Chapter 8 – Well Placed Warning
After midnight, Riven wanted to close the bar. So she checked in Talon`s eyes that he`ll take Katarina home. She was too drunk to stand and he had the moral duty to help her. After all they were related by the general Du Couteau.
Riven gave him an understanding nod and watches the noxian raven carrying Katarina who was drunk and fights to not be carried in his arms.
"Oh well..." Riven sighs turning around to face Yasuo who waited for Talon to leave. "What do you want?" She frowns at him crossing arms, as he hugs her all of a sudden. "Oh, I just hate you when you stick of booze!" She growls and pushes him away.
In his way to Du Couteau mansion, Talon could hear Katarina rambling about different things. As he knew drunk people speak the truth and he didn`t even asked her for more details, he could hear about Katarina`s crush. Garen from Demacia. To Talon`s surprise she didn`t have good tastes. How could the daughter of an well known noxian general like a man from Demacia?
"Kat..." He tries to talk, but she was drooling too much thinking about Garen. "You`ll get over your first crush. You`ll be cured. I hope soon." He keeps her close to his chest trying to reach the mansion faster so he could go to his place in slums.
"No... Listen, Talon! You don`t get it... Garen was nice to me..." She hiccups dizzy trying to gain the raven`s attention. "He saved me in the battlefield..." She grabs Talon`s chin just to make him listen to her. "Listen, Talon... Wh-" He moves his head away from her hands. "What was your first crush anyway?" He gave her a sick glare as he already reached the stairs of Du Couteau household. "Talon...?" He was pretty sure that she didn`t know that she arrived home, so he ignored every drunk word of her. It wasn`t like he didn`t listen to her but the fact that she calls him by name made him even more sick. It was obvious that the first girl he could grow feeling for was Katarina, but she was always messing with him, so he got over it. As she continued asking him such things, he couldn`t show his sadness nor anger. Besides she likes a demacian and this thing is hurting his noxian male pride.
"Kat..." He throws her in bed and drags her boots off. "Go to sleep." He ordered showing a more mature attitude than her.
"Talon..." She whines rolling in bed still wanting to talk.
"Close your eyes and shut your mouth." He was already at the door, ready to leave.
"Where are you going?" Her flushed drunk face was looking after him. In his eyes she looked like a victim of alcohol, so he didn`t gave her any answer and closed the door. He was too angry to express his rage, so he went back home, in slums.
Other day, behind the bar stand, Yasuo got used to drink without paying. Riven was too good with him because he was homeless, so she let him stay. His flirty jokes pissed her off, but she knew he was a kind heart man. He was guilt and exiled later from Ionia, but in Riven eyes, he didn`t look like a murderer. After all she was exiled too, so she could understand his pain drowned in alcohol.
"Yasuo, is there any chance to help me with the costumers? I thought you`ll help me if I`ll let you stay here." She sighs rubbing her tired forehead, yet still wearing the bunny outfit.
"I was always scared to ask if I have to wear a bunny costume, so I kept silent about helping you out with..." He got punched before he could finish what he wanted to say.
"Don`t be stupid! Get up and help me with the orders!" She gives him an apron as she takes his seat behind the stand watching over her customers.
There were a few men from Black Rose organization who started to chuckle at Yasuo, but nothing much. The ionian tried hard to not make a scene and ignored their rude pinches.
As he returns at the stand with the empty plate, he leans over it looking at Riven with a handsome look. "They talk about their leader being a good f ck."
"Oh, really?!" Riven was holding her head in palm listening to what he said and she wasn`t sure if he was real or not.
"Yeah..." He smirks at her. "I bet she`s ugly as fuck."
"Oh, really,Yasuo?" Riven already rolled her eyes at his comments.
"Yeah... You are way prettier than every girl I`ve seen." His voice was matching a flirty chit chat.
"You should had ugly ionian women, then." She shrugs, getting up to take the next orders as Talon came in with his usual noxian hoodie uniform.
"No, I mean..." Yasuo stops her whispering something that make her cheeks grow red.
"You f cking drunktard!" She growls and punches his lower sides.
"Ugh...!" A poor whining moan could be hear, as Yasuo backs up under the stand.
Talon goes at the same table he was used to, in the darkest corner of the bar, stalking the people in the bar.
It wasn`t something ordinary for Swain to come and visit Du Couteau mansion, but this time he came personally to see how the two daughters of the great general are doing. He came to check on Cassiopeia and to see if it was real, but Katarina didn`t say anything about her sister. This schemed him. His younger daughter started to grow up into a real lady of war. She didn`t show anything unnecessary and this fact infuriates him. But his real occasion to visit her, was to give her an important task.
"I apologize for all these years, I didn`t come here to check on the general Du Couteau`s lovely daughters. It`s a shame I heard that your sister got a naughty curse. Miss Katarina, my regards." He jumps from her pity to his real matters. "But as you could see, our war goes anywhere without real men. They all work for their purpose. There are not so many like me or like our new military general..." He got stopped by a sharp glare and Swain backs up. He could read her anger. Her father was brave enough and now Darius took his place. The same Darius who watches her with bad eyes.
"I don`t feel like talking about the new general, so please, be short. What do you want from me?" Her eyes were cold and cruel like of any other noxian who faced the war.
"It is about your brother in law." Swain pretends to be hopeless in this matter. "He was there when you`re father got missing, yet he is hiding something from you. You should be careful, Miss Katarina. Not all men around you are worth trusting." He chuckles behind his mouth mask searching powerless in her eyes.
"You mean, Talon?! She sighs tired of Swain. "He is my stupid brother. What about him?"
"I don`t like to warn you twice. If you don`t do something about him, he will stab you from behind!" His inner was laughing malefic.
Cassiopeia was in her room all this time. She knew that someone came in their house, but she couldn`t face anyone. In front of a broken mirror, her tears run dry. She was like that since she returned. No one knew that Katarina came in Shurima after her and tried her best to take her home. Her long serpent tail was so heavy to drag and it was too hard for her to move. Du Couteau household doctors assured her that she will get used with the weight by time, but it was too much for her. It was a shame that the beautiful and rich woman from Noxus got to bear this curse.
That night, Katarina returned to the bar to see Talon, but he wasn`t there and her sanguine personality bursts out when she sees the same annoying Draven trying to mix in her business.
"Oh, God, please stop!" She rolls her eyes as Draven grabs her arm talking to her. To her surprise Darius was there too, sharing the table with Draven. "What the f ck is your problem?!" She roars at Draven ready to kill him.
"My lady, you don`t have to be so rude with Draven." The long mustache man used the third person to refer to himself, as Darius didn`t change his cruel glare. This time the military general bumped in the table and Draven started to excuse himself. "I only want to have a polite conversation with a beautiful young lady."
"Well..." Katarina looks confused at them.
"Mhm." Darius gets up with the same intimidating view looking at Katarina. "This... This one from here is my brother, Draven." He forced himself to not curse Draven in front of others, then turns his eyes on him and punches him over the head.
"So cruel, big brother..." The jolly man was setting back his hairstyle.
As they started their usual fight, this time in front of Katarina who just happened to be mixed in, the little demacian Poppy came at their table breaking the fun.
"Did you see a strong man named Garen?" She looks at Darius straight in face as intimidating as him. The yordle and the bare warrior stood there into a caught up death stare, while Katarina slowly makes her way out of the scene and leaves the bar.