A Matter for Magic [MadEmperor, Imperfect_M]

[DragonSong]

When Kiara returned to the foyer, she had Aneas in tow. The young lord Ling had cleaned up well, and he was carrying a neatly wrapped bundle.

"I hear you two are off," he said with a nod to Grav, before thrusting out the wrapped package. "Here. It's not much, but... As thanks—you not only saved my life, you've exposed Volke. We owe you."

Kiara took her pack from Grav and nodded to Aneas. "Thanks, mate. Be seeing you, yeah?" She grinned and punched his arm lightly. "Try to keep out of trouble."

[MadEmperor]

"Thank you, Aneas." He nodded gratefully, taking the bundle with curiousity. The weight of it made him raise a brow at the lordling. He pulled back the cloth to find the ornate hilt of a high quality sword in an equally quality scabbard, a noble's blade of fine steel.

"No... I--I can't accept this. It's... too much," he argued humbly, taken completely off guard by such a valuable gift.

[DragonSong]

"Please." Aneas stepped back, hands up to show he wasn't going to take the blade back. "It's the least we can do, really." He looked between the two of them. "Are you sure you don't need to stay the night? We have plenty of guest rooms..."

Kiara glanced at Grav, biting at her lower lip. "I think we should get you to these Churio-whatevers as soon as we can," she murmured, though she seemed to be leaving the decision up to him.

"Right, of course." Aneas nodded quickly. "Well, just—don't hesitate to call on us if you need anything."

[MadEmperor]

"We would love to rest, but we were told to go straight to the Chirurgeons." Grav gave an apologetic smile as the pair left to find the guild in question.

Once outside, he said, "Aneas turned out to be one stand up guy, didn't he?"

[DragonSong]

"Yeah." Kiara smiled sidelong at the massive townhouse even as they left it behind. "For a mini-lord, not so bad."

Glancing over at Grav, she added with a nudge of her shoulder against his, "And generous, too. That blade's pretty damn high-end, huh? Gotta say, I feel a little left out."

She pouted, but it was clear from her tone that she was joking. With a dramatic sigh, she shrugged and said, "Guess he just likes you better."

[MadEmperor]

Grav unwrapped the blade more, the white scabbard shining in the magical lamplight. Something else fell out, but he caught it with surprising quickness. He lifted up a long dagger in a black scabbard. Its silver hilt was decorated with a ruby, the opposite of the golden hilt the sword bore.

"I think this one's for you."

[DragonSong]

"Oh shit."

Kiara took the smaller blade and slid it halfway out of the sheath. She whistled appreciatively, admiring the edge in the lamplight.

"Damn. He really didn't skimp on these, huh?" Grinning, she belted the sheath to her hip. "C'mon—let's get you to these Chirurgeons before something else happens."

[MadEmperor]

Grav nodded, and they departed the Garden District.


They had made Kiara wait in a sparsely furnished room, asking her all sorts of questions about the circumstances of Grav's condition. Like Tathfheithleann, they made no promises. They could only do the best they could.

Eventually, she was told that they needed time to observe him and that she needed to come back in the morning. However, she was allowed to check in on him before she left for an inn.

[DragonSong]

"This is ridiculous," was the first thing out of her mouth when she entered the room where Grav would be staying for the night. "We've fought fucking manticores and crossed the Fae Realms together, and for some reason I can't stay for your damned check-up?"

She huffed and frowned at the wall, arms folded. She didn't like places like this--houses of healing, telling her to come back in the morning, they just need to observe her--him. Observe him.

Shit.

Sighing, she pinched the bridge of her nose and shook her head. "M'sorry," she mumbled to Grav. "I just--I dunno. I'm...worried about you?" She chanced a peek up at him. "How're you feeling?"

[MadEmperor]

Grav shrugged as he sat on the edge of his cot. "I dunno. Like a bug in a jar with just enough holes to not suffocate?"

"I hate it." He gave her a crooked frown. "I hate feeling this powerless. It's like I have no say in my life."

[DragonSong]

Kiara bit her lip, then cautiously sat beside him on the cot. "I'm sorry," she murmured again. "I--I wish I could do something for you..."

She was quiet a moment, then nudged his shoulder with hers and offered a lopsided half-smile. "Want me to sneak back in after hours?" She knew better than most how sometimes saying "fuck the rules" could make you feel like you had a little more control.

[MadEmperor]

The swordsman grinned. "Oh gods yes. It's not like they're going to kick me out."

"But, truthfully, I may be asleep." He yawned. "And I'm not sure I want to get woken up."

[DragonSong]

"That seems fair," Kiara chuckled. She moved as though to hug him, then seemed to catch herself and changed the gesture to a slightly awkward pat on the shoulder.

She stood and stretched, then huffed, "Well, I suppose I'll be seeing you in the morning then. You just...take care of yourself."

She moved to the door, then paused, one hand in the doorframe. "Listen, Grav..." She tapped her fingers against the wood, not quite looking at him as she said in a hurry, "I don't make friends easy, and I don't keep a lot. So, y'know...I'd hate to have to replace your slot, is all I'm saying."

She gave him a brief flash of a crooked smile, then slipped out.

[MadEmperor]

Grav smiled tiredly as he watched her leave; she was a good friend. Alone, he lay down on the cot and fell asleep. To his later surprise, he only dreamed of the next adventure.


When she came to collect him in the morning, she was escorted back to an examination room where he was waiting for her. Doctor Asana, the Chirurgeon he had been assigned, was there with him. They stopped their idle conversation, and he gave his friend a smile and a nod.

"Good." The chirurgeon's expression changed to one of pure professionalism now that it was time for her to go over her findings. "He wanted you to be here before I got started. Take a seat, and I'll tell you what we know and what options you have."

[DragonSong]

Kiara returned the greeting smile with a small one of her own, though her expression quickly sobered as she crossed to stand beside him and looked the chirurgeon up and down.

"Alright..." She sat, looking stiff and uncomfortable. "Fire away, doc."

[MadEmperor]

Asana first repeated a lot of the same things Tathfheithleann had said, but in more digestible terms. She added that the traces of manticore venom in his system indicated that his blood did, in fact, have a degree of resistance that helped him survive the mutagen. It also explained why Volke had risked exposing himself to test his compound.

Grav would likely experience an increase in aggression going forward and that they needed to be on the lookout for other behavioral anomalies. He was also likely to gain some more obvious mutations before his body stabilized. The tail he appeared to be growing would be the first of these.

Then came the bad news: even by cooperating with Tathfheithleann, any attempt to reverse the process could take a very long time, and there was no guarantee of success. The best they could do in the foreseeable future was provide medication that might work to slow the process and mitigate any behavioral changes.

The news made Grav's improved mood vanish. It was looking too much like he would never be normal again. He looked at Kiara, then away as he fought to keep tears from welling up. Heroes weren't supposed to feel that way.

[DragonSong]

Kiara listened, nodding along with Asana and working to keep her expression blank. It...well, it didn't sound great. Grav would survive, which was obviously the biggest concern, but everything else...

She caught the way he looked at her out of the corner of her eye. As Asana finished, she nodded quickly and gave the chirurgeon a polite smile. "Thanks. You mind, ah, giving us a second?"

"Of course."

Once she'd left, Kiara turned to Grav and laid a hesitant hand on his shoulder. "Hey, mate. How you holding up with this?"

[MadEmperor]

Grav gave a shuddering sigh as he wiped his eyes. "Me? I'm great," he said in a weak attempt at keeping it light, but it just came across as bitter. "Sorry. I just—no, I'm not okay. I mean, I'll manage, but I'm worried I won't be me by the time this stops advancing."

[DragonSong]

"Hey, it's..."

She reached out, then paused, chewing at her lower lip. "It's...okay," she murmured after a moment, cautiously laying her hand on his arm. "I mean, it's okay to--to not be okay. This is a lot, and it's scary. You're allowed to be...not okay."

She hesitated a moment longer, then shifted a bit closer and opened her arms in an--awkward if sincere--offered hug.

[MadEmperor]

Grav wrapped his arms around her and buried his head on her shoulder. He did cry, but spared his pride by only crying a little. Afterwards, he straightened up and gave her a weak smile. "Thanks. I needed that."

Awkwardly, he added with a crooked smirk, "Y'know, the hug, not the crying that didn't even happen."