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Fadey gasps, looking around. He coughs slightly. Great. He sighs and starts making his way back to the palace. Why the hell did he even agree to this? He had no idea. Maybe he was just crazy. Who the hell knew at this point? It took him a while, but he eventually makes it back.
“Petty. If I do say so myself. Very petty.”
Grant ignores the bodyguard save for another finger click which sends him halfway across the castle - three hours of jogging.
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Fadey sighs. Keeping this up would make his heart worse. He grumbles, walking back once more, but this time, he kept his distance. He leans against the wall, letting himself attempt to stabilize his heartbeat.
It hits 8:00 and the door stays closed.
Infuriatingly closed.
It was Grant's way of saying, "Don't come in. I'm working or reading."
But he figured his self-appointed "bodyguard" - since his father clearly hadn't elected him for the task, as he knew his son could handle himself, and that people very quickly got fed up with his emotionless and seemingly purposefully emo/punk outlook on things - wouldn't care. He hadn't earlier.
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Fadey sighs, rubbing his face and going home. He’d come back in the morning. For now. He needed to take care of his family. It wasn’t like they were poor. No. Quite the opposite. But his baby sister was sick…and his parents were out on a business trip. So it was just him and his sister. He yawns slightly, then gets to work. His ‘second job’.
In the morning, around 6, Fadey walks back to the palace. He looked at the doors and sighs, rubbing his eyes.
Grant is. . . not surprised, per se. He was curious why the bodyguard hadn't properly come back.
Not like he really cared. He just wanted peace and quiet.
He watches the door.
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Fadey sighs and walks in, standing by the doors and staying perfectly quiet. If you looked away, you’d think he wasn’t even there.
Of course, Fadey had asked a friend to watch his sister. As per usual. He didn’t need more to worry about. Not right now. All he was there for, was to earn enough money to finally pay for a healer. Even if his family was rich, they weren’t rich enough. Magical healers costed a lot of money. Too much money. Fadey had been working all his life to find a cure for his baby sister. From the moment she was born, to now.
Fadey looked tired. Very tired. But that didn’t stop him from being on high alert.
Grant eyes the noble, noting the telltale signs of exhaustion.
Sleep loss. Clearly would rather be elsewhere. Probably family. Lover? No- he seemed too distant and aloof for that. Family member. Probably younger. The older ones got sick but they could usually survive, except for moms at the age of 30 and dads at 20.
He doubted it was those, though. The signs of stress would look different. So sibling. Younger. Probably a little girl, boys handled sickness better. not bias, experiments had proven it.
He walks towards his workbench and starts rummaging for a prototype cure-all infused with a Curse Dispel and a Greater Heal. He only had a couple but one would work.
"Go home. Administer this and take the day off." he says as he walks over to the noble and hands it to him.
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He pauses, looking at him. “W-what-?” He looked shocked. “Um- I’m sorry but I can’t go home until 8…” he looked so confused, even slightly startled.
Grant stares at the noble.
"Just go. I won't die but she might." he says simply.
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Fadey looks at what Grant gave him, then gives him a thankful look. He then rushes back home. He was coughing and was definitely dizzy by the time he arrived. But he didn’t care. He carefully gives his sister the tonic like substance. Soon, she takes a deep breath, and relaxed.
Fadey watches her, then sighs in relief, holding her close. Tears began to roll down his cheeks. She was ok…
His sister slowly opens her eyes, looking around. She then looks to her big brother and smiles brightly. “You’re back!” She squeals. This made Fadey laugh softly and nod, kissing the 6 year olds forehead. “Yeah…I’m back…and so are you, sweet girl…”
The rest of the day, Fadey stayed home, resting and taking care of his sister.
The next day, Fadey gets up and makes his sister breakfast, then heads out. He still looked tired, but somewhat rested. He sighs and walks in, silent.
Grant ignores the noble for the most part, save a couple instances where the prince had told the man to move out of the way; not harshly, as calm and collected and cold as he always had been about it.
After a few hours, Grant decides to question the noble.
"Why did you take this on? Nobody else could or would. Being short on money is easily solvable by other means than this." he asks.
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Fadey looks at the prince, “Well…I have plenty of reason. First of all, yes…I was short on money. I was trying to find a cure for my sister before it was too late…this was the best option. Second, I have always found it easy to be able to protect others. And I try to be as helpful as possible. That is another reason why I was given the job. In addition, I just wanted to help.” Fadey takes a moment, then decides not to say anything else.
Grant has that ever-present look of coldness and distance on his face still as he listens.
"Do whatever you wish now. Just do not hinder my work or studies." he says eventually.
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Fadey sighs and nods, “As you wish. I won’t bother you.”
Grant nods and turns away from the noble.
"Now. I shall be leaving the palace for a while. Giard this room as though it were me. I will pay you. . . 20 floral gold crowns if you do this." he says, naming the coin made of pure gold with a small disk of manatite in the center, the coin that could buy Fadey's entire family.
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Fadey blinks, then nods. “Yes your highness…” He nods, then goes silent.
Grant turns and walks away, tossing a small coin purse towards the noble as he does this.
He steps foot out of the palace and looks around for a moment before striding off to the northeast.
He returns about 4 hours later, with no evidence at all of exhaustion or fatigue despite having walked miles.
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Fadey was standing right where he was left. Dead faced. He honestly looked a bit scary to any ordinary person with his ugly looking scar and muscular figure. He looks at the prince and nods.
Grant was not afraid of the noble, since he wasn't normal.
He nods back before opening the door and stepping inside, closing it once more.
A few moments later, what sounds like glass shattering can be heard before the door is ripped from its hinges with a wave of kinetic force.
Grant can be heard coughing, but otherwise, when the noble would come in, he would look to be in just as perfect health as he had been when he'd returned.
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Fadey yelps and rushes in, ready to fight if need be. “What happened?!”
"Magic. Assassin." Grant says darkly. But the look in his eyes contrasted with the tone of his voice: bright and alive and joyful.
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Fadey blinks, then looks around. “D-did someone- come in here?”
"No. Rune of Force. Someone snuck in through the window - which was heavily warded against ill intentions and malicious presences - and placed it here, meaning they knew of the loopholes in the wording of my wards." Grant says simply.
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Fadey frowns, then looks around. “Are they still here?”
