Lux calculated the amount of energy she needed to blast the whole room to pieces. Too much, she assessed, well too much to make her escape any way. She needed a grand distraction if her cover was blown. Perhaps, creating a flash of light could blind enough people to…

The ceremonial master cleared his throat again. "General Swain wants a new secretary, thus he has demanded your assistance in this matter."

Lux blinked in confusion, tilting her head to the red-and-black figure who sat upright in his chair, attention fixed solely on her.

His stare was just like it had been at their first meeting, piercing and demanding, but something tugged the corner of his mouth upwards. Then his lips parted. "I await you in a week's time, seven o'clock in the morning. Give your work regarding Commander Varn to someone else. Bring your belongings, you will get a room in the servant's quarters. Don't be late." Swain shifted his attention to a parchment lying in front of him.

Lux felt dumbstruck. Out of habit she bowed her head obediently, her thoughts flying and ears ringing as her brain disentangled the meaning.
Oh light.

A position like this was certainly unexpected. At a first glance, more than she could have hoped for. Which was not necessarily a good thing for, at a second glance, there was hardly a reason for someone like her to be elevated into such a position.

General Marcus Du Couteau stood up and left the room, first to most of the other Noxian Generals. Talon followed him, silent as always. Darius, Swain and Grand General Darkwill stayed in their seats.

Marcus had enough self-control not to chew on his lower lip as he left the room. He always assumed the worst and never expected another experienced player to know less than he did. He had fared well with this tactic. House Swain had always proven a mighty rival and there was no reason to expect anything less from the current head of the house.

Jericho Swain's parents had always played against Marcus but, despite the other General's change in tactics, he didn't seem to take a different path. With what Talon's girl had pulled out today, she had revealed herself to be a rather useful pawn. Which wasn't necessarily a good thing, since she was supposed to be his pawn to play.

He kept his ears open, listening for eventual footsteps. His own as well as Talon's didn't disturb the eerie silence of the immortal Bastion. He did not hear any sounds. They were alone.

"You stayed surprisingly calm." Marcus observed silently, his praise barely concealed. He knew well enough from experience how a dagger to a blind side felt to know that Talon had just received one. Never a pleasant feeling, but his son had taken it fairly well, not showing he was able to bleed.

Talon shrugged. "Why shouldn't I?" His voice dripped with disinterest. Feigned disinterest, considering how he had almost lost it when Swain had announced the need for a personal secretary. Maybe the suggestive laughter of the other generals had been worse than the comment itself, who knew. Marcus had feared Talon would simply jump Swain, blade first. Luckily his son had been just as quick in calming himself down, however his blade had become the victim of his irritation.

Marcus didn't voice his first thought, but skipped to the second. "A potentially dangerous situation, your girl in the middle…" You are not accustomed to sharing, he added silently.

A small smirk tilted the corners of Talon's lips upwards. "She is good. I knew as much." His right hand flexed.

Marcus quietened at the implication. "You are no longer the only one that knows, and now others are vying for her." He warned, despite his promise which felt like he had given an eternity ago. This was helping, not interfering, so he did not break his oath. Talon was a very careful man, but he was completely disinterested in politics. A sad thing in itself given his potential, but a powder keg when combined with a girl who was politics from tip to toe.

As expected, Talon's gaze focused on him. The boy took his time contemplating what was said. Finally he broke the lingering silence, as if those words cost him greatly. "What does that mean?" They probably did. Talon's memory was quite good, so he surely had not forgotten the looming threat of his girl leaving.

"That means it is highly likely somebody else recognized that your woman is a bishop instead of a simple pawn." Marcus was quiet for a moment. "And that means a lot of tactical maneuvering for her, Talon." And for you too, if you don't want to die with her, he added mentally. Those words weren't what Talon needed though, so he kept them to himself. Maybe this was one of the rare opportunities where he could get him to look carefully to his left and right instead of simply down the edge of his blade and at his target.

Talon indeed did not care for politics. At all. But he knew enough chess to know Lux was really a queen, which meant she was still underestimated.

The silence between them stretched as Marcus waited patiently.

"So you think her cover has been blown?" His right wrist flexed once more.

Marcus shrugged. "It would be careless to assume he does not at least suspect something. Why would Swain take a seemingly weak Ionian into his entourage? He is hardly the resentful type, and I don't believe he wants to torment an Ionian simply because he can." Though that was what most of the other generals thought. Marcus rather planned with the more dangerous outcome. Sadism wasn't going to topple the grand schemes in play. "However, I don't know how deep Swain's knowledge reaches. Or what he wants exactly." Marcus had noticed the change in Swain's attitude, had observed not only his departure, but his return from Ionia as well. Marcus didn't like situations he wasn't able to measure correctly. The little Crownguard was always good for a surprise, maybe she'd force Swain's hand earlier than the tactician had planned. And Marcus would do his best to gain an advantage through that.

Talon followed him silently for another few moments, unrest in his eyes. His voice was as impassive as always, though. "Am I dismissed?"

"I promised not to interfere with you and your girl." Marcus held him back, even more quietly than before.

Talon didn't answer, but his sideway glance appeared to be a bit nervous.

"May I ask something regardless?" Marcus kept his gaze on the path, observing his son from the corner of his eyes.

A short, impatient nod was his answer. Surely Talon wanted to be elsewhere right now. Marcus understood his feelings, for if his girl was to go into Swain's household he wouldn't be able to meet her in the foreseeable future.

"You gave her a ring?" Marcus didn't know if he was just being curious or if he really needed that piece of information for future reference.

Talon shook his head, not alarmed at all. Marcus would have been surprised if he had known about the implication of a ring as a gift. Still, that implication…Marcus was fairly sure the little Crownguard didn't have another lover, one with the name she had voiced during her interrogation. He had checked her background himself before he had let her into his house. And he trusted that Talon would take care of any rival, should one cross his way. Marcus remembered the interactions between him and his girl. Most definitely no risk of someone making a threesome out of their affair. "Are you sure? You never bought one for her?"

Talon shook his head once more, his expression conveying the confusion as to why a ring could be important.

It should be impossible for someone to lie under the influence of that bracelet, however the girl was a mage…Still, if she had managed to create a counter spell that allowed her to lie that fast he'd be more than impressed. On the other hand, enough mages had been present to see such a spell being weaved.

"She bought that thing for herself. A part of her cover." He shrugged, apparently not as interested in this as Marcus was.

The general wasn't satisfied. Then an idea popped up in his mind. "Have you ever handed her that trinket?"

Talon thought about it for a moment before he nodded. "Yes. Is that important?"

Marcus snorted in amusement. "It is." Sadly, he wasn't the only one interested in the blond anymore. "Did the ravens ever see you with her?" He asked, even quieter than before.

Talon slowed his pace and shook his head. "Never." He confirmed, something that left Marcus room to hope. Still, hoping was not knowing, and he always planned for the worst case scenario. "Am I dismissed?" Talon asked again, almost coming to a halt.

Marcus snorted lowly. "You didn't have to come to start with." He stretched, earning an irritated glance from his son. Marcus rolled his eyes. In fact, Talon had done what counted as pestering for him until Marcus had finally asked if he wanted to come along instead of tracking him. "That means you are free to go." He spared them both the advice not to be seen. Talon was no fool. A bit clingy at times, but no fool.

Talon vanished instantly. Marcus sighed as he shook his head. He would have been more than interested to get more information about that girl, but he had promised. He knew the important facts, everything else was just professional curiosity at this point.

Still, he would take what he could get and this time he removed Talon from his heels. For the last couple weeks Talon had followed him very closely, which had not been a problem per se. Talon following meant Talon was learning from him in a way, but now Marcus needed to check into some things that required his constant shadow to depart. Katarina was away in Kalamanda, which meant she would not be tailing him either, and Cassiopeia hardly left the house, safe for her nightly hunts.
Marcus retreated to the shadows.

"Miss Eto, you are dismissed." The interrogator spoke.

Lux nodded and turned to Quiletta, expecting her to come with her.

The interrogator foiled that plan. "Commander Varn, since you are now the future steward of Basilich. There are some matters we need to discuss."

Quiletta's lips thinned to a line before she nodded, throwing Lux a warning glance. Her expression was steel.

In a trance, Lux left the room, blinking owlishly as the iron doors closed shut behind her with a loud bang. The noise startled her mind back into action.
That was simply too much, and too easy.
The person she had depicted over the last weeks was no one who deserved the position of a secretary to one noble born Noxian general. It was a position with potential influence, surely there were many ambitious people who could and probably had, killed for this job. Which meant Swain probably knew more than she could hope.

The ravens came to her mind, absent now, but present over the last weeks. Her uneasy feeling, the unnatural glow of his left arm…

She gulped dryly and looked around before she chose one path to follow, looking around like she didn't remember which way she came. The Immortal Bastion was ramified enough to make being lost believable. Sometimes movement helped with thinking. She normally expected the worst but hoped for the best, this way she was hardly ever disappointed. In this case, if she assumed the worst, Swain knew she was a spy. By now she had to expect as much, thinking anything else would be careless and could prove fatal.

She moved away from the upper, brighter parts, diving into the twilight of the deeper levels. A person looking like a guard crossed her path and she stuttered before addressing him. He turned away with a cruel smile, muttering something like how her employment would be short if she ended up in the bowels of the Immortal Bastion. It was like Swain's sigil was already pressed on her forehead. How had the message already made it to this place?
But that was not of importance right now.

General Du Couteau hadn't needed much time to discern what and who she was. For the other worst case scenario, which she deemed most likely, those ravens came from Swain and were following her for a reason.

There was something about him, something not natural, and what posed as his hand had deeply disturbed her. She had not dared to touch him with her light, but the contact with his skin had felt equally oily as those feathered animals. Revolting, she thought.

The corridor she followed forked into two ways as she felt another presence behind her.

A realization hit Lux. She had spent the better part of three years in Noxus Prime now, but she had always played with a safety net. Something going wrong at her former deployment had resulted in her simply burning the bridges and vanishing while wreaking as much havoc as possible. Even working with Quiletta had been working with all safety nets on, for the one-armed Commander was well-disposed towards her.

Lux knew magical abilities weren't everything. For now, she would have to make do without them. Not only that, but she would be working against someone who had at least the same amount of intelligence she possessed. One part of the safety net had consisted of Talon, since he had shown he had cared enough to get her out of potentially dangerous situations, but if she took this step, it would take her away from Talon's protective but comforting hold. She'd be entirely alone. At the mercy of someone who probably knew she was dealt in an underhanded manner.

Lux took a deep breath. Her former deployments had nothing against this. She looked around, the last natural light fading to darkness. She closed her eyes in contemplation. A great danger lay in underestimating the risk involved in this. The second greatest danger lay in not taking calculated risks. Should she leave Noxus Prime now? Be satisfied with the intel she had gathered about Piltover and Ionia? Did she have anything more to win here? Her eyes opened.

Then she started sprinting. Lux darted along the track until she reached a corner, threw herself around while spelling herself invisible, her breaths deep and measured. A few more forks flew past her and she followed them deeper into the Bastion, away from the inhabited parts, down into the darkness. Soon she ditched her invisibility in favor of a glowing ball of light, bending the rays so no glimpse of it would reach more than two meters behind her. She was not nearly as deep as Talon and she had been, but deep enough. She kept on running silently, listening for footsteps that weren't audible.

After two more corners she squeezed herself in a recess in the wall, snuffing out her light, taking a deep breath and pressing herself against the cold stone before she stilled completely. Lux calmed her flying breath while her heart raced.

For what felt like a small eternity, nothing happened. Not even the sound of breath in the pitch-blackness. She couldn't see a thing. Her heart rate didn't slow down and her lungs burned for air. Had that been the rustling of bugs?

Something warm materialized in front of her, catching her wrists as precisely as in broad daylight. Lux' breath hitched.

"Gotcha." A dark voice vibrated in Lux' ears before a warm body pushed her against the wall, just before warm lips occupied hers. She hadn't played tag or hide and seek in a long time. Lux shoved her hands under the familiar fabric of an equally familiar hood, closing her arms around Talon's neck.

For a moment nothing but his lips on hers, warm breath, a gloved hand at her cheek and the warm body that shoved her against cold stone mattered. The darkness seemed to enhance her senses, which made the tender fingertips against her jawline all the more pleasurable.
Her own hands wandered to his face, cupping it and underlining his sharp cheekbones with her thumbs.

He broke the kiss, lips wandering to her ear as he embraced her, tightly enough to make it hard to breathe. She didn't mind, but reciprocated the movement, pressing him to her with as much force as she was able to muster.

Talon's nose nudged against her ear. "Are you not afraid of the dark?" He growled lowly.

"Why would I be?" Lux answered breathlessly, burying her fingers in his hair.

"Shadows are my domain." She could feel the corner of his lips tugging upwards.

The playful threat made a shiver run down her spine. Lux laughed regardless. "A shadow thrives besides the light." She repeated a sentence that had guided her since childhood, and which slowly gained a whole new meaning because of their time together.

She felt Talon's nose move as his head twitched towards her, even though there was nothing to be seen. Then his nose nudged against her throat and he inhaled. "There is a bruise below your left collar bone." He informed her of his observation instead of continuing their banter.

Lux' hand rose to the indicated spot automatically. Invetia had found it necessary to apply more pressure than usual, yes. "Your eyes are excellent." She half praised, half mocked.

"Who did that?" He hissed tunelessly as his grip tightened shortly before his thumb stroke over her collar bone.

In the pitch blackness it was even harder to read Talon's thoughts. Guessing from his voice alone was not easy. Discerning that he was not happy was an easy feat, but everything beyond that…not so much.

"Child's play." Lux downplayed the very unpleasant sensation of being choked.

His hand wandered to her hair. "Does a child need a lesson?" He asked, rubbing his nose against hers.

Lux folded her hands behind his neck. The offer made warmth bubble up in the pit of her stomach, heating her up despite the coldness in her back. "That would contradict my whole 'appear as harmless as you can' strategy." She murmured.

"You play that part perfectly fine, be assured. Don't move now."

Lux laughed silently and stroke his neck. "As you wish." She purred in a seductive fashion, nothing the demure Mitsuko could ever muster. She felt his right arm move as he pulled her away from the wall. Something cold, most likely the steel of his arm-blade, grazed her skin and then she was able to lean against his lower arm without risking a cut. "I hope you know how to use that thing." She mocked lightly before she nudged her nose against his cheek.

He huffed, not dignifying that with an answer.

"I missed you." Lux whispered into the safety of his hood.

"I watched you." Was his quiet answer.

"The ravens did as well…"

"I noticed. Someone's following you." Talon grunted, pushing her even more against the slowly warming stone at her back.

"I know." Lux answered breathlessly.

"I don't like that." Talon accentuated while he took hold of her chin, like he wanted to look into her eyes, in spite of the pitch-black. "I don't like Swain keeping such a close eye on you." He repeated.

"You know it is him?" Lux' breath hitched and for a short moment she saw the gold of his eyes glinting with the particles of light she sent out, flashing over the angles of his face before darkness returned, veiling his features once more.

She felt his sharp nod.

"How?" She kissed the corner of his lips. 'Missing' was an inadequate expression how much she had craved for him to be close again.

"He came back from Ionia recently, crippled." Talon muttered.

"He is not crippled." Lux noted. "At least not completely…"

"He was." Talon interrupted. "Now not anymore. There was one raven with him before, now there are scorches of them. He changed. Something…changed."

She leaned her forehead against his before she kissed him once more. That was interesting. So the glowing-red, wrong limb didn't originally belong to Swain. "You are revealing much today." She whispered lowly. Talon was an observer, something which could make him a powerful player, should he chose to step up and be more than General Du Couteau's most prized agent.

Talon was silent for a moment, the soft rustling of clothes the only sound as he caressed her neck. "Our agreement still stands, right?" His voice had turned down even more, even Lux was barely able to hear it.

She took ahold of his face, instantly knowing what he meant. "I promised to inform you beforehand should I want to end our agreement right?"

He gave a curt nod.

The skin of his face was smooth, something Lux had rarely appreciated before, slight changes in texture indicating where past encounters had left barely visible scars. "I don't want to. And I can be really stubborn." His lips were back on hers as soon as she finished the sentence and she went on the tips of her toes, pressing her behind against the bladed arm in her back for leverage. Her mind was not that easily silenced, though. "Is it of importance right now?" She asked in between two kisses.

Talon paused, bridging the time he needed to form an answer with another deep kiss. Lux was inclined to let him get away with that, but the assassin didn't intend to dodge the question. "It is. More so than before."

Lux' brows knitted together. "Why?"

Talon underlined her cheekbone in an intimate gesture. "Because I will intervene should anyone try to take what's mine." His tone was as tender as his touch.

"I'm yours?" Her smile lit up his face shortly as her light longed to do much more than just lighting up his face enough to see the deadly seriousness within. Lux was hardly able to suppress the feeling of elation enough to let the world sink into darkness once more. Oh light, how could she leave him? Was Talon enough to tip the scale of risk-reward?

"As long as this agreement holds, yes." His voice was as serious as his face had been.

"That means you are mine." Her eyes lightened up shortly, before she got a grip on her powers. She hadn't used it for so long that it proved to be a strenuous effort to keep her light down. Especially where she felt more like bouncing up and down with joy than keeping her calm. The pressure of his body helped.

"Does that make a difference?" He whispered.

"Yes. It feels good to know." Lux breathed back. "But it felt so already."

Their lips met again and Lux almost forgot where she was. It was easy to pretend they were somewhere private instead of in the endless labyrinth of the Immortal Bastion.

"For your information." Talon whispered in her ear, "I had not allowed any interference before. You just gave me permission to do what I would have done anyway. "

Lux tilted her forehead against his. Sometimes his choice of wording was interesting. "No one can compete against you." She reinforced. How could she want anyone else? The warmth in her body threatened to overwhelm her with the need to be closer to him.

She felt his tuneless snort as a rush of air against her skin. "It is not necessarily something you will notice." She knew him well enough to hear the 'but I will' as loud as if he had spoken it.

"You are the only one that has my approval for..." She kissed him again and snaked her leg around his hip, stretching against his body in a suggestive way. His hand was there to secure her thigh instantly. Not that she planned to let go.

"Like I said. I might feel compelled to remind everyone who thinks of trying to convince you to think otherwise." Talon already didn't like the fact that someone he had claimed and marked as his would not only be out of his immediate reach, but part of another man's household for the foreseeable future. Not that he had to like it. It was her job, after all, and she was good at what she did. Which, confusingly, made him proud. Still, there was something else. He hated to spoil one of the few moments he was able to get, but "You considered Swain knowing who you truly are?" Maybe his voice quivered just the slightest. He couldn't bring himself to find out who she was. Marcus knew, and that was enough for him to know. Marcus was fine with whoever she was.

Lux tensed in his arms. "Did he say something?" She mumbled into the cloth of his hood, nails boring into the back of his neck.

"No." And as far as he was concerned that was enough.

He felt her exhale. "I put that into consideration, yes. I suppose he just assumes. But if he knew…" She swallowed heavily and his grasp around her tightened. Her hold strengthened as well, despair and the sudden realization hitting her at the same time. Hearing it out of Talon's mouth formed the thought she had distantly entertained to harsh reality. "I don't think I can stay."

The silence that followed was deafening.

Lux pressed her forehead against his shoulder with her chest aching, waiting for a reaction. Any reaction.

It came in form of his left hand under her jawline, tilting her head upwards before warm lips sealed her mouth and his lean body pressed her against the wall. The sudden, desperate need to touch almost overwhelmed her, and her fingers slipped under his shirt, contacting the scarred skin she knew so well.

His hand slid from her throat, down her body until it had reached the hem of her skirt, pushing it upwards. The pressure of his groin against hers wasn't enough. Her hands rushed to his belt-buckle, fumbling with it while the heel of his hand flattened on her stomach, fingers spreading over the soft flesh before they slipped under her panties.

Lux gasped as his fingers curled around her sex, a sound swallowed by his mouth as she tugged his pants and his underwear out of her way. His tongue slid in her mouth as his fingers parted her folds, eliciting a muffled groan. Lux closed her fingers around his growing erection, twisting her hand. Lux' head bumped against the wall with the sudden force of his lean body pushing against her. His lips left hers and wandered to her ear, the clipped breath tickling her ear.

"I don't wa…" Her sentence drowned in his mouth as he renewed their contact, interrupting everything she wanted to say. Losing herself in him was so much easier. Her hip rolled against his in a nonverbal gesture of surrender.

Their faces parted once more and Lux felt Talon's forehead against hers. "When?" He breathed through clenched teeth.

"Five days." Lux decided. That would give them a little more time.

His lips cut off everything else she wanted to say.

Hardly any sounds wavered through the darkness. The little information that passed through fell on eager ears.

The youth aimed so low these days, the listener thought at the bits she heard, barely audible in the age old silence of the Immortal Bastion.

The young couple seemingly didn't know how to have fun, or maybe what they did wasn't good enough to announce it more loudly. The listener tried and failed to remember her own youth. She surely had never been stupid enough to search for solitude in the Immortal Bastion. Bothering about fidelity, as if something so petty could turn the wheels of the world, and overlooking the grander schemes in the process. Pathetic. If she wanted to distract those two, she'd only throw another man into the ring. How…utterly…ordinary. It was almost funny how she had expected more from them. But those two were far away from her tracks as no words were exchanged indicating either even started to understand what was set in motion. And that, in turn, indicated how little Marcus Du Couteau had gathered. Which was much more important than the child's play in the next generation. The Blade's Shadow was tasked with the Blade's dirty work, and she hadn't seen him anywhere near her, which was a good sign.

She heard the lovers ending their tête-à-tête and recovering their breath before leaving her realm. Without any more whispered endearments and promises, she was a bit disappointed. Maybe it was just a short love affair? She would have clicked her tongue in disapprovement if not for the fact she was hiding. Maybe she should put that to the test. It could prove useful in the future and would hardly create any work to do so.

A lazy smile spread on her face. Oh, the delights the future held.

The first place to visit on Marcus' list was Sion's monument. He bypassed the prohibition sign that announced penalty of death should anyone enter. The first room, where the corpse of the former Noxian General had always lain, was now empty. Sounds from the back chamber indicated that Marcus wasn't the only one ignoring the sign. Clad in shadows, he followed the noises. What he saw there confirmed some of his worst suspicions. Darkwill had not listened. Of course he would not. He didn't stay long enough for anyone to notice him and slipped back into the dark.

Darkwill's house was second on his list. The meeting with the new steward of Basilich would cost the Grand General at least one and a half hour, depending on how long he would be occupied after the meeting, so Marcus had enough time to sneak around it. Darkwill had become increasingly paranoid by the day, most likely, at least in parts, due to the intervention of the pale woman. It had made going through the stuff Darkwill didn't show voluntarily a rather challenging affair, even for a man of his caliber.

But now Marcus was free to look. He knew the house by heart, so finding Darkwill's study was easy. Bypassing his security was a bit tricky, as always, but didn't stall him for too long. The drawers of his desk in the office were pulled out just slightly. Marcus knew Boram well enough to assume that he knew to the exact millimeter how much he had pulled them out. An easy way to try and fool someone less attentive than him, though. And most likely only the first trap to the darker secrets Darkwill kept hidden.

Two more minutes until he was sure all traps were disabled and he was able to shuffle through papers that were formerly concealed. What he found was worse than expected. Marcus was much too professional to make any sound during his investigation, but he asked himself how Darkwill had kept those things secret for so long and what that bastard thought he'd achieve by doing so.
The not-so-rational part of him wanted to go back and stab the Grand General in the back. The more rational part of him wanted to sneak inside of Darkwill's bedroom and wait until the Grand General came to rest. He'd arrange that he would never wake up again. But, taking the current turmoil in the High Command into consideration, such a rash action would be highly unwise. So the completely rational part of him won, copied the papers that affected his family and put them back before he left without a trace. That surely sped his plans up. He'd just have to be faster, as always. This was getting out of hand. Which was not a problem in itself, but taking on his family was not something Marcus took easily. No one came after his family and lived to breathe another day.

His third item on his list was a smaller house on the edge of Noxus Prime. This time he didn't simply phase into the house by way of shadows and stealth, but instead knocked.

A maid opened the door.

She regarded his hooded face with distrust, ready to throw the door back in his face. A voice of authority stated to "let him come in", which made her release the door and bow her head in silent obedience.

Marcus walked over the doorstep and found the man of the house smirking lightly at him, inviting him upstairs and into his study with a nod of his head. Inside, Marcus pushed the hood back before he checked the windows.

"About time you showed your face here." The other man said, not commenting on the hand sweeping over the glass and the window frame. "What took you so long?"

Marcus shrugged. "Always busy, you know how it works."

The other man nodded. "I do, in fact. Your appearance has nothing to do with the pale woman, by any chance?"

Marcus lifted his hands. The windows were clean and safely sealed, as he had expected. "I see you still cut all the pleasantries, Gregori, and get right down to business. It is one of your traits I value so much."

Gregori snorted. "Keep making fun of me and I throw you out."

"Your sense of humor has declined, old friend." Marcus noted.

Gregori pressed his lips to a thin line, expressing even less humor than seconds before. It looked like he was worried about something. His gaze was steady, though, but unsure. "The pale woman has approached my wife."

That explained his uneasiness and the lack of banter beforehand. Gregori was hardly that stern. "Again?" Marcus asked.

"Again." The other man confirmed, finally allowing himself to chew on his lip.

"What does she want this time?" And more importantly, why did she make an appearance so shortly after her first? The pale woman was a person only whispered about, hidden in the history of Noxus even before it had gained a name of its own. This woman acting in the open like this was disconcerting, if not alarming. On the other hand, Darkwill had already made a pact with the pale woman, maybe she saw her chance to continue her alliances while the Grand General was preoccupied with his own problems.

"She made an offer." Gregori said, cagey and sparse.

"And Amoline plans on taking it?" Marcus forced his hand. He had already lost Darkwill, but the Hashturs would be an even greater loss.

Gregori's head whipped around. Marcus knew how people looked when they had to make a difficult decision. Gregori certainly had more on his mind right now than he was letting on. "How is it, being a father?" The other man suddenly asked.

Marcus raised his eyebrows. "Are you going to be a father?" He inquired, and the other man nodded tensely. Marcus smiled and offered his hand. "Congratulations. I thought you didn't have it in you."

Gregori's nose furrowed in distaste as he looked at his outstretched hand before he took it, his lip twitching upwards in a short display of happiness before the expression died. "That's not exactly an answer." Gregori grasped Marcus' hand tighter.

The General huffed. "How it feels?" He thought about it for a moment, remembering the small bundle of Katarina in his arms, screaming loud enough to make him think his ears might burst. How tiny she had been, fragile and easily breakable, but screaming angrily and demandingly at everything that hadn't been to her taste. There had been much not to her taste. Until he had found that she was calmer around him. From then on, he had taken her with him as much as possible. Laying on his leg had been her favorite place before she had been able to sit, and he had found a position to be able to whet his blades with Katarina around. Cassiopeia had been completely different. "Terrifying, at first." He finally answered truthfully. Luckily, that fragility had been replaced with confidence and steel. At least with Katarina. And Cassiopeia had her own weapons. Talon had never been breakable in any sense. No, the fragile one of his children had shattered, now gone forever. He shut off his emotions for fear they'd overtake him. Weakness was not an option, only hard truth. "Then comes a time where you think you have everything under control, and then they surprise you by growing up and changing things for themselves. And after they've done everything they've wanted and you think everything is settled again, someone dies and it falls apart. That's being a father." That was the essence of his experience thus far. Frustrating to a degree, but at least the stronger of his children had survived. Better than nothing, he told himself. Maybe he would believe that someday.

"You really bolstered my confidence." Gregori mumbled.

Marcus shrugged. Having children often was frustrating. "You will find that every mistake you ever made in your life, every wrong decision, every dangerous thing and every disobedience you committed mirrored in your own children. Just hope they are worth their weight in gold when they grow up." There was no use in dwelling in the past, asking himself if losing the most obedient of his children was worth having three more.

Gregori's lips thinned in distaste. "So you tell me either my hair will grow as grey as yours or my child will be not useful for anything?"

Marcus laughed shortly, shoving the darker thoughts to the back of his head. "If you extract that from my words, I will not disagree. But that does not give you an answer about the pale woman."

Gregori pursed his lips before he answered. "Amoline declined."

"Was that wise?" Marcus tilted his head.

"We don't know how being pregnant will affect her powers. Maybe she'll be…unstable. Diving into a dangerous association headfirst with not only my wife, but my child on the line, as well? I think not." Gregori snorted in disgust and shook his head.

Marcus tilted his head noncommittally. He understood the fear that came with being responsible for a woman who, under different circumstances, could care for her own well-being very well. Especially when you were responsible for her altered circumstances in the first place. "You can't keep yourself out of everything so easily. Even though I understand what you are feeling right now."

Gregori observed his movements, folding his arms in front of his body. "She is one of Darkwill's arch-mages." He defended his wife's decision.

Marcus shook his head. "Soon that won't be worth a bulrush, be assured of that."

Gregori gulped heavily, eyes flitting around the room. "So you feel it too?" He mumbled silently.

Marcus shook his head. He was used to some mages over-mystifying simple observations. He was not. "I don't feel anything, old friend. I observe. Our troops are spread too thin, neither Ionia, Kalamanda nor the Freljord-campaign moves forward for that reason. Darkwill indulges in dubious activities…"

"So you are here to warn me, out of the goodness of your heart?" Gregori grasped for his chest. "I am seriously touched, Marcus!" He taunted, a hint of the former levity between them returning.

Marcus laughed heartily. "No, of course that goodness is not the reason for me being here. I need something from you, and something from Amoline. Please listen to my request."

He unpacked a stash of papers and put them on the desk. Gregori leaned over and took one neatly written page into his hand. A cocky smile spread on his lips, and he looked more like the youngling who loved to discover the secrets of an older man, heavy and tantalizing.

He laughed smugly. "No Marcus, that is not possible. Who gave you…" His eyes flitted to the end of the first page. A frown rose to his face, wiping the smile away, now heavy with concern. "That...is actually…You know what you have here?" His grey eyes fixated on Marcus who merely shrugged. A gesture that Talon seemed to have picked up from his teachings.

He did not exactly know, but the other man did not need to know that. "I think so. But I hoped you could disperse my apprehension."

Gregori sat down, now looking at the third page, following the illustration with his fingers. "Get my wife. NOW."

Marcus refrained from rolling his eyes. Because he was the only other person in the room, he turned to the door to obey. Sometimes Gregori was so overly dramatic. He saw it with a little more professional distance.

A game of chess was in play and someone was rebuilding their knight, stealing a bishop from a rook and gambling on their queens, a black engulfed in shadows and a white shining in the light. Each piece meticulously moving of its own accord, for all it knows, but all for gain nonetheless. Until the very end, when a king appears and moves, one by one, to take the pieces down until one is left, alone. Let the real game begin.

As always: Thanks to my amazing beta-readers, Adonna2424 and Canwewrite. The chess-thing is from Adonna2424, I can't play that game for §!/&. The story is much, much better with her input.

Thanks for favs and follows. I'd love to hear what you think so far.

generalblood1: Thank you for being my most consistent reviewer^^ Jaaay, 100k words! I don't know if you recall Katarina's and Marcus' "chat" about Talon's choice of women? I don't think Katarina will say one single word about that ever again. To Swain: I mean, if Swain knew anything…Why should he tell? But how should he know anything, right? Haha, Ha.