Completed Aftercare

[Perrine Urahil]

Days were a blur, lost in a haze of routine and travel. They had a schedule to follow, the medics and the few gifted Healers visiting various groups of Dreadlords and Guard alike. Her return to the city left a wonderfully exhausted Perrine, who longed for a bath and a good rest. She had not made time to return home at her father's residence, instead pausing for an exhaustive moment at the barracks she barely spent time in. She was always called away for her magic, heralded as one of the best the Dreadlord ranks have seen in years, but they loved to work her to the very bone.

There had come a knock upon her door, a last minute order to check up on the last group in.

Perrine did not bother with her uniformed jacket, choosing to remain as she was. Disturbed in her attempt to wind down from extensive travel had her still in riding pants, her grey shirt loose, and her silvery blonde hair unbound and cascading down her back in a thick waterfall. She had longed to wash it, to massage different expensive oils in it to keep it glossy and bouncing, but it was an exhausted Dreadlord healer than walked into the consult room below the building she was in.

"Right. What is wrong with you... Henk?" She peered down at the papers, scowling at the name. Was that it? The report was bare bones, and the Fourth Rank Dreadlord looked up to see the awaiting patient.

"Took the brunt of a rough and tumble? Hm?" She set aside the board and gestured for him to remove his jacket and shirt. Not only did her magic sense the inner wounds in oneself, it was better to get an eye on what she would be dealing with. Perri was thorough in her evaluations. She only used her magic if it was required, not wishing to burn out her reserves over small scrapes.

---

Henk

 

[Henk]

Yes. Yes he had.

The trip back to Vel Anir after Henk's latest battle with the Exiled rebels had almost been as treacherous as the mission itself. Erodin and his monstrosities were bad enough, but the bizarre and malevolent creature that had sprung from the earth in a bid to devour them all had proved nearly too much for him to handle. In the end, a temporary truce was the only reason he or his colleagues had survived.

And even then, they hadn't come back happy.

The last night he'd spent on the road coming home had brought a trial of an entirely different type. One that he feared had severed his friendship with one of the only people who still trusted him. One that had caused him to give into his loneliness and sorrow for a moment of respite. A moment it did grant him, but the pain it brought afterward was monumental.

When Perrine asked him what was wrong, all of this came to mind. Yet, he had the oddest feeling that perhaps divulging information about his latest one-night-stand with a fellow Dreadlord was perhaps not what the Urahil was looking for out of him.

"Yes. It was... a situation. Tossed around, so took some heavy impacts, but tried to shield myself with my arms, since I wear armor on them. I do believe my shoulder is slightly swollen, and I have a small limp on my right leg."

Nothing grievous, especially not by Dreadlord standards. He did seem to gloss over the fact his arms and hands appeared slightly burnt or the fact that a patch of skin on the back of his neck had gone dry and chalky. Nevertheless, he disrobed from the waist up and seated himself, closing his eyes and waiting for her word.

"Nothing I can't handle."

Perrine Urahil

 

[Perrine Urahil]

Exhaustion was an ever present state for the woman.

"I thought many of us Dreadlords wore armour on our arms. Legs too, if you could imagine!" Humour had died on her lips hours ago, but still, Perri continued through her tired state.

Perrine knew how to conduct herself in such a state, glad that at least the past five years as a Dreadlord had created a routine her body could follow in her sleep. She barely had an education as an Initiate, but learned plenty once pulled into the ranks and put to work as a Healer when it was obvious she had quite the talent for it. And that talent was best at work with her hands. She placed them either side of his bared shoulders, lightly testing the swelling he mentioned as her magic began to soothe the area. A cooling sensation would wash over the area before she moved that same hand to his side, poking gently before resting the palm against a less scarred area.

"Your knee has taken some damage, and I can figure out what is causing you grief. The cartilage is also... not the greatest from what I can tell. Want me to fix that or are you hoping to count on an early retirement?" She took a step away and grabbed a small stool to perch on, now looking up at Henk on the bed he sat on. "Have not seen someone for your wounds for a while, am I right? There seems to be some neglect in you..." She did not need to go into the specifics at the moment.

Her hand reached up for his shoulder again, pressing down on the flesh to test how much swelling had disappered. She nodded to herself, testing the area once more before delivering another wash of cold magic to soothe. "That is taken care of... hm. You got some bruising that looks less than a day old... but your other wounds have been there for a good few days." Perrine lifted a blonde brow. "Do not tell me Dreadlords and Guards still scrap around for entertainment. The last guy that did that, I had to reattach six of his teeth back into his gums, though I suppose bruises say you came out a like a victor."

Henk

 

[Henk]

Her attempt at humor was at least somewhat appreciated; Henk managed a smirk at her words, offering a shrug of his shoulders and shutting his eyes as she looked him over in the spots he'd specified. "I suppose I'm a fool, then." He certainly wouldn't be the first to call himself such a thing, and he doubted he would be the last.

Perrine was unlike some of the other Urahil's he'd encountered in the past. She did not reek of superiority, did not exude self-importance. Her touch upon him, while professional and non-chalant, was gentle, careful not to cause him any more pain than he'd already endured.

Henk appreciated that, enough that he didn't get too rigid when she started pressing him about some of his more fresh marks. The Dreadlord did feel himself stiffen, though, as he realized what those marks were from. "Oh..." He muttered, looking down at where she'd mentioned. Yes, he supposed he hadn't noticed, but there were some visible... 'scars' of his latest outing that hadn't come from the Exiles or the monster.

"Well... I suppose you could call it scrapping." Henk shifted uncomfortably, sliding his eye back shut and tilting his head away from her slightly. "Focus on the important things, but don't worry about the newer superficial marks. Had a bit of a rowdy encounter with a lady on the way home." It was an embarrassing thing to admit aloud, of course, but being medically inclined he'd no doubt she'd suss it out eventually. Even fights between Dreadlords didn't usually involve bite marks and nail scratches.

Perrine Urahil

 

[Perrine Urahil]

Perrine did not hide her thoughts on her face. She was far too exhausted and weary to shield her emotions and expressions, but at least Henk was not the type to ask questions about her or anything for that matter to make such a check up drag on. So, Perri snorted. "Right. Scrapping with a lady..." She was inexperienced, but not utterly clueless.

This Henk probably didn't need her poking around with questions, but he had no choice but to sit there and listen to her as the healing made it's way through himself. "Do you often have rough and tumbles with your lady friends?" Of course, in her career, she had seen strange and odd injuries that came after a passionate love affair. She had even seen worse on some others, but had kept her mouth shut. Perrine needed to keep up that disconnect, that distance from a patient.

It was Henk's lucky day. Despite her want to keep this quick so that she could collapse into her uncomfortable bed, Perrine began to lightly touch, tap, and prod across his skin. Some touches were hard, needing to test the joints and bones. Her healing magic was tame, and her healing magic required a harsh start. By the time her assessment took her to his back, she clicked her tongue. The fatigue in his muscles was an easy fix, ensuring him a good night's sleep if he wished, but she could feel the considerable tightness that no doubt came from his strenuous activity. "You really need to be friends with a Healer. They will sort you out better than any medic that has learned to heal."

Henk

 

[Henk]

Just as Perrine was too exhausted to hide her emotions, Henk was too worn out to care much about what she thought of him. Living in a place where half of his comrades considered him to be a traitor, having a medical Dreadlord consider him to lead a lascivious lifestyle was the least of his concerns. Trivial in comparison, really.

Still, he was nothing if not professional, and would answer her questions without protest. That being said, his jaw did tighten a bit as she prodded further into his habits, his voice flat as he responded with a stern "No. I do not." He shouldn't have done so with this latest one, either. For all of the weakness that he'd spent so long stamping out of himself, the ache of loneliness was still a foe he'd yet to conquer, and while his body was willing, his heart was still vulnerable.

Henk allowed her to examine him as thoroughly as she wished, though some part of him wondered if the curious taps and pokes against his flesh were entirely necessary or if they were merely the act of a curious mind attempting to restrain itself.

"All due respect, Lady Urahil..." He again replied, without looking directly at her. "I find my number of friends dwindles as of late. I will keep your recommendation in mind, though I doubt I'll have reason to."

At the young age of Twenty-One, he was already scarred beyond belief and blinded in one eye. As far as he was concerned, he was merely prolonging himself until he had a chance at Gilram. In another ten years, he doubted he'd be able to fight any longer at the rate he was going.

Perrine Urahil

 

[Perrine Urahil]

Perrine snorted. "That obvious who I am?" She after all was of the perfect Urahil imagery. "Not a Lady. Just Perri will be fine." Titles and ranks was all she heard, but it would be nice to hear her own name be said in some time.

Her fingers prodded and tapped once again, not looking to his wounds on flesh, but the loss of strength in places around his body.

"Then it seems we have something in common. I cannot tell you any friends I have without naming the people I work with or my own family. I used to have friends... but you lose them quickly once you make Fourth Rank at sixteen to be deployed constantly." Perrine was only acutely aware of what it was that Henk had done. Her exhaustion had made her gloss over his identity, but the more she was in his presence, she came to realise.

"Oh. That is another bruise I missed." Periwinkle eyes lift to meet Henk's gaze. "I thought all tussles between sheets were more of... the milder kind." She would not know. The Healer never felt such an attraction to do any of those things.

Henk

 

[Henk]

Henk frowned a bit at the assertion she made and shook his head. "I know who you are. This is my home, and I make it my business to know who I share it with." He paused for a second and winced as she prodded a particularly sore spot. Even he couldn't tell what wound was from when, or which of his battles had left the scars on his body. "...But I will refer to you as you wish, Perri. I only used your proper title as a sign of.. ngh... respect."

The Dreadlord seemed uneager to respond to her attempt to relate to his lack of friendships. It was not that he didn't sympathize with her struggles, but... to call them kindred in that sense would have been somewhat of a stretch. Henk averted his eyes, grimacing at the words that nearly came to his lips and replacing them with a timid "I'm... unsure if our situations are so similar."

Henk wouldn't be surprised of an Urahil was on the side of thinking him a filthy traitor for his actions, but she had yet to greet him with some of the unpleasantries he'd already endured from some of her relatives. She was either ignorant of his status, or merciful. Either way, he was more than happy to change topics, even if it meant divulging further information on his... private activities.

"Loneliness and attraction are a deadly combination, Perri. Are we not all animals at our cores?" There was no desire to discuss specifics with this stranger, but she did not seem to be asking out of ill-intent. "Sex isn't always about love, I've learned. sometimes, it's anger, or sadness, even fear." Henk had never experienced a physical interaction born of love himself. The first handful of times, he'd more or less been used. This one? It had been uglier.

"Sometimes you just need something. Why are you so curious, anyways?"

Perrine Urahil

 

[Perrine Urahil]

Perrine scrunched her face, not looking at him as her eyes fixed at his right leg. She was sure her magic was at work before checking his shoulder again at the swelling, fingertips lightly brushing in strokes to reduce it. Here, her eyes flicked up to his with no indication of shyness or coyness, just idle conversation as she went about fixing the healing his body did naturally.

"That is what you believe, but I was brought up to have my virtue be part of a marriage transaction." Perrine spoke after a while. She dropped her gaze, but the unmistakable clenching of her jaw could be seen as she now firmly pressed her thumb where the swelling had been, monitoring Henk's body's reflex to the force. Normal. Good.

"I never know what it means to want something like that... but in my studies of medical training, I came to learn that mentality plays a big part in some. Perhaps that applies to me." She was too exhausted or spent working terrible hours as a Healer, but her body was now used to this abuse, operating enough to function day to day. "Sometimes there are those of us that cannot afford to lose this apparent worth. For me... I guess I am curious because I simply cannot fathom the mindset."

Henk

 

[Henk]

There was a small sigh of relief that left him as he began to feel the fruits of Perrine's efforts. It wasn't an instantaneous effect, but slowly he'd begun to feel less of the pain that had radiated through him ever since the fight in the woods. Under her touch, his muscles would begin to slacken, the swelling reducing and the bruises fading in color.

She was good, more than he'd given her credit for.

"I was merely answering your question, Perrine." He spoke through his teeth, focusing on relaxing. "I do not fault you for saving yourself for a groom. In fact, I admire it." There was a time in which Henk had thought similarly, that when the time came, he would find himself with a perfect scenario to enjoy himself with the woman of his dreams, whoever that may be.

That optimism had faded, with time.

"But... I've come to realize that the life I am leading will likely result in an early demise for me." Henk looked down at her with his one working eye, but his gaze lingered only for a moment before looking down at his wounds. "I am in my early twenties, and already I've lost vision in one eye, my body is riddled with scars, and I'm in constant pain." He sighs, shaking his head. "Marriage isn't in my future. Only bloodshed. I've come to accept that. If I'm offered some pleasure that will take my mind off of that fate, it behooves me to take it."

Perrine Urahil

 

[Perrine Urahil]

Perrine could not help but snort. Many of his ailments she could fix up for him right now, but she could feel herself reaching her limits before her own body began to shut down from being overworked with magic. "Cannot help with the loss of an eye," In time, she probably could, "but am I glad that natural Healers are so rare. I am needed behind the lines than to be placed on the front."And live a future that would keep her life that much longer than those suited to see battle.

There was a reason Healers barely made it out of the Academy. "I think the unfortunate circumstances of being much younger than most Dreadlords upon my initiation was that I never caught on to any advances once I was old enough... and many turned away at my House." No one dared to go near a Urahil, even one that looked like she was bred for royalty, not slumming it amongst the barracks.
Perrine glanced at Henk, now taking him in with an appreciative eye. "I have seen plenty of broken bones and battered souls, and you look the better of them." Her fingers now moved to do final checks, happy with the response his body took to the healing. "Oh, but please. This is not me offering to take your mind off of things." There had been times in the past some patients mixed their signals with her constant touching of the hands, the only way she could properly see what needed to be tended and healed. "I am merely getting at that I cannot imagine if being very hard for you to find company."

And the blonde lifted both brows, finished with her assessment, but not telling him to leave so soon either.

When was the last time she tal--- ah, right. She had never had some an illuminating conversation about this topic before.

Henk

 

[Henk]

Henk merely listened to Perrine speak, closing his eyes and letting his body acclimate and heal at its own pace. Not that he was ignoring the woman. On the contrary, he found her rather interesting. The few Urahils that Henk had met were not so personable. From what little hints he'd picked up on in Perrine's words, she was somewhat of an outcast among her family.

An outcast... Henk could relate to that.

Still, it was somewhat of a surprise when she began to compliment his appearance. His self-confidence had grown considerably, but it was no secret to anybody that he wasn't the prettiest thing to look at. All that Henk could do was smile politely, and somewhat awkwardly as she finished her work all the while assuring him that he looked 'the better of them'.

Perhaps the topic at hand had made him sound like somewhat of a playboy? Henk couldn't even remember how they'd gotten on the subject of sexual relationships in the first place. His marks from Everleigh? They'd gone from that to this? Perrine sprung back up to her feet as her work was completed, and Henk opened his eyes to look up at her.

"Oh, but please. This is not me offering to take your mind off of things. I am merely getting at that I cannot imagine if being very hard for you to find company."

A small, brief laugh shook Henk's chest for a moment. He wouldn't have dreamed of making a move on her; Henk wasn't the type. Though he knew she meant well with her words, truthfully they carried a small sting with them, one that brought him to lean back in his seat and give a shake of his head, his eye wandering.

"I appreciate that, Perrine. You're a kind woman."

There was a pause, as she seemingly waited to see whether or not he would leave, or continue talking. Henk took in a breath, shifting awkwardly in his spot.

"I hope you find love, Miss Perrine. You deserve that. It's far more important than any pleasure of the flesh, I truly believe."

Perrine Urahil

 

[Perrine Urahil]

Perrine could not help but make her doubts known upon her face. She arched her brows with amusement, an awkward smile pulling at the corners of her lips. "Love, huh?" A chuckle left her. "I feel as if the only way I would find anything worthwhile is through my work like this or perhaps divine intervention of my family arranging a marriage for me..." Perri shifted in her seat, looking up at the Dreadlord.

"I am still a Dreadlord. There are medics, yes, but natural Healers? I could heal anyone back to full health within minutes. I take back anyone that is at Death's door and they are back on the battlefield again. If I am to find love or to marry, my work is only going to get in the way of anything happy." Perrine tried to not sound bitter, but it was not the first time she had thought about this at all. Her father warned her about this, about serving this House and family first before anything else.

Perrine sighed, shaking her head slowly, hands coming up to tuck her hair behind her ears. "I am not going to chase something I know I cannot commit to fully... so I stay here, doing this. Serving Vel Anir, serving my House." And did she not loo ecstatic about it. She would not speak about the unfair cards dealt to her, not when everyone had their own motions to go through.

"Ignore me. I am just... tired." She already forgot what sleep she had missed.

Henk

 

[Henk]

Henk was well-meaning but ignorant. He understood little of the politics of Vel Anir's most noteworthy families, and had little desire to learn. After all, he was not in one of them and never would be. Henk's reason for being in the Republic began and ended with squashing the rebellion that had taken his family from him. Anything more was an overreach he would not live long enough to see through to the end.

Still, his ignorance did not mean that he could not sympathize with Perrine. Some of the sentiments she shared were far more relatable than he would care to admit, especially the last one, about not chasing what you cannot commit to.

In a roundabout way, she'd answered the very question this odd conversation had started with. Henk crossed rose from his seat and began to pull what clothes he'd needed to shed back on. "Perhaps we are more alike than we realize, Perrine. I too, cannot commit to a family life, I cannot commit to a future for myself beyond death across from the enemy. So I fight, because it is the lot I was given, and because it is the difference that I know I can make."

Henk had the power to change things. He didn't know what that power was, or how he needed to use it, but he believed in his capability to create meaningful changes to better the people who suffered under this constant conflict. If it meant enacting that change, he would fight until his last breath.

"As for the 'wrestling in the sheets'. I suppose I don't think it a sin to allow oneself to taste what they'll never fully possess if only so they know what they're missing."

He smirks, looking over at the healer with a hint of amusement in his working eye.

Perrine Urahil

 

[Perrine Urahil]

Perrine did not hide the crinkling of her face, shaking herself from the imagery, or the words used to conjure, of such an act.

"And allow yourself to be vulnerable, practically laying yourself bare to another?" Whereas there was the professional element of the Healer viewing skin, never had she felt compelled to stare or marvel. Years on the job had her desensitised to such viewing, dispelled thoughts of admiration.

When she had told Henk he was better looking than she had seen in the past, it was not just a physical assessment, but of his character she got to know in this short appointment.

Perrine winced, and slowly got up to stand, resisting the urge to stretch her arms out and deny herself a yawn. The tall Dreadlord, picked up the sheet detailing Henk's health, and dipped a quill before filling out her procedure of healing. "Well, good luck on jumping into bed with others, Dreadlord Henk." She spoke, distracted as she dusted sand to dry the ink on the page. Perri then careful blew it away and turned back to offer the page to Henk.

"I sure hope if we were to cross paths again, it certainly will not be after you had seen to your bedmate."

Henk