Stormchaser Roleplaying - Downtime: Recover - Loo and Mathias goes to Stazia...

@Kyle [Arcadian] @Mike @Luciel [Dent]

As the Reprievers return to their hideout, Mathias tries to force himself to work on some new alchemical projects, like Jai had already begun in his own nook. But that dull ache returns. He looks at his wound in a broken window they used as a mirror, seeing not much improvement over these past several days. He lets out a frustrated sigh, knowing he'd need at least one more session at Stazia's before it healed fully. The memory of the stinging pain on his cheek now took over as he recalled how the last one had gone. He remembers right away that Loo still had some burns on her hands from dealing with the ghosts at the Crow's Nest. He approaches the darkened booth she'd claimed as her own, and knocks gently. "Loo? We'd b-better see about some more treatment..." His eyes roam the interior as he waits for her response. (edited)

Loo is currently sitting as the leech knocks. She is looking at some random spot on the other side of the room. She doesn't seem to notice Mathias at first. Her eyes are transfixed in that location... Is it strange that the shadows seem to coalesce in that specific spot? Loo clears her throat. "Ah, yes." She lifts her hands up from her thighs. Looking at them, she seems lost in thought. She turned her hands over and over, observing them as if it is not her own. She blinks. Loo stands and meets Mathias, "The treatment, yes." Her eyes gets caught on the wound on his cheek. "Does it hurt?" Her hands rise up to touch... something. Her eyes, even though is directly looking at the wound, seems so distant. She blinks once again. "Ah, apologies. Shall we?" As brief as a whisper, she leaves the leech all alone, the room brighter than before.

Mathias watches her go, dumbfounded yet again. His hand rises to cup his cheek. His only visible wound was the one on his head. How did she know I was thinking about the slap? He shakes his head, trying to clear these confounding thoughts. No, no, no. Enough. This is beyond the pale. She's bizarre, and less than sane. Don't try to understand her. Don't get caught up in all of this, it's only a means to an end, anyway. Besides... If he were to keep getting close to her or any of the ragtag Reprievers—Jai had been the one to come up with the name, if he'd had his way, they'd have no name—it would only serve to add their faces to his nightmares, as those tormented before him, and sometimes worse, as his tormentors. He hastens to follow Loo's swaying furs out of the tunnels. (edited)

When Loo and Mat arrive at Stazia's home, she let's them in without a word. It looks like she was working at her bench preparing a salve before they arrived.

Mathias sucks his teeth, clearly uncomfortable by this amount of silence between them. He was used to her admonishing him—which upset him because she kept treating him like a child, but he was used to it. Not this. He pipes up as she begins applying the salve. "W-We can start paying you for your services. Th-Though I don't mean for this to be a regular occurrence."

Stazia shakes her head, gesturing to a nearby chair. "Don't be a fool, Mat," she tells Mathias as she fetches cloths and salve for cleaning the wound. (edited)

Loo observes for now, letting Stazia take care of Mathias first. "Last time we were here... you were taken. Are they still bothering you, Stazia?" She says as she looks at her own wounds. The pain is now dull, but it is noticeably there. "I do appreciate that you are doing this for us. Given the... circumstances. I assume that you two knew each other well?" She finally looks at them, offering a vacant stare. (edited)

Stazia's quick response shuts Mathias up for a bit. At Loo's suggestion, the sullen Leech stammers, with a look towards Stazia as he tries to find the right words. "Y-Yes, well wai-wait, not that well!" He clears his throat to steady himself. "Stazia and I grew up as neighbors. She set up her own practice here in Doskvol, and I came here to learn the ropes as well. I learned nearly everything I know from her." His nostalgia helps to keep his voice even. "She's... the closest thing I have to family in this city." He looks up at her with his bloodshot eye, through the mess of his hair. (edited)

"I see..." Loo straightens, looks away for a brief moment, and offers them a rueful smile. "Family is... important." She stands and goes by a window, as if gliding. She placed her wounded hand on the glass, her breath steaming up the glass. "Family always finds away to be together; they do, don't they?" She turns around and looks at Stazia. "You are really lucky to have Mathias." Her eyes glances over Mathias. "And you are lucky to have her." She silently recedes into herself once more. Unmoving like a mannequin, head tilted to one side, a soft smile perfectly framed on her face. She awaits for Stazia to treat her next.

Mathias swallows, a lump beginning to form in his throat. She probably doesn't have anyone like that. "I...I certainly am." His gaze lingers on the enigmatic witch before returning to Stazia with, for the first time in a long time, a smile. He lets her get on with her work. (edited)

Stazia does little more than shake her head at Loo's question about the bluecoats. At first, she too can't help but smile a little as Mathias begins to tell their story. However, the affection soon fades from her face when the leech describes them as family. "All done here," Stazia remarks, tightening the fresh bandage around Mathias's head.

Loo clears her throat as she moves out of the shadows. "It's my turn, I assume." She glances at her burns before extending it towards Stazia. "I don't mind the pain. As long as it would finally heal. Relief is something I yearn. The Golden Stag demands my full recovery."

Mathias tightens his lip as Stazia finishes up rather brusquely. That was a compliment. Before he can verbalize this though, he remembers he'd done her more wrong than just leading Bluecoats to her door. But I had to. She just wouldn't understand what I'm making these drugs for. He settles on returning her silent treatment, purposefully turning away from her as he and Loo switch places. "N-Now, now, Loo, Stazia wouldn't know about the Golden Stag. But we all know about pain." He hadn't meant to add a barb to his words there, but it had slipped out. "For some of us, it's just our way of life. But it doesn't have to be." All he had to do was ease his nightly torments, permanently.

Stazia frowns as she inspects Loo's hands. "How did you do this?" She asks, regretting the question as soon as the words pass her lips.

Mathias perks up as he suddenly remembers the oddity of Loo's wounds—and how he hadn't gotten to give the excuse he thought of the other night as he'd planned. What had it been? "Er, ch-ch-chemical burns. Sh-She's my lab assistant." He squeaks out, hoping Loo would go along with the explanation, though it was weak.

Loo stiffens as she sits in front of Stazia. Hearing Mathias' remark about the Golden Stag is . . . normal. She is not hear to expand the God's reach. ". . . Of course." She stares at Stazia, a weak smile placed upon her face. "I am just being honest with my devotion to my God. Her eyes quickly flickers towards Mathias and back to Stazia. Loo clears her throat. "And . . . yes. Chemical burns. Lab assistant." Her smile never leaves her face. She sits on a stool, hunched over, her hands extended towards Stazia. "If you don't mind, I'd like you to focus on just my burns for now. This is not really a good time for idle chit-chat. I'd hate it if I unintentionally lied to you."

Mathias raises an eyebrow at Loo's rather pointed shift in language and tone. He was more baffled than upset. They'd talked about this, hadn't they? Once. A couple of nights ago. And he had been doing most of the talking. But where was this coming from? For now, he simply let it go and bided his time until the two were finished, and they could leave. (edited)

Stazia fetches a different kind of tonic for the burns, thoroughly oiling the affected area with it, before wrapping Loo's hands to soak. "Was there anything else?" She asks quietly, lingering near Mathias.

"I, er... no. Thank you." Mathias rises from his seat. "We'll try not to t-trouble you further, when we're healed." The alchemist crosses to the doorway, failing to meet the gaze of either woman.

Mathias's fingers brush past Stazia's as he rises. "Mat," she breathes, her features pained as she watches him go to leave.

Mathias grasps the doorknob and stops in his tracks. Whatever coldness he had tried to build up against her was melting, fast. "Loo," He says slowly, his throat dry. "I'll... catch up with you." He opens the door and stands inside, holding it for her to exit.

Loo, her hands freshly wrapped and soothing due to the oils applied, looks at both Stazia and Mathias. With a firm, vacant face she speaks, "Very well. I'll go ahead." She moves towards the door, looking through the door frame. She gives both of them a sideways glance and a nod before exiting. As soon as she exits, she turns and closes the door for them. "I won't intrude further." The door closes with a thud and Loo sees her hand. She exhales. "Family . . ." A smile almost forms on her lips but she quickly moves away a few steps and finds a place where she could wait for a while.

As Loo shuts the door, Mathias stares at it for a few long seconds, before turning to face Stazia. He crosses the room until he is only a few feet away. "Well?" he asks, not having to raise his voice from proximity. He looks her in the eye, with some difficulty. Unconsciously, he braces himself for another slap.

"Don't," Stazia whispers, turning her head to break Mathias's intense stare.

Not listening, he steps even closer, his jacket now brushing against her dress. Slowly, carefully, he brings a hand up to her face and points it back towards his own. "Look at me. What am I to you, then, if not family? Am I just... the bastard that stole your research for his own ends? Tell me."

"No!" Stazia exclaims angrily. She grasps the front of Mathias's jacket as though to push him away, but can't seem to bring herself to let go. "I don't want to be your sister, Mat, we were so much more than that."

Mathias looked at her, with softer eyes. The truth was, he'd hoped to hear those words from her for a long time. But why'd it have to be now? Just when he'd begun to form an interest in Loo. But another look at the woman in front of him banishes thoughts of the mysterious Whisper and her god. With some hesitancy, he brings his other arm around her waist, drawing her in. "You're sure? I've done you so much harm..." He brings his face to hers, looking her in the eye. "Will this make you happy?"

"Stay," Stazia tells Mathias softly, curling into his chest between the open front of his jacket. "You don't have to do this, you know? You don't have to go back. You could walk away. We could be happy. Together."

Mathias's breath catches in his throat. That was still so far from possible, but she didn't know. Would she understand? He starts to disentangle himself from her, taking a step backward. "Stazi, I'm sorry, b-but I can't do that. N-Not yet. It wouldn't work, there's still more I have to do, I-I can't give up this life yet. Wh-When we're together, I have these nightmares..." He needed a permanent cure first. Otherwise, as idyllic as their life together would sound, it would be shadowed by his visions of her torment at night. Eventually, he might not be able to tell dream from reality... "My reasons are... c-complicated, but please, trust me!" His eyes dart to the door, to Loo, beyond it. (edited)

Stazia stiffens and allows Mathias to move away. She looks cold and small and alone. "It doesn't look very complicated from where I'm standing, Mat," she notes bitterly. "Whatever it is that you're getting out of it, you want that more than you want us."

Mathias breathing becomes shallower still as he backs away. "That- That's not... true." All of a sudden, he can't bring himself to even look at her anymore. His pupils, one still reddened, dilate as he tries to turn his attention anywhere else in the room, but wherever he looks, shadows began to lengthen in his mind. Horrifying visages appeared before him in the dark, like twisting mockeries of familiar faces. Oh, oh blood and darkness. Not right now. Out of the corner of his eye, he sees Stazia again, cold and lonely... With her throat slit, weeping blood from her neck, and empty eye sockets. It takes all of his effort not to scream in front of her. With a blink, she appears normal once again, if still bitter, but with a hint of concern. He wipes his forehead, which is developing a cold sweat, and turns away. "I have more work to do. I'll find another doctor." He says over his shoulder, as he instantly strides to the door and exits, shutting it behind him. Once outside, he slumps against the outer wall to the shop, using a handkerchief to properly wipe his head and neck, and steady his breathing. He looks around for Loo as he fumbles in his jacket's inner pockets for his drugs. (edited)

Loo stands in a quite nook, just about a block away from Stazia's home. She looks at her bandaged hands, twists them again and again. She tries to flex them but the wrappings are tight enough that she can't move her fingers freely as she liked. She lowers her hands and sees Mathias. She reinserts her hands unconsciously inside her furs. "You're done?" She offers a smile, sharp teeth and all. "I hope you've talked to her . . . Truthfully this time." She faces him. "Family . . . It's a rare thing. Even though you're born with them, true family is when you choose them above all else. Blood or not." She twirls around. "Shall we?" Loo doesn't wait for Mathias, and walks on.

Mathias lets out a deep, rattling sigh as Loo approaches. He finds breathing easier, and his movements become less agitated as he listens to her calming words. He gets off of the wall, better able to stand on his own two feet without its support. I don't know why, but I can't deny it. Being around Loo seemed to quiet his terrors as well as his drugs did, if not better. As enticing as a life with Stazia sounded, it wouldn't last. But if he could get to the bottom of this first... Noticing she was already heading around the corner, Mathias perks up. "W-Wait up!" For now all he can do is follow the whisper back home.

Loo pauses and faces Mathias. She tilts her head to one side. "Hmm . . .?" She stares at him, unblinking. She slowly moves towards him, gliding towards him.

The alchemist stops in his tracks, almost paralyzed as she instantly stares him down. "I... well I did try being honest just now. I d-don't think it made her feel any better, and she may not understand, but I tried." He exhales and looks down for a moment, before returning his focus to her. "A-And also, I just wanted to say... th-th-thank you. For your advice, your, er, discretion about this around the others, and for being here. I don't think I could've made myself come alone." "And while we're being honest, I'd, er... like to know more about you, and the Golden Stag. But... more you. I-If you feel like talking." He shifts uncomfortably.

Loo's brows furrowed for a moment before she spoke, processing Mathias' words. "It's not about feeling better, Mathias. It's about being honest with the ones you trust most, your family." Her face offered a softness that is unnatural for her, it made her human. "I'll always like to help, if I can. We are a crew after all. I was hired, and now I'm here." She smiles a tight-lipped smile. ". . . In time. You'll know more about me . . ." ". . . In time. You'll know more about me whether you like it or not." A set of voices escaped her lips. But the last phrase is pure like the depths: deep, dark, endless. A sudden gust of wind tousles her hair. She tries to fix it with one slender hand, and amidst the entangled black strands, there is a pair of piercing yellow dots scattered from within. It peered at Mathias playfully, blinking to and from existence. Loo combs her hair back. "Shall we go back, Mathias?"

Mathias swallows, knowing well enough by now that the voice that seemed to speak with her was not happenstance. Just like the lights in her hair weren't tricks of the light. Though it unnerved him, he still sought an answer. "Yes, let's." He walks side-by-side with her to the hideout.