Legend of Ransera

"Twenty days is enough to make returning to habits a challenge," she allowed. "But however long you stay with us, you can start building your habits back up."

As for the disagreement, she offered a wry smile.

"We don't usually ask our guests to labor on our behalf. But if it will make you feel more comfortable, I will try to think of something you can do for us. We would enjoy sparring with you, but we wouldn't demand it."

Baudric was pacing, so she stood up in case he wanted to be on the move again. She could understand wanting movement to make him feel like something was being accomplished. Healing was often a matter of hurrying up just to wait, and it drove many people to distraction.

"Hmm, Kaus and I were born in Starfall, up in the Astralar Mountains. It's about as far from Kalzasi as can be while still owing allegiance. It's remote. We are a bit strange by Kalzasern standards, but proud of our differences. Hm, we have an elder brother, Aquilios. Our father died when we were young, fighting for the Shokaze. Our mother raised us, though her health is troubled, complicated by giving birth to twins." Her mouth twisted a bit; though it wasn't their fault, their birth had changed their mother forever. Our mother was strict, but loving. Our village helped raise us, and we came to Kalzasi for a bit of an education in how the world works."

She didn't mention the Warren March as it had set him off before, though that was part of it.

"We had tutors in Starfall. We did attend some classes at the Academy here when we first arrived, though now there seems to be little time for it, though I am learning to heal here at the Tranquil Gardens." Though she was curious what his answers would be if she reciprocated the questions, she felt as though she should leave that alone for the time being, not wanting to dredge up negative memories. Instead, she waited to see if anything she had said would spark more specific questions.

"Oh," she said, turning a shade of pink, then laughed quietly. "Yes, well, I have a bit of a temper. I don't know if it has calmed with age or I have meditated enough to learn to feel it coming and work to defuse it before it becomes a problem. I was born before Kaus by a few minutes and I suppose I have been the leader ever since. He makes people laugh and they could never stay angry with him for long. I was in trouble for more than a year at a time once."

She laughed again as they walked.

"I had a chip on my shoulder. It wasn't fair that my brothers had wings and I didn't. I wanted to do everything they did. I wanted to know everything." She paused and looked a little sad. "When my father died, it hurt my mother more than even our birth did. She focused on training Aquilios to lead whenever she passed. I think she didn't expect to live as long as she has, though that is a blessing. That was when I decided I had to learn to control myself, to not pick every fight but only the ones that mattered most." Kala glanced sidelong at him. "Like fighting to help you survive, perhaps."

His smirk made her smile. It was good to see him in better spirits, though she knew the trauma lurked below the surface. People, even the strong Avialae, weren't equipped to hold onto pain for very long. They had to set it aside, tuck it away, and try to ignore it for a while until it came back and they grappled with it again. Those were fights worth picking, she thought, embracing one's trauma, finding peace.

"If you would like to thank me, consider becoming my friend," she said softly. "Friends can do each other kindnesses and not keep tally, and then, even if we are far apart, you will know that someone is thinking of you fondly from time to time."

More might have been said, but they were interrupted by the arrival of a nurse.

"Hello," she said with another smile. "We were just having a walk and a talk, but why don't you go home and I will change his bandages. I'm not on rotation, but I might as well be productive while I'm here. That is—" She paused and looked to Baudric. "—if you wouldn't mind me changing your bandages." Kala wasn't sure if the washing was just the healing wounds or a sponge bath, but if the latter, she could also just blend Fire and Water and steam him clean without the indignity of being washed as if he couldn't himself. In fact, he most likely could if they gave him access to facilities for his ablutions.

Nudity didn't bother her, of course, but she didn't know how Baudric felt, nor the social mores of the Imperium. Perhaps she was too known to him now for him to comfortably allow her to serve as his nurse.

In any case, she left the decision up to him. The promise of health and freedom was so close he could likely taste it, so she thought he might hunger for autonomy and agency even more than he had a couple of days previous when they had met. She knew she could be out of sorts when recuperating from illness or injury. It was entirely understandable if he was as well. And then there were his existential crises to consider.

Kala nodded, indicating her understanding and acceptance of Baudric's preferences.

To the nurse, she simply said, "Congratulations on your anniversary. I hope you and your wife have an excellent evening together."

"Well, we shall be co-conspirators, then," she said with a wink.

When they returned to his room, she did help somewhat, but only by plying her elemental powers to produce hot water for him to bathe in. He would have to make do with what was in the basin and washcloths, though. Apparently, they prevented most patients from bathing themselves by the simple expedient of not having full bathrooms, but only toilets and sinks for them. At least with her magic, he could have the water at the exact right temperature.

She set the books beside his bed, except for the one that had been written within the Imperium.

"I will stand guard at the door," she promised. "You may just come and get me when you are ready for your bandages to be changed." That said, she smiled and left him to his privacy. She imagined he would relish it after however long he had been cooped up in the Tranquil Gardens.

For her part, she leaned back against the wall and began to read. She knew it would be biased; all historical accounts were in one way or another. All the same, she tried to maintain an open mind. Her tutors had always told her that in most stories there were several versions, and none of them were the unvarnished truth. Perhaps it was swimming somewhere in between those versions. Keela only knew, and the blessed Dragon Goddess of Wisdom wasn't in the habit of telling young Avialae women what was what. Kala imagined She expected them to figure things out on their own.

When he called her back in, she finished the paragraph she was reading, slipped a bookmark into it, and put the book back in her bag. If he took long, she didn't seem to notice; the book's story had caught her attention. History was just that: stories. With a smile, she noticed he had left his bandages accessible to her. And she appreciated that if he wasn't exactly comfortable with her seeing him and touching him, he was more comfortable with her doing it than someone else. That was as mall victory, a bridge built between them.

"You might be right," she admitted, "but best to do our due diligence. I wouldn't want some last-minute infection to set in and delay your release. The sooner they let you out, the sooner you can figure out how to get home."

Once again, she made quick work of his bandage changes. She gave him a verbal warning before touching him, and again before touching his wings. It wasn't as though she had touched many Avialae wings—her father's, her brother Aquilios', her brother Kaus', and now Baudric's. It didn't mean anything, necessarily, except that it was not a common sort of thing among them. The bandaging she gave him this time was lighter, less constrictive because it was true that he likely didn't need any at all. At least the physicians and nurses would be appeased and he would be somewhat more comfortable for what was hopefully his last night here.

"The bulk of the books were there when we arrived. Our home has been in the family for generations, so it has accumulated things to various different tastes. I have only added a few, really, so you might be surprised what you will find. But oh... Kaus is a bit of a poet. A good one, I think, though I might be biased. Be careful bringing that topic up with him. He might talk your ear off or ask you to listen to his latest."

But perhaps Baudric and Kaus would bond over poetry. That would be nice.

She stayed for a while and then promised to return on the morrow. After all, she might have to direct him to his new, albeit temporary, home.