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On the Razor's Edge

"You should have killed her!"

Talon sighed and leaned back in his chair, the tightening of his grip on his glass of wine the only indication that Katarina's rage was irritating him. He didn't bother looking at the redhead, knowing the exact pattern of her reaction after years in her company. Any moment now…

A knife thunked into the table beside his hand, close enough to graze the skin. He smirked slightly, ducking his head to hide the expression from Katarina. So predictable.

"Katarina," a husky voice purred gently from the doorway. It was accompanied by the sound of rough skin rasping against the kitchen's stone floor, and Talon glanced up to see the younger Du Couteau place a careful hand on her sister's shoulder. "Calm yourself."

As much as Katarina insulted, teased, and spoke ill of her serpentine sibling, Talon knew that the two women shared a bond he would never understand. At Cassiopeia's touch, Katarina slumped, her twisted expression softening into a gentle frown. She let Cassiopeia guide her to the chair beside Talon's and fell into it, glaring sideways at him but saying nothing. Satisfied, Cassiopeia moved to curl up opposite her two older siblings - one related by blood, the other by the blade.

"How much did you hear?" Talon asked, pulling the knife from the table and handing it back to Katarina. She took it without looking at him and stowed it away - exactly where, he didn't bother looking. Katarina's knives were omnipresent - before leaning her elbows on the table and staring across it at her sister.

Cassiopeia shrugged, the movement graceful and elegant. Even in her cursed form, the youngest Du Couteau was the essence of poise. Talon couldn't help but admire her strength, remembering just how difficult the adjustment to her new strength and bestial urges had been. "Enough," she said simply, reaching towards Talon expectantly. He passed her his glass and she took a long drink before pushing it towards Katarina. "This is an interesting situation, to be sure."

"He should have killed her," Katarina grumbled, finishing the wine with a grimace of distaste and slamming the glass back down.

Cassiopeia clicked her tongue admonishingly. "You know that wasn't an option, Katarina. As the figurehead for a nearly-dead people, Diana is protected in ways that most champions are not. Valoran would be in an uproar if she were murdered in Noxus, even if she were trespassing. Our tenuous and fragile peace with Demacia would be shattered and the League would have no choice but to punish us as a nation for the actions of one man. Talon made the right choice."

Talon grinned smugly at Katarina, who replied by procuring a knife from who-knows-where and aiming it at his throat.

"That being said!" Cassiopeia interrupted quickly, snapping her clawed fingers to draw the redhead's attention back to her and away from Talon's blood. "Talon, it was foolish of you to let her slip away from you." Katarina let out a rough bark of triumphant laughter and Talon bared his teeth, silently daring her to attack him again. Cassiopeia's words, however, sunk into him like barbed wire. He had let her escape; he had let her baffle him with her enigmatic words and her impossible knowledge of his past, let her get under his guard, and she had vanished from his grasp like fog in the night.

"I know," he growled, avoiding all four eyes that stared at him. "I made a mistake." It almost caused him physical pain to admit it, and his voice dripped with shame - shame that evaporated when he felt the rough touch of Cassiopeia's hand on his.

"Potential repercussions are minimal," she assured him kindly. "She can't murder a Noxian citizen while trespassing on Noxian soil. She's attempting to rebuild a decimated civilization from the ground up; she can't afford the scandal."

"So, what?" Katarina hissed, glaring at her sister's hand until the younger woman retracted it. "We do nothing? We know she's broken our laws and we pretend it doesn't matter?" She pushed herself up from the table and stormed from the room, swearing under her breath as she went.

Talon let out a sigh of relief. The fact that Katarina has left without further argument meant that she agreed to the decision but was unwilling to state so outright. Stubborn bitch, he thought, almost fondly.

He met Cassiopeia's eyes again. They danced with mirth - clearly, she shared his thoughts on her sister's antics. He couldn't keep the slight smile from his lips. With a polite yet dismissive nod, Cassiopeia began to slither after her sister. Despite her obvious desire to leave, Talon couldn't stop himself from calling her back.

"How much do you know about Diana?" he asked, keeping his voice casual, as though the question were a passing fancy of no real concern.

She tilted her head at him curiously before answering. "As much as most, which is practically nothing. She lives at the Institute but disappears for weeks at a time, appearing only when she's summoned. She has some sort of personal history with Leona, but the Solari refuses to speak of it." She frowned for a moment, her lips pursed in thought. "I've heard rumours that she and the Fallen Angel are friendly. If you want more information I'd suggest going to Morgana."

Talon nodded and toyed with the empty glass as Cassiopeia left, presumably to find her sister and calm her down again. If he recalled correctly, Morgana occasionally operated a food cart in this very city. With a wry, satisfied grin, he realized that the city square would be hosting its weekly Market Day in just a few short hours.

Perhaps he was in the mood for some pastries.

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Diana's destination was a dingy sub-let on the edge of the city. After her unexpected encounter with Talon she had moved from the streets to the rooftops, letting the Moon guide her way to the grungy, dirt-darkened window she sought. As she crouched on the rickety balcony connected to the apartment in which her target lived, a pale face appeared in the window, blurred by grime.

The young boy stared up at the crescent moon above, his eyes filled with wonder. Diana watched from the shadows, affection for the child swelling in her chest. He was lonely and lost; too kind to gain acceptance in Noxus yet too fearful to escape the city and find his true place in the world. The Moon had shown Diana how to find him; now Diana would show him who he truly was.

She lifted her head to such an angle that the sigil on her forehead caught the moonlight and heard a gasp from behind the glass. The child vanished from the window, appearing moments later on the balcony. He was barefoot and still wearing his nightclothes, but the look he gave her was one of amazement.

"It's you," he said quietly, stepping forward with one hand outstretched. She let him press his fingers to her forehead, assuring himself that she was real, before standing to her full height. "You came. I had a dream…"

"Silence, Jakus," she murmured, touching his cheek. "Follow me."

She climbed over the railing and jumped lightly over to the roof of the neighbouring building. Jakus followed without hesitation, leaping into her proffered arms as though he had known her all his life. She took his hand and moved quickly, silently across the rooftops.

"Slow down," he cried, fear in his voice as he tripped over an uneven tile and fell to his knees. "I can't see!"

Diana stopped and kneeled beside him. "Open your mind, Jakus," she said softly, lifting his chin to meet his eyes. "Your eyes are trained to see only darkness. Look to the Moon and let her teach you how to see the light, as I do."

For a moment, Jakus's dark eyes were filled with nothing but pain and fear. Then, slowly, she saw realization dawn across his features. Looking around, she knew that he now saw the night as it truly was: full of light and safety rather than darkness and danger. He grinned up at her, confidence shining from his eyes. She grinned back, brushing his unkempt hair back from his forehead.

"You came for me," he said quietly, not yet standing. "How did you know about me? How did you know my name?"

Diana pressed her fingers against her forehead. "The Moon sees all, young one. She saw you, and She saw your pain, and She gave me a mission: to find you, and to show you your true path." She moved her hand from her own forehead to his, and at her touch his skin seemed to glow. "You are a Lunari, Jakus. Your connection to Her is strong and deep. She has watched over you since you took your first breath and She will watch over you until your last, but you have to trust Her."

Jakus closed his eyes for a moment, and the strange glow on his forehead briefly took the form of the Lunari crest before fading. "I trust Her," he breathed, his small heart pounding in his chest.

"Do not forget who you are, Jakus," Diana murmured. "Remember to look for the light. Even when darkness threatens, there is always light." She leaned forward and pressed a kiss against the boy's forehead. A single tear fell down his young cheek and she brushed it away. "Keep to your path and I will find you again."

"Don't leave me," Jakus begged. He reached blindly for her but found nothing to grasp. When he opened his eyes he was alone, kneeling on a rooftop under the light of the Moon. Though he was several buildings away from the dreary and soiled set of rooms that had housed him for 10 years, he finally felt at home.

Diana left Noxus the same way she's entered and began the long journey back to the Institute. Moving in silence through the unchecked wilderness, Diana felt a strange sensation within her, as though a cord were tugging her back towards the child she had left behind. She smiled and let the cord settle in her chest along with all the others, each one a testament to a life inexorably altered by the touch of the Moon.

The Lunari would live again.

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A.N

Yes, Diana has been running around Valoran, finding children touched by the Moon and showing them their true selves.

Yes, Talon is going to have to choke down some burnt cookies to get the information he seeks.

Yes, I have a plan for this story.

Yes, I'm going to talk about Leona eventually.

Yes, I'm enjoying this story.

Yes, I want you to review! ↘