Daemon Hunting - Alba/Ruin/Balamel - Feb 2021

Ichorri was just as bustling as it always was, despite everything.

The impending threat of war hadn’t slowed the city down at all, well, it had slowed down some trade as everything was double, or triple checked for chimoraa spies, but business was fairly consistent at the Alabaster Lounge. There was much the lounge could provide for those who found themselves caught up in all the new stresses added by the idea of war. Alba Alabaster himself had landed the new title of ‘Hymnal’ for his notability to The Shepherd, however he didn’t find himself wearing the halo much unless he had to, the idea of the collar was just too unnerving and familiar in a way that made his stomach twist.

He was sitting in the lower part of the lounge this afternoon, reclining on one of the day beds. A book, translated into braille, rested in his lap. The lounge was mostly empty at the moment, aside from those who lived and worked there, but he had caught word from one of his employees earlier that some sort of tussle had gone down in the market, stray daemons having gone wild due to the recent weather.

Because of this, it was no surprise to him when movement was heard towards the door of the lounge as several individuals arrived. How many exactly he was unsure, but he set aside his book and stood, making his way in the direction of the voices. 

“Hello, welcome.” He chirped, addressing the newcomers. “How can we help you today?”

Balam had gotten a run-down of what to expect -- the healer's place of business and its clientele, the healer himself being blind, the location -- but, almost comically, it was only the height of the ceilings in the building that ever bothered him. He hung back at first, trying to avoid making a fool of himself, but he figured he'd have to duck in eventually to get patched up.

Thankfully, he wasn't quite as roughed-up as Ruin by virtue of his size, but some of those bites stung. He shifted as he felt Ruin's tail brush against his leg scales, ducking his head down to look inside.

Ruin glanced up at Balam, tail twitching as he looks back at Alba and watches him move across the lounge.  He chuckles at the gentle sass, gazing at the Leyr fondly. " well wouldn't that make me feel special, a membership just for me. Can ye blame me? I love coming here, and you're such a lovely sight, ye treat me wounds the nicest. " He says playfully, starting to limpm slowly after Alba. 

His tail swishes again to touch Balam as he goes,  unsure if the large Ptheran is shy at al, and uses that as an induication to follow, just to be polite, or something. 

"hell, it went a little wild, one second, we're just chattin, next thing you know, a big ass Daemon drops down on me from above! If Balamel here hadn't been beside me, I'd be worse off.....ye make a good shield, no offence" He responds, growling sharply as he steps on his injured leg a bit to hard. 

It'll take him a good bit to struggle to his seat, unless someone offers him a hand

“You flatter me, Ruin~.” Alba responded playfully in turn to Ruin’s remarks.

Alba moved to attend to Ruin first, considering it sounded like he was the one worse off, handing him a towel if he needed to sop up any extra blood. “Where are you injured? You can guide my hands if you need to.” Alba offered, carefully pouring a bit of ointment onto another cloth to clean wounds with and then setting a gentle hand on Ruin’s shoulder. “But no funny business, alright?” He added teasingly.

“Ruin said your name was Balamel?” Alba inquired, addressing the other presence. “I don’t believe we’ve met before. My name is Alba, Alba Alabaster. Are you injured at all as well? And if so, what’s your physiology? I’m almost entirely blind, so I’ll have to know what species I’m working with.” His smile was kind and gentle. The small Leyr was a very unintimidating presence.

Balam listened to the two chatting, the lounge chair he'd taken up creaking somewhat as he shifted to get more comfortable. He gave an affirmative rumble at Alba's question, looking him over.

"Mhm. Ptheran, but I don't think any of the hits I took were too dire. Mostly just kept this one out of hot water." The tip of his tail flicked against Ruin's uninjured side as he chuckled. "About time I returned the favor."

Ruin watched Alba and Balam for a moment before sighing, his tail twitching with irritation. "most aegis are vermin anyways. I think some people might have gotten roughed up, but I tried to keep the daemons attention focused on meself. I'd rather take the hit than some poor unsuspecting bloke.  Wars are a bunch of hogwash anyways, it's just an excuse for one place to gain power over another. I wouldn't be surprised if either side had ulterior motives. I'm curious to see how it plays out though. Always love  a good fight. "He says, beginning with disgust, and ending in thinly veiled excitement. 

"what're your thoughts on all this bullshite, B?" he asks, looking up at Balam while his tail moves to rest near Alba, the soft tufted tip flicking against the leyr's leg.

Alba nodded thoughtfully as the two spoke. He himself detested the idea of more bloodshed and strife, especially for those who did not wish to be caught up in all of this, but he also understood that there was more than likely a political or spiritual motive at play, something not quite in the public eye yet.

Alba couldn’t help from sighing, sounding forlorn and tired. He would also most likely have to start looking for security, both for the lounge and for himself personally. He may not like the idea of war, but healers would be needed. 

“I’m not sure what will come of all of this…” He started, considering his words before continuing. “I don’t plan on retreating to the inner sanctum if I’m needed, I don’t want to leave those in the upper city without a good healer, if it comes to that… but I’ll have to start reaching out for fighters to guide me, as a blind man I can’t be a battlefield medic without a guide.” He continued to work as he spoke, finishing up bandaging Ruin’s side after providing some careful stitches, then wiping his hands clean and moving on to Ruin’s leg.

“On a lighter note, I hope both of you were able to procure some sort of spoils from your daemon fight. I know I’ve been looking for daemon hearts to help with some of my own abilities, so please do let me know if you happen to find any you are willing to part with.” It was barely a lighter subject considering the shape Ruin was currently in, but still something besides the war. He also worried for the ptheran Balamel’s health as well, he hoped he was honest about not needing to be patched up.

Balam shrugged one shoulder, trying to avoid knocking something over with his wing as it shifted with the motion. For his part, he kept his expression mostly neutral, though Ruin would've known the telltale sign of his annoyance with the whole situation in the way his eyes were just slightly narrower than usual. 

"I don't typically need anything from things like this, but if I find any hearts, I'll try to get them to you." He didn't make any offers of protection -- he didn't plan to be anywhere near the city when everything broke out, if he could help it.