Hi sorry, just edited this chapter to include more things :)

Talon was not particularly among the ferociously obedient champions of Noxus, but he definitely disliked the enemy city-state of Demacia more than he cared to admit. Growing up in the slums, honing his skills through a hardship he could not even begin to describe and actual battle experience that included sparring partners who fully intended to dismember you, Talon hated the extravagance he found to be abundant in Demacia. Sure, the army the city-state kept was apparently known to be ruthless and unforgiving, but they had limits and boundaries that they kept to, they followed rigid discipline while Noxus encouraged actual murder in order to get ahead. That's how it should be done. You train to fight by being in actual fights. Weed out the weak, and only the strong will remain. In the end, even Demacia's soldiers are nothing but pampered nobles. Just looking at the champions that represent the city-state are more than enough evidence of that.

I don't understand why they'd send out one of the strongest blademasters in Noxus to kill a petty noblewoman… Talon thinks to himself, freerunning through Demacia's inner city, deftly maneuvering the sprawling walls and rooftops, quietly and through the constant cover of shadows.

They could send a child armed with a stick and he'd still get the job done. Recognizing the expansive mansion decked in crème and gold, Talon checks for the family's coat of arms Katarina was sure were blatantly featured all over the architecture. True enough, they were there. Nothing but braggarts. I'm actually glad I took this mission. Effortlessly breaching his target house's intimidating fence (imbued with techmaturgy, he noted), he lunged at the tree nearest his target's room, an immense oak tree, knowledge he had thanks to, once again, Katarina's impeccable information. Her reconnaissance missions were without flaw. Talon perfectly reaches and pulls himself up on the desired branch without so much as a creak. Perched comfortably, he tried to peer into the room before him, squinting his eyes at an attempt to look between the dark sable curtains. Perfect, she must already be asleep. Certain that his target was not going to know what hit her, Talon went in for the kill.

Luxanna Crownguard liked to keep her windows open at all times. Her mother reminded her again and again how she was an important figure in the Demacian army, that her unnatural light could draw enemies to her very own bedroom and that they could easily assassinate her if they planned well enough. Despite knowing it was all in goodwill, Lux hated the dark curtains her mother had specially placed in her room, they seemed to suck out not only her light but also her life and her energy.

She might not have wanted to admit it, but Lux held a concealed resentment for her mother, stemming farther back then she would like to remember. Leaving the windows open were not only Lux's small act of defiance— it's not like there's any real danger or that anyone would actually dare attack her, anyway— They were also what soothed her, what made her feel that she was truly free.

Lux was emanating the only light in her darkened room. She decided not to bother activating the lights, knowing she would have to go straight to sleep anyway, her service to the Demacian Army always requiring her to be awake bright and early for more training or missions or whatever it is they'd think up for her. Lux sighed as she peeled off her skin tight leggings, dropping them to the floor only to pick them up again for her to throw onto her pile of discarded armor. Sure, they were comfortable while still being functional, seemingly enhancing all her movements—she vaguely remembers what the summoners called the cloth… "spandex", was it? She was not certain about the name, but she was quite certain about a few other things; that it was imbued with magic, and that it was aggravating to attempt to put on or take off. It would stick to her skin—worse, if she was still sweating— almost like someone had hexed it with adhesive without her knowledge. She also hated how it would clip against her shoulders and waist, and she'd have to take several moments to peel the damned thing off of herself, willing it to stretch just enough to fit through her shoulders. The rest of the cloth that's supposed to be on her abdomen would be covering her head at this point, and the lack of visibility and even the smidge of darkness really, really bothered her. It might have been a very petty thing to be annoyed about, but having to go through that on a daily basis to cap off a day of serving a duty that you detest? It had become more than petty to Lux.

It had just been one of those moments when the faintest clinking of blades caught her razor-sharp attention. "Frankly, being a mother of two, and all, I figured you'd have fuller breasts."

Lux practically jumped out of her skin as she hurriedly slid what she was trying to strip off onto herself. She felt vulnerable only in her upper garment and underpants, but she gained confidence as she tightened her hold on her wand.

"Sloppy work, for an assassin such as yourself, Talon du Couteau!"

She was wondering why he had even bothered to show himself, as opposed to just striking from the shadows as she had understood him to do.

"Oh, you know me, Crownguard? I'm flattered."

He smirked, brandishing the blades at his arms, straightening from his crouch, "You even look a lot younger than I thought you would be, Lilllia Crownguard… it must be a Demacian thing, huh? Looks are more important investments than, say, home security?"

His throaty chuckle really unsettled Lux in a way she couldn't understand, but she knew his ignorance gave her the upper hand. Readying her wand, she let out a giggle of her own.

Without skipping another beat, Luxanna swiped the air with a practiced flourish, the wand focusing the magic in her veins into a small, concentrated beam, aimed directly at her intruder.

Caught immensely off-guard, Talon could only stare as he felt the familiar searing pain of an offensive spell coursing through his body, interrupting him mid-gasp. It was only momentary, the pain gone in a blink of an eye, but now he was faced with a new problem; that of being completely ensnared in a Light Binding.

"What is the meaning of this?" He shouts, enraged at himself for being tricked and at the luminous girl before him, "…Wait, you're… you're that light witch, 'Lux'!"

"Well, thank you for finally noticing. I don't quite appreciate what you've said about me, though."

She said it with a steady candidness, but he could still clearly sense the fear and apprehension dripping from her voice. He figured he still had a shot.

"This spell isn't going to last very long, is it? I know that as a fact." He muttered, purposely driving her a little bit closer to the edge. Talon shifted his weight from one leg to the other as he quietly glared at the radiant walls surrounding him. It was a lot like being in a brighter, warmer glass cage.

"Clearly, your information on my mother's whereabouts isn't the only thing that's utterly wrong. You know we're limited in the Institute. Out here in the real world, I can hold this spell for as long as I wish," He notices her subtly pressing her lips together; She's faking her confidence, alright.

"You're not going anywhere, Talon du Couteau. So you better give it up!"

Talon squares his weight on both feet, ending his constant fidgeting. Bowing his head slightly, he stares directly at Luxanna, crossing his arms, "I'm going to get out of here." He notices her flinch at his gaze, "I'm going to get out of here, and you know it."

"You are not! Making me angry is not going to make things easier for you!"

Talon also notes that she could have perhaps called for help by now; maybe calling out to someone was futile, being in such a big manor and all. She could have left the room or she could use her abilities to, say, fire a beacon or a flare or whatever, but she hadn't. Judging from the fear emanating so strongly from her, he deduces that somehow, he still had the advantage. Luxanna could not keep up his binding without her constant concentration.

This is way too easy. Luxanna was faintly crumbling under her own weight, and Talon felt his features soften as he watched her.

The gravel beneath Talon's feet crackled under each of his light, careful steps. There was a beat to them, he noted, and he was immediately pacified. They were the sounds that always accompanied his victories; running away from shopkeepers he normally stole from, outwitting the guards who wanted him dead, chasing targets who were growing too tired, among other things.

Throwing a backwards glance to ascertain no one sees him, Talon does not even stop as he jumps straight down into what seems to be a random manhole. The cold water of Noxian sewage welcomes him as he splashes into a three-point landing. He's lived on the unforgiving streets of Noxus for as long as he could remember; he figured that mastering the sewers were his best bet, given that no one would even want to go there for any kind of foreseeable reason. Talon always found it to be the perfect escape route. The perfect home, even.

One of these days, they will all see. I'm going to move up to the streets, and no one is going to make me leave. Talon smirked to himself, wading through the noxious waters, navigating his way to the only elevated (and dry) spot. He knew his day of reckoning was approaching sooner and sooner. He had noticed his body growing bigger and faster; his muscles more strongly defined, his strength and stamina almost tripling in just the course of a few months. Naturally, Talon was initially unaccustomed and even disoriented at his sudden growth, having valued his small and lithe physique for his infamous speed and agility. Not long after, he learned to appreciate his seemingly different body, with training he can retain his speed, but now—he noted with the utmost glee— he was also built for power.

Millions of thoughts dashed through Luxanna's astute mind, but despite her brilliance, none of them seemed to be the ones she were looking for. Should she just attack him? Her Final Spark might be too much, but that—and any other of her attacks—would break her Light Binding. It gave him too wide of a window for escape, and she could, under no circumstances, let that happen. What would she tell the Demacian defense? What would she tell her mom? That a heavyweight assassin burst into her room so easily? That she had him trapped, but had let him escape?

Maybe I could let him go and I would just never have to talk about this. But that's stupid. What if he attacks? He was clearly sent here to kill; he most likely wouldn't want to go back without getting anything accomplished. No matter how she thought about it, Talon du Couteau could not be trusted.

"Well, we're kind of in a stalemate here, aren't we?" He offers, his arms still crossed, his stance still steady.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that. You're in my city. In my house, even! Just surrender your weapons, Talon, and we can try to work this out." She unconsciously had matched his stance, holding his gaze with her own through what little courage she had left.

"I'll get out of here. You'll run out of mana, you'll get exhausted. Hell, you already don't look too good." Talon smirked, and that only disconcerted her further, "and I still have all the energy in the world. My unrestrained power, as you had so graciously put it."

Luxanna's unease had snowballed into panic; she felt the sweat starting to coat her skin, despite the coolness of the night, despite the draft she was feeling. Her light radiated and diffused in time with the drums thrumming wildly against her head. With her heart threatening to burst out of her chest, Luxanna's breathing became more ragged and erratic— how could Lux, she, who had spent what was supposed to be the rest of her childhood suffering in the military, be defeated so easily? In a position where she had the upper hand, no less? She was literally the best and brightest, and she was about to fail completely. She was going to shame Demacia, she was going to disappoint her mother and her brother, and she— Luxanna Crownguard— she, was going to die.

BAM!

Lux jumped, startled and unraveled, as her Light Binding popped with a loud blast. Talon had broken what little concentration she had left by forcefully slamming his arms against her incandescent cage, deliberately pushing her completely off the edge. Finally free, Talon descends upon her.