[MORNING – SHOE LOCKERS]
Noah opened his locker.
A pink envelope fell out. It smelled like lavender (and gunpowder).
"Ooh!" a student gasped. "A love letter!"
The rumor spread instantly.
The Serpent King has a suitor.
Who is brave enough to date the Boss?
Noah picked it up.
"It smells nice," Noah said. "Like Nana's closet."
He opened it.
The letter was written in elegant cursive (using red ink).
"Roses are red, violets are blue,
Tonight at midnight, I'm coming for you."
"Meet me under the old oak tree,
Where your life will end, just wait and see."
Noah blinked.
"Wow," Noah whispered to Lilly. "She's really intense."
Lilly read the letter over his shoulder. Her face went pale.
"Noah," Lilly hissed. "That's not a love letter. That's a death threat."
"No, look at the rhymes! 'Blue' and 'You'? Classic romance."
"It says 'your life will end'!"
"Metaphorically! Like, her single life will end because we'll be together."
Lilly stared at him.
"And the last line?"
"Bring a weapon if you dare,
Or face the Reaper's cold despair."
"She wants me to bring a gift!" Noah concluded. "A 'weapon' against loneliness!"
Lilly put her head in her hands.
"Noah. Please don't go."
"I have to! It would be rude to stand her up. I'll bring flowers. Girls like flowers, right?"
[MIDNIGHT – THE OLD OAK TREE]
The park was silent. Fog curled around the trees.
A figure stood under the oak tree. He wore a long black coat and a wide-brimmed hat. He held a rose in one hand and a silenced pistol in the other.
He was The Poet. An assassin who killed with style.
"He comes," The Poet whispered. "The Serpent approaches his doom."
Footsteps crunched on the gravel.
Noah walked into the clearing. He was wearing his nice suit (again). He held a bouquet of daisies he bought from the convenience store.
"Hello?" Noah called out.
The Poet turned dramatically.
"You have arrived," The Poet intoned. "Prepare for your final verse."
Noah squinted.
"Oh! You're a guy!" Noah said, surprised. "Sorry, the handwriting was really pretty."
The Poet scowled.
"Do not mock my calligraphy! It is the art of death!"
He raised his pistol.
"Any last words, Serpent?"
Noah held out the flowers.
"I'm flattered," Noah said sincerely. "Really. The poem was... creative."
The Poet paused.
He offers me flowers? Instead of drawing a weapon?
"Is this... a bribe?" The Poet asked.
"No," Noah said gently. "It's a rejection. I'm sorry. I'm focusing on my studies right now. I can't date."
The Poet lowered his gun.
"You... you reject my duel?"
"Duel? Is that what kids call dating now?" Noah laughed nervously. "Anyway, you seem nice. But I'm not ready for a relationship. Especially one that involves 'cold despair'."
The Poet stared at the daisies.
He faced death with kindness.
He disarmed me with a bouquet.
"I see," The Poet whispered. "You are truly a master of the heart."
He holstered his gun. He took the flowers.
"Very well. I accept your rejection. But know this: My poetry will only improve!"
"That's the spirit!" Noah cheered. "Keep writing! Maybe try haikus next time!"
The Poet bowed.
"Farewell, Serpent. Until our rhymes cross again."
He vanished into the fog.
[THE NEXT DAY]
Lilly ran up to Noah at school.
"Did you survive!?"
"Yeah," Noah said. "He took it really well. He even gave me a poem before he left."
Noah pulled out a napkin.
"The daisy blooms in winter's chill,
My heart is broken, but I kill no more."
Lilly read it.
"He... retired?"
"I think he's going through a phase," Noah shrugged. "Artistic types are weird."
[CONTROL ROOM]
"Report," the Commander sighed.
"Target Noah neutralized The Poet," the analyst said. "He rejected his assassination attempt with flowers and relationship advice."
"Did The Poet attack?"
"No. He is currently writing a romance novel about a misunderstood hitman."
The President chuckled.
"The pen is mightier than the sword," the President said. "But apparently, the daisy is mightiest of all."