the sinister blade.

taken from this generator & this generator! triggering themes & nsfw topics may be present!

The creature they were being hunted by was a clever beast, and had come far too close to ending both of their lives too many times for him to care to admit. A part of him wanted to admit that if he was alone in this endeavor that he'd be in a better position, but deep down he'd know that was a lie. The assassin was a marvel to behold on the battlefield, she had proven as much during their first meeting. Though Garen supposed if she wasn't good than she wouldn't be here with him in the first place.

Still, his comments had been brought on by... what exactly? He didn't show all his cards usually and yet his defensive words had spilled out so easily and now Katarina's venom was melting at his armor and annoying him. He knew deep down he was feeling remorse for far too many things. Things he should have done, things he could have done, and the doubts her had about his choices only seemed to reignite every time the redhead fought with him in battle. He was reminded that his opinions on mages may have been too harsh... Noxians, what of his opinions on their breed?

Deep down he still didn't trust them, he didn't care for their brutality and yet... he'd seen the things the Mageseekers had done. The things he's done. Did he have any right to judge? Katarina was dangerous, it was why he had been hunting her down, but was she as blinded by their nation's rivalry as he was? If so, why did she have his back as much as he had her own? It couldn't be just survival. Could it?

Glaring over at her, he's mindful of his gait, choosing to walk on only soft spots of earth as both were unaware where the beast had gone or when it'd return. "Honor and good deeds are subjective. Letting the beast maul you might have been the good choice. You're an assassin, right? I'm sure all your past and future victims would be thrilled to know you bled out beneath some claws and teeth."

With one more glare to focal his point, he walks past her, shoulders tense and it certainly showed in his march. A good Noxian. It'd be a funny statement if he wasn't royally pissed off. "Saving you was a choice that'll no doubt bite me in the ass later, but I know I won't survive against this thing without your help." He throws over his shoulder in a gravely tone. "Like I said. Good deeds are subjective, and I'd hope in your profession you were aware that people and kingdoms aren't just white and black. No matter how many times we tell ourselves they are." He was aware of this better than most. He could still hear the hurt in his sister's voice whenever he talked about Demacia's ideals and beliefs. Did Katarina know he only took the task of finding her so he didn't have to face his barbaric regrets back home?

Were she on her own, it would have been much easier to slip away unnoticed. Garen makes the effort not to be noisy, true, but not enough to match her; and moving without the hindrance of being bound to him was something Katarina could have done without. The assassin knows, however, for all her skill in stealth, she would likely be dead were she alone. She surely had been close to it, only the knight's intervention preventing that outcome. 

The circumstances aren't ideal, but when were they ever? Following plans is all well and good when they work, yet reality seldom cares for each carefully crafted step idealized before being realized as intended. Improvising had saved her more times than she could count; this would be no different. Her life and her freedom would both remain intact by the end of this. 

Katarina had slipped out of Demacia at the beginning of a rebellion and following the murder of a king. Escaping Demacians under regular circumstances couldn't possibly be more difficult than that. A concern for later, nonetheless; they had to survive before she could think about escaping.

"Honor and good deeds are subjective," She repeats, mockery blatant in her tone. "Is that how you Demacians excuse hunting down mages? Or rather — the mages not related to you?"

"Either way, if you freed me we'd have much better odds in a fight," A hopeless request, the assassin is certain, but there is nothing to lose with insisting on it. "Enough you wouldn't have to worry about my shrill voice getting us killed."

"You can't say all that and expect me to be silent, though. A Demacian admitting things are not black and white? That's a first." Relentless provocation wouldn't help convince Garen she ought to be freed, the Noxian knows, yet the opportunity is too good to pass up. When else would she have the chance to learn more about the Captain of the Dauntless Vanguard like this? He is an important part of the Demacian military, but more than that, a friend to the fourth Jarvan. Any information on someone like that could be useful to the empire, and she isn't one to waste opportunities like that.

Besides, she could admit to herself he had caught her interest with his unwilling admissions.

"In my profession," Katarina says, with a lilt that makes it all too clear his tone had been taken as criticism, even if his wording suggested naught. Her eyes remain on the path ahead, but though she continues the conversation seemingly undisturbed, it would be a mistake to assume she wasn't very attentive to their surroundings. "I do what I must do for Noxus, same as you do for Demacia. You kill people on the battlefield, I kill them without anyone else needing to die. That's all there is of black and white in all of this. I know the empire isn't perfect, but it is worth fighting for, and if you expect me to feel any guilt by talking about what my marks might think or want, you're wasting your breath. They had to die for the good of the empire. I do not regret a single life taken for Noxus."

"But my loyalty does not make me blind. I'm not above admitting my nation has flaws, Crownguard, yet we strive to do better. Can Demacia say the same?" Can you?, the question echoes, though she does not ask in such terms. "Maybe I'm not good by your standards, but your hands are not cleaner, and your nation is far from being in any position to claim the moral high ground your people act like you have a right to."