perfectteatime | Victory Road Inbox

Professor Eisner,
I hate to be a bother but if you happen to have time I would very much like to speak with you. Please, do not put yourself out for my sake. It is hardly something very important I simply thought it might be nice to have tea.
Yours,
Lorenz Hellman Gloucester

[Texting is just like sending an owl with a missive right?]

Hey there. I'm happy to put up some tea for us- when would you like to chat? I'm at rather an abundance of spare time as of late.

[Oh, oh no. The Professor's gone and responded in voice so now he has to do the same. It takes a moment for him to respond and when he does his voice is a little rough, a little wet... almost like he's been crying?

Surely not.]

If it's not too much trouble... I had hoped to do so rather soon if it's all the same to you. I've a small selection at my room in the In- no, my apologies. Hotel.

Noted... but he doesn't ask just yet. ]

Nonsense. Not a problem. Would you like to come over here or shall I come to you?

It might be best for you to come here... I'm afraid I've done something rather embarrassing and foolish. It might take some time for me to make it over to the house...

All right. I'll be right over... just send me your location.

[And the next message is the address for the hotel and his room number.

He can think of a hundred ways to apologize but none of them feel as though they will mean much when the Professor is already coming to tend to him. It's embarrassing and he feels a little bit helpless.]

I- Thank you, Professor.

[ Some time later he arrives, knocking on the door. A basket in hand that he sets down beside him.

Lorenz is greeted to the Professor standing in the door way, arms out kind of awkwardly...

What is he- OH. He's offering a hug. ]

[It take Lorenz a moment to make it to the door, limping slightly and leaning against the door as he opens it. He blinks, surprised at the gesture. Oh?

Oh... he um-

He gestures at the bloody mess of his arm, wincing and looking apologetic.]

Professor... I would hate to ruin your outfit... please just... come in.

[It's... it's fine. He's fine.]

What th-

What in the blazes happened?! Lorenz, come on, in we get. Let me take a look.

[ He's shooing the man inside quickly setting things aside and closing the door. Head swiveling around to look for a kitchen or bathroom. ]

Come on, lets get you cleaned up.

[ Lorenz winces a little at the professor's reaction. Oh he must look a mess. Still he lets himself be shooed, fumbling back to drop into the armchair in the room. There's a bag of ice and a few towels on the corner of the bed still. One to protect his skin from touching the ice too closely where he shifts back to elevate his swollen ankle. Another speckled with blood that he's been trying to protect the furniture with. ]

I am sorry Professor. I didn't intend to cause any alarm. It's nothing particularly serious, I assure you.

[ the room is decently sized but there is no kitchen or even kitchenette. Just a long counter with a sink in it beside the bathroom door. ]

It looks serious. There's no need to apologize just stay still. Take off your shirt and I'll put it in the wash after we get you patched up.

[ He prepares a bowl of hot water and thankfully, he usually carries a small first aid kit which will suffice here he thinks. ]

I'm afraid it's something of a lost cause.

[He offers a sheepish sort of look to the Professor. The sleeve is ripped up pretty badly on the one side, torn from where he'd skidded back across the road, first the fabric and then the skin beneath. Skin that is far too delicate for such things, especially after recent events.]

Well no matter. Take it off all the same.

[ He comes with the bowl, a rag and the med kit, setting them on the small end table nearby. ]

If it's too painful I can cut it off.

[Lorenz looks between the Professor and the bowl and some nebulous point in the distance as his attention turns inward. Byleth is one of perhaps two people that would not let him use the excuse of propriety. Not when it came to tending to his wounds.]

Professor...

[Is he whining? No. Certainly not. But there's an edge of something clearly uncomfortable in his tone. A sort of pleading.]

Lorenz please. Whatever it is you can talk to me about it, and you know I'll hear you out.

[ His tone is firm, but not unkind, there's always that soft edge. ]

But I really need to be able to look at this.

[He sulks a little bit as he does it but he does begin to unbutton his shirt. It doesn't take long for it to become clear that there's quite a bit of discoloration beneath the shirt. But Lorenz is doing his best to keep the shirt pulled up away from his chest so he doesn't have to put any pressure against his body while he's unfastening things.

The fact that he can't bring himself to say anything, quiet and, though he doesn't even realize it, expecting to be scolded for his foolishness any moment. Speaks volumes to the differences between the man before him and the boy he'd known at school. ]

[ Ah. Worry confirmed. He simply nods though, not wanting to stress the man out anymore than he already is. He simply utters a 'thank you' before going to tend to the bloodied arm. Kneeling, he wrings out the rag with the hot water and starts to gently clean up the wound. Taking care not to hurt him. ]

Are you going to tell me what happened?

[ His voice is soft, and it's clear that it's a request, not a demand. Once the blood is cleaned, he applies some ointment and starts to dress it with a proper bandage. Thankfully stitches were not needed. ]

Mmmm. For the rest of this lets have you lay down, okay? Come on, I'll help you up.

[ Like always, Byleth's nature is soft for his students, and he takes Lorenz's good hand to help him to his feet. ]

[Lorenz tenses, jaw clenching briefly before he breathes out a slow, measured breath and tries his best to be still, be quiet. Not show how much it might hurt, nor let Byleth see how hard he is searching for a plausible compromise he can tell the Professor that's not as shameful as what actually happened.]

Hm? [Oh? Pardon? Why, look at how dismissive and unimportant this information is.

He's.... he's not fooling anyone.] I ended up somewhere I wasn't meant to be, I suppose. A bird of sorts attacked me.

[He huffs something that's meant to be a scoff but it turns into something far closer to a whimper at the sudden shift of his chest. Something else he tries not to acknowledge. He's no idea what you're talking about, Byleth. He's fine.... clearly.]

All right... so then why are you being evasive about it?

[ Nothing slips by him. His tone isn't accusatory, more matter-of-fact. As he helps Lorenz to his feet and back towards the bed so he can lay down. Helping him the rest of the way off with his shirt. Fetching a few things out of the freezer and whatever ice he can get, along with a few towels.

He props a pillow under his head and sits down to get ice wrapped in towels on some of the worst places. ]

There we are. That's better isn't it?

[ The care he gives him is gentle and he seems to have developed a good bedside manner, given that he's been the archbishop for the better part of a year now. Visiting the sick and injured is often required of him. ]

[It takes some doing to find a position laying down that isn't agony, really. His lungs are always strained in some way or another but all the damage to his chest just makes it that much harder to breathe properly. He ends up having to piles some pillows and one of the cushions from the chair itself behind himself against the headboard to recline in a way that is comfortable.]

Professor... [For all his evasiveness up until now the deadpan tone he takes now offers little room for argument.] I'm meant to be a knight of sorts and I was just soundly beaten by a bird.

[That someone threw said bird at him is irrelevant. He got his ass kicked by a bird. It's absolutely shameful.]

Our abilities are suppressed here. Besides, that's not just a bird. Pokemon are incredibly powerful, from what I've learned.

[ He goes briefly to fetch Lorenz a glass of water and some painkillers. The medicine they have here is so much more effective. It's amazing really. ]

Here. Take two of these.

You know that if you really disappointed me I'd tell you. This is not one of those times. You're being too hard on yourself.

Perhaps they are but...

[He eyes the pills suspiciously, frowning. See, the wonderful thing about vulneraries is that they're liquid. He's... not great at swallowing things but these seem small enough, he supposes. Lorenz still coughs after he gets them down and makes a horrible face at the taste of the pills in his mouth, cringing and then down the rest of the water in one long pull.]

I feel like that's hardly an excuse.

[ That earns a very flat look. ]

That is a very good excuse actually. Have you seen what some of these things can do? Last week I saw what I'm pretty sure was a living pile or garbage take out an entire tree.

A.... What??

[ Sorry did you just say "living pile of garbage" Professor? ]

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