The boy started writing. Of all things. At a time like this. The kid was taking notes? He was just about to lose his patience and snap at the kid, when he noticed the page he was writing on. Those were no ordinary notes. The kid was arranging runes, placing them intricately. It was a scroll of power. Huh. Well... he hadn't expected that.<br/><br/>The Ranger forced himself to stand, clutching the herb still, and wobbled around. He tried to be patient and give the kid time. He grunted, hissed, and tottered around, trying to move through the pain. Slowly, his muscles began to loosen up, but the more he moved, the worse the fire of agony became. His nausea rose, and he had to bend over the waste bin and vomit when suddenly the pain became too much. He fought it for a few more moments, but gave in when he felt he would vommit again. He couldn't fight like this.<br/><br/>Finally, when it was clear this wasn't working, he pondered the Boy's words. He'd said that the pain relief would put him to sleep. He could deal with drowsiness and fatigue. He'd known his share of sleepless nights in the past. He was sure he could manage it. Tossing the herb into his mouth, he bit into it, then began chewing. The taste was horrible. After only a few chews, he swallowed, then picked up a water pitcher on the bedside table and poured a drink.<br/><br/>By the time he had finished the glass, he could already tell that the edge of pain had begun to dull. It felt wonderful. He sighed and leaned against the bedside table, ignoring the irritating scratch scratch scratch of the boy's writing. It was amusing, actually... the pain was melting, even as he focused on it. Slowly, ever so beautifully, it was fading away... Leaving behind only warmth. It was delicious.... It was...<br/><br/>He snapped upright again, eyes flying wide open, then pushed himself to his feet. Moving around wasn't as difficult now that his every move did not cause him pain. He took a few steps to get his blood pumping, shook his head, then leaned against the bed post to wait for the kid to finish. He watched his small, blaringly white hand fly back and forth as he formed rune after rune... his hand kept moving... back and forth... it was like the swaying of a tree in the breeze... it was... oddly fascinating....<br/><br/>The ranger's weight became more heavily leaned against the pole as he stood there. His eyes drooped, then closed. His head nodded, bobbed, then settled to rest on his chest. Finaly, his knees began buckling. He nearly fell over, but caught himself. His glazed eyes never managed to focus on anything as he blinked heavily, pushing himself upright once more. Promptly, he began repeating the process, eyelids drooping, head bobbing...