escordvi | [closed] 🔥 you're the fire and the flood

Hand's tinglin' a bit-

[When he looks up, he realizes Joshua has come closer. He shakes his branded hand a few times, turning it over and back again while looking at it.]

Doesn't sting near as much though. [This may be the weariest and wateriest smile Joshua has ever seen on Alfyn.] I think it might just be workin'.

[Likewise, the brand on Joshua's hand still stings slightly but the pain isn't nearly as bad. The numbing effect is tingly and strange but ... it might just be working. At least it's a quick and shaky fix- for now.]

I think it will have to do for now.

[Joshua does step closer and he dares to reach out and put a hand on Alfyn's shoulder. With a gentle squeeze, he offers Alfyn another soft smile.]

And with it, a positive that something better will come along.

[Don't worry, Alfyn...]

[Aw, Josh, don't smile at him like that. Alfyn looks him in the eye for a few seconds, his own smile faltering all the while. He takes one quick, shaky breath.]

It might...might be a lot t'ask, but.

[Come on, Alfyn, hold it together. This isn't the time to fall apart. Take that time after everyone's definitely on the mend and not hurting from just coming close to each other.]

An' I don't wanna- hurt you. [It matters very little that Alfyn is in pain near his friends.] But I...shucks, y'think...can I hug ya?

[A ... hug? What an innocent thing to ask for. Joshua can't help how that warms his heart a little and even makes him blush in the slightest.]

Of course, Alfyn. I wouldn't be opposed to such a thing.

[Good for Alfyn that Joshua is actually big on hugs. He just doesn't throw himself at people without much cause- unless it's a friend that's just come out of a deathly situation.

This probably... counts.

Joshua won't hesitate to open his arms and move to hug the other. The pain will still be there but at least it will be ... tolerable.]

[As Joshua steps forward, Alfyn just folds. He can't quite hide his face in Joshua's shoulder but he comes close, clenching the hand that still burns but otherwise just...holding on.

The worst part is that he knows he shouldn't. After all he and his friends at home have been through, and everything here, he should be better than this. A better apothecary wouldn't crumble under the weight. When he takes a breath it turns harsh at the end, as he tries not to cry all over Joshua right out here in the open.

(So many unthinkable things were happening to the people who got abducted and imprisoned on that island. Not just to his friends - everyone they managed to rescue, no one came out unhurt, and he did his fair share of fighting and some of the captors that he fought are dead now. By his hand. To save as many as he could. And he still hates himself for it, a bit.)

Alfyn is shaking, his hold on Joshua desperately tight, trying not to be loud about how he can't stop his tears. He's exhausted and a little weak and a little too warm and everything is awful for a few minutes too many.]

I'm- 'm sorry, Josh, I-

Edited 2025-05-14 04:00 (UTC)

... Oh, Alfyn.

[He can practically feel the weight of Alfyn's exhaustion. It's palpable, as the man curls in his arms. Joshua frowns softly and holds him that much tighter. If only the world wasn't as heavy as it is or perhaps Joshua is too used to how rough and sharp things can be...

It reminds Joshua quickly of just how deeply Alfyn feels. How passionate he is about taking care of others, the worth he puts in that, the care...

After a moment, swirls of warm red fire circles softly around the two of them. Tiny healing embers that fleck about, refreshing them on the spot and easing certain bits of ache and pain.

Of course, he'll have to whisper,] Say nothing of it. [Do not scold him for using magic, please just continue to lean on him. There is nothing to say sorry for.]

Edited 2025-05-14 04:28 (UTC)

[A couple more stammered apologies break through anyway.

The fire, in contrast to Alfyn's own uncomfortable warmth, is soft and soothing. Some of the soreness fades away from his back and shoulders, the world doesn't seem just too bright anymore. And for all he wants to tell Joshua not to do that, not to spend himself on just little things that'd get better on their own if he could ever find a minute to take a break...he doesn't.

It's not that no one has been kind to him in return, either. This is far from the first act of kindness anyone has done for him in the midst of this whole catastrophe.

He just hasn't been stretched so thin he's ready to snap, until now.

Still. They can't just stand out here doing this- surely, Joshua has places to be. Alfyn swallows a blossoming sob and sniffs hard instead.]

Thats a- [He stops, swallows and tries again.] That's- a neat trick you - you have there. W-with the fire. [Somehow, for a few seconds, he hugs even tighter.] Helps.

[He is very glad that Alfyn doesn't scold him for using a bit of magic. A wisp of healing isn't going to do much to damage Joshua, and if it did he would still do it for Alfyn. Joshua can be stubborn, especially when it comes to offering some much-needed aid, even if Alfyn might not want it. But the other doesn't complain and instead called his trick, "neat." He would have to agree. He is not the dominant of fire for nothing.]

I've been known to have a trick or two, yes.

[Joshua returns with a light, soft chuckle on his lips. He doesn't move from the hug, actually squeezes Alfyn just a little more and still allows his magic to swirl. Flecks of wispy fire bounce and flicker around them slowly.]

If it helps even for a moment... [...] Then let it be.

[He doesn't like scolding his friends! Hell, he doesn't like scolding anyone. Maybe, after some sleep and a good meal, he'll feel kind of bad about not thinking of the damage Joshua could be doing to himself here - about putting himself before the health of a friend.

Right now, trying to get a hold of himself and shaking like a leaf anyway, his hands hold tight to the back of Joshua's shirt. The soothing warmth of the flames butting up against the dull, painful heat in the brand on his hand is just another reminder of how awful things have gotten.]

I should...I've got- work to finish, and-

[Oh, he realizes what a pathetic excuse that is. Were one of his friends in this much distress, he'd never let them simply go back to overworking themselves.]

...and...'m sorry but...I don't wanna move from here.

...

[Alfyn clinging to him has Joshua feeling a certain kind of way. It makes his heart skip a guilty beat before he can stop himself. He swallows carefully and is very glad that Alfyn may not be able to see his face right now, lest he sees Joshua's soft blush.

The man in his arms is exhausted...]

Even now, your thoughts remain with others and your duties. I say it once more, Alfyn. You must grant yourself some ... rest.

[Joshua still allows his own aether to swirl around them softly, like a gentle flowing reminder of Joshua's power as well. Let it be for now, Alfyn. Joshua can take care...]

I'll stay as long as you wish.

[Even back home, when he was on the road, Alfyn's constant focus was on the comfort and safety and health of his friends. Rarely did he consider, or take advantage of, such things for himself - seeing everyone else doing well made him plenty happy. Even when the worst happened, and everyone tried so hard to cheer him up...he took their kindness but he didn't feel like he should.]

I've been tryin'. I swear. [He takes a breath full of shaking, another breath that is steadier.] I sleep when I can an' I'm not missin' meals. I just...'m seein' their faces, down there. Everyone trapped...an' everyone who...

[Everyone who he struck down with the axe he carried. No matter how much it had to happen in the moment. To save his friends. To stop them from turning anyone into a godsdamned crystal statue?

In a very quiet voice he admits, at last:] I feel awful.

[Joshua is no stranger to loss and having to fight to survive. Maybe he understands that more than most people.]

I... I know how difficult it is to banish those images from your mind. The weight of them never truly eases.

[He sighs softly. Alfyn did his best. That's all they can remember and they have to keep living.]

Know and remember that you can only do what you can, Alfyn. You are one man.

I coulda done more than I did.

[That may be the crux of it, though it doesn't explain everything. He could have gotten there sooner, somehow? Or taken fewer lives. Been sneakier, or better at breaking people out, or...

Alfyn slumps heavily against Joshua, all the fight gone out of him.]

Sometimes I close my eyes an' all I see is the bodies they were carryin' down into the hold on the rescue ship.

[He hugs Alfyn... closer. If he can do that. All just trying to support his exhausted friend.]

And what more could you have done... pushed yourself to the brink, just to collapse alongside them? Would that have changed anything, or only cost you your life too?

[Joshua shakes his head.]

You did more than most would, and that speaks to the kind of man you are. Good, through and through.

[closed] 🔥 you're the fire and the flood

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