[Infirmary] Knight and Nurse (Andre)

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

1st Day of Autumn, 512 AV Early Evening Tock had spent the majority of her day dissecting one of the dead wolves she had brought home after yesterday's hunt. She had also started some preliminary work on the construction of her new workshop and laboratory. She had been digging through the dirt, up to her elbows in wolf guts, and cutting down trees, and thus she was covered in dirt, blood, sap, and sawdust. Thus when she showed up at the infirmary she was ordered to clean up before she trudged all that filth through the sanitary environment. She grumbled and cursed at the waste of time as she was ushered into a small washroom, where she scrubbed her hands and face down enough that the staff wouldn't pitch a fit. There wasn't much to be done for the stains in her clothes, but she cleaned them off enough that she wouldn't be tracking anything anywhere. By the time she finished cleaning up, she'd half forgotten why she came down here. Then she remembered: dissection. She still had a wolf and a half back home to finish taking apart, and wanted to see if there were any useful medical texts or tools she could pick up here. The infirmary halls were more quiet than she remembered. She hadn't been here in a few days, and it seemed there had been some discharges in that time. There were still plenty of patients in the rooms she passed, but she noticed it didn't seem to be as many as there had been a couple of weeks ago. Now that she thought about it, when she got back from the wildlands and dropped Andre off here, there had seemed to be a fair number fewer patients than the day Mikey died... Thinking of Mikey brought a tightness to her chest, and she had to stop, closing her eyes and leaning against the wall as she fought off the tears that threatened to overwhelm her. She had missed his funeral. She had been too busy murdering an innocent family and using dark magicks in a failed attempt to bring the boy back. Somehow, she felt more guilty about not attending the poor boy's funeral than about the lives she'd taken... And then there was Andre... She ran a hand through her hair, belatedly realizing she was still wearing Eyes, her multi-magnifying vision enhancing apparatus. Strapped around her head with a leather belt, he held a pair of spectacles in a wooden frame, currently raised up out of the way of her face. His six multi-jointed little arms were folded up against the strap, two of them holding large glass lenses that could be used for extra magnification. She also had Handy strapped to her belt and Grippy on her hip, but she pretty much never went anywhere without them. Andre. She didn't know what she was going to do about that man. She'd have to just tell him that it had been a mistake... err, like FIVE mistakes. She couldn't deal with him getting some idea that there was romance in their future. She had too much work to do: a statue to carve, wolves to dissect, a bricklayer to build, a workshop to construct, not to mention all the other projects she had sitting on the back shelf. She'd find his room and break it to him easy. No... why would she even think that? She wasn't the sort to care about easing the blow. She'd tell it like it was, and his feelings be damned. She had more important things to worry about than some fool knight's broken heart. She asked one of the nurses and immediately got directions to his room. She paused outside the door, taking a deep breath to steel herself (yet once again, why? Saying what was on her mind was NEVER difficult for her!) She grit her teeth, then stepped into the room and said, "Oy, listen bloke, I gots ta--" She cut off when she saw him. Lying there, all bandaged up and looking vulnerable. Laid up on injuries he'd sustained saving her life. She found herself self-consciously fixing her hair, and wondering why it suddenly seemed so warm in here. She glanced down at herself and realized how filthy she was. Why hadn't she changed into clean clothes before coming down here? She hoped she didn't smell like wolf blood and damp fur. She suddenly forgot whatever it was she was going to say to him.

[Andresciel]

The Knight, up until the moment she had spoken, had been asleep. He had been in the Infirmary for the entire last two days since she had ran into the city to find him help. He had thought he might find hostility, but for some reason, the people treated him well. His armor lay nearby, gauntlets placed on the dresser beside him. His wounds had been bandaged, and his arm properly wrapped. He wore only a pair of his black pants, his sapphire eyes opening lazily as she began to speak. He watched her began to fix her hair, tilting his head, before he coughed. His uninjured right arm came up, gripping the glass of water they had left him, sipping at it. "You got to what Tock?" He asked, his voice still dry, and heavy with sleep. How long had he been sleeping? He'd have to remember to ask Velenor next time the little creature dropped by to check on him. Zeltiva was a new city, and as long as Vel kept out of trouble and sight, Andre let him flit about in his sealed form. "Did you come to get me? Because I don't know how much use I'll be to you still injured like this."

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

She stared at him blankly for a moment, trying to make sense of the question. What was she here to do? Oh, right, she'd convinced herself to break his poor heart. Except watching him there, all weak and injured, and yet... strong, and showing no signs of the pain he must be in... She felt a tightness in her chest, and couldn't bring herself to do it. She half turned to go, but couldn't bring herself to leave, either. She wanted to stay... for awhile... though her conscious mind couldn't be sure why. "I, umm..." she stammered, losing her train of thought. She stepped closer to the bed and said, "I jus' used 'at money ya gaves me fer ta buy me some land..." She wasn't sure why she was telling him that, but it gave her a subject to focus on, so she held onto it. With something to talk about, she sat on the edge of the bed and continued, "Done what gonna build me a nice workshop. An' a lab. An' some more room fer the kids 'n'all." She idly realized she had taken his hand in both of hers and was holding it in her lap. When had she done that? She held onto it anyway, rubbing her thumbs across the back of his hand without realizing what she was doing. "I what got Diggy gettin' the foundation dug out today," she continued, rambling on now that she had a project to discuss. "Ya ain't met Diggy yet. 'E's one o' my youngest. 'Cept Eyes..." she glanced upwards at the contraption she was wearing. The device shifted his twin lenses to peer at Andre, the little multi-segmented wooden arms shifting when he heard his name, anticipating a task. The multiple arms looked somewhat like spider legs extending from Tock's forehead. "Ain't built the bigger bed yet," she added, a bit distractedly. "Gots a new workbench done today, though. An' a chair. Nothin' what Animated fer though. But a Animated chair might'n be a good idea," she tapped a finger against her chin thoughtfully, considering a design for a chair on wheels that could carry her around the new workshop...

[Andresciel]

He nods to her as she turned first to leave, and then back towards him. He watched as she moved to his side, speaking about the land, even as he felt his hand being taken. His right hand squeezed her own as he smiled. "More Kids. Sounds fun." He nods to her words when she began to speak about Diggy, and then the wave towards Eyes. He drew his hand from her own, lifting it up to take one of the little wooden arms, "Ello Eyes. Nice to meet you little buddy. You seem like a beautiful little boy." He spoke to the little contraption like it was a little boy of five years, with respect, and a tone that simply stated he cared. No one could treat one of Tock's babies badly around him, not even Velenor, who had argued about sleeping with her kid. He then noticed Grippy and Handy, "Hey boys. You been keeping momma out of trouble?" He asked, reaching down to pat them both. "And of course, acting like proper big brothers to protect your baby siblings." Only then did he turn back to her. "A workbench? Might be useful. They told me I may not be able to fight for a while, and that I have to build up muscle strength. Told me to carve or something." He flicked his wrist at a piece of wood that had been turned into a rough hewn wooden sphere. "I told them I wanted a puzzle cube, but noooo...Play with the ball they said." He huffed, looking mildly annoyed before turning back to her. "I wonder if this counts.." He leaned up, brushing his lips against her own with a smile.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

Tock blushed and felt that flutter returning again when Andre called her baby 'beautiful.' Eyes himself didn't react much, since he wasn't programmed for communication. Instead he reacted with the only actions he'd been programmed with: the lenses adjusted to focus on the hand reaching for him, and one of his arms, which ended in a simple wooden clip, prodded at the offered fingers and tried to snap down on one. The clip only had enough strength to hold something small like a sheet of paper, a coin, or some lightweight parts when Tock was working. Eyes also hadn't been programmed to know many things; he could recognize a book, one of Tock's tools, or some other basic parts she commonly used. But beyond that, he lacked the understanding of most things in the world, and thus was unable to recognized the thing before him as a hand, or fingers. When Andre pulled his hand away, the lenses shifted to peer at him curiously, studying him. Then the arms folded back against Tock's head once more, patiently awaiting something else to study, since that was his purpose. Meanwhile Tock smirked and lifted up the crude wooden ball, turning it over in her fingers, her expert eyes picking out the flaws. There were a lot of things she didn't know much about, but carving was one thing she did know. It was clear this was the work of an amateur. She started tossing it between her hands without conscious thought, grumbling, "Oy, 'ey done tolds me NOT ta carve stuff 'ere when I were--!" She was cut off by the kiss, which while, brief, made her lose her train of thought. Needing something to do with her nervous hands, she pulled a file off her belt, and started adjusting the ball, smoothing out the shape without really paying much attention to what she was doing. She had done this sort of thing so many times that it was something she could do more by touch, rather than by sight. Her fingers glided over the ball, feeling out the shape and looking for rough patches that needed smoothing. While she worked she continued rambling, "Bloody 'ate 'is place, I does. Ya know what as I's only been 'ere 'bout 'alf a year, an' what done spent almost 'alf my days 'round 'ere?" she gestured with the ball and file around at the infirmary as a whole. "What 'tween my broken foot, broken 'and, the axe wound, the sword wound, an' all the Gods be damned puppet shows, an' 'elpin' what wit' the kids, an'..." She trailed off, thoughts straying to Mikey. Her throat tightened, and her eyes drifted to the corner, not wanting to get onto that subject. "Anywho," she muttered, "'ow long fer 'ey done said ya what gots ta been in 'ere, aye?"

[Andresciel]

Andre allowed the clip to clamp on his finger, which held little strength. His eyes closed for a moment, letting his thoughts wander, before he glances at her. "And what?" He asked, tilting his head before noticing her eyes. "I can leave now actually." He stated as he looked at his things. "If only I had someone to help me pull on my shirt, and help with my boots." He rolled his eyes playfully, before smiling, covering her hand with his own, swiping his wooden ball from her. "I didn't carve this. A Little boy brought it to me. He told me thank you." Andre had given up his remaining five hundred mizas to feed the hungry folks of Zeltiva, leaving him only with his last bit of wages, little more then three hundred mizas to take care of himself for the season. But he would be fine with that. "I don't know why all these well wishers came by." He waved his hand at a small selection of gifts. Mostly flowers, or the occasional fruit. There was even a copy of Heroes of Elesmeria, a book Andre had grown up with. A tale about Seven heroes, including a Magic Wielding Knight, that had helped Andre out a lot. "About all I want from that pile is the book given to me by one of Zeltiva's nobles." He stated softly.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

"Oh, ya can leaves now, can ya?" she asked in a doubtful tone, looking him over. As much as she knew the feeling of NOT wanting to stay in an infirmary bed any longer than she had to, she'd never been injured as badly as he had been. She looked over the bandages, leaning close to peer at Andre's chest as she channeled Djed, pushing it forth to bring out his aura. She was silent for a long moment as she let the aura slowly expand in her vision, searching for signs of the injuries. The only thing she knew to look for was an excess of red, or a feeling of dampness. She wasn't picking up either, but the most she could guess from that was that he hadn't torn open any of his wounds. That didn't mean they wouldn't tear open if he tried to get out of bed too early. "Were it a little runny-nosed one?" she asked distractedly, gesturing to the ball. "Shy lil tyke? Ain't makes eye contact?" She'd taught some basic carving and carpentry skills to quite a few kids in the infirmary last season. There had been a shy little blond boy named Ryan who had complained about not having any toys, because his parents were poor. She'd taught him to make his own. She barely glanced at the other gifts. Flowers and books were completely useless to her, unless the books were about science or magic. She was more focused on trying to find out if Andre was actually well enough to move... though she wasn't sure why she should give a damn. "'Ey what needs plenty o' 'elp 'round 'ere," she continued in a distracted tone, as she gently lifted his broken arm to examine it. "If'n yer what gonna been stuck in bed fer awhile, ain't gots ta been playin' wit' balls, o' readin'..." Reading. Pfft. What a waste of time. "When I were in 'ere 'fore, done made a bunch o' crutches an' stuff..." It was hard to guess what the aura she was reading from his arm meant. There were streaks of red pulsing through it, which generally either meant pain, anger, or love. Considering the situation, she assumed pain. The aura was also a bit... rough. Instead of the smooth radiance she normally expected in an aura, it looked more twisted and unlevel. It somewhat reminded her of the way the auras of stone blocks looked when they were cracked and broken. She guessed that this was a sign of the broken bone underneath. But while she could read that the bone was still broken, she didn't have enough experience reading broken bones to tell how bad it was. Thus the aura reading couldn't tell her if the break was still bad enough that he shouldn't be moving around, or if he'd be okay as long as the arm remained in a sling.

[Andresciel]

The Knight let her examine him before he spoke, "The medic informed me that I could leave as soon as I felt well enough. My chest is stiched, and my arm is set. I can move around Tock. Just no heavy lifting." He stated as he looks at her. Few people knew of the hidden secret of Elesmeria. There was basics on all kinds of magic within the tomes novels, but then the Aurist had already rooted out his secret. The red of love, the red of pain, both burned through his aura as he stood up. "Now. Do I need to tie my own boots, or will you give me a hand?" He was showing tremendous strength, and the pain didn't even reflect in his eyes. "I need to get up and walk if nothing else. If you judge me too weak, I will come back here. But I'm tired of just laying about." That was when her words about the little boy sunk in. "His name was Ryan. And he told me that he was taught to make this little ball by a pretty lady with many babies. He said I could have it as thanks. It was his favorite toy." Andre's eyes didn't leave the ball that was now held lovingly in his right hand, his own eyes staring down at it. As a child, Andre had been given a small wooden ball by his mother, and of course, Andre planned to return it, though he didn't know how he knew about that part of his past.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

She cut off the Djed flow when she started to feel out of breath, not wanting to push herself into overgiving. A few weeks ago, she'd temporarily gone deaf after using the power too much, and she didn't want a repeat of that. She watched the way he moved with just her own eyes, frowning slightly. He seemed like a tough nut, but he wasn't fooling her. If she hadn't seen what she perceived as pain in his aura, she might believe he was feeling just fine. But she knew better, and figured he was putting on a show of strength because he was too prideful to admit the pain he was in. But then again, she could be the same way. "I's tie yer boots 'is time," Tock said, sticking a finger in his face, "but ain't go gettin' used ta 'at, aye? I ain't no frilly lil servin' girl what's gonna dress ya an' cook fer ya an' all o' 'at." She knelt down and roughly shoved the boot onto his foot. "N'fact, if'n ya wanna eat, yer gonna 'as ta cook yer own dang food. I ain't cook nothin'. Dun much know 'ow..." Her Da used to make her cook for him when she was a little girl, but she had never acquired any real skill for it. Her idea of cooking was sticking the beat on the fire until it was dark enough, and that was that. "C'mere, baby," she whispered to Handy, sticking her wrist next to him. He uncoiled his tail from her belt and strapped it around her wrist, then she held him next to the laces. "Mommy's gonna teach ya laces. Ya gotta learn 'is sooner o' later..." She hadn't programmed him how to tie shoes, but she wanted to see if he could learn. He had a child's intelligence, and thus some basic capabilities on par with a child. If a young kid could learn how to tie his own shoes with enough practice, she had hopes that Handy would be able to learn as well. As she tried to guide him through the process (which mostly involved Handy tugging on the strings like they were a toy), she told Andre, "An' dun go thinkin' what jus' cause I done said ya can sleep at my place what means I's washin' yer clothes o' nothin', neither. I ain't cook, I ain't does laundry, I ain't sew, an' I AIN'T no dang maid!" She peered up at him through Eyes, who had lowered his spectacles and magnifying lenses over her eyes as she was working on the laces.

[Andresciel]

He smiled as she taught Handy how to tie his boots, allowing the tugging without so much as a complaint. Then, he stood, and drew his shirt over his head, his muscles protesting as he stuffed his bandaged arm through its slot. Only his face showed the discomfort of having not worked his muscles after getting hurt. "I'll probably do all three for both of us. Even if I can't sew, cook or clean worth anything." The Knight chuckled as he looks at her, before leaning down to kiss her lips softly in gratitude "Thank you for helping me. Would you like to show me this beautiful city, so that I can learn what I must do?" He asked, still holding the ball, while hefting a backpack onto his right shoulder, his book stuffed within, as well as his basic armor, light enough for him to carry. "And as for your babies, I also want to meet them all." He neglected to mention that he had a gift for Handy, having figured it out after she began to teach him. He simply drew out the piece of rope, and offered it to the little guy, "To help ya practice ya knot work, my friend. If you need more, just let me know." He smiled, watching the little automaton, before turning back to her.