[ he's struck speechless for a moment, once he finally gets a look at her. he can't recall yukimura ever specifying "the green witch's" age (then again, he can't recall much of what that guy had said), and for a second he suspects he's been duped.
tentatively, he answers, ]
Had a run in with a guy who didn't appreciate it. [ a corner of his lips turn up in a wry half-smile. ]
Heard you knew a thing or two 'bout patching people up.
[A "guy"? Not a lava monster or an imp? They weren't male, were they? The phrasing makes it seem to her as if it was a fellow recruit... And that wasn't good at all. But worse was that amount of blood and can see from the broadcast...
But no use dispensing medical advice via screen. Well, more than the basics-]
Far more than two- Put more pressure on that wound!
[It had taken some getting used to when she first arrived, but she's capable now of the somewhat visually disconcerting fear of doing other things while also watching her network feed, gathering up her bag and stuffing a few things into it.]
Where are you exactly? Who did this? What weapon?
[Not only things she needed to know, but to keep him talking.]
he makes a show of flopping his hands about, but honestly that's about as much as he can muster at the moment. he struggles, too, to keep up with her barrage of questions. somehow, answering them is much more tiring than running away from a homicidal maniac. ]
Uh. In the woods? Somewhere? Never did quite catch the guy's name as he was swinging his giant sword at me, though.
[Her instructions have the added purpose of judging how lucid he was and how much coordination he had left... And she doesn't really like the results she's seeing. The woods? That could be anywhere-]
Try to be more specific- did you pass any particular trees? Where is the sun?
[ badou squeezes his visible eye shut, trying to stave off an oncoming headache. he appreciates her concern, to be honest — especially considering how so many seemed quite willing to write off his injuries — but her yelling is starting to pound against his forehead, and he isn't sure if that's a good sign or not. ]
The sun, uh... it's behind me. [ he struggles to remember as much of his surroundings as he could; now that his eye is shut, he's hesitant to open it again. ] The trees were tall, and I'm in a clearing. I think there might have been a river to my left.
[ he pauses for a moment, his breathing evening out. ]
Hey, [ when he speaks again, his tone is level, calm. his eye cracks open a sliver. when her brow crinkles like that, she looks even younger than he thought. ]
I ain't going anywhere, okay? I'll be right here when ya get to me, so... so don't worry so much. It looks worse than it is.
It is the healer's job to worry about the patient, not the other way around.
[Chastised somewhat firmly, but not maliciously, finishing up the tool gathering she needed as a shaggy... Something came into view, too close to the lens to tell, really, just a flash of ivory bone and fur before she's scrambling atop it. At least now she had a much better idea-]
Last questions... What do you smell like, besides blood? And what is your name?
[ he chuckles a little, but it tapers off into a cough. ]
Ya got me there. Still say it'd be a shame if my healer went and gave herself a heart attack before she even got t'me, but clearly ya done this before.
[ he sighs then, turning his gaze back up towards the sky. ]
[Smoke- good, that was good, at least. She nodded, by all appearance ready to move.]
Very well, Badou Nails. I shall attend to you as soon as possible.
[Isengrim, for all that he had more of a boney skull for a face than actual flesh and blood, had never had trouble smelling out his food or tracking what Sieglinde needed, and smoke in the forest was a scent that would stand out. She's off once she hangs up, determined, never quite trusting of patients that assured her they were fine. Put the sun at her back and the river to her side, searching, fingers clasped tight in Isengrim's coat as the large canine moved, "nose" to the ground...
Until he raised his head and Sieglinde echoed the movement, casting about... There!]
Badou Nails?
[Called out, but she already confirmed it, beginning to scramble down off her familiar's back in a flurry of fabric, watching his figure and hoping to see movement or hear a voice, hoping he hadn't lapsed into unconsciousness.]
[ his eye pops open the moment he hears them come close. a moment's flare of panic, wondering if perhaps that creature had turned back around to finish him off, but upon seeing who it actually was, he calms. ]
Yo.
[ he doesn't really move, but he certainly manages a small grin.
up close, she can see the extent of his wounds — sliced up from head to toe, tearing straight through fabric and skin and muscle. the cuts vary in sizes and depth, but most of the bleeding has stopped by now, though the pain still lingers and sets. what she cannot see, however, at least not as easily, is the unease and nausea that has settled deep in his chest, his mind. a nausea from the backlash of a flare of magical power, turning his skin paler, his brow slick with sweat. ]
[Oh, that is not good. As glad as she is that he is still conscious, the amount of blood loss was nothing to shake a stick at, and the pallor to his skin and brow... Once she had dismounted Isengrim she pulled her medical bag from across the canine's haunches, patting it before she hurriedly tottered over to Badou, unnaturally small feet unsteady and almost pitching forward when she stepped on a root but she managed to stay upright until she reached his side, only then sinking to her knees beside him and without a by your leave beginning to peel back his clothing from his wounds in order to examine them closer.]
I hear that quite often.
[At least he was well enough to be cracking wise? Still- she had hoped to avoid using the limited magic in her possession, but this wasn't the time for stinginess. Not with this many open wounds, and one dangerously close to an artery...]
What did this to you?
[She was pulling out potion vials, bandages, a bundle of herbs, a needle and thread.]
[ he'd been watching her pretty intently till he saw the needle and thread come out. suddenly he's shifting his gaze away, looking a touch greener. he's been hurt plenty of times, sure, but he never did like the stitching up part. ]
Dunno, never saw a thing like him before in my life. Definitely wasn't deer though, and definitely wasn't any fish either.
[ he pauses a moment, setting aside the nagging feeling of fear in the back of his mind. ]
...He didn't look like he was enjoying any bit of it though. At least not at first.
[But he didn't say it wasn't humanoid... And that's worrying. Though she notices his reaction to the needle, she doesn't falter or address it, instead continuously moving, arranging her tools around her skirts, clearing the rent fabric away from his wounds- and moving to uncork one of her potion bottles.]
Can you describe him better for me?
[Keeping a patient talking and focused was important, and not only that... She wished to know what sort of dangers lurked among them. A small hand laid across his chest, potion bottle poised-]
This will sting slightly, do not bite your tongue-
[To begin pouring the clear liquid over his wounds, washing out any impurities and sterilizing, more science than magic, this one, cleaning the injury before healing was begun to avoid wasting magic on a spell to prevent infection.]
[ he doesn't bite his tongue, but he does grit his teeth. to his credit, he doesn't yell this time, even though he's been doing that pretty much nonstop since he'd woken up, and instead lets out the pain through a deep, groaning exhalation of breath. his chest jumps from the pain, but he doesn't move save for the clenching of his fists. it stings, sure; but he knows it's barely a fraction of what he'd felt when he received those wounds in the first place.
he struggles to keep his wits about him, brow furrowing as he conjures up the image of the creature in his mind. ]
He was... tall. Blue skin, maybe grey. White hair. Tattoos all over. Big, pointy ears and a stupid huge sword like he's compensating for something.
[The potion bottle is empty, now, but Sieglinde momentarily forgot to put it down, just holding it for a moment too long over Badou's skin, the blood from his injuries diluting, chased out by the contents of the vial.
That description sounded an awful lot like someone she'd met just recently.
But her wits return soon enough, and she pulls back the bottle, putting it back in her bag.]
[ he notes the way she stalls. it's minute, almost imperceptible, but since he started talking, he'd taken care to focus on something to keep his mind steady, and she just so happened to be in the line of fire. it's faint, but it's there — the recognition in her eyes. ]
Friend of yours?
[ his voice is wry, but not nearly as wry as his grin. though it could be considered more of a grimace, the way a corner of his lips pull into something rather strained, forced. he thinks he'd be surprised, but also probably not.
he's not sure there's much of anything anymore that could surprise him. ]
I gotta bone t'pick with it, yeah. Hasn't really been anything but trouble since I got here. But if it's gonna keep me from dying, just don't tell me nothing about it.
[She's a bit surprised at the comment, that he would pick up on that in such a state... but every patient was different, handled pain different. She would not lie about it, setting aside her potion bottles to let a hand hover above his chest.]
... Not a friend, no. But he sounds familiar.
[Why would that person have attacked this man, though? Were they not both ALASTAIR recruits? And this one new, as well, hardly long enough to offend so badly as to warrant a bloody fight?
Questions she could ask later.]
I have less available than I would like, as many of our number... but allow me to use magic to heal the most grievous of your wounds.
[Gently, she laid her bare hand upon his chest, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before she began to speak, her words half in languages long dead.]
As I see thee weltering in thine blood, I call upon the goddess who governs, who I beseech to aid you now...
[Normally she would leave nothing to even indicate he had been injured, but she had to conserve- what if more people were injured elsewhere, or something happened... but beneath her hand, his wounds began to close, the bleeding to cease, until the deepest injuries were far more shallow, and the shallower cuts reduced to deep scratches.]
[ he tries not to be too weirded out by it, but it's hard. he's on the ground and bleeding out and there's this little girl hovering over him with a weird skeleton dog hovering over her nearby and now she's mumbling stuff to herself that sure has hell don't sound normal—
but then his wounds start closing and he has to wonder: okay, so it's weird as fuck, but that doesn't mean it ain't okay.
it's saving his life, after all, at least this time it is, and like all things he tries to stomach it with a few deep breathes and a wordless prayer to whoever-the-fuck-may-be-listening.
when it's over, and the lack of pain hits him like a splash of cold water, he blinks rapidly and glances down at himself, lips parting on a mute noise of wonder.
and then he laughs, low at first, and breathy. a puff here and a puff there before suddenly he's falling back again, body convulsing with each new bowl of laughter. ]
Shit, [ he wheezes out. ] Fuck.
[ he lifts a hand — he can lift a hand again — and drops it over his face, though his lips are still visible, cracked into a wide, crooked grin. ]
I'd say I owe ya, but there ain't nothing I can do that tops that.
[Sieglinde is glad of two things in that moment. No, three. That even with the natives and her fellows losing their magic, she had been spared the complete loss. That she had enough left in her to do at least this much. ... That ALASTAIR had enabled her to do any of it at all in the first place.
She withdrew her hands once the magic left her, feeling a tiredness that didn't usually accompany the spell- but that was the work of this world, and a petty price for what she gained. She sat back with a sigh of relief, not even that perturbed by his... unusual reaction.
Patients reacted differently- this one with... laughter, she supposed.]
You owe me nothing- this is the role I play.
[With her age and obvious handicaps... she certainly wasn't doing any fighting for ALASTAIR.
But she was already going for another vial in her bag, this one filled with a pale yellow balm.]
[ badou watches her hands move with a muted, somber expression. the last traces of his mirth seems to have ebbed to little more than a strained grin around his lips, though it's rather close to a grimace if looked at too closely. ]
Well shit, lil' lady, how'm I s'posed to leave ya be when ya say it like that...
[ he sighs, and he sounds aggrieved by it all, but there is something rather resolute about it anyway. he's feeling better now — enough so that he can sit up and flash her a
a thumbs up? ]
Consider yourself lucky, lil' miss! You got yourself an authentic "I O U" from Badou Nails, private eye! So chin up, huh? That shit don't come cheap, y'know.
[Like what... ? She frowned instead, uncorking her vial and dipping in several fingers to pull out a balm that she began to dab on the wounds still left open, though their severity had been lessened.]
What is an "I.O.U."? And a "private eye", so that I might know what I have earned?
[ ah geez, way to deflate a man's pride, sieglinde. you coulda at least acted amazed! ]
It's what it is — an "I owe you." You did me a favor, so now I owe ya one. And a private eye's someone who goes around gathering intel. You wanna know if your man's cheating on ya? Hire a private eye. You wanna find someone who don't wanna be foudn? Hire a private eye. You wanna get the dirt on a business rival without getting your own hands dirty? You hire a private fucking eye.
[It was so simple that it actually gave Sieglinde pause, a comical moment where she just stared past him into nothing in the clearing, brow furrowed before the eureka. "I.O.U." "I owe you". Homonyms. Ah.
Damn it. Quick to try and act like she totally knew that, Sieglinde affected a casual manner, continuing to dab the balm on his wounds as if she hadn't asked a silly question.]
While I have trouble believing a man would be able to stray once he satisfied himself with me, your services sound of use. I shall reserve one for the future, then.
[Totally no problem, yeah. Nevermind what she just said...]
[ grateful though he may be to her services, there is no mistaking the momentary look of confusion on his features. that solitary green eye roves over her for a quick once-over, as if to remind himself that, yes, those words did indeed come from a girl who probably hasn't even bled naturally yet.
but the moment is over with a quick shut of his eye, and then a glance skyward. recollected himself. ]
Sure. Yeah. You do that, lil' lady. Gimme a holler when you ever need it.
[Wow, Badou, how dare you judge her based on the fact she hasn't had a period yet... just you wait! She is going to have the best and more fertile womb making period ever!
... Anyway. Green eyes versus green eyes in the stare of a moment...
Before she just finishes up dabbing her balm on his wounds, one that would numb the remaining pain and encourage the rest of the healing she didn't have the magic for at the moment.]
I shall, then. Until then, do not strain yourself overly- I will need recover some magic before I complete your healing.
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tentatively, he answers, ]
Had a run in with a guy who didn't appreciate it. [ a corner of his lips turn up in a wry half-smile. ]
Heard you knew a thing or two 'bout patching people up.
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But no use dispensing medical advice via screen. Well, more than the basics-]
Far more than two- Put more pressure on that wound!
[It had taken some getting used to when she first arrived, but she's capable now of the somewhat visually disconcerting fear of doing other things while also watching her network feed, gathering up her bag and stuffing a few things into it.]
Where are you exactly? Who did this? What weapon?
[Not only things she needed to know, but to keep him talking.]
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[ which wound, sieglinde. which wound.
he makes a show of flopping his hands about, but honestly that's about as much as he can muster at the moment. he struggles, too, to keep up with her barrage of questions. somehow, answering them is much more tiring than running away from a homicidal maniac. ]
Uh. In the woods? Somewhere? Never did quite catch the guy's name as he was swinging his giant sword at me, though.
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Try to be more specific- did you pass any particular trees? Where is the sun?
[Her face turns, addressing someone? off screen]
Isengrim! I need you!
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The sun, uh... it's behind me. [ he struggles to remember as much of his surroundings as he could; now that his eye is shut, he's hesitant to open it again. ] The trees were tall, and I'm in a clearing. I think there might have been a river to my left.
[ he pauses for a moment, his breathing evening out. ]
Hey, [ when he speaks again, his tone is level, calm. his eye cracks open a sliver. when her brow crinkles like that, she looks even younger than he thought. ]
I ain't going anywhere, okay? I'll be right here when ya get to me, so... so don't worry so much. It looks worse than it is.
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[Chastised somewhat firmly, but not maliciously, finishing up the tool gathering she needed as a shaggy... Something came into view, too close to the lens to tell, really, just a flash of ivory bone and fur before she's scrambling atop it. At least now she had a much better idea-]
Last questions... What do you smell like, besides blood? And what is your name?
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Ya got me there. Still say it'd be a shame if my healer went and gave herself a heart attack before she even got t'me, but clearly ya done this before.
[ he sighs then, turning his gaze back up towards the sky. ]
Badou Nails. All's I smell is smoke.
[ but then again, he always smells smoke. ]
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Very well, Badou Nails. I shall attend to you as soon as possible.
[Isengrim, for all that he had more of a boney skull for a face than actual flesh and blood, had never had trouble smelling out his food or tracking what Sieglinde needed, and smoke in the forest was a scent that would stand out. She's off once she hangs up, determined, never quite trusting of patients that assured her they were fine. Put the sun at her back and the river to her side, searching, fingers clasped tight in Isengrim's coat as the large canine moved, "nose" to the ground...
Until he raised his head and Sieglinde echoed the movement, casting about... There!]
Badou Nails?
[Called out, but she already confirmed it, beginning to scramble down off her familiar's back in a flurry of fabric, watching his figure and hoping to see movement or hear a voice, hoping he hadn't lapsed into unconsciousness.]
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Yo.
[ he doesn't really move, but he certainly manages a small grin.
up close, she can see the extent of his wounds — sliced up from head to toe, tearing straight through fabric and skin and muscle. the cuts vary in sizes and depth, but most of the bleeding has stopped by now, though the pain still lingers and sets. what she cannot see, however, at least not as easily, is the unease and nausea that has settled deep in his chest, his mind. a nausea from the backlash of a flare of magical power, turning his skin paler, his brow slick with sweat. ]
...You're a lot smaller than I imagined.
[ hi. ]
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I hear that quite often.
[At least he was well enough to be cracking wise? Still- she had hoped to avoid using the limited magic in her possession, but this wasn't the time for stinginess. Not with this many open wounds, and one dangerously close to an artery...]
What did this to you?
[She was pulling out potion vials, bandages, a bundle of herbs, a needle and thread.]
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Dunno, never saw a thing like him before in my life. Definitely wasn't deer though, and definitely wasn't any fish either.
[ he pauses a moment, setting aside the nagging feeling of fear in the back of his mind. ]
...He didn't look like he was enjoying any bit of it though. At least not at first.
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Can you describe him better for me?
[Keeping a patient talking and focused was important, and not only that... She wished to know what sort of dangers lurked among them. A small hand laid across his chest, potion bottle poised-]
This will sting slightly, do not bite your tongue-
[To begin pouring the clear liquid over his wounds, washing out any impurities and sterilizing, more science than magic, this one, cleaning the injury before healing was begun to avoid wasting magic on a spell to prevent infection.]
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he struggles to keep his wits about him, brow furrowing as he conjures up the image of the creature in his mind. ]
He was... tall. Blue skin, maybe grey. White hair. Tattoos all over. Big, pointy ears and a stupid huge sword like he's compensating for something.
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That description sounded an awful lot like someone she'd met just recently.
But her wits return soon enough, and she pulls back the bottle, putting it back in her bag.]
... I see.
[A matter for another time.]
Before I continue, are you averse to magic?
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Friend of yours?
[ his voice is wry, but not nearly as wry as his grin. though it could be considered more of a grimace, the way a corner of his lips pull into something rather strained, forced. he thinks he'd be surprised, but also probably not.
he's not sure there's much of anything anymore that could surprise him. ]
I gotta bone t'pick with it, yeah. Hasn't really been anything but trouble since I got here. But if it's gonna keep me from dying, just don't tell me nothing about it.
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... Not a friend, no. But he sounds familiar.
[Why would that person have attacked this man, though? Were they not both ALASTAIR recruits? And this one new, as well, hardly long enough to offend so badly as to warrant a bloody fight?
Questions she could ask later.]
I have less available than I would like, as many of our number... but allow me to use magic to heal the most grievous of your wounds.
[Gently, she laid her bare hand upon his chest, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before she began to speak, her words half in languages long dead.]
As I see thee weltering in thine blood, I call upon the goddess who governs, who I beseech to aid you now...
[Normally she would leave nothing to even indicate he had been injured, but she had to conserve- what if more people were injured elsewhere, or something happened... but beneath her hand, his wounds began to close, the bleeding to cease, until the deepest injuries were far more shallow, and the shallower cuts reduced to deep scratches.]
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but then his wounds start closing and he has to wonder: okay, so it's weird as fuck, but that doesn't mean it ain't okay.
it's saving his life, after all, at least this time it is, and like all things he tries to stomach it with a few deep breathes and a wordless prayer to whoever-the-fuck-may-be-listening.
when it's over, and the lack of pain hits him like a splash of cold water, he blinks rapidly and glances down at himself, lips parting on a mute noise of wonder.
and then he laughs, low at first, and breathy. a puff here and a puff there before suddenly he's falling back again, body convulsing with each new bowl of laughter. ]
Shit, [ he wheezes out. ] Fuck.
[ he lifts a hand — he can lift a hand again — and drops it over his face, though his lips are still visible, cracked into a wide, crooked grin. ]
I'd say I owe ya, but there ain't nothing I can do that tops that.
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She withdrew her hands once the magic left her, feeling a tiredness that didn't usually accompany the spell- but that was the work of this world, and a petty price for what she gained. She sat back with a sigh of relief, not even that perturbed by his... unusual reaction.
Patients reacted differently- this one with... laughter, she supposed.]
You owe me nothing- this is the role I play.
[With her age and obvious handicaps... she certainly wasn't doing any fighting for ALASTAIR.
But she was already going for another vial in her bag, this one filled with a pale yellow balm.]
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Well shit, lil' lady, how'm I s'posed to leave ya be when ya say it like that...
[ he sighs, and he sounds aggrieved by it all, but there is something rather resolute about it anyway. he's feeling better now — enough so that he can sit up and flash her a
a thumbs up? ]
Consider yourself lucky, lil' miss! You got yourself an authentic "I O U" from Badou Nails, private eye! So chin up, huh? That shit don't come cheap, y'know.
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What is an "I.O.U."? And a "private eye", so that I might know what I have earned?
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It's what it is — an "I owe you." You did me a favor, so now I owe ya one. And a private eye's someone who goes around gathering intel. You wanna know if your man's cheating on ya? Hire a private eye. You wanna find someone who don't wanna be foudn? Hire a private eye. You wanna get the dirt on a business rival without getting your own hands dirty? You hire a private fucking eye.
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Damn it. Quick to try and act like she totally knew that, Sieglinde affected a casual manner, continuing to dab the balm on his wounds as if she hadn't asked a silly question.]
While I have trouble believing a man would be able to stray once he satisfied himself with me, your services sound of use. I shall reserve one for the future, then.
[Totally no problem, yeah. Nevermind what she just said...]
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but the moment is over with a quick shut of his eye, and then a glance skyward. recollected himself. ]
Sure. Yeah. You do that, lil' lady. Gimme a holler when you ever need it.
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... Anyway. Green eyes versus green eyes in the stare of a moment...
Before she just finishes up dabbing her balm on his wounds, one that would numb the remaining pain and encourage the rest of the healing she didn't have the magic for at the moment.]
I shall, then. Until then, do not strain yourself overly- I will need recover some magic before I complete your healing.
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