Another Kind of Holy

SAMUEL Remi had gone and Sam was alone. All that he had for company was the ominous shrine in the back of the temple and the sound of odd movements outside. Neither of these things helped calm his nerves. For something to do, to distract, he tensed and relaxed his hands over and over, watching the bloom of wet fluid on the bandages. It hurt, but pain was something that wasn't sorrow, so it was fresh. He heard a noise in the back of the temple that wasn't the hum from downstairs or indicative of a monster, so he looked up: There was a beautiful man with a ginger head of hair not unlike his own but much longer. Headed towards the infirmary it seemed like, and no surprise: He was clearly not in a good way. But Sam knew he would find nothing there. "W-Wait! Sam yelled, standing up and wobbling on his still stiff legs. "T...The healer. She d-died. Outside. ...Are...are you b-badly hurt?" I'm starting to heal and find some faith I'm starting to feel what's out of place Don't need you to save me, I can't wait To fall, to fail and start again

Caiside's mind swam, pain and chill working in tandem to rob him of his sense and memory. Already, he found that he couldn't exactly recount how he had arrived back inside, only knew that he was warm, and safer than he had been outside, and someone had mentioned something about an infirmary above the bar. As much as he wanted to stop, to sit and rest, he pushed himself onward just a little bit more. He could stop in the infirmary, get his arm, which was hanging numbly at his side, looked at. He could get his face, which throbbed with every step, looked at. A voice rang out in the empty hall, and Caiside, too tired to flinch, simply closed his eyes and turned towards it, opening them again once he was facing the source. An achingly familiar man stepped towards him on shaking legs. It took a moment before his words reached Caiside, and then another moment for the pieces to come together in his mind. The man was familiar because he had been outside as well, the one who had run after the first woman -the healer- had been ripped apart. Well this was just perfect. All this effort, and for what? "I am very badly hurt." Caiside confirmed, not bothering to hide his condescending tone in the least, though he did bite back the insults that laid waiting on his tongue. Couldn't the other man see the way his arm hung limp, or the blood specked across his face? "Is there anyone else who can help me here? Get someone for me." The demand didn't have its usual power, the overall effect made weaker by the way he was swaying on his feet. Caiside heir of fire and ash

SAMUEL Sam froze as Caiside adopted a notably dismissive tone to talk to him. He had only been trying to help and the sudden ice in his voice was like a punch to Sam's chest. Now that he was closer he could see that yes, Caiside's injuries were clearly serious. Without Isla and with Vervain busy with plenty of other casualties,  it was difficult to know what to do. So when the command was issued not only did Sam feel slightly offended, but he literally could not fulfill it. There was no one to help...except for... himself? He had no medical experience whatsoever but he had read a lot of books where people had been treated.  And with Isla gone, that level of experience was just as good as many other people's in the building. Sam walked forward and pushed the door of the infirmary open. "I...I can help. But. Only if you a-ask nicely." Usually he did not defend himself but he was very tired after his days ordeal and with the prospect of losing Remi. His face was for him shockingly confident and hard as if daring Caiside to be rude. I'm starting to heal and find some faith I'm starting to feel what's out of place Don't need you to save me, I can't wait To fall, to fail and start again

For an instant, Caiside wanted to scream, anger and shock showing in equal parts on his face. The nerve of this man to tell him to ask nicely? For something he didn’t fee he should have to ask for at all? If they were in another place, or the circumstances were different, Caiside wouldn’t hesitate to tell him exactly where Sam could stick his niceness. Pain was more powerful than pride though, and Caiside found his resolve rapidly wavering. Withering under Sams hard gaze, Caiside found himself nodding, stepping after Samuel towards the open infirmary doors. “I am... hurt, and tired. It was not my intention to be... short, or... or rude. If you can help, I would appreciate it.” It was the closest to an apology Caiside was willing to offer at the moment. He wasn’t sure Sam would actually be able to help after all, and didn’t want to give him too much credit before it was earned, and it would be a lie to say he was expecting much from the nervous (but apparently irritatingly brave) man. It was clear Caiside wasn’t going to last much longer on his feet, not with the way he was swaying and trembling with every step after Sam. ”Do you know how to help something like this?” It would be hard to miss the fear in Causides voice, even under the stained tone. This was the worst he had been hurt in years, certainly the worst he’d been as an adult. And it still hurt, even now after the chill of outside and the tile that had passed. Caiside heir of fire and ash

SAMUEL Caiside visibly stiffened and Sam prepared for a fight (for Sam, preparing for a fight meant raising his nerves to 100 and getting ready to run) but to his surprise, the other man acquiesced and gave up his snobbery. As soon as he was in the doors Sam let them fall shut and guided Caiside to a bed, where he meant for him to sit on the edge. "I...I c-can try. And right now...I mi-might be the best you could get." As terrifying as that was, he realised it was likely true. None of them were qualified for any of this but his vague medical interest was as good as a degree right now in the midst of the chaos. "...What...do you w-want me to help with first?" He looked about for a form of pain relief, something he could give Caiside to dampen the sensations he was about to bring upon him. For a brief second he considered biting, but no. He'd just had a fight with Remi about the same thing from the other side, and he couldn't be such a hypocrite in the same 24 hours. Eventually he gave Caiside a pillow. "To b-bite." He explained. Once that was done he moved to gently remove Caiside's shirt from his arms, trailing it down slowly. "...Do-do you trust me to reset it..?" I'm starting to heal and find some faith I'm starting to feel what's out of place Don't need you to save me, I can't wait To fall, to fail and start again

Sitting on a bed, even a terrible infirmary bed, felt like absolute heaven to Caiside. He sighed through his teeth and he tried to relax, Sam’s nervous voice keeping him tenuously tethered to consciousness still. A question was directed at him, one that he shouldn’t have had to think about, but he did, genuinely considering his face over his shoulder for a moment. His head tilted to the side while he seemed to consider it, which had the unfortunate side effect of tugging, just lightly, at his shoulder, a sharp gasp escaping Caiside as he straightened. ”My... my shoulder, I think.” As if it were really a choice. A pillow was pressed into his good hand, Caiside regarding it before looking up at Sam. He didn’t trust the other man, had absolutely no reason to. Nothing he had seen of him gave him any faith, and if he were the slightest bit more lucid, he would walk off to find someone else himself. ”Yes, I trust you.” The words were accompanied by a slight smile, the faint quirking of his lips the only sign of faith Caiside could offer. He took a moment to take a deep breath, then pressed the pillow between his teeth and tried to not think about where it had been. Caiside tensed when Sams hands moved on him, bracing for the pain he knew was to come. And come it did, white hot and pulsing and so much more than he expected. But, somehow worse than the pain was the sensation of things grinding, bone against bone tugging against muscle. Caiside could almost taste it, could feel it up in his jaw. And then, a pop that he heard and felt, and somehow, blissful relief. He sagged, leaning his face into the pillow, and squeezed the part of Sam that was closest to him. Caiside heir of fire and ash

SAMUEL Sam severely doubted that Caiside actually trusted him, but the vocal answer was all he needed to begin. Holding Caiside's shoulder with another hand on his back, he steeled himself. He had always been a bit squeamish and had very little idea of what he was doing, but...it could be that hard, right? Just had to get the bone in the hole.He'd done it with Remi a few times. The feeling of Caiside's joint grinding was nearly enough to make him throw up onto him (though he was Ascended, so it would be at worst slightly chunky clear goo) but he kept it together until he felt the tension release as the arm popped back into place. He leaned down with Caiside, suddenly feeling pity for him as he saw the pain on his features. With a surprising tenderness he stroked Caiside's hair as he came down from the pain, a soft smile on his face. "Y...you d-did well. It's over now. Rest. I can g...get some water and then we will d-do the rest." I'm starting to heal and find some faith I'm starting to feel what's out of place Don't need you to save me, I can't wait To fall, to fail and start again

Keeping his eyes closed, Caiside let Sam do what he wanted, not reacting to the comforting touch any more than he had to. Already, the painful throbbing in his arm had lessened, not faded, not even close, but so much manageable, so much closer to a pain he was familiar with. After a few deep, calm breaths, his stomach was settled enough that he felt safe enough sitting up again, and even nodding at Sam. ”Thank you. It feels...” Cocking his head, Caiside tried to decide on a word that didn’t sound insulting, but also didn’t undersell his pain, “better. Water would be lovely.” When Sam got up. Caiside laid back on the bed, bringing his legs up so he could rest more comfortably. ”I suppose I’m lucky. That anyone was here.” The words came after a moment of thought, and then a short laugh huffed it’s wat out of Caiside. ”Perhaps if I had come back in with you, I would have been lucky enough to not get hurt at all.” Caiside heir of fire and ash

SAMUEL Sam was surprised to actually hear a thank you from Caiside and smiled in response, nodding to acknowledge it. Perhaps he had judged the man too early; he supposed not everyone was at their politest when they had a shoulder dislocated. Then Caiside referenced...coming back with him? Sam frowned, tilted his head to the side. He had not seen him when he had taken his excursion out into the Longnight. Had he been hiding in the shadows with the monsters? He considered this as he went to find a cup and some water, which he gave to Caiside gently then found a chair to sit on. "I'm...s-sorry...but um. I d-don't know what you're..t-talking about. I didn't see you...anywhere. Until now. Um. Ha-have we met?" I'm starting to heal and find some faith I'm starting to feel what's out of place Don't need you to save me, I can't wait To fall, to fail and start again

Caiside rose up softly as Sam returned with water, holding himself up on his good elbow so he could sip at it. He was glad to be upright though, when Sam asked if they’d met before. A look of utter scorn crossed his face, any goodwill Sam had earned with him withering to nothing in an instant. How could he ever be forgotten? He put every effort into being as memorable as possible, and the fact that someone as lowly as Sam could forget him was appalling. ”Yes, we’ve met. Before Longnight, actually.” There was an edge of ice in Caisides voice, making up for how his face returned to something more neutral, disdain pulling too much at his injuries. ”I helped with your shop. The stairs?” Not recognizing him from outside was something he could overlook, he had been in his other form. It wasn’t as if he had done something small though. A sigh heaved out of him, and he flopped back on the bed, a hand lifted over his eyes as he did. Had he become so dim so quickly? Caiside heir of fire and ash

SAMUEL "Oh." Sam said quietly, suddenly realising who Caiside was and feeling the heat in his eyes keenly. This wasn't good. Caiside seemed like the kind of person who did not take kindly to slights, who would act on a perceived attack. "I'm...so-sorry, I just...it's been a long week...i-it feels like I set up my shop months ago." Still, it seemed like a weak explanation. Caiside's fix on his stairs had been useful and he was still using it, so to forget the man so easily was a definite insult. At least Caiside couldn't fight him right now, with a just-fixed shoulder. He watched as Caiside dramatically flopped back onto the bed with a...swoon? In that second he became much less threatening. Sam moved back to sit on the edge of the bed and sighed, chewed his lip as he watched. Caiside really was pretty, he thought, a kind of graceful he could never hope to be. "...I'm...r-really sorry. Um...how have you...b-been, since then? Until you...d-dislocated your shoulder, b...because obviously th-that was bad." I'm starting to heal and find some faith I'm starting to feel what's out of place Don't need you to save me, I can't wait To fall, to fail and start again

Caiside had expected to be left alone after informing Sam they had met already, had hoped for it actually. Now that he wasn’t being bombarded with pain, exhaustion wracked through him. All he wanted was to close his eyes and sleep, and not think about how he had diminished so much in this terrible new world. Instead, the bed he was on dipped down with added weight, and Caiside was forced to move his arm so he could regard Samuel. His eyes narrowed as Samuel started speaking, the words coming out of his mouth utterly meaningnless to Caiside.”I’m sorry, I must not have been clear. We’re not having a conversation.” He would have expected Sam to be the kind of person who knew a dismissal when he heard it,but apparently not. ”Thank you for your help, but I can take care of myself from here.” The politeness of his words was somewhat ruined by the sharp smile that accompanied them. While Caiside already thought he had been plenty blunt, he added to it, realigning himself on the bed and pointedly closing his eyes in an action that was half spite and half childishness. Caiside heir of fire and ash

SAMUEL Sam stared in wide eyed shock as he was told that this was the end of their conversation. As much as he feared difficult social situations he rarely actually had to face one so directly rude, and for a moment he scrambled in his mind as to how to respond. There was both embarrassment and frustration in his chest, coupled with a good amount of offence. "Y-you are a very rude person." He said before thinking, standing up and frowning down at Caiside. "I h-helped you when...when I didn't have to. I'm s-sorry I didn't remember you, but..." Sam shook his head in clear disapproval before raising his nose and walking out of the infirmary. I'm starting to heal and find some faith I'm starting to feel what's out of place Don't need you to save me, I can't wait To fall, to fail and start again