A medical emergency

[fadingworld]

A deep navy cloak hides his features and the more ornate tunic the courtesan usually wears to greet his clients. Mal hunches his shoulders and slides through the crowds hoping to avoid notice. He keeps his head down until he reaches the home of the doctor and wraps smartly on the door. "Open up," he calls in a voice that expects to be listened to.

How much time did he have? He could not have a client bleeding out. Not this one. Not one who had come to him for help, to be treated privately.

Comments

[mandragoraspiritus]

"No, not rude as such. More overly suspicious. They do not say much, other than perhaps at times question if I truly know what I'm doing. It is more the hanging over my shoulder to watch my every more that can be bothersome. But, no matter, it won't be for much longer."

He rises from the table, starting to clear the things away. "But it is probably time we moved on with our morning. How is your head?"

[fadingworld]

"It's almost normal," Mal says with a thankful smile. "Is there anything you need fetched back while I am out? I mean to be a bit of tourist this morning and walk around the city."

[mandragoraspiritus]

Regis doesn't really have an errands he needs to send Mal on, but doing so should help in getting the young man acclimatized to his new life.

"If you would stop by the baker and the butcher on your way back from your wanderings it would save me the trip. Some more bread and ham would be useful."

[fadingworld]

A simple errand would draw a groan from many a person. To Mal it is a new adventure. He will end up spending much time examining the choices and sampling a few breads.

"It will be a pleasure." He laughs merrily, "I feel like a child in some ways, learning a whole new world."

[mandragoraspiritus]

Mal's enthusiasm makes Regis chuckle and smile at him rather fondly. "Is this where I then caution you to not stray too far from home and to be wary of strangers?"

[fadingworld]

Mal grins, "And I promise to obey and immediately stray off?" Thankfully he does have some common sense. He stands up and pauses. "Have you a band or a piece of ribbon I can in my hair?"

[mandragoraspiritus]

"So long as you aren't too picky about what it looks like, I'm sure I can find a cord or something like it for you." He eyes the long far of shiny hair. It does look beautiful and even though he had been somewhat asleep, he can remember what it had felt like sifting through his fingers.

"It must take much work."

[fadingworld]

"Thank you," Mal says, "It doesn't need to be pretty...I just want to blend in for a change." He touches the tail end of his hair and says simply, "It's my job to look pretty...it was I mean. My daily preparations including hair could take a couple of hours to get it perfect."

[mandragoraspiritus]

Regis doesn't doubt that. Mal is a beautiful man in himself, but the level of refinement expected of a courtesan had to take a lot of time.

"That would mean very early mornings here," he teases gently. He's already sure that Mal won't go to such lengths here.

[fadingworld]

Mal parts his lips to protest that he can do and then pauses to laugh. "I don't have half the perfumes and lotions I need to take that long." But he will take his time to look decent and make sure his clothes sit perfectly.

His eyes dance, "I could create a beauty routine for you to follow."

[mandragoraspiritus]

Regis arches an eyebrow at him, mock scowling. "And here I thought you said that you like the way I look." Beauty routine, really!

[fadingworld]

“You’ve stIll got to maintain it.” Mal is quite gifted at mimicry and has the Madame’s gestures and tone down. “If nature is left to itself it will slowly slip.”

[mandragoraspiritus]

Ugh, that is unsettling, with that woman's tone and gestures coming from Mal. Regis plays along, though, and simply points a long fingernail at himself. "Vampire. In case you have forgotten already."

[fadingworld]

“And vampires need it more than most.’ Mal suppresses a giggle and brings them back to that silly tale. “Why with proper care you might actually be able to sparkle in sun light.”

[mandragoraspiritus]

At that Regis huffs out an exasperated sigh. "I should not have let you read that book."

What he does next can be considered showing off, he's aware of this. But it would at least put an end to the teasing of his humble self. Between one breath and the next he's simply no longer there but has rather dissolved into a cloud of thick, graphite-colored smoke hanging in the air. It flows forward past Mal, around him, toying with his long hair for but an instant and messing it up, then out the door of the kitchen. In moments Regis' voice is heard from the study. "Are you coming?"

[fadingworld]

Okay. That was unearthly. Mal stands staring at the space Regis had occupied. His skin tingles and his heart is definitely racing a little.

"Okay, that is a seriously unfair advantage," Mal calls out. He smooths his hair down again as he makes his way more slowly to the study. He grins as he steps in the door, "You could scare someone if you snuck up on them that way."

[mandragoraspiritus]

"Let me then say again; vampire." Sneaking up on someone should be the least scary thing about him.

It isn't now that he wants to scare Mal but he does want to understand, for it to be perfectly clear that Regis isn't a human. Yes, Mal has seen his fangs by now but those are nothing compared to other things he might have to witness. At least the dissipating into smoke doesn't look so... Monstrous as other things he might have shown to prove his point.

Even so, now he does again seem perfectly human where he stands searching through a drawer in his desk for something suitable for Mal to use to tie up his hair.

[fadingworld]

Mal wont forget what he has seen. It has given him some healthy respect that he might not even understand a fraction of what Regis could do.

"I know but...wow," Mal says."I don't think many people would get to see you do that and live."

[mandragoraspiritus]

"A surprising amount, I must admit. Some of my other states, though... Not as many." He grimaces a bit, but ah! There is a suitable piece of leather chord that should serve Mal's purposes.

[fadingworld]

Ma comes to pounce on the chord when he spots on it. It is going to take him a little time to put it back with his desired neatness."I have to admit, that one is a skill I wish was possible to pass on. It does look useful."

[mandragoraspiritus]

"It admittedly is." Regis confesses with a bit of a smile. It has helped him to get into more than a few places.

He watches Mal fiddle with his hair and wonders quietly if it will get in Mal's way. Hair like Mal's is often a sign of status. Only people living a life of leisure can really manage to keep hair like that. Those in the working classes need to be more practical. But, for now he will leave Mal to figure that out on his won.

[fadingworld]

For now, Mal thinks nothing of it. Tidyng his hair up is second nature to him. "How much money should I take out with me?" ke asks. "I don't plan to buy much."

[mandragoraspiritus]

"If you aren't planning on buying much then don't bring much," Regis advices, gesturing for Mal to follow him so they can keep talking as he packs up his satchel with the materials he will need today while visiting his patients. Then from his own pockets he counts out ten crowns which he hands over. "That should cover the baker and the butcher just fine."

[fadingworld]

"Alright, thank you," Mal darts to add a little extra coin to an inside pocket just in case he sees something (or finds a small gift for Regis).

He perches to watch what Regis is packing. "What basics do you always carry with you on visits just in case it's needed or someone else calls for you?"

[mandragoraspiritus]

This is something that could be useful for Mal to get aquatinted with so Regis gestures him over once they have entered the room where Regis had examined Mal that first day when he fell ill. On a table he starts laying out the various things he has in his satchel.

"Most of what I always carry with me are focused on first aid," he begins to explain. First comes some vials of medicines and packets of dried herbs, each neatly labeled. "These are mainly for pain management, to lower fever and to promote blood clotting in wounds."

Then there are tightly wound rolls of bandages and rolls of string. Upon unrolling a leather case he displays a small surgeon's kit with small, sharp and utterly spotless blades, as well as needles and neat little rolls of thread.

"I also always carry alcohol with me," he goes on, indicating to the small flask of boiled, hardened leather he keeps attached to the strap of the satchel. "For disinfecting wounds."