“Will do. Thanks fer the advice, Evan. Ah’ve go’ a feelin’ we’ll see each other again, ha.” Otto stood, cracking his neck. He gave Evan a short wave, another to the bartender, before traveling up the stairs hidden in the back corner. Above the tavern, like so many of them, nested a small inn. Only half a dozen rooms, meaning that Otto and his crew were two or three to a bed. Nothing new, but it wasn’t comfortable.
Evan said his goodbye shortly after Otto said his and left. He also said goodbye to the bartender, not staying too long before he headed back home. He loved in a small place down the end of the street. It was nice enough for a small space, but not that he minded. It was enough for him and that was all that mattered.
(I’m gonna go ahead and TS to morning, if you don’t mind?)
(Of course, go ahead :) )
Otto stretched, clambering out of bed. He winced at a crick in his neck, but tried to ignore it as he got dressed for the day. His long hair was kept in a braid overnight to avoid tangles (and it was usually the butt of many jokes from the rest of the crew), but that meant extra work in the morning, which then meant extra time, which was something that Otto certainly didn’t like to waste. He threw on his clothes, tying his hair up as quickly as possible and heading downstairs with the rest of his men.
Evan was always up early. It was both a blessing and a curse when it came to staying at the tavern late. Being a medic by profession kept him on his toes a lot. It meant he visited door to door for people who needed help and he traveled to near by towns and markets looking for more people to help. His bag was always ready to go, not matter how late he was. He was up and out in no time, bag slung over his shoulder.
Otto and a few others had broken away from the main crew of men. While the main bunch was leaving to explore the market, Otto (along with his small group) was tasked with hauling crates off of the ship and lugging them to the market stall that his crew had rented. There were a good dozen or so, maybe more, but they were all full of foreign goods that would appeal to the people in this port town.
It was then that Evan rounded the corner, very nearly bumping into one of Otto’s crew mates and knocking over what he had in his hands. He apologised quickly, moving out of the way of the other before he spotted Otto, “You’re up early, aye?”
Otto had a smaller crate, though it certainly didn’t look any lighter. “Aye. Thank th’ gods tha’ the market‘s close ta th’ harbor! Draggin’ these beasts around is trouble ‘nuff, bu’ this damn weather sure in’t makin’ it better!” He laughed, readjusting how he held the crate. It was foggy that morning, especially around the seaport, where the dense fog was so all-swallowing that if it weren’t for the lanterns outlining it, one would barely be able to see the edge of the piers.
“Do you need any ‘elp?” He has a bit of spare time on his hands before he had to visit his first patient, so if Otto needed any assistance with anything Evan was willing to help. Even if manual labour wasn’t he’s best strength considering he had little physical strength to begin with.
“Lemme ask befur Ah say yea o’ nay.” Otto craned his head to bark out at his crew. “Oi! Yeh bastards! We need help o’ do we got it?”
“How many do we have left?” Someone responsed in turn, a lilting Hebatian accent dripping from their words.
“Eh… Ah think two?” He called back, taking a quick glance at the ship behind him.
“Two? Sure, we could go for some help!” Somebody else barked back, their voice much less melodious than the last. From the sound of it, though, they were a local.
“Great! Well, what can I do then?” Evan unhook his bag from his shoulder, knowing it would get in the way if he kept it on. He placed it by a nearby lamp post, the fire burning bright and standing out against the grey and the fog.
He turned back to Otto, slipping a hand into his trouser pocket.
“Follow me back ta th’ ship, Ah’ll show yeh.” Otto tilted his head in the direction of the barge, already beginning to walk off in its direction. “Yeh’ll be carryin’ crates ta our market.. spot.” He set his own crate down as they got up to the edge of the ship. He scuttled aboard, picking up another crate and hauling it back onto the dock.
“I’s big, bu’ no too heavy. Yeh’ll manage.” He set the crate down at Evander’s feet and picked his own back up.
Evander nodded, lifting up the crate with a small grunt, "Yeah well, I ain't the strongest person in the world. I'm more suited for the doctor life then I am the manual labor one." He chuckled lightly, falling into step beside the other.
“Fair ‘nuff.” Otto kept walking down the pier, trying his best to see through the dense fog. “This fog normal ‘ere? I’s thick as all hell.” He grunted trying to get a comfortable grip on his crate. “Back in Esmein, Ah don’t think tha’ we ever had it this bad.”
Evan shrugged a little, "Yeah, it's pretty normal. Some days are worse then others. This time 'o year though it's pre'y bad." After living here for quite a few years now Evan was used tot he fog, different to his home town but it was a change he had enjoyed, "You'll get used to it."
(sorry for the radio silence! prepping for hell week is.. well. hell!)
Otto shook his head incredulously as he dodged a bump in the pier. “Ah can’t imagine havin’ ta deal wit’ all o’ this fog so much. Somethin’ tells me Ah’ll be havin’ a rough month o’ two, eh?” He laughed a bit, finally leading them off of the wooden pier and into the cobbled streets. Despite the weather, the market was in full swing.
Ladies peddled their wares- clothing, jewelry, food, the likes; while children led livestock through the streets, yowling out prices to compete with the noise. Despite this, it was easy to hear Otto’s crew before you ever saw them.
(lol all good, I understand)
Evan laughed lightly along with him, nodding slightly, "Ah yeah, you get used to it eventually. I dunno, I find it kinda mysterious but eh, guess that's just the story teller and traveler side o' me comin' out."
He got distracted slightly as he saw a few people he new, nodding a greeting and calling out an ''ello' to go with it. It was clear he new quite a lot of the people who visited the markets, and just everyone in town in general.
“Popular one, yeh are! Set yer crate down right over here, yea?” Otto set his own crate down right behind the crew, who were hawking out items quite successfully. Luckily, they were positioned on the edge of the market, making their space just a shred bigger. Otto brushed a few stray curls out of his face. “Don’ feel like ya gotta stick aroond if ya don’t want ta. We won’t be splittin’ the money with ya, that’s fer sure!” Otto joked, laughing. His laugh was almost a bark, but that could’ve been the strain from the previous night settling into his voice late.
Evan shrugged with a light chuckle, doing as Otto said and placing the crate down where he was instructed. Luckily his bag wasn't too far away so he quickly grabbed it before he returned, "Yeah well, as the town's resident medic and a frequenter at the tavern you get to know a lo' of people," He replied, leaning against a lamp post with his arms crossed, "And if you were to share the profits with me I'd be very surprised, don' worry, I ain't expecting anything out o' this."
“Bet soo. Impertant job, medic. Yeh get a lotta business ‘round here?” Otto cocked his head, taking a seat on the edge of a crate. “Ah’m assumin’ a port town like this’n is one o’ tha best places ta be in a job like tha’.” He beckoned around to the crowded market with its electric air and slightly aggressive tension. “Seems like tha typa place for figh’s ta break out offen, am Ah wrong?”
(trying to transcribe otto’s accent may be the death of me, but at least it sounds good in my head lmao)
(Lolol, I mean it's worth it, you're writing is so good)
The medic shook his head with a sigh, "Na, you ain't wrong. There tends to be a couple down the other end of the market where ah, the young ones tend to hold their stalls," He rubbed at his chin, "We get a lo' of travelers round 'ere, a lot come in with injured men, tends to be the best time it find some work but I have my regulars, too."
(Oh geez, thank you! Yours is great too!)
(Also- sorry for the intermittent absences, but I’m just letting you know I’ll be lucky if I’m on at all this week. It’s midterms and hell week/the week of my show, so I probably won’t have a lot of time, I’m sorry!)
“Ah see.” Otto scratched at the slight, unruly scruff on his chin. “Lads an’ lassies can’t seem ta stay awey from gettin’ inta a brawl or two, eh? Seems right. Ah was like tha’ too when Ah was younger.” He laughed, sitting back on the crate and resting his heels on the edge. “Whaddyeh do? As a medic, Ah mean. Yeh do magic, or somethin’ else?”
(All good mate, I haven't had my laptop the past two days, I'm starting work Thursday night and all day Saturday, I'll probs be out Sunday and it's sports day Friday oof, I won't be on much either)
Evanader rubbed at the back of his neck, smiling somewhat sheepishly, "I mean… I know a lil', some related to healing others not. Is been a while since I used it, though, I tend to stick to the traditional ways o' medicine, ya know?" He sighed, "But I can use the healing if I wanna, generally is only when I don't 'ave my kit on me."
(Alright, no problem here! Thanks for letting me know!)
“A little magic’s better’n none. Ah should know- can’t do a lick o’ it for tha life o’ me!” Otto laughed hoarsely, hands moving to his hair as he made sure it was still securely tied up. “Traditional ain’t too shabby either, Ah’ll tell ya- much prefer a splint ‘r a bandage o’er a bastard tryna magic me bones back together!”