We're approaching the end of the second day~ Hope you enjoy ^^ Please review/fav/follow thank you!

~Angel

To my lovely readers:

ragerranger35: Yep don't worry Garen's showing up soon ;)

Samspre: thanks for your continuous support :')


The lingerie store was our last stop, since we spent almost an hour in there. Xayah took a long time deciding on the items she should buy, but most of the time was spent on Cass and Xayah convincing me to buy some too.

Cass managed to persuade me because she threatened to tell Garen that I still liked him. It was an overused blackmail idea, but it always worked.

So in the end, I spent about forty minutes sitting outside of the change room, waiting and letting Xayah and Cass take my size and shop for me. After they took my purse to pay for me at the counter, we left the store with a new bag in a happy Xayah's hand, and a new bag in mine too, filled with surprises that I hoped would be pleasant.

"So I received a message from Rakan earlier that there was a masquerade-themed dance at a famous club tonight," Xayah said when we took a break and sat down in a cafe, "are you guys interested?"

"I can't exactly dance," Cass replied, laughing.

"True," Xayah said, "What about you, Kat?"

"I think I'll go, unless Cass you have other plans," I replied, then looked at my sister, who shook her head.

"I think I'll go too. Do you want to pick out an outfit and go together? Talon and Rakan said they're picking theirs right now," Xayah said dreamily, probably imagining how cute her boyfriend looked like in a suit.

"Sure," I replied, shrugging. I wasn't an expert at picking dresses, so I guessed it would be good if Xayah helped me. In fact, I had never spent a significant amount of time dressing up for events at bars and clubs.

"Make sure you pick something that's not black!" Cass reminded me.

"You're supposed to wear black to a club," I said, rolling my eyes.

"No, not to this one," Xayah said, grinning, "We're going to an Ionian club. We passed it earlier, the glass building, if you remember."

"That one? That's fancy!" I exclaimed. The club, called Glass Shards, was a famous club known across Runeterra. The owner was an old Ionian man, who had the fabulous idea of creating a five-floor club with indoor gardens and waterfalls. He maintained the plants and Ionian animals with powerful magic.

Our afternoon tea set arrived then, and the three of us ate it slowly while I listened to Cass and Xayah discuss the types of dress I should wear. It seemed that Xayah had already decided on a tight, eggplant purple dress she saw earlier, and it seemed that they were debating on whether I should wear dark green or purple sheer.

"Why does it have to be sheer?" I asked them.

"The theme is 'masquerade' and 'Ionia', and when I think about Ionia, I think about translucent fabric like sheer and flowing fabric like silk," Xayah explained.

The two of them continued to discuss when we finished the food, paid, and left the cafe. However, they couldn't arrive at a mutual solution, so in the end they wanted me to pick what I wanted.

"I'll just pick a dress at the store with the dress Xayah wants," I concluded.

With that said, Cass said goodbye and left, while I followed Xayah to the dress store she saw earlier.

"I know you probably have enough black dresses, but there's one I saw earlier that I think you should definitely wear for tonight," Xayah said as we finally reached the store after fifteen minutes of walking.

"I like black," I told her as we walked through the store to find the dress Xayah saw earlier.

With her sharp shopping sixth sense, we found her tight, thigh-length dress in no time. She tried it on quickly, and I gave her my stamp of approval right away. It was a strapless dress with its bottom wrapped with an extra layer of flowing sheer.

Xayah paid for her dress instantly then took me to the black dress she mentioned earlier. It was an off-shoulder dress with a playful, layered bubble bottom.

"I assumed that all of your black dresses are tight and strapless, am I right?" Xayah asked, grinning.

"Basically," I replied. If I wasn't in such a good mood, I'd be throwing daggers at her right now for judging my taste.

"You should try this one on, then. It makes you look younger," she said, grabbing the dress off of the rack, and walked toward the change room. I followed her hesitantly.

With the help of one of the workers in the store, I was able to change quickly to let Xayah pitch in her comments. She approved immediately, and I, considering that the dress was actually quite comfortable and that I told Rakan at lunch that I wanted to change, also immediately walked to the counter to pay.

Xayah, happy, then went into a beauty salon where the two of us got our make-up and hair done for free. I didn't know that my vacation package included a free makeover for two.

Rakan and Talon came to the beauty salon to pick us up after. They were going to meet us at the club, but Xayah kept saying that she wanted to enter the club with Rakan. Talk about the stubbornness of people in relationships.

"Did you literally spend money on another black dress?" Talon gaped at me.

"Come on, just admit she looks good," Xayah answered, rolling her eyes.

"She doesn't though," Talon said.

"Excuse me?" I growled and grabbed Talon by the collar of his white dress shirt.

"Forgive the poor guy, Kat," Xayah laughed, "The only girl that looks good in Talon's eyes is Irelia."

"Hey!" Talon hissed unhappily.

"Irelia's going tonight," Xayah leaned toward me and whispered under her breath.

"Is that why... oh," I said, releasing Talon and grinning helplessly, "No wonder we're going tonight."

"We've got some setting-up to do tonight, my friend," Xayah smirked, grinning evilly.

With that, Xayah took the lead and we took a carriage to the club. After checking our ID, the staff led us through a water tunnel and into the lobby of the club. Glass Shards was a popular hangout for celebrities, aristocrats, and people associated with the Institute of War, so anyone wanting to enter spontaneously must be famous, or must wait for his or her turn on the waitlist.

"So, how did you find out that Irelia's coming tonight?" I asked Xayah as we waited for the staff to grab us four VIP pins, serving as entry tickets, and masquerade masks.

"Ask Rakan," she shrugged, "Once he's set his mind on something, he'll make sure it happens. I'm sure he really wanted Irelia to come here tonight, or he really wanted to help Talon meet Irelia properly. I think the latter."

"Are you like that too?" I asked her, laughing.

"Hmm... you'll find out later," she replied with a sly grin, scaring me slightly.

The staff came back later with four masks, each matching the colours of our outfits. I tied a simple black mask with green crystals on and put the pin on the left side of my dress. The four of us then took the glass elevator to the first of the three main dance floors. The first was the lobby, and the fifth was an outdoor garden and bar.

A few girls approached and flirted with Talon immediately after we entered, thinking that he had a cool gaze and hot body. Xayah and Rakan were simply admired and respected, having publicized that they were in a relationship. I, on the other hand, was approached by several males whom I couldn't recognize. I was sure that I didn't know any of them though, even if they took their masks off.

It wasn't long after when I had cut all conversations with the men and headed onto the dance floor alone. That was what I wanted to do most anyway, when I agreed that I would come tonight.

When the Katarina Du Couteau went clubbing in Noxus, she would flirt with any man she deemed worthy, brew something hot, until the man was about to lay her on a bed. It wasn't that she wasn't tempted to continue, but because that someone had taken her heart and she couldn't find it anymore. Nevertheless, Katarina Du Couteau was known for diving in and pulling back at the last second.

Rumours had it going on in Noxus that I just liked to play with men, and I wasn't sure if I hated that statement or not. The reason behind why I show up in clubs at all was that I wanted to destress.

I danced away to the upbeat Ionian tunes and thought about taking a break, but then a slow song came up. I smiled to myself; maybe the DJ read my mind.

People on the dance floor grabbed whoever was closest to them, and it didn't took me too long either for a man to approach me. I was the attractive Katarina, after all.

"Enjoying your time, Mister?" I asked after he pulled me close. It wasn't someone I knew, thank God.

"It's all right, I guess," he replied, clearing his throat.

"You don't club often, do you?" I asked with a smile, then added in an amused tone: "I wouldn't have replied with 'It's all right'."

"Correct. It's my first time," he answered, dancing stiffly. I offered to take the lead, and he nodded. The tune was a popular Noxian love song, so I knew it well enough to know its beats... and that it was a long song. I wanted to groan or complain, knowing that I stumbled upon a bad dancer, but I kept my calm.

"Well, what can I say? Glass Shards is a good choice," I said. I guess I could pass the time talking, or teach him how to club.

"Thanks, my friend picked it," he replied. Then he accidentally stepped on my toe; I had to bite back a painful hiss.

"Tell your friend he has a good taste, then," I said calmly.

"I will," he laughed.

"What's so funny?" I asked, smiling.

"It's nothing," he replied, clearing his throat.

The man learned quickly. Two minutes into the song, and he had already memorized all of my dance moves. I congratulated him on being a fast learner.

"Thank you, Miss," he replied calmly, but with a warm smile.

It wasn't long later that, somehow, he became the lead, and I slowly began to enjoy dancing with him.

"The way you dance is very proper," I commented. "Were you taught how to dance during formal occasions, like balls and galas?"

"Yes," he answered.

"Are you a prince or king, then?" I guessed.

"Something close to that," he laughed, "My best friend's a prince, and I spent most of my childhood in his castle."

"That's cool," I said. I definitely thought he was a prince, not just based on his dance moves, but also the confidence in his voice and his clean features and suit.

"What about you?" he asked suddenly, interrupting my observing him.

"Huh?" I responded after a while, blushing, "Sorry, had something on my mind. And no, I'm no princess." I laughed after that. Princess Katarina? What a joke.

"You dance well too, though. You're following my steps really well." I didn't even notice that he had switched to ballroom dance moves.

"Oh, that," I laughed, "My dad's an important political figure so I followed him to almost every ball and gala since I could walk."

"I should've guessed," he replied, smiling.

"So where're you from?" I asked after a while. We were just past half-way through the song.

"Demacia," he replied, "you?"

"Noxus," I said.

"Then you must know the song well," he remarked.

"And I must congratulate you on knowing this song is Noxian," I said, smiling with approval.

"Oh, bother," he laughed, "this song is famous throughout Runeterra, you know?"

"I only club in Noxus, so I wouldn't know," I replied, laughing lightly. He had a cute laugh.

"You work for Noxus, too, then? Like your dad?" he asked.

"No, I work for the Institute of War, actually," I replied.

"Oh? On the Board, or, trainer?" he asked.

"Something like that," I answered, not wanting to reveal my identity.

"Me too, I work for the Institute," he said after a long pause.

"I don't recognize you though," I remarked.

"It's okay, I don't recognize you either," he said.

Our atmosphere suddenly grew uncomfortable, so I was glad that the DJ cut the song short and transitioned into an upbeat song from Piltover.

We thanked each other for the dance before parting, later than most people, so when we released each other, someone's hand knocked my tightly-tied mask off of my head, and I was pushed into the man's embrace.

"Thanks," I said, lying inside his arms and forced to look him straight into the eyes.

"No problem," he said, releasing me. Then with a swift sweep, he lifted my mask off the floor and gave it to me. "Here's your mask."

"Thanks again," I said, blushing. I was grateful that the room was dark right now; the song hadn't approached its exciting parts, so the disco lights hadn't begin flickering yet.

I wanted to take that time to put the mask on so the man wouldn't have the chance to observe my face, but failed as the strings became stuck in my braided bun.

"Here," he said, smiling, and helped me pull out the strings and tied it on, facing me. I heaved out a sigh of relief as the mask was covering my face again, just before the lights began to flicker.

"Oh, your hair clip," he said, bending down to pick it up. But upon contact with it, he froze.

"Um, thanks, but can I have it back now?" I asked, tapping his back gently.

"Sorry," he apologized quickly and stood up, "It reminded me of a clip I had."

"Really?" I laughed, "That's a hair clip for girls though."

"Yeah," he laughed weakly, "It was for a girl. I gave it to her about twenty years ago. It must be rusty now though, unlike yours."

A number of facts and questions about this man suddenly began to swirl around in my mind, until they finally pieced themselves into an image, and I gathered the courage to ask: "Are you Garen?"


Okie okie sorry I ended here :') expect updates within 24 hours~ (Feedback/fav/follows make me work even faster okie, trends in the viewer-participation graph shows that most of you actually read all of the chapters and I'm so thankful~)