Chapter Eleven - Exhaustion and Spell Pools Don't Mix

Leif phased his way around the main hall, slowly working his way towards the spell pool. He had been waiting for almost two hours now, but had yet to see the humans leave. If they were still in the Daemos space, then that could be considered trespassing... which meant they should be dealt with accordingly.

As he entered the spell pool room, Leif noticed Pierce as well as both humans were still there. Emerald was lying precariously on the ledge next to the pool, jeans folded into a make-shift pillow under her head. On the other hand, Ava was still in the water, her head leaning back against the stone. Pierce was sitting next to Emerald, hands resting on his knees and head bowed.

All of them appeared to be asleep.

The former assassin grinned as he took out his knives. 'This is almost too easy,' he thought as he phased over and brought his blades down on Ava's head...

... or at least, he would have, if Pierce's greatsword hadn't blocked his swing in one smooth motion. The large Daemos stared at him impassively, his left hand going to Emerald's forehead briefly as he whispered something under his breath.

"Still putting up a fight about this, I see," Leif sneered, giving a cocky grin.

"I'm following orders. We aren't to kill either of them until we learn more about humans."

"Oh come on, don't tell me you don't think about killing them too." He backed off as Pierce stood, wielding his greatsword in both hands. "How long are you gonna keep this up?"

"As long as I need," the Daemos general growled, glaring at him. "Especially when your intentions aren't clear."

"Please, my intentions are simple: I do what I feel like doing. Either I make Ava mine, or I kill her. Sometimes I can't pick between the two." He shrugged his shoulders. "Tonight I felt like killing her. Simple."

"And what of Emerald? Is her life beneath you to take?"

"Please, I would love the chance to fight her properly. Don't think I missed that little sleeping spell you put on her when you blocked my first strike." He grinned wickedly. "I think you made sure she stayed asleep so I wouldn't have an excuse to finally take her out."

"Are life and death that simple for you?!"

Leif laughed harshly. "Why are you asking such stupid questions?"

His only response was a glare.

"I said it before, and I'll say it again: Ee-urth has changed us, whether we want to admit it or not. I can't quite put my finger on why it happened."

Pierce's eyes went wide with sudden realization. He glanced down between Emerald and Ava, before looking back at the former assassin and putting his sword away. "Kill her."

His tone took Leif completely by surprise. "Huh?"

"I'm allowing you to do it." He nodded his head at Ava. "Go."

"Really?!"

"Yes."

Leif laughed maniacally, readying his knives again. "ALL RIGHT!" He phased to right in front of Ava, knife held high to deliver the killing blow... but the look on her face made him freeze. "Huh?"

As he was caught in indecision, a fireball came from his right side. It slammed into his chest, throwing him back against the north wall of the pool and barely missing the spouts feeding in more water.

"Why do you insist on defying my orders?!" Asch growled, staring him down. He had entered from the same doorway Leif had earlier and now stood at the side of the pool.

Leif shook his head to clear it. "YOU ALL KNEW HOW I WAS WHEN I ASKED TO BECOME A KNIGHT!" he shot back, standing and putting his knives away.

"We are trying to court the human princess sorceress. We cannot do that if she's dead."

"SHE'S ALREADY DEAD!" Leif's eyes widened in panic.

"What?!" Asch and Pierce cried out simultaneously as all three of them stepped back into the water. The former knelt down, lifting Ava's body out of the water and holding it up like a rag doll. Her head tilted back limply, limbs dangling bonelessly. Her eyes were half-open and glazed over, looking completely lifeless.

"Wh-who did this?!" Asch turned to face his two knights, focusing in on Leif. "It was you, wasn't it?!"

"I WISH!"

"What do we do?!" Pierce's voice was soft, but worried.

The Daemos prince stared at the seemingly lifeless body in his arms, thinking quickly. He glanced briefly over at Emerald's unconscious form before narrowing his eyes. "Rhys!"

"No Asch, don't tell him!" Leif sounded almost more panicked than he had just a moment before.

Asch shook his head. "We have no choice. You remember what Rhys said: we shouldn't provoke Emerald more than we have to, especially since it seems she's not entirely without magic after all. If she finds out that we killed her mistress..." He paused, then looked around again. "RHYS!"

"Where's Rhys?" The concern was obvious in Pierce's voice when the spectacled Daemos failed to appear.

"Oh no," Leif murmured. "Ava's parents must have gotten their nine hundred and eleven soldiers on him!"

"How would they know she's dead?" Asch glared at him, sounding annoyed.

"She's a powerful sorceress and she said her parents put an 'over-protective' spell on her!"

"... what does that even mean?!"

"I don't know, but it probably means Rhys is dead!"

"W-w-we shouldn't panic," Pierce stuttered out, even though he felt just as concerned as the other two.

"AVA'S DEAD, WE SHOULD PANIC!" Leif screamed back.

A sudden thud caught their attention, drawing their eyes back over to the doorway where they saw Noi standing. A look of horror was on his face as he gasped. "A... A... Ava's... dead?"

Leif's pupils shrank to the size of pinpricks. "Ah, shi - "

"Sit down, Noi," Pierce commanded, trying to keep the situation under control. "We are still trying to figure - "

The smallest Daemos ignored them all, stepping forward and pushing Asch down as he took Ava's body from his grasp. "What are you doing?!" the latter demanded, his remaining knights watching in stunned disbelief.

"You're lying! She's... she's not dead." Noi stuttered as he dragged Ava towards the door that lead to the portal.

"Look at her!" Leif scoffed.

"Nonono, this can't be happening," he murmured to himself, staring into her lifeless eyes.

"Give her back!" Pierce commanded, all three Daemos in the water glaring at Noi.

"NO!" Noi cried, draping her over his right shoulder. "I won't let you just throw her body away!" He turned and started running towards the portal at full speed.

"After him!" Asch ordered, Leif and Pierce quick to obey. The former two passed a little too close to Emerald, jostling her body as they ran by.

Noi kept running, not daring to look back to see if he was being followed. "I'll find a way to reverse this, Princess," he whispered. "I promise!"

"Rhys!" Asch called as he entered the lobby. "Where the hell are you?!"

"DON'T TELL HIM!" Leif shrieked.

"Phase, Leif!" Pierce commanded.

"Huh?! Oh, right." He blipped out of sight as Asch and Pierce resumed the chase on foot.

Back in the spell pool room, Emerald groaned and shifted slightly.

* * * * *

Despite the fears of the other Daemos, Rhys was, in fact, perfectly safe at the moment. He walked out of Ava's bedroom, looking through her copy of Bra's Magazine!. "Hmm... humans have fascinating combat preferences." He tilted his head. "Or is this even combat at all? I - "

He was cut off as Noi ran past him, Ava slung over his right shoulder. "What the - ?! What's going on?"

"THEY KILLED AVA!" Noi screeched out.

"Killed?!"

Leif appeared between Noi and the door to the apartment, brandishing his knives. "Give her back to me you weakli - " he trailed off, putting his weapons away as he took in the situation. " - iiing ohno."

"What. Is going on?" Rhys's voice was deadly calm as he glared at the two of them.

Asch and Pierce ran though the portal, the former shouting angrily. "Noi, I will kill you-Ahhhh!" The threat died on his lips as he immediately turned around and ran back inside.

"Come out here now."

"You said you wanted to see him," Leif called.

"I wanted to explain the situation first," Asch shot back.

"Wait... " The magazine dropped from his hand, face contorting in anger. "YOU ACTUALLY KILLED HER?!" Rhys ran over to Noi, taking Ava's body and laying her on the couch.

"Rhys, do something!" the smallest Daemos cried out, following close behind.

"Hold on!" he replied as he began to examine the small human.

Knowing Rhys was now distracted, Asch stepped back through the portal. "This is all your fault, Pierce!" He glared at his general accusingly.

"I did not do anything," Pierce shot back, meeting his glare evenly.

"You were instructed to watch over her, and then you - "

"She's alive, you idiots!" Rhys interrupted, straightening up.

"She is?!" came a chorus of stunned outbursts from the other four Daemos.

Ava let out a few weak sniffles, her eyes still firmly closed.

"She's alive!" Noi cried happily.

"She has a steady pulse, but... her body is incredibly hot." Rhys turned to Pierce. "What happened?"

"I decided to sit outside of the spell pool with Emerald, since Princess Ava insisted she remain. I waited until Leif came in - "

"LEIF!"

"I didn't kill her! I looked at her and she had that look on her face like somebody else killed her."

"Wh-what if it was the spell pool?" Noi sniffed, looking at Ava pathetically.

"It's... entirely possible the spell pool had an effect on her." Rhys looked around the room again. "Wait... where is Emerald?" He felt a worried knot in the pit of his stomach. "What happened when she heard you all saying Ava was dead?"

Pierce met his gaze evenly. "She heard nothing. I placed a sleeping spell on her to help her rest. She has not slept well these past two days." He paused. "I also did not wish her to engage with Leif when he arrived."

"So she has no idea any of this happened?"

"No. She removed herself from the pool earlier and began to tire, but refused to leave Ava's side. I helped her."

Rhys did not look pacified. "Emerald will not be pleased when she finds out what happened."

Leif cocked one eyebrow. "Why does she have to find out?"

"You really think we can hide this?"

"Hey, as long as Ava's better by morning, who says Emerald ever has to know?"

"Be that as it may, how do we go about helping Ava?"

"Place her to rest on her bed," Asch commanded calmly.

Rhys faced him. "Do you think that will work?"

"If there's one thing I'm positive Daemos and humans share, it's rest. The effects will most likely wear off from her come morning."

"Wow, Asch actually said something smart for once," Leif jabbed.

"Agreed," Rhys murmured softly.

The Daemos prince glared at his advisor. "Don't humor him."

"I'm agreeing with you about rest. We can place her in her room." He turned back to the couch, lifting Ava easily and carrying her to her bed. Once she was lying down, he grabbed a purple blanket from the bottom and used it to cover her up.

Confident she was resting comfortably, Rhys faced the other Daemos gathered around. "What possessed all of you to panic as such? It was fairly obvious she had a pulse."

"We didn't know what was going on," Leif shot back.

"Especially you, Pierce."

Under his gaze, the Daemos general looked somewhat embarrassed. "As, uh, Leif said."

Rhys sighed. "Okay. We should return to the spell pool and see how Emerald is. From what you've told me, she is currently under the effects of two sleeping spells. Combined with her earlier contact with the spell pool, she might be having some... interesting dreams right now."

* * * * *

Emerald jolted awake as she heard the sound of a boot kicking the door to her tent. "Hey, Vic! C'mon, yer gonna miss yer ride!"

She took a moment to rub her eyes, looking around. 'Wait, this is...' The green canvas walls, the makeshift furniture built out of spare two-by-fours, the dangling bare bulb hanging from a nail: it looked just like the tent she'd stayed in when she was deployed to - 

Another loud kick. "Vic! Les go!"

"C-coming!" she called back, throwing aside her blanket and rushing to get dressed. 'This is so weird,' Emerald thought as she pulled on her combat boots. 'How long have I been deployed again? Feels like it's been months, but... it also feels like I've been asleep for years.'

Shaking her head, she efficiently pulled her hair up into a neat bun with practiced ease. As she got to the door, she grabbed her hat and canteen from the hook on the wall, placing the former on her head as she attached the latter to her belt.

Opening the door revealed Bobby Beaudreaux, aka "Jesus Sauce", a nickname he had earned due to the rather odd way the Gothic lettering of his tattoo on his stomach appeared if you glanced away too quickly. It actually read "Jesus Saves", but everyone had agreed the mistake was funnier, including Bobby himself. "Bout time ya got up," he teased, nudging her side with his elbow.

"Yeah, yeah," she sighed, nudging him back as she grinned. "Sorry about that. I was having this weird dream - "

"It got anything to do with yer fiancé, I don' wanna hear it."

Emerald laughed, but her thoughts were confused. 'Wait, fiancé? When did that happen?'

Another voice called out, on her left. "Vic, think fast!"

She looked over, barely catching the wrapped sandwich that'd just been tossed at her face. The woman sent a glare at the individual who'd thrown it.

Albin Hinds gave her a cocky grin. "Figures we'd be waiting on you." Hinds was one of those obnoxious kids who'd been in the Civil Air Patrol before joining active duty Air Force, so 'clearly' he knew everything there was to know. He also had an uncanny sense of exactly how far he could push things without getting in trouble.

"Eff off," Emerald growled, examining the sandwich closely to make sure he hadn't messed with it. Something about this whole situation seemed oddly familiar, but also carried an overhanging feeling of dread...

"Ooo! That's the closest to swearing you've come yet! At this rate, you'll be just as salty as the rest of us."

Daryl Suhy leaned out the side of the bus and lightly smacked Hinds in the back of the head. "Yo, we're all gonna be late if you guys don't get your asses in here right now." Suhy was one of the higher-ranking guys in the group, and had been trying his best to keep everyone on track.

Emerald held in a snicker as she climbed the steps onto the bus, giving Suhy a brief look of thanks. "Don't give me that," he responded. "You're lucky we stopped by to get you instead of making you walk all the way to the site."

"Point taken, sir." That was one thing about Suhy: he didn't play favorites.

"Come sit here, Vichana!" She smiled as she glanced towards the sound of that exuberant voice, waving back at Jamie Quintana. He had joined the Air Force right out of high school and had only graduated Tech School a few months ago.

She started towards him as Hinds and Jesus Sauce got on behind her, both taking seats near the front. Just as she was about to sit down, Emerald saw - 

* * * * *

Emerald's legs splashed into the water of the spell pool, her body twisting so her stomach was resting against the stone edge. She groaned again, but still didn't seem able to wake up, even as she continued to slowly slide further into the water.

* * * * *

"Hey Em."

Emerald sat down across the aisle from JR. His name was actually Francis Leasure Jr., but everyone just called him JR for short... 'short' being a rather amusing description, since the man was easily over six-and-a-half feet tall. He was actually one of several people she'd met at Tech School, so they'd been friends for years.

'Why is he on this bus, though? None of the guys I went to school with ever deployed with me...' Emerald gasped in realization. 'This is a dream! I'm having a dream about a bunch of guys I used to work with, but not in any location we were ever at together.'

She noticed even more familiar faces as she looked around the bus, but no more names were springing to mind. 'That's a little weird. Why am I thinking about these five guys in particular?'

As happens in dreams, Emerald found herself standing in an entirely different location in the blink of an eye. 'Now we're at the bomb storage yard. Why would we be - ' She cut off her own thought, suddenly paralyzed with fear.

This wasn't just a random dream...

... it was part of a memory.

* * * * *

Emerald grunted, unconsciously edging further towards the side of the pool. Just as she began to sink into the water, Leif suddenly phased in right beside her. "Oh no you don't!" he yelled, grabbing her by the arm and lifting her out. "It's bad enough Ava almost died in this thing: you don't get to escape so easily."

The veteran didn't answer him, hanging listlessly by his side. The former assassin sighed as he got a better grip, shifting her to a bridal-style carry in his arms. "Hey, wake up already!" he called, preparing to use his magic to awaken her when - 

"Leif, don't!" Rhys called as he ran in, the other three Daemos hot on his heels.

"What's the problem? I thought we wanted her awake so we could explain what happened."

"We need to be careful," he explained, coming to a stop along with the others to form a semi-circle around Leif. "I don't think she reacts well to being awakened suddenly."

"What are we going tell her?" Noi piped up, peering closely at the taller woman. Now that she was unconscious, the small Daemos seemed less nervous around her.

"I think we should wait until morning," Rhys answered, also using the opportunity to study Emerald. "It will only unnecessarily upset her, which might make her do something... rash."

"Won't she be angrier that we tried to hide it?"

"Who says she has to know at all?" Leif shot back. "As long as Ava's recovered in the morning, it doesn't matter." He suddenly got a mischievous look on his face as he began lifting the bottom edge of her shirt. "Speaking of 'doesn't have to know'... you guys wanna see that scar?"

Before anyone could say anything, Pierce stepped forward and snatched Emerald out of Leif's arms. He cradled her close to his chest, backing away from the others.

"Pierce... " Asch growled, sounding like he was scolding a dog who had stolen food off the table. "What do you think you're doing?"

"Emerald does not want anyone to see her scar." He swallowed thickly. "She even defied Ava's request to see it earlier. It is why she exited the spell pool in the first place."

Rhys nodded in understanding. "I see. If it's important enough that she would even deny her mistress, I think we should leave it alone for now."

"That's no fun," Leif pouted, crossing his arms and glaring.

"I'm more concerned all this jostling hasn't woken her up." He stepped closer, placing one hand on Emerald's forehead. "Hmm... she feels warmer than she usually does. Not as hot as Ava," he quickly clarified, catching everyone's worried glances.

"It's probably from the spell pool," Leif offered. "She was sinking into it when I came in."

"That would explain it." Rhys watched as the veteran twitched in her sleep, eyebrows furrowing together as she let out a low groan. "It would appear she is not having a pleasant dream."

"We've wasted enough time on these... distractions for one night." Asch looked around at his knights. "Put her to rest in her bed, and we'll check on both of them in the morning." Order given, the Daemos prince turned on his heel and stalked out.

"Bye." Leif phased away abruptly.

Noi looked between Pierce and Rhys. "Should we check on Ava again?"

The latter shook his head. "She will rest more if we do not disturb her."

"Okay." He paused again, hesitant. "Can I come with you two?"

"You are worried about Emerald."

The small Daemos nodded. "She scares me, but Ava trusts her, so I think I should get used to her."

Pierce frowned, but didn't say anything as he turned and began carrying Emerald towards her room. Now that Rhys had mentioned it, the Daemos general could feel she was a bit warmer than she'd been before. He was aware of the other two following him as he went through the portal.

"Don't... " She murmured quietly, frowning.

Pierce froze in his tracks, staring down at her. "Emerald?"

"Don't let... go... "

"Fascinating," Rhys observed, coming up beside him. "It appears her dream intensifies as we spend more time in close proximity."

"Then... we should probably hurry and put her down, right?" Noi cut in, looking worried.

"Agreed." He held out his arms. "Give her to me, Pierce."

The tall Daemos startled, brought out of his thoughts. "What?"

"You were with the humans by the spell pool for several hours. Go take some rest. I will take care of this."

Reluctantly, Pierce handed her over. Now that he was aware of it, he could feel exactly how tired he was. "Please inform me if anything happens."

"Of course."

The rest of the journey was uneventful as Rhys and Noi took Emerald to her room. The former laid her down on her bed before pulling up the spare blanket. Once she was covered, he rested his hand on her forehead. 'She is definitely warmer,' he thought with worry.

"D-do you think she'll be mad?" Noi asked, wringing his hands. "If she finds out about Ava, I mean."

"She is a rational, intelligent human. I think, if we are calm and careful, Emerald will not do anything... regrettable."

"... she reminds me of you."

That caught him completely off guard. "R-really?"

"Yeah! It's like you said: she's smart, calm, and really scary when she gets angry." He laughed lightly. "You even kind of look alike now, since she gave you those things for your face."

Rhys sighed, blushing slightly. "Let's... not worry about that right now. I think it will be best for us to come back when the sun rises. They should both be fine by then."

* * * * *

"She isn't fine by now!" Noi shouted, looking down at Ava as she lay in her bed, unmoved since last night.

"Shut up, Noi!" Asch grumbled in irritation.

Leif seemed genuinely confused. "What's the deal? Why isn't she better by now?"

"I... I don't know," Rhys confessed, looking worried. "The rest should've helped... " He was interrupted as Ava sniffled pathetically. "... but it only looks like she got worse."

Asch stared at Rhys accusingly. "What is going on?"

"By all accounts, she seems sick."

"Stand aside: I'll take care of this," Leif declared confidently, bringing his hands together as green light glowed. When he brought them apart, his expression dropped to one of confusion. "What th - i-it didn't work!"

"Perhaps your magic has gotten weak," the Daemos prince scoffed.

"It has not! I learned this to show I could!" he shot back.

"Perhaps the spell pool is having an adverse effect," Pierce offered.

"... or humans can't be healed by Daemos magic," Rhys cut in thoughtfully.

"That's not true," Leif scoffed. "I healed Emerald on our first day here, remember?"

"Then perhaps humans can only be healed of physical wounds. You had no trouble mending Emerald after her 'encounter' with Pierce, as well as waking Ava after her parents came in unexpectedly. Daemos, due to magic, usually heal after rest. Unless their magic is - " He was cut off as Ava coughed harshly. "This is odd," Rhys murmured seriously.

"What do we do, Rhys?" The Daemos prince looked to his advisor for answers.

"I, uh, I truly do not know."

"Rhys... doesn't know?" Pierce sounded concerned.

Leif cursed quietly under his breath. "Oh, we're doomed!"

Noi threw himself across Ava, tears running down his face. "NO! Not Ava... "

Asch glared at the smallest Daemos. "Let her go Noi, we do not want to make it worse!"

"This begs the question: how can we go about this?" Rhys was deep in thought, ignoring the theatrics around him.

"Okay, this is gonna sound bad at first, but hear me out. What if we cut her open - " Everyone glared at Leif flatly. "I'm not finished! What if we cut her open and beat up the sick inside her?"

"Cutting humans is impossible," Asch declared. "It makes them die fast."

"I'm just trying to help!"

"I think... the smarter approach should be trial and error, but first: let's do this logically." Rhys approached the side of Ava's bed, leaning in close. "Princess Ava? Can you speak?" The small human cracked her eyes open briefly, coughing harshly before closing them again. "She's unresponsive."

"No! S-she just coughed!" Noi cried hopefully. "Th-that was a response!"

"I mean... she's not communicating. This illness must have a grasp on her."

"Or maybe the spell pool did it," Asch muttered to himself.

"Perhaps." Rhys looked around the room as if something had just occurred to him. "Where is Emerald? She is usually awake before now."

"Is that necessarily a bad thing?" Leif broke in. "I mean, she's gonna be pretty angry when she finds out Ava's sick."

Pierce lit up slightly. "Emerald warned her."

That got an instant reaction from the other Daemos. "What?!"

"Emerald warned her not to stay in too long, or else she would 'feel like crap' tomorrow."

"Given how Ava is now, I would say she does 'feel like crap'," Rhys mused. "Still, I think it would be best if we at least begin to find a solution to this before we resort to awakening Emerald... and before Ava dies."

Everyone stared at him in horrified silence before Leif broke it. "So, what do we do?"

"I suggest that we all split up and look around for solutions. We'll meet back here when we've come up with some theories and ideas to test."

"That sounds better than nothing." Asch glared at Leif. "No ideas that would kill a human!"

"Bu-but those were all my ideas... "

"Tough luck," Pierce growled.

"Shut up!"

"Look for solutions." Rhys gave the order. "Disperse."

* * * * *

As each Daemos went off on their own mission, Noi exited Ava's room and looked around. His eyes rested briefly on the door to Emerald's room, which was still firmly closed. 'Hopefully she stays asleep until we figure this out,' he thought to himself before noticing Johnny sitting near the couch outside the taller woman's room.

"Oh wise spirit," he entreated, kneeling down with respect. "Please, I need to ask a favor: how can we heal Ava?"

* * * * *

After a quick, fruitless search in Ava's room, Leif exited only to see Rhys seated at the relic Ava sometimes used. "What're you doing?" he asked as he came up next to the spectacled Daemos.

"Ava comes here when she wants to learn something. Perhaps we should learn how this relic works."

"Oh, good idea!" They waited together in a comfortable silence as Rhys continued pressing buttons until a cheerful tune began to play. "Whoa, what did you do?!"

"I-I don't know!"

On a completely black background, a white line drawing of a cartoon cat waved at them. "Hi friends! Kitty Kitty Meow Meow here!"

"What is that?!" Leif practically screeched.

"Today, we're gonna learn about making friends! But first, be sure to check out my other videos on Simple Topics for Kids! There's one to deal with your friend being sick, and one to deal with bullies!"

"This sage seems to have an abundance of knowledge." Rhys stared at the screen in concentration. "Give us the topic about sickness, wise Kitty Kitty Meow Meow."

"Be sure to check them out in the description below, and subscribe and hit the bell! MEOWFIST!"

"What's a description?"

"I don't know... I don't even know how we're talking to this spirit."

* * * * *

Asch looked up in annoyance from his place beside Ava's bed as Noi ran in, holding a small bottle aloft in his hand. "Well?"

"The Johnny spirit led me to this in Emerald's 'bathroom'! It's a potion and it's called... Ty- uh... Ty-lee-noi!"

"Wha-what?" The Daemos prince stood. "Y-y-your name is in it?"

"Yes! Which means it must work!"

"How do we use it?"

"Ah, uh... " Noi trailed off, his earlier exuberance gone.

Pierce came out of Ava's bathroom, ducking his head to fit through the doorway. "I filled water in Ava's spell pool. Perhaps that will help?"

"Let me see." Asch sounded intrigued. He followed his general to the tub, testing the water with his hand. "It's burning hot... I don't think this will work, seeing as one spell pool already caused this."

Meanwhile, Noi stared at the bottle in his hand "I wish I could read more," he muttered in frustration. Behind him, the other four Daemos reentered the room to convene.

"Well?" Asch inquired.

Rhys shook his head. "We were on to something... but we couldn't find the description."

"A what?"

"We don't know. But Leif got angry that we couldn't find it, so... "

* * * * *

Leif pulled out his knives, blind with rage. "GRRRR I DON'T CARE ABOUT A DESCRIPTION ANYMORE! I WILL KILL YOU! RWHAAAAAAAAAA!" He began smashing his weapons on the keyboard, trying to force the sage to give him the answer.

Rhys tried desperately to get him to stop, but it was no use. "Leif, stop it! No, Leif, NO!"

* * * * *

Asch glared at Leif. "You killed our one chance of curing the princess without having to resort to Emerald?!"

"Oh, it's called Ty-lee-Noi!" Seemingly oblivious to the conversation, Noi turned around to face the group. "...but, I don't know how to use it."

"It's named after you." Rhys perked up. "Let me see." He stepped forward, taking the proffered bottle. "It says 'peel back for instructions'."

Pierce's eyes widened in horror. "Peeling? Like skin?"

"You can peel skin," Leif scoffed.

"I think it means the paper, but I can't get it." Rhys fumbled with the bottle, grunting. "Guh, what is this 'Lock Device'?!"

"Let's go with the peeling idea." Noi frowned. "I-I think we have to put it on her skin."

Asch sighed in resignation. "At this point, I'm willing to try anything."

Rhys went to Ava's side, holding out the bottle and rubbing it along her arm. The small human groaned, but still did not open her eyes. "It seems to be annoying her."

"Why did you have to kill the Kitty Kitty Meow Meow sage?!" Asch pointed an accusing finger at Leif.

"'CAUSE I WANTED TO KILL SOMETHING!" he shouted back.

"Stop, both of you!" Rhys glared at them. "I hate to say it, but we are out of options: we are going to have to tell Emerald."

* * * * *

Knocking.

All Emerald could hear was knocking, loud and surrounding her on every side. Every pulse seemed to beat its way into her skull, making her feel nauseous. She groaned softly, grimacing when even that noise added to the pain in her head. "Oh, holy fu- "

The sound of a door opening cut her off. The veteran tried to open her eyes, but the bright light of sunrise made her squeeze them shut again. She reached blindly to her side, trying to find her phone to see what time it was.

Too far, it seemed. Suddenly, there wasn't a mattress under her arm anymore and Emerald felt herself begin to pitch forward...

... only to come to a sudden stop as two pairs of hands caught her by the shoulders. She was aware of voices, but everything was muffled, as if she was underwater. Gradually, she forced her eyes open to see two blue pairs staring at her with worry.

"Are you alright?" Rhys's voice was soft, but even then it seemed like he was shouting at her.

"Shh..." Emerald whispered, squeezing her eyes shut as she took a deep breath through her nose. She was vaguely aware of Pierce whispering something over his shoulder and the sounds of several pairs of feet retreating out of her room.

"What happened?" Rhys's voice was much softer now as both Daemos helped her sit on the edge of the bed, but did not let go of her.

"... something in... that hot tub... " She grimaced as another wave of pain pulsed behind her eyes. "...m' head hurts... "

"It appears the spell pool is responsible after all," Pierce whispered to Rhys behind her.

"So it would seem," he nodded, placing his hand on the back of Emerald's neck. "She feels even warmer than she did last night, although not nearly as hot as Ava."

"Wait... Ava's sick?" Emerald finally forced her eyes back open, trying to focus on them.

Rhys nodded. "It appears the 'hot tub' had an adverse effect on both of you, although Ava has reacted more strongly."

"I... I need to help her." She tried to stand, but another wave of pain forced her back. Her eyes snapped shut as she groaned, bringing one palm up to cover her right eye. "God, this is like... the world's worst... hangover... "

"You should lie down," Pierce whispered.

"Agreed. Ava is resting in her bed and will be safe until you have rested as well." Rhys gently pushed Emerald back onto her bed, making sure she was settled comfortably before covering her again with the blanket. "Is there anything we can do to help you two?"

The veteran grimaced, laying her arm over her eyes. "There should be some... Tylenol in my bathroom," she began.

"Oh, that's what it's called!" Noi cried out. Despite being shooed out earlier, he and the other Daemos had slowly worked their way back inside.

The others shot glares at him while Emerald groaned softly. "Shh... " she whispered again, tightening her hand into a fist. "Please... not so loud."

"Sorry!" he answered, shrinking away from everyone.

"Could... you bring me the Tylenol and a glass of... water?" She loosened her fist as the pain ebbed. "Also... a wet cloth. Cold water for both." A pause. "Actually, two wet cloths. One for Ava, one for me."

"Will those cure you two?!" Rhys struggled to keep his voice low over his excitement.

"No, but it'll help."

* * * * *

What followed was a soft flurry of activity. As Pierce went to get the glass of water from the kitchen and Leif and Noi retrieved washcloths from the bathroom, Emerald walked Rhys through how to open the bottle of Tyenol he was still carrying.

"Fascinating," the spectacled Daemos murmured as the lid popped off. "What is the purpose of this 'Lock Device'?"

"To keep children from... getting into it and hurting... themselves... " The pain from her headache seemed to be peaking again.

"I have the water," Pierce spoke softly as he returned, Leif and Noi close behind with the washcloths.

"Rhys, help me... sit up."

He complied, moving to sit behind her as he did so. As she leaned back to rest against him, Rhys could feel her body shaking. 'This sickness has a strong hold on her as well,' he thought with worry. 'And yet... she is still trying to help us heal Ava. Her devotion to duty is truly admirable.'

"Give me... two of the...Tylenol."

The Daemos watched in fascination as Emerald placed both pills in her mouth at once, then drank half the water in one gulp.

"So all we have do is put two of these 'Ty-le-noi' in Ava's mouth, and she'll get better?" Surprisingly, Leif was trying to speak quietly.

"No," Emerald breathed out, the hand holding the glass tremoring. "She has to... be awake to swallow... the pills."

"Well then, how do we wake her up?" Asch grumbled angrily.

Emerald winced, her eyebrow twitching in pain. "Put the... cloth on her forehead. It'll help bring her fever down."

As Noi ran off to tend to Ava, Pierce reached out and gently took the glass from the veteran's hand, placing it on the nightstand. "How long will it take the 'Ty-le-noi' to work?"

"I just... need to rest for a bit. Then I'll... come see Ava."

Rhys helped her lie back down, then placed the remaining folded washcloth on her forehead. She reached up and adjusted it to cover her eyes as well.

"Just give me... about twenty minutes."

Asch opened his mouth as if he were about to argue, but Rhys sent him a warning look which actually worked for once. The Daemos all quietly shuffled out of the room, shutting the door softly behind them.

* * * * *

"How much longer is this going to take?" Asch glared at Rhys.

"Our best chance of helping Ava right now is Emerald. We should let her rest for the time being."

"I'm kinda glad she was too out of it to get mad at us," Leif confessed.

The Daemos prince was not so easily mollified. "You said she would help us, Rhys. All she did was take care of herself!"

"No!" Noi interrupted, rejoining the group. "Ava seemed to like it when I put the cloth on her forehead. I think it's helping!"

"As difficult as it is to wait, I think we should give Emerald the time she asked for," Rhys cut back in. "It's better if she can help directly: I don't want to risk making a mistake with Ava."

Asch scowled a Leif. "We wouldn't be stuck waiting if someone hadn't killed the Kitty Kitty Meow Meow sage!"

"Wait... sage." Rhys's eyes widened in realization. "That's right! We're all idiots!"

As the others voiced their displeasure at the statement, Pierce cut through calmly. "I take it you have a solution."

"No... but I know someone who does."

* * * * *

Mrs. Oates shuffled towards her apartment door as the doorbell gave off a nonstop chime. "I'm coming, I'm coming! Sheesh!" she muttered under her breath. She gave a small, surprised gasp when she opened the door. "Oh, my! Well, hello... "

Rhys and Pierce stood before her, their horns safely hidden from view. "Mrs. Oates, we need your help," the former began.

"Oh look, if I was forty years younger, I'd be happy to take Ava's or Emmy's place but... well, I'm just happy listening - "

"Ava and Emerald are sick." Pierce interrupted softly but determinedly.

"Oh, sick?"

In what seemed no time at all, Mrs. Oates was in Ava's bedroom and looking the young woman over.

"Well?" Asch questioned, his earlier frustration gone.

She turned around, holding a thermometer in her hand. "Oh, this isn't good. She has a terrible fever: 102. And she's sticky, oh, really?!" The senior woman turned back to her patient. "At least one of you thought to put this washcloth on her forehead. That should make her a little more comfortable."

"Please... we just want her to be better," Rhys pleaded. "Can you help us?"

Mrs. Oates hummed softly. "Of course I can, but it will take some time. First, let's get her tub filled with nice, warm water."

Pierce scoffed softly at Asch. "See?"

He responded by rolling his eyes and sighing. "Whatever."

The old woman smiled softly at the remaining Daemos as Pierce went into Ava's bathroom. "I'm going to teach you boys how to properly take care of a sick lady. But first, I need to check on Emmy."

"She was the one who suggested the cloth," Noi piped up as they exited Ava's room.

"Hmm, that sounds about right." Her expression grew serious. "But she really must not be feeling well if she sent you boys to come get me."

"Actually, we decided that on our own," Rhys confessed. "Emerald said she needed to rest for twenty minutes, then she would come take care of Ava herself."

Mrs. Oates let out a gently chuckle. "That sounds more like the Emmy I know." She paused outside Emerald's room. "You boys wait here: this won't take long."

* * * * *

Emerald sighed tiredly as she heard the door to her room open. "C'mon guys, I told you to give me twenty minutes - "

"Oh-hoho. Ready to go again so soon?"

"What the - Mrs. Oates?!" The veteran sat up in panic, washcloth falling from her forehead. "Oh God, I'm so sorry the guys bugged you, I promise I'll talk to them about going over to other people's homes uninvited just don't tell -"

The senior citizen seemed to materialize in front of her, placing her hands on both sides of the taller woman's face. "Emmy, breathe."

Emerald inhaled sharply once. Slowly, she let it out and took a second, calmer breath, but still didn't dare to blink.

"There we go. Do you feel a little better now?"

Emerald nodded carefully, finally closing her eyes and leaning heavily into Mrs. Oates's touch. "Sorry about that," she murmured.

"You don't need to apologize. I know you've been running yourself ragged this last week trying to keep track of everything... and everybody." She frowned. "You have a bit of a fever, don't you?"

"I can work with that: it's this stupid headache I need to get rid of."

Mrs. Oates noticed the glass of water on the table. "Is that all you've had to drink so far today?"

She nodded again, opening her eyes. "It's more than Ava's had, though. I don't think she's woken up at all yet."

"Well, we'll get that taken care of soon enough. Why don't you lie down and get some more rest?"

Emerald shook her head. "If you're here, then I should get up and help take care of her. It must be pretty bad if they couldn't even wait twenty minutes for me." She began to swing her legs over the side of the bed, but was stopped by Mrs. Oates's hand.

"You don't have to be on call all the time, dear. It's okay to take a break and focus on yourself for a bit."

"Now's... really not a good time for that."

"I don't think it's 'been a good time for that' in months. Has it, dear?"

The veteran felt herself withering a little under the scrutiny, but pulled herself together. "Just let me take a shower and get some clean clothes on. If I don't feel any better, I promise I'll come right back to bed. Okay?"

Mrs. Oates gave her a long look before sighing and shaking her head. "What am I going to do with you, Emmy?"

* * * * *

"Is she okay?" Noi questioned as soon as Mrs. Oates exited Emerald's room.

The senior citizen turned to face the gathered men as soon as the door was closed. "Emmy's feeling a bit better now. She's going to get cleaned up, then she'll join us to take care of Ava." She walked by them, heading towards the kitchen. "But while we're waiting on her, let's go get ready to make soup. It'll help both Ava and Emmy recover faster."