The morning was still dark and gloomy when Elias woke up, he kept his eyes closed to enjoy the few seconds of bliss that he was allowed before the headache mercilessly returned in slow, steady pulses. It had started to feel like a cruel joke, to be given that sense of peace each morning, only to have it abruptly taken away within moments of waking. Whether it was keeping him from madness or slowly inching him towards it was still uncertain, but how he longed for the dreaded ache to be over with.
Elias listened, finding a sense of relief that he could hear the steady breathing coming from the body beside him. The doctor hadn't planned on falling asleep, instead wanting to keep an eye on the patient, make certain his breathing was steady and that he would not sufficate during the night.
Elias sighed and slowly sat up, the waxed leather of his coat creaking softly as it moved with the body. The Gondorian dragged his feet out of the bed and pushed himself to stand, looking around the dark interior - it appeared that the fire had gone out during the night, with nobody awake to stoke it
Kneeling down by the fireplace, the man began to arrange the dry logs that had been brought to him by masters Zurri and Balnirar.
Each log was placed carefully, the doctor making certain every single one was neatly stacked on top of the other, balanced and keeping whatever symmetry the man managed to get to please his eye and mind. It was one of the problems he found with nature, it was hard to find anything that was the same as the other. The logs would never be perfectly symmetrical, but he had learned to ignore it.
Once the fire was lit, the man rose and stepped back to watch as the small flicker turned into a glow, faint licks of flame gripping at the dry wood and rapidly climbing the stacked up logs, engulfing them. It was a fascinating sight and one the doctor enjoyed, the simple chaos of not knowing how or when the flames would turn as they travelled over the wooden surface, and yet it felt as if the pattern was quite clear.
He turned to look at the wicker chair behind him, the man's thoughts wandering to the guest that had sat there the other night, Crow. It had been a strange evening and Elias still wondered on the feeling that taken hold of him upon meeting this man with the peculiar name. The doctor was glad for the other name his guest gave, for he wasn't certain if he could take seriously a man he'd have to call "Mister Crow". It felt like something a child would name the field-guard, set up by their father to ward off the black-winged thieves
His manners, posture and way of speech mirrored Elias' own and it had given the doctor a sense of familiarity, perhaps the very reason that he became eager to speak with this new face, but had to tame himself.
Many questions arose as the two spoke that evening and the strange feeling lingered, the doctor unable to understand why or what it was. It wasn't until much later that he understood the feeling. The same one he had felt when sat with his father among philosophers and scholars back in the white city, where they would ponder and debate on questions that didn't always have an answer. Elias missed it, too quickly were people to dismiss such things and either claim that he was simply right or that he demanded to be right and they would not argue after taking offense to his objection to their topic. A frustrating thing that had come to fester within the young Gondorian. Now, he couldn't help but wonder if this man was as intelligent as his way with words would suggest. In time, he would find out, now that he had accepted to share his knowledge with this man, as he requested.
Elias didn't know what waited for him with this new apprentice and he felt wary for he knew what kind of man this was or at least what he claimed to know. Every small village had one of his kind, a town would have a few and a city would have entire guilds. Yet, he felt excited about the arrangement and what he might learn himself through their future exchanges.
He pulled away from his thoughts and turned to look over to the bed, where Aeruthuil laid, still asleep. The man needed the rest and so the doctor quietly crept across the floor and into the kitchen, where he had found the Ranger.
The sour stench of vomit still hung in the air, caused by the bowl that still stood on the kitchen table. Elias wasn't bothered by the smell or the acidic liquid that sat in it. As he stepped over to collect the deep bowl, his eyes cast to the seat where he'd found the man passed out, his breaths slow, heart weak and skin cold. For a brief moment Elias believed the man had passed in the night when he refused to wake and there was no response to either smell or pain. A small frown turned his lips as he recalled the hesitation he'd felt just before forcing his fingers down the man's throat to induce vomit. It was only then that the man had shown any response and began to wake. He had known the risks of it and perhaps in there lay the reason for his hesitation, but even so, the doctor was not happy about it.
He turned to make his way out of the kitchen, stopping for a moment as his eyes turned to the lower, empty seat at the end of the table where Zurri had sat. Staring at the seat, he thought back on the conversation that night. The man was never too certain how to speak with this particular dwarf, whether it was the cheery nature he had or perhaps it was the matter of how he explained himself when Elias didn't follow along with his humor; often feeling like a dumb child under the dwarf's words.
He frowned briefly, looking aside and continuing out into the main room, moving his thoughts onto the journey Zurri was meaning to take.
This trip had been on Elias' mind since he heard of it, the thought had discouraged him at first, but the more he thought on it, the more his wanderlust continued to grow. Why this was, he was unable to say. The man had simply found a desire to travel out of the land, venture the road and prove himself. He wasn't oblivious to the words people murmured among themselves in regards to his fragile form and after having failed to haul a saddlebag off the ground in front of the stranger, Elias had felt the urge to set off once more, but there was still disagreement and he was weak.
He made his way to the front door and then outside, to dump the vomit out of the bowl, glancing over the barren garden while at it. If he'd go, then perhaps he could get some more exotic herbs. With all the coin he had now, he'd be able to afford a good supply. It was strange to think on now, for it wasn't long ago that he had been contemplating on selling the infirmary due to the lack of funds he had between his fingers. Now, he was overflowing.
He thought of the woman, Faylyn, that he had met and spoke with briefly. She had offered to give him more knowledge regarding the local herbs and their location, though he had not seen her again, aside when she strode past the table in the tavern to hide away in separate room. Elias recalled the jest Zurri had made about the woman being a perfect fit for a wife, given her reclusiveness. The thought had lingered briefly, before being dismissed, he already had poor luck with women.
The subject stuck to his mind as he stepped inside, closing the door quietly behind himself, eyes falling to the counter that greeted him and any other guests to the infirmary.
Jackilyn came to his mind, as the woman had stood there the day prior, having brought a pie as a gift from misses Denton. Alongside that, she brought worry about his health and a splinter lodged in her hand. The thought still lingered and his mind began to dig through the memories with the young woman. It wasn't long until dread began to weigh down his shoulders. Elias tried to dismiss it and thought of the journey again, only to have Taite come to mind instead and how she had faulted him for leaving last time, how she had turned and changed by this.
The familiar sense of shame crept up over him, looming and casting a shadow over the man. No, he wouldn't be able to leave again. He couldn't risk being gone if people needed him, it had caused enough trouble last time and he had lost much for a short trip away from it all. What would happen with a longer one? He shuddered at the thought.
After washing the bowl and setting it aside, the doctor made his way back to the main room and towards the bed where the Ranger lay asleep. Having forgotten to bring a chair with him again, the man settled on the edge of the bed, peering down at his patient to study the pattern of his breathing.
A few moments passed before he heard the mutter of a greeting from the ill man. The doctor nodded once, pushing his thoughts aside to focus on the patient.
"Good morning. -How are you feeling?"
