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 Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2020 1:12 pm
Sulburi, like most large cities, was prone to suspicious activity. While many occupations were on the straight and narrow others straddled the fence. They lived in the great divide; just seedy enough to act as a warning to well meaning folk, and dangerous enough to tempt risk takers. There was plethora of opportunity to make quick coin if one was brave enough to look. From conning tourists to providing 'personal' services, the underground offered it all, and for those more aggressive than most there was always 'The Pit'.
On the edge of the city was an old estate that had been taken over by the organization. It's large courtyard had been converted into a coliseum type fighting ring, complete with stone walls that encircled 'the pit' at least twelve feet high so that no spectator came away harmed. Of course, if one paid enough, they could sit in the front row and hope to come away a little bloody if the night's action was good.
For the past two years Finnufarinel had fought for coin as often as they let him. At first no one wanted him around; he was a foreigner, a skinny one, with a poor attitude and feral tendencies. When he'd finally gotten his chance to enter the ring he'd electrocuted his opponent almost instantly and passed out from the exertion. It was solely because of Finn that a new rule had been put in place; magic was only to be used sparingly, just to keep the competition 'fair'.
'Fair' to the brawny Obans he fought was hardly 'fair' to Finn. They let him choose any weapon he wished, but more often than not the only thing he could hold for long periods of time was a dagger, and in a novice's hand it may as well have been a twig. His losses far outweighed his wins, and yet, so long as his fights were entertaining he was still payed, which meant he could eat.
It was a hard life, but at least he wasn't on Yael.
His next match was quickly approaching, and there was a feral frustration in his soul that came with knowing he would inevitably lose. Finn was hungry; he hadn't had a decent meal in days, and his bones ached. Bruises lined his wire thin frame, and for once, the sheer amount of them was distracting enough to others that they didn't notice his scaring right off. The left side of his jaw was swollen, as were his ribs, but he'd fought with worse. And would time and time again.
"You ready, kid?"
Finn turned to see an older Oban, one he knew to be the announcer, and nodded.
"Alright, well, wait for your name. We'll start soon."
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Posted: Mon Jun 22, 2020 6:14 pm
If one had been seeking a life of glamour and respect, one would not generally follow the path of a man for hire.
Tac had never been one to seek out glamour. Frankly, respect was something he had mixed feelings about as well. He didn't care what people thought of him personally, but his skills as a healer were something worth admiring, surely. As it was, being a healer for hire didn't give him the desired respect. There was no professional status, no clean clinic, no regular patients, no fully stocked supplies, and no trail to show how much work he had put into his trade. Promoting himself had never been his strong suit, either. So, he was dependent on the people of the town to get word out. Such work got him odd jobs around. They were grubby and thankless jobs for the most part.
It wasn't ideal, but at least it was steady. It was more than he'd had when he'd first realized he was stuck alone in Oba.
His latest acquired work was for a fighting ring. Some place called The Pit? ...Yes, that sounded completely respectable.
"You're the doctor, then? Ready to get some of these bums back in fighting order?"
Tac held his bag closer and turned to face the large Oban and nodded. "That's why I'm here." People purposefully getting themselves beat up for the sake of money... Surely they could find better ways to make ends meet? Well, he knew he was one of the luckier ones to pull himself from the dirt, but still... He was led to where the fighters loitered and waited for their turn at either fighting or getting healed; some both. A table had been set up for a sort of 'base' of operations.
...This place was filthy.
Setting his bag onto the table, his first step was to find a clean rag to wipe it and the seat down.
The Oban gave a little snort and turned to the group. "Alright. Anyone needs healing, you get over here and talk to this fella. We prefer ya not die out there, but that's up to you." He gave Tacrith a wave and headed on to his usual business.
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2020 12:08 pm
Finn's fight had been disastrous, to say the least.
He knew in his heart that if he'd been allowed to use magic it would have been his, but without it the round had been sealed. The smaller yaeli had gotten in a few good hits with his dagger, cutting in deep on the Oban fighter, but once the larger man had caught Finn's arm it was all over. His body was lined with newer, deeper bruises this time around and something was wrong with his shoulder. His whole arm hung at a weird angle, almost like it wasn't attached anymore, which was why the announcer was all but dragging him to that night's designated healer.
Finn was resisting. He knew if he went whatever the healer charged would be taken out of his pay for the night, and he couldn't afford that. He'd been tempted to shock the announcer more than once, but the man had politely told him if he so much as used one ounce of electricity he would be banned from The Pit. They'd been through one too many rounds with Finn to trust the boy any longer, which only soured his mood.
"This kid's dislocated his shoulder. Any chance you can fix him up? Might have a few broken ribs too, if you've got anything for that." At first the Oban was blocking Finn's view of the healer, but when he stepped away the hair on the back of his neck instantly bristled. Tac?!
"What the he-?!" He snarled, only to be cut of by the other man.
"Just let us know how much his treatment is. We'll take it out of his pay so he doesn't skimp out on you."
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2020 5:29 pm
Once he got the table and chair cleaned up, Tac looked around at the rough setting again and sighed. At least it was work. Staying here would certainly make for a consistent income, but he wasn't so sure that he could stomach the lifestyle. A few men had come by his table already, mostly asking for the bare minimum quick fixes. His intention was to help other heal and stay better, not heal them just to go get their heads beat right back off... It didn't feel like he was actually helping anything. Still, he could only do so much, so he did the minimum as requested and moved on.
As a new fighter was brought along, Tac's mind instantly began going over a basic plan. Pop the shoulder back into place, a touch of magic to mostly mend the ribs back together... nothing special.
The irritated tone drew his attention, eyes widening at the young man now slouching in front of him. Well, Finn just looked worse every time he saw him... "I'll.. let you know," he replied, shaking his head lightly to clear it. "I need more clean towels as well, please," he requested quickly before he could get too distracted. He questioned the ability to get clean towels here, but he had to ask.
Taking a soothing breath, he looked to Finn and patted the chair for him to take a seat. He should say something... but what did one say to an estranged brother who looked inches away from a coma after willingly jumping into a fighting ring? "Let's get you fixed up." Just another client. ..but it wasn't just another client. "Are you a regular here, then?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2020 5:36 pm
"I'll go see what I can find." The Oban walked Finn as far as the chair, and left before even making sure the boy was properly seated.
Finn, for the most part, could have made it just fine on his own. His only limped a little and if he didn't move too much his body didn't hurt. Sitting however...that was a little less 'graceful'. He more or less fell into the chair with a loud curse, drawing his good arm around his middle as pain bounced all over his emaciated frame. He couldn't decipher what spot hurt the most in that moment, but what he did know is that he had to keep it contained. Something about seeing his 'brother' again after so long made the already isolated ruffian want to clam up more.
"...when they let me." He groused. Finn was partially slumped in the chair, as if the act of fully straightening his ribs was asking too much. "Haven't seen you here before." If he had Finn might have thought twice about coming back tonight.
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2020 6:11 pm
Tac couldn't help wincing when Finn sat so heavily. That just all looked so painful. All he wanted was to fix Finn's whole body, but even he knew that would probably not be welcome. The scrappy boy must be used to such beatings to be handling the injuries as he was. That was a depressing thought. He had known from their last encounter that Finn's life had been less than pleasant, but this seemed too much.
The fact that Finn apparently to have a history with this place was less than reassuring. 'Focus on the job,' he berated himself. "I have never been here before today," he explained. "I can't say I try to frequent such places." Kneeling down carefully, he rubbed his hands together and held them out facing Finn's chest, though not yet touching the lanky body. "I'll fix your ribs first, and then get your shoulder back into place." Bloody pit or not, he still respected the need for client consent before actually healing anything.
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2020 6:41 pm
"Lucky you." Finn murmured. Just looking at Tac made Finn's soul spike with bitterness. He knew it wasn't his brother's fault he'd been left behind; time had taught him that Tac had been young and helpless too. By the time his elder brother learned Finn was still alive he'd already through countless atrocities so what was Tac supposed to do? Still, Finn felt wronged, and without a proper outlet he kept taking it out on his brother, time and time again. He knew it was wrong, but with nothing else to his name he held onto that hate.
Having Tac leaning that close to him, so close to touching, made him back into the chair instinctively. "You're not going to tie me down first?" He quirked his brow cautiously, looking Tac up and down for restraints. Every healer he'd had contact with in the past made it a point to make sure he wouldn't be able to hurt them. Everyone here was afraid of him, and honestly, Tac should have been too. It wasn't as if Finn especially liked him.
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2020 7:07 pm
Well, Finn wasn't wrong.. but the bitter tone managed to sting. He would have given anything to change the past... He had rolled the years in his head more times than he could count. If only this.. If only that.. As it was Tac could only do as he had always done, and focus on the present.
And the present.. was unexpected in so many ways.
Brow rising, he looked at Finn curiously, hands still hovering in place. Tying down a client had happened on the very rare occasion, but it had never been a willing action on the client's part. What sort of life Finn must have had... "Do you feel that I need to tie you down?" he asked, unable to contain his surprise. "I'd rather not.. but I also don't want to be bitten today if that's a concern."
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2020 7:13 pm
"I don't bite." Finn was almost petulant as he pushed her barefoot against the ground, scooting himself up into a new position. Sitting in one spot for too long hurt; breathing hurt, but he tried to keep that going. "I burn." He stared at Tac long and hard after he spoke, as if he was challenging his brother to try something. It seemed appropriate that when an Oban tried to hurt him their punishment came by fire. When it became too hard to keep that pose, however, Finn exhaled shakily and sank back down. He just didn't have the stamina to keep going that night.
"Just...do what you have to do and leave me alone." It was getting harder just to stay away and that worried him. Things never really got to him until he feared going to sleep because Finn knew with his lifestyle waking up wasn't guaranteed. "Why...are you even...in Oba?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 25, 2020 8:34 pm
'I burn.' Tac remained in place, returning his brother's gaze intently. What sorts of healers came through that would prompt a client to fight back? Was the care these fighters received really so subpar? His brow knit when Finn's strength waned, and he sighed as he finally pushed his hands forward to rest on the boy's chest. He could feel practically every bone under that worn skin... There was no reconciling that this beaten young man was what his sweet little brother had turned into. "If you wish," he replied simply. He wasn't about to force anything. He had never been good at that outside of medical necessity.
His hands warmed as his magic spread through to find the broken parts, gently mending snapped and shattered bones. Peripherally, he was adept enough to sooth the surrounding tissues as well to a point. Eyes flicking up to gauge Finn's reaction to the healing, he hesitated a moment before letting his gaze drop back down. "The short version is, I was essentially abducted by a merchant ship and then left here. ..They were supposed to take me back, but I haven't seen a hair of any one of them in years." He smirked sourly at the memories of that trip. "Of course, the only other rides I could get to Yeal wanted more money than I had, which was none.. Then the war happened and they suddenly decided my services here were important." Then the war had ended and they had promptly dropped him out on his rear again.
His hands shifted slightly, making sure he had the whole rib cage covered. "Do you mind me asking why you are out here?"
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Posted: Mon Jul 20, 2020 12:29 pm
Finn couldn't help the cry of pain that shot out as soon as Tac's magic started it's work. He quickly worked to quell it by biting down on his own hand. No matter how 'gently' the healer was trying to be every tendril of prodding magic felt like fire under his skin. At times he would jerk, but that too was suppressed. At times he had to remind himself to breath lest he pass out and have his winnings taken from him again.
"Abducted?" He hissed, riding out a wave of pain. For a brief moment he looked at Tac before clenching his eyes closed. "That's not...what I was expecting." It just didn't make sense, why would someone want Tac? Sure, he was a healer, but surely there were others. He didn't particularly stand out so what had taken him from his cushy life in the city?
He knew at any moment he was likely to pass out. Finn could feel the fog swimming over him. Between his own undernourishment, the nights battle and this healing session it was a miracle he had held on for as long as he did. Still, as much as he wanted to keep his business to himself, it wasn't as if saying it would make things any worse for him. "...I think I was dying when he found me. Sick or hot or something. He made me feel better, told me I had potential, and then he died." Finn lolled his head back and exhaled. His hand would no doubt swell after all the pressure from his bites, but he didn't care. He'd already punctured the skin so what was another scar?
"I took his staff and his gold then came here. I don't ever want to go back."
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Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 3:56 pm
Tac could practically hear the bite that muffled the pained cry, and he wasn't sure which was worse. He had heard the cries of pain often enough, but his inability to completely detach from this client's reactions remained. It was a thread, but a thread that he wasn't used to being weighed down by. Perhaps he would give it a boost when he went to put that shoulder back into place~
Still, Finn's reaction to his tale earned a soft snort. "Neither was I," he said, jaw tightening slightly. The theoretical 'get Tac off of Yeal' list was minuscule, and his special trip had certainly not been on that list. The volcano bursting to cover the land with its fiery guts? Sure. A grand flood that left no place dry? Made sense. Abducted? Never in his wildest dreams!
He? Tac raised his eyes briefly, but decided against prying further. Honestly, Finn looked like he was still dying! "Have you ever had a job that did not require you to get your bones broken in order to earn a living?" he asked. Finn's personality now seem less than able to handle a proper work environment, but had the boy ever gotten the chance for anything stable?
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Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 6:50 pm
[7/10]
"...This is my first job." Finn grunted, unconsciously shifting away from Tac when something got uncomfortable. "I'm not good for anything else." He just wasn't fit for mainstream work, and that was just fine. Everyone else could at least read the basics, and they knew enough to write letters when need be. Finn couldn't do any of that, and he barely knew enough about currency not to get ripped off in the market. Even if his education wasn't holding him back his personality certainly was.
That lightheaded feeling just wasn't going away. When Finn turned to look back at Tac he felt nausea creeping upon him and the whole thing just made him feel worse. "...feel hot." He half expected some burly Oban to pick him up by the scruff of the neck and dunk him in a barrel of cold rain water, but when no one came for him he settled for nearly falling into Tac instead.
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Posted: Fri Jul 24, 2020 9:18 pm
Well, that right there said a lot. If this really was the only kind of work that Finn had known... And then the statement that followed was even louder. He snorted again and shook his head. "It sounds more like you have never had the chance to try being good for anything else," he extended, gaze up again to meet that of the scrappy fighter. After all, to get lost in the woods so young and to even make it this far... No child of their father was good for nothing!
Tac paused for only a moment before bracing himself to catch the weakened body as it tipped. "Don't add a head wound to the bill," he muttered. That skeletal body was being pushed too far.. It took a moment, but he managed to get Finn onto the ground without dropping him or tipping over himself. The magic continued throughout the move, silently finishing up treatment of the busted ribs.
Back at his medical bag, he spread a little ointment onto a cloth and placed it over the other's feverish forehead. What the boy needed was nourishment... "Are you awake there?" he asked while he took the opportunity to snap Finn's shoulder back into place with a sharp push, magic immediately working again to ease the inflamed shoulder. He certainly wouldn't be able to carry the string of bones anywhere on his own, and leaving him on the ground there was less than ideal.
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Posted: Sat Jul 25, 2020 9:45 am
[8/10]
Finn was just barely aware of being moved and even less so of anything Tac said. For a moment it sounded like he was under water, but once his body was laid down sound came through a little clearer. The feeling of something cool on his forehead made him flinch on instinct, though once he realized it wasn't likely to hurt him he relaxed.
If relocating his shoulder hurt Finn didn't show it. His body had been pushed far beyond it's limits that night, and at best the younger yaeli grunted from the pressure. "Yeah, I'm awake." Despite his words Finn was fading fast. The only thing his body craved was sleep, but by sheer stubborn willpower he hung on.
"Everything going alright over here?" The same oban from before peeked his head around the corner, this time with a whip in hand and a length of rope attached to his waist. He wasn't alone, either; two burlier men came around at his sides as if the idea of detaining one yaeli would take such force. Seeing Finn on the ground though widened his gaze. "Is he dead?"
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