the whispers from the storefronts

Samuel

I never loved nobody fully

This visit would be unexpected. He had picked up his supplies a week ago and wasn't due back for another two, but Samuel had come to a point where his duty required him to face uncomfortable personal matters. The search for Sunjata was stifled, desperate for any kind of valid information; he had no proof Nate was involved, but he knew the Doctor had his fingers in all kinds of pies - and that he was unlikely to turn away someone in need, which the Arbiter's son surely would be had he just left home.

That, and he'd heard the clinic often harboured a information broker that could be useful, but finding actual information on that man had proven difficult.

Gently spitting rain pricked his face with cold little shocks as he stood outside the door, preparing himself to knock. It seemed conversations between him and Nate always became hostile. Maybe it was natural, the obvious relationship between an Enforcer (or close enough, anyway) and a criminal.

He knocked on the clinic door, glancing side to side to see if anyone was there to hear and look - no, he'd chosen the right hour. Early, likely when the Doctor was asleep, but that couldn't be helped. He'd knock until he was answered.

Always one foot on the ground

NATE

Let it flood, let it flood, let it wash away

Funnily enough, it is not the urgent knocking at his door that wakes Nate up, but rather the irate steps of the neighbour above him as she dropped out of bed and stalked towards her window. The lack of any shouting after she reached it was unusual, meant trouble, and that’s what woke him, his tired mind struggling to catch up with his feet finding their way under him and answering the summons.

“Whatcha need?” The words yawn out of the doctor as the door opens, his fingers still hooked around the upper edge. Sleep slows his mind, has him blinking once, twice at the man across from him before an obvious grin tugs at his cheeks, making his eyes crinkle at the corners. “I knew it!” Without giving the other man a chance to protest a hand reaches out and drags him inside, the door snapping closed behind him.

“Need a refill already? I had you pegged as a tweaker.” A somewhat manic laugh punctuates the words while Nate finds a light switch, an unnatural buzzing glow filling the empty waiting room. It is not a place natural light has ever seen, and yet it still manages to feel extra uncomfortable with the extra padding from the late hour.

The sickly glow mines the shadows of Nate’s face, making them darker and harsher than they’d looked in the shadows. With the season, it’s impossible to tell if it’s sweat or simply damp that makes his skin shine, the doctor’s head cocking. “I am going to need to hear the magic word before I help you though. Just this once.” He lies eagerly, that grin still obvious in his voice, even if it’s dropped from his eyes.

And as you stumble through your last crusade

Samuel

I never loved nobody fully

Sam was prepared for all kinds of hostility and insults when Nate answered the door; the grin was somehow much more disturbing than any of those could be. He blinked, confused and unguarded when he was dragged in, quickly pulling his hand away with an annoyed cough once he was inside (and subtly, wiped his hand on the back of his coat. You never knew with this part of the Drench).

Finding the reason for the grin, knowing he was labelled as a 'tweaker'...he was so appalled he almost walked out without saying another word, but duty kept him in the room, standing pillar-straight and with eyes burning into Nate's. "How dare you. I am not here for more painkillers - I maintain a reasonable schedule of doses with no trouble. You will never, never find me here to beg you for more."

Maybe it wasn't a good idea to be so harsh with Nate, the provider of his pain relief, but the accusation stung, hitting a bit too close to his own insecurities.

"I am here to speak with you about another matter entirely, actually." Sam looked about the room, glanced at the door at the back of the clinic, as if expecting to see Sunjata stood right there. "I've been lead to believe you may know something about the Arbiter's missing son."

Always one foot on the ground