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Post by Gaius Martyn Augustinus on Nov 20, 2009 5:23:26 GMT
An annoyed joint popped in the old man's knee, but Gaius ignored it. His body spoke to him rather more often than he liked -- creaking bones, spine cracking, humours escaping -- and all sorts of unsavory things that were best left unmentioned. But at his age, Gaius took it as much in stride as he did the morning bells ringing out the changing of the guard.
His work table, as usual, was covered in bottles of elixirs, boxes of minerals, tins of herbs, tubes of coloured glass. Loose sheets of parchment were propped here and there like fallen leaves, cast about in haste as one idea or the other occurred to him. Gaius was currently in the midst of one of his recurring projects -- mixing sleeping tonic for Lady Morgana.
A gnarled finger traced ancient symbols in a book, but he kept one old eye on the door too. Lilith was long overdue, and of course, any other of the great castle's inhabitants could burst through the door at any time as well. Merlin.... where had that boy got himself off to again? Probably chasing after the young Prince.... reckless as they both were. Gaius muttered under his breath. "Damn fool boys, probably get themselves into another mess and they'll call for me to stitch them up again. Bah! How can I do that amidst all this mess?"
Feeling petulant and crabby, and caring not one jot about it, Gaius raised his voice toward the doorway. "A little help would be highly gra-ti-fying!"
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Post by Lilith Blackmore on Nov 20, 2009 20:28:14 GMT
(((if you don’t mind, I have in Lilith’s profile that she has been working for Gaius for sometime, though only recently has she discovered her magical healing powers.)))
Lilith sat in the library reading over ancient texts. She was muttering quietly to herself. Reading out loud was the only way to get her to concentrate on such archaic texts sometimes. Time passed as she sat there, one hand holding the page, the other twisting a strand of her dark brown hair. Some of her hair was braided and pinned back, while most of it was untamed, waving around her shoulders.
Finally Lilith looked up and noticed the sun was no longer at its highest point. Panicking, Lilith stood and quickly placed the book back where it belonged before running to Gaius’ chamber. Tripping over her light green skirt, Lilith barely made it to the room in one piece. She arrived just in time to hear Gaius asking for help.
"Sorry Gaius!” Lilith replied, catching her breath. "Merlin is busy with Arthur and I . . . ” She trailed off. "I have been in the library.” Lilith looked down at her hands. She should have been in here studying.
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Post by Gaius Martyn Augustinus on Nov 21, 2009 5:16:05 GMT
[OOC: No problem! I did a wee bit of editing to work that in.]
When the girl burst in the room, Gaius heaved a great aggrieved sigh. "That's the trouble now-days, everyone's always running. Decorum, child.... decorum! You are my assistant, not a scullery wench running after the morning dishes! You move from place to place with quiet and calm dignity! Do you want to start gossip that a plague has broken out when someone spies the physician's assistant dashing hither and yon?"
The old man went on for some time, his lecture flowing long. Then abruptly, he stopped, blinking at the girl. "What are you standing there for, child? Hop to it! I'm done with this mess for now. You'll find your next assignment in that open book there -- Dandelion Tonic..." He waved a bony hand in the direction of his storage cabinets. "... All the ingredients are in there."
Lilith was a dear child, never insolent, always polite but she did tend to leave her head in the clouds. Gaius shuffled over to the fire. "Tea? I suppose you've been off to the musty palace library again, nasty place. Why my books here aren't good enough...." The old man continued muttering away to himself as he prepared tea.
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Post by Lilith Blackmore on Nov 22, 2009 0:08:08 GMT
Lilith looked down at her feet, a long of embarrassment on her face. She knew that it had been wrong of her to run, but she had not wanted to get into trouble for being even more late than she already had been. "Yes Gaius,” she said, looking up at him, her blue eyes looking at the friendly crinkles around his piercing eyes. "I shall not run around the palace again,” she finished. Lilith missed being able to run around like a carefree child. But she was no longer a child but a young woman. Decorum was necessary.
Lilith stood still as she listened to the old man talk. He was fond of lectures and during that time she always felt to respectful to move around and start working on her assignments. Of course then she was berated for not getting to her work. She smiled inside, knowing that though the old man could sometimes be annoying, she loved him dearly.
"Yes Gaius,” she said again with a smile, walking quickly over to the book to get a list of ingredients. She needed three teaspoons of powdered dandelion root steeped in hot water. "Someone in the palace having bowel problems?” Lilith asked, walking to the storage cabinet to pick up what she needed.
"Yes please,” Lilith said in response to whether or not she wanted tea. Lilith could not say that she was interested in her mother’s people’s history. She wanted to learn more about the druids and the history of magic. She knew little of her mother other than the fact that she had died in childbirth.
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Post by Gaius Martyn Augustinus on Nov 22, 2009 6:04:53 GMT
Gaius brought a largish tray to the work table, loaded down with tea mugs, a rare bit of white sugar, tiny pitcher of cream and a plate of assorted sweetbreads. Feeling a need to explain himself, Gaius muttered, "Can't mix proper medicines on an empty stomach, now can you?"
His grey brows twitched toward the ceiling, a gesture meant to include the castle. "The palace stenographer's wife's digestion is out of sorts again, as she is well on her way to carrying their tenth child. This tonic should help, but I've advised the lady that a judicious use of the word 'no' might be prudent." For the first time since Lilith had entered, Gaius cracked a small cheeky half-grin.
Sighing with relief as he sat, the old man folded his hands across his chest and gazed on the young woman. "Now, young Lilith, why don't you tell me what you were looking for in the palace library. It can't have been seeking more information on the proper technique for steeping dandelion leaves?"
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Post by Lilith Blackmore on Nov 23, 2009 17:14:17 GMT
"No, I suppose you cannot,” Lilith responded, her blue eyes widening at the sight of the food. She was quite hungry after sitting in the library reading for most of the morning. In fact she had to mask her grumbling stomach, embarrassed at the low rumbling noise.
"I cannot imagine why a woman would want to have a baby, let alone ten!” Lilith exclaimed. She had every reason to be against childbearing. Her own mother had died at her birth and though her father never showed any resentment, Lilith still felt guilty. All she knew was that her mother had been beautiful with vibrant blue eyes. Lilith wished she had known her mother.
Lilith smiled back at Gaius’ smile as she stirred the dandelion root in the boiling water. Once that was done she let it cool before she would pour it into a vile.
"No Gaius,” Lilith responded. She knew she could trust the old man, but she did not want her father to know what she was up to. "I was trying to find information about the Druids,” Lilith admitted after a small pause. She could not meet Gaius’ eyes. That sentence could easily be translated into "I was trying to find information about my mother,” but she was too embarrassed to admit that.
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Post by Gaius Martyn Augustinus on Nov 25, 2009 4:47:07 GMT
The old man rapped his knuckles on the table's surface to get attention, waving gnarled fingers at the food. "Eat! Eat! I didn't set this out for my own amusement!." The sound was partly for attention, but also a sound mask. Should anyone hear Lilith talking of Druids....
Pushing himself to his feet, Gaius was silent as he moved across the room, gently closing the door after he assured himself no one was listening. "Now," he said in a more serious tone. "Need I reiterate the seriousness of such a search? The palace libraries were purged of anything remotely related to magic years ago by the King's edict. The only things left there now have to do with opposing magic, eradicating it, wiping it from his realm. As far as King Uther is concerned, everything having to do with the Old Ways is evil." Gaius gave the girl a stern look. "You must know the dangers and consequences of what you seek."
Lacing his fingers together, Gaius's voice turned gentle. "I do understand your desire to connect with your past, Lilith. I do. But at the expense of your life?" He shook his grey, wizened head. She was too young to remember the Purge, a time when the air hung thick with the putrid smoke from the bonfires, the flames claiming many magical folk, peaceful and evil alike. "Child, I worry for you and this personal crusade of yours. It could get you killed."
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