Myra looked at him, puzzled, as Aleister locked the door behind him. "How am I supposed to help you?"

"I need you to think of more questions to ask him," he said in a hushed voice. "Although I said it could be a bruise, I don't think it would have reached this stage in only a few days."

"Oh," she nodded her head, "I have only dealt with minor injuries a few times, but I do remember a few more uncommon symptoms."

"Perfect," Aleister said as he got on his knee and started to cut down some of the firewood he received.

"Am I going to die?" the boy asked. Both of his hands pushed down on the bedside desk that propped him up. By now, it wasn't just his right leg, but his left leg also wobbled.

"Yes, this wood right here is for your funeral."

Myra looked at him with widened eyes but said nothing, even though it was obvious she didn't approve of what he said.

The boy did smile though, which was the reaction he did want to see. "Unfortunately, it won't be held for a couple hundred years." He walked over and tied the long planks of wood around his leg. As he did this, he examined the rest of his body for any other visible rashes or bruises. "This won't be the most comfortable thing, but this is to prevent you from bending your knee. We don't want you to agitate your knees and worsen the condition."

"What's wrong with me?" the boy asked as he lay down in bed.

"That's what I'm supposed to ask you," Aleister said. "Oh, and what was your name again?"

"Elemmir."

"Quite high elven of a name."

"My father is a sun elf."

"That actually makes a lot of sense," Aleister said, tightening the rope.

The boy slammed his hand down against his bed in pain.

"What does the pain feel like?" Myra asked. "Is it dull? Sharp?"

"I don't know, it just feels tight."

Myra nodded and with pleasant voice, asked, "Have you been anywhere you haven't supposed to have been?"

"Have I been anywhere I have not been? Of course I have not," the boy said, his voice pitched higher.

Aleister rolled his eyes. "If you're going to lie straight to our faces, please, try harder."

"What makes you think that I am lying?" the boy asked, eyebrows scrunched.

"It's so obvious that I'm not even going to bother to entertain you with an answer, just tell us if you've been anywhere you know your mom wouldn't allow you to go."

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"Especially any place that might include street performances or illegal gambling," Myra added.

"I see you had the same idea too." Her words affirmed his suspicions.

"Every couple of days," Elemmir spoke after letting out a sigh, "There is this underground casino I visit after class instead hanging out with my friends. I tell them I have to work, which is true, as I am a card dealer or server for the guests that visit."

"What is its name, how do you get there, and how did you even find such a place, let alone get hired to work there in the first place?" Aleister asked each question right after the other.

"It goes by the name of—The Curtain. I mentioned to my mom that I wanted to work and she approved. This allowed me to use up the time I wasted and earn some pocket change instead. I went to apply to work as a server at the Whiskered Tavern, but when I arrived at the job board, someone noticed my actions and asked if I would like to work at the other place instead for double the pay," Elemmir said.

"Some unknown person offered you a job at like, such a suspicious place and you accepted it?" Myra asked, bewildered by his actions.

"I didn't just accept it without asking some questions," he tried to clarify, "But the pay was simply too good to pass up."

"Still, an unofficial job offer didn't make you back off immediately?" She still couldn't understand his actions.

Aleister wouldn't have accepted such a suspicious offer either, but he had his suspicions. "This someone, would it happen to have been someone you knew?"

His question caught Elemmir off guard. "Yes, but, I'm not too familiar with them."

"Classmate?"

After a few moments of hesitation, he said, "Perhaps."

"Would you have liked to know them more?"

"Where are you going with this?" Elemmir asked as he started to become agitated.

Aleister grew a wry smile. "And are you attracted to this possible classmate of yours?"

Elemmir looked down at his feet and said nothing, but his expression wrote the answer as clear as day on his face.

Aleister shrugged. "Don't worry, I don't care about your love life. Just tell me where the casino is and how to get there."

"It's located inside a special building within the sewers," he answered.

"Sewer plague," Myra said, voice relived.

"Were you bitten by a rat?" Aleister asked.

Elemmir scratched his face, even more embarrassed than earlier. "Perhaps."

"Where?"

He pointed to his ankle. Aleister crouched down and only noticed the small puncture after Elemmir showed him.

Aleister let out an annoyed groan. "And you didn't think of mentioning this to us sooner?"

"I actually forgot about it until just now too."

"All of my effort wasted," Aleister complained as he opened the door. "You can continue to suffer a bit more."

"Is everything alright?" Phisvaelte asked, stopping her prayer, as Aleister and Myra walked in.

"Yeah, he just has a common sewer plague," he said with a yawn.

She let out a sigh of relief. "But, how did he even manage to catch it?"

"Something, something, stuff happened and now he works in an underground casino," Aleister said, brushing over all the details. "If you want to know more, ask him for the rest of the details. Also, you don't worry about the costs or anything, I'll bring someone in to take care of it tomorrow so at least you can rest well tonight that he'll be all better soon enough."

"Thank you," she said.

"Not a problem," Aleister said before the two of them left her residence.

"You have enough money to cover the costs of hiring a priest that can heal him?"

Aleister chuckled. "Of course I don't. I have interacted with a one before, so I can ask her if she will do a favour for me. And if not, I'll just ask Luo Yun to hire one for me."

"Like, I can't even believe that you're shameless enough to ask him for stuff so many times."

"What do you mean, this is only the second time I'm even asking him to do something for me," Aleister said. "Besides, it's a mutual relationship, it's not like I'm not giving him anything in return."

"Fine," she said.

"Glad to know you've come around to see the light."