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The Arcanist and the Assassin (MysteriousD and Ghastygoo)

Faewlen had been swimming for some time within rather dark nightmares, her body moving ever so slightly in her sleep. Her ears moved the most though, often twitching flat to her skull like a cat's before perking once more. Finally, she woke up dazedly, her bright green eyes latching onto Diego's form. He was holding what looked like a rather slim, feminine set of armor. "Hey.." She wearily replied, sitting up slowly with a hand to her forehead. God her skull felt like it had been jarred pretty badly... "I'm a guard now?" She couldn't believe him for a minute. It was like he was making all the decisions for her, but she didn't mind for once.

"Thank you... Hey, how long was I out?"
 
"About a few hours. Everything all right?" Diego said as he slowly leaned and placed his palms near her head. The golden glow appeared and began to heal her and relieve her of her pain. "Feel better now?" Diego asked her. He then looked worried. "Been keeping an eye on you for the whole time. You looked like you were having some really terrible nightmares," Diego said as he looked at her.

"Do you wanna talk about it? Do you want a dream catcher to help you," he offered to her, his face full of concern.
 
Faewlen looked over at him, the pain ebbing and her eyes focusing a little more clearly on him now. It was almost creepy that he'd been watching her sleep the whole time, but she found some part of her glad that even when passed out she could still be protected. "No, I'm fine. They're something I've had since I was given this magic, and I rest well enough anyways. But they're mostly about...murder if you must ask. My conscience has plagued me with the deaths of my victims for over ten years."
 
"I see," Diego said after a long period of time as he sat down on the bed. He was there silently and unsure before he quickly reached out to hug her. "I'm a huggy person," he began saying. "I'm not sure if you are and sorry if I startled you..." he said before pausing. "But... everything's gonna be okay," he said before letting go of her and looking at her with a mix of optimism and worry. "Sorry if that was awkward... I was just hoping that might have made you feel better," he said, blushing a bit. Not just out of embarassment for impulsiveness, but the feeling of her breasts on his chest.

"I hope you like the armor," he said, laying it in front of her.
 
Faewlen sat in shock as he hugged her, immediately deciding between her fight or flight reactions of shoving him off or just letting him do as he pleased. Not once in her entire life had she been given a hug, embraced as fondly as that. And Diego had done it to reassure her she'd be okay. Something struck home in the elf, something she didn't understand until now. Kindness and compassion, and caring for someone beyond just their protection. Good will. She nodded slowly at the beautiful armor displayed before her, covering everything from helmet and chest plate to bracers and gauntlets. Her green eyes flicked back to Diego, finding him in a new light now. She started to care for him, for his well-being too. The prince had already done so much for her, the sinner, the former assassin.

Without any prompting, Faewlen embraced Diego this time, holding his frame close as she buried her head against his shoulder, eyes shut tightly to the world beyond the confines of his arms. She just wanted to feel this again.
 
Diego awaited for her reaction. He looked at ehr and noticed she looked... vulnerable? Surprisingly, he was given a hug back. He hugged her back. He was usually one to hug. Few outside of his family ever hugged him first. He held her for how long that moment was. "Everything's gonna be okay. In the face of adversity, we have to stare back and move forward," he said to her before giving her a smile. "Now that I've given you a tour of the castle, how about I show you around Cosmanova's capital city, Arkanix," he said to her with a smile.

It would allow her to get to know the city, plus practice being in the shadows or at least getting the lay out for a few potential surprises.
 
"I am not scared with someone to back me now, but I have just never really been hugged before. It felt...nice." Faewlen blushed, a light red spreading across her cheeks and nose. Her ears lowered, and she nodded slowly. "That sounds nice, I'd like to look around. Perhaps buy a few things with what little coin I have left for any needed ventures." She stood slowly, her tall frame still appearing very slender in the clothes that weren't exactly her fit. They were somewhat larger.
 
"Yeah, it's why I hug people alot. But it's also nice getting them back," Diego said as he blushed as well. Seeing her smile and being happy was much better than her scowl or her dark mood. He then handed her a small bag filled with some coins. "Consider this an advance in pay or a gift for a first good job as my bodyguard," he says to her with a smile. He then grabbed her hand before leading her out. He blushed a bit as he realized how soft and nice her hands were.

"The capital city is quite nice and there all sorts of cities, each dedicated to their own. Most stay in one place, but some of the tribal folk like the shamans tend to travel from place to place, but always check in with the monarch," he explained to her.
 
The elf nodded at Prince Diego's explanation, finding it intriguing now as she had begun to see other humans and humanoid races in a more positive light. Gods only knew how many lies she had been fed as a child in the past while she was training. The strength of her dark magic was a testament to that, for it fed off of resentment and anger. The small bag of coins jostling in her hand as she bounced it lightly produced a clear metallic jostling sound. It wasn't much but not poor either. She was more than happy to add it to her meager savings. Again however, the young prince nearly made Faewlen jump as he grabbed her hand, another nonchalant show of affection on his part. The brunette couldn't tell of he liked her or not, but it was somewhat fun to watch his quirky attitude manifest in his movements.

"I think a tour would be great. Maybe we could visit one of these caravans?"
 
"Perhaps. I'm not sure if any of them hang around the reserved fields near the city at this time of the year," Diego says to her as he holds her hand. He smiles at her. He was growing to like her. He enjoyed having her around; she made him feel happy and he wanted to make her feel happy.

Diego started with the liveliest joint at the time, the Main Street. Filled with various shops and eateries, it was a fun time. Various thigns were being sold. Wands, cauldrons, spellbooks, ingrediants and all sorts of things were being here. Diego always admired the various inventions of magic invented around to help keep the place. "What do you think so far? WHat else do you wanna see?" he asked her, wanting to knw more about her
 
"Ah okay," she said quietly, thinking to herself for a moment. She'd seen caravans before, their bright colors and pack animals having interested her just besides the many wares they carried. As they walked onto Main Street, the amount of shops and people shocked her. Her own kingdom was one in destitution, because of the people who ruled it. They imposed curfews and the guards they employed often would bully the citizens. Many were poor and could not afford to try and open a shop, and the potential customers could not buy much from the few that were in existence across the land. What marveled the elf most was the amount of items that were magic-related, and those dressed as wizards and the like. Faewlen soon found a smile on her face, enjoying the warmth of the sun and being able to feel the slight breath of wind on her face and through her hair instead of forcing herself under a cowl and hood. She had put on her new armor too, a short dagger at her side just in case if they were attacked.

"This place is so lively and beautiful, a stark contrast to Falkreath. I rather like it. Are there any good views? Maybe of the landscape or the city from above?" Faewlen wanted to be able to take in the scenery and layout, so she could memorize this strange land like the back of her hand.
 
Diego looked at Faewlen's smile and he smiled back. He was beginning to love her smile. It brought him a sense of joy and relaxation. "Yeah, there are all different places. But if you're talking about Main street... hm... it used to be the Palace, but I think there are other buildings now. Oh yeah, the Royal Watchtower is a good place! Besides, it be a nice way to meet your fellow guards and spies," Diego said to her with a smile before he began leading her over to the tower. Beyond the Main street, there were other building like hospitals, lawkeeper offices, restaurants, hotels, homes and so much more.

Diego went and bowed to the guardsman, who smiled and did the same to him. They did the same with Faewlen when they saw her new official sign as the personal guard of the Prince. He was leading them up the stairs. "What do you think so far?" he asked her with a smile.
 
Faewlen was finding Diego's enthusiasm and constant bubbliness to be rather contagious, and soon the elf was in a rather great mood as she travelled the street with him. A few times she stopped at stores on their way back to the watchtower, mostly books or mechanical parts. Like most of her fair race, knowledge was something to be hungered for and never wasted. The majority of mercenaries and for-hires like herself contrasted with this, being unlearned in anything but the skill of the sword or on poisons or deadly magic. Effectively, only trained in ways to kill. Faewlen, however, continued to take after other elves and secretly read books and practiced her skills in making small machines. One of which, stored back in her pack at the palace, was a mechanical bug.

"I'm loving the place so far, my prince." She smiled, blushing a little while her ears laid back in an indication of her embarassment.
 
Diego blushed back at what she said and couldn't help but admire how strong she was and how beautiful she was. Eventually, he reached a room and he entered. To the untrained and even trained, it looked empty. However, to the expert spy, they could see the faint magical invisibility fields or even the people hiding. Diego knew they were here. Why, because the spys were kinda predictable when you know them.

"Okay guys, prepared to be amazed. Faewlen, show the spies here how awesome you are," he said to with a smile.
 
As they entered the room, Faewlen's ears immediately feel slack, then perked as her green eyes narrowed. To her experienced self, she could pick out the glimmer of seven different cloaking spells, and gauge the power of each. With Diego's permission, her arms lit with the shadowy fire once more that blazed without heat. Her form became nothing but an armored blur as she quickly dispatched all seven, merely knocking them out for several seconds before they would regain conciousness. The elf stood in the center of the room now, ears lowered and standing at a readied posture in case if they wished to test her hand to hand combat skills as well.
 
All but the last spy collasped. The last spy parried her move. The last spy removed his hood and nodded before everyone got up. He smiled and laughed. "You certainly found yourself a new guard. Or is she your new wife?" The spies joked. They had on their masks. "All right, we'll test her out how good is she. We're lucky your healing magic makes our training worthwhile," The top assassin said. They stood at the ready. They hold what were bascially weaponized toys. They didn't look scary.

Look, but they were dangerous.

Yoyos, jacks, boomerangs, ball and hammer, fan, foam hammer, and other innocent looking things.

"Go Faewlen," Diego said to her and gave her a hug.
 
Faewlen found herself blushing profusely at the spies' jokes about her becoming Diego's wife. And when they said 'new', she couldn't help but wonder if he already had one currently or in the past. But once the elf saw the people pulling out weapons, even if they were toys, she tensed to the prince's hug and shooed him off. Once again, her arms ignited with the purpley flames. This time however, the flickering tongues of fire slid up to cover her mouth and nose in a type of protective cowl, her eyes growing an even more intense green. One of her hands drew to the pouch on her leg and pulled out three of the darts she was so used to killing with, but she told herself this time to merely try to knock them out.
 
"Hey, I said it before and I say it again, I don't want arranged marriage and I will marry who i want to marry," Diego shouted at the spies, his face bright red. However, he looked to Faewlen and the idea of being with her. It didn't bother him, but he didn't know her. He shook his head of the thoughts of what the spies said before he stepped back.

The first spy that came after Faewlen went and used the yoyo. It has several micro blades tipped with knockout liquid. He goes and tried to strike over after Faewlen, using his yoyo to deflect the darts. "Come on, Faewlen, you kick their butts!" Prince Diego said as he gave her plenty of encouragement.
 
Faewlen overheard Diego's shout of embarassment and couldn't help but grin a little. Her attention was soon turned away when she noticed one of the spies attacking. This one used what appeared to be an altered yoyo, one that could have her snoring in seconds if she weren't careful. Somehow, she wanted to show these people she was far better than them, far more powerful. In the back of her mind, the elf also wanted to please Diego. He was royalty after all. With quick movements, she dodged the man's attack but lost out when her own darts were expertly deflected.

Drawing the knife, she lithely dodged the ball at the end of the string, allowing it to come close and cutting the string with her small weapon. In the same movement, Faewlen's eyes narrowed as she took the string as it flew past, wrapping it around her arm and using the return momentum to fling the yoyo right back at the spy, who's neck was grazed by the harmless needless and fell the floor in an unconcious heap from the drug.
 
Diego watched with awe as Faewlen took down the first spy. "Come on, Faewlen, you can do it!" he said to her with a smile. "I'm glad he's found someone strong to take care of him. Looks like he really likes you," another guy said, looking a bit shorter than the first guy. He has a wooden toy of a large toy hammer with a strange rope attached to a ball with holes on it. However, if one stared at it, they notice that the air was wavy slightly. It was emitting gas. He swung the ball filled with the woozy gas around and he used the hammer not only to propell it, but also to reload it.

The yoyo guy was taken over in order to be awaken. The other spies looked over at the elven lady. They were all trained to be the best yet she was doing quite a formidable job. This will definitely be interesting.
 
Faewlen could tell by the faint smell of the gas that this was also another agent designed to knock it's opponent unconcious. Drawing upon her shadow magic, the cowl once again appeared over her mouth and nose, allowing her to breathe cleanly and avoid any damage taken by foreign molecules. The elf moved in, still not taking any chances and holding her breath, ears lowering as she quickly knocked the spy off his feet, catching him with a sickening crack to the middle of his diaphragm. He went down easily enough, and Faelwen allowed her shadows to disperse as she leaned down and checked the man over, making sure he was not badly injured.
 
The young man was not out yet. He hopped bakc onto his feet as he held onto his diaphram. He began moving faster onto his feet before he began swinging his ball and hammer around. In fact, he spun the handle and a different gas appeared. It was a thick and dark gas that spread throughout. Fortunately, it was breathable. Just really dark.

He became silent, the only evidence was the very faint wheezing from his damaged chest. He raised the ball and silently but strongly batted at Faewlen.
 
The elf was admittedly surprised when the man suddenly got back up and began blinding her. She'd hit him fairly hard and had even been a little scared she might've injured him horribly. But perhaps a little bit more strength was allowed. These were experienced spies after all. Faewlen closed her eyes, relying solely on her sense of hearing. An elf's ears were obviously larger than a human's, and certainly more fine-tuned. With no more than a few moments, she was already able to locate her opposition and quickly stabbing in the direction the hammer and ball were coming from, catching the spy by the throat. In one fluid movement, she threw him down once more, using much more force this time.
 
The spy felt his throat be constricted by her hand. He was then thrown to the ground. He then opened the window. The third assassion, have a female form, looked at her before unleashing a fan with little fans on it. She starts by activating a gust of wind to get her trip before she lifts up and Faewlen would feel her breath be pulled out of her lungs.

"Faelwen, be careful. The Silent Air Spy is one of the stronger spies," Diego warned her. Some of the other spies were looking at her. The next one was getting ready. Diego recognizes them as a non-magic using one. He was just that talented. He also had a long braided beard.
 
Faewlen could feel the air from her lungs being sucked out, not having had time to bring in a breath to hold. With one hand on her chest, struggling to keep concious, she took out three more of the poisoned darts and let them go, the wind sucking them towards the woman with the fan. One of the darts managed to prick her wrist, just barely, but skin contact was enough. She would soon begin to feel the nausea and the dark patches in her vision. The wind died down as her fans slowed and the elf was finally able to breathe once more. She gasped out, coughing, having actually knelt to the ground in weakness. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the other spy, bearded, getting ready to fight her. "A moment, please." She asked.
 
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