CLOSED ❯ the hauntings and the haunted

[runeing]

Who: celen's boys aka viktor and charles + various
Where: around
What: charles has a bad time with his death anniversary + helps with cleanup, viktor tries not to die
Warnings: talk about death / hate crime / terminal illness

( closed starters in comments! if you would like something with either charles or viktor, please feel free to hit me up on plurk @ celen or through pm or via the game discord! )

Comments

[feintofhart]

Good afternoon!

[ The man behind the counter is one Claude von Riegan -- dressed in little more than a light linen shirt and some sensible trousers as the fireplace blazes behind him, heating some sort of bubbling cauldron above it. He may be dressed simply, but something in Claude's manner, in the way he holds himself, suggests he's used to far finer garb than what he's wearing now. The Apothecary itself is newly renovated, but the propietor seems to have managed to fill up the space in no time at all. There are bundles of herbs drying from the ceiling, walls lined with shelves filled with all sorts of dark amber bottles and mysterious tins labeled with Claude's own hurried cursive, an abundance of powders and tinctures lining his counter.

Out in front are a scattering of squashy chairs and tables, where Caitlyn and her guest will no doubt find themselves soon enough. ]

Caitlyn, you've brought a friend! [ And he might tease her about how it's nice to see her with someone other than Vi... but then he takes in Viktor's appearance. Best to tread lightly, he thinks. He remembers Richard being downright spooked when Claude had tried to so much as speculate on his condition. He clears his throat, taking on a casual affect, though he's certain Caitlyn was able to catch that worried glance he accidentally shot her way. ]

Please, take a seat. How can I help you today?

[ Aside, he thinks, from insisting they go see an actual healer instead. ]

[bulleting]

[Caitlyn knows she's already pushing her luck by dragging Viktor here. It was hard enough to convince him to let her take him somewhere, and even worse because he wanted to walk, and wouldn't let her help him.

She's never seen him in this condition, so it hurts her heart to see him suffering like this, but hopefully Claude could help. She trusts Claude, which is a big reason she's taking Viktor to him and not someone else, but also because... She's not sure there's anything a healer can heal. According to what Viktor told her about his condition, he's on borrowed time. What he needs more than anything is something to help stabilize him, maybe just generally help him feel better. Claude knows better than her, at least, and if he thinks Ethlyn or any other healers might be able to do something, she'll trust his judgement, but she'll hear what he thinks first.]

Good afternoon, Claude. [She smiles, catching Claude's worried glance and matching his own when she's out of Viktor's line of sight. She sure is going to try to get Viktor to sit down again, and continues to hover like a mother hen until he does.]

This is my friend from home, Viktor. He's the scientist I told you about. He's also... ill. You were the first person I thought of, to bring him to. It's chronic, and end-stage, so I'm not even sure what can be done, but...I figured coming here was a start.

[Yes, be proud of her, Claude, she's actually not glued to Vi's hip for the moment. But if he looks and notices, the engagement ring from when they all had alternate memories is now on her hand again!]

[runeing]

I can speak for myself, [ viktor grumbles — but he sits down when caitlyn hovers around him. a part of him chafes at it, at the overt care and what he perceives as pity... but then again, caitlyn isn't like most piltovans. he can accept that her worry is genuine, borne out of care — that is the main reason he is here, in the first place.

he sighs, gripping his crutch in his hands. ]

The sump sickness. The gases in the fissures where I grew up... they affect some people like this. Your body erodes, bit by bit, until enough blood gathers in your lungs to suffocate you. [ he says all of this matter-of-fact, like it's not his own diagnosis he is speaking of. ]

The doctors gave me a few months, at most. Two are gone. Whether what remains is counted in weeks or days... [ he shrugs vaguely. ] Unless you can remake most of my body, I don't see what there is to do.

[feintofhart]

[ When Claude looks at Caitlyn again, it's with wide eyes and puffed cheeks, eyes darting meaningfully between her and the ring on her finger, the look in his eyes accurately conveying the sentiment of: how dare you come in here with that on your finger and not to tell me everything about it. He'd give her a real earful about it (as well as a hearty handshake of congratulations), but more pressing matters take precedent, which is the fact that he's not so cruel to focus on an engagement over a clearly sick man.

A very, very sick man from the sounds of it. His frown only deepens to hear Viktor recount the matter. He knows enough about Cait and Vi's lives to put two and two together; the conditions that people like Vi lived underneath, the strife caused by the efforts to get out, no doubt inspired by the very condition that this poor fellow is in. ]

I see... [ His frown deepens, his gaze sympathetic. He can't dwell too long on the prospect of comforting a dying man. It's no doubt unwanted from a stranger, and he more than likely has to face such things from friends and family, should he have them. ] I'm very sorry to hear that. I'll do what I can, but you really ought to go to the Clinic and see an actual medical professional. The good doctor is a close friend of mine and will do everything in her power to find some relief for you.

[ Not a cure. Not even a promise of an extension of his diagnosis from weeks to months. He can't say such things, not with any certainty. But perhaps they can help make him more comfortable. ]

But seeing as you came all this way, I'll do for you what I can. Something for the pain, something else to help clear your lungs as much as possible, perhaps. But first...

[ He crouches in front of Viktor, one hand held aloft, not quite touching his chest, and he flicks his eyes upwards. ]

I'm in possession of healing magic. I'm no miracle worker, but it's enough to ease most people's pain, to clear up the worst of the symptoms, at least for the time being. May I?

[bulleting]

[Look....Caitlyn knows how much Claude thrives on their romantic drama, so she'd be lying if she said she hadn't intentionally made sure her ring was very much visible for his eyes. She'll tell him all about it, just.. later.

Viktor takes her priority. Even if his comeback makes her wince, she knows the place he's coming from. A Zaunite, having a Piltie hover over them and speak for him. It's not like she's Jayce, after all. It's not like she's the one Piltie he trusts above all.

She doesn't take it personally, either. Even if her and Vi developed a level of trust quickly enough, it took a long time to build something deep and long-lasting between them. To understand each other, and the completely different worlds they came from, even if it was just opposite sides of a bridge.]

I wasn't sure if you or Ethlyn would be the best to come to. Anything you can offer that might help would be appreciated. [Not trying to speak for him again, but she would certainly be grateful, and she knows Viktor would be too, even if he's been stubborn about coming here in the first place.]

[runeing]

[ honestly, they might as well focus on the engagement, at least that'd be a more fun topic to talk about — but at least claude doesn't try to offer his sympathies aside from some initial words of courtesy. viktor makes a face at being told to go to the clinic; quite frankly, he's tired of medical professionals, tired of being looked at with eyes full of pity and sadness and resignation. ]

I see, [ he says, which isn't an agreement, but it's not a disagreement, either. ethlyn, caitlyn says, and he assumes that must be the doctor... well. he'll keep that in mind.

he glances at caitlyn; but she'd not have brought him here if she didn't trust claude and his healing magic, whatever that is... so he nods. ]

Yes, go ahead. [ dryly: ] You can hardly make things much worse.

Can you tell me how it works? [ the healing magic, that is. call it curiosity; even if it's magic rather than science, he'd still appreciate knowing what exactly it is he's doing. ]

[feintofhart]

Ethlyn's the expert. I'm just the pharmacist.

[ He's a little more than that. Caitlyn wouldn't have brought someone she clearly cared about to him if that weren't the case; his expertise may be in prescribing medications and remedies, but he's been researching first-aid and medicine exhaustively since his arrival here, and he's treated enough people on battlefields in a pinch to at least be trusted with rudimentary care. ]

But as for the magic... [ Claude settles on his haunches, looking thoughtful. ] In my Academy days, I learned that through prayer to the Goddess and strengthening your fealty to her, she endows you with the ability to channel her divinity to heal others. And indeed, it was the most faithful among us who specialized in such magic.

[ His eyes crinkle at the corner as he smiles, the expression wry. ]

I am not one of those people. And am of the opinion it's far more about focus than it is about divinity. [ He would know; it's not as though magic is absent in the rest of the world. ] Magic surrounds us, and with proper training and focus, we can manipulate it to our own uses. Whether that's meditation or prayer or an incantation that allows us to hone in on that is up for debate -- but you didn't come here for a theology debate, did you?

[ Viktor probably shouldn't have gotten him started in the first place. He'll never shut up if you let him run at the mouth long enough. In service of that, Claude presses his palm flat against Viktor's chest and closes his eyes to focus as he begins to murmur a slow incantation, over and over again, a pale blue light emanating from his palm. One's stores of magic is a limited thing, and something Claude typically uses only sparingly in times of crisis, but there's no danger dogging at their heels here, no reason to be miserly with something that may bring this fellow some small degree of relief. He can always have a little nap once they're gone and he'll be right as rain.

Though Claude doesn't have the vocabulary for what his magic truly does, its effects are simple and restorative: it encourages cell regrowth and rejuvenation to speed healing processes that could otherwise take days, weeks, or even months to mend and increasing one's vitality, endurance, and strength through strengthening them from within. Viktor will feel a warmth emanating from Claude's palm, not dissimilar to holding a hot water bottle close to one's chest and may feel even temporarily the ability to draw breath a little easier, to stand for a little longer, much as an injured soldier may feel able to rush across the battlefield moments after breaking their leg.

Finally, his lips still and his hand falls back to his side with a quick exhale of exertion. ] Okay. I'm all tapped out. Did you feel anything?