Fantasy Chronicles of Cre' Est

[Mothman]

"Son of a...!" Whimsey shouted out in frustration as she lunged forward. The man in front of her held his knife in a very similar way, with a backhanded grip in his right hand, though his knife was clearly more designed fully for killing. Whimsey's was more of a multi-purpose sort, for hunting, cutting rope, and things of the sort. It didn't have the length and sharpness to deal the lethal sorts of wounds that her opponent's did with such ease.

Whimsey's knife only met air, as her attacker quickly sidestepped out of the way of it. Even her kick was easily deflected, as he man raised his free arm to block it. He put his force into pushing the woman away and knocking her off balance, which sent Whimsey stumbling back. A few rushed steps later, and she managed to keep herself up on her feet. Though, in the split second she took the catch herself and get her balance back, the assassin was charging her, slicing at her jugular while stepping forward with his right foot. Her arms raised up, and thankfully the knife tore into her arm as opposed to slicing her neck open. It hurt, but she pushed through it and kept her head in the game.

Stepping to the man again, she swung the knife at his arm this time, once again hoping to dig into the tendons of his wrist and make him drop the knife. But, just as before, the man evaded the slice with ease, grabbing the woman's arm and twisting it roughly. Her knife clattered to the floor beneath her, and as she desperately tried to step on it with her boot and flick it back into her other hand (a maneuver she had never once done, and likely wouldn't succeed in regardless), the man kicked at her leg and caused it to buckle, before expertly sliding the knife away behind him.

"Stop resisting. I'll make it clean, then." He held his knife up to Whimsey's throat, meeting eyes with her as he calmly issued his demand. A shout escaped her as she raised her leg up straight, akin to the movement of a gymnast, making contact with the man's chin and sending him reeling for a moment as well. The knife, having already been so close to her throat, cut lightly into her skin just above her collarbone. Without a knife, or any sort of weapon to go to, not that her knife was laying somewhere on the dark stone street, she just had her fists and her feet to work with. It was difficult enough to get a real bearing on the man, or see just what it was he was doing with his hands, with how damned dark it was.

With an idea that likely would have been seen as nothing but stupid if she had been thinking straight, she took a few steps forward and swung her leg at the man's heels. The assassin easily simply hopped backwards and evaded the kick, before making his own motion of stepping forward and slicing at her chest. Ducking low to evade the attack, she once again swung her leg low, prompting only the same response from the man, who stepped out of the way of the attack with ease. It was clear she was trying to reach her knife, which neither her nor the man were exactly sure as to where it had ended up. As the man took his steps backwards, he swiped at the ground behind him with his back foot to make sure the knife wasn't getting too close for comfort.

As Whimsey made another effort to kick at the man and push him back, the man stepped around her foot, lunging forward with his right foot and stabbing at her center, hoping to pierce her stomach and puncture an important organ. She evaded it narrowly, hopping backwards and letting out a grunt of frustration and surprise. As she re-centered herself, her eyes caught Linde being seized by the head by the other man. "Doctor Alm-" Thinking she had more time to think on another move, the man had taken two quick steps and stabbed his knife towards her yet again. She reacted fast enough to try and make a move, though not fast enough to completely evade it. The knife dug into her stomach, thankfully not deep enough to puncture an organ, but it still stung like all hell.

Reeling back, a hand drifted to the wound, before she used her other hand to quickly tug her coat off, flinging it at the man as quick as she could. The assassin caught the garment with ease, pausing for just a moment just out of surprise of such an attempt. In the brief second he had been focused on the coat, and unable to see Whimsey because of it, the girl had started to dash forward, aiming a fist at the man's head. The fist nearly connected with his cheek, but the assassin caught the fist at almost the last second, letting Whimsey's momentum continue forward, he tightened his grip on her fist and stabbed the knife into her again, meeting his mark by digging it into her hip. The feeling of the metal smashing against her hipbone as it dug deep into her made her cry out in pain, and a moment later, the man had kicked at her back and sent her falling to the ground.

The first thing she did was try and find her knife, moving her hands around as she tried to find the strength to stand up again. The sound of metal sliding just a few inches away from her immediately made her believe it had been kicked into an alleyway or somewhere else, despite how close she had just been to it. Despite the maddening pain in three separate parts of her body, she pushed herself up thanks to the aid her adrenaline was giving her. Once again, her eyes shot to Linde, and more than anything, she wanted to buy the woman a ticket out of this fight. "Dammit, Linde! Don't throw your life away for me! Just go!" She couldn't say anything else before her attacker was charging again, raising his knife and ready to bring it down on the girl who was still in the process of getting back to her feet.

GojiBean

​

 

[GojiBean]

Against the strength of this gorilla, Linde could only hope that desperation attacks would get her out of it. Her shin throbbed from the failed effort a moment ago. And she felt him dragging her which could only mean he was going for his sword. If she didn't get free quickly...

It's funny how the mind works under pressure. Linde's thought trailed to Shadow and a training session they once had together.

"You won't always be able to see your enemy. If you can't, most would tell you to rely on your other senses which is stupid. The only sense you need is touch. As long as you can feel and get your hands on your enemy, you can do something about them."

"What if they're stronger than me?"

"Doesn't matter. If you can get your hands on them, you can do something about them. And it's even better if you can get both hands on them."

The memory faded as Linde felt herself being slightly lowered and the sound of metal scraping cobblestone stung her ears. Not bothering to think, Linde's grip with both hands around the man's wrist slid up and clamped down around his hand just above the wrist joint. She slammed both feet against the ground while viciously wrenching her body up and around the outside of his arm and twisting her body like a ballerina until she had done a complete 360 around his arm, resulting in a horrific "CRACK," and ending up back where she started on her feet. But he, on the other hand, now had his wrist turned a full 360 degrees around along with both forearm bones having been twisted and fractured from the entirety of her body weight working against them.

"No matter how strong the body is when all of its components work together under conscious focus, individual limbs are always weak and easy targets whenever one's focus has been displaced."

Thanks Shadow. She thought.

With his wrist and forearm bones now broken, his grip on her face was shattered allowing her to violently buckle his elbow with her knee and bend his arm behind his back. Dipping down in her stance, she launched herself skyward ripping his arm with her as she went which dislocated his shoulder allowing her to plant his broken wrist right beside his head on the opposite shoulder. With such pain shooting through his body, his grip on his sword faltered causing it to clatter to the cold and unforgiving cobblestone streets. Linde then launched herself forward, her right shoulder in between his shoulder blades, and slammed him to the ground where she quickly sat atop his back and let go of his arm. Not wasting a single moment, she locked her fingertips together and jammed them into two points along his neck and back. His body spasmed under the attack. And after a few moments he went still. His chest rose and fell evenly beneath her weight as she continued sitting atop him catching her breath.

And as Whimsey cried out to her, Linde grabbed the sword and raced towards the other assassin resulting in a shoulder tackle which sent them both sprawling to the ground. For Linde, however, things became slightly more complicated. Due to the awkward angle of her tackle, the blade fell underneath her and sliced the length of her stomach as she skidded across the ground. Thankfully it wasn't terribly deep. But the new wound ran from the center of her upper stomach just beneath her breasts to the top of her left hip. Ignoring it, she quickly scrambled to her feet and brought the sword with her while taking a stance similar to Shadow's.

Rising calmly to his feet, the assassin glared at Linde before glancing to his unconscious partner.

"You live tonight. But we will return for her."

Linde kept the sword up as he moved towards the other assassin and sheathed his dagger. After a few failed attempts to wake the man, he hauled him over his shoulder and disappeared into the darkness of a nearby alleyway. Linde threw the sword after them into the alley before sprinting over to help Whimsey to her feet.

"Are you all right?!"

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

Whimsey was more than ready for the man's knife to dig into her shoulder or neck. Looking up at the man as he raised the dagger, even if she tried to throw herself out of the way, the man would have no trouble catching up to her with her wounds at this point. She could barely stand with the stab wound in her hip, anyways. Though, just as she was about to shut her eyes and accept it, Linde had dashed over to rescue her, tackling the man to the ground. With how close his knife already was to her, Linde's momentum made it slash across the side of her face. A shout escaped her as a hand drifted to the wound, dangerously close to having just cut out her eye, starting at her temple and having moved down in a straight line to just below her eye. Another short cry of pain escaped her, before her main priority became Linde. FInally having a moment to search the ground for her knife, she spotted the glint of the metal under the moon just near the opening of a nearby alleyway.

Thankfully, Linde was back up on her feet, sword at the ready, before she had to resort to trying to kick at the man or anything. She worried that the man would have kept his composure after the tackle and stabbed his hand behind him to get at Linde. As the man said they would live tonight, and walked over to the other assassin, she narrowed her eyes and her mouth contorted into a scowl. "G-Get back here, you son of a bitch...!" She muttered the words under her breath as she once again tried to get up to her feet, using the wall of the building just beside her to do so. It was clear that, if able to, she would have pursued this man to the ends of the Earth to keep him from getting away. Though, as she watched the assassin scoop up his comrade and tried to dash at him, she immediately lost control of her right leg thanks to the wound in the corresponding hip, and she fell to the ground with a thud.

As she looked up, propping herself up to her palms, the man was already gone, and Linde was dashing to her side and checking up onto her. "...Dammit!" She pounded a fist on the stone beneath her, eyes moving to stare at the street beneath her. For a short moment, she simply stared at the blood pooling beneath her. It all stung like hell, and that ache in her hip was making her go mad by the second. Now that she was less clouded by adrenaline, she was near certain the man had at least punctured, if not broken, her hipbone. Taking a few sporadic, shaky breaths, she looked up at Linde with a frown. This was what she going to have to be dealing with...? People after her like this? Linde and the others potentially being hurt or killed because of it? It made her want to hurl, the idea of having to do all of this again.

"D-Doubt it..." Finally responding to Linde, she once again tried to get herself up to her feet, but wasn't even able to get her right leg up to get on all fours. "Haven't ever really..." A grunt of pain interrupted her words. "Felt pain like this. Feel like... I'm gonna pass out, just die right here, maybe. Easier than fighting off these maniacs..."

GojiBean​

 

[GojiBean]

As soon as Whimsey said she felt like she was going to pass out, Linde decided to help her. She used one hand to support Whimsey's shoulders while her right hand rested on the center of her back.

"Everything will be all right, Whimsey." She whispered, stroking her back gently.

She slid her hand up to Whimsey's neck and used her thumb and index fingers to pinch a couple nerve clusters, and Whimsey slowly succumbed to sleep under the pressure and went limp in Linde's arms. Linde gently turned her onto her back, and picked her up bridal style while carrying her to the clinic. Once there, she set Whimsey on a bed and began working on her as she did any other patient, starting with the most severe wound which was the one in her hip. And after a brief test of the wound and muscle responses to touch and pressure, she deduced that the bone had been punctured, though not severely so. She would keep full use of her leg. But she would walk with a limp for at least a week before getting full use of it back.

The rest of Whimsey's wounds were easier to deal with. The cut on the face, the throat, the shallow stab to the stomach, and the slice to the arm all required little more than some C'e Tua paste and a needle and thread. The process took about thirty minutes before Linde moved to bandaging Whimsey up and tucking her under a blanket to keep her warm.

She then moved to tend to her own wound. And to do so properly, Linde had to remove her shirt which exposed the scar between her breasts and in the center of her back just between and slightly below her shoulder blades. Taking the C'e Tua paste, she applied it carefully before starting on the process of sewing the wound shut.

And right about this point, Whimsey would be stirring back to consciousness.

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

Another shaky exhale escaped Whimsey as Linde came close to her, reassuring her that things would be alright. A moment later, the woman was pressing and punching at her neck, in a way that immediately made her even more exhausted. With that, she passed out and went limp, the only movement from her being the slight rise and fall of her chest.

When she came to quite a while later, her eyes shot open and she immediately tried to sit up. She didn’t get more than halfway to a sitting position before the pain from her wounds made her sit right back down. Opting to simply look around from the bed, she realized she was simply back in the clinic. “Ugh...” Muttering to herself, she noticed Linde shirtless and tending to her own wounds.

“Shadow’s gonna... Worry himself sick, you know.” She spoke between sharp inhales to work through the pain. It felt far better than it had before, but it still stung like all hell. She wasn’t fond of all the stitches she could feel on her, either, and tried her hardest to resist the urge to pick at them like an antsy child. “...You’re okay, right?”

GojiBean​

 

[GojiBean]

Linde jumped when Whimsey spoke, not quite expecting her to wake so soon. She accidentally yanked on the thread, causing a sharp zing through her stomach along with a hiss through her teeth. A short exhale as she straightened up, and she smiled at Whimsey over her shoulder.

"He doesn't worry." She said quietly while looking at the floor.

She calmly fixed the error in her stitching, and resumed her task.

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

“I just thought... Ain’t he gonna wonder why you’ve been gone so long?” Her eyes went to the window as she realized just how godawfully early it was. So much for getting any real rest for the night. “I’m sorry.” The words left her bitterly, as she looked down at the stitches. A hand drifted up to her cheek, hating the feeling of the stitches and the stinging there. “...For dragging you into that fight. Now you’re hurt, gonna get next to no sleep...” She rolled her eyes at her own misfortune, before rolling over onto her side, not wanting to stare at Linde as she worked on herself.

“Terrible, if you want me to be honest. Better than bleeding out in the streets, at least. You’re gonna think it’s childish, but I can’t stand stitches. I get that it had to be done, though.” Taking a deep breath, she busied her hands by picking at a loose thread on the sheet.

“Thanks, though. For your help. I’m not great in head to head fights like that...” A yawn escaped her a moment after speaking.

GojiBean​

 

[GojiBean]

Linde, keeping her back to Whimsey as she finished her stitches, looked away.

"... You don't have to apologize for anything. This has been my fight, which I've been running from, mind you, for almost two years." She said softly.

Turning to face Whimsey, her torso covered by only a bra, she put a hands over her breasts and gently pulled them aside to fully show the large scar on her chest.

"This is my reminder of what I got myself into when I first met Shadow. A wound I should by all rights have died from." She said solemnly, recalling the pain of the incident. "It was a Naginata. It pierced by back just to the right of the spine, caving my ribs in the back, and exited here between my breasts. It cleaved almost every artery connected to my heart and took a chunk out of my right lung." She said.

She gently let go of her breasts and quickly threw on a shirt to hide the scar from view, huffing a sigh and looking away.

"To this day Shadow won't tell me how he saved my life. But somehow, he did. And I've since decided not to question the blessing of life Shadow gave me that day." She muttered.

She finally made eye contact with Whimsey and offered a weak smile.

"I should be the one apologizing, Whimsey." She giggled. "I got too comfortable with the setup we created for you working at my clinic. And I fell back into work mode and forgot the reason we did this in the first place. I remembered at the last possible second while speaking with Shadow what was waiting for you out there. And even if Te'i Sai has ways of finding you, it would be harder if I'd kept you under a roof instead of outdoors walking back to the clinic. Even just insisting that you spend the night here would have been enough to spare us both what happened tonight... I'm sorry." She said, bowing completely at the waist to almost 90 degrees though the pain from her wound prevented a full bow.

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

Whimsey let out a short sigh as Linde assured her no apology was necessary. She still felt awful about the whole situation, all the same. “Even still... It’d be trouble if something were to happen to you.” She rolled onto her back as opposed to her side, to get a look at what Linde was showing her. The story to go along with the scar made her narrow her eyes, unsure of just how something like that could be possible.

“Yeesh... Well... I’m glad you survived, all the same. I still... That’s odd. How you’d survive such a wound, I mean...” If he wouldn’t tell Linde, there wouldn’t be any point in her even asking. Still, the story made her more than confused as to how the woman in front of her was still living and breathing... She was grateful all the same that she was.

Her eyes shut for a moment as Linde started to apologize, before shaking her head as the woman bowed to her. “Doctor Almna, you shouldn’t...” Trying once again to sit up, she managed to get slightly more elevated before the wound in her stomach demanded she lay back down by shooting a wave of pain up her torso. “We can just... Call it even. You saved my life, and all. I’d be bleeding to death in the streets if you hadn’t followed me. Can’t say I’ll be much help in the clinic the next few days, I bet... I’ve taken my fair share of injuries on the job, but gods, this is the worst.” She had never been fond of simply sitting around and waiting for a recovery, but knew that she didn’t have much of a choice now.

“This is just how it’s gonna be now... Isn’t it? They’re gonna stay after me until I’m dead?” She blinked a few times before bringing a hand up to rub at her temple. “Don’t people say that Te’i Sai’s never let a target get away? Save Shadow, maybe? If they’re just gonna keep sending more and more people after me... I don’t think it’s worth the trouble. I’d be delaying the inevitable, wouldn’t I?” Rolling her eyes out of more of a distaste of the situation she was in as opposed to hopelessness of her impending death, she rolled back onto her left side. “Last thing I’d want is to you keep having to save me from them night after night. I’m an assassin; not much of a fighter.”

GojiBean​

 

[GojiBean]

Linde pulled up a stool and sat beside Whimsey's bed, leaning on it with her elbows.

"I'll agree to call it even." She chuckled.

"This is how it's going to be for the time being. Maybe a few weeks. But if Te'i Sai doesn't get the job done soon, they'll move on. They're trying to control a continent, after all. They've got bigger things to worry about than you. Much bigger."

She put a hand softly on Whimsey's forearm.

"And hey. Don't worry about me. I've taken my licks. And I can give them right back too. And once he's on his feet again, Shadow's going to be giving them all kinds of Hell." She said with a giggle. "It's really what he does best."

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

"Weeks of those guys...?" Whimsey let out a clearly exaggerated groan, before rolling onto her back once again and throwing her arms out to her side. "Just kill me now, Doctor Almna." The words were spoken sarcastically, but it was clear that Whimsey didn't take kindly to the idea of sitting around and waiting for someone to attack her again for the coming weeks. She was already in this much pain, and if attacked, she would be the deadest woman in all of Cre' Est. Yet she would have to keep this game of cat and mouse going for who knew how long? She wasn't exactly eager to put up with all of that. Another yawn left her as she glanced over at Linde, who now had a hand on her forearm.

"Doctor Almna... You're something else, you know that? Never thought I'd meet anyone with a heart that's as big as yours." In a way, she was almost jealous of Linde and her ease of helping others. She had known nothing but deciet and lies since she was a little girl, and had gone all her life not trusting anyone. Taking care of others had never been something she bothered with, and she never had seen anyone care for her in the way that Linde was. "...I don't know how the hell you do it." She left her thoughts there, not wanting to get into another clash of ideals with Linde tonight. They were just different people, that was it. One of them loved and cared for others, and the other didn't know how to do anything but kill.

"...I'm gonna be stuck here for the night, aren't I? With my leg like this, no way I'm walking home..." A hand drifted up to her face, running from her forehead down to her chin as she tried to not let herself get too worked up with everything going on. "You should get going. A certain somebody still has to run the clinic tomorrow, isn't that right? Might be lucky enough to at least get a few hours of sleep."

GojiBean​

 

[GojiBean]

Linde smiled warmly, and rubbed Whimsey's good shoulder gently.

"You are home, Whimsey." She whispered with a soft pat to the shoulder.

"Get some rest."

Her fingers slipped to Whimsey's neck, and applied a slightly altered set of pressure points to what she'd used earlier to help Whimsey ease her way into sleep. With Whimsey out for the rest of the night, and likely part of the morning, Linde prepared herself for the talk she'd need to have with the other nurses about how and why Whimsey ended up in such a state.

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

"Thanks, Doctor Almna..." She shut her eyes as Linde came close, not objecting to her just getting her to sleep right away. If it were left to her, she likely would have laid there for hours, frustrating herself with her wounds and resisting the urge to pick at them, and only gotten to sleep when she passed out from her bodies exhaustion. Linde would have had zero trouble getting her to sleep, and she was out like a light quickly enough. Despite being a bed she wasn't familiar with in the slightest; something that normally made it near impossible for her to get a good night's rest, she stayed completely asleep through the whole night, and then some. Save some light snoring and tossing and turning just a bit, she was completely docile.

It wasn't until it was nearly noon of the next day that she woke up, taking a moment to realize just where the hell she was. Shaking her head, she remembered what had happened the night before, along with the fact she was just in the clinic. Her wounds didn't hurt nearly as much, but they still were far from pleasant. More than anything, they were sore as all hell. Unlike last night, she managed to get herself to at least sit up, despite the bit of discomfort and aching that came from doing so. Her eyes immediately looked around to see if any other nurses were around, and the first thing that came to mind was just what the hell she would say to them concerning what happened. She stretched her arms up above her head, as well as let out a short yawn.

"Ugh...!" Just as she did so, both the wound on her arm and the wound on her cheek started to sting. A hand drifted up to her cheek, worrying at first that the stitches had snapped in her sleep. Thankfully, it was still completely shut,. "...This is terrible." Shaking her head, she decided to lay back down until Linde or someone else came to speak with her.

GojiBean​

 

[GojiBean]

Linde had fully dressed herself in her daily doctor's garb after putting Whimsey to sleep, and fell asleep at her office desk. When the knocks came at the door in the morning, it was Jessica first who asked if she was all right. Linde explained to her, and the others soon after, that Whimsey had been attacked by a mugger after coming back to the clinic from having dinner and that Linde helped her. She didn't tell them about her own wound, however. Instead, she continued work as normal despite the occasional stinging sensation racing through her stomach along the line of the wound.

After Whimsey woke up, Linde was the first to greet her and told her of their cover story. And after giving Whimsey's wounds a second look, and re-bandaging the one on her shoulder, she allowed Whimsey to take a few days off to rest and relax here at the clinic in her room or the employee lounge. At least until her wounds properly recovered.

That evening, Linde insisted on Whimsey using the office as her bedroom for the time being. Given that Te'i Sai had identified Linde, they'd be checking the personal rooms of those who stayed here for signs of Whimsey. So that evening, Linde and Whimsey retro-fitted the office into a bedroom with the bed on the far wall away from the window and hidden behind a folding changing wall. That gave Whimsey easy access, but it also hid the bed from view from anyone looking in through the window. And for a doctor's office space, where patients would need to change clothing, or have private physical examinations, the wall wouldn't raise any suspicions.

Once that was done, Linde bade Whimsey goodnight and walked home. Along the way she carefully ran her fingers along the length of her wound to feel if anything about her stitching needed to be redone. She was able to feel a single moist spot beneath the bandaging about midway down. So she'd have to look into that.

But it was what waited for her at home that failed to surprise her even though she expected more...

Shadow, still bandaged and not wearing a shirt, was in the middle of doing push ups.

Linde sighed. "T told you that you were confined to the bed for two days. Not one."

In the middle of a push up, Shadow's eyes slid to the corner of the socket to look at her.

"I know my limits."

"But you don't respect them!" She barked.

Shadow completed the push up and held himself in the up position.

"I respect them." He said, lowering himself for another push up.

"Your body needs rest, and time to recover. Exercising is going to slow the process and perhaps cause more damage!" She yelled as she stormed over to his side.

"I'm in no pain."

"That doesn't mean damage isn't being done! People go about their daily lives and end up with bruises from collisions with objects they don't remember happening, or cuts they didn't feel because they were so engrossed in something else! Now get back in bed!" She ordered with a stomp of her foot next to his hand.

Shadow glanced up at her.

"You think Te'i Sai will wait for Whimsey to recover before they come for her again?"

Linde was taken slightly aback, and her eyes widened before she blinked several times.

"They don't care for the fact that they almost got the job done. They want to finish it." He lowered himself for another push up. "Jurios and his men might have been able to get some good attacks in. But this is nothing that I haven't lived through before. You of all people should know that."

Linde's hands clenched into fists at her sides.

"I do know that." She whispered while kneeling down and placing a hand on his shoulder. "And that's exactly why I'm asking you to listen to me right now. I'm not trying to be an overprotective friend. I'm trying to be your doctor." She said softly.

"I know I'm failing at not being over protective. I can't help it. But even so I am a doctor. And I'm asking you to give your body time to heal properly. If you want to work out to pass the time two days from now then fine. That's what physical therapy's all about. But despite you not feeling pain right now, as your doctor I'm telling you that your body isn't ready for that phase of recovery yet."

Shadow froze in the upper position and glanced at her out of the corner of his eye.

"Give me something to do."

Linde blinked.

"I refuse to remain completely inactive. I need something to do." He said on a quiet growl.

Linde's lips parted slightly, and she took in a deep breath and let it out softly on a sigh.

"If you need it that badly, then I have something for you." She whispered while her grip on his shoulder tightened ever so slightly. "Greisha Flowers are one of the few medical plants that haven't been affected by the medicinal herb famine. There's a big field of them in the hills about two miles out from the city's West gate. Dress as a blind man and go fill a basket for me. And when I get home from the clinic, you can help me grind their stems and petals down to make Pa'lu paste for the clinic."

Shadow slowly stood up, and Linde stood with him. He turned to face her. And in her peripheral vision she noticed the small red stains on his bandaging over his stomach.

"That's not enough."

Her eyes narrowed.

"It's the only thing I need that I don't have time to do myself right now. If you want to wander around the city then go ahead. As long as you don't try to climb to any rooftops or do any heavy lifting."

"Mmph....... Fine."

She nodded and put a hand on his stomach.

"I need to change these and clean your wounds."

Without a word, Shadow sat down on the bed and allowed Linde to clean and re-dress his wounds. When she was done, she left the room in silence while Shadow laid down on the bed staring at the ceiling. That night, Linde didn't sleep very well. Whimsey's situation, Shadow's horrendously low patience for recovery and dealing with being wounded, Te'i Sai identifying Linde during the scuffle... It was a lot to deal with in such a short time. She knew the stress of fighting Te'i Sai. But she hadn't experienced this kind of pile up in the time she spent with Shadow before.

"This must be how Whimsey feels." She whispered to herself before finally falling asleep.

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

"Huh... This wasn't a half bad idea, Doctor Almna." Linde's idea of changing the office into an impromptu bedroom for her over the next few days had originally struck her as awfully strange. She'd be conducting business as usual in there over the next few days, wouldn't she? Knowing that she'd be resting in there, at least at night, for awhile made her almost feel a bit bad in regards to all the eavesdropping she'd be doing. But, once the office was all together, she really could see the appeal of the idea. It was akin to hiding oneself under floorboards or in the wall, just without any of the dirty work that came in doing that. The screen that Linde had put up was inconspicuous, and as long as she was quiet and didn't move it in her sleep, would work perfectly. She was immediately grateful for the fact she was a pretty quiet and still sleeper. "...I appreciate it. Really." Nodding to the woman, she dragged herself over to the door.

"Jessica's gonna walk me home. I'll eat and spend a while there, and be back here before dark. Promise. Take care of yourself too, okay...? I get that you've got a job to do, but you'll be no use to anyone then. I'll see you soon." Giving a half bow to the woman, she walked out and found Jessica, who helped her make the short walk back to her regular room. While she was able to walk on the leg if needed, it hurt like hell to put pressure on it and was awfully slow. Walking from her room to the kitchen wouldn't be a huge pain, but out on the streets would have been real trouble. Once she was home, she bid a good day to Jessica, and simply laid down for a while. As much as being stuck in bed and unable to do anything productive drove her a bit wild, she managed to pass the time well enough with a nap, some time alone with her thoughts, and a bit of time spent scribbling away in her journal. Though, instead of writing details of her hits in it for once, she was writing away in it like a diary.

The last thing she wanted when evening came was for anyone to ask and wonder why she was sleeping in the clinic, so as much as it would have been easier to get someone to help her, making the short walk herself was her best bet. Thankfully, she managed to find a small walking cane thanks to the help of Jessica again, which made the trip far simpler. The sight of her having to walk with a cane like some sort of elder made her more than a bit frustrated, though. Once inside, she locked the door and window like Linde had told her to, before making herself comfortable behind the screen. She was glad she brought the tonic from Linde, as it had her out like a light within a few minutes, just as advertised.

---

"So, you see, if it were to hypothetically be possible to use those sorts of nerve manipulation techniques like Doctor Almna had showed me... Perhaps even paired with the use of machinery to stimulate the same nerves in others..." Maretu had a bad habit of speaking his thoughts aloud as he wrote, especially when he was in a particularly productive mood. It helped him think better if he looked at it as less of just notes in a research journal, and more of a presentation to others of his field. Someday, somehow, he had vowed to make his claims and findings seen as valid by other researchers and medical minds. "...But Doctor Almna had told me that these sorts of things can vary depending on the subject. That leaves the question of whether each individual has one of a certain set of nerves that can make that same sort of positive stimulation, or if it truly is random." A small exhale escaped him as he tapped his pen in the corner of his journal.

"Oi, Maretu." Tsubaar called his voice from the other room, walking inside the room that Maretu had turned into a makeshift study and taking his coat off. "I'm back." The man's voice clearly wasn't awfully thrilled, though he didn't seem all that upset, either.

"Ah, Tsubaar. I thought you'd be out later. How'd it go?" His friend had been out on a date with a woman Maretu had yet to hear much of anything about.

"Not bad. Not great. Didn't sound like she wanted to see me again, but it was a nice meal, I suppose." Draping his coat over an unused chair, he came beside Maretu and leaned over to peek at his notes. "Still stuck on this Doctor Almna thing, huh?" Raising an eyebrow, he turned and took a seat at the table just a foot or two behind Maretu.

"It's not some 'thing', Tsubaar. Doctor Almna showed me something I've never even heard of before; I'd never felt so calm and at peace. If that feeling could be amplified, given to others... Well, maybe I could finally find some success then. Mind you, I've far from abandoned my previous studies. This is a big issue, you know." A hand drifted up to his hair as he turned his chair back to face Tsubaar. "It's akin to world peace. I want everyone to be able to live free of trauma, free of heartbreaks... I understand that sometimes trials and obstacles can improve oneself, but... Sometimes it's just the opposite. Sometimes, all it takes is one thing to make someone unable to live their life any longer. I want people to be able to get through things like this."

"...But it's all for Ajna." Tsubaar let out a small sigh and rolled his eyes at Maretu, seeming more and more dissatisfied by seeming him toil away at this so desperately by the day.

"You know that's not-" Maretu tried to get a word in, but Tsubaar raised a hand and stopped him.

"God, Maretu, you know you're like a brother to me, right? I'd do just about anything for you, at this point. But watching you drive yourself mad, desperate for a fix to an issue that frankly isn't any of your business anymore? It's difficult." The room went silent as Tsubaar finished, Maretu's eyes drifting down to the carpet. "But don't you get it? If you keep making this your only damned focus in life, you're gonna waste away! I can't remember the last time I've seen you legitimately happy, man. All you ever talk about nowadays is that stupid research of yours."

"Tsubaar, you know this is important to me." Maretu didn't raise his voice, and didn't seem so much as upset with what Tsubaar had set. He seemed more defeated in his tone of voice and posture than anything else.

"And I get that, Maretu! If this is your life goal, then I'm gonna cheer you on until you get there!" Standing up from his chair, he walked over to Maretu and squatted down to be close and make eye contact with him. "But you're not gonna get anywhere like this. You're banging your head against a brick wall, I've heard this same theory about nerves twenty times in the past few days from you! I get it, you don't have any way to test it, and you don't have any way to prove it. So, give it a damned rest, man. Take care of yourself. Take your research little by little. You were getting farther in all of this when you were just casually talking with people about their thoughts and their hardships." Tsubaar stood up and let out a sigh, before looking back down at the man. "Look, I hate yellin' at you. But you need to get it through your thick skull that working yourself to the bone isn't helping you, isn't helping the world, and most certainly isn't helping Ajna."

"...I know, Tsubaar. I know." Maretu's voice was quiet and gentle, and he shut his book with a small exhale following. "Maybe you're right, and I'm being selfish. Doing all of this for Ajna... But it's all I have."

"That's because it's all you're letting yourself have. I get it, you loved her, and I'm not happy about what happened in the slightest. I know I bug you about seeing someone new, but if you're not ready, you're not ready. At least pick up a hobby. A pastime. Something to keep yourself from going mad with your brain working 24/7." Tsubaar's hands moved down to his pockets, and he glanced towards the window. "...Already that late, huh."

"I'll give it some thought, Tsubaar. I promise." Picking his book up, he stood up and gave a short bow to his close friend. "I appreciate all you're doing for me. I hate to feel like I'm freeloading. Truth be told, I've been planning to pay my parents a visit, soon. Maybe next month..." Shrugging, he walked past the man and towards the stairs. "Let's get some rest."

GojiBean​

 

[GojiBean]

Finally. Morning came.

Donning a white blind fold and a common brown cloak, and under it wearing a simple green V-neck tunic and black pants and boots, Shadow borrowed a walking stick from Linde and exited the house at long bloody last. The breeze gently tugging his cloak was a welcome feeling after being couped up in that house for almost two days. He needed this.

With an empty basket in hand, Shadow used his memory of the layout of the city of Valkyom to find his way to the West Gate. Once or twice he had to ask a passerby for directions to make sure he was on the right streets. But once he reached the gate he met with his first major obstacle. The Guards.

"Pardon, good sir. But there is a lockdown in place. If you wish to leave, we must see your identification." Said one of the guards.

Thankfully Linde had prepared for this, and handed him a letter with her Clinic's seal stamped into the parchment.

To whom it may concern,

My name is Doctor Linde Xe' Almna, owner and manager of the Almna Apothecary and Clinic in Valkyom, Cre' Est. Gregory is my assistant, and is on his way to the Greisha Flower fields to replenish our stock for use in making Pa'lu Paste, which serves as a localized painkiller on the area it's applied to.

Please send any necessary charges or an envoy to my establishment, and I will be happy to confirm Gregory's purpose.

Thank you,

Doctor Linde Xe' Almna

"Oh, Doctor Almna?" Said the second guard.

"She's the "Angel of Cre' Est," right?" The first guard asked.

"Yep! That's her. She safely delivered my daughter a few months ago when my wife suddenly fell into labor at our house."

"Ohhh. Hm. Well, I don't see a reason not to allow you passage then. Go ahead uh... Gregory."

Using a voice much thinner and higher than normal, Shadow donned a Triveilan accent and responded with, "Much obliged, sir."

With a light bow, he proceeded through the gates and into the grassy plains beyond. Once he was far enough away, he ripped the stupid white blindfold upwards so he could see again. Taking in his surroundings, he followed the road West for a few miles until he saw the shimmer of the Greisha Flowers off to his right. Stepping off the path onto the grass, he made his way to the fields and began to fill the basket as Linde requested. However, he also worked in a bit of an exercise. With every step, he dropped into a lunge. With every turn, he made it a light stretch. And every so often he would pause and do a breathing exercise.

With the basket full a short time later, he made his way back to the city and the gates. The guards greeted him and gave him passage back inside. And as he made his way through the streets he listened in on many of the conversations happening around him.

"Did you hear? There's some kind of new recipe in Old Ferdi's Restaurant!" A woman chirped excitedly.

"Oooh! I need to try it, like right now!" Another woman exclaimed as she turned and raced to the restaurant.

To his left, a pair of old men bickered about whether or not the other was cheating at a chess game. Just a short ways away from the old guys, a couple punks were posturing and trying to see who was tougher. And as luck would have it, they decided they'd prove it not against each other. But against Shadow.

"Hey there, mister blind man!" The younger one said as he blocked Shadow's path forward.

"We're having a bit of a disagreement. And we need someone objective to prove who's right. Mind helping us out?" The older one said, putting his hand on Shadow's shoulder from the back.

Still with his fake voice and accent, Shadow replied... "I'm afraid I don't have time to entertain your game, young men." He heard the phrase from an older gentleman some weeks ago when he was resting on a rooftop.

... Gods, he missed being on rooftops.

"Well, this won't take long. We promise." The big one said as his grip on Shadow's shoulder tightened.

Shadow's walking stick flipped upwards and landed square on the large knuckle on the middle finger of the boy's hand, causing a loud "SMACK!"

"AAGH!! What the FUCK!?" He yelled.

"Oh! So you wanna fight, blindy?!" The younger one yelled as he raced in to punch.

Shadow side-stepped his attack, feeling a bit of a zing through his stomach as he used his foot to stop his momentum, and pushed the handle of the stick into the boy's stomach knocking the wind from his lungs. He collapsed to his knees, and Shadow curled a finger and flicked the side of his head just above his ear causing him to recoil away from it and fall to the ground. Meanwhile, the larger one rushed at him again. Using the stick for balance, Shadow quickly pushed off of the stick and lifted himself up slightly and pushed to the side to get himself some space. The bully adjusted, and turned on the ball of his foot to face Shadow again. As he rushed, Shadow slid the stick in his hand forward and jammed it into the boy's face just below the left eye. His rush was not halted, and he crashed into Shadow causing both to fall to the ground.

Shadow's mouth curled in a snarl as pain shot through his stomach. He could feel the stitching had come loose in at least two of his stab wounds. And blood was starting to seep into the fabric of his bindings.

Pushing the boy off of himself, Shadow balled a hand into a fist and slammed it into the boy's stomach to knock the wind from him. Pushing himself up to a crouch, Shadow then used the stick to jab into the side of the boy's head to knock him out. The younger one was on his feet by now, but didn't want anything more to do with this as he ran away. Shadow took a deep breath and felt his stomach. A bit of fluid met the palm of his hand, and he knew that would pose a problem if Linde saw it. Though, in his defense, it wasn't his fault. Mostly. They picked the fight, and he was blindfolded. He couldn't see the guy as he stumbled forward. Linde would understand... Right?

Shadow growled as he searched for the basket. In the chaos, he'd forgotten where he started from. Now he had to fumble about with the stick to try and-...

Tug, tug.

Shadow felt a tiny hand tugging at his cloak. He turned his head down and to the right, and he felt the basket being pushed against his hand. Gripping the handle, he waited for a second before the sound of a little girl's voice said, "Hew you go mistuh." She couldn't have been more than four years old, judging by the voice. Shadow took a short breath and released it through his nose, concentrating on his fake voice again.

"Thank you, little one."

The little hand on his cloak remained as he took a single step, but felt the tug at the last second.

Turning his head slightly, he could feel the girl's eyes on him.

"Um... Can you hewp me?"

"... What do you need help with?"

"I don't know whew I am."

"Do you know where you're supposed to be?"

"Mmhmm."

"Where is that?"

"With my mommy."

"......... Where is she supposed to be?"

"With daddy."

Shadow's lips tightened and he took a deep, deep breath which he released on a hiss through his teeth.

"Do you remember where they wanted to go today?"

"Nope."

His jaw clenched for a second, and promptly relaxed as he subtly shook his head.

"Okay, little one. C'mere."

He lifted the girl into the air and onto his shoulder, much to her delight as her little feet kicked forward and back against his collar bone. Walking through the streets, he told her to keep an eye out for her parents while he continued on his way. And if they didn't find her by the time they reached the clinic, Linde would take care of her from this point forward.

The girl hummed to herself as she continued kicking with her feet, much to Shadow's irritation.

"Ooh! Tun wight!"

Shadow stopped, tilting his head slightly.

"Wait. What?"

She pointed with a finger and kicked her feet.

"Tun wight! I wemembuh dis woad!"

Shadow took a breath and took the detour to the right. When they reached the next street over, she pointed right again.

"Dat way! Dat way!"

Shadow, going through the mental layout of the city, pressed his lips together again.

That's towards where we started. Just on the other side of the buildings... Don't you dare tell me this little twerp walked out the wrong door! He thought angrily.

Walking along, the girl saw her parents ahead.

"Mommy! Daddy!" She cried.

Thank the Gods!!

The parents rushed over and took the girl from Shadow, thanking him profusely for finding and returning her. The girl thanked Shadow as well with a hug, which unfortunately rubbed some of his blood on her dress.

"Oh my! You should go to the clinic up the road at once!" The mother said.

"Thank you. I was headed there anyway with these flowers."

"Do you need us to guide you?" The father asked.

"No, thank you. I remember the way." Shadow insisted.

"Are you certain? We don't mind. We just finished our own shopping and would be happy to help out." The mother said.

Stop asking to be helpful! He thought. "No, truly. I'm fine. I'll be on my way now."

Shadow wasted no time in turning and walking away. He subtly shook his head and released another sigh through his teeth.

"I hate kids." He mumbled quietly.

He made it to the clinic and dropped off the flowers to Cheyanne, who promptly saw his bloody tunic and insisted he visit the clinic immediately. Myra helped him take his tunic off, which revealed his incredible musculature causing all the women in the clinic to blush furiously before Myra shook it off and cleaned, re-stitched, and re-dressed his wounds. After giving him a new white tunic they had on hand, and giving him his green one back to wash later, Shadow thanked them and left the clinic and headed to Linde's house.

As he reached the house and prepared to unlock the door with the spare key she gave him, he paused.

"... There's no way she's not going to hear about that, is there?" He asked nobody in particular.

He grimaced, and went inside.

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

"Thanks once again for all your lively discussion!" While it was a conversation that didn't end up yielding quite a lot of information, it was a lively one all the same that Maretu had entered with an older woman in a pub. Tsubaar had practically begged him that morning to at the very least go and talk to someone that wasn't him for a bit, to which he decided there was no harm in. And, not wanting to bother Doctor Almna yet again, especially with the lockdown and everything going on, he decided to just make conversation with a stranger, something he was more than used to doing. His search for conversation eventually led him to chatting with a woman about ten years older than him, and they went back and forth telling stories over a few drinks. Maretu did much more of the listening than speaking, but still was happy to lend some gentle advice or kind words to her.

She had run away from her home in search of happiness, like many did in their lives, and while she had found it, she confessed to missing her old life. Now, she was a singer for a musical group in the capital, with a loving husband who served the knights. Though, she'd not a single clue how her family was doing, and had no time in the slightest to go and visit them. After abandoning them, she felt herself not worthy of writing a casual letter, either. Maretu offered what little advice he could, and the two eventually moved on to lighter topics. The night ended with Maretu promising her that he would come and watch one of her performances sometime, before he excused himself to get home before it got too late. With the city being under lockdown, he didn't want to take any risks at this point. "Of course, Miss! I look forward to seeing your show soon!" Waving to the woman who seemed to intend to continue drinking a bit longer, he set to the streets and started heading home.

Just as he was nearing his home, the sight of a woman turning the corner made him pause and squint to see her in better light. A happy chuckle escaped him after a moment as he rushed after her. "Doctor Almna, is that you?" Catching up to her after a moment, he gave a bright smile and a quick wave. "Sorry to disturb you on your walk. Are you headed home for the night?" He tilted his head and tucked his hands in the pocket of his coat, glancing to Linde to try and guage how she was doing by her expression.

GojiBean​

 

[GojiBean]

Linde paused when she heard someone call for her. She thought she recognized the voice, but if she did it had bean a minute since she heard it last. Turning around and catching sight of Maretu, she offered a smile as she waited for him to catch up.

"Good evening, mister Arjun. I am actually on my way home. Was there something you needed?"

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

"Oh, no, nothing like that." Maretu waved his hand dismissively. "Would it be trouble if I accompanied you? It's a beautiful night, and I could probably do with a bit more walking for the day. Been cooped up inside far too often lately." A hand moved up to his glasses pulled them off, tucking them in his chest pocket for a while.

"So, how have things been, Doctor Almna? Sleeping well? Taking care of yourself?"

GojiBean​

 

[GojiBean]

Linde chuckled.

"No trouble at all."

The two began walking, and as they did so Maretu was already asking questions.

"I've been well, thank you mister Arjun." She said with a giggle. "You know. Call it woman's intuition, instinct, or whatever you'd like. But something's telling me that you're forcing these questions. Have you been sleeping well?"

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

"I'm glad to hear it, Doctor Almna." Nodding to the woman, a hand moved up to his hair and combed through through it, a nervous habit of his. As Linde called him out just a moment later, he looked at her with wide eyes for a moment.

"Sleeping well...? I... I suppose." He blinked twice down at her feet and sighed. "I've been working at my research, as always. Getting... Less far than I'd like. Tsubaar and myself have been... Getting along alright, I guess." He thought back on the discussion they had had the other night, rolling his eyes and glancing over at the woman.

GojiBean​

 

[GojiBean]

Linde was smiling as their eyes met.

"Well, I'm glad to hear that. Tsubar seems like a good man."

She fixed a few strands of her hair and brushed them behind her ear.

"How about just during the day? Are you feeling stressed or anything like that? I have a few things you could try from the Apothecary tomorrow if you need any help sleeping or relaxing during the day."

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

"He is. He looks out for me." Despite how harsh he could be with him sometimes, he knew deep down that he was right, especially about Ajna. Even so, he had made an oath a long time ago, and he was going to keep it.

"O-Oh, I mean... Nothing that I would need medication for, I can assure you." Despite a lack of sleep, he liked to think he looked decently well despite that. He was pretty good at forcing a smile and a positive attitude despite whatever was going on in his life. "I had a lovely conversation with a woman at the tavern earlier. Told me all about her life. I hope what little advice I could give her was helpful."

GojiBean​

 

[GojiBean]

Linde continued to smile, but broke eye contact and looked ahead as they walked.

"I see." She said softly.

A sudden gust of wind forced Linde to stop and close her eyes while also turning her head slightly and putting up a hand to shield her face from anything the wind might carry. When the wind died down, she heaved a small sigh through her nose.

"We're almost to my home, and I'm quite hungry. Would you like to stay for dinner?"

Mothman

 

[Mothman]

Grabbing his glasses from his pocket again, he was just about to put them back on as the wind blew harder than he was ready for. The glasses fell from his hand, and he quickly reached down to catch them. It took a moment of fiddling, but he kept them from hitting the ground. "G-Goodness..."

Putting them on finally, he turned to Linde and blinked twice, before blushing. "O-Oh, no no no, Doctor Almna, that's far too kind of you! I'd hate to be a bother." A pause followed his words. "Do you live alone, Doctor Almna?"

GojiBean​