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Another One? {Eckhart}

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

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Celegwen

"I don't know what he has," Alderon said, grinning at Eckhart's reaction to Randal. "But I'm sure Eckhart wouldn't mind showing you when we get there." The child was a handful, no doubt, but the elf doctor had grown to genuinely enjoy the never-ending barrage of questions. He locked his door behind them all.

He walked ahead of them both, his strides being naturally large. "Randal, remember the rules about other people's pets," Alderon said, looking at the young boy. "We don't touch anyone else's animals without permission. Ask Eckhart before petting his cat."

They walked to the door with '108' marked on it. Alderon flipped through four keys, stopping at an iron skeleton key. He unlocked the door and stepped aside for Eckhart to walk in first, putting his hand up to stop Randal if he thought about running in.

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Eckhart followed Alderon down the hall, Randal in tow. The child looked up at him in awe, and the healer couldn't help but feel a bit flattered. "What kind of stories has she been telling about me?" he wondered, pursing his lips slightly. "I'm not impressive enough for this kind of attention, so she must have made something up."

The finally reached Room 108, and Eckhart gingerly stepped inside. It seemed to follow the same model as Hildegarde's room- only the bare necessities, with no decorations. His things had been haphazardly thrown on the couch, and his warhammer was laying on the floor. The healer made a small *tch* noise. "Really?"

"There you are." Belladonna meowed, stepping out of the bedroom. "How did it go? Are you and her on good terms now?"

Eckhart nodded. "Yeah, I think-"

At that moment, Randal poked his head into the room. "Awwww!" he cooed. "Your kitty is sooooo cute!" He ran inside, kneeling in front of the now rather stressed cat. "Can I pet her? Please?"

Belladonna scampered away, jumping onto Eckhart's shoulder. "By the goddess, boy!" she exclaimed. "Eckhart, tell him to mind his manners!"

Eckhart cringed. "This is going to be a long day, I can tell..."

Celegwen

Alderon sighed in response to Randal's overexcited nature, pinching the bridge of his nose. He technically didn't disobey, he told himself.

"Randal, stand up and dust off your knees," the elf said, gesturing to Bella, who was now on Eckhart's shoulders. "Apologize to the cat for scaring her."

He raised one brow and stepped into the room, examining the lack of decorum. I suppose he and Hildegarde have more in common than appearance.

Then, his attention was drawn to the warhammer that was on the floor. Walking over and crouching near the weapon, Alderon huffed. "Forgive my bluntness, Eckhart, but how do you carry this thing? It's practically your size."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Eckhart went red in the face. "I- I manage!" he said indignantly. "I took it from a troll that attacked me! I-It's a trophy!"

"Sweet Ansgar, how the fuck does Hilda put up with this guy?"

Feeling something tugging at his sweater, the boy looked down to see Randal frowning at him. "Um..." the boy said. "Sorry if I scared your kitty..."

"What!" the cat hissed. "Apologize to me, not him!" 

Eckhart side-eyed Belladonna nervously. "Um, she'd like you to apologize to her." he told the recoiling boy. "Ah, she's not just a cat, she's smart like we are."

"Smarter, more like." the cat grumbled.

The child blinked, looking up at the two in awe. "Wait..." he said breathlessly. "You can talk to cats? But that's, like, so cool!" Randal looked at the elf excitedly. "Doctor Alderon, can I learn to do that too?" His gaze shifted back to Eckhart. "Can you teach me?"

"Eckhart." Belladonna meowed, fur bristling. "Eckhart, smack him."

Eckhart stared blankly at the boy, then looked at Alderon, eyes pleading.

Celegwen

"Randal, that's enough," Alderon said, his voice firmer than usual. The elf stood up, looking at the boy. "You've excited yourself, and you're going to do the same to Eckhart and his friend."

He looked disapprovingly at the young boy, then nodded to Eckhart. Alderon gestured to the cat with a slight wave of his hand. "This cat's a special cat," he said. "She's called a familiar, an animal special to a witch. And that doesn't mean Hildegarde's brother is a witch, before you ask."

Alderon bent down again and took hold of the warhammer. He lifted the weapon to examine it. Gripping it with both hands, the elf had a sudden rush of flashbacks. The years in prison and living as a gladiator slave flooded his mind, and Alderon dropped the hammer, stumbling backwards a few steps.

Squeezing his eyes closed momentarily, he took a breath and recollected himself. "Randal, uh," he slurred. "I told you to apologize to, uh... Eckhart, what might her name be?"

Eckhart_Von_Musel

"Dr. Alderon!" Randal cried, rushing up to the man and grabbing his arm. "Dr. Alderon, are you okay?" 

"Wow." Belladonna mewled, jumping off of Eckhart's shoulder to inspect the elven man. "What's his damage?"

Stepping forward, Eckhart cleared room on the couch and, if the man would allow it, would gently help the him sit down. "Um, stay put, okay?" the healer said nervously. "I'll go get you a glass of water..."

"This day. fuck this day."

Celegwen

"I'm fine!" Alderon snapped, jerking away from Eckhart. His first instinct was to also swat Randal away, but he cared too much for the child to potentially cause a tear in their relationship.

The elf composed himself, taking a breath and straightening his robe. That was dangerous, he thought. I have to keep that under control.

Smoothing out his white hair, Alderon forced a smile for Randal, then looked at Eckhart. "Someone very close to me, you might say from another life, wielded a hammer rather similar to that one. It did great damage, and eventually, it even killed him. It was just memories that surfaced from years of suppression."

He wanted to give Randal's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, but knew that the boy had issues with being touched. "Now, Eckhart, if you would answer my question? Your cat's name?"

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Eckhart recoiled, backing away from the man. Belladonna looked up at him, glowering. "Let me talk to them."

The healer nodded. "O-okay. You can speak to them."

Randal quickly let go of Alderon's arm, an upset look on his face. "Doctor Alderon, he just wanted to-"

"Alright elf, listen up." Belladonna said, interrupting the boy. "Are you familiar with synchronicity?"

Celegwen

Alderon sighed, looking downward at the sudden audibility of the cat's voice. "Synchronicity?" He repeated. "Of course, just hold on."

The elf crouched down, so he could be at Randal's eye level. "Randal, you trust me well enough, right?" His voice changed to a much gentler tone. "I've told you that there are some things I don't like talking about from before I came here. Sometimes, when I think about them, it's like having a nightmare when you're awake. It's over now, though. I promise I wasn't angry."

Without rising, he looked at Eckhart, then back to the cat. "I've always felt synchronicity was a tad too coincidental: a way to explain the unexplainable without actually doing so. But something tells me you're about to argue that."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Randal nodded, not really paying attention. "Whoa..." he said softly. "That cat is talking right now..."

Belladonna's eye twitched. "You've never tied your life force to another being, have you?" She lashed her tail angrily. "When I say synchronicity, I mean Eckhart and I are synchronized. I feel everything he feels, including his emotions." The cat's fur bristled. "Normally it's subtle, but right now I can feel his anxiety as it were me own."

Eckhart turned bright red. "B-Bella!" he cried. "Come on, don't sell me out!"

The cat cleared her throat. "Tell me elf, why do you think he's upset right now?"

Celegwen

"I can only guess," Alderon said, rolling his eyes. "Honestly, cat, I could not care less about his emotional state. No offense, Eckhart."

He stood, moving to sit on the couch. "I tend to physical damages, not to the emotionally unsteady. Everyone has their demons: some are closer to the surface than others, which makes anxious energy more prominent. It isn't my responsibility to walk around you both as though I were on broken mirror shards."

I liked her better when she couldn't speak to me, the elf thought.

Eckhart_Von_Musel

"How the fuck am I not supposed to take offence to that?" Eckhart thought, balling his fists.

"Doctor Alderon, that was rude!" Randal said crossly. "What would Taza- OH MY GOSH!"

Belladonna's eyes glowed a deep purple hue. Assuming he didn't have some sort of protective talisman, Alderon would find himself being lifted into the air and thrown across the room. If he looked up, the doctor would see the warhammer levitating dangerously in the air above him.

"You wanted to know why he carries the hammer?" the cat asked snidely. "That's just the thing, he doesn't- I do."

Eckhart stared at his familiar, mouth hanging open. "Holy shit Bella, calm down!" he said, beginning to panic. "He's not worth it!"

Celegwen

As soon as the cat's eyes started glowing, the elf realized that she was more powerful than he had thought. Alderon was magically thrown and hit the wall...hard. Upon impact, he bit his lip, cutting it slightly. He then fell to the ground on his right arm, the sound of breathy laughter escaping his lips.

He rolled onto his stomach, catching his breath. Alderon quickly looked to Randal, who was standing too close to the action for the doctor's comfort. He whipped his left hand in Randal's direction. The white markings along that arm flowed a pale blue and separated from his skin, aiming to attach themselves to Randal's arm.

The markings Alderon had could form a protective shield around someone else, so he wanted to make sure the young boy was safe from whatever would happen.

When he heard Eckhart speak up, he looked above him to see the warhammer directly above him. "Bella... Pretty name," he said hoarsely, glaring at Bella again. "Drop it. I dare you."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Randal recoiled as a strange, pulsating energy surrounded him. "Hey!" he yelled. "Stop fighting! Friends don't do this!"

Belladonna chuckled as she saw the man's bloody lip. "Oh believe me, I will drop it." she meowed. "Just let me reposition it." The hammer floated to where it was hovering above the man's crotch. "There we go."

Eckhart tried to rush up to the cat, but found an invisible barrier had formed between him and the action. "Bella, stop!" he cried. "We're supposed to be-"

The door to the room flew open. Randal squeaked in fear as a very large Yorieqi woman walked inside. "Oh no..." the boy said meekly. "We're so dead!"

The winged giant looked at the cat, then at Eckhart. Finally, her eyes rested on Alderon. She raised her hands in a quizzical gesture, eyes narrowed.

Celegwen

Randal's reaction to the shield Alderon had cast was understandable, as it was the first time the elf had shown that little gift to anyone, but that wasn't the time or place to explain. He lifted his head and watched nervously as Bella moved the hammer towards a dangerous area, unable to move himself.

Just then, the door swung open to a familiar face. While Randal was afraid, Alderon felt a flood of simultaneous dread and relief. He smiled and dropped his head to the floor, his breathing growing deeper than the short breaths before.

"Griselda," he said, propping himself up on his elbow. "I believe this is the happiest I've ever been to see you." Now that the winged woman had shown up, he knew that he was finished. "Griselda, this is Eckhart, Hildegarde's younger brother, and the follicly challenged feline is his familiar, Bella. Eckhart, Griselda. She's a woman of...well...no words." He looked at the confused expression that Griselda wore and sighed. "Oh, don't give me that look. You know as well as I do that this is because I can't hold my tongue."

He held his left arm up to summon his markings back from Randal, then started inching backwards. "Bella, I think I've changed my mind about dropping the hammer. If you wouldn't mind..."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

It was always something.

Griselda watched as the cat hissed, the hammer slowly lowering itself to the ground. Randal stopped glowing blue and ran over to comfort Alderon. She huffed. The relationship between the boy and the doctor was never one she really understood- Randal had inherited Taza's obsession with being polite, yet Alderon was possibly the most tactless person in Zantaric. It made next to no sense, and yet the two got on wonderfully.

"Are you okay?" she could hear the boy ask. "Did that nasty cat hurt you?"

Sighing, she walked up to Eckhart, extending her hand to shake. He flinched, causing the woman to snort in laughter. It was to be expected- the boy seemed rather shy the first time she encountered him. She grinned and ruffled his hair, and he seemed to relax slightly. It figured- weaker people were always frightened of her if she didn't establish herself as a Friend early on.

Turning, she walked over to the doctor. She stood over him, eyes narrowed. That he had the gall to pick on Hildegarde's brother was amusing, but foolish. Mistreating the boy had caused a small war, after all- who knows what the boss would do to somebody she actually knew.

Overall, definitely one of the man's dumber decisions.

Celegwen

"This is why you always have to remember your manners, Randal," Alderon said with a smirk. He huffed, sitting completely up and twisting his upper body to the left and right to stretch his back. "I'll be fine. Don't worry."

He looked at his arm, once again with the white markings on it, and frowned slightly. Glancing over at Eckhart and Griselda, the elf chuckled. The boy was incredibly skittish, yet he seemed to not be as afraid of her as Alderon had originally expected. Curious, he thought.

The large woman approached Alderon and Randal, her eyes peering down at the man. "I know what you're going to say," he said, looking up at her. Quickly realizing his slip, he simply went quiet for a few seconds and smiled, making it seem like it was an intention mockery.

Why the fuck hasn't she beaten me to a pulp so far? Alderon asked himself, shaking his head with a chuckle.

"I know what you're thinking," he corrected, "but in my defense, the rat - I'm sorry, the cat - was the one who made it physical. I made sure no one got hurt! Well, other than yours truly." He touched his lip and grinned. Alderon reached his hand towards Griselda from the floor. "Come now, my prodigious protector! Help a man back on his feet?"

Eckhart_Von_Musel

"Rat? Rat?" Belladonna hissed angrily. "Oh, you'll regret that- just you wait!"

"Sweet Ansgar, can this situation get any worse?" Eckhart thought, shifting on his feet uncomfortably. "Maybe coming here was a mistake..."

The large woman promptly ignored Alderon, turning away as he reached out his hand and walking back towards the healer. She looked at him intently before gently taking him by the shoulder and escorting him out of the room. 

"Um..." Eckhart murmured. "Uh, where are you taking me?"

"Oh, are we leaving now?" Bella asked, scampering after them. "Good, fuck that guy."

Eckhart looked back at the boy and the doctor as he was led out of the door. He waved nervously to them. "Um... Bye?"

Randal waved back. "Bye! Get that cat looked at please, I think she's rabid!"

Celegwen

"Griselda, my flower," the elf called after them. "I believe this is putting a damper on our relationship! I chase and chase, yet you give me only silence and sarcastic expressions in response! Nobody likes a tease, my dear!"

He laughed, glancing at Randal. Alderon smoothly stood, his sight failing for a moment from a rush. He smirked, squeezing his eyes closed briefly and regained his balance.

"Come along, Randal," Alderon said, straightening out his attire. "Lady Hildegarde instructed me to watch over her brother, and that's just what I'm going to do." His quick steps followed Griselda and Eckhart, and he looked over his shoulder to make sure Randal was following.

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Ignoring the man for the time being, Griselda eyed the numbers on the doors as the she passed. Every Friend had a different collection of squiggles, which was easy enough for the woman to memorize.

The cat has jumped onto the younger Von Musel's shoulder, mewling. "I don't know!" the boy said, exasperated. "It wasn't worth attacking him over though!"

Smirking, Griselda reached the room belong to the midwife- the one whose neck she didn't want to snap- and gently pushed the healer and his cat inside. Closing the door behind them, she turned to glare at Alderon and Randal with her arms crossed.

"Um..." Randal said nervously, hiding behind the doctor. "I-I'm sorry..."

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