Just smile and be happy.
The stilting jumble of steps being taken by the three men makes it a miracle that they reach the door of the healer and her assistants. Zavien glances at the young man out of the corner of his eye in concern as they hand over the injured person. He swears a faint groan of "Thank you" escapes the man's lips, but the short commands of the disgruntled doctor smother the other noises. Her scrutinizing gaze makes him want to shrink despite his obvious advantage in height. Luckily, she focuses her attention on Jude as he scrambles to answer her questions while Zavien gets a chance to take a closer look at him in the light of the healer's lamps. A distressed look mars the young lines of his face. The struggle to gather his breath and the pain in his eyes resonates with something in Zavien. This experience should not have been enough to cause such a reaction.
At the dismissal of the healer, Zavien makes a mental note to return and check on the man's progress in a few days. He is guaranteed to find himself in the area again. Jude, on the other hand, is apparently from Torchline. Reading over his words carefully, Zavien narrows his eyes. He shakes his head and raises his hands emphatically. "Oh no, no, no. You misunderstand. I have no desire to be 'repaid' or receive any form of compensation. Plus, it should be me thanking you." Gesturing to the door that now houses a bustle of healing activities, Zavien smiles reassuringly. "That man may not be here if it weren't for you. Your piece of paper helped to summon me. You should be proud. Most people would have just walked by. Despite your..." Trying to find the word for Jude's peculiar lack of speech, he starts walking down the street towards the edge of the Silk Houses. "'condition', you cared enough to stay and help in any way you could." He lifts his hand to the sky to absorb the future sunrays, pausing by the healer's garden as the brisk cold of the morning begins to dampen to a warm dew. "My mom always said that smiles and kindness are contagious. Some people refer to it as 'good karma' or even 'naivety,' but that implies that you are ignorant of the actions others take. I prefer to think of it as a disease. If you show grace and compassion to others, their own burdens are lightened enough to encourage them to choose kindness. And then the people they help are also touched by happiness. And so on and so forth until hopefully everyone is impacted. They may not feel a dramatic change, but it shows them that good people still exist and they can be one of those good people." A blush paints his cheeks and he runs his hand through his hair, laughing. "It sounds cheesy. All I'm trying to say is that you did a good thing." His green eyes look to Jude in a more serious manner. "I don't know what sort of person he is. There may be a reason those men beat him. I only hope that your act of selflessness gives him a reason to pass along the joy he feels when he recovers."
Having gotten the emotions out of his system, he smiles at Jude brightly before asking, "Now, why can't you speak?" He is never one to avoid the difficult topics and the curiosity is killing him. There are no obvious physical explanations. What could be causing his silence?
At the dismissal of the healer, Zavien makes a mental note to return and check on the man's progress in a few days. He is guaranteed to find himself in the area again. Jude, on the other hand, is apparently from Torchline. Reading over his words carefully, Zavien narrows his eyes. He shakes his head and raises his hands emphatically. "Oh no, no, no. You misunderstand. I have no desire to be 'repaid' or receive any form of compensation. Plus, it should be me thanking you." Gesturing to the door that now houses a bustle of healing activities, Zavien smiles reassuringly. "That man may not be here if it weren't for you. Your piece of paper helped to summon me. You should be proud. Most people would have just walked by. Despite your..." Trying to find the word for Jude's peculiar lack of speech, he starts walking down the street towards the edge of the Silk Houses. "'condition', you cared enough to stay and help in any way you could." He lifts his hand to the sky to absorb the future sunrays, pausing by the healer's garden as the brisk cold of the morning begins to dampen to a warm dew. "My mom always said that smiles and kindness are contagious. Some people refer to it as 'good karma' or even 'naivety,' but that implies that you are ignorant of the actions others take. I prefer to think of it as a disease. If you show grace and compassion to others, their own burdens are lightened enough to encourage them to choose kindness. And then the people they help are also touched by happiness. And so on and so forth until hopefully everyone is impacted. They may not feel a dramatic change, but it shows them that good people still exist and they can be one of those good people." A blush paints his cheeks and he runs his hand through his hair, laughing. "It sounds cheesy. All I'm trying to say is that you did a good thing." His green eyes look to Jude in a more serious manner. "I don't know what sort of person he is. There may be a reason those men beat him. I only hope that your act of selflessness gives him a reason to pass along the joy he feels when he recovers."
Having gotten the emotions out of his system, he smiles at Jude brightly before asking, "Now, why can't you speak?" He is never one to avoid the difficult topics and the curiosity is killing him. There are no obvious physical explanations. What could be causing his silence?
Zavien
