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@DragonSong ]
Severus gazed upon his reflection, an action he was unaccustomed to doing. Long sinewy fingers reached up, tracing along the carved ridges of his cheek and forehead as long as the wounds trailed. He had never considered himself conceited. Nor was he conscious of his scar in the sense that it perturbed him to reveal his face to others. He was aware of it. But it was not all he was.
Contemplating his features was a fleeting endeavor. For now, there was work to be done.
Never one to stay in any one place at one time, the road could bring only so much profitability. And the fact was his patients needed care. He was never late, and always returned on the day he'd promised. There was a professionalism he had to maintain, and breaking appointments never did wonders to foster trust between the ailing and the man with the incision blade.
Severus grumbled something and packed his bag, slinging it over his shoulder and snatching the crow's beak mask he'd taken to donning. The young woman he was to see this night was ill with fever. It was better to take precautions than not. Severus strapped it over his face, the glass lenses covering his eyes, and pulled the hood over his head, and headed out the back of the inn.
Alden was a small town, only on the most detailed of maps, buried deep in the southern region of Connlaoth, obscured in hills and thick forests, thus far obscured from much of the fighting. As dangerous as all roads had become, Severus would take what risks may come. He had promises to keep. Which was why he'd come as far as this backwater town, in a time where he'd otherwise wouldn't wish to find himself. The war had caused enough damage, and who know how much more it would cause still. That was not for Severus to say, but he would help those he could, if he could.
He walked hurriedly down the street from the back alley he'd appeared form. He had no aversions to going through the front door, but there tended to be fewer awkward glances to a man in such a strange mask. In the dark, he could travel freely without worry of too many prying eyes, and the interruption of foolish questions.
Severus stiffened, hearing footsteps ahead of him. He pulled his hood further down, and quickened his pace, making sure to keep his distance. No interruptions, he told himself. But as he peered upward, the figure ahead of him saw him in the lamplight along the street. And rushed toward him.
"Please, don't be alarmed!" the man cried out, voice hesitant. But Severus fumbled with his bag, reaching for his surgeon's knife in a panic. And perhaps worse would have come of it had he not seen the blood covering the stranger's hands as he pulled them from his abdomen. He stumbled on the edge of a cobblestone and tumbled toward Severus, clinging onto the edge of his robes.
Severus brought his hands up, catching the man by the shoulders. "You're wounded!" he hissed, staring at him with wide eyes, startled. "What happened?"
"There's no time...." A heavy breath. "Please. You must listen."
"I'm a doctor," Severus pressed, trying to bring the man to his feet, but there wasn't strength in his legs any longer. "I can help you."
"No...There is no help for me. You must take this. Please. It's a matter of life and death. Not mine....My time has come. But the life of another much...much more precious. They know. They are coming... Please."
Before Severus could protest a hand slipped into his, the blood streaking the paper that was being pressed into his palm. "No. No, no, no! Don't, don't slip away. I-I can help you," Severus said, but the body fell down along his, and as he knelt beside the stranger's still form. The die was cast, the life had been drained from him. One wound, it seemed, from a three-edged knife, triangular, that sunk in deep, nearly poking out his back.
Severus fell back on his haunches, holding his breath and peering at the blood that covered his clothing, and the bloodied paper that was pressed into his hand. Before he had a chance to open it however, another was approaching.
He scrambled for his things, to the mask that fell, and throwing his hood over his head as quickly as he could. He didn't know if would be fast enough.
