Imprints in Stone [AU]

[Isabela]

Isabela shakes her head. "They see me run through coalside, it'll bring attention. Once we're off this main street, be ready to run."

And, true to her word, once Isabela gets to the alley she's making for, she leads Bethany at a dizzying pace through Coalside, until they come out at the back entrance to an inn. She leads them up the back stairs to her room, unlocking the door before pausing, briefly. 

"He may say things that-- well. You're a smart girl. You know the sort of things not to repeat, savvy?"

[Bethany]

"..." Beth glances at Bri for a moment. "I do know. I also know the things that I can't stay quiet on. But I assume Bri wouldn't have come to me in you were that sort." And I'd hope, wouldn't associate with you in the first place.

[Isabela]

"Good. Good. Don't worry, I'm not into anything shadier than a pair of black knickers," she jokes, pushing the door open.

The man on the bed is a, in quite bad shape, and b, buck naked. Isabela moves to sit on the bed next to him, stroking his cheek gently with two fingertips. "Zevran?" she murmurs gently. "I've brought a healer. Are you awake?"

[Bethany]

"'m'la."

"Well... he's somewhat aware of things at least," Bethany says with a wince. Slinging off her medical kit, she kneels next to the badly beaten male. His hair is snow white... how old is he? He's very fit for his age. "Let me-" she cuts off, almost pissing herself, when Isabela narrowly catches Zevran's wrist a split second before a shard of wood is shoved into her throat.

[Isabela]

"Healer," she says again, more urgently. "She's safe. You need healing, Zevran. Please let her fix you." 

[Bethany]

"Very safe. Nice healer," Bethany squeeks. After a long, long moment, the arm goes slack, Zevran surrendering back to unconsciousness. Taking a long, slow breath, Bethany reaches out to rub her throat. "... bit jumpy but... well enough to move really, really fast. So that's promising?" Taking one last breath, she nods. "Okay. Okay. Let's... well, first thing first." Chanting quickly, she casts a basic healing spell to take the edge off his wounds and ensure he won't die before she can finish looking him over.

"Gods, his back is... These look like whip marks. Real whip marks. Bad ones. Broken ribs, collarbone- how did he move his arm without screaming? He's filthy too, look at his skin. Or is-" She squints a little, having looked past the bloody mess of his back to his limbs. Underneath the rags and bloody mud he's nearly crusted in, she sees... "What... are his- what are these glowing lines? Are they... tattoos?"

[Isabela]

"Yes, those aren't new," says Isabela, her voice a bit clipped from worry. "It may have been... a little longer than I let on since I saw him last, but he definitely had the tattoos then. And the brand, just here." She gestures to a glowing patch on his chest, without touching it. "They're sensitive, sometimes, don't touch them if you can help it."

[Bethany]

"Brand?" Bethany asks, bewildered. He's not a cow, that doesn't make any sense. "Why would he be branded? Is that a gang thing?" 

[Isabela]

She blinks. "Uh, yes, go with that."

[GamesMaster]

"He's a slave," says Brianne, quietly.

[Bethany]

"He's a-" Bethany's eyes widen, and then in a show of great moral virtue, glares at Isabela. "I will not just heal this poor soul up to send back to-" And then her Dad's training kicks in. "Wait. No chains. He trusts you. He's a runaway- or you rescued him."

[Isabela]

"That'd be the sort of thing we don't spread around," warns Isabela again, and there's a hint of danger in her eyes. This time, when she looks at Beth, it's not sexual -- she's clearly sizing her up, taking her measure. 

[Bethany]

"I'm not going to turn in an ex-slave," Bethany hisses at Isabela. "Do you need help hiding him?" As she talks, she resumes her inspection. "Gods, his fingernails are all new," she mutters, stomach churning.

[Isabela]

"Let's just heal him so I can get him clean," says Isabela quietly, her own stomach churning. Gods, Zevran, what did I leave you in? What did they do to you? What kind of trouble did you get in because of me, back then? Was it easier or harder than this? Gods. 

[Bethany]

"Right. Of course. I... I don't think I can magic all of this away, but I can do the worst of it and then patch him up. If you- I can come back tomorrow and the day after if you want," Beth says in a professional tone. I have five more spells left (and the one I never use (Marian) of course). That should be plenty. After a solid half minute of chanting, Beth sags back. "Okay. That's... more taxing than I realized. Sorry. Give me a minute and I can magic off the worst of the mud."