Goliam's brow furrowed. "Uh-huh, an' where exactly do you want me to be taking you."
"Wherever it is that you wish to go." The lalafell nodded knowingly as the roegadyn stared at her. "Yes, I know that doesn't make any sense now, but what I am asking for is permission to follow you."
His brow still furrowed, he looked about, as if he was expecting a table full of people to be trying to hide hysterical laughter at the situation, but after a moment, looked back. "Care t' share WHY yer wantin' to follow me?" He takes a heavy swig from his tankard, "Or is it jes' for my obvious charm 'n wit?"
"Of course, I will explain it, if you wish," she answered, reaching to her belt and untying a small cloth pouch. Straining to reach over the top of the table, she suddenly dumped its contents out. Twelve cut stones of various sizes and luminosity spilled onto the wooden table, making a loud clatter as they hit and drawing the attention of nearby parties.
Paying no mind to the multiple pairs of eyes now drawn to her, she slowly surveyed the stones. "See," she said simply. "The blue is the only one that came up spirit. Like your coat."
"That's a rather vague divination." Goliam said, loudly tossing his spoon into the now emptied bowl of stew. "Can' be the only one wearin' blue in here."
"Actually, you are," she said, pointing around. "And even if there were, I know you're the right one to follow. I saw it in a dream."
The Roegadyn leaned back into his chair, and sighed, rubbing his chin for a moment. "Goin' ter guess yer somethin' of a mystic." He leaned forward, and looked at the small stones, picking one up. It didn't seem to change at all as he turned it, as if it wasn't even reflecting light. "Alrigh', whats your name, little Mystic," he said, with a tone that sounded as if he had resigned his resistance against the strangeness of the situation.
"My name is Monadi." She began scooping the stones back into the bag, struggling to reach the ones that had tumbled to the roegadyn's side of the table. "And yours?"
He shoved the few stray stones toward her. "It's Goliam, Goliam Cygrus." He raises a hand, and the waitress makes her way over. "Jes' so ye know, I'll be expectin' you to at least hold your own if you're goin' to follow me."
Monadi pulled the last remaining stones into the bag. "I am trained some in magical combat, if that's what you mean."
"Not quite." he said, sliding a few coins to the waitress without bothering to look. "I'm used to most of th' people I escort bein' about as useful in combat as an armless Miqo'te." The waitress's tail bristled a bit at the comment as she left the table. He gives a quick glance in her direction and chuckles. "Come, Little one, I've got a couple of stops to make."
Monadi enthusiastically hopped off the chair, seemingly pleased to be moving again. "Lead the way then, Goliam."
The pair made their way out of the Drowning Wench, and began working their way through the crowded streets of Limsa-Lominsa. Goliam was making something of a large wake as he walked, giving the little lalafell quite a bit of room to hustle behind. "I've got an injury I need taken care of." he said, barely bothering to make sure she was keeping up with him.
Tottering along quickly behind him, Monadi seemed slightly wowed at the size of the roegadyn, stretching out her arms to measure the large shadow she was walking in that stretched out behind him. "You'll have to forgive me, I did not ask about your arm. What happened?" The question was met with notable silence, however, and she resolved herself to be silent and observe for the moment.
The pair reached a rather ratty wooden building, with a heavily pock marked and worn sign reading "Medical Clinic" over it. Goliam shouldeed his way through the heavy door without a word, which screeched in protest as they went through. The clinic, despite it's terrible outside appearance, was actually rather clean and well organized. A small desk sat near the entrance, with a bespectacled male Elezen sitting at it.
"Ah-- Mister Cygrus, I trust you've been sufficiently injured to be bothering me..." the Elezen, who was most likely the doctor, said pointedly, not looking up from a stack of papers in front of him.
"You could say that." Goliam replied, lifting his bandaged arm.
The doctor looked up, and pushed the glasses further up onto his nose as he looked. "That will do." He motions to a seat near a rather intimidating tray filled with tools, and jars with various fluids in them. As he made his way over, he noticed the lalafell. "Take a seat, would you?" the Elezen doctor said as he began picking up the tools, dipping them into a jar of clear fluid. "It's not wise to let your escortees see you being injured, you know."
"I'd not really call this a usual escort job." Goliam said, looking over at her after hefting his arm up, and beginning to work loose the bandages. "Besides, it's tingling, an' I do recall you sayin' that meant to come get it disinfected."
"Indeed." the doctor responded, finally opening the bandages all the way, revealing a heavily stained and crusty set of teeth marks. "Do I even want to know what happened?"
"Some damn fool 'scientist' from Gridania hired me to go take a gander at the wild-life." Goliam replied, his voice a half-growl as the doctor began dabbing a medicated cloth on the wounds. "He kept 'alf a cured steak in his damn bag an' didn't expect 'em to be attracted to it."
Shaking her head slightly, Monadi found an unobtrusive corner of the room to stand in. For a moment she listened intently to the two talk, curious to have her ignored question answered, before chanting a short prayer under her breath.
"Hold still, this is going to sting." the doctor said, pulling out a small syringe filled with a grey-green liquid, and stabbing it into his arm.
"GOD'S BALLS!" Goliam screeched, nearly jumping out of the chair.
"I told you it was going to sting." the doctor said icily.
"You said STING, that hurt worse than th' raptor's bite." Goliam roared back.
"Quit your whining, you're a grown man." he said, and began sewing up the larger wounds. "Besides, it was heavily infected, it would hurt much worse if it started rotting all the way through." The Roegadyn's teeth were clinched as the doctor continued his work.
Monadi nearly chuckled, breaking the rhythm of her chanting. One eye slowly took in the image of Goliam, obviously racked with pain, before she began again, doubling her efforts.
"I assume you were at least paid well for your efforts?" the doctor asked, cleaning his tools off and watching Goliam as he flexes his arm, testing the strength of the stitches.
"...Not even, the little rat scuttled the escort, and paid me a quarter of what he owed me."
"Not even enough to cover the twelve shots I used with my pistol, let alone this."
The doctor paused, and turned back to Goliam, giving a cold look. "I hope that doesn't mean you'll be trying to put this on a 'tab'."
Goliam shook his head, and grinned. "Not a big enough of a fool to try and pull that over you." He pulled out his coin-purse and poured out a roegadyn-sized handful, setting it onto the doctor's desk. "Thanks for the help, doc." He began to put his longcoat with the heavily tattered sleeve back on and motioned to Monadi. "Unless you're needing to be patched up, little one, we're done here."
Monadi opened her eyes again, abruptly cutting off her chant and reaching for her stone purse. She slipped in a hand and pulled one of the stones partially out before slipping it back in and closing the purse again. "So it seems," she nodded agreeably. "Off we go then."
"Yar." he replied, pushing his way through the loudly squeaking door. "You'll 'ave to pardon my earlier rudeness," he called back to her as they make their way down the streets once more. "I was expectin' an easy escort, especially when m'card reading came up so positive. Instead, I get a chewed arm an' less money than I started with."
"Wherever it is that you wish to go." The lalafell nodded knowingly as the roegadyn stared at her. "Yes, I know that doesn't make any sense now, but what I am asking for is permission to follow you."
His brow still furrowed, he looked about, as if he was expecting a table full of people to be trying to hide hysterical laughter at the situation, but after a moment, looked back. "Care t' share WHY yer wantin' to follow me?" He takes a heavy swig from his tankard, "Or is it jes' for my obvious charm 'n wit?"
"Of course, I will explain it, if you wish," she answered, reaching to her belt and untying a small cloth pouch. Straining to reach over the top of the table, she suddenly dumped its contents out. Twelve cut stones of various sizes and luminosity spilled onto the wooden table, making a loud clatter as they hit and drawing the attention of nearby parties.
Paying no mind to the multiple pairs of eyes now drawn to her, she slowly surveyed the stones. "See," she said simply. "The blue is the only one that came up spirit. Like your coat."
"That's a rather vague divination." Goliam said, loudly tossing his spoon into the now emptied bowl of stew. "Can' be the only one wearin' blue in here."
"Actually, you are," she said, pointing around. "And even if there were, I know you're the right one to follow. I saw it in a dream."
The Roegadyn leaned back into his chair, and sighed, rubbing his chin for a moment. "Goin' ter guess yer somethin' of a mystic." He leaned forward, and looked at the small stones, picking one up. It didn't seem to change at all as he turned it, as if it wasn't even reflecting light. "Alrigh', whats your name, little Mystic," he said, with a tone that sounded as if he had resigned his resistance against the strangeness of the situation.
"My name is Monadi." She began scooping the stones back into the bag, struggling to reach the ones that had tumbled to the roegadyn's side of the table. "And yours?"
He shoved the few stray stones toward her. "It's Goliam, Goliam Cygrus." He raises a hand, and the waitress makes her way over. "Jes' so ye know, I'll be expectin' you to at least hold your own if you're goin' to follow me."
Monadi pulled the last remaining stones into the bag. "I am trained some in magical combat, if that's what you mean."
"Not quite." he said, sliding a few coins to the waitress without bothering to look. "I'm used to most of th' people I escort bein' about as useful in combat as an armless Miqo'te." The waitress's tail bristled a bit at the comment as she left the table. He gives a quick glance in her direction and chuckles. "Come, Little one, I've got a couple of stops to make."
Monadi enthusiastically hopped off the chair, seemingly pleased to be moving again. "Lead the way then, Goliam."
The pair made their way out of the Drowning Wench, and began working their way through the crowded streets of Limsa-Lominsa. Goliam was making something of a large wake as he walked, giving the little lalafell quite a bit of room to hustle behind. "I've got an injury I need taken care of." he said, barely bothering to make sure she was keeping up with him.
Tottering along quickly behind him, Monadi seemed slightly wowed at the size of the roegadyn, stretching out her arms to measure the large shadow she was walking in that stretched out behind him. "You'll have to forgive me, I did not ask about your arm. What happened?" The question was met with notable silence, however, and she resolved herself to be silent and observe for the moment.
The pair reached a rather ratty wooden building, with a heavily pock marked and worn sign reading "Medical Clinic" over it. Goliam shouldeed his way through the heavy door without a word, which screeched in protest as they went through. The clinic, despite it's terrible outside appearance, was actually rather clean and well organized. A small desk sat near the entrance, with a bespectacled male Elezen sitting at it.
"Ah-- Mister Cygrus, I trust you've been sufficiently injured to be bothering me..." the Elezen, who was most likely the doctor, said pointedly, not looking up from a stack of papers in front of him.
"You could say that." Goliam replied, lifting his bandaged arm.
The doctor looked up, and pushed the glasses further up onto his nose as he looked. "That will do." He motions to a seat near a rather intimidating tray filled with tools, and jars with various fluids in them. As he made his way over, he noticed the lalafell. "Take a seat, would you?" the Elezen doctor said as he began picking up the tools, dipping them into a jar of clear fluid. "It's not wise to let your escortees see you being injured, you know."
"I'd not really call this a usual escort job." Goliam said, looking over at her after hefting his arm up, and beginning to work loose the bandages. "Besides, it's tingling, an' I do recall you sayin' that meant to come get it disinfected."
"Indeed." the doctor responded, finally opening the bandages all the way, revealing a heavily stained and crusty set of teeth marks. "Do I even want to know what happened?"
"Some damn fool 'scientist' from Gridania hired me to go take a gander at the wild-life." Goliam replied, his voice a half-growl as the doctor began dabbing a medicated cloth on the wounds. "He kept 'alf a cured steak in his damn bag an' didn't expect 'em to be attracted to it."
Shaking her head slightly, Monadi found an unobtrusive corner of the room to stand in. For a moment she listened intently to the two talk, curious to have her ignored question answered, before chanting a short prayer under her breath.
"Hold still, this is going to sting." the doctor said, pulling out a small syringe filled with a grey-green liquid, and stabbing it into his arm.
"GOD'S BALLS!" Goliam screeched, nearly jumping out of the chair.
"I told you it was going to sting." the doctor said icily.
"You said STING, that hurt worse than th' raptor's bite." Goliam roared back.
"Quit your whining, you're a grown man." he said, and began sewing up the larger wounds. "Besides, it was heavily infected, it would hurt much worse if it started rotting all the way through." The Roegadyn's teeth were clinched as the doctor continued his work.
Monadi nearly chuckled, breaking the rhythm of her chanting. One eye slowly took in the image of Goliam, obviously racked with pain, before she began again, doubling her efforts.
"I assume you were at least paid well for your efforts?" the doctor asked, cleaning his tools off and watching Goliam as he flexes his arm, testing the strength of the stitches.
"...Not even, the little rat scuttled the escort, and paid me a quarter of what he owed me."
"Not even enough to cover the twelve shots I used with my pistol, let alone this."
The doctor paused, and turned back to Goliam, giving a cold look. "I hope that doesn't mean you'll be trying to put this on a 'tab'."
Goliam shook his head, and grinned. "Not a big enough of a fool to try and pull that over you." He pulled out his coin-purse and poured out a roegadyn-sized handful, setting it onto the doctor's desk. "Thanks for the help, doc." He began to put his longcoat with the heavily tattered sleeve back on and motioned to Monadi. "Unless you're needing to be patched up, little one, we're done here."
Monadi opened her eyes again, abruptly cutting off her chant and reaching for her stone purse. She slipped in a hand and pulled one of the stones partially out before slipping it back in and closing the purse again. "So it seems," she nodded agreeably. "Off we go then."
"Yar." he replied, pushing his way through the loudly squeaking door. "You'll 'ave to pardon my earlier rudeness," he called back to her as they make their way down the streets once more. "I was expectin' an easy escort, especially when m'card reading came up so positive. Instead, I get a chewed arm an' less money than I started with."
