Should We Meet Again

Chapter Sixteen

"Are you okay?" Talon asked. "I would say it's unwise to move around with a wound like that, but I think we already covered that in your training."

"Yeah... I'm fine." Riven slowly approached Talon's table, visibly wary of the demihuman sitting next to him. "You found me."

"I wasn't trying to," the assassin explained. "I was told you were dead."

"I should be." Riven pulled out a chair and hovered next to it, refusing to sit down just yet. "Who's this?" she asked, pensively motioning toward Ahri.

"I am Ahri," the fox girl answered. "I'm Talon's guide."

"She's a friend," Talon said. "You don't have to worry."

The exile scoffed. "Oh I'm not worried about her; she seems harmless enough. I'm more concerned about the Demacian and the giant bird that looked like it wanted to eat me. Not exactly the most comfortable thing for a Noxian city girl to wake up to."

"That's Quinn."

"She said as much. She's the ranger you went after in Demacia. Why is she here? She almost killed you."

"I," the ranger began, emerging from Riven's room, "have been tasked with the surveillance of the assassin known as Talon, and the prevention of any and all interference with the Demacian war effort that he may attempt."

"Okay, so why are you still alive? You should have been dealt with."

"She's my sister," Talon explained. "She wouldn't leave, so I allowed her to accompany us. I'm not on a particularly sensitive mission at the moment, so I saw no harm in it."

"Your sister?" she asked incredulously.

"My twin, actually. We were separated by an accident when we were young. Next thing you know, I'm in the Noxian alleyways, stealing and killing my way to infamy."

"Don't worry," Quinn began, "He's still Noxian, through and through. He was especially clear about that."

"You'll forgive me if I don't take your word for it," Riven said. "Perhaps we could step outside, Talon? I'm sure you have a lot of questions, and I'd rather we be alone when I give you the answers. Maybe after that's settled, you can properly introduce me to your little group here."

Without a word, the assassin rose from his seat and made for the door, the exile close behind him. He stopped almost immediately after crossing the threshold, closing the door behind Riven. It was still very dark out, but he didn't care to search for a light source. He would waste no more time than was needed.

"Where have you been?" Talon asked. "Why didn't you come back?"

"Do you know what happened?" Riven asked. "I'm sure you have an idea, but do you know the specifics?"

"I don't know... You were moving through Zhyun when you were ambushed and cut off from the main force. Marcus couldn't save you, so he decided to take the Ionians down, too. Is there something I missed?"

"No you have the gist of it," Riven explained. It was evident in her voice that recalling the event pained her. "Your father ordered my death, and the deaths of all those that were with me. I practically worshipped that man, Talon. He was like a hero to me. To have him spit in the face of all that Noxus stands for... I couldn't take it."

She paused for a moment, rage building within her as she searched for her next words. "You know, just days before, I had confronted him about that very subject. I told him what you always told me: that Noxian honor was a lie. Do you know what he did? He lied. He lied right to my face. He lied so that I would keep turning like a gear in his war machine. The night of the battle, circumstance saw that I had a chance to escape, and I did. But after that... I had already killed so many. I couldn't go back to being a pawn in some sick murderer's game."