The baker's nervous fidgeting was too obvious to miss and Julian knew well the source of her anxiety. He stretched a smile across his face and said, "Three loaves of your freshest batch. This big guy here eats as much as a mammoth even though he spends hours sitting in front of my radiator doing nothing."
Leonel scrunched up his nose, "I don't do that."
Helen eased a little at the mention of the Doctor's radiator. "I see... Ah right, where are my manners? Let me get you boys those biggest fattest loaves!"
Several months back, Helen had somehow got her plump little hands on a Blue Stone-powered oven and had been obsessively baking since. Julian could hardly blame her because not only spectacular but had turned it quite industrial as well. It was a bit astounding just how many Bluestone devices could be found and purchased despite the Order of Divine Light's ban.
"Anything else I can get you?" The bread was handed over in a large paper bag.
Julian smirked as he took a look around her stall, "How about I get one of those sweets for you, kid?" The Doctor pointed at one of the cinnamon and sugar-coated rolls.
The Inquisitor was not impressed, "I'm not a kid."
The baker chuckled, "You don't need to be a child to enjoy these babies. I'll sell you two for a discount."
"Ms. Helen really knows how to do business now, do you? Alright, give me two."
Bread successfully acquired. Now there were only about another fifty items on the list, and then about fifty patients to see. Perfect.
"Don't dawdle!" Julian barked, "there is much to be done and I don't have all day."
A lie. He had all the time in the world.
And thus he dragged the Inquisitor around time, using him freely like a convenient manservant, piling bags and bags of groceries until he was but a buried heap of useless items. From fruits to vegetables to random items the villagers peddled off travelers.
"What do you think about this, Leonel?" The Doctor hummed as he pointed at what looked like an oversized paperweight. Or something. Who knew what the ugly donkey carving was meant to be for.
"A fine eye you got there, Doctor!" The merchant chirped pleasantly.
Leonel had several bags both in and dangling from his arm. He could barely see a thing over them. "Looks useless," he deadpanned.
"Don't be a spoilsport, how much for this…thing?"
A ridiculous number was named and Julian didn't even bother to bargain for it before exchanging money.
"You…" Leonel growled as an additional weight was added to the things in his arms. He wasn't as annoyed with the weight, as much as he was annoyed with just the large quantity of items. They made it difficult for him to move around and see where he was going. "Are you done yet?"
"How could I possibly be done?" Julian hummed.
Leonel gritted his teeth as he adjusted the bags around. "I believe all the necessities have been acquired."
"Perhaps, but what's the danger of stocking up more? Especially with an eater as ravenous as yourself," Julian cackled evilly.
"I know you're just trying to get back at me. It's working. Are you happy? If so let's leave."
Julian quirked a brow, "Admitting defeat so soon?" He teased. But he did suppose that he'd spent a hefty sum of money already and it was probably time he stopped going overboard with the teasing and revenge.
And just in time for dumb Narna to come up to him on the streets and urge him to see her old father and his failing knees.
"Doctor, we cannot wait much longer, please. I need you to have a look at him before the sun sets today," she pleaded with misty eyes.
Julian was certain that her old man could beg to wait at least several more years but he also wasn't keen on getting nagged for that length of time either. And thus he gave her his best service smile and said, "Don't fret lassie, I'll be with you soon."
A relieved expression graced her features. Julian turned back to his newly acquired manservant and smiled, "Alright, it's time for me to see my patients. You may accompany me through this and once I am done my work, we can finally return home."
"I can just go back by myself," Leonel shuffled the things in his hold again. Despite his complaining, he was following Julian to Narna's home.
"As if I'd trust you out of my sights. You'd just steal all my food and run off. I'd just spent a small fortune on those supplies, don't you dare what I know you're thinking about."
"..." Leonel said nothing in response, and Julian was slowly learning to be concerned when he was answered with silence and not sass.
Alas, the Inquisitor was reasonably obedient and waiting outside the homes of his patients as Julian did his rounds. There were many that begged for his attention, many asking about a common cold and the settling of arthritis in their joints. Julian's smile strained and twitched but he answered them with a pleasant tone, unafraid to make up ridiculous tales when they showed their curiosity at the man that stood quietly outside their doors.
"Is it true he's an Inquisitor? I heard that there was a man that died at the old creek. Guess he ain't quite as dead as they say he was."
"Will you be alright Doctor? After all you…"
Julian's smile strained some more, his eyes were hurting from squinting, "So long as no one utters a word, I'll be perfectly peachy as I've always been."
By the time that Julian was counting his last patients, a full day had come and gone. Daylight dimmed to herald dawn. And Leonel's arms were going numb even with half the items discarded on the ground. He was quiet in his suffering and glared at anyone who dared look at him with starry, curious eyes.
It deterred some, but not all.
Some children still came up to him with a barrage of stupid questions.
And women were still measuring their nonexistent prospects. Leonel wanted to sneer at all of them but he kept his cool. He won't stay in this village for long. All he needed to do was take advantage of the Doctor's kindness and heal his wounds before being on his way once more. Maybe even making a roundabout trip to Pyrpara to yell at his idiot friend for the obvious misinformation he'd been fed.
He was livid just thinking about it.
Caught up in his thought, he hadn't been paying attention to the woman that approached him.
She was unlike the others who shyly tucked their stray strands behind their ears or looked him up and down with nefarious thoughts.
He could tell by her sharp gaze that she was sizing him up. Unlike the other village classes, she wore trousers instead of a skirt with knee-high boots and a sword strapped to her hip.
"Who are you?" She asked, like a pointed interrogation.