Author: Dusk, Posted: Wed Jun 9, 2021 8:02 PM, Post Subject: The Assassin Panics [P/R]

It was hard not to give into Simone’s request, and as he did so, she started to speak. Her love and devotion for him was superficial, though. He knew the true Simone beneath it all, those eyes crying out to him, begging him to end her life. It was all that he could do to lay there, his consciousness slowly drifting away as the sound of the younger Simone lulled him into sleep.

She wasn’t far behind, and soon the two passed out. Lewis wasn’t exactly sure how long he slept, but all he knew was that when he woke up, the sun was already out. It had been a relatively calm slumber, though for some reason, Lewis felt uneasy. What was it that Simone had said before they had fallen asleep? It had been important, but…for some reason, he couldn’t quite remember it all.

Simone was still asleep, nestled into him. She seemed to be breathing easier, and it looked as if she weren’t in any pain. The fact that she had slept through the entire night like that was a very good sign.

“Simone…time to wake up…”

Author: Simone, Posted: Wed Jun 9, 2021 7:48 PM, Post Subject: The Assassin Panics [P/R]

Simone’s eyes looked over at him while she drank from the water glass. “I’m hungry. But– I’m going to wait. Climb in bed with me.” She patted beside her. “I’m not overly hungry but it’s worrying me to see you so tired. Please? I’m cold so it will warm me up.” She gave him a smile.

She wasn’t lying… Okay maybe a little white lie but once he gave in to her request. She rolled on her side and held onto his arm tightly. “Thank you… For helping me,” she kissed his cheek and smiled before closing her eyes again.

“This is better than any medicine to me.” But it wouldn’t heal her. So medicine it was. She put her head into his neck and whispered, “I want to be your love for ever and ever, without break or decay. When the hills are all flat, the rivers are all dry.” She let out a yawn as she barely got it out.

Author: Dusk, Posted: Wed Jun 9, 2021 7:40 PM, Post Subject: The Assassin Panics [P/R]

The fact that she was starting to feel better was a load off of Lewis’ mind. When she started to scold him for not taking care of himself, the assassin rolled his eyes. She must have been feeling a lot better.

“I’m fine,” Lewis said as he stood up quickly to get her water. He wobbled slightly, but ignored it and grabbed her a glass. “Here. Drink slowly…” He handed the glass over. “Lady Angela brewed a potion for you. It’s most of the way finished, but you’ll need to take a few drops every hour till the rest is gone…”

“Are you hungry? Do you need anything else?’ Despite his exhausted state, he was more than willing to get someone something, anything if it meant getting her well, and fast.

Author: Simone, Posted: Wed Jun 9, 2021 7:36 PM, Post Subject: The Assassin Panics [P/R]

Ang could feel the broken heart from a mile away but she knew that Lewis had no idea what he was feeling. She gave him half a year tops after Simone died. He wouldn’t be able to stand the misery of the loneliness he was about to create for himself. Killing your lover… She wouldn’t make her worst enemy do that.

Once Simone began to stir she stretched lightly and looked at him with half-open eyes. “Lew?” She tried to move but she still couldn’t. She laid her head back down. “You aren’t taking care of yourself again.” She said it with a chuckle. “My head is killing me…”

Already, she felt so much better.

Author: Dusk, Posted: Wed Jun 9, 2021 7:32 PM, Post Subject: The Assassin Panics [P/R]

Lewis held himself for a moment, unsure of what to say to Lady Angela. It took him a moment to think carefully about his words, and in the end, he spoke carefully, but with a purpose.

“…I…I know she does.” Lewis looked back. It was hard to understand what Lewis was feeling, but if Simone were to see him now, she would say he looked almost sad. To most, though, his face betrayed very little emotion. “It’s not…enough though. I’ll end this curse and her life…” He thought for a moment longer, and then turned and left Elysium.

Lewis brought her up to his bed, and carefully laid her out. For the remainder of the night, he helped her take the concoction made by Lady Angela, and slowly she started to get better. The assassin ignored the exhaustion that was slowly creeping in, and instead gave the girl in front of him his full attention.

“Simone…?” He thought he saw her stir. “Are you awake?”

Author: Angela Rose, Posted: Wed Jun 9, 2021 7:21 PM, Post Subject: The Assassin Panics [P/R]

Angela let out a sigh and shook her head. Lewis had a lot of growth that he had to do before he saw what she was saying. “My dear, we all get to make decisions. In our grief, we make the wildest choices. Our pride blinds us. Whether or not it does her… Who knows.”

But it did. She was bound and determined to die. She wanted this fight to be over. Angela knew that about Simone but yet… If she stayed alive. “If she stayed with you… She would be happy. If she died what would that do?”

Angela already knew she wasn’t going to grant Simone’s death request. She just wanted the girl to give up on it. There was nothing in death for Simone anymore. “Never mind, just the words of an old woman.” Angela waved her hand.

“She loves you,” Angela batted her eyes and looked back at Simone. “The younger one in front of you does. I don’t know about the real her but… This one loves you.”

Author: Dusk, Posted: Wed Jun 9, 2021 7:15 PM, Post Subject: The Assassin Panics [P/R]

It was hard for Lewis to hear what Angela was trying to say. Not in the sense that it hurt him emotionally, more so in the sense that he couldn’t comprehend what she was saying. The thought of not fulfilling her request had never crossed Lewis’ mind. When the Goddess brought it up, though, Lewis immediately rejected the idea.

“I can’t betray her trust like that,” Lewis replied with determination. It wasn’t for him to decide. It was her choice, and he was far too prideful to back down.

“Besides…” The assassin smirked half-heartedly. “I don’t feel that way. She’s….just temporary.” It was a lie, and even Lewis could tell that it was a bad one. “Once she’s gone, I’ll go back to my old life.”

He took the flash from her, and nodded. The assassin carefully lifted Simone, and listened to Angela’s last words.

“…It’s not my choice…” Again, another lie. Though, this one far more believable.

Author: Angela Rose, Posted: Wed Jun 9, 2021 7:06 PM, Post Subject: The Assassin Panics [P/R]

“For her? Yes. Her body isn’t used to it. It means she spent most of her life caged up. Inside.” Angela felt bad for the girl. “We knew that about her though… Didn’t we? The type of life she led before she was with you isn’t one people can normally survive.”

Angela could see the heartstring around the type of them and her heart hurt for both of them. A rough sigh left her lips, “Love is very cruel sometimes.” It was an off-handed remark and one that she let escape out loud. Maybe, they would change their minds. They didn’t have to go down the road they were going towards.

She worked on a few more things, “Lewis, I want you to rethink granting her request.” Her head turned to him. “The road you're headed down is a bad one. If you follow through you are going to destroy yourself.”

She pulled out a flask and filled it. “Give this to her every hour. She’ll feel better I promise. No suffering either. She should be conscious enough to even hold a conversation with by the end of the flask. Just a drop or two… Alright?” Green eyes watched him.

“Your strings are tied together. This is where you need to be. Don’t squash that.” She hoped he would listen to her.

Author: Dusk, Posted: Wed Jun 9, 2021 6:13 PM, Post Subject: The Assassin Panics [P/R]

Lewis watched as the Goddess went off on a rant about potions and the wrong type of herbs, all of which was a little more complicated of an explanation than Lewis bargained for. He mostly mixed his own poisons, which weren’t too picky about being ‘in season’. The fact that Lady Angela was ripping into Jack’s skill was a bonus, though, and that got a smirk out of the assassin, putting him a little more at ease with the whole situation.

“Is it deadly?” Lewis asked. That was a stupid question. Of course it was deadly. Simone was suffering. But, she couldn’t die… That meant she was safe. Right? “I don’t want her to suffer.” The reality. A mixed bag of complex emotions. He could kill her right now and she would come back just fine. But he didn’t want to…

Raine went out for the sprigs that Angela requested, and came back. Moments later, a tea was thrust at Lewis.

“Oh,” he said as the Goddess explained that she was going to be fine. He took a sip of the tea, and let out a sigh of relief. Since when did he care so much? Tense was not usually a feeling that he had. The cool, calm, and collected assassin…that was what he was known for.

“…so what happens next? Does she need more medicine?” He wondered what it would take to get her better, and how long.

Author: Angela Rose, Posted: Mon Jun 7, 2021 9:24 PM, Post Subject: The Assassin Panics [P/R]

Angela was working on her own concoction. She was weighing herbs and tossing it into a cauldron she had. “I like Simone. She is a sweet girl.” She spoke calmly even though her actions seemed a bit rash. “That and if they think those potions had anything to do with healing people… If I could burn down whatever academy they think they went to I would. Such a hard time finding a quality healer these days.” She held up a potion to the light so she could see the color.

“They use the wrong in-season herbs, they don’t grow their own, they don’t even wait for the herbs to be at their peak. It’s disgusting. All they care about is making as much of the potion as they can to try and curb a disease they barely understand. It’s called a fucking education. Which they have sorely missed out on.”

The goddess was harsh about other healers and especially potion kids. “That kid has zero talent. He needs an actual teacher. I would break him in two hours.” Not everyone could be the legendary healer of Canelux. She banged the pestle to get the last of the dust off and poured it in.

“She has a variant of the disease that is going through Apoy. One of the travelers must have had it. Mutation. Evolution. All living things go through it and this is a living thing. Maybe in a different sense of the word but mortals often don’t think about these things. They get scared of it. They condemn healers like me in some countries and burn them. Then they offer their sick to me and they get the same treatment they would have gotten from the healer they killed. Fear of the unknown my dear Lewis.”

She shuffled, “Raine, go to my garden and get me six sprigs of Ashwagandha please.” Once the pink-haired one came back with what Angela needed she grounded it up and brewed it into a tea.

“Drink this Lewis. You are stressed. She’s going to be fine. I’ve been treating this variant with my medical forces lately so it was easy to see what one was it. She’s probably more prone to this than the one in Apoy. It makes sense considering where Simone is from. You can wipe out an entire flower colony with a foreign disease,” she looked over at Lewis. “And you can kill an entire population of people just by introducing a disease their bodies don’t know how to handle.”

Author: Dusk, Posted: Mon Jun 7, 2021 9:15 PM, Post Subject: The Assassin Panics [P/R]

Lewis’ first reaction to seeing the red string tied around his finger was simple. Fuck. The timing was bad. Jack was here, and Simone was half dead. But, it was fairly evident that having the Goddess here might not be the worst thing in the world. And technically she wasn’t actually in Lord Raith’s realm. Only her portal was.

Lady Angela’s subtle threat was a welcome one. It got Jack to leave, and rather quickly. It was only once the door was closed that Lewis really acknowledged the Goddess entirely. She kicked a trash can over to him, calling Jack’s potion trash. He tossed it in with a half smirk, and crossed his arms.

“Didn’t realize you were so invested, Lady Angela.” Lewis carefully picked up Simone, who cuddled in close and whimpered, and carried her through the portal, carefully putting her down. “Didn’t think a goddess cared all that much when a girl got a cold…”

Author: Simone, Posted: Mon Jun 7, 2021 8:57 PM, Post Subject: The Assassin Panics [P/R]

Mone sipped on it and grumbled more but she sounded all stuffed up and still just as miserable. Though the potion and stuff wouldn’t kick in immediately. Matter of fact, the potion didn’t even manage to break the fever. Whether or not the potion was strong enough to fight against what she had was another story.

Jack came back a few hours later with a stronger potion. “Here, had the master brew this. It should help but… There’s no guarantee.”

Mone was a bit more alert now as her eyes fluttered open a bit. “You are awake! That is good.”

She grumped a bit and closed her eyes. Jack had a chuckle before holding it out to him. “Like I said, I don’t know if it… will…” His eyes were glued to Lewis’s finger. “Lewis, what the hell is that?”

There was a red knot on his finger and it started to tug him as it pulled him off the seat. “What the fuck?!”

It banged Lewis against the floor once and a portal opened. “Quickly Lewis, I don’t have all day now.” The voice called in and Angela could be seen shuffling between a medicinal table and a mortar and pestle. “Honestly.” She was in a lab coat of sorts with her hair pulled back. If the goddess ever looked serious now would be it.

“When did you…” Jack’s eyes were big. “I’m going to leave now. I didn’t see a damn thing.” Jack had looked back to see the goddess drilling her eyes into his. Almost a warning not to mention her sudden appearance. "Yeah, a miracle." It left his lips as he almost ran out the door.

"Throw out that trash please." She kicked a waste bucket over near the portal.

Author: Dusk, Posted: Mon Jun 7, 2021 8:43 PM, Post Subject: The Assassin Panics [P/R]

Lewis listened to everything that Jack had to say. It wasn;t often that he gave his full attention to someone like him, but in this instance it was a necessary evil to heal Simone. After the explanation, Lewis nodded and sighed. The food that he had brought her was a basic bone broth with some herbs mixed in. It wasn’t anything grand, but her stomach should have been able to handle it.

The assassin looked over to Jack as he poured a small cup of the broth for Simone. “….thanks,” he said after a moment. “I…appreciate your help.”

Jack stared at Lewis for a moment. “Did you just…”

“I’d leave before you overstay your welcome.” Lewis was looking back over at the apprentice, his eyes practically glowing with anger.

“Ah, there it is,” Jack said with an eyeroll. He stood up and started to walk out. “…Lewis. If you really do care for her…”

“I know,” Lewis replied with a snap. “I’ll take her to a healer…if she needs it.”

“As long as you’re aware,” Jack replied.

Lewis carefully blew on the small cup of broth. “Simone. You need to eat.” He knew she probably wasn’t hungry, but this was good for her. “Let me help…”

Author: Simone, Posted: Mon Jun 7, 2021 8:37 PM, Post Subject: The Assassin Panics [P/R]

The mixture tasted awful, at least what could taste of it. Simone didn’t have the energy to make a face but she did grumble a bit afterward. It was most likely the fever making her miserable. It was funny he told her not to move because Mone had long forgotten she even had limbs until he mentioned it. Closing her eyes she waited for him.

This was the first time Jack had ever seen her room. He was looking around at all the piles of books and whatnot. Jack came over to Simone who shivered at his touch as he felt her forehead. “She’s got the illness that was going around really bad. She must have gotten it from one of the others. How long has she been like this?” It took Jack a moment to realize that Lewis wouldn’t have known.

“Shit.” The boy cursed under his breath. “I haven’t seen her since yesterday morning. She looked tired.” After checking a few more things Jack excused himself and brought back a potion. “Here, this was leftover from the last batch we made for the healers. She’s gonna be sick a while, the others didn’t have it nearly as bad as this.”

Looking over her, “I would take her to a healer Lewis. She’ll die if you aren’t careful. They lost a few people in the village below already from it. Just a suggestion,” he held up his hands showing he wasn’t going to fight Lewis over it. “I don’t know the first thing about the foods she needs to be eating right now and she probably hasn’t eaten since yesterday morning.”

Mone made a noise and rolled over on her side away from them. At least she tried to. “If you need another potion let me know. I might be able to get more of the next batch. If she gets any worse not even our healers will be able to do anything. You would need a miracle.”

Author: Dusk, Posted: Mon Jun 7, 2021 8:25 PM, Post Subject: The Assassin Panics [P/R]

Simone nearly choked on the water, which gave Lewis a minor heart attack, though to anyone looking on, it was nearly impossible to tell. “Shut up and just drink,” he said as she tried to welcome him home. He checked her head again, and let out a hiss. It was still way too hot.

The assassin took the herbs and started to grind them up with a borrowed mortar and pestle. “Now mix them with the water…” He muttered to himself as he stirred the concoction. “Here…drink this. Slowly. Just…stay quiet and don’t get up. I’ll be right back.” He wandered off again, and the sounds of the main tower door being opened and closed echoed through the chamber.

In about ten minutes, the door opened again and two sets of footsteps came over. Lewis had a small pot of something that smelled delicious, and following him was…Jack?

“Well? Can you make a potion?” Lewis asked impatiently.

“Hold on,” Jack said as he walked in. “I haven’t even looked at her yet.” The boy grumbled. “Don’t know why you wouldn’t just go to a healer…”

“Because you’re apprenticing under the potion master…so it makes sense,” Lewis said. “Besides..I can’t…” He couldn’t let Simone’s ‘secret’ out. The healers might notice. Jack knew about potions, but was shit when it came to everything else magic related. There was no way he could know about her magic reset button.

Author: Simone, Posted: Mon Jun 7, 2021 8:19 PM, Post Subject: The Assassin Panics [P/R]

She heard him come in but she was so tired her voice couldn’t find its way out. Her eyes fluttered just a bit before she closed them again going back into a short sleep before he noticed her. “L-ew?” It left her lips barely audible. She shouldn’t have hidden it. She should have gotten it checked out… She couldn’t remember the last time she was this sick… If she had been at all.

Mone leaned into him as he picked her eyes. Her eyes were half-open as she looked at him and made a few mumbles. She let out a soft noise as she put her forehead into his neck and closed her eyes as he carried her up into her old room.

He helped her get water which was the first she had. Simone choked on it as she drank it almost too fast the first time. “Wel– Om-” She was trying to welcome him back as she gave a half-smile before closing her eyes again. She was opening her mouth again but closed it. She couldn’t really say she was okay, she clearly wasn’t.

Author: Dusk, Posted: Mon Jun 7, 2021 8:08 PM, Post Subject: The Assassin Panics [P/R]

This was one of the longest jobs he had gone on since taking Simone in. A rather wealthy family seemed to think that owning an entire island was their birthright. That within itself was not a problem, but when their belief system started to enslave the islanders, it started to get worrisome. Still, most wouldn’t move for just that. No, it had to get political before it became someone else’s problem. On a hunch, Lewis wanted to investigate.

In the end, it was a cheap excuse. The King had mentioned off hand about securing new trade routes. A little ‘misinterpretation’ on Lewis’ account, and the whole family was summarily executed. Then, an ‘anonymous’ tip to the locals for a little rebellion. It wasn’t exactly by the book, but when it came to results…well, the ends justifies the means.

Lewis wasn’t as tired as he usually was, and a portal opened up into his room. It was usually time for Simone to be reading on the windowsill. She loved to do that. It was strange, though. She wasn’t where she usually was. Perhaps she knew he was coming back, and was out procuring something to eat from the kitchen. He wandered down the spiral staircase and into the common area.

“Simone?” It took him a moment to notice the lump on the floor, but when he did he immediately felt his heart jump into his throat. “Simone!?” He rushed to her side, and immediately looked her over. She had passed out, and was covered in sweat. Her breaths were short pants, as if she were struggling to get enough air.

“Damn it,” he picked her up, and brought her into her old room, putting her on the bed. It was the closest one available. “You’re burning up,” he said, frowning as he checked her temperature with his hand. “Damn it…” He walked out of the room, and came back moments later with a pitcher of ice water and some herbs.

“I’m not the best when it comes to this, but…” He was remembering when the kids at the Guild used to get fevers. They stole some herbs from the witch down the back alley, and crushed them. It was that, rest, and lots of water for a fever. “All right…”

Author: Simone, Posted: Mon Jun 7, 2021 7:44 PM, Post Subject: The Assassin Panics [P/R]

[Takes place before Simone’s death]

Lewis was going on an extended job or so he said. She listened to his instructions carefully. She was allowed to go to the library, the baths, and to get food. He trusted her to go to and from without getting too distracted. Jack was insufferable once he realized that the assassin had indeed left her to fend for herself for a few days.

She managed to avoid him while keeping track of everything Lewis got through messages. She had started feeling a bit burnt out before he left but she didn’t say anything. She figured the constant strain on what they were was finally getting to her. Ever since her door had been busted down she was sleeping in his room. They still had their days where they got into it but for the most part their communication was a lot better.

On day two she found herself sweating more and she was a bit dizzy. She felt under the weather but she thought it was just a cold. It had been a long time since she had gotten sick. Halfway through the second day Simone collapsed on the floor and didn’t move from that spot. Her fever had spiked a lot more.

The floor was cool and it felt nice against her but also her limbs hurt now. She would open her eyes briefly but was too weak to move from her spot. The floor being cold ended up not helping her as she pulled the blanket just enough to drape over her. Hopefully, Lewis would be home soon… She should have seen a healer but… She thought it was just a cold.