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Another One? {Eckhart}

Started by Celegwen, December 27, 2017, 07:03:39 AM

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Celegwen

@Eckhart_Von_Musel
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At the sound of Hildegarde's voice, the elf doctor looked up from his desk. He quickly closed the journal he was writing in and slammed it into the top left desk drawer, locking it up tightly. Her kid brother? Alderon thought. Since when...? Never mind that.

He stood up, cracking his neck with a slight wince and walking to his bedroom. "I'm a busy man, Hildegarde," he mumbled to himself, not caring that she wasn't listening. "I don't necessarily have time."

If I can deal with Randal, I can deal with another Von Musel.

Alderon pulled on his blue velvet robe and walked out of his apartment. Despite the fact he was quite literally walking down the hall, he locked the door before approaching Hildegarde's apartment. With one short knock as a warning, he walked inside. He'd been in her apartment several times before, so the scene was nothing new to him.

"Hello?" He said, approaching her room. There was a scrawny boy no older than twenty who resembled Hildegarde undeniably. He stood up straight, his hands behind his back. "You," he said. "Hildegarde's younger brother, I presume. I am Dr. Alderon Finicci, your sister's on-call doctor, healer, medicine man, or whatnot. Come along." Without giving Eckhart a chance to respond properly, Alderon turned on his heel and started towards the door.

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Eckhart sat in his sister's apartment, alone. Her sudden departure was a hidden blessing- it gave the boy time to reflect. "Five years of her being gone, and now it feels like she never left." he mused, sinking into the couch. "I wonder if she actually meant anything she said. She was never the type to apologize- not unless she was angling for something."

"People can change." a small voice in his head told him. "It's been a long time- enough time that she's probably grown up. Remember, she was younger than you when she left."

Eckhart sighed, closing his eyes. It had been a very long, emotionally exhausting day- and it was only lunchtime. "How did she even know where to find me?" was one of the many questions on his mind. "Where's Belladonna?" was another, as was "Will I get to eat today?"

A flat, monotonous voice caused the boy to open his eyes. A tall, blonde man stood with his arms behind his back, introducing himself as his sister's healer. Eckhart's eyes lit up. "Oh!" he said, standing up. "My name is-"

Dr. Finicci didn't give him time to introduce himself, and was already in the process of walking away. "Oh..." the boy said quietly. "This guy doesn't like me I think..."

Rushing to catch up with him, Eckhart followed the man out of the room. "Um, my name is Eckhart!" he squeaked. "I'm a healer too!"

Celegwen

"A healer, you say?" Alderon said, glancing over his shoulder without stopping. The man wasn't exactly one for introductions, nor did he really care if others thought him to be rude. He found that it was much better to be thought of as a brilliant bastard than a friendly fool.

He smirked slightly, his mind flooding with ideas and memories of Hildegarde mentioning her younger brother. Now that his attention had focused fully on the boy, he was able to recall the trouble he was involved with. He's a Von Musel, the man thought. Perhaps I can pick his brain a tad.

"A pleasure, Eckhart," he said. "I've heard quite a bit about you, especially since the unfortunate incident with the assassin from the other gang. Pleased to see it didn't cause any lasting damage." As he spoke, it almost didn't seem like he needed to pause for a breath.

He walked down the hall towards his apartment, unlocking the door and walking in. "You may call me Alderon. Your sister requested I keep you company while she goes to lunch."

His apartment was cluttered - to say the least - with journals and books and stray papers, but he knew where everything was. It was an organized mess that soothed a doctor's mad mind. "Forgive my ramblings," Alderon said, sitting in the clearly expensive, black leather chair behind his desk and touching his fingertips in front of his lips. "I prefer to do away with all unnecessary small talk before a conversation begins. Now tell me... How good of a healer are you? Where did you study?"

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Eckhart's eyes slowly widened as he followed Alderon into the hall. "This guy is weird..." he thought nervously. "Where the fuck did Hilda find him? The bargain bin?"

The boy was led into what he supposed was the man's room, and took a seat in comfortable leather chair. He looked around. "This place is a pigsty. Does he heal people here? I hope not, that'd be unsanitary." Alderon's comment about getting small talk out of the way was a bit unnerving, but Eckhart tried his best to answer the man's questions. "Well, um, I'm not amazing yet..." he began, trying not to meet the doctor's gaze. "Sweet Ansgar, I feel like I'm being interrogated."

"Uh, I'm not classically trained. I just read a lot of books, and then did trial and error stuff with my magic. Oh! My familiar gives me pointers too, she used to belong to somebody else..."

Celegwen

Alderon's left brow arched upward, his gaze not leaving Eckhart. He knew that he wasn't exactly making the boy feel welcome, but oh well. If Eckhart was truly uncomfortable, he had two fully functional legs to carry him out of the apartment.

"Your familiar?" Alderon asked. "I wouldn't think Hildegarde's brother was a witch. Never mind, though. To each his own here, and there shall be no judgment from me."

There was a moment of tense silence, then Alderon rose swiftly from his seat and floated to one of the room's seven massive bookcases. He ran his finger along the second shelf and stopped, pulling out an incredibly worn book. "Over my years of medicinal practice, I've gathered many books and written probably just as many journals. The mess you see here is just over half of my collection." The elf flipped through the pages, not looking for anything specifically, then closed the book. "You're welcome to use almost any of them, if you find yourself lacking reading material."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Eckhart looked at the man, flabbergasted. "W...what?" he said, eyes like dinner plates. "I'm not a witch!" The boy crossed his arms. "Witches have cantrips and cast spells from books! I don't do that stuff!"

"Sweet Ansgar, this guy is a fucking loon."

Eckhart looked away, scowling. "I'm sure your journals are very informative, but I already have reading material." he said curtly. "Thank you for your offer."

Celegwen

"Suit yourself," Alderon said, placing the book back in its specific place. The elf had a quality that even he found annoying: he had to have everything a certain way. All of his books, despite being sloppily organized, were alphabetized by title, and the journals without titles were at the end in order by date.

He situated himself back in his seat, resuming his original pose. Alderon crossed his legs, his right leg over his left, then furrowed his brows with a frown. No, he thought, putting his right leg back down.

"Don't stereotype!" Alderon snapped suddenly, looking at the boy with his intense gaze. "I've known a few witches in my time, and not all of them have cantrips or use books for their spells. Sometimes their books are simply to read in their spare time. Speaking of which," he tilted his head slightly to the left, "what kind of reading material might you already have?"

Eckhart_Von_Musel

"Is this really the best guy Hilda could find?" Eckhart thought, annoyed. "Come to think of it, the kid with the bird is a weirdo too. Maybe freaks are all she can get to work for her."

Alderon's sudden outburst snapped the healer out of his thoughts. He shrunk back into his seat, clearly frightened. "I-I'm sorry!" he squeaked. "B-Bella told me that was the difference between a witch and a wizard! I didn't mean to offend anybody!" Eckhart seemed to shrivel up in his chair. "I- I read my cat's journal... W-why?"

"Come on Hilda, get back from your date already! This guy is creepy!"

Celegwen

Alderon combed his hand through his white hair, taking a slow breath. Not a witch, he thought, not a trained healer, obviously not as charismatic as Hildegarde... "What does he have?" The elf said accidentally aloud.

He leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and his light eyes narrowed underneath his dark brows. It would've seemed to most that the elf was trying to read Eckhart, but anyone who knew Alderon would know he was simply examining the boy's build, clothing, and body language.

"Curiosity," he said quickly, as though he didn't realize he had voiced part of his previous thought. "Your cat's journal? Cat's the familiar, so naturally it would have some sort of magic, but that doesn't usually mean they can write; which means the somebody else had written the journal. Eckhart!"

He snapped his fingers, eyes widening and leaning back in his chair again. "What happened to the 'somebody else' your cat belonged-" He cut himself off, waving his hand once. "Dull question. Ignore that. Answer this. What does that journal contain?"

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Eckhart felt his self esteem plummet as the man openly questioned what he could do. "Not much." he thought bitterly. "I'm not very useful at all."

The boy squirmed uncomfortably in his seat as Alderon leaned towards him. The man's eyes were piercing, and his gaze seemed to bore into Eckhart. "Sweet Ansgar, this guy asks way to many questions." he thought nervously. "No way in hell I'm telling him about Maladies."

"Actually, she did write the book." Eckhart said curtly. This was true- Belladonna could levitate a quill if she wanted to write something. "And it's just herbal remedies, nothing special."

Celegwen

I'll bring it up again, he thought, as a faint whistle came from the other room. "That would be the tea," he said softly. "Forgive me, friend. I've been a most ungracious host." He stood up again and disappeared momentarily into the room. Taking the water away from the small fire, he took a few herbal mixes and added them to the tea. Lemon and chamomile were his favorites; calmed the nerves.

Letting it sit for a moment, the elf pulled out two cups. He brought the mugs and the tea into the sitting area, pouring tea into both. "Thankfully, Taza is a wonderful supplier of chamomile. The woman is a lifesaver. Help yourself." Alderon gestured towards the second mug of tea, as he sat down.

"How long will you be staying with us here? I've known of you for some time, but I must say it's nice to put a face to the name."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

As Eckhart finished speaking, he heard a whistling coming from somewhere else in the apartment. "Oh thank Ansgar, he's leaving the room." he thought as the man got up to make tea. He took a deep breath, looking around the room anxiously. Everything was in disarray, from the bookshelves to the desks. "This guy could use a maid. Maybe if his stuff wasn't scattered, his brain wouldn't be either."

Alderon came back, pouring the boy a cup of chamomile. Eckhart looked at the teacup apprehensively. "No way am I drinking your crazy juice. The stuff is probably drugged or something." He looked back at the doctor, a cynical expression on his face. "Um... Hilda said I'd be staying untill she took out the assassin and her boss." 

Saying this out loud felt strange. Had this happened only a few months ago, Eckhart would have paled at the thought of his sister killing people for him. At this point however, he'd had enough. Between the dragons, the assassins, and the strange mirror people, all he wanted was to be safe. "Killing is wrong. I know that." he thought sadly. "But what other choice do I have? This has gotta be a necessary evil, right?"

Eckhart shook his head. "So how long has Hilda been dating this Terry guy?" he asked, changing the subject. "Are they, like, serious about each other?"

Celegwen

"Relatively foolish thing to do," Alderon thought aloud. "Take out Spider, sure. Wasp, on the other hand, is quite useful. She's an animal, obviously, but any animal can be tamed with enough patience. Spider simply hasn't given it the attention needed."

He took a drink from his mug, tapping his foot softly. The tea burned his tongue, but he didn't mind it. In fact, he actually preferred it to be that hot.

"Who's Terry?" Alderon asked, narrowing his eyes. "Oh! Yes! That smallish creature she's become infatuated with. Is that his name?" He shrugged. "No matter. I don't pay attention to whoever your sister's newest flame is."

Been too many to keep track of anyway, he thought.

Once again, he gave a little shrug. "From my knowledge, he's been drooling over her for years: they've probably only just slept together, though. Who knows..."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Eckhart stared blankly at the doctor. "He wants to... tame her?" he thought, confused beyond belief. "That seems really... Inhumane?" The boy rubbed his eyes. "Yeah, there's definitely something in the-"

He froze. Face bright red, the healer stared at Alderon in complete horror. "T-that's too far." he sputtered, suddenly feeling rather sick. "I do not need to hear the intimate details of my sister's love life, okay?"

"Holy fucking shit, this guy. This fucking guy. I'm really glad I can heal myself, because I would not trust him with a scalpel."

Celegwen

"Thick skin, Eckhart," Alderon said. "To survive in Zantaric, or anywhere for that matter, you need thick skin." He chuckled lightly and shook his head. "Never mind that, though. I apologize if I've offended you."

Once again, the doctor's intense gaze focused on the boy. He took a long breath, placing the tea on the small desk. This kid will be eaten alive here, Alderon thought to himself. Shame. I like him.

"So," he started, "what is it you would like to do? Your sister hasn't specified exactly how long we're to be in each other's company, and I don't exactly think you would like to sit here to make idle chat with a mad doctor. Is there anywhere you would like to go? Anyone you would like to meet?"

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Eckhart simply glared at the man as he apologized. "Asshole." he thought angrily, fists clenched. "Don't talk about my sisters personal business and then blame me for not being okay with it."

The boy crossed his arms. "Take me to room one o'eight. I wanna see my cat."

"Belladonna will tear this guy apart, just wait."

Celegwen

Alderon smiled softly. "Very well," he said. "Excuse me for a moment."

The elf disappeared into his bedroom, opening his wardrobe made of the richest wood. He fished through it a bit, then put on a deep violet robe made of velvet. Tying a blue belt around his waist, Alderon emerged again, having been gone for only a moment. He picked up his ring of keys, tugging on his desk drawers to ensure they were locked.

"For future reference," Alderon said, looking down his nose at Eckhart, "I would appreciate a 'please' and 'thank you' when you ask for something. I do not satisfy demands, rather requests."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Alderon left for a moment, returning with a change of clothes. "For what purpose?" Eckhart thought, eying the man suspiciously. "Why did you feel the need to-"

The man spoke, criticizing the boy's behavior. Eckhart stood up quickly, fuming. "You asked me, you piece of shit!" he thought, shaking with rage. "Who the fuck do you think you are?"

Before Eckhart could say anything, the door creaked open. A boy who couldn't be any older than twelve peered inside. "Knock knock! Doctor Alderon?" the boy said, knocking on the door. "Do you know why the black part of your eyes get smaller when you're on opiates? Because Taza said to ask-"

The child paused, staring at Eckhart. He suddenly grinned, walking inside. "Wow! Lady Hildegarde, that's an awesome disguise! I couldn't even tell it was you at first!"

Eckhart stared blankly at the boy. "Um..."

Celegwen

The elf turned away from Eckhart at the sound of a familiar voice. He smiled warmly, nodding at the young boy. "Welcome," he said, answering the boy's question before addressing his mixup. "Opiates cause the circular muscle to contract. Opiates directly stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, which causes the restriction of the black part of your eyes. The black parts of your eyes are called pupils, by the way." He sighed slightly. "We've been over this."

Alderon put his hands behind his back. His energy relaxed immensely when the young boy entered, as he was familiar and close with the child. "Randal, meet Eckhart," he said. "Eckhart is Lady Hildegarde's younger brother. Eckhart, this is Randal. He's going to be the baddest of bad guys when he gets older." The elf winked at Randal with a smirk.

Watch, Alderon thought to himself. The child will remember Eckhart's name, but forget what a pupil is.

He released a short breath. "I was about to accompany Eckhart to the apartment he'll be staying in. Care to join us, Randal?"

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Eckhart stared blankly at Randal, unsure of what to say. "Why is my sister corrupting children?" he thought. "And why is he talking about drugs like it's normal? He's way too young for this!"

Randal, on the other hand, seemed to have a lot to say. "Whoah! Really? Are you a bad guy too?" He took a step closer, bouncing on his heels excitedly. "Did you really beat a dragon? Was it hard? Do you know why Lady Hildegarde eats with her mouth open?" The boy to a deep breath. He looked up at Alderon, beaming. "Can I really come? Does he have cool stuff to look at?" He looked back at Eckhart. "Do you have-"

"Sweet Ansgar, this kid is annoying. I gotta think of something fast..."

Eckhart raised a hand to cut him off, eyes wide. "You can come sure, but..." He leaned down slightly. "My cat is really mean, she might scratch you."

Randal practically jumped for joy, grinning madly. "She'll like me! I love cats!"

Eckhart looked at Alderon, a pained expression on his face. "Um, well, we should get going I guess..."

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