Inner Fire, Magical Flora (Kaythenia)

[joseph]

A single person sat on the grass, surrounded by the greenery and flowers of the field not too far from Castle Town. He panted a bit, his body slumped over and his legs spread out from his body. Behind him lay a single purple Bokoblin, it's body wrapped up tight in what looked to be three vines used as ropes. The right arm of the person was cut, and there seemed to be a small cut above his hairline, letting a single trail of blood frame the left side of his face.

Joseph let out a sigh and wiped his brow of sweat, looking back at the bokoblin with a chuckle. Sure, Joseph was injured somewhat, but Joseph was out to catch the creature to learn more about it. He wanted to learn about the purple skinned kin of bokoblin, about why they seemed to be much stronger and much harder to defeat. There was something about them that made them better then their blue skinned brethren, and Joseph wanted to know why.

Pulling a bit of white cloth from his staff that lay next to him in the grass, Joseph wrapped up the cut on his arm tight before he got to his feet, positive that his captive would remain just that. He flinched again, his hand holding his side where the bokoblin managed to kick him moments before and sighed. He was a mage, not a knight. Catching things and subduing them with strength was hard. The battle taught him a few things, but he wasn't sure what to do with the creature now.

"Ugh... I think I might of cracked a rib..." He sighed deductively. "Going to hurt to breath for a bit.."

[kaythenia]

Kaythenia had felt the urge to leave the crowded streets of Castle Town for a short time, even though it helped her blend in it could be somewhat suffocating. She didn't plan on heading all the way out into the field but far enough to enjoy a day that wasn't raining. It also gave her time to put practise into her somewhat unstable abilities without the risk of hurting anyone. Being out here gave her a brief sense of freedom that was difficult to find anywhere else, that alone made the trip worth while for her. She lifted one hand and shielded her dark blue eyes against the sunlight, the warmth kissing her skin. A welcome change to the usual weather in this part of Hyrule, well it was usual in the time she had been here anyway. The last time she had spent three somewhat damp days out here in camp, she swore it took her two days to fully dry out. The young woman climbed up a small hill, so she could check around for any visible travellers before getting some practise in with her powers. There was no need to alarm any passersby...

From her vantage point she noticed there was someone a short distance away, bent double with what look like a Bokoboblin tied up nearby. Those things...nothing but trouble, Kaythenia had fought two of them off when they came across her camp one night. Needless to say they regretted that, well they would have done had they lived. The way the person appeared to be holding themselves suggested injury although she couldn't be sure from here. She hopped down from the small hill and picked up her pace towards the stranger, as she drew closer she could see blood and sped up into a run.

"Hey! Are you alright?!" She called out to try and attract his attention.

[joseph]

Joseph heard someone call out and turned to find the source of the voice. The sun was off to his side, slightly getting in his way, but he moved his hand to block it out seeing the person who called out. He could make the woman out better now, his other hand tightening on his staff as he realized it was a woman. He shivered a bit, but took a deep breath and turned from her, tapping the bottom of his staff on the ground a few times before turning again.

He gave her the best smile he could muster and called back out too her speaking loudly, "I'm a little beaten up, but I'm alive!" It was the truth, or at least it was mostly the truth, the blood from his arm and forehead showing his wounds and his labored breathing showing those wounds that where hidden. He took in a deep breath, holding his side as the pain shot through it.

"Just... need a bit of milk or a potion." Joseph said, though more to himself then to her. Pain loves company they said. Or was it misery? Either way, he was going to have more company then an unconscious and tied up bokoblin.

[kaythenia]

"I'm a little beaten up, but I'm alive!"

At least the stranger was well enough to answer her although the sight of blood was concerning, she drew nearer to the young man and noted the staff in his hand. Another Mage? There weren't many of their kind around even amongst the Hylian people but Kaythenia didn't comment on it. She glanced briefly at the tied up and unconcious Bokoboblin, the obvious culprit to the stranger's injuries. Now that she was close they didn't look life threatening but the way that he held his side said that there was something else wrong aside from the bleeding cuts on his head and arm. Her original intentions for being out in Hyrule Field were brushed to the side, leaving someone out here like this just wasn't in her nature. Plus the scent of his blood would draw other creatures here which would be less than favourable. The young woman knew that she would rather not be fighting off more Bokoboblins, one of them had given her a hefty bump on the back of her head from last time and it was an experience she would rather not repeat!

Kaythenia stepped cautiously over the unconcious creature and towards Joseph and got down on one knee. "Let's take a look at you." She stated, brushing his hair aside gently with gloved hands to get a better look at the cut on his forehead. Head wounds had a tendency to bleed a great deal but once she carefully checked it, her fingers only lightly brushing it so not to cause anymore pain or discomfort than he was already experiencing. The wound on his arm appeared deeper though. It didn't look too severe but staying out here wasn't a smart move.

"Come on, you can't stay out here unless you want the relatives of Lumpy over there." She jerked a thumb in the direction of the unconcious Bokoboblin. "All coming for you as well."

Kaythenia offered Joseph a hand up, she couldn't just leave him out here if he needed treatment. Even if he seemed less than thrilled to have been found out here, probably hurt pride. She didn't know many men who relished being found at a disadvantage infront of a woman.

[joseph]

Joseph leaned back a bit from the woman as she got closer, but she was already close enough that didn't help him escape her helping hands. "You don't h-have too." He said with a bit of unease in his voice as she started to examine his forehead. He couldn't help but shiver as goosebumps rose to his arms and his hair felt like it was standing on edge. He didn't look at her, choosing to examine a very special piece of grass not to far from his foot.

When she spoke he grudgingly looked at her and listened, knowing that she was right, even if he'd rather treat his own wounds away from the girl and the bokoblin. He rubbed his head again, the cut feeling a bit itchy though he dared not itch it, then looked at his hand seeing the blood on it. As much as he would of liked to have been alone, it'd probably be safer with someone, though he wished that it wasn't some strange woman. He wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth though.

"Yeah... yeah... I get it, I'm coming." He said, taking her hand and getting to his feet, though he winced when he stood up straight. "Ah... rib pain... great..." Joseph muttered, looking at the grass and not at the woman. With a deep breath, he looked up and nodded his head, speaking to her, "Lead the way then miss... if you want." Joseph held his staff as if it was a walking stick, leaning on it to keep him up in case he lost his balance.

[kaythenia]

"Yeah... yeah... I get it, I'm coming. Ah... rib pain... great...Lead the way then miss... if you want."

Kaythenia heard Joseph's muttered complaint, he probably hadn't intended her to though. That explained his posture and the way he was holding his side. Although it didn't explain the way he wouldn't hold her gaze and seemed to be finding the blades of grass at their feet truly fascinating. As if he found her somewhat intimidating, she couldn't think why. Unless she was wielding fire most people didn't find her a threat. Anyway, that wasn't any of her business. She watched the stranger carefully while he leaned on his staff like a walking stick, he probably wasn't going to like this but to get him back into town without a collapse it was a necessary evil. The young woman walked closer to him and reached out to grasp his forearm, gently removing it from the staff to give him time to rebalance before putting it around her shoulders. He wasn't going to like this, Kaythenia couldn't claim to find it comfortable either but the priority was getting this man back to town. Despite a blow to both their dignities...

"Put some of your weight on me, it'll be faster than you hobbling along."

It was still going to be fairly slow going but better than watching him limp behind her like an old man. She did want to ask about the issue with the Bokoboblin, generally killing them was the way forward when one attacked you. Not trying to tie it up as if you planned to interrogate it about it's motivations towards you, that approach would make anyone a mess. Kaythenia may have her powers but she still carried cardinal weapons upon her person for that very reason, she may not have been a warrior of prowess but enough to deal with the things that wandered into her camp or attacked her whilst travelling.

"Can I ask why you tied that thing up? Not the most conventional method I've seen..."

[joseph]

Joseph couldn't believe his luck. First he was injured, and now he was being bothered by some strange woman. Worst of all, she kept touching him, the latest offense was her taking his arm and putting it around her. It caught him so off-guard he almost pulled it back in reaction too it, but his side hurt the moment he even started to move in this position. Pain would be smart to avoid, even though in the position he was vulnerable and pretty much helpless in this moment.

"I was fine with the staff..." He muttered, not caring if she could hear. She was right and he knew it, so he wasn't going to fight her, figuring that keeping on her good side would probably keep him healthy for now. He did what she said, allowing her to take some of his weight to keep him from falling over. "Thanks..." Joseph said, though he muttered this even softer then what he had said before, his face flushed a bit. He really wasn't a fan of everything going on, but at the very least he'd be able to get some medical help.

"What? Oh.. the bokoblin? It was for research... trying so see if there was a reason for the purple kin to be so much stronger then the blue kin." Joseph said, chuckling before coughing at the pain in his side.

[kaythenia]

"I was fine with the staff...Thanks..."

Kaythenia rolled her eyes skyward, he obviously wasn't used to accepting help, especially the way he jerked back from her like she was going to hurt him...in the end that only made him hurt himself. The proof why listening to her was a good idea, she went at his pace and didn't rush him along. The young woman had damaged her own ribs before and remembering how painful it was to move around for a couple of weeks, every little step had send twinges of pain through her. Sleeping on the ground had gone from perfectly fine to utterly unbearable. She looked up and noticed he was flushing, the Mage was uncertain if that was from embaressment or from exertion. She wasn't about to ask, she was more tactful than that at least. As long as he accepted the help, Kaythenia didn't ask him to like her for it.

"What? Oh.. the bokoblin? It was for research... trying so see if there was a reason for the purple kin to be so much stronger then the blue kin."

If the young woman had a free hand she would have used one to cover her eyes and cringe openly. Research was one thing but going out to face Bokoboblins with only a staff at hand? That hadn't been particularly intelligent, she shook her head at Joseph.
"Well...I think you established that they can at the very least bruise your ribs, wouldn't you say?"

At least they weren't far from the Town now, there was supposedly a doctor who was a crotchety old sod...perhaps taking the stranger to him to be checked out was the best option. Kaythenia had limited medical knowledge, enough to patch up his cuts but anything more serious was past her skillset. She was a Bard, not a physician. Dealing with the stranger was at least keeping her mind off the events of the last few days, even if the man was somewhat grumpy for little reason.

[joseph]

Joseph looked over at the woman, his eyes focusing on hers before he looked away again. "I can tell tell you that at the very least, I'll be able to add 'smells like a pile of horse dung' to my research notes." He said, responding in a slightly joking manner, though he was serious about the smell. He didn't really know what more to say or do, but he kept on walking with his arm around the young woman, looking either forward or at the ground to make sure he didn't fall. At least she hadn't mentioned anything about the vines along his left arm yet.

"I did learn a lot about them though, due to being able to restrain and study it. I just think I've put off my own health safety for a bit too long." He said, closing his eyes as he continued to lean against her and walked. Getting sleepy was usually a bad thing when injured, wasn't it? He let out a sigh and simply shook his head, forcing himself to open his eyes again. "I don't think I'll try to capture something like that alive again though." Joseph added.

The entered into the city and Joseph kept his eyes down as he let the woman led them toward the destination, not wanting to draw any attention to himself. "The sooner we get there... the better... I really don't want to raise any questions..." Joseph said softly, but loud enough for her to hear him. He disliked the situation, even more so that he was so dependent on this strange woman that he had met.

"The name... is Joseph..."

[kaythenia]

"I can tell tell you that at the very least, I'll be able to add 'smells like a pile of horse dung' to my research notes. I did learn a lot about them though, due to being able to restrain and study it. I just think I've put off my own health safety for a bit too long. I don't think I'll try to capture something like that alive again though."

That was probably for the best...Kaythenia couldn't help but think, who in their right mind would want to study those creatures anyway, there were little more than an absolute pain if you were a camping traveller and dangerous if you couldn't defend yourself. The proof was in the injuries that the stranger had, mild as the cuts were she wasn't so sure about the state of his ribs. Could be simply bruised or might be cracked, Kaythenia couldn't be entirely sure. She was just glad he wasn't going to attempt it again. "I'm glad to hear that." She commented as she helped Joseph along, he was a little heavier than she had anticipated but nothing she couldn't cope with for a little while. Although she was glad when they entered the Town gates, it wasn't far from here although several inhabitants of the town watched with a mix of concern and interest at their situation.

"The sooner we get there... the better... I really don't want to raise any questions..."

Possibly a little late for that...People were taking interest, since they were, Kaythenia thought she might as well ask the exact location of the Doctor from a passerby who looked Joseph over before calmly giving her simple directions. Joseph would probably hate that but he would survive his ego being just a little bruised, better than accidently puncturing a lung if his ribs were badly damaged.

"The name... is Joseph..."

Kaythenia glanced up at Joseph, well at least he seemed to see fit to introduce himself rather than grumble and grouch the entire way to the Doctor's. They weren't far from it now anyway but still, the Mage lead him slowly around a corner before responding.

"I'm Kay, it's not far now."

She didn't have a free hand to knock on the door so she had to resort to gently kicking it with the toe of her laced up, leather boot. There was a crash from inside and the voice of an old man grumbling, footsteps approached the door before it opened and Kaythenia found herself staring at..nothing. She looked down, the Doctor was a man of small stature and thick lensed glasses which gave the disturbing impression that his eyes were too big for his face. He looked from Kaythenia, to the injured Joseph and back to Kaythenia again before grumbling.

"Suppose you better come in, lay him down on the bed, Girl. Be quick about it."

Kaythenia didn't respond well to being referred to as 'Girl' but none the less led Joseph inside and helped him onto the bed as carefully as she could as the Doctor approached them, getting up on a step to get a proper look at Joseph. Gesturing with a roll of his magnefied eyes to remove his coat.

"So what happened, hm?"

[joseph]

Joseph's visit with the doctor was certainly a boring one, and after he was patched up, the two where sent on their way. Joseph insisted on at least trying to pay back Kay for the help she had done, even if it was just a little unwelcomed. His arm was given stitches before wrapped up and his head was bandaged. The doctor couldn't do anything for Joseph's side aside from bind it a bit and suggest that he don't go running around fighting monsters above his skill level.

He wasn't at all pleased at this, and they left the office with Joseph being a few rupees shorter then when they went into. Standing outside of the Doctor's office leaning on his staff, Joseph couldn't help but feel like he really owed the woman, no.. that he owed Kay not only an apology but something in return. She might of just saved his life today, even though it was his own fault for being so very stubborn.

"Kay!" He said much louder then he should have, his face flustered. A part of him really didn't want to do this, he wasn't even sure if she was just planning on betraying him or not. He shook his head and spoke a bit softer, "Kay, Thank you for helping me... I really owe you my life... So I'd like to pay you back for all the help you've given me." Joseph took a deep breath before speaking again. "Is there anything I can help you with or can I pay for a meal for you?"

Only after he spoke did he realize how she could take the last one a bit negatively, or like he was asking her on a date. He really didn't want to be in such an awkward situation like that. "I mean since you helped me I figure I could pay for ingredients to a meal or something like that. Nothing more." Joseph said, sweating a bit, nervous now.

[kaythenia]

Kaythenia had stayed in the Doctor's office while the short, bad tempered old man worked on Joseph and gave him a lecture at the same time, telling him off for taking on the Bokoboblin as if he were speaking to a naughty child and not a full grown man. The Bard had to look away and focus on the titles of the books on the shelf nearby to distract her from trying not to laugh, that would have been somewhat inappropriate and she doubted either of them would have appreciated it. Thankfully Joseph's wounds hadn't been life threatening but they had required treatment to heal properly, the Doctor relieved her of Rupees...she was going to have to perform in one of the taverns to earn those back tonight. She hadn't run into Davik since the night at the Sage and Fool with Youkai but it didn't stop her scanning the crowd, extremely carefully each time she performed for the public. Her thoughts were interrupted by Joseph's altogether too loud announcement of her name.

"Kay!" The young woman flinched, no need to shout. She was less than three feet away. "Kay, Thank you for helping me... I really owe you my life... So I'd like to pay you back for all the help you've given me. Is there anything I can help you with or can I pay for a meal for you? I mean since you helped me I figure I could pay for ingredients to a meal or something like that. Nothing more."

She quirked an eyebrow at Joseph's reaction, he was apparently extremely flustered and his cheeks were colouring as he spoke. Thank Goddesses grace that Kaythenia did not blush often, it became difficult to see where her skin ended and hair started...She turned to face Joseph and planted both hands on her hips, rocking her weight onto her right leg as she waited for him to finish speaking. If he could get the words out without passing out considering the colour he was going. What in blazes was the matter with him? You would think he was phobic of women considering his behaviour now and leading up to this.

"You don't need to shout at me, I'm not deaf. As for the help...eh, I have an involuntary bleeding heart, couldn't just leave you out there injured like that but food would not be argued with. I skipped out on breakfast."

[joseph]

"Sorry.. just... forget about the shouting thing, it was an accident." Joseph said, not looking at her, not feeling as thankful toward her as he was just a bit ago. Maybe it was her attitude toward him trying to be kind to her, but he was a little more for getting the entire thing done with sooner now.

"Well... thanks again for the help though." Joseph said, nodding his head and thinking about the lay out of castle town. He hadn't been here all that often, so as he tried to think about where the two could go to eat food. He really couldn't figure out a good destination for them though, and even though he wanted to figure out something, he sighed.

Looking over at her, Joseph had to wonder what she would like to get for food stuff. "Alright then, since you know Castle Town better then me, where should we go to get some food, since now that I've thought of it... I need some food too..." He said, rubbing his stomach a bit.