Alright, got it. [Donations it is. He'll have to scrounge around and see if he has anything that'll actually be useful. If not, he'll just have to make a mental IOU.]
I have made it clear to those searching that any harassment would result in my withdrawing aid from their own- [a bluff only] but there have been inquiries.
Rather than the main thoroughfare, if you were to come through the back streets in the market... I could signal when it was safe to approach.
If need be I can make my way to you, but it will take some time.
No, no -- I'll come to you. [She's helping him without requiring payment; the least he could do was take a little detour.] Fair warning: I look a little scary, but I promise I'm not. I'll be there soon.
[from her vantage point, Sieglinde can at least tell big. Craning from her window to check, moving to the door to check the stairs, then back to the window, she finally waves a handkerchief briefly outside...
[Hellboy's not sure what he was expecting. A flare? A birdcall? He takes the handkerchief as a signal and quickly, but still cautiously, darts across the alley to slip inside the back door.
He's not sure if the apothecary is friendly or not, so he creeps up the stairs as best he can, careful not to scuff the wood with his hooves.]
[At the sound of footsteps (heavy ones) on the stairs, Sieglinde hobbled her way to the door. When she opened it, he'd be able to see past her to the rather cramped workroom, a note and potion covered table, two small beds and a curtained corner, a half-written magic circle on the floor...
And a rather wide-eyed young girl on crutches.
Well, he definitely looked a bit differently than she imagined. But, to her credit, (maybe because she was a witch?), it took her only a moment before she managed to get out of the way and gesture him in, peeking around him to make sure no one else was in sight.]
[Hellboy gives Sieglinde a bit of a wide-eyed look in response -- she sounded young, true, but he didn't think she'd be this young. But he quickly realizes that this is neither the time nor the place to question such things, and he moves ahead of her into the workroom.
It's a bit cluttered, and he is something like a bull in a china shop in close quarters like this, so he takes very special care not to knock anything over with his tail as he awkwardly looks for someplace out of the way to stand.]
Thanks for having me. Sorry about the short notice...
[Heal, that was. With the crutches she was using, and the reason, feet barely three inches long in tight leather heels peeking beneath her gown, she definitely wasn't running errands or doing any fighting. Once she got the door closed she moved to direct him, moved to gesture,]
Take a-
[And last minute realized that the small bed or chair definitely weren't suitable, and ended up pointing to a clear spot on the floor near her workbench, and a rather large, furry lump that seemed to be breathing at least, it's back to them and curled up under said bench.]
[Hellboy doesn't comment when she motions for him to sit on the floor. He's so large that it's only practical -- though he is very careful not to scuff the floor with his hooves or knock something over with his stone hand as he moves to sit.
He curls his tail up close to him and eyes the animal on the floor curiously.] Is that a...? [Dog? Bear? He can't tell.]
As Hellboy moves about Sieglinde is still at first, waiting for him to settle before she begins to try to move. He was... Very large, but not just that- she was observing, taking note of the hooves he possessed in place of more human feet, the tail, the hand, the protusions she assumed were horns, the... Well. Most everything. Including for looking at how he walked, how gingerly he was needing treat those ribs.]
Oh, my familiar- ?
[Though not of her own world, she'd taken to calling the beast that, and at the sound of the word, the creature lifted its head and craned its neck a moment, revealing a face more skull than flesh and blood despite the state of the rest of its body, eyes mere pinpricks of red deepset in the sockets. Any ferocity that might have inspired was cancelled out by the way it's tongue lolled out the side of bony jaw, panting like any hound might. ... What an embarrassing familiar.]
I thought it might be a barghest, but I'm afraid I haven't been able to tell... Beyond it being canine, of course.
[Now that Hellboy was settled, though, and her skull-faced beast contentedly rolling over to sniff him, Sieglinde made her way to her work table, clambering into her seat and abandoning her crutches on the floor to begin pulling out a few vials from the mess.]
[Hellboy has lived looking like this for sixty-odd years, so he is pretty used to being the subject of observation. It only bothers him when he's being stared at because the other person is uneasy -- which doesn't seem to be the case here. Apart from her initial shock, Sieglinde only seemed curious, not terrified. He can't help but wonder if she's used to seeing weird things --
And then that animal lifts its head and he has his answer. Yes, she is used to seeing weird things. Hellboy's eyes go wide at the sight of the creature, recoiling slightly, but it seems... well, friendly? It's not trying to eat either of them, at least.
Hellboy reaches out to let the animal sniff his hand, like you do with any strange dog you're meeting for the first time. He's seen a lot of weird things too.] Barghest? Aren't those supposed to be bad omens...?
[But he obediently lets her see his midsection, pulling his coat open further. Nothing has punctured through, but the blood-red color of his leather-like skin is darker and purpled around the lower half of his ribcage on the left side. There are other bruises and lacerations on his torso as well, but they seem to be healing relatively quickly, in much better shape than his ribs.]
[Curiosity, indeed, was the driving force behind Sieglinde's observations. Without understanding of his nature, she'd not be in good position to treat him... though some of her curiosity wasn't purely medical in motivation.
After all... he looked like a demon, and though she might be the sort to get reckless in her own pursuit of knowledge... she did have people who would get mad and lecture her if she was somehow risking herself.
Hmmph. The skull-faced canine at least is more than happy to snuffle along Hellboy's hand, though, with the added bonus of... no cold nose, just smooth bone.]
Of death, yes.
[She said it cheerfully enough, though, fiddling through her stock and coming up with a vial of thick, yellowish oil, examining it through the glass before looking more closely at his ribs. Thankfully with her height on the stool and his size, she ended up in a rather good position to examine him, leaning closer to examine the color of the bruising...
Which was slightly confounded by his natural skin color, but.]
- I could have this fixed up much quicker if you'd rather me use a spell rather than oils and salves.
[Hellboy looks up a little sharply from the maybe-Barghest when Sieglinde is so laissez-faire about the whole thing. Oh, just an omen of death? No big deal. Right.
Then again, a little girl with this kind of knowledge of medicine probably wouldn't react with much fear to that kind of creature. She didn't seem that surprised by Hellboy either, after all.]
I'm a little nervous about magic. In my experience, there's usually some kind of price involved. [He doesn't mean monetary-wise, by the way. Price in blood or souls or something heinous like that.]
[Sieglinde might never lose her sense of wonder, the capacity to be surprised... but Chantes and ALASTAIR were quite the exercise in being able to cool her reactions, at least. Play things closer to the vest.
After all, she'd learned only recently that she didn't have the luxury to be as naive as she used to be. Maybe still was.]
If it is the cost you are concerned about, you need not worry.
[Not denying there was a cost, but]
In this instance, it shall be paid by me- and it is nothing so extreme. We are not raising the dead, here.
[However, she wouldn't mind sticking to purely medical means if he did demonstrate further reluctance, continuing to look at the state of his ribs even as she spoke.]
[Even though she isn't looking at his face, Hellboy can't help but stare at Sieglinde a little at that comment, trying to figure out if that was just some really dark joke. We're not raising the dead. Fantastic.
Regardless, he's not exactly thrilled about the other bit, either. His tone turns a little stern, still watching Sieglinde.]
[Just the facts, Hellboy! Also, Sieglinde sort of disapproves of necromancy in general- best not to be messing with forces such as life and death. Healing from the brink, sure, but after?
... risky.]
In energy, that is all. It makes me tired.
[Which she announces with the same air as "the grass is green, why?", but.]
[Well, energy sounds better than blood or bits of my soul, which is what Hellboy was assuming. Normal people lose energy when they do normal things. It doesn't really sound as sinister as he always assumes magic to be, but still. He's cautious.]
So you just take it easy for awhile? Or how do you, er... recharge?
[Is this a dumb question, too... he is starting the get the feeling he is not impressing this little girl very much...]
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Where can I find you?
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I really stand out in a crowd. Are there a lot of patrols nearby looking for prisoners?
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I have made it clear to those searching that any harassment would result in my withdrawing aid from their own- [a bluff only] but there have been inquiries.
Rather than the main thoroughfare, if you were to come through the back streets in the market... I could signal when it was safe to approach.
If need be I can make my way to you, but it will take some time.
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Then I will await your arrival.
[time to open the window and keep an eye out.]
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Taking side streets and back alleys, it doesn't take him long to reach the back door. Still, he waits in the shadows.]
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Which is probably her version of a signal.]
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He's not sure if the apothecary is friendly or not, so he creeps up the stairs as best he can, careful not to scuff the wood with his hooves.]
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And a rather wide-eyed young girl on crutches.
Well, he definitely looked a bit differently than she imagined. But, to her credit, (maybe because she was a witch?), it took her only a moment before she managed to get out of the way and gesture him in, peeking around him to make sure no one else was in sight.]
- do come in.
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It's a bit cluttered, and he is something like a bull in a china shop in close quarters like this, so he takes very special care not to knock anything over with his tail as he awkwardly looks for someplace out of the way to stand.]
Thanks for having me. Sorry about the short notice...
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[Heal, that was. With the crutches she was using, and the reason, feet barely three inches long in tight leather heels peeking beneath her gown, she definitely wasn't running errands or doing any fighting. Once she got the door closed she moved to direct him, moved to gesture,]
Take a-
[And last minute realized that the small bed or chair definitely weren't suitable, and ended up pointing to a clear spot on the floor near her workbench, and a rather large, furry lump that seemed to be breathing at least, it's back to them and curled up under said bench.]
Seat.
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He curls his tail up close to him and eyes the animal on the floor curiously.] Is that a...? [Dog? Bear? He can't tell.]
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As Hellboy moves about Sieglinde is still at first, waiting for him to settle before she begins to try to move. He was... Very large, but not just that- she was observing, taking note of the hooves he possessed in place of more human feet, the tail, the hand, the protusions she assumed were horns, the... Well. Most everything. Including for looking at how he walked, how gingerly he was needing treat those ribs.]
Oh, my familiar- ?
[Though not of her own world, she'd taken to calling the beast that, and at the sound of the word, the creature lifted its head and craned its neck a moment, revealing a face more skull than flesh and blood despite the state of the rest of its body, eyes mere pinpricks of red deepset in the sockets. Any ferocity that might have inspired was cancelled out by the way it's tongue lolled out the side of bony jaw, panting like any hound might. ... What an embarrassing familiar.]
I thought it might be a barghest, but I'm afraid I haven't been able to tell... Beyond it being canine, of course.
[Now that Hellboy was settled, though, and her skull-faced beast contentedly rolling over to sniff him, Sieglinde made her way to her work table, clambering into her seat and abandoning her crutches on the floor to begin pulling out a few vials from the mess.]
Now, may I see what damage has been done?
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And then that animal lifts its head and he has his answer. Yes, she is used to seeing weird things. Hellboy's eyes go wide at the sight of the creature, recoiling slightly, but it seems... well, friendly? It's not trying to eat either of them, at least.
Hellboy reaches out to let the animal sniff his hand, like you do with any strange dog you're meeting for the first time. He's seen a lot of weird things too.] Barghest? Aren't those supposed to be bad omens...?
[But he obediently lets her see his midsection, pulling his coat open further. Nothing has punctured through, but the blood-red color of his leather-like skin is darker and purpled around the lower half of his ribcage on the left side. There are other bruises and lacerations on his torso as well, but they seem to be healing relatively quickly, in much better shape than his ribs.]
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After all... he looked like a demon, and though she might be the sort to get reckless in her own pursuit of knowledge... she did have people who would get mad and lecture her if she was somehow risking herself.
Hmmph. The skull-faced canine at least is more than happy to snuffle along Hellboy's hand, though, with the added bonus of... no cold nose, just smooth bone.]
Of death, yes.
[She said it cheerfully enough, though, fiddling through her stock and coming up with a vial of thick, yellowish oil, examining it through the glass before looking more closely at his ribs. Thankfully with her height on the stool and his size, she ended up in a rather good position to examine him, leaning closer to examine the color of the bruising...
Which was slightly confounded by his natural skin color, but.]
- I could have this fixed up much quicker if you'd rather me use a spell rather than oils and salves.
god sorry this is so late
Then again, a little girl with this kind of knowledge of medicine probably wouldn't react with much fear to that kind of creature. She didn't seem that surprised by Hellboy either, after all.]
I'm a little nervous about magic. In my experience, there's usually some kind of price involved. [He doesn't mean monetary-wise, by the way. Price in blood or souls or something heinous like that.]
omg hdu (no its ok)
After all, she'd learned only recently that she didn't have the luxury to be as naive as she used to be. Maybe still was.]
If it is the cost you are concerned about, you need not worry.
[Not denying there was a cost, but]
In this instance, it shall be paid by me- and it is nothing so extreme. We are not raising the dead, here.
[However, she wouldn't mind sticking to purely medical means if he did demonstrate further reluctance, continuing to look at the state of his ribs even as she spoke.]
wah.... so kind
Regardless, he's not exactly thrilled about the other bit, either. His tone turns a little stern, still watching Sieglinde.]
What cost are you talking about here?
<3!
... risky.]
In energy, that is all. It makes me tired.
[Which she announces with the same air as "the grass is green, why?", but.]
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So you just take it easy for awhile? Or how do you, er... recharge?
[Is this a dumb question, too... he is starting the get the feeling he is not impressing this little girl very much...]
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I sleep... ?
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