#meet liam

[scuderlia]

Liam

[callofdiva]

Also my phone did the best thing ever

Everybody, meet Liam, a big UWU boy who I’m massively crushing on, who is also apparently a Tom lookalike as well.

[suspiciousmilk]

improvements

[ntebook]

Cirrus: excerpt 02

...

“As you have told me at least a dozen times since I returned home,” was the patient reply, and the man called Liam turned to Cirrus with a smile. “Now then, how do you feel, my friend?”

Cirrus tried to answer, but his throat was raw and mouth dry.

“Aah,” said Liam, “here.“ He dug into his pocket for something, pulling a small round object wrapped in wax paper. “Suck on this for a bit, that should help. The tea will be ready in a bit.” Cirrus took the thing and unwrapped it, putting it in his mouth with a skeptical look. His doubt quickly faded: it was a honeydrop.

Liam waited patiently while the candy soothed his throat, and soon Cirrus was feeling better. He cleared his throat, which for once did not cause him any pain, and tried again. “I hurt,” Cirrus answered lamely.

That made the man laugh. “Well, by all rights you should be dead, so count that as a blessing!” Then he sobered, and Liam fixed Cirrus with a weighing look. “What were you doing out there, son?” he asked softly. “Whatever it is, whatever you think you’ve done, it can’t be—“

“I’m not trying to kill myself!” Cirrus spluttered, jolting his sore ribs and making him grit his teeth. “Not… not like that,” he managed. “It’s not like that at all…”

“Alright, son, alright,” Liam answered, his voice soothing. “Take it easy. We’ll get this mess sorted out. Glory, the tea?”

“Almost ready,” answered the girl, and true to her word the kettle began to whistle. It made Cirrus’ head ache, but the noise was brief, and Glory swept the kettle from the stovetop and began to pour. The healer helped Cirrus sit up, which took quite a bit of effort, but by the time the tea was ready he was propped against the wall, breathing heavily, body aching, but awake and alert and alive. When It was offered he took the teacup gladly, grateful for the warmth. He had not noticed the shivers until now.

“There, that’s better isn’t it?” Liam said pleasantly, taking his own cup. “A nice cup of tea works wonders…” Glory sat at the table, watching the two of them with curiosity from over the tea set.

“So what’s your name?” she asked finally. Cirrus took a sip before answering; more honey, although this had lemon in it. It felt good going down.

“Cirrus,” he answered.

“You live in town, Cirrus?” That was Liam, his eyes and smile a little too innocent for Cirrus’ liking.

“Look, I’m grateful for you fishing me out, or whatever you did,” he began, “but I’m not one of your projects—“

“And what, exactly, is that s’posed to mean?” Glory was staring at him now, staring hard, daring him to say one more word. She was big, for a girl; even had he been healthy, Cirrus would have been wary of crossing her.

“Glory, it’s alright—“

“It’s not ‘alright’, Liam, it’s not!” she protested. “What do you think we do here, Mister?”

“I’m thinking you don’t get many patrons,” Cirrus grumbled.

“You ungrateful—“

“Glory, please,” Liam said, and something in the tone of his voice made the girl shut her mouth. She glared at Cirrus before standing and stalking down the hall. A door slammed moments later, and Liam sighed.

“I apologize,” he said, smiling sadly. “Glory takes it rather hard when… Aah, never mind.” He shook his head, his dark hair falling into his face. He brushed it back and sighed again. “Well then, where were we? Aah, right.” He leaned forward, his hands on his knees and smiling reassuringly. “Look, son, I’m just trying to help you.”

“You have,” Cirrus insisted, “and I am grateful, but if it’s all the same to you my business is my own. And stop calling me ‘son’; you’re not that much older than me, I’m guessing.”

Liam chuckled. “Alright then. Cirrus, is it? Tell me something Cirrus—why would a man who is not trying to off himself be out, alone, in a storm of that kind?”

“You were.”

“Fair enough,” said the healer, shrugging and leaning back in his chair. He took a sip of his tea and set it on the table behind him. “Earthworms.”

“What?”

“Earthworms,” he repeated. “I use them in some of my medicines. The rain floods them out, makes them come to the surface—it’s just easier to collect them during the storm. It was probably a bit more dangerous than I realized, but under the circumstances I’d say it was a good thing I was out there, wouldn’t you?” He gestured to Cirrus. “Your turn.”

Cirrus took a long swig of his tea, eyeing the man over the edge of his cup before speaking. “Really, it’s none of your business.” Liam said nothing, just waited with a smile. “You’re not going to leave me alone are you?”

“I wasn’t planning to,” he answered sweetly. “And in your condition, you can’t exactly walk out the door.”