ALL OF THIS IS ACCURATE. Except only one of them is a brainwashed assassin! The heroine, as stated below, is a wardrobe manager for the evil empire who is secretly trying to undermine them from within via satirical costume choices. They flirt when he comes to get local disguises for his assassination vacations.

The funny thing is I've read Hexwood so often (and started reading it often at such a young age) that a.) everything about it is burned into my brain and b.) I have the pleasant illusion of complete understanding of the plot. Every time someone talks about how it's confusing and doesn't make sense I have to stop and remember that, oh, right, the whole book IS written backwards. (And forwards, and sideways, in multiple repetition.)