Completed Lessons for the Lovestruck (Matthew)

[Savio]

14th of Summer, 509AV

Even though it was still early in the season, the weather was unusually hot for the citizens of Syliras. The normally bustling streets were somewhat bare exact for the brave few who had to do one thing or another. Most of the people were inside the cool confines of the various districts within the citadel. But a small group of buskers dared to ply their trade in the outdoor streets, so that to better avoid the Syliran Knights.

Savio was among the troupe of performers on this day. Sweat was rolling down his lightly tanned skin as he watched his close friends try to earn their living. Savio had no such concerns since he lived nicely because he was the only son of a well-to-do farmer. That never stopped him from sneaking off to see his friends and learn their tricks. He had been learning from these men and women for three years now, much to the distaste of his father, and he was almost competent with acrobatics at this point but he had never performed with his friends for fear of getting in their way. A botched performance would harm them, not Savio.

Savio leaned against a stone wall and watched them from a safe distance. Their movements were graceful and practiced. Savio had started developing the beginnings of such grace, his Aunt had made comments on how confident and wonderfully Savio walked on a day to day basis. She knew what Savio was doing whenever he would sneak away when she would watch him for a season to teach him clerical skills. She found herself rather amused at his rebelliousness since it reminded her of how her brother (Savio’s father) used to be when he was Savio’s age.

After a short while, the buskers decided to take a much needed break since it looked like there won’t be much business that day. Adean trotted over to Savio and pulled him over to the rest of the troupe. Adean was Savio’s closest and most trusted friend. He was also responsible for teaching Savio everything he knew.

“Alright my dear Savi, it’s time for today’s lesson.” Adean said cheerfully. The young man was the type of person that if he smiled, the world smiled with him.

Savio chuckled at his friend’s enthusiasm. “Oh? And what exact do you have in mind, my friend?”

Adean thought for a moment, running a hand through his untamable blonde hair. “I think you are ready for a hand spring.”

Savio blinked for a moment in surprise. “A hand spring? Are you sure?”

“Of course I’m sure! Have I ever led you astray before?”

“Well there was that one time-“

“That was a rhetorical question, Savi. Sheesh!”

Adean proceeded to teach Savio how to execute a proper front hand spring. He had figured that since Savio had mastered the handstand and front walkover, that this should be a piece of cake for the young man. After an hour of going over each step, Adean felt as though Savio was able to do a front hand spring by himself.

“Alright, remember to keep your arms raised and your elbows locked!”

Savio nodded before taking off in a short sprint but alas, he did not see the loose rock until his right hand hit it half way through the launching stage of the hand spring. The rock shifted, causing Savio to lose balance and his wrist to turn the wrong way. He landed hard on his stomach, but the pain of his chest hitting the road was ignored in favor of the roaring pain in his right hand.

Savio yowled in acute pain as he rolled over onto his back and cradled his injured hand to his chest.

[Matthew]

Matthew was leaning against a cool stone wall, protected by shade. Studious blue eyes watched the buskers as they performed, his brow furrowed in concentration and his arms crossed over his toned chest. Chewing his lower lip, he couldn't help but wince a little at every single flip or tumble that they did. Even if they looked to be well trained at this sort of thing, the medical student in him cried out against the things they could end up doing to their bodies. He had originally stopped for one of the buskers, a young girl named 'Ellie', someone who had asked him to come to one of her practices. He had sensed she had romantic intention (he couldn't puzzle out any other reason she would ask), so he had decided to come along. He had made a point to ask her about his business card design though, subtly bringing up that he was only here to see what the prostitution scene was like. Her face had been interesting, torn between horror and surprise. She had given him some pointers on his horrid writing though, and hadn't retracted her offer. So here he was, out of politeness more than anything else. She caught his eye and tossed him a wave, and he smiled slightly back, nodding. She was an agile little thing, with her thin and graceful body dancing through the air in ways he couldn't imagine. Part of him wanted to learn how to do all these things, but the other part that was horrified by it was much stronger. As they paused to take a break, Ellie split from the group to come see him, smiling brightly. She was breathing hard and didn't seem to want to spend the energy talking, so they both just leaned by the wall, watching as the buskers split up to train in different things. Every now and then one would come by, and Ellie would make small talk. Her and Matthew continued to exist in simple silence for about an hour, and then she finally turned with words on her lips. "So, I'm glad you came. Interested in what we do?" He rose an eyebrow, phrasing a silent question. She smirked at him, poking his toned stomach, raising an eyebrow in return. "Come on. You are fit and graceful. You would be a natural at this. Maybe you could do it part time, alongside of... you know." She paused, then lowered her voice, cheeks flaring just a tiny bit. "...selling yourself." Matthew shrugged his broad shoulders, shaking his head. "I think part of me would enjoy it, but the other part is absolutely horrified at the idea of snapping my neck. I do appreciate the offer though." She gave him a mock scowl of anger, her hands going down to her hips. "Oh please, we are all quite trained. We would make sure you didn't get hu-" A yowl cut her off, both of their eyes shooting to the man cradling his wrist. The look on his face was one of obvious pain, and Matthew couldn't help but toss Ellie a pointed glance. She snorted, moving to check on Savio, shaking her head. Matthew followed, glancing around for one of the shirts that the buskers had taken off for practice. Choosing one at random, he ripped a long strip of cloth from it, approaching Savio and kneeling by him. His medicine training kicked in, and he spoke quietly, words pronounced and firm. "Hold out your arm. Straight, and angled slightly up above your shoulders. It'll help the fluid drain. I am going to wrap you, from the wrist up to your shoulder." He showed the man the cloth, and would proceed if given permission.

[Savio]

As soon as Savio had fallen, Adean was right at his side. Savio would see the obvious worry and concern the young man had on his face as he apologized over and over again to Savio. To be fully honest, the words didn’t even cross Savi’s mind as he hand his arm and rocked it back and forth. The other acrobats had also rushed to Savio’s side to check on their youngest member. It was Adean’s sudden curses of protest that dragged Savio’s attention away from the pain.

“Wait! Who the petch are you?! Who is this man? Ellie, who is this?” Adean shouted threateningly at someone.

Savio looked over to see a… beautiful man kneeling next to him. His words cutting past Adean’s foul language so that Savio could hear him. He commanded Savio to hold out his throbbing arm, raised slightly so that it was above his shoulders. Savio complied, watching the stranger who appeared to be a few years his elder and smelled of fine oils. In a less painful situation, Savio would have balked slightly and questioned his motives but he seemed like he knew what he was doing and Savio just wanted the pain to go away. When he showed Savio the torn fabric and explained what he was going to do with it, Savio nodded and moved his arm closer to the man so he would have easier access.

Adean had to be pulled away from the group to he wouldn’t hurt the stranger that was helping Savio; he was cursing and struggling the whole time. Savio idly considered this, Adean was a lot more protective over Savio and he had thought. Why? He would have to talk to his friend later about his behavior when the pain wasn’t clouding his train of thought so much.

[Matthew]

Adean's anger was a bit startling, and Matthew stared at him for a moment, hands pausing in his task. His face remained a blank canvas, and he quickly spoke, words firm and loud to make their way through his cursing. "I am Matthew. Ellie's friend. I studied medicine in Zeltiva, and I am helping your friend with his injured wrist." He turned then, focusing on his patient, glancing into Savio's eyes and giving him a quick nod. Matthew was all politeness and elegance, each of his motions and habits naturally graceful. When Savio nodded his consent, Matthew was quick and accurate with the bandage, starting off tight beneath the swollen wrist and working all the way up to the elbow. He tightened the end of the bandages and tucked them in, then surveying his handiwork. The bandage was tight enough to keep pressure on the arm and likely relieve some of the pain, but not tight enough so it didn't cut off blood flow. Nodding, he reached out to gently touch the elbow and lift the extended arm a little higher. "Try and keep it high, if you can. When you get home, if you can locate anything cold, hold it firmly against the swelling wrist for about twenty minutes. You just sprained it, or pulled it. Anything else and it wouldn't be working properly." Another polite smile was offered to the young man, and Matthew slowly stood, glancing over to Ellie. She was working to calm the angry one down, if Matthew's matter-of-fact words of before hadn't helped at all. They may have made it worse, really. He offered a strong arm down to the young man, his arm defined and obviously in shape. He would help Savio up with his good arm, making sure he kept the wrist high, and correcting him if he didn't. "How does it feel?" Checking one last time to make sure everything was alright, he went into introductions, not just wanting to be the random stranger who had been staring at them all. "I am just in the city for Summer. I am training to be a harlot, and wanted to see if there was a demand for that in the city." Ellie blushed, and Matthew blinked around, his words delivered in a total deadpan. For such an odd thing to say, he sure did manage to keep a serious face and bright eyes. He added on a few words, sensing there would be more tension or awkwardness. "You are all a very talented group. I was quite impressed."

[Savio]

Adean slowly stopped his struggles as he listened to Matthew’s words and shrugged off the restraining hands, his eyes narrowed in suspicion at stranger. He moved closer to Savio, watching Matthew’s every movement. Savio sighed at Adean’s over protective nature. Perhaps his childhood friend believed that since Savi was raised in a better lifestyle that he was softer and breakable like glass. He would have to set the man straight once he was better healed.

Savio flinched each time Matthew touched his tender wrist until it was completely wrapped. The pressure seemed to turn from pain to comfort, causing Savio to sigh in relief. He listened to Matthew’s instructions closely and nodded. Savio took the hand that was offered and pulled himself up to his feet. Adean huffed in an annoyed tone. What is his problem? Savio thought to himself about his friend. “It feels much better, thank you.” Savio said with a grateful smile. The young man looked around at his friends and flushed in embarrassment. They chuckled good-naturedly and some moved closer to examine Matthew’s handy work.

But what caused Savio’s (and everyone else’) head to snap back to Matthew was the man’s words. Prostitution was an accepted profession in Syliras but Savio had never heard of anyone speak of it so openly. It took almost a year for Adean and Annabelle to inform Savio that when income was hard to come by, they too offered their other talents at one of the local brothels. Adean wasn’t too proud of what he had to do, but it was a “Necessary evil”sometimes.

Adean glared at Matthew all the more as he attempted to lead Savio away from the man as though Matthew was cursed with the Blight. “C’mon Savi. Let’s get you home.” was all Adean said.

Savio was curious of the strange man. Perhaps…Perhaps he could help Savio out with a small problem he had. Harlots knew how to seduce customers on a whim, so maybe he could teach Savio a few tricks of the trade. There was someone that Savio had been pinning after for a year now. And Matthew might be able to teach Savio how to not look like a fool in front of the young woman who had stolen his heart.

[Matthew]

Matthew was beyond Adean now, having not understood him and having no desire to. It was merely him and his patient now, and he was relieved to see that his learned skills hadn't grown rusty. It was a simple thing to apply first aid to, so it would have dismayed him to not do it correctly. Nodding politely, he offered Savio another small smile, this one actually quite a bit genuine. "It is my pleasure. It has been awhile since I left my studies, so I am glad to find I still remember them." He examined the bandaging again, resisting the urge to unwrap it and try again. That would provide quite a bit of discomfort to his patient, and he knew that wasn't the way to go about remembering his lessons. Best to twist his own wrist later and experiment on his own arm. Faintly, he was aware everyone was staring at him. Blinking, he lifted his head, glancing around. Quickly recalling everything he had said, he searched for anything that would be offensive. Nothing. Perhaps it was the mention of prostitution. While it was something that was well-heard of, it wasn't often commonly spoken of. He wasn't so sure why. It was like any other merchant job. You were simply selling something that some people considered quite valuable. "Savi, is it?" He picked up on the nickname Adean dropped, and quickly offered his hand to Savio's good hand. He could tell Adean was trying to lead his patient away, but at least wanted to get formalities over with before he did. That would prevent him from having to do them if they met at some point down the road. Feeling the tension in the air and still confused on where it was coming from, Matthew did what he could to dispel it. The first and most obvious tactic would be to present himself as a good and friendly fellow. Clearing his throat a little bit, he tried to offer the group a genuine smile as he glanced around at them. "I can take him home, if you wish. I want to make sure the bandage holds up and I am not actually rusty. I would hate for any of you to have to cut your practice short, either. This is what you do for Miza's, correct?" He glanced at Savio, blue eyes seeking his to quietly ask if this was acceptable. It was partially true. While he was mostly just trying to do what they would hopefully see as a good deed, he also wanted to make sure his rusty medical skills wouldn't have his bandage unraveling in the next couple of chimes.

[Savio]

Savio almost laughed at the confused expression on Matthew’s face when he finally realized that everyone was staring at him funny. At least the man was honest, and honestly was a quality that Savio favored. Savio looked up from Adean’s ushering when Matthew spoke to him once more.

“My name is Savio, Savi is just a nickname.” The young man answered, pausing in his steps. Savio offered his good hand to Matthew for a handshake. “Savio Cazzola.”

Adean grumbled irritably. For a moment, Savio thought Adean was going to simply carry him on his back if only to get him away from Matthew faster. Savio flashed his friend and hard look, which was answered by a childish pout and a roll of Adean’s blue eyes. He was going to behave. For now.

The other performers made their way back to what they had been doing before Savio’s mishap so that it was only the three men standing in the middle of the almost empty street. Savio sighed and patted his friend’s shoulder. Adean seemed to relax slightly at the contact, but he was still wary of the older man that had helped Savi.

“It might be better that our new found friend takes me home. Remember last time my Aunt caught you near her home?”

Adean flinched, a look of utter disgust covered his face as the memory replayed in his mind. “I guess.” Adean replied, but his sharp eyes locked on to Matthew. “But if anything should happen, I’ll be here.” Even though Adean was talking to Savio, his eyes never left Matthew’s. His eyes vocalizing his silent threat.

With that, Adean trotted back to his troupe. Savio chuckled and offered an apologetic smile to Matthew. “Please forgive him. He is just overly protective of me. I sometimes wonder if he mistakes me for being made of glass or something just as fragile. “

[Matthew]

Apparently Adean wasn't ready to let Matthew move on. He would just have to think of another approach. "Savio." He repeated the word, replacing the label of 'Savi' that he had already assigned to the man. "Savio Cazzola. A pleasure." The handshake was returned, firmly and smoothly, a slight bow of the head given in respect to the man in front of him. It was an almost painfully polite greeting, making more than a few of the troupe chuckle a bit. What a well-mannered prostitute they had among them, and apparently he knew how to bandage up a few basic wounds. Adean was still not amused though, and Matthew couldn't help but give him yet another confused glance. The leader (or so it seemed) of the troupe had managed to baffle him. He still wasn't sure why he had offended the man. He just stood by patiently as Savio seemed to work some magic over the man, agreeing with Matthew's idea and calming Adean down with a pat. Matthew kept his eyes averted and his posture slack, reverting to making himself appear as non-threatening as possible. It was a basic thing, meant to cater to the primal method of establishing a pecking order that Adean seemed so bound and determined to perform. I am not a threat. I am easy to deal with. Matthew imitated the thought in his appearance, and let Savio handle everything that was going on. The crowd dispersed, Ellie giving Matthew a sympathetic look and an amused grin. He didn't return the look, merely glancing at her and then back to the ground. He patiently waited, and soon, some recalled memory spawned by Savio's words caused the tense Adean to relax. If something should happen, the man said. What was Matthew going to do? Nothing violent would end well in this particular city. Finally it was just Matthew and Savio. He lifted his head, meeting the gaze of the new interest, shaking his head. "It is quite alright." Protective, was it? That made a little more sense. "Why is he protective of you? And would you like to lead the way to wherever it is you live? Remember, keep your arm elevated." Matthew was blunt and to the point with his question. It was the logical question, and would complete the puzzle of why Adean had acted the way he did. Maybe it would provide some sort of insight to how he would handle Adean if he had to encounter him again. If Ellie continued to want him to watch their practice meetings, he would probably have to. Adean knew his face now. He wasn't just some random admirer in the crowd.

[Savio]

Savio lifted the wounded arm, having then realized that he had let it droop in his distraction. He then gestured with his other arm in the direction of the Roshin District, as they were currently in the street between the Nettle District and the Maiden District.

“I’m not sure, to be honest.” Savio answered with a slight shrug of the shoulders as they walked. “He has always been like that to me, ever since we first meet when we were little. He has more or less adopted me as a little brother. He is a good man. I trust him with my life.”

After answering Matthew’s question, he began to ponder Adean’s behavior further. It was strange, but that was how Adean as always been. To him. And no one else. Savio chuckled quietly to himself and shook his head to clear the thoughts away.

Savio then spoke up once more to change the subject. “I am currently staying with my Aunt, in the Roshin District. She works as a clerk for several business owners. My Father sends me to her every summer for her to teach me her trade.”

[Matthew]

Matthew followed the lead of his patient, painstakingly critical of Savio if his previous instructions weren't followed. The young man would practically feel the ice of Matthew's gaze if he dared lower his arm below his shoulder, or if he ever started messing with the snugly-wound bandages. That was the only thing Matthew displayed any sort of reaction to, though. He merely listened to the spoken words, following along quietly until it was his turn to speak. "Does he have parents? Do you have parents? It is natural to find something to protect if you yourself were not protected. Perhaps making up for the life you once led. I am not exactly sure the logic behind it." He mused over the idea, testing out other theories in his mind. "Or perhaps he just always wanted a little brother. I suppose it could be a variety of things. Why do you think he felt threatened by me? Do I look threatening?" He peered down at himself, blue eyes checking out his sharp clothing and firm figure. He was tall, but that was about it. His feminine beauty certainly didn't help any sort of intimidating aura that he might somehow have. At least he wouldn't think that it did. He mulled it over briefly before noticing the change in subject, quickly going along with it. He sensed his earlier questions might have been personal, so he wouldn't press them if they were vaguely answered or not even answered at all. The harlot did take some time to glance around, checking his surroundings out. He wasn't familiar with all the districts yet, so he did his best to glance around and commit their little details to memory whenever he found himself wandering around. Perhaps one day he wouldn't get lost every time he tried to go out and get some food. "Her trade? So you wish to grow up to be a store clerk? Or does your father simply wish you to grow up to be a store clerk?" He didn't hold a single ounce of judgement in his voice. A store clerk position would bring in money, and that was what mattered. As for the other option, that was something he himself had to deal with. His father and mother had wanted him to go into medicine, or perhaps into the Sailors Guild back in Zeltiva. Confessing that he had decided to become a harlot would come across as an interesting surprise, he was sure.