The Blacksmith and the Apothecary

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce's lips twitched at Tony's comment, but he didn't say anything else as he climbed off of his horse and followed the blacksmith's example of tying the reins to one of the thicker, sturdier tree branches. Arm's crossed, he looked over the house again. "Lead the way, then. He is your acquaintance, after all."

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony swallowed lightly and looked at the house, only a little afraid. He snorted at Bruce's comment, replying, "You just want me to go first in case he's gonna kill us." First he went regardless, walking up to the door and hesitating before knocking twice. There was shuffling inside, and then the sound of steps towards the door. Not ominous at all. After a moment the door swung open, revealing a tall man with a cloak, harsh eyes and dark hair. He stared at them in silence, not saying a word, which was pretty spooky too. "Uh, hi?" Tony tried.

 

(I'm gonna fail at Strange, just FYI)

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

(I know next to nothing about him, otherwise I would give it a try.)

 

"Basically," Bruce shrugged, lips quirking sheepishly. As Strange opened the door and pinned them under his dark, steely gaze, the apothecary's stomach twisted with nerves. He remained just as silent, unsure of what to say. He figured that Tony would be speaking enough for the both of them.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

(Bleh. At least you can't judge me I'll try)

 

Tony resisted the urge to nudge Bruce. The traitor, he was going to make the blacksmith do all the talking, wasn't he? Tony cleared his throat and put on his best disarming smile. "Hello Mr. Strange, I'm Anthony Stark and this is Bruce Banner. We have a bit of a problem that you seem to specialize in- do you mind if we come in?" He asked, trying to make his voice persuasive. Again, the man stared them down in silence. Finally he said, "Enter." And then turned and walked into the bowels of the house. They had no choice but to follow.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce shot Tony a look out of the corner of his eye before he followed behind Strange, not really seeing any other option. At least they had been allowed inside, he supposed, rather than just turned away at the door. This might be their only option, and he had already decided that he would not ruin it by not complying with this man's wishes.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony shut the door behind him and wandered in after him. The house was filled with various objects and talismans, a lot of it looking like black magic voodoo. Well, it looked that way to someone who didn't use it anyway. Strange had disappeared, so the blacksmith entered what looked like a study. There was a desk with a crystal ball on it, quills and papers everywhere. The books on the shelves looked old, and the jars looked more sinister than Bruce's had. "Why have you come?" Tony jumped about a foot in the air.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Eyes roaming around the various rooms in the house, studying the objects that cluttered and occupied just about every nook, cranny, and corner, Bruce made sure to stay close to Tony and entered the study along with him. He flinched harshly at Strange's question, clearly startled. "W-We hoped that you might have a cure for lycanthropy," he stammered after a moment, the words slightly rushed and clipped with uneasiness, despite his best efforts to achieve the contrary.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Strange examined the pair of them, looking first at Tony and then Bruce. From his scrutinization he was able to deduce that it was the shorter, more timid man that had spoken who had the disease and not the blacksmith. His posture screamed submission and fear. "A cure for lycanthropy. I can't say that anything like that exists," he remarked, crossing to a shelf and perusing his book collection. Tony automatically gripped Bruce's arm, as though to steady him or maybe keep him from fleeing. "I may have some potions that would battle some of the side effects, however. You are brave to come and expect me not to turn you in." He gave the pair a look.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce's heart squeezed and his knees felt weak with disappointment and hopelessness upon hearing Strange's answer, which was utterly ridiculous, really. He had known that there wasn't going to be a cure going in, he was simply here to appease Tony. Or at least that's what he kept telling himself. As he felt a firm pressure on his arm, he glanced side-long to Tony, his lips set into a thin line. "I did not have much of a choice," he replied in a clipped tone, blinking several times. "But anything you had to offer would be appreciated. Thank you."

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony looked away at the sharpness to Bruce's tone, biting back the stinging retort on his tongue. Just because the apothecary didn't care about his own life didn't mean Tony didn't. He let go of Bruce's arm, since he didn't seem to need the support. If Strange noticed the tension, he didn't bring it up. "I may have some wolfsbane. Taken just before the sun sets on the eve of the full moon, it should help you to keep your mind instead of falling prey to the instincts of the beast. A poppy blend may also lessen the pain of the transformation," he remarked, flipping through a book.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce nodded, listening carefully. These were herbs, potions, remedies, things he knew and understood. He felt like he had some control back, and that helped him almost as much as a cure might. "Right. I may just have some wolfsbane somewhere at home. Don't have much use for it. And as long as I have the correct amounts, the poppy blend should be easy enough to concoct," he commented, clearing his throat a little in response to the tenseness in the air. He wasn't upset with Tony, merely stressed and upset over his current situation. Tony had done nothing but try to help him.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony didn't know what any of the things they mentioned were, but they sounded important. "I will give you the recipe for these potions- they require very specific amounts in order to work properly. As for the problem itself.. I have never known for there to be a cure for lycanthropy. However, I have read legends about spells and witchcraft some have used to suppress it. I must travel tomorrow, but I will be back in a few months. By then I will have answers for you," Strange said as he copied the recipes for the concoctions down on parchment.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce felt his chest tighten, but he nodded all the same. "I suppose that we were lucky to have csught you before you left," he mused, trying for a smile. He swallowed then, and watched their host scrawl the recipe down on parchment, all the while mentally compiling a list of things that they might need.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Strange finished his list in a neat scrawl, holding the piece of parchment out to Bruce. "Indeed so. I wish you luck in your endeavors, you are brave to challenge this," he said in a dismissive way, starting to straighten things up. Taking the hint, Tony cleared his throat and remarked, "Thank you for helping us. We'll come to call when you return."

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce accepted the parchment and looked it over before folding it carefully and stowing it away in his satchel. He nodded in agreement to Tony's words, lips twitching minutely in a sort of friendly farewell. "Thank you," he repeated, already heading toward the door, motioning for Tony to follow.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony was already making his way towards the door, eager to be out of the place. Strange just nodded and watched them go, his gaze lingering on them until they were out the door. "That went well," Tony breathed, releasing a huge sigh.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

"I suppose it did," Bruce mused quietly, his mind clearly somewhere else as they approached Tony's horses, running through everything that had just happened. He supposed that making things more bearable was better than nothing. And if he had some control while he was...not himself, then things would be safer. This might work. Maybe. Hopefully.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony had seemed to forget that Bruce was even there for a moment, but when he glanced over he could see how distracted his friend was. Reaching out, he placed a gentle hand on the man's shoulder. "It is a start, Sir Banner. All hope is not lost," he murmured reassuringly.

 

(I think this is my first rp with Tony where he doesn't have anxiety issues)

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

(huh. Well, it's understandable, since he hasn't really gone through anything too traumatic. Being a knight and seeing battle is almost a norm for a lot of men back then, I guess.)

 

Bruce blinked several times as he felt a gentle pressure against his shoulder, and glanced over to meet Tony's gentle smile with a small twitch of his lips. "Yes...I figure it is better than nothing at all," he replied in a tone meant to be light.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

(Yeah, violence was really desensitized. I've already decided how he got the scars all over his chest and I figured it wasn't enough to really haunt him for long)

 

Tony gave his shoulder a small squeeze in encouragement, his smile growing slightly wicked as something occurred to him. "By the way he described it, you'll just keep your mind next time. Guess that makes you my new lap dog huh?" He teased, letting go to mount his horse.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

(*nodnod* makes sense. I've mostly just been reading up on werewolf lore for Bruce. Lots of options available.)

 

Bruce found himself smirking at Tony's joke, his ears burning slightly as he untied and mounted Tony's mare. "Uh, no, no I don't think that is how it works. I am determined to maintain as much dignity as I possibly can during all of this," he chuckled.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Snorting, Tony gave the sire's flank a pat to get it moving. "If you say so. Don't come crying to me when you've got no one to scratch your ears," he replied, bringing the horse to a steady trot. There was no hurry to get back and the day was nice. Occasionally the blacksmith enjoyed a ride.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce flicked the mare's reins to get her going and followed leisurely beside Tony's horse, still smiling softly, shaking his head at the blacksmith's words. The afternoon sun was high in the sky, shining down brightly over their heads, and he blinked, wincing, and averted his gaze to the horse's shoulder blades instead.

[Sweet_Wyvern]

Tony picked up the pace after a while, riding at a gallop until his house finally came into view. Compared to Strange's estate, his home looked like something depicted in the scriptures. Which was to say it wasn't scary. The blacksmith led the way into the barn, climbing down from his horse and tying it in its stall.

[lord-of-the-nerds-and-fandoms]

Bruce breathed a sigh of relief as the barn finally came into their sights, and he quickly climbed off the horse once she was safely tucked away inside her stall in the shade. He ensured that she had some cool water to drink before he headed for the house, waiting for Tony to follow.