Legend of Ransera

91st of Frost, Year 122 of Steel
The House of Waves

Kala had warned them that treatment for such severe physical trauma would be long and uncomfortable. This was not her first return visit, nor would it be her last. Sometimes the lord of the manor would be present, but often he was not. Sometimes it was easier for the patient when he was not hovering over her. His worry was palpable, and while not a bad thing in and of itself, the patient needed to focus on her recovery more than his feelings. It was a difficult lesson to learn, and Kala did not feel as though she was fit to teach it. Assuming she and Rickter survived as demigods, he would have plenty of time to learn it.

The house's staff knew her well enough now and she was welcomed. Unfailingly polite, she had sent word ahead whenever she planned to visit, and so they were expecting her. A servant helped with her cloak, revealing her oft disguised wings. Then, when her black leather bag was handed back, she thanked them. Now she knew to bring her full kit lest she be unprepared for anything she might find. Regrowing limbs was a challenge, and she had spent time in conference with her former teachers at the Tranquil Gardens to ensure she made no errors. Even so, it was a tricky thing; she could only do the best possible job and hope that the rest took care of itself.

"Ioniri willing," she murmured to herself, earning a curious smile from the servant who led her to the sickroom even though she knew the way well enough by now. Sometimes it was a kindness to allow other people to do such little things so they could feel as though they were helpful rather than helpless in a situation.

Winter's Shield

Kala thanked the servant with a smile and her name; she had been to the House of Waves often enough to get to know some of the staff. She offered Rickter a slight boy, which was leagues more informal than she normally was. Perhaps it was due to her youth or her diminutive size or her upbringing in the remote mountains, but she had a strange way about her. Someday, perhaps Rickter would recognize a complementary wildness about her for all her calm. If he had the soul of a blizzard within him, she had starfire. Countless hours of meditation and pouring her youthful energy into dance and combat had helped her rein in her flashfire temper and people who met her now would be surprised to hear of her recklass childhood.

"Lord Maze," she said with a smile. Perhaps her formality was rubbing off on him. Certainly, they had spent more time together in this room fretting over the sleeping woman than anywhere else. She tended to be quiet in general, but was more so now as she noted the patient was sleeping, which was the best thing for healing.

Kala brought a chair close to the bedside and set it down silently before she sat. She could meditate upon the state of Telion's aetheric body and the progression of her flesh while they spoke.

"As much as I enjoy my work at the Palace, when I agree to something, I want to see it through and do it well. Even though it seems painstakingly slow, she is regenerating quite rapidly and I need to check frequently to nudge everything along on the right path." She had implanted the starfish artifacts in both Telion's shoulder and hip to encourage her body to learn that intrinsic regenerative power, and only hoped that the timing of completion was close to the time that the artifacts would lose power. Then she could simply let Telion's body cannibalize the foreign flesh rather than perform yet another surgery to remove them. But if that was necessary, she would bring Marda Ahtivin and Ioniri's grace would speed the healing and ease the pain.

"Has she eaten today?"

Winter's Shield

Eventually, it had become clear that he knew what she was. Perhaps her skill at Semblance would not be enough to protect her secrets from other demigods forever; she would have to keep that in mind. At least he didn't seem to be the sort to run and tell others, else Talon, at least, would likely have come calling. For the most part, though, keeping her secrets was easy enough. Sahfri was running interference about her wings already. Most people only seemed vaguely aware of her existence, which was just how House Leukos had always wanted it.

"Thank you," she said simply for the compliment. "I believe anything worth doing is worth doing right."

She nodded thoughtfully, glad that Telion was providing her body the fuel required to recover. More than anything, Kala had had to assure her time and again that her limbs wouldn't always look so "ugly." But Kala had seen premature babies in her time at the Tranquil Gardens. People looked like many things before they looked like people, and eventually, her strange limbs would be whole. The skin would feel like skin. There would be nails, hairs, and all the little details that came last. To her Semblance, it also seemed as though the artifacts would not lose power before the work was done, but it was unlikely she would have to physically remove them. Once the magic was spent, her body would cannibalize them.

It had all been a learning process for her as well. She thought that she might do this again for someone and do it more quickly, but she had wanted to do it right rather than quickly this time.

When she woke, Kala intended to tell her that the time had come for her to try walking again, try using her arm. Even if they weren't fully formed yet, strengthening the nascent muscles would help them find their final form, answering the needs she set to them.

"Oh."

She hadn't forgotten the request and his reply either, but she had schooled herself to patience. If he had not brought it up by the time Telion was successfully treated, she would have asked again.

"Aye, Negation. The shadows remain a problem. I can fight them. I can empower others to fight them. But if I can ward things... those wards will survive even when I am not there. I would like to have that peace of mind, knowing that people are protected even in my absence. I know how threshold sickness presents with that Rune. If you would prefer to wait until Telion's treatment is complete, or have me bring in another healer to ensure I don't become reckless, I would submit to that." She smiled at him, liking the quiet, reliable Rickter as much as she appreciated the ferocious warrior in a battle.

Winter's Shield

Not only was she using her Semblance to check up on the patient, but she could sense the gist of Rickter's thoughts as well. Having spent quite a bit of time with Telion and whichever members of the pack who were around at those times, she had some idea of what had gone on and what had gone wrong. A great deal of the healing she had learned in the Tranquil Gardens had nothing to do with herbs, surgery, or even necromancy—physical injuries and even diseases were often caused or supported by stressors. He was putting himself under a great deal of stress; she knew because she did the same to herself, worrying more over her loved ones now that she had more power to look after them. If she failed in that with all that she had been granted, then it would be difficult not to tie that into her self-worth.

Perhaps they would both grow wiser, more dispassionate as they moved from mortality to immortality, but for the moment, she knew it wasn't easy.

"She is healing well," Kala averred. "I am probably overly fussy, but I was attempting something new and I do not want her to suffer for my inexperience. Even if threshold sickness takes me for a week or more, she ought to be fine. We don't have to delay things." She laughed quietly. "I will rest here afterward, though my brother might insist on carrying me home if I can't make it under my own power. Twins are overprotective sometimes." If she stayed or if she went, she knew she would be taken care of. She might not be part of Rickter's pack, nor he of hers, but like two creatures in the wild, they had circled each other, sniffed the air, and decided there was no threat.

Kala hoped he learned to believe that he wasn't just a threat to his loved ones or, rather, that with greater power, they had a responsibility to control themselves, to learn how to manage. Of course, with Naori's gift had come an attraction to Chaos. She didn't know yet what that meant.

"We all hurt the ones we love," she said suddenly. "Whether a mother's chance comment wounds a child or a man loses control of his power. From what I gather, what happened doesn't make you the same ilk as a man who beats his wife. There is power in you. Wildness. Aye, even violence. You must learn to channel all that into what you wish to accomplish. Telion has forgiven you. Now you must forgive yourself so you can heal as well. And if your loved ones know the risks involved in loving you, you must honor their choices to stand at your side. Allow them the agency to choose."

She looked down. Normally, she wasn't the type to offer advice without a request. But they were becoming something different than they had been before. The demigods must be united, too. She rolled up the left sleeve, revealing her Semblance Rune near her wrist. She kept rolling it up, thinking he could add his Rune to her skin closer to the flexion crease of her elbow—unless her words excited anger and he changed his mind.

Winter's Shield

Kala smiled at his response. Normally, she was not the type to offer unsolicited advice, but now she was rising toward divinity; perhaps her words should be heard. She would ruminate on that later. From what she understood, she was most likely going to have some mental and emotional backlash from this initiation. Work could wait a few days. For all that she didn't fully trust her demon-touched assistant, he was good at what he did.

Her face rose as he thanked her, sharing her smile with him and nodding. Whatever she was expecting, it was not the quick, careful swipe of his thumb across her skin. Years had passed since she was last initiated; she felt the tingle under her skin as well as the corresponding spiritual reaction. His application of the Rune was elegant and gentle, quite the opposite of how he was in battle. She hoped he remembered this side of himself when he felt like he was only the violence of a winter storm.

They said this Rune came from Keela Herself, a gift to protect people from the irresponsible use of magic. When he released her arm, she looked down, ran her fingertips over the new mark that would be with her forever. Well, as far as she knew—perhaps as she ascended, her Runes and arcane knowledge would blend into something akin to divine archmagic. Nobody had truly given her a lesson on how all this worked.

"Thank you, Rickter," she said. "I will use it to protect yours as well as mine." She paused, gaze turning inward as she tried to gauge her response to this new etching upon her soul. "I wonder whether I ought to race home to beat the threshold sickness or wait for Kaus to rescue me."

A soft laugh escaped her.

"From what I understand, it can make one feel invulnerable. At least we have seen that it is not so." Talon hadn't been invincible, after all. Thank the Gods he had returned, though she hoped a decision was made about the succession and soon. A regency was all well and good, but it wasn't meant to stretch on ad infinitum.

She could sense Kaus through their intense bond, and her other people through their easier connections. There was concern, but no true worry. Though she be but little, she was fierce.

Winter's Shield