Author: Simone, Posted: Tue Aug 3, 2021 9:03 PM, Post Subject: For the Heart I Once Had [P/R]

“This is Darren. He’s going to be the person doing the patrols for the island now. Since I’m a grandmother now I need all the time in the world,” Simone said as she doted on the babies. “This is our son Rex and his wife Hazel.”

Simone had taken it upon herself to pick up two of the babies and make noises at them. She had Sybil and Ella in her arms. “And Llywellyn. Don’t forget about Llywellyn.”

Lewis brought the twins over and Janus stopped his pouting as soon as he got closer to the babies. They liked babies almost as much as Glyn. Ezili brought Glyn down and smiled at everyone. “Hello!” Lucas wasn’t too far behind Ezili. “The babies are here Lucas! LOOK!” Ezili went over with Simone to oo and awe at the babies which Glyn joined in for.

“Ahh, he’s the potato lover,” Darren smirked a bit.

“Yes, he is,” Simone kissed Glyn’s forehead. “This is our daughter Ezili and son Lucas. We got them at the same time but you will find they are the perfect match much to Lewis’s worry.”

Ezili did a little dance and spun around to see Darren, “Nice to meet you!”

Everyone was now coming into the foyer and Darren’s eyes were wide at the group. He was introduced to all of the Terrowin children. Corrine hid behind her brother as she looked at Darren shyly. “It’s alright Corrine. He won’t hurt you we promise.” Corrine nodded and came out from hiding and shook his hand when offered it.

“Missus?” Silva came out from the dining room. “Dinner is done.”

“Oh, good. I’m sure everyone is starving.”

“I could eat three elephants,” Everett said as he marched into the dining room.

“Everett….” Simone warned.

“…I’m washing my hands. I’m washing my hands,” the younger kids went off to wash their hands together.

“Welcome to the family,” Roma welcomed Darren after being told what was going on. “You’ll get along here just fine.” Roma was pounced on by the younger kids and the older man laughed as he carried them into the dining room.

“It’s gonna be an adventure I’m sure,” Darren went with them for a meal watching how lively everyone was. Even Lewis who made faces to get Glyn to eat other things besides potatoes.

Author: Hellebore, Posted: Tue Aug 3, 2021 8:51 PM, Post Subject: For the Heart I Once Had [P/R]

Rex and Hazel both looked absolutely exhausted, as if neither had slept in days. Which, to be fair, was probably the case when it came to having a litter of puppies to look after. Although they had lost one during the fire that destroyed Hazel’s old house, the five other babies were quite healthy. As Simone approached, they all stared at their grandmother with big eyes.

When Simone started oohing and ahhing over the babies, Rex perked up a little with a tired smile, going from left to right as Darren approached. “This one is Vivian. She’s been the quietest one so far. Not a single cry from her….well, yet. Next in line is my boy, Reiki. He’s…going to have it rough with all of his sisters.” With his name called out, he let out a tired yawn and snuggled into his sister.

“This is Ells. I have a feeling she’s a diva…She starts the crying, and the others chime in. Sybil here is quite the cute little one. She’s adorable and loves Momma…and then there’s my special girl, Wynter.” Wynter was indeed special, as the rest of the kids had darker hair. Wynter, though, had a unique, light purple hair that shimmered in the light as Rex picked her up to coddle her.

“You must be someone that Mom and Dad trust,” Rex said as he yawned. “Nice to meet you…”

“You must be one of the red heads I was warned about,” Darren replied with a sly smile.

“Warned…?” Rex asked curiously. “Oh..you probably mean Rhenakos…”

Author: Simone, Posted: Tue Aug 3, 2021 8:37 PM, Post Subject: For the Heart I Once Had [P/R]

Janus was snuggled into Simone’s arms after she let Shaya and Everett go. She was rubbing her face against his and they were sweet-talking each other. Telling each other how much they loved and missed each other.

“I love you more than Daddy,” Janus grinned up at her as she cradled him. He was starting to get to big to do it and it made her a bit sad.

“I don’t know about that one kid,” Simone chuckled. “It might be close but you’ll never love me more than your daddy.”

Janus perked his head up, “Daddy, do I love Mommy more than you?”

Lewis thought about it as he tossed Lila up in the air, “Mmmmm, I love her more than you do but I would say it’s pretty close. I love her a smidgen more than you do.”

Janus made a face and snuggled into her. “Not fair.”

“Totally fair,” Lewis smirked and put Lila up on his shoulders. The little girl held onto his hair as he carried her around.

Simone smiled at Darren, “Lewis did all this to pursue a dream of helping kids… and the fact that I can’t have children myself. It helps the both of us.”

“But the twins…” Darren looked a bit confused.

“Were made out of magic we overproduced. It almost killed us but we love them.”

“AND WE LOVE YOU,” the twins squealed as Lila hugged Lewis’s head.

“Explains so much,” Darren smirked.

“Okay… Introdu–” Simone’s eyes went to the door as Rex and Hazel strolled in with two carriages. “Excuse me.” She gave Janus to Lewis and Janus looked betrayed.

“She replaced me,” Janus whined as Simone went over to dote on the five babies in the carriages.

Author: Dusk, Posted: Tue Aug 3, 2021 8:19 PM, Post Subject: For the Heart I Once Had [P/R]

“Don’t look at me,” Lewis said with a half smirk. “You got yourselves into this.” That earned more cries from Alshaya and Everett. Before Lewis could do anything les, though, Lila appeared above him and fell into his arms.

“Daddy! You’re home!” A similar thing happened with Janus and Simone.

“Lila! Not even a few minutes and you’re already here.” Lewis said with his uncharacteristic grin. “What’s my little girl up to now.”

“Uncle Xeik lost a game to me. Chess is getting boring,” she said with a frumpy face. “I want someone smarter at the game.” This earned a laugh from both Lewis and Simone, and a kiss on the forehead from Lewis. “Poor baby girl. We’ll have to find someone who can play you on equal terms.”

Darren stared at Lewis, a little weirded out by his smile. “Does he…do that often?” he asked Simone.

“All the time,” she replied with her own smile as she babied Janus.

As things settled down, Lewis showed Darren around with a lively Lila in arms. It seemed she missed her father, which was perfect because Janus missed his mother. They could have their own special time together before meeting back up. As the tour concluded, Darren could only shake his head in awe at just how much the two had achieved in such a short amount of time.

“I’m…really impressed Lewis,” he said as they entered the main hall once more.

Author: Simone, Posted: Tue Aug 3, 2021 7:52 PM, Post Subject: For the Heart I Once Had [P/R]

Simone tapped her finger to her lips as she thought about it. “Honestly, building housing for the house help would be a good thing to have. Silva was complaining about having to take a boat or a portal. Though I think she just wants to stay with Henry more.”

She was pleased when Darren took the job and finally she clasped her hands on the table, “One of your jobs going forward is to make sure the kids get back and forth to school alright. They are getting old enough now where I don’t have to go on the boat with them… See the twins are starting school in what a year or two… the teacher hates me and I think my kids make her drink. I was teaching the kids myself but…”

“But?”

“We decided it was in their best interest to be social with other children who weren’t their siblings. There are rules to the island though. No outsiders unless they are approved. No dangerous activities. I don’t want drugs on my island. And absolutely do NOT mention that I have abilities to the people of Benin.”

“Why?” Darren was curious why the last part was a stipulation.

“Because Simone went diva and blew up a few chimneys to get our taxes lowered and she played it off as if the ghost pirates of the island were protecting my poor ailing wife who is ill. They think she is fragile and gets sick a lot.” Lewis appeared amused. “Poor ailing Mrs. Terrowin.”

“Oh hush. I couldn’t think of anything else to get the taxes lowered…” Simone blushed a bit. “Anyways… We can take you back with us when we go so you’ll have to tag along with us until we’re ready to go home. I wonder if–”

“Absolutely not. No more auctions.” Lewis looked dead.

“Why?”

“Please, for my health…”

“And you say I’m the diva.” Simone rolled her eyes. “Roma would take me to auctions.”

“Roma spoils you that’s why…”

“You spoil me.”

“Yeah well… I’m also a selfish greedy bastard soooo~” He teased Simone and she gave him a look.

“It feels good to see you both thriving,” Darren spoke and Simone took a look at him.

“It’s not always so great. Because of everything I go through I have my moments… I have to go see Xeik a lot. Lewis does his best but maybe eventually I’ll tell you what happened to Auclair.” She knew he had found the history of it. She knew he had to have been curious. “Oh yeah, and if an idiot redhead comes onto the island making requests don’t be too alarmed.”

“Which idiot redhead…”

“All of them,” Simone shrugged. “Though one is my son…” She thought about it.

They spent the rest of the time in Egjora going to the different floating markets. Darren hung back and let Simone and Lewis have their little date. Simone would get excited over mundane stuff she had never seen before likely from her upbringing as a noble.

Once their date was done they opened up the portal to the beginning of the island. Thankfully it wasn’t dark yet. “We’ll start you here and show you the island.” Simone and Lewis showed him everything from the pier to the Wisteria tunnel to the many gardens. Lewis even had a bit of pride in showing him the playground and vineyard.

Shaya and Everett were on the playground when they got there. “Yeah, well that new dress Mom got you makes your butt look huge,” Everett yelled.

Shaya was at the top of the playground glaring at her brother before she bounded down and went to deck him. “Your face is ugly!”

“SHAYA,” Simone yelled as she put on her mother tone. Darren had to plug his ears to stop the scream from killing his ears. “If that fist connects to your brother’s nose I’m going to confine you to your room AWAY from Llonan when he visits.” Shaya’s fist stopped just in front of Everett’s nose as she looked at her parents. “And don’t call your sister fat. How many times do we have to talk about this.” Simone marched up and took both kids by the ears. “Apologize to each other.”

“Ow. Ow. Ow. Ow,” Shaya and Everett were crying out for Lewis to help.

Author: Dusk, Posted: Tue Aug 3, 2021 7:34 PM, Post Subject: For the Heart I Once Had [P/R]

“Judging by what you did the other day,” Lewis commented. “I’d say you’re lying about your nimbleness.” The ex-assassin sighed. Simone was right, though. Having help with patrols around the house would be beneficial in the long run, and having a sparring partner who wasn’t Simone would help immensely. It was hard to take training seriously when both opponents could read each other’s minds.

“I’m okay with it. There’s no room in the castle, though,” Lewis stated. “But I have no issues if you build something on the island for yourself. Can even front you the silver if it would help.” He smirked.

Darren was still in a state of shock. Out of nowhere, he was just offered a brand new life. “I=I’ll…have to think about it. I’ve never been offered something like this.”

Lewis shrugged. “Okay. Well…we’ll be here for a few hours still. I don’t mind if you take your ti-”

“Yes!” Darren said immediately. “I’ll take the job.”

“Oh…well that was fast…”

Author: Simone, Posted: Tue Aug 3, 2021 7:25 PM, Post Subject: For the Heart I Once Had [P/R]

Simone snickered lightly and leaned on her palm as she propped herself up. “Angela has pretty much made herself my mother and rubs it in our faces whenever she wants something. The goddess just does whatever she wants when she wants to. One time her experiment resulted in three of me for four days. Poor Lewis~” She teased him softly.

“So… A goddess just does whatever with you guys?”

“It does have its benefits. She’s our doctor now… Took over from Raile’s wife who is Angela’s daughter. She likes to monitor how I’m doing and keep track of it. She’s never done anything like this before. The binding of souls… My new body. She gets paranoid even though her work is flawless. She even put Lewis’s arm in a cast in when he broke it.”

“…That is all really normal… and she does it?”

“She’s an enigma…” Lewis and Simone said together.

Simone thought about it for a while and finally she smiled, “Lewis also started his own vineyard. After he retired from assassinations he got really bored. A bored Lewis is a dangerous one so he decided to start the vineyard after a lot of research.”

“And… do you watch the kids all day?”

“Hell no. I operate a guild with a partner for the arts. I write books.” Simone kept it simple but she saw Lewis flinch for a second at the mention of them. “Raile sells them. As he puts it… We’re very valuable for his business. We also have this weekend stint where we work at his Angel Cabaret named Heaven. Lewis works as a bodyguard and I am a hostess. Something to get out of the house. On occasion, like today, Raile and them throw us out of the castle to get some time together.”

“Castle…”

“I suppose that’s the bigger surprise. Lewis bought us a huge castle and an island all to ourselves. A place we can control and keep safe for the kids.” Darren’s face was the look of shock. He was barely hanging on. Simone noticed his face and she looked at Lewis briefly. “You know… We could always use someone to patrol the island. It gets tiresome doing it myself all the time. The kids always get upset when I go to do it. You’ve lost a bit of weight since your time at Raith’s.”

Darren was shocked as he looked in between Simone and Lewis. “Why would you offer that?”

“You helped Lewis when he needed it the most. When you didn’t have to even though he was an asshole. This makes you a good person and someone we can trust. We don’t trust very often so for us… This is more beneficial than just choosing anyone. Trust us… We interviewed for over two years just to have the small amount of help around the castle that we do. Plus… Lewis could use someone who is not me to practice with. He doesn’t want to lose his edge and I’m not as nimble as I used to be.”

Author: Dusk, Posted: Tue Aug 3, 2021 7:11 PM, Post Subject: For the Heart I Once Had [P/R]

It was rare for Lewis to be asked a question regarding his work and what he did now. Darren had caught him a little off guard, and the ex-assassin had to think on how to answer it.

“Well, after Lo-, well…after Raith fell, we ended up in Jayou for a time. I still had my connections in the underworld, and kept up with my high profile jobs. Getting silver was really easy for me, but I definitely suffered with work and life balance. In the end, a…friend of course came up with a proposition. He’s…really good with silver. So, we invested…”

Lewis looked away for a moment. “That investment…produced ten times the amount of silver I put into it in less than a year. And it…hasn’t slowed down.”

Darren’s jaw dropped. “W-who…”

Lewis shook his head, his dead stare somehow even more lifeless than usual. “It’s…not worth it. The favors his family requests are near inhumane…” Visions of Lady Angela and her ‘experiments’ flooded his mind. “I swear she calls in more of his favors than anyone else…”

“Who calls in favors?” Darren asked. Now he was getting confused.

“For…lack of a better word, Mother in law…” the sad part was, due to the way that Simone had been reborn, this was highly accurate.

Author: Simone, Posted: Tue Aug 3, 2021 6:40 PM, Post Subject: For the Heart I Once Had [P/R]

Darren was sort of terrified by the twins but the look Simone gave him spoke of not showing them that. While Simone was amused she was holding it in and only displaying her worry. They were getting awfully good at not only sensing familiar mana but also replicating what they were seeing.

Simone let Janus go easily as she listened to the twins' protest. “No,” Simone said.

“No?” The twins looked at her.

“Whatever you two are plotting. No.”

“Why?”

“Yeah, why?”

“If you cause any more trouble…” Simone thought long and hard as she thought up a punishment. “I won’t give Glynn any potatoes for five nights.”

“YOU WOULDN’T!” Lila yelled.

“He would be so upset!” Janus yelled with his sister.

“Oh, I would. You know I would. You know what I would tell him?” Simone leaned over. “That it’s because of you two…”

“HE WOULD BE UPSET AT US!” Janus yelled as he started to get tears in his eyes.

“Don’t hurt Glynn!” Lila was almost crying too.

“Then what are you both going to do?”

“Behave.” They both answered together and looked up at Xeik with tears in their eyes. “We go home now.”

“Kids,” Simone sat up with a smile.

“Yeah?”

“We love you.”

“We love you too…” They answered knowing full well they couldn’t contest the love they felt from their parents.

“Thank you Xeik… For finding them for us,” Simone took Lewis’s hand and watched as the twins left. “…Maybe we should have restricted their magic…”

“Do they do this often?”

“They’ve been doing stuff like this since they were born… It’s gotten worse as they have gotten older. They can pull knowledge from us and the only thing really stopping them is their bodies being so tiny. As they get older they can’t pull as much but… They’ve already learned how to do most things.”

“That… sounds exhausting.”

“You have no idea…” Simone sighed. “It started innocently enough. Janus discovered he could portal. So when we tried to get him to walk for the first time he refused and just portaled to me. Then we told him he couldn’t do that so he portaled me to him… And he’s just been doing stuff like that ever since. Lila is the wildcard. She was more interested in climbing things and getting into stuff like a regular toddler but she has a wild streak in her.”

“Who is Glynn?”

“He is our youngest. He’s around two now but the twins adore him. They would do anything for him. I hate weaponizing him against them but… They fear so very little.” Simone looked distraught at the thought of something happening to them and quickly sipped on tea as she got it to calm herself down.

“…Out of curiosity… Lewis what do you do for a living now?” To keep fourteen children… They would have had to have a lot of money, especially for Simone to go to auctions like it was nothing.

Author: Dusk, Posted: Tue Aug 3, 2021 6:28 PM, Post Subject: For the Heart I Once Had [P/R]

Lewis should not have been surprised. If anything, he should have expected it to happen sooner rather than later. Yet, he was just as surprised as Simone to find his children walking over to say hi. They were starting to get scarily independent and capable, even with the waning power of the resonance.

Lila hopped up into Lewis’ lap and stared at Darren with an intense glare. “He bothering Mommy.” She started to raise her hands, but Lewis put them back down.

“Both of you calm down. It’s fine,” Lewis said with a smirk. “He’s an old friend. From when Mommy and daddy first met. He was checking up on us.”

Lila looked at him, and then up at Lewis. “He smells like you used to smell. Did you work together?” It was rather frightening how smart Lila was becoming. The fact that she could discern something like this meant that she was capable of doing much, much worse.

“I think it’s about time that you got home. I’m sure they’re panicking about now looking for you two,” the ex-assassin said as he ruffled Lila’s hair.

Janus looked to the door, and pointed. “Why? Uncle Xeik is here.”

Lewis looked over, and blinked. There was no one there, and Lewis wasn’t one to miss a presence. “No he’s no-”

A gate opened, and Xeik popped out, immediately identifying the twins. “Hah! Found you, you little twe-” He looked up and noticed that Lewis and Simone were holding them. “Oh…well…that…that makes sense, actually.” He walked over to the table, and took the twins in each arm.

Janus and Lila both pouted. “No! We wanna stay!”

“Now, now…your parents need a break, even from you,” Xeik replied with a sigh. “Not even they can handle you both all the time…”

“No break!” Janus demanded.

“Play!” Lila responded.

“Play?” Janus asked as he looked at Lila with a devious smile.

“Play!” his sister responded with an equally concerning smile.

Author: Simone, Posted: Mon Aug 2, 2021 9:10 PM, Post Subject: For the Heart I Once Had [P/R]

Simone cocked an eyebrow at Lewis which went away as soon as he thought better about what he would say to her. “Remind me to tuck you into bed with some of the deviants. I bet that will help you.” She was joking with him but even she knew that it was a terrible process for him to go through.

“Sure, changed,” Simone smirked a bit but then her smile slipped as her eyes landed on two little bodies holding hands. “…Wild deviants.” Lewis looked with her and there was a brief sense of fear that washed over them both.

The little bodies came over to the table and put their hands on top of it to get a better look at Lewis and Simone. “Come home when?”

“When we’re done with the day,” Simone was struggling not to scream. “How did you two do that?”

“Saw Gerald portal,” Janus spoke innocently.

“Felt where it went,” Lila answered.

“Focused on you,” both of the twins answered. Lewis’s face was draining its color.

“You two…” Simone and Lewis both took one. “What if you got hurt?”

“Not hurt,” Janus and Lila began to check each other. Darren was taking in the mini-mes that Lewis and Simone had produced.

“But what if you were?”

“Then… Daddy shank them,” Lila shrugged and looked up at Lewis with a giggle.

“I shank them too!” Janus yelled and clapped his hands.

“Okay but you two… You can’t do this. You know you scare Mommy and Daddy when you do things like this? What if Uncle Raile and Aunt Leilah find out you are missing and they get scared?”

“Should do a better job,” Lila answered with a huff.

“Lila… You are being a brat,” Simone said softly.

“Yeah Lila. A brat,” Janus nodded towards his sister. “We sorry Mommy and Daddy. We missed you.”

“And we miss you but we need our time too…” Simone rubbed her nose against Janus’s nose.

“What if Mommy gets hurt when we not here?”

“YEAH WHAT IF MOMMY GETS HURT WHEN WE NOT HERE?”

Lewis smirked a bit, “I can take care of your mommy. I promise.”

“I’ll fight you.” Janus squinted at his father. “Make sure. Promise.”

“I already promised,” Lewis put up his hands.

“These… are your two biological?” Darren finally spoke up amused by it all.

“Yeah, what about it?” Janus and Lila said to him.

“He bothering you Mommy?” Janus looked up. “She mine.”

“Oh goddess here we go again…” Simone sighed a bit.

Author: Dusk, Posted: Mon Aug 2, 2021 8:57 PM, Post Subject: For the Heart I Once Had [P/R]

Now that they were in the little care, Lewis felt better about the whole situation. Simone was away from the auction, and that was the most important part. Everything else was secondary, and Simone could feel that from Lewis. She ignored it for the time being, and let Lewis answer the few things that had been asked.

“Simone and I…we’re…” Lewis thought for a moment. Usually it was Simone who did the explaining. “Well…we’re magically bound together. We can hear each others thoughts, and we’re…the same person?” The ex-assassin threw his hands up. “I don’t know. All I do know is that we’re always talking to each other, even when we’re not physically talking.”

Simone gave him a look. “You seem to be struggling today, dear.”

“Maybe it has something to do with the auc-” He thought about what he was about to say, and sighed. “I’m just tired.” That was the truth. He was still losing sleep over the nightly transformations, and Angela nor Xeik could find a way to fix the problem.

“Yes,” Lewis said as Simone brought up Alshaya and Everett. “We have quite a few. Thirteen-”

“Fourteen,” Simone corrected.

Lewis paused, and looked at her, and then back to Darren. “Fourteen kids. Only two are biological, though…” He paused. “Sort of…” He waved his hand. “Nevermind. What matters most is that we love them.”

Darren seemed almost shocked at the amount of kids they had. The awkward assassin Lewis Dusk…with children. That thought was absolutely terrifying. Yet, with the way he was acting now, it almost seemed appropriate.

“You’ve changed…”

Author: Simone, Posted: Mon Aug 2, 2021 8:46 PM, Post Subject: For the Heart I Once Had [P/R]

Simone came over with a ceramic vase in her hands. “As complicated as Lady Angela backhanding you for waking her up… Which is what I’m going to do to you for making me lose that auction.” There was a deadpan look on her face.

“You don’t mean that Mone…” Lewis sighed a bit.

“…Don’t you tell me how I feel.”

“Mone, I can literally tell you what you are thinking about right now. You are just being a brat.”

“…You’re a brat.” That was all she had before Lewis choked on a laugh. Simone was fussing a bit as a portal opened up and their butler came out and took the vase from her. “Can you put that in the courtyard… Preferably…”

“Mone, don’t you go down that rabbit hole. If you try to make it perfect right now you are going to make us go home.”

“But…”

“Mone….” Lewis gave her a look.

“Oh fine!” Simone threw her hands up. “Can you put it on the pedestal in the courtyard for now?” Their butler nodded and took it away. Mone was vocally fussing at Lewis who leaned over and kissed her cheek. “Don’t you kiss my ass Lewis Terrowin.”

“Whatever you say Mrs. Terrowin,” Lewis snarked back at her.

Darren looked between them. “It really is you.”

“Oh, hi Darren.” Simone waved.

“Did you just now notice?” Darren and Lewis stared at her with amazement.

“…Sorry I get really into auctions.”

“So I noticed…” Darren gave a smirk. “So you were brought back?”

“And mentally chained to Lewis for the rest of our long lives. Which is effectively forever now,” Mone smirked a bit as she held Lewis’s hand. “Poor bastard has to deal with me for the rest of his life now. I saw a cute cafe lets go that way.” She took Darren by his sleeve and dragged Lewis with her. Once they were sat down Simone began to order food and tea. She even went so far as to order what Lewis wanted since she knew.

“So… Does she speak for you all the time or? Is it something to do with how you brought her back?”

There was a look on Mone’s face for a moment, “Shaya just punched Everett.” She looked at her ring.

“Everett? Shaya?” Darren looked between them. “Do you guys have kids?!”

Author: Dusk, Posted: Mon Aug 2, 2021 8:35 PM, Post Subject: For the Heart I Once Had [P/R]

The little trick that Lewis played wasn’t too terrible, but Simone seemed to be fussy over losing the opportunity to buy another painting. It was no real loss, but there had to be a way to break Simone away from the auction. If he hadn't done it, they would have been here for the rest of the week.

Lewis turned his attention back to Darren finally, and that was when Darren started to misunderstand what was happening. There was a half smile from Lewis, and the poor assassin had to double take. Lewis’ smile was never a good thing. At least, it used to not be a good thing.

“You think…?” The ex-assassin looked back to his Simone, and then to Darren. “That I found someone who looks like Simone? Did I really look that desperate to you?”

Without hesitation, Darren nodded.

Lewis dropped his smile. “Oh. Well…you don’t have to worry. That’s the real Simone.” He waited for a moment for Darren to respond.

“You’ve gone mad…worse than I thought,” Darren stated with a concerned look on his face.

“Lord Raith was not the only god who took interest in Simone,” Lewis said with a sigh as he realized this all warranted an explanation. “Lady Angela, the Goddess of Life and Love…she brought her back. It was…” He paused. “Complicated.”

Author: Simone, Posted: Mon Aug 2, 2021 8:20 PM, Post Subject: For the Heart I Once Had [P/R]

Darren was off-put by the Simone look-alike and the fact that she was clearly with Lewis. Yes, this woman looked like an older version of the girl that had been with Lewis but… This couldn’t be healthy. “Just continuing what I was learning under Lord Raith. Assassinating here or there,” Darren shrugged. “Enough to live on.”

Simone ran up to Lewis and held his hands, “Please? Please? Can I bid on it? PLEASE?!”

Her energy made him look half dead and Darren was taken back by it. Simone was so sucked in by the auction that she didn’t notice Lewis talking to anyone.

“Love, where are you going to put that painting?” Lewis asked calmly but as deadpan as possible.

“Um…” Simone got really quiet as she thought about it. After a few moments, she moved her mouth to answer.

“SOLD FOR FOUR HUNDRED SILVER.”

“GOD DAMN IT LEWIS YOU DID THAT ON PURPOSE,” Simone yelled before crossing her arms. “I’m going to get my fucking pottery.” She stomped off and Lewis let out a sigh of relief.

“Sorry, she gets really into auctions,” he explained slowly.

“It’s not a problem just… Lewis, don’t you think it’s unhealthy?”

“Unhealthy?” Lewis tilted his head.

“To find someone who looks like Simone…” Darren had to come out and say it. “She died Lewis… You shouldn’t chase her ghost by replacing her with someone who looks like her.”

Author: Dusk, Posted: Mon Aug 2, 2021 8:11 PM, Post Subject: For the Heart I Once Had [P/R]

Lewis closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It wasn’t about the silver. Far from it, in fact. Silver was the one thing they didn’t have to worry about. She could have bet half a million silver and not even make a dent in what Raile was bringing in for them with their ‘investments’. No, this was about Simone’s pride. If there was anything that could be considered a fatal flaw with Simone, it was her inability to admit defeat.

Darren was an unexpected twist to it all. At first, Lewis barely recognized the man before him. After Lord Riath’s fall, Lewis assumed he would never see any of the other acolytes again, yet here was one in front of him; one who had helped him even. “Why are you…” For a moment, Lewis was confused. How was he here? Was this a test, or worse, was this an attempt on his or Simone’s life?

They were in broad daylight, and none of Lewis’ mental alarms were going off. It was just Darren.

“SIX HUNDRED!” Simone yelled aggressively.

Lewis held up one finger to Darren, and turned to the obtuse man who was betting against his wife. “JUST LET HER HAVE THE DAMN POT FOR ANGELA’S SAKE!” The sudden outburst by the ex-assassin got everyone’s attention for a moment, and the whole auction got quiet.

Simone glanced to the man, and then to the auctioneer, and twirled her fingers in a ‘hurry up’ motion.

When Lewis turned his attention back to Darren, he realized that the ex-follower of Lord Raith was almost as confused as Lewis was.

“So…what have you been up to?” Lewis asked in an awkward, casual way.

“SOLD!” The auctioneer said with a slam of his gavel. And the next piece we have is-”

“OH LEWIS IT’S PERFECT!” Simone squealed as she pointed at the painting that came up next.

“For fuck’s sake,” Lewis said with an eyeroll.

Author: Simone, Posted: Mon Aug 2, 2021 8:00 PM, Post Subject: For the Heart I Once Had [P/R]

Many Years Later.

Egjora Floating Market, Auction Square

Simone and Lewis were out and about by themselves for once. They had been kicked out of the house by Raile and company to have some alone time together. Leilah said it was good for them to just be by themselves. So they had decided to go see what the floating markets of Egjora had.

It was unfortunate for Lewis that there was an auction going on. “Why did I have to take this way,” he was grumbling as he had his hand to his face.

“Fifty-six!” Simone yelled as she put up her little sign.

“Simone… We can make o–”

“It won’t be this on–”

“Sixty!” Yelled a man.

“THREE HUNDRED!” Simone yelled as she put up her sign once more. The crowd was in shock as they watched this tiny woman fight it out with what looked to be a well to do noble.

Lewis let out a groan. This is why he never took her to auctions. She really, really got into them. They knew a nice talented sculptor back in Benin… Why did she want this particular piece so bad? The twins flashed briefly in his mind.

Of course. It’s for the kids. It was an azure pot with many constellations painted on it in gold paint. Lewis was putting his forehead against a wall. “So much for a day out… We are going to be here all day.”

“…Lewis?” A familiar voice pulled Lewis from his agony over his auction drunk wife. “It is you…” An older Darren stood in front of him in shock.

“FIVE HUNDRED SILVER!” Simone yelled as the auction went on.

Author: Dusk, Posted: Mon Aug 2, 2021 7:51 PM, Post Subject: For the Heart I Once Had [P/R]

Lewis didn’t seem to care that Darren was taking care of him. A small part of his conscious mind questioned it, asking himself why anyone would care…how anyone could care for him, but he was far too apathetic to care. Darren did his best to clean the few wounds that were grievous enough to warrant attention, and then brought Lewis a book that he had found about Auclair. He hovered for a moment longer, making sure that Lewis and Snowball were adequately taken care of, and then left.

The assassin had no idea what to do with the book. It sat on the table, and Lewis immediately took a hold of it, tossing it out of his sight. Auclair did not matter now. Simone was gone. None of that was relevant. Yet, there was some part of him that wanted to know more…

After a moment, he stood up and walked over to the book, picking it up. He leafed through the pages, and stopped at the end of the Auclair Kingdom. As he read, his mind remembered the dream dive, and the flames that consumed the land in its entirety. For her…for Simone, her whole world ended there.

If I knew there was going to be a light for me to find I would have held on so much tighter to my life.

Lewis scoffed and went back to the couch, producing another bottle of liquor. He started to drink it down, and closed his eyes. “Worthless sentiment…”

Because I am afraid if you beg I will give in to you.

Lewis groaned, and started to chug the rest of the bottle. “Stop it…just stop it already.” He wanted the pain to be gone. He didn’t want to feel this emptiness, this sorrow.

I’ll be waiting for you no matter how long it takes.

“You’re gone. You can’t-”

“If… I had a way to bring her back for you, I would.”

“Fucking useless,” he said as he produced another bottle, chugging it immediately.

You who has become the light of my life.

I love you.

I always will.

When Lewis opened his eyes, there was a strange, red string tied to his ring finger. “No…fuck you…” But that was not how Elysia worked, and the red string tugged him hard into Elysia, where the Goddess of Life and Love awaited his arrival…

“Fine then…if I’m going to be here…then bring her back…” Lewis pointed in no particular direction. “Bring her the fuck back…”

Author: Simone, Posted: Mon Aug 2, 2021 7:22 PM, Post Subject: For the Heart I Once Had [P/R]

Darren had kept watch over one of the top assassins in the temple. He was slowly becoming unhinged. He was destroying himself. He had listened as Lewis read the letter and later the hatred that was left for the gods. This was a normal part of the grieving process but… Darren had known that Lewis was going to get destructive. In the shadows, Darren watched and waited. He made sure that Lewis would stay relatively safe even with his reckless behavior.

He pulled Lewis up at the tavern and looked him over, “Let me treat your wounds. She would hate it if she saw you like this.” He got him back to the tower and started to clean Lewis up. “I don’t know what Simone went through that made her want to die but…” Darren held his breath. “It sounds like she was alone for a lot of it. She didn’t know how to cope.”

He began to bandage up Lewis where he needed it. “People who suffer in silence often don’t know how to share their pain with others. That isn’t your fault Lewis. She always had a smile on her face with you though but I wonder what she looked like when she was alone.” Darren didn’t know the extent of what Simone had been through.

“I have something for you. Up to you if you want it. I was going to give it to you to help with her but… I was a bit too late.” He left for a moment before returning with the book. “There’s not a lot on her family but it has a bit of history on Auclair. There’s a little bit on Simone in there as well.”

He made sure there was food for the assassin and Snowball. He hated seeing them both like that. Darren thought for a bit, “If… I had a way to bring her back for you I would.”

Author: Dusk, Posted: Mon Aug 2, 2021 7:11 PM, Post Subject: For the Heart I Once Had [P/R]

The last of the words of her letter left his lips, and then seemed to hang in the air. Snowball was quietly staring at Lewis, in a form of shock as well from what he had heard. There were far too many emotions for Lewis to comprehend, and all of them were hitting him one by one, overwhelming his senses.

Sadness. That was the easiest one to figure out. He was sad that she was gone. Anger. That was a weird feeling. Why was he mad at her? Hatred. A little different than anger, but it was easy to figure out that it was directed at himself. There were more emotions, but it was too much to handle, and finally he fell to his knees. There was one feeling, though, that had never left… that hollow emptiness, that longing for Simone to be here once more. That had never left…

“That damned goddess…” Lewis said as he started to shake. “She knew…she had to have fucking known…” The usually calm and collected Lewis was slowly breaking. Tears formed at the corner of his eyes as he tried to fight them back. “Fuck her…fuck all of the damned gods…Fuck destiny…fuck fate…and whatever the fuck else it all means…” He slammed his fists down hard into the stone floor. The pain was sobering…

Pain. All of that love, all of that giving…the request for death. All of it lead to this moment of pain.

“That’s what living is, isn’t it…” he said. He slowly got back on his feet. “Then…I guess that’s it. I’ll live for pain…”

—

The next several days passed with Lewis doing what he did best. Killing. But, there was a change…instead of taking his targets swiftly and efficiently, he tackled his problems head on. The target…the guards…hell, anyone who would get in his way would all fall to his blade. If they fought back? Even better… the cuts and bruises he received were a reminder that he was alive. And at the end of the day, he would wash it all away with ale and other liquors…

That was life. That was love. Pain.

Author: Simone, Posted: Mon Aug 2, 2021 6:51 PM, Post Subject: For the Heart I Once Had [P/R]

“By the time you actually find this letter, I’ll be gone. I’ve managed to hide this from my younger self as well as you if I’ve done my job right. I’m not very good at voicing my thoughts and my words to you. Call it a weakness of being sealed inside myself for so long. So I’ve decided to write this letter. The primary purpose of hiding it is so that you don’t change your mind about killing me. Because I am afraid if you beg I will give in to you.

I’ve spent most of my life with various types of people. Watching myself fall in love or think I have fallen in love. Never have I ever wanted to punch a man as I did you though… At least, a man who hasn’t truly hurt me. At first, you frustrated me and I couldn’t even tell you want I wanted to. The clarity of the loophole wouldn’t last long enough for me to speak my entire mind.

The dream dive that we had together was the first time I have ever been able to tell my story… and I’m glad it was you. For as much as I wanted to hate you, I couldn’t anymore. I have decided that I will love you always. I will love you until I’m dead. I will love you even after I’m dead. The warmth of the love I get from you is the type of love I’ve never felt. It’s warm and fulfilling. For the first time, the true me, was happy. Even in the most mundane things we did, I was happy.

I promised everything above and below I would end what was started. I’m just sorry I promised it. If I knew there was going to be a light for me to find I would have held on so much tighter to my life. A promise is a promise and I don’t dare go back on it. I’m not entirely sure if you love me the way I love you. You are an enigma but that is not a bad thing to me.

I think that once the curse ends that I’ll ask you to marry me… and by the time you read this– Hopefully we are. Are because even in death I would always honor that. It is, after all, a promise between you and me. You who has become the most important person to me. You who has become the light of my life.

I love you.

I always will.

Should I be denied my request in death… I’ll be waiting for you no matter how long it takes.

-Simone”

Author: Dusk, Posted: Mon Aug 2, 2021 6:39 PM, Post Subject: For the Heart I Once Had [P/R]

Her death had been quick as promised, and when it was finally said and done, Lewis felt…nothing.

Lewis wasn’t sure what to expect from it all. The love he felt for her was real. At least, that was what he assumed was love. Lady Angela had not questioned it, nor had she brought attention to his actions and devotion to Simone’s wish. No, she had questioned it, but in a way that had confused Lewis.

”If you follow through, you are going to destroy yourself.” Those words had meant nothing to him at the time. It was what she wanted. It was what he had wanted, but… was that love? Was this what love was? This agonizing hollow feeling? This emptiness that felt like it could swallow the world itself?

He had decided, in the end, that love was pain. That was what it had to be. All of that happiness that he had experienced…that was the precursor to the pain.

“Love is pain,” he muttered to himself as he drank another bottle of cider. When did I get here? he wondered. The tavern around him seemed mostly irrelevant. All that mattered was the apple flavored ale in front of him, and the numbing effects it had on his senses. It even had a faint scent of…

“Orange blossoms…” Was that real, though? Or was that his mind trying to recreate something that would never be? She was gone. Simone was gone. Her quest for peace had been accomplished. He closed his eyes, and felt the room start to spin. How much had he consumed?

“Love…love is,” he tried to say, his speech slurring. He slid off the stool, but was caught by a stranger. At least, Lewis didn’t recognize him.

“Come on… Let’s get you back home.”

The voice was somehow familiar. It was someone from the temple. Who they were, though, felt mostly irrelevant. They weren’t Simone.

“If you need me… You know where to find me.”

Darren. That was his name. They had met before, but for some reason Lewis couldn’t quite place it. It was too hard to think, and suddenly he felt churning in his stomach. He barely made it to the window before emptying the contents of his stomach out of the side of the tower.

There was a faint chirping as Snowball landed on his shoulder, a mixture of sadness and consoling in the bird’s tone.

“I know…but there isn’t anything to do about it other than…other than to move on,” he muttered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.

Snowball chirped again, and nuzzled the side of Lewis’ face before flying back to the little bird cage that had become his home.

Lewis walked over to the couch, and flopped down on it. Underneath was another half bottle of some foul liquid that wasn’t ale. It wasn’t what he wanted, but it would do the job just the same. Without a word, he chugged the remainder of the bottle, and passed out.

—

The next morning he rolled off the couch, and groaned as he hit the stone floor. When he opened his eyes, he saw the threading that Simone had been using to embroider. He pulled it out, and a small note fell off what looked like an unfinished project.

“Dear…dear Lewis,” the assassin read aloud. “I hope this letter finds you…”

Author: Simone, Posted: Mon Aug 2, 2021 4:16 PM, Post Subject: For the Heart I Once Had [P/R]

(Part one of this thread takes place in the past before/immediately after Simone died in Apoy)

Darren had watched Lewis blossom to life. It was almost inspiring in a way how much the girl had brought life to the otherwise deathlike assassin. He was awkward and it showed in most things he did but Simone had brought something out of him. He wouldn’t have paired the two of them together. Simone was innocent, kind, and always looking out for Lewis’s help.

Their love was blossoming in front of everyone. It was neat to watch as it unfolded. In the year that Simone had spent with all of them she easily won over almost everyone, she spoke to in the temple. She had an air of mystery to her since she couldn’t remember anything about herself aside from her name and where her title. Her words had always stuck in Darren’s head. ‘The last thing I remember was snow’. However, when Lewis had brought her it was summer. That was a lot of time that was lost for Simone. It wasn’t too clear how Lewis had found the girl either.

Dead set on helping Simone find a part of herself Darren had begun to look through the lineages for Auclair. If she was as important as she remembered she would be somewhere and so would her family. He kept it quiet as he scoured royal family lines. Auclair came up only a few times in really old texts. However, Simone was only sixteen… It drove him crazy trying to put together the puzzle pieces.

Under candle light he sat at his desk reading books from the era around the time the Auclair line existed. “The Auclair line ended with the damning hellfire that destroyed the city. There were no survivors. This included the king of Auclair Jurian and his daughter Simone…” Darren sat in his chair and leaned back. “Maybe she is confused. There’s no way Simone’s that old. Maybe I can show Lewis this.” He closed the book and put it away for the time being. He had gone through a lot of trouble to get it… It was a shame that he never got to show it to Lewis before that day.

He was walking back into the temple when he spotted Simone throwing herself from the tower. She was covered in bodied rags and Lewis was jumping out after her. Magic enveloped them before they hit. It was the last time he had seen Simone…

Lewis showed up after a bit and it was like a piece of him was missing. He was back to the same old Lewis before Simone had opened him up. Two days in and Lewis seemed fine but Darren had a feeling all wasn’t so well on the surface. He spotted the ring on Lewis’s finger. What happened? He got clues to his answer the night he followed Lewis to the tavern. He drank himself away. “Come on… Let’s get you back home.” Darren helped Lewis back up. “Lewis, where’s Simone?” He looked at the assassin with gentle eyes. “You don’t have to answer me if you don’t want to…” He helped balance Lewis and got him back up to his room in the tower.

The room was littered already with bottles of apple ale. This wasn’t a good way to cope. “If you need me… You know where to find me.” Darren left Lewis alone for the time being but he had a feeling that Simone was gone for good.