Open

[muckspout]

WHO: Edgard and YOU
WHAT: I'm doing the catch-all thing too
WHEN: Now-ish, post-Murderhaus and Satinalia
WHERE: Various places
NOTES: Open to all unless otherwise specified. Post-murderhaus stuff might have murdery discussions

All prompts in comments! Feel three to throw wildcards in here if you so desire. I love you.

Comments

[muckspout]

Edgard stands very still, dumbfounded. This hadn't occurred to him.

"I wasn't trying to--putain. It was a couple of things!"

It was never this complicated before. Was it? For the first time, Edgard is considering servants who lived on the estates he helped plunder. He shakes that away before it overtakes him.

[keenly]

"A couple of things that are clearly missed," Colin says as he gestures to the poster. "Get them back. Put them back where they belong. You can suffer through not having gifts to give your friends for one year."

[muckspout]

Edgard makes the saddest face. Why me? Woe is Edgard.

"Do I have to? Maybe everyone will just forget about this." And then after a moment, "What about food?"

[keenly]

"Start with what's on that list," Colin says firmly. "Prepared food, they won't want back. Spices, yes. Anything else that's not food, yes. You have to. It won't just go away. Someone will take the blame."

[muckspout]

Edgard looks at the list and then back at Colin. With anyone else, he would fight a little harder, but instead he lets out a sigh like he's been wounded.

"Alright. I will try."

[muckspout]

A significant period of time later, Edgard stumbles into the Apothecary looking extremely worse for wear. He is clearly having trouble breathing and he holds on to the various shelves to make his way over to Colin. Once there, he hands him two spoons and a drinking glass.

"T-that's all I was able to get." He takes a deep heaving breath in which catches and then falls to the floor.

[keenly]

Colin quickly sets aside the dishes to try to bolster Edgard, and in lieu of that, he tries pulling him up.

"Come on. Let's get you to the infirmary. What happened?"

[muckspout]

Edgard braces one foot and allows himself to be pulled up. He squints blearily at Colin.

"I told you what happened. I went to get the items like you told me and these were the only ones I got."

Edgard puts the arm not being held by Colin to his chest, breathing in deeply.

[keenly]

"I meant what happened to you," Colin says gently as they stagger together toward the infirmary across the hall.

[muckspout]

"Marcus. The air went all" He waves his hands a little. "and then-ZAP!" He motions to his chest.

"Didn't like it." He pouts. "Didn't get the bowl." He sighs.

[keenly]

Colin's eyes go saucer-wide. "He attacked you? With magic?"

[muckspout]

Edgard's head lolls into a nod.

"Yes, and I didn't even get the bowl." He coughs and then hugely winces in pain.

[keenly]

"You can just tell the kitchen you tried to get it back. You are a lot more important than a bowl."

He helps Edgard lie down on a cot in the infirmary.

"Just relax. I'm going to heal any internal burns and that should start your nerves calming down." Having been hit with magical lightning himself, he knows roughly what Edgard is going through.

[muckspout]

"They will be angry too. Everyone is so angry."

He nods up at Colin at the comment that he'd going to heal him.

"Thank you. It hurts a bit."

[keenly]

"I know," he says to that last, hands hovering over Edgard's heart. A glow emanates from his fingers and the pain immediately begins to subside.

"I'm proud of you," he says quietly.

[muckspout]

Edgard lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding and breathes in again. It's much easier now. He frowns a little at Colin's comment.

"Why? Not only did I not make things better, I got my ass kicked in the process."

Edgard lets out a frustrated sigh.

"I always mess it up." Useless Edgard.

[keenly]

"But you made a good faith effort to put things right," Colin says patiently, "even though you didn't benefit from it. Doing the right thing at your own expense is really admirable. And now no one else gets blamed for the thefts."

[muckspout]

Edgard shrugs and lifts his hands. Still a little sore, ouch. You have a point, I guess.

"Yes, but I messed it up in the first place." Like usual.

"And I do benefit. I don't have feel responsible for anyone getting blamed for something that isn't their fault."

The fact it hadn't occurred to him bothers him and puts to mind all the other times maybe it didn't occur to him. What injustice was he responsible for?

[keenly]

A warm smile. "Everyone messes things up. That's just...being a person. It wasn't your first time and it won't be your last."

He glances away, the smile fading. "You wouldn't believe all the ways I've messed up."

[muckspout]

Edgard shakes his head. He doesn't get it.

"I know everyone messes up sometimes. But, I always do. I'm pretty sure if I tried to mess something up on purpose, I would mess that up too."

He raises his eyebrows, with a ghost of a grin. "I'm certain you've messed up sometimes, but I doubt you make a regular habit of it."

[keenly]

He's not sure how much he can argue that. The first time they met, Edgard almost got them all killed on a mission. It takes him a second.

"You didn't mess up when I needed you at Satinalia."

[muckspout]

Edgard smiles a little to himself. He then nods, finally accepting the praise.

"I'm glad to hear it. Hope that most people would come to your aid in that situation."

He then reaches out and pats Colin on the shoulder.

[keenly]

Colin looks darkly amused.

"I'm a mage," he explains. "Historically, people have just wondered if I'm about to be possessed. I don't know how I made it out of the Circle without being made Tranquil."

[muckspout]

Edgard's eyes widen a little.

"Well, I suppose that didn't occur to me. I was worried about you."

[keenly]

Colin looks touched.

"You're open-minded," he says. "Though the Circle was full of people whose primary goal in life was to pinpoint weak apprentices and eliminate the threat they posed, so that colors my experience a bit. People here don't usually think that way. It was never their job."