(Untitled)

[fairytaleknight]

[OOM: Entr'acte: Borrowing a wheelbarrow.]

When Fakir pushes the bar door open, his right uniform sleeve pulls back, to show an arm wrapped in clean bandages. Fakir's left arm is also bandaged. There are probably bandages under his clothes, too, and he looks more than a bit pale.

But Fakir's here, after all. I didn't expect to come back.Fakir

Comments

[gorgonfondness]

Mia would be more worried if Fakir wasn't sitting at a table and eating a good meal. As it is, she's only mildly concerned right now.

She was up with Cepheus who, after being his fussy self and not wanting to sleep, has finally wound down and is lightly snoozing against his mother.

"Fakir? Are you all right?"

[fairytaleknight]

"I'm fine," Fakir answers firmly.

It's only partially a lie. Fakir's exhausted and in all sorts of pain, but he survived, after all.

"Hi, Mia."

[gorgonfondness]

"Hello, Fakir," she says, almost smiling at his answer. "What happened? However much of it you wish to share, anyway."

[Oh, dear. I'm sorry about my threading failure.]

[fairytaleknight]

Fakir shrugs. "It's over."

This answer, while entirely unhelpful, is accurate on several levels.

[Quite all right. No harm, no foul.]

[gorgonfondness]

"Then everyone is all right? You and Duck and Mytho are all fine?"

Mia doesn't know the whole story but Duck did tell her that she and Fakir were both worried about Mytho.

[puckishly]

A duck waddles across the floor towards Fakir's table, weaving its way in and out of stompy feet and zipping waitrats.

This duck is intrepid! It is goal-oriented! It has awaited this day!

It's ... too short to be seen over much of anything!

[fairytaleknight]

Fakir hears the waddling sounds before he sees the duck.

Oh, no.

When the duck turns out to be a mallard with a green-feathered head, Fakir is relieved. Mostly. Well, somewhat relieved.

[puckishly]

Puck has heard that Fakir is more than usual kind to ducks, and so is optimistic as he nears his table.

Is he looking at him? He thinks he's looking at him!

"QUACK," Puck calls, in an amiable and passably ducklike way.

[fairytaleknight]

Oh, good grief. This duck is probably hungry. Someone ought to feed it. Anyway, Fakir can't blame Duck's deceptions on this innocent mallard.

Fakir takes a crust of bread from his plate and tosses it at the duck.

[stilljustandrew]

It's the book that catches his attention as he passes, and he's leaning to try to make out the title before he even realizes that he knows the kid.

"--hi," he says, a bit belatedly. "Fakir, right?"

[fairytaleknight]

The book is the Brothers Grimm's edition of the Lays from the Elder Edda.

Fakir looks up as he turns the page. "Andrew. Hello." He doesn't smile, but at least he's greeted Andrew more or less politely.

[stilljustandrew]

That's ... promising! Right?

He starts to say something inane like been a while, and then he sees the bandages on Fakir's wrists, and stops.

(He can't tell, from this angle, how high up they go.)

[fairytaleknight]

"Oh, don't stare," Fakir says, irritated. "There was a battle. It's over. How are you?"