tugged his harness to hush him.

"Do you want to go hear Sona play her ethwal?" The explorer asked. Lux nodded eagerly before turning to Quinn.

"Quinn do you want to join us?" She asked. Quinn glanced at Ezreal, who was shaking his head slightly.

"Thank you but I have to go take Valor out to stretch his wings. He's been inside all day." The scout replied. The eagle glanced down at her, tilting his head in confusion.

"Oh, okay!" Lux said, wrapping her hands around the explorer's arm. "I'll see you later then!"

Quinn waved at them as they walked in the opposite direction. Valor nipped at the scout's hair and chirped. Quinn smiled while she scratched his crest.

"No, Val. We aren't going with them. Snowdown is a time to spend with loved ones." Valor chirped again, "Yes, we can go out to the garden."

Valor happily flapped his wings as Quinn made her way down the hallway. The scout laughed as she joined him. The eagle flapped his wings hard enough to lift the scout a couple inches off the carpet. Valor apologized with a nip to her hair but the woman just smiled.

Suddenly, Quinn stopped laughing and turned to look behind her. Her eyes jumped around the hallway but she found nothing out of the ordinary. Valor chirped, confused at what Quinn was looking for.

"It's nothing, Val. I just thought I heard something."


"Okay, Val, stretch your wings while you can. I heard there was a going to be a blizzard tonight." Quinn said before Valor took off into the sky. She smiled up at him as he flew around in circles, enjoying his time out of the Halls. The scout walked over to a bench in the garden and sat down.

She let out a slow sigh, her breath visible in the cold air. The scout rubbed her hands together as she tried to get warm. Suddenly, she heard a thump next to her. Quinn turned and saw a dagger lodged in the wooden bench. She pulled the dagger from the wood and noticed there was a letter attached to it.

Map room. Five minutes.

"What?" She whispered. The scout glanced around—there weren't any footsteps in the snow beside her own. Quinn whistled to Valor, asking him to come back down. The eagle perched himself on her shoulders as she continued to read the note. She held the dagger up to Valor, "Does this look familiar?"

The large bird chirped lowly. Quinn touched the sharp tip with her thumb, mumbling a curse when it poked through her glove. The scout folded the note and put it in her pocket.

"I'm going to the map room. Do you want to come?" She asked Valor, who shot back into the sky. "I'll take that as a no."


The map room was dark, obviously not being in use on account of the party going out in the Halls. The only source of light came from the window in the back of the room. Quinn slowly made her way inside, watching carefully for anything out of the ordinary. She glanced down at the numerous maps laid out on tables, some scribbled on and others brand new.

The scout paused when she found a map of Demacia. She picked it up and walked over to the window, holding it near the light. Quinn smiled as she recognized the Capital, the rivers, and Golden Crossing. She looked around the paper for the village she grew up in. Her smile faded as she realized it wasn't there.

"Figures." Quinn sighed as she kept looking for the name, "A small farming village on the edge of Demacia would likely go unnoticed on a map."

"Don't you think it's foolish to follow a note…?" Said a deep voice in front of Quinn. She quickly put the map down, revealing the Blade's Shadow standing in front of her. He smirked, "Attached to a dagger as well."

"The note was from you?" The scout whispered. Talon nodded, taking the map from her hands and placing it on a bookcase behind him. Quinn slowly backed away from the assassin as he reached behind him, "What do you want?"

"Here." He said. Talon handed the same blue present from earlier to the scout. Quinn stared down at it and then glanced back up to the assassin in confusion. Talon stood still, unmoving.

"What is that?"

"It's a gift. What are you? Thick?" He growled.

"I don't understand?" Quinn said, looking down at the neatly wrapped present.

"It's Snowdown. You give loved ones presents on Snowdown. What is there not to understand?"

"W-Wait, loved ones?" Quinn stuttered, taking a step back and hitting a bookcase. She could see Talon's eyes narrow, probably growing angry at himself.

"L-Look just take it!" He snarled and tossed the gift into the scout's arms. Quinn caught it as Talon jolted away from her, disturbing the maps with his speed. The assassin slammed the door behind him, the loud sound made Quinn jump. The scout watched the papers settle on the carpet, stunned.

She looked down at the gift in her hands. It had little weight to it and it had her name written on a small tag. Quinn sighed as the thought of opening it crossed her mind. She pulled the ribbon from around it and slipped her fingers under the paper.

Quinn closed her eyes as she neatly removed the paper. She felt a rectangular shape in her hands. It was flimsy but it had stiffness to it. The scout opened one eye.

It was a book.

The book was gorgeous. It had butterflies decorating its brown cover. But she was still confused. Quinn opened it and found it was blank all the way through. She soon realized it was a journal.

"Why would he get me a journal? Well, I did need a new one." Quinn said to herself as she looked back at the door. She tapped her fingers on the cover as she thought. The scout rushed for the door, "What am I doing?"


Talon's Gift (Part 2)

"Idiot!" Talon growled as he slammed the door to his room. He grabbed the daggers in his wall and threw them into another. His face was hot as he tore off his cloak. The assassin took a deep breath, "I'm such an idiot."

Talon threw his violet cloak on his bed and sat on the corner of the mattress. He ran his fingers through his dark hair as he sighed. Talon fell back on the covers and stared blankly at the ceiling.

"Katarina told me I was an idiot for trying to give a gift to that scout. But she was prancing around the mighty moron of Demacia in that short dress." The assassin's brows furrowed, "Although, she wasn't wrong."

Talon closed his eyes as he let out another slow sigh. He imagined the scout opening his gift and the assassin's eyes shot back open. Talon grabbed his pillow and held it over his face.

"Idiot." He mumbled.


Talon opened his eyes slowly. His room was pitch black as he sat up, groaning when he realized how stiff his body was. He scratched his neck as he got to his feet. Talon walked over to the clock on his desk and saw that it was about to be midnight.

"I must have fallen asleep."

He then realized how cold his room was and he walked over to his wardrobe and pulled out a patched up sweater. He zipped up the sweater as he opened this bedroom door and walked out to the hallway. It was fairly quiet—Talon assumed everyone was in their own rooms as Snowdown was over in just a few minutes.

"Chilly." Talon rubbed his arms as he made his way down the hall, "There is a fireplace in the common room. I can just sit there for a bit."

He glanced up at the wreaths and ribbons still hanging around the wall as he reached the common room. Talon walked over to the fireplace and sat down in front of it. He looked to the tree by the window and saw that it still had gifts under it. The assassin sighed as he looked back to the flames.

"I wonder if the scout opened it."

"I did." Talon swiftly looked behind him and saw Quinn standing in the doorway, smiling. "It was a beautiful journal, Talon."

"What are you doing here?" The assassin said while he quickly got to his feet, backing away from the scout as she walked towards him. He hit the tree and Quinn giggled at him. Talon maneuvered around the large tree and kept backing away from her. The assassin found himself cornered as Quinn drew closer to him.

"I couldn't sleep. I thought that a warm fire would make me sleepy and now we're here." Quinn answered. She tilted her head, "May I ask why you're here?"

"I was…cold."

"Uh, Talon?" The scout bit her lip, "May I ask you something else?"

"What is it?"

"Why did you get me a gift? I mean you're a Noxian and I'm a Demacian so-"

"Just because we are from different factions doesn't mean I can't do what I want." Talon growled, pushing passed the scout. He sat back down on the carpet in front of the fireplace. Quinn tapped her fingers on her arm as thought. The scout sighed and slowly walked towards him.

"May I sit with you?" Talon's eyes glanced at her and then back to the flickering flames. The assassin gave her a single nod, making the scout smile. Quinn sat beside him, crossing her legs. "Talon?"

"What do you want now?"

"How did you know to get me a journal?" Quinn asked, turning to look at him. He closed his eyes as he took in a deep breath.

"You really want to know?" Talon rubbed his forehead. Quinn nodded eagerly as she turned her whole body towards him. The assassin sighed slowly before giving her a small smirk, "The security in the Halls isn't very tight."

"Excuse me?"

"I didn't know you needed a new journal. I saw that you did." Talon laughed. Quinn's face flushed, covering her lips as she gasped.

"You were in my room!"

"You just realized?" The assassin shook his head.

"But why—" The scout yelped as Talon held her down on the carpet and glared down at her.

"Because I don't understand you!" Talon growled, holding her hands down as she tried to escape from him. "I assumed that all Demacians were boring and only cared about their precious kingdom, but you… You're weird."

"I'm sorry?"

"Unlike those other Demacians, you rely on that bird—your partner. You even talk to it, hell, sometimes I could swear he talk right back. I thought that reading that little journal of yours would answer my questions but it just…" Talon looked deep into the scout's golden eyes. They glistened brightly from the fire beside them. The assassin groaned, "It created something different."

"What do you mean?" Quinn asked. She smiled playfully, "Does this have any relation to the 'loved ones' slip from earlier? Did my journal make you fall in love with me?"

"And if it did?" Talon smirked while he drew closer to her. The scout could feel her face catching fire as she tried to look away.

"Then, uh…" Quinn mumbled, getting flustered by the assassin's smile. She jumped as the pendulum clock on the wall struck midnight. Talon laughed as he let the scout go and sat up. She glared at him, "W-What are laughing at?"

"Nothing." The assassin answered back. Quinn sat back up, still glaring at Talon. He glanced over at her, "What? Are you mad at me for laughing?"

"No." Quinn said. "I'm mad at myself. Snowdown is over and I don't have a gift for you in return."

"Gifts don't matter—" Talon's voice was cut off by Quinn's lips on his cheek. He felt his whole body freeze other than his stomach which jumped around in frenzy. He stared at Quinn as she pulled away, her own face red as a rose.

"Will that do?" She asked, her eyes evading Talon's gaze.

"No." The assassin said, grabbing Quinn's chin. He pulled her close, hesitated for a moment, and then pressed his lips on hers. Talon felt the scout tense up before she wrapped her arms around his neck.

The assassin let the scout push herself on him, causing them to fall on the carpet. Talon ran his fingers through her short hair. He could hear his heart pounding as Quinn did the same. The two jumped at the sound of the clock striking again. Talon looked over at it—it was one. He turned to the scout when he heard her giggling.

"I didn't realize I was out for this long. If I don't get back, Valor will be upset with me." She smiled, letting go of Talon. He got to his feet and followed the scout to the doorway. She turned around and kissed his cheek, "I'll see you around?"

"No but I'll see you." The assassin smirked. "Happy Snowdown."

"Happy Snowdown, Talon."

The End


Snowdown is officially over. Sorry for the delay, had to get those last minute sale purchases in. I hope you all enjoyed the holidays.

Also thank you Cornonjacob for helping me out on this long chapter.

See you soon.