[ he doesn't bite his tongue, but he does grit his teeth. to his credit, he doesn't yell this time, even though he's been doing that pretty much nonstop since he'd woken up, and instead lets out the pain through a deep, groaning exhalation of breath. his chest jumps from the pain, but he doesn't move save for the clenching of his fists. it stings, sure; but he knows it's barely a fraction of what he'd felt when he received those wounds in the first place.
he struggles to keep his wits about him, brow furrowing as he conjures up the image of the creature in his mind. ]
He was... tall. Blue skin, maybe grey. White hair. Tattoos all over. Big, pointy ears and a stupid huge sword like he's compensating for something.
[The potion bottle is empty, now, but Sieglinde momentarily forgot to put it down, just holding it for a moment too long over Badou's skin, the blood from his injuries diluting, chased out by the contents of the vial.
That description sounded an awful lot like someone she'd met just recently.
But her wits return soon enough, and she pulls back the bottle, putting it back in her bag.]
[ he notes the way she stalls. it's minute, almost imperceptible, but since he started talking, he'd taken care to focus on something to keep his mind steady, and she just so happened to be in the line of fire. it's faint, but it's there — the recognition in her eyes. ]
Friend of yours?
[ his voice is wry, but not nearly as wry as his grin. though it could be considered more of a grimace, the way a corner of his lips pull into something rather strained, forced. he thinks he'd be surprised, but also probably not.
he's not sure there's much of anything anymore that could surprise him. ]
I gotta bone t'pick with it, yeah. Hasn't really been anything but trouble since I got here. But if it's gonna keep me from dying, just don't tell me nothing about it.
[She's a bit surprised at the comment, that he would pick up on that in such a state... but every patient was different, handled pain different. She would not lie about it, setting aside her potion bottles to let a hand hover above his chest.]
... Not a friend, no. But he sounds familiar.
[Why would that person have attacked this man, though? Were they not both ALASTAIR recruits? And this one new, as well, hardly long enough to offend so badly as to warrant a bloody fight?
Questions she could ask later.]
I have less available than I would like, as many of our number... but allow me to use magic to heal the most grievous of your wounds.
[Gently, she laid her bare hand upon his chest, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before she began to speak, her words half in languages long dead.]
As I see thee weltering in thine blood, I call upon the goddess who governs, who I beseech to aid you now...
[Normally she would leave nothing to even indicate he had been injured, but she had to conserve- what if more people were injured elsewhere, or something happened... but beneath her hand, his wounds began to close, the bleeding to cease, until the deepest injuries were far more shallow, and the shallower cuts reduced to deep scratches.]
[ he tries not to be too weirded out by it, but it's hard. he's on the ground and bleeding out and there's this little girl hovering over him with a weird skeleton dog hovering over her nearby and now she's mumbling stuff to herself that sure has hell don't sound normal—
but then his wounds start closing and he has to wonder: okay, so it's weird as fuck, but that doesn't mean it ain't okay.
it's saving his life, after all, at least this time it is, and like all things he tries to stomach it with a few deep breathes and a wordless prayer to whoever-the-fuck-may-be-listening.
when it's over, and the lack of pain hits him like a splash of cold water, he blinks rapidly and glances down at himself, lips parting on a mute noise of wonder.
and then he laughs, low at first, and breathy. a puff here and a puff there before suddenly he's falling back again, body convulsing with each new bowl of laughter. ]
Shit, [ he wheezes out. ] Fuck.
[ he lifts a hand — he can lift a hand again — and drops it over his face, though his lips are still visible, cracked into a wide, crooked grin. ]
I'd say I owe ya, but there ain't nothing I can do that tops that.
[Sieglinde is glad of two things in that moment. No, three. That even with the natives and her fellows losing their magic, she had been spared the complete loss. That she had enough left in her to do at least this much. ... That ALASTAIR had enabled her to do any of it at all in the first place.
She withdrew her hands once the magic left her, feeling a tiredness that didn't usually accompany the spell- but that was the work of this world, and a petty price for what she gained. She sat back with a sigh of relief, not even that perturbed by his... unusual reaction.
Patients reacted differently- this one with... laughter, she supposed.]
You owe me nothing- this is the role I play.
[With her age and obvious handicaps... she certainly wasn't doing any fighting for ALASTAIR.
But she was already going for another vial in her bag, this one filled with a pale yellow balm.]
[ badou watches her hands move with a muted, somber expression. the last traces of his mirth seems to have ebbed to little more than a strained grin around his lips, though it's rather close to a grimace if looked at too closely. ]
Well shit, lil' lady, how'm I s'posed to leave ya be when ya say it like that...
[ he sighs, and he sounds aggrieved by it all, but there is something rather resolute about it anyway. he's feeling better now — enough so that he can sit up and flash her a
a thumbs up? ]
Consider yourself lucky, lil' miss! You got yourself an authentic "I O U" from Badou Nails, private eye! So chin up, huh? That shit don't come cheap, y'know.
[Like what... ? She frowned instead, uncorking her vial and dipping in several fingers to pull out a balm that she began to dab on the wounds still left open, though their severity had been lessened.]
What is an "I.O.U."? And a "private eye", so that I might know what I have earned?
[ ah geez, way to deflate a man's pride, sieglinde. you coulda at least acted amazed! ]
It's what it is — an "I owe you." You did me a favor, so now I owe ya one. And a private eye's someone who goes around gathering intel. You wanna know if your man's cheating on ya? Hire a private eye. You wanna find someone who don't wanna be foudn? Hire a private eye. You wanna get the dirt on a business rival without getting your own hands dirty? You hire a private fucking eye.
[It was so simple that it actually gave Sieglinde pause, a comical moment where she just stared past him into nothing in the clearing, brow furrowed before the eureka. "I.O.U." "I owe you". Homonyms. Ah.
Damn it. Quick to try and act like she totally knew that, Sieglinde affected a casual manner, continuing to dab the balm on his wounds as if she hadn't asked a silly question.]
While I have trouble believing a man would be able to stray once he satisfied himself with me, your services sound of use. I shall reserve one for the future, then.
[Totally no problem, yeah. Nevermind what she just said...]
[ grateful though he may be to her services, there is no mistaking the momentary look of confusion on his features. that solitary green eye roves over her for a quick once-over, as if to remind himself that, yes, those words did indeed come from a girl who probably hasn't even bled naturally yet.
but the moment is over with a quick shut of his eye, and then a glance skyward. recollected himself. ]
Sure. Yeah. You do that, lil' lady. Gimme a holler when you ever need it.
[Wow, Badou, how dare you judge her based on the fact she hasn't had a period yet... just you wait! She is going to have the best and more fertile womb making period ever!
... Anyway. Green eyes versus green eyes in the stare of a moment...
Before she just finishes up dabbing her balm on his wounds, one that would numb the remaining pain and encourage the rest of the healing she didn't have the magic for at the moment.]
I shall, then. Until then, do not strain yourself overly- I will need recover some magic before I complete your healing.
[ badou gives himself another once over. feels the strength returned enough in his torso and limbs that he can muster sitting himself up without feeling like the world was tipping over on itself. he can even lift a hand to pat himself down in mute wonder.
it prompts a crooked grin to crack across his lips. ]
What? Nah, this is fine. [ he lifts another hand to give her a thumbs-up. ] Been let outta the hospital with wounds worse than this. You patched me up real good, lil' lady. Thanks.
[ d'aww she's cute! it's a bit comforting for the man to see her react rather appropriately for her age. for a second there, he was getting pretty worried. ]
Something tells me there's no winning with you, huh?
[ his eyes flicker down to her feet, finally. he had only barely noticed them the first time, too caught up in his own shit to really process what he'd been seeing, but now that most of the pain has subsided, and the fear of death long gone, he takes a moment now to assess things. ]
You gonna be alright heading back like that?
[ he could offer to carry her, but he's still trying to figure out where her pride ends and where her shame begins. ]
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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he struggles to keep his wits about him, brow furrowing as he conjures up the image of the creature in his mind. ]
He was... tall. Blue skin, maybe grey. White hair. Tattoos all over. Big, pointy ears and a stupid huge sword like he's compensating for something.
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That description sounded an awful lot like someone she'd met just recently.
But her wits return soon enough, and she pulls back the bottle, putting it back in her bag.]
... I see.
[A matter for another time.]
Before I continue, are you averse to magic?
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Friend of yours?
[ his voice is wry, but not nearly as wry as his grin. though it could be considered more of a grimace, the way a corner of his lips pull into something rather strained, forced. he thinks he'd be surprised, but also probably not.
he's not sure there's much of anything anymore that could surprise him. ]
I gotta bone t'pick with it, yeah. Hasn't really been anything but trouble since I got here. But if it's gonna keep me from dying, just don't tell me nothing about it.
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... Not a friend, no. But he sounds familiar.
[Why would that person have attacked this man, though? Were they not both ALASTAIR recruits? And this one new, as well, hardly long enough to offend so badly as to warrant a bloody fight?
Questions she could ask later.]
I have less available than I would like, as many of our number... but allow me to use magic to heal the most grievous of your wounds.
[Gently, she laid her bare hand upon his chest, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before she began to speak, her words half in languages long dead.]
As I see thee weltering in thine blood, I call upon the goddess who governs, who I beseech to aid you now...
[Normally she would leave nothing to even indicate he had been injured, but she had to conserve- what if more people were injured elsewhere, or something happened... but beneath her hand, his wounds began to close, the bleeding to cease, until the deepest injuries were far more shallow, and the shallower cuts reduced to deep scratches.]
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but then his wounds start closing and he has to wonder: okay, so it's weird as fuck, but that doesn't mean it ain't okay.
it's saving his life, after all, at least this time it is, and like all things he tries to stomach it with a few deep breathes and a wordless prayer to whoever-the-fuck-may-be-listening.
when it's over, and the lack of pain hits him like a splash of cold water, he blinks rapidly and glances down at himself, lips parting on a mute noise of wonder.
and then he laughs, low at first, and breathy. a puff here and a puff there before suddenly he's falling back again, body convulsing with each new bowl of laughter. ]
Shit, [ he wheezes out. ] Fuck.
[ he lifts a hand — he can lift a hand again — and drops it over his face, though his lips are still visible, cracked into a wide, crooked grin. ]
I'd say I owe ya, but there ain't nothing I can do that tops that.
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She withdrew her hands once the magic left her, feeling a tiredness that didn't usually accompany the spell- but that was the work of this world, and a petty price for what she gained. She sat back with a sigh of relief, not even that perturbed by his... unusual reaction.
Patients reacted differently- this one with... laughter, she supposed.]
You owe me nothing- this is the role I play.
[With her age and obvious handicaps... she certainly wasn't doing any fighting for ALASTAIR.
But she was already going for another vial in her bag, this one filled with a pale yellow balm.]
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Well shit, lil' lady, how'm I s'posed to leave ya be when ya say it like that...
[ he sighs, and he sounds aggrieved by it all, but there is something rather resolute about it anyway. he's feeling better now — enough so that he can sit up and flash her a
a thumbs up? ]
Consider yourself lucky, lil' miss! You got yourself an authentic "I O U" from Badou Nails, private eye! So chin up, huh? That shit don't come cheap, y'know.
no subject
What is an "I.O.U."? And a "private eye", so that I might know what I have earned?
no subject
It's what it is — an "I owe you." You did me a favor, so now I owe ya one. And a private eye's someone who goes around gathering intel. You wanna know if your man's cheating on ya? Hire a private eye. You wanna find someone who don't wanna be foudn? Hire a private eye. You wanna get the dirt on a business rival without getting your own hands dirty? You hire a private fucking eye.
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Damn it. Quick to try and act like she totally knew that, Sieglinde affected a casual manner, continuing to dab the balm on his wounds as if she hadn't asked a silly question.]
While I have trouble believing a man would be able to stray once he satisfied himself with me, your services sound of use. I shall reserve one for the future, then.
[Totally no problem, yeah. Nevermind what she just said...]
1/2
2/2
but the moment is over with a quick shut of his eye, and then a glance skyward. recollected himself. ]
Sure. Yeah. You do that, lil' lady. Gimme a holler when you ever need it.
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... Anyway. Green eyes versus green eyes in the stare of a moment...
Before she just finishes up dabbing her balm on his wounds, one that would numb the remaining pain and encourage the rest of the healing she didn't have the magic for at the moment.]
I shall, then. Until then, do not strain yourself overly- I will need recover some magic before I complete your healing.
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it prompts a crooked grin to crack across his lips. ]
What? Nah, this is fine. [ he lifts another hand to give her a thumbs-up. ] Been let outta the hospital with wounds worse than this. You patched me up real good, lil' lady. Thanks.
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Not that she, barely four feet and thin of limb, could do much of anything if he did.]
You are welcome... but please, do not strain yourself overly until I can treat you again-
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What's all that, huh? Didn't I tell ya I'm peachy now?
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[Sieglinde gave a small scoff, even as she started to pack her potions back up. She didn't know what "peachy" meant, but she could guess.]
I am being entirely serious.
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[ his tone takes a sudden shift, quiet and serious. still, he's smiling, even if the corners are a little more dulled in something somber.
slowly he reaches up, making as if to reach for her head—
only to lightly pinch tug on a lock of her hair. ]
Heard we're in pretty low supply of this kinda stuff. [ magic, that is. ] You're better off saving the rest for anyone else who might need it, right?
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Sieglinde pursed her lips, cheeks puffing out a bit in an almost comic manner when he tugged on her hair, reaching up to light smack his hand.]
I am- which is why you shall come to me later to fix the rest of this.
[But she still expected him to do that- even if it took time, for magic to return, or for her own to recover somewhat.]
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Something tells me there's no winning with you, huh?
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[Sieglinde stood, gracelessly and with a bit of pinwheeling arms-wise, but she managed it by grasping for Isengrim's collar for balance.]
- Let us leave this place. You ought to rest in a proper bed.
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You gonna be alright heading back like that?
[ he could offer to carry her, but he's still trying to figure out where her pride ends and where her shame begins. ]