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| Details |
| Author: | Aly |
| Summary: | Lathrik fails to show up to work on time, causing his concerned friends to investigate. |
| Rating: | M for Mature 17+ |
The house of Lathrik Dinnsfield stood small and foreboding, a darkened lantern dead to the world. It stood in the way of a street in Old Town, blocking any attempts to continue on. Its shutters sagged, its windows were cracked, the paint peeled and flaked, and the roof was coming apart. The finality of such a worn, tired house put the end in dead end.
Under normal circumstances, the house should be empty from early morning to early evening, but the hour was pushing on noon when two men approached, dressed in the armor of Stormwind guardsmen. One, a man with medium length brown hair, a short beard and mustache, and a wrinkled Stormwind tabard, knocked on the door. This man was known as Reniya Hartrim, one of two close friends to the apparently missing Lathrik. The other man, whose hair was dark, long, and pulled into a loose tail, went by Joelle Ebek, with the J making more of a Y sound. He was clean shaven, and his tabard was not wrinkled in the slightest.
“Oi,” called Reniya, when the knocking didn’t work. “Lathrik? You in there, mate?” He knocked harder.
Joelle stood aside, his face creased with concern, but he did not add to Reniya’s ruckus.
“Ain’t like him to no show on a shift,” Reniya informed Joelle, as if the other man didn’t already know.
“Is he on assignment?” asked the soft spoken Joelle. “Sometimes he gets them, like the one about the dog?”
“Naw, if he was, he wouldn’ta been scheduled for patrol. The uppers are good about that most times.” Reniya moved around the house to peer through a window. The darkness stared back at him. “D’you think he’s run?”
“To where?” Joelle asked. “Stormwind’s always been his home. And he seemed fine yesterday. Well… Fine for Lathrik.”
“Fine for Lathrik,” Reniya repeated with a nod. “Think he’s got a girl in there? I heard he was at the bar again last night.”
Joelle shook his head no. “They don’t stay long. You know how he is. He doesn’t…do anything with them.”
“Welp…” Reniya took a step back and appraised the tired old house again. “Maybe he’s dead?”
Panic crept over Joelle’s features. “Lathrik…is dead?”
“I’m jus’ saying it’s possible, you nor I’ve known him to be this tardy when it came to… Elle? What’re you doing?”
Joelle has taken several paces away, and turned to face the door again. Voice raised in panic, the formerly soft spoken man shouted, charging down the door that stood in his way, “Lathrik?!”
The old, creaky door, barely hanging on by its hinges, stood no chance against the young man’s lunging force, and with a snap, it tore free from the door frame.
“Oi, Elle? Maybe, I said! Maybe he’s dead! ‘Twas was only a guess!” Reniya rushed after Joelle, leaping over the poor, defeated door. “Sorry, mate,” he mumbled to it on the way by.
Lathrik’s house had only two rooms. A living room that doubled as a kitchen, and a long, rectangular bedroom appended on the left side, which doubled as a bathroom. Joelle wasted no time in the living room, moving straight into the bedroom where he stopped, quite suddenly, in front of the bed.
“Lathrik?” Reniya peered around Joelle’s back, only to see why the other man had come to such a halt.
Lathrik was in bed, the covers pulled only to his mid-chest, revealing the white undershirt he wore beneath. Despite all the noise and commotion, he showed no signs of waking.
“Wait… is he actually dead?” Reniya asked.
Joelle turned to the other man, pleadingly. “I didn’t check. I am…afraid.”
Reniya sighed and gave him a thump on the back. “We’re not going to know for sure, ‘less we check. Here, I’ll do it.” He sidled up to the head of the bed, and at first, he didn’t check either. Whatever thoughts he was having locked him in place, staring down at Lathrik’s taut face. Finally, after a deep, preparatory breath, he pressed two fingers against Lathrik’s neck, feeling for the carotid artery. “Light, but he’s a cold ‘un.”
“So he’s dead?” Joelle asked, his voice nearly a whimper.
“Now, now, Elle, I didn’t say that,” Reniya said, shaking his head. “No, I can feel his heart beatin’, and he’s breathing to boot. Jus’ needs a good shake or somethin’.” So shake him Reniya did, calling his name all the while.
But Lathrik didn’t wake.
“Should we call a healer?” Joelle asked, still on the verge of panic.
“Naw, Elle, it’s not that serious. Just needs some water, is all. Could you fetch some for us? I’ll keep watch in case he wakes, meantime.”
“But Ren, what if…”
“Water, Elle. It’ll be alright.” Reniya gave the brightest, most assuring smile he could muster. “There’s a well not so far, as ol’ Lathrik hasn’t got plumbing of a sort.”
Reniya took a seat on the edge of the bed after Joelle left, once again gazing down at the face of his friend. “Lathrik, mate, what’s ailin’ you? This ain’t like you at all. Sure you’ve always been a bit odd out of work, but now it’s workin’ hours and Pennings is going to have your hide.” He gave Lathrik’s cheek a firm pat, but the sleeping man still didn’t stir. “Should we be calling a healer after all? I know you don’t trust the priestly sorts, but I dunno where we’re going to get a druid on such short notice.” A pause. “I’d do it, though. If it’s for you, I’d sail clear to Teldrassil for one, Pennings be damned. Just… please wake up, mate, I don’t know how much longer I can keep Elle contained. He’s going to lose it if we can’t get you up.”
Joelle returned in the shortest of orders, carrying a half-full bucket of water. The bottom half of his tabard was drenched, as were his boots, a byproduct of running full speed with a bucket of water.
“Oi, how many old ladies did you shove over on the way back?” Reniya asked, sizing him up. “Ah, never mind, bring it here.” He retrieves the bucket from Joelle, and, possibly influenced by his own growing panic, dumps the entire thing onto Lathrik’s bed.
A long, horrible moment passes before Lathrik’s eyes snap open. Before either man can stop him, he had grabbed and drawn his sword from beside his bed and lurched to his feet, pinning Reniya back against the wall at blade tip.
“Oi, oi, oi, Lathrik, this ain’t funny mate, wake up,” Reniya protested, pressing against the wall to escape the deadly sword.
Joelle stepped in quickly, halting any further progress with a firm hand against Lathrik’s chest. “Lathrik, it’s us. Your friends.”
The tip of the blade trembled, then lowered. “Elle. Ren,” Lathik acknowledged, taking a step back and sheathing the sword.
Reniya breathed a sigh of relief. “What’s the idea, mate, I nearly pissed myself!”
Lathrik shook the water from his hair. “What time is it?” His voice sounded hollow, almost lifeless, as he turned from them in search of his armor.
“What time? Well it’s got to be…past noon by now, you think, Elle?” Reniya sent a questioning glance at his companion.
“Fifteen past noon,” Joelle confirmed with a nod. “You slept the whole time? Are you unwell?”
“I’m fine,” Lathrik replied, strapping his breastplate on over his wet clothes.
“Don’t you need to dry first? You’ll catch a chill goin’ out like that, not to mention the…” Reniya was silenced by a glare from Lathrik.
“I said I’m fine.” Breastplate on, he moved on to his leg plates. “Pennings send you?”
“We would have come even without her say so,” Joelle said, the worry still plain on his face. “Are you sure you’re fit for duty? We could tell her you’re ill…”
“Couple’ve fusspots,” Lathrik muttered, scowling. “I’m going. Probably take a night shift to make up for this. Don’t wait up for me.”
When he was finished equipping his gear, he headed into the living room, skirting a couch that faced the fireplace. He spared a glance at the defeated front door, still resting where it had fallen, but made no comment, instead reaching into a basket of potions sitting on the coffee table. Mana potions, to be exact.
“Ain’t you going to tell us what happened, mate? We couldn’t wake you for anything,” Reniya said, following him, Joelle on his heels.
Lathrik gave the two men an accusing stare as water dripped down his face. “Seems to me you did just fine.” He uncorked the potion and tipped it back, draining the blue liquid within before tossing the empty vial into the fireplace. The vial shattered with a loud crash, and the broken glass joined thousands of other tiny pieces within.
Reniya lifted an eyebrow. “Oi, that ain’t water. What’re you guzzling mana potions for?”
“Don’t worry about it,” Lathrik replied, snagging his tabard off the back of the couch.
Reniya and Joelle exchanged looks.
“Sorry, but we’ll be joinin’ you on your extra shift,” Reniya said at last. “And for the day after, too. Got to keep an eye on you, case you go comatose on us again.”
“Suit yourselves,” Lathrik said, shrugging into his Stormwind tabard. “Don’t ye come crying to me when mornin’ rolls around.”
“I’m sorry about your door,” Joelle said, wearing a guilty expression.
“S’fine, there’s nothing worth stealin’ in here anyway.” Stepping over the fallen door, Lathrik paused just outside, straightening his posture and putting on a lazy smile. “Let me handle Pennings. I’ll come up with some excuse or other.” He took a breath. “For now, time to become the paladin everyone wants.”
And so the three men left the house at the end of the street, Joelle pausing to set the door back in place before hurrying after the others.