weak {sebastian}

[potter]

Elliot rubbed her temples, stress was all she had known of late, working upwards of twelve hour days. They were understaffed beyond belief, her job was getting more dangerous by the day, there were so many casualties... And Natalia was still gone. Most brides-to-be needed to worry about merging two families, though Elliot was more concerned with finding part on hers. Every lead was turning cold in spite of her best efforts, it was exhausting. Elliot lit up her twentieth cigarette of the day, her stomach was growling, but there was no time to eat. The nicotine would at least suppress it.

She flicked through the papers, each of them suspects that needed to be apprehended, she had caught three that day alone, and yet new reports kept flooding in. She was working herself sick. Elliot took a long drag off the cigarette, she was supposed to be quitting, but the stress had made her old vice a necessity. She had barely had time to think before there came a knock at the door. "It's open," said Elliot, squinting slightly, it had suddenly become too bright for her liking in her office... She had had a migraine for the better half of the day. The door opened, and in walked a coworker with an armful of additional papers.

"God, please don't bring me more," Elliot moaned, stamping out her cigarette in an ash tray. Her coworker smiled sympathetically, "I've just as much as you, but why don't we take a coffee break? We'll be here past midnight anyway." Sighing, she pushed her chair out from her desk, nodding. Coffee was probably in order, she was feeling foggy... The dizziness hit the instant she stood. "Potter?" said her coworker, sounding concerned, though Elliot heard him as if from afar, her vision was growing dim and fuzzy... She hadn't even realized she'd fainted until she woke up less than a minute on the floor, the ache in her head magnified, she must have hit it on the way down...

"You all right, Potter?" asked the man, looming over her. Truthfully, no. She was nauseous, and she felt very weak, but she would be fine. She'd had fainting spells before at the height of her anorexia, and yes, she was struggling with it again, but she knew how to handle herself with them. Something small to eat, something to drink and a pain potion. "Yes, I'm all right," said Elliot, pushing herself into a sitting position and already beginning to feel dizzy again. Before she could protest she'd been pulled to her feet, without being able to gather herself, she instantly passed out a second time.

Elliot was much slower to wake up this time, the pain in her head damn near crippling, and so weary that she couldn't even lift her head, let alone try and sit up again. "Just lay still, Potter. You were out a while, I summoned a healer." said her coworker. She wanted to groan, that was the last thing she needed, she would be fine, this wasn't anything she hadn't dealt with before... "No, please, Butler, I'm fine," Elliot weakly protested, but just then another person walked into the office, St. Mungo's sure was prompt...

[sebastian]

Sebastian hadn't been busy that day. It was rather slow, which was a new thing. Ever since the horrible attack on Hogwarts, there had been more and more attacks of a similar nature, but at a smaller scale. Regardless, it was horrific, and it was beginning to age Sebastian greatly. He was becoming older, just because of everything that was happening. Already this month, twenty patients had left in body bags. It was a difficult job, even though he loved being a hero. Still, this was beginning to be a little ridiculous. He needed a break.

Leaning against the counter, coffee cup in his hand, he was blinking away exhaustion. Sebastian was hoping that there wasn't anything intense that needed to happen that day. Still, that didn't stop someone bursting through the door. The witch was breathing in heavily, and Sebastian instinctively stepped forward, reaching out to her. The woman held up her hand and he backed up a few steps. He sipped at his coffee, patiently waiting for the witch to speak. "Auror... passing out... needs help, ASAP." Sebastian straightened up. It wasn't rare for him to get an Auror or two in a month with a life-threatening injury. But this? This seemed almost... tame.

"Alright. On my way," Sebastian replied, downing the rest of his coffee before turning on his heel and Apparating to where he could get into the Ministry. He followed directions, practically running, until he reached the proper office. Elliot... Potter? This was Elliot's office. He'd gone to school with her, they'd been friends. They hadn't spoken much since they'd graduated. This was awful... what was wrong? He walked into the office, leaning down over Elliot's frame.

She was so small. The Potter girl had always been incredibly skinny, but this... this was something else entirely. He was determined to get to the bottom of all of this. Luckily, it was his job to do so. He calmly waved the other man out of the room, gently taking Elliot's hand. He didn't bother to speak until the other man was out of the room and the door shut completely. Sebastian then turned his gaze on Elliot. "Elliot, I hope you're prepared to explain yourself."

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[potter]

From her position on the floor behind her desk, Elliot couldn't see who had come in, even as they dismissed Butler from the room. She brought a hand to her face, holding the bridge of her nose with two fingers, as if it would help to quell her aggravated migraine. It honestly felt as if the right side of her face was being torn off. The lighting, though it was soft, was only making the pain sear more. She didn't even look at the healer until he had taken her hand and had addressed her by first name, which she found to be a bit off.

She removed her hand from the bridge of her nose, opening her eyes to see none other than Sebastian Foster, an old friend from school. They had lost touch over the years, but she hadn't expected that they would run into each other like this. So much for the projection of having everything together... Elliot dreaded visits to healers, even when she was seriously injured, for the sole purpose of them figuring out what was going on. Thus far, only one had caught her, yet he'd disappeared without a trace, so her secret was, well, a secret once more. She had told Erik, but he was under the impression that she was getting better, and they hadn't seen much of each other of late to indicate otherwise...

Elliot knew that Sebastian was smart, and he had encountered first-hand her perfectionism, it wouldn't take him long to figure it out, try as she might to hide how thin she was becoming in robes that were three sizes too large. "I'm fine," Elliot said, ignoring the asking for an explanation, "Butler always overreacts to everything." Granted, she didn't know if there was any overreacting in this case, she had been slow to wake, she didn't know how long she had been out, but it had definitely been longer than a few seconds.

Elliot pressed her free hand over the right side of her face, quietly uttering "Christ," under her breath. Why did it have to hurt so badly? Likely because she hadn't eaten anything at all that day, hardly passed five hundred calories the day before... Her eating was dropping back to dangerous levels again, but it wasn't something she could help, her anorexia always got the better of her when times were stressful. Her empty stomach sank, she knew it was only a matter of time before Sebastian figured it out, she had been trying so hard, there was just so much on her metaphoric plate and not enough on her actual one.

[sebastian]

Sebastian watched as Elliot's gaze widened, and he could see the wheels turning behind her eyes. He knew that look. Even in school, Elliot was always a schemer. It didn't look like things had changed much. He knew she had been fragile back in school, but she looked almost skeletal. Something was wrong. He could tell that she was anxious about his presence. She was attempting to hide something, something big, and Sebastian immediately knew what he had to do. He had to get to the bottom of it. It was his job, and Elliot was his friend, even after all those years of not speaking.

"I'm fine. Butler always overreacts to everything."

Sebastian raised an eyebrow, obviously skeptical of her claims. "I see," he said, giving her a once over. The moment her head flew to her temple and her face contorted with pain, he knew that something was seriously wrong. Conjuring up a cold, wet cloth, he hurriedly pressed it to Elliot's forehead without another word, sweeping her gently into his arms and carrying her to the small loveseat in the corner of the room. Being careful not to jostle her too much, he laid her down, kneeling beside her.

"I'm going to give you one opportunity to tell me the truth before I examine you. What's causing this?" Sebastian asked, tone stern. He looked her over, shaking his head slightly. He could already see that she was being swallowed by her robes. Something was wrong, that much was obvious. From what he understood, she'd been unconscious for nearly a minute. That was a long period of time to be unaware of things. He was determined to get the truth out of Elliot before he left, even if she refused to tell her himself. He was a healer, and it was his job to heal those in need. Elliot was obviously in dire need of attention.

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[potter]

Elliot wasn't sure if there was a way to make this situation end well for her, this simply couldn't be happening- not now when there was so much other stress going on. There was no time to care for herself, not when there were so many out there that needed her help. Once things around her calmed, she'd get better. She'd be fine. Of course, that was what she had told herself when things had been at their worst, shortly after her mother's death, when she had been nearly killed by a hex that a healthy person might only encounter pain with.

Elliot gasped lightly when she was lifted, she hated being picked up anyway, but especially now, when the movement made her head spin. Were she a bit stronger she might have clung to Sebastian like a cat trying to avoid a bath, though in her state her limbs didn't quite want to cooperate. But less than a minute later she had been laid on the couch, which had of late also been serving as a bed, she was just so swamped... Elliot's throat tightened at Sebastian's words, he didn't believe her, a less concerned healer might have, but not him, she should have known.

Elliot fought with her words, looking away. She would probably be better off coming clean with her old friend, he was going to find out anyway. She had a real trouble admitting her flaws, particularly this one, as she knew just how dire it was. "I haven't been eating," Elliot said softly, putting her feet on the arm of the couch to elevate them and again grabbing the bridge of her nose, "I... I've been anorexic since I was fifteen." Well, she'd said it, now the consequences would ensue.

[sebastian]

[blockqoute]

Sebastian awaited Elliot's response calmly, eyes never leaving hers. He really was worried about her, and it wasn't just his healer status. Elliot was his friend, a friend since their young school years. This needed to come out, so he could assist her in any way that he could, both as a healer and as a friend. Still, he didn't know what to expect. He tried to keep his mind from wandering off into conclusions. He wanted to give Elliot the chance to tell him the truth before he became all business. Still, he hadn't been prepared for her to speak.

"I haven't been eating. I... I've been anorexic since I was fifteen."

Sebastian's heart stopped. It was logical, and, in fact, the only explanation for all of this. However, he hadn't been prepared for it. Six years was a long time to be burdened with something like that. Sebastian reached out and gently touched Elliot's upper arm, giving her a compassionate smile. "It's okay. Thank you for telling me the truth. Now, I have to ask you something. You have to let me help you. I can't help you if you refuse, not with something like this. You have to be willing to get help. Can you do that?"

[/i] he asked quietly, watching her intently.[/blockquote][/blockquote][/blockquote][/size]

[potter]

Elliot could feel Sebastian's gaze on her, she shifted uncomfortably beneath it, she knew all he wanted was to help her, but she still remained as stubborn as ever about it. She had been getting better, this recent backsliding was more than discouraging, she had been managing, but all the stress, everything spiraling out of control until she had been desperate to cut back. Her escapades for control of her life had again turned into something beyond her, Elliot couldn't do it alone, and that was perhaps the most frightening thing of all. Losing her independence and having to face her imperfections were real fears of hers, and having to confront them both at once...

She dragged her hand down her face, she wished the migraine she'd been having all day would just leave her alone already, she had work to do, and now this... Elliot finally looked up at Sebastian when he offered help, but that she needed to be willing to accept it. At this point, she wasn't sure she could. Nobody else could know how she was struggling, everyone would give her that look, worriedly ask her what she had eaten, they would know how she had failed... Slowly, she nodded, already dreading what was to come. Six and a half years she had kept this secret, Elliot couldn't bear to face those who had for so long assumed she had everything together.