"Hey...are you awake yet?" I can hear voices, but as I open my eyes, everything appears to be a blur. I sit upright in an instant when a small splash of cold water hits my face. I look around and notice that I'm laying on a mat inside a fairly large tent. A man with the caduceus symbol attached to his shirt pocket points a bright light into my eyes. I seem to panic for a moment out of confusion and grab the man by his shirt and throw him below me. I reach for my daggers but notice that I have none, so I start to strangle the man. Suddenly, I'm lifted off of him, and I turn to see who else is in the tent and notice that it's Prince Jarvan.

"Relax, Talon!" He holds me down in a headlock, and drops me on my knees. I seem to get my bearings as I come to. "You alright now?"

"Yeah...yeah..." He lets me go and I drop on all fours. "Wa...ter." Jarvan reaches for a pitcher of water and begins to pour me a cup, but I snatch it from his hands and greedily drink the pitcher spilling a lot on myself, and drinking the rest. I throw the pitcher to the ground when I finish and lay back down on the mat. "Fuck me...what the hell happened?" Jarvan sits on the ground next to me as the doctor I strangled leaves the tent.

"You lost a lot of blood. Like, I mean a lot. You came in here about twelve hours ago and have been unconscious ever since. The camp doctor stitched you up, but we couldn't give you blood since we have no idea what your blood type is. So, I'd suggest taking it easy until we get to Demacia."

"When do we leave?"

"We leave tomorrow night. Make sure you have everything you need." Jarvan stands up and heads to the opening of the tent, but before he exits, he turns to me. "You should also pay a visit to Quinn. She's very guilty about what happened." As Jarvan steps out, I attempt to stand on my own, but fall into a knee. I take a deep breath and lift myself all the way up. I look around the tent and spot my bag and all my blades in the corner of the room. I remove my current shirt since it's soaked in water and dried blood, and grab a fresh one from my bag. I slide it on over my head, and use my fingers to brush the tip of hair that fell in my face. I decide I need to stretch my body out since I was immobile for so long, and begin to stretch my arms across my chest. Next I place my legs together and bend over, attempting to touch my toes as to stretch out my back. Finally, I grab my knee and lift my leg up to my chest. I do this to both legs before I feel limber.

When I step out of the tent, the cool breeze of the night gently hits my face. I close my eyes and let the wind pass over me for a few moments before I open my eyes to assess my surroundings. Most tents are alive with light from small lanterns, but the majority of the action comes from the men gathered around a fire. Their loud banter tells me that alcohol has been heavily involved in their gathering. I'd rather not get involved with drunks, so I begin to walk around without a set destination, away from the fire pit. My body is still pretty weak, and knowing drunk soldiers, they would attempt to start a fight with me. I decide to instead take a stroll through the forest for some alone time. I am in no condition to be fighting...in fact I'm not even in good condition to be taking a walk alone in these dark woods, but I decide to press on. The further I get from the camp, the less light I find, and soon enough, only the moonlight illuminates my path. I begin to make mental notes on my surroundings so I can find my way back. The notes are on small, yet noticeable details, like a log with white mushrooms growing out of it about fifty-seven paces away from the camp. At seventy-four paces, lies the carcass of an unfortunate squirrel. And now, at one hundred and thirty-two paces, I've come across a beautiful lake. I notice a rock on the edge of the water and decide to take a seat there. My mind begins to be put at ease thanks to the beauty of the moonlight glimmering off the surface of the water. A memory of long ago pops into my head as I find serenity within my body.

5 years ago, one of many unknown Noxian orphanages

The boy beneath me begs for mercy as I continuously smash his face into the dirt with my foot.

"Please...I said-" stomp "I'm sorry!" stomp

The boy begins to cry, but I ignore him.

"And I said, who do you think you are kicking on a girl who was already knocked down!" stomp stomp stomp

Without warning, Riven comes up from behind me and pulls me off the boy. His face is bloodied and swelling as far as I can tell before he takes off running.

"T...why would you do that?"

"Because I'm pissed off, that's why. It's cowardly to beat on someone who was already defeated!"

"Don't you see the hypocrisy? That's exactly what you were doing!" I begin walking to our bench, while ignoring Riven's preaching. Once I get to the bench, I plop down and begin massaging my foot. "You can't just keep getting angry like that!"

"I can do whatever I fucking feel like!" Riven sighs loudly.

"T, I know you're my partner and all, but you have to learn to control your anger!" I stand up quickly.

"Why are you chewing me out! I just beat the living hell out of a kid who hurt you!"

"There's no honor in fighting like that!" I scoff.

"Honor is for fools." Riven nods her head left to right quickly as if to deny my statement.

"Honor is what makes everything all worth it. That's why I somewhat envy the Noxian military...strength above all, for the honor of Noxus." I sit back down on the bench.

"Even after all you've been through in this hell, you still envy Noxus? Let me tell you something, Riven. Honor doesn't mean a single thing when you're a lifeless body lying on the battlefield. Ask any person who has lost a friend or beloved...ask them if their loss is okay since they died with honor. In fact, ask the ghosts of a million dead soldiers, ask them if it was all worth it."

"You're wrong..."

"Am I wrong? Tell me Riven, what the hell is a soldier supposed to do with honor? Can he feed his family with it?"

"Stop..."

"No, you said honor is what makes it all worth it...so tell me Riven."

"Shut up..."

"You know how many of those honorable soldiers end up in the slums Riven?"

"Shut up!"

"Do you know how many of them beat the crap out of me, a child, over some spoiled food from the garbage!"

"I SAID SHUT UP!" I quiet down out of surprise since this is the first time I've heard Riven yell. She looks down to her lap as her hair falls, covering her eyes. I then notice small streams of tears sliding down her cheeks.

"Oh God...don't cry." Riven stands up and looks down at me.

"I don't have a lot, T... All I have are my dreams and ambitions in this place...and I won't let you ruin them."

"Riven, I didn't mean it like that-" Riven doesn't let me finish as she turns around and runs off, tears falling down her face. I throw my head down and sigh. Maybe I should've just kept my mouth shut... I'll let her calm down before I go and talk to her. I lay down on the bench and let one foot dangle loosely off the side. A lone leaf falls from the tree, and lands right on my mouth. I blow a small puff of air and watch the leaf glide to the floor, when I notice it land next to a pair of feet. I look up, and see that it's just Darius and Draven.

"Oh, hey." I sit upright.

"I can see that you're, umm, busy. But I just saw Riven crying her eyes out a little while ago, and I was just wondering what was up with that." I tap my fingers on the bench nervously. "I'm assuming you know what happened?" My tapping gets faster. "Cause she seemed pretty upset." I jump up quickly.

"Alright, alright, fuck! I'll go find her!" I walk aimlessly around, but I just can't seem to find Riven. I check the main buildings, the restrooms, and even back at our bench for some reason. I grunt in frustration, and begin walking alongside the walls of the orphanage. I hold my hand against the cobblestone, feeling every crack and opening as I walk. Not so far ahead of me, I notice a person sitting alone, with their back to the wall. I continue walking, and notice that it's Riven. I stop moving for a moment, and open my mouth to speak but no words come out. Instead I just slowly make my way over to her, being as quiet as I can as to not disturb her concentration. When I reach her, she seems to know I'm there but doesn't acknowledge it. I place my back on the wall, and slide down into a seated position right next to her. I look forward, but keep my mind on her steady breathing. My body begins to follow her breathing pattern on its own. Riven notices, and opens one eye to look at me. I turn my head when I see that she was looking at me, but when we make eye contact, she immediately closes them again. I bend my knees upward and rest my arms on them while matching Riven's breathing. My body seems to relax as I inhale and exhale over and over.

"The key...is form." Riven's sudden voice startles me.

"Key to what exactly?"

"Meditation. It calms the body, and the mind."

"Is that so?" I play along with Riven, but I don't normally buy into the whole soul exercises and what not.

"Cross your legs, T." For now I'll do as Riven says, so I don't upset her anymore. "Now...back straight against the wall." I shift around a bit until I'm able to find a comfortable position. "Okay, now close your eyes. And just follow my breathing."

I snap out of my reminiscing and notice that I'm back in the meditating position Riven taught me all those years ago. Guess my imagination is pretty powerful if I can subconsciously move my body. I lay on the rock and look up at the starry sky. I smirk to myself as I think this is the first time I've truly went stargazing, even though I spent all those nights alone in the city. Actually, this is the only time I've ever been able to actually see the stars. The damn city is always clouded by smog, and God knows what other pollutants.

The quiet, yet audible sound of moving water resonated in my ears. I scan the water to find the source of the noise, when I spot a dark figure moving about in the water, close to the land. I squint my eyes in an attempt to get a better look. The figure then walks deeper into the water, where the moonlight reveals beautiful, porcelain white skin. Curiosity keeps my eyes fixated on the figure as it swims about in circles. To my surprise, as the figure floats, I notice a familiar reddish-brown color. I take my shoes off, and roll the hem of my pant legs just below my knees. I slowly lower myself into the water, and find out that it's only a bit above ankle deep where I'm at. I shuffle through the mucky floor of the lake and get closer to the curious figure. The figure dunks its head under the water, and then brings it back up. As it resurfaces, it notices me walking and steps closer and out of the darkness. To my surprise, it's Quinn. The lower half of her body is in the water, but her upper half is bare in all its glory. I can't help but stare as the water drips off of her silky bosom, and into the water below. We both stand there, staring at each other before something inside Quinn's mind seems to click. Her face goes dark red as she throws her arms around her chest, and drops below the surface of the water till only her head is visible.

"Oh, it's just you Quinn." I turn back and head to the shore. Once there I sit down, with my feet sitting in the water. "Jarvan told me you feel guilty about what happened..." Quinn looks like she wants to listen but has other things on her mind. "And let me tell you, don't be." She silently nods as she slowly lowers her head into the water. "In fact, I should be thanking you, for carrying me all the way to the camp and...and are you okay?" The only thing visible is the top of Quinn's head since she submersed the rest of herself into the water. I stand up and begin to walk over to her, but she quickly pops her head up.

"No, no, no!" I stop in my tracks. "Please don't come any closer!"

"Why? What's wrong?" Quinn lowers her mouth into the water and speaks, but all I can hear are the bubbles from the vibration of her words. "What?"

"I...I said, don't come any closer cause...I-I'm..." The suspense is killing me! "I'm naked! And I can't get out with you here!" I flick myself in the head and lightly chuckle. I forget that not everyone is okay with their nude bodies.

"Is that all? Why didn't you just say so."

"Because it's really embarrassing, okay! Please! Just close your eyes!" I cover my eyes and sit back down on the shore. The sound of moving water gets louder as Quinn gets closer to land, but before she comes ashore, she stops. "You promise not to look?"

"Of course."

"Really?"

"Yep."

"Are you positive?"

"Just hurry up and get changed before I dress you myself! This back and forth is bugging me!" Quinn squeaks out a small scream and rushes onto the land. I hear her grabbing her clothes, and it's soon followed by the sound of cloth brushing against skin. After a few moments, I hear a sigh of relief from Quinn.

"Okay...you can look now." I uncover my eyes and find Quinn wearing a white tank top, and a pair of designer shorts. I seem to stare for a bit longer than I intended since Quinn begins to blush. "What...do I look weird?"

"No, it's just the first time I've seen you in casual clothes. It looks good on you." Quinn takes a small step back in surprise.

"H-how can you say that so easily!" I tilt my head in confusion.

"Say what?"

"You know..." Quinn taps the tip of her index fingers together, "compliments."

"I just state the truth." Quinn's blush deepens. I stand up and begin walking to collect my shoes from the rock and for no apparent reason, Quinn begins to follow me. "Again, don't feel guilty about what happened."

"You say that, but I do...are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just need to take it easy for a few days and I should be fine." Quinn blows a small puff of air out of her mouth.

"That's good." We reach the rock, so I climb back on and grab my shoes. I slide them on and begin to walk into the forest, and back to the camp. Quinn and I walk in silence most of the way, but it's a silence that's justified. The beauty of the forest surrounding us would just be bothered by words. A small light ahead of us reveals the location of the camp. The closer we get, the more people I notice passed out due to intoxication. I'm assuming they were celebrating their final night in Noxus, but that's no excuse for lowering your guard. My eyes begin to feel drowsy for some reason. Even though I was unconscious for twelve hours straight, my body seems to demand more rest. I yawn, and stretch my arms above my head. My yawn seems to be contagious as Quinn repeats the exact thing I did. "So, where's your tent at Talon?" I stop walking and begin to think. Was I supposed to pack a tent?! Shit...shit...

"I couldn't help...hic...but overhear your dilemma my Noxian friend!" From around the corner Jarvan, with a passed out Shyvana leaning on his shoulder, comes out. They both appear to be extremely blown as well. "I took the liberty of moving your stuff...hic...to Quinn's tent." Quinn begins to fumble her words, but speaks up.

"B-b-but-" Jarvan accidentally drops Shyvana to the floor and begins to nod his head and wave his finger.

"Nope...no buts! I am the Prince, and my word is...hic...law!" Jarvan bends over and picks Shyvana back up. Shyvana opens her eyes and then begins to sniff Jarvan. She then licks his cheek, and this causes Quinn to quietly yell.

"You taste like human..." She laughs like a wild dog and then promptly passes out. Jarvan turns around and begins to walk to his tent.

"Well...hic...goodnight kiddos!" I turn to Quinn, who's face is stunned in a mixture of jealousy, anger, and embarrassment.

"Guess we're bunkmates." Quinn quietly walks without saying a word. I guess she must hate me if sharing a tent is such a big deal to her. Oh well, I'm only here cause of Marcus's orders. I don't need anyone to like me.

Quinn turns to a tent and steps inside, so I follow her. I can easily tell this is hers since it reeks of bird. Quinn says nothing as she grabs a spare blanket and places it down the middle of her sleeping bag. She then grabs my things and places them on the right side of the tent, while she moves her stuff to the left side of the tent, next to a sleeping Valor. She then turns to me.

"You stay on your side, and I'll stay on mine. Agreed?"

"Fair enough." I lower myself onto my back, using my bag of clothes as a pillow. Quinn blows out the light and reminds me once more.

"Stay on your side." I lightly laugh and reply sarcastically.

"Sorry, but I'm a cuddler." I laugh inside my head as I nod off to sleep, but needless to say, the rules were broken about an hour later into the night. Not by me, oh no. Apparently Quinn moves around a lot in her sleep. I look to my right arm and notice Quinn glued to it. I try to shake her off and break loose but to no success. "Quinn. Hey, Quinn." I try to whisper to her, but all she does is nuzzle her face into my neck. I sigh as I think that it's going to be a loud morning when she wakes up.