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Post by Yves Chevalier on Mar 25, 2010 2:06:30 GMT -5
I laughed as we made it to the front door. "It's a bath house, so one thing we do have is plenty of clean water." One of the other guards was at the door, one whose name I'd forgotten; besides myself, they tended to come and go with alarming frequency so I often didn't bother to get to know them. He raised a brow at the sight of me leaning on another man and practically limping up to the door, but he said nothing and simply opened the door for the two of us.
Once inside, I sent someone scurrying to bring a basin of hot water and some clean towels up to my room, along with anything that might pass for bandages.
"Now we have to get up the stairs," I said, mentally preparing myself for the challenge.
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Post by Faisan nó Balm on Mar 25, 2010 2:25:49 GMT -5
The guard at the door had given us both a measuring look, but he didn't seem surprise Yves had come accompanied by a stranger, or, for that matter, invisibly injured. Neither did the young woman who bid Yves' request for hot water and clean towels. Apparently working for a brothel teaches one a large degree of discretion, for which I was grateful; I didn't want to spare the time explaining myself while Yves needed attention.
I did appreciate the fact that the place, from what little I could see in my hurry, was quite clean and organized. I was finally coming to hope that this might end with a minimum of pain. And then Yves spoke.
Stairs. He wanted to face stairs with cracked ribs. I couldn't help a little sigh and a look askance at him. "Surely there's rooms... Well... Alright, stairs it is. Hold onto me. I'm an adept, not a glass goblet."
Up we went, and I could only hope his room wouldn't be too far from the stairs.
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Post by Yves Chevalier on Mar 25, 2010 17:41:30 GMT -5
I took him at his word, leaning on him and using the stair well to pull myself up the stairs. I was beginning to feel a little irritated at being thus incapacitated and I sincerely hoped that we had no trouble here for the next few nights.
Once we made it to the landing, I sighed with relief and spared a moment to lean against the bannister and catch my breath. Luckily my room was at the top of the stairs, more like an alcove with a door really. It was barely big enough to hold a bed and an armoire, but that was all I needed ... what did I have aside from some clothes and my sword?
In my room, I saw the basin of water and towels atop the armoire and it was with some relief that I shut the door behind us and sank down onto my mattress, which creaked in protest. Grimacing, I pulled my shirt off again and grinned at the adept.
"Ok, Balm, work your magic."
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Post by Faisan nó Balm on Mar 26, 2010 0:29:11 GMT -5
".... Alright." Magic, indeed. I had the contents of my satchel and little more to go on with. At least there would be no shortage of water or bandages, it seemed.
Yve's room was... tiny. But it seemed home, at least to him. He moved through it with the comfort that habit brings to our surroundings.
I shook myself a little, settling down my box and bag, checking the towels, and a neat pile of bandages next to them. Apparently, House or Brothel, some needs never changed. I put the bandages in the hot water, and added the whole of my joint oil into it, leaving it to seep.
A cracked rib is painful, but there's little one can do about it other than immobilize it. What I was worried about was a bad crack, causing splinters. Sitting next to him, I flicked my hair out of the way to listen to his breathing more closely, leaning against his chest but mindful to put no weight on him, and breathed a light sigh of relief to find his lungs clear. "It's just a crack." I straightened up and got the salve again, rubbing it just as gently on the bruise as I had before, though the light and his prone position made it much easier. "I'll leave the salve, and something to soak the bandages in that'll dull the pain. I'm sorry... there's not much else I can do."
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Post by Yves Chevalier on Mar 28, 2010 2:00:57 GMT -5
I found myself holding my breath as Faisan listened to my lungs and then pronounced that it was only cracked. "I suppose that is a relief," I said, smiling wryly. I knew that it could be worse, had seen people not recover from a wound to the rib that had punctured their lungs, so I knew that I was lucky.
"That's enough, honestly." I said, as he rubbed more of the salve into my aching chest. The wound had already purpled and I could just imagine what Madam Beatrice would think about all of this. It was my job to protect her interests, not go out and get injured helping strangers. I decided that I would do my best to keep this wound to myself and hope that she didn't notice if I was slightly less agile than usual.
"So, what was that about, in the alley?" I asked, running a hand through my unkempt hair. "I assume those men weren't friends of yours."
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Post by Faisan nó Balm on Mar 28, 2010 11:20:35 GMT -5
"I didn't know them at all!" His question caught me so by surprise I felt a flush, and my answer was more honest than the half-jest of his query required. Trying to gather my wits, and hoping to get the numbness out of my fingers, I stood and moved back to the soaking bandages, squeezing the excess dry. Between the salve and the essentials coating them, Yves would likely be mostly painless unless he moved. Or breathed. Or did any of the actions cracked ribs are so maliciously glad to remind us of their presence.
How was I to tell him of what had happened in the alleway prior to his arrival? It made me look like a first-class idiot. But still, he deserved an answer. Ah, me... "They were picking on the donkey", I said, softly, deeply embarrassed. "I just... couldn't abide it being in pain."
Trying to hop over that answer before he started laughing at me, I gathered up the bandages and brought them back to the bed. "You need to sit, Yves, so I can bind your chest."
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Post by Yves Chevalier on Mar 28, 2010 18:24:05 GMT -5
I chuckled at his indignant response, holding up a hand, "Peace, adept, 'twas only a jest." He finished speaking however, and I had to smile and shake my head. "Ah, I see. Well, I suppose I would have done the same." Of course, I had the muscle to back it up, but in my mind that made him the braver - he had stood up for the poor animal knowing he was likely to take a beating over it. My esteem for him rose and I followed his direction with another grimace. If I didn't stop, my face would likely stay that way!
I raised my arms without being told, and winced at the pain. "His lucky shot just had to be in the ribs, didn't it? Lucky for me you are a Balm adept, not simply a Jasmine or, Elua forbid, a Mandrake!"
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Post by Faisan nó Balm on Mar 29, 2010 20:48:56 GMT -5
"You might, but you have the skill to back your stand." I spoke bluntly, well aware I'd been foolish. "I didn't think they would -- Well, I didn't think at all."
I shook my head a bit, blowing a wisp of hair out of the way impatiently before setting to the task of wrapping the bandages around his ribs. The oils soaked in would add to the general numbing effect, and as they dried they would tighten, securing the rib in place as best it could be held. "You'll need to take it easy for a while. Though I don't wonder that it's advice that's falling on deaf ears, hm?" Skill and location made me think that Yves was the Brothel's guard, as we kept our own at the Houses. Which meant, of course, that he was the kind of patient healers less approve of: the unruly ones.
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Post by Yves Chevalier on Mar 29, 2010 23:40:34 GMT -5
I laughed and shook my head. "Believe me, I've been knocked around enough that I know better, but how well I take it easy depends on the patrons here. Hopefully I'll have time to heal up before I have to knock a few heads in." I said this matter-of-factly, as it was par for the course around here for someone to get rowdy and make a bad decision or two. No matter the injury to my ribs, I would do my job first and foremost, making sure none of the girls were hurt.
"Still, I'll make sure I have an extra man or two on duty for the next few weeks, just to be on the safe side." Once he had applied the bandages to my aching, bruised chest, I flexed experimentally and had to grit my teeth against the pain. I certainly would not be doing that again any time soon!
"I do appreciate your help, adept, for otherwise I would be in a lot more pain, of that I'm certain."
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Post by Faisan nó Balm on Mar 30, 2010 1:44:05 GMT -5
There are healers that will throw magnificent tantrums when their patients won't bid their advice, and I think they're obeyed solely to avoid being subjected to such outbursts. There are others who can command the most immediate and meek obedience with a single cool glare, a mere word or three.
I am none of these.
I sat back and let Yves test the bandages as I'd more or less figured he would. No man of actions ever fails to do so barring that he's tied by every limb to a bed. And I've seen some of those try anyways.
"I will..." I stopped when I realized what I'd been about to say. Come back? Outside Balm's walls?
The reality of my situation crashed in on me. I was alone, outside the protection of my home, in the middle of the night. Training alone kept me from giving a signal of the sudden stranglehold fear had gotten on me, or so I thought. So I hoped.
"I will send you more of the mix I used to soak the bandages, and another measure of the salve. I can... hope you'll let me know if you need anything else?" I owed it to him. The rib was directly my fault, and I would do what I could to ease the healing process.
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Post by Yves Chevalier on Mar 31, 2010 23:22:05 GMT -5
He seemed nervous all of a sudden, like a cornered deer, and it occurred to me that tending to the wounds of a common brothel guard in a bath house was probably nowhere near his usual clientele. I had pity on the poor man, and rose with a groan from the bed.
"Thank you, sir, and I will take you up on that, though would it be bad for you if I came to Balm rather than you coming here? I would not wish to alert people here that I am somewhat incapacitated at the moment."
Reaching for my sword and a light cloak, I smiled and nodded toward the door. "Let me walk you home, at least."
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Post by Faisan nó Balm on Apr 1, 2010 0:39:50 GMT -5
When Ives stood up, I could only stare. Hadn't I just said he'd have to rest and take it easy.... and yet the man was offering to up and walk around!
I was grateful, beyond words, for his kindness. His company would have done much to ease my fear, I'm sure; it's hard to be as frightened as I could be when you're walking next to a man you've seen use a sword as skillfully as he had. But Eisheth, at the moment I wanted to shake him until sense reasserted itself. Why is it most warriors are so... so... active?!
I threw my hands up in exasperation. "I just told you that you ought to take it easy, and you want to... just..." The sound that came out was half impatience, half despair. He was already standing with his cloak on, and somehow I had lost yet another fight that night before I'd even known it started.
As to coming to Balm... I wasn't sure what to tell him. We are a House of healing, yes, but also and foremost Servants of Namaah, and I was not my own, my marque unfinished. I didn't always have the freedom to pay my debts as I saw fit. But to come out of the House again...
"I can do that, yes." I sighed and stood, neatening up what I'd touched, and gathering myself up for departure. "If... you're looking for discretion, it can simply be said that you're a friend escorting me to my errands." That should be a simple solution, to both our issues, or so I hoped.
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Post by Yves Chevalier on Apr 6, 2010 20:49:40 GMT -5
I chuckled at his reaction, holding up my hands and shaking my head.
"Peace, Adept!" I said, "It's only a short walk to Balm, and I promise not to overexert myself whilst walking. Besides, it's the least I can do, unless you want to spend the night ... I can probably get you a girl for half-price..."
I let my voice trail off and waggled my eyebrows suggestively. If I read this one right, he would not be overly keen to take me up on this offer, which was just as well, since the other half of a girl's price would end up coming out of my pay.
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Post by Faisan nó Balm on Apr 23, 2010 0:13:45 GMT -5
Get me a girl....? He was joking, he had better be. Of all things to offer an Adept.
"I'm sure you'll find a way to remind your ribs of who's in charge." I couldn't quite make my tone as casual as I wanted. Cracked ribs could be serious, they were definitely painful, and going up and down stairs, and then up and down hills, was not part of the healing regimen for them. I was worried for the man, and not just as a healer: he'd been kind to a stranger when he didn't have to be.
"But if you offer me a boy next, I will have words with your other set of ribs." I smiled at that. I was certain that if I'd tried any such thing my ribs would have been singing instead of his. "Come on, then. The quicker we're gone, the quicker I'll know you're back to your bed."
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Post by Yves Chevalier on Apr 23, 2010 0:32:58 GMT -5
I laughed, clapping him on the shoulder. I liked him, he took a jest well, and wasn't that the true measure of a man?
"I promise, I shall endeavor to keep my ribs rested as much as possible until they're healed. Unfortunately I am not in a position to lie abed for days on end, but I will do my best."
We headed out of my room and down the stairs, and I beckoned Mallister over to give him instructions in my absence. He was looking at the Balm with a quirked brow, but I gave no explanation.
"Shall we, then?" I said, leading the way to the door.
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Post by Faisan nó Balm on Apr 24, 2010 15:09:43 GMT -5
The look Yves' ... companion? Friend? Subordinate? gave me reminded me, all too pointedly, that I was a stranger to this place, and not necessarily a welcome one. Still, I did my best to keep my expression calm; I was not here to compete or make enemies. Nor was I going to fuss over Yves if he wanted his injuries to be dealt with discreetly.
The night had grown chillier, if that were even possible, as we stepped out. I shifted my packages to grips more appropriate for a walk, immediately feeling as I always did, the unspoken threat of every dark corner and reeling stranger passing by. I tried, tried to keep my expression serene, as best I could. "I will trust in your judgment to get to House Balm from here. I wasn't paying much attention to the streets..."
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Post by Yves Chevalier on Apr 24, 2010 22:19:11 GMT -5
"Don't worry," I said, clapping him on the back and then wincing at the effort. This was going to be more trying than I had anticipated. "I know the City like the back of my hand." Although, to be honest, my experience with the Night Court was limited. However, once we made it to Mont Nuit, I was sure Faisan would be able to take it from there.
"So," I said, as we began the trek through Night's Doorstep. As we passed the Dragon's Den, some men stumbled out and a thick cloud of opium smoke roiled out through the open doorway. I didn't comment, merely placed a hand low on Faisan's back to guide him across the street. "Do you get into street fights often?"
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Post by Faisan nó Balm on Apr 25, 2010 2:50:27 GMT -5
"Yves. Stop doing that if you're discomforting yourself every time." Perhaps I should have tied the man to his bed after all... He'd have made the typical Mandrake jokes until he remembered I was not bound by any oath to let him up until he were fully mended --
For a moment I couldn't understand why he was steering me across the street. Were we to turn a corner? Was the sideway blocked and I hadn't noticed? The sudden change, as well as the offhand intimacy of the touch, made every fear jump up to my throat. I wanted to remain calm, or at least to look it, but I knew the muscles across my back and shoulders had gone tense.
And then I saw the men tottering out of the opium den, if the scent was anything to go by. Oh.
"No, no. I'm not... I don't come to the market very often, and I certainly know better than to get into a fight I cannot win! I'm a fighter of injury and sickness, not of men. I just wasn't thinking very clearly. You're far better at it... I didn't even see the problem until after we crossed the street just now."
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Post by Yves Chevalier on Apr 25, 2010 14:36:41 GMT -5
"Sorry, force of habit," I chuckled, which also hurt a bit, I was dismayed to notice.
I smiled gently at him and shook my head, "Well, don't be so hard on yourself, I've been a soldier as long as I can remember, that sort of thing is second nature to me. For instance, I don't know that those men would have been a problem at all, but caution has been ingrained into me over the years. Put me in a room with a sick person and I would have no idea what I was doing." I laughed at the thought, the only type of tending I had done was in the field and that mostly amounted to stuffing something onto a wound or applying a tourniquet.
"Listen, maybe we can make an arrangement of sorts. I don't have a lot of coin, but perhaps we can make a sort of trade? I'll accompany you whenever you need to come into Night's Doorstep, or anywhere you like, and once a month you come out and take a look at the girls and treat them if they need anything." I had no idea if this was something he was allowed to do but I figured it couldn't hurt to make the offer. Whenever the girls got sick they usually had no recourse but to hope they got well, or see that butcher that styled himself a physician and it grated on my nerves. Maybe I could do something about it, maybe not, but I had to try.
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Post by Faisan nó Balm on Apr 27, 2010 1:08:34 GMT -5
And like any warrior, or a chirurgeon, he'd cut to the quick of the matter. "You're right of course. The world is made of different skills. It's just... a little hard to remember when your own field is of such little immediate use."
I listened to his offer. Elua, but to be able to walk the market again... to go to the parks, to the hills, to the fields, under a skilled fighter's protection, it was a small dream, but my only dream...
... and nothing but a dream. Even were I willing to put Yves in danger I wouldn't explain to him, I was not my own. My unfinished marque said as much to the world, and his offer walked a very gray area between contract and friendship. I was only allowed commisions outside the House and my calling as an Adept as per my Dowayne.
Still, what he asked... How many trained healers came to the small house? I knew as few might that the girls Yves worked protecting had a dangerous occupation, and I could only imagine their purses wouldn't always be up to accomodating such a necessity. He'd admitted as much.
But even that had its issues. "I... Are you sure I would be... well, welcomed?"
"I... There are limits to what I can do as an Adept, Yves. But if... say, a friend came to seek me out, not for a contract, not for my services, but merely for company, and if, during my walking with said friend around town, we happened upon someone who might need assistance, well... it would only be the right thing to offer it, don't you think? Without... economical obligations where possible, of course."
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Post by Yves Chevalier on Apr 30, 2010 0:56:28 GMT -5
I thought on his first question: would he be welcomed? More than one of the girls that had come through the bathhouse had once been an adept, and perhaps seeing him might stir unwelcome feelings in them. Still, to me the danger of that outweighed the good - I had seen too many girls fall ill and if not die outright, live with pain and misery that could have been prevented.
"I'll be honest," I said, as I generally was, "some might not welcome you, but I think the majority will. The girls are proud, however, and might not take well to 'charity', but I think I can trust you to preserve their dignity." I didn't know why I thought that, or perhaps that it was the way he had treated me, with respect even though my occupation might not warrant it, but I thought that he would be good at this, that he had the right heart for the work.
I smiled at his roundabout way of rephrasing what I had just said, though I understood his concerns. "Exactly, my friend. What happens when a man is out with friends is nobody's business but his own, right?"
We were getting close to Mont Nuit, and I was actually looking forward to resting for a few minutes, though I would never admit it.
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Post by Faisan nó Balm on May 2, 2010 2:47:14 GMT -5
His was a very valid concern, and I acknowledged it. "Their job is hard enough without my doing anything to make it worse." An Adept had the protection of his House; at worst, he had the protection of four walls, a roof, and some degree of anonymity. I'd certainly relied on it long enough. How much harder was it for young women who only had each other, and the occasional truly good soul like Yves?
Who, by the faint color under his skin, was getting to remember his ribs were not altogether pleased with him. "Might we take a small break soon?", I asked him; there's a method to sounding casual, but not too much so - of asking as if the answer didn't matter to me when in fact it terribly might, the same way a man dying of thirst might ask if it's not an imposition and terribly rude of him to request a small drink of water. "This crate is a little heavy."
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Post by Yves Chevalier on May 2, 2010 13:44:40 GMT -5
I agreed with that, their job was hard, not the acts themselves usually, but the toll it took on them emotionally. It bothered me sometimes, the way adepts were cosseted and revered and respected, and yet girls like mine were oft looked down upon. Why, because they did not bear a marque upon their backs?
I shook off the melancholy thoughts as Faisan suggested that we sit down, and I was certainly relieved to do so. "That's a good idea," I said, gesturing toward a bench at a small park at the end of the lane. The children of Night's Doorstep played here in the daytime, but evening was falling and it was deserted. I dropped down onto the bench and tried not to flinch. "Sorry I can't carry that for you," I said, grimacing a little bit despite myself. "But I think that might fall into the category of "not taking it easy." "
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Post by Faisan nó Balm on May 7, 2010 12:46:53 GMT -5
The man was persistent, I'd give him that. My tone, however, left him no doubt his condition hadn't been forgotten in the past, oh, two minutes. "Whatever gave you that idea?" I looked him over, discreetly and without touching him, judging his condition by breathing, color, and posture. He'd be fine if he took it easier than he had been.
I looked about myself. In truth, I'd never truly seen Night's Doorstep in the dark, even when I'd been willing to venture out. The shift towards silence, to what I knew would be entirely different business from that of the daytime, made the hair on the back of my neck prickle. "You... truly should go home and rest, Yves." Much as I didn't want him to, much as I didn't want to be left alone and unguarded. Why, of all things, did Adepts rarely learn to defend themselves? Well, other than having their time consumed thrice over with their arts. "I'll be fine."
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Post by Yves Chevalier on May 7, 2010 20:50:52 GMT -5
"No, no, I'm fine... let me at least see you to the base of Mont Nuit, we're almost there. I would worry all night if I left you here." Indeed it was quickly darkening and soon the more unsavory population would come out. I rose with more confidence than I felt, and gestured toward the path in front of us. "If we cut through the park, it's a short cut."
I didn't give him the chance to argue with me, just started walking, albeit more slowly than usual, in the direction that I had indicated. Hopefully he would follow, because I didn't relish the idea of carrying him to Mont Nuit!
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Post by Faisan nó Balm on May 9, 2010 16:46:40 GMT -5
And just like that, he took off. "Wait... wait!" I gathered up my purchases again and stretched my stride to catch up with him. "Tell me, am I just unduly blessed tonight, or are you always this exceptionally stubborn?" I smiled to take any sting out of my words as I followed him.
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Post by Yves Chevalier on May 9, 2010 20:18:39 GMT -5
I laughed, he had me pegged aright. "Both?" I slowed my pace once he caught up. "I just don't want to leave you out here at night, it's not safe. Anyway, we're almost there." In fact, I could see the base of Mont Nuit from here. I pointed it out, releived and hoping that I made it back with no incident. "It's right there, so it won't be long now."
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Post by Faisan nó Balm on May 10, 2010 21:49:21 GMT -5
It was never safe outside, day or night, but I made no comment to that, merely nodding, relieved that he'd get to go back and rest... and not a little loathe to part company with him. It wasn't merely the company of a capable fighter by my side, it was... Yves was honest, friendly, with a quick mind and a quicker wit. And not an Adept, though I wasn't sure why that bore so much weight on my mind. It was just...
I was glad to speak to someone not an Adept, not a Patron, not even a patient. Just someone that might be a friend. It had been much too long since I'd done so, I realized.
I would take his company as far as he'd give it, though the idea of making it the rest of the way alone was running cold sweat down my spine, and smiled at him as we moved to his self-appointed goal. "You realize, I'll be worrying about you getting back to your room safely, don't you? At least until I know you're doing well."
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Post by Yves Chevalier on May 12, 2010 18:54:24 GMT -5
I laughed, though it was painful to do so. "Oh, I'll send you something to let you know I've arrived safely," I said, thinking that I could send little Henri with a note. "Besides, what could possibly happen to a guy like me?" I gave him a crooked smile as we continued down the avenue.
Mont Nuit loomed in front of us, and I slowed as we approached the base. The night was oddly quiet, though the occasional adept or patron passed us. "Well, here we are," I said, "It's not so far, I'll probably be back in bed before you even make it to your room."
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Post by Faisan nó Balm on May 13, 2010 3:58:15 GMT -5
I merely gave him a look at the question. Men like him trailed interesting events in their wake like a stray breeze carries dead leaves. "The list, I'm sure, is endless", I replied, not without humor. "But please, do. You know where to find me."
Mount Nuit and the road home were upon us then, and I turned to examine him one last time, making no effort to hide it. He seemed fine, or at least as well as a man with cracked ribs might. "I will have to trust you to want the ribs healed as swiftly as rest and care will do the job. I... Thank you, Yves. Again. Walk safely." I didn't know what else to say. I meant my thanks, but it seemed I should have explained something about them.
Either that or I didn't want to be alone, at night, on these streets. Instead, I gave him a minor bow, a show of respect this stranger-turned-patient-turned friend who'd come to my aid had more than earned, braced myself inwardly and turned to the road, my hands full of my purchases. I doubted he could beat me to House Balm; I had healthy ribs, long legs, and my fear to dig spurs into me.
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