Chapter 13: Two heroes? In one place?

Chapter 13: Two heroes? In one place? "Okay, so, I know you told me that I shouldn't tell anyone else about my powers, but-" Lady Fiona, who had barely put her put in her chair, groaned, putting her head in her hands. "You did not, Ava! I told you that you need to be careful! You can't just trust everyone!" She turned her gaze to Cass, her expression apologetic. "Forgive me, Lord Cassian, but you and Lady Ava weren't that close before this. This doesn't make sense to me, Ava." Lady Ava pouted, her bottom lip trembling and it was clear that Lady Fiona grew distressed by this display. "You know I can see things, Fifi! And the things I saw-" She covered her mouth, her eyes darting towards Cass. Lady Fiona followed her gaze, her expression growing serious. "What did you see, Ava? What can't you tell me?" She demanded and Lady Ava shook her head. Cass appreciated her dedication to her values. She was clearly fighting herself to not tell Lady Fiona what had happened, and at this point, if Lady Fiona didn't find out, she was going to distrust Cass from this point on. It would make all his work up until this point mean nothing. "It's alright, Lady Ava. I don't mind if Lady Fiona knows, I just don't think it should leave the three of us." Cass spoke up, preventing Lady Ava or Lady Fiona from getting into another argument. He shifted on the bed, intertwining his fingers and playing with them. Making shapes as he glanced around the room, looking anywhere but at the two women. It had the desired effect. "You don't..." Lady Fiona sighed. "If it's something painful, I don't want to force you to tell me. I'm not a monster." Lady Fiona lowered her voice, making it soft, warm. As if she was trying to coax the truth out of him. Cass lowered his gaze, sighing. "No, it's just...I feel bad about it." Cass started. "I don't want this to ever get to...him. I don't blame him." Lady Ava gasped in horror. "Wait. Wait wait wait! Are you saying that-" Lady Ava's eyes were wide with horror and she got out of her chair, grabbing Cass' hands. "Oh my gods! That was how you were able to meet them?" She asked, her voice solemn. Damn. Cass didn't think he was that good of an actor, but these girls were eating it up. It wasn't a lie either. That was what he assumed to happen, and how he was able to get here. He truly didn't want news to get to 'Lucy'. He wanted to tell the man himself and watch him panic. Lady Fiona was as pale as a ghost and her eyes the size of saucers. "A-Are you saying-" "No. Because I'm still here." Cass stated firmly. Lady Fiona shut her mouth, leaning back in her chair as she tried to process what she was hearing for the first time. Her gaze slid to Lady Ava. "Is that why you were sobbing so hard?" She asked and Lady Ava nodded, her eyes sad and full of water. She was going to cry any second now, Cass could feel it. He turned his hands over, giving Lady Ava's hands a squeeze and watched as her bottom lip trembled and tears began to fall down her cheeks. What a soft woman. Lady Fiona on the other hand appeared just as soft, but Cass didn't think it was in the same way as Lady Ava. She looked delicate, but was much stronger, physically and mentally. Currently she looked conflicted. In pain. She ran her hand over the lower portion of her face, her gaze distant for a moment before she glanced over at the other two in the room. "So you know that Lady Ava can see a person's spirit?" He nodded. "I asked her to check mine." Cass told Lady Fiona and her expression shifted. She looked like she was in even more pain. "Dear gods above, did you think you were an imposter?" She asked and when Cass didn't answer right away she sighed, closing her eyes and covering her whole face. "What have I done?" She muttered and Lady Ava glanced at her. She then glanced at Cass and it was obvious to him that she was conflicted. She wanted to comfort both of them but they were too far away from each other. Cass found that it would be easy to hate Lady Ava. She got the affection of everyone around her. She was soft, kind, and wanted to help others. She could be easily manipulated, told it was for the 'greater good' and she probably wouldn't question it. She felt like the opposite of everything Cass had experienced in his life thus far. Probably Lord Blackburn's as well. But, with all that being said, it appeared that those who were around her were at least decent folk. Cass had worried that Lady Fiona would be like Lady Ava honestly, but it seemed she was a little harder, a little harsher then he gave her credit for. She felt more like a fighter than he'd given her credit for. Plus, everything in the story had been written from her viewpoint so it had probably been tinted slightly to make her look better. Look more feminine. He didn't hate the more rough and tumble Lady Fiona. "Go, Lady Ava." Cass encouraged quietly and Lady Ava's eyes watered more before she gave his hand a squeeze and moved towards Lady Fiona. She wrapped her hands around her head, pulling her close against her chest and Lady Fiona reached up, wrapping her hands around the arms that held her. It was an intimate hold and Cass felt a little strange witnessing it. He could see even in the shadowed darkness that Lady Ava's lips were moving, but Cass couldn't hear what she was saying. He didn't think he even had the right to hear it. He felt...embarrassed witnessing it, and glancing away, he wondered why. Maybe it was because it showed a closeness with someone that they weren't blood related to? Was that what female friendship looked like? Cass didn't even know what male friendship looked like. He'd been a loner outside of his sister and her husband for most of his life. A chosen thing, too. It wasn't as if people didn't want to be friends with him. Cass had plenty of options. People liked him. He wasn't jealous of the closeness the two showed each other. It didn't make his heart ache in a strange, unfamiliar way either. He was fine. Probably just tired from everything that had happened in one day. After all, he'd died and come back to life and met and spoke with "gods" twice. That was a lot, not including the mid term he'd written that day as well. Someone sniffed, and Cass raised his head from where it had drifted down, meeting the gaze of Lady Fiona, her face slightly flushed. "Okay. So, you know that Ava can see people's spirits. She confirmed that you are Lord Cassian. It feels like there is something else going on here. Like I'm missing a puzzle piece." She let herself get pushed around by Lady Ava, but there was a reason that Lady Fiona was the heroine. Her senses were sharp. Cass swallowed, glancing at Lady Ava who remained behind Lady Fiona, her hand on her shoulder. She gave an encouraging nod. Cass sighed. "I was...given a task by the gods." Cass told her and her eyes went wide. "Wait, you were chosen too?!" Her voice raised an octave and everyone winced. "Sorry." She apologised easily, readily. "It's just so shocking. Two heroes right now? What happens to my quest? Did they see the future and see that I failed?" It was a sincere question stemming from the same place that Lady Ava's concern came from. Cass thought for a moment about what he could tell them, and what he shouldn't. The longer he remained quiet the more serious her expression grew. "It's...hmm, they want you to continue to do what you're doing. Making your way towards defeating the Demon King, halting him in his tracks. That's still very important. I've been given a task about...what happens after that." He told them. A small truth mixed with a lie. He gave her a weak smile in return. "I can't tell you too much. What I can say is that the mark will show up on my body soon, showing that I've agreed to help them." Lady Fiona grew thoughtful, her brow furrowed as she leaned forward. Lady Ava patted her shoulder before she went and sat back down in her seat. "That's more than you told me." She accused, her eyes narrowed and Cass gave a soft laugh. "Well, in fairness, I had more time to think about what I can and cannot reveal. You practically ambushed me, Lady Ava." Cass teased. He should have known better. She went white. "That was never my intention! I-I am-" "I was joking, Lady Ava. Teasing. I'm not upset in the slightest." Cass told her quickly, and she gave a relieved sigh. She leaned back in her chair, her hand on her heart as her big, brown eyes stared at him in relief. "Thank the gods. I was so worried there for a second! You need to warn someone if you are making a joke, Cassian! I'm not used to you joking yet." Her expression was slightly pouty, but she too, appeared to be teasing him. Cass chuckled. "Do either of you have more questions?" He asked and Lady Fiona shifted in her seat, her expression serious. "Are you leaving the party?" She asked. Her grey eyes stared into Cass' soul and he swallowed. He looked away from her. "No. Well, not right away. I don't think...it would help anyone if I left too suddenly. The others would probably ask questions too." Lady Fiona nodded. "So you do plan to leave. You spoke as if your quest was related, but not quite the same as defeating the Demon King. Does something happen after we...?" She trailed off and Cass wondered what kind of expression he was making. She looked very concerned. So did Lady Ava. "Cassian?" She asked, and Cass reached up towards his face and realised that he was crying, but he didn't realise he'd done so. Confused, he furrowed his brows, brushing the tears aside but they kept coming. "Oh. I don't...I don't know why I'm crying." He muttered and Lady Ava's face crumbled. She got up and wrapped her arms around him. "It's going to be okay. Whatever you were given, for whatever reason your memories are gone, it's going to be okay. The gods work in mysterious ways, but I doubt they would make you do anything that would hurt you." Cass wasn't so sure. He gave a wet laugh. "Lady Ava, I had to die to get this opportunity. You cannot tell me that they wouldn't hurt me when Lady Fiona didn't have to do the same to get a quest from them." Her expression fell, as well as Lady Fiona's. Lady Fiona got to her feet and not as gracefully, wrapped her arms around Cass as well. "That doesn't mean we aren't able to or going to support you through your new quest. You've done a lot for us already, and although I hate to depart from you, I understand your reasons. It was hard to part ways with my old adventuring party to join the quest the gods gave me but we didn't break contact. I still speak to them even now. Think of us in the same way." Lady Fiona's words should have been comforting. They might have been to Lord Blackburn, but to Cass? Who couldn't speak to those who he had left behind no matter how much he wanted to? They felt like a punch to the stomach. He wrapped a hand around each of their arms, giving it a squeeze. "Thank you, you two." He muttered instead, unable to mask the sorrow in his words. Neither of them said a thing.