Bearclaw Valley your dark splendor

his ears heard evien lay too-casual plans for a future that could not could not could not exist. merrick stared first at the earth, then with great effort wrenched his eye back to the healer again.
"i don't want them."
little too late, but no matter. for a long moment he gazed at evien, biting the inside of his cheek. he had promised not to ask after the darker things the doctor has in his medicine cart, had promised that he would not ask evien to use them on anyone but himself.
the taste of blood came as he convinced himself not to ask if there was something his nightshade could consume, change that event upon the horizon.
"this ... this fucking sucks." he sucked his own blood from the mouth wound and stared off at nothing with a dire expression.