Burned
Title: Burned
Rating: G
Fandom: U-Kiss
Theme set/prompt: Fantasy/10 - swords
Summary: Eli just gets more and more confused.
Author's Notes (optional): Um. Part three?
Disclaimer: Not Mine, Not true
Inspiration from 10_what_ifs
Previous: One, Two
"How many of these caves are there?" Eli asked as he followed SooHyun into a side cave he hadn't known existed until that morning.
"At least two others that I know of," SooHyun said. He sort of sucked in the last word. A moment later, Eli understood why. Heat hit him like a wall and he stopped walking.
"What is that?" he asked, his voice caught in his throat.
"That's the forge," SooHyun said, sounding more normal now. "Come on, you'll get used to it."
He didn't get it, Eli thought, following him into heat that felt too close to what it had been like in the desert. He did not want to be down here. "I don't want to get used to it," he muttered, but quiet enough that SooHyun wouldn't hear.
They were all busy. Even DongHo stood by the fire and pumped the bellows in pants and a sweat-stained tank top. Kiseop stood near him, working with hammer and anvil, pounding something. "We're making weapons," Kevin said at Eli's confused look, setting down a load of wood close to DongHo. "Swords, mostly, and some knives. You'll have to watch and learn."
"I am not…."
Swearing and clattering brought Eli up short before he could say any more, and he turned to see Hoon sprawled on the floor, the bucket of whatever he was carrying spilled and rolling toward the forge where Eli stood. Unwilling to answer SooHyun's questioning look (as designated leader of their warrior… whatever he'd probably ask what Eli meant), Eli went to help.
The first rock he picked up, he dropped immediately. "Ouch! Why are you carrying around overheated rocks?"
Hoon looked up in surprise, holding one of the rocks in each hand. "I'm not. Those are from the mine. They haven't been near the forge." He dropped the rocks he carried into the bucket and picked up more.
Eli would have asked about that, but his right hand HURT. "Is there a door to outside from here?"
SooHyun grabbed his wrist and turned his hand over. "Hoon. Get Kibum." He dragged Eli past the fire and out of the cave - not too far, thankfully - and shoved Eli's hand into a snow bank. "Don't move."
"Not a chance," Eli said, because the snow helped dull the pain, and the cold felt heavenly after the heat he'd just left.
It made no sense. He'd seen Hoon pick up those rocks and drop them into the bucket without the speed that meant they burned him. And yet…
"Let me see."
Eli jumped and cringed, turning to look at Kibum. "You have to stop that," he muttered, holding out his burned hand. It had already started to blister.
"That looks bad," Kibum mused. He pulled a small pot from his cloak and handed it to Eli to hold with his free hand. Then he spread the contents on the burns, careful not to make them worse. The salve helped more than the snow did. "What happened?"
Eli shrugged, trying to hide how much the mage's appearance had spooked him. "Hoon tripped, I think, and I went to help him clean up, and the rock burned. Did that." He pointed at his hand.
Kibum furrowed his brow. "Hm. I think that means you won't be in the forge, then," he said.
Eli didn't try to hide his relief.
"You're calling at a really bad time."
"Professional or personal?" Kibum asked, smirking into the shallow bowl of water. Xander's image came clear through the mirror in his work room.
Xander sighed and pulled the blankets tighter around him, even as he shoved someone down behind him. "Personal. What is it?"
"My latest picked up a piece of iron ore and it burned him badly enough that he won't be holding anything for a couple of weeks with that hand."
Xander went still. "Burned, you say?" he asked, and Kibum could see his thoughts racing.
"That salve you gave me helped, but I can tell it hurts, even now."
"No," Xander said slowly. "That's for humans. Where are you again? I will be there within a week."
Table
Rating: G
Fandom: U-Kiss
Theme set/prompt: Fantasy/10 - swords
Summary: Eli just gets more and more confused.
Author's Notes (optional): Um. Part three?
Disclaimer: Not Mine, Not true
Inspiration from 10_what_ifs
Previous: One, Two
"How many of these caves are there?" Eli asked as he followed SooHyun into a side cave he hadn't known existed until that morning.
"At least two others that I know of," SooHyun said. He sort of sucked in the last word. A moment later, Eli understood why. Heat hit him like a wall and he stopped walking.
"What is that?" he asked, his voice caught in his throat.
"That's the forge," SooHyun said, sounding more normal now. "Come on, you'll get used to it."
He didn't get it, Eli thought, following him into heat that felt too close to what it had been like in the desert. He did not want to be down here. "I don't want to get used to it," he muttered, but quiet enough that SooHyun wouldn't hear.
They were all busy. Even DongHo stood by the fire and pumped the bellows in pants and a sweat-stained tank top. Kiseop stood near him, working with hammer and anvil, pounding something. "We're making weapons," Kevin said at Eli's confused look, setting down a load of wood close to DongHo. "Swords, mostly, and some knives. You'll have to watch and learn."
"I am not…."
Swearing and clattering brought Eli up short before he could say any more, and he turned to see Hoon sprawled on the floor, the bucket of whatever he was carrying spilled and rolling toward the forge where Eli stood. Unwilling to answer SooHyun's questioning look (as designated leader of their warrior… whatever he'd probably ask what Eli meant), Eli went to help.
The first rock he picked up, he dropped immediately. "Ouch! Why are you carrying around overheated rocks?"
Hoon looked up in surprise, holding one of the rocks in each hand. "I'm not. Those are from the mine. They haven't been near the forge." He dropped the rocks he carried into the bucket and picked up more.
Eli would have asked about that, but his right hand HURT. "Is there a door to outside from here?"
SooHyun grabbed his wrist and turned his hand over. "Hoon. Get Kibum." He dragged Eli past the fire and out of the cave - not too far, thankfully - and shoved Eli's hand into a snow bank. "Don't move."
"Not a chance," Eli said, because the snow helped dull the pain, and the cold felt heavenly after the heat he'd just left.
It made no sense. He'd seen Hoon pick up those rocks and drop them into the bucket without the speed that meant they burned him. And yet…
"Let me see."
Eli jumped and cringed, turning to look at Kibum. "You have to stop that," he muttered, holding out his burned hand. It had already started to blister.
"That looks bad," Kibum mused. He pulled a small pot from his cloak and handed it to Eli to hold with his free hand. Then he spread the contents on the burns, careful not to make them worse. The salve helped more than the snow did. "What happened?"
Eli shrugged, trying to hide how much the mage's appearance had spooked him. "Hoon tripped, I think, and I went to help him clean up, and the rock burned. Did that." He pointed at his hand.
Kibum furrowed his brow. "Hm. I think that means you won't be in the forge, then," he said.
Eli didn't try to hide his relief.
"You're calling at a really bad time."
"Professional or personal?" Kibum asked, smirking into the shallow bowl of water. Xander's image came clear through the mirror in his work room.
Xander sighed and pulled the blankets tighter around him, even as he shoved someone down behind him. "Personal. What is it?"
"My latest picked up a piece of iron ore and it burned him badly enough that he won't be holding anything for a couple of weeks with that hand."
Xander went still. "Burned, you say?" he asked, and Kibum could see his thoughts racing.
"That salve you gave me helped, but I can tell it hurts, even now."
"No," Xander said slowly. "That's for humans. Where are you again? I will be there within a week."
Table