#the most surreal trip of Lebeaux's life

[blackrose-ffxiv]

House Derosiers Part 2 09/26

Geofferaut Derosiers led his limping 'brother' to the family home by the arm, the perfect picture of fraternal support. The house wasn't exactly large, but it was well kept and glows warmly from the windows. Geofferaut knocked three times on the front door. A middle-aged woman in a crisp domestic uniform answered momentarily with a smile that turned into shock that turned back into a smile, albeit a strained one. "Hello, Lord Geofferaut. It is good to see you. So.. soon."

Geofferaut marched Lebeaux through the door while reciting, "Hello Maureen it is good to see you may I present Lebeaux DESROSIERS." He emphasized the last name with an uptick in volume but no change in tone and continued, "You will bring boiling water cold water towels and bandages to my room."

Lebeaux Desrosiers limped awkwardly along beside Geofferaut as they approached the family home. The Derosiers were under the banner of the Haillenartes but visiting the lesser nobility at their homes wasn’t generally the done thing. Rather the vassal houses were occasionally invited to the High house for social functions and what have you. As such it was his first time seeing House Derosiers. Nice enough, he supposed, down to polite enough Help answering the door. Despite what he already knew of his un-brother the title was still somewhat jarring. Lebeaux banished the small wince and pasted his standard serene smile back on his face. Make a good impression. Wait to be introduced. Don’t pass out. He tilted his head in greeting to ‘Maureen’ as they marched past. “Good evening.” He muttered, briefly amused by Geofferaut’s emphasis on the name. “What a cozy home. How nice.” He offered.

Maureen ducked a curtsy, "Yes, m'Lord, right away. Thank you, m'Lord," and she was off at a brisk walk, just shy of undignified hurry.

Lebeaux waited until she was gone to drop the smile and return to wallowing in self-pity and generally eyeing up the place as they walked through it. “And it’s only your parents and the help here? Must be quiet.” He mused, still leaning on the taller man every other step. They arrived at the staircase and a small wheeze of dismay escaped. Which he quickly swallowed down before he made his way up the stairs, giving Geoff a brief respite as he hung onto the railing. Once they were up the stairs he didn’t protest but allowed himself to sit hard on the bed. “I’ve left my kits and effects behind. I’ll take something for the pain.”

Geofferaut's room was the polar opposite of his more familiar cellar workspace. Cushions and carpets gave it an overall padded feel, and as everywhere in the house, light was already blooming.

Lebeaux’s pale gaze drifted over the room. It was soft and warm. He had assumed it was a guest room or some such. He expected Geofferaut’s room to be an above ground version of his basement. Hard angles, cold materials and flat surfaces. “I’ve already begun treatment on my own, I simply didn’t have the aether to finish it.” He explained. “Surely that counts. Do you keep medical materials in the guest rooms? How unusual.”

"No. No." The apparent scion of a plush-crazed noble house withdrew a tied bundle from his robes and unrolled his medical tools on the desk. He supplemented the collection with herbs and vials pulled various drawers. "You will uncover the wound."

The only visible injury the medic carried was a slice along his cheek. That one has been carefully tended to and sealed with aether to ensure that it would heal without a scar. Lebeaux huffed in annoyance then lifted the edge of the robe up into his lap. The fabric of his trousers had already been cut open where a large piece of debris had been removed from his thigh. This injury hadn’t received near the same attention as the one on his face, only enough to prevent it from bleeding when the item had been removed from his skin. Residual traces indicated rocks and dirt, likely conjury. 

“I’ll have the pain relief before.” Lebeaux insisted again. “I’ve seen your treatment style. And if you said ‘no’, then why are there supplies here.”

Geofferaut paid much more attention to Lebeaux's uncovered thigh than he did to anything else. "Pain response is required to assess the effectiveness of the treatment. I keep supplies in my room." He carefully removed his gloves, laid them folded together on the desk -just so-, and splashed something that reeked of disinfectant on his hands. 

A barely audible tap at the door, followed by an equally soft, "Enter," from Geofferaut brought Maureen back into their lives, this time carrying two pots of water and a stack of clean, white linens. "You will place the water on the floor beside the subject's feet. You will place the towels and bandages on the bed beside the subject. I require nothing else."

Lebeaux huffed indignantly once again and began patting down his robes. He hadn’t brought a flask nor pipe along in case Gilbert chose to search the combatants before the duel. A good idea since the Knight had emptied the rest of his pockets afterwards. Nothing. Not even a basic potion. “I would prefer something before.” He insisted as the gloves were removed. Concern was intensifying. “… Your room?” He repeated in disbelief as he took another look around. “Impossible.” 

It was at that moment that Maureen arrived with the requested items and set about doing as Geoff instructed. “I’ll have tea.” Lebeaux chimed in once Geoff had declared his own needs met.

Maureen did as she was told without a word. Lebeaux's request seemed to catch her off guard. She stood paralyzed for a long moment, wide eyes darting between Lebeaux and Lord Geofferaut's back. She made up her mind and offered Lebeaux a small smile and a duck of her head before bowing out of the room. The door swung shut on silent hinges and latched with hardly a swish of metal against metal.

Geofferaut, for his part, selected a few gleaming tools, several packets of herbs, and a small silver mug with his scarred fingers. These he brought to the subject and arranged himself on the floor next to the rent thigh.

Lebeaux smiled politely in return. He suspected when it came to Geofferaut this was probably one of the least strange things any of the domestic staff had seen. Not to mention the entire ‘sworn to secrecy’ thing that usually came standard in Ishgardian terms of employment. For what that was worth. “She isn’t going to bring tea, is she.” He muttered mostly to himself. “Who arranged your room for you?” He attempted ‘small talk’, as well as that ever worked with Geofferaut, as a bit of distraction as he looked at the items being prepared. As well as the scars on the other’s hands.

"No. Mother."

Lebeaux probably should have expected that. “Refusing me tea is likely considered a violation of basic spoken rights since you won’t allow me pain relief.” He explained in annoyance, his eyes narrowing slightly. “Are all of those scars unfinished geometries.” He finally asked, something he had been meaning to poke into after the trip into Amdapor, but he had been busy making his displeasure with the expedition crew clearly known.

"No." While he stared fixedly at Lebeaux's thigh, Geofferaut's hands busied themselves scooping hot water into the mug and sprinkling one of the herb packets into it. It did not take long for the smell of Coerthan tea to fill the air.

Lebeaux blinked a moment when the familiar scent rose, tilting his chin up slightly to ensure he wasn’t imagining it amongst the smell of disinfectants and herbs. Nope, that was definitely tea. “Some are, some are not.” He puzzled. “The ones that are, that you used in the Lost City, did you make them yourself?”

Geoff placed the tea on the bed with a folded towel underneath to provide support lest it sink into the downy cloud of softness. "Yes." Visual exam complete, Geofferaut began to implement the course of treatment. First, the same strong antiseptic was splashed and rubbed onto the affected area, the act of rubbing a bare thigh somehow drained of all intimacy. One of the towels wiped away any loose dirt. Armed with tweezers and scalpel, Geofferaut next set to the task of removing the more stubborn and partially healed debris from the wound.

Lebeaux immediately picked up the mug and the towel to keep from burning his hands as though concerned it would be taken away again. Holding it somewhat protectively up near his chest since his lap was otherwise occupied. Yet for once he didn’t feel the need to make the teasing ‘while you’re down there’ comments. “How thorough, to go so far as the carve spells into your own skin.” He mused, breathing in the smell of the steeping tea. “What were the rest caused by?” He glanced down now, watching with little interest. A furrow of his brows or twitch of an eye here or there as difficult bits of debris were removed, but otherwise calm.

"Blades."

Not an accident or a beast or something like that. “Oh? Who were they caused by, then.” He hissed quietly as a well-embedded shard of rock was removed from the injury then busied himself with a drink of the hot tea. ‘Thank you’ wasn’t really in his vocabulary but at least he had stopped whining in appreciation for the small comfort. Even if it could have used cream and sugar.

@cellardoor-ffxiv