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

[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."

[muckspout]

Edgard sighs.

"Don't know how people think, but that's not how I think."

He gives a wry smile. "Then again, I've never been attacked by magic before today."

[keenly]

That wipes the smile straight off Colin's face.

"Yes. Please report that to his division head. That's never supposed to happen, ever. Frankly, people take out the pitchforks if you use it in self-defense, let alone just because you're irritated about a present. If he did that to a civilian, we'd all get in trouble. And he could have killed you."

[muckspout]

Uh oh. Edgard makes a face and then shakes his head vigorously.

"I don't think that's a good idea. I'm alright. Thanks to you."

He smiles appreciatively.

[keenly]

Colin narrows his eyes.

"What is wrong with people here," he clips, "and why do you all want to be strong instead of reporting someone who's a danger to someone who can do something about it?"

[muckspout]

Edgard huffs in response.

"Not being strong, opposite actually. Not in a hurry to get my ass kicked again. It's just a bad idea. Trust me."

[keenly]

"Well if you don't, I have to," Colin sighs, picking up the logbook and leafing through to the most recent page, "because you're my patient and it's going to raise questions if I mention you were hurt by magical lightning without providing more details. People will ask questions and there will almost certainly be an inquiry whether you cooperate with it or not."

[muckspout]

Edgard looks at Colin in alarm. Maybe he made a mistake in coming to him in the first place.

"Can you just not put me in the book? I don't need to be in there."

Panic starts to rise.

[keenly]

"Edgard," Colin says in a Very Patient Voice, "if you need protection from him, you can ask for it. But I promise it doesn't go away just by ignoring it."

He squints, starting to suspect he doesn't know the full story. "Do you two have a history or something? If you did, why did you give him a present, and why was he so attached to it that he attacked you?"

Unless it wasn't about the present.