Exton

The evening was clear and warm and Tannr and Tori decided to walk to the NiteOwl Club. It was quiet inside, too early for many patrons and only a couple sitting at the bar. Tori slipped her hand into Tannrs as she watched some of the girls. They were all very polite and no one gave Tannr so much as a wink which helped her to relax some. She would have been determined to be here in any case, worried that there was more magic to this brand than Marcus had told Tannr.

They were escorted to a small clinic type room, in stark contrast to the rest of the establishment. An older Oriental gentleman, the Club's doctor, explained what he was going to do and asked Tannr if he had decided on the location for his brand. Tannr unbuttoned his shirt revealing the black tank underneath and pointed to his upper arm.

Nodding and cleaning the area with an antiseptic the doctor asks, “Do you want something to dull the pain? Branding is quite painful and it doesnt seem to matter where on your body. I can also give you some pain killers after we are finished...”

Tannr shook his head, “I dont want any of it.”

Eyes opening wide Tori says, “Tannr... are you sure?”

“Red... you've seen all the scars... lets just get it over with so I can get to the tavern and have a couple shots...”

“Maybe a couple bottles...” Tori grins.

Laughing Tannr agrees, “Okay... shots... bottles... whatever. I dont like taking pills. I can handle my alcohol..”

Marcus hears the exchange as he steps into the room to say hello. He whispers to a girl standing behind him and she nods and leaves.

“You're sure about this?” Marcus asks.

Tannr nods, “I'm sure.”

“All right then. I will leave you to it and see you in the bar downstairs when you're finished.”

The doctor approaches with an instrument that looks somewhat like a thin curling iron with the red hot steel cross on the end.

“Ready?” he asks.

As Tannr nods Tori closes her eyes trying to sense what if any kind of magic is present in the brand, the apparatus or the doctor. All she can sense is some type of summoning spell, just as Marcus explained to Tannr.

Tori hears the sharp loud intake of breath when the brand hits Tannrs upper arm. The muscles in his chest, arms and neck bulge and his teeth clench tight. Her eyes fill with sympathy, wincing at the pain as the scent of searing flesh fills the room.

The pain is searing and Tannr is aware of nothing else. Even after the branding iron is removed the pain is excruciating, shooting down his arm, up his neck and across his chest and back. He leans over, feeling light headed and cusses soundly. The only word in English that Tori hears is 'fuck', the rest is in Norse.

After a few minutes the doctor approaches with a small tube of ointment. “I can put this on or you can, but it needs to be done daily. Treat it as a burn, dont let it get infected...”

Tannr nods and looks to Tori, “Red, would you mind? I would rather you did it...”