Legend of Ransera

Tranquil Gardens
55 Frost 121

The autopsy had been a long, exhausting process, and after she cleaned up, she had to spend some time out on one of the balconies to get some fresh air. She unplaited her braids and let the wind tousle her hair, wanting it to smell of the wind rather than death. Pulling a little vial out of her pocket, she dabbed a bit of the scent Faine had created for her at her neck. It was faint, but it would take her mind out of the operating theater and back into the world. She replaited her braids then, took a deep breath, and went back inside. She had learned the general layout of the hospital, so it wasn't difficult to navigate to the wing where Baudric was recovering.

When she checked at the nurses' station, one said that he had been receiving the samples of ice cream with each meal. Kala thanked him and then went to find Baudric's room. He seemed to be wrapping up his dinner. She supposed she would be hungry by the time she returned home, but for now, her appetite had been suppressed by the work she had been doing. It had been enlightening, but she was certainly not used to it. But without the scrub robes covering her clothes, she didn't look like she had been watching a surgeon opening up a corpse to determine cause of death. She just looked like a young woman visiting a friend in hospital.

Per habit, she knocked upon the door frame.

"Good evening, Baudric," she said. "May I come in?"

He hadn't yet denied her, but all the same, she waited for approval to enter. There would be plenty of people coming in whether he wanted them to or not, touching him whether he wanted them to or not, and more. She would afford him what respect and agency she could.

She laughed quietly at the look on his face. It almost seemed as though he were a child caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Avialae were a terror in battle; of that there was no doubt. But that wasn't all they were. It didn't seem as though the Imperium allowed them to be their full selves, but she would honor him in his entirety while he was here. She took a perch on the edge of his bed, leaving plenty of room between them in case it made him uncomfortable. With as much time as he was spending here, she was certain he was bored. And she knew he wanted to get home, even if there was a chance that decision would be his last.

"Sometimes life gets in the way, but I do try to keep my promises," she said. In some ways, her own training had been quite strict, though she wouldn't compare hers to his.

"I figured with all the flavors they had available, there would be at least one you would like. Perhaps when you return home, it will still be cold enough to take some with you."

He did seem to be somewhat improved, both from what her eyes told her and what her semblance did. The aetheric patterns that made up his aura were stronger, warmer. It was minute, but she was paying attention. Certainly, he was getting the best of care, but perhaps the ice cream and company helped as well.

"If you want, I could bring you something to read the next time I visit. There are probably things you aren't allowed to read back home, but if you tell me what interests you, I could find something that wouldn't get you into trouble. Something to pass the time. To exercise your mind and your imagination a bit."

"History books I can do," she said with another tired smile. "Perhaps I will find one from the Imperium's perspective to read and we can discuss the differing narratives."

For all that their nations had nearly diametrically opposed viewpoints, they had managed to remain friendly and cognizant of each other's feelings. It might not be a sign of enduring peace, but it was something. She chuckled and accepted the small cup and the remaining ice cream.

"Thank you," she said. There was a possibility of his wounds acquiring secondary infections from the hospital and then passing them along to her through shared food, but she was healthy and his system seemed to be free of infection, so she didn't worry too much about that. "I'm glad you are rewarded for your service." Her eyes lingered upon him for a moment, concerned. She hoped that whatever rewards he had stockpiled, the good graces of his Patriarch, would be enough to protect him when he returned with his broken collar.

"For me?" Kala smiled. "Allowing me to get to know you is enough. But I wonder... I know a talented runeforger. I wonder if he mightn't be able to repair your collar, to mitigate the risk that you will be unduly punished for its breaking, which I think wasn't your fault?" Her fair brow furrowed. Their Shinsei was also a master runeforger, but perhaps he thought reforging such a collar to be anethema. She could understand such revulsion, though she was more pragmatic about it—if Baudric was set on returning, the kindest thing they could do was ensure that he wasn't punished for something that could be avoided.

Or perhaps it hadn't even occurred to him. Or perhaps it was impossible even for him. She didn't know, but she could ask.

"You would know better than I," she admitted, spreading her free hand. She found she had finished the remains of the ice cream, so she slipped off the bed to throw away the cup and set the spoon on a napkin for the next nurse or orderly to remove. Then she returned to her perch on his bed.

"I generally think honesty is the best policy, and didn't mean you should lie about it. I thought if it could actually be fixed, then your connection with the Obelisk would be restored and they would see that you are still loyal. But forgive me, I might be speaking out of turn about a thing I don't fully understand." She considered the idea of the collar, comparing it to her knowledge of a core bond. There had been times in their youth when she had, in a fit of pique, forced her twin to do what he didn't want to do via their bond. They had been rare and as soon as she realized the gravity of it, she had been ashamed. The bond could be used to manipulate. She assumed the bond to the Obelisk could be misused as well, though their idea of what misuse might be were certainly different.

"I hope the inquisitors will recognize your earnest desire to be back." Kala offered what she hoped was a supportive smile. She wondered how he had even gotten to Kalzasi in the first place. Between the city-state and his Imperium were the bulk of Karnor, Zaichaer, Dalquia, and unclaimed territories. Perhaps when he was well enough to travel, they would put him on an airship bound for Zaichaer, and from there to Gel'Grandal.

The name sounded menacing even in her mind, the place where here people were kept in bondage, but Baudric didn't seem unhappy.

Present Baudric, Memory BaudricNPC

Kala couldn't claim to know Baudric well. There was a cultural divide on top of their only having known each other for two days, but something did feel a bit off from time to time. He didn't seem dishonest, though, and she didn't feel deceived. So she smiled back, unsure what the twinkle meant, but resigning herself to not knowing. A part of her wanted to tell him that if the Imperium would not take him back, then he should return and she would take him in. If Kalzasi would not have him, Starfall would. But there was no way to say that without ruffling his feathers, she was certain, and she wasn't trying to plant a seed of doubt in him, merely to treat him as he was: a sentient being deserving of basic dignity and respect. And she did like him. It was good to remember that the enemies of the state needn't be personal enemies as well. The Imperium was made up of people; war was always a tragedy, a failure of rational beings to communicate and see each other as equals.

"Well, I don't know the logistics of your return to Gel'Grandal, but if you have time between your release from the Tranquil Gardens and your departure, I hope you will come to my home for a meal. Our nations might have their differences, but I would hope you could at least report that our hospitality is not lacking." Her smile widened. "You could meet my brother if you like. He did deliver the first batch of ice cream."

She didn't know if Baudric would balk at spending time with a Synnekar, though she would argue with her dying breath that she was as much Avialae as her brother. But that was an argument with the world, not with this man.

"He might even spar with you." Baudric did seem invested in returning home with his skills intact. Kala could understand that earnest desire as well.