Private Tales Money of Clandestine Means

[Max Kouser]

His clothes were soaked, his hair was soaked, his cigars were soaked, and his boss was soaked.
He really hated unplanned swimming trips, a planned swim trip usually included proper swimwear or a lack of clothing in general, usually accompanied by several similarly clad or unclad women, a private spot and a bright sunny day with a picnic lunch and lovemaking on a blanket.

Unplanned swimming trips usually went just like this; Inconvenient, messing up his aesthetic, no nude women, and generally involved running for his life.

"MAX!" Inara called out with a slight panic in her voice.

Well, it wasn't what he expected but that would do. He started swimming in that direction, going with the current he caught up quickly and immediately took hold of her. He didn't know if she could swim or not, but even if she could it would be difficult to do in her dress, so he put his arms around her waist and kicked to make sure her head stayed above water.
"You can kill me after we survive this, alright? My treat. I might even have a knife you could use if you kill me before your father finds out!"

 

[Inara Irren]

Her (terrible at his job) bodyguards arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her close to him. She was glad for him in that moment because the dress was weighing her down way too much to really swim. Being this close to him - even with how pissed off she was at the moment - was causing some feelings that she did not like.

He had saved her.

"You can kill me after we survive this, alright? My treat. I might even have a knife you could use if you kill me before your father finds out!"

"I do not plan on telling my father," Inara replied softly.

She had told him about the shit with Fillian and the witches a few days ago and he had been very angry. There was enough anger for everyone too. Fillian for being a traitor, her for going to Tal and the witches instead of coming to him, and Tal for helping her instead of telling him immediately. She had pointed out that Tal did not work for him and that had just made him more angry. No...this would be a her and Max's first secret.

"I am bleeding pretty badly, I think. It really fucking hurts..."

 

[Max Kouser]

"I do not plan on telling my father,"

A skeptic by nature, he kept having to remind himself she couldn't lie, and therefore he had to really pay attention to exactly what she said.
In some ways it was convenient, he'd never met a woman who actually meant exactly what she said.

"Yeah yeah, plans change princess. Just kill me first, alright?"

"I am bleeding pretty badly, I think. It really fucking hurts...

"I'll cut up your skirt for a bandage and put pressure on it, but not much we can do till we get out of the canal..."
He heard shouting from the window they escaped from and looked up to see Lord Clydus aiming a large crossbow at them.
"Shit!"
He immediately dove down, taking Inara with him.

While under the water he pulled his knife and began expertly cutting into her skirt, partially for a bandage and partially to help with the weight, so he made sure to cut off liberally sized strips. To make sure he didn't nick or cut her, he was forced to use his other hand to feel where her legs were.
They weren't underwater for more than fifteen seconds, but it was long enough that he was gasping for air when they resurfaced.

He was already about exhausted from holding her up, but he didn't consider letting her fend for herself as an option.
He grit his teeth, he knew they were safe for now, a bend was approaching and he knew that crossbow had fired and it would take a man like Clydus a full minute to reload a weapon that size... But the reason he knew the crossbow had fired was because he found the crossbow bolt, somewhere between his fifth and sixth ribs... Damn it all, they might have some trouble getting out of the canal and finding a healer.

He grit his teeth and set his face in a stony expression, not revealing his pain or agony but simply focused on keeping her afloat and keeping pressure on her wound. His wound wasn't fatal, he'll be mostly alright so long as he leaves the bolt in place... Damn, he could feel it catching on her skirt, the bolt must have almost tore straight through him! That crossbow was meant for sieges and heavy armor!

 

[Inara Irren]

"Yeah yeah, plans change princess. Just kill me first, alright?"

"Tal is still alive..." Inara said softly with a wince. Marcus would most definitely kill Max very quickly and worry about any questions later.

"I'll cut up your skirt for a bandage and put pressure on it, but not much we can do till we get out of the canal..."
He heard shouting from the window they escaped from and looked up to see Lord Clydus aiming a large crossbow at them.
"Shit!"

Inara did not have time to reply before Max had dove down with her in his arms. She was not ready and water immediately went into her mouth and up her nose. It burned but she was more focused on trying not to swallow the water and drown. She could not even care about his hands running over her legs. She just wanted air.

They broke the surface and she gasped for breath. She coughed and gasped for a few moments until she felt like she wouldn't die.

Max's face had not changed as the headed down the canal but she felt him tense up as he held her.

"Are you alright, Max?" She asked softly as she looked around for a place they could get out.

 

[Max Kouser]

"Tal is still alive..." Inara said softly with a wince.

Well, Tal also had some blackmail to protect himself. Matthias had nothing but ambition and his general irreplaceability... or he used to, until he was replaced.

"Are you alright, Max?"

He readjusted his grip on her as they rounded the bend and the screaming of Lord Clydus faded away.
"I'll be fine, you're not as heavy as you look. But he's going to have guards in the streets within minutes searching for us... We're going to have to ride this current down to the slums to lose them. Look around for something floating that we can hang onto, I'm not exactly superhuman."
He chuckled, which brought a wince to his face. He tasted his own blood and couldn't hide the trickle from the corner of his mouth, but he quickly washed it away by ducking his face into the water really quick.

He really hoped the bolt hadn't grazed his lungs, maybe he bit the inside of his cheek and that's why he was bleeding from the mouth?
It was probably too much to ask of whatever twisted god watched over men like him to have the bolt miss any vital organs... At least a slow death bought him time to reach a healer before he bit the dust.

 

[Inara Irren]

"I'll be fine, you're not as heavy as you look. But he's going to have guards in the streets within minutes searching for us... We're going to have to ride this current down to the slums to lose them. Look around for something floating that we can hang onto, I'm not exactly superhuman."

Inara looked around for something to hang onto. Unfortunately, she did not see anything. They must have cleaned the canal of debris recently.

"I can swim, Max," she said as she turned her attention back to his face.

"MAX! You're bleeding!" Inara moved her arms so she could wipe the blood from the side of his mouth. "We have to get out of here or we are both going to die. Let me swim. That will help your strength."

 

[Max Kouser]

"I can swim, Max," she said as she turned her attention back to his face.

Nothing to grab? well that was a shame. His arms were tired, and his legs were working overtime to keep them both afloat... If he didn't let her down they'd both drown.

"MAX! You're bleeding!" Inara moved her arms so she could wipe the blood from the side of his mouth. "We have to get out of here or we are both going to die. Let me swim. That will help your strength."

Crap, now she's worried.
"It's just a scratch, princess."
He released her to swim for herself and focused on keeping himself afloat.
He noticed darkness creeping from the edge of his vision and blinked it away. Staying awake was a priority as well.

They floated with the current for a while, staying near to help Inara as needed until the nature of the buildings changed, became poorer, more decrepit. Then he swam them both to the edge and found a ladder to climb up, helping Inara first before climbing up himself.
Groaning with the effort to pull himself up.

 

[Inara Irren]

"It's just a scratch, princess."

It was definitely more than a scratch. A scratch did not cause that kind of bleeding. She did not argue with him though since he let her go and she was about to keep herself afloat thanks to him cutting off a good portion of her dress.

Inara did not think she could be as excited as she was about a ladder. It was beautiful and it was the greatest thing she had ever seen at this point. She was tired, she was hurting, and Max was starting to look worse with each passing minute.

Once they were both back on dry land, Inara's eyes widened.

"Fuck, Max! You were shot!"

The bolt was still in him, which was good because he was not bleeding out, but it was definitely nasty.

"We need to get you to a healer right now," Inara said as she totally ignored her own wound.

 

[Max Kouser]

As soon as they were up on the walkway Max immediately attempted to straighten out his suit. It was soaked and all frumpy, not the sort of state he wanted to be in, especially in the slums.
He brushed his hair out of his eyes and tried to fix it a little, but he was brought back when Inara spoke in a panic.

"Fuck, Max! You were shot!"

The bolt was still in him, which was good because he was not bleeding out, but it was definitely nasty.

"We need to get you to a healer right now,"

He looked down at the bolt as if he just noticed it for the first time, which was technically accurate, kinda hard to look at things when most of your torso was underwater.

Yup, the bolt went right through him, feathers deep in his back and most of the length protruding from just under his coat pocket.
"Huh, would you look at that? Seems you're right, and I must be in shock cause I almost forgot about it. Yeah, I know a lady that can help us, shouldn't be too far."
He braced the bolt with one hand and drew his knife with the other. Holding the shaft to keep it from shifting inside of him he sawed off some of the length of the bolt while leaving enough for the healer to take hold of.

He knew it was bad, but with the cold of the canal and no doubt some blood loss, he was feeling pretty loopy.
"Let's get your ribs tied up better, you're in more danger if you don't keep pressure on that cut."
He took the bloody rags of her skirt they had initially used and tossed them aside.
"I'll try to leave you some skirt for your modesty, but your dress material is more accessible than mine."

With that he cut some fresh strips and bound her ribs tightly.

 

[Inara Irren]

"Huh, would you look at that? Seems you're right, and I must be in shock cause I almost forgot about it. Yeah, I know a lady that can help us, shouldn't be too far."

Inara could have punched Max right then but she figured the pain from the crossbow bolt was enough. Her glare would have to do to communicate her ire.

She winced as he sawed the front part of the bolt off. The motion of the cutting alone had to intensify the pain. It would make maneuvering easier though.

"Let's get your ribs tied up better, you're in more danger if you don't keep pressure on that cut."
He took the bloody rags of her skirt they had initially used and tossed them aside.
"I'll try to leave you some skirt for your modesty, but your dress material is more accessible than mine."

She tried to argue that she was fine but Max did not hear any of it. Her skirt was shorter than she liked by the time he was done cutting it up. It still covered enough skin that she was comfortable.

"Fuck, Max, that hurts," Inara complained as he tightened the strips around her ribs. She was sure that it was tighter than it needed to be.

"How did he know?" She asked once they had finally started walking again.

 

[Max Kouser]

She winced as he sawed the front part of the bolt off. The motion of the cutting alone had to intensify the pain. It would make maneuvering easier though.

Truth be told, he wasn't in shock at all. He was in so much pain he felt like he would throw up, but he forced it all down and put a mask over it through a tremendous force of will. He wasn't concerned about worrying Inara, his pride simply wouldn't allow him to show her his weakened state... And at the moment that really sucked, since he was in an incredible amount of pain and every fiber of his being wanted to express his agony.

"Fuck, Max, that hurts," Inara complained as he tightened the strips around her ribs. She was sure that it was tighter than it needed to be.

He didn't respond, better than passing out from blood loss. Things like infection and such were handled by most healing spells, but one couldn't replace lost blood with a spell.

"How did he know?" She asked once they had finally started walking again.

Max shook his head.
"They must have gotten word ahead of our arrival. A literal worst-case scenario for us, didn't think it would actually happen. Or maybe Lord Clydus is better connected than we thought."
Heck, for all they knew he could have had a scrying wizard on staff to check on whether the fleet was legit or not. Most people wouldn't even try that since modern ships these days are built with wards against such scrying, keeps pirating to a minimum.
But the point is it could have been any number of possibilities that tipped him off.

He led her through the slums, cautiously at first, both to get his bearings and to avoid attracting attention. It was pretty active in the slums at this hour, and even bedraggled as they were they would have stood out in their nicer clothing had Max not kept them to the shadows and alleyways.
Every few minutes they would stop to rest and check their wounds, Max making sure that her cut to the ribs wasn't bleeding all over the place and checking that the bolt hadn't moved or wasn't making a worse wound by remaining in place.

After an hour or so they arrived on the steps of a temple. He brought Inara around to a side door and knocked.
A priestess answered the door.
"I'm Max Kouser, we're in need of healing, and can you let Eilerias know we're here?"
They were quickly ushered inside where they were given a chance to sit and rest while word was quickly relayed through the establishment.
"We're in good hands here, boss. They'll fix us up."

Eilerias

 

[Eilerias]

The priestess eyed the pair suspiciously as they requested Eilerias, but nevertheless ushered them inside and instructed them to wait in a sitting area just beyond the entrance of the church. It had become rare to hear someone request Eilerias for healing and not the other activities she had been using the church for in secret. Lidia was a far superior healer anyway.

The priestess would walk through several corridors until she found Eilerias in the lap of a middle-aged man who looked all but dead as her mouth lingered inches away from his face, a hazy smoke flowing from his mouth into hers. "Miss Eilerias!" She broke the smaller woman's concentration, the smoke stopping abruptly as the man's eyes fluttered open.

Eilerias turned towards the priestess, clearly annoyed as she interrupted her feeding off the client. "This better be important." She grumbled, climbing off the man and approaching her. "What is it?"


"Two people have come in for heal-".

"Send for Lidia." She turned away, motioning for the girl to leave. "Don't waste my time with nonsense again."

"He says his name is Max Krouser, he requested you personally miss." She insisted.

"Very well, then. Take care of this one." She slipped her robes on and pushed past the woman, making her way to the area the priestess left the pair in.

She offered a hand to the man and a soft smile, "Eilerias, and you must be Mr. Krouser and... Mrs. Krouser?" She would then extend a hand to shake the woman's as she looked them over. They looked wealthy, but as though someone mugged the poor souls. Rich people were too dumb to know the places to avoid in Alliria. She could feel their pains before entering the room, but figured she should still ask, "What can I do for you?"

 

[Inara Irren]

Inara knew she was not bleeding to death thanks to Max's ridiculous amount of checking on her wound. She supposed it was a good thing since Max did not want to die at the hands of her father. The underboss was sure that he would not give a shit otherwise. He had made it quite clear how he felt about her.

Inara did not speak when they arrived at the temple or as they waited. She was anxious as they waited. Max knew this woman but she was not part of the Syndicate so it made Inara uneasy. She had never been the trusting sort and that had not changed, if anything it had gotten worse.

Finally a blonde woman appeared and introduced herself as Eilerias. The name was foreign to her and she did not seem to know Max like he had first implied. It made Inara's chest tighten slightly but she still shook the woman's hand and she did not correct her on her name.

"Please, call me Inara," she smiled sweetly and then swept an arm out towards Max. "Please help him first, he got shot with a crossbow bolt. My wound is not as bad as his."

 

[Max Kouser]

She offered a hand to the man and a soft smile, "Eilerias, and you must be Mr. Krouser and... Mrs. Krouser?" She would then extend a hand to shake the woman's as she looked them over. They looked wealthy, but as though someone mugged the poor souls. Rich people were too dumb to know the places to avoid in Alliria. She could feel their pains before entering the room, but figured she should still ask, "What can I do for you?"

He shook her hand with a smile and a wince of pain.

"Please, call me Inara," she smiled sweetly and then swept an arm out towards Max. "Please help him first, he got shot with a crossbow bolt. My wound is not as bad as his."

He forced a smirk.
"She took a slash to the ribs, open wound, I did what I could. Naturally we'll rely on your discretion, but her father will kill me if I bring her home with so much as a scar."

He opened his wrinkled formerly white coat to reveal a red bloodstain with a thick bolt shaft protruding from it.
"But, you're the healer, which do you think looks worse."
He was glad to be sitting, he didn't think he could remain on his feet otherwise. Yeah, he was looking pretty pale too.

 

[Eilerias]

"Please, call me Inara," she smiled sweetly and then swept an arm out towards Max. "Please help him first, he got shot with a crossbow bolt. My wound is not as bad as his."

Eilerias nodded, "Very well. Inara it is." She could sense unease in the woman, but Eilerias couldn't pinpoint the reason. She appeared as innocent as she did when she first opened the church. The kind of girl who wouldn't hurt a fly. "I'll be the judge of who's in more trouble." She giggled quietly, turning her attention to the man who was now speaking.

He forced a smirk.
"She took a slash to the ribs, open wound, I did what I could. Naturally we'll rely on your discretion, but her father will kill me if I bring her home with so much as a scar."

Eilerias began to prod at the woman's ribcage as he spoke. "You did well given the circumstances. I wouldn't think this needs more than a few weeks of rest." She commented, peeling the makeshift bandages off the woman. "Discretion?" She raised an eyebrow, looking up at the man and then the woman. Perhaps they were not married after all. "I'll take care of her...and I think you'll find all of our services are quite discreet."

He opened his wrinkled formerly white coat to reveal a red bloodstain with a thick bolt shaft protruding from it.
"But, you're the healer, which do you think looks worse."
He was glad to be sitting, he didn't think he could remain on his feet otherwise. Yeah, he was looking pretty pale too.

Eilerias stopped poking around the woman as he revealed his own wounds to her. "Oh good heavens. That explains it." She knelt down to examine the bolt shaft up close, gently pulling at it not only to see how stuck it was, but to feel how painful it was going to be for her to heal. "I can heal Inara much faster, but you're in worse condition. I think you knew that, though." She got to her feet. "We should probably get you to one of the back rooms before you ruin the wood here. Anya, Felicity please bring him to one of the back rooms. I'm going to get a towel." She motioned for the women to escort him to the best of their ability.

"If you'd like to come back, you're more than welcome otherwise I can send someone to tend to you until we are finished." She put a softly glowing hand on her back, using little magic to soothe the woman and allow her to feel more comfortable despite her injuries. "There is nothing to worry about, dear. He will be alright." Her voice was as soothing as her touch as she spoke, before turning away and hurrying down the hallway to meet Max and the two other priestesses in a room more suited for a brothel than a church.

She let the two women out before closing the door behind her. "I must warn you, Max. I can soothe you, but I can't make this painless for you." She began to remove his top, taking extra precautions to not make the pain worse for either of them before she could get the bolt out. "Alright lay on your side and take this." She handed him the towel, "Bite down." She ordered, waiting only a moment before grabbing the bolt that had been exposed and pulling it as fast as she could.

 

[Inara Irren]

Every time Eilerias poked or prodded her ribs, she flinched. This was not the worst wound she had ever had but that did not mean it hurt any less.

When the woman finally turned her attention to Max, Inara let out a sigh of relief she did not realize she was holding. She was pretty sure that she hurt worse now but at least Eilerias was taking Max back first. Inara fought the urge to stick her tongue out at her bodyguard since she had won that little argument.

"If you'd like to come back, you're more than welcome otherwise I can send someone to tend to you until we are finished." She put a softly glowing hand on her back, using little magic to soothe the woman and allow her to feel more comfortable despite her injuries. "There is nothing to worry about, dear. He will be alright."

Inara's eyes shifted over to the Priestess as she spoke but before she could respond, she felt a warmth spread through her and she felt herself relax a little for the first time.

"No, I will wait here. Thank you though," Inara did not want to see Max go through more pain. One might have thought it would bring her some joy but he had saved her life today.

 

[Max Kouser]

"Oh good heavens. That explains it." She knelt down to examine the bolt shaft up close, gently pulling at it not only to see how stuck it was, but to feel how painful it was going to be for her to heal.

He hissed in pain as she examined his wound and tugged on the bolt.
Little spots appeared in his vision and he just about passed out, how he was still conscious at was a mystery especially to him, since he could feel exactly how much pain he was in.

"I can heal Inara much faster, but you're in worse condition. I think you knew that, though."

laughed a little and immediately regretted it, pain lanced through his ribs making him shut his eyes and take deep breaths to keep from crying out.

She got to her feet. "We should probably get you to one of the back rooms before you ruin the wood here. Anya, Felicity please bring him to one of the back rooms. I'm going to get a towel." She motioned for the women to escort him to the best of their ability.

He helped as much as he could, but it was still a tough time getting him to the room.
He let out a sigh as he laid down on the comfortable bed.

"I must warn you, Max. I can soothe you, but I can't make this painless for you." She began to remove his top, taking extra precautions to not make the pain worse for either of them before she could get the bolt out.

He shrugged out of his coat and helped her with his shirt.
"I've been sitting with the pain for over two hours, don't worry."
He'd heard of sympathetic healers, but at this point he was willing to pass out if it meant getting the bolt out as quickly as possible.
"Don't kill yourself on my account, just make sure it's worth it afterwards, yeah?"

"Alright lay on your side and take this." She handed him the towel and began to use her soothing touch on him as well. Of course with an injury as severe as his, it was almost pointless. "Bite down." She ordered, waiting only a moment before grabbing the bolt that had been exposed and pulling it as fast as she could.

He followed her instructions, turning to his side and biting down on the towel.
There wasn't a countdown or anything, she just pulled the bolt right out and a white hot flash of pain exploded behind his eyes.

He immediately passed out, blissfully unaware of the proceeding minutes of intense pain. He didn't even have a chance to scream in agony before losing consciousness.

 

[Eilerias]

He immediately passed out, blissfully unaware of the proceeding minutes of intense pain. He didn't even have a chance to scream in agony before losing consciousness.

Eilerias tossed the bolt on the ground before placing her hands over both sides of the man, doing her best to finish her job before the pain she absorbed became unbearable. The wound sealed quickly enough, but he would have been correct in his earlier assumption regarding the blood loss. She couldn't replace that. She would have to wait to find out if he lost too much blood. In the meantime, she would tend to Inara.

"Please get me if he wakes up," She whispered to one of her acolytes as she slipped out of the room and made her way back to the woman.

Though she was unsure, she spoke with confidence as she approached. "He's fine, he needs to rest. Let's take care of you now." She continued where she had left off, gently removing the makeshift bandages they had attempted. "How did you two meet?" She made friendly conversation as she pulled the portion that had been stuck to her body by dried blood off.

 

[Inara Irren]

Inara was in pain but she could not sit. She was too riled up still to do anything but pace around as she waited for Eilerias to return.

The underboss was not sure how much time had pass when she heard the woman approaching again.

"He's fine, he needs to rest. Let's take care of you now." She continued where she had left off, gently removing the makeshift bandages they had attempted.

Inara let out a breath of relief that she had not realized she had been holding. She may not have cared for Max but she did not need another dead gang member right now. Her father was already irritated enough with her over the shit with the witches.

She winced at the pain as the woman started to remove her bandages.

"How did you two meet?"

Inara knew that the question was an attempt to take her attention away from the pain that she was now being brutally reminded of.

"We met through work..." she answered simply. It was the truth after all and Inara could not speak a lie. It was just a small portion of the truth...a generic portion that would hopefully not prompt more questions.

 

[Eilerias]

"We met through work..." she answered simply. It was the truth after all and Inara could not speak a lie. It was just a small portion of the truth...a generic portion that would hopefully not prompt more questions.

"Oh that's nice..." She trailed off briefly, her touch not as gentle as it was before. It had been ages since her fiancé was killed, and quite clear that she still found it hard to be around couples. Perhaps that was another reason for her change in demeanor as well as her occupation.

After a moment, she began dabbing at the blood with a rag. "What is it you do?" She continued her polite conversation. "It must be nice work with the person you love, I imagine." Dropping the rag, she would place her hands over the wound, healing the skin and any other injuries in the area. If she did end up with a broken rib or two, they would painfully replace themselves and reform as though they had never been injured.

 

[Max Kouser]

Max slowly started coming around. There was a moment where he couldn't remember where he was, but then the events of the last few hours caught up with him.
He felt along his ribs, there wasn't even an ache or full pain, it was like the injury never happened.
He looked around the room and caught sight of the acolyte.

He found his coat lying on the floor and found his money pouch, fishing out a platinum coin he handed it to the young woman.
"Bring this to Lady Eilerias, won't you? This should cover services for myself and Inara, and then some."

He laid back on the bed once she left, closing his eyes. He was still tired from the blood loss so he decided to catch a few more minutes of sleep till Eilerias came back.

 

[Inara Irren]

"What is it you do?" She continued her polite conversation. "It must be nice work with the person you love, I imagine."

Inara winced as Eilerias started dabbed the blood from her wound as she continued to talk. That shit was not pleasant at all but at least the question took her mind off the pain momentarily.

She took a few moments to think of how she could answer the question honestly without answering the question completely.

"I work for my father. It is a family business and Max helps keep me in line," she finally answered.

It was all true technically.

 

[Eilerias]

"I work for my father. It is a family business and Max helps keep me in line," she finally answered.

"Oh that must be nice...I work for my father as well. Well, mostly for his employees who always seem to be getting hurt doing stupid things." She smiled, finishing up her work on the woman.

"Bring this to Lady Eilerias, won't you? This should cover services for myself and Inara, and then some."

He laid back on the bed once she left, closing his eyes. He was still tired from the blood loss so he decided to catch a few more minutes of sleep till Eilerias came back.

The acolyte stepped into the room with Eilerias and Inara, before handing Eilerias the money. "He's awake. Said this should cover the costs." The woman looked Inara up and down before looking back at Eilerias, who returned a confused look towards the acolyte as she held the pouch.

"Pardon me Inara, I think Mr. Kouser has been mistaken. You should be okay, but I'd still take it easy for a while. Again, if you need anything just let one of the ladies know and they will get it for you." She scurried back down the hall, knocking on the door once before letting herself in the room.

"Hello?" She looked at the man who was napping. Funny, Anya said he was awake. If she robbed another poor soul who came here for healing... "Sir? I think you've made a mistake." She tried to hand back the pouch as she woke him up. "I don't charge people for healing them. It's the least I can do with the powers I've been blessed with."

 

[Max Kouser]

"Hello?" She looked at the man who was napping. Funny, Anya said he was awake. If she robbed another poor soul who came here for healing... "Sir? I think you've made a mistake." She tried to hand back the pouch as she woke him up. "I don't charge people for healing them. It's the least I can do

He awoke with a start, immediately tense.
He must have really been out, the last time someone successfully snuck up on him in his sleep was when he was a kid in the slums of Elbion.
He nearly died because of it, and so he made sure it never happened again... Until now, apparently.

He opened his eyes and thankfully saw who it was before the knife came out of his boot.
"Oh... Miss Eilerias... Apologies, what?"
He looked at the pouch she was offering back to him.
"Oh, I see."
He looked back up at her.
"Perhaps you accept donations then? I've heard of the other services this temple provides, and since I'm probably going to die soon, making your healing pointless, I would like to at least make it worth your while and maybe have a sort of last meal before I take the lady back to her father... He's not a forgiving man."

 

[Eilerias]

"Oh, I see."
He looked back up at her.
"Perhaps you accept donations then? I've heard of the other services this temple provides, and since I'm probably going to die soon, making your healing pointless, I would like to at least make it worth your while and maybe have a sort of last meal before I take the lady back to her father... He's not a forgiving man."

"Donations, yes, but you have to-" She talked over him for a moment before he mentioned the other services. It had made sense now, for him to know her name and request her specifically for healing rather than Lidia. She chuckled as he said he was going to die soon. Unless he managed to do whatever had caused him to take a bolt to his chest after leaving again, he would be fine.

She would play innocent, "But, Mr. Kouser...your wife..." Her golden irises had begun to turn a deep purple as she looked down. She didn't need an answer to hear if she should continue or pause. Since her first trip with her late fiancé, she considered all men the same. They were only after one thing, and now she was more than willing to give them what they desired for she, or rather her shadows, became stronger in return. "Wouldn't she be upset with you?"

Her words didn't match her actions as she moved in close to him, kissing his neck. "Help me, will you?" She turned to face away, waiting for him to help her out of her robes to reveal a set of lingerie that was very appropriate for the priestess to be wearing and a small tattoo of a rose on her shoulder.