Chapter 3
After parting with Riven at the marsh, Talon and Lux turned South, heading towards the Great Barrier. The entire day was spent in high alert, surveying the area around them for Swain's minions. Thankfully, the Noxian general had not yet discovered their location. Talon had ditched his signature purple outfit for normal travelling gear, not wanting to be recognized.
"We're going to need to head East a little farther and go through the pass." Talon mused as they rode. "We can't just go over the mountains."
"Why didn't we just go with Riven then?" Lux asked, a little disappointed that they had parted with the exile. She had grown to like the white-haired woman. "Noxus is to the East, right?
"It's faster to go North around the marsh if you're heading to Noxus. We'd have to go around the whole swamp, and that would take days." Talon explained.
"Oh." Lux looked up to see that they were approaching a small town of sorts.
"We're stopping here for the night." Talon said, glancing up at the sky. "It's getting dark. Plus, I know a few people in the town. I actually stop here quite often." He added with a small grin.
Lux rolled her eyes, not liking the sound of that. "Okay then."
"Also, put your hood on and pull it down." Talon advised. "Don't want anyone recognizing you."
As they rode into town, few pairs of eyes turned to them as they passed, most people too busy talking and laughing amongst themselves to notice.
Before Lux knew it, they had reached a stable, and Talon dismounted, approaching the stable keeper, who looked up as they entered. He had that rugged look to him, and was dressed in work clothes. "Hey Quince." Talon greeted as he neared. "Long time no see. It's two this time."
Quince smiled in greeting as Talon walked up, rising and clasping his hand. "Sure thing, Jay. It's been awhile." His eyes shifted over to Lux, who had also dismounted and had walked up behind Talon, flipping her hood off. She had no idea how Talon wore his hood all the time. It was rather uncomfortable. "Who's that? Girlfriend?"
Talon glanced back at Lux, a glint in his eye. Lux felt her cheeks heat a little at the question, and turned to the side unconsciously.
"Yep." Talon turned back to Quince with a smirk. "Sorry, she's mine."
Lux's eyes widened a little, and her cheeks flushed crimson. Even though she knew Talon was saying it just to mess with his friend, Lux's heart couldn't help but race.
Quince laughed, slapping Talon's arm. "You gotta teach me how you do it sometime. Anyway, how long you going to be in town?"
"Probably only one night." Talon responded.
"Aw, that sucks. Want to go out for a drink later?"
"Nah." Talon declined with a chuckle. "I've got to take care of her." He tilted his head towards Lux.
"Alright." Quince nodded in understanding.
"Anyway, these two are in your care." Talon handed the reins for the two horses to the man, who took them.
"Anything for you, my friend. Drop by again soon." Quince turned with a wave, leading the horses away.
Lux was shaken out of her thoughts by Talon, who waved a hand in front of her face. "You okay?" He asked. "You're all red. You got a fever?"
Lux started, and fixed Talon with a glare. "That was mean. You're a liar."
Talon laughed. "I have no idea what you're talking about. Come on, let's get to the inn."
Lux pouted, following Talon out of the stables. "You definitely know what I'm talking about."
Talon tilted his head, glancing over at her with a smirk. "You know, you're really cute when you're annoyed."
Lux blushed even harder, if that was possible, and glanced at the ground, her heart pounding. "Shut up. Let's just go." She said, pushing Talon ahead of her.
Talon laughed. "Alright, alright." He reached out and pulled her hood on for her, before turning and leading the way to the inn.
The inn was nothing special, the only thing distinguishing it being the sign in front of the door that read "Hotel".
"One room for one night." Talon walked up to the innkeeper, placing some silver on the counter.
The innkeeper shuffled through a book, then handed Talon a key, saying with a chuckle, "Room 204. Haven't seen you in awhile, Jay. How you been?"
Talon half-smiled. "Been great. Haven't been around these parts recently. Good to see you though, man." Picking up the key, he twirled it around his finger before heading up the stairs to the left of the counter.
Lux followed mutely, ignoring the curious eyes of the innkeeper on her as she passed.
As they ascended the stairs, Lux remarked, "You seem quite popular with these people."
"Well, I stop by here a lot on my missions to Demacia." Talon replied. "They all know me now. Or well, they know Jay. Can't let them know who I really am, now can we?"
Lux hurried her pace, somewhat fearful of being left behind. It wasn't long before they reached room 204.
Upon entering, Lux immediately shed her cloak and jumped on the bed, burying her face in the pillow and letting out a deep sigh of content. The bed was surprisingly soft, and Lux almost fell asleep right then and there.
She heard Talon chuckle, and a second later, something hit her back. Raising her head, Lux found herself covered by Talon's cloak, which he had thrown over her.
Lux lifted the hood and glared out at Talon. "Can you not?"
Talon laughed, dropping his bag on the floor and twirling their room key around his finger. "Come on. Let's go eat. I'm tired of eating bread all day."
As if on cue, Lux felt a pang of hunger, reminding her that she'd eaten nothing but a couple slices of bread the whole day.
Talon headed for the door without waiting for a response, and Lux hurried after him, picking up her cloak and pulling the hood on. As they exited the hotel, Lux looked up and saw someone painstakingly familiar. He was currently talking to people, presumably asking about her. "Talon." She whispered, gesturing down the road. "It's Xin Zhao. They're here."
"Damn, they found us fast." Talon whispered. "It's fine, we're going this way." He turned away from Xin, leading the way to the restaurant.
Lux followed, trying not to be too suspicious. Luckily, Xin didn't notice them, and they reached the restaurant without further incident.
After sitting down and ordering, Talon sighed and laid back in his chair. "You know, this would be so much easier if I was by myself."
Lux pouted, crossing her arms. "Then why don't you just let them take me?"
Talon smiled, leaning forward onto the table and reaching out to pinch Lux's cheek. "Because annoying you is the funniest thing ever."
Lux slapped Talon's hand away indignantly, turning to the side. "I hate you."
Talon laughed, retracting his hand and leaning back again. "Anyway, the fact that Xin is here is a problem."
"Is it now?" Lux asked sarcastically, still kind of annoyed at Talon's responses.
"Come on. You know I'm kidding." Talon pleaded, although his voice still had a hint of a laugh in it.
"Hmph." Lux couldn't help but begin to smile at Talon's infectious attitude, annoyed at herself for being unable to stay mad at him. "What do you propose we do about Xin then?"
"Not much we can do." Talon sighed. "We'll leave as early as possible tomorrow morning. We just need to avoid them for a couple days then we'll be at the Great Barrier."
Lux nodded in agreement, trusting Talon's judgement. She wasn't sure what Demacia would do with Talon if they were caught, and she definitely didn't want to risk it.
After the meal, they returned to the inn, carefully scanning their surroundings for any sign of Xin or his party. They were nowhere to be seen, but Lux still wasn't able to relax until they entered their room, upon which she let out a huge breath of relief.
Talon immediately crossed the room and closed the blinds, while Lux flopped down on the bed, enjoying the fluffiness of the mattress.
"You wanna shower first?" Talon asked, and Lux felt him poke her in the side.
The mage realized she hadn't showered since leaving on this adventure with Talon, the thought instantly causing her to feel a little gross. "Yea." She responded, hopping off the bed. "Sure."
Picking out a set of spare clothes from her backpack, Lux went into the bathroom and closed the door. Turning the water on, she tested it and adjusted the knob until the temperature was right before stripping and stepping into the shower.
Lux sighed in content as the hot water washed away all the dirt and grime she had collected over the past few days. She turned her face up to the stream of water, letting it flow over her.
She still couldn't believe how quickly her life had changed. Just two days ago she had been sitting at a table discussing political garbage. Lux greatly preferred travelling around with her beloved assassin. It was much more exciting.
After scrubbing the soap all over herself until she no longer felt dirty, Lux stepped out, pulling a towel from the rack next to the shower and drying herself. Dressing, she collected her old clothes and exited the bathroom, hanging the towel back on the rack. She found Talon sitting on the bed, nose-deep in the book.
"I'm done." Lux announced, tossing her clothes over her bag. "Your turn."
Talon looked up as she approached. "Is it a thing for girls to shower very thoroughly? Katarina also takes a very long time in the shower."
Lux shot him a glare as he rose and went over to his bag. "I was just thinking about stuff, okay?"
Talon laughed. "Alright, fair enough."
Lux pulled the covers up and slid under, moving to the far side of the bed and facing the wall. "I'm going to sleep."
Talon made a sound of agreement behind her, and she heard the sounds of a door opening and closing, then the shower turning on. Lux pulled her shirt off, tossing it across the room to land on her bag. She preferred to sleep in underwear, finding it more comfortable, especially when the bed was soft.
A wave of exhaustion washed over her, and Lux found she could no longer keep her eyes open. She drifted off to sleep, dreaming about what was to come.