Roderick

If the cycle of life had its way, Roderick would be no more. He should have perished a while ago, rotting slowly from the inside out, claimed by a strain of the Plaguebringer's worst disease. It had only taken a single cut on his foot, and then it had drenched him in a vicious fever, slowly crawling up his leg and poisoning the flesh day by day. He had been too weak to fend for himself before long, and even his mate's gentle care could not save him.

It was a comfort, in those dying days, that Claribel fought so hard to save him. She tried everything she had ever learned about medicine while living the Scarred Wasteland, everything short of amputation, which she knew she could not perform without killing Roderick outright. Nothing worked, but it soothed Roderick's weakening heart to know that his beloved tried all the same. She never gave up on him, not once.

Maybe that was what saved him.

He can't remember what were supposed to be his final days. His mind was nearly gone by then, his body collapsing on itself. Whatever happened then, though, saved his life. It also sent him on his way with some replacement parts for the organs and muscles the disease had taken. His left thigh is now a tangle of gears and wires and other bits and bobs, all miraculously function, while his lungs are of the clockwork variety, maintained through a window in his chest that he keeps bolted tight.

When he needs repairs, he turns to Claribel. She has never told him where his parts have come from, or where she obtained the knowledge to maintain them. All that matters is that her gentle touch and deft claws work magic when he needs it most, and never once have his steam-powered parts broken down under her care.

He owes her everything, truly, and it's with so much gratitude that he thanks the Plaguebringer every night for not claiming his heart with her illness. He isn't sure if he could love Claribel the same if he were completely clockwork inside and out, but knowing he has a flesh and blood heart soothes him. It is still genuine, and it still allows him to adore her with all that he is.

Maybe one day she'll open up to him at last. He's been trying to coax her out of her shell lately, since she hasn't been herself in the wake of his illness. It's like a part of her is missing, and Roderick will do anything to help her heal, help her find herself again. She has done that for him, and it is the very least he can do to look after his mate with the same devotion and care.

Bio by Tues.



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