Immortalized | Viktor - arcane

The Bridge

Once she was gone Rose rushed to the counter and struck the chimes that called on the apothecary.

"Ailment?" The apothecary asked bluntly as she pulled open the window behind the counter.

Rose wasn't even sure how to describe his condition. All she knew was he was sick and living in the undercity was why. He was always sickly, born with his limp but the doctors had said prolonged exposure to chemicals was the root cause of his illness. It was only luck that some people in the fissures never succumbed to it.

"I have a friend," Rose began and the apothecary growled softly not wanting to waste time listening to a story. "There was a chemical spill the year he was born, he's been sick all his life and his time is almost up. I need anything that will give him more time."

The apothecary shut the window at her counter but Rose could hear her rustling with her supply before the window was thrown open again.

"This will give you time, but not much." She told her.

Rose nodded and reached to take it but the apothecary pulled away. "Trade." She demanded.

Rose quickly threw the necklace down on the counter. The apothecary eyed it carefully before turning back to Rose. Desperate, Rose threw down another handful of coins she had brought with her until the apothecary was satisfied.

Finally she added a drop of shimmer to her potion before pushing the treatment across the counter and slamming her window shut. Adding shimmer to the potion rubbed Rose the wrong way but at this point she was out of options.

Rose didn't waste anytime returning to the northern side of the city. As she crossed the bridge she noticed an increased number of enforcers patrolling. After all those years living north of the bridge, seeing that many enforcers in one spot still made her nervous, especially as she crossed the bridge.

They seemed to be preparing for something. She wondered if an important shipment was coming in from the fissures, or if the bridge would be under reconstruction. She figured she would hear about it sooner or later if it were important enough. Keeping her head down and staying out of the way, she rushed back to the Medarda estate.

It was dark when she returned to the estate. Elora and Mel were still at the council building finishing up work and managing the aftermath of whatever had been accomplished at the meeting. When Rose entered her chambers she felt the effects of the day wearing on her. It was only that morning Viktor's doctor had told her of his diagnosis. Just the night before they had been enjoying the concert, now everything was different.

She hadn't gotten proper sleep since she only managed a few hours in the chair at Viktor's bedside. She crawled beneath her covers as soon as the door shut behind her, leaving her jacket and clothes from the undercity on the floor.

As tired as she was, sleep did not come easily. She continued replaying her conversation with the doctor, and couldn't get Viktor's words out of her head. Eroding, he had said. She wanted nothing more than for him to feel better.

She heard a knock on her door a few hours later. Most likely Elora who had come to check on her and update her on the events of the meeting. Rose couldn't bring herself to answer the door. Instead she shut her eyes hoping sleep would come if she tried hard enough.

Elora opened the door, peaking her head in slightly. When she spotted Rose in bed she smiled sadly hoping her friend would get some much needed rest and shut the door again, making note to check in on her the next day. When she heard the door shut Rose finally allowed herself to cry softly into her pillow until she fell into a restless sleep.