Lux was the first to arise the next morning, for a possible multitude of reasons. The first being that she had always been an early riser. She was not the heaviest sleeper and morning light always forced her eyelids a-flutter. The second reason dealt with the surface she had been sleeping on. Unlike many soldiers she knew, Lux could not just sleep on anything. Sure, she had dealt with her fair share of sleeping bags before, but that didn't mean she enjoyed it. As it turns out, the couch wasn't much better.
The last reason probably had to do with the previous night's events. Considering the failed mission, her unanswered questions, and the dangerous killer sleeping in the same god-forsaken room, it was no wonder Lux woke early that morning.
The rising sun shone golden through the blinds into the sleepy room, allowing Lux easy movement to the bathroom. Whispering a thankful prayer as she pulled on her miraculously dry clothes, Lux contemplated how to handle the situation before her.
With her newfound sense of mind that came from a good rest, Lux was surprised she had even woken up this morning at all. Given the outcome of the mission, the man she was working with, and the way he hid all the information from her, thoughtful Lux was now quite a deal more suspicious of the assassin sleeping in the bedroom. Still, he had not killed her yet, though she had been massively unguarded throughout the night.
But that did not change the fact that Lux needed answers. She could hardly believe that she hadn't been able to get a useful amount of information out of the rogue the previous night, and for that she blamed the alcohol. Still, as she walked back into the bedroom and studied the blissfully sleeping assassin, she wondered how she was even going to wake him in the first place.
Lux regarded the man for quite sometime, slightly impressed by how few scars marred his face. From her vantage point she could only count two, and small ones at that. Still, the man had a rugged complexion to him, one that the blonde had not been able to fully discern the previous night when his hood had shadowed most of his face.
It was at that moment that it struck Lux as odd that Talon had even gone to sleep. For the shifty man he seemed to be, he was putting an awful lot of trust in her not to kill him. But she supposed that men like him were used to sleeping with knives at their sides.
After a few minutes of debating how much harm would come to her if she awoke Talon, Lux decided the risk was not worth the reward. Instead, she resolved to roam downstairs for some breakfast. On this outing, however, she kept her baton, and more importantly, her wits about her.
Although the mage was gone not thirty minutes, just to purchase a handful of pastries and some coffee, it had been enough time for the rogue to awaken and jump to conclusions.
Needless to say, Talon was quite a bit foul when Lux finally did return.
"Do you really think it is wise to go out on your own given the fact we are wanted criminals?" He said in a tone that was intended to shame the blonde for her actions.
Talon's words did not have the desired effect on the mage, however. Instead, she looked at him with wide eyes and an open mouth, exclaiming, "We're wanted criminals?!"
"Keep your voice down." He chided as he got out of the bed. "Yes, the Jenkinses, the family we robbed from last night, have a bounty on our heads."
"And you didn't think this pertinent information to relay to me last night?" She shot back.
"I did, but you fell asleep before I could say anything." He retorted.
Lux looked away, embarrassed. It had been rather unprofessional of her.
"These look tasty, though." Talon offered, before snatching away all of the baked goods with the exception of the one Lux wanted least.
"Hey!" She called after the thief. "You can't just take those! I wanted that one!"
"Think of it as punishment for being an idiot." He replied without a touch of remorse.
"You know," Lux's tone turned sour. "You seemed to be the strong-and-silent type when I first met you and I thought 'Oh, how nice, he won't be a jerk like all the other douchebag assassins I've met in my life' but now I can see you're just as assholey as the rest of them!"
His signature chuckle returned for a fourth appearance. Though the previous night Lux had found the deep rumble almost attractive, now it was downright infuriating. What did he take her for? Some blonde bimbo? Given her job as a secretary, probably.
"And how many assassins have you met in your lifetime?" Talon regarded her with laughing eyes and an obnoxious smirk, but something about the question told Lux that he wasn't just poking fun.
"I've dated a few." Lux hedged, knowing it would be a mistake to reveal how much she actually know about the business.
"Well," Talon said with a mouth full of apple strudel, "Now I understand your discrimination against me."
Lux was not sure if he had bought the lie, but he was giving it a rest for now, and that was all she needed.
Resigning to her chocolate croissant, Lux decided to address more important issues. "So Swain set us on a doomed to fail mission and the Jenkinses have flagged us for arrest. Why?"
"That's the question, isn't it?" The assassin replied cryptically. "I have a good grasp on Swain's reason for wanting me in jail, but as for why you were on the mission, I don't know."
"Maybe his plans don't involve me." Lux offered. "I'm just collateral damage. We assistants always get the short end of the stick."
"Hmm." Talon considered the thought, but Lux knew he wasn't convinced.
"I'm not a spy, if that's what you're implying." She said abruptly.
He smiled briefly and replied, "You're more clever than I give you credit for."
"Doesn't help my case, does it?" She joked.
"Not in the slightest." He replied honestly. "The only reason I'm still keeping you around is because you saved our asses with that light stunt last night. If you really were working for Swain, you'd have let us get caught."
"Indeed I would have." Lux replied. "But alas, I am not working for Swain. Other than by being his secretary."
"So it would seem." Talon mused curiously, still keeping the mage under his scrutinizing brow.
In all honesty, Lux probably would have preferred if he were concerned for that reason, as long as he didn't try to assassinate her. If he had suspected her an ally of Swain's, he would have likely left her at the inn to avoid being followed. Then Lux could have proceeded as she saw fit, which would have involved returning to Demacia, or at the very least getting in touch with her contact in Noxus. Now, she had to deal with a curious assassin breathing down her neck.
Ultimately, what Lux really needed was to lose Talon. Using her infamous final spark spell was enough justification for packing up and running back to Demacia as soon as possible, nevermind the fact that Swain seemed to want her behind bars. Though, as Lux saw things, she was more or less doomed to stick out the coming days with Talon, lest she risk being tailed by a bloodthirsty, Demacian-hating assassin.
Lux decided to steer the conversation towards a topic that she had, until that moment, forgot about entirely. "So what is with the book you stole?"
Talon paused a second, as if deciding how much he should tell her. "How much do you know about the Jenkinses?"
In truth, she actually knew a fair bit. They were roughly connected with House Buvelle, and select members of the Jenkins family had been allowed into Demacia for special occasions. As far as families went, the Jenkinses were known as sort of a moderate house in Noxus, and while the Demacian military tried to stay on their good side in exchange for information about the Noxian capital, many officials, Lux included, were still suspicious of the house.
"Not much at all." Lux replied. "Only that they are a rich household."
"Long story short, they have ties in Demacia." He was still looking at her features closely, as if trying to determine her true thoughts on the subject. Lux felt, however, that she definitely had the upper hand when it came to the art of falsehood.
"Since they do," He continued, "It is sometimes in our best interest to discover how much information they really have."
Lux nodded, listening to the assassin explain. However, this information was not much more than she already knew.
"And that's all you'll get for now." Talon concluded.
Sipping on her coffee, Lux's thoughts began to drift towards the coming days. Just as she was about to ask Talon what the plan was, he started the conversation.
"We'll need to get on the road within the hour." He stated.
"Where are we headed?" Lux asked, hoping it was somewhere out of town.
"Bilgewater." The assassin said simply. That was, perhaps, a little farther out of town than Lux would have liked.
The worry showed on her face. "Calm down, it will only be for a couple of days. I've got the travel plans covered."
"I've never been outside of Noxus!" Lux exclaimed, and though the words were false, the panic was very real.
"Then you can consider this a new adventure." He said with a laugh.
Nothing Lux said could persuade the rogue from deviating from his plans to sail to Bilgewater. She even offered heading off in a different direction herself, but all that earned her was a suspicious look from Talon and a prolonged conversation about why she was so against travelling to the island.
There were few people in the world, let alone in Noxus, whom Lux could recognize at a considerable distance. Jarvan IV was the most common one she saw, but he was only recognizable from his royal attire and posse of guards. Draven was another, but that man made special efforts to be noticed. The individual whom she saw standing at the docks was neither as friendly as Jarvan nor as dimwitted as Draven, but instead, she was a cunning, clever, and downright vicious redhead whom Lux tried to avoid at all costs.
"Kat." Talon offered a wave to the other Du Couteau. "Everything set?"
She responded with a smile that Lux could not describe as anything other than sinister. "As a matter of fact, everything is, little brother."
Talon frowned. "I'm older than you."
"Yes but that hardly matters. I wear the pants in this siblinghood."
"You like to think you do."
Lux stood there awkwardly, between the familial debate on which sibling had the teasing rights. Whatever the reason, Lux could not get it out of her head that she was standing in between a ladykiller and a lady killer. It seemed awfully dangerous, still, the less time they focused on her, the better.
But Lux had remained invisible for too long. A piercing green set of eyes settled on the mage. "And this must be little Lucy. She's a cute one."
Talon glared at the smirking Katarina. "Tickets."
"Fine, fine." She handed over a pair of tickets and what looked like Lux to be a voucher. "You'll be needing this as well."
"What's this?" Talon frowned.
"It's a voucher." Katarina said, confirming Lux's suspicion. "For a romantic week's getaway at the Vita Sub Rosa Casino for two adorable, passionately in love newlyweds."
All of the blood drained from the mage's face. Had she just said newlyweds?
Talon closed his eyes and massaged his forehead with his thumb and forefinger.
"Why do you do this to me?" He solemnly wondered.
"You're so cut off from the world, Talon." She laughed. "It's time you enjoyed the normal life. You have the perfect excuse, on the run for a couple of days to Bilgewater of all places with an adorable little blonde secretary. Honestly Talon, things could be a lot worse."
"Fine." The man grumbled. "Come on Lucy, we have a boat to catch."
The assassin left without a second word, leaving Lux to give Katarina an awkwardly shy wave goodbye before running after the man.
Talon gruffly handed over the stubs to the ticket master as he entered the ship, while Lux was still struggling to keep up. Feeling the need to make up for the assassin's coarseness, Lux offered, yet again, an awkward wave to a person she hardly knew as she tried to keep up with the grumbling killer.
"Miss!" The ticket master called out to the blonde before she could get too far away.
Lux hurried over to see what the matter was.
"You'll be needing these." He handed her the stubs back, along with a set of keys.
"Thanks!" Was all Lux managed to get out before she rushed off to find Talon.
Much to her dismay, the ship was packed. Finding Talon would be a near impossible task.
So, Lux resigned to make her way over to the railing and look off into the sea.
She watched the water ebb and flow, splashing against the hull with quiet lapping sounds. It looked so serene, but at the same time, quite challenging. She had never been on a boat, save for one time her family took a vacation to a nearby lake, but even then she did not venture out on the rented rowboat for long. Despite her ignorance of seafare, she did have a sinking suspicion the unbalanced water would not sit well with her stomach.
A horn sounded from the stern, marking the departure for Bilgewater. Bodies flooded the railing, bidding farewell to their counterparts left on land. Still, Talon was nowhere to be found.
Lux spent the better part of an hour staring off into the sea, mesmerized by the
movements of the ship and workings of the sea. Her thoughts went largely uninterrupted until a friendly hand came to rest on the small of her back and a comfortable voice rang out.
"Luxanna?" A pair of electric blue eyes shone down on the mage. "What are you doing here?"
"Ezreal!" Lux exclaimed, and unable to control herself, threw her arms around the explorer in an excited hug.
He returned it along with a small laugh.
"Seriously, Lux." He threw her a concerned look. "This isn't exactly a safe place for you."
"I know," She whispered, suddenly realizing just the utterance of her name could risk her safety. With a quick scout of her surroundings, Lux determined Talon was still missing. "Call me Lucy, if you will."
"Are you on a mission?" The explorer queried.
"Of sorts." The mage replied cryptically. "I've been working as Swain's secretary for the past two months. Recently I was sent on a mission with Talon, a simple retrieval-"
"I'm sorry, did you say Talon?" Ezreal's eyes were wide. "As in Talon Du Couteau?"
"Yes. Anyways, we-"
"Lu-Lucy this is some serious business!" He looked as concerned as he sounded. "He's not on this boat is he?"
"He is, but we're-"
"You need to disappear! That man is dangerous, Lucy. Come with me, I'll take you back home right and well."
"Calm down, Ezreal!" Lux demanded. "I cannot just leave. If you would let me explain, I'd tell you why."
"I don't see how anything you could say would convince me otherwise. You can't be hanging around the likes of Talon Du Couteau, he'll kill you!"
Ezreal's frown started small as he finished his statement, but only grew in size as he saw Lux's eyes go wide in recognition. He turned his head slightly to look at whatever the girl had been so concerned with.
The explorer was met with a cold stare that coupled with the sole man who Ezreal feared seeing most at that particular moment.
"Unfortunately, Ezreal," The assassin's deep rumble vibrated through Lux as he walked around and placed a hand around her waist. "She has to hang around the likes of me."
"And why's that?" Ezreal queried, voicing Lux's wonders aloud.
"We're newlyweds."
Lux's head whipped around to face Talon. He bore a chilling smirk, directed at the explorer, and instantly she knew what was going on. Why the assassin had felt the need to rile up Ezreal, she didn't know. Still, the fact remained that he had, and she had to fix it. She sighed heavily, and turned to Ezreal to diffuse the situation.
"Look, Ezreal," She started. "It's not what you think."
"Indeed," Talon cut in. "He seems to think I'm forcing you into this relationship."
The mage frowned up at the assassin for complicating things further. He returned her look with his signature chuckle.
"Fine, fine. I understand." Ezreal look slightly disturbed. "I just had always thought…" He paused a moment, carefully choosing his words. "He just doesn't seem like your type."
Lux knew what he had always thought. To be fair, she had thought it for a long time too, that they would one day be married. A part of her still considered this a possibility, but perhaps not with the same enthusiasm as Ezreal.
In a split second, Lux debated continuing on her previous path of trying to tell Ezreal the truth or accepting the situation for what it was and rectifying it later. Remembering the man next to her and the care she needed to take around him gave her a quick decision.
"I know," She admitted. "But love moves in mysterious ways. Still, it has been forever since we caught up. Perhaps I could trouble you for dinner once we're in Bilgewater?"
Ezreal paused for a moment. "I'm afraid my business takes me quickly away from the main cities in Bilgewater. I do have time tonight though, if you don't have anything planned."
"I don't." Lux smiled. "Six, then?"
"Of course." He returned the smile with a charming one of his own. Lux swore she heard Talon snort. "I'll meet you at the mess hall."
With that, the explorer left to go below deck, leaving Lux to deal with the hooded assassin beside her.
"What is wrong with you?" She turned on Talon immediately.
Though the blonde had hoped to draw some shame out of the assassin, all she got was a stoic face.
"Just keeping cover." He replied nonchalantly. "Why? Hoping the fruit cake would save you?"
Lux's eyes narrowed, realizing her previous assumption about Talon's motives had been correct. He had been trying to get a rise out of Ezreal.
Still, something about his question forced Lux to wonder if the assassin was still suspicious that she was trying to escape him so ardently. So Lux decided to approach this issue from a different route, hoping to draw the true nature of the assassin's skepticism from his lips.
"He's not a fruit cake." She paused a moment, for a dramatic effect. "And in fact I was hoping to escape you."
Talon's eyes narrowed on her. "Why?"
"You're a dangerous assassin!" She exclaimed, gesturing at his figure. "What kind of woman wants to travel around with a man she knows could kill her at any second?"
This brought Talon great pause, as if he was trying to discern her true motive. Lux had purposefully sent him on this thought exercise, and it was proving to be effective. If there was one thing she had learned about assassins it was that they were just that. Killers. They could be plenty suspicious, even fairly clever, but they were nowhere near as talented at the mind games as spies were.
"I'm not going to kill you, Lucy." Was all that Talon managed to conjure after moments of contemplation.
For a good few seconds Lux stood there, dumbfounded, wondering what had prompted the assassin to come up with that answer. A part of her, a silly part, was deeply flattered by the notion. She knew this man did not discriminate when it came to whose throat he would cut, but still he had declared her to be safe from the blade.
Just as she was about to reply with the only response she could think of, a simple thanks, Talon spoke. "Hand me the ticket and keys and let's go check out the room. Kat told me she packed away some supplies and I want to ensure they've been delivered."
"That's all fine and well," Lux said as she handed him the tickets and keys. "But if you'll just answer me one question. Where were you for the past hour?"
"Trying to get some information from our good for nothing Captain." The assassin grumbled. "He sent me on an hour long goose chase just to find out you had the items I was looking for."
"Well if you had just waited for me then you wouldn't have been in that mess from the start." The blonde scolded as she followed Talon below deck.
"It's not my fault you're slow." He shrugged.
"No, but it is your problem." Lux said with a laugh.
Talon turned to glare at her. "Do you think it's wise to be taunting a killer?"
"You just admitted you won't kill me." The blonde said with a triumphant look.
"I can change my mind about that, if you like."
"Hmm," Lux paused a moment, putting a finger to her chin in contemplation. "But then that would give Swain a very good reason to put you in jail, don't you think?"
Talon squinted at her.
"You're very sharp considering the line of work you're involved in." He observed.
"And how would you know exactly how sharp or not sharp secretaries are?"
"To quote you," He threw her a quick smirk. "I've dated a few."
Lux snorted. "What, in the 'if I kiss you, I'm going to have to kill you" sort of way?"
"I don't kiss and tell." Talon winked as he opened the door to their room.
Lux stood at the entrance for a second, wondering if perhaps she had imagined that wink. It just seemed so out of character.
But then Talon interrupted her thoughts. "Are you coming in or not?"
"Yeah I am." Lux said as she closed the door behind her. Then she turned to more pressing matters. "Did you just wink?"
He chuckled at her. "What does it matter?"
"You're so odd!" She exclaimed. "One minute you're all broody-moody and the next you're winking! You're like Draven and Shauna rolled into one person."
He gave her a curious look. "Who's Shauna?"
Shauna Vayne was who Lux had been referring to, an individual fairly well known even outside Demacia. Still, few Noxians knew of her temperament, least of all secretaries. Lux needed to dial back the friendliness a touch, it was making her drop her guard.
"Just a friend. She's very… Intense. Sort of like Swain, but bull-headed instead of crafty."
"Hmm…" Was all Talon replied with as he rummaged through the trunks placed in their room.
He pulled out a handful of clothing and threw it at the blonde. "Go get changed. There's a bathroom down the hall."
Lux looked curiously down at the clothing. Who did it belong to?
Talon looked back at her. "I don't think I need to explain to you why a change of apparel is necessary. I'll leave the door unlocked. Go get changed!"
He didn't. On the off chance someone from Noxus found them in Bilgewater, it would be best to be seen in civilian attire.
As she changed, Lux wondered briefly who the garments she donned belonged to. Then, as she pulled the tight t-shirt over her head and noticed the fabric stopped an inch above her belly button, Lux had little doubt that this was part of Katarina's wardrobe. A fitted pair of black pants and a sleek leather jacket completed the ensemble, making Lux look like an assassin wannabe.
With a sigh, the blonde trekked back to the room, accepting her fate as Katarina's play doll. She returned to the room to see Talon pulling a grey t-shirt over his head, and again she watched the toned muscles in action. A blush began to crawl up her neck.
Talon turned around and gave Lux a once over. "I see Kat's clothes fit you."
"Fit is perhaps not the best word." Lux said as she started to button up her jacket.
"I'm pretty sure Kat's bigger than you are." The assassin commented.
"That probably explains why this shirt doesn't reveal my entire stomach." Lux snarked, finishing with the buttons, but leaving the top three undone. She looked up at the assassin to find him hoodless. His shaggy brown hair nearly reached his shoulders, bringing a rugged look about him, instead of the bad-boy appearance he had previously sported.
"Well you won't have to worry about that for much longer." He said, taking Lux's old clothes from her and throwing them into a chest.
"Kat packed you cocktail dresses for the rest of the trip." Talon's humorous smirk did little to make Lux laugh.
She frowned. "I'm sure they're much more appropriate."
"Appropriate?" He laughed. "We're going from the slums of Noxus to the casinos of Bilgewater! Only the Demacians care about 'appropriate'."
Lux inhaled. It was a quiet breath, barely noticeable, and when she saw Talon's eyes squint just the slightest amount, the blonde thought for sure she was done for. But she spoke before the assassin had time to act.
"I'll have you know that every respectable woman cares about appropriate."
He chuckled, relieving some fear from Lux. "And that's why you're interested in the fruit cake." Talon leaned in and looked down on her. "Because he's 'appropriate'."
It was her turn to smirk. "And cute."
Talon snorted and went back to taking inventory of the chests.
Lux hopped on the bed, a soft, comfortable bed, and immediately felt the tension in her back start to release.
"So how long is this boat trip anyways?" She queried.
"Just a night." Talon answered. "After that we'll be in Bilgewater for three days, I suspect. Could be longer but I doubt it will take that long for our situation to be remedied."
"How exactly does our situation become remedied?" Lux wondered.
"Eventually," Talon started, "Swain will have to forfeit this attempt to seal us away in jail."
"What do you mean he will have to?"
"While it is known that I do the occasional mission for Swain, it is blatantly clear that you work for him, and accusing you of a crime would put focus on him, too. Once the Jenkinses start asking questions, Swain will have to cover up the fact that he ordered the hit, in order to save himself. That means he will pin the crime on some other duo, likely another set of people he's trying to get his hands on for one reason or another.
"Once that is done, Kat will send me a message and we can return to Noxus and go about our lives." He explained.
"I don't know if I will want to go back to Noxus after this." Lux admitted as she stared at the ceiling.
"And what, you'll just stay in Bilgewater?" Talon questioned.
"No, I think I'd like to travel." Lux mused. "I've heard a lot of stories about Shurima. I think I should like to go there."
"Quite the dreamer, aren't you?" He noted.
Lux looked at the assassin. He regarded her curiously with his arms folded at his chest, back leaned against the wall.
"I guess." She let the words hang for a couple of seconds. The assassin said nothing.
"I think I'm going to take a nap."
Talon grunted, letting the conversation fall.
It didn't take long for the cooing fabrics and feathered pillows to coax Lux into a deep, well-deserved slumber.