Du Couteau Manor.

The armoured unit behind Elise parted to form a path towards the entrance, giving the Spider Queen a way out. Weapons remained at the ready, granting the woman only a few meters of room to walk between their shimmering pikes.

One of the hooded assassins spoke, his voice low.

"Guests are invited, you have been requested to leave."

His voice wavered, being one of the two within the Queen's immediate reach. Regardless of training and experience, this was still one elected to be a Champion that they were dealing with. Another voice, originating from the other hooded figure. Higher pitched, matching the assassin's smaller stature, her words tainted with a foreign accent.

"A mess is not necessary, Spider. Your presence is not desired within these halls. The way is clear."

Katarina herself remained silent, hidden away behind a wall of tower shields, not deeming the other Champion worth responding to given the current situation. The mage weaved his magic through the Serpent's wound. Years of experience guided his hand as Katarina eased the blade from Cassiopeia's chest, the younger Couteau's flesh intertwining; any damaged internals repaired with careful mana stitching- sinewy muscles stretching to meet their severed cousins.

More conventional medics arrived, bringing with them medical supplies in order to tend to Talon, binding his wounds with gauze upon applying magically imbued ointment to expedite the healing process; accelerating his recovery speed to a state where he could become conscious- allowing him to take in the bottled vials blessed with healing properties.

A soft clatter as the blade which previously pierced Cassiopeia was completely removed from her body and tossed away. Katarina stood, the two assassins leaving her side and advancing closer to the armored vanguard providing cover for the Du Couteau siblings. Demure household maids arrived unannounced, wrapping an onyx cloak around Katarina's shoulders.

The female assassin next to Elise spoke again.

"Surely you see that our Mistress is currently... preoccupied with pressing matters."

The female assassin found herself holding her breath, addressed directly by the Queen herself; seeking to break the woman's unwavering gaze... yet finding herself unable. She exhaled, breathing out as naturally as she could. The woman swallowed, shaking hands grasping her dagger; although she was also largely unsure if she would be able to bring the weapon to bear with sufficient speed. Everything about the creature was simply mesmerizing, a light tingle going down her spine; the woman suppressed simply by the Spider Queen's imposing presence alone.

It wasn't until the intruder shot a out her silken webbing that both assassin's immediately disengaged. The male found himself only moments away from the wall of shields protecting his Mistress; weapons free. The female, forced to have a one sided conversation with the witch had been slightly less graceful- crashing against the wall itself and taking a moment to steady herself.

Katarina's voice rang out once more after the Spider had withdrawn; the only sound breaking an eerie silence.

"Now that we are fully aware of what exactly would like to enter our humble abode, do make sure that her next attempt ends in failure."

The Sinister Blade turns, glancing towards one of the cloaked assassins with slightly more embroider on his brooch; a simple, subtle way of denoting the figure's status.

"And see to it that she's left our grounds. I do not wish for any more... surprises."

She snaps her fingers as the assassins vanished; the armoured guards shuffling about back to their posts- addressing the medical team still remaining.

"Fix them, then place them in their respective rooms. Report to me their status upon completion of your tasks."

With that, the Blade Mistress returned to her room; closing the heavy doors behind her- a light smirk adorning her face as she notes the numerous blades that had penetrated the wall from the other side. Glimmering softly with the flickering light.

Katarina stirred as light leaked into the room. The sounds of construction, too, flooded her surroundings. She sat up on her bed, this time clad in her usual black attire. A gloved hand passed through the crimson strands, a much more relaxed repeat performance from earlier. Her green orbs remained trained on the steadily withdrawing blades; giving herself a moment of mindless relaxation. She winced as she was brought out of her trance by a gentle knock- sliding her legs over the edge of her bed and standing tall; doing a light stretch as she parted her lips.

"Enter."

The door creaked open, a blond woman clad in a black dress entered, respectfully curtsying before the Sinister Blade. The woman paused after taking a few steps forward, bowing her head once more.

A smile crept onto the Sinister Blade's face, as Katarina reached for the nearby chair, pulling it from the table and giving it a slight spin; taking a seat and resting her arm on the table. Her eyes scanned the demure woman. She seemed late teens... fairly slim- no irregularities in dress. Fair enough. The Sinister Blade spoke again.

"Speak."

The maid raised her head, a genuine smile on her face as she spoke.

"Cassiopeia and Talon are recovering at a steady rate; their lives, as you saw, are no longer at risk. There were no irregularities reported by guards and as such we have begun repairs."

Katarina crossed her legs, leaning back a little further as she recollected the data she had on the woman in her mind. A stray her missing patriarch had picked up off the streets. Her eyes wandered to the girl's face, observing her features. She had been working here for five.. six years now. Katarina's father was right; the girl had grown up to be quite beautiful. She cleaned up rather well... once they pulled the twigs out of her mane anyway. The woman's words were tracked halfheartedly as Katarina mused to herself. A true display of Noxian society at its finest. Even one thrown away like trash can flourish should they have the will. The Sinister Blade was about to speak when the girl excitedly clapped her hands, retrieving a letter from her apron. The blond's heels clicked as she advanced, punctuating the construction outside with soft clicks as she bowed, offering the seated woman the letter with both outstretched hands.

The Sinister Blade furrowed her brows. The seal was broken. She accepted it with a single hand, uncrossing her legs as she leaned forward. Just as she was speaking wonders about her society. Katarina sighed.

"That will be all. Thank you, Rera."

The girl had a curious expression on her face, but knew better than to question as she curtsied once more before leaving the assassin alone in her dimly lit room. Katarina cursed softly under her breath as the door closed; holding the paper over her candle and letting it erupt into flames- discarding the lit letter onto the ground without care. The fact that the creature had so willingly granted another a letter addressed to her didn't particularly bode well for her covert operation. Perhaps she should plan her own... extraction should Swain decide to kill two birds with one stone.

Katarina wandered back towards the door, locking the deadlock as the last vestiges of light were covered up at least temporarily by a fresh layer of wallpaper on the other side; returning to bed to gather her thoughts. Deliberation Hall, tomorrow morning.

A faux stone tile was raised, then pushed aside with a clatter. Stone scraping against stone as the dimly lit network of dungeons beneath the Du Couteau manor was graced, again, with the presence of one of its lieges. Black gloved hands appeared, the culprits in the curious case of suddenly moving stone tiles as they grasped the edge- one on each side of the newly formed rectangular hole in the ground. The fingers tensed, exerting force as Katarina jumped, her red hair dangling below her as she flipped her way out of the hole; inverted as she remained on her hands for a little longer- finally arching her elbows and giving another light push. The assassin landing deftly on her feet, a single hand also making contact with the ground for stability as burning green orbs glanced about lightly. The servant's quarters. This one in particular was the home of her personal maid. Despite the title she didn’t quite have too much contact with her on account of their numerous residences as well as her rather busy time operating as a both a League Champion and an agent of Noxus. Rather unfortunate, really. Katarina turned, placing a knee on the ground as she grasped the stone and replaced it over her handiwork; concealing her personal entrance into the Manor yet again. The small room was completely dark save the glimmer of light leaking in from the underside of the wooden door- the sole entrance into the relatively cluttered room. All of the woman’s belongings populated this rather tiny studio. A few drawers, stacks of trinkets, a table with three chairs, and a simple bed. Interesting how she took such good care of Katarina’s room while her own was a mess.


Footsteps. Hushed Whispers.


Darkness wove into the scant amount of light peering into the room as Katarina rechecked the secret entrance. Scarcely a moment later, torchlight flooded into the shaded room; Katarina only barely managing to conceal herself next to the entrance- two of her blades already drawn. The assassin attempted to gather as much information as possible. Two shadows flooded into the room from the light outside... the footsteps. Heels. The other. Silent. A giggle? She closed her eyes for a moment. Flutter of cloth, the woman's tone of voice... Her burning irises opened once more as the two figures entered the room; their eyes not yet having adjusted to the lightning as the smaller figure walked towards the opposing wall. To light the candles it seemed as the other remained behind to close the door.


The smirk on Katarina’s face only grew further as the blond woman lit not the greater of the candles but the smaller that barely offered any illumination at all. The door slammed shut - the sound of the deadbolt falling into place


"How fitting."


The cloaked man immediately responded as the first of the words were uttered, a concealed blade appearing in his hands; the glimmering silver was forced right between the red head's eyes. The woman's smirk grew even wider as with a flash; steel crashed against steel. A bright spark marked the location where their blades met mere inches from Katarina’s forehead. The male assassin froze, a drop of cold sweat on his brow as his blow had been diverted; sliding past Katarina’s head without so much as a scratch- the woman’s blade held against his throat. His eyes travelled towards his arm, finding that the woman had all but stapled his sleeve to the wall with a dagger; his other wrist grasped firmly by her hand. He seemed apologetic, opening his mouth to speak but the Sinister Blade cut him off; continuing with barely a moment’s hesitation.


“The talented captain of the assassination corps I had inherited~”


The red head laughed lightly, withdrawing her blades and letting the man go as she turned towards the blond. If the maid had been frightened by the recent clash, she showed none of it as mirth filled her eyes; a certain excitement as she curtsied before her Mistress.


“...and my personal maid.”


Katarina withdrew her weapons, including the one pinning the man’s arm as she walked towards the table, taking a seat as the maid lit the greater candles to better light the room. The male assassin stood by the door, awaiting command.


“I apologize for… interrupting your little soiree, but I must thank you both for saving me the trouble of hunting the two of you down. You’ll have time to play in the coming weeks.”


Katarina crossed her legs as the blond returned with a simple mug, filled with rather cheap tea; setting it in front of her Mistress. Warmth radiated from the cup, although the assassin made no move to drink.


“Captain, the preparations are set?”


The man bowed, a rather young; somewhat boyish voice responded.


“Yes, Mistress.”


Katarina spoke again, her hand reaching for the mug as she sniffed the aroma lightly.


“Slight change of operational plans. I’ll need you on the outskirts by the fifteenth. Armament and force are to change to account for my personal effects as well.”


The woman sipped the tea, the maid standing silently behind her Mistress.


“Coordinates will need to be shifted to extraction point B-7. We will use encoding algorithm nine with authentication code seventeen. My previous arrangements with my Zaunite contacts are still in effect and as such you can take your team through that route in my stead. I have been ordered to infiltrate through… a different means. That should leave you two plenty of time to… play.


Katarina glanced playfully towards her maid.


“Don’t be late, Captain.”


The cloaked figure nodded, replacing his hood as the door opened and closed. Katarina sighed softly as the man left, standing once again to place a cloth to close the gap between the door and the hard stone floor; greatly limiting the amount of sound that would escape the room. The female assassin leaned against the door, closing her eyes for a moment.


“Rera.”


The female assassin sighed softly as she opened her eyes once more, walking towards the woman’s closet. She stopped, a few steps away. The blond followed closely behind, stopping a few steps, too, behind her Mistress.


“In the next three hours you will have to teach me everything you know.”


Katarina reached into her pouch and retrieved the vial; handing the ornate glass to her maid. With a sigh, the assassin began to undo the various belts crisscrossing her outfit; the light clink of the vial being placed on top of the dresser registering in her mind as she raised her arms- the blond responding to her Mistress' wordless demands almost seamlessly. Delicate hands removing the black leather that adorned Katarina's shoulders.