Title: A New Normal

Pairings: Mentioning of many

Prompt: Tumblr request

Words: 2,004

Warnings: None

AN: This was fun to write. Writing from Isiah's pov is always interesting~


Isiah had been a medic well over ten years now. His father was a medic so it was only natural that he followed in his footsteps. Because of that, when he first started he wasn't as 'green' or naive as other medics were. He had already witnessed the dangers of the Old Forest Mine and the Windy Plains. While others blanched at the open, erratic injuries from monster attacks, he took them in stride.

Aloof. Detached. Cold. He was called a lot of things during his fledging years. And honestly, he couldn't care less. While the other fledging medics alongside him were 'cute' and 'enthusiastic', most of the veterans explorers would purposely sought him out as he didn't immediately start weeping or cringing at their injuries. He would ask minor, nonintrusive questions before healing them and sending them on their way.

It was always best that a medic didn't become attached to anyone within the explorer/adventurer trade. And with a city that relied heavily on those eager for fame and fortune though adventure that was about everyone that Isiah met during his rounds. He had decided then not to get attached to anyone. It was better that way. Heal what needed to be healed and then move on. Simple.

That was, until his father came home with two injured children. Twins. Varuna and Nitish. One on the brink of unconsciousness from a head wound but desperate to stay awake, the other holding his brother's hand tightly, blood striking down his left cheek and crying the softest tears Isiah had ever witnessed.

That was the first time he had ever felt a strong sense of determination. Not only did he want to heal the two of their injuries, but he also felt compelled to take care of them. His father felt the same. There was no discussion about allowing the twins to stay with them. It was left unspoken. It didn't need to be said.

Varuna and Nitish were so…small back then. Fragile. Vulnerable. Delicate. Scarred. All those things.

Although Isiah did not know of their origins back then, he knew something terrible had happen to them. They were found wandering around the Old Forest Mine, both injured. Varuna with amnesia, Nitish with loss of vision in his left eye.

For years Varuna had fitful nights, plague by dreams he couldn't remember in the morning. And Nitish did not utter a word until two years later. He would only communicate by pointing or, more often than not, turn to Varuna to get him to relay what he wanted to tell them. Varuna didn't need to hear his brother's voice to know what he was thinking or what he wanted to say.

The first thing Nitish said to him was 'thank you' before scurrying away. And when Isiah heard that, he knew that he and his father made the right decision to keep the two under their wings.

When his father passed away from a long, silent illness, Isiah took his place as the head medical researcher for Tharsis. He also continued to take care of Varuna and Nitish, urging the two to become researchers in their own right. Which they did. And they excelled at it.

After that, life became somewhat predictable. Varuna would be handed supplies and materials from the labyrinth to research for any toxins, the materials then handed over to Nitish to create any useful tonics for explorers, and Isiah would do his rounds at the clinics attached to the numerous inns around town. He would meet rookie explorer after dumbass rookie explorer.

Isiah would like to note that the first time he used a mace on a patient; it wasn't because the patient was delusional or disruptive. The guy was a dumbass. Plain and simple. He refused to wear armour and stated that using modified weapons diminishes the natural purity of exploration.

Stupid people deserved a mace to the head.

Life became a bit monotonous, but it was satisfying nonetheless.

Of course, that changed again when Varuna returned from an unknown jaunt to the Lush Woodlands suddenly and brought back with him an injured explorer. An explorer who was injured protecting him.

After learning that, Isiah knew that he owed the brown-haired landsknecht a large debt, so gave him the best treatment he could. He was somewhat surprised that while Bryce put on a brave face in front of his guild, when Isiah closed the door to the patient room, Bryce became one of his most complying patients to date. Whether it was because he knew that his injury was worse than expected or knew of Isiah's healing methods through the grapevine.

Whatever the reason, Isiah felt that he was different from those other explorers he had encountered. And if Varuna trusted him enough to enter the Lush Woodlands with, then maybe he wasn't as much of a dumbass as other guilds.

It wasn't until he met with Roxbury and Mahalah, and asking around the town about the two did he realise that maybe Varuna and Nitish becoming explorers themselves would be the best for them. He had little desire to become one himself, but he knew the two wouldn't feel comfortable without him joining along. He also wanted to keep an eye on them.

It was neither the best decision nor the worst decision. It was the right one. And that was all that mattered.

It was good to see Varuna and Nitish finally blossoming into confident individuals as they spent more time with their new guild. Varuna was a lot feistier than Isiah had thought he could be, and Nitish was showing emotions other than passive but shy vulnerability.

But he never thought he would become attached to yet more people. A guild of them, no less. Bryce with his stubbornness to pull Varuna out of his shell. Roxbury with his strength but silent insecurity. Mahalah with his calm demeanour and relentless support. Falkner with his sharp wit and amical personality. Blayden with his enthusiasm and optimism. Fletcher with his cheekiness and impish nature. Miach with his airy behaviour but surprisingly insightfulness. Zoran with his adorable character and innocent inquisitiveness. Biast with his humble and wise trustworthiness. And Achyuta with his dedication and willingness to protect Nitish in any way that he could.

It wasn't just his guild, either.

There was also Logre. He had known him for about ten years, as Whirlwind though, not Logre. They weren't quite friends, but not just acquaintances either. He knew that Logre carried a heavy burden during those years, but he never imagined how heavy or dark. Isiah didn't hold that against him, though. In spite of Logre wishing that he would.

These days he could see that Logre was slowly easing himself out of the guilt he felt after withholding his true nature and origin from those who welcomed him with open arms for ten years. He was also slowly (oh-so fucking slowly) allowing himself to spend time with Kirjonen. Almost everyone was aware that Kirjonen adored Lorge, but the latter was hesitant. His past, and surprising inferior complex, was holding him back. He didn't want to hurt Kirjonen, you see.

But their passive flirting was starting to annoy a lot of people.

And then there was his favourite patient, Baldur. The teenage brat was by far the most difficult patient he had encountered. Haughty, arrogant, stubborn. He was also surprisingly sneaky. No one had escaped his clutches as much as Baldur had. However, he had calmed down considerably after spending time with the Phaedron guild. And after everything that had happened, after Blayden became his 'guardian', be had mellowed out even further. He was still a snot-nose brat in Isiah's opinion, but that was what most teenagers his age were. And Baldur acting as a teenager rather than a prince with the weight of the world on his shoulders was far more desirable.

Scaring him was still entertaining, though.

Isiah, however, still wasn't sure what to make of their 'new additions'. He liked Kalan, though, that snarky piece of shit. Although he was reversibly blind, it was good to know that there was someone else who saw through all the bullshit of denials from all the 'couples in potential'. Mahalah could see it, too, but he wasn't quite as delightfully bitchy as Kalan was.

Xander was a former puppet who was trying to cope with independence, but thankfully Ciaran was easing him through it. Their relationship, however, was new to the both of them, so they were moving very slowly.

Zesiro, Achyuta's twin, was a wild card he didn't like and he couldn't help but wonder what Roxbury saw in the egotistical maniac. He was going to be keeping his eye on that one. And if he saw one more fucking bite mark…

Telem was just too…shadowy for him to get a handle on, though Falkner seemed to find it easy to be around him. Isiah trusted Falkner enough to keep that nightseeker out of trouble.

And Durriken was…complicated. Outwardly, he appeared passive and apathetic. But after spending time with him, and checking on him medically, there was a lot going on with him. He was very ill and underweight. And utterly terrified of food. It was going to take some time to help him through his phobia.

He really couldn't divulge much on Yesmina. She was far too skittish for him to even talk to. Wiglaf absolutely adored her, though. And he had learnt over the years to simply leave that brown-haired dancer to her own devices.

"Isiaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"

Isiah leaned back in his chair and released a loud sigh when he heard his name being called in an insistent, but not panicky manner. He watched as Blayden bounded into his office, carrying in his arms a struggling, red-faced Baldur.

"Isiah, Baldur fell down a set of stairs and I think he twisted his ankle," Blayden told him bluntly.

The blush on Baldur's face deepened when Isiah arched an eyebrow at him and he increased in his struggling. "I did not fall down a set of stairs. And I did not injure my ankle."

"You fell over again when you stood up."

"T-that's because I stood up too quickly."

"Did you receive a head injury then?"

"I'll give you a head injury if you don't put me down this second!"

Before Isiah could deal with the two squabbling teenagers Bryce unexpectedly walked into the room. He gave the two still bickering pair a quick sideways glance before shrugging it off and folding his arms across his chest as he turned his attention to Isiah.

"Hey, Isiah, Varuna hasn't slept in 38 hours. Is there something I can force down his throat to finally get him to sleep?" Bryce asked.

"I can hear you, Bryce!"

"Oh, you can hear me now? You couldn't comprehend a thing I was saying to you earlier!"

Again, before Isiah could answer Bryce, Mahalah suddenly popped his head into his office, a slight frown on his face.

"Isiah, sorry, I know you're busy but Roxbury is hiding something from me," Mahalah said. "He's wearing a scarf. I've never seen him wear a scarf. Did he hurt his neck?"

"He was bitten by a dumbass mosquito," Kalan answered from the direction of the kitchen.

"Mosquito?"

"Yup. A tall and blond leech."

"Is that so…?"

The front door suddenly slammed open. "Isiah! Kirjonen has a fever."

"I-I'm fine, Logre. Really. Y-you can put me down now."

"Isiah!" Fletcher squawked from somewhere inside. "Miach just walked into a door! Again!"

"I'm ok!"

"You're bleeding!"

Isiah sighed loudly as he heaved himself to his feet, prepared to take on all his new patients. Trivial complaints for a top medical researcher.

Just over a year ago, Isiah's normal day consisted of reading medical reports, visiting clinics to deal with difficult cases, and resisting the urge to physical beat some sense into crappy explorers who demanded free healing.

But now…things were different. Noisy. Hectic.

Honestly, though, he wouldn't change it for the world.