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 Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2016 9:24 pm
Zekiel did not move slowly. Still, being that Sanctum policy dedicated that no outsiders, let alone of Ottolo’s ilk, were permitted within the inner walls, the boy was being kept outside in a separate, significantly smaller building, and the trek to fetch water was no miniscule one. There was a washroom and kitchen in it somewhere, but it was minimal and only staffed and open at certain times in the day—of which this was not.
Thus, he traveled up the stairs, out of the building, across the greens, over to the Sanctum proper, and then in, down the long halls to the kitchens to make his request. Other than the oddity of it and commentary on how he’d best be careful, ‘Try not to spill…’ and ‘Are you sure you don’t need any help with that, child?’ it went smoothly, though Zekiel knew as he moved with his new burdens, he had been much longer than ‘a moment.’
It would have to do.
It was, at least, the shortest moment he could manage while still getting the task done.
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Posted: Mon Oct 03, 2016 10:01 pm
Tac managed to bite his tongue as the beaten man cried so fearfully. After all... he had certainly been beside himself when he'd been brought to the clinic a few years back, seeing monster people in his mind as the doctors tried to help him, and he didn't know this fellow's situation beyond the broken body.
So, he waited.
The bruises were nothing.........? Tac's jaw twitched slightly and he took a deep breath. "I suppose it would do no good to remind you that lying about your injuries helps no one except those who gave them to you," he huffed, focusing on the powders in front of him. "My concern is your physical well-being, and anything further is Zekiel's. I would prefer it if you told him about your safety concerns, and I am sure you would prefer it to the alternative of me telling him for you."
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Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2016 9:11 am
Tumelo knew all too well that hiding what happened to him when Ze was not around wouldn't do him any good. He knew that maybe if he opened his mouth and spoke of it, something could be changed. But he wouldn't... Who would believe him anyway? Who would believe Zekiel if he went to them with the tales of what was happening behind closed doors? In his mind, Tumelo believed that anything he would say that could potentially be negative to his caretakers would be considered the ramblings of a mad man, or just further evidence that he was 'cursed' and did not belong even in the basement of a sickhouse.
"I have no right to complain, sir..." Certainly the clergy would not see him as even the most common of citizens. He was just a monster.. Only a monster... "... I am grateful for whatever care provided. I have nothing to give, I only take... I have no right to request anything else."
The mention of Zekiel being told Tac's concerns caused another panic to come over him and he quickly shook his head.
"Do not worry him, I beg of you... He doesn't need to know. I am clumsy, I hurt myself on accident, there is nothing more to it. He already does so much, he shouldn't be burdened with anything else." The very thought of having Zekiel's smile and attitude fall because of his claims of abuse was more than unpleasant... He just couldn't do it.
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Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2016 7:06 pm
As Zekiel made it back out of the Sanctum proper and finally down the halls to the room Ottolo was being kept in, he released a breath, relieved to be back, and maneuvered his handful. Setting the basin of heated water and washing towelette down on the stone out of the swing-range of the door to free up a hand, he opened it, making a quick warding gesture again before reaching back to pick up what he’d left behind before slipping in.
“…he doesn't need to know. I am clumsy, I hurt myself on accident…”
Ottolo had been crying.
Zekiel blinked, stalling where he stood for a moment as his gaze hopped between the boy on the bed, and the doctor. After only a half moment’s assessment, however, it seemed clear that whatever had transpired had calmed. Ottolo was still visibly and audibly upset, but was calming, and seemed to have been in the midst of conversation with Tacrith when he entered, which was encouraging in and of itself.
“What does he not need to know?” Ze repeated, setting the warm water basin with the cloth hung over its lip onto the bedside table before pouring Tacrith a glass of chilled drinking water from the opposite pitcher.
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Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2016 7:20 pm
Tac's frown deepened. "Of course you have the right to complain! You can worry about giving later. Right now, you have to take in order to heal. It can't be helped." His own tale of his time as a patient nudged toward the tip of his tongue, but he held it back.
Little stirring spoon tapping the table with irritation, he looked over with a cocked brow at Zekiel's voice returning. His lips pressed, resisting the urge to lay it out for the priest. It was up to the patient to share the information first... but with the young man's health on the line, Tac was obligated to put his patient's safety before his pride. "Shadows find ways to hide in the light," he muttered vaguely, slowly cupping the warm water into his mixtures, stirring them into a light paste.
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Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2016 8:38 pm
The moment the door swung open once more, Tumelo went silent. His mind was already made up; he would not speak of the new injuries, nor would he want Zekiel to take any action. In fact, he couldn't even bring himself to look at the acolyte, as he still felt betrayed by his absence.
Tac's words were not lost on him, but their meaning were lost on the lad who began to fiddle with a loose thread in the sheet. Crying was exhausting, and the heavy breaths that came after even more so. But even with how angry his heart felt towards his friend, the anxiety that had welled up caused by Tac's presence eased away, leaving him just tired.
If all were well, then the doctor would do what he wished, and he and Ze would leave... Maybe then he could get a few hours of sleep before the next nurse came to him again.
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Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2016 9:15 pm
Shadows find ways to hide in the light.
Initially, Zekiel had no way of know what exactly Tacrith meant by the words, other than that they certainly meant something. Though objectively brief, if Ze had learned much of anything from his time with the healer, it was that he did not put much value in whimsy or vagary. Ever to the point. Ever pragmatic. Ever efficient, if gentle in his efficiency. And this…
Zekiel’s eyes trailed to Ottolo as he lifted Tacrith’s glass, moving to stand beside him with it, though his hands were currently busy. ‘Shadows’ did not bode well, and given the timing, it must have related in some way to whatever conversation had occurred while he was out, thus involving Ottolo. Tacrith had learned of something wrong, but clearly did not feel in a position to say it outright.
Zekiel drew a breath, and exhaled with a careful smile, though his eyes studied Ottolo now. If the ‘doesn’t need to know’ had been directed at him, then perhaps it was something Ottolo did not want to share, but that Tacrith thought he ought to be aware of. He would pay close attention to Tacrith’s procedure, and if that bore no answers, he would need to ask both his charge and his friend—perhaps after there was some privacy to be had.
“The truth sheds light in the stubbornest of crevices.”
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Posted: Tue Oct 04, 2016 9:53 pm
His eyes remained focused on the concoction, but his ears were waiting and alert. The stretch of silence from the bed irked him, but he continued waiting while he worked the paste to the proper consistency.
He looked over at the displayed glass, and then back and up at Zekiel. So, the priest had picked up on that... Good. Ottolo wouldn't like it, but it would be for the best. "Is it the light that is cast first, or is it the truth that leads the way?" Oddly enough, the wordplay was amusing him a little. It very much was not his normal style, but it was interesting. As it was though, the dance would surely only cause Ottolo to go further onto the defense... "Zekiel, I ask that you spread this along Ottolo's bruises. All of them." He held up the bowl, the contents of which gave off a pleasing citrus scent. "Ottolo seems quite fond of you. I am sure your care will be better received than my own has been."
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Posted: Wed Oct 05, 2016 9:54 am
At this point, the way Tacrith set up this 'medicine' he was to be covered in, Tumelo couldn't possibly hide the new marks on his skin from Ze. But that was okay. Just because he saw them, didn't mean he had to give him an answer if questioned where they came from. That being said, he had just a bit of confidence in Zekiel's wandering mind that the man might not even notice the new marks, only being told put the medicine there, not stare and gawk at them.
Though he still refused to speak, he did manage to push himself up into a sitting position with his good arm. It wasn't uncommon that he did this; In fact, he spend most of his time sitting up even when sleep took over during what he assumed was the day. Once his final goodbye of the day was made to Ze, he forced himself back down to try to fully rest and attempt to recover his strength.
It was more than obvious to the young windling that the two were now speaking in riddles and twisted words in a way of communicating something, more than likely about him. Let them play their word game, he thought to himself. There was no reason to tell the truth. After all, a few new bruises here and there weren't going to increase his over all recovery time.
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Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2016 11:57 am
Zekiel blinked, but took up the offered bowl of salve when handed to him, his mind pondering Tacrith’s question. Which came first, light, or the truth? Despite not being a literal question, it still turned in his thoughts as he set the bowl temporarily on the bed’s edge and unbuttoned the bottom clasps at his sleeves to roll them back one nock. After, he reached, dipping two fingers into the salve and swiping lightly across the top to take a moderate amount before leaning forward.
His eyes skimmed the various bruises — so many places where the skin had been damaged and the blood underneath welling up to color it. But. He smiled gently and reached, beginning around Ottolo’s neck with soft, brushing touches like an artist spreading paint in regimented amounts with painstaking attention to detail. Though his mind wandered and was always moving, his difficulty in honing in on one particular thing for long did allow him to take in great swaths of information at once, and he paid attention, as though always trying to swallow in all the world’s details at once. So, he noticed differences, tracking changes in those details as a conglomerate.
Here was no different.
As he traced his fingers over a new bruise, his lashes lifted fleetingly, studying Ottolo’s face before dipping again to mind his work as he went on: neck, collar, shoulders, arms, wrists, chest, rib cage—there were so many places for hurt. He did not understand why Warrek loved the color so on skin. It looked to Zekiel like pain. Pain which would heal in time, naturally. But still pain.
“Light and truth are partners,” he said at length. “Whichever comes first, the other often follows if it may. I hope you trust me, Ottolo.”
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Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2016 5:50 pm
Packing his things back into his bag, Tac would look over once in a while to make sure the salve was being applied properly. Light and truth as partners... Such partners were like the stars in the sky; seemed close together, but were actually so far apart.
"Wrapping him up in bandages isn't necessary anymore, I don't think. Just keep him warm, hydrated, fed as you can." He closed up his bag, makign sure everything was secure. "As for later therapy, your strength needs to be built up. Light weights to start; don't even worry about how much that weight it. You just have to be able to lift it." Grabbing his cane, he looked at it a moment before tapping it on the ground. "Walking will be a while yet, but you'll get there, Ottolo."
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Posted: Fri Oct 14, 2016 10:03 pm
The sheer number of bruises on Tumelo's pale skin were actually unknown to the windling until Zekiel began to treat them. Twenty... Thirty... Some were no larger than his pinky's pad, others were large and deeply pressed in.. And still there were others that were faded and old, remnants of the huge bruise that had formed when his ribs had snapped like thin dried twigs.
Each touch sent shivers up his spine, goosebumps forming on his upper arms and running all the way down to his wrists. In his embarrassment, he gently stopped Zekiel's touches.
"I do trust you, Zekiel... I... I can do the lower half myself.." Hopefully there would be no resistance as he pulled the bowl from his caretaker's hands and then placed it on the counter beside his bed. "... If you wouldn't mind... I'd like some privacy as I treat the rest of the bruises.."
No one needed to see the marks on his hips and his thighs. They truly did not need to know.
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Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2016 8:57 am
Zekiel felt the skin prickle under his touch, small ripples and bumps of sensitivity rising at the stimulus of fingers and salve, but he kept as he was: careful and thorough even as his mind wandered, peripherally processing Tacrith’s move to pack in preparation for departure. Even if he did not know exactly what the healer had learned or noticed, it was clear enough that Ottolo needed close tending and care. As soon as he could, Zekiel hoped to convince his elders that light and fresh air would do the foreign boy good. His mind needed it as much or moreso than his skin.
When Ottolo’s words came, they gave him pause, and Ze’s fingers stilled at the other boy’s hip where they had been touching and, indeed, progressing downward. He glanced to Tacrith, but was already nodding. Privacy was not a courtesy that could always be offered in full to patients when their injuries lurked in more intimate areas. But Zekiel was not a doctor, and if Ottolo thought he could handle those spaces himself and would prefer it, Ze would not push against his wishes. He was there to please and consol, after all.
After using the last of what he had on his fingers then, Ze wiped his hands on a cleaning cloth and left the bowl within reach of Ottolo’s access. He stood, folding his hands before him and giving a subtle bow and smile to Tacrith.
“I and the gods thank you for your attendance, Tacrith,” he said. “Shall I guide you out?”
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Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2016 12:41 pm
Suddenly wanting privacy? Was this modesty or was there more to hide? His lips pressed slightly, but he made himself sigh slowly. "Be sure you actually apply the salve," he insisted, glancing to the pale stranger. Having no idea what the man had gone through was frustrating, to be sure. He could only go by what he saw, but those marks had a deeper story. His tone softened the tiniest bit. "You have clearly been through much. Try to remember, Zekiel and I are here to assist you in healing, not to make you worse."
..He wasn't there to comfort though. He was there simply to treat the pain. He looked over at Zekiel and nodded. "That would be appreciated. I am not fully certain of the way out, and it will give Ottolo the privacy he desires." He glanced at Ottolo and nodded. "I will make sure Zekiel returns in a timely manner. You should not waste your moment of privacy."
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Posted: Mon Oct 17, 2016 1:24 pm
Zekiel's fingers on his hips did little to bring him comfort, instead causing a visible flush to spread across the tops of his cheeks and a shy movement away from the touch. He was more than grateful for the man to have finally pulled away and set the ointment nearby.
Just how far did the Healer come to look at him? There was a guilty feeling welling up in the pit of his stomach for being so standoffish, especially when the doctor, despite his once sharp words, was nothing but kind to him.
It was too late now, and he really just wanted them to go. So much conversation with a stranger was draining, and after he treated the bruises on his lower body, he would be content to rest for a long while.
"Thank you for your service, Sir Tacrith... I apologize for my attitude, but I will try to get better." He gently dipped his fingertips into the ointment, ready to start treating himself the moment they were out the door.
"If I am to see you again..." He paused biting his lip for just a moment. "I pray that I have the strength to heal entirely."
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