faderift | OPEN

He turns a little pink at the compliment, looks down at the tiny fire as her hand squeezes at his arm. There's no way to put into words what a compliment from Derrica feels like--the best reward, better than anything else. Matthias doesn't let himself think of his friends by terms of family. Those words mean something else. Derrica is something on her own besides.

He picks up one of the wilted flowers, its petals soft and leathery without the life within, and holds it out for her to see.

"Entropy. Weakness, specifically. I did it just a bit at first but that seemed crueler, like--and it's harder to do it all in one go."

Gently, Derrica takes the flower from his hand. There's not much to examine, and she lets the withered petals scatter after, turns the browned stem in her fingers.

"Did you choose to learn this? Is it a type of magic that you..."

When she trails off, it's because she can't remember what was said to her when she was small and sparking lightening off her palms. It feels like a very long time ago.

"Does it come easily?" is what she substitutes, which is close, even if it isn't exactly what she means.

"Mm, not very."

Matthias picks up a second of the dead snowdrops and gives it a twirl between his fingers. He's still riding high from Derrica's compliment, so much so that he doesn't notice any hesitation. That, combined with the natural thrill that comes with doing magic, renders nearly everything else irrelevant. Even Leander's absence--painful and worrying and stressful--has its intensity turned down.

"I'm definitely better with fire, obviously--I think with elemental magic in general. I wish I were like Enchanter Rowantree, y'know? He's brilliant, doing stuff with the earth and rocks and all and with fire. I was trying to think what I could do with what I've got and what else there is to be done. I do like healing," he rushes to add, "and I think I'm loads better at it. I told Laura and she said she reckons I ought to start trying to really help people, y'know? Like you do. Even if it still scares me a bit. I mean, not scares, properly, just--that I don't want to cock it up. But I think I could do it without that."

Edited (punctuation ) 2021-03-26 01:13 (UTC)

Yes, Marcus is brilliant with earth and rock and fire. Derrica has first hand knowledge now, to set against the stories of what he'd been like in the war. All of the messy, complicated aspects of it aside, Derrica understands exactly what Matthias means when he calls it brilliant: what Marcus can do is impressive by any standard, more so compared to what she can do herself.

Rather than say as much, Derrica bumps her elbow against Matthias'

"I don't think you could make a mess of it," Derrica reassures. "When you say helping people, what does that mean to you?"

"I reckon you're biased," and Matthias pulls a little face, hunches his shoulders, leans his elbow against hers to retaliate, "but, thanks for being biased in my favor. Helping people, like--"

Well. He cuts off and takes an actual moment to think of what he means. Rare, for Matthias.

"D'you know like--when you're in a battle, or just after a battle, and people are desperate. Actually desperate. That'd be the kind of help I mean. If I could do something to help those sorts of people, save them from dying, I'd count myself useful as a healer. But it needn't be only something big like that, right--it could just be... I dunno. Some mother that got crushed by a cart and she had a baby to care for--she'd be desperate not to be dead as well, even if she wasn't in a battle. I'd want to help her. Does that make any sense?"

"It does," Derrica assures him.

Yes, she knows what it is to want to help in the moment, when people are dying all around and it's impossible to determine which pain to attend to first. Derrica rarely invokes Dairsmuid, and those instances are almost never in front of Matthias, who doesn't need to hear the details of what happened there.

Matthias has seen enough, in his young life, without taking on Derrica's nightmares too.

"I don't know if it's the kind of tutelage you want, but I can show you. We can work on it together, until you can do enough to keep someone safe until a healer like Isaac comes to you."

"You're my favorite healer," he tells her plainly and easily, with a grin, "I reckon your tutelage is the best I could get. I'd be well pleased."

Well. But he has to add, quickly, "This wasn't me trying to angle my way into free lessons or anything--it seems like it now, I know. Sorry. I should have just asked you straight out anyways, only I didn't think of it, somehow. You've got loads of stuff that you're doing, and loads of people want your attention and all. And I've a teacher, of course--" The absent Leander, and the reminder stabs at Matthias, a little, and he feels that shows on his face in a little wince but he pushes on by, he goes on-- "But I'd be happy to work with you if you're all right with that. I won't be too big a bother, swear. And you can tell me off if I break my word on that. Just tell me to shove off and I will."

Only Derrica probably wouldn't. Or she'd say it very kindly and Matthias wouldn't realize until much later. He leans against her again, all teasing and good faith.

In answer, Derrica loops an arm around his shoulders, turns to smack a brief, fond kiss to his temple.

"You could never, ever be a bother."

Derrica tells him this so firmly, not meaning to leave any room for doubts. What could he possibly do that would bother her? If he asks questions, it would only be a good thing.

"Tomorrow you can come with me on my rounds. I'll show you how to do some simple things, alright? Even things you don't use magic for at all."

Maybe that would help too, giving Matthias a way to approach injuries that didn't rely on what sort of magic he could summon in the moment.

Ears pink, grinning, Matthias rubs the heel of his hand against where Derrica had kissed him. Not to wipe it off, more to rub it in. Her arm around his shoulder is a comforting weight.

Of course, her words are even better. There's no value he can put on those, no way to explain how he's always felt a bother and a burden and a tag-a-long--at least, no way to explain it without sounding an idiot. Best when they were fighting and he had to be taken seriously and pulled into inner circles because he was the only one left. That's depressing, and doesn't have a place here, in the little circle that is him and Derrica.

"Yeah, all right. I'd like that. Thanks. And," he leans against her, "I'll buy you a drink after--two drinks, I reckon, if you can show me how to do a bandage and get the knot right so it stays but it doesn't cut off circulation to the bloody limb, either. I can never do that right."

"I'll tell you a secret," Derrica says, squeezing his shoulder tightly. "It's a little easier to get the bandaging right when you've had two drinks."

Not strictly true, but Matthias will benefit from the encouragement.

"Come on," she continues, straightening without loosening her arm from his shoulders. "I need to fetch my shawl but if you'd like, you could come have a drink with me now and we can practice on my arm."

Surely that's a less daunting prospect: learning the general sense of the thing before having to do it on someone bleeding or burned or whatever else.

Matthias laughs, pleased with her answer and her proposal. He's in no hurry to get away from her or duck out from beneath the comforting weight of her arm around him.

"You're the best, swear." And he means it. No question: it will be easy to bandage Derrica's arm in this scenario, when it's all a laugh, when there's a drink to be had. This will be brilliant.

OPEN

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

cee put a bow on this so i can peer pressure you into shiny orzammar things

ties a bow with one hand and shakes hands solemnly with other hand