She was getting used to her night-terrors, each and every one the same, but what she did not expect to happen was for the nightmares to change. Knowing the name of the woman she murdered did not placate her in the least. In fact, her dreams started to change. It was no longer the woman who talked to her, it was Evangeline. Evangeline, the woman who would no longer give her advice she would never receive, but would now resort to taunting and laughing at Katarina.

She can remember these words, however. Other than the blood that dripped down her chin in crimson rivulets, there were poisons that spewed from her mouth. It was not physical, oh no, however, the poison were in the form of words. Katarina would like to wipe that smirk off Evangeline's face, but she couldn't do anything but listen.

Who did you think it was? It should be so obvious. So what are you going to do?

Swain nodded. 'That is exactly where you shall go. You are to leave by yourself today, and with the assistance of the Black Rose, you shall track the blueprint of the electron conversion accelerator, and also steal it from Piltovan Hextech Technological and Research Facilities. It is essential that you are NOT caught by Piltovan authorities. The last thing that we need now a full investigation of a matter that, not only will put us in a bad light, but could also alert Demacian and Piltovan officials of possible plans between us and the Zuanites.'

Katarina was stunned. It wasn't because she was told to go to a foreign land to do some really shady stuff (because let's face it, she IS an assassin). Shady stuff is basically her job. But the fact that he sent her with the Black Rose worried her. The Black Rose never co-operated with anyone. If the Black Rose did not want to assist, it somehow made itself conveniently unavailable or it simply disappeared. If the Black Rose was to assist her, it was purely because it wanted to. Even Swain couldn't tell them what to do.

Katarina should feel honoured and confused, but honestly, she's not sure she does. In fact, she scared shitless. Most likely, the Black Rose was there to keep an eye on her. Make sure she does go off and scheme against Swain, but she isn't sure. Well, if the Black Rose was predictable, they wouldn't have their notorious ability to surprise everyone and everything.

Katarina solemnly nodded, accepting her fate, not sure if she should just take this as a sign from God to run the fuck away to some obscure corner of Runeterra and live a life as a farmer. I could own pigs. I like pigs.

Swain stared at her in silence, silently judging her and daring her to contradict him in any way. She couldn't, of course, having to school her features into her normally grim demeanour and stared back at him. She dared not to show any sign of being intimidated, or any kind of weakness whatsoever even though the guy in front of her could literally kill her without lifting a finger. Finally, Katarina grew impatient with Swain and snarled at him, while somewhere at the back of her mind hoping she wasn't making the biggest mistake of her life (which was probably going to end horribly and painfully within the next three to four seconds).

But she did not expect what happened next. At this action, the Grand General of Noxus smiled. What. 'I'm glad it is you, Katarina. I thought something had happened to you. I feared that you were no longer here.'

Again, what the fuck? I'm literally right in front of you.

'Whatever you do, always keep me in mind. Always remember where I am, and where I stand.'

The Sinister Blade froze, recoiling slightly at the thinly veiled threat that was thrown at her. Every little move she do from now on will now be scrutinized and analyzed, nick-picked for the slightest sign that something was amiss. Katarina had no idea why Swain had such a sudden interest in her, and such obvious suspicion of her. What she had done to warrant such attention, she did not know, but all she knew was that she will now be treading on thin ice, where one wrong step will land her in the water and be devoured by the Swain-shaped sharks staring at her hungrily.

Katarina finally nodded after contemplating her life choices, and Swain also nodded.

'I want you back by next Friday. If you have any questions, ask the Black Rose.'

A knocking at the door brought both their attention to it. Swain looked at the door momentarily and turned to look at the assassin, nodding slowly. Katarina saw the glint in Swain's eyes. Well, this is gonna be bad. 'This is someone you should become acquainted with. And I'm sure you have also known intimately.'

And of course, the woman of her dreams walks in. Evangeline. The woman that Katarina is very, very sure she impaled through her forehead. Her dreams serve to remind her of that daily. Following closely the ex-dead woman, was a very smug and very amused LeBlanc. LeBlanc and Evangeline both winked at Katarina, making her nearly jump on to the two of them and tear their throats out of their body.

LeBlanc walked over to Swain and started to discuss the plans of the fight. Or at least that was what Katarina thought. Swain did not look happy to see LeBlanc. Behind his cordial smiles and his polite greetings, there was a swirling storm of anger that seemed to cloud the room. However, LeBlanc looked genuinely happy to see him, smiling and talking, eyes crinkling in actual mirth. Katarina continued to study the two, and she was surprised. She would have expect for Swain to be pleased to see LeBlanc, but she did not expect to see Swain's smile beginning to crumble, his patience wearing thin. However, LeBlanc did not appear it notice this, as she went on and on, only to stop abruptly when she saw Swain's face cloud into barely suppressed anger.

Weird for LeBlanc to not notice something.

LeBlanc saw and straightened up, and gave a lingering smile to Swain, before vanishing into thin air.

Katarina turned around to see a very curvaceous raven-haired beauty leering at her in a sultry fashion. Katarina, however, was much less happy seeing the woman, and more than a little bit angry at her. The redhead let her hand fall to her daggers, glaring menacingly. Instead of recoiling in fear or freezing at her bold attempts to scare now-living woman, Evangeline merely smirked, her plump lips curving into the most sensual smirk Katarina has ever seen.

Holy fuck. She is actually scaring the shit out of me. I'm like a piece of meat to her.

Katarina then proceeded to pull out her daggers and waved it menacingly at Evangeline. The raven-hair beauty just put her hands to her head and swooned. She actually swooned. Here she was swooning, standing in front of an assassin who was waving her daggers around erratically, and she has the fucking audacity to not be scared. She is actually scaring Katarina, as the woman obviously has more than a few screws loose.

Evangeline looked back up at Katarina through her thick eyelashes, her indescribably irritating face splitting into a Cheshire grin. 'I look forward to working with you again, kitty.'

Katarina stood there shocked, repeatedly swiping the air in front of her with her daggers.

'How are you not dead? I literally stabbed you in the face. I buried you myself. What the actual fuck?'

Evangeline giggled brightly, holding her hand to her mouth, as if she was a dainty flower. A dainty flower that wouldn't die if she was stabbed and mutilated and had her cold, lifeless corpse burnt in an incinerator that Katarina denies having. Evangeline flicked her hair behind her and smirked, sending chills down Katarina's spine.

'Am I dead? Or am I alive? How can you be sure that I am either?'

With that, the magician started laughing maniacally, leaving a confused and stunned Katarina standing there with one eyebrow cocked up and a frown on her lips. What the hell is happening? What does she mean she could be dead or alive? Katarina's had plenty of experience with murder and she can't remember the last time one of her victims started to laugh at being murdered. But she was watching the actual, living (?) proof that it could actually happen.

Katarina gathered her nerves and stared back at the woman.

'What the hell do you-'

'Ahem'

Evangeline immediately stopped laughing and straightened up. Katarina's head snapped towards Swain, who stood there, his hand tense around his cane. Swain was glaring at them now, mostly at Evangeline, but enough attention was fixated on Katarina to make her nervous. The grand general's words were quite, but the sound easily travelled through the suddenly dead quiet room.

'This job is to be accomplished. I will know if you did something, and if I find out anything happened...'

Although the ending was dropped, the obvious threat floated around the room. Katarina started to sweat. She was too young and deadly to die yet. She still had so much to live for. She did not want to die yet. Katarina looked at Evangeline at saw the last thing she thought she would ever see.

Evangeline was trying not to laugh. The scariest man in Noxus was threatening her, and here she was, desperately trying not to laugh. Swain glared at the raven haired woman incredulously, a face like thunder, two seconds from lashing out and obliterating her. It should have reduced any same human being into tears, and it was work for Evangeline, just in the opposite direction that Swain had hoped for. Evangeline finally coughed, clearing any sign of her mirth from seconds before.

Evangeline nodded to Swain, a trained, cordial smile plastered on her face, any sign of her prior emotions vanished without a trace. Evangeline mock-saluted the General, which caused a cracking sound to escape from the cane. The magician turned her head and winked at Katarina, which in turn caused Katarina to pull out her blades and wave it at her, causing Evangeline to giggle.

Finally, the magician took her leave and strutted towards the door, shapely hips (that Katarina would never, ever stare at) swinging like a pendulum. When the woman reached the door, she opened it, turned back and blew a kiss back to Katarina.

'It'll be my pleasure to work alongside you, kitty.'

The daggers that Katarina held onto so tightly during this whole spectacle finally left her hand and it landed where Evangeline's head would have been, if the door had not slammed shut and blocked Katarina's daggers.

It was the first time that Katarina had seen a face on Swain that wasn't either anger, seriousness or a cordial politeness. Swain was confused. It was both the funniest and most alarming thing she had ever seen.

If Swain, the grandmaster of people manipulation and reading emotions, was confused by Evangeline, which means something is just wrong. Swain was so caught up in his own emotions that he actually let some of his actual feelings through. But that doesn't make sense; if he had been working with the red rose for such a long time, why was he so… unfamiliar with Evangeline?

Unless... Leblanc only picked her up recently.

It really felt like the Black Rose was targeting her, with Evangeline constantly playing with her. What for?

She could feel eye eyes threatening to bore holes into the side of her head so Katarina turned to see Swain and Beatrice glaring at her, eyes glinting angrily. Katarina glared back indignantly, in the fashion that she was most well known for.

And what the hell do you want?

Swain stared at her for a few more minutes, letting the tension that had been stewing in the room envelope them. When he finally spoke, the suddenness of his words startled Katarina.

'I will see you again.'

With that, Swain walked out of the room, door slamming loudly shut behind him.

Fucking Leblanc.