Leaving scars

[Elyna]

-

[Malcolm]

Vanessa opened the door to find Elyna on the other side, a woman she hoped might have been perfect for her wayward son, instead here to see the captain no doubt, as all the others who had already stopped by came in search of. Heath, Kathryn, Nathan, those were just some of the names and faces she remembered, all so surprised to finally meet her; the weariness of it all evident on her face and the dark circles under her eyes; this was a woman who had nursed her husband back to health before, but never had she endured the looks and whispers she had noticed over the last few days until now. "Elyna, darling, come in," Vanessa forced a smile and raised her hand to touch the girl's face lightly, "you poor thing, look at that beautiful face."

The comment seemed to mean one of two things, either Vanessa was sympathising with what could possibly end up two faint scars on the young woman's face, or that she had known what it was like to be beautiful at one time, and what it did to a woman to grow away from her looks, a curse. "Sit down," she offered and pulled a wooden chair out from under the table, "let me get you a refreshment and summon Malcolm down, I was just on my way to the library to return some overdue books."

The old woman went to the kitchen slowly, filled up a glass of water, and set it down on the table for her guest before going to the bottom of the stairs to call up to Malcolm. She didn't seem to want to climb them and didn't look as if she would be able to even if she tried. The wooden floorboards creaked overhead as Malcolm stumbled out of bed and came down the stairs slowly, wearing a loose fitting shirt he looked as if he had been sleeping in for a couple off days, and a dark pair of trousers. "You have another visitor," Vanessa told him, "its Elyna, dear," she pointed out and guided the man to the table, both eyes still completely red where they should be white, and blinking at the morning light that brightened the living space, he sat down. "I'm going out for half a break to drop the library books off," Vanessa said lowly, "do you need anything?"
"No," Malcolm's voice cracked, husky and hoarse.

The old woman pat the man's shoulders and collected her books from the kitchen counter before taking her leave. "Elyna," Malcolm managed a smile, "how are you feeling?"

There were a few drops of blood on the front of his white shirt where his nose had started bleeding again in the night only to right itself. His neck was bruised and to the left, eleven stitches held together what looked like the opening to the wound Elyna had seen him sustain with her own eyes. Years of 'keeping up appearances' had taught Vanessa to be careful and after Heath had left that night and they had managed to stop the nose bleed, Vanessa had listened to the events as Malcolm recalled them before cutting into his flesh carefully, deep enough that he would scar and the facade would appear real.
He blinked at her and opened his mouth a little, trying to see better before leaning back in his chair, his dark hair a mess and face looking as if it had seen better days.

[Elyna]

-

[Malcolm]

"There's no need to thank me," he told her, "it's a thankless job," Malcolm smiled, but had it been? He was off duty, there had been nothing stopping him from walking into that tavern and pretending he was just another normal guy for the night, but being a knight wasn't just a job, it was a lifelong commitment; danger, broken noses, cut and scrapes, it all came with the territory,

This hadn't stopped Vanessa from pleading with him to give it up, to stop work all together for a while, at least until she was gone so that she didn't have to deal with anymore near misses, broken bones, nasty cuts, and stubborn bruises. Malcolm healed slowly, a lot slower than most and was prone to sickness, which made his line of work all the more dangerous. He couldn't help but think though, what if he hadn't noticed the boy or walked into the alleyway, what if no one had been there to help the noble woman?
The thought clearly made him uncomfortable and he shifted on the wooden chair as if to readjust. "I won't be at work for a few days," he told her, like that wasn't already obvious, "after the bruises and headaches have passed, things should be back to normal," the captain forced a smile, though this was the result of not being able to see Elyna very well, or note how she might have reacted to such.

"They gave you some time off I hope?" Though what he really wanted to say was that he thought she should return to the sky, where it was safe, or a lot safer than Elyna's dash on the ground had been. Of course, there had was another option, convincing Elyna to join his team of knights so that he would know exactly where she was at all times, but then... he couldn't account for anything off duty and that had been when all of this had taken place.

Malcolm wet his dry, cracked lips with a roll of his tongue and combed his hair back with his fingers. "What is on the agenda for today, my lady?"

[Elyna]

-

[Malcolm]

The sound of the wooden legs of Elyna's chair dragged against the floor announced that she had gotten to her feet. Malcolm looked up at her, the features of her face hazy, just as they had been that night in the dark. He would not stop her from leaving, but before she left he wanted to to tell her something. "Lady Burhan, please if you would give me a moment more of your time."

Malcolm reached out across the table and dragged his belongings closer, looking down the length of his sword. There had been a possibility at one time that the woman standing across from him could have ended up his daughter in law, if things had gone better with his son, Vaughn, now he counted her as fellow officer, and dare he admit, trustworthy. He imagined then that had things worked out between her and his son, that the truth, sooner or later, would have come out. "I've not been completely honest with you," a lie in itself, for how could one lie if the truth had never been in question? "Let me rephrase that... There is something I have kept from you, something I've kept from a great number of people throughout my life."

The captain looked up again, as futile as the action was, it felt only right to look her in the eye when he spoke, "I... "

The door opened and Vanessa came back in with her books still under arm. The sky had changed colours outside and she no longer fancied the long walk to the library, something she usually did with a friend or Malcolm when he wasn't working or recovering. "It looks like rain out there," she smiled apologetically, it looked as if the two had been walked in on mid conversation, and for that she was sorry.

Malcolm was suddenly reminded of his wife's advice as she made her entrance and whatever he had been about to say to Elyna was then set at the back of his mind. Vanessa moved to her husband's side and he raised his right hand to close it about one of her own. "I suppose Lady Elyna is talking you into taking some more time off?" Vanessa teased.
"No, she is here to deliver the bad news... They can't live without me," Malcolm smiled and closed his eyes as Vanessa bowed to press a kiss to his temple.
"They will have to learn to," she told him before excusing herself to head upstairs.

Malcolm got to his feet and held the back of the chair. "It was very kind of you to return my things," he smiled warmly, "can I expect to see you when I return to work in a few days?"

[Elyna]

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[Plague]

XP Award!

Elyna:

Experience Award:

• +1 Socialization
• Rhetoric +1

Specific Lore

• How to Clean blood from White Clothing
• Location: Malcolm’s House
• Malcolm: An unsaid Secret

Notes: Only the blooming of mystery do you take away with you.

Malcolm:

Experience Award:

• Socialization +1
• Rhetoric +2

Specific Lore

• Elyna: Soft hearted
• Elyna: To be trusted with my secret?

Notes: Hey! You got your shirt and sword back!

► Show Spoiler

Maybe this will sound odd, but this is my favorite of your threads so far. It’s short and there weren’t many skills to award, but there was a tension in the room and a poignant sort of weight to your actions and description. Of all the threads I’ve read of yours so far, this was the most evocative of a scene in my mind. The attention to all the little details of characterization and emotion were fantastic. I look forward to reading more 