Quest for the Awesome Knowledge Stone of Zapping [M] &&Jabba

[Stace]

Read the first part of this role play on Old VT! && @Jabbathejack

With an effort, Jansinisi pulled herself to her feet and tottered a few steps to pick up the parchment, quill and the bottle of ink to bring it to Bartise. She frowned as he gestured for her to hover, wanting nothing better than to sit the fuck back down, but even so, she weathered it without too much grumbling.

Fortunately, he actually seemed to be coming up with an idea, one that she hoped was half decent. Setting down the ink and the quill, Jan scanned the parchment list, frowning.

'Course I'm not going to fuck it up.' She muttered as she folded the parchment carefully. 'What kind of idiot do you take me for?'

'On second thoughts, don't you dare try and answer that question. I won't be long.'

Sure, she was tired as hell, but Jan was going to head to the closest she could and woe betide any bastard to try anything against her.

***

The afternoon sunshine was far too bright for Jansinisi, giving her a definite scowl as she made her way to the small market place near the house. It didn't take her too long to acquire the objects on Bartise's list, fortunately they weren't too outlandish. With only the eggs to collect, Jan found the stall that Bartise had mentioned, near the butcher's.

She could feel the shopkeeper's eyes on her, as if he were undressing her in his own fantasies and Jan could not help but grimace as she asked for the required number of eggs, plus a few more in case of breakages.

'New in town, miss?'
'Aye.' She replied curtly, trying to give the impression that she was in no mood for games. The shopkeeper, however, was having none of it.

'I could give you a discount, if you know what I mean?'

He reached out, his hand making a beeline for her breast. As soon as he made contact, Jan reacted, catching his wrist and twisting. She held him like that, almost at the point of breaking.

'A discount sounds lovely.' Smiling sweetly, she waited as he gibbered a reduced price. As she released him, she set the money down on the counter and took the eggs.
'Thank you so much.'

Turning on her heel, she walked away, leaving the shopkeeper clutching his arm and spitting curses at her back. A job well done.

Returning to Bartise, she fortunately managed to avoid his mother and set out the purchases ready for Bartise.

Bartise Fen

Bart held his tongue, knowing well that he was in no condition to fight Jan off if he were to actually voice his opinion of what kind of idiot she was... which was a lie to himself, because he had seen her bravery and skill in action right before his eyes already. It wasn't as though the word "idiot" really described her at all. And still, he felt he wasn't supposed to like her, so he maintained that of course, he did not like her, and so he took a nap and stopped thinking about it.

He woke up again to Jan in the room, though it seemed she was neither trying to wake him nor trying to be so quiet that she didn't. Blinking the sleep away, he managed to sit up, muscles still sore, but the stiffness a little more relieved.

"Was it any trouble?" he asked, more concerned that Jan had managed to bring back all of the required items moreso than he was that Jan hadn't been harassed. "What sort of eggs did you manage to find?" He rubbed his eyes and slowly moved his feet to the floor to get up and view the ingredients himself.

[Jabbathejack]

"Not at all." Jansinisi muttered as she collapsed back into the chair.

"Eggs, all right? Just eggs. See for yourself."

She growled irritably, waving dismissively at the basket that she had set down on the table. Tiredness was beginning to set root.

"This better bloody well work."

Not that she really trusted him with directly influencing her being, but if it worked as well as his magical ability, then they had a chance.

[Stace]

"It will work," he assured her without getting up. He looked her over, and for a moment, a flicker of concern crossed his expression. Swallowing, he turned his eyes to the floor and eased off the bed and then stretched carefully so as not to bother any of his sore spots.

Gaze focused on the basket, he slowly crossed the room to examine its contents. "You should rest while you have the chance." He dug through the basket, removing items and looking them over before setting them on the table. Bart looked at Jan over his shoulder. "Just get in the bed. You'll sleep better there. I'll have the potion done soon." He found a goblet and started cracking eggs and placing herbs in it. He added a healthy dose of water and then waved his hand over it with a quiet incantation. The elixir steamed harmlessly afterward,  and he found a second container to split it into before taking it to Jan. "As I said, it only works while you're sleeping, so the quicker you get comfortable, the better."

[Jabbathejack]

"Mmm." Jansinisi frowned up at Bartise irritably from her chair, looking as if the suggestion of moving was heinous indeed, even if it was for her own wellbeing.

Yet she did not have the energy to argue. Slowly and painfully, she eased herself up from the chair and headed over to the bed. Without loosening any of her clothing, Jan lowered herself to lie on the bed.

"So..." She frowned. "Am I meant to drink it before I sleep or something?"

[Stace]

"Precisely," said Bart. He sat on the bed gently, trying to hide the fact that his slow movement was only so tender because of the pain in his own body. He managed to keep his face clear of it, at least. Holding out the goblet for her to take, he looked over her condition once more. "The whole thing. It may tingle. And it will definitely taste bad." He shrugged. "But you should wake up refreshed and pain-free. I've made a glass for myself too if you need me to prove it's not poison."

[Jabbathejack]

Jansinisi frowned, but she ended up taking the goblet, peering down at the murky contents. It smelled horrible. She looked back up at Bart, but she knew that she wasn't about to demand that he drink from the goblet before she did. If he wanted her dead, then he'd had plenty of time to do it through all manner of weird and wonderful ways.

Grimacing, Jan brought the goblet to her lips and took a hefty swig, knocking it back in a single large gulp. The taste of it made her double over, fighting the urge to retch.

Coughing, she wiped her mouth with her sleeve as she set down the goblet on the table.

"You weren't joking." Jan muttered grimly. "That's probably the most horrible stuff I've ever had to drink in my entire life."

She fixed him with a look as she settled back down on the bed.
"It better bloody work."

Yet already, she could feel her vision wavering. Frowning, she blinked, struggling to focus...

[Stace]

Bart grimaced empathetically while he watched Jan gulp down the draught, though he tried to correct his expression to one a bit more supportive when she looked at him, his eyebrows lifting along with his chin while he tried to see whether she had really managed to empty the entire cup.

"If my magic stops working, I give you permission to kill me; I'll be useless," he said. It was a joke, yet it was sincere and gentle as he watched Jan's consciousness fading. He supposed he should be meeting the same fate soon. He stayed by her side until she fell asleep entirely, and when he was sure she had passed out, his eyes moved to the empty spot in the bed, and he considered whether Jan would kill him anyway whenever she woke up to find him in bed with her.

Moving his eyes to the chair, he figured he would sleep just as well there, so he stood and moved to the armchair before downing his drink in much the same way Jansinisi had done, followed with a cough and a lot of moisture left on his lips. After wiping his mouth, he set the cup aside and settled into the chair, prepared for a deep sleep.

[Jabbathejack]

"... Sharing a room of all things."
"Yes, dear, but..."
"It's not right, I tell you."

Jansinisi groaned faintly, rolling over in the bed. Sunlight was streaming in from the bedroom window and she grimaced, moving her hand in the way to shield her eyes.

She could hear Bartise's parents, talking in the corridor. She didn't want to face the constant judgement, but frankly, she found that she no longer cared what they thought of her. Sighing, she sat up.

Strangely enough, she actually felt quite refreshed. The potion, grim as it had been, had actually worked.

She looked up and saw Bartise, slumped in the chair. It was surprising that he had let her have the bed, considering they were in his own room. Leaving him to rest, Jan climbed out of bed and stretched, straightening her doublet.