We .:. Have A Problem {Aria}

[eclipselunar]

"Leo," It was all the woman could pull through her soft lips. Not many had gone through what the boy had, so they couldn't truthfully say that they knew how he felt. They couldn't relate, it was just a matter of the fact. the boy pushed his hand through his hair, and shook his head. To many memories had just flooded in as he spoke, and he needed to set his head down. Folding his hands, and setting it on the table, Leo lowered his head to face the table. Shutting his eyes, Leo held back his sorrow, as best he could anyway, and took a deep breath.

He could feel the girl's hands lightly touch his, and warm them by her touch. "Don't be so hard on yourself... You can stay here as long as you want. You will always be a guest of mine at Haven." Leo stayed facing the table as he let his lips part slightly. Due to his hair always being combed in the spiked up in the front position, it was easy to see his face other than the shadow that cast over it. His deep eyes stay stone cold and his breath steady. It was a sight few could ever see, the man's past getting to him. Usually he locked away in his little safe guard of a mind, and didn't let any of the memories loose, unless they were needed to give him rage for a battle. He fought best when angry.

"Perhaps you would like a more scenic tour whilst I do my morning rounds?" Leonardo parted his lips, but nothing came out. He sat there for a few moments before offering a small nod, and looking up to the girl. Not a tear had fallen, but his face was lightly tinted with a pale peach colour. His happy expression had vanished into oblivion, and now there was nothing left but a wasteland of sorrow held in his eyes. A small gulp, and Leo forced out a few, quiet words. "Sure, I'll follow you."

He didn't dare to take his hands away, no matter how much he wanted to. Taking one's hand away, was a sign of disrespect. A symbol, of pure rudeness, and anger towards another. Well, this is what it meant in Leo's eyes. He was always the one who silently sat there, and let the other party release his hand, or release from the hug first unless he was in a hurry. The boy's eyes stay directed to the table below, him not wanting to show how he felt, although it leaked through the cracks of his subconscious.

[Coby]

She let his hand go and offered a small, unsure smile. It was all she could do. The small vampire family had left and gone on with their daily business, cleaning and cooking and getting ready for the day. She stacked her cutlery on her plate and said a small thank-you to the family, then gestured for Leo to follow her. "Come," she offered softly, "Haven is beautiful this time of year, and it will be nice to get out into the daylight." she thought wistfully about the warm soft sun and the cool, small breezes that summer had to offer them. It was heaven for her, and only one of the reasons why she liked Haven's territory so much. It was wonderfully landscaped, and she was always one to love the flora and fauna and all of those lovely things. She stood by the door and held it open, feeling a cool ocean breeze stroke her soft, warm skin.

She looked to Leo and waited for him to walk out of the door. She would first go to the training grounds, then to guard posts, and to the healers building to see if anyone had come with any ailments. Right now Shasta was the only one with any kind of training in healing, as she had to know before she became leader, so she was also acting healer. It was a lot for one person, but she balanced things out pretty well. Unfortunately she couldn't be there around the clock, but if anyone had any emergencies they were more than welcome to visit her at her home. She was looking within her clan for anyone willing to take on the job. Anyone! She could train them in the basics and the Covert healer has agreed to train them the rest of the way... but, alas, no one was interested. She suddenly looked very old and tired once again, but that may be because she was kind of old and really tired.

[eclipselunar]

"Come," The girl's soft voice exclaimed as she lightly let go of Leo's hand. "Haven is beautiful this time of year, and it will be nice to get out into the daylight." Daylight. His greatest fear ever since the war. At the point he was in the war, Leo awoke in darkness, and lied motionless until the daylight came. It wasn't with the moon that the dead bodies around him began to smell, but in the sunlight. He could still feel his enemy soldier lying across his back, a large blade thrust through his lower back, just hardly missing the spine. The pain of that single moment in time, physically and emotionally, it still lurked in the back of his mind. It was the ghost in his haunted brain, the luminescent, awaiting it's time to come in a pitched night.

The man followed her out of the restaurant, and shielded his eyes from the blinding sun's rays. A light wave goodbye to the vampire family, and Leo was off to follow this girl. He was still thinking on the job opportunity. He, of all people, would be the best for the job. Well over a century of medical experience, in all of the wars, and in medieval times. He knew just about anything that someone needed to have, weather it be fatal injury, to surgery, to a simple cold. The offer was nice, and he may still take it, if he was able to live with being in the location.

[Coby]

Shasta bounced briskly along the dirt trails that snaked through the ancient island and the semi-ancient-modern city. People went on to their business, some taking care of little ones or their shops and others moving on to guard duty or to training. She diverted her trail to meld in with the trainees, walking amongst them for a short while. None of them really paid much attention to her, other than a glance or perhaps a short nod. She nodded back, and they scurried off while she diverted onto yet another trail. She looked back to Leo, "This trail is shorter. It is for trainers, non-trainee residents and emergencies only." She smiled again, remembering the time when she had to make the half kilometer hike uphill and downhill everyday, and never being allowed to use her animal form. It was all about building your human endurance, or something like that.

The whole trek was fairly level and took only fifteen minutes to make it to the training area. She motioned for Leo to follow her into the fenced in, five hundred and fifty kilometer training area, complete with a small training course, a forested area, a field and a small lake. All of which were utilized one way or another. On ones final exam they were put there, alone, with all of the faculty instructors and tested to their best abilities. How they get there from their homes is different every time, and it is all a surprise, to keep them on their toes. She emerged through the gate as a group class was sparring with their weapons of choice, her arms crossed and watching their progress. She nodded her head towards them, "That is this years green-horn class." she half-bragged with a sly wink as they sparred and danced about each-other with exemplary precision, "We have a good instructor this year." she continued absently as she watched.

[eclipselunar]

"This trail is shorter. It is for trainers, non-trainee residents and emergencies only." Oh yes, he remembered that trail alright. It was the one that he was caught cutting on so many times, he had almost grown accustom to running a few extra miles every other day. Some days, he even wanted to get caught, so he could just run, and think about things. Leonardo was known as the 'bad boy' of the training sessions back then. He was the one that everybody wanted to be with. Well, he wasn't exactly raised to the fullest standards, so he had an excuse, not having a mother, to be able to act the way he did.

"That is this years green-horn class." Her voice snapped him out of his memories once more, causing Leo to look directly to her. His eyes shifted, once he registered her words, to the young people training. "We have a good instructor this year." His eyes shifted amongst the people, and Leo smiled. "I can see that. they are a good group." Leo was quite a bit faster than the students there, but they were still outstanding for their level. Shifting his eyes around, the boy paused, and looked to the girl. "How much has changed around here?"

[Coby]

Shasta nodded with a smirkish smile at Leo, who was watching the green horns as she was. The instructor was standing off to the side, yelling orders and corrections to indivduals, jumping in once in a while to physically show a student a stance by arranging his or her limbs just so. She heard his question and shot him a quick look, turning back to the class. tons had changed. But, how much should she tell him? Essentially Haven was the same. There were some minor changes due to death caused by a duel or some one getting lost in the Capitol. Of course they would look for the lost person but sometimes they were just not to be found. At that point they would hold a small ceremony for them and their family and then for all of Haven, so that their soul may find its way peacefully.

She nibbled on her bottom lip, her eyes following the flowing students and their snarling weapons. She remembered being in that class long, long ago. She was the slowest learner of them all, in fact, and it was debated if she should be a warrior at all. Perhaps, they had thought, she should just be a housewife or merchant or something like that. But she believed that her blood was that of a warrior, and so it turned out to be, with the help of her friends. The woman cast her bright green eyes to Leo, "People have come and gone, and some of the buildings have been rearranged but, by and by, Haven, its situation and its soul has remained untouched." she watched him for a reaction, hoping that was going to be as good an explaination as he wanted because until/if he becomes a colony member, she couldn't delve much farther into the inner workings of Haven and it's stability. She turned, "Come. I must swing by the Healer's building, to see if anyone has ailments they wish to have attended to."

[eclipselunar]

People have come and gone, and some of the buildings have been rearranged but, by and by, Haven, its situation and its soul has remained untouched." Leo's eyes shifted back and fourth, reflecting all as a shimmering resemblance of the world surrounding him. It hadn't changed much? To him, it had a world of difference. this place had grown so many new things, and quite frankly, it had so many new buildings he had hardly recognized it. So many new faces, it all just made everything more difficult. "Yet, it looks so much different..." Shoving his hands into his pockets, the boy lightly smiled up to the girl, nodding of approval.

"Come. I must swing by the Healer's building, to see if anyone has ailments they wish to have attended to." Leonardo nodded, and followed the girl as she went to the healers building. His eyes shifted around, him noticing how the building had been moved. It used to be next to his home, but now, it was so far away.

[Coby]

Shasta walked briskly toward the healing house. It was just outside of the training area, so that anyone who was accidentally harmed could easily access help as quick as possible. Shasta made it to the door and was quite pleased to see that there were no patients waiting for her. She would normally wait there for a few hours in case someone showed up during the day. Otherwise she would have them contact her and she would meet them there. She said to Leo, "Looks like no one needs to be healed..." but as she said this a little boy came running up the path, no older than seven years old, tears streaming down his face. Shasta knelt to meet him, her face contorted in a motherly like worry as he jumped onto her lap. "Whoah whoah whoah..." she cooed, "Whats the matter?"

The boy sniffed, sputtering and sobbing, and pointed to his arm. Shasta looked down and wondered how she missed it. It was red as if a rash was climbing and nibbling at his arm. He scratched at it, obviously in a lot of pain. Shasta, who was worried at first, said a bit scoldingly, "Did you wander into weed patches again?" The boy shook his head, but Shasta didn't buy it. "Are you sure?" the boy paused hesitantly, then shook his head admittedly. Shasta clicked her tongue, "I told you this would happen. Come on, I'll put some medicine on it." She carried the boy into the hut and fetched a bottle of thick salve from the shelf, spreading it on the boys arm. She then fetched a mug of water and gave it to him, ordering him to drink. She then said, "I want you to stay here for a couple of minutes so I know the medicine is working." the boy nodded, wiping his nose on his sleeve, looking away shamefully. Shasta placed an arm on his shoulder, smiling warmly. "Do you want to hear a story, to pass the time?"
The boy nodded exuberently, and Shasta nibbled on her lip, trying to think of a good story to tell.

[eclipselunar]

"Looks like no one needs to be healed..." Leo's eyes directed towards the path as she was speaking, obviously hearing something running up in the distance. the footsteps were small, and the whimpers high pitched, a young boy he had expected, only about six or seven. His conclusion was brought to be correct as the boy leaped into Shasta's arms, whimpering, and obviously needing medical attention due to the rash on his right arm. It was funny, he got those all of the time when he was younger, and he for one knew that they stung. Badly.

"Whoah whoah whoah..." she cooed, "Whats the matter?" The boy pointed to his arm, before scratching it a bit more. Leo, out of instinct, brought his cold hand down to lightly push the boy's hand away from his arm, and rest his whole had over the burning rash, cooling it, and ridding the boy from some of the pain. Being the medical genius he was, Leo was quick on his feet. He noticed nearly everything when he was wanting to observe, and was sure to help out as easily as he could without disturbing the woman's medical doings.

She discovered where he had been, and brought the boy inside, setting him down. The woman brought out a cream like jell, puzzling Leonardo slightly. Had she known anything about the rash? Perhaps they had found a cream that wouldn't begin to burn where the rash was. It usually set off a small heat, that rash, warming the ointment and scolding the skin, making it hurt mush worse before getting better. Leo's fingers hand instantly shot behind him, only to pull out a small container of a liquid that he had made many times before.

"That's going to burn his skin, he fell into something more than just some poison ivy." Kneeling down to the boy, who was now whimpering in slightly more pain, he pulled a rag out of his back pocket, and wiped off his arm, leaving no trace of the ointment. Leo lightly drizzled some of the fast acting liquid over the boy's arm, giving it enough time to soak into his skin before wiping some of the excess away. "I want you to stay here for a bit, and then come back at twelve tomorrow so I could check on it. okay?" Although he didn't want to be to long, or get himself caught up, the boy did what came naturally. He was kind of like a fatherly figure.

"Do you want to hear a story, to pass the time?" He hoped to hell that the girl had a story to say, because he didn't have a clue about any. Seeing the girl have to think for so long, he figured that she most likely didn't have one ready. So he began to pull one together, so smoothly it was as if he had practiced it many times. "Many years ago, there was a knight that went by the name of Carolton. He was never the same as any of the others, seeing how the man tended to study in more than one aspect of his life. It was always hard for one to tell who had what sickness, but the boy could tell. He was always slightly different, having the first instinct of a medic, and the second of a worrier."

Leonardo paused, and looked to his arm. The red was slightly fading, letting a light smile smudge across his lips. Putting a little bit more of the liquid onto the boy's arm, Leo lightly did as he did before, and stepped back, watching it do it's magic. "Seems that the potion is working."

[Coby]

Shasta stepped swiftly back as Leo took charge. She was filled with a slur of emotions. Frustration, confusion, gratitude... confusion. She didn't like being shown up by anyone, but that feeling almost immediately passed as Leo explained. Baffled she scooped up the vial and examined it more closely. And her heart almost stopped. Carelessness could have seriously harmed the boy. She could never live that down. She gave the man a quick look and then carefully placed the vial back in its place. The young boy didn't seem to mind much that Shasta had made a mistake and, instead, seemed transfixed by the new stranger. Gazing up at him and hanging on his almost every word. She crossed her arms over her chest, feeling suddenly very, very tired, her green eyes dark and heavy. She was felt like she was losing it.

She watched dully as the boy nodded to Leo and left, saying something about having to go see his mom and dad. She said her goodbyes, adding in a small spiel about being careful and not getting into too much trouble. She couldn't help but smile as the boy ran off. Her cousin's son. He didn't know that yet, though, because they wanted him to view her as Shasta the Leader, first, before Shasta 'apart of my family'. She turned to Leo.

"I am no healer." she said quietly, busying herself with organizing some vials and throwing out expired herbs. "But I do what I have to for Haven. I have been pushing for a healer to be trained, but with no one to be the trainer..." she paused, sighed and hung her head, closing her eyes painfully. She was in a bind. A tight, restricting, and almost solution-less, bind. She straightened, her voice sharp and sure. "You must understand the importance of the confidence in which I am explaining this to you," she said quickly, turning to face Leo. In her heart she knew that, if she absolutely had to, she would kill him. Only to protect her people. She had perhaps shown him too much of Haven. If he were a spy, he could ruin them.

"And you probably know one of my biggest motives for taking you into Haven. If you could help us..." she trailed off, "If you could... just train some one. We-- I-- would be forever grateful." She stared at him long and hard, her eyes calm yet filled with grief. She didn't know if he would say yes, or say no, but she knew what she thought he would say.
It was hopeless.

[eclipselunar]

The girl watched closely as Leo cared for the boy. He hated making a fool of people, but the man just wasn't willing to let a boy as young as that one feel the extreme burning sensation. He quickly wiped off the cream like mixture that the woman had placed onto the boy, and replaced it with a light liquid. The mixture of his was examined, and most likely not recognized by the woman as he cared for the boy, and told him a quick story. It was twisted far away from anything he usually thought, but this was good for him to do. To many bad memories were nothing for one who needed to be happy to succeed.

"I am no healer." The woman said, capturing the vampire's attention. She was organizing some vials, and throwing out some old herbs as she worked, just leaving Leo to watch, and listen. "But I do what I have to for Haven. I have been pushing for a healer to be trained, but with no one to be the trainer..." The woman closed her eyes, and at that point, Leo had slid his hands into his pockets. "You must understand the importance of the confidence in which I am explaining this to you," Leonardo already knew what she wanted.

"And you probably know one of my biggest motives for taking you into Haven. If you could help us..." The girl trailed off for a moment, then continued on. "If you could... just train some one. We-- I-- would be forever grateful." Leo offered a light nod, and looked to the medical tent around him. "Alright. But I am not just taking anyone to be my student. Until the right one comes around, I will just be the healer." The man's smile was warm, and nearly loving. His gaze stay steady along the shelves, him just imagining what they would look like.

[Coby]

Shasta's eyes were almost brimming with tears. He... he was going to do it? The stress that was released from her was basically visible. The reliefe most definitely was. She turned to him, her eyes wide with gratitude. Keep it together, Shasta. She stood straight and honroable, making sure that her shoulders were flat and her chin level with the ground. But she did allow a giddy smile, and clasped her hands together subconsciously. "Thank you, good sir." she said in a raspy tone, "Thank you so very much." the woman turned and began righting things that she deemed fit to be put back, and found her hands had a little shiver of a shake to them. It was true that there had been a certain amount of fear when she was asking Leo about doing this for her, and she was overjoyed when he agreed to it. The release and reliefe was probably what made her hands shake so much. She cast her jade gaze behind her and cleared her throat. "Of course, you may choose your pupil," she continued, a bit more briskly this time, " I trust your judgement. If there are any supplies, like beds or appliances or books or... anything, just let me, or Aria, know. Okay?"

She brushed her hands free of dust and other dust-like things, turning fully to Leo once again. "But we can continue this later." She tucked a strand of hair from our of her face and behind her ear. "Would you care to finish our tour of haven?"

OOC- Sorry. Lame.