Coye 6.3

Chapter 3 - At His Side

Struggling against the part of herself that told her it wasn't her place, Dorothy approached Coye's bedside and pulled up one of the chairs to sit at his side. As she did, his vast, drugged-up eyes followed her every last move. That was intimidating enough, but it was only worse knowing it was just the two of them.

Coye was smiling wide and looking like a total dope. She wasn't sure if that was because of all the painkillers or if he was just that happy to see her, but Dorothy hoped it was the latter. Just looking at him made her unsure where to even begin. There were so many things to say, and while this wasn't the best place to express many of them, she couldn't stop these thoughts from rolling around in her mind.

As always, Dorothy was overthinking things. Luckily, Coye tactlessly barreled ahead without regard for her inner turmoil. By contrast, his thoughts were just waiting to stream like a river from his loosened lips.

"You know, Dorothy... I'm so glad everything turned out the way it did..."

She gave him a weak smile. "I'd be inclined to agree with you if you weren't sprawled out on Eschal's sickbed."

"Hey, I got the special quest done just like you asked..."

"You sure did," her smile became a little less weak.

"Guess I really saved the day, hehe... I beat the bad guy and told everyone not to mess with you ever again, so... problem solved, right?"

"I wish it was that simple," she laughed at his adorable innocence.

Coye puffed out his lips and pouted. "You're just being negative..."

"I'm not very good at being positive, it's true," Dorothy managed a chuckle. "But it's important to be realistic here. If I let myself rest easy and say this gold will solve all the Guild's problems, I'll just wind up in this position again later on down the road... no, Coye. This gold will help- and it'll help a lot- but I'm still going to have to address some of the Guild's structural problems if I want to make a difference."

"Oh yeah? Sounds to me like you're trying to do everything yourself again..." Coye narrowed his eyes at her with suspicion. "Did you forget we're in this together from now on? That's, like... what all of this was about..."

Dorothy blushed and started to nervously sweat. She flung her hands out in front of her chest and waved them, excusing herself. "No, no! That's, um... not what I meant, Coye! I learned my lesson. Really. I'm not going to be overworking myself from now on, I promise. I was just thinking out loud, is all."

"Really?" His eyes became even narrower.

"I don't think I have it in me to lie to you..." she admitted.

"Good," satisfied, Coye resumed his innocent smiling. "I was just worried I'd have to remind you again. We can't have that. I'm supposed to be the stupid one."

"Stupid?" Dorothy could only laugh in utter disbelief. "You don't really think that about yourself, do you? Coye... the way you fought today was nothing short of incredible. You had such clear, on-the-spot tactical thinking that I lose myself just thinking about it..." she stopped herself short of saying he fought like a hero lest she blurt out something embarrassing again.

"Nah," Coye shook his head. "I'm just lucky someone talked me into buying a bunch of crap I didn't need."

Dorothy smiled at the floor. "You didn't win because of Adventurer's First products, Coye. You won because you're you."

"I'll leave the toys at home next time, and then we can find out for sure..." he teased.

"Next time?" She felt what little remaining strength she still clung onto leaving her body. "Don't even joke about that. I'm with Suzette- I can't handle another fight like that anytime soon."

"Too bad... I'm going to have to keep getting stronger if I want to support you..."

"You've already done more than enough... far more... so much that I don't know how I'll ever make it up to you, honestly. It's thanks to you that I actually have a chance to fix everything-" Coye almost called her out then and there, but she hastily added, "Together, I mean! We'll fix everything together."

"Got any ideas on where to start?"

"A few," Dorothy confessed. "But I'm trying to keep my promise to you and not stress myself too much over it... if I had to pick one thing, though... I'd like to start with finding new receptionists to help Tammy out. As you said, I need to lessen my workload and try not to do everything myself, so... working the front desk is something I should do a lot less of."

"Awww..." Coye whined rather pitifully. "I mean, good on you for listening to me, but I like it when you're the one who sees me off..."

"Ah? Oh... ahaha..." Dorothy nervously twiddled her thumbs, struggling with the nervous smile his words gave her. "Funny you should say that. I, um, I like being the one who sees you off, too..."

An awkward silence passed between them as Coye merely smiled at her in approval of her honesty, and she tried her best to meet his gaze. Then, he spoke again.

"Still. You're right, it's a good idea... I'm probably not the best judge of good ideas, though. Having a bunch of weird thoughts right now..."

"Weird thoughts?" Dorothy blinked and tilted her head. "Anything you'd like to share?"

Without hesitation, Coye posited a question like it was a deep and philosophical query deeply affecting his soul. "How come Byng's ass is so fat, and her thighs are so thick when she's always running around hunting all the time...? I don't get it. I love it, but... like... how?"

Dorothy didn't expect anything of the sort and started laughing due to his seriousness. Then, her encyclopedic knowledge burst out from her lips.

"Actually," she said, the word foreshadowing an oncoming lecture. "Gengaggi are well-known for their exaggerated sexual proportions. This can manifest in many ways for any given individual, but across the species, they tend to have curvier proportions, and their bodies store fat to both survive in Grurguhrohk's devasting climate as well as to naturally appeal to orcish beauty standards, and-"

She paused when she realized how gratuitous her tangent was getting and how Coye could only openly gape at her. Like always, she'd let loose with Coye without meaning to. Dorothy could never help herself when it came to him. Especially not now.

"Yeah? That's really interesting..." Coye mindlessly appreciated the wisdom his drug mind would no doubt soon forget. "It's not the only weird thing I can't stop thinking about, though..."

"Is that so?"

"Mhmm. I know it's not the right time, but... part of me just keeps wondering what the deal is with us."

Dorothy found it challenging to breathe all of a sudden. It was like he'd sucked all the air out of the room, leaving her absolutely nothing.

"...Us? As in, um... us... us?" She stammered the words in light of the answer being obvious. Dorothy had to look away when he merely stared straight at her in response. "I suppose we're going to need to have a talk about that soon, aren't we...?"

"You sound scared."

"I am," Dorothy gulped and adjusted her glasses which threatened to fall off her nose at any second. "But... not in a bad way- at least, I think not? I've just... gods, I've never felt like this before, and I'm nervous, apprehensive, and terrified over the thought of 'us' as we are right now changing. Even if that change might be for the, um... the better."

Coye smiled at Dorothy, his hand sliding out from under the blanket as he reached for her. She gasped when she saw it. It was covered in thick bandages, and his arm was wrapped in a splint. Dorothy was glad she didn't have to see what might've been underneath his bandages, but instead of chastising him like she should've, she took his hand in hers and started immediately covering it in her sweat. She was thankful he couldn't feel how clammy she was.

"I understand, Dorothy. It's okay... I know how it is."

"You do...?"

"Sure. But you gotta remember that change is only scary before it happens. Once it does, it just becomes your new normal. Does that make sense...? I feel like I'm not making sense right now..."

She stared at him overly long before clutching his hand tighter. "No, it makes perfect sense. Are you speaking from experience?"

"You could say that."

The way he smiled at her so genuinely brought a laugh out of Dorothy. Soon enough, he chuckled with her for several moments before she helped his hand back under the blanket where he could rest peacefully. Once it was there, Coye let off a deep yawn, and she noticed he was having trouble keeping his eyes open.

"Are you all right, Coye?"

"I feel like whatever he put in me is starting to really get to me... getting really tired... you can get going now if you'd like."

"I'm fine," Dorothy shook her head and leaned closer to his bed. "I can stay as long as you need me to. Really."

"Don't kid yourself," Coye put his foot down firmly. "You need rest just as much as I do."

Having him point it out somehow made Dorothy feel a lot more exhausted. The day's events were still a convoluted mess in her mind, and she needed more time to process everything. Despite that, Coye was more important to her at the moment than her own concerns.

"I may be tired, but I don't want to leave you just yet..." Dorothy's cheeks were turning redder, and she scooted her chair a little closer. "I, um... I'm afraid I don't have a fluffy tail, but if there's anything I could do for you, then I'd do it in a heartbeat, I..." she paused, her blush becoming somehow even more noticeable. "I don't know where I was going with that. I'm sorry."

She was trying her hardest, but even Coye knew this poor girl was falling apart at the seams. Dorothy was thinking in circles, so he decided to take charge to try and stabilize her a bit more and get something out of it for himself.

"Pet my head," Coye commanded.

"Um, what?" She did her typical confused blink.

"You said you'd do anything, so comfort me." He gave her a smug smile.

"Oh. Okay, sure... I'll do that, then..." Dorothy reached out with her hand before she was cognizant of her actions, his voice compelling her into obedience. She became shy when she realized what she was doing, but said shyness did not overwrite her desire to do as she was told.

The second her hand made contact with Coye's silky blond locks, Dorothy wondered when exactly she started listening so closely to Coye. After their talk two days ago, it felt like she'd been doing just about anything he asked her. Her awareness of it only made it that much more curious. Dorothy wondered how it made her feel and why exactly being of use to Coye gave her such fulfillment.

The way she was petting his head absolutely crossed the line between Guild Mistress and adventurer, but as Coye closed his eyes and started to doze from her soothing touch, nothing could've made Dorothy feel more pleased.

Being here with him made her feel complete. Dorothy lost herself in his hair, smiling wider as more and more thoughts exited her stressed mind. Sleep threatened to consume her for a while, and in her tiredness, Dorothy wondered what it would be like to lay beside him. Painful, probably. It wasn't a bed big enough for two, and she'd have to shift him around to fit, which wouldn't bode well for all his wounds...

Some other time, perhaps. The embarrassing thought snapped Dorothy out of her peaceful trance. Dorothy didn't know if she had it in her to be so bold, but she wanted to find out... some other time, that is. Not now- not when Coye needed his rest, and she needed to clear her head.

Coye was now fully asleep. In sharp contrast to his fierce expression during his battle, he smiled idly as if in a daze. Dorothy didn't want to leave his side but knew it had to be done. She stood up from the bed and walked back to the door leading to Eschal's office before glancing over her shoulder one last time to give him another smile, emotions running wild within her like they never had before.

Eschal was sitting at his desk, still in the midst of updating Coye's paperwork with the details of his current treatment. "P-Soft Boy's condition remains stable, I take it?" He asked, his soft voice filling the eerie room with his presence.

"As stable as we could hope for," Dorothy told him, walking out in front of his desk and placing her hand atop the chair as if to pull it out. "May I?"

"Strictly speaking, you own the chair."

"The Association does," she corrected with an awkward laugh as she sat down. "But I suppose you have a point."

"Is there anything you'd like to tell me, or are you simply delaying the inevitable?"

Dorothy gulped and looked toward the exit to Eschal's office. "Is it that obvious?"

"Perhaps," he mused. "I don't fault you. Something tells me it's a jungle up there."

"Ahaha..." Dorothy didn't want to think about it, but he was right.

The moment she went upstairs, she'd get ambushed by an entire Guild's worth of people. Many would want to either apologize to her or push her aside to make their way down to see Coye. Having a quick talk with one of her few allies before facing this stressful scenario seemed a wise decision to Dorothy.

"Before you go, you may as well tell me how you're doing. I need to keep on top of your case- especially in light of everything that happened today."

"I'm not sure where I'd even begin," Dorothy sighed, her thoughts jumbling. "But what I am sure of is that the worst of it has passed."

"You're certain?"

"As much as I can be. I don't want to get my hopes up, but... I think there's a pretty good chance of things actually getting better around here pretty soon."

"Few things solve problems quite as efficiently as a large influx of gold," Eschal nodded, his beaked mask bobbing with his head. "As your humble employee, I'm pleased to hear things are looking up. As your healer, though, I won't lie and say that I'm not irrationally annoyed."

No stranger to Eschal's peculiarities, Dorothy was curious to know where he was going with this. "What do you mean? I'm, ah... not sure I follow?"

"Think of it from my perspective. I put in all that work during your anxiety attack and subsequent cardiac arrest, stabilizing your condition and balancing out your medications just right, only for my expertise to prove as effective as snake oil compared to the frightening yet illogical power of love."

"Love?!" Dorothy just about had another heart attack. She was close to understanding her feelings, sure, but having them so blatantly brought up embarrassed her greatly. "That's not- I- um... I must say that you're being fairly presumptuous, Eschal. I... er... how much do you even know about what happened today and yesterday, anyway?"

"P-Wavering Mind kept me up to date with your condition yesterday in case I needed to come and check on you. I was informed there was an extended discussion with P-Soft Boy, which gave you the strength to leave your bed this morning."

"Damn it, Tammy..." Dorothy suppressed the urge to bite her nail in frustration. "Okay, maybe that's true. But that doesn't mean I'm-"

"Dilated pupils. Redness of the cheeks. Sweaty palms. Shortness of breath. Evasive mannerisms brought on by increased self-consciousness and anxiety whenever the topic of P-Soft Boy is at hand. Need I remind you that you are in my domain-" Eschal looked up from his paperwork and interlocked his fingers, resting them on the desk. "And that my diagnosis is rarely wrong?"

The silence that followed after word was so painful, and Dorothy's face was so red she looked like she had a fever high enough to kill her several times over. "I... um... I don't believe this discussion is in the best interest of my health right now, Eschal..."

Eschal considered this and realized how much of a fool he'd been. His high intellect and odd behavior often exacerbated his occasional lack of bedside manners, as did his need to make his point in the most efficient method possible.

"Forgive me," he experienced a sudden wave of empathy and hung his head, his beak slamming into the desk below. "I didn't mean to pry. Or rather, I did. I just didn't mean for it to come off as such."

Dorothy laughed at his off-kilter apology and accepted it as it was, understanding his intentions. "You're fine, Eschal. I'll be alright."

"The only thing I was getting at is that for as much as I have a distaste for it, I begrudgingly admit there are few medicines stronger than love. Perhaps I'd feel better about it if it were a prescription I could freely fill, but I'm afraid my patients have to find that sweetest yet most bitter of medicines for themselves. Some never do. Others find it and lose it before they have the chance to take it. As your healer, I recommend not wasting any opportunity you're given."

"Ah..." Dorothy felt flustered at Eschal's roundabout advice, but it swirled around in her head like a maelstrom. "I see. Thank you. I'll keep that in mind, I suppose..." she looked away nervously, staring into the fire of one of his nearby candles with its flickering blue flame.

Even if she embraced it right then and there, Dorothy couldn't pursue her feelings until a few things were cleared up. First, there was everything Gloria had told her regarding Coye's father. Before starting any relationship with Coye, she wanted to come clean about all that so there'd be no false pretenses.

And then, as bad as it was, something ate at her conscience even more. Something painful to even think about. She wondered if Byng and Suzette had talked with him about the things she had in mind, but somehow, she doubted it. They'd just started their relationship with Coye and were in something of a honeymoon phase.

She was only thinking about it because she was just that negative.

Dorothy looked to Eschal, who could tell something was bothering her but held back from asking in case she wished to keep it to herself. Thankfully, she managed to broach the topic.

"Suppose..." she stopped- the words caught in her throat as her lips trembled and she shut her eyes. "Suppose that I did feel that way about Coye. Half-elves... they..."

Eschal could tell where this was going, and he held back nothing.

"Live for five hundred years before they must return to Sylvandiel's Goddess Tree to gain an extension. You know this. Not exactly mayfly territory, but still. I know I just said you should go for it, but the discrepancy between your time and his is not a minor one, and it does warrant consideration."

Dorothy nodded meekly and purged the thought from her head. She shouldn't have asked. She really shouldn't have asked. Now it was dominating her mind and threatening to overtake all the positive memories of what had happened that day.

"Here," Eschal produced a simple anti-anxiety potion from one of his pockets. "It's mild. Worry not. I had it on hand in case you needed it."

Dorothy looked over the bottle and gratefully took it, drinking the viscous purple contents without worrying over its side effects. It wasn't like she needed to work today, so down the hatch it went. It tasted like grapes and chicken noodle soup, making her wish it stayed far away from her hatch after all.

It did its job soon enough, though, and she could stop thinking about the unpleasant disparity between her and the object of her affection's respective lifespans, at least for the moment. Dorothy let out a long sigh and handed him back the bottle.

"Thank you, I needed that..."

"Of course. If you're still worried about the crowd upstairs, there are more beds should you need one."

The medicine helped her feel better about what awaited her in the lounge, but not by much. She and Eschal had always been on friendly terms- even during her five years as the Assistant Guild Mistress. They weren't exactly close due to Eschal's off-putting demeanor at times, but he'd always proved a vital confidant when she needed one. He, Tammy, and Coye were all she had.

Remembering Coye's insistence that she accept help from others whenever she could get it, Dorothy decided to vent some more of her frustrations before heading upstairs. "I'm still scared of going up there. I don't know how I'm going to handle it. Tammy told you about everything that happened today, right?"

"Indeed. She had quite a lot to share."

"No doubt..." Dorothy sighed before shaking her head and ridding her mind of Tammy embellishing this or that. "The thing I'm most troubled about is that Coye, um... may have essentially salvaged my reputation, and if that's really the case, and if a bunch of my adventurers and employees suddenly feel bad about the way they treated me..."

"Would that be some sort of problem?"

"Yes, because I... what am I supposed to do? What am I supposed to say? Am I supposed to just forgive them?" Dorothy's emotions were reaching new heights. Now that she was venting, her frustrations came to the forefront and burst out of her. "Many of them made my life a living hell, and I don't mean that lightly... I... I don't know if I can turn a blind eye to everything they put me through and start acting friendly toward them. I already did that, and... gods, so many of them just shit all over me and my good intentions..."

Under the table, Dorothy's hands were clenched into tight fists. Her lip was trembling, and tears threatened to stream down her face as she thought about her relationship with everyone in the Guild she tried so hard to connect with.

"Are you saying that you harbor resentment for these individuals?"

"No-" Dorothy insisted, only to double back after questioning herself. "Well... maybe? There are only a handful who really, really made life hard, but the rest of them still showed casual disrespect, made fun of me to my face and behind my back, and so on. Am I really supposed to forget all that and happily accept that at least they won't do it anymore...?"

Eschal was many things. He was a man of good intentions, questionable interests, and scientific reason. One thing he wasn't was a therapist.

Dorothy's current problems weren't within his wheelhouse to treat. Many Guilds had a counselor for traumatized adventurers or troubled staff, but Cransmere wasn't one of them, and no one would mistake Eschal for the role. That said, Dorothy Whittle was someone he looked after for eight years. He still vividly recalled the physical examination he'd given her on her first day. Like many before her, she screamed in panic after looking upon his countenance. What made her special was that she was one of the few to apologize afterward.

She was a good person, and Eschal would play the advisor role if Dorothy needed it.

"Forgive, but don't forget."

"Excuse me?"

"That's what I would do were I in your unenviable shoes. Remain polite and cordial, yet stern. Give them a chance to earn your forgiveness, but make sure it's clear it won't be freely given. Do that, and you'll navigate the situation with the utmost dignity."

Dorothy went quiet as she considered his advice. As per Eschal's norm, it was reasonable, rational, and sensible. A funny idea came to mind, and she couldn't hold back laughing a little.

"What?" He scratched at his beak. "Did I say something humorous?"

"No, not at all. Your advice makes a lot of sense, actually. It's just... I don't know. Maybe you should try running the bar sometime? You could probably teach Norman a thing or two about listening to people's problems, Eschal."

Eschal's expression was hard to read as ever, but Dorothy could've sworn she saw the corners of his mysterious eyes crinkle into a smile hidden behind his long, willowy black bangs. "P-Milquetoast may be underwhelming in many respects, but I'm afraid he's far more suited to serving drinks than a monster such as myself."

"You're not a monster," Dorothy laughed.

"No? I suppose I'm not trying hard enough, then." He shrugged. "Regardless, I'm a healer. I'd be more inclined to cut people off than to let them keep drinking past the point of responsibility."

"I suppose that's fair..." Dorothy smiled politely, but then they both heard Coye lightly groaning from the other room, and her expression changed to concerned.

Eschal dismissed it with a wave of his corpse-like hand as he rose from his seat. "Worry not. This was expected. All it means is that it's time for me to go and apply a few other follow-up ointments to P-Soft Boy. Try not to worry about him anymore today."

Dorothy stood up and smiled crookedly at the ground. "I can't promise Coye won't be on my mind..."

"No, likely not," he agreed before making his way to one of the many shelves in the room and seemingly grabbing any random bottles of strange and expensive tinctures he could get his hands on. Eschal then disappeared into the other room, leaving Dorothy on her own again.

She trusted Eschal fully with Coye's care. He was the most reliable healer she'd ever known- much more reliable than most of the adventurers in her roster who knew how to heal, anyway. It's not like any of them came rushing to help Coye, after all.

Dorothy idled about in Eschal's office in front of the door, steadying herself for whatever came next. She hoped Tammy wasn't having too much trouble right now, which soon reminded her that Suzette was taking care of the front desk yesterday, and she'd never even known. Knowing that her infirmity made a near stranger go so far out of her way for Dorothy's sake only made her feel guilty in retrospect. Guilty and thankful. It wasn't just Suzette, either. Byng was incredibly kind and supportive today, as well.

Dorothy wasn't used to people doing so much for her, but she was growing fond of those two in particular. The idea of having friends beyond Tammy was born to Dorothy, but it gave her the courage to make the plunge and head back upstairs, knowing that she had more allies than she used to.

It was good that Eschal gave her that anti-anxiety potion because Dorothy needed it the second she left his office.

Britni was waiting for her at the base of the stone stairwell, looking tense with her arms crossed and her brows furrowed. Coco was faithfully at her feet as ever, now chewing a fresh bone. It was no match for her mighty fangs, and it snapped clean in half with a loud 'CRACK' as soon as she saw Dorothy.