Home Coming

Sometimes when great peril is imminent, it is no secret. Such peril is faced, overcome, the land is saved and the people in it may heave a sigh of relief. Other times, those conflicts are much less public. Those same people get to sleep in their beds, never knowing what calamity almost fell.. and was averted. Such a battle has been fought... and if Serene has her way, it will be of the latter. But that battle had casualties, and so it is that the small party has born their fallen member to the Soldier's Defence. Though her initial inclination was to take Seldan straight to the temples, the swiftest and most comfortable transport was Cesran's magic carpet, and with him forbidden from entering the temple grounds.. the hospital was the next best choice. Having arrived, Serene has taken the comatose paladin from his magic litter to carry into the hospital proper, calling for assistance.

Help comes to Serene's call immediately and without hesitation. It comes in the form of displaced clerics whom are happy to find Seldan a cot if not actually a room of his own. There's simply too many people here to allow for someone to have their own privacy. Even if that person is Seldan, and even if that person is brought by the Great Paladin Serene. Even if both are true.

A messenger has been sent to Zeke, but he is not so quick as a magic carpet, and by necessity comes on his own two clawed feet. The sith-makar then arrives after Seldan has already been seen by one of the priests in the Soldier's defense. They confirm Serene's own findings. That Seldan is fine, but unconscious due to some manner of exhaustion.

The best that can be offered to him now is rest.

Zeke enters then slowly, his green eyes sliding over the familiar walls with traces of discomfort obvious on his features. His claws held close to his body and his bearing that of a person haunted by memory. He has shoved his own feelings into a box however, and come anyways. He sees Serene first, and noting the minute details about her, offers a quick greeting and a short bow. "Peassce on your nessst." His eyes flicker to Seldan.

Serene's initial response is simply a grunt. She's not hovering, but with word sent to Zeke she'd wanted to at least be there should he have questions. And why send for Zeke? Well, even one as detached and so often away as Serene has figured out he is one of the few people Seldan trusts with his health.

A moment later, Serene pulls her gaze away from Seldan to greet Zeke proper. "Her light illume you, Sunguard. I am glad you have come. I imagine Seldan will be glad you came as well." Her own injury is obvious. A jagged line under her jaw and chin marked by dried blood that has stopped bleeding, for now.

Zeke takes a breath. "Thisss one offersss you healing Ssserene. If Ssseldan isss alive, and unharmed, he would not want for thisss one to leave you injured when thisss one could see to otherwisse." Zeke steps toward the paladin, but does not move to touch her without her say-so first. His eyes flicker toward Seldan again. "Thisss one asssumesss that Sseldan hasss been ssseen to already? Isss he sssafe to be moved?"

Serene has never been one to refuse healing, but when she looks at Zeke she says, "There are those who need it more than I, Sunguard. I will not protest, for I know you speak truth about his wishes.. but this wound is nothing compared to what Seldan has been through." Still, she leaves herself open to it. Gaze returning to Seldan, and unsure on what is safe to say at this time, she offers, "He was victorious. One threat, at least, should be now ended."

The blue-scale lays a hand on Serene and heals her. "Thisss one underssstandsss your wordsss Ssserene, but you are important asss well." He glances to Seldan's armor in her care then to the man himself, looking him over far more carefully than he had previously. He compares the Seldan that he sees to the image of Seldan in perfect health which he knows and sighs. "He will be well, but... Thissss one would asssk you to assisst thisss one in moving him before he wakesss. If you will."

Serene frowns ever so slightly.. an expression that is painfree now, thanks to Zeke's healing.. then turns her attention back to the sith Daeusite. "Of course I will assist," she says.. but if there's a note of question in her response, she can probably be forgiven her lack of understanding. "I am certain we can borrow a litter to bear him. His possessions I will store in my pack."

Her response seems to relax him a little, and Zeke nods to her. "Thisss one can assissst. Thisss one believess that thisss onesss home will ssserve in thisss insstance. It isss clossse by, and alsssso a plasce where thiss one can easssily attend to Sseldan'sss needsss." He seems to consider something for a moment, then shakes his head. "Thisss one undersstandss that the requesst iss an odd one, but if we could be on our way before thisss one explainsss... well it isss better if Sseldan doess not wake here."

Seeming satisfied with the answer.. or at least, the reason behind delaying the answer, Serene sets about preparations for Seldan's move. The litter. A non-answer relying heavily upon reputation in response to queries about why he's being moved, though busy as they are here such queries are mostly a formality. Stowing his gear in her haversack. It doesn't take long.

Zeke helps of course. He's well known in the Soldier's Defense even now, and it helps that he brooks no arguement when it comes to the care of one that he is responsible for. He presses on until they have the litter and he helps carefully make the way out of the building. He's not the fastest person ever, but he is truly unhindered by his false limbs. He might move a bit more slowly, but that simply reduces the risk of upsetting the delicate balance of carrying Seldan the few blocks up to Zeke's home.

After a while, he breaks the silence between him and Serene. "You might remember, ssome time ago now, that there wasss a fae woman who wasss the caussse of the sspread of a terrible illnesss in Alexandria. A plague." It is perhaps an odd beginning to an explanation as to why they are doing this.

"Of course. Salina." Serene maintains the pace set by Zeke, her pack shouldered, her arms bearing the back end of the litter. "I remember the plague. I remember it was the first time I had heard the name Eclavdran."

"Yesss." Zeke shudders at the memory, but not enough to disturb the carrying of the litter. "Sshe killed everyone at the Sssoldierss Defenssse one day. Priesstsss. Patientsss. Everyone. Ssshe killed them all to get to Sseldan'sss mother, and then left him a mocking note in the room where sssshe wassss sstaying. It wasss... terrible to ssee. A graveyard of froszen bodiesss. People killed in an insstant. All to hurt Ssseldan. Thisss one knowsss that the inscident hasss lingered in Sseldan'ss memory, that he can not forget it even now. That ssso many innocsentsss were harmed..."

Serene is silent as understanding comes to her. Even attempting to picture what that would have been like is likely to fall short of the mark, and to have a sense of the kind of burden Seldan carries upon his shoulders... She nods. "No. Waking up in that place would do him little good. It is well that we sent for you."

"Thisss one isss glad of it yesss." Zeke replies quietly. The Soldier's Defense has never been quite the same place for either him nor Seldan since the coming of Salina. For the same reasons, and for differing ones. They round the corner and Zeke directs Serene to his home. "Thisss one will care for him Ssserene, and make him asss sssafe ass thisss one can."

He is not a warrior. Not like Serene, not like Seldan, but he is not without his defenses. He opens the door and with Serene carries Seldan to his own bed. Once the other man is resting well in it, Zeke ensures that Seldan's armor and weapon are near to the man's hand. Seldan would not want to be without those once he roused sufficiently. "Thisss one thanksss you for your asssisstansce Sserene. Would you care for ssome tea before you go?"

Serene assists, of course, with settling the myrrish man in. As for his belongings, those are unpacked and set aside in the room where he might see him upon waking.. Reunion propped up where it might be able to watch him. If it does any such things. Serene knows little of the weapon. Once that is done, she is shaking her head at Zeke. "Your hospitality is welcome and knowing you I would have expected no less, but there is still work to be done. Eclavdran's damage is not yet repaired. There are people to find."

It's clear that Zeke is curious, but he senses that Serene wishes to go, and has no desire to keep her from her appointed rounds. His own knowledge can wait. "Thisss one thanksss you again then. Peasssce on your nessst Sserene. Thisss one hopess to ssshare a moment with you, another time." He shifts his tail behind him, and escorts her to the door. Offering one more farewell there.

-End