Drazaria stumbled in surprise - just a half step - at being called out by one of the Guardian’s friends.

It was enough of a mistake for the teen girl to take advantage, swinging her staff into his arm.

The sorcerer heard the crack as his humerus bone broke and hissed in a breath through his teeth - it just had to be his half-paralyzed arm, too.

Judging by the way Kendra’s eyes widened, she heard it too. And judging by the mild horror, it was the first time she’d managed to break someone’s bone - though not the last if she kept up all the fighting she did.

Drazaria sent her skidding back with a kick to her torso, her armor dulling most of the impact. He tried to send healing into his arm, but the partial paralysis was messing with his perception of the limb - and he couldn’t heal what he couldn’t see. At least, not well.

“I broke your arm,” Kendra said incredulously, getting back into a fighting stance.

“Congratulations, it’s a very exclusive club,” the sorcerer replied, rolling his eyes as he took a step back and assessed - was this a good enough excuse to retreat without Jax and the Companion present, or should he press on a bit more?

He was interrupted by the sudden appearance of Heline, with Owal wrapped in vines next to her. Nen jumped next to Kendra from another platform, getting into a fighting stance.

“Um, Owal can’t move,” Heline told him, taking up an uncertain stance next to Drazaria.

“… we’ll retreat for now,” the sorcerer replied, assuming the absence of Tedi meant the young wizard was not also joining the fight.

“Who says we’re going to let you?” Nen demanded.

“Nen,” Kendra warned softly but didn’t seem about to retreat.

“Go, I’ll follow,” Drazaria told Heline. He was pretty sure the woozhi teen was only really interested in fighting him, anyway.

“… okay,” she said, quickly moving to higher platforms.

“You will acknowledge us, Eyestealer,” Nen said, not even bothering to watch the retreating pair.

The sorcerer sighed, “Is that what this is about? The poor Guardian wannabes trying to prove their worth by getting the big bad sorcerer to try and kill them?”

Kendra bit her lip - nail on the head, and she knew it, apparently.

“I know my worth,” Nen replied icily, “And I’m going to use you to make sure everyone else knows, too.”

Drazaria snorted - reaching into his pocket and wrapping his hand around a swap stone, “Is that the sort of thing a guardian should say?”

“You’re not teleporting out of here!” Nen said, charging forward.

Drazaria glanced at Kendra, registered the conflict he’d been antagonizing on her face - then flung his swap stone onto a nearby higher platform and teleported.

“I said, you’re not-!” Nen started but cut off with a surprised yelp, followed by, “Ken, what are you-!”

The sorcerer didn’t stick around for the teen drama, jumping and teleporting his way out of the gorge. Heline and the paralyzed Owal were waiting at the top.

“Your arm-” the girl started.

“Later,” Drazaria replied, heading into the tree line.

Heline didn’t press, grabbing the coat sleeve of his good arm - his only coat sleeve, actually - to be pulled along by his enhanced walking speed.

Vasskr was at his base that night.

“Has the paralysis worn off?” he asked without preamble, a healer’s kit under one arm.

“Of Owal,” Drazaria replied, scowling at his own useless arm - it happened that way, sometimes. Reduced effects of an enchantment lasting longer.

“Let me set your arm, then,” Vasskr replied - in his very ‘I’m not asking’ tone.

So he’s still pissed about the pocket dimension, the sorcerer thought as he rolled his eyes, but obediently laid down on his table - there was nothing else for it, really. He couldn’t let it start healing wrong on its own.

“Congratulations on possibly ruining a childhood friendship, by the way,” Vasskr said, gently feeling out the injury - he actually had healer training, after all.

“You can’t blame that on me,” Drazaria scoffed, wincing at the probing.

“No, I can’t,” his brother agreed with a sigh, digging something out of his bag, “Nen’s anger at not being chosen has only gotten worse since he went to train with his uncle.”

“The previous Guardian?” the sorcerer asked, “Explains how he got better so quick - and the armor.”

“The armor was a gift from the Royal Sorcerer,” Vasskr replied in stilted syllables like he didn’t want to mention the man at all.

“Of course it was,” Drazaria muttered.

“Bite this,” Vasskr said, holding a small piece of soft wood near his brother’s mouth.

The sorcerer sighed and complied - having bones set hurt.

“You’re lucky it’s a clean break,” Vasskr said, “And the paralysis is numbing the pain?”

Drazaria shrugged his good shoulder in response, then bit down with a muffled shout as his brother pulled the bone back into position.

Vasskr quickly pulled out splints and wrapped them around the set break, “If you’re not able to heal it by tomorrow, contact me.”

The sorcerer pulled the bite stick out of his mouth with his good hand, saying, “I’ll manage. Did you find that kid a teacher?”

“If by ‘that kid’, you mean Tedi, yes,” Vasskr replied, reordering his supplies, “Unfortunately, said teacher turned out to be after Swordheart - it’s been… difficult to find a trustworthy replacement.”

“Yeah, I can see that,” Drazaria sighed, sitting up carefully, “What about Trainer?”

“She passed that Role on to her daughter,” his brother replied, pulling out an arm sling, “Her name is Klamra.”

“Even better,” the sorcerer said, “She doesn’t have any real responsibilities to leave behind.”

“Except being a tribune,” Vasskr rolled his eyes, moving behind his brother to put the sling over his neck, “But I suppose asking won’t hurt - though you realize that makes things harder for you?”

“I’ll manage,” Drazaria repeated, letting the kradreen put his arm in the sling gently instead of doing so himself, “Besides, since I’m training Heline, it should balance out.”

“How is that going?” Vasskr asked, with a gleam of amusement as he stepped back around in front of his brother.

The sorcerer rolled his eyes, saying, “Fine. She wants to see if she can rediscover the way to create pure magic objects.”

The kradreen chuckled, “Very pragmatic.”

“Shut up,” Drazaria replied, knowing exactly what his brother was alluding to, “It wouldn’t have worked.”

Vasskr sighed, “You’re a better teacher than I am, Zawn.”

“There’s only one Role the Tribuni would have ever let me have, Vasskr,” the sorcerer replied, “And I wouldn’t have wanted yours, anyway.”

The kradreen sighed again, “Well, I suppose that bridge is well and truly burned by now, anyway. Do you want anything for the pain?”

“I’ll just go with the oldest method,” Drazaria replied, turning to slide off the table.

“You’re drinking?” Vasskr asked flatly, arching his right brows at the human.

“Might as well,” the sorcerer replied, and pointed to his arm in the sling, “I doubt this is going away before tomorrow.”

And it might get me some sympathy points with Ked, he thought to himself - he doubted it, but it never hurt to use every tool available while he had them.

Vasskr shook his head but didn’t comment as he moved to follow - stopping when something caught his eye.

Drazaria - hand on the door handle - paused to follow his gaze.

It was the little stuffed badger - set carefully on a higher shelf between some other odds and ends. The sorcerer had thought to hide it away somewhere but ultimately put it where he could see it whenever the mood struck him. Which was more often than he cared to admit if he was being honest.

“She said it went on a quest,” Vasskr said softly, “To find someone who needed it more.”

“… Heline brought it,” Drazaria replied awkwardly, reaching into the sling to scratch at his forearm.

“Then I suppose I should tell her the quest was successful?” the kradreen replied, looking to his brother questioningly.

“Do what you want,” the sorcerer replied, turning away and rushing out the door. 

When he arrived at the inn, it was busier than usual - with a whole party of woozhi around the most central hearth. The other guests - particularly the humans - were shuffled near the bar and the hearth near the left side of the main room.

Drazaria let his eyes roam the woozhi group and spotted a few wearing the same insignia - a jawless human skull with crystals through the top and poppies in its eyes. The symbol for the Unforgiving, a group dedicated to the idea of retaking the Basin and then wiping out humanity.

The sorcerer considered leaving for the night - he was down an arm, after all - but since he’d already been spotted, leaving now wouldn’t guarantee no one would come after him outside. He also didn’t spot Rot among them, which was the member most likely to start an altercation after what happened in the big villainous meetup.

So he decided to go to the bar as usual, though he chose the seat on the far side from the Unforgiving party.

“What happened to you?” Ked asked, one of his eyes never leaving the big group.

“Lost a fight,” Drazaria replied and offered a wane smile, “Thought I should look for some… comfort.”

The innkeep stared at him for a moment, then smiled in return and suddenly leaned close to say, “Well, I’ve been told I’m a great provider of comfort, so I’d say you’re in the right place.”

The sorcerer felt his face heat in sudden surprise at the… enthusiastic reply. He cleared his throat and managed to say, “Maybe an ale first?”

Ked chuckled and retrieved a pint, “You aren’t taking anything that alcohol could fuck up, are you?”

“I’m not taking anything,” Drazaria replied, accepting the pint and taking a drink.

“No wonder you’re looking for… comfort,” the woozhi replied and reached out with one of his hands - lightly brushing his knuckles against the sorcerer’s injured shoulder.

Drazaria choked on his drink, spitting some of it back into the mug as he slammed it back down on the counter in surprise. He coughed and hit his chest with his good hand, trying to compose himself.

Ked chuckled, taking a step back, “Too much?”

“N-no,” the sorcerer said, taking a steadying breath, “Just… surprised me.”

“As long as that’s all,” the innkeep replied slyly and asked, “Food today?”

“Please,” Drazaria replied, wondering what caused the sudden shift - Ked hadn’t seemed interested at all the last time he’d attempted flirting, and it hadn’t been that long.

As usual, Ked brought back a bowl of stew, still keeping an eye on the Unforgiving group, “Do you lose fights often?”

“Depends on who I’m fighting,” the sorcerer replied, glancing over to the group himself, “They come here often?”

“Fortunately not,” the innkeep replied, sighing - then added reassuringly, “They’re just as subject to the rules as everyone else.”

Drazaria shrugged his good shoulder and took a drink before replying, “Well, can’t blame them for being angry - I just wish I wasn’t a target.”

Ked snorted, “Lots of people want the Basin’s power - I suppose there are worse reasons than revenge.”

The sorcerer made a noncommittal hum of acknowledgment as he took a moment to eat, not wanting to give anything away on that note.

“So why Wren?” Ked asked, going about cleaning and organizing.

Drazaria snorted, “So you did talk to the Calabaams.”

“Hez is still sweet on you,” the innkeep replied, “You could have been their fourth.”

“Right,” the sorcerer rolled his eyes - but it made sense to him now. Ked knew he’d been with woozhi before, and so didn’t doubt his interest anymore. He added, “Well, I thought a simple, human-sounding name would make me stand out less than Zawn.”

“Oh, I doubt there’s much you could do not to stand out,” the innkeep said, slowly reaching forward to let a small section of Drazaria’s hair run through his fingers, “Not with your looks.”

The sorcerer forced himself not to pull away - he wasn’t used to causal contact in general, and he didn’t… hate Ked touching him, but it was still… uncomfortable. He offered a smile to belay this and leaned forward to convey interest as he said, “My hair was shorter then.”

“Well, that changes things entirely,” Ked replied sarcastically, letting the hair slip out of his grasp and adding, “But since you grew up in Oralie…”

“I grew up in a Frontier village before I went to Oralie,” Drazaria answered the implied question, “Another kid was named Kite, so I figured birds would work.”

“A logical enough conclusion,” the innkeep said, “You seem to have led quite a storied life, Zawn.”

“That’s one way of putting it,” the sorcerer agreed.