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 Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2020 2:47 pm
It had been nearly a week since Finn had first come across his brother in The Pit and every day since had been just as ‘enjoyable’ as the first. While he could never actually predict when Tac would visit, Finn knew that the older yaeli would stop by his personal hole in the wall at some time throughout the day. At first Finn had tolerated Tac’s presence simply because the other male held a healing touch, one that didn’t burn through his skin just to work, so having him around didn’t hurt. Besides, it wasn’t as if he had much in his alley for Tac to steal if he tried; just an old table to curl up under in rain storms and an old cloak he’d stolen to keep him warm at night. Finn wasn’t nearly stupid enough to keep his valuables in the same place he slept, not that he had much to begin with. Just a few coins and baubles he’d picked up; all of which were stashed in various holes around the city.
Now that he no longer felt as close to death as he had that night Finn was starting to chaff. Having Tac around brought up a lot of memories he’d rather keep buried, and as many times as he’d tried to run the other yaeli off he just kept coming back. Even on the days Finn purposefully avoided coming back to the alley until the last possible moment he’d be there. There had been times Finn had contemplated finding a new place, or even moving cities, but leaving took more energy than he was willing to commit to. As far as simply finding a new place to sleep he wasn’t an idiot; the back streets weren’t safe for loners, especially those as small as Finn.
Currently he was sitting cross legged ontop of his table ‘home’, stuffing his face with a few rotten pears. The soggy fruit melted around his eager fingers, but if Finn cared he showed no signs of it.
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Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2020 2:48 pm
[Corny via Discord]
Tac wished he could stop himself from going back. The healing process had been completed. He and Finn owed each other nothing, and had been separated by numerous years and rough experiences and opposing lifestyles. He could tell that Finn wasn’t to pleased with his visits. Frankly, he wasn’t very pleased with himself, either. Yet, after finding the space Finn was currently “living” in, Tac found himself stopping by with an unexpected regularity. The whole area was toxic and made him feel like he needed a shower just from looking at it… As much as he tried to deny it, he wanted to do more for Finn than just some physical healing. Seeing his brother’s living condition somehow.. hurt.
Now here he was yet again, walking down the dirty alley after a nearby appointment to check in on the bag of bones. Spying the young man chowing down on something that would make better fertilizer than food, Tac sighed heavily. “I am not sure which is worse; that ‘job’ of yours or your diet. It’s a wonder that neither of those have killed you yet.”
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Posted: Fri Sep 04, 2020 2:54 pm
[2/10]
The soggy fruit pressed against his calloused fingers every time Finn tried getting more than a niblet from it. Even the heat from his skin was causing it to further decay, especially once the skin was broken, and by the time he'd even gotten a mouth full of something 'worthwhile' he was covered in sticky juice.
Hunched as he was, every knot and groove of Finn's spine became exposed. There were various bruises, newly formed after his brother's latest round of healing, and inevitably a few new cuts. Even when he was playing 'nice' with the other street rats Finn somehow ended up hurt. At first he paid little attention to Tac; if anything his stance just grew all the more protective and he ate faster, if such a thing was possible. He kept an eye on him, though, through his greasy, unkempt bangs. It was only when there was nothing more to suck off his fingers that Finn finally sat up and gave the other yaeli a modicum of attention.
"Foods food," He shrugged his shoulders and leaned back against the grimy wall. "And works work. What's it got to do with you, anyway?"
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Posted: Sat Sep 05, 2020 6:26 pm
After a few visits, Tac had gotten over the shock of how 'feral' Finn was, protecting the spoiled fruit like it was a fine feast. The learned habit was a dismal sight. He waited for Finn to finish eating and subtly shook his head. "Food is not just food. There is food, and then there is what was once food. That was once food; about as likely to be carrying some fatal disease as it is to provide some minimal nutrition for you." He found a relatively clear space to set his bag onto to give himself a break. It got heavy after walking around all day.
"What kind of doctor would I be to know someone in my care was so encased in such an atrocious circumstance and not work with them?" he asked. There was no need to point out that he would normally never give so much attention to a client outside of his clinic. Really though, the whole of Oba within a certain distance was his clinic, so that made this work out. He missed the stability of an office location, but being able to go anywhere to practice his trade was rather useful as well.
Then there were cases like this... "I suppose I had hoped you would be taking at least somewhat preferable care of yourself by now. Must I repeat that better food will mean better strength, which results in better fights and better pay? Perhaps even a better position that does not have you getting beaten every time."
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Posted: Thu Sep 10, 2020 2:49 pm
[3/10]
"This is still food." 'Once food' and 'food' was still food, or maybe that was just a concept Tac couldn't understand because he'd never had to suck nutrients from rocks before. Some days hearing his 'brother' speak was more grating on his already frayed nerves than others and today just happened to be one of those instances. Why was he even here if all he was planning on doing was nit picking everything? Besides, if he caught a disease then it was likely something he'd already had before and overcome. If it couldn't kill him in the past then what chance did it stand now?
Finn curled his lip in a snarl. "You can keep repeatin' yourself til your throats sore, but like I've told you before this is as good as it gets for me. I don't read, I don't write, I don't pretend to be nice just to work a job I hate and once people get a look at me they aren't real keen on giving me decent work."
Despite Finn's rather extensive history of grueling physical labor his efforts hadn't exactly given him a reputable resume. The fact that a yaeli had come over seas with so many scars scarred away most respectable businesses and there was something about the smell that made people steer clear of him. One man had even claimed he stunk worse than a bloated janarim corpse, but it wasn't as if he'd really been given a lot of options, was there?
His first and only contact in Oba had hooked him up with the pit. It wasn't the kind of work most sought out, but if he could just get stronger then things would get better. "Sit down already before that gimp of yours makes you fall over."
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Posted: Fri Sep 11, 2020 6:53 pm
Tac pressed his lips slightly, fighting the urge to debate on what constituted as legitimate food. There were some arguments to be had here, but that wasn't quite one of them. Besides, Finn had already inhaled the mushy mess anyway. "You speak as though you truly believe there's nothing for you beyond this dank alley," he huffed. "The main concern in your list there is manners. Everything else can be worked around. You don't need a nice smile to scatter hay in a stable; and you wouldn't need to be so concerned about paying for a healer on the regular."
He knew he was essentially talking to a void, and yet he kept trying.
Brow slowly cocking, he didn't even bother looking around as he shook head head. As if he would sit there unless he absolutely had to! "I appreciate the concern, but I believe I will be able to refrain from falling until I get home. Having to go to my clients rather than them all coming to me has forged a fair resilience to my.. 'gimp.'" He was actually taking some pride from the progress his leg had been making. Not too much pride, of course, but some. He had come far from his hobbling youth, but Oba really had pushed him to get even stronger. The cane remained hooked on his belt as usual, just in case he pushed things too far, but maybe he could use it to knock some sense into a certain alley bum instead...
"I would be content enough to sit with you at my home if you get yourself a proper bath or two first," he challenged lightly. Perhaps being inside a clean place would give the boy a little motivation? If he would actually bathe first.
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Posted: Mon Sep 14, 2020 4:26 pm
[4/10]
"Scattering hay? I get paid more working in the pit," Finn groused. Leaned back as he was it wasn't hard to find a 'comfortable' position, especially once he stretched one boney leg out in front of him. "What's the use in workin' a job like that if I'm still gonna be broke and hungry?" So what if he broke a few bones? It wasn't like he didn't have more to spare, and the pain was always temporary. Sure his fingers didn't look right anymore and his nose hadn't healed completely straight, but who cared? It wasn't like he actually paid for a healer as often as Tac made it sound; more often than not he just waited out his injuries until he could fight again. It was a lot cheaper that way.
"Oh, sorry, forgot how prissy you were." He curled his lip with an accompanying eye roll. And here he was trying to play 'nice'; not like it really mattered anyway. He'd already paid his debt in full with his earnings so it wasn't like Finn had any other reason to kiss up to Tac. In all honesty he could have chased him out with fire like any other vagrant, but for some reason he just didn't. And that...was a bit of a curiosity.
"You're gonna have to come up with something more exciting than that to get me out of this alley." His tone was as flat and deadpan as his expression. "A bath just to sit with you? Pass."
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Posted: Tue Sep 15, 2020 4:23 pm
Tac shook his head. "It would be a lot more consistent than fighting and waiting through any resulting recovery. Plus it would get you that decent work history you need for something better later on if you wanted." Of course, he had no idea what Finn wanted. While time had improved on his ability to have decent conversation with others, he still was far from being socially adept. This particular situation made conversation even more elusive to his mind, so he simply stuck with what he knew.
"It's called hygienic," he sighed out, nudging his shoe at a lump of miscellaneous goo that was next to his foot to make his point. Disgusting... It was about as bad as the waste room for the clinic back on Yael! Of course, cleanliness seemed to hold no form of motivation for Finn. So much for that idea. He almost wanted to laugh. Almost. "More? It was an offer, not a parley." Still, it would have been interesting to see what Finn was like underneath that protective layer of grime. He found himself wanting to offer more... but he wasn't there to bargain with the boy! "At any rate, how have the treatments held up? Have you rebroken anything yet?"
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Posted: Sun Sep 20, 2020 1:01 pm
[5/10]
Finn waved his fingers in the air and dismissed the conversation. What was the point when Tac obviously wasn't listening to him? As if a decent work history would do me any good. Was he blind as well as stupid? Hadn't he heard the rumors? Finn had gained just as nasty a reputation in Oba as he had in Yael for being a feral terror, but maybe they just hadn't reached him yet.
At his latest question, however, Finn found himself almost...meekly? looking away. "...My rib hurts again...after a fight yesterday." He rubbed at his left side, just short of his pectoral. "It wasn't the pit," He interjected, almost too quickly. "Guy tried to take my alley. Won't be taking much of anything anymore."
Even if he didn't say exactly what he'd done, Finn's tone was grave. The man in question had tried to overpower the smaller yaeli, but he was beyond used to it. By the time the morning sun rose the only thing left of the Oban brute had been a charred sack of goo.
Thinking on it, almost passively, Finn asked, "You fix people, right? ....Can you fix this?" He motioned to his extensive scarring.
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Posted: Mon Sep 21, 2020 6:20 pm
Now that was a social cue Tac could pic up on. The dismissive gesture marked the end of that once again fruitless conversation. It would take Finn time to learn how to be a bit more productive than he was now, if it ever happened at all. At least he could content himself knowing that he tried.
Not that he needed to content himself concerning anything with his brother!
He made no move as Finn pointed out a fresh pain, though his fingers instinctively twitched with a magical warmth. So, it seemed the boy was stuck with fighting inside and outside of the deplorable fighting ring. "It sounds like you fight better out here than when it's for the entertainment of others," he mused, though his tone revealed neither approval nor disapproval. The Pit certainly seemed to reduce Finn's competitive potential by limiting the use of magic. What would Finn's success have been like if it was otherwise?
The softening of his words was quite subtle as he unconsciously shifted his weight to his better leg. A scar seemed like it should be an easy thing to repair... "Technically, those scars are already healed. They would have to be broken open again in order for the flesh to seal back properly. Even then, some might still show after. It would certainly be less dramatic." He was about to mention that it seemed a lot to go through for better skin, but it had surely been worse to get each of those scars in the first place...
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Posted: Fri Sep 25, 2020 12:56 pm
"Yeah, because out here I can do whatever I want." Finn snarled. "If I want to start a storm just to kill one guy I can and they can't say a damn thing about it." Back in The Pitt there were just so many rules that Finn was constantly at a disadvantage. It was better suited for the melee fighters who could afford large meals to benefit their muscles, but for a mage like Finn he could never seem to catch up. They let him use just enough magic to make a show but that was about it.
Still, there was no point in getting riled up about it now. Instead, he focused on Tac's words and felt a sort of quiet resignation settle on him. "...I don't know why I even asked; I had a feeling that's what you were going to say." The process of having every one of his scars reopened and healed back sounded like unnecessary torture. Finn just...didn't want to go through any of that again. So many of them he'd had since he was a kid, and reliving some of those would be another nightmare he wasn't prepared for.
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Posted: Fri Oct 02, 2020 7:41 pm
Tac gave a small nod of understanding. Not only was it different in personal urgency, but the rule limitations were definitely a significant factor as well. It was a completely wrong fit for Finn's abilities. Being scrappy could only carry one so far. Still, even with the lifted restrictions out here in the 'wild,' someone with strong magic was bound to come along and be legit competition.
"Asking is the only way to make a guess into a certainty," he advised, covering for an unexpected emotion that rose. He was surprised to find himself a little.. remorse? Something was making him wish he could do better... to have come so far in his field and having his skills undercut by simple scars.. There had to be something he could do.
"Do you think your belly could handle a healthy meal anymore?"
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Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2020 10:02 am
Finn had been ready to write his brother off completely at that point in their conversation. However, like any street dog, his attention was quickly nabbed by the mention of food. He turned his feral gaze towards the older yaeli, attention solely focused on him and nothing else. It was likely a game; some sort of ploy to get him to do whatever it was Tac wanted from him, and yet...Finn was powerless to the siren's call.
"What kind are you offerin'?" Finn edged, leaning forward from atop his post. "I'm not picky so long as it's free, but it's not, is it? What do you want for it?" There was a curl to his lip as he asked. No one just gave away free food. If they did they were a fool just like that priest in Yael or a liar like the Oban who'd taken him in upon first arriving here.
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Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2020 1:30 pm
Tac carefully kept his face neutral, though it was tempting to judge. Of all the traits he had seen in Finn, this reaction to the mere idea of food reinforced the feral lifestyle the boy had. The sudden direct attention was.. almost uncomfortable. "I suppose I could get whatever you would like, within reason. I doubt you will be able to handle eating too much at one time anyway. As to what I want, my original offer remains. A thorough bath with soap and water and scrubbing." He glanced to the entryway of the dingy alley and pointed out. "There is a public bath not far from here. Mostly clean, cheap to get yourself into, and even provides the soap." While the bath in his room would have been free.... he wasn't about to clean up after that.
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Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2020 1:40 pm
[8/10]
Whatever you like... So he had a choice? The 'within reason' bit was stretching things, but Finn didn't let it hold him back. All he really processed was the fact he had options. "I can handle whatever you've got." Naturally Finn knew nothing of limitations; he would eat until he got sick and all too happily do it again if given the chance. So long as it was there he was going to take full advantage of a meal, regardless of what Tac seemed to think.
"Fine. I'll get in, but I'm holdin' you to it." Finn slipped off the table top and walked over a pile of sludge towards the back of the alley. There was a large grouping of construction debris laid up against the side of the adjoining building, but when Finn pulled a few boards away he unveiled a little sack. He brought the dirty coin purse back over to the table and upended it, revealing a few coppers..."How much does it cost?"
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