MEDIC!!! {Late Afternoon (6/27) Edmond, Allistair, Alystra, Rex}

[Allistair McGovern]

He ran out of the tavern door, hoisting Edmond over his shoulder. "Hold on man." He said in a whisper as he ran down the street, slowing down only to take corners and not drop the boy. He ran past some street vendors who eyed him suspiciously but ignored them. His concern was to get Edmond to the healer safely. As he got to the final street, he saw the buiding he was looking for, "Finally! She'll help you!" Allistair opened the door and demanded a bed from the healer, who upon looking at the boy over his shoulder, didn't protest. As soon as he laid him down the healer began poking and prodding at him to try to figure out what had happened.

She looked up at Al and snickered, "My now what have you done to this one?" and he blushed, "I just took him out drinking." He replied.

[Alystra McGovern]

"We didn't do anything to him," Alystra shot back in defense. Her heart had stopped beating once Edmond had hit the ground and she remembered her voice screaming out for Allistair to do something—get him out of there. By the gods, Alystra was somewhat educated in the arts of healing, but this particular even was way beyond her expertise.

She ran behind Allistair, trying to keep up, but was slowly falling further and further behind, only managing to find the healer, Allistair and Edmond in the healer's hut. Alystra immediately went to Edmond's side and grasped his hand tightly, her brilliant blue eyes etched with worry and concern.

"What is it? What's happened to him?" Alystra asked, her voice quivering beyond control as her eyes threatened to drop crocodile tears.

[Rex]

Rex finally arrived and stood by the door, kind of silent and in complete stupor. He'd never had this problem with alcohol and was beginning to wonder if the boy had some sort of previous condition.

"Whatever it costs, fix him," Rex commanded, glaring at the healer as he finally gathered his wits and stepped into the room.

[Edmond Tresson]

Edmond was vaguely aware that he was being moved. He could feel the jostling somewhere, but it felt like all his nerves were coated in cotton, everything muffled and slow and vague. Well, not everything. He knew damn well he felt like he was dying. His brain felt too big for his head, his stomach was on fire, and every ragged breath in felt like it was laced with glass shards. No, not everything was dull. Blissfully, he was only semi-conscious, and drifting between his current state and complete and utter blackness, and the cool, heavy blanket of black was becoming more and more frequent.

He almost woke once, although he would not remember it later. He was laying somewhere, and it was indoors, but small. He could feel other people around him, and somebody was prodding him. He wanted to swat their hands away, tell them to stop and let him sleep, but he couldn't get his hands to move. Suddenly, though, as though pricked, his eyes opened wide. There was no consciousness behind those eyes, though; they were the eyes of a dead man, glassy and empty. His mouth opened and closed a few times, and then he was gone again, his eyes closing and his face going limp.

He lay in a state similar to death, his eyes moving under his lids. His brain was feeding him gibberish, the dreams of the fevered and derranged, and once he stirred, his head turning to look straight at Allistair. "Bird fur...." His voice was weak, almost a whisper, and as soon as the words left his mouth he fell back to silence.

[Alystra McGovern]

"...Bird fur...?!" Alystra asked, looking about at her brother, the healer, then Rex and back to her brother again. "What is he talking about?" she wondered, giving Edmond's hand a squeeze. "Do something...do something now!" she hissed to the healer. Hopefully, Allistair got the point and put his foot on it.

[Allistair McGovern]

Allistair had pulled his attention away from the Healer but noted her face marked by irritation. "There are too many people in this room," she said "move to the corner and park your asses, get out of the way!" she shuffled around the room and as Rex spoke, she laughed. "Even if you didn't have money, I would not let this young boy die!" she exclaimed, "I'm not heartless!"

As she worked, Allistair explained the run in with the woman on the corner in the market, they boy had taken in something that surly could have caused this. The healer nodded, "It is indeed true that he could be suffering from that, Allistair, you must find this woman and bring her to the council." she gave him a stern look. "I'm sure I know who you are talking about and she was never good to others of any faction."

Edmond's stirring had made them all alert, on edge. What was this boy going through? Allistair listened but when he looked up and exclaimed 'bird fur', he was on edge. Approaching Edmond as he lost consciousness again, Allistair took him by both shoulders. "How do you know the password!" he pleaded in a whisper.

That was enough for the healer, "Get out! Get your hand off of him and get out Allistair McGovern! You've had too much to drink as well and I've had enough of your disasters young man! You've come in here to often with your near death garbage and now you bring this boy! O-U-T!" she pushed them away from Edmond and set to work, mixing things and ordering Alystra to get this and that for her, she wasn't dumb and she knew Alystra was well aware of the art. "Girl get a move on!" she shouted.

Allistair crossed the room and parked his ass in the chair, waiting.

[Edmond Tresson]

Edmond sat up, forced to do so by Allistair's shakings. His mind was only partially engaged, most of it still lost in the fog of his illness. He couldn't quite figure out why the world was moving so rapidly, or if it was at all. The world had been spinning for so long every time he opened his eyes, he couldn't tell if it had just changed direction on him.

"Password...?" He managed to have a moment of clear thought, wondering what the hell he had said and what it was a password for, but all that was washed away a moment later by a huge wave of nausea. He started to try and turn to the side, but it was too late; he managed to only turn his head before his stomach purged everything he's consumed in the last few hours. And, as it turned out, Alystra was right in the line of fire. He didn't even realize what had happened, though; he started to black out as soon as his stomach heaved the first time, and only by some miracle did he stay upright until he was done.

He collapsed back down onto the cot, oblivious to the mess he had unleashed all over Alystra's hair and clothing; his mind was lost back to the world of fever dreams.

[Alystra McGovern]

Alystra gagged and flicked her hands, shaking off the excess of vomited alcohol, mixed with chunks of ... what in the good goddess' name was that?! She didn't give a shit. "UGH!" she exclaimed, trying to keep her own bile down. Rex laughed heartily in the background, apparently overly-amused by the whole situation.

Irritated, Alystra strained her hair and flicked the leftovers at Rex, who ceased all laughter and cussed her instead.

"Not so funny, is it?" she hissed, glaring at him before the healer jumped her ass about pulverizing the herbs for the pastey tea. Alystra put it in gear and ground the dried herbs to a fine powder, mixing a couple of other ingredients before she tossed them into the kettle, already boiling over the file. Concoction was the best word Alystra could think of for this...nastiness they were about to pour down Edmond's throat.

By the goddess, Alystra couldn't wait until she could strip her clothes off and wash the vomit from her hair. She'd have Edmond placed in her room for care. Yes, wouldn't that be scandalous, bathing naked while there was a man in the room, nevermind he wasn't conscious. The mere thought made her smile and she had to stop herself before she let loose a giggle.

After the tea was done boiling, the healer took the kettle off the fire and added in yet more powders, mixing constantly until the concoction turned into something short of sludge. Oh gross...watching this would be bad enough, but having to actually swallow that shit?!

The healer motioned for Alystra to lift Edmond's head, which she did. Afterwards, the sludge was slowly poured down his throat. Alystra had to look away to keep from gagging, it was so nasty, the stench filling her nostrils as she tried to breath only out of her mouth.

Once the puke-green tar was finished, the healer made a motion to remove Edmond from her sights.

"You have my thanks," Rex said, holding out a bag of golden coins. The healer snatched it away without too much of a second thought.

"Your thanks means nothing to me, and your coins will pay for the tea I've give him. Here," the healer continued, now completely ignoring Rex and turning all attention to Alystra. "You make the tea again, here are the herbs. Twice a day for the next three days. Make sure he doesn't miss. He should be fine thereafter." Alystra tucked the leather pouches into her bra, for safe keeping.

"But we're leaving," Rex said, glaring at the insolence of the healer's attitude.

"You leave. Fine. The boy goes nowhere if you want him to live. You understand? If he leaves, he doesn't live. If he lives, it will be because he doesn't leave. Leave him with Alystra McGovern. She is a healer too and can use the experience. He will be cared for in her hands," the healer replied, and waved them off before disappearing into the backroom, obviously done with them.

"Well then, I guess we should be off," Alystra said, glancing at Allistair. She had no intentions of giving Rex the pleasure of seeing where she lived, regardless if they were leaving tomorrow or not.

"I can't leave him here," Rex said, a bit more demanding.

"You heard the healer. If he leaves, he doesn't live. If he lives, he doesn't leave. Come on Allistair," Alystra added, making her way out the door, having absolutely no problems shoving past Rex in order to make it outside.

[Allistair McGovern]

Allistair scooped Edmond up as he nodded to the healer. She pushed past him, grumbling something that he didn't care to translate. He used Edmond's body to herd Rex out the door, and with the boy in his sister's care, he knew Rex wouldn't be happy.

"He's gotta stay here till he's better, or he won't get better. The healer is always right about these things." he nodded. "I can ride up and deliver word to you when he's well again, we can bring him home."

Allistair nodded confidently. He wasn't all together sure that the boy's sickness was his fault now. The way the healer looked at him when he told her the story of the woman in the market, that was all too creepy. He'd have to find out what she used, maybe he'd use it on someone, someday.

[Rex]

Irritated, Rex followed along, completely flustered, thinking about the future. Oh, this wasn't going to go well with Lord Tresson, of that he could rest assured. Eh, maybe he'd just pen a letter and leave it at that, saying something like the boy's life was in danger until he healed from his ailment. For sure, nobody would really miss him on the trek back to Alska, and if they asked, Rex would just say he was sick and asked to stay behind. Yeah, that would work.

"You can be on your way now," Alystra said, interrupting his thoughts and turning on him.

"Oh no. I've got to make sure he's safe," Rex argued, not willing to let Edmond out of his grasp so easily.

"Rest assured, he's safe. You can call on your king if he's not returned to his home within two months' time. I will personally escort him," Alystra added, glaring in his direction.

"I don't think so," Rex hissed, getting completely pissed off. Did this dense-skulled bitch have a hearing problem or something?!

"I do. Have yourself a grand evening. Maybe we'll meet again, but hopefully not." With that, she turned about and started walking again. If this stupid cunt thought she was going to get rid of him that easy, then she had another thing coming.

"I'm not leaving him here alone," Rex growled, grabbing Alystra by the shoulder. Before he could quite understand how it'd happened, he felt a jab in his crotch, knowing it was a blade. Instinctively, he jumped back, but the knife followed.

"If you so much as touch me again, then rest assured you will be leaving in more than one piece," Alystra hissed, her eyes narrowing. Rex could only hold his hands up in surrender. Edmond wasn't worth the Letalis family jewels, that was for sure.

With another flick of her head, Alystra walked away, catching up to Allistair in no time at all. They disappeared into the night, leaving Rex standing like an idiot, having lost a bet.