Cromwell may have been built big - well over six feet tall with a broad chest and the body of a Norse God - but he was very careful in his nature. A gentle giant, if you will. His heart was very pure for who he was. He was careful as he approached Chris, speaking softly, "Please, don't be alarmed. I promise I'm friendly. I work for Hera. My name is Cromwell, I'm a medicine man. Tell me, can you see anything?"

Chris sighed, "Am I supposed to be able to?"

"Well, yes. The lights are on, so I'll assume you've lost your sight just like your mate. He's asleep right now, but he was awake earlier. He's fine... For the most part. If Heart's predictions are correct, you should regain your sight within a few days. You need the rest anyways."

"Thank you, very much. The others, are they alright? That General we brought back with us, did he survive?" He asked.

Cromwell glanced back at his brother. "Would you prefer to answer that?"

Covey smiled softly, "I'm quite alright, thank you. I owe you a great debt for what you did for me. I can see it in you, you have a good soul."

Good soul? That was a laugh, Chris thought. Aside from the mistakes he's made, he was also weighed down by the sins of his mate. No matter what much Kuza has tried to atone for his past, the fact remains that his soul must look like Hell.

"I- I'm not sure how to take that, but thanks, I guess. I wouldn't consider myself a good person. I just do what's capable of me." He said.

Covey laughed, "Well, that's an interesting way to put it."

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Time seemed to pass quickly and slowly all at the same time. When you couldn't see, when you were confined to a bed, it was hard to have much perception on anything. Just as Kuza had done earlier, Chris was only able to stay awake for a short period of time before needing rest again.

Eventually the Wiccan was fully recharged and able to leave. They remained on Hera grounds, of course, but where they went off to was a mystery to their caretaker. Cromwell wasn't one to question people. If they were healthy again, he had no say in what they did. Even his own brother, the second he was on his feet, he was off to go speak with whomever had the information he needed.

Deysa relieved the medicine man of his duties so he could go rest. While the pirate sat there, watching the injured sleep, he couldn't help from feeling upset. Those two, they frustrated him so damn much. What he wouldn't give to have someone to love, and they take it for granted! That phrase couldn't even describe it. They didn't just take it for granted, they resented it.

The clock ticked away while he thought over and over again. He had yet to see Devin, and that was on purpose. He knew she was here, but he couldn't bring himself to talk to her. Especially with her mate missing, it just felt wrong. He'd hoped being down here, in the quiet, would relieve his stress. Being alone with his thoughts only made things worse.

"Thank you, Deysa." Cromwell spoke as he reentered the room. He'd only slept a few hours, but that was enough for him. "You can go now."

"Okay. Let me know if you need anything else. I'm here to help." He flashed a joyous smile. When people say the saddest smile the biggest, that was the kind of smile they were referring to. It was transparent.

Before the situation could get anymore awkward, Deysa excused himself. It was comfortable in the dungeon, but no one was as at home here as Cromwell. He started to get to work quietly at his alchemy station, going over his usual routines. Not much time passed before he heard rustling behind him.

Kuza sat up in bed, running a hand through his hair. He started to stand up but barely got to his feet before someone was in front of him.

Cromwell raised an eyebrow at him. "Where exactly do you think you're going? You can't see."

"I can see enough." He grumbled, "I need to check on Devin."

"I'm sorry to break it to you, but it's the middle of the night and she's asleep. You're in no condition to be doing stairs either, and you don't even know where she is. Hera's headquarters are huge and confusing to navigate even when you can see." He gently set his hand on Kuza's shoulder. "She's okay. The Eclipse and the Wiccan is with her now. They're perfectly capable of taking care of her."

"I know they are, but... They just can't help her the way I can. Her and I, we have a way of speaking to each other that means more to us than anything anyone else can say."

"I understand, I do. My brother and I are the same way. No matter what comes between us, we can always speak straight into each other's heart. For now, though, it's in your best interest to rest. You can't take care of her if you can't even take care of yourself. Please, sit back down."

"Fine." Kuza sighed. He couldn't argue with logic. Especially when it came from a deep, calm, raspy voice like Cromwell's. There was something subtly sexy about him.

"Your shoulders are fully of knots. Would you mind if I massaged them out? It may hurt a little, considering how made it is." He chuckled.

"I don't mind. I'd appreciate it, actually."

Cromwell picked up one of the various oil bottles laying around. He sat down behind Kuza, slowly getting to work. "You don't take very good care of yourself, do you?"

Kuza snorted, "No, not really. I wish I could say it was because I'm too busy taking care of others, but it's not. I'm fucking selfish and I don't even do anything good for myself anyways."

"It's funny you say that, because I could've sworn not two minutes ago you were trying to go see Devin to make sure she was okay. I think you do take care of people more than yourself. You just don't want to admit it. There's a fine line between being humble and knowing your worth." He said.

As his large hands worked magic on the years of tension twisted up in Kuza's shoulders, the bloody eyed Lost One couldn't help himself from letting a moan slip out. He felt guilty as fuck for it, but ever since he and Chris got together, he's learned how amazing the touch of a dominant can feel.

Now that he was getting much more relaxed, his voice lower. "So, what's your life story? How'd you end up working for Hera?"

"In summary, I'm the youngest of eight; Seven boys, one girl. We were born to a witch doctor, making us all Voodoo Mites. We were all born with strange abilities and we've all chosen to do different things with those powers. Several of my brothers work for the order. I'm sure you could imagine, they weren't too happy with me when I joined Hera. I did much worse things when I was alive. And even though Hera isn't completely on the up and up, they do try to help people more than most people think. Plus, I like having a place I don't have to run from constantly. This is my home, and I don't have to be afraid of losing it."

"You say that like you've lost a lot of homes in your life." Kuza replied.

Cromwell sighed, running his hands down his arms. "There isn't much need for a witch doctor in the twenty first century. My father worked for the circus, which meant we worked for the circus. He was a con too. If we weren't on the road for work, we were running away from whomever he'd cheated. It wasn't a healthy life but it was all I knew. Well after I disconnected from him, I was still living that way. Death was a welcoming change. It was a fresh start... What about you and your mate? What's the story there? Why do you two hate each other so horribly?"

He groaned, "Long story short, our breed of Lost Ones are very rare. We both had people we didn't want to leave behind, so we were forced to mate with one another. We were each other's only option, but we never were given the chance to fall in love naturally. If we had more time, if we could've found someone else, I doubt we'd be together."

Cromwell stood up, taking his warmth with him. Immediately his patient shivered and he went to retrieve a blanket. "Still, you could work a little harder to make it work. I don't know your full story. I don't know what's led you to this point, but I know where there's a will, there's a way. You should try to get more sleep."

"I don't suppose you have anything to help with that?" He asked.

"As a matter of fact, I do. Give me a moment."

He walked over to the series of shelves in the corner and started to whip up a sleep remedy. It's too bad Kuza never had someone like him around back in the day. He used to struggle to stay asleep for even a few hours. Dex had a few things that helped, but he was by no means an expert like Cromwell. When he thought about it, they both did carry a very comforting nature to them. Perhaps that's why Kuza could let his guard down around someone he barely knew. Or maybe, there was another reason. He wasn't quite sure what to think.

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i didn't proof read this sorry

how do you guys feel about kuza doing possibly regrettable things with cromwell?

possibly a weird love triangle?