The Well

[Julian]

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2nd of Frost 120

“Julian? Son...?”

It wasn’t uncommon for the young man to be woken up by Thanasis calling for him. However, moments like this were always met with urgency, as it always meant that the older man needed his help. Julian had to learn early on to sleep with one eye open and his clothes on in case an emergency called for him to leave the house in the wee hours of the night.

Little did he know, this was going to be one of these emergencies.

Julian practically lept out of bed from his position near the back door of the townhouse, making a bee-line to his grandfather who laid in front of the Hearth. He appeared atrophied and weak, the sheets of his bed flung off of him and his large fingers deliriously fumbling with the front of his shirt. Unfortunately, this was nothing new. Julian placed his hand over his, soothing the agitated movements.

“I’m here, Thappa.” He replied in a hushed voice, kneeling beside him and bringing his hand up to rest against the man’s forehead. It was clammy and cold; it seemed as though the last few glimmering embers of the coals weren’t doing him any good to make him feel warm.

“You have a fever.” Julian confirmed his own suspicions, a breath of a sigh on his lips. Thanasis was hardly was able to get another word out, as the younger man stood up and went into the other room immediately in search of some water. That would be the first step in getting him regulated.

He made his way to the cast iron stove in the other room. To the side of it was a pantry where they kept their water and scarce food supply, which Julian knelt beside. When he opened up the door and lifted the jug that they stored it in, he found it to be almost completely empty. When he shook it, he could only hear the tiniest bit of liquid sloshing around inside, certainly not enough to quell his grandfather’s dire thirst. He'd have to take a trip to the well, something that he dreaded doing in the middle of the night.

“Shit…”

“Mmm?”

Julian lifted himself from his crouched position on the floor and limped to the back door. There, he grabbed his pistol and threw on his boots, slinging his crutch under his arm as he carried the jug in the other.

“We don’t have any water.” He said, opening up the door with a creak. “I’ve got my pistol… Stay here, and I’ll be back.”

[Julian]

Frost 2

It wasn’t a long walk to the well from his house, but the Nivenhain streets were dodgy enough that he felt like he needed to stroll through them slowly as to not alert anyone to his presence. He took the backway through a cramped alley until he reached his destination. The well sat in the middle of an otherwise empty yard, barricaded off by a tall stone fence that was around the perimeter. On the other side of the fence were houses, smoke lofting out of their jutting chimneys. It was a comforting sight in an area that otherwise felt dubiously safe; his frazzled nerves were thankful for them.

He set his jug on the ground and curled his fingers around the thick rope that held the bucket. He lowered it into the depths of the well with a splash, the weighty pail sinking under the surface. The bucket was a bit heavier than expected when it was full, requiring the use of both of his hands. He gripped onto it firmly, his crutch clattering to the ground as he did. Once he managed to bring it to the top, he heard someone mutter something behind him.

“Lose something, boy?.”

Julian let go of the rope and let the bucket drop with a splash, whipping out his pistol and shoving it into the face of the man who stood behind him without hesitation. He was middle-aged and toned, with a scraggly beard and yellowed teeth. Alongside him was a stronger looking man, stout and beefy. Julian's pulse pounded in his ears, his jaw so tightly clamped that he felt it ache. He must've been followed there.

The man let out a dry laugh at his reaction, which made Julian uneasy. In the man's hand was his crutch.

“I’m telling ya 'Rich, these streets are raising kids to be paranoid meglomaniacs...” He retorted to his buddy who let out a grunt of agreement. “I just wanted to give you your crutch back...” He drawled. Julian hesitated before dropping his aim, aggressively snatching the crutch back. The crooked man snickered, gesturing towards him in amusement.

"Feisty, this one is, ain't he?" He turned his head to his partner before locking his eyes back on Julian. "My name is Rex and this is Heinrich. We're not looking for trouble, just patrolling the neighborhood." His gaze slithered up the length of Julian's body, focusing mostly on the way that he shifted his weight onto his support. "You know, it ain't very safe for someone as dainty as you to be out here alone."

Julian's eyes narrowed on the man, his finger still playing with the trigger of his gun.

“You should know better than to sneak up on people at night." Julian trembled.

All that he was met with was a smirk as the man stepped forward.

“And you should know better to not shove your fuckin’ gun in a stranger's face.”

Before he could make another move, the two jumped him. The larger man tackled him, wrestling Julian's arms behind his back as his gangly counterpart grabbed his pistol. The man gave a shit eating grin, aiming at Julian's legs and pulling the trigger.

The hammer fired dryly with a snap. The man pumped the trigger a few more times, his face contorting from amusement into pure frustration when he realized that it carried no ammunition.

“The stupid fucker didn't even load it!” He hissed, opting to bludgeon his knee with the handle instead. Julian's scream was muffled by Heinrich cupping his hand over his mouth. "We wanted to take it easy on ya...all we wanted was your things-" He slammed down onto his leg again, the half-Drusk letting out a pained grunt. "-But you decided to be difficult. Are you going to give up, or am I going to have to start bashing in your teeth as well?"

As the pain started to become too much, Julian's will to fight back started dwindling. Then he remembered his grandfather. How he was lying at home, alone and desperately in need of his care. He screwed his eyes and fists together tightly, still continuing to thrash around aimlessly as an attempt to fight off his attacker in between blows. This was beyond pathetic, but he wasn't about to let them win.

[Haldir]

☠ 2nd of Frost, Year 120, Final Solstice ☠
Company: Victim and Thugs | Thoughts: Vermin all of them | Mood: Annoyed/Concerned

---

☠ The day before was filled with talk of muggings and robberies within the lower city of Nivenhain. Word spread like a flame to paper among the nameless that these muggings were happening at night when folks were alone. It made the people of Lower Nivenhain nervous and they began to either go out in pair or not at all.

I was prepared for the night, Manslayer sheathed on my back, heartstopper holstered on my hip, and cloaked in Malphas black embrace to aid in blending into the night. I held in my hand my surgeon's kit just incase the unfortunate victim needed medical attention. I wanted to be safe than sorry on an occasion like this.

I made haste that night, sneaking my way back into Lower Nivenhain in order to patrol the area. Walking along the corridors of the area, I canvassed the places in which I believed these attacks would take place. Was it hard to determine when an attack would take place? Well for me It was more so a question of when it would happen.

As I moved I began to ponder the effects of war had on the less fortunate. People seemed to be openly resorting to robbery and murder for resources. It honestly made me feel as though the way this country was being run was at the expense of its people. I couldn't stand to think of the suffering these people were going through, dealing with living to survive.

While within my own thoughts I heard the sounds of what I could only imagine being a scuffle. Quickly I went into a sprint, closing as much distance as I could within that short burst of running. Slowing into a trot I sat my medical kit down and unsheathed Manslayer from its holdings.

Keeping out of sight I watched as closely as I could at the scene to get a good grasp of what was happening. Though at the distance I was at, I found it increasingly difficult to determine anything of note, except for the fact whoever was being robbed was outnumbered. Another thing that caught my attention was the sound of a gun clicking. Though the shot never fired I used that moment to make my move onto the scene, draping the hood of Malphas over to obscure my face.

Quickly I concentrated on my sword, watching as it was wreathed in fire and knowing that the enkindlement wouldn't last but for so long. Coming from around the corner of the building I came sprinting the smaller male's blind spot, and by the time he would turn to see me, my enflamed greatsword would be biting along diagonally across his torso, blood spraying onto me and the floor, and the body soon burning a bit as well.

The brute that was holding their victim tossed the poor lad to the side and came to charge me. I rolled out of the way of him and retrieved Heartstopper from its holster. I let off all three rounds into the back of the man, watching his body fall to the ground with a loud thud.

"Hopefully that puts an end to the muggings and robberies for a while." I noted, looking at the two corpses now. I held no sympathy for them, as they brought harm to the people of Lower Nivenhain, the patients I had come to know rather well and as far as I was concerned they could rot in the streets for that matter.

Turning to the man they had besieged, I removed my hood, my golden tresses falling over the hood as I approached. "Are you ok? Stay still and I'll give you a look-see, I am a doctor." I explained, going to grab my kit with my medical supplies in it.

I began to examine him, noting the coloration of his skin, as it was an odd shade of blue, at least I believed to see blue hues in it. Odd indeed, though with the many nameless I've treated I wouldn't be surprised to find him to be of mixed blood as I was, though I did wonder what he could be mixed with to gain that skin pigmentation.

"What brings you out here alone? You must know these streets to be dangerous as of now, with this civil war going on? Well if you didn't you do now I suppose."

---

"Common Tongue"
"Silvain Tongue"
"Self-Thoughts"

[Julian]

Frost 2

The sudden move that ended his attacker's life was so fast that Julian missed it. In seconds he saw a bright light pass over his closed eyelids and the smell of scalding flesh, and when he opened his eyes he saw that the man had been sliced in half at the hands of a dark figure.

Julian's mouth hung open at the sight, unsure of what to make of it. Heinrich tossed him aside like a limp old doll before seemingly charging forward at the man. Julian didn't even have to turn his head to see the brute's demise, as the sound of three shots ringing out cemented that reality for him. It was over, and Julian had survived just by the skin of his teeth and a stranger's mercy.

He didn't move another inch until the previously-hooded man had crouched down beside him to examine his wounds. His savior wasn't hardly as rugged as he imagined him, instead, he was quite handsome. His blonde hair was something that was striking to him- stunningly blonde and clean, much cleaner than the average Rien that lived in Lower Nivenhain. He must've been well off, definitely not a local to the area.

"I'm..." Julian began dryly, his faculties of speech not quite coming to him yet as he tried to process the events that just unfolded before him. "I don't know if my legs are fractured or not-" He tried to move them with a grimace. It was clear that they were not broken, per say, but he knew that he'd likely have difficulty walking and standing for awhile. "-but they certainly feel like it."

As the man began to examine him, he asked him why he'd been out there. Julian surveyed the bloody scene in front of him, and he felt goosebumps prickle on the back of his neck. It'd only been a simple errand, and it ended up disastrous.

"I needed to get water for my grandfather. He's running a fever, and we didn't have any left at home. I can't afford to let him become dehydrated, so I came out here." He explained as he watched the man probe at his legs. He closed his eyes, trying to not focus too much on the pain. "I'm his caretaker. I'm a medical assistant too, but he's far too sick at times to be left alone, so a lot of my practice comes from taking care of him..."

He realized that he'd been rambling. The mention of the war made a chuckle leave him, at least.

"I might be naive, but I wasn't born yesterday." He looked at the man with a glint in his eyes. "I'd ask the same of you... what is a man like you doing out here with a flaming sword, a medical kit, and a loaded gun in the dead of night?" He glanced over the man's features once more, raising an eyebrow. "You stick out more like a sore thumb than I do in these parts."

[Haldir]

☠ 2nd of Frost, Year 120, Final Solstice ☠
Company: Victim and Thugs | Thoughts: Vermin all of them | Mood: Annoyed/Concerned

---

☠ I smirked at his reply to my inquiries, making sure he wasn't injured as severely as he believed himself to be. If anything that was shock he was experiencing, but I could understand after being tackled and pinned by that lug of a man. That and I was certain his adrenaline was still pumping given the situation, being attack and seeing men die before your very eyes.

"You'll survive, some scrapes if anything, but nothing to truly be concerned about." I assured him as I cleaned his wounds. He explained how he was out grabbing water for his grandfather, who I could only access as being ill as he explained he was his caregiver and held some medical training as such.

He was a spitfire it seemed, having a witty remark for my inquiry of him not realizing there is a civil war happening which made me chuckle. His statement about why I was there and what others may have thought of it made my eyes drift to his own, a smile forming on my face. "Believe it or not I use to be the local physician around here, so I doubt me roaming around like this would cause much alarm, especially given what I'm doing. Or have you so quickly forgotten who saved you?" I posed to him, making sure the bandages I had wrapped his wounds in were secure.

Moving from him I went to where my corpses were, pondering to myself which limb to take. From the looks of things and because I couldn't carry the entire corpse, I opted to hack off the hands of both men, placing them in jars and putting them within my surgeon's case. Looking to the young male I came to aid him to his feet, acting as a crutch for him seeing as his was damaged and I doubted it could be used. Despite that, I didn't think he would want to leave without it, so I grabbed it as we made our way out of the open area.

"We should get you back to your home safely, I would hate to see my patch job squandered cause you were attacked again. Why don't you tell me about the condition of your grandfather, how ill is he?" ☠

---

"Common Tongue"
"Silvain Tongue"
"Self-Thoughts"