Elmo sighed as he finished up with the cooking for the night. He'd done some cooking in the past, but nothing to this extent. He'd thought when he'd first agreed to help with the cooking that it would be something simple. And while it was, in a way, it kept going on and on.
He first was set to peeling potatoes, then to chop them up in cubes. Then chop carrots. Then celery. Then keep an eye on the stew by continually stirring it so what was on the bottom of the large pot didn't burn. Though, he couldn't help but wonder if it really was a pot or a cauldron. It was much larger than any pot he'd ever seen and that included what he'd seen in movies when there would be a scene going through a kitchen. Either a fight scene or a chase scene.
As Elmo walked out into the common area, he was sweaty and would like nothing more than to take a bath and go to bed. However, as he looked at the table where he'd last seen the rest of his team, he saw Jonas talking with a man who was examining Kim, looking in her eyes, checking vitals, and stuff. Which made him suspect that this man was the one who Jonas could find who might be able to help Kim.
As Elmo walked around the room, as much as he could, he noticed that Elin seemed to be handling herself better than he'd expected with working as a waitress. She was struggling sure, but with her occasional glance towards Kim, Elmo suspected her difficulty was because she was having trouble focusing on her job at hand.
Although, the patrons didn't seem t mind any waits or other problems she had. At the very least, she hadn't dropped anything, or as far as Elmo could see. Though, he did noticed how she handled patrons who were a little too free with their hands. Which seemed to deter others from doing the same and were a source of entertainment for the companions of those who got hit with her Magic Shot spell.
Elmo did his best to not get Elin's way, though he wished that the room wasn't so crowded or that maybe there was a path along the edge. Yet, despite that, he was happy when he sat down at the table where Jonas was at.
Which was when he noticed Owen's team was present as well. Not that he was bothered by their presence, Elwin and Leon seemed to be in good spirits as they drank, Own had his head on his arms on the table, and looked like he might be asleep. Bart, however, seemed to be studying the wood grains in the table and looked rather depressed. Not that Elmo could blame him.
Elmo listened to Elwin and Leon go through a drinking song that he couldn't make heads or tails of, let alone understand a word they said. Which made him wonder just how much they'd had to drink already.
"Sorry, this curse is beyond me," Elmo heard the man who Jonas had been talking to. "I mean, if I had magic that could stop her stats from being drained then I probably could even cure it, but with how she is right now, there's nothing I can do. It's like it's draining her constitution and feeding on it or something."
"Thank you for you time, anyway," Jonas said, holding his hand out to shake the man's. "I'm sure you'd have helped if you could. We'll just have to try and think of something and hope she'll have enough time for us to think of it."
The man smiled sadly. "That's a good hope to have, but I'm afraid I don't think she has that much time. Maybe 'till midmorning, if that," the man said before he stood up and started to walk out the door.
Jonas sighed as he sat back in his chair, his face one of pure anxiety. Elmo had the feeling that this was more than something else than just one of their team members being hurt. He couldn't say what it was, just that it felt like Jonas looked at Kim as more than just another member of their team.
"So, what's with you and Kim?" Jonas asked.
"What do you mean?" Jonas asked, not bothering to look at Elmo.
"Just that you seem to be more worried about her than just as a team member," Elmo asked, wondering if what he said was coming out in a way that made sense. While he didn't do that intentionally, he was aware sometimes he said things that didn't make much sense when he found something that had him confused.
Jonas sighed, but Elmo got the sense that he wasn't going to shut Elmo's questioning down. Though, as the silence from Jonas continued on, it was clear it wasn't in a rush to say anything either. Finally, Jonas sighed again and Elmo hoped that he'd start talking then.
"All I'll say is that she reminds me about someone that I care deeply for," Jonas said, which was less than Elmo had been hoping for, but doubted that he'd have been able to get any more than that. At least at the moment.
"So, any luck about getting help for Kim?" Elmo asked and felt his heart drop as Jonas shook his head. "Any ideas of what we could do?"
"Not a one, kid," Jonas replied, his eyes reflecting an inner anguish over the issue.
Who was this person that Jonas cares so deeply for? Elmo wondered as he watched Jonas. It felt like there was more to the story than just that. Especially with how painful it seemed for him.
Jonas didn't seem to be willing to say anything more, no matter what Elmo said, though he was aware of Elwin's and Leon's drinking song continuing on an on. Which made him wonder if they even knew what they were singing.
Eventually the room cleared of patrons, with a few sleeping where they were sitting, but for the most part, they were leaving in patches. Elmo couldn't help but wonder if there was a time where alcohol had to stop being served here or if the patrons had more self control than most people he'd met in his world. Or maybe it was something else altogether. Though, Elwin and Leon had fallen completely asleep at the table, their snores occasionally annoying Elmo, but mostly he was able to tune them out.
Either way, soon Elin was done with her job and she came over to sit down next to Kim. As she did so, she let out a deep sigh. Elmo could see how worn out she was, but at the same time, there was a different kind of excited look that he'd never seen in her eyes before.
"I guess you weren't able to find anyone who could do anything for Kim, huh?" Elin asked Jonas in a quiet voice.
Jonas shook his head. "No, the only one I could find that was willing to even take a look at her was the last on the list I'd been given of chirurgeons that were around. Not that it was very long in the first place," Jonas answered bitterly. "Though, the one who did look at Kim said that it was like it was draining her constitution. Though I'm not sure what to make of that."
Elin was quiet and Elmo couldn't help but feel like her mind was going over something. As he considered that option, he felt himself become more awake and alert. Was it possible that Elin might hold the key to saving Kim? While he thought it would be a little ironic, he could also see the romanticism in the idea. Similar to the old trope of 'love's kiss' and all that stuff and how overused it got in either retelling of fairy tales or people making their own, modern ones.
Finally Kim spoke what she clearly had on her mind. "Do you think the spider's curse could be an effect that purely drains her stats?" Elin asked.
Jonas looked at Elin and just looked at her. She didn't say anything, just merely gazed back. Elmo was at a loss for what was going on. He wasn't sure what he would expect, but it almost felt like something was being communicated between the two and he was completely left out of it. It wasn't really a new experience for him, but he still couldn't help but feel a little hurt about it. After all, he was on the same team as they were. Shouldn't they at least tell him what they were thinking?
Finally Jonas nodded. "Go ahead an try. If it doesn't work, then we're no better off than we were before, but I'm not confident that what you're thinking of is all that is involved in the curse," Jonas said.
Elin smiled as she nodded before turning to Kim and putting her hands on Kim's cheeks. "Restore Drain," Elin said calmly, almost intoning her spell.
Her hands glowed and Kim took a sudden deep breath, her entire body looking like it was being filled with something before it went back down to the position it had. Elmo wasn't sure if it was a trick of the light from Elin's hands, but it almost looked like he'd imagined how her body had come out of the chair for a minute.
When Elin took her hands away from Kim, he couldn't say how or why, but he had the feeling that there was something different about Kim. What it was he couldn't be sure, but she almost looked more relaxed and her breathing didn't seem as labored. He also couldn't be sure, but she also looked like she wasn't perspiring as much as she was before Elin put her hands on her.
"I'm not sure if there was a change in her, but I guess all we can do is wait for the morning and see if she pulls through," Jonas said after they observed her for a few minutes.
"Should we go up to our rooms?" Elmo asked, even though he really didn't feel the slightest bit tired.
Jonas nodded. "We might as well. There's not going to be anything gained from us waiting down here. Besides, it might be good to see if Heather or Sonya are feeling better," he said as he stood up.