he sun hung at least two hands above the horizon, which Raven figured would pretty much guarantee the patrons at the tavern down the street would be few and far between. The people he had met so far all had the air of wealth about them and eating this early was most definitely an unfashionable thing to do, which suited his purpose perfectly. Standing outside the door of the tavern Raven recited his plan under his breath like a mantra: go in, get the food, get out. It should have been simple. It sure sounded simple as he repeated the plan over and over a few more times. As time ticked by with each beat of his heart, Raven's hand continued to hover several inches away from the doorknob.
"She must be a right flower." Said a voice that caused Raven to nearly jump out of his skin "Hey, hey, hey take it easy now!" The portly grey haired Asmodain Raven spun around to face exclaimed. "Dear me, you've got it bad. Stand up straight, lad. Straight, I said!" The ruddy nosed fellow barked. Taken quite by surprize Raven snapped to attention, speechless. " Now I know the fairer sex can be frightful creatures, but you can't go in there all wild eyed like that. Pull yourself together, lad!" The older gentleman continued giving Raven a once over. "Humph, guess that'll have to do. Remember, just be yourself. Now, go on in. You can't stand out here all afternoon. Go on!" The old Daeva urged, giving Raven a gentle nudge. The startled young Asmodian took a stumbling step toward the door. The other male, heaving an exasperated sigh reached around the still reluctant assassin to open the door himself leaving Raven with little choice at that point but to go inside. "Hmm, not here yet. Well, good luck my boy." The older Asmodian said, giving him a encouraging pat on the back. "You're gonna need it." He whispered more to himself than anyone else, shaking his head as Raven flinched.
"Go in. Get the food. Get out." Raven mouthed silently as he stood looking toward the bar at the back of the tavern apprehensively. The large open room was dotted with tables. All but one of them empty and he cursed his luck as there sat Balthas and Merrill. Everywhere Raven went, this Balthas seemed to be. Far to many places for it to be by mere happenstance. This innocuous looking Daeva must have been giving orders to keep tabs on him, he concluded. The self professed templar was probably attempting to glean something from the cleric to send back to Pandae. As if he felt Raven's heated gaze, Balthas turned his head, putting on a Cheshire smile as Merrill beckoned the assassin over. Raven tipped his head back in acknowledgment, one corner of his mouth curled in disdain as he walked instead toward the bar.
The Reian barmaid had barely managed to run through the day's specials when Merrrill approached, instructing her to bring Raven's meal over to his table. With very little choice but to join the two males or appear unnecessarily rude to the cleric who had been nothing but kind to him, Raven reluctantly complied. Normally, the young assassin would have taken a chair that faced the door, but with Merrill sitting at one end of the table and Balthas at the other, Raven was compelled to sit facing the wall with his back to the room .
"You've met Balthas, right Raven?" Merrill asked.
"We do seem to have an uncanny knack for sharing the same vicinity." Raven observed coolly.
"Splendid!" The cleric remarked enthusiastically. "You might be pleased to hear that Balthas's lovely niece may be joining us later. Rumor has it that the young lass was quite taken by you."
" I shall trust you to offer her my apologizes when she arrives." Raven said rising from his seat as the barmaid came toward them carrying what to him seemed a rather large tray for a single meal.
"What?" Merrrill puzzled
"My order has arrived. It has been a pleasure, but I will be taking my leave." Raven explained.
"Oh, don't be silly. Surely you plan to dine with us after we've invited you to join our table? You don't think we could possibly allow you to go eat all alone in the barracks, do you?" Merrrill questioned rhetorically. "Leyni, our friend will require a place setting and something to drink. Did you order a drink already, Raven?"
"Now, now Merry, if the boy wishes to eat somewhere else he has every right to do so." The templar chided.
"You can bring me what ever it is that the gentlemen are drinking, ma'am." Raven politely instructed the barmaid, taking his seat once again. If this intelligencer wished to see him gone, he most definitely planned to stay. As the shadows outside lengthened, more and more patrons began to arrive and Raven became increasingly uncomfortable with his decision to remain. Try as he might the assassin could not keep from flinching at every loud noise nor resist the urge to turn his head and mark the positions of those behind him. It wasn't until he began to hear the thickly accented voices of Elyos that he started to feel the first tendrils of fear coil in his gut. He sat, elbows on the table, hunched over his plate like a new recruit in a Fortress mess hall, a white knuckled grip on his silverware while his dinner companions conversed idly about the annoyance of one's arthritis or the flourishing of the others apaganthus*. ( yes, a nod to Harry Potter).
Balthas sat with his hand on his chin looking from Raven to Merrill and back to Raven. Merrill sat in similar fashion observing the increasingly agitated young male seated between them.
"Believe me now, Merry?" Balthas asked barely above a whisper.
"Yeah, I believe you." The cleric exhaled. "I missed it. How could I have missed it?" He hissed softly to himself.
"So, do I have your approval to proceed?" The retired templar turned psychologist asked.
"Yeah, he's all yours, my friend. We'll keep it nice and quiet, just between the two of us. There's no need for something like this to mar his service record. Don't worry, there are plenty of perfectly reasonable excuses I can come up with to keep him here, especially seeing as a member of The Fang is concerned. They do tend to favor their operatives being in tiptop condition when returning to active duty as opposed to some other branches of the service" Merrrill replied. Both males were concentrating so intently on formulating their game plan they failed to notice the approach of the auburn haired Elyos until it was too late.
"Evening Merry, Ball-thas, now what might ya'll be up to huddled together like that, thick as thieves?" The female Spirit Master minxed, coming to stand directly behind Raven's chair. "More importantly, who might this be?" She drawled breathlessly as she brushed the tips of her fingers across his shoulder blade. Already pale, Raven blanched whiter than snow, his eyes going wide with terror. His body arching away from the trail her fingers forged. "Mmmmm" She sighed seductively, licking her lips as she curled her long fingers around the thick silky hank of ebony hair secured high on the back of his head.
"It's nice to see you too, Remi, but this isn't a good time. We were, infact just about to leave." Balthas said only half lying as he kept his tone of voice as calm and reassuring as possible mainly for the benefit of the horrified young male who sat shaking like a leaf.
"Oh come now, this one's barely even begun to eat his meal from the looks of it and neither of you seem to have had dessert yet nor an after dinner coffee even. Surely you could stay a while longer. If for no other reason than to introduce me to this absolutely captivating creature at your table." She purred, the nail of her finger tracing the line of Raven's jaw as she coiled around his trembling body to coyly sit upon the table beside his practically untouched meal.
"Aremisina, please!" Merrill exclaimed rising from his chair. "Believe me when I tell you that this truly isn't a good time."
"Well, if you two really must be leaving, I'm sure you won't mind if I take possession of your little prize here." The mischievous Elyos countered using her index finger that had come to rest under his chin to tip his face up toward hers. Raven stilled. His strikingly golden eyes focusing their undivided attention on her with such intensity that now it was her turn to have her breath catch in her throat. "Oh my, I can tell already that this one is sure to provide me with countless hours of what will doubtlessly be the most exquisite of entertainments." She mused in a sultry whisper dripping with promise.
The walls of the tavern appeared to pulse with a strange low pitched concussive boom that Raven seemed more to feel reverberate through his chest than actually hear. The warm, bright aroma of oiled wood, the floral perfume of sweet wine and savory taste of roasted meat, replaced by the cold, earthy scent of stone, acrid stench of old sweat and metallic tang of fresh blood. The Elyos stood before him, her emerald eyes sparkling with cruel intent, her carefully manicured nail poised under his chin keeping his face tipped toward hers.
"Oh my pet, you do provide me with the most exquisite entertainments." She breathed into his ear as he hung before her suspended in the center of the room by his manacled wrists. Oddly, Raven found this moment more than just a little familiar. He somehow knew in minute detail what she was about to do, precisely how excruciating the pain was going to be/feel[ precisely how excruciating the agony he was about to experience] and exactly how loud his screams would be before they even echoed in his ears. A strange, distant part of him knew that all of this had happened before, but he found himself powerless to stop it from playing out again and again and again. The intensity of the situation ( he found himself stuck in fast) becoming more unbearable than the torture she subjected him to.
"Blast that woman! I was afraid this might happen." Balthas cursed as he saw Raven suddenly go from trembling like a cornered Nyanco to so utterly motionless that the young male no longer even appeared to draw breath. " Remi, Remi! Listen to me! Stay still. Don't say another word and what ever you do don't..."
Balthas didn't get the chance to finish his instructions. As he was speaking, the Spirit Master cocked her head to the side. "Oh, what's wrong? Don't cry." She said softly as she repositioned her hand to wipe away the tear that was slowly sliding down his cheek. The suddenness with which Raven had gone stone still was nothing compared to how quickly he exploded into action the moment her thumb brushed over his skin. One second she was looking down into the savagely beautiful eyes of the impossibly pale Asmodian with jet/iridescent black hair seated in front of her and the next she was laying face down on the table, her arm behind her back.
Raven, was equally disoriented. One second he was trapped in an endless loop of pain and fear, reliving a moment he would like nothing better than to forget and the next he was standing in a noisy room with one hand on the back of a woman's neck holding her bent over, face down on the table and the other clamped tight around the wrist of her arm that he had firmly pressed against her spine. He stood blinking for a moment, unsure exactly what he was doing or how he had come to be holding this person down. He didn't have more than a heartbeat to consider his options when the collar of his shirt was yanked forcefully from behind. As he shifted his stance to recover his balance, his unseen attacker swept his legs out from under him sending him crashing to the floor flat on his back an instance before, a snow haired male was on top of him.
"Who are you? Who sent you?" The Daeva kneeling on his chest demanded. Raven had no intention of answering these questions even if the wind hadn't been knocked out of him from the fall. The crushing weight of his attacker further restricting his breathing wasn't helping him get his breath back either. He had to give this guy credit for a masterfully executed takedown though as Raven found himself with both his hands trapped behind his back under their combined weight. Getting himself out of this situation wasn't going to be easy.
"Aesir, what do you think you're doing? Get off of him at once!" A female voice edged with steel barked. This woman's tone commanded one's attention. Craning his neck to see, Raven was not prepared for the shock that awaited him. There she stood, a vision in white from head to toe, shimmering like the snows of Morheim. She glided toward him with unearthly grace, her eyes as soft as a Daru. Her slender fingers reaching out to him. "Raven." She whispered anxiously. The soft zephyr of her voice a deafening clarion call and he pressed his shoulders and hands against the ground beneath him with ever ounce of strength he could muster, straining to shift the dead weight of the white haired guard that had him pinned down. He wanted to call out to her, yell at her to run, but couldn't. Due in no small part, he mused, to the leather clad Elyos who was kneeling on his chest. It took a tremendous effort, but he managed to lift the both of them about an inch off the ground, but that inch was all he needed. Even though the Golden Bough guard realized his mistake a moment to late, Raven paid for his small victory when the male transfered his full weight straight down through his knees. Raven had expected this and was prepared to suffer the consequences in order to free his hand. The concentrated pressure was more than Raven's body could bear and the soft, sickening snap that followed alerted both of them that a rib had broken.
Raven had much more pressing worries on his mind, seeing to it that Shade escaped capture being paramount. One of his hands now free, he lashed out at struck his foe with lightening quick blinding speed aiming to ravage this Elyos's throat with his razor sharp claws. Raven was fast, but this strange looking White Wing was faster and his foe managed to lean back just enough to rob Raven of the killing blow that would have ensured Shade's safety. A split second of confusion came over him as the eyes of this Elyos smoldered with a crimson glow. The young assassin had only the briefest of opportunities to ponder this conundrum before the well aimed fist made solid contact. Bright red droplets like tiny jewels of various size sparkled in the air, but a velvety darkness spirited him away before he felt them fall warm and wet upon his face.
Raven's story part 18 ( based on an RP )
July 17, 2015 at 2:04 PM
Aesir stood shaking the sting out of his hand, a faint grimace curling his upper lip. While he did not regret making the decision to knock the ebony haired Asmodian out quick and stop his struggling before he broke more than just a rib or got a chance to land a more serious blow, he had not intended to hit the young male as hard as he did, but after being tagged by his claws, Aesir wasn't pulling his punches. He didn't know who this kid was or why he had suddenly turned on Aremisina, but it was perfectly clear to him that he knew Shade and for some reason thought she was being threatened. The young Asmodian had lain perfectly still after being pinned, assessing his options and calcualting the best way of getting himself out from under Aesir's weight. The wheels were most definitely turning behind those golden eyes. Then, his outwardly calm demeanor changed and the pup threw caution to the wind choosing to invite almost certain personal injury on himself for a chance at an all or nothing swipe at Aesir's throat with the clear and certain intent of killing him as quickly as possible the instant Shade anxiously whispered the word 'raven'. He didn't think he would be making much of a leap in concluding that the male who lay unconscious on the floor was named Raven.
"I heard a rib go, Merrill, maybe two. The boy didn't offer me any leeway." The White Wolf said more as a statement of fact than an apology.
"It's ok, Aesir, I know you weren't trying to intentionally hurt him." The cleric said reassuringly even though the white haired Assassin wasn't seeking consolation.
Shade, on the other hand seemed fit to be tied as she stormed up to him. "By The Twelve, Aes! What in Atreia is going on here?" She exclaimed giving him a shovel that was probably meant to back him away from the figure on the floor, but did little more than slightly shift his center of gravity. The unwarranted physical contact still earned her a scowl.
"What the hell's gotten into you? Couldn't you see this kid was out of control?" Aesir said as he ran his clawed hand across his throat trying to judge how badly he was bleeding. His palm came away very wet and very red, though not as much as it could have been had he not been as fast as he was. He remained where he had risen, keeping a close watch. Had anyone beside another skilled assassin been in Aesir's place it would have been them laying on the floor, most likely dead or damn near close to it. The kid was fast, real fast and those razor sharp claws had skimmed over the older assassin's neck in a perfectly aimed maneuver he'd had on occasion used himself, though never as recklessly.
"Merry, we shouldn't be here when the Reians show up and I think you might find it difficult coming up with a 'perfectly reasonable excuse' for this at the clinic. Where should we take him? My house? No. The barracks?" Balthas asked, groaning a bit as he bent to lift Raven off the floor.
"I got him." The snow maned assassin said, scooping the unconscious male into his arms with ease. He'd lifted heavier whiskey glasses Aesir thought to himself, smirking sardonically at the irony . "Lead the way, Balthas, perhaps I can get some answers when we get to where ever you gentlemen finally decide to take him."
As they approached the guard standing watch outside the Asmodian barracks, Merrill made a gesture implying that Raven had had a bit to much to drink and they were bringing him back to put him to bed. The guard waved them on without comment. This wasn't the first time a soldier had been carried back from a night on the town to be poured into his bunk. The guard was happy the whole lot of them weren't in a similar state. Nothing made a watch more tedious than having a group of hugging, fighting, stumbling warriors tearing up the place and howling at the moon. Shade had accompanied the group of males as they made their way from the tavern to the barracks, hanging close to Aesir, obviously concerned about the dark haired Asmodian in his arms. Of course, he thought to himself, some poor wounded bird who needs a shoulder to cry on. Though she seems deeply invested in this particular little blackbird. She'd have to be as he wouldn't have expected her to have had the nerve to enter the asmodian barracks otherwise. If she wants to follow so badly, let her. This said, he sure as hell didn't want to get accused with treason seeing as it already appeared that the cleric and templar sought to keep the incident in the tavern hush hush. The scout naturally wanted to know what was going on, so he was content for the moment to play along. Once he found out, however, what he chose to do with that information was another story. Regardless of having known Shade for a long time or not, betraying his people wasn't something he would enter into lightly.
"She's with me." Aesir muttered keeping himself between Shade and the barracks guard. Upstairs in the dorm room, Merrill directed him to a bed in the far back corner of the room. The room had a multitude of beds in it, but even without the cleric's directions he wouldn't have have any trouble discerning which bunk was Raven's as it was the only one that was made. Merrill was removing what looked like an expensive box that would contain a necklace from some high-end Handicrafter from the pillow where it had lain. Raising a speculative eyebrow as he looked from pale form in his arms to the fair haired Elyos hovering nearby. Though the experienced spy could not pin down exactly how this young Asmodian had come to cross paths with Shade, it was clear to him that they were more than mere casual acquaintances. Something had happened between these two. He knew that Shade had compassion for all people, regardless of their race, but he marked the younger Asmodian as having been trained to fight and not afraid to kill from his actions in the tavern. His being housed in the barracks meant he was in some branch of the military and soldiers of Asmodae didn't often coddle up to Elyos of any stripe, let alone be willing to kill another Asmodian defending one.
Aesir lay the male he had been carrying on the bed careful not to strain him anymore than he had already been.
"I'll take a look at that neck of yours after I see to Raven here. 'Airway' trumps 'Bloodloss' in the old ABC's and I'd like to be sure those ribs you told me about haven't punctured his lung before I see to your injury. While I'll admit it appears to be a considerable amount of blood, you're still on your feet, walking and talking. He, on the other hand currently fails the 'Consciousness' part of that little triage formula." The cleric remarked.
"My neck is fine. Think nothing of it...a scratch really...but those claws...be mindful.." Aesir responded, keeping close to Merrill.
"Not to worry, Aesir. I'm in no danger. Raven wouldn't harm me. I'm sure he didn't mean to hurt you either." The cleric said, but the other chose to stay close by. The cleric might think the Asmo on the bed harmless, but the seasoned assassin didn't share that opinion. Aesir knew the healer meant well and seemed to have an emotional attachment to the boy, but this kid was in a very dangerous frame of mind... he appeared to be running on pure instinct and operating in survival mode. The scout didn't imagine that Merrill could ever truly empathizes with what 'kill or be killed' can do to a person. He'd hate to see the cleric get his throat clawed out by underestimating the very real danger a weapon like Raven could pose... On top of that, Raven would be guilt ridden. Killing a mark was what Sins were trained to do and if someone got in the way of them taking out their target they'd have no qualms about eliminating the obstacle as well. Killing someone on accident? That was something completely different.
"It doesn't always work that way, Merrill...but I'll let you work in peace.." He said backing off enough to let the cleric do what he needed. "You all seem to know this man, can someone start to fill me in?" He asked standing, his arms crossed over his chest as the healer was removing Raven's shirt.
"Raven is here recovering from...an incident I believe that among those of us here... you are uniquely qualified to fully understand." The cleric said, appearing to be picking his words rather carefully. For all his obvious deliberate word choice, the clerics statement didn't clarify anything until he looked down and saw the bandages wrapping both wrists and the vast majority of Raven's torso. A cold chill running down Aesir's back, though one would have to know the him rather well to see the minor falter. It took a moment for him to clear his head enough to speak "They had him?" The White Wolf asked looking towards Shade both with the implication of her race and that of what she may have known.
"They had him...for what I would guess was quite a long time based on the various stages of healing his wounds are in. I'd have to say a month at the very least, though probably longer judging by the significant amount of weight he's lost..." The cleric said shaking his head sadly.
"How long has he been back on our soil?" Aesir asked. His eyes straying back to the bandages as he spoke, the little bit of information the cleric had revealed giving the Sin a pretty good idea of what lay underneath spurring him to subconsciously stretch out his own back subtly, but enough to make the leather creak. A small thing, but it was something he always found a comfort.
"That, I'm not sure of. He only just arrived at the clinic a little under a week ago. Someone stitched him up a bit before he got here and brought down the fever he was sure to have had based on how infected some of his wounds were. I know Pandae sent him straight here for treatment, but precious little else. Not sure why they even bothered sending his medical records. Seems like ninety percent of the information in his file has been redacted including dates. I don't think there a single date on any of those pages that hasn't been blacked out." Merrill grumbled. "He's been making remarkable strides though, truly remarkable. I'd never have thought him capable of what I saw earlier. When he first got here, he was barely able to make it from the teleporter to the clinic under his own power and I'd say a stiff breeze could have knocked him flat." The cleric added with a hint of pride. Aesir huffed to himself, his arms tightly crossed over his chest. He said nothing as he looked away from the wounds of the broken male, but his mind was heavily at work.
When it seemed the two males were finished talking, Shade asked about Raven. Merrill had just finished mending the damaged ribs and so he turned to her saying, "Oh, it wasn't a bad break. Nothing to worry about Miss. He'll be a bit sore and his side'll be tender for a few days. I fully expect him to be up and around the moment he wakes."
"Would it be alright, if I stop by once in a while to visit Raven? I know I shouldn't technically be here but.." Shade asked, leaving the second part of her statement hanging.
"I'm not sure that would be a good idea, Miss. While you may have known the boy before...he's...grown more than a little uncomfortable around...well not to put to fine a point on it... your kind." Balthas said from the plump armchair where he sat beside the fireplace.
"Yes of course. That would make prefect sense, the last thing I wish to do is cause Raven anymore discomfort than he clearly is already in." She said, gently wringing her fingers together feeling a bit like a dove among hawks.
"I'm sorry, but do you mind if I ask how it is exactly you know Raven? From what I've seen of our young assassin I'd not think he'd have had the proclivity toward associating closely enough with an Elyos to tell one his name. While I have no doubt of his skills when it comes to certain aspects of his line of work...he'd not be Fenris Fang if they weren't of the absolute highest calibur, but I can't see him being involved in any undercover espionage. Those eyes of his; striking, unususal, memorable." Balthas said giving her a rather pointed look. Aesir's gaze would also turn to Shade, having wanted to know the answer to this as well. The flaxen haired female grew even more uncomfortable, visibly shrinking.
"I would rather not have shared this information without Raven's consent. I believe he would hold the details of our meeting as private, but I also feel that you gentlemen deserve at least some form of explanation." She said looking back over to Raven, the bruise from where Aesir had struck him darkening his cheek reminding her of the bruises that had marred so much of his skin the day they first met. She paused to take a cleansing breath before answering "I came across Raven while he was captive...in the desert."
"I do hope for your sake that there is little more to this tale of yours than that, Miss." Balthas said softly, but his words were edged with a quiet anger.
Wringing her hands tighter, her eyes darting between those around her in a manner that reminded Merrril of some small frightened woodland creature. "I helped him escape.." She whispered "... and If 'My' kind catches word of it, it will be my head...treason... " She said haltingly, a new, more encompassing fear tingeing her words.
"I know her... Shade's not the sort to cause any harm... keep in mind, he tried to defend her..." The imposing leather clad Sin intoned coming to her aid this time in his younger counterpart's stead, even though he stood with his arms crossed over his chest and a blank expression under the circumstances appearing rather numb to the air around him.
"Yes... Raven did seem concerned for her well being." Merrill offered in agreement. "I'm sorry Miss. Considering the state he was in when he showed up here, I'm sure you can understand some of our reaction to your half spoken admission. Come, let's take this conversation over to the fire as not to disturb his sleep. I think it can safely be said that everyone in this room is acting with the best of intentions when it comes to this young male." The cleric said warmly as he gestured toward the small sitting area on the other side of the room.
"You helped him escape? Well,well, seeing as you appear to be the one who delivered our Raven from bondage, you've nothing to fear from any in this room. You can rest assured that anyone who has helped out this poor lad is someone Merrill and I would both protect"
" It's very kind of you all...but I...I should be be apologizing. He never should have been so ill treated even as a prisoner of war..." Shade sighed, looking back at Raven and then to Merrill with a sad expression.
"Now, now...why all the long faces? Raven is back with those who can care for him as he recovers and we find ourselves in the company of a truly remarkable and courageous lady." Balthas declared, moving to usher the party toward the sofa and chairs. "My dear, I take back what I said about visiting as well. Supervised at first, of course. Wouldn't want to put you in any undue danger. While he did appear to be concerned for your safety, your presence might also serve to dredge up memories I'd rather he not try to deal with on his own right now."
"Okay...I know this is very unconventional to say the least." Shade said looking between the men "I heard what happened to Morheim. It must have been a terrible blow on top of everything else. Did he managed to find his loved ones?"
"I'm not sure, but I would think if he had family that had survived he would have been sent to a clinic near them, support network and all. That's the correct term, right Balthas?" The Cleric answered.
"Yeah...if he had family, it would have been common practise to have him receiving treatment in a clinic nearby or in Pandae at the very least if they were refugees. Sarpan is a bit off the beaten track and not even a part of Asmodae. Considering what he has been through, it seems highly unlikely that they would have sent him so far away to undergo treatment on foreign soil if there were any of his family that had survived." Balthas said as he plopped unceremoniously into one of the armchairs.
"Soldiers have been sent to my clinic before, Balthas. Though I have to agree those who have did have family living here. Surely if Raven had relatives here he'd not have been housed here in the barracks, but in their home." Merrill sighed.
A frown deepening over Shade's face as she hears that the poor male is truly alone. "Gods that's so awful..." She said voicing what the others had not.
"There could, of course be some special circumstance that we are not privy to. He is, after all an Assassin for the Fang and those who travel such shadowy roads often walk them alone. We shouldn't jump to any conclusions just yet, my dear. There may yet be Silversongs out there for him to return to." Balthas added in an attempt to brighten her mood, thought he doubted very much that it was true.
Aesir watched as the cleric and the templar walked with Shade toward the warmth of the fire attempting to cheer her on the way. "I will be about..." He said turning instead to make for the door. "If I see him about again, I'll keep an eye out for him.. can't have him flipping out again and killing the local residents or anyone who ruffles his feathers..." He added with a stone-like expression on his face.
"Oh, a moment, please. Let me take care your neck first if you really must leave. Allow me to do this for you if for no other reason than to offer my thanks for ferrying Raven all the way here." Merrill requested sincerely.
Aeisr paused in thought a moment before turning back to humor Merrill. He walked slowly over to the fireplace, tilting his head to one side so the other could see more clearly.
"It's only a scratch... nothing to get worked up about." He remarked casually. He'd have said the same thing even if he was bleeding to death, though.
Merrill Inhaled sharply thru his teeth at the claw marks that had cleaning sliced Aesir's skin. "Only a scratch... I should have know better than to take your word for it. I swear, someone could lop your arm off and you stand there telling me it was just a flesh wound! If I knew this 'scratch' was as serious as it is, I'd have jumped you to the head of the line. Balthas could have carried Raven. Soaking wet I doubt the lad weights as much as that old Templar's shield. Frankly, I'm surprised you've still got your feet under you! 'Only a scratch'..." The healer grumbled as he went about his work. He would have preferred better light, but said nothing as the position the of scout's head exposed the deep burns that peaked out from under the edges of the males high collar and he understood the reason the Sin was keeping some distance from the fire.
As Merril worked, he leaned in to speak a low voice " Aesir, I hope that you will keep what happened tonight to yourself for now. Balthas would like to keep certain details about Raven's...condition under wraps for awhile. Just until he can make a proper assessment I assure you."
Cobalt blue eyes looked to Merrill with a stern gaze. Tilting his head straight again, Aesir said. "As far as I'm aware the situation is under control, the correct people are informed and proceeding any higher up would be a waste of their time...just make sure he gets the treatment he needs...people are never quite the same after something like that... everybody breaks..."
"We're going to do everything we can. After what I've seen tonight, I'm in complete agreement that it's in Raven's best interest to start seeing Balthas. I'm amazed he's not worse to be honest. I don't think I would be holding it together as well as he is, but then again, I'm not a warrior. " The cleric admitted.
"He's not holding it together. From what I witnessed in the tavern it's safe to say he's not someone who is functioning well. It's no fault of his own, but let's be clear, he has a long road ahead of him." Aesir corrected.
"True, but we'd like to start him down that road without any further potholes." Balthas interjected. " My concern would be that mentioning what happened before we know more could greatly affect not only Raven's service record, but the future of his military career. If, the boy decides to leave the service, that's fine by me, but I'd rather not have it taken from him, especially right now. I hope you can understand. I'll tell you...That boy has had an awful lot heaped on his plate in short order and I don't think he could take much more right now. He's fragile enough as it is."
"There's no need to worry about Raven being reinstated prematurely, Aesir. I have absolutely no intention of allowing him to be put back on an active duty roster until Balthas green lights it, if I have to make him sick myself to keep him here." Merrill declared passionately.
Shade looked up with a smile at the clerics announcement.
"I have no plans of telling anyone of what happened here today. You have my word on that. I agree it should be his choice if he stays or goes, but if we sugar coat the severity of the situation it doesn't help him any. Give him time, ease him back into things. Help him not to make any preventable mistakes..." The White Wolf gestured towards the bed "...his claws are razor sharp, a bad dream or a incident like today could get someone killed. You can't put him in restraints either, after what he's been through it would cause him even more trauma. Not to mention him losing what little trust he may have given you... but can you imagine what killing someone by accident would do to him? It well could have happened right there in the tavern. He came very close to slicing my jugular. You said you didn't think he meant to hurt me, Merril? Hate to break it to you, but he wasn't taking some wild swipe at my throat. That was a skillfully executed strike at the most vulnerable area open to him. He -meant- to kill me and kill me quick. The both of you underestimate just how dangerous that 'boy' really is. I just hope it doesn't end up costing someone their life, leaving Raven to deal with the wreckage." The seasoned Assassin said scowling angrily though his tone of voice remained level and cool. "I'll agree with you on his not being able to handle much more, but if I even suspect that what happened tonight could again I'll have to inform someone. Public safety demands it, so I suggest you keep him on a tighter leash."
"Could we...trim his claws?" The cleric asked, subconsiously placing a hand to his throat.
"You could trim them... it would be the safer bet but it would be like taking his weapons away, they likely make him feel safe...a last defense... gloves are likely less...intrusive." Aesir said running his thumb over his own equally sharp claws.
"Gloves, huh? I'll have to go pick some up. Any type you recommend?" Balthas asked.
"Leather work gloves should suffice there is likely something suitable here in the barracks, just as long as they are reasonably thick without being total oven mitts..." The scout smirked.
"You're right about not attempting to restrain him, Aesir." Merrill said. "When he first arrived, he had been fully sedated for a procedure. Gaynor had him placed in post-op restraints. It's not uncommon, people will often injure themselves trying to remove IVs or getting out of bed before the anesthesia wears off all the way. Personally, I'd never have done this in his case though...I mean...his wrists...even with his heavily redacted file it's obvious that he had been..." Merrill paused to collect himself before continuing. "Well, he somehow got out of his restraints and nearly killed a nurse."
"He...almost killed a nurse?" Shade interjected.
"From what I heard, yes. In his defense though, he should never have been placed in restraints in the first place and allowing an Elyos nurse to take a shift monitoring his vitals...I don't know what Gaynor was thinking." Merrill said shaking his head. "Raven's been nothing but polite and compliant with me though. He's done everything I've asked without a seconds hesitation."
Aesir looked over towards Raven with a frown, again the wheels of his mind turning with thought.
"He... he was in such awful conditions when I met him... his skin was blistered and he'd been worked to the bone, his injuries..." she looked to the others with a sadness, one hand holding the other arms elbow "Has he told anyone the full story?"
"All I know is what I read in his medical file and that was...well.. HEAVILY redacted. For such a relatively thick file there were more thick black lines on those pages than readable text." text and most of that strictly medical in nature: date of visit, type and location of injury, recorded vitals, treatment given and date of release back to active duty roster." Balthas said. "On the two occasions I spoke with him, Raven never even mentioned he was injured. He was respectful and courteous though. On paper, he appears little more than just another farm boy who choose a life in the military over work in a shop or field. Silversong isn't an Asmodian House I've ever heard of, but judging from his bearing and manner of speech that one wasn't raised in some backwater village in the wilds of Morheim." Balthas continued, tilting his head toward the darkness where Raven lay.
Aesir looked as if he was going to add something, his lips parting just a little before closing his mouth once more, choosing to keep the thought to himself.
"I've only pieced bits of the story together from what I've seen written on his skin." Merrill said with a sigh. "He mostly just nods . He speaks when spoken to, but he hasn't 'talked' about anything with me."
"And he likely wont..." The snow-haired Sin remarked,looking around the room to the others "...And don't force it out of him... I can tell you with certainty he's not going to be eager to voluntarily revisit the place he escaped from..."
"Well, I'm not exactly going to 'force him', but he is going to have to talk about it. That's how therapy works." Balthas huffed. "Though now days it seems more popular to hand patients an handful of pills and a collection of potions...'Better health thru Alchemy'...nonesense! Those patients aren't better, just medicated...I don't agree with, personally. I already see to many people in need of help self-medicating as it is..." He said glancing at the leather-clad male sitting in the chair opposite of his.
Aesir's eyes narrowed to the nearby wall again keeping his thoughts to himself "I should be taking my leave..." He said coldly as he rose from his seat, pausing a moment inquire about Raven's surname. "Did you say Silversong?" He asked, keeping his gaze set low.
"Yes, Raven K. Silversong of Morheim." Merrill replied.
The scout looked at the others as if he might say something then shook his head, hair flicking over his eyes. "Never heard of them..." His stern face cold as he headed towards the doorway "I will be about..."