Chadley sets himself down on a bench, his book and belongings neatly placed at his side. He gives a curt nod to the woman on the next bench over, but seems content to not interact further.
Senkha is a woman in agony. She is holding onto her right leg with one hand while puffing furiously on a pipe of something with the other, as if it's meant to help.
Chadley lowers his head and a light comes to his hands. Under his breath, he begins to mutter a prayer, the shimmer beginning to expand. What looks almost like a shield of Light forms and holds around his entire body. This lasts all of three seconds before abruptly dropping. He turns his head and stares at Senkha.
Senkha is too busy puffing away to notice. Tears of pain are streaming down her cheeks, and her hands are shaking pretty violently. Every so often, she tries to close her eyes as if concentrating on something, but it doesn't really work longer than the bubble.
Chadley 's hands lower and he quietly says, "... Miss? Do you need assistance?"
Senkha swallows hard, not looking up at Chadley; if she recognizes him in any way, she gives no indication. "...how are you at suppressing pain?" she asks through gritted teeth, giving a quiet sob.
Chadley gets up from his seat, leaving his stuff behind, and walks over to the crying woman. His steps favor his left leg, and when he reaches her, he gets to his knees in front of her. "Well enough. May I?"
Senkha finally catches sight of Chadley properly as he approaches, though her face still shows no signs of recognition. "Of course. You're a healer?" she asks, her voice somewhat choked.
Chadley nods, holding his hands up so they hover just a few inches above her right leg. "I am. A break, though, I'm not sure I can mend. But I can maybe help the pain..."
Senkha nods, gritting her teeth. "It's actually part of a m-mending... longterm. They broke it again to enable it to heal pr- properly."
Chadley closes his eyes, another string of prayer under his breath. He interrupts to say, "Be still a moment," and his hands rest on her thigh. The Light returns, coiling down and around his arms and directly into the most painful point of the break, her whole leg taking a soft glow.
Senkha stiffens at first before relaxing as the glow envelops her leg. Her breathing slowly begins to steady and the shaking in her hands stops.
Chadley 's eyes remain pressed shut. He speaks, his voice tense with concentration, the Light still pouring into her shattered leg. "When I stop, your pain will return, but should hopefully be dulled. Ready yourself."
Senkha nods and takes a big puff from her pipe in preparation. She closes her eyes and grits her teeth.
Chadley pulls his hands away, a pale glow leaving his eyes as he opens them and looks up at her. Before her leg loses its illumination he gives a quick jerk of his fingers and a blessing is cast, giving her strength. "I hope that helps." He stands, dusting his knees off. "I only just learned how to do that."
Chadley gives a sheepish grin to the woman, his stance again slowly shifting to favor his left leg.
Senkha groans softly as the pain returns, though it is fortunately dulled by the blessing. "Did you now? Are you a squire, then? You're very good."
Chadley nods, glancing back to his seat. "I am. And I'm glad I could help." He bows slightly. "If you'll pardon me, I need to sit."
Chadley almost steps on the cockroach, tripping as it skitters under his feet. "Agh!"
Senkha laughs quietly and then hisses as Chadley almost trips over the cockroach. "Oh, I'm sorry! Wally, c'mere. Don't get underfoot." The roach skitters up under her shoulderpiece. "Go ahead and sit. Light knows I understand what that's like."
Chadley looks at her like she's insane. "Wait, it's yours? You keep it as a -pet-? That's..." He keeps walking to his seat, dropping down and finishing, "... kind of disgusting."
Senkha says: He was my best companion when I served in Icecrown. I'm fairly certain that roaches are the only creatures on the face of this world that can eat Blight and not die, so he was good to have on hand.
Chadley looks down at the cockroach like it might begin spewing blight itself. His nose wrinkles in disgust. "You served in Icecrown?" Subject change!
Senkha nods, carefully shifting her shoulderpiece so that Wally is no longer visible. "I was part of several mercenary groups up there. I even did some work inside the Citadel itself, though nothing too terrifying."
Chadley says: I'd have loved to serve on the medical team on the Citadel floor. They stuck me back at the Argent Vanguard. Was it exciting, in there?
Senkha says: I don't know that "exciting" is quite the word I'd use. It was terrifying lots of the time... the Lich King's very best, all determined to turn us into little more than a pile of goo. Which... well, I suppose that's exciting, but not in the best way.
Senkha says: It's a shame you were stuck back at the Vanguard. We could've used a healer like you.
Chadley smiles faintly. Ego boost! But he shakes his head. "No, they were probably right. I think one ghoul from there would be enough to do someone like me in."
Senkha leans back, gently rubbing her leg to assuage the pain and puffing away at her pipe. "Mm, if you were with the best fighters, the ghouls wouldn't have given you a second glance. Some of the best paladins I knew fought on the front lines and kept the rest of us from getting a single scratch." She gives Chadley a friendly smile.
Chadley smiles too. "I hope for that to be me someday. Up there stopping people from being hurt, instead of just numbing their pain." He gestures to her leg.
Senkha's smile becomes sympathetic. "I know the feeling. Ever since this happened," she pats her leg, "I've been chomping at the bit, dying to get back to fighting. Light-willing, this treatment will work."
Chadley says: I'd have not taken you for a fighter at first glance. Is that how you were injured? In battle?
Senkha says: I wish. The short version is that I managed to make myself some powerful enemies and one of them had a dragon.
Chadley blinks at you.
Senkha says: --I'm blessed to be alive.
Chadley says: Somebody had it out for you that much?
Chadley says: Are you important or something?
Senkha laughs and shakes her head. "Light, I certainly don't think so. Until recently, I was nothing but a business owner and retired fighter. Apparently, though, I attracted attention."
Chadley says: How'd you go about doing that?
Senkha says: It's...something of a long story, really. I'm not entirely sure I understand now.
Senkha says: Even after all this time.
Chadley says: I'll not press, then.
Chadley says: -- My name is Chadley, by the way.
Senkha says: It's good to meet you, Chadley. You can call me Sennie... most of my remaining family does.
Chadley inclines his head. "Interesting name. A pleasure."
Senkha says: The pleasure is mine. Are you from Stormwind, Chadley?
Chadley says: No. I'm actually from the North. Eastern Lordaeron, then Southshore. Kinda getting chased more and more South as I go.
Senkha says: Really? I'm from Lordaeron as well. Andorhal.
Senkha says: When did you leave Southshore? It must've been a while ago if you were serving in Northrend.
Chadley says: I can tell from your accent. And- a little over two years ago, now. I was sixteen when I left to provide my skills as a medic.
Senkha says: It's a good thing you left. All sorts of bad luck's befallen Southshore, just this past year or so.
Senkha says: My family lived there before it was besieged by orcs in the second war.
Chadley 's hand twitches. "I'm well aware of what's befallen Southshore in this recent year."
Senkha cringes. "Light, I'm sorry. It's... not much fun to lose your home. I'm sorry."
Chadley says: I'm sure you know. Being from Andorhal.
Senkha says: Mm. Not many happy memories there for me. I hope that you can at least look back fondly on your time in Southshore.
Chadley says: I can. It was only a few years I lived there, after my mother remarried, but I enjoyed myself there.
Vood looks at Chadley.
Chadley looks at Vood.
Chadley says: - Hi?
Vood looks at you.
Vood says: Wow mate.
Chadley says: Do you need assistance, sir?
Vood says: Never noticed it before but you're signicantly uglier than the rest of the citizens in Sotrmwind.
Vood smirks slyly at Chadley.
You raise your eyebrow inquisitively at Vood.
Vood says: Have a good day,mate.
Senkha says: ...well that was. Special.
Chadley flattens his brows as the man turns to leave, not bothering to argue.
Senkha says: You say your mother remarried... were she and your father separated?
Chadley rolls his eyes, letting the insult slide. At her question, he shakes his head. "He died. He stayed behind to fight the Scourge as it swarmed our town."
Senkha cringes again, as if she didn't know this. "Light, I'm sorry. I'm asking all the wrong questions, aren't I? I may as well ask if your dog died and your house burnt down while I'm at it." She chuckles, shaking her head.
Chadley says: The house burnt down, but we didn't own a dog. We had to leave the chickens all behind, though.
Chadley smiles.
Chadley says: You should know, though. My situation is hardly unique.
Senkha grins apologetically and takes another puff from her pipe, cringing. "Mm. When I lived in Andorhal, all I wanted was to leave so I wouldn't have to be a farmer's wife. Now, I'd give just about anything for that lifestyle."
Senkha says: Getting chewed on by a dragon kind of does that to a person.
Chadley says: You said before you wished to return to battle. Conflicting urges?
Senkha says: You might say that. If I -have- to be near a battle, I'd rather be fighting instead of standing uselessly by the side.
Senkha says: I'd ultimately rather not be near battles, but unfortunately, I seem to attract trouble like lampposts attract moths.
Chadley says: Or Delahans.
Chadley coughs.
Chadley says: I know the feeling, though.
Senkha laughs at this, cringing as it jostles her leg wrong. "Yes, the ever-present Delahan Division, proof that the true evil in Stormwind lies in those who stand around lampposts and make snide remarks all day."
Chadley cringes too, though hides it with an adjustment of his posture. "I know little of them. I just know that they're loud and disrupt prayer."
Senkha says: Bullies, really. Nothing but playground bullies gone through puberty and not taught better. How old did you say you were, Chadley?
Chadley says: I am eighteen years old as of November. Why?
Senkha gives Chadley an encouraging smile. "Oh good, I thought you were older for a bit. I was going to say, you've plenty of time to work your way into the battlefield. I'll be twenty-five tomorrow and I only started on the front lines about a year ago."
Chadley says: Perhaps you're right. One tends to lose confidence in themselves when surrounded by grand champions of the Light that are sixteen years old.
Senkha laughs loudly again. "Light's sake, isn't that the case with this city. I swear, I've seen more child prodigies walking these streets than actual hardened warriors, though I suppose that could be because all of the hardened warriors are deployed."
Chadley says: It bodes ill that you find that comical. This city is a terrible place full of bizarre things that defy everything I knew about life.
Senkha says: How long have you been living here?
Chadley says: Luckily, I actually live outside the city, in Northshire Abbey, so I'm spared the insanity most of the time. But I've lived down south here for just over six months now. Yourself?
Senkha says: I came here from Theramore close to... mm, I think it'll be two years in August. It didn't used to be this mad around the Cathedral... it seems the refuse that used to pollute the Moonwell in the Park has migrated here.
Chadley says: Ah. When one religious relic is destroyed, they move onto the next. The shamans in Stormwind Lake should keep their heads up.
Senkha says: Mm, I doubt they'll ever take the Cathedral out. It's weathered far more hell than the Park was built to endure.
Chadley says: To be fair, the ground itself fell out from under it. The Light blesses this ground, but I'm not sure it'd quite help that. But you're right, for all the warlocks and deaders and black dragons this place has endured, it's pulled through.
Senkha says: Mm, you weren't in the city when the elementals were ravaging the place, were you? The entire Cathedral became a house of refuge and healing. It was chaotic, but somehow, it felt beautiful, like what it was really meant to be.
Chadley says: I was here. I acted briefly as a medic in the Keep, after the Cathedral had been evacuated. I feared we'd lost it, but here it is.
Senkha says: Here it is. And here, Light-willing, it shall remain.
Chadley says: It can take it so long as those that wish it harm remain laughably unintelligent. I've witnessed countless people in just a few months attempt to burn it. Burn it!
Chadley says: It's stone!
Senkha grins wryly. "Well no one ever said the writhing masses were -intelligent-, now, did they? Ah well. Natural selection'll take care of that lot, and the rest... well. We'll endure like the Cathedral."
Senkha says: Only preferably with less stone. Being made of stone seems as though it would be rather uncomfortable.
Chadley says: The dwarves don't seem to mind.
Senkha says: Ah, but to be a dwarf, one must have a blood-alcohol content of at least fifty percent, and when you're that shnockered, you don't really notice things like being made of stone.
Chadley smiles. "This is also the truth." At the sound of the bells chiming, he snorts. "So much for practice, I suppose. I need to rest. Early days." He stands and begins to gather his things.
Senkha says: Likely, I should as well. More treatment tomorrow. Light-willing, it'll actually help.
Senkha doesn't make to stand, however, still resting her hand against her leg and not going for the cane leaning against her bench.
Chadley slings his bag over his shoulder, giving a nod. "Light willing, indeed. I shall pray for you."
Senkha says: And I for you.
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