Early mornings

[Sebastian Arcturis]

The moment the green cloak was nearby, he could nearly smell it. She wasn't subtle. Was she trying to be noticed? She kept seeming to ignore him, but...was this what was meant by people playing hard to get?

Sebastian didn't hide the fact he was staring at her. Baird didn't seem to notice until she interrupted him to order flowers. Well, it was the venders job and Baird was sort of obliviously in the way as usual.

He was more than prepared this time for the woman to collide with him. She seemed quite skilled at it and he still wasn't convinced it was an accident. Three times was a trend. One he sorely hoped didn't follow him home.

Sebastian could have caught her. A decent human would have. But that was a gross overestimate of his humanity. Instead, he slipped out of her way as she fell, missing him completely and left to fend for herself.

"This is harassment," he stated, eyes not leaving the woman. He could probably arrest her for that.

[Eden "Lily"]

Thankfully, she was able to keep herself from really falling but she stumbled a bit more and stepped away as she tried to keep her items in her basket and not falling all over the ground. This is why she never left, it never went well and this was not going well in the slightest.

"No this is just bad luck...I haven't done anything then just have the silly clumsiness of bumping into you today...I don't mean to I swear," she told him, her voice shaking as she spoke while holding the basket against the front of her. She could barely lift her eyes to look up at him but she managed to look up to his chest but they went no further.

"I'm just trying to get my errands done before work shortly so I'm flustered I'm sorry," she apologized again. Even if she said it often, it didn't mean that she didn't mean it, she did, her voice was shaking from it as she stepped away from him some. He couldn't do anything to her for just having bad luck could he?

[Sebastian Arcturis]

Bad luck. He had a lot of that. "Do not touch me again," he growled.

Baird chuckled next to him and as if it was a reminded, Sebastian added begrudgingly, "Please." That was being nice wasn't it? He was only asking for respect of his personal space.

"Hey, miss?" Baird chimed in politely. "His eyes are up there," he laughed, but did seem to mean the comment seriously. It wasn't polite for them to stare at her chest, no was it? The guard seemed to find both of their incompetence at social interaction amusing.

Sebastian could careless what the woman saod she was doing. Words didn't mean all that much, especially when her actions more than backed up her harassing him. The entire morning he had retained his usual mild frosty expression. Now, his jaw was set tighter and there was a clear furrow to his brow as he watched the woman continue to be a bother. All he wanted her to do was leave him alone.

"Seven." He had not forgotten. He could do whatever he wanted to her. Should he ever actually want to do anything. That was the problem. He didn't want anything to do with her. Green and Fate seemed to want otherwise.

Baird gave the girl an apologetic expression. One that clearly said 'I won't let him murder you but please stop for your own good.' "Ya don't need to pologize for livin' yer life, miss. Just don't make it so hard fer others to live theirs." His tone suggested he understood she didn't mean it and that his companion was easily frustrated.

[Eden "Lily"]

If Eden was the snappier sort she would have but the tone had her drawing into herself even more as stepping back more. Why was it she found the crazy ones?

When the other man chimed in, her eyes went right down instead of up, her head shaking some, "Not supposed to," was all she could say to that one. It had been rather hammered into her that she couldn't or well shouldn't, without direct permission or order, so she always did her best to keep her gaze from straying up to high.

"I swear I'm not following or anything, truly, normally not this bad at being out and about on my own," she told him as she tucked her hair behind her ear while refraining from biting at her nails- bad habits and all.

She did try to look up while she spoke but with how spooked she was from this whole day and running into this man thrice, she couldn't, her anxiety over it wouldn't allow it, "I do hope you both have a good day and I hope I haven't caused too many issues," she said softly, a subtle apology but at least it didn't have the out right sorry in it, just a subtle one.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

"Not spose to?" For some reason, Baird found this notion hilarious. Sebastian shifted his gaze to him for a moment as he continued. "Ya lemeknow 'ow the view is from down there. I hear he's got a monster cock."

That sort of teasing at least, the captain was frustratingly used to. He didn't even roll his eyes or sigh in resignation, he just considered the other man as if he were a mildly interesting looking training dummy. After a long look and with Baird's continued laughter, the thought of punching the lights out of both of them made him feel a little warm and fuzzy inside and he decided just thinking about it would be enough.

Green spoke as if she was some sort of pet. And then all the pieces fit together. The lack of eye contact, the flight response, the negative self esteem, the anxiety, the working later, the lack of social skills, the petite and objectively attractive girlishness of her face and figure... If she wasn't a whore, she was at the very least in a terrible relationship.

"Buy your flowers for your wife, Baird and let us go home."

Baird shrugged and finished paying. The captain glanced back at the woman thoughtfully, hardly hearing her apology. It would either mean nothing to her or maybe it would mean something. The man had said he was fine, but it bothered Sebastian enough that he felt the need to say it. "Stop letting Ronan take clients that beat the shit out of him." People paid more for intact merchandise, after all. Even he knew that.

[Eden "Lily"]

That was enough to make her face go scarlet, she didn't want to know that- sure she's seen enough in her life to not want to see more but hell she didn't ask for the rudeness. Tears burned in her eyes a little as she looked away, backing up some from the men. She was never leaving the brothel again after this, she'd send someone else to do this because her luck right now was shit.

Hearing the man speak up, she would be turning, just wanting to leave but only stopping when she heard Ronan's name. "I...I have no control over that...none of us have control over who comes in as long as they pay for it," she told him, turning her head some to look at him, actually look at him this time and let him see the sadness in her eyes. She only chose this life out of necessity as it was better than living on the streets- least that's what she was told.

"I can take care of him at least though...I-I'm trying to get him to eat more than what he does," she told him then clearing her throat as she looked away from him. She didn't want to linger now, upset from this whole day, and feeling guilty for bumping into a man who was as grumpy as they can get. She tried to leave but then wondered how he even knew Ronan, "How do you know him though? Are you one of his?" she asked, her voice shaking a little as she asked. She had no idea that he could have seen him injured any other way.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

Baird paid the vender for the flowers and nudged Sebastian with his elbow as he girl answered him. The captain hadn't planned to wait for answer and he didn't, though he certainly heard her pitiful excuse. And here he had thought Candlelights was supposed to be classy. Or at least not a hell hole. Oh well. That wasn't his problem anymore. If the prostitutes didn't like it, they could leave. Seemed simple enough.

The captain wasn't some noble crusader. He simply thought it was rude for the few to ruin the bodies of whores for the many with needless scars. Not that he was even using said whores. Maybe he was a bit of a crusader. He didn't want to be. So he took a breath and pushed all of it away and continued on with his life without further consideration for the well-being of those who didn't care for themselves and didn't want others to care for them either. Everyone got what they wanted.

He and Baird were already walking down the street as she rambled on about care and food and things Bastian didn't care about. If she followed while she spoke, he would only give her a look that wondered at why the hell she was still talking to him.

Baird chuckled, finding something infinitely amusing.

[Eden "Lily"]

The moment he walked away she stopped talking, not finishing what she was saying as she just went and left as well and just went back. Candlelight, in general, wasn't bad but the customers were questionable most of the time and she was still getting over the bad one she had that nearly killed her.

Back there, she would fix up her room with the flowers and then pick up a needlepoint she was working on. It was one of two gifts she was making for her friends and they were scenes of flowers and birds and with that bag in hand, she would go out but this time deciding to not walk around and found the little park nearby and would sit on a bench in silent.

She planned to stay there now, can't bump into people and she could just focus on this and not the stupid day that she's had and it irritated her to no end but embarrassed her as well. Eden felt confident enough that she wouldn't get spotted here, enough so that she just had her cloak on her lap so the white of her simple dress was showing.

Quietly she worked on her needlework, her fingers nimble and easy as she pulled it in and out- at least until she was dozing off and falling asleep on the bench. She was slightly curled up on it, her bag hidden under her cloak and her hands just resting on her lap, she dozed off on the park bench now.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

To make a long and rather boring story short, after flashing his tiny bit if coin around, Baird found hinself victim of a cutpurse as they neared the edge of the town. Not a very good one, fortunately. Just good enough to get close amd make the grab but not to get away undetected. The guardsman noticed almost immediately, whipping around and nearly knocking the other man's lights out but he managed to duck and run.

Sebastian gave chase. That was how he ended up tackling the man into the back of the bench as the thief attempted to vault over it.

"Lemme go!" The man growled, drawing a blade against the captain who was attempting to wrestle hin to the ground. The theif got in a good swing before Baird caught up and decked him.

"Sir, you don't have to be so bloody fast," he grumbled, spunded almost offended that Sebastian had gotten to the man first. It wasn't as if he couldn't collect his own money.

The captain grunted and leaned back before using the bench to pull himself up. It took him a few adrenaline soaked breaths to notice the green out of the corner of his eye and the red hair.

Of fucking course. Well, technically he hadn't bumped into her? The bench was a little rattled. Actually, there was a good amount of blood on it too. Where...

Panting, he looked down at the thief and the blood on the unconscious man's short blade. And then he finally felt it a little. Damn adrenaline was a good drug. Sebastian pressed a hand to his side in annoyance.

Baird turned around, having collected his money and he paused to look the man over. "Alright, captain. It's all-when the hell did that happen?"

Sebastian decided he hated traveling.

[Eden "Lily"]

From being up all night and into the morning, it was no surprise that she slept like this under the warmth of the sun. It was peaceful, she did not expect to bump into anyone and no one to bother her as well. Or so she blissfully thought at least.

Eden would find herself suddenly being jolted awake as she jumped awake at herself being almost thrown out of her seat and hearing yelling and swearing.

She was getting up in a rush, her chest rising and falling rapidly as she watched the man get taken down but the one she kept bumping into. HIM AGAIN?! She was trying to avoid him and now he found her? The heck!

What snapped her from her fear/shock moment though was the sight of blood on the mans side. Hesitantly, she moved over to the bench again, her hands shaking some but she pulled out a clean cloth from her bag and froze a little again. Captain? Captain of the guard? It really was her luck but he was hurt and she was at least able to handle that much.

"Here," she told him as she would hand him the clean cloth to press against his side. She did have clean thread and a needle, "I can stitch it for you...I have clean thread and needle," she managed to say after a moment, offering to help since she was at least good at doing that much. She may not hold the best conversations in the world but she knew how to tend to a wound or two, she'd helped her mother and others before with them.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

A normal person might have felt embarrassed at the irony that he had accused her of stalking and harassing him and yet here it was him who had (very nearly) run into her this time.

The irony was not lost on Sebastian. The embarrassment was. The man looked at her for a moment in silence, watching her pull a cloth from her bag and offer it to him. He stared at it, confused and then looked over at Baird where the other man was ensuring the petty thief's wrists were tied up before settling him on the bench. They had made quite the ruckus so it wasn't long before a local guard showed up. He and Baird discussed the incident where it was clear both couldn't figure put why the man had stolen from a guard, in uniform not less. They came to the conclusion the guy had wanted attention. Which he had gotten. Plus a concussion.

In the meantime, Sebastian was left to navigate the woman's offer alone. He pulled his hand away from his side with an involuntary wince and considered the injury. It didn't feel very deep but he needed more than fingers to close the wound. Still... "I do not want to ruin your handkerchief," he said earnestly. Hence the odd looks.

Stiches. He took a subconscious step back. As martial and fit and physical and brave and reckless as he was, as often as he had faced down arrows and swords and the like, regardless of the fact he could stitch someone else up, Sebastian did NOT like tiny needles directed at himself. He had had stiches before. And he'd either been unconscious or terrified. "No, thank you. Milady." His tone was the same straightforward as it usually was.

He stood there silent again, glancing over at Baird as he finisned talking to the other guard.

[Eden "Lily"]

As much as she wanted to scamper away from him after meeting him yet again for the way too manyith time today, she was compelled to help him in the vary least. He had gotten inadvertently hurt doing his duty and the city needed men like him so she could offer what little she had to him.

"It's ok, I can make another and you need it more," she told him as she winced a little at the sight of blood. Ok, she was fine, she bled monthly so a little wound was not supposed to make her stomach feel as flippy as it did but that just looked unpleasant and she only had a few things on her that might help and when he said no to her stitching the wound she would look down a little and then reach into her purse and rummage through it for a moment and pull out a small tin.

"I use this for cuts...the small ones but uhm...here, it'll help keep out infection away. I got it from the apothecary here," she told him as she would at least hold that out with the cloth. If he wouldn't let her sew it then she could do this little bit. It was funny how an injury let her not be so reclusive into herself but acting on something like that was natural to her since she often helped those in the brothel if they got hurt.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

It wasn't okay. Her insistence only made it more frustrating and clearly not okay. He had no idea what to say back to the woman. The captain stood there for another moment as if stuck in place. Her words reminded him of another earnest healer from a long time ago.

'You're right,' Leti had said, words teasing, but not any less harsh to Bastian's ears. 'I should have left you in a puddle of your own blood, just like all other wicked-hearted humans. I'm a healer, I like to heal people.' He didn't know what to say back then. He still didn't know. But...he did sort of understand. Sometimes, people needed helped and sometimes, other people wanted to help. They didn't need to be asked or coerced or reimbursed. Alright, so his problem was only a little bit about the handkerchief. He just...wasn't used to people.

Finally, while she directed her attention to her pockets, he unstuck himself and sifted through his own. He might have expended most of his medical supplies on Ronan the other night, but he had a little more cloth bandage somewhere. No more yarrow salve though.

Bastian pressed the scavenged cloth into the narrow gap in his clothes. It hurt, but he doubted the injury was that deep. He was still standing, after all.

Perpetrator dealt with, Baird returned to continue to be a voice of reason. "Ya need stitches. Sir." His tone was firm, but it was technically a suggestion. "Just don't watch?" This suggestion was a bit more obvious.

The captain glanced at his companion and then to Green again and back to his side. Fine. If they were both going to insist, the path of least resistant was glaringly obvious. "Alright," he said, sitting gingerly on the bench and proceeding to remove his leather armor and lift up his tunic. "Please do not faint," he added softly, having noticed her wincing and the pallor of her face.

[Eden "Lily"]

Eden stood quietly then, letting him figure it out in his head. She wasn't trying to be mean or pushy, she just wanted to help him even though he scared her into wanting to hide in a hole. She wasn't a cruel woman just poor skills when it came to regular interactions that didn't lead to her taking someone to her room. It was hard and she messed up more than she did right by it but she could manage little bits of being regularly social.

When his companion returned, she almost wanted to thank him for his assistance at it and she continued to wait as he would then go and sit on the bench to remove his leather armor and then lift up his tunic.

She would offer the barest of sweet smiles as she went over and knelt on the ground by his knees as it was easier to reach the spot like this. Pulling out the smallest of flasks filled with liquor, she'd then pull out a thin black thread and clean needle. It would take her a moment to clean the thread and needle, "Apologies Sir," she told him right before pouring some of the alcohol on the cut with the cloth under to catch it and then press against it firmly.

Eden felt a little bad for doing this part with no warning but she needed to clean it and he seemed tense already- she just hoped he didn't react poorly to it.

[Sebastian Arcturis]

Bastian watched her prepare supplies without really watching. Had he the capacity to feel awkward, he would have, considering he had all but yelled at the woman. And morr than that, he distinctly recalled telling her not to touch him.

So much for that. He sighed and glanced over at his companion as if it was all his fault. Which it was. Flashing money.

Baird supplied an easy grin and shrugged. He was pretty sure his captain blamed him. Not in any direct manner of course and heaven forbid Bastian express his feelings or take his frustration on anyone, but sometimes, Baird wondered if that might help. The guy had been more withdrawn and grumpy than usual. While Baird found running into the same girl over and over quite funny, it seemed to strike a nerve with the other man, though the guard couldn't figure out why. Just another straw, he supposed. He didn't imagine being a captain was all that relaxing.

"Sorry for the interruption, miss. The help is greatly appreciated. Did you have a good mornin'?"

The captain grit his teeth and fought to hold back a growl, but he didn't move. Baird winced for him. This part Bastian didn't have a problem with. It was the part where she would start poking him. Bastian did his best to not look at her hands, holding his tunic up and staring through their surroundings.

Baird watched his captain intently. "You didn't have to tackle the guy."

Bastian grunted.

"Breathe," he reminded his friend, glancing at Eden with a winning smile.