WHO: Nik & Rose WHAT: [prompt: let your hair down] Nik tries to steal his old acquaintance for a late snack and a belated catch up. WHERE: Starting in the Bandaid Station WHEN: June 6th, early evening RATING: TBD. Probably mild.
“Me? No, I’m fine. I’m looking for the Doc. Is Rose free?” The gruff voice from the front of the bandaid station sounded sincerely apologetic for having drawn an attendant nurse away from her work. That he’d lied to the young woman didn’t even register, courtesy of a lifelong force of habit. Nikolaos wasn’t fine, by the standards of most. The magics that bound him left him in a constant state of mild aches and pains, but that was life. It could have been worse.
Motioned towards the back of the tent, the vaguely feral-looking Roma was markedly careful to give the few occupied beds a wide berth. His intention was two-sided; he didn’t want to disturb the resting, but superstition suggested that those outside the immediate family visiting the invalid often brought with them bad humors of the body. Old wives’ tales, perhaps, but Nik didn’t like to taunt the fates.
“Did I catch you at a bad time?” he asked when he found her encircled by bottles and myriad medical equipment, tucked away corner at the rear of the station. The sight of her, after these many decades, inspired a warm smile. In the short time since he’d come to the cirque he’d found Freya and Arnaud, but hadn’t sought out Rose before he'd taken a leave in Ostia. It felt like a regretful oversight now, even if they hadn’t been tremendously close in Paris. There was shared history. That was enough.
“It’s good to see you, Rose. I swiped some brie and grapes from The Ladies Table, wondered if I could tempt you to take a break?"