Lewis walked in, and a very happy Snowball chipped and flew over to his shoulder. Before he could do anything too rash, Snowball went ahead and explained what was happening and that he had no real reason to worry, but that didn’t stop the dagger-like glares that he gave Jack and the others.

“Fine…I guess I can accept this. It is boring when I’m not around.” He sighed and walked over, sitting down next to Simone, in between her and Jack. “Deal me in.”

“Wait, you can play poker?” Jack suddenly seemed nervous. Lewis’ expression never changed…the ultimate poker face.

Simone, Lewis, Jack, and the others all looked at their cards. Lewis replaced two. Jack, one. And Simone?

“I uh….all five?” Simone shrugged as she was handed five more cards, and she looked at them. It was obvious from her face that she wasn’t entirely sure what she had.

Lewis stared at everyone. “Well?”

“Okay…raise,” one of the men said as he pushed three seeds into the pot.

“Call.” Jack tossed three seeds in.

“Raise.” Lewis tossed in eight seeds.

Jack and the other men all looked at him with a shocked expression. “F-fold…”

Simone watched as each of the men gave up, and looked at Lewis confused. “But why…he’s lying, isn’t he? It’s written on his face.”

Jack gave Simone an incredulous look. “What crazy nonsense are you spouting. His face hasn’t changed at all.”

Simone shrugged, “Call then, I guess?”

Lewis put down a pair of jacks.

Simone threw her cards down. “Whatever this is…”

“A flush,” Jack said as he whistled. “Damn, Lewis…she beat you outright…”

One of the other acolytes were looking at her afterward, “How did you know he was lying?”

“Can’t you tell by his face?” She made a face. “It’s really easy to tell how he’s feeling.”

“Lewis feels?” All of the acolytes were looking at Lewis studying him. “He has the same face all the time.”

“No, he doesn’t.” Simone puffed up her face. “For instance, when he’s having a good day he… um…” She tilted her head. “HE HAS THIS THING WITH HIS FACE! I can’t describe it.” She threw up her hands. “I just know.”

“Simone has a gift,” Jack joked, “She can read Lewis’s resting bitch face.”

The other two acolytes looked at each other, “They have a name for that… Simone is a bitch whisperer.”

“What’s that?”

“It means you have your way with Lewis where others don’t,” they gave her a grin. “It’s a gift.”

Simone squinted at Lewis and got closer to him, “You should see his face when he gets a rise out of me. He’s practically grinning.”

The other three leaned in, “Lewis smiles?”

“Well… No… but… Yes?”

Lewis looked at Simone with that expression, and Simone pointed. “SEE, SEE!? HE’S DOING IT NOW!”

Everyone leaned in even closer to him, yet still none of them could tell a different. “She must have a gift of some kind. I just don’t see it…” Jack sat back in his chair and sighed. “I swear…this is either some divine gift, or she’s pulling our leg…”

Lewis rolled his eyes. “I hate you all…”

“Except mmeeee,” Simone squealed as she dealt out another hand. “You like me!”

“Yes…I do…”

Jack, who had taken a sip of water, choked.

Your Boyfriend is Rich

Simone was happily moving about the dining area. “You still haven’t found someone to bring you lunch?” Jack made a face.

“No… and it’s horrible,” Simone pouted. “I get all comfy on the sofa with Lewis and then I get hungry!” She threw her hands up. “It’s absolutely dreadful.”

“…Lewis threatened him.”

“Oh, he thought he was trying to take me,” Simone shrugged. “It’s kinda cute but I won’t tell Lewis that because I don’t want him to do it just because I find it cute.”

“…You two have the weirdest relationship…” Jack couldn’t deny they were made for each other now.

“It works,” she shrugged.

“It’s a poor relationship.” One of the girls spoke up. Simone didn’t know her but it looked like one of the healing apprentices. “Where's your dresses? Your jewelry? What does he get you?”

Simone made a face. All of her dresses were custom made, Lewis had bought them for her. Jewelry? She wasn’t too big into it… Most of the gifts Lewis got her were flowers and books. “Why does that matter?”

“Cause Lewis doesn’t care if he doesn’t,” she shrugged. “Any girl could take him.”

“Okay so go try. Go on. Try to take Lewis. Go on,” Simone shooed the girl towards Lewis as he walked in. “Go ahead. Try.” Lewis quirked an eyebrow. “She wants to go on a date with you,” Simone said out loud with her hands on her hips.

Lewis had walked in with his nose in a book. It was a rather curious read on ways to mix unique poisons into foods and mask the taste and smell. When he looked up and noticed the woman that had been pushed in his direction, he immediately scowled. “Out of my way.” He pushed past her, ignoring the fact that Simone had advocated a ‘date’, and immediately looked at Simone.

“Why are there people in our room…” He glanced about. “We can’t…” He paused. “Nevermind…” He put his nose back into the book. “Oh…did you get the flowers I left in your room? You mentioned something about liking them…so I got more…” He sounded so disinterested to the rest of the room.

Simone blushed a bit at his meeting. “Oh, we were playing games while you were out. Jack brought along this… Uhhh…”

“Margret!” She yelled at Simone.

“Yeah that,” She smiled at Lewis. “I did! I love peonies!” She reached up and kissed his cheek. “Thank you.” That was when she set a plan in motion to put the girl beneath her feet. “Hey Lewis,” she took his arm in hers and squished it into her chest. She had the biggest begging eyes he had ever seen. “Do you think we can go to town and do some shopping? Margret said there was this dress bouquet…”

“But why? I had the tailor come here personally to make all your clothes,” Lewis looked at her with a weird look.

“Oh, that’s right,” Simone said with shock she was clearly lying. “I forgot.”

“How did yo–” Lewis looked at the other girl. He seemed to put two and two together. Margret stood there in shock. Custom dresses? Brought the tailor to Simone.

“What are you a fucking princess?” the girl looked at Simone with shock.

“Mmm…” Simone debated answering the question.

“Essentially, yes,” Lewis said as he looked around the room. “Fine, we can go…I guess we can stop by that jewelry store as well.” He shrugged as if it were nothing. “Bah…what a pain it would be to take you all the time. I guess I can start giving you a weekly allowance…”

Margret had obviously done something to Simone, and her asking for things was her way of getting back. So why not indulge a little and cause some shock? He wasn’t allowed to kill her, so this was the best he could do. “I’d say…one thousand silver a week should be enough…”

To him, that was a pittance. The absurd amount of silver he made on the side doing assassinations was more than enough to cover this for years without even touching his main reserves.

Killing was a lucrative business…

Simone with a little dance and hugged herself to him, “You are the absolute best!” Lewis kissed the top of her head and she squealed.

“What the fuck?!” Margret looked at Simone and Lewis. “What are you rich?!”

“I mean… He is. Doesn’t your boyfriend make a lot… doingggg?”

“He’s another potions apprentice,” Jack seemed to be enjoying Simone knocking Margret down a peg.

“Oh, well that explains it.” Simone held a bored expression on her face. “No offense Jack…”

“None taken, it's why I’m a messenger boy too,” Jack smirked up at Margret who stomped out.

Simone shrugged and looked at them, “You don’t have to buy me anything I just wanted to piss her off. I’m pretty happy with just flowers and books.”

“I know you are,” Lewis looked at Jack. “Get out. I have business.”

“Am I the business?” Simone loved asking it.

“Of course, you’re the fucking business.”

The Afterparty

Every so often, Lewis was more or less required to go to social events. It was a part of his training as an assassin, to which he reluctantly had to agree was necessary. Normally he had to attend these events on his own, but a certain group of individuals convinced him that it would look better if he had someone on his arm.

That meant Simone. Anyone else wouldn’t cut it.

Lewis had been against the idea from the start, but the majority of the night went well. It was when the guests left and there were only temple acolytes and workers that things started to get…problematic.

Most of those who knew Lewis and Simone knew to steer clear of them. The problem was that Lord Raith had a very large temple, and an obscene amount of acolytes who served him. And that inevitably would lead to conflict.

Lewis took a sip of the wine he had been given. He barely understood the purpose of alcohol, but it was what others did, and that meant he needed to do it to blend in. Even if it was an afterparty…

“This is…annoying,” Lewis stated with a dull, bored tone. At least, to Simone that was what it sounded like.

Simone had gotten a pretty little dress and had her hair done. Dala had been particularly useful for this. The girl looked good on Lewis’s arm. Though she was a lot smaller than most of the other girls. She had a look on her face as she looked at the big-chested women with a bored expression. “That’s alcohol right?” She looked at the wine and pointed at it. “Can I have some?”

A waiter came over and offered her a glass so she took it and sniffed it. Looking at Lewis she showed him it. “I’ll only drink this one.” Once she drank it down she had a look on her face.

“You don’t like alcohol, Simone?”

“It’s weird… I don’t like it. Can I have regular stuff?” Simone looked up at Darren with big eyes.

“If I don’t get you regular punch Lewis might kill me,” Darren had been bringing Lewis the spiked version since he hadn’t specified. Once Simone had the regular punch she felt okay with it.

Simone sat in with the acolytes and Darren gave a smile, “If you get uncomfortable with the topics just say so okay?”

She nodded, “I’m not that shy.” Though she could hear Lewis calling her a liar. She made a face and stared at him. “Lewis killed any shyness I have.”