Closed [The Infirmary] Just a flesh wound (Aidara)

[Darkness]

Timestamp: 57th of Fall, 512AV Darkness had wandered for a while without a set direction, simply taking in the city's views, the walking people, the smells... and the noise, oh the noise. It was almost overwhelming after all the time he'd spent in the wild. At first he'd simply stood still, trying to take it all in, to get used to the idea that, after a stupidly long and hard journey, he was finally where he wanted. But then the humans grabbed his attention, and he wanted to know where they went, why. Something similar had happened today and he'd started moving, and now... Well, now he was hungry, tired, wounded, and had no idea where he was or anything else for that matter. Someone else might've been concerned about this last part, but in Darkness' mind any place was good to observe the humans, and a busy spot like this one seemed to be even better: there were all sorts of people people moving around, most of them with that particular, determined pace that showed that they had something to do. At least that was what the half-Zith understood, but he wasn't too sure of it - the people here were weird, really weird. He'd already bumped into a couple of them in his distraction and nobody had tried to kill him, which was unthinkable back in Xy. Thinking of Xy managed to dampen his good spirits for a moment, as he thought back to his family and what he'd left behind, but his attention was quickly seized by the humans once more. He leaned on a wall, immersed in analyzing what saw as his eyes hovered over the people walking by. Merchants and artisans, dredges and eagle-riders, for Darkness' untrained eyes they all looked the same. He could understand easily that some of them, the ones that got hit and pushed around, were the slaves, though he couldn't understand why you'd treat a slave like that. Beyond that, though, it was anyone's guess - some people were obviously higher up in the food chain than others, but why, he had no idea. Still, the movements were fascinating and he could've spent hours simply looking at them. A stabbing pain in his ribs cut that plan short, though, and reminded him that he wasn't in the best shape to do that. Putting his observations to use, he went to one of the men who he'd classified as meat and asked: "Where are your healers?" The man simply pointed in one direction, stepping back slowly with unease written all over its stance. Ignoring the man's discomfort, the half-Zith nodded and set off, noticing but not caring about the wide berth most people gave him. Maybe it was another of their cultural peculiarites. When he had walked a few streets, he stopped again, observing until he found another slave, and repeated his interrogation. A couple of scared men later, he was finally standing in front of the door of the building he seeked. Knocking on doors being a foreign concept he simply walked in and, with the characteristic deep voice of the Zith, stated as he took in the room: "I was told I could get healed here."

[Aidara]

Addy was elbow deep in Yasi puke when the Infirmary fell unusually silent, the sudden stillness lost on the preoccupied woman. The boy who was busy spilling his lunch all over the floor continued to moan and cry to himself while the little healer tried desperately to keep the bucket underneath him; it failed more often than it worked, lending to her splattered appearance. “Just try and stay still. It will be okay, you just ate some old meat.” Through gritted teeth as she tried not to breath in through her mouth, Addy tried to keep her voice as calm and soothing as possible as she rubbed her palm lightly along his back.

“I… can’t…don’t…want…to…” With his sentence ending in another heave, Addy grimaced and looked up to cast a pained look with Keah; the other healer was hovering nearby with a fresh bucket and an armful of towels. Or, she had been hovering nearby. Now she was turned towards the Infirmary door, her posture stiff and defensive as her usually pretty face turned instead to an emotionless mask. “Keah, what is wrong?” But the healer just sliced her hand through the air in a shushing motion, her eyes never leaving the doorway.

All of the visitors and the rest of the patents that could stand had also done so, giving the Infirmary a hostile feel so tangible that Addy could almost feel it coating her tongue as the group of redheads formed a scowling semicircle around the door; whether they meant too or not, her people had shown once again a sense of cohesion despite caste when they were faced with a thread. Addy could almost see the hackles raising on the backs of every Inartan present. “What in the…” Unfortunately, being smaller than almost everyone present and raising to armpit level on most people, the door therefore obscured by the Ginger wall that had formed, the little Endal healer had no idea what the commotion was all about.

Grimacing and fighting the urge to spit the nasty taste from her mouth, the little healer laid the boy back down and handed him the bucket. “Aim for the inside, please.” In no other danger than making a mess, it was fine to leave the little boy to himself as Addy excused herself through two Inartan’s closest to her. “Please, let me through.”

They moved aside quickly enough, but Addy was momentarily disappointed by what was on the other side. By the reaction around her, she expected a full on war to be waging outside the Infirmary doors. Instead, Keah faced off with the tall dark man that hulked in the doorway. Relief flooded her only moments later, washing away the disappointment until Keah’s words reached her; Addy had made it halfway across the space when she could make out the angry, almost shouted words.

“We don’t help you here. You’ll have to go back to…to you cave if you want help.” The young woman’s face was flushed and her hands were shaking despite the tight fists that they were balled into. Green eyes widened in surprise when Addy heard this, her footsteps quickening until she reached Keah’s side.

“What is the meaning of this?” The words were directed towards the fellow healer even though her eyes had focused and locked upon the stranger, recognition tickling the back of her mind. Had she seen him somewhere before? “Keah?”

Still staring angrily at the man, Keah turned stiffly to look down at Addy, her face the same angry mask. “This…thing wants us to help it.”

“And why wouldn’t we help someone in need?” Addy was genuinely confused, her brows lowering as her hands found her hips, leaning towards Keah as if interested in nothing else by her answer. “That is why we are healers, right?”

“Addy. Have you no idea what he is?!” Keah seemed shocked by this, her eyes widening as she stared down at the little Endal woman. “He’s coming to pray on our sick and helpless!!”

“Keah! Watch what you’re saying!” Turning to look at the man, Addy knew by his lack of red hair that he was an outside but other than that… the familiarity still tickled, but nothing came forward. Perhaps he was a little intimidating, but there was nothing obvious that called for such an outrageous reaction from her fellow Inartans, the other woman’s claim making Addy’s cheeks flame with embarrassment. “He looks to me like someone who is hurt.” Turning back to the gathered observers, Addy waved a hand that encompassed them all and then pointed. “If you can’t deal with it, Keah, then I’ll take care of it myself. There is puke on the floor back there that needs to be cleaned up.” Pinning the other woman with an angry stare, Addy waited until she turned and stormed back into the sick bay.

“I’m sorry about that. ” Turning back to the newcomer Addy went to offer a hand to the man before remembering that she was indeed covered in vomit. “Oh good goddess.” Sighing and retracting the gesture, she instead gave him a lopsided smile and stepped aside to let him through the door. “I am Aidara. I apologize for my people,” a glare over her shoulder sent those still lingering scattering back to whatever they had been doing prior to the interruption. “They are not very welcoming when it comes to newcomers.”

[Darkness]

The Zith's declaration was met with silence, the kind of silence that screamed of hostility. Nobody there was actually threatening him, but he had no doubt that if they could, more than one would, perhaps going so far as to attack them. Worse for them. Yesterday's experiences had drained him of any will to be nice to the people in this city, so if they disliked his presence, they were welcome to stay away from him. He, for one, would be glad if more humans actually took that stance and let him be. The silence didn't last all that long - a few seconds was all it took for one of the humans, a young female, to speak up and deny him the treatment. If that was all she'd done, Darkness would've taken it relatively well, unhappy but not angry. But the human's tone was despective, her body tense and trembling with what he could only assume was rage, so instead of backing down Darkness just stared into the woman's eyes as he so often did with prey. She wanted a fight, and he was more than willing to provide. Before it could crystallize into any violence, however, another human intervened demanding an explanation. While the Zith was wondering what kind of explanation she wanted - "Hello, I'm a Zith and your people don't like me.", or maybe "I came here to get healed but it seems like it won't happen" - the human specified she wanted answers from one Keah. That made more sense, at least from the Zith's point of view, rage still there, mixed with confusion. He hadn't really done anything but go to a healer and ask for healing which, as far as he knew, was acceptable even in this weird human culture. Maybe it was the lack of knocking, it seemed to carry a special importance here. Or, judging from the Keah's words, it simply boiled down to the fact that he was Zith, as it seemed to have been his crime since he arrived at this city. So he was taken by surprise when the second human either ignored or disregarded the fact that he was a Zith, simply focusing on the fact that he was wounded. All the rage drained from the hybrid's body, his expectations completely defeated. For the first time since he'd arrived, someone had actually treated him like an individual, and not like a stereotypical Zith, and he didn't know how to respond to that. But although he was confused, he could still feel anger at the Keah's words. He was by no definition of the word coming to pray on this city, and if she saw that, then she was being stupid. You didn't prey on a city by being alone and trying to conform to what they expected from you, you preyed on it by bringing fifty Zith, flying in, killing the weak and enslaving the strong. Doubt crept into Darkness' mind. Was this the right thing to do? He was Zith, after all, and maybe she was right. Maybe he should be preying on them, not trying to learn about them. Maybe everyone expected him to do that because what he was doing didn't make any sense. Maybe this was so hard because he shouldn't be doing it. Being lost in thought, however, didn't keep him from noticing that the very same human who had surprised him before had now jumped to his defense. If before he was confused, now he was suspicious: there was no way any human would ever want to help a Zith without some hidden reasons... or maybe there was. He wanted to at least give the human a chance, like the human was giving him a chance. It was the first time he wasn't being treated like he was a threat, and he found himself liking it. So when the human apologized for their unwelcoming behaviour, where the Zith would've previously made a hurtful remark, instead he replied: "It's alright. They didn't attack me, I can live through words." He looked into the healer's eyes, smiling, and added. "Thanks for helping me, Aidara. I'd rather not fight with my ribs broken."

[Aidara]

Try though she might, Addy couldn’t suppress the shiver that took a chill down her spine when the man sought and found her gaze, a sort of barely restrained hostility in his gaze that she thought had nothing to do with his temperament. It was a sort of natural aggression that seemed to radiate from the lines of his body that he seemed to attempt to stifle with that smile.

Unable to keep from smiling back, Addy swept her hand in an arc, wordlessly inviting the man into the Infirmary while her sharp green eyes picked at his movements; his assessment about the ribs seemed to be correct, a definite favoring of the injured side apparent when he moved. “The bed in the back, by the door on the far wall. Walk slow.” Pointing to the sickbed just outside of her office door, one that was conveniently separate from the rest, the little healer gathered a few things from the shelves along the walls before joining her new patient at his bedside.

“I hope you don’t mind the seclusion. Prying eyes and ears can be somewhat of a distraction.” Not oblivious to the way that the entirety of the Infirmary seemed to be watching them out of the corners of their eyes, Addy positioned herself between them and the man. “I can even pull the curtain if you wish. I’m going to have you lay down and tell me where it hurts.” Of course, she could have easily used her gift to find each and every injury but the little woman always thought it rather impolite to just dive into another being without their permission.

“You never gave me your name, either.” It was just small talk while they both got settled, Addy spreading out the different bandages, herbs and implements while the man got himself comfortable. “Or why you’re in the city. I can safely say I haven’t seen you before.” Still smiling, Addy finally turned back to her patient, settling down on the stool next to the bed and lightly resting her wrists upon her knees, a brow arched in quiet patience as she waited for her questions to be answered.

[Darkness]

It didn't get past Darkness that he was being assigned to the only bed that was separated from all the others - all the better as far as he was concerned, so he made his way there without any complaints, one hand probing the ribs softly before being quickly drawn back as the Zith held a grunt. He didn't want to show any weakness in front of people who had been openly hostile. The healer - Aidara, he reminded himself - gathered her gear and was with him in a few moments, apologizing for separating him from the other patients. Before she was done explaining, Darkness' head nodded in comprehension, but he remained silent, waiting for her to finish. She seemed friendly for now, but nobody liked being interrupted and chances were she, like just about everyone useful in this city, was allowed to beat him. So he laid down as she'd instructed him, silently opening his mouth when his ribs complained about the movement, waiting for her to finish speaking. After a couple of seconds passed in silence, he replied: "My name? Most humans don't care to use it." To him, this worked as a complete explanation of why he didn't introduce himself. "I chose Darkness. It has a nice ring, and a better meaning. I'm here to... learn, is the best word I know." Before he could stop himself, he was spilling things he didn't really mean to tell someone he'd just met. "I've always found humans interesting. The way you dress, the way you think. I've always wanted to understand how you think. Your absurdly complex mating rituals are fun to watch, too. Then I heard that humans could fly here, and since I didn't have any reason to stay in Xy I decided to come and see if I could learn to do that myself." It sounded like a weak reason even to his own ears, but it was all he had. He fell silent for a couple of seconds, wondering what her response would be. Last time he'd told someone he was here to learn, he'd been accused of lying. Would that happen again? Shaking his head lightly, he focused on the now and replying to Aidara's other questions. "Hm... I'd prefer to keep the curtains open. They'll feel less threatened if they can keep me in sight, but too far to reach them." Or so he hoped, anyways. Humans here were not much like the slaves he knew. "Actually, do whatever you think will be best." He corrected himself. "As for my wounds, well ribs are the worst as far as I know. Cracked, maybe broken. I've also got a couple of rather nasty cuts under the fur." He pointed to his upper left abdomen and left thigh. "Don't know if they're from talons or me crashing into something sharp. They've stopped bleeding some time ago, but they're red and swollen, which I know is a bad sign. The rest is only scratches and that kind of stuff. Crazy bird-human." He explained, starting to shrug before freezing in position, his ribs reminding him that he wasn't free to do what he wanted. Now that he wasn't working off an adrenalin rush, they seemed to demand more attention and serious rest.

[Aidara]

Working as she listened, the little healer was able to better control the emotions that tried to manifest as expressions flashing across her face; focused as she was on the young man stretched out before her, the bits of information that he offered took a tick or two for the woman to process. “It’s nice to meet you, Darkness.” The nicety was delayed, spoken softly a chime or two after he had given answer.

If a fault could be found of Aidara, it would be her lack of knowledge of the world outside her mountain. The mention of Xy was met with a blank look, the way Darkness talked of humans as if he weren’t one, but instead looking at them from the outside threw her for a loop since he had looked human enough. The feeling that something was “off” about her newest patient had been chalked up to his status as an Outsider. However, Addy was able to stifle the confusion under a mask of concentration. As he spoke, the little redhead probed different parts of the young mans body with firm but gentle presses of her fingertips; when she encountered the patches of fur, there was no doubt.

But where had she seen such before? Darkness had continued on to answer the reminder of her questions while Addy pondered, green eyes darting up and down the length of the young man as she tried to place who and what he was. Xy? She didn’t know exactly where, but she had heard that name before…

“Zith. You’re Zith, aren’t you?” The realization had struck her, rocking the woman back onto her heels so that she had to grip the edge of the sickbed to keep herself upright. A few of the nearby patients looked up at the movement, their brows furrowing as they struggled to sit. Addy waved them back down with calming words before turning back to Darkness and gently touching where he had indicated the injured ribs; the firm press of her fingers elicited a response from the young man, though he tried to hide it, and Addy nodded sharply. “Fractured, at least. But I’ll take a closer look.”

The entire infirmary was on alert now that the other occupants were aware of Addy’s realization, feeling justified now in staring under the pretense of watching for their healer, and an Endal’s, safety. More then aware of this, Addy instead pretended as if nothing had changed, sitting back down onto the stool and laying a small, warm hand on the skin just above the injured ribs. Green eyes slid closed while her breathing swiftly deepened and became more even as the meditative state that Addy used to focus on her power was achieved.

For Darkness, it was nothing spectacular. The pretty little Inartan sat quietly for a moment or two before her eyes fluttered back open and she confirmed two fractured ribs and a pair of badly bruised ones. He felt nothing of the power that the little woman had accessed via the gnosis on the inside of her left elbow. “You’ll be fine, with some rest. I’ll get you some tea to help you sleep through the pain.”

Before he could argue, Addy stood and marched over to where the teapot was always kept warm, pouring some of the hot liquid over a smattering of tea leaves that the healer had plucked from a nearby container. Filled to the brim, Addy had to walk carefully back to the young man’s bedside where she was able to place the mug down next to him, a quick and practiced movement drawing half the curtains that hung around the bed closed, effectively shutting off the prying eyes. “They’re on alert anyway, the curtain won’t make a difference.”

She talked slowly, her words carefully chosen before she continued, the seat next to Darkness’ bed once again taken up as she addressed the newcomer. “You really have no interest other than knowledge? You have to forgive our… wariness, as our children are often prayed upon by your kin.” Closing her eyes and wrinkling her nose, Addy sighed before voicing her confession. “I myself was attacked by a male not too long ago. You have offered me nor any of my patients harm, and so I offer you the same.”

Content to sit back and wait for the tea to take effect, Addy was suddenly struck by a comment the young man had made in passing. “Wait, did you say bird-human?”

[Darkness]

Back in Xy, a good healer had been a luxury Darkness hadn't been able to afford. His previoius experience with doctors involved equal doses of pain and revolting liquids, so when Aidara started probing for wounds, he tensed up. "Nice to meet you", she'd said, and her heartbeat betrayed no fear. It would seem she actually meant it, and the half-Zith was surprised to find that pleasing. Then her heartbeat skyrocketed, and her next words confirmed that she had not known that he was Zith. So much for his welcome. He could've said something right then, but the doctor picked that moment to check his ribs, and whatever words he was going to use turned into a suppressed gasp. Not that it was a bad thing, he realized as she made her diagnostic - she seemed to be more at ease when she was busy, and speech would've interrupted her. Darkness' curiosity struck again, however, when she started meditating. The way she'd managed to lower her heartbeat; he could tell that would be useful to him, to keep his temper under control. He'd have to remember to ask once she was done with the healing things. For now, he greeted the news that he'd be fine with a smile, that quickly turned knowing when he heard about the sleeping tea. Her explanations for closing the curtain were quickly accepted but, once it was closed, her hesitant words showed that she hadn't forgotten at all the threat he could pose. Or, more accurately, a full-blooded Zith could pose. Once she finished, however, Darkness couldn't really blame her. It was surprising, how this human with more reasons to fear Zith than any other was being less... threatening than any others. There had to be a lesson there somewhere, though he couldn't see it right now. He finally felt like he had to talk, so he did. "Even if you hadn't, being... wary, was it? It's normal. Just like you would if a glassbeak walked in. For whatever it may be worth, I'm not a fullblood Zith. You can tell because we don't have wings. Also, if..." The woman cuts him off suddenly, asking about the bird-human. "Human, female, about this" He raises his arm. "tall, thin, red hair, golden eyes, aggressive, probably experienced with weapons. Turns into a large bird, golden, still as bad tempered." He replies quickly, as he used to report about a caravan. "Why?"

[Aidara]

This stranger had so accurately described Sira in less than a dozen words that Addy couldn’t help but laugh, long and rather loudly. There was a deep love between them, yes, but the little woman could still appreciate the extreme flaws of her bondmate. “That’s Sira, alright.” The bright sparkle of laughter in her eyes replaced some of the fear that had lingered there despite her calm dealings with the Zith. Almost absently, Addy reached for the arm that Darkness had held to measure out the approximation of Sira’s height, turning his palm upwards and pressing her thumb to his wrist, just beneath his thumb. “She is my bondmate, and my Eagle.”

Realizing how this must sound to an Outsider, and one whose knowledge of bonding, Kelvic or otherwise, was questionable, Addy continued to take his pulse while she replied, her voice a bit softer and slightly distracted as she counted the beats of his heart. “We’re lovers, basically. I am an Endal as well as a healer. Do you know anything about our Castes?” Another pause for courtesys sake, and the little healer dropped the man’s wrist with a nod to herself; his pulse had been normal, though she had expected a slight escalation due to the pain he must have been experiencing. “Endal are the highest Caste, and the ones that the city depends on the most. They hunt and gather most of the food for our people, and they provide us with protection. An Endal is marked as such by their bonding with a Wind Eagle.”

Of course, it was much more complicated than that but this newcomer was still a mystery. Trusting though she might be, Addy wasn’t going to give away all their secrets to a stranger. And a Zith, though even making the distinction made her mentally cringe. Racism wasn’t Addy’s forte, but she wasn’t completely immune. It was time for a subject change, and since Addy had only partially finished looking after her patient, the leap was an easy one.

“Did Sira give you these wounds?” Indicating that Darkness was to lay still, Addy felt around the area of his abdomen that he had indicated only moments before, at once enthralled and repulsed by the hair that slid beneath her fingers. Of course, it wasn’t much different than any other fur that covered and other furred-creature, but again… Zith. It wasn’t normal, but Addy did her best to keep her face neutral and her emotions under control.

The cut, when she did find it, wasn’t all that bad; it was nice and straight, the flesh sliced open rather than torn, and not very deep at all. An easy fix. “This one isn’t too deep. Do you mind if I clean and wrap it? You won’t need stitches.” The question was just a courtesy, for even before Addy had finished speaking she was ducking under the edge of the curtain she had lifted and stepped back out into the main infirmary. Of course, as expected, Keah and the other healers waiting outside converged on her almost immediately.

“Are you alright?!”
“What were you thinking, Aidara? Don’t you know-“
“He’s a Zith!” This last part was hissed by a patient laying nearby. The silence that fell around Addy in the ticks afterwards was almost deafening. But it had nothing on the glare that she leveled at the rest of her crew.

“Half-Zith.” Raising a ginger brow, Addy gave Keah and the others a look that dared them to say anything more. She was in charge here, and at the moment she was the highest ranking as well; what she said, goes. There was to be no further argument when Addy turned and picked up an empty bowl, wordlessly offering it to Keah, who went to fill it with clean water, as Addy gathered clean cloth and ointment.

The silence followed her as she ducked back into Darkness’s secluded area, tugging the curtain pointedly closed when Keah appeared to hand her the bowl. Nothing was said to the Zith as she dunked the first fresh cloth in the water and began to blot at the wound on his stomach, her free hand gently holding his fur out of the way. “Tell me if it hurts.”

Quickly stained red, Addy had to switch cloths multiple times before she managed to clean all the blood and debris away from the opened flesh. It was tedious work, and it was spent in silence unless Darkness decided he felt the need to speak. The fur around the wound was cleaned last before Addy applied the salve and helped him sit. Then she began to wind the bandage around his torso. “Hold this here.” Having him put pressure on the end end of the bandage against his skin made the job easier, and the ends were quickly tied off underneath his arm. “You’re going to have to try and stay still, so not to aggravate it. The bandage isn't going to do much except keep dirt out. As much as you can. Now, lets look at that leg…”

The second cut could have been more accurately described as “gaping wound.” In fact, Addy wasn’t completely sure as to why he hadn’t completely bled out, or how the artery had managed to stay intact, for any other time it would have surely been nicked. Addy was frowning when she looked up, stepping away to where she had set the bowl of now bloodied water and the pile of bloodied clothes, gathering them all into her arms as she spoke. “Yeah… This one is going to need stitches. Are you going to need anything to dull the pain?”

OOCI could have gone on, but I stopped so that you could have a chance to respond before I closed the second wound.