Seven | Of Noble Intentions

[eaglesonofnone]

WHO: Altaïr Ibn-La'Ahad
WHERE: The Healing Springs
WHEN: Feb 19
OPEN TO: Lucy Stillman, Malik Al-Sayf
WARNINGS: Not-quite nudity (we're talking the hot springs, here), and maybe talk of violence.

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Walk in Shadow (for Lucy):

It was difficult to be stealthy while leaning on a walking stick. At least, to his credit, he was wearing mostly-white against the snow. Of course, the red stripes on his mentor robe remained distinctive, but it was cold, and he wasn't going to be without it.

Until Takashi had arrived, and soon after Nida, he had actually forgotten that the Springs existed. Perhaps it was that no one he knew had been ill or injured, or perhaps it was that he, himself, tended toward healthy, but the fact that the springs could heal? Once he'd remembered, he'd known that he needed to go.

It had taken some time before he'd considered himself both able and willing to take such a walk. Wandering around the house was much simpler. A single level, what with Malik having gone to the root cellar as needed, and even the bath being easy enough to climb into and out of. But he'd not walked this far on his knee since descending the mountain.

And that was the source of his frown. It was more sore than he'd thought it would be.

Inch Closer and Closer (for Malik):

He would likely regret it later, having remained in the waters for as long as he had. The warmth had been soothing, and the fact that they aided him in healing - it was difficult to resist. But he knew he couldn't stay forever.

Still. Would five more minutes hurt? Five minutes to ease sore muscles and torn flesh, to let the water take his weight and take the soreness from the walk? Undoubtedly he'd hear how he deserved that soreness later.

All the more reason to stay a while.

Comments

[retributes]

It was always good to get out of the house for a walk, to separate yourself from the walls when they felt too constricting, when they felt like they were beginning to close in and coming in fast. She had no intentions of going to the hot springs or to use them but Lucy was headed that way anyway, mostly for the walk, stretching her legs. Exploring.

Her mind was working against her lately, she felt, made worse whenever she was alone. Unfortunately that was all she wanted as of late, to be left alone. As much as she enjoyed and valued Ezio's company she wished to be on her own, which often resulted in her keeping to her room.

Looking up from the path she was staring down at, seeing the red stand out against the white brought her attention back to the present. "Is everything alright?" she spoke up from the several feet behind, seeing the walking stick and the struggle. Snow crunched under her boots as she lengthened her strides.

[eaglesonofnone]

"As well as can be expected," came the answer, his accent a bit heavier from the pain of his knee. He half-turned, though, seeing a woman he as yet could not identify. His hood and robe, however, were likely identifier enough for her. "Are you on your way to the springs as well?"

Perhaps company could make the trip easier, or at least lend a distraction. As it was, he was finding it tempting to find a place to sit and wait for someone to come and drag him home.

[retributes]

"Yes and no." Lucy came up next to him. She was dressed for the walk in a winter jacket and boots, a scarf large enough to wrap over her head. "I'm mostly out hiking. Getting some fresh air."

In other words: she could be going that way.

[eaglesonofnone]

He nodded his understanding. "And that is at least a part of why I am out as well. I've spent too much time indoors. With that and seeing to my knee, going to the springs seemed a good idea. Now, I wonder."

There was still a touch of his old arrogance - not as much as there had been once, but now, he understood when to admit that he wasn't quite up to the challenge he'd set himself. This was one of those times. To stand and rest a bit while speaking to her had helped. If he could make it the rest of the way, all would be well.