Cinder and Smoke :: Dirk and Daisy
Nov 11, 1981
St. Mungo’s Hospital, England
The sunlight’s warmth against his skin told him dawn had passed before his eyes fluttered open. He’d been having such a pleasant dream - a bonfire was raging in the inky night, and he and all of his friends were sitting around watching the flames climb higher into the crisp fall night. Dirk smiled at the memory, twisting in his bed towards the source of the warmth. Immediately, a shock of pain like a bolt of lighting shot through the left side of his body, his eyes flying open in surprise. First came the antiseptic smell of sterility, filling his nostrils with the memory of hospital visits from long ago. His vision cleared quickly from the dose of adrenaline pumping in his veins and the scene around him came into view along with his recollections of the evening.
It had all been going well enough. He’d exchanged pleasantries, quaffed some refreshments, and munched on a few pieces of gateau. His bladder had sent him on a wild goose chase for the lavatories - a quest that occupied a far greater portion of his evening than he’d cared to admit. After locating a suitable washroom in a silent, darkened wing, Dirk had bumped into Andromeda Black, curiously perusing the artwork. It hadn’t taken a particularly sharp eye to notice a few people slipping out of the an office behind her in the shadows, although Dirk could only make out Amelia’s face among the band of intruders. He’d barely had time to wonder why she was skulking around the Manor when the smell of smoke began to become noticeable, followed quickly by the orange hue of fire.
How the blaze had begun was a mystery to him, but it hardly mattered. It seemed as though it took only minutes for the flames to overtake the main hall, followed by each of the wings. Guests screamed, streaming from the building in droves. He’d been ushering people to safety when Alastor and Alice found him, desperate for any help they could muster. What followed was utter madness, the three Order members braving the crumbling building amidst falling timbers and searing flames to seek out and deliver the Minister to whatever medical assistance could be provided. When they’d arrived at St. Mungo’s, he knew the burns were bad - more than once, his jacket and shirt had been set alight by falling embers, only noticing the flames lapping at his side when his flesh began to sing in pain. The healers had told him that he should stay the night. A precaution, to ensure the salve had the intended effect on the reddened, burnt layer that had replaced the previously unblemished skin across his ribcage. Of course, it could have been worse. They’d been lucky to avoid the beamwork as the ceiling collapsed around them, narrowly dodging the ash and timbers as they progressed.
His lungs ached from the smoke and the dull throb in his side continued unabated as Dirk sat up in bed. He reached down, gingerly touching the bandages that wrapped his side tightly as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed. The man slipped his feet into the thin slippers that were provided to each patient and stood up slowly, trying to avoid the swimming mass of bright lights that accompanied his new posture. His eyes caught sight of his clothing from the night before, singed and torn, sitting in the corner of the room piled like old rags, ready to be disposed of. He took his first few steps carefully, but found that his balance wasn’t badly affected by the pulsing pain that radiated out from his side. Dirk wrapped his hand carefully around the polished door handle and he pulled slowly at the heavy door, walking out into the hall in his hospital garb.
He expected the hum of activity that greeted him but it still caught him off guard, the cacophony of shouting voices mixed with the intermittent shouts of pain coming from various rooms. Dirk didn’t particularly like hospitals - who did? - but he’d grown morbidly accustomed to being in them, what with the Order’s nightly activities. It wasn’t a habit he’d enjoyed getting into, and one that he was desperate to break, if only the circumstances would allow it.
From a distance, the familiar sight of a tall, slender girl with her hair pinned tightly up shook him out of his morose thoughts, a small smile creeping across his face. “Daisy!” he shouted impulsively, before covering up his mouth, thinking better of yelling names down a busy hall. Dirk began to break out into a jog before a shot of pain brought him to a halt. “Bloody hell - oi, Daisy,” he said once again, more quietly this time as he had managed to close most of the distance between them. “Can’t tell you how glad I am to see you,” he confessed with a smile as he approached the girl. “Are you working or, uh...visiting.”