6. Unexpected Power, Unexpected Bonds
The next day passed by with not much activity. Arganan found himself stuck in bed all that day; his limbs sore from all the walking, and he couldn't do too much in bed without a second arm. Yes, he could still eat food in bed and read and such, but he didn't get to talk much with anyone. Frey didn't come by to visit, and he guessed that it was because she had her duties as Princess. Jones and Nancy had to take care of patients (Blossom included, a weekly checkup she had due to her age, apparently), and all Arganan could do was…well, wait.
And think.
He had a lot to process from yesterday, after all. Trying to remember all the townspeople's names, for instance, as well as making notes as of what to do next. To spare him from complete boredom as he rested, Nancy provided him with a spare notebook and a pen to write in, as well as some basic books to read on medical terminology (which made sense, given that he was in a clinic), some basics on shipping items as well as a map of the town to memorize.
He got bored of all the reading at some point, but upon asking if he could perhaps bring a Wooly back home if he were to (hypothetically) got out of town to tame one, Nancy very gently rejected the suggestion as there was no room for monsters in the Clinic. Which made sense, to be fair, but it was worth asking in case.
He did end up writing a bit that day, though, late at night.
My third day here, and I'm already stuck in bed, knowing that my metal arm is broken by a clumsy butler. Wonderful. I still have much to learn about this place, but I already have questions.
What is Arthur doing here if he's technically not acting as ruler of Selphia? What plans does he have?
How the hell does a dragon (her name is Ventuswill? Venti?) come into this?
Will Frey be okay?
He paused. Why was he so concerned about Frey? Was it because she was an amnesiac who literally had the town handed to her because of a mistake? Because she seemed so nice to show him around and clearly wanted to make good acquaintances with him?
She's kind, he wrote, and I fear that someone will take advantage of that.
That I would. Because that's exactly what I would've done if I were Count.
He hesitated in writing further, but he figured he already wrote that last bit out without thinking. And if he was the only one reading back on it and reflecting on it, maybe it might do himself some good. So he kept writing.
I start my job at Illuminata's shop tomorrow. I'm sure it's not that complicated. Sure it'll be messy, but that's what you get when you work around plants on a consistent basis. She seems kind, but I also think her 'detective' antics may help me learn more about the townspeople…maybe. It's a big "if." I think she and Kiel may be decent sources of information, given that Illuminata always looks for mysteries and Kiel is, as far as I've heard from a few, the town gossip. Could be helpful.
Need to be wary of Ventuswill, though. She knows my entire past before coming here. I don't think anyone else does; not even Jones and Nancy save for their knowledge that I almost died because of the Outsider. At least the dragon isn't going public with all knowledge of me. Not sure how she'll let me have my peace, though, so it'd be best if I don't piss her off.
"Arganan?" Dr. Jones was heard speaking, and Arganan looked up from his journal to realize that he'd left the door to his room open (the door was always open just a crack during the day, just in case Arganan left the room to go to the washroom or if Nancy or Jones needed to come in and ask about anything, that sort of thing). "It's already past ten. I recommend that you get some sleep."
Arganan looked up towards the doorway. "Of course. Erm, goodnight."
"Goodnight." Jones was kind enough to close the door behind him, and Arganan sighed, before finishing up his entry.
Will write more in the morning. I've yet to learn more about this place…and the secrets that lie within it.
The next morning came, and Bado arrived in the middle of breakfast to hand Arganan his newly-repaired prosthetic arm. Arganan was glad that he got it back, reattaching it immediately after receiving it while thanking the blacksmith, and he went to Illuminata's shop at 9 a.m. to go see Illuminata and see what work she had for him.
"Morning!" Illuminata smiled, putting a broom aside as she looked towards him. "I see you got your arm back."
"I did." Arganan managed, and he couldn't help but grin just a little. It looked really good as new—Arganan suspected that Bado polished it up a bit after repairing the internal parts. "And I'm ready to work."
"Perfect!"
The next hour and a half would be spent on going through how to work the cash register, as well as letting him know about other duties. Mainly just tending to the plants in the shop when the shop wasn't busy, and making sure it was clean. Basic stuff. He could do it.
Or so he hoped.
He looked towards the small, pink budding flowers in some nearby pots. "And those are…Toyherbs?"
"Umm…no." Illuminata pointed to the white, fluffier-looking flowers. "Those are. The ones you pointed out are Cherry Grass just now."
Arganan, former Count of Lazulis and uncle to the current Countess of Lazulis, might just die of embarrassment now. Illuminata could only chuckle a little. "It's okay; I know recognizing flowers doesn't come easy to everyone. Frey has the same difficulty, too. And both of you did just get here less than a week ago, after all."
A hum escaped the self-proclaimed detective, before she looked towards him. "Speaking of health and just getting here, how are you feeling?"
"Better than yesterday." He answered. "I was just sore the whole time." He'd went without painkillers yesterday, not wanting to be entirely dependent on them, but he took just one this morning.
"Have you checked out the baths yet, at the inn?" Illuminata asked him, during a quick lunch break. "Maybe they might help soothe any soreness. Xiao Pai and Lin Fa run really good baths, promise."
"As inviting as that sounds, I'm trying not to be broke." Arganan managed. "They're three-hundred gold every time you go in, right?" He vaguely recalled asking the price when he and Frey first visited the Inn.
Illuminata shrugged. "Well, yeah. But I still think it might be worth it. Think of it as a hot spring, but indoors."
He vaguely wondered if he could place the expenses on Calista to pay, if this would help him in the medical sense. "I've never been to a hot spring."
Her jaw dropped. "Seriously!?"
He nodded. "Yes, I'm serious." Hot springs did not exist in Lazulis Island's city, nor anywhere too close to it. Sure, there were nice baths at the castle, but they weren't open to the public, and the city did not have a building solely devoted to the type of baths Selphia had. And baths in the castle were probably not quite the same as an actual hot spring would.
"You need to go, then. They're the best!"
He made a mental note to ask Jones if this was a suitable thing to do for his recovering body. Maybe, maybe not. Probably best to ask, just in case.
"I'll make sure to keep that in mind." He offered Illuminata a small smile. "Thank you, for that recommendation."
"No problem." She looked to the nearby clock, then towards him again. "I'm gonna go get lunch from Porco, for both of us. Watch the store while I'm gone, okay?"
"Understood."
"Cool!" Illuminata was out the door in a flash. Arganan leaned against the shop counter, looking around. He'd watered all the plants for today at this point, there weren't really any customers that came in save for one or two just earlier during training, and all seemed well.
The shop's bell rang, and he turned to see Forte and Kiel step in.
"Arganan?" Forte blinked. "Good morning!"
"Morning." He managed.
"Morning!" Kiel grinned. He was a lot shorter than Forte. Granted, he was the younger sibling, and Arganan suspected Forte was a good few years older than her brother. Kiel, unlike his sister, did not wear armor, but he did have a book in hand. "Do you have any Greenifier? I was hoping to get a bag to spruce up the flowers at home."
"We just restocked the shelves this morning, so yes. Just a moment." Arganan moved to get a bag. It was heavy, but he could lift it decently enough. He was also pretty sure his arms would be sore later, but he'd worry about it then. Hauling it over to the counter, he put it down. Kiel already had the money ready to pay, and Arganan figured that perhaps gardening might be one of Kiel's hobbies. As far as he'd heard, Kiel was the one usually doing the housework while Forte was out on her duties. Understandable, given that Forte was a Dragon Knight, after all.
"First day working?" Forte asked.
He looked up at her as he received the Gold from Kiel. "Yes." Gods, how nosy were all these people? He supposed he should've expected it, given how he was a new arrival like Frey, but still. In a way, it reminded him of the nobles back at Lazulis Island; whispering of rumors, asking about anyone and everyone when they could. "Illuminata should be back soon; she just went to go get lunch for her and me."
"Glad to hear it."
"And it's thanks to Frey that I'm here. She suggested I should work here." He might as well do Frey a favour and help spread good word about her. The Princess was trustworthy to him so far, after all, and she was a fellow newcomer like him. It would do them both some good, on a logical basis, if they dropped each other's names in good favour. Hopefully she did the same for him.
"Really? That's great!" Kiel grinned as he took the now-paid-for Greenifier, Arganan putting away the Gold in the register. "She's really nice, isn't she?"
"She is. And I'm grateful for that." A throbbing pain started in his head, and it was faint. He ignored it. He wasn't sure if he was just getting a headache with all the talking already, or maybe he was just in need of food. Probably both. Hopefully Illuminata would come back with lunch, soon.
"And she likes sweets, too!" Kiel chuckled. "Just like my sis…"
"Kiel!" Forte shot Kiel a look. "Don't go spreading weird rumours!"
"Oh?" Arganan raised a brow. Forte likes sweets? "Rumours?"
The knight could only sigh, shaking her head. "He's always spreading rumours. Especially about me. I wouldn't believe them if I were you."
"Hey!" Kiel could only shrug. "It's true, she does like sweets!"
Arganan thought he saw Forte's face flush. "Geez!"
That was when Arganan felt his knees buckle underneath him, and he quickly leaned against a shelf.
"Wha?" Kiel's gaze snapped towards Arganan, Forte taking a step towards him. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Arganan managed, jaw clenching a bit. He still felt his head throb. "I just…probably need to si—"
And that was when he blinked once, and he saw himself, standing in front of the Outsider as the light of it came to him.
Calista's screams.
His own laughter as he reached for the sword he stabbed into that meteorite, yelling that the power was his.
The pain of it aching through his right arm, his own body screaming along with it—
"Oh my god!"
Arganan's vision blurred, but then it cleared. His gaze, fixed upon the floor, looked up to see Kiel and Forte at his side. It was only then that he realized that he was on the ground, slumped against the shelf behind him.
"Are you alright?" Forte's voice laced with evident worry, eyebrows furrowed as she examined him. "You suddenly collapsed and…"
"Glowed." Kiel managed. "You were literally glowing."
"I—what?" Arganan hated how hoarse he sounded, but he shook his head as he looked up at both siblings. "I'm fine now, thank you." That was an obvious lie. His right arm, in particular, ached. Perhaps he fell on it when he collapsed, he guessed. That might be why.
"Hey, Arganan!" Illuminata called, the bells of the shop door ringing as footsteps thumped in. "I'm ba—whoa!" She rushed over, two bags of food in her hands. She hurriedly placed the bags on the counter nearby, crouching down to face him. "What's going on? Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Arganan quickly cut in, right before Forte could say anything. "I just…had a bit of a spell, that's all. Nothing life threatening."
"Dizzy spell?" Illuminata repeated, gaze looking towards Forte.
"He collapsed against one of the shelves and glowed blue."
Illuminata blinked twice, staring at her. "His whole body?"
"Yes." The knight swallowed, then looked towards Arganan, offering him a hand. Arganan gratefully accepted her help, and he took the cane from Kiel as he offered it to him.
"Should I take you to Dr. Jones?" Forte managed as she helped him up. "You look really pale."
Arganan shook his head. "Well…" He looked towards Illuminata, only to see her frown, looking down.
"Hey, Arganan? Have you had that mark on your hand the whole time?"
"Mark?" He looked down at his right hand—only to see a faint, blue glow, creating a cross-shaped brand over the back of his right hand.
He knew this mark. He'd seen it before, on Zael's hand.
And now he had it, too.
"I didn't see this on you before until now."
"Same with me." Arganan managed, sitting on one of the clinic's beds as he watched Jones write notes on a clipboard. Illuminata basically forced Arganan to go see Jones about the new discovery, about the mark.
"And you say that someone you knew had this same mark before?" Jones asked, looking up from his clipboard.
"Yes. My…nephew-in-law." It was weird to Arganan, knowing that Zael and Calista were married now. Apparently, the two had a private ceremony just prior to Arganan leaving Lazulis for Selphia. "He had the same mark, and with it, could bear…magical power. From the Outsider."
"The Outsider. That's the same thing that affected your health? I see." Jones let a soft hum escape him, and he put down his clipboard on the counter before facing Arganan again. Arganan saw the solemn look on the doctor's face, mixed with concern. "Arganan…you said that you had contact with the Outsider, which caused you to nearly die. Did Zael also have contact with the Outsider prior to gaining his power?"
"Yes." Arganan answered, and then it clicked in his mind. He stared down at the mark, and then up at Jones. "Do you think, maybe, I might…have the Outsider's power now, too?"
But why take so long for it to appear, then? He wanted to ask. Why so long until now? Zael's mark appeared immediately after he gained the power. Perhaps, because the Outsider tried to kill me first, it delayed in its own transfer of power to me?
Jones frowned, brows furrowing as he examined his notes, but his gaze softened as he looked to Arganan. "I'm not sure if I could confirm that."
"Have the notes from Mirania come in, yet?" Maybe they might have something to say about the Outsider.
"No. Hopefully they'll have something on that, but in the meantime, you should rest. I would be careful if you have more of these occurrences. I'm glad Forte and Kiel were with you at the time that it happened—and if it does happen again, please let me or Nancy know immediately."
"I'm glad, too." Arganan didn't want to know what would happen if he suffered alone at the time. "And I will. Promise."
"Good."
As Jones moved to finish putting some papers away, also writing more notes on his clipboard, Arganan looked towards his things on the bedtable beside him, before noticing a folded up note tied to a small box among them. He quickly opened up the note after taking it out of its confines, reading:
Hey Arganan,
Jones wouldn't let me stick around long while he was checking on you, so here's your lunch and the pay for the hours you worked today. Heard from Frey that you liked the Fruit Sandwiches, so I bought you one. I hope it's still good by now. Come back tomorrow only if you're well enough, okay? Your health comes first.
-Illuminata
He ate the sandwich, first. Didn't want to let it go to waste. He then counted the money—just over 500 gold.
Baths were 300 gold, right? He'd still have the rest left over.
Then..
"Jones?"
Jones looked towards him, blinking. "Yes?"
Arganan took a deep breath, and looked him in the eye. "Would it be possible for me to go to the Inn, in my current state?"
Being in the bath was weird. Not weird as in "the sensations of being in warm water for an extended period of time is weird" type of weird, but weird in the sense that he actually made it to a public bath by himself and was in it right now. Usually baths like this were private, all to himself, and even then he didn't soak in there very long. But here, where he had some amount of anonymity (though he doubted it was very little by now, given what people knew of him prior to coming to Selphia), and didn't have to worry about running a whole island, he had a lot of time on his hands.
He felt himself sink into the water as he sat down, up to just under his shoulders. He'd grabbed one of the Inn's bathrobes to keep himself covered, even after undressing, as well as wearing one of the spare swimsuit garment things that they had stocked for those that somehow just didn't have swimsuits (as he definitely didn't have any of his own). Sure, he probably wasn't supposed to take the robe with him into the water, but he had a lot of scars he'd rather keep covered, and he tried to keep the left side of his face covered with his bangs. He took off his prosthetic arm after he put on the bathrobe, putting it safely with his other clothes, but he could keep the leg on (it was waterproof, but the arm was not as waterproof and he'd rather not get it wrecked too soon).
The good news, however, was that he was alone in the baths right now. And privacy was nice. Very, very nice. Silence filled the room around him, save for the occasional hissing of steam and the little splashes he made in the water he was in.
He didn't realize how much he missed this privacy until after he left Lazulis. Since arriving in Selphia, a lot of people were in his business. He did blame himself for letting it happen; after all, he was new here and needed help, and then there was the incident with the Outsider's power earlier today. But once things settled down regarding his recent arrival, he was sure that he'd be fine. Question was: How long would it be until things settled down? He had no clue.
Looking down at his right hand, examining the cross-shaped mark, he wondered for a moment if this was how Zael felt when he first earned it—confused, maybe? Wondering about how it worked?
How did the Outsider's power work, exactly? Arganan knew that he made Zael use it to command Lazulis Island to becoming its own floating fortress; to fire the Lazulis Cannon at all foes that approached, and he knew Zael used it personally to lure enemies towards himself in battle to defend allies, but…what about him?
What could he do with it?
Looking around, he extended his right hand out a bit, examining the mark from a distance for a second. Water dripped from it, evident enough from the lighting of the room, but other than its cross shape being the same as Zael's, it wasn't glowing or doing anything right now.
"Outsider." A sigh escaped him. "What do you want with me?"
"Arganan?"
Arganan immediately lowered his hand, turning his right to see Vishnal step in. The butler, currently clothed in his lower half, blinked as he stared towards him. "I wasn't expecting to see you. Hope I'm not interrupting anything."
"It's fine." Arganan managed quickly. "It's not like I was talking to anyone in particular."
"Haha…true." The blue-haired man stepped into the water with ease, a soft sigh leaving him as a smile formed on his face. "This bath is great. Lin Fa mentioned earlier that she and Xiao Pai put some Toyherbs in this time around. I had some spare time after I finished up with my main duties today, so I figured I'd drop by. Pretty refreshing, huh?"
"It is." Even he had to admit that this bath was a little relaxing. The ormer Count closed his eye for a moment, taking a deep breath. He felt himself sink into the bath just slightly more as he exhaled, soaking up the warmth up to his shoulders.
Both men were silent, for a while, just enjoying the bath. Arganan moved his wet bangs out of his face, but then immediately tried to cover it up all over again as he remembered that Vishnal was now here, too.
"You have scars?"
Shit. He saw. Arganan kept the let side of his face covered as he turned his head to face Vishnal again. "I do." He admitted.
"And, uh…" Vishnal's gaze wandered downwards, briefly, "Do you have them…all over you? Is that why you have a bathrobe on while you're in the bath? I'm sorry for prying, I just noticed…"
"Yes." Arganan looked down at himself, then up at Vishnal. "It was from a long time ago. Not related to the conditions I currently have, I assure you, but these are…permanent."
"I see. Sorry about that."
"It's fine."
Arganan was glad Vishnal dropped the topic there. He wasn't sure if he could go into any more detail about the disease the left him without an arm, half a leg and an eye.
Eventually the two did get out of the bath, drying off with provided towels in a bin nearby. Arganan managed to re-robe himself on his own, but kept his upper half unclothed until the end. It would be easier to put on his shirt when he had an extra arm on him, after all.
"You okay with your arm, there?" Vishnal asked. He was already fully clothed, and just trying to dry his hair with a towel at this point.
Arganan nodded. "I just need to wait a few moments. Skin swelling from the heat won't let me put the arm on. Happens every time I take a bath or anything like," He gestured towards the pool, "That."
"Really?" The younger man stared down at the prosthetic, then up at him. "That's really interesting."
"It's not that interesting. At least once you get used to it for over a decade."
"Sorry." Vishnal grimaced a bit. "I didn't mean…"
"I know. It's fine." Arganan looked towards his left shoulder, where there should be a prosthetic arm attached if he wasn't in the bath just earlier.
"Do you need any help, putting it back on once it cools?" Vishnal suddenly blurted out. Arganan looked up at the younger man, whose hands shook a little. "I-I mean, only if you need help, I don't want to break it by accident again or anything…"
As much as this was the same man that broke his metal arm once already, Arganan had a feeling that maybe he could trust him a little. Extend an olive branch as means of peace, or an arm in this case. Also, he was also connected to Frey, Ventuswill, Volkanon and Clorica. Always nice to have the castle staff on your side, right?
"I'd be happy to have help, actually." The older man admitted. "I might not be the first you run into like this, after all."
"Really!?" Vishnal's eyes brightened at that. "Thank you! I'm happy to help."
He made sure to give Vishnal thorough instruction, as he didn't want it to fall off or anything like that by accident afterwards. Vishnal was a fast learner, though. Hopefully he'd retain that knowledge for future incidents to come.
And even better? The prosthetic arm wasn't broken after it was all over. Maybe there was some hope for Vishnal's abilities as a butler, after all.
Author note: As far as I checked in terms of waterproof prosthetics when researching for the bath portion of this chapter, they're usually very expensive (and prosthetic limbs are pretty costly as is) and most people probably can't afford one, opting to just keep it covered in some way to prevent water getting into it while showering/doing other activities involving being submerged in water like swimming. Given that Arganan was previously a Count, however, he probably was able to afford a prosthetic leg for activities like going to a bath or showering.