Blood Drive

After spending the night at the fortified mansion of Mr. Wainwright, Leona left at daybreak to return to the guild hall. The guards were busy counting up the number of werewolves they had dispatched during the night. The total was fourteen killed and three wounded. They shot any downed lycanthropes twice in the head before getting close to make sure their quarry were truly dead and not faking it. That way they would be certain that their tally was accurate.

While she stayed at Mr. Wainwright's mansion, he showed her his extensive book collection that totaled over two thousand books. The collection was so large that it occupied its own room of the mansion. That reminded her to inquire about the possible location of To Infernus And Back. He confirmed what the Silver Wolf librarians said and stated that the bookstores of Capital Crocus would most likely have it. He recommended a particular bookstore called Johbaasa's Rare Tomes and handed her a flyer he had gotten from the shop the last time he was in Capital Crocus.

When Leona got back to the Silver Wolf guild hall, she immediately went to her room to change. Leona changed clothes from tattered ones sewn back together by Mr. Wainwright's wife to completely new ones. She would be going to Rose Garden to assist with a blood drive and needed to look halfway decent. She decided to wear a new olive green shirt and new khaki long pants. She set the flyer on her bed, put in a few gallon cans of water and her desert cloak, then shouldered the pack.

Leona slipped her knife into her right boot and set out for Rose Garden.

-Rose Garden, four hours later-

Taking advantage of a speed boost powered by a wind that blew all the way from Phoenix Mountains to Rose Garden, Leona made it quicker than she thought she would. Time was just shifting from morning to afternoon. She was still in time. Leona walked through the front door and was greeted by a staff member flanked by two town guard officers.

"Hi there! You must be the mage who's helping with the blood drive!" A young woman with blonde hair and blue eyes greeted her. She was wearing a nurse's uniform. In her hands was a list attached to a clipboard.

"Yes. I'm with Silver Wolf." Leona said, showing the Guild Tattoo on her right shoulder.

"Silver Wolf, huh? You guys are a new guild, right?" A mustached officer wearing glasses asked her.

"Yes. We're the new guys, so to speak." Leona answered. She was soon patted down for weapons. The younger officer found the knife in her boot.

"I'm from Desierto. Bandits are everywhere and you've gotta be ready to fight." Leona explained to a younger officer why she carried a knife. He looked at his colleague. Then he looked back to her.

"Look, we don't want to frighten the younger patients with mages carrying weapons. Just put it in your pack, OK?" He asked her. Leona eagerly complied and wrapped the blade in her desert cloak before putting both into her pack. She did not want to lose the weapon that her brother Leonidas had given to her.

"All right. You're ready to go! Just wear this lanyard so that everyone knows you're a volunteer!" The nurse said while handing her a white badge on a red lanyard. The badge bore a large black V. Leona put the lanyard around her neck and went inside.

[Word Count: 586/500]

The blonde walked into the hospital and found that the blood drive had plenty of people donating to it. There were at least two dozen town guard officers present. Were they expecting trouble today? Leona hoped not. For once she wanted a break from fighting.

A red-haired nurse spotted Leona and called to her. Leona walked over and found the nurse attending to an older man with graying black hair. His arm was bandaged. He was a slender man wearing a nice brown suit with a tie.

"He just gave blood. Could you help him get to the recovery lounge?" The nurse asked as a middle-aged woman wearing a blue dress and black dress shoes came in.

"Will do." Leona replied as she took his arm. Despite his age, he had a firm grip. He got to his feet in one smooth motion.

"Thanks young lady." He said to her.

"What's your name?" He asked, his blue eyes meeting her eyes. His face had a worn and weathered look.

"Leona." She replied.

"Leona, huh? I'm John. John Weston. I used to ride security for trade caravans going through Desierto. That's why my face looks so rough." He introduced himself. Leona began guiding him through the lobby, helping him navigate past patients and unattended children running around.

"I'm from Desierto. How long did you work?" She asked.

"Thirty years." He replied proudly. He then unbuttoned his jacket and shirt to show a long diagonal scar on his chest. Leona recoiled.

"That's what made me retire. We had just completed a run to one of the three big cities and were getting close to the Fiore border when we attacked by men wearing black outfits with crimson sashes across their chests. Out of four dozen members the caravan started out with, only six were left by the time we got away. I was one of them. I killed four of the bandits, but the fifth one almost killed me." He said to her while buttoning his shirt and jacket. Leona frowned. That sounded like the work of the Crimson Sashes. John picked up on her facial expression.

"You seem like you know who I'm talking about." John said plainly.

"Yes. My village was a frequent target of theirs. They're called the Crimson Sashes. I've fought against them several times." She replied.

"Crimson Sashes, huh? And you've fought them?" John asked as they made their way past a pair of children having a slap fight in the middle of the hallway. How they got away with that behavior was beyond her. She might have to deal with them later.

"They kill everyone they come across. Every once in awhile they take prisoners, but not very often. Not often enough to make surrendering to them a good idea." Leona spoke with authority. Whitney and Erica were lucky that they were taken prisoner. Leona suspected that that they were spared only because they had the strange tablet in their possession.

"I can tell." John said dryly. For a moment he looked like he had gone back to the past, back to the scene of bloodshed that he had discussed only briefly. Then he returned to the present.

"Let's change the subject. We don't need to talk about death in here." He suggested in a lighter tone.

"You remind me of my daughter, Alice Weston. She's riding the caravan routes, but she goes through the Cursed Lands. My wife Debbie says that going through dangerous places runs in the family. My younger brothers Jim and Ted still ride the Desierto route. My older brother Virgil sticks to the safe routes... he's probably the smartest one of us." John told her. Leona made it a point to remember those names. She might run into them some time during her travels.

"So your family's in the caravan escort business?" Leona asked.

"Yeah. It's work where you're away from home a lot. It's also dull most of the time because you do nothing but ride on a wagon, ride on a horse, or walk beside the wagon. Well, except for the occasional bandit attack. Those are dangerous, but the work pays well. If you have what it takes, I can give you a business card." He said.

"I might look into that. Thanks." Leona said appreciatively. John fished out a small business card and handed it to Leona. He then looked at the sign beside the door. They were at the entrance to the recovery lounge.

"Looks like we're here. Thanks for walking with me, Leona. I can make my way to a chair." He said to her. He walked tall under his own power and then settled into a chair. Leona pocketed the business card. She was informed by a nurse that another elderly patient needed someone to walk them to the recovery lounge. Leona walked to the indicated room and helped the elderly woman up... her work was not yet finished.

-Eight hours later-

"We did it! The blood drive was a success!" The blonde nurse from earlier said as the last of the items were cleaned and put away. Leona was glad. It had been a long and exhausting day.

"Thanks for the help, Leona. A lot of the elderly patients liked you!" The nurse thanked her.

"I'm glad I could help." Leona replied.

"Is there anything else I can help with?" Leona asked. She wanted to get going back to the guild hall. She asked anyway because they might still need her.

"We can take it from here. Thanks for asking. You might wanna get going. The streets can get rough after dark." The nurse answered. Leona handed in her volunteer badge and left for the guild hall. All in all, she was glad that she had volunteered to help with the blood drive.

[Word Count: 969] [Total Word Count: 1,555 /500]