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[droppinnoeaves]

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[badbutsad]

Harry should absolutely not be back already. If anything he should be back in Cybele, making his appeal to his uncle as to why he shouldn't be punished for disappearing for multiple days, but. There was still more to do, here.

Which is why he ends up at the mines early in the morning, to see what he can do to help; and why he finds Samwise struggling to get his crutches under him.

"Sam!" His own lingering exhaustion is immediately forgotten as he goes to try and help the miners sit back down. "You shouldn't be up yet!"

[droppinnoeaves]

Sam leans much more heavily on Harry than he'd like, but he makes a frustrated noise at being guided back to the edge of his bed.

"No, I've got to be walking," he protests, holding tightly to one of the crutches. "I can't work if I don't walk."

[badbutsad]

"You can't walk if you go to work," he protests right back, and he's going to keep a hand on Sam's shoulder to try and hold him in place. "If you go out like this, you're just gonna get hurt even worse."

[droppinnoeaves]

Harry has better than two feet of height on Sam, and only one of them is still on a lot of painkillers. It's not hard to keep him from getting back up, despite Sam's huff of frustration.

"I can't 'fford to be down for long. They'll give my spot away, I'll be back on the breakline."

[badbutsad]

"I can pay." The words come out too quickly, eagerly to the point of almost sounding desperate. He can't do anything useful, he was barely helpful during the actual cave-in Harry this is patently false and he was so shaken afterwards that he had nightmares all night, but money he can help with. "I-I can-- what do you need? I can see what we can get imported down here for you, to help you heal better."

[droppinnoeaves]

He stares at the kid, and scrubs his bandaged hand hard across his eyes, shaking his head. "No, y'can't. I owe more money then I've ever 'ad, more'n my old Gaffer's hydro-farm was worth. Been chippin' away at it for years, working up to the tunnel crews, and I 'ad my eye on supervisor next, if I kept workin' hard, but now..."

[badbutsad]

He gives Sam a determined look, but it's still tempered by how haunted he looks.

"I'm Harrison Wittebane. I can-- I can get my uncle to cancel your debt," he says, sharper than he means. "O-or I'll pay it off myself, out of my own bank."

[droppinnoeaves]

Sam goes still, staring at Harry. Just Harry, the boy who helped pull him out. His lips press together, hard enough they go pale.

"Wittebane," he says, voice a little choked.

[badbutsad]

"Yes!" He says it so gleefully, like he's just glad Sam gets it. Not that the miner is scared of the fact. "I can help! I just- let me know what you need, I can get it!"

[droppinnoeaves]

He lets go of the crutch at last, then winces when it clatters to the floor.

"Your uncle is... him as owns the mines," he says, the words coming out with an effort. "Sir... who do you think I owe?"

[badbutsad]

The clatter makes him flinch.

"I-- I know that, but..."

But seeing Sam before him, halfway to recoiling because he knows who Harry is, the sudden deference, makes him feel nauseous. Is this really how people see him, when they know who he is?

"You- you don't deserve this," he says weakly, gesturing to Sam. As he doubles over to pick up the crutch, and hand it back.

[droppinnoeaves]

"What's deserve got t'do with it?" Sam frowns, anxiety bright behind his eyes. But he goes on anyway. "I'm still payin' off my trip here. Haven't even touched what I owe fer room n'board the years I've been here. An' this-" He gestures with his head to the hospital bed. "I'll be payin' this too."