A Soft Place to Fall

[Xenosa Alaoui]

It had been a busy day at the tavern and Xenosa had taken to helping out with the closing chores. While she wasn't quite in a position that she needed to exchange her help for her stay, she still insisted on taking as much of the closing work off Aileana and Roxanne as possible. It was a gentle persistence, but persistence nonetheless. She could be stubborn when she wanted to - when she felt she needed to. Besides that, she enjoyed helping. It made her feel better. If she were being completely honest though, it was also a good excuse to talk with Roman Gothard that didn't leave her looking desperate to be in his presence. How silly he might've found her to be if he could read her mind. She felt almost like a hopeful child, always having to remind herself that he was just being nice. She'd certainly began to read too much into his kindness; it was something she silently scolded herself for, the scoldings becoming more frequent each time he looked at her or checked in on her. What a stupid, naïve girl she was. Even she could see that, and that said a lot.

With the last of the chores complete and the others preparing to turn in for the night, she'd begun to make her way to the stairs leading to her room, glancing over her shoulder to call a soft goodnight to the three of them. As soon as she turned her head back in the direction she was going, she was hissing between her teeth as her left side caught the banister of the stairs. Her right arm quickly moved to wrap around her torso and she glanced up, cursing silently as her grey eyes landed on Roman. No doubt he'd witnessed the whole thing. Quickly, and with a bit of embarrassment and panic she waved her free hand frantically. "I'm fine!" She called before he'd even had time to say anything, the pain clear in her tone though she tried her best to mask it. Then she was making her way up the stairs at a pace far too quick, causing her wound to send sharp waves of pain throughout her ribcage. But if she could look okay, maybe she wouldn't worry him. She remembered that look on his face just a few days ago when she'd shown him her bandage. Xenosa didn't want him to worry, not for her.

Reaching her door, she was quickly entering the space, closing the door much louder than was usual as she hurridly moved to the edge of the bed, sitting before lifting her shirt to reveal the bandage beneath her garments. If she kept tearing the damn thing open, it was never going to heal. It hadn't bled at all over the last few days and she'd felt she was making good progress in her healing. It had been close to two weeks now, but without stitches, it was hard to keep it closed long enough to heal as well as it should have been. Luckily, it didn't bleed quite as much now, so that was something. Still, her hands moved effortlessly and in a tattooed blur as she removed the bandage, groaning as quietly as she could as the air hit the wound, causing it to sting. Then she was moving, holding the end of her shirt in her mouth as she poured the glass of water at her bedside onto a clean cloth, pressing it against her side until she was sure the bleeding had stopped.

[Roman Gothard]

Roman loved that Xenosa insisted on helping with closing most nights. It was a nice way to wind down at the end of the day--cleaning up the tavern and his mind, getting everything ready to start the next day fresh. Having Xenosa around made it a pleasant task, never a chore. He'd gotten to know her a little bit better, and whenever he and Rox had the chance, they were always having her try new things. He still loved watching her reactions.

That night, though, when she'd turned to go and knocked her torso against the banister, he knew right away what was the matter. She'd showed him that she was hurt, before, and he'd kept an eye on her since then, taking over tasks that he was convinced would cause her to re-open the wound. He'd tried to be subtle about it, but given the not-so-subtle looks that Rox had been giving him whenever he did, he guessed he'd been more obvious than he would have liked. This, though, was something he couldn't have prevented.

She must have noticed the panic in his eyes, because she quickly insisted she was fine before practically fleeing up the stairs. Thing was, he didn't believe her, not even a little. He didn't chase after her immediately; he went to the office first to grab the little medical kit he and Roxanne kept for when someone got cut on broken glass or burned themselves in the kitchen. He knew there would be clean bandages inside, some grain alcohol for disinfecting, and some spicy-smelling plant salve that Roxanne had gotten from a friend. He also poured her a glass of lavender lemonade.

He took the both with him upstairs and knocked lightly on Xenosa's door before pushing it open with his back.

"Hey, Xen? I brought some--"

He froze, half-turned through the door as he realized she had her shirt pulled up, and got his first good look at her wound. Thankfully, he was used to being bumped, startled, and otherwise interrupted while carrying drinks, so he didn't drop the drink. He did, however, sputter uselessly for a moment before having the good sense to close his eyes so he wasn't staring at her. He entered the room the rest of the way, nudged the door shut with his heel, and held out the items he'd brought as a desperate apology/peace offering.

"I brought our med kit in case you needed anything, and some lemonade to make you feel better," he blurted out.

[Xenosa Alaoui]

She hadn't really expected anyone to come up to see to her. It wasn't something that had really happened before, so when there was a soft knock at her door only a few minutes later, she'd paused, looking up just as the door began to open, that familiar voice ringing softly in the space.

At the very same moment he'd froze, she was dropping her shirt quickly, using her elbow to hold the damp cloth in place, feigning nonchalance when she knew he'd already seen all that he needed to. As he nudged the door closed, she was rising to her feet, quickly crossing the room to take the items he'd brought for her. It was only then that she realized how dark her room still was. "You can open your eyes, Roman. I am decent." She cooed softly, fingertips brushing against his hand as she found the glass and first aid kit he carried, taking it to the table at her bedside where she set it down before lighting the small lantern. "Thank you for this, but I'm fine, really." It almost sounded like she was trying too hard to convince him and herself. Before she returned to stand in front of him, she was taking the smallest sip of the lemonade, humming a soft delight. He'd made this one for her before, or maybe it just tasted like something he'd made before. Either way, it was delicious and she had to resist downing the entire glass then and there. She needed to tend her wound first and while she had some reservations about letting him see the extent of her injury, she might need the extra set of hands. If it was to actually heal properly, and keep her clumsiness from tearing it open again, she'd need a quick stitch. Of course, stitches should have been something she'd done much, much sooner, but the rush of the run had made her too impatient to sit still long enough. Now seemed like a good enough time, however. Better late than never..

"You're welcome to keep me company if you'd like-- and if you don't mind a bit of nastiness.." The words were hesitant - not because she didn't want him to stay, it was quite the opposite really. Truthfully, she didn't want to see that worried expression. She didn't like it. It made her feel guilty, as if she'd done something wrong even though she knew she hadn't. She'd blame the trauma for that one.

She offered a smile before turning away from him and removing the damp cloth from beneath her shirt. At least the wound wasn't bleeding much at all. That was perhaps the best sign she'd had so far. Xenosa kept her back to him as she opened the kit he'd brought, removing a clean strip of cloth and the alcohol, soaking it as she pressed it into her side, grimacing at the sting, glad that he couldn't see. She moved to sit at the edge of her bed after a few moments, looking up at Roman and patting the space next to her. Then she was removing a needle and the medical thread, feeding the thread through the hole and tying it off with a knot. Keeping her injured side turned away from him, she lifted her shirt again, assessing the area and pressing her fingers lightly along the edges, trying to find the best place to start stitching. More than anything, this would keep any infections out and at this point in the healing stage, that was the most important thing.

[Roman Gothard]

Roman blushed deeply as he opened his eyes, feeling silly. Of course, she hadn't been exactly indecent before that, but the way it had set his heart to pounding made him feel like it was just as bad. Her reassurance that she was alright did nothing to soothe his worries--he knew better. She was most certainly not alright, and it made him think back to what she'd said before, that someone had hurt her before, and often. They must not have been pleased to see her leave… It made him sick trying to imagine what kind of person would want to hurt her. He pushed that from his mind when she motioned for him to sit with her.

He followed to her side easily enough but he couldn't help the hiss of breath between his teeth when he was able to get a closer look at her wound. Someone had been trying to do some serious damage. She was lucky to be alright, and it was clear the thing had been trying to heal for some time but hadn't stayed closed. He frowned as he watched her thread the needle. Was she planning to--Yes, yes she was.

"Xenosa, you can't really mean to do that yourself!" he protested, already reaching to take the needle from her before he had time to think it through. He'd never given anyone stitches before, and he was sure it was going to hurt like hell...but if it would help her--shit. She wasn't a child, he couldn't just tell her what to do like that. Just because it was his gut reaction didn't mean it would be what she wanted. Especially if she'd been through even half the things his worries had concocted to fill her history.

"I mean…" He pulled back slightly, realizing he might be overbearing. "Do you--Would you let me stitch it for you? I'll have better access." He held his hand cautiously out for the needle.

[Xenosa Alaoui]

She was happy to have him next to her. It was hard to explain, but somehow, he eased her frenzied mind - brought her to a sense of peace, even within herself. There was such a gentleness to his presence that always soothed her and brought her immense comfort. She wondered - for only a split second - if he knew he had that effect on people. Maybe he only had that effect on her.

A look of surprise crossed her features at the sound he'd made and she eyed him carefully. She was already preparing a slew of excuses - 'it's not that bad', 'could have been worse' - when he protested, reaching towards her. Instinctively, Xenosa pulled her hands to her chest as if she'd done something wrong, only realizing the motion she'd made when he was pulling away from her, speaking up again before she could even process what to say. Her heart sank for a matter of moments, hoping she hadn't made him feel bad. She certainly needed to get these reactions under control. She didn't want him to think she feared him or thought he'd ever bring her harm. She knew he wouldn't, but her body always reacted before she had time to think. It only caused guilt to settle in where it had no reason to be. If it caused her this much strife, what did it do to him when he was only trying to help? She couldn't even think about that for half a second without her heart feeling like it hit her stomach. Still, he was kind and gentle as ever, something she was thankful for.

There was a moment of hesitance as she looked at his outstretched hand, then back to his face. She give him the best smile she could muster, knowing that it likely did not look very convincing. "A-are you sure..?" Her voice was barely above a whisper, nervousness wrapping it's claws around her throat. The very thought of having his hands against her skin had her heart pounding against her chest for reasons she didn't quite understand.

[Roman Gothard]

Her worry somehow made his own vanish, and he nodded once, firmly. He could do this if it meant that she would be well taken care of and he could ease some of her burdens. It was the one thing he was confident in at the moment: he would do anything he could to help her. "I'm sure. Give me the needle."

Once she did what he'd asked, he did his best to smile at her as he scooted and turned more on the bed with his legs crossed to get at a decent angle and prop up his arm. A gentle hand on her shoulder guided her to lean to the side, at first, before he realized that this would be much easier if she was horizontal. It felt odd, but… well, he wanted to do a good job. There was no point in his helping if he did shoddy work.

"Would you mind laying on your side, or….well, kind of against my knees? It would make it a great deal easier for me to reach, and probably a bit more comfortable for you."

[Xenosa Alaoui]

As he instructed it, Xenosa handed him the needle and thread, offering a soft smile back, looking away only as he propped himself up with his arm across her bed. She leaned as he gave her a gentle push, only to glance at him again when he began to speak. She breathed a laugh and nodded. "Of course. That would be better, wouldn't it?" She asked, trying to bring a little humor into the room. Perhaps there was nothing humorous about it.

She moved so that her left side - the injured side - was upwards to him, pushing herself lightly back against his knees and moving her white locks out of the way as best she could. "Have you ever done this before?" She asked him idly. It was an opportunity to distract herself. Stitches never felt good. "I may be able to guide you through the process, if you'd like." She turned her head just enough to look up at him. "At this stage, a simple cross-stitch should do."

She wasn't worried about how pretty or not the stitches would look. Her only concern was keeping the damned wound from opening at this point. She was risking infection the longer she put it off and at this point, despite the small amounts of blood that accompanied reopening the wound, she was just ready to be healed and done with it.

[Roman Gothard]

Ah, that was better. He could already tell he'd be able to stitch more easily this way. Roman shook his head.

"Yes and no; never on a person. I stitched up Apple, once, when she was pretty young. She'd broken some dish or another in the kitchen, trying to get into some meat that wasn't for her. I was so scared…" He laughed softly, recalling how panicked he'd been. He was nervous, now, but it wasn't nearly as frightening. "She was sweet about it, that little pup. She licked my hand when I was done, like she knew what I was doing was to help."

It was a memory he hadn't thought about in a long time. He hoped this was the last time he'd need to give anyone stitches, but something told him that was wishful thinking. Well, with any luck it would just be another kitchen accident, nothing to worry over. He shook his head as if to clear the cobwebs from his head.

"Anyway, I'm sure you're an even better patient. I'll try to make this quick."

He prepared himself to start, and hesitated for a minute, pulling back, before he made himself lean forward and get started. "Sorry," he muttered as he pulled through the first stitch.

By the second, he was feeling alright about it. He could do this…

Before he knew it, he was done and tying off that last stitch. Without thinking, he smoothed his fingers over the closed wound, trying to make sure it was secure.

"I think that should do it…" he told Xenosa, putting a hand on her shoulder in a belated attempt to comfort her. "Do you want a salve or something on it, to protect it?"

[Xenosa Alaoui]

Xenosa was more than happy to listen as he talked, smiling to herself as she thought of the small pup she'd met only a handful of times now. When he'd finished, Xenosa sighed a content sigh. "From what I can tell, animals seem to know when we are helping them and when we're only causing them pain." She replied, her way of agreeing that Apple was, in fact, a sweet little pup. "You are a good owner to her, especially to have the patience to stitch her up after such mischief." She laughed.

At the mention that he'd try to make it quick, she felt herself tense, forcing herself to relax as she let out a deep, quiet breath. Still, the prick of the needle didn't seem to come. Shifting to look up at him, he muttered an apology and she reached backwards to pat his knee, feeling the first stitch and hissing between her teeth as she returned to her original position.

She didn't like the quiet as he worked, but she was sure he wanted to focus. Although he had done a stitch before, even if just on a beloved pet, she had faith in him as his first human patient. Every once in a while, she would feel her muscles bunch and then release. It was the urge to flinch away that she had to fight most.

The very moment Roman ran his finger down the stitch, Xenosa felt the the goosebumps raise along her skin, though she did not move until he was speaking again. Sitting up straight, she was examining his work. "You did wonderfully!" She beamed at him. "Maybe you chose the wrong profession." She joked with a giggle. When he offered a salve, she took a moment to think before nodding her head. "That might be for the best. It would certainly speed up the rate of healing." Reaching to the nightstand, she grabbed the first aid kit, setting it between herself and Roman. The she was grabbing the glass of lemonade he'd brought to her, taking a sip, humming to herself before setting it aside to rummage through the kit.

[Roman Gothard]

"You did wonderfully!" She beamed at him. "Maybe you chose the wrong profession."

Roman's cheeks flushed and he shook his head vehemently. Absolutely not. He was much happier with bread and beer, thank you very much.

He watched with some relief as Xenosa moved easily to grab the first aid kit and to sip some of her lemonade. She seemed perfectly at ease, now; which meant he hadn't hurt her too badly while stitching up her wound. Gods she was beautiful... Such pretty eyes, and long lashes... He watched her face for a moment longer before he realized he'd been distracted, then turned his attention to the kit, snagging out a little brass tin.

"Here, I think this is right," He opened the container and sniffed at the contents, trying to remember what was in this one. "I think...this is yarrow? I can't remember. Mum bought it from an herbalist ages ago. We don't need it all that often, thankfully." He held it out for her to smell without thinking.

[Xenosa Alaoui]

Xenosa felt the shy smile begin to stretch over her features as she caught Roman staring at her. It was flattering, the way his eyes were soft on her and she wondered what was going through his head. She dared not ask, however.

He was then quickly rummaging through the kit for her, pulling out the small container as he began to speak. After taking a sniff of whatever was inside, he was guessing at it's contents. She leaned towards him as he held it out for her to smell. She placed her hand under his, just enough that her fingertips touched his skin as she lifted his hand slightly to smell whatever was inside the container. It was a strong, herbal scent - definitely yarrow. "I believe you are correct on your identification." She said to him before gently taking the container from him.

A tattooed finger dipped into the container, the fine paste nearly the consistency of an oil. "Will I ever get to meet your mother?" She asked him absent-mindedly as she moved to apply the herb to her wound carefully.