"My two natures had memory in common."
5th of Saun, 716 Arc
- Patrols were slow, as usual, with András only stopping a few beggars and chatting with them. After a while, and some jokes, he sent them on their way, apologizing that some of the shopkeepers were dicks and needed to worry about doing their job. Surprisingly, these interactions went pretty well, and they relocated. One beggar in particular, who held a little girl in her arms apologized profusely and by the make and color of her clothes, Andras realized that she must not have been homeless for long. They were dirty and banged up, but the elements hadn't quite done a number on her yet.
The woman was young, not much older than Andras himself, and her child must have only been a few arcs old. Their hair was dark, whether by dirt or natural color, he couldn't tell. She flinched when he moved beside her and held the girl protectively against her. Whoever had she encountered before hadn't had such a gentle hand. Neither would look him in the eye, "Hey," he muttered, his jovial mood fading to something more serious, "Look at me," he crouched in front of where the mother was scrambling to grab the meager belongings they had. Copies of the Gazette were strewn across the cold cobblestone, and she hesitated. She was afraid.
"Let me see your face," he repeated, softer. The woman bit her lip and took a shaky breath, turning. András didn't know what to say. He sat stunned, and the beggar grabbed the hand of her daughter and started to stand. Her voice was thick and stuffy.
"Forgive us. We didn't mean anything. We're sorry, we-"
Andras reached out, grabbing her arm, "Stop." The word came out stronger than it should have and the woman whimpered, flinching as if prepared to take a blow. Immediately releasing her, the noble began reaching into his pocket, still staring intently at the woman. "Why haven't you been to a medic?"
Her face, which had been lovely with doll eyes and full lips, was shattered. Her nose, was jagged and crooked, blackened at the base and healed sideways. When she looked up at him, Andras saw that one of her teeth had been knocked clean from her mouth. Another one was broken and painful looking. She shrugged, obviously scared to say, but her fingers absentmindedly touched the ring finger of her left hand, "Please..." The wail scared the child who started to cry.
Andras lowered his voice, stepping close and bending his neck to try and look in her eyes, "Did your husband do this?" he whispered, slowly, very slowly, lifting her chin to look at him. Tears streamed down her cheeks and she nodded quickly, taking a step back. Anger began to boil within him and he pulled three coins from his pocket. He was guessing she hadn't sought out medical aid for fear of her husband finding her. She couldn't go home. So she had begun hiding in the streets, thinking it was safer. What had he done to her?
"Take this," Andráska's voice took on an uncharacteristic authority, leaving no room for debate or denial, "You take this. You buy something to eat and a place to stay for a few nights to recover. Then, seek out the a surgeon at this address," he recalled where is brother lived and repeated the street number, "You tell him his brother sent you and I accept the charges. He might be able to fix your face, but I don't know." He shook his head at the nasty healing that had already occurred on the woman's face. He was no expert, but he assumed it would need to be rebroken and set correctly. It would hurt, but she would be able to breath better, "What's your name?"
The woman was shocked, mesmerized by the kindness of a knight. She had not known a gentle hand in a long time, he realized, and she reached out to take the gold nel, staring at in awe. "Anna Hastings," she muttered, "And this is Diana."
András nodded, smiling at the little girl who had finally pulled away from her mother's neck long enough to peek at him, "Beautiful names for beautiful ladies" he said gallantly, bowing deeply as if greeting women at court, "Unfortunately, I must implore you seek new ones," the serious edge of his tone came back, "Head to Sabaissant. There, I want you to find the head maid, or chef of the fort. Tell them you were sent by Andráska Venora and you need work. You'll be safe there."
Before she could deny or draw attention, András reached out and kissed her hand, "I'll handle the rest," he promised, and began to walk away.