Hey, Blue

10 - In The Quiet

A glance out the office window alerted Marley to the time.

The sun dipped toward the horizon and cast a warm golden hue that only yielded to the blues of early evening as it lowered. He felt a shiver build in his spine and noted distantly how the air had turned crisper as autumn fully settled in, almost all the leaves crusted on the concrete ground, the days growing shorter with each passing week.

He sighed and wiped a hand down his face. His desk was cluttered that day; it had been a lot recently, and he just hadn't had the energy to be bothered. Potion bottles and parchment were strewn about in what he would excuse as 'organised chaos' only known to himself.

Chamomile wafted through the air, but it was a scent gone stale, only lingering. His mug had long since been empty.

All that being said, Marley had gotten quite a bit of work done—nothing specific nor for any particular patient. Just general orders. He weighed his options, mentally going over his notes and half-finished brews.

Making his decision, Marley hunkered over his desk and scratched his pen over parchment as he finished off a report. He needed quite a few new ingredients delivered to him with the next shipment, along with the usual.

He tapped the end of the pen against his lip, the rubber cap bitten. There was another thing, not supremely important, but of enough notice to write about. The monkshood they had been supplying him hadn't been reacting as normal—not bubbling or changing the broth in colour or sheen. That could have been a sign that it was old—past the due date for the specific potions Marley made—or that this monkshood was from a different region. He needed to know nonetheless.

He bit his tongue and considered alternatives, jotting down a list of safer options. There was no point in risking adverse effects for something that should have been straightforward. The clock ticked in the background; time passed. Finishing the report felt like a small victory, at least.

His brick sat unbothered in the far left corner of his desk, really only there in case he had questions for Khairi or she had any for him. His shift was over though, the sun almost hidden by the hills.

"Just wanted to let you know I'm off for the day," he typed. "Not gonna respond to anything work-related—my brain needs a break."

He hit send and only barely set his phone back down when it buzzed. He let out a laugh.

"WAIT q( T⌓T )p I need you! You can't leave me like this!"

He huffed and reclined back in his chair. "That doesn't really sound like my problem?"

"Marleeeeeeeeeeey." That particular text was accompanied by about a million sobbing emoticons. Khairi once taught him how to do it, but still, he didn't quite understand.

He sent her a shrugging emoji and shut his phone off. It buzzed four more times.

His back was sore, strained from sitting in a slouched position for hours. He really needed to get better with his posture.

He glanced away from his desk entirely and just watched the world outside the windows for a moment, shifting in his chair as he assessed his pain level. It had been... Well, it hadn't been worse lately, but he couldn't help thinking that he was running out of 'good days.'

On this day, the tension was almost palpable, the air pressing down on him in an uncomfortable, smothering embrace. His limbs felt heavy, and the familiar, dull ache radiated through his joints.

All in all, it was not atypical.

Not worrying—just exhausting.

Sitting in one position didn't help, despite his inclination to do it, but moving and changing positions didn't help either. He sighed. It was an everlasting soreness for sure, like he had been tangled up in a blanket of exhaustion for so long that he couldn't quite shake it off.