A Surgeon's Hands
Part 1
"A surgeon must have the eyes of a Hawk and the strength of a Lion. For we must operate with our hands and not our hearts."
A faint grunt escaped her lips as something shook her from her peaceful sleep again. "Go away Fay." She said knowingly, batting her hand at the general direction of her awakener.
Oh yes, Faylina Fletcher was how her partner in crime had called herself and was conveniently assigned to the role of a ship surgeon's mate. Just the thought of it made Adelint giggle, frankly. More so the fact two commissioned killers were assigned to the roles responsible for the crew's survival, was even more amusing, in her twisted humor perspective.
"Come on Sordelle, Captain's let us out!" she said, the tan female hauling Adelint to her feet. The semi-asleep female rubbed her eyes and nearly hit her head as she stretched her form. Her cabin was far too small but at least it was hers. She smoothed out her uniform and fixed her cravat, checking her reflection and smiling faintly, then scowling once she realized she was indeed smiling.
She turned, noticing Fay giving her an odd look, her thin eyebrows quirked curiously, before dismissing it with a shrug of her shoulders, sauntering off. The night was still young and they had every intention of seeing it through to its elderly years. They walked side by side as always, comfortable in their silence; they needn't say much, gazes alone were enough of a communications means for the two, after such a long time together. Their steps took them to the Pig, noticing the newest guy in some shady corner, already there. Some Connor O'Connor, he had called himself; that bear of a man. A behemoth with a big sword and an unkind face, covered by a thick beard and framed by equally unruly hair. He always wordlessly followed them, Captain's orders that was.
Upon entering the tavern, they saw it was packed and when a mug came flying by Fay's ear, it was their cue to leave. Just as they made for the exit someone went through the window, breaking it and collapsing on the floor, earning a giggle from Adelint.
The Recluse was their final choice, as the Shady Lady was packed with shady characters in black hats, nothing good, they were sure. They made way to lush, park-like quarter that mostly housed mages, alchemists and other odd or inventive individuals that dabbled with arts Faylina would rather not know about.
The place was no less crowded, of course, but at least it was more peaceful and the patrons were respected soldiers and rangers, all belonging to the 1st Royal Battalion. Ah yes, a Battalion consisted by the 71st company of footmen, the 33rd company of rangers, the shortblade infantry, the 3rd mortar platoon and of course, his royal majesty, their very ship, Defiance.
It was safe to say, they were lost among an ocean of faces unknown to them, save from a few acquaintances they had made the past few days, like the Corporal of the 71st, Alin Hayward. A stark, well-built young man with a pleasant face and his trademark van dyke facial hair. And how could anybody forget the blonde Lordaeronian, after all? He had come, bloody face and the like, beaten to a complete pulp, offering flowers to Adelint, two nights ago. The weirdest sight Fay had ever seen, truth be told. She was not sure if the shy, smiling Corporal's bloody face, or Adelint's baffled, confused and embarrassed face was the funniest.
And of course, one could not forget the Lieutenant of the Rangers. Thomas Bromhead, or Wardog. But Faylina had dubbed him mister Passionate, after an embarrassing attempt of flirting directed to Adelint, where he insisted his passion came from the Westfall blood coursing through his veins, making him as hot as the weather.
A man that hailed from the dry, Westfall lands indeed, blonde with evergreen eyes and a shadow of a stubble, the rough and partially unwashed appearance of the man made him what could be considered as ruggedly handsome, when he did not frown or angrily scowl at his recruits, snarling orders.
The heads turned once they noticed the females arriving, eyes wandering across their forms in disbelief, mainly due to the uniform they wore. Everyone in Stormwind was well aware of Hawkins and his views on women, so two of them in the navy uniform struck as odd. Far too odd. Faylina grinned wickedly and walked forth, hips swaying ever so lightly as she relished in the wanting gazes. For she relished more in the disappointment when she denied them and their advances.
One of the rangers offered a grin to Fay's direction, raking her luscious form with his eyes, shamelessly, while a more refined footman was gazing at her nervously, looking away when their gazes met. As she looked to the side at her friend, she found her grinning – The blonde well aware of the reactions the raven haired beauty coaxed out of men – and women.
"Well would you look at that Adelint. It's mister Passionate and he is looking at you." Fay leant in, whispering with a devious grin, only earning a huff from her uninterested friend. This was always the case with them. Faylina was busy breaking hearts and shattering bones with the fluttering of her eyelashes, while Adelint was getting piss drunk and repelling any form of attention given to her. What a duo they were.
O'Connor remained on their tail, repositioning himself in a dark corner and watching the Lieutenant closely as he approached the women, causing the triumphant, predatory smirk about Fay's face widen.
"Why Miss Sordelle, aren't you a sight for sore eyes." Said the blonde Lieutenant, a hint of mischief in his voice, grinning cheekily and extending a hand towards Adelint. She gladly took the silent offer, being guided to the less crowded area the Lieutenant resided in; Adelint suspected it was because nobody felt particularly brave to challenge the personal space of a very temperamental Westfall-borne army officer – and they were wise doing so.
O'Connor remained in the corner, his hands locked behind his back in a formal stance, yet his eyes betrayed that his intent of escorting Faylina was not duty driven. His honey eyes were trained on her form, watching how she smiled, how she dismissed a joke with a wave of her elegant hand, how she moved – Watching her. She caught him with the corner of her eye, sending a half-smile his way before continuing her idle chatter with the ranger, ensuring the two conversing blondes were oblivious to the situation. Or so she hoped. She knew far better than anyone, not to underestimate the perception of those two hounds in civilian clothing.
Fay's attention shifted again, after a mandatory laughter at the attempt of a joke the ranger made, watching the aforementioned blonde hounds converse. She knew her friend too well, after all these years; she barely ever held a meaningful conversation, or even listened to someone speak. But this time, it was different. A smirk spread across her red-painted lips, taking in the rare sight of Adelint listening to someone speaking to her and replying accordingly. She smiled and laughed, genuinely.
'Well mister Passionate, it appears I had underestimated you.' She mused and promptly looked back at the ranger, sending a sweet smile to him and causing him to momentarily lose his wording – Fortunately.
"Why Lieutenant, you sound like a man that sleeps with a pillow under his rifle and not the other way around!" chirped the amused Surgeon, looking at the officer with a long, half-lidded stare.
"Don't be daft Miss Sordelle." The man said seriously, before his expression softened to that cheeky grin once more. "I sleep with a rifle under my woman, I don't need no pillow." He finished, taking a sip from his whiskey and earning a giggle from Adelint.
Faylina wrinkled her nose at the shameless flirting that took place, so subtle and yet so subpar. But then she met the Corporal's gaze. Alin Hayward had his eyes trained on the two laughing blondes and despite his best efforts, Fay's gaze scanned the man, determining in mere seconds how very angry he was. His grip about the bottle was for too tight, his shoulders were squared and his lips pursed.
'Oh my Adelint, what have you done.' She mused and merely relished in the probability of chaos ensuing, a wide, devious grin spreading across her features.
But another sort of chaos promised to ensue instead as Hawkins, Rodgers and Remmington made their way into the tavern, followed by Mawenge, some suspicious man and the one they had come to know by title, the Boatswain, whose name was still elusive; for now.
"Adelint. Hawk" Faylina said sharply and the blonde groaned, turning herself sharply once she had apologized to the Lieutenant, approaching the rest of the sailors with Fay, grinning wickedly at the comments flung around the establishment by footmen and rangers alike.
Sailor Ladies, Fishmen, Seamen, Blue Ladies, Mermen. All far too amusing for the two women that caught the Captain, his Lieutenant and the Midshipman ordering Brandy, whiskey and mead respectively.
"Ah! Miss Sordelle and Miss Fletcher!" said Remmington, pinching his invisible hat and then rubbing his mutton chops. "Fancy seeing you here."
"Oh I wish I could say the same…" said Adelint with a half-joking grin, but Faylina knew she was far from joking. Her poisonous, albeit sweet, smile made the Captain and the Midshipman laugh, but Fay's eyes were trained on the third man, the Lieutenant. He was not amused, not one bit, that Rodgers fellow. In fact, it was as if he knew precisely what was going on, his icy blue eyes boring into Adelint, his nose wrinkled ever so faintly in clear distaste.
Hawkins took his brandy, interrupting Rodgers and his impassive, distasteful glare upon Adelint, maneuvering himself to her near proximity and smiling warmly. "I hope you are enjoying your evening, Miss Sordelle." He said, raising his drink.
'Poor, poor Hawk? You too?' Fay hummed to herself, taking a sip from her honeyed rum and impatiently awaiting for Adelint's retort.
But it never came, as the Lieutenant of the Rangers, Thomas Bromhead, came crashing into the counter, knocking off glasses and bottles alike, peppering the floor with crystal shards. A graveyard worthy silence befell on the tavern, all the heads turned to the man that staggered back to his feet, then his assailant. None else than Alin Hayward, who rubbed his knuckles with a shit-eating grin plastered across his gentle, van-dyke defined features.
"Call it payback, you blonde bastard. Round bloody two!" Alin exclaimed and before he had any time to form another word or go into a defensive stance, Bromhead had launched himself to him, his punch sending him sliding across the nearest table, knocking everything in his wake, scaring patrons and spilling drinks.
"You bloody BASTARD!" the Lieutenant yelled at the top of his lungs, then all hell broke loose in the form of a tavern-wide brawl. Fists, kicks, bottles, glasses, shoes, chairs were launched to all directions, creating the most direct form of chaos Fay could have hoped for. She delighted in the chaos of screaming, cursing and hitting, observing everything breaking down around her. She lazily moved to the side, avoiding an airborne footman that crashed against the wall. "Have a nice flight!" she cackled, but her enjoyment was cut short as she was yanked by a pair of strong arms, ducked under the staircase by Remmington and avoiding a projectile bottle in the process, that hit Mawenge instead and knocked him out. She nodded a bewildered thanks to the midshipman, backing away of his personal space and bumping against someone in the process. As the raven haired woman tried to apologize, she was met with a growl and an incoming punch. She ducked skillfully, watching as the footman's fist found Remmington's nose and broke it. She surely hit like a truck for a woman her size.
"Holy SHIT, Summers!" Adelint exclaimed to the female footman, earning a cocky grin and a wink from the butch female.
"Miss Sordelle! You are a woman! You should not applaud violence and especially when committed by ANOTHER WOMAN!" screamed an exasperated Captain, triggering the ticking bomb that was Regira Summers and her short-fused temper. She walked up to the Captain, shoving the lieutenant aside and then pushing Hawkins forcefully, like some bully. "You what mate?" She said simply.
"Miss please do not force me to use violence against your person, I do not hit women." He said, trying to gently move away. "Hit me or I will." She screamed back, blocking the way. "I am afraid I can't do thi-" he tried to say, but Regira yanked the back of his head and forcefully smacked his face on the nearest table, disorienting him. He stumbled away, dizzy, tripping over a chair, hitting the back of his head and fainting.
"You best kiss me Sordelle, for defending your womanly honor!" Regira said, panting. Faylina shook her head amusedly, following a projectile Ranger with her eyes, who ended up collapsing on Regira. Fay and Adelint exchanged looks, shrugging their shoulders and picking up Hawkins, dragging him out and away of the trouble, ducking and dodging various other projectiles, like boots and glasses.
The Captain woke up briefly after Adelint emptied a glass of icy cold water on his face, cussing and apologizing right after. As the Surgeon tended to the crew's wounds outside the establishment, Faylina waited in the distance, observing the surroundings as the brawl had spread to the yard, the streets, even the small green area around the tower. That delightful drop of chaos counted several broken glasses, bottles, chairs, noses and of course, prides.
All of a sudden, a scream of pain echoed through the near vicinity. Adelint paused and looked at Fay meaningfully, the assistant dashing off towards the source of the scream. She was soon joined by the Quartermaster of the Footmen and the Lieutenant of the Rangers, watching the ranger and footman scuffle. Fay was baffled about the scream, until she noticed the dagger lodged on the Ranger's leg. Before she had time to scream, the footman, who was losing the battle, grabbed the handle and dragged the dagger down across his opponent's leg, tearing another roar of pain. Bromhead shoved Fay aside and was soon joined by the Quartermaster and more bystanders, dogpiling on the two, separating with a few punches and kicks to make the point evident. Fay was left staring, her amusement evident, until the soft voice that belonged to her friend sounded; "This is beyond us." She stated calmly, tugging her along with O'Connor on their tail.
(I do not own anything recognizable. All is property of Blizzard entertainment.)
