[I apologize beforehand, for this enormous post!]

Julianne watched him with a slightly tilted head, her dark brown eyes gazing at him. He seemed hesitant to reach out and grab the cloth, and at first she was about to just tell him to grab it until his hand finally began to stretch out across the table to the white cloth. She cleared her throat and found herself slowly turning around to leave after he sat there in silence. What had she been expecting from him? Perhaps at least some kind of speech, one little word perhaps, but she got nothing. When she was about to take her first step away, she suddenly heard a soft voice. Right hand reaching up, she brushed the thick brown strands of hair from her face and turned to look at him once more.

The cloth was completely stained and was probably soaking wet to the touch. Julianne simply shook her head. "There is no need to thank me, Sir. I just beat some other person to helping you out." She paused, moving a little closer and gazing at the cut. "As for your slash, my friend, it is a rather nasty slash you have." He began to stand up, and she jerked her head backwards so he didn't bump into her. But then he began to fall backwards. Reacting quickly, she slid underneath his body with her knees, her hands reaching out quickly and wrapping underneath his arms and around the front of his shoulders.

She shook her head violent to get the hair back from her vision, a puff of air being blown upwards by curling her lower lip out. "Merlin!" Julianne called out to the bartender, who immediately popped out from the backroom. "I need some help to get this guy on over to the healer and brought back here for the night." He grumbled a bit, and she snapped at him to hush his mouth; she would pay him for his troubles. She got another man who was standing by to help Merlin carry him out the door and into the streets. The sun had set, of course, and the temperature had dropped a bit, so it was chilly. The healer's house was only a couple minutes away.

The man's body was rested on what appeared to be a bed, the cut along his eye being cleaned and wiped clear of blood. It was still going to bleed a bit, so he thought best if he put some very thin thread in and stitch it up. He could come back in a couple days after it had begun to close and get the thread out of his skin. Then some white bandages were wrapped around his head, covering that eye up, and along with some herbs that would help him sleep, they were off again in only a couple hours. Julianne bought a room that the man could sleep in.

"Merlin, I'll need some tea and some food for this man when he wakes up. Think you could work on that special you were speaking of earlier? You will be paid every cent you have earned." She added gently, and he sighed before leaving with the other man. Julianne pulled the shoes off of the man's form and pulled the blanket over his body. She dared not remove anything else for fear if the man woke up, he might throw a fit. While the food and tea was being prepared, she went down to her table to get the bag she carried with her. Mostly just useless things were in there, but alas, something that would keep her entertained. A book. Sitting down in a chair across the room from the bed, she opened it, and began to read.

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All that I'm after is a life full of laughter.