The Assassin's Crown

Part 14

2022, August 10th

It had been a few days on the journey to find Sireno his cure. To say it was an easy few days was a lie. Aerlic continued to space that Sireno had forgotten about him, causing the younger to have very weird interactions with the older. And it damages Aerlic each day.

"So, why do you talk like you're trying to be scary?" n he finally hears the honey voice behind his back and relaxes. He feared the man was asleep or mad.

"I hurt you once, it's a painful memory for us both." he continues to avoid any questions about how or why he had hurt Sireno in the past.

"Maybe we should set up camp? It's getting dark and Leonardo needs to eat soon."

"Leonardo?" Aerlic begins to look for a clearing amongst the lush woods and steady bushes.

"The horse, that's his name." The smaller man explains confused how the older man never asked or knew that.

"Oh, I thought his name was Neopold, anyway I'm stopping here." to avoid the further bickering conversation he hops off the horse and leads him to the nearby tree around the vast spot. It was wide enough for both men to place their tents apart and have a fire pit.

"Aerlic, why are you avoiding me?" The younger finally speaks up after they set their individual tents.

"It hurts, it hurts to be around you and be stared at like I'm a stranger." Aerlic refuses to look at the younger as he begins a fire to start food for them. He had been crying while building his tent, to prove he was a mess knife in his hand slipped and cut his palm.

"Your bleeding here let me help." Sireno takes out his medical clothes and sits in front of the stunned man. He works diligently and carefully not to spark more pain into the older man. It was a familiar stance for the older man, after any job he took that caused him to get injured Sireno would rush to his side, scolding him the entire way, and then patch him up as if he would die from the slightest scratch.

"Do you know how dangerous a cut to your hand is with that rusted old knife?!" Sireno begins on his tangent, not even aware of how many times the awestruct man in front of him has heard it word for word. "I mean seriously how stupid do you think that was to walts over to a rusted ancient knife and think it was a smart idea to cut logs with it! You even were stupid enough to cut them into yourself, moron."

Aerlic tried to stifle a laugh he had missed this side of Sireno, innocent and worried all of the time. It was a calm relief.

"Now you're laughing, how have you managed to live so long!" the younger slapped him playfully, adding slight force to prove his point.

"Over 500 years, and you still are a spitfire." the older leaned back into the tree behind him and took in the view of Sireno, black curly hair grown down to his shoulders with gold and silver streaks, a focused and fluster olive face with scars that kissed his chin, a bottle left unopened around his neck as it dangled, and his dorkish adventuring cloths clad with a belt and combat boots. "And all because of you.'' He brushed the dangling hair behind the man's ear and cupped his face with the unoccupied hand.

A snape came from the woods behind them.