Bound by a Blade (PauPat)

Chapter Two - Introductions

"My name is Pat. Welcome to the Red Resistance."

Pau simply continued blankly staring at the stranger. When he attempted to speak, his throat burned, causing him to wince and cough weakly.

"Oh goodness," Pat sighed, going to the small table beside Pau's makeshift bed and delicately picking up the cup of water that sat upon it. He held it up to Pau's chapped lips, nodding with a gentle smile. "Here."

The feeling of water on his throat was heavenly to the mercenary. Although he struggled at first due to how dry his throat had been, he quickly adjusted and emptied the cup within seconds. He exhaled delightedly when Pat moved the cup away from his lips, smiling as he gave a grateful nod. "Thank you," he said, his voice still hoarse. "My name is Pau. Pau Van der Velde."

"Well, you're very welcome, Pau." the healer responded politely. "Does your head still hurt?"

Pau thought for a moment. He had been so distracted that he hadn't even noticed the small throb in the back of his head. The pressure from the fresh bandages that had been applied to the wounds on his head numbed the wound greatly, which made it easier for him to ignore the small pain. "It feels better." he responded after being silent for a few moments.

"Ah, that's good." Pat said cheerfully. "You were unconscious for a while. It's nice to see that you're feeling better."

Pau looked over at the healer, who was kneeling by his bedside. "I have an idea of what happened, but can you tell me just in case?"

"Well," he began, "Eriko and Tyra didn't do a very good job of explaining it. From what I understand, you were attacked and left with wounds on the back and side of your head, and they found you lying in the snow with deer trying to nudge you awake. They decided to bring you here, and, well..." Pat's voice drifted off, indicating to Pau that he had said all that he could.

Pau was quiet, processing everything he had just heard. He recognized the name Eriko from the small bits of conversation that he had heard while he was being carried through the snow. He assumed that Tyra was the woman who had constantly found something to scold Eriko about, which had contributed to his splitting headache. "A deer was nudging me awake?" he decided to ask.

Pat nodded. "At least, that's what they told us. I don't know if that's just a common phrase in this nation, but they told us that there was a deer trying to wake you up."

Pau's chest felt warm. "No, it's not a phrase. It was probably one of my friends."

"Friends?"

"I never really got along with humans."

Pat looked confused at Pau's attempt at clarification, but shrugged it off, giving him a polite smile and nod. "Do you think you can stand up?" he asked, changing the subject.

Pau thought for a moment. "Yeah, probably," he responded, insecurity lacing his scratchy voice as he slowly turned his body, forcing himself to sit up. He winced and held the back of his head as dizziness enveloped his senses.

He felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?" Pat fretted. The loud ringing in Pau's ears made the foreign man's voice barely audible.

The mercenary gave himself a moment before answering, swallowing hard and clearing his throat in attempt to clear the nausea. "Y-yes," he stammered. "I'm alright."

Pau forced himself to stand, the floor seeming to tilt beneath him. Pat tried his best to help Pau stand, slinging the slightly taller man's arm over his shoulders. Pau gave a breathless "thank you," forcing a weak smile.

Pau quickly adjusted to the feeling of being on his feet, the world around him feeling and appearing stable once again. "Thank you," he said again, this time at his normal speaking volume. Pat simply smiled and nodded in response.