Severus wakes after his trip home...
It was the daylight filtering through the window that woke Severus and he came awake abruptly as he always did. He couldn't remember the last time he'd woken slowly, perhaps when he'd been a child, before school and its attendant problems had arrived but certainly not since then.
The first thing that made itself known was pain. He ached. Nearly every part of his body just ached. He slowly, gingerly pushed himself into a sitting position, cursing softly under his breath and gasping as he did so. Once he was upright, he paused to catch his breath and let the pain ebb slightly then he looked down at himself. There were bruises everywhere in shades of purple, blue and black. He grimaced then reached for the chest sitting on his bedside table. He shuffled through the vials and pulled out one, staring at it for a long moment.
It was the only healing potion that had survived the transition to the hotel. It wasn't a very strong one but it would probably take the bruises on his body from being what they were right now to being half-healed and certainly less painful. The question was should he use it? He could make more though it would be a long, involved process, taking nearly two weeks. But then again he had no idea what else he might face in this wretched place.
He shifted slightly on the bed and that solved his dilemma. He knew himself well enough to know that while he could tolerate this level of pain for a certain amount of time, it would not be pleasant for him or anyone else in the vicinity. He pulled the cap off the vial and swallowed the potion, grimacing at the taste. It only took a minute to take effect, the bruises fading from the vivid blue/black/purple to a more faded purple/blue/yellow, the pain easing as they faded.
He placed the vial on the bedside table and crawled out of bed with a grunt. The pain was still there but it was greatly lessened and when he fished a vial of the pain reliever out of the chest and swallowed it then even the pain eased to a more managable level. He carefully stretched, hissing as the bruises pulled and tweaked then he grabbed a fresh set of clothes and headed for the bathroom, wincing only once as he caught sight of his bruised face in the mirror.
Once he was clean and dressed, with the pain and bruises at a manageable level, he realised he was actually hungry. He snorted to himself as he picked up his key and headed out of the room. Of course he was hungry. He'd not eaten in the entire twenty-four hours he was away and Merlin only knew how long he'd been asleep. He limped down the corridor, his right foot was still bruised enough for that, and down the stairs.
He headed straight for the dining room and arched an eyebrow when he saw the waiting buffet. No matter what time he'd been in here, the buffet had always been there, full of hot food and cold. He shook his head, not in the mood to think about the magic of the hotel right now all things considered and served himself. He then found a table in a corner, hoping to avoid questions about the bruising that was visible on his face, and sat down to eat.
The first thing that made itself known was pain. He ached. Nearly every part of his body just ached. He slowly, gingerly pushed himself into a sitting position, cursing softly under his breath and gasping as he did so. Once he was upright, he paused to catch his breath and let the pain ebb slightly then he looked down at himself. There were bruises everywhere in shades of purple, blue and black. He grimaced then reached for the chest sitting on his bedside table. He shuffled through the vials and pulled out one, staring at it for a long moment.
It was the only healing potion that had survived the transition to the hotel. It wasn't a very strong one but it would probably take the bruises on his body from being what they were right now to being half-healed and certainly less painful. The question was should he use it? He could make more though it would be a long, involved process, taking nearly two weeks. But then again he had no idea what else he might face in this wretched place.
He shifted slightly on the bed and that solved his dilemma. He knew himself well enough to know that while he could tolerate this level of pain for a certain amount of time, it would not be pleasant for him or anyone else in the vicinity. He pulled the cap off the vial and swallowed the potion, grimacing at the taste. It only took a minute to take effect, the bruises fading from the vivid blue/black/purple to a more faded purple/blue/yellow, the pain easing as they faded.
He placed the vial on the bedside table and crawled out of bed with a grunt. The pain was still there but it was greatly lessened and when he fished a vial of the pain reliever out of the chest and swallowed it then even the pain eased to a more managable level. He carefully stretched, hissing as the bruises pulled and tweaked then he grabbed a fresh set of clothes and headed for the bathroom, wincing only once as he caught sight of his bruised face in the mirror.
Once he was clean and dressed, with the pain and bruises at a manageable level, he realised he was actually hungry. He snorted to himself as he picked up his key and headed out of the room. Of course he was hungry. He'd not eaten in the entire twenty-four hours he was away and Merlin only knew how long he'd been asleep. He limped down the corridor, his right foot was still bruised enough for that, and down the stairs.
He headed straight for the dining room and arched an eyebrow when he saw the waiting buffet. No matter what time he'd been in here, the buffet had always been there, full of hot food and cold. He shook his head, not in the mood to think about the magic of the hotel right now all things considered and served himself. He then found a table in a corner, hoping to avoid questions about the bruising that was visible on his face, and sat down to eat.