11 A rowdy bunch

Leonel scoffed. Warrior or not, the woman did not frighten him. He could tell by her stand she was a fighter but also not a very experienced one. "You must have already heard. I won't doubt that word's gone around about me."

"I'd like to hear from the man himself. I'm not a person who trusts in rumors so easily."

"Not much to say," Leonel shrugged easily, matching her attempts at intimidation with a sharp gaze of his own, "Inquisitor. Male. Ombrellian descent. Name's Leonel."

"So what are you really doing down here in our Motsven? There aren't any mages for you to hunt here." She said.

Leonel quirked a brow. Was she an idiot? Any Inquisitor would have easily been able to pick up the defensive tilt in her voice. There was definitely a mage in this village, it told him.

But he hid his knowledge and decided not to antagonize her more than necessary. Leonel was completely disinterested in both her and the village, "I was injured. Your good Doctor here saved me. It's not deep."

"Do not impede on the Doctor's kindness," she said with glaring warning.

'Oh now you're just making me believe that our good Doctor is the mage you're trying to protect.' Leonel sneered at her in his mind. He said nothing and simply tapped a finger against his arm in impatience.

The door of the villager's home creaked open.

"One more to go and I'll be home free!" The Doctor huffed, "Let's go, let's go." He waved at Leonel but stopped suddenly when he noticed the warrior woman.

And his tired visage instantly broke into a genuine smile, "My, if it isn't little Kaytle! Back from your trip so soon?"

Kaytle's suspicious glare eased into a bright-eyed youth's, "Hello Doctor! I hope you've been taking care of your health. Mom's caught a cold, you know how the season treats her. So I decided to come back and help with the farm."

"A good lassie you are," Julian walked over and patted her on the head. "We've much to talk about!"

"What happened to one more and being free to go home?" Leonel cut in the conversation. He scowled at their carefree attitude, "I'm hungry."

Julian rolled his eyes, "I haven't eaten in two days because of you. Put up with it!"

Kaytle instantly gasped at the Doctor's words, "What did I say about taking care of yourself! This simply won't do. Come over at once and I will make you something to eat."

"Oh really?" The Doctor perked up at the mention of free food, "I'll be mighty delighted to join you but I'll have to drag this awful creature with me if you don't mind." He pointed back at Leonel with a thumb.

The way she scrunched her nose up in obvious distaste indicated that she minded a lot but somehow managed to hiss through clenched jaws, "It's fine, I suppose he can come along."

There was no way that Julian didn't miss her apprehension and yet his smile was still cheerfully bright, "Marvelous! We will be intruding on you then!"

Leonel wanted to complain but the promise of food kept him quiet. Conveniently, Kaytle's mother was Julian's last patient as well. After this whole conundrum, Leonel would be able to relax in some relative peace. It felt so long since he'd had any chance to relax. And while he was usually possessed by an unquenchable thirst for vengeance, the bullshit he ran into in Fauster really made him feel fucking tired.

Leonel was fucking tired, of mages, of his one so-called friend sending him on wild goose chases, and the lost corpse of a fucking ghost that wouldn't stop haunting him.

He followed mindlessly to the humble home of Kaytle and her family of nine. Children squealed in welcome, grasping at the hems of his and the Doctor's clothes.

"Move aside, little devils!" The Doctor barked at the children but still patted their heads and gave them bits of candy when they came to hug his legs.

Kaytle glared at her younger siblings and took in a deep breath, "Alright, my little minions, listen closely! Don't bother our guests! Don't be rude! Don't scream too loudly! Just because pa's not here to scold you and ma's sick doesn't mean I won't spank you!"

They all stiffened and saluted at her booming voice, "Yes General Sister Madame!" Before running off in shrieking laughter.

The moment they were out of sight, the woman sighed and smiled, "Sorry, they're a bit rowdy."

Leonel was quietly thankful toward her and couldn't understand the way Julian smiled as he shrugged, "Kids will be kids. I don't mind so much."

The Doctor had a surprisingly high tolerance for things, despite being whiny and annoying himself.

They found Leonel a corner of the little home to put down the groceries temporarily and Kaytle commanded her siblings like an evil overlord, barking at them to get the stove going and food cooking. They squealed at their sister's commanding tone and laughed as they scurried to make food for their guests.

Julian took the time to see the old woman of the house who, though bedridden, was not in any serious danger. It was just the usual spring flu coming along. Perhaps it might have been dangerous without a remedy but the Doctor was there to prescribe the proper herbs and medication to soothe such ails.

"In my days," the old lady coughed, "kids be dropping like flies from a little old cough. And now my young'uns are running around with a snotty nose or not. This is thanks to you, Doctor. Even when they're sick, they're healthy," she laughed.

Julian scrunched up his nose, "Just because they're lively doesn't mean they shouldn't rest. But that's good to hear. I can give you a bit of extra medication for your kids as well, I saw that Wills had a bit of a cough too. Soon your whole herd will be sick with a cold so you'll have a lot on your hands."

She only chuckled at that, "In a different age, I would be scared of losing my young'uns and now I'm looking forward to pampering them when I wrap them up in bed."

The Doctor held back a sigh. Basic remedies for common colds and flu had long been developed and available. But in the far reaches of the land and little villages as such, useful medication was few and far in between.

It had only been due to some miracle that the man who built the hut on the hillside was a real, legitimate Doctor before he came along and settled in.

Julian supposed these guys owed their thanks to the real Doctor that once lived there. It was only thanks to him that Julian could assume such an identity.

Footsteps shuffled in from behind. Kaytle peeked in and asked, "How's ma? Is she going to be okay?"

That was right, there were still a few things that Julian wanted to ask Kaytle about her travels. "She'll be fine as she's always been."

Kaytle exhaled, "I don't know why she always falls ill around this time of year. It's really bad for the heart, you know?"

The mother rolled her eyes, "Stop fretting, Doctor here takes good care of this old woman."

"By the way, Kaytle. You were in Fauster not long ago weren't you?" Katyle had always been a bit of an oddball in the quaint village of Motsven, preferring the handle of a sword over spool and thread. As a child she taught her dog how to hunt instead of herd sheep and it was no surprise when she ran off to join a mercenary guild in Fauster.

"Hm? Yeah, I was there for a job and my guild has some influence there so there's usually good business to be had." She looked at him and then seemed to understand the implications of his questions quite easily, "There were some rumors about a mage. But I wasn't too deeply involved at the time."

Perfect.

"That's fine, just tell me what you know."