The apothecary sweeps his clutter from the counter in quick, practiced motions, making a small clean island in the wrecked shop. He sets the uncapped inhaler beside the boy and takes the vial with careful fingers.
The Old Apothecary
Step back a little, Bluze. He feels every body in the room. Let me give the boy room to breathe.
Bluze shifts away from the counter. The boy stays tucked near the light, watching the old man with tired, hopeful eyes.
Jory
He knows what he is doing. That matters.
The apothecary tilts the vial toward the inhaler, measuring the amount like it is precious water. His shoulders ease a fraction as the first hard edge leaves his face.
The Old Apothecary
That vial is ugly work. Whoever made it wanted control, not cure. Still, it can be turned if the body has fight left in it.
He glances up at Bluze, then back to the boy, his voice softer now than before.
The Old Apothecary
You hauled him this far and did not ask what it cost. That is rare. Stay where you are, keep him calm, and we will see what survives the night.
“I do not keave the boy's side, he feels safer when I'm near”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -3)
Bluze stays where he is, close enough to watch the boy’s breathing and far enough not to crowd the apothecary’s hands. The old man works on, and the room settles around that choice.
Jory
He stayed.
The boy’s shoulders loosen a little at that, and he leans subtly toward Bluze’s presence instead of the counter. The apothecary notices, but keeps his eyes on the treatment.
The Old Apothecary
Good. He needs steady air, not more staring from strangers. You can do that much for him.
Bluze’s nearness keeps the boy calm, but the giant frame brushes a stack of jars at the edge of the cleared counter. One glass lid skitters free and cracks on the floor, sharp in the quiet.
The Old Apothecary
Careful, all of you...
The apothecary pauses with the inhaler in hand, then softens again when the boy does not flinch. He sets the broken piece aside and resumes with slower fingers.
The Old Apothecary
You do not need to explain yourself to me yet, Bluze. Just keep that steady wall of yours near him while I finish.
✓ Quest Accepted
Trust the apothecary with the treatment
“I gently rest a massive hand on the boy's shoulder to keep him calm”
SUCCESS (Legendary Willpower, rolled -1)
Bluze lowers one massive hand to the boy’s shoulder, slow enough to telegraph the touch before it lands. The boy eases under it, breathing with less hitch in his chest.
The Old Apothecary
Good. Hold still like that.
The old man glances up once, sees the steady contact, then looks back down to the counter. His fingers keep working, but his shoulders lose a little of their hard edge.
Jory
That helps.
The boy tilts into Bluze’s palm without taking his eyes off the apothecary’s hands. A cracked glass lid lies by the counter leg, glittering where it fell.
The Old Apothecary
You keep doing that, and he will listen to you better than he listens to me.
He pauses, then finally wets his lips and adds, quieter, "I do not like touching frightened children. I like them breathing."
Quest Complete
Trust the apothecary with the treatment