Noxus

Katarina sighed as she slammed the front door to the Du Couteau estate shut, tired from a long day of skulking around to gather intelligence. "Is there really no one left to kill in Noxus?" she wondered, musing about how for the past few months Swain had only been sending her on reconnaissance missions, no assassinations anymore. "Boring..."

Slumping down in her favorite chair, she plucked an apple from a bowl on the table in front of her, and had just started to peel it with a knife from her boot when a voice rang out behind her, nearly causing her to jump, "Welcome back, sister."

"Cass," Kat said, turning her head to acknowledge her snake of a sister - literally. "Didn't know you were back in town."

Cassiopeia slithered past her and picked out her own apple, which she began slicing with a claw. "Only just arrived this morning... I was called back for an important meeting, and learned some fascinating new details about the future of Noxus - believe me when I say, sister, that the empire, along with the entire world, are on the brink of a major change."

"Sounds like fun," Kat replied, already bored of her sister's riddles. "Have you told Talon about this yet? I'm sure he'd love to hear all about the future of the world or whatever."

"Oh yes, we spoke earlier today," Cass said, before unhinging her jaw to eat the apple in one bite (which Katarina tried desperately to avoid looking at). "By the way, my friend Emilia wanted me to send her greetings along to you," she continued, silently slithering around behind her increasingly bored sister.

"That's nice," Kat said, barely paying attention anymore.

"More specifically, she wanted me to pass on a message," Cassiopeia said, reaching out towards the back of Katarina's neck, "she said, 'Welcome to the Black Rose.'"

Suddenly, Kat felt Cass's cold finger against the back of her neck, but before she could recoil away, a chill ran down her spine, and she felt her muscles locking up. "Hrgkk," she grunted, eyes rolling back in her head as she dropped both her apple and knife. As she felt a shudder run up her body, from the tips of her toes all the way up to her head, her last conscious thought was processing what her sister had been saying, and the startling realization that that wasn't actually her sister talking at all.

When Katarina's green eyes opened again, it was instead Leblanc looking out through them, and she curled her new lips into a wry grin as she picked up the dropped apple and set it down on the table. Standing up, she cracked her neck, before turning to 'Cassiopeia' with a chuckle. "Cass, you've been trying to get me to join your secret club for years - who could've guessed all it would take was a bit of creative magic?" Running a hand down Kat's toned abs and leather-clad legs, Leblanc sighed. "Does this woman ever bathe? These pants are practically glued to her."

'Cass' chuckled, curling her tail around herself. "Jericho kept the Du Couteaus around largely for their efficiency, not so much for their decorum. Though I suppose for the moment, it would be best to keep up appearances."

'Katarina' sighed, "Yeah, I guess." Picking up her knife, she expertly flipped it in her hand before wiping the apple juices off and returning it to her boot. "With the Sinister Blade under our control, however, the status quo of Noxus will soon change." She smiled, a foreign spark in her green eyes, before sitting back down and retrieving her apple, biting into it hungrily. "Not even Swain will be able to stop us now."