Never trust an assassin. That had always been Riven's rule from the start. So why had she broken her own laws? All Talon has ever known was a life of murder and bad intent. There was no room in his heart for compassion or nobleness. Riven lowered her eyes and quickened her pace. Perhaps it would be better to forget about him. But how was that possible when they shared the same room, for Noxus' sake!? She shook her head, trying to clear the jumble of emotions for the umpteenth time. She felt like a dim-witted adolescent girl that had been tricked by an elusive, mysterious male figure.

"Is there something troubling you, Miss Riven?"

Riven had been so lost in her thoughts that she did not notice General Swain walk right past her. She instantly turned around and dipped her head contritely.

"No, General." It was the standard response. When she straightened, she could see sympathy in the wise general's eyes. He was a rather mysterious man with his long, armoured cloak that concealed his mouth. For some reason, Riven was greatly reminded of Singed. He walked with a noticeable limp in his step and he relied on his curved, two-pronged cane for movement. His signature pet raven, which was perched on his left arm, regarded Riven through narrowed crimson eyes.

"Are you sure? You seem a little troubled."

The fact that someone with General Swain's rank was paying such close attention flattered her.

"Perhaps a little," Riven admitted.

"Please do speak," Swain replied. He swiveled around with a slight hobble to completely face her. "As the leader of the mission it is my duty to care for our soldiers."

"Yes, General," she replied. Riven had not known General Swain in person or had truly seen him up close before, but she had to admit that he was quite impressive. Despite his leg injury, he was able to command Noxus in the most desperate of times and even participate in battles himself. There was no wonder he was so popular amongst the Noxians.

"While on patrol today," Riven began hesitantly, "I stepped in to save a Zaunite citizen – an elderly lady from being harassed by a group of teenagers. I hoped that my actions would somehow dull their hostility towards us – especially since the recent killings." She paused. "However, the elderly woman's situation was all an act. She gave me a few apples after the teenagers left perhaps as a gift of gratitude, but there were bombs planted within them."

Swain's eyebrows furrowed. "I see." He gently stroked the coarse feathers on his raven's back. "It seems we must raise caution around our soldiers. Thank you for your report."

"I also met the Zaunite chemist, Singed," she continued quickly, recalling the bald man with the yellow eyes. "He claims that he has returned to Zaun to help us with our invasion."

"That is correct," General Swain said, nodding once. "He will be part of our backup forces and will stand on duty until he is notified."

"Yes, that is what he told me," Riven replied. "I thought I might as well mention him."

General Swain nodded with approval. "Such a worthy young warrior. Noxus honours you, Riven."

She saluted, a standard Noxian gesture symbolizing respect and unity.

"Please do sleep well tonight."

"Thank you, General."

She waited until Swain was completely out of sight before she continued walking. He had left a strong impression on her, one that she admired and deemed fit for her superior. Turning the bend in the long corridor, Riven entered her room and flipped on the lights by the bed. She preferred the soft glow from candles common back home in Noxus, but electricity had its benefits as well.

Riven headed directly for the small bathroom and began wiping the dark makeup from her face, leaving her skin slightly red. She slipped out of the uniform and put on some loose grey clothing before grabbing her rune sword. Riven shut off the lights and climbed into her bed by the window. After some minutes of tossing around and staring at the dim lights coming from the window, she realized that she would not be able to sleep until...until Talon was asleep first. There was no telling what he was up to...

Giving up with a frustrated gust of air, Riven sat up and began looking for a spare piece of cloth to clean her sword with. The blade did look slightly dull, perhaps from all the debris in the atmosphere.

As she polished the blade of her sword in the dark using slow circles, Riven tried to relax. She had no proof that Talon had any bad intentions, but being the flawless assassin that he was, he would not have any trouble hiding them. Why was she starting to think about him again? Riven jammed the sword into the rug on the floor with a frustrated grunt. She wanted, no, needed some cathartic release. Perhaps she should look for Lena and talk to her about everything that's been happening.

As if on cue, there was a sudden knock on the door, followed by a timid, "Riven?"

Riven opened the door to find Lena, silhouetted by the light from the hallway.

"Is everything alright?" she asked when Riven remained silent and stepped back to let her friend into the room. "Talk to me," Lena prompted.

"I'm just worried about Talon," Riven admitted.

"What about him?"

"He's..." Riven bit her lip and glared down at her bare feet. She didn't particularly enjoy talking about her feelings, but she didn't know how else to deal with them. "He's frustrating," Riven admitted. "I mean...we fought before when we first met in Noxus and it makes things difficult..."

Lena waited patiently for her to continue, expectant blue eyes fixed on her face.

"It's impossible to know what he's thinking from the way he acts." Riven felt her cheeks growing hot at how open she was being.

"I think I understand," Lena said serenely. She felt a slight twinge of smugness at how right she had been about Riven and Talon. Her friend would not have been bothered by Talon's behaviour if she didn't care for him. She would take some convincing to believe it herself, though.

Riven cast a cautious look in Lena's direction.

"You two are really funny," she mused. "From what I've been hearing, you want to trust him but you don't know how to, and I don't think that he's very willing to trust you either." Lena peered at Riven with wide, guileless blue eyes. She was like an archer; Riven thought abstractedly, that had hit the bulls'- eye in one of those weekly target practice sessions.

"I think you should just accept him the way he is right now...obviously he wasn't like this his entire life. Something must have happened that changed him."

Riven remembered the way he had saved her from the bomb earlier and how he willingly went through trouble to bring her some food. Although he would never admit it, they were acts of humanity and what was left of the kindness inside his heart.

"So don't always fight it," Lena finished. She smiled at the silver-haired young woman. "Okay?"

"I'll try," Riven replied, feeling unsure.

"Then I'll leave you to rest." Her friend headed for the door. "Goodnight, Riven." Lena was gone like fading sunlight before Riven could ask her about how she had known all that she'd said. Perhaps it was because of Lena's natural perceptiveness and the fact that she probably spoke to Talon... who was still not in the room.

She found a frown beginning to spread across her face. The clock by the table read around eleven, and the lights wouldn't be on for much longer. What could he be doing at this time of night? An image of Talon perched on the windowsill with a blade dripping with red flashed into her mind, and Riven knew that there would be no sleep for her again tonight.

Relying on her instincts, she quickly redressed in her uniform, grabbed the hilt of her rune sword and left the room, making her way to the exit on the other side of the building. It was a dangerous and reckless decision, and Riven would be in quite some trouble if she were found sneaking out at this time of night but she wasn't about to stay put and wait like a damsel in distress. Lena had said that she should accept Talon, and she was prepared to; as soon as she uncovered some of his secrets first.

Knowing the assassin, he would not want anything to do with an overpopulated area like the downtown district so Riven decided to head around the outskirts instead. There was something eerie about all the abandoned, run-down buildings scattered on the edge of the district. A black, moonless sky covered the city-state like a cloak, and the still night only added to the tension in Riven's muscles. She crept around a group of old houses with crooked boards nailed onto the walls. Upon discovering nothing, she kept moving. Riven continued searching, peering into small windows, turning bends, and dodging into cramped alleyways. But there was nothing. Nothing except for wires, various litter, and darkness.

This is stupid, Riven thought to herself. Talon was probably back at base, still sitting in the cafeteria or had returned to their shared room, wondering where she was. Had she been too quick to assume that something wasn't right? Forcing herself to remain composed, Riven decided that it was time for a change in plans. If Talon was nowhere to be found, she would simply stop looking for him. Instead, she headed straight for the downtown district to try her luck through another quick patrol. Perhaps she could find the murderer who had killed the two Zaunite citizens and bring them to justice. Then perhaps Zaun would be able to trust the Noxians again.

As familiar buildings came into view and the number of wires and cables in the air doubled, Riven began to relax more. The streetlights were not bright enough for her to be easily spotted, but just bright enough to make her feel more at ease. The buildings were silent, however, with a few lights here and there through the windows. She stayed in the shadows at the base of the taller buildings which offered even more concealment as she walked onwards. She had just reached the border of the district when she heard a sound.

Riven immediately stilled and listened. Silence. She was sure that she had heard it. She pressed herself to the building and stayed quiet, hardly daring to breathe. And then the sound came again, slightly clearer this time. It was a cry.

Every instinct told her to rush around the bend and confront whoever was causing the noise, but she forced herself to stay calm and survey her surroundings. With a jolt, Riven found herself recognizing the dusty path that lead towards a familiar, flat grey building. She was at the abandoned factory, the same one that she and Talon had stopped at earlier. Cautiously, Riven peered around the corner. There was a figure standing just down the road, but it was too far away into the shadows for her to make out clearly. She took a breath to steady herself and silently crept closer. Reaching the stone wall of the warehouse, Riven slowly slid down towards the figure. Her sword accidentally scraped the stone, and she winced before becoming completely still.

"You Noxians," Riven heard an unfamiliar voice hiss. It was strained and breathless, obviously belonging to a man who had sustained a lot of injury. "Nothing but scum-" he was cut off with a choking noise. Her stomach churned, and it was not just because of the scene in front of her. The murderer was a Noxian. Her breath hitched. Which meant...

"STOP!" She yelled furiously, springing out from her hiding place by the wall and automatically extended her rune sword in an offensive position. And what she saw in front of her chilled her right down to the bone.

Talon was standing with his blade held against a Zaunite citizen's throat. He was still in uniform with his mask down, shielding his face. His chest was heaving as if in desperation, like his life depended on the death of the man that he had trapped. Riven briefly wondered if this was the same person who had saved her life this morning.

"Drop him." Her voice came out surprisingly steady. And when he didn't move, she growled, "Talon, drop him right now."

He seemed frozen in place as if he didn't know what to do. Riven's eyes zoned in on the tip of his blade. Time seemed suspended in space as she watched his blade draw a tiny speck of blood from the man's neck. Riven instantly charged forward.

Talon had to drop the man to deflect her blow, and she repositioned so that she stood directly in between them like a human barrier. The man was sprawled on the ground, but she barely had time to shoot him a glance before Talon's blade clashed against her own.

"Back away!" Riven shouted over her shoulder while attempting to hold her blade steady. "What are you waiting for, leave!" The sound of ragged breathing, followed by retreating footsteps indicated his retreat.

The pressure on her rune sword increased dramatically, and she narrowed her eyes with the effort it took to hold her stance.

"Talon, stop fighting!" she gasped.

Again, there was no reply. He pushed her rune sword away and swiped at her, catching her off guard and cutting her right forearm. Riven cried out in mingled surprise and pain. He had cut a vital tendon in her arm. Dread sunk into her veins as she felt her sword quickly slipping from her grasp. Mustering her strength, she jabbed the sword into the dust with both hands in attempt to keep herself on her feet. Panting from the injury, she glared up at Talon, daring him to end the battle with her eyes. Blood dripped from her injured arm in a steady stream, staining the dust.

How had he been able to move so quickly? She was sure that his blade had moved towards her left when he deflected her sword. Don't fight it. Lena's voice rang in her head, the words that she had uttered earlier. You should just accept him the way he is. Riven didn't have much of a choice at this point.

The assassin had stilled as if unsure of what to do again. His mask made it impossible for Riven to tell what he was thinking. He was like a statue, posture and body perfect and completely still. She touched her arm, which was slick with red.

Talon had stayed still for so long that Riven was completely unprepared when he lunged at her with blade outstretched. He roughly grabbed her with his free hand and hoisted her up by the waist and even in this situation; his touch sent a shiver up Riven's spine. She felt the cool blade against the sensitive skin on her neck, but it felt strange and slightly ticklish. Riven looked at Talon's arm and saw that it was trembling, as if he was fighting for control over himself. As if he couldn't decide whether to kill her or not.

She was so close to him that she could feel his heartbeat beating rapidly in his chest and hear the sound of his laboured breathing, the only reminders that he was human underneath that mask. That's right. He was still human. And if he was going through an internal struggle right now, Riven wanted to see it displayed on his face.

Slowly, she brought her left arm up towards him, letting go of her rune sword, her final line of defense. She gently latched her thumb onto the mask at his jaw and slowly brought it up. Her own heart was racing with the risk. He could easily snap and slice her up any moment. But he didn't.

"Tell me," Riven murmured as she gently slid the mask over his cupid's bow. "Why are you doing this?"

He didn't answer, and the taught line of his jaw betrayed his concentration.

"Did someone hurt you before?" The mask slid past his nose and slowly revealed his cheeks.

More silence. The blade at her neck shook violently.

"I won't do the same," Riven said.

With one fluid movement, she removed the mask from his face. It fell somewhere behind them with a thump in the dust. Her amber eyes were met with his brown ones, which were strained as she had predicted. Riven could almost feel every nerve in his body telling him to turn away from her, to just end her right this moment.

Instead, he straightened slowly and set her gently upright as the old glint returned to his eyes.

"I'm a murderer," Talon said flatly after a few moments of silence. "You don't want anything to do with me."

And Riven honestly had not wanted anything to do with him in the beginning. But somehow it had all fallen into place and she was powerless to stop it now.

"I really didn't want anything to do with you," Riven admitted. "I thought you were cold and selfish. But now I realize that you were only cold and selfish because of another reason. It wasn't your fault that your past was hard."

"And you think that you can fix that?" Talon snarled back. The anger in his voice was refreshing to hear and it almost brought a smile to her face. "I will always be like this. And there isn't anything you can do to change me."

Riven ignored him. She already had changed him, and the anger in his voice was proof of that. "You hide your emotions not only because you're an assassin, but because they caused trouble for you," she said blandly.

Stunned, Talon looked at her and the resolve briefly left his muscles. The silver-haired warrior stood in front of him with the same defiant posture, except her rune sword was not in her hand. She regarded him with something like concern in her eyes. It was something that he had never seen directed at him before in his life, not even from Kavyn. His gaze fell to Riven's arm, which was still bleeding. What kind of person would feel concern towards an assassin like himself? To everyone, he had always been someone to fear or someone to destroy. But for some reason, this silver-haired young woman thought differently. It was incomprehensible.

"You're right," Talon finally said, seeming to deflate. "I've been trying to hide them ever since... Kavyn's death."

"Kavyn?"

"My first and only friend," he explained. "We met in the underground tunnels and depended on each other with our lives. Until he gave away mine." Talon was helpless to stop a wave of fury from crashing over him. "I killed him, as well as all those that came near me that day."

Instead of feeling afraid, Riven felt sympathy. So Lena had been right after all.

"I was alone after that. I had always been alone from the start. The wall behind my back was my comfort, the darkness my sanctuary. I knew nothing else."

It made so much sense. Riven had spent the majority of her life training and fighting, but at least she had done it with others. Talon had been alone all his life, and was betrayed by the only person he truly cared about. Riven stepped closer to him, and when he didn't meet her eyes, she gently placed a hand on his cheek.

"You're not alone anymore."