A/N: I thought I would preface this chapter by saying that I hate, absolutely DESPISE actually including League matches in my fics with any detail. I've always felt so awkward writing them and I always feel so ridiculous trying to make the matches somewhat realistic and believable, and ugh. It's just not fun, so if it seems like I glossed over explaining the rift or w/e, it's because I did.
I'm a lazy and stubborn writer, pls forgive.
Anyways, I included a headcannon drabble at the end of the chapter about my thoughts on the rift/summoners sort of and a list of the other champions in the League currently, but it's not incredibly important to the story, so feel free to skip it if you want!
A fan- I'm working on the more part!
TheMixKage- Thank you ^-^ Okay that is a HUGE relief, because characterization is probably my biggest concern personally as a writer, and it's what I try and focus on the most (which I feel like is pretty obvious). Everyone has a different opinion obviously, but it's nice to know that at least someone is enjoying his character ;-;
Guest- I'm a big fan of super quick plot changes.
J- Thank you! I look forward to writing them :D
Tri-Color- You can review as much as you want, because I absolutely love love love hearing from you guys. Thank you thank you! ^-^
GarenKat fangirl- No worries! Ahhh thank you ;-; It's still so weird being complimented on my writing style, honestly. A huge reason of why I like writing this fic so much is because it is sooo fun to imagine the best assassins in Noxus doing normal, mundane people things. Like, obviously at some point in their lives they've had to drink water after a workout or something, but it's so strange to actually imagine it? I love it. But above all, writing sarcastic people is the BEST (mostly because I'm disgustingly sarcastic myself), and I'm glad you liked it. I'm so pumped to keep writing just so I can do more Lux/Talon stuff, an ahhh. So much writing to do. Keep in mind, the summoners have seen into Lux's and Talon's memories during their judgements, so they know just how Lux feels about Talon- I always thought the summoners were people who really liked to mess with the champions when they could, but I don't want to say anything to spoil the chapter, soo read on! C: THANK YOU TONS. :3
No one- I feel like I haven't been clear before, and I apologize for getting anyone's hopes up, but there really won't be any significant Garen/Kat in my fic. It's about Lux and Talon, and besides a few mentions, I won't get into the Garen/Kat relationship with any depth. (At least I don't plan to as of now.)
If you're looking for silly Garen/Kat, go read "Spinning" by GarenKat Fangirl. If you're looking for something serious, aside from Princess Garen's fics, I really can't help you :(
Imstillive- Wow! Always feel free to gush! Thank you so much ;-; is it strange that I actually really enjoyed writing Lillia? Like, she was in the fic so briefly but that was a character I definitely liked including. I feel like it's sooo important to have both perspectives when you're writing any kind of relationship, because there are so many facets to relationships and everything. I intended for this fic to just be from Lux's perspective initially, but I really felt like it detracted from the story. That's another thing I wanted the perspectives to do: highlight the similarities between two outwardly opposite people that you wouldn't normally see, and to do it without bluntly stating things like "Lux and Talon both need purpose now!". It feels more natural to me, if that makes sense. And on the Cass/Ezreal thing- I don't want to say anything that could potentially ruin a future part of the fic, but you don't need to worry! I won't/haven't forgotten about them ^-^ ALSO- I absolutely LOVE big reviews like this. It's always refreshing and helpful to read someone else's perspective on your writing, because I've been reading my own writing over and over and it's easy to forget tiny details and things like that. It's so helpful to read reviews like yours, and I really do love hearing from you guys, big reviews or not, but definitely don't apologize for the length, because I love it. My summoner name is MeltedJujubees, same as here, but I admit I'm an aram junky, so I don't know if my .gg would be interesting at all ;-; But anyways, thank you for the review and the compliments, and I look forward to hearing from you in the future!
Ulcaasi- HERE WE GO.
Guest- Aww thank you so much! I was pretty sad writing the Lux and Garen stuff too ;-;
To everyone else, sorry for the lengthy responses above, but I hope you enjoying reading!
"You're doing it again."
It took Lux a second to realize that the voice was directed at her; she stopped poking her eggs with her fork, looking up to the source of the voice. Garen was staring at her like he was halfway caught between laughing and frowning.
"Doing what?"
Lux was unaware that she'd been doing anything but just sitting there up until Garen spoke, and she was beginning to worry that she'd done something wrong until Garen smiled.
"You're murdering your eggs. I think you're just supposed to eat them, not dissect them."
She rolled her eyes, turning back to her mutilated breakfast, but Lux couldn't deny that for a moment, she had been genuinely worried Garen thought there was something off about her.
"Aren't you hungry? Or too tired."
She was almost impressed that Garen noticed, but not entirely, since Lux had been in front of a mirror that morning; she was a mess. It didn't take a genius to see the exhaustion on her face.
"Too tired."
Tired and irritated, more accurately; Lux had spent the past two days barely sleeping and cooped up in her room, avoiding anything and everything, and agonizing over a split second decision she'd made in anger. She had to hand it to Talon, as much as she hated him; it took incredible skill to enrage Lux so much that she lost all sense of reason, and against her better judgement, sign up for that first League match of all things.
Honestly. It was a talent to be so completely infuriating.
So Lux found herself back in the mess hall, waiting like everyone else there to see whether or not the summoners would hand them a little letter dictating if they could slaughter their fellow champions the next day or not.
Apparently this was the kind of news people liked to receive over breakfast.
Like most things other people did, it completely confused Lux, but she'd accompanied Garen because she hadn't the other day when he was with Jarvan, and it wasn't as easy as it used to be for her to seclude herself; she refused to attribute that to anything else other than the fact that she wanted to see Garen.
"Are you nervous?"
She shook her head, but she got the impression that Garen thought she wasn't being truthful; honestly, the thought of the match itself didn't make her nervous- she just really didn't want to do it, especially since she felt like she'd been goaded (intentionally or not) into it.
"I think it will be an incredible opportunity- if I'm chosen, that is."
Lux couldn't help but give a small smile at Garen's enthusiasm, and the fact that even though he tried to downplay it, he was smiling at his toast and gripping his fork like it was every bit as important and valuable as his sword. He looked absolutely prepared to conquer his breakfast.
"You look really-"
Lux didn't get to tell Garen how excited he looked because there were two new arrivals to the mess hall, largely unnoticed under the noise the rest of the room provided. Lux supposed she was lucky she was only with Garen, because he was too busy staring at Katarina to realize she was staring at Talon. They both watched the assassins move to sit at the same table they had the last time they were in the mess hall, and when they sat Talon's back mostly obscured the redhead, although not enough that she couldn't glance around him to catch what Lux assumed was Garen's gaze.
Lux hid a smile when Garen ducked his head and jabbed his toast with his fork much like she'd been doing with her eggs, but amidst her amusement was the relief that Talon wasn't facing them, and didn't have the opportunity to catch her staring also.
Garen seemed much less inclined to talk after that, fidgeting in his chair and only offering one or two words towards their conversation. Lux glanced up at Katarina once, but she was staring almost petulantly at her table, chin perched on the heels of her hands. She didn't seem to share any of Garen's embarrassed (or excited?) nervousness, something Lux noticed with a small degree of interest. Katarina was striking, in that dangerous, mysterious kind of way, and Lux couldn't really fault Garen for noticing.
But she could still laugh at him.
"What was it you said about eating your food and not playing with it?"
She laughed maybe a little too loudly at the childish indignation on his face, dodging an elbow thrown at her arm, and for a moment she forgot how tired she was supposed to be; it was easy around Garen to be amused, because the way he reacted to most things was so different than she was used to; he had an innocence to him that Lux had never seen on someone his age or with his experience. It was… refreshing, almost.
And funny. Endlessly funny, because it was easy to mess with him.
A simple glance from Katarina and a laugh from Lux had reduced him to a red-faced mess, and Lux almost felt bad for laughing.
"Where's Jarvan, anyway? I wasn't aware you guys could be separated."
Even though he rolled his eyes, Garen seemed relieved at the change in conversation, but abashed at the same time.
"I was supposed to meet him soon, actually."
Lux shrugged, because she'd been with Garen all morning and she didn't want to keep him from Jarvan when it was clear that's where he wanted to be. Plus, it would be nice to try and sneak in a nap before he or Quinn needed her again.
"Wait, you don't want to wait until you get your letter?"
That was the whole reason they were in the mess hall in the first place; Lux doubted Garen had forgotten already. He offered a shrug, but continued to stand, brushing a few stray crumbs from his lap.
"I don't know how long it's going to be- they'll get it to me, I'm sure."
Lux nodded, and even though she thought it was a little strange, Garen seemed eager to go and she didn't want to stop him.
"I'll see you later."
He smiled and waved, quickly leaving the room. Lux watched him go, turning back to her breakfast with a sigh when he was no longer in sight. She was still somewhat hungry, and she picked over her eggs while she waited for the letter that she might not even get. Honestly, she'd be surprised if she did; they'd all been given designated "roles" of sorts since joining the League, and Lux, among a few others, was a mid laner. It didn't mean anything unless she was actively taking part in a League match, but there were a couple of mid laners that were part of the initial group of champions, and there was a good chance that they would be picked over Lux.
There was a very good chance, because two of those mids just happened to be sibling assassins from Noxus.
Lux had been keeping her eyes focused on her food since Garen had left, but she gave them a glance now, noticing first the dark blue-black of the hood covering Talon's back (hunched over just slightly) before realizing that Katarina wasn't at the table anymore. She shifted her gaze around the rest of the mess hall and back to Talon's table, but still no redhead. She looked quickly away when Talon moved, returning to her breakfast with the slightest bit of unease.
It was probably a coincidence, right? Anyone else would say that Garen and Katarina disappearing at much the same time was, but then again, Lux wasn't most people, and she hated coincidences.
Her thoughts were interrupted by a shadow falling over her picked-over eggs, and it was one of those times where you just knew who was standing there without having to looking up, and Lux's stomach flipped in a very nervous sort of way. She slowly raised her eyes, registering first a gloved hand extended in her direction, and then further up, a shadowed face with pursed lips and narrowed eyes that easily transformed into a smirk when they caught Lux's.
He sat down when Lux didn't immediately reach for the envelope, turning it in his hands so that the blue, crestless seal pressed onto its front with Lux's neatly printed name below it were facing him.
"Mine's red."
Lux couldn't see the other letter Talon was talking about, and even though she badly wanted to snatch hers from his hands and leave, once again her curiosity overshadowed better decisions.
"Where did you get that?"
The summoners were supposed to give it to her directly; there was no possible way for them to have mistaken Talon for her, and unless he stole it from one of them, she was at a loss. The corner of his mouth lifted, but now that he was sitting across from her and she wasn't looking up at him, it was harder for Lux to see the rest of Talon's face; just one of the many disconcerting things about him.
He ran his thumb over the seal of Lux's letter, like it made perfect sense from him to be sitting across from Lux and holding a letter addressed to her. Lux kept her hands clenched into fists on the table, itching to reach for the baton in her lap but not quite able to force herself to move. She waited for Talon to answer her, or say anything meaningful, but that wasn't quite his style, and it was several terse seconds before he broke the silence.
"When did you sign up for the match, Crownguard? I didn't have you pegged for the type."
Lux raised an eyebrow, most of her nervousness and her own question forgotten, replaced with anger at being called Crownguard and an annoyance at Talon's presumptuous derision that was steadily growing familiar.
"And what type would that be, exactly?"
She made sure there was plenty of malice in her tone, practically spitting her words across the table that, in her opinion, was much too short, but Talon's smirk didn't falter. He tilted his head slightly to one side and shifted his eyes from the letter to Lux's face, a very real curiosity burning in his eyes, despite his outward amusement.
"A pampered noble from Demacia- not the type to willingly subject themselves brutal violence, wouldn't you agree? Unless you have a hidden affinity for sharp things and murder."
A slight shiver crept down Lux's spine, but she forced a smile on her face, even though she could see he didn't buy it.
"Do I look like I do? I know Noxians value strength, but do you put any stock into common sense at all?"
It didn't matter that Lux wasn't doing a very good job of concealing her nervousness, because what she'd said had sufficiently pissed Talon off; he stood without another word, tossing the letter at Lux so that it collided with her elbow, spinning and stalking away so that his cape momentarily flared out behind him in the way that Lux liked despite how much she hated who wore it.
She briefly lowered a hand to brush her baton, and when her churning stomach was calmer she gingerly picked up the letter, breaking the generic blue seal and extracting the letter within.
It was very short, headed with a congratulatory greeting and ending with Vessaria's embellished signature. Lux thought that letter was proof that someone really, really hated her, aside from one moody assassin; a fresh wave of regret washed over her when she realized that if she was accepted and Talon was also, and assuming he wasn't lying about the color of his letter (which denoted your team, the letter said) then that would mean Lux would be facing him in that match.
They must really, really hate her.
"This is taking forever."
Talon looked up from the knife he was cleaning, catching Katarina's angry stare. With the way she was smooshing her face into her hands and the frown that dragged down her features, she looked an awful lot like a petulant child.
A child with a nasty scar lining one eye, but a child nonetheless.
"We just got here."
Talon turned his eyes back to what he was doing, turning the knife so that it better caught the light, satisfied with the shape it was in. They really had just arrived at the mess hall, and Katarina hadn't yet moved to get anything to eat or drink, which made Talon wonder why she'd wanted to come at all. She opened her mouth to speak, but Talon saw her eyes flick momentarily to something behind him, and she closed her mouth without saying anything as she glanced quickly away. Talon would have turned around to see what it was any other day, but the glance was quickly followed by the sound of laughter that came from neither of them, and despite never having heard it before, he could guess easily enough who it belonged to.
And since Talon really doubted Katarina cared about Luxanna, he guessed that the blonde wasn't the only Crownguard sitting behind them.
Not that he felt anything to the degree that Kat did, but Talon returned his focus to the blade in his hands with perhaps a little more attention than the task required.
"Maybe they left the letter at my apartment."
Her voice was still slightly obstructed because of the way she was sitting, but Talon only lifted his eyes this time.
"If you got one, that is."
Her frown didn't get any deeper (he seriously doubted it was possible), but she freed a hand to stick up a choice finger, actually standing to leave.
She didn't even stop to insult him.
Katarina's behavior made a lot more sense when Garen also left the mess hall a few minutes later, something Talon noticed with a familiar sourness. She seemed determined to make her fascination with Crownguard even more of a problem, despite his warning, and it was more irritating now than worrying.
It wasn't his problem.
Katarina was more than old enough to screw herself over and figure out how to fix it, and this was one problem Talon couldn't fix by just offing someone. Not easily, at least.
He sighed as he slid his knife back into its spot in the depths of his cloak, moving to stand himself when he was stopped by one of the purple-robed summoners; this one was taller than most, nearly reaching Talon's own height, and silently handed him a sealed letter, turning quickly on a heel when Talon accepted it. Upon further inspection he realized it wasn't just one letter, but three; the first had his name written on it beneath a red seal, the second had Darius's name of all people beneath an identical seal to his, and the last he assumed was Kat's; he barely gave it a cursory glance, intending to just give it to her along with the one addressed to Darius, but the fact that the seal was a different color than his own drew his eye.
And it was definitely not Kat's.
He reread the name a few times, but no matter how much he thought it should, it never changed; Luxanna Crownguard, written neat and straight beneath that blue seal. It was funny, in a way, because Talon knew she'd been picked over Kat, but that was also what made it so incredibly surprising. She'd been chosen not only over Katarina, but Swain too, two people he was sure much rather belonged in the match than she did. Because of the way he was standing, it was easier than before to glance at where her laughter had been, and his eyes fell on where she was sitting by herself, staring at her food with a frustrated frown on her face, and he briefly wondered what she was thinking.
She wasn't dressed in anything form-fitting, but she was still clearly thin, almost to an extreme, and she idly blew a blonde strand of hair out of her face in one of the most innocent looking gestures that Talon had seen coming from her. Luxanna was a mid laner, as designated by the summoners, and so was he; assuming that their different colored letters mean she wasn't going to be on the same team as him, then it would be him against her.
That hardly seemed fair.
Talon couldn't begin to count the amount of people he'd killed that in were every way more menacing than Luxanna was, and it confused him to the point of frustration. He didn't think the summoners picked her for no reason, and he doubted the reason was just to see her be slaughtered over and over. It further reinforced the idea that Luxanna wasn't just some pretty Demacian mage.
It was such a strange notion to Talon.
In his experience, Demacians were proud to a fault; they liked it when people knew who they were and what they were doing in Demacia's name. Luxanna's brother, as well as the prince, were shining examples of this mindset. So why then did Talon still get the distinct feeling that she was lying about who she was?
It wasn't just what happened in the library that day; it was her boldness in the training room, it was her wicked anger and dark expressions, it was two packets of sugar and the feeling that Luxanna Crownguard was wrong, wrong, wrong.
And now the match.
This must have been how she felt when she confronted him in the training room, because Talon's curiosity burned and pushed him forward until he was standing at Luxanna's table, holding her letter out to her while he waited for her to respond.
She had stiffened even before he held the letter out, and her eyes moved first to his hand and then slowly to his face; there was no surprise in that blue, but there was confusion, amidst the nervous way she shifted in her seat. She didn't say anything, and Talon didn't know what it was about her silence that encouraged him to sit, not leave, but sit he did, and he was rewarded with Luxanna noticeably leaning away from him, something that made his lips quirk upwards with the tiniest bit of amusement. He looked at the letter his hands made out to her, not quite sure what to say now that he'd put himself in a position where he had to speak.
"Mine's red."
She didn't know she'd been accepted for the match yet, but he did, and hinting what he knew already (that it would be him she was facing) was more enjoyable than letting her figure it out for herself. Her frown of frustration turned to one of anger, and she had that look on her face again like she wanted to hit him.
"Where did you get that?"
He had to smile at that; she was forced to speak, because he had something she wanted- both the letter and the answer to her question. Not an answer he felt inclined to give her, since he much preferred her angry and confused than haughty and questioning.
He ran a finger over the curving letters of her printed name, eyes dropping back to the letter as he was reminded of his own questions.
"When did you sign up for the match, Crownguard? I didn't have you pegged for the type."
It wasn't exactly the question that was eating at him, but the other would be harder to ask, and he very much doubted she would answer it, anyway. This one… maybe.
Her face twisted like she couldn't actually believe he was demanding answers from her, and she contributed to their little game of asking questions that were going laregely unanswered.
"And what type would that be, exactly?"
He didn't really intend to answer her, but he didn't exactly have anything to lose, and the opportunity to ruffle her pristine feathers was too good to resist.
"A pampered noble from Demacia- not the type to willingly subject themselves brutal violence, wouldn't you agree? Unless you have a hidden affinity for sharp things and murder."
She didn't look angry, like he would have thought; she didn't even look superior anymore. Her face was drained of most of its color, like she was scared, and the smile she plastered on her face after that brief look of fear was deeply, disturbingly out of place.
"Do I look like I do? I know Noxians value strength, but do you put any stock into common sense at all?"
Her witty retort had none of the bite she intended it to, and the sick look hadn't vanished from her face, which was as much of a confirmation to Talon than anything; something about what he said had scared her.
He just had to figure out what.
He felt like that was as far as he was going to get with her, and he tossed her letter on the table as he walked away, picking through each and every one of expressions, through everything she'd said.
He would figure out Luxanna Crownguard.
It was much later that night that Lux was alone in her apartment and dressing for bed, something she was sure she did out of sight of any mirrors. She pulled a shirt over her head, and for a moment so brief she almost didn't feel it, the fingers of her left hand brushed one knotted scar at the base of her spine, a perfectly straight line that she knew was just one of many.
Unless you have a hidden affinity for sharp things and murder.
Lux liked to think she was an expert at repressing memories, which was why what Talon said didn't reduce her to a shaking mess; it was why she could touch the scar without being assaulted, as she used to be, by a memory that shamed the one of Talon chasing her through the dark streets of Noxus.
It was why she was able to sleep at all that night, only jerking awake once when her usual nightmares returned. No, Lux had never had an affinity for sharp things, even if the people that did had one for her, and she'd never been able to stomach taking someone's life.
At least, not for a very, very long time.
Talon looked forward to that League match with an excitement he didn't have when he'd first heard of it.
It had been uncomfortable telling Katarina she hadn't been selected and even more so when he was forced to bring Darius his own letter, but aside from that, Talon was eager.
He was eager to see just exactly what it was that qualified Luxanna over so many others; not only being selected for the match, but being chosen as a champion at all.
He was up early the morning of the match just like everyone else, cowl in place and with the familiar weight of his blade on his arm. It wasn't until he arrived at the summoning chamber with the rest of the team that Talon actually got to see who they were; aside from Darius, which he already knew and who was very obvious about ignoring him, there were two yordles (one with a ridiculously unproportioned gun, and one with an even more outlandish hat) and a shrouded figure that was carrying something that definitely resembled a lamppost, and didn't say a single word to the rest of the people gathered. The yordles chattered loudly while they waited to be summoned, and Talon briefly ran over the few things in his mind that Vessaria had told them in preparation for the match.
Their strengths would be limited in some ways but drastically enhanced in others, but to an undisclosed degree; they would have to find out on the Rift, and play accordingly. In addition to that, there would be a summoner in contact with them at all times, influencing what they did and where they went. They didn't have complete control, but enough that the thought of it filled Talon with an anger that was mirrored on Darius's face, and that he was sure any other self-respecting person taking part of the match felt. Lastly, it was imparted on them that they were very much encouraged to kill, because when playing for the League, you couldn't actually die.
You couldn't die.
To Talon, it sort of erased the point of trying killing someone who couldn't die, but it beat the mediocrity of not participating in the match at all, if only somewhat. Besides, it was almost worth everything just to rub it in Katarina's face should he ever need to.
He didn't really have a chance to think much about it, because there was a blue light in the summoning chamber not long after everyone had arrived, and they all stood straighter and stiller and completely silent as that light grew brighter and brighter, until the only thing anyone could see was a blinding azure. There was a momentary feeling of weightlessness, like Talon wasn't standing on solid ground anymore, and before he could become concerned, the blue light disappeared as suddenly as it arrived, and him and the rest of his team were once again stationary.
Stationary, and definitely not in the summoning chambers anymore.
Even though Summoner's Rift had been described to him beforehand, he couldn't deny that he was impressed; the mountain top they were on was startling in its realism, and amidst the sound of birdcalls and the smell of fresh air and flowers was a small, quiet voice in the back of his mind.
"Welcome, Talon. My name is Griev, and I'm your summoner for this match."
The voice was unimposing, but annoying, like the constant buzz of a mosquito that wouldn't leave you alone; it was the kind of thing that you immediately hated and never stopped hating.
"I'll hear any thoughts you direct to me."
If he was hoping that would encourage Talon to speak, he would be disappointed; the rest of his team had already left the platform, and the only ones he could actually see anymore were the yordles that were disappearing quickly into the forestry that was bot lane. He didn't want to be late to his lane and he didn't want to give the summoner another excuse to speak to him, so he walked off the platform and headed into the forest.
Talon followed the path that would take him to his designated lane, taking his time as he once again admired the scenery. The lane itself was shrouded by tall trees that grew around crumbling buildings that had no discernable shape, and deep within the forest were the sounds of running water and scurrying animals. The path he was on was well-worn dirt in some places, large, flat stones in others, and lined with stubbly grass the entire way that he could see. All in all, the Rift was disarmingly attractive, and the quiet sounds of the forest almost put him at ease.
Almost, but Talon clearly remembered why he was there.
Each and every member of both teams were equipped to do one thing; kill their opponent. Talon didn't care much about most of the opposite team (all four Demacians and one Ionian) because now that he was actually there, now that the match had started, he was focused single-mindedly on the fact that facing him would be that enigmatic blonde.
If his summoner could tell what he was thinking, he didn't say anything, for which Talon was grateful; he didn't want to explain his burning desire to know what the blonde was hiding to anyone, and he continued down his lane, matching the summoner's silence. Arriving at the end of the lane was finally when something interesting happened; there were large structures along the path that Talon had passed four times, things the summoners called towers, and he stopped walking at the last one that belonged to his team, the cold stone a constant presence at his back. In front of the tower was a wide expanse of grassy path, unmarked by stone, and both sides dipped low into the shallow beginnings of a small river that was largely shrouded in darkness from the trees above it. Talon didn't focus on that, or much of anything else, because standing next to the tower of the opposite team was the familiar form of Luxanna Crownguard.
She was clad in bright silver armor that Talon had never seen on her before, beneath which was a navy body suit that clung tightly to everything not covered in armor. She was holding her baton, the same silver as what she was wearing, and her blonde hair seemed to glow in the light that the mountaintop offered. She looked so very Demacian in that moment, aside from the blank expression on her face, and Talon stood silently across the lane, both of them watching each other without a word offered from either.
She looked much different here than in the Institute.
It wasn't just the strangeness of the scenery, although that certainly attributed to it; there was no anger on her face when she looked at him now, and she stood straighter, like she was very much unafraid of who she faced. And although Talon had never really thought of it before, he couldn't help but notice -faced as he was with form-fitting clothes, bright hair, and that air of confidence she exuded- that Luxanna was really rather beautiful.
It made his blade arm itch.
He didn't really care for beautiful things, especially beautiful things with a sharp tongue and jealously guarded secrets, and when the match really began a few moments later, he completely ignored the small minions scurrying around his feet (another part of the game he didn't really understand the importance of), single-mindedly focused on one thing.
Killing Luxanna Crownguard.
She hated the way he looked at her.
To Lux, it didn't feel like she and Talon were on the top of some mystical mountain somewhere; it felt like they were back in the mess hall of the Institute, sharing equal intensity glares while they tried to pry answers from each other with looks alone. It was different now though; now she was allowed to fight back, to wipe that smirk off Talon's face like she'd been itching to do for weeks. She couldn't hurt him permanently, but it would be satisfying to knock him down a peg or two.
She couldn't deny that she was scared, however; as Talon set to slowly dispatching her minions, the blade on his hand and the ones attached to his cloak caught every bit of the sunlight around them, and the sight filled Luxanna with a very familiar anxiety at buried memories of steel splitting her skin.
But she was calm.
Lux remained calm, and when Talon finally moved against her, she was ready.
It seemed like at first, they were both content to bide their time and gather their strength.
But that wasn't something that suited Talon; he didn't like to wait to kill someone, to prolong their lives when he could just as easily end it. Maybe that was why he rushed into attacking Luxanna so soon, brandishing his blade as he darted from where he was to where she was standing, aiming his arm at her neck.
At least, he tried to.
He didn't get very far before he couldn't actually move anymore, his arms and his legs held still by thin bands of light that shone like the rainbow when viewed from certain angles. Talon stared at the prison in angry disbelief, unable to free himself, and shifted his glare to the only person responsible.
She didn't smirk or laugh, like he would have thought.
She looked deadly determined, and in the seconds after their eyes meeting, she lifted her baton to chest level, one of the most murderous looks Talon had ever seen on someone crossing her face, and his body, as well as the summoner frantically speaking in his mind, screamed at him to move.
And move he did- just in the nick of time.
The spot he'd been occupying was lit by a huge line of blinding light that caught everything it touched (including the edge of Talon's cloak) on fire, the bright, deceivingly pretty rainbow hue of the light a disturbing contrast to the flames that followed. Talon could feel burns along his left side, the side closest to the beam of light, but he did his best to ignore them, because this was his opportunity; Luxanna was distracted, most likely because she assumed Talon was dead in her snare, and in her momentary inattention, Talon whirled, entirely disappearing.
It was then that he understood what Vessaria meant when she said their abilities would be enhanced.
He moved through the shadows themselves, the wide-eyed look on Luxanna's face spurring him faster, closer, until he was at her back and lifting his blade to her neck, separating himself from the darkness. He dragged the blade across her skin in a motion that he'd felt a hundred times before, the familiar warmth of blood on his gloves and the sag of a lifeless body against his chest as he slowly let Luxanna fall to the ground.
Talon's chest heaved, his burns flared in agony, but he felt no relief in her death, no happiness or satisfaction like he had with every other kill he'd ever been a part of. Even though it was temporary, even though Luxanna's lifeless body would reanimate and return, it disturbed Talon in a way he'd never experienced.
He learned nothing from killing her.
He was no closer to learning who she really was or any closer to any of the answers he sought from her, and if she was dead, those answers were hers forever, and hers alone. She was dangerous, obvious enough from the kind of magic she was capable of, but Talon realized outside of the Rift, he could never actually kill her.
He didn't want Luxanna Crownguard to die.
Lux had imagined dying a million times since being drafted in the army.
She'd even come close once, early in her career, but nothing she'd experienced compared to what she felt now. She'd thought she had him; when she snared Talon and she saw the fury melt to worry on his face, she had prepared herself to release the most dangerous parts of her magic, and she'd honestly convinced herself that Talon was the one that would perish.
But he disappeared the second her snare faded. She searched frantically, but she couldn't see him anywhere, not one sign of his cloak, his blade- nothing. She'd quickly realized that she couldn't hide from sight on the Rift like she could outside of it, and she'd sat there, choked with panic and awaiting the worst.
And it was every bit as terrible as she imagined.
She couldn't see Talon when he finally appeared, but he wasted no time in lifting his blade to her throat, and before the pain, before the darkness, before anything, was the terrible, nauseating feeling of metal pressed to her throat, and the knowledge that the person wielding the blade wanted nothing more than to watch her die.
And die she did- for a time.
Being brought back to life was the single most disturbing thing Lux had ever experienced.
It felt like to her that no time at all had passed since she died; she remembered pain, and then she was back on the summoning platform, every bit as pristine and unharmed as she had been when she was first summoned. She wasn't gasping for air, she felt no pain, and even though she felt along the front of her neck, there was no mark where Talon's blade had been. There was only smooth skin just waiting to be split again. Her summoner told her to move forward, chastising her for her carelessness when it came to facing Talon, and Lux followed the instructions on leaden feet with the feeling that she was walking to her death again.
She could still remember the awful, debilitating pain right before she died, and the thought that she would have to endure it again was almost enough to make her freeze where she was and call for a surrender.
But she couldn't do that.
She couldn't force the rest of her team into a loss because she was afraid; and hadn't she decided that she wasn't afraid of Talon? This wasn't real. The death, the pain, anything on the Rift; it wasn't real, no matter how convincing it was.
Lux honestly tried to believe that, but the moment she was faced with Talon again, the pain returned, reminding her again and again what it felt like to die. She was jumpier now, every movement of Talon's causing her to preemptively waste her snare. At first, it seemed like he didn't intend to strike her again; for several minutes, they faced off, wordless and tense, but neither of them actually moved to kill the other.
Until Talon decided that he preferred killing to idleness.
Just like the first time, Talon would wait until Lux had made herself vulnerable and easy to pick off, and then he would descend upon her, sometimes throwing his knives, sometimes finding different ways to cut into her with the one on his arm. Lux was forced to endure death after death and a seemingly never-ending pain until the game neared a close, Talon's team mercilessly pushing for the win.
Lux was content to let them.
She was ashamed to have let down her team, but she couldn't stand to feel Talon's blade on her skin anymore. She'd only been able to bring him down once that game in a blinding, fiery blaze of light, and the feeling she was left with in no way made up for the pain she had experienced; if anything, it only made it worse. She wanted off the Rift, out of the match, she wanted to be separated from the summoner that berated her for her deaths.
She wanted to be away, away, away from Talon.
It felt like ages before the match actually did end, and she avoided the eyes and concerned stares of Quinn, Garen, and Jarvan, all of whom had been on the team that Lux let lose. For the first time since joining the Institute, none of them commented on what happened, none of them mentioned the loss, Lux's deaths, or even their own experience with death; they were silently transported back to the Institute, and there was not a single word that passed between any of the sullen champions.
Back in the summoning chamber, none of the champions looked worse for wear; their armor was clean and unmarked, their skin was smooth, and the only sign that any of them had experienced what they did were the haunted looks in their eyes. A summoner greeted the returning team, someone Lux knew was just under Vessaria in terms of importance. He greeted them with a smile, like he didn't know or didn't care what each of them had just been through.
"Welcome back, and congratulations on completing your first match as a champion of the Institute of War! Although the loss is regrettable, you will have plenty of opportunities to amass victories in your name in the future. If you'll come with me…"
As the summoner led them out of the chamber and down the connecting hallway, Lux remembered something Vessaria had told them before the match; afterwards, in honor of completing the first match the Institute had seen, she wanted both teams to congratulate each other in a show of forced sportsmanship.
It made Lux sick to know she was going to have to see Talon again so soon, even though she knew he couldn't hurt her here; she tried to stand straight and keep her chin up in mock confidence, because she'd suddenly had enough of letting Talon reduce her to a scared mess. She'd embarrassed herself in the match and let herself fall prey to fear yet again, and as Lux walked, a shameful regret replaced most of the fear, and after that, fresh anger; anger at herself for giving in so easily, angry at Talon for making her feel that way, angry at the world for forcing her into these circumstances.
They quickly came to a room where Talon's team was already waiting, the two small yordles smiling despite everything, Talon and the other man with a cowl hiding their faces from the small crowd of summoners and champions, and Darius glaring derisively at everyone present, especially Garen, who had laned against him. They lined up in parallel rows, lane facing lane, and Lux evenly met the stare she could feel from Talon, even if she couldn't see it, her shoulders straight. Vessaria said a few things about a game well played, but not a lot of the people present seemed to share her enthusiasm. At her prompting, they all reached a hand out to their opposition, almost all begrudging, mumbling words that Lux couldn't hear.
Not that she would have noticed, anyway.
She stiffly held a hand out to Talon, holding it aloft for a moment or two before he followed suit, pressing his glove to hers and applying an almost gentle pressure, wordless as he had been during the match.
It made Lux so angry that she'd let him best her, over and over, and she unconsciously tightened her grip on Talon's hand, unable to keep her fury off her face. If he noticed, he chose not to comment, quickly retracting his hand from her tight grip and turning his face so that he wasn't looking at her anymore.
"Good game, Crownguard."
There was no sarcastic snap to his voice like she'd come to expect and she got the distinct feeling that he wasn't happy with his landslide of a win, but he strode away before she could answer, following the rest of his team out of the room along with most of the summoners. Lux's team watched them go, a collective bitterness over them all, aside from Karma, and they all separated after that, heading in their own directions to sulk. Lux felt badly in need of a shower or a nap or something, so she went straight to her apartment, ignoring the fact that her body cried for food. She didn't want to risk running into Talon or Garen or anyone else, really; she didn't even want to see Quinn, angry as she was.
Lux just wanted to forget.
A/N: a couple things about the rift. I didn't include items because I thought that that would be something the summoners handled, not the champions. When I imagine the Rift in fics, I've always thought that the summoners 'bought' items, like (in Talon's case) a cleaver or something, but there's no physical cleaver for Talon to carry around. His strength just increases in the game, if that makes sense. I also don't think the summoners actually control the champion's movements and the champions can pretty much decided for themselves where to go and what to do. Since they don't control the champions themselves very much, I think the whole item thing gives the summoners something to do during the match instead of just whispering sweet nothings in the champion's heads. Like I said in response to a review above, the summoners are very bored people when not actively participating in a match, and they like to mess with the champions, which is a big contributor to why Lux and Talon were picked for the match, and why the teams were Noxus against Demacia/Ionia. Sick humor.
If you can't tell, I hate my fictional summoners.
As for the champions currently apart of the League- you know the Demacian and Noxian champs, and currently the rest are as follows.
Bandle City- Lulu, Tristana, Viegar and Ziggs.
Ionia- Karma, Irelia, Lee Sin and Soraka.
Unaffiliated- Jax and Morgana.
Those forced into/held captive by the League- Brand and Nocturne.
I think that's it for now (I feel like I forgot something, but whatever) and if you have any questions, lemme know! Toodles!
