beck selwyn

evelyn did not hesitate when he told her to let him help her. for some strange -- and totally unfounded -- reason, she did trust him. why else would she have come here? moody would've given her so much hell for this, but right now, she was more concerned with not dying. "thank you" she said quietly. it was a confirmation, but they were also some potential last words that she could manage i case he couldn't find a cure. she was at peace with dying, she had been for a long time, it was part of the job and it was in pursue of a better world. she offered beck a teary smile and nodded her head. and then, the spell hit her and everything went dark.

beck had never slept on the floor of his living room, especially when he had an entire bedroom fit for him. but it came simple to him that night as if it were as easy as breathing. beck wouldn't let anything happen to evelyn and maybe if he weren't so blinded on protecting her, he would've moved them into his bedroom. last week, beck only knew evelyn from social parties and some run ins through the community. never did he imagine she would become his patient and usually he would've handed over any personal contact to another healer. he didn't even know the last time he had someone stay at his place, it wasn't exactly hotel service. beck didn't make a habit of bringing anyone back to his place so waking up with evelyn there and remembering why shot him into a wild panic that woke him up. a sigh of relief left him when she seemed to confirm that it didn't burn anymore. usually it was unorthodox to be this invasive with a patient, but it was already an unnatural setting. "i'm still not sure exactly, i've never seen anything like it," he said, confident that a death eater attacked her. that didn't sit right with him, but he knew what they were all capable of. what he was capable of. he hid his mark underneath the very sleeve he reached out to squeeze her shoulder reassuringly. "but it was meant to harm your organs from the inside out, rot them like an apple to the core. the bruising means that it was already infected and the heat was radiating like it was working. i tried to do a few counter curses, but after you went under, i looked around the tissue and found the source. i was able to find and remove it before it could do further harm. had you waited until the next day..." he said, but he didn't want to say it aloud. he "i'm glad you came here, but the stitches might need to heal for a few days, take some ditany, calming draughts, and more pain relivers. normally, you'd be in a boring hospital room with even worse food from downstairs. the best i can do is make you coffee if you want."

Whenever listening was required Mary found herself going quiet, as though a single breath might cause a word to be missed. There was a lot to take in, even within that little bit of information. Tough patients, yes those she was more than familiar with but the fortune or misfortune of treating a former fiancee was not something the brunette had come across yet. "Oh, Merlin."

beck was not an open book, in fact, he wore none of his thoughts on his face when he walked into the hospital. it was important not to bring any of his personal life to the st. mungo's while he was working just as it was important not to bring work home with him. he tried to compartmentalize the best way he could, but that came at the cost of not successfully bonding with the other healers. he only saw them through a thin layer as people he worked with and nothing more usually. that also meant mary and he realized as he told her about sabrina, that he never told mary he had a fiancée and that there had been an annulment. "yeah, just needed a moment to not think about it-her," he said tersely. "she just pricked her finger, not too bad or too long. felt longer than it did though."

"your one and only, huh? i bet you tell all your girls that" her expression softened. "you won't find out anyone, by the way, i am the best" she pointed out knowingly. alecto had been learning languages since she was a kid. alecto sipped her tea and listened to him attentively. "do you need help with any of that?" she asked softly. "me? oh, you know... not much ever goes in my front. i work, i hang out with amycus, do stuff for the dark lord... lately i've been spending time with ludo and fenrir" she shrugged as if it weren't a big deal spending time with a werewolf. "been thinking about moving to london, the family home... it's too big..." and it was driving her absolutely insane, too many awful memories, too many nightmares and voices.

"that's not my usual line, but i can workshop it," he smiles, showing a rare shade of humor. "i never thought about anyone else. but because of the quick turnaround i assumed you would have no problem at all. i'd rather not deal with some desperate unintelligent intern in someone's office trying to make a name for themselves...rather go with the option where a name is already made." beck wondered if he was slipped some kind of poison in his tea because he swore he heard alecto mention fenrir. "greyback?" he asked, his tone arching in a question. "greyback socializes? i thought he ran in circles in the woods trying to catch his own tail." beck could only nod at her, knowing that her peace was compromised. "let me know if you need any help moving whenever you do. or help with the estate."

who: @beckselwyn where: avery manor

beck knew what was happening before he set foot in avery manor, but something urged him to go anyway. he was still young, but not as naive as he once was. an invitation from any pureblood mother to a dinner was not just a dinner with more nuances. even a few years of distance couldn't change society practices and still he accepted the invite. it would be rude to decline and he knew how gossip spread like wildfire. the only way out was through. beck didn't know what he expected, but he at least thought he would be interrogated over breaking the engagement, but was surprised none of that came up. instead, miss avery ground through the usual topics about his travel and the hospital. the conversations were safe and neutral territory, easier to digest than he thought. beck could handle this, it was a lesser pain than what he thought. he even found himself laughing and asking questions across the table. it was easy to pretend nothing had changed except it had: his parents were gone, he wasn't with sabrina, and there was a war asking too much of them.

maybe this was it, maybe she didn't have much time left. beck was doing his best, but the pain was not subsiding, and she could feel the magic spreading slowly across her body. now she was trembling, pretty sure she had high fever. why was it that she came here instead of the hospital? why was it that the first thing that came to her mind before apparating was 'beck will help me' instead of 'go to the fucking hospital'? she looked at him as he worked on her.

this case was harder to control than his other cases since he was working blindly, the curse affecting her internal health. the diagnostic charm could only inform him how his spells were mending her, which was a slower process than he hoped. still, he continued and glanced up at her every other second to see how she was. his wand movements arched with each new spell and he considered giving her more calming draught or essence of ditany. it would cause her to pass out but that could be a good thing right now. the other option was to stun her, but then he regretted givng that as an option. she was an auror and her stubborn words almost made her smile. "i'm sure you can, but you don't have to be strong right now. let me help you," he said. since he was stunted with options, he chose the latter.

"is that right? i think you've lost too much blood if you think that," he grinned, but felt closer to a warmth between them than he had in many years. so he would take what he could and let her think that it was hers to take if it meant feeling that again. there was a time he would've melted at her words, but this was enough for now. teasing her was a language he understood.

Sabrina laughed then, the sound softer than most people ever managed to draw from her. "A postcard would've been marginally better. At least I could've appreciated the scenery while being dumped." It was strange, standing here after all these years and finding that the anger she'd once carried so fiercely had dulled around the edges. Not disappeared, perhaps, but no longer sharp enough to cut. "Your bravery remains highly debatable, I'm afraid. Though I will concede that informing my father was an exceptionally dangerous career choice."

"Of course you did. Who else is going to do a high quality job?" Sure, there were many translators out there, many of them really good, but she was better. Or at least that was her opinion, which was all that mattered to her anyways. She gave him a look when he said about her keeping her expectations too high. "You are not doing yourself a favor, you know that, right?" She asked, tilting her head to the side.

"well, i would hate to go find out. you're my one and only, carrow," he grinned as he got comfortable in the chair. there really was no one else and a search party to find another translator would put him a week behind on the records. that was time that he didn't have, not when the hospital shifts blended so carelessly into each other that he didn't know one day from another. he leaned over to prepare his tea and shot her a quiet, simmering grin. "besides going through my parents belongings and trying to sell and keep as much as possible? nothing new. the hospital is the same, if not, seeing more incredulous cases. and you? please tell me you have something more exciting."

There was an unspoken echo in that room of what was happening outside. Even put in words the situation seemed more and more dire. It was one of the reasons the witch didn't even dare consider move to another profession, though she knew plenty that had simply because the job had burned them out and every last bit of their resources to be left standing at the end of the day. She refused to let that happen.

beck savored the small break in between the hours of his shift as they were minimal. the soreness in his feet had spread to his back, his hands, even his mind felt like it grew detached. that's when he knew he needed a break. "she just came in as a patient," he sighed out, taking a quick sip from his coffee. he was glad it was just him and mary, the other healers on the floor would have their turn for a break soon. "she was also a former...we were engaged. haven't seen her in years. hard patients are difficult, but this one made me want to bang my head through the wall."

"Empty bar, limitless drinks and a potential stampede at the door as people try to shove their way out. It's sounding more and more appealing," a grin slowly spread across his face at the image. It sure was tempting. "Or we could just start a fire in the kitchen. No free drinks but it'll be a better show, and a far better story after."

"of course you would find it appealing," he chuckled, shaking his head at his friend's idea of amusement. though, beck could live through it as it would be more entertaining than any dull evening without amycus. "i'm surprised you haven't already done just that, but the night is still young. i won't hold it against you." the grin slipped as they stepped into a darker conversation and beck threw up a silence charm around their table. he could still hear the ambient noises from the bar, but no one living would be able to hear their words.

her pain tolerance was pretty high, she had some very painful menstrual cycles and her job as an auror had put her in some dangerous situations. but this? this was only comparable to the cruciatus curse. she had been on the recieving end of that one too, and the pain was worse than people had described it. this curse, though, she had no idea, she had never heard from it before. beck said that she was going to be okay and her blue eyes filled with tears. she didn't know if it was gratitude or a reaction to some kindness before the pain made her heart finally stop. she gave his arm a weak but meaningful squeeze. evelyn didn't know why she showed up at his place and not the hospital, but maybe she was meant to be here tonight.

everything reduced to this moment. beck was against dark magic and it was so potent in the air that he could almost taste it. he had seen almost everything between his residency years and his time at the hospitals, but it was rare to see dark magic that he didn't recognize. that was what frustrated him the most now. feeling helpless in the unknown and wanting to uproot the source of pain buried somewhere in evelyn. the other week, she had been some spontaneous conversation at the cafe and now she was an inch away from death if he didn't pull it together. beck supposed he should get used to facing these absolutes now that he sided with the death eaters and somehow became one of their official healers should anything turn gruesome. hospitals were always a neutral territory; if anyone needed healing, there were no questions asked or sides to be chosen. "keep breathing," he muttered. he felt her squeeze his arm and he steadied himself. "you can keep doing that, helps me know how much strength you have." beck wouldn't have minded either way. he also offered her one of the clean cloths for her to bite down on through the pain. beck was glad he had silencing charms up over his townhouse to ward off any noise. no one could hear him, but that wasn't as comforting as he thought. he repeated the spell inflection and rhythm, proceeding to perform over her and gave another diagnostic spell. this was by far, one of the more complexed hexes he'd ever seen and it brushed against that moral code. maybe there was some ethical line he was ignoring. if this was a death eater, should he be fixing the problem? "is it hurting any less?" he asked after she took the calming draught. he stared down at her, a cold sinking sensation filling him. the tendrils of dark magic were no less gone, but it would probably poison her slower. he lay a hesitant hand on her arm. her skin was still unnaturally warm. touching her sent a cold shiver down his spine. "this is going to hurt again, do you want me to stun you? so you don't feel anything?"

it felt as if her body was on fire, there was certainly some dark magic in her system. she didn't know how much time it has passed, but when she opened her eyes, she was on a couch and beck was looking up at her. her blue eyes widened with shock, fear and pain. "please. it burns" she whispered through gritted teeth as her body trembled uncontrollably, the pain almost unbearable enough to have her passing out again.

in the span of a single moment, the quiet of the night shattered. a few moments ago, he had been asleep. a few days ago, evelyn fawley had been whole. now, she was coming undone before his eyes, stitch by stitch. the amount of blood was his first concern, the most critical threat. in any normal setting, under any normal circumstances, a case this severe would need a small army of healers, and a dozen helping hands. right now, there was only him. "accio cloths," he commanded, his voice tight as clean, damp and dry linens flew into his grip. he acted on raw impulse, cleaning away fresh and dried patches of blood. he worked in a frenetic, desperate speed, unbothered by how her blood already stained into the lines of his palms. "you're going to be okay." the words felt hollow. he was never supposed to make sacred promises to patients. the rules of st. mungo's strictly forbade it. even healers couldn't foresee the future or predict any outcome. but evelyn was not a patient; this was far more personal than any case he had ever treated.

Sabrina's lips twitched at that, amusement flickering briefly across her features before she shook her head. "Beck, if I wanted your attention, I'd simply take it. Nearly severing a finger seems like a terribly inefficient method." The response came easily, polished by years of practice, though there was something warmer beneath it now than there had been when she'd first walked into the room.

"is that right? i think you've lost too much blood if you think that," he grinned, but felt closer to a warmth between them than he had in many years. so he would take what he could and let her think that it was hers to take if it meant feeling that again. there was a time he would've melted at her words, but this was enough for now. teasing her was a language he understood.

who: evelyn and @beckselwyn

beck knew the darkness of sleep before he heard the sound of the knock. then another. and another. he groaned into his pillow, not knowing who to expect at this hour. anyone who knew him would know not to interupt him and his much needed rest. when the knocks were persistent and his wards alerted him there was someone there, he was tearing himself out of his bed. a cold thought punctured through his mind, wondering if this was some death eater request or if he was being summoned for something far worse. a portrait on the wall was yelling at him to get the door, another portrait telling him not to. beck threw a silencing charm to both of them and opened the door with shrill annoyance. "what the hell-" he began, but immediately his words folded on each other. whatever version he was thinking of on the other side of the door didn't include an injured woman. beck blinked back in a gauze of clarity then realized who it was. "evelyn? evelyn, are you hurt-what-?"

Evelyn smiled at him and nodded her head in acknowledgement. She still felt like thanking him regardless, because not everyday people bought her some pastries. "It was okay..." she said simply. "Part of the job" it wasn't entirely a lie. She had to go a lot to muggle London, and bars or clubs when there was solid motive to believe that there might be an attack, but Evelyn ended up going regardless she had to be there or not. The music they played was fun, and she got to dance and release some of the stress that came with the war and the job. No one knew her there anyways. She just didn't share that part of her with other people, much less members of the pureblood society.

"Auror?" Beck guessed, thinking it was the only Ministry job that would have anything involved with Muggle London. The entire place was tight lipped about anything, especially now with a historic reign of violence. The entire department could use something stronger than a sweet morning treat and fresh coffee. "That must be a lot right now." Beck could barely talk when his job also kept him busy, even thinking about work far after he left the hospital. He hated to bring his work home, but it was hard to avoid when it was a vicious spiral.

Alecto had turned this rather modest office into a sanctuary of hers. She had some plants, crystals, works of art, her record player, and books... so many books. Her cat, Lilith, was purring on her lap as she wrote down a letter. Smooth music was playing, but the knocks on the door were loud and clear.

It had been months and he knew that walking into her office would be a nail and hammer conversation, but they were familiar with each other that he could take whatever she gave. "So I did come to the right place after all," he said, nodding towards the medical notes. He let his eyes look over the office, seeing if he recognized anything on her desk or on her walls. "It's been at least two months. I think you keep your expectations too high." Beck smiled as he dropped himself down into the chair across from her desk. "Just Black tea if you have it."