booksbeforehoes:

He’s sourly thinking ‘balverine piss’, but he keeps that vile thought to himself.

“I come up here a lot. I… quite enjoy my solitude, of course, but I’ve also gotten used to keeping company.” He usually comes with the excuses of ‘bringing a gift for Jemila’ or ‘checking in on Elliot’ — who’d been conspicuously absent lately, and whom Garth suspected of finally leaving Bowerstone — but those were just coincidentally true cover-ups for the heart of the matter.

He walks slowly, which is torturous for him, but it was better than losing energy halfway across town and collapsing in the town square. Which… wasn’t entirely unlikely to happen.

“I just happened to be unfortunate enough to fall under the weather whilst at the castle, and Sparrow found out… I’m surprised she didn’t chain me to the bed.”

“Good for you.” It’s not sarcasm, she’s genuinely glad he isn’t alone all the time. Of course, she doesn’t have much room to talk, but she meets people on her travels, no matter where she goes. Granted, some of those people just gawk or stare, but it’s meeting people nevertheless.

She follows behind, just in case of such an occasion. She may not have the world’s fastest reflexes, but she’s fast enough to catch someone from falling.

Hammer can’t help but laugh at the last comment. “Went all mother hen on you, huh?”

(Source: whatstact, via hero-of-gilead)

booksbeforehoes:

He is immensely grateful, to not be teased and to be answered in the affirmative.

“Thank you. Sparrow practically poured some vile-tasting drink down my throat, some concoction she swears by, but the only result I’ve gotten is that it felt good to drink something hot. And that is all.”

The sun is in full force when he opens the doors, and he flinches. He feels like he’s been inside for weeks.

“Have you been in town long?”
He’s quickly finding that keeping conversation is a good distraction from how he is feeling.

She had plenty of time to tease him. After all, Bowerstone is a big city.

“‘Course. She was probably doing what she thought was best. Might take take some time to kick in. Hate to ask what might have been in it though.”

Hammer follows him out into the courtyard, both of them sticking out terribly against the painted and well-dressed nobles.

“A couple days. What brings you to Bowerstone?”

She’s willing to go along with the distraction, for now.

(Source: whatstact, via hero-of-gilead)

booksbeforehoes:

Garth hates carriages, but the logic of taking one in this… special circumstance isn’t lost on him.

But he’s not too sure about crossing Bowerstone to get to the carriage house, either… not alone, anyway.
Again, he rubs his temples as the internal war rages, and finally he decides that he can’t suffer much more of a loss of dignity.

“I… couldn’t possibly trouble you to… see me there, could I.” It sounds flat and not at all like an entreaty, his facial expression belying his uneasiness with the entire situation.

Nor is she, really. Paying to sit in a rickety wagon or cooped up in a small space for hours on end when she could easily walk. But still, they can certainly be useful from time to time.

She grins, “It’d be no problem.”

She could always visit the castle later or another time.

(Source: whatstact, via hero-of-gilead)

booksbeforehoes:

Well, that attempt at distraction had fallen flat.

“All my books are at home, along with all my ingredients and reagents, and I am not. They cannot be of help.
I was… trying to return, but…”

Suddenly, Brightwood seems an entire continent away, and he groans in defeat.

“If I had to be bedridden, I would have much preferred the bed to be mine…”

The need to be home burned about as much as the fever did.

“Okay, can’t really say I blame you there. You’re still living in Brightwood, right? I know there are loads of new carriage routes. Maybe one will be able to take you back. You don’t really look up to going back on foot.”

She might go and along and help persuade them to change their mind, if one isn’t entirely willing.

(Source: whatstact, via hero-of-gilead)

booksbeforehoes:

Busted.

“I… seem to have… I don’t know. Perhaps all my years of cheating mortality are catching up with me. I’ll… I’ll be fine.”
As if willpower alone could make it so.

“But you came to see Sparrow, didn’t you. She’s only right upstairs.”

Hammer gives him a rather dubious look.

“So, you’re ill then? What, didn’t one of your spell books teach you anything about healing?”

As abrasive as it may sound, it’s said entirely out of concern. Though healing wounds is most likely different than healing the sick. But still, you’d think maybe one of those books might have something useful like that. A spell to cure the common cold. Some old Kingdom concoction that maybe, instead of trying to kill everyone, could get rid of the pox.

“They say bed rest is good for that. Exciting, I know, but it might do you some good.”

(Source: whatstact, via hero-of-gilead)

booksbeforehoes:

Garth winces and rubs his temples again. Being on his feet for longer than two minutes is uncomfortably disorienting.
Another reason to stay upright. He has no desires to become an invalid, no matter how temporary.

“Oh, so it is you.
…I apologise, I wasn’t looking to offend. Er…”

Let’s try that again, Garth, shall we? And quit sounding ill, or she’ll start in like Sparrow did.

“It is a surprise to see you. I thought you’d left us.”
Was that a touch of reproach? No. No, of course not.

“No offense taken,” at least he apologized, “I did some traveling. You know, seeing how much has changed while I was gone, visiting new places.”

And new pubs, because some things never change. She pauses briefly, looking the mage over.

“….You all right there? You don’t look so good.”

(Source: whatstact, via hero-of-gilead)

booksbeforehoes:

whatstact:

It’s not really her ideal location, too prissy and stuffy and what have you, but Hammer finds herself at the castle regardless. It’s been a while and she was in town for one reason or another so why not visit her good friend and (former??) ruler?

Was it just him, or was the castle bigger?
It seems to take Garth forever to get to the ground floor, and the foyer stretched infinitely before him like a hallway in a nightmare.

He raises a hand to his temples and squeezes as he doggedly trudges towards the entrance, but the haze over his mind doesn’t dissipate.

Instead, he bumps into a brick wall, headfirst.

No, not a brick wall. He squints upwards and then just blinks, stupidly.

“Delirious,” he concludes, slowly looking around to see if anything else looks out of place, besides this Amazon of a woman who had surely left them behind for greener pastures. “I must be delirious.”

Hammer is a big girl, she’s well aware she’s a big girl, and she knows others know so too. What she doesn’t get is how so many people keep running into her. Normally, this would be the part where she tells someone to watch where they’re going, but once she notices who it is….

“Oh, gee. Thanks. Nice to see you too.”

(via hero-of-gilead)

It’s not really her ideal location, too prissy and stuffy and what have you, but Hammer finds herself at the castle regardless. It’s been a while and she was in town for one reason or another so why not visit her good friend and (former??) ruler?

Or would it be early evening?

Though I suppose it would even be early morning for some people.

Yes, that’s great to know and all, but what’s a homestuck?