Astien hummed and put down his teacup. "Yes, thank you." He sat back in his chair and places his hands atop his belly, rubbing it slowly. "Oh, you've been getting so heavy. My back hurts." He grabbed a hankie and sneezed into it. He sniffled.
"Riding bare-back probably doesn't help," Cormac said as he scanned the book and rubbed his knee with his other hand. They were sore from his days of scrubbing floors and nights of dancing. He glanced at Astien. "Next time you get sick, don't push yourself." He returned his eyes to the book, blinking back a few tears. "It'll only get worse if you do."
Astien noticed Cormac tearing up. "What's wrong? Is that a sad book?"
"No, it's just... My mom pushed herself and... I just don't want it to happen again." Cormac held up the book. "This is a book on medicinal herbal remedies anyway."
Astien was silent for a moment. ""I see. I have more people I have to see, but... Oh boy. What to do." He sighed, and hefted himself out of his chair with a grunt. He sat on his bed. "I have so many more patients... I can't just abandon them." He laid back. "I guess I'll just have to send them letters saying I can't a
See them." He thought for a moment. "You're lucky your parents loves you."
"You can see them tomorrow if you're well enough, I suppose." Cormac blinked. "What do you mean by 'parents'?"
"Your parents. They loved you." He looked away. "Mine didn't."
"Oh," Cormac said. "That's... well... I'm sorry." He rubbed his neck as an awkward silence fell over the room.
Astien clenched his eyes shut. "I can't forget... The screams."
"Hey," Cormac said gently. "It's in the past. I mean just because they treated you horribly, doesn't mean you'll do the same. I mean, you've done a pretty a decent job with me... I was just a street rat when we met."
"It goes beyond that, Cormac. But you're right. It's the past." He looked at Cormac. "Who were you talking with, by the way?"
"Ah...Somebody I've been working with for the past week or so. One of the house-keepers. I've been scrubbing floors at the inns around town." He sipped his tea. It was a half-truth. "He told me about this sandwich challenge at a bistro here in town. If we beat it there's a 500 piece prize." He recounted the details that Thorne had given him. "I figure we can give it a shot when we're on our way out of town."
Astien thought. "And by 'we' you mean me, don't you?"
Cormac nodded. "Pretty much. I can't eat much without getting sick. Are you up for it?"
Astien frowned. "And what makes you think I could do it?"
"You've eaten enough to feed several men on several occasions. It you don't want to do it, then it's fine. I can still scrub floors for a while longer."
Well, Cormac did have a point there. "Well, I suppose I could give it a shot. By the way, there was a fellow who came around to see you this morning. He was rather Inappropriately dressed for this weather."
Cormac had a point there. "Well, I suppose I could give it a shot. By the way, there was a fellow who came around looking for you this morning. He dressed rather inappropriately for this weather."
"Oh...Really?" Cormac rubbed his knee before taking another sip of his tea. "That's odd."
"Are your knees hurting you? Come here, let me see them."