I need a drink!

[Mayquiri]

He’s not going to live.  No, Lass, I’m sorry, but there’s nothing I can do to help heal him.  Well, we could give him a few herbs to help ease his pain, but they’re expensive.  Or, if you don’t wish to see him suffer, there’s always poison, but that isn’t my place to decide when a life should end.”  By Talon’s claw he hated this part of the job.  He didn’t mind the people dying, that was always going to happen, but their reactions.  People would become angry with him, curse him, and try to harm him, all because he wasn’t a miracle worker.  Couldn’t they understand that he did the best he could with what he had, and in the winter months, it was especially difficult to heal anyone with more then a small cough.

“You bastard!  Yer just letting him die because I ain’t got the coin for you t’fix him!  Or maybe you can’t do anything at all.  Yer just backing out now because yer afraid that I’ll find out you can’t heal so much as a sparrow, well, y’know what?  You make me sick you little shit!” The woman screamed angrily at Arjan, the young man accepting the verbal punishment stoically.  People died, and people grieved death.  It was natural, annoying, but natural.  At least she wasn’t throwing anything.

And then there was a crash that proved Arjan had thought to soon.  Angry and wounded, the woman quickly started grabbing random things from her house and hurling them in the frail healer’s direction.  “Ma’am, please, calm down, Ouch, stop throwing things, damnitt, he’s not in pain right now!” Arjan began yelling back as he was pelted with kitchen utensils and bowls and the like before he made his escape.

“Crazy woman.” The youth muttered softly under his breath after he escaped the house, the woman still screeching and throwing things around.  Arjan pulled up his cloak a bit and looked down at his arms disapprovingly, they were already bruising, and judging from the sting on his left jaw, that was starting to bruise too.  

Man, he needed a drink after that fun little appointment.  Anything to dull the ache he knew he’d be feeling the next morning as well as thaw out the chill of the day.  Sighing heavily, the young man wandered into the Broken Wheel, clutching his small satchel tightly as he went to sit down.

“A cider please, warmed up.” He called to the barkeep, flashing a bright grin as he did so despite the pain it caused his jaw.

[pinkroses]

((I know you wrote this a while ago, but I thought it was as good a place to start as any!))

Liam slid in through the door of the Broken Wheel as a couple of men left the tavern in a waft of tobacco smoke and the stink of ale. There was a stinging red cut just below his left eye, with a smear of blood trailing from it which he had just wiped away on his dirty sleeve. He had just discovered that the patrons of the Scowling Boar didn\'t take to kindly to thieves when they caught them and so he had quickly made himself scarce.

He shoved his hands into the pockets of his oversized trousers which were tenuously held up by a belt. His black hair was sticking up all over the place, it\'s shiny colour dulled by the layer of mud and dust which covered his entire body. He walked slowly further into the warmth of the building, his dark eyes darting around the room, looking for a way to make up for the money he\'d had taken from him before being chucked out onto the street.

"Evenin\' ma\'am, y\' got a spare copper? M\' maw an\' paw have gone out for t\'night wi\'out given me m\' dinner," the youth said, cautiously approaching a kindly looking woman and giving her a helpless look with his large, dark eyes. It was obvious she had been here for a while and by the looks of her red cheeks she had been drinking the ale like it was water.

"Aw, ain\'t you jus\' the sweetest thing?" the round woman exclaimed, fishing into her purse despite the dirty look her husband, or lover, whatever he was, was giving Liam. She handed him a couple of coins and Liam rewarded her with a bright grin, whilst noticing the small bag she replaced her coin pouch into.

"Thankee kindly ma\'am, Adora bless y\'," he said, giving her a small nod before moving on. Once she had turned back to her company however his hand quickly slid into her bag and fished out the money pouch, which he quickly pocketed and moved on as though he had done nothing of the sort. He ignored the temptation to peer into it now to see how much he had got, he new that was a sure-fire way to get caught. It could wait until he was safely outside again.

He wiped the smile from his face as he spotted another likely looking customer at the bar and put the puppy dog look back on his face as he walked over to him. The man was clutching his bag quite tightly, but Liam always liked a challenge.

"\'Scuse m\', Sir, but d\'y\' possibly have a spare coin?" he asked, watching him warily, tensed in case this man wasn\'t as kind looking as he did at first. Appearances could be deceptive. If Arjan looked at him carefully he might see eyes he recognised gazing out at him from under the shock of messy hair, they were the spitting image of his older sister, Mia\'s, but in different circumstances people saw different things.

[Mayquiri]

As soon as the cider arrived, not to hot, but pleasently warmed, Arjan placed the few coppers it had cost on the counter with one hand, whist the other began routing around int he various small satchels that hung from his belt.
 
He had to have something somewhere in his many pouches for his swelling jaw.  After all, it was nice and arm out now, the harbs were growing good, and he was replenishing his stores, and then some.
 
However, the practised voice had the young man jumping, and turning away from his cider to see who had asked him for money.  Never just the casual observer, Arjan immeaditly noticed something about the youth\'s eyes.  They were quite familar, even if he couldn\'t quite place them at the moment.
 
Besides, the eyes would have to wait.  There was a more pressing issue just below the left one that made Arjan frown.  "Ain\'t got any free coin." He started off, still staring, quite obviously, at the boy\'s cut.  "But siddown.  Yer bleeding.  And if yer wiping it away with yer sleeve, yer just gonna get it infected."

[pinkroses]

Apart from the dull stinging Liam had almost forgotten about his cut cheek, he’d had much worse before and was used to having various parts of his body hurting for whatever reason. He lifted his chin defiantly, watching the man with narrow eyes. If he had no money to give then he probably didn’t have much worth stealing, but then why was he asking him to sit down?

“What’s it to y’?” he asked with a scowl on his face, hitching up his breeches a little higher with one hand and then folding his arms across his chest defensively. He eyed the bruise on the man’s chin for a moment before lifting his eyes back up to meet Arjan’s gaze. It looked to Liam that this man had enough problems of his own without dealing with some scruffy vagabond. Unless there was something Liam could do for him to earn some cash.

[Mayquiri]

The scowl and sharp words took Arjan off guard.  He knew he shouldn\'t have been surprised, but still, he didn\'t expect to be snapped at.  "Sorry if I pissed y\'off.  Habit of job.  Siddown kid.  At least lemme clean it up for \'y." Arjan replied, a large, rather clownish grin spreading across his face.
 
Glancing over at the barmaid, Arjan\'s grin only grew, "Oy!  Lass!  Would y\'be so kind as t\'whip up one o\'yer pasties?  I\'m suddenly hungry for one of them." He asked as soon as the woman had a spare moment, quickly handing over the money for the food as soon as she nodded, never one to enjoy ringing up a tab.
 
"Should have some clean rags in one \'o these pouches." The young man then muttered as he turned his attention back to Liam, never mind the rainbow across his own jaw.  That was only a bruise with a small cut where his inner cheek met his teeth.  He\'d have patients give him worse before.

[pinkroses]

Liam’s eyes drifted across to the barmaid as he ordered some food and slid the money across the bar, his mouth watering just at the mention of it, but he tried not to let the hunger show in his face.

“Alright then,” Liam said in a half sulky tone, not wanting to just relax completely although it was hard not to trust someone with a smile like that. The young boy grabbed a stool and pulled it closer to the man before hopping up onto it and watching him intently, his fingers gripping the seat and his feet kicking the wooden legs underneath him.

“It’s nothing’, jus’ got in a scuffle,” he said, his dark eyes flickering down to the pouches at Arjan’s side with interest. Maybe there were things more valuable than money in them.

[Mayquiri]

Liam did very well at hiding the hunger from his face as well.  there was only a small instant when Arjan saw the hunger, and that he wasn\'t certain of.  However, the little healer was hungry himself and the pasties were always more then he could eat, so he wouldn\'t mind sharing at all.
 
"I don\'t doubt that, but still.  here.  Hold this t\'yer cut.  Wipre teh blood away." He said as he [pulled out a small ammount of cloth from one pouch with one hand, tiny sprigs of freshly picked plant appearing in the other.  Not yet explaining what his plant was, Arjan stuffed the sprigs in his mouth and began chewing.  Not the best way to work with this stuff, but it was all he had.  Had Arjan the choice, he would have ground it into a fine paste, and then applied it, but these herbs were to fresh for that.  Besides, in a pinch, grinding the plant between his teeth would do.
 
After a few moments, Arjan spat out a much smaller glob, then took a deep draught of his cider.  "Awful stuff.  But it\'ll stop the bleedin, and mebbe help it heal faster." He explained, pointing to the greenish pulp in his hand as he looked up at the cut on Liam\'s head.

[pinkroses]

The boy lifted his hand to his cheek and pressed the cloth to his bleeding cheek, watching the man chewing on the leaves. H assumed it was just something like tobacco, until he spat some out into his hand and came near him with it. His nose wrinkled up and Liam pulled back quickly after leaning forwards to look more closely at the bags. He eyed him suspiciously for a moment before lowering his hand and the cloth to give him access to the wound. He didn’t look like he wanted to hurt him and Liam didn’t want to end up with another scar on his face like the other one.

“Is it gonna hurt?” he asked, lifting his chin up to let Arjan see it properly. He didn’t mind pain, but he would like to know in advance if possible so that he could brace himself.

[Mayquiri]

"Might sting a bit." He replied, chuckling at Liam\'s reaction.  It made sense though, after all, Arjan never said what this particular weed was.  He just chewed it up and tried to put it on the wound.  "It\'ll help you stop bleeding and help make your body heal it faster." He explained, nodding slightly as he waited for Liam to give the okay.
 
Inspecting the wound, Arjan smiled to himself.  It was just a shallow cut, thankfully, and it didn\'t lok like there was anything actually inside it either.  Head wounds always worried Arjan, because they bled the most, no matter how deep or shallow the cut.

[pinkroses]

“Right,” Liam said with a small nod, “Go on then,” he added, tensing up slightly as he waited for Arjan to put the mixture on his cheek. “What is it?” he asked after a moment, not flinching as the stinging pain got a little worse when he placed the paste on his wound.

((Sorry it\'s a bit short!))

[Mayquiri]

"It\'s just some yarrow." He replied gently as he pressed the chewed plant against the cut.  "Y\'should put the cloth over it.  Hold it in place." He then explained, grinning over at the young lad contentedly.  Arjan\'s grins were the sort that one could easily imagne on the face of a kindly grandfather, and almsot seemed out of place on his young, but obviously thin, face.
 
"Ah, food\'s here!" Arjan then exclaimed as he removed his hand from the boy\'s warm cheek, eyes lighting up as the sight of a rather large pastry wrapped pasty was set down at the bar in front of the men.  "y\'might want t\'grab a fork kid.  These things\'re big an\' filling." He explained, looking voer at Liam to make certain the boy took the hint.  "M\'name\'s Arjan by the way."

[pinkroses]

Liam did as instructed and put the cloth back over his cut, after all, there was no point rebelling when someone was trying to help you, but he returned the grin on Arjan\'s face with a suspicious look. He\'d never had a kindly grandfather to look at him like that, or father that he\'d known, so to him the smile just looked a little peverted, or like the man in front of him was slightly derranged, but who was he to judge?

But he was quite happily thinking about what a bastrad Arjan was to be eating such good smelling food in front of him after he had said he had no spare money, and contemplating the best way to possible snatch the pasty for his own when he heard the offer to share. He gave him a surprised look, before it broke into a grin and he grabbed a fork. There was no way he was going to pass up on the chance of a good meal over something like manners.

"Thanks...Arjan," he said, ubable to keep the grin from his face as he hastily shovelled a couple of mouthfuls into his mouth, chewing quickly. "I\'m Lee," he added after swallowing his first large mouthful, whilst the fork was halfway up to his lips with another pile of meat and pastry. He couldn\'t help wondering what Arjan might want in exchange for this, but for food this good he would do pretty much anything.

[Mayquiri]

"don\'t mention it Lee." Arjan replied, smirking faintly as he glanced over at the child.  He knew the kid was hungry.  No child who looked as skinny as he did, but otherwise healthy, could not be hungry.  "Love the pasties here, but I cin never finish \'em.  If I try t\'save em, strays either git at \'em, or they go bad." He then explained as he picked up a fork and began eating as well.

By Talon\'s claw he looked familar, unfortunately, Arjan was having trouble placing the face.  All he could tell was that the kid looked like someone he\'s seen.  "D\'ya have any family?  Family that went t\'a healer I mean?" He asked after a few moments, unable to stand the curiousity any longer.

[pinkroses]

Liam glanced up from the plate when Arjan mentioned family, pausing in his shovelling to chew properly for a few seconds before shaking his head. He didn’t know or care if his uncle had been to a healer and hadn’t seen Mia for months, he was sure that wherever she was she must be happy enough to have forgotten him, or dead and so he figured the best way to deal with losing her was simply to forget her like he believed she had done to him.

“No, jus’ me,” he said, eating more slowly now that the edge had been taken from his hunger and figuring that Arjan might not be best pleased if he ate the entire thing before the healer got to his second forkful. But then he paused again when he realised what his question might mean. He might have seen Mia and be able to tell him where she was. He’d already lined up a list of abuse to hurl at her when he finally saw her again.

“Why, who d’I look like?” he asked with a look that held a mixture of suspicion and curiosity.

[Mayquiri]

"I don\'t know." He replied softly, the smile fading as he begun to seriously think about the question.  He saw many faces, but he doubted that the person had merely come into his shop to buy a small vial of mint oil.  He wouldn\'t have been left with the impression he had.

"It\'s in th\'eyes." Arjan then added on, hoping that it would help.  Either with Lee telling him who the person might be, or with Arjan actually remembering.  

And then it hit him.  

Yes, it was the eyes that were so familer!  But the rest of Lee\'s face had thrown him off, not to mention the expression.  "A young girl.  Poor, cold thing.  She \'ah yer eyes." Arjan said, his eyes lighting up and his grin returning, the little man so proud of himself for remembering.  "Her name, Talon\'s Claw, I think it was Mia.  Do you know anyone named that?  She \'ad yer eyes."