[Tiberius & Irina] Recovering

He had forgotten days like this. The pain of being literally the last in line at the medical tent. His injuries were severe but others were treated before him due to his mutation. He forgot how bitter it all had made him in his years spent in Seraphane's capital. He passed out often from the blood loss but shifting in his sleep caused his broken arm to wake him up again. Sometimes there were faces he recognized around, most often it was the Krev sage, Irina. That made him smile as best he could through the searing pain, and sometimes he would hear her yelling tirades and reprimands at the medics for doing the barest minimum to ease Tiberius' suffering.

Tiberius let himself slip back into unconsciousness one rainy evening, when his nose picked up the familiar scent of Irina as she entered the medical tent. His eyes opened as he looked over at her. "Good evening, Lady Irina. I'd stand up but..." he smiled darkly and motioned with his working hand at his injured form.

Irina entered in the medical tent trying to be as quiet as she could, believing that the soldier was asleep. The sage had spent the past days arguing with the medical staff, insisting on that Tiberious wounds' needed a more intensive medical attention but after seeing that her effort was useless she had decided to take matters in her own hands and to steal one of the staves in order to heal him by herself.

"I think that I have said more than once that you can drop formalities, no need to call me lady" said the brunette as she moved closer to examine the injuries with the candle that was in the tent, her lips pressed into a firm line as she saw the effects of the medical negligence. "Now, stay still" she said as she started to use the stolen staff before someone realised that there was one missing.

Tiberius chortled painfully from her oft-repeated admonishment. "Sorry, sorry. Force of habit." he apologized with a small smile and settled back down. The warm glow of healing magic emanated from the staff Irina used to mend his wounds. He could feel his skin piecing back together, his bones knitting and setting and no pain due to the staff's aesthetic properties. There was a little bit of a commotion from nearby clerics growling at Irina for stealing medical supplies and worse, using them on an undeserving mutant.

One of the clerics placed her hands on her hips and strode up to Irina. "And just what do you think you are doing, young lady?" She growled at Irina in anger. "He hasn't earned staff treatment!"

"My my...The tent is incredibly nosy this evening." A lucid voice came out from behind the engaged clerics. Lying on one of the medical cots behind the clerics, Gallus looked slightly smaller without his armor, and almost less gracious while wearing only the thick woolen pants. They had to remove his coat to tend to his wounds, but his chest were lined with bandaging all over. His arm was in a sling, and a brace was set around his shoulder where he took a full blow from the Faceless's mace. The bandages on his stomach clearly indicated that the broken ribs required time even with a staff. He wasn't there originally,  but he was nearby enough to hear all the commotion.

Gallus brought his lazy drooped head towards the source of the conversation, hearing the cleric's usual ranting about using healing magic on a mutant. He's heard it before. Many times that Tiberious acquired injuries on the battlefield and times that Gallus had snuck a vulnerary into the tent to ease his pain. Those were the times he was a nobody, but now too many eyes were on him for such simple mischievous  gestures.

"May I remind you clerics that we need to move out by morning and such a order is rather troublesome if we're still carrying someone on a stretcher?" Gallus spoke rather tiredly, with his annoyance showing.

"Also..." He pointed the staff Irina was using. "It's a staff that nearly broken." The staff in question showed enough wear and tear, especially around the crystalline focus that was cracked all on the surface. "I think even he deserves some treatment, and I'm sure that her using a less than quality medical tool would satisfy your rules. It'll probably shatter by the time she finishes that arm. Done, making your case? Good, now get out. Your barking ruined a very good dream of pretty Seraphanian girls and I like lying here"


After the clerics made a rant at him  then left, he nodded at Irina to continue.  He knew she wanted to yell at him for using such a risky staff at his friend, but he seem rather calm about it. Gallus ignored her rants while going back to sleep.

***

Sometime after the tent had no eyes to watch them, he had managed to walk up behind Irina unnoticed.  In the middle of the healing, he grabbed the foci of the staff with his hand, then squeezed it lightly until a portion of it shattered. However, what shattered was only a layer around the foci that look flawless.

"Rock sugar is such a classic theater facade. Can make anything look damaged." He whispered with smirk at them both before going back to his cot.

When the cleric scolded her, the sage looked at the woman with a face that could only be classified as unimpresed; instead of reacting agressively to her tone she merely stated calmy As far as I recall your duty is to do what I am doing right now and not to make me waste my time; If you aren't going to help or to make yourself useful please leave" the brunette didn't even bother to wait for her to reply before returning to her task.

Thankfully Gallus managed to calm the clerics down before the argument became more intense; otherwise likely the sage would have snapped in a really improper way to tell the cleric where she could shove her opinions.
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Time passed, healing was a long process and Tib's wounds were deeper than the average injury that she treated. She was so focused in her task that she didn't see Gallus coming. She had to admit that his idea had been wise, she couldn't claim that she would have managed to come up with an idea like that one. She muttered a thanks at Gallus before turning her atention to Tiberius

"Feeling better?"

It took all his effort not to break out into laughter when Gallus chimed in from his own bed in the med tent. Tiberius was equally impressed by Irina's stalwart defense of him to the crusty clerics. Someday he would have to repay the favour to the two of them. When things had quieted down, Gallus revealed the staff's supposedly cracked state was actually a trick and then Tiberius burst out into raucous laughter. He couldn't help himself. "Nice! I approve, General Cato." He grinned at Gallus and in response to Irina's query, he nodded. "Still a little woozy but you seem to have knitted the bones back together and the flesh back in place. I'm guessing there'll be a couple scars though, I don't mind that." he smiled at her pleasantly.

After another couple days while his blood grew back passed, Tiberius spent the time reading or practicing his combat forms as best he could, even in his weakened state. Of course, he still got dirty looks from people in camp, others were ambivalent and left him alone. He was used to it by now. He worked his way to the rank of Centurion through his own merit, he had commanded a century (one hundred soldiers). He earned his command through dozens of battles and pure perseverance. He heard the familiar rattle of heavy armor, a man clad in gold plated armor, under a head of shoulder-length blond hair with streaks of grey strode up to Tiberius.

His purple cloak whipped about in the wind, as did Tiberius' own purple cape. The golden man's weathered face and hazel eyes regarded the recovering Tiberius coldly. Tiberius saluted smartly. "You've returned, Centurion Thanos." the man's deep baritone voice rumbled just as coldly as his gaze was. Tiberius nodded. "Yes, my lord father." He said tersely. Dictator Perpetuous Aurelius Thanos grunted and paced around his son, observing Tiberius' stance and poise. "You survived the battle in the mountains. You are difficult to kill, boy. Were it not for your mutation, I might be proud of you. Alas, the gods cursed me with a mongrel. More's the pity. You and your group will head into the capital tomorrow. That is all I will say for now. Dismissed." Aurelius rumbled and strode away, leaving Tiberius in a cold sweat, but he controlled his temper.

Irina didn't interrupt the conversation between both of them but his father's treatment reminded her of memories long past, memories who she really hated to remember. To feel insignificant, weak, like if she didn't have control of her own life, like if she was more an annoyance than anything else. She fixed the man with a glare as she moved towards Tiberious, the cold expression melting into a small smile.

"So, it seems that you are recovering well" said the brunette as she looked at him; he seemed way better than the night that she had sneaked into his tent to heal him. An expected progresion but nice to see nevertheless.

Tiberius opened his eyes again after his attempt to control his temper calmed him somewhat. Irina's voice has been working fairly well for the time being. He offered her a small smile in exchange. "Almost one hundred percent again. Got a visit from my father, by the way." he tilted his chin towards the figure in gold and purple walking away. "Ready to head in to Thanin, Irina?" He asked her, ready himself to endure the usual ridicule.

Violet eyes glanced at the man that was leaving, if she was closer to Tiberius she would tell him exactly her opinion on his father attitude but she decided for once to be cautious instead of just saying what was on her mind. "I am always ready for everything" she said with a confident smile."I actually can't wait to reach a city, traveling is not my thing at all"