Echos of a fateful meeting

[Feleti Eidothea]

Leti hesitated a moment watching to make sure bastian actually took a rest. Then he thought over what he needed to do that day. They were mostly just things that they he did to make life more comfortable for himself and cain. Originally all he knew of gardening and weaving sheeps wool had been taught to him by cain but as he grew older he had learned tricks from people in town and really improved. He could never get the hang of woodworking though.

He turned and swept his eyes over the garden to see if anything was ready to harvest. "well..." It wasn't that there weren't things the man could help with but more that he wasn't sure a soldier from a big city would know how to do any of them. He set a basket and a long spool of twine beside bastian on the bench. "Well I am in the middle of harvesting the sage.... I don't imagine you know how to bind it for drying...." he certainly couldn't have the man harvest it both because it would be too hard on him and because the sage bushes were too precious. He tapped his chin in thought. "I suppose you can always try...I'll show you how and if you can't get the hang of it you can just....sit here and enjoy the sun."
He turned and began and retrieved a knife hung from the drying rack to cut some stems from the bush. He brought them over for bastian to see and took the twine in his other hand. Grouping the stems together tightly he wound the twine in a crossing pattern up the stems till the leaves were bound tightly and tied a butterfly knot on the end.
"you can just tie the ends up simple like if you can't manage the knot." He added before placing the example into the basket beside bastian.
Leti then turned and began sniping more stems from the sage bush.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

He did enjoy the sun. But not that much. He was tired already and it would only make him more sleepy if he was just going to sit here.

Admittedly, he didn't know much about herbs. He knew sage was...an herb. A useful one. He could tell it on sight and smell at least. Bastian shook his head though, to reaffirm Leti's assumption. But he was a quick learner. And he knew a decent amount of knots. The question was whether his fine motor skills wpuld comply. They should.

The warden watched Leti group and tie the herbs, a thoughtful focus knitting his brows together. Learn by doing. He took the same number of stems and a length of twine, mimicking the pattern and motions. The knot took a second attempt and his wasn't tight enough but it settled the action in his mind. The second time, it was close enough Leti's example and held together. The third was a near copy.

He liked being useful and he did ot without comment or expectation of one. A job was a job and worth doing well. It was almost pleasantly simple. Like guard duty. Only unlike guard duty it gave him something to do with his hands.

"It's nice. How quiet it is here." Not at all like Ethion and the castle.

[Feleti Eidothea]

The healer didn't turn around as he replied "Is it? I suppose so, The only noisy place here is the market so it's all I know really." He had only ever imagined what the hustle and bustle of a real city was like. Even so he couldn't really reconcile in his mind the busy lives of such people. His had always been a world of careful slow days.
Leti was surprised to see how quickly Bastian picked up his little task. He handed Bastian the heaping basket of stems as he inspected the ones bastian had finished. "These are very good!" He appraised with a big smile. "We'll have the chores done before midday at this rate." An astonishing speed for the feleti's laid back sense of time.

He moved out of sight for a bit to tend to the goats giving Bastian some time to finish his assigned task. When he returned he was carrying a wooden bucket of presumably goats milk which he took into the cave. He finished doing a few odds and ends while keeping an eye on bastian, eventually coming over to start hanging the tied sage on the drying racks.
He chuckled "It feels a little odd, putting a patient to work. You're a man who can't have idle hands, hm?" Leti mused in a playful teasing way.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

Compared to the world the warden knew. His life was always busy and loud. Tutors, trainers, other guards and wardens, missions, watching nobles, taverns...always something.

A few down, only a lot more to go. But he didn't complain. Or very much react to the praise either. He didn't get that often. When he did it was rather impersonal. That Leti mentioned it at all threw him back to uncertain silence. Bastian nodded at the notion of being done with chores quickly, busying himself again with more tying.

He appreciated the alone time, more than aware he was being watched. At least part of him was kept busy. It gave him something to focus on that wasn't his thoughts rushing past or the pain in his back and each breath or that he was pretty sure he was sweating without having done anything in a while. The moutain side wasn't freezing...but it was cooler than it was warm.

Bastian shrugged. "I'm normally very busy. I like doing something." He was part of a well oiled machine and he liked to be useful. So he had offered and was trting to be useful. And the Leti's words sunk in. Was that...innuendo? He had to think for a moment and wasn't sure what to do with that suspicion.

He wiped a hand through his hair and finished the last of the sage. He wanted to lay down but he also wanted to finish his task first.

[Feleti Eidothea]

If Leti had made an innuendo, the innocent way he kept going about hanging the herbs left plausible deniability. He seemed to consider this a moment. "busy hm.... what sorts of things does a soldier in ethion do?" He asked with a casual sense of curiosity. Given how much the man had been asleep the past few days they hadn't had much of a chance to talk.
He finished hanging the last of the rolled sage and came to sit next to bastian on the bench.

Sunlight played softly in his pale hair as his naive crystal eyes turned to face the man again. It was clear from well...everything about him, how little he knew about what went in the capital. In books soldiers were protectors, or the brave avengers of war, but Leti knew little of what actual soldiers did.
As the sun reached near midday Leti was already thinking that he hoped he could get a bit more food in his guests belly at lunch.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

Bastian's suspicions were more or less confirmed to be unfounded. Leti didn't seem to notice.

"I'm a royal guard. So a lot of standing and and training and watching while trying not to look bored." Even though he was bored much of those times. It was technically a good day at work when he was bored. "Sometimes I get a chance to patrol the city. Or go on leave." He was dedicated to his job. He wouldn't say he liked it. But he didn't dislike it either. It was just a blur much of the time. Training and working out made most days bleed together. Even his explanation wasn't very specific. He was very much a protector. Usually a defensive one as a guard. Sometimes as a proactive one as a warden.

He didn't much notice the closeness until a faint breeze tugged Leti's hair and then his attention was fixed there for a moment.

With the sun reaching midday, Bastian was more interested in a nap. Which was a little frustrating personally. Lunch was not of any interest. Maybe after he cooled off inside. He smothered a yawn into his arm and collected his crutches, intent on heading back into the cave.

[Feleti Eidothea]

Leti's eyes seemed to sparkle with interest at the small amount of information about Sebastian's life in the capital. He opened his mouth to excitedly ask more but noticed Bastian move away to gather his crutches.
He was content to sit in the sun a bit longer but he knew that the shade of the cave was probably better for Bastian. Leti stood and hovered around him a bit as they made their way back in.

He relaxed once Bastian was inside the cave and close enough to the table. "how are you feeling?" The healer asked fretting just a bit. It was a lot more complicated looking after the man now that he could move around on his own. Of course he should have simply been pleased that the healing was coming along well.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

He wasn't opposed to more questions but he wanted to sit somewhere he could lean back and close his eyes without worrying about falling over.

Bastian hardly noticed the hovering. Well, he did notice he just didn't let it bother him. He wasn't entirely used to the white haired man following him and staring at him after only a day or so, but he was trying not to be weird about it. He hardly had privacy at the palace but he knew most of those people. He made it inside and to the table and paused at Leti's question. It took him a minute to catch his breath and it hurt.

"Tired," he said honestly. "Kinda hot." He had sort of hoped that would go away. "Want to lay down..." he took a slow breath. Being on his feet so much wasn't the best.

[Feleti Eidothea]

Leti wasn't surprised by the reply. The poor guy looked pretty worn out and he really still needed to be taking it easy.
He wondered if maybe he ought to just scoop the up and put him back in bed. But even he knew that perhaps that wasn't the way to handle a grown man.
He reached out to feel bastian's forehead with a frown and moved to pour a cup of water for the man. He set it on the table and placed a comforting hand on batian's back. "Please have some water....you should rest a while....do you need help getting down to the bedroll?"
He hesitated unsure of how to help bastian best. His eyes did turn to the room with the bath. "We should change your bandages soon.." The healer was both aware of his own overbearing behavior and yet unable to stop himself from fretting over the man.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

It likely would have hurt a lot to be carried. Not his leg, but his sides and back already hurt and he didn't imagine any sort of moving would feel good. Evening breathing hurt but it was required.

He barely noticed the hand to his forehead as he traded one of the crutches for the table. The hand on his back made him wince and he let out a whimpering breath. Even the slight touch hurt a little.

"Yeah. Yes," he said. He leaned a hand on the table along with the other crutch and took a drink of water. He felt a little better but still too tired and too hot. "I don't think...I can't make it down the steps," he breathed, his grip on the table tenuous at best. He didn't want to sit on the stool but considering he knew for a fact he wasn't making it to the bed...he sat down before he passed out. That seemed to be a better alternative to falling on the ground.

"Agreed," he mumbled. Not that he needed to agree but he felt tired enough to talk. "It hurts to breathe," he said, feeling like he was repeating himself. Dizzy. Good sign he might pass out.

Sebastian wasn't used to overbearing. But he wasn't opposed either.

[Feleti Eidothea]

Feleti drew back his hand soon after the wince even more concerned and unsure than before.
He wasn't happy to see the man so close to fainting. He was in very obvious pain. It wasn't the first time he had seen someone in a bad way but he felt responsible for letting the man push himself too much.

Although the immediate concern was the complaint that it hurt to breath. He would rather prevent his charge from being unable to breath than wait and frantically try to start the breathing again. With a determined expression he took up a cloth from nearby and went to soak it in water. He returned to pull down Bastian's robe and place the rag on his back directly over the bandages. He would have preferred to move the man right to the bath but he was afraid to move bastian when he was in this much pain.
His hands gently spread across the cloth as he pressed it to bastian's back. Given how the man had reacted to his initial touch he knew that it might hurt at first. He took a deep breath and then willed his gift to work through the water seeping into the bandages. "try to relax, Just focus on breathing." He instructed as his mind quietly reached for that untameable and arcane power. As he pushed that power through himself and through his hands to the water there was little outward indication of what he was really doing. Well except for the strange light in his eyes, a light the seem to reflect as though shining in moonlight despite the fire, despite the sun peaking through the cave mouth.
Despite that lack of obvious outward change bastian would feel his pain melt away first and then his breathing ease. The damage was far too severe for it to be permanent but he could at least reverse whatever damage had come of Sebastian moving around far sooner than he should have. His stance made it very clear that he planned to stand there healing bastian for quite a bit. He knew it would take a while for him to heal Bastian enough that he could move away without the man's pain returning immediately.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

As much as he couldn't stand, he wasn't quite to fainting. Bastian simply felt like everything was far away. Like his body was at one end of a tunnel and his mind another. It was a very strange experience. Like part of him was trying to shield him from the discomfort of the moment. Hr was still tired and feverish and mildly dizzy but that last was subsiding from sitting. Those things were distant. The pain...that was somewhere in the middle.

He wanted to take deeper breaths to relax and to focus, but those hurt more. It was mostly his left side that ached. He would have seconded the choice to deal with breathing first. Not breathing might hurt less but it did not sound pleasant. He was jerked halfway down the tunnel by the wet rag, biting his tongue against the flash of pain before he could distance himself again even as Leti spread the cloth out. It was the initial contact that was startling. The rest didn't have the same impact as he could steel himself. Bastian wasn't sure what Leti was doing but he did his best to just breathe. Relaxing...that was harder but it got easier as the pain slid away, slowly but surely.

Part of him realized relaxing likely involved not talking. "Better," he mumbled anyway. After a moment it was easier to breath which surprised him a little. But he doubted using the crutches again was a good idea. He was too tired anyway. If he was being honest, he had pushed himself too soon. But he wouldn't make that call himself. Bastian was still holding himself up on a stool by the table. "I want...lay down," he said again. Normally he might had tried to stand but some sane part of him made his legs not work. Well, one didn't work well anyway.

He tried to drink again but still felt himself slipping away. He couldn't bring the cup to his lips. The tunnel stretched out longer and longer and then closed in on him and his passed out.

It was only for a second. Whatever time it took something for to arrest his fall, before he twitched awake, gasping painfully like a fish out of water, like even in that single moment he had been through hell and back.

[Feleti Eidothea]

Feleti continued to focus on the healing for a while. He was glad the man hadn't slipped away so far he couldn't get words out but he simply shushed the man instead. He saw the guy reaching out and before he could even open his mouth to reprimand the guy for moving bastian had fainted. It was only for a moment but the abruptness of it had broken Feleti's concentration. He sighed and as carefully as he corralled bastian up into his arms. He carried bastian across the room and down the steps into his room so that he could set the man down on the bed.
He knew it would be painful for the man no matter how much pain relieving he had just done. Feleti set about removing his old bandages, cleaning his wounds and wrapping his wounds with new water soaked bandages. Then he placed another soaked rag over Sebastian's chest. His expression was a bit sad and determined as if he felt personally responsible for the man fainting. He placed a hand over sebastian's chest and closed his eyes to focus on relieving the man's pain. If Bastian protested his complaints were swiftly ignored. Perhaps it was his own powers that had allowed bastian to force himself to move about when the pain of his wounds should have kept him in bed.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

The warden was positive he had never been shushed before. Told to shut up, yes, plenty. But not shushed. It was strange. Bastian was almost fascinated by the fact considering how out of it he was.

He had a few moments of nearly lucid and mostly free of pain in Leti's arms. Sebastian wasn't a large person but he wasn't small either. He attempted to inform Leti of this, as if the other man wasn't already aware. And then he realized Leti had done this already and was intimately aware of how heavy the warden was supposed to be and co sidering he hadn't eaten in five days he wasn't that heavy. None of the words came out except as unintelligible mumbling.

They made it to the bed before the pain crept back around him and he groaned faintly. He tried to fight the man weakly against removing the bandages. He wanted to be left alone with his problem or given an ice bath or both. The rag (and Leti's magic) helped immensely. There was some small infection but nothing Leti's magic couldn't handle and as the pain melted away again, he was left with the feeling that he was a tired reckless idiot. Which he immediately pushed away.

Bastian studied the beautiful white-haired young man crouched over him for a long moment. That, at least, he couldn't complain about. His eyes left Leti's face to stare at the man's hand on his chest again. His breathing might be uncooperative but his heartbeat pounded quite firmly, adamant he was here despite everything. "Thanks," he mumbled inadequately.

[Feleti Eidothea]

Leti was relieved to see bastian begin to breathe more normally. He didn't remove his hand right away still trying to ease the pain.
His previously stern and determined gaze softened as he heard the mumbled appreciation. For a second he couldn't help but notice how prominent bastian's features were, his dark hair and expressive eyes.
Then he seemed to snap out of that reverie into a bit of a pout "If you want to thank me then you'll stay in bed." He could feel bastian's racing heart beat, almost as if it were his own. It happened sometimes when he used his gift but bastian's heart was beating so hard he almost could have sworn he would have felt it regardless of the gift. He sighed and glanced towards the doorway "I should really give you a soak but after all that you need rest first...." He murmured in thought.
Leti reluctantly removed his hand and stood to move back into the main room.
He was only gone for a few moments, he returned with a bowl of sweetened goats milk and sat at Bastian's side. The healer showed even more hesitation for a second as he decided if he should try to let bastian drink it on his own or not. Leti moved to prop bastian's head and shoulders onto his lap "Drink this, even if you feel you can't, and then try to sleep." His tone partially a plea and partially a command.
Then he held to bowl for bastian to drink from.