The soft prodding of the cat's nose against his cheek began to stir the doctor awake, as it did most mornings. His hand dragged itself slowly towards his face, rubbing at the tired eyes. The cat purring joyfully as a greeting to his master. It was breakfast time and he would not allow the man to lay there too long.
With an audible mix between a purr and a meow, the top of the cat's head knocked against the doctor's to nudge him awake. There it was. An iron spike drilled through the man's head and the regret of the evening before followed, he had allowed himself far too much wine. It had been a long time since he felt this regret. The man's palms rested over his face, to block out the morning light creeping through the drapes, but the cat didn't give up.
"I'm awake." A groggy voice muttered to the cat, it's owner nudging the soft head aside after another bump against his aching temple. "Soot in warm milk. Dried viper and skull. Raw eel." He began to mumble, repeating it until he sat up, only to feel something roll off his chest.
The bitter scent of blood now reached his nostrils as he realized that the cat had left him a gift of a dead mouse, the corpse placed where the doctor would be sure to find it instead of crushing it under his feet as he'd done before.
Tired, green eyes turned to the cat, which sat on the floor, waiting. Holding itself with a proud posture now that the doctor had found the gift.
"Thank you..." He told the cat, holding the dead mouse up by its tail, studying the muddy coat now crusted with blood.
An impatient meow finally gave Elias the strength to drag himself up to his feet, only then realizing that he had slept in his clothing from the evening prior. The shirt and trousers that were far too big for the man to wear, better fitting someone twice his size.
The sour taste of wine lingered in the back of his throat, alongside the terribly sweet taste of honey it had been mixed with. It was enough to make his stomach turn and pressure to form by his collarbone. He shut his eyes, swallowed hard and drew a few deep breaths.
"Honeyed wine." The doctor mused under his breath, staring tiredly up at the rafters while going over his morning symptoms. His mouth was dry, his bones ached, stomach turned and his head felt like it was split open, but he didn't feel feverish. Either the damage was masked well behind the aftermath of two cups of wine or it had fought against his flu. Whichever it was, the young doctor reached for his logbook, to write down the first thoughts of the morning, planning to go over and study them later. Just another part of his daily routine.
The cat grew impatient, making his annoyance known by nipping at the man's toes, where they sat exposed against the floor. "Hey!" His foot jumped back, but then reached forward to give the cat a nudge away. The animal returned to rub itself against his master's leg, the cat's next meow prolonged, as it demanded it's breakfast. He finally gave in.
With the dead mouse in hand, Elias got up from the bed to begin the tired and aching march out of the study and into the open room of the infirmary, the cat trotting along and its meowing growing ever more excited. It took every bit of focus the man had to make certain he didn't step on the cat as it danced around his feet.
The throbbing pain didn't fade as he began to pick out some raw meat from the storage, slapping it on a plate, throwing the dead mouse into the leftover bucket, which will be tossed out for compost later.
Once the cat was fed, his owner got a brief moment of peace from the piercing yowls of a hungry animal. "Soot and warm milk..." The doctor mumbled, moving through the kitchen like a wraith; slow and stiff. As he began to prepare the milk, the events of the night prior began to creep forth in his mind. His talk with the young woman and promise to prepare more oil and tea for her leg pain. He recalled the news she had brought about getting the shoe he had suggested; He'd have to write about it later, make notes and prepare for observation once she was set.
The talk he had with Fiontann slowly crept back to him and heat began to rise into the man's cheeks, while he began recalling their conversation about women and the doctor's lack thereof. It dawned on him then that the wine might have made him far more loose tongued than he would have liked.
"Dazzling eyes, beautiful smile, enough to cut ones breath." The man mused out loud as he gathered the soot from the oven's fireplace, mixing it into the warm milk. He couldn't recall ever meeting such a woman in his life time, at least not of his own kin.
When he had first laid eyes on the elven woman that visited, he recalled his breath taken away briefly by what he saw, his mortal eyes unprepared for the beauty he'd only heard of in the song of bards, but that moment didn't last.
The milk darkened in the glass as the soot was added in, one small portion at a time. He'd have to write down what the man had told him, have notes to look at should he ever find himself attempting courtship again.
Maddoct had arrived to join the company as well, but had been very silent. Slowly, he recalled the small tournament of fist-fighting that Fiontann would be holding and the offer of work. The doctor rubbed his aching temple, staring into the blackened milk with a grimace. He had agreed to making a deal with the man about treating the wounded. Bruises, cuts and broken bones were a likely result and he'd have to prepare, if enough attended this event.
He brought the glass to his lips to chug the milk, forcing every drop of it down with the belief that it was going to cure his wine-induced headache. It was a struggle to keep everything down, the foul tastes blending and while he'd usually go to study, this time he was more inclined to cut himself a piece of the duck-pie that Cedwyn had brought the other night and settling down in the main room for breakfast.
He sat down and looked over the wooden table, plates and cups still scattered about from the previous night. The three cookbooks he had purchased caught his eye. Whether he had brought the idea up in jest or not, it was too late now and he had to face the fact that he might have doomed his establishment when offering Gustine to come and cook with him, and yet, he chuckled at the idea. Over the past couple of days he'd found himself more prone to a smile and a laugh, but uncertain if it was because of the company, or if the fever had something to do with the change. Or maybe it was the medicine that had made him so cheerful. As the thought lingered in his mind, the young doctor reached for one of the logbooks to make a note of studying this.
There was something comforting about the meal that Cedwyn had made and it went down slowly, but with ease. His thoughts battled against the terrible ache to visit the night before once more, uncertain if the woman had agreed to the payment, he would have to question Bíld or Maddoct later.
It didn't take more than a moment's distraction and his meal had been claimed by the cat, who was more excited about the soft and flavour-rich duck-filling of the pie, rather than the raw slab of meat that he'd been given. Elias shook his head, stroking the cat's back and leaving the animal to its meal, while he'd prepared for the next morning routine.
Hot water was slowly poured into the tub to warm up the day old water, the whole thing mixing, while the man undressed and prepared for the morning bath.
Standing over the tub, he caught his own reflection, wincing at the sight, as what greeted him was a waif of a man. Time spent with books and neglecting food had turned his frame thin and frail, the bottom of his ribs sticking out against the skin. As words from the last night's guest crossed his mind, the young doctor looked away from his reflection and eyed his surroundings. Tools and collection of body parts preserved in jars decorated the small room of the barbershop, many of which had odd growths or tumors that needed to be examined further. Both the collection and their owner were far from typical, something he felt gnawing at him now, fueled by the guest and their talk. He turned away again, pushing aside the thoughts and Fiontann's words as he got into the bath to finally wash and get himself ready for the day's work ahead.
