#gingerherbalist

He couldn’t exactly be sure what it was that had attacked him earlier that evening, but at this point, he didn’t want to know.

Luckily for him, this woman had stepped forth to assist him after the tussle. He had escaped, but not unharmed— the whole adventuring thing had turned into a dangerous annoyance sooner than he had hoped. Wincing, he would cringe at the thought of stitches. Healing magic was not his forte, nor did it work properly when cast upon one’s self. It was a shame this random savior wasn’t some sort of witch. It’d be so much less…

“Stitches? Oh, surely it’s not that bad.”

“What?” She instinctively pulled back the reins when she felt that amount of movement rushing by her side, flenching and bending over just a little in case that the impact of the wind threatened to push her out of her horse.

What had just happened? She looked up and saw a person over a horse, running as fast as the animal could, and what followed such observation was the noise at the distance of a group of men that she immediately recognized as the guards of her kingdom, summing up every piece of information, and coming to the conclusion that Maximus already seemed determined to follow.

“You got this, Max.” Were her only words before the horse started storming after the pair that tried to leave the guards behind. Giving to the force of his legs, finding a path that went over the side of a small hill, and advancing enough as to jump from such height and land in front of that stranger and his horse, hopefully, to finally made them stop.

Starter for @gingerherbalist

⚛ “Can I get you anything?” 

Varian’s fingers drummed against the counter, the question barely registered. His mind was still swirling with the thoughts from the previous months leading up to this... this disaster. His father, the princess, her betrays, this... this new ability... none of it was adding up. Nothing was making sense the way it did in all those old books and scrolls he had studied endlessly. Why was it that his reality was falling apart- ripped asunder by the shrapnel of black rocks, crawling like a blight over his home. 

Was he to blame? 

He didn’t truly know anymore. 

“Hello... kid? You want a drink or not?” Varian looked up at the bartender, pulling the cloak down a bit more over his face as he did so. The man was probably Lance... he had never mwet him, but the name had been dropped a few times in association with the Snuggly Duckling on the few occasions he had spent time with the princess before the schism had split their friendship in two. And this rift could not be mended. 

“Ale.” He avoided eye contact as the other turned away . Sure he never met Lance, but he did have a recognizable face and news of his escape was bound to be traveling all over Corona by now- it wasn’t hard to miss a cell run through with impenetrable black spikes. 

“Coming right up.” 

He tucked his head down, feeling uncomfortable even just sitting in the corner away from all the prying eyes of the other patrons. Outside a few spikes would give away his position. He couldn’t stay long- he was his own worst enemy when it came to giving away his location. But he just... couldn’t control it. 

He shouldn’t be able to do it- it made no sense. Magic was just a manifestation of science in a way that people could not comprehend. But he refused to believe in it- especially that he was at the heart of it. 

“Here you go.” Lance was back with the alcohol. Varian lifted his head only to drop what little oney he could into the outstretched hand and take a sip. He put his head back down, he had to stay out of the moonlight- it only made it all worse.