I ain't got a fever got a permanent disease

[anthony_sheep]

Category: Pink Sheep RPG
This was supposed to be posted last month, but we forgot. Pretend it happened then, 'kay?

Eloise opened her eyes slowly, and even that small movement had pain rocketing down her arms and legs. In defense, small as it was, she closed them again.

Had the change finally killed her?

If so, she wished to Christ death would get a damn move on so the agony would end. The pain burned, burned and ripped through her and inside of her head she was screaming. But she had no breath to make a sound, no strength to even writhe in the torment that squeezed, that clawed through her.



She wasn't sure how long she'd lain there before she opened her eyes again. The pain - the goddamn pain - flooded back. She wheezed in an agonized breath and shifted to her side. She had to wait for the pain to fade to a mostly manageable level before she tried to move again. When she did she crawled - crawled - to the small pile of clothes she kept nearby.

The clothes scraped over raw nerve endings, making dressing both irritating and painful, but she managed to get through it with a minimum of fuss. She stood, propped heavily against a tree as she tried to get a good grip on her wand.

She knew that she didn't have anymore potions at her flat, which meant there was only one place she could go, loathe as she was to do so. Still, it was better than nothing.

Eloise Apparated into the lobby of the small clinic and wobbled slightly, closing her eyes for one steadying moment before she made her way slowly, painstakingly, toward the desk. "I need a pain potion."

Parvati blinked at woman, obviously in pain, appeared in front of her. She looked like hell. Although it looked as if Parvati could knock her down with a simple push, the smaller woman made her nervous. Thankful that Anthony had been able to convince her to enroll Kiran into a part time daycare centre, she stood up. "Alright," she said. "Why don't you take a seat and I'll go get Healer Goldstein."

Once she made sure the shorter woman had sat, Parvati darted up the stairs, where she knew Anthony was prepping the exam rooms. It was ridiculous. Supposedly, that was one of the duties that fell under her purview, but the Ravenclaw still liked to do it himself. She would have to kick him downstairs eventually.

"Anthony?" she poked her head in the adult's exam room. "There's a woman downstairs looking for a pain potion. She looks like hell."

"What do you mean?" Casting one last sanitation charm, Anthony tucked his wand behind his ear. "Define hell for me?"

"Her skin's pale and there are bruises from what I can see. Her eyes are red and there are dark circles under them. And," Parvati crossed her arms, "it looks like she hasn't brushed her hair in a few days." She was not impressed.

"Alright." Anthony trampled down the stairs and into the waiting room. Pleasantly surprised to see his previous patient... who had refused to give her name... back in his waiting room. "Hallo, Miss." He gave her a small smile. "If I could have my wallet back, please? There were a few photos in there that were quite dear to me."

"She stole your wallet?" Parvati was incredulous. And he was still going to treat her? Was this guy mad? Was she working for someone straight off the crazy train?

Anthony turned around, a slightly annoyed look on his face. "And she's going to give it back. If you could run downstairs and get me a pain potion? They're on the left wall, second rack, third shelf from the bottom. Bottle, not a vial."

Parvati nodded and turned to go downstairs to grab the requested item.

"I don't have it on me. Bad for business if you're caught with it, you know?" she said, keeping her eyes closed. Inside, she was screaming like a little girl.

"Alright," he shrugged. "If you could owl it back to me, I'd appreciate it." Anthony's eyes swept over her form. She was too thin for her frame. He'd get Parvati to retrieve nutritive potion as well. Unsure exactly what was wrong with her, his patient wasn't exactly the most communicative of sorts, he sent an untangling charm silently to her hair, offering the best type of comfort he could without aggravating any unknown injuries.

"Anthony?" Parvati was back with the potion in hand. She had even remembered to mark it down in the inventory.

"What? Oh." The healer turned, plucking the iridescent blue bottle from the woman's hand. "I need a nutritive potion as well please. Red bottle..."

"Back wall, first rack, bottom shelf." Parvati recited, glad to know that she was learning where different things were. She turned on her heel, hoping that he wouldn't need anything else.

"Well, then," Anthony said softly. "Normally I'd direct you up to one of the exam rooms, but you look you're perfectly comfortable right where you are."

Eloise pried her eyes eyes open, staring at him through blurry eyes. Comfortable? Not hardly. "Can we just cut the chatter and get right to the healing portion?" She wasn't a talkative person under normal circumstances, and especially not when pain was ripping through her, inch by agonizing inch.

Dosing out the potion, he passed it to her. "That will only mask the symptoms for now," he told her. "If you want me to get rid of the problem, you're going to have to tell me what's hurting and where and how. So talking's going to feature heavily in today's program."

Get rid of the problem? If only he knew how laughable that was.

"Every fucking bone in my body hurts right now, and it feels like they were snapped into tiny little pieces and pasted back together again, badly. Descriptive enough?" She took the potion and downed it quickly, nearly gagging. Too much powdered Graphorn, but it helped bring the pain down to a mostly manageable level.

"It's a start," Anthony said dryly, watching for her body to relax as the potion took effect. Healing was always much easier when a patient was relaxed. He frowned when her body remained stiff with pain, though by the look in her face, the amount of pain had greatly lessened. The potion was not affecting her as it should, especially troubling because he had given her a heavily concentrated dose of one of the stronger pain potions.

Which meant she had an unusually high tolerance. This could easily be explained away by genetics or some other uncontrollable factor. Or she could be addicted to potions, which was looking quite plausible considering her pale skin, dangerously skinny frame, and dull hair.

His small smile flattened as his lips thinned. "Alright," he said, "mind telling me what's going on? I cannot treat you without knowing the whole picture." That was a lie, of course. He could treat, not well, but enough. Until she came back, begging for more. He disliked seeing people beg for something that should be a basic human need. He would treat her no matter what, even if they both deserved more.

She recognized that look in his eye, she'd gotten it plenty of times before. It was the reason she started brewing her own potions in the first place. "Look, I know what you're thinking, and it could not be further from the truth. I'm not some kind of potion junkie."

And this was where it got tricky. Most of the time she just told people she had a terminal illness, because it wasn't far from the truth and it shut them up, but she had a feeling he wouldn't. On the other hand, if she admitted that she was a werewolf, it was a sure way to get herself thrown out onto the street without the potions that she needed.

"Alright." Anthony nodded, taking her word for it, his mind already whirring to bring up other probable causes for her situation. "Mind telling me? Or I'm just going to waste time guessing and somehow I doubt either of us would like that."

"It's better that I don't tell you, actually." She was really not in the mood to be turned away from yet another healer. Not the day after a rough change.

"Why is it better?" he asked softly. "Is it because you think I'd turn you away? Newsflash. I won't. I take my Oath seriously. I'm already treating you after you stole my wallet."

"That's different, it was nothing personal. Everyone needs to make a living, and that's how I make mine. And you say that now, but you'll be just like all the others. So if you would please just give me the potions, I will pay for them and leave and we won't have this problem again."

She got jumpy talking about her... affliction. She'd been turned away more times than she could count and it used to hurt, being treated as less than human, but when you lived the majority of your life on the streets you became hard. You had to, or they would rip you apart.

"You already paid for them." Anthony said firmly. "The money out of my wallet should pay for them and then some. How do you know I'll be like all the others if you won't tell me?" He stood back, arms spread wide. "And if you're right, you can hex me. No questions asked."

Parvati stood in the doorway, her mouth dropped open. Crazy. That was what he was. Why the hell was he working so hard to get this woman to tell him what appeared to be her deepest darkest secret?

Eloise stared, a small frown furrowing her brow. "You have so much to learn about people, you know that?"

She struggled to her feet, where her head spun for three wicked revolutions. "I have no interest in hexing you," this time, "so give me the potions, and I'll leave."

"Sit down," Anthony bit out. He stepped forward and pushed her gently back into the chair. "Tilt your head back." Pulling his wand from behind his hair, he murmured a spell and began to look into her eyes, tilting her head from side to side with a single finger.

It was obvious she disliked being touched, but she would just have to put on her big girl knickers and deal. He wasn't about let her out of his sight until he was satisfied. It would be unethical of him.

Her skin was slightly clammy to the touch, as if she were running a slight fever. And he could see her veins clearly through her almost transparent skin. As the symptoms began add up in his mind, Anthony began to think back to when the full moon was. Last night. Oh. Oh. "Lycanthropy," he breathed.

The healer turned around and met Parvati's gaze. Rattling off a few potions he turned back to his patient. "How are your ribs?"

"They hurt, just like everything else." She drew away, eying him suspiciously as she worked through the list of potions he'd given the receptionist, or assistant, or whatever she was.

Tapping his wand against her side, he sent a gentle numbing spell to them. It was a stop gap at best. "The best thing after the change is a good meal and rest."

"And you know this from personal experience?" Rest? Yes, it helped. Food, not so much. She never could keep anything down after a change. After a while, she just stopped trying.

"The change utilizes a lot of energy. It's best to restore that as quickly as possible. You're still young, but eventually if you don't keep your weight up, it will do even more damage than it does now." He handed her the nutritive potion. "This will help, but it's hardly a substitute for full meals."

Eloise scowled, but took the potion from him. She did just fine keeping her weight up on her own. She didn't need some snooty, know-it-all healer telling her what she should or shouldn't be doing. She could take care of herself, and she'd done a damn good job of it for nearly ten years. "Fine."

He smiled at her. "Thank you." He stepped back. "Now, you'll need to come back in a month for the potions," he named a price much lower than she'd get at even the least reputable apothecary, "hopefully we can minimize the amount of damage to your body and you can live a full and healthy life."

The scowl deepened, and she found herself irritated by his cheerful demeanor. It made her want to do something violent. He didn't need to know that she didn't need to come back ever again, or that the only reason she showed up this time was because she was out of potions. She could brew them herself, but it took a long time before they were ready. "I'm already living a full and healthy life," she snapped, struggling to her feet again. "Thanks all the same."

"Yet you're in pain," he murmured, "and reduced to stealing from people because of disease you have no control over. I'm offering you a chance." He was reminded of the old adage, one could lead a horse to water, but could not make him drink. He could offer her the best possible scenario. It was up to her to take what was offered.

"I'm in pain because of a sick bastard, and I steal because I have to." And there was a thrill that came with taking something so dear to someone else without their realizing it.

"And what if you didn't have to steal?" he asked softly. "What if you had a stable job? That wasn't illegal?"

Her lips quirked into a wry grimace. "Right. No one in their right mind would hire a werewolf."

"Dumbledore did."

Eloise laughed. It wasn't a pleasant sound. "Like I side, no one in their right mind would hire one of us."

"So it's us versus them?" Anthony asked. "Alright." He sighed. "I'll make you a deal. I find you a job and you come back next month for your potions, free of charge. If I can't find you anything, you still get your potions free, but you never have to come here again." He paused. "One catch. You'll have to tell me your name."

"Why do you need to know my name?" she asked, distrust lighting in her eyes. And though she didn't like the idea of a regular job, relieving people of their money was fun, she couldn't argue with free potions.

"I can't get you a job without knowing it." He crossed his arms, trying to keep a self satisfied smirk off his face. He'd indulge himself with an early treat of butterscotch cookies.

Her eyes narrowed on him, considering. There was nothing to keep him from running straight to the Ministry with her name and, though she'd been careful, there was nothing keeping them from tagging her like a common animal. She didn't know if the English did things the same way as the Romanians, but Constantin had warned her about it.

"You do realize there's something called Healer-Patient confidentiality, yes?" Anthony raised an eyebrow. "It's part of my Oath. And I take it very seriously."

"It's Eloise," she replied through gritted teeth. It occurred to her that there was another reason she didn't want to tell him. She didn't want anyone remembering the ugly little girl she'd been. Still was, really.

"Thank you, Eloise." He smiled at her. "Is there anything you absolutely won't do? Or anything you'd prefer?"

She rolled her eyes, pushing out of the chair. "Merlin, this is stupid." She felt like an idiot. "Just forget it."

"You know," Parvati said sourly, "if someone was offering me a helping hand, I'd take it. Even if the man is nuts. In fact, this man did. So do yourself a favor and think for a moment."

"Parvati," Anthony said sharply. "Not helping." He turned towards Eloise. "Sit down. We're not done. We had a deal."

"You know what, no. I don't need this, and I don't need a helping hand," she sneered over the words. "The only reason I had to come here is because I was out of potions and it takes too long to brew them myself." She circled warily around Anthony, inching toward the door as she spoke.

"Wait a minute." Anthony snapped his fingers. "Stop. I have it. How well do you brew?" He began to rattle off the most common potions he used in his practice. "I have the facilities downstairs in the cellar."

Eloise stared at him, a bit baffled by the sudden change in subject. "What?"

Parvati's eyes bulged and she echoed Eloise's surprised statement.

"You brew. I need an in house brewer. Here, I'll show you." Hurrying out of the waiting room, he hurried down the hall to the stairs leading down to the potions stock room and the lab beneath that. He turned back to where the two woman stood. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

"You're a nutter." Not exactly subtle, but neither was she.

"You're telling me," Parvati said under her breath. "He did the exact same thing to me. Except we were in the middle of Diagon before he Apparated away before he could explain himself."

"Yes, I'm slightly off balance." Anthony rolled his eyes. "Thank you for clearing that up, now, would you please come here?"

She glanced at Parvati warily and followed, albeit at a much slower pace.

"Here," Anthony opened the door to the storage room. "Obviously this is where the potions are stored. Through there," he indicated a door on the opposite wall, "there's another little room that could serve as office or whatever you want. And down the stairs," he gestured to the stone steps behind them, "is the lab. I like to think it's fairly well stocked, but since I don't have the time to do the majority of my own brewing anymore, it's languished for longer than I would have liked."

Eloise glanced around, arms crossed over her chest as she took it in. So far it looked like it was a fairly decent setup, the only way to tell for sure would be to see the lab, but she really didn't think she had it in her to go up, or down, another flight of stairs. She felt kitten-weak as it was. "Alright, say I do decide to do the brewing, and I'm not saying that I will, what's the catch?"

"Take care of yourself. Eat. Follow a potions regimen." Anthony stuck his hands in the back pockets of his trousers. "There will be pay of course. So preferably no more picking pockets. Show up on work on time, do your work, and all will be okay. You'll get days off prior to and following the full moon."

"I don't get it. What's your angle?" Because there was always an angle. She just had yet to figure his out.

"Who says I need an angle?" Anthony challenged. "Can't a man do a good deed?"

"Right," she scoffed.

"Would it make you feel better if I lied to you?" He raised an eyebrow. "Because I could. Maybe. Possibly."

She didn't get it, she really didn't. Maybe he got his jollies playing the knight in shining armor, or something. "I'll think about," she said shortly, pulling her wand from her pocket.

He noted the wand in her hand. "Remember, we have a deal."

"Do we?" Merlin, she needed bed.

"Yes, yes we do." He held out a hand. "I'll even give you a month to think it over, Eloise, like I originally told you."

She glanced at his hand, and back up at his face, raising an eyebrow.

"I said I would think about it." And she would. Maybe.

He didn't retract his hand. "You have a month. And you can even come in next month for the potions without being required to do any brewing."

"You'll get my answer soon." She didn't spare him another glance, or shake his hand. She simply Apparated out.

Parvati looked at Anthony. "That went well."

"Yes, yes it did. She'll be back," the healer said out loud, as much to her as to himself. "Somehow, I know, she'll be back."

Summary: After a rough Change, Eloise returns to Linley Road Healing. After a surprising offer, Parvati's suspicious and Anthony's smug pleased with himself.