Their next meeting was under significantly different circumstances.
It had been about a week or so since their first exchange, and Quinn decided that the best way to spy on Noxians was to go inside the heart of Noxus.
For once the rain had stopped, which she was grateful for. At least her cloak wouldn't be drenched this time. It wasn't much of a disguise, but it was about all she had. Jarvan had sent her in an attempt to find the assassin again, since neither she nor Garen were able to do so.
She was still convinced that Talon wasn't the one they were looking for, but perhaps he had some information that could prove beneficial in her search.
Despite the rain's absence, the sky was still dark from the countless gray clouds that engulfed it. Quinn didn't understand how people could live in a place that was so gloomy and depressing all the time. No wonder they were known for being heatless killers – anyone would be if they had to live here.
She'd sent Valor on a patrol around the border of the capitol, knowing that he would draw too much attention if he were to be spotted inside the city. Being alone definitely made her nervous; she and Valor were a team and she hardly ever went anywhere without him. But she couldn't avoid blowing her cover, not when she was in an area full of people who hated Demacians.
For a while she merely wandered the streets, occasionally stopping and asking passersby questions about the area. She claimed to be visiting from Zaun as it was one of the few places Noxians didn't hate. Most of them were blunt with their answers and seemed less than interested in what she had to say.
So much for trying to find out anything from the common folk. She'd have to find someone higher up who knew more.
She found her thoughts drifting to Talon, wondering if he was even in Noxus right now. He'd spared her life, so maybe he wasn't all that bad. Perhaps if they met again she could convince him to help her find this assassin – after all, he was giving Talon a bad reputation. She felt like the man wouldn't appreciate having his name tarnished; his ego wouldn't allow it.
It took her a while to realize that she was being followed. Again, her first thought was of Talon, probably recognizing her and deciding to kill her once and for all.
But as she managed to sneak a look behind her, she could immediately tell that it wasn't him. Instead she saw two large men slowly walking several paces behind her. For a moment, she hoped it was a coincidence, but when she turned a corner unexpectedly they followed suit.
Her stomach flipped. She didn't know why they were following her, but it was now certain that she was their target.
As she quickened her pace she noticed a few barrels on the side of the street next to a bar. It wasn't much, but it was about all she had at this point. The stalkers had quickened their pace with her and she knew that she didn't have much time.
Passing the bar, she hastily knocked over the barrels and made a run for it, unsure of her destination but knowing that she had to get out of there.
"Get her!"
She turned her head to see that one of the men had tripped over the barrels she knocked over, but the other was chasing after her. Quinn directed her attention forward and pushed her legs to take longer strides.
Shit he was fast for his size, she thought. His friend had gotten up by now, doing his best to catch up.
Quinn continued to run, having no idea where she was going. She was unfamiliar with Noxus and couldn't keep running forever.
There was a cross street ahead, so she quickly turned down it in hopes of losing the stalkers.
Bad idea.
She'd cornered herself into an alley that had no escapes, just walls several feet high. This couldn't be it, could it? She ran to the end of the alley and pressed her hands against the cold stone. Of course, nothing was going to happen, it was a wall.
"You!"
She whipped her head around and saw the two Noxians making their way towards her.
"Um, is there something I can do for you?" she asked.
Maybe they had the wrong person. Maybe she actually could try to talk her way out of this.
"People been saying some little mouse has been pestering them," one said, "with too many questions. Sounded suspicious. Maybe a Demacian spy found their way inside Noxus. Perhaps it was you?"
Shit. She hadn't been careful enough. She should've known not to ask too many questions. Though she wasn't expecting anyone to find out she was Demacian, now she had no way to talk herself out of this.
She reached behind her back for her crossbow slowly, trying to think of a miracle. Taking one of them out would be easy enough but with two things were a little more difficult.
"I'll take that silence as a yes," the other once chuckled, "You know we Noxians don't appreciate trespassers. Especially the Demacian kind."
They both reached for the daggers on their belts and Quinn knew that was her signal. She whipped out her crossbow and fired a bolt into one of the thug's arms, causing him to cry out in pain and drop the dagger he'd just brandished.
"You little-!"
The non-injured one charged at her, as the other one crumpled to the ground to tend to his arm. Quinn quickly ducked and rolled beneath the attacker, jumping to her feet and firing another bolt off into the shoulder of the man she'd evaded. He cried out as well and began to reach for the bolt to pull it out.
With him distracted, Quinn began to make her escape out of the alley, only to feel a searing pain in her side as the other man slashed her with his dagger. She gasped in pain and stumbled forward a few feet, clutching her side and feeling the warm blood run through her clothes.
Despite the bolt in his arm, the attacker had managed to get hold of his dagger again and slash her side while she ran from his partner. He cackled as he got up, eyeing Quinn hungrily. She'd hobbled a few more steps before collapsing on the ground, the pain in her side blazing too much for her to continue running.
"Demacian bitch," the man growled, "I'm gonna show you what we do with whores like you."
Quinn knew that she had to do something. It was now or never. Her crossbow had fallen not far from her; if she let go of her side she could reach for it and probably nail the Noxian between the eyes before he could get on top of her. She wasn't sure what she'd do with the other one if that were to happen, but she didn't have the luxury of thinking that far ahead.
With a deep breath, the scout bit her lip and threw her torso towards her crossbow, crying out as she felt the wound in her side open wider and spill more blood. Her hands grasped the bow and as she turned back to aim, she heard something fly through the air.
At first, she thought that she had fired her bow early and that she had ruined any chances of escape. But her finger was still on the trigger, having never flinched. And yet the attacker had stopped.
Confused, she looked to see that there was indeed something between the man's eyes but it wasn't her bolt. It was a long, sharp blade that had gone directly through his skull. There was a moment of nothingness and then his corpse collapsed to the side motionless with a thud, causing Quinn to flinch.
"Hey, who the fuck-?"
The other man had started yelling at something behind Quinn, only for another blade to soar through the air and hit him directly between the eyes just like his partner.
Quinn could only stare at the two corpses on the ground in shock.
"They got you pretty good, didn't they bird brain?"
That familiar dark voice snapped her back into reality and as she looked behind her she only became more confused.
Talon.
"I could've handled it myself," she muttered bitterly.
"You know, most people just say thank you."
She merely offered him a sarcastic grin. Sure, she was grateful for his arrival, but he didn't have to know that. She wouldn't let him know that.
As she attempted to get up, the searing pain shot up her side and she felt as though the wind had gotten knocked out of her.
Talon, unaware of the severity of her injury, was caught off guard by her pained cry and looked at her confused.
"What's wrong?" he asked.
"You mean you didn't see that guy slice me open?" she gasped, pressing her hands against her side in an attempt to stop the bleeding.
In all honesty, he hadn't. He'd known she was in Noxus as she wasn't as stealthy as she thought she was, so he'd decided to follow her a bit. Of course, once he stopped was when all the excitement happened and he quickly went back to find her once he heard all the commotion.
Instead of offering a witty comeback, he walked up to the injured girl and knelt down beside her, earning a confused glance from the Demacian.
"Let me see," he said curtly.
Quinn continued to just stare at him as if he was insane.
"If you don't let me see, I can't help you. Or would you rather bleed out?"
She bit her lip and slowly removed her hand from her side, wincing and muttering something Talon assumed was a swear under her breath.
The gash was fairly large, but luckily it hadn't gone too deep.
"Hang on," he mumbled.
Quinn watched as he tore some of the fabric from his shirt and began to reach for her wound. She flinched involuntarily, but he didn't seem to notice. His face was still hidden by that damn hood of his so Quinn had no idea what he could possibly be thinking. Here he was, a Noxian assassin wrapping a bandage around an injured Demacian that had been hunting him down.
"Why?" she asked.
He paused for a moment, then tied the fabric off around her waist.
"I assume you mean why did I save you?" he asked, a soft chuckle under his breath.
When she didn't answer, he continued.
"Well, we have a pretty nice game of cat and mouse going on right now. I figured it'd be boring to let it end so soon."
He leaned back and Quinn was able to catch a glimpse of his face. His features were sharp and angular, which she'd been expecting. There were a few loose strands of dark hair hanging in front of his eyes – his eyes.
They were unlike anything she'd ever seen. They were amber and glowed with an intensity that Quinn had never encountered. It caused something to stir inside her gut and for a moment she became afraid. This man continued to confuse her no matter what he did and it felt as though she was never going to figure him out.
"Besides," he continued as he got to his feet, "If anyone is going to kill you, it's going to be me."
Something that felt like electricity shot down Quinn's spine and she trembled slightly, earning a laugh from Talon as he turned away.
"Get out of here, birdie. Next time I see you I better not have to save your ass again."
He waved a hand lazily back at her and sauntered out of the alley, leaving a Demacian questioning everything.