Ask: for Julian Poisoned
Note: This would take place the night of the Masquerade. Nadia has determined him innocent and is planning to clear his name in front of all Vesuvia tonight. What was she gonna do cancel the party? She already ordered the stripper cake and everything. Warning: Mention of death could be triggering. @sp00ky--bitch
we head over to a large table full of exotic fruits and savory meets pastries that are almost too well crafted to eat.
Julian slides a chair out for me and I smile sitting down beside him. It’s nice to not have to hide anymore. I’ve been nervous all night anticipating Nadia’s announcement. This feeling of finally having Julian by my side publicly without having to keep hidden is all I’ve wanted for so long.
The drinks are poured and each course is brought to us on a shimmering platter.
By dessert, I’m watching Julian wearily. He looks a little under the weather as he stares off into space.
“You alright Julian?” I ask him gently.
“What? Yea. Think my eye may have been bigger than my stomach.”
“Mine too.” Asra laughs “Nadia, your chefs are quite the artists. What did you say the fish was?”
“Grilled Sword Fish.”
“No-no the one with the tentacles.”
“Ah, that would be kraken.” Nadia says taking another bight of her own.
“~ngh~” Julian’s face tenses and I see him clutch his stomach under the table.
I take his visible hand in my own.
“I won’t be upset if you want to leave,” I whisper softly.
“It’s nothing.” He says “But I might excuse myself if you’ll dance with me…”
He excuses himself from the table with a flourish of his coat and a salute. He bows to me offering his hand. I take it and he leads me to the floor. At first, it’s a tango, he guides our arms left and right leading me with his limber frame.
I’m relieved he’s not the one spinning. He’s struggling to stay on two feet as is. I see a pain on his face I’ve never seen before, not even from the eel bight. He squeezes his eyes and blinks a few times to clear his head I guess.
“Do you need to sit down?” I ask him.
“Why? Are you dizzy?” He smirks.
“No, it’s just…you look a little…”
“What? Handsome, mysterious, dastardly?”
“Julian…”
His words come out a little slower than usual
“Hey, where’d Asra and everybody go? Did they give us the slip?” The corner of his mouth curls up.
“Julian, they’re at the table. We left them to come to the dance floor.”
“But then…why not just bring the ballroom floor to them?”
“What? Julian, you aren’t making sense…” I say trying not to fall for those confident eyebrows. He could trick me into anything with that narrow gaze.
He stumbles forward a bit using my shoulders for balance as he gazes at me.
He’s starting to sweat a bit. Not profusely but more than everyone in the room. Maybe it’s nerves, maybe he’s afraid they still won't accept him even after his name is cleared.
The music fades and steps back from me bowing. This time the arm that goes behind his back is discretely crossed in front of his stomach. He kisses the back of my hand but as he straightens up a ghostly look passes over him. With a low groan, he collapses into my arms.
For a moment I think it was just a head rush, but he’s not getting up.
“Somebody help!” I cry out.
A man in coat tails with an elegant braid crossed in front of his chest takes his time getting to me.
“A mysterious masked Doctor collapsing on the anniversary of the count’s death?” Valarious asks
“Please, he needs help.” I start to kneel down certain that this position with him collapsed resting halfway against me isn’t comfortable for either of us.
“If you mean help clearing his name, I’de rather see him at the end of noose where he belongs.” I can smell the wine on his breath. Even Valarious is more intoxicated than usual.
“Nobody will be hanging from anything.” Says a voice from behind me.
Nadia kneels down beside us and places two fingers at his pulse.
“You know medical aid?” I ask her.
“A countess knows whatever she wants to know dear.” She says as she beckons for two servants.
“Put Doctor Devorak in my finest guest room. See to it that he has the best care available.” She says it sharply with a piercing gaze.
“Don’t let Valdemar within an inch of the poor doctor. Understand?”
The servants nod eagerly and I follow them up the stairs as they carry him to the guest room.
He’s breathing, but barely conscious. I brush his auburn hair out of his face and gently pull off his eye patch, an impression of the strap runs diagonally across his face. He leans heavily against the pillow, lips slightly parted.
I continue to brush my fingers through his hair hoping that he’ll wake up, Praying that he will open at least one of his eyes. He looks so weak, laying there consumed by blankets, unable to make jokes or dry commentary.
I suddenly realize that my heart is pounding. I have no idea if Ilya is going to open his eyes. I have no idea if he does if he will be the same person. I’m being ridiculous, maybe the golden goose is altering my better judgment but I have never seen him like this, I don’t think any of us have.
I feel a hand on my shoulder and look up to see Asra standing behind me.
“I don’t know what to do.” I whimper folding into his embrace.
“What’s wrong with him?” Asra asks.
“He wasn’t feeling well at dinner and then when we were dancing he just collapsed. I shouldn’t have let him push himself like that.”
Asra sits on the edge of the bed and gently opens Julians mouth. He reaches two fingers down his throat and I hurry to my feet, prepared to stop him.
“Don’t hurt him.” I cry out.
“Relax, I’m not going to hurt him,” Asra says, for a moment he looks upset.
Julian is gagging as Asra’s finger’s emerge covered in blue slime he’s pulling from his throat.
“Star strand…” He whispers hoarsely.
“Deadly star-strand?” I ask. He turns to me and nods.
“What can I do?” I ask in a hurried whisper.
“I can make you something to cure him, but it won’t be pretty.”
“Do we have enough time?”
“I don’t know,” Asra whispers gravely.
He goes to the garden while I stay and watch over Julian.
When he returns he has a small bowl of water and herbs.
“Here, have him drink this,” Asra says.
I try to spill some through his parted lips but it curves the corner of his mouth dribbling down his chin. I nudge his jaw slightly to help it down his throat. I help him to sit up with one hand behind his head as he splutters a bit.
I pull the bowl away from him as he coughs hard and falls back against the pillow, too weak to wipe the water from his mouth.
He pants for a moment, then clears his throat. “What happened?”
“You passed out,” I whisper softly.
“Nice try.” He grins “What really happened?”
“Julian, if you hadn’t passed out you would remember.”
Julian’s eyes widen. “I...was I that drunk?” He asks confused.
“No,” I whisper nervously as I lean in to hold him. “You were poisoned.”
“Poisoned? That’s ludicrous. I couldn’t have been poisoned…” He places a hand on his stomach and winces as he sits up. “Could I?”
“Asra says it was deadly Star Strand,” I say trying to hold it together. For an instant, I thought I had lost him.
“Deadly Star- wait...I didn’t...I couldn’t have, did I die?” He asks he’s still wickedly dizzy and disoriented.
“I thought you did.” I give up trying to hold myself together. I embrace him weeping. Moments ago he was gone.
But I have him now, His eyes are hardly open, he’s struggling to move. But he’s alive, he’s here, and his name is clear.