"fran! this dashing gentleman thief wishes you a happy birthday... is what i'd say if i wasn't making a pool of blood on the floor... hahaha... this seems to be a repeat of last year, doesn't it? but, look! this time instead of my arm bleeding there's a big fleshy wound on my stomach. i think i broke a rib, too. that's... progress, right? ... erm... happy birthday!!"
Fran… hasn’t put value on his birthday in quite some time, if anything, it’s yet another day he has to work to repair all he’s done. A bigger day of reflection, how far they’ve all come together, now. That’s right, even with all that heaves upon his heart, Victor Frankenstein has friends, and these friends are assisting him in more ways than they may truly know.
But maybe… that thought process is the same for all of them.
Silence, he continues to work with little rest, so that everything may be sorted out. It will be far from perfect, but even a little to give back will be enough. Anyway he can… he doesn’t deserve such kindness. Weak, fearful, and yet… accepted, here. Thanks to them.
Cardia… Lupin… everyone, thank you.
That is all Fran could ever ask for on his birthday, a place he’s allowed to belong.
Lupin’s voice, familiar, sets his attention away from the work at hand. Ah..! Blood trails him, the deep red staining the floor behind him. It’s a miracle, perhaps, that Lupin is walking with little more than a slight hunch and some winces, but that might just be his gentlemanly front trying to hide it.
It is a repeat from last year.
“Lupin...” Fran takes a deep breath, worry washing over him. Lupin’s attention to detail, and recollection of such ones, is impeccable, outstanding and impressive, but the alchemist wishes for him to rest, so he makes sure there plenty of room for Lupin to do so. He motions, as he then retrieves the medical supplies he needs to help close up the wounds and stop the bleeding.
“Going into dangerous situations really is you, but you still should be more careful...”
If another life was lost, no matter the day, that Fran could have saved, how would he feel? Terrible, as if it was his fault because, as the doctor of their group, it might as well be. But... Despite Lupin’s surfacing and clear pain, he pushes out a laugh, as if this is just every day, and pushes the focus back to Fran.
Yes, Fran is the one with the biggest portion of the budget, the one that tends to spend more than should be rationed, his joy from successes and experiments, this openness and warm environment, even under the pressure of what dangers could lay in the wings... Fran has spent these latest days reflecting on just how grateful he is. Who would he have been with out them? What would have happened?
They’re all too kind.
“You resting and recovering from this... result of your latest work will be more than enough of a gift, so please, take it easy and don’t put too much stress on your body. But... Thank you, Lupin,
“Thank you for allowing me to stay for as long as I need.”
