Hex 02

If she was a fake, she had collected props obsessively. Siri began with 70-part alcohol before applying dressings, peeling back clothing where necessary. She worked fast. Exposure -- to the elements, not the medic's vision -- was a concern.

She ended by cleaning her hands with another alcohol wipe. Those were expensive, once they were gone they'd be gone, and Siri grudged nothing.

She looked down at the hand.

"I will know more if I do this magically," she said. "Is that a problem?"

Throughout the treatment, Helmine remained mostly quiet. A few hisses now and then, some tensing and twitching... but that was it. It was enough to help the patient decide that she was the real deal. This complicated things a little. "No, doctor," Helmine said sullenly, but with little impact in her voice.

She just couldn't wait to hear what the bill was. Or the bribe.

"Fine. This may get boring," she said. Siri moved to a more comfortable crosslegged position, holding Helmine's hand in her lap. She bowed her head and was still. The faint blue-green specks that appeared around her head, on the other hand, moved around a little, no more than dust in attic sunshine.

She was soon quite unaware of anything happening around her.

At the same time, 'Siri' unfolded a different set of senses and performed something roughly analogous to interlacing one's fingers behind one's back -- if this version of her had possessed either -- and stretching.

New patient. Alien. But not very. She tasted around and found three hot places. Those shouldn't be there. Clots were already growing, though (she caught and tagged some invading fevers out of habit, leaving the blood to take care of them by itself), so that couldn't be why she was here.

Ah yes, the right hand. She 'turned' in that direction. Well, that was the problem. The patient didn't have one. That was all right, then -- wait a minute.

(Elsewhere, she frowned.)

The patient did have a right hand. She'd seen it. Seen it move, even; no way that was false. It took an effort to trust her real senses over her more reliable ones -- when they disagreed, the trance senses always proved right. But not this time.

There was no hand there. Except there was.

Siri opened her eyes, blinking away specks. "Oh, cow poop," she said.

It occurred to Helmine at some stage that this was possibly a very good time to stab her, but a certain sense of propriety stopped her. She didn't kill wantonly, especially not when... hmm. Yes. She was presumably being helped.

The half-elf was still thinking about this when Siri said something again. Cow... poop? As in... what the hell was it with this world? "What did you...?" What was the word again? Never mind.

"Sorry. Nothing." Siri folded Helmine's arm so the hand would stay on the woman's chest.

"I don't know if I can help," she admitted. "It looks bad. I haven't seen this before. It might get better on its own."

"Like it will," Helmine said bluntly, running her left hand along the curve of her bandanna-covered head. If she looked a little shaken, well, it was because this time she understood most of the words instantly. Unfortunately, she wasn't one to stay still for long in the face of a crisis. The half-elf began to gather herself slowly, in no hurry. "Have to fix it."

Siri seemed a little nettled. "I can try again..." she said. "But I'd need to find another healer to ask. Because you killed the woman who could tell us," she added.

Helmine had to use the rifle as a crutch again -- this time with the left hand. "She near did kill me," Helmine said in a caustic tone, completely messing up the intonation. "Want me to bend over come next time?"

"Next time! Do not tell me you're thinking of running around after more..." Far too rapid-fire, although the scolding would have been unmistakable in any language.

Siri slowed down, which also gave her the chance to wipe the peevishness off her voice. "No next times for you. Are you crazy? You need to rest up. Which way were you going, which village?"

Helmine stretched enough to cause a few popping sounds and to wince while the scolding staccato of words rattled past her. She got the gist of it and shot Siri a warning look. Then that look melted into amusement, and the half-elf pointed her right hand at Siri. "Changing the world and bandits? Hope you have gods in your family." Pause. Okay. Not the best of ways to talk to someone who was going to demand a bribe soon. Helmine pointed the rifle to the side. "There."

"Have what? Never mind." Siri looked. "That way is Monais. You can get there before night if you move fast. Stay on the road and don't dare look for more trouble."

"Oh sure. Like was looking to be robbed," Helmine said venomously. She could handle being called a murderer and such mostly because it was true if one argued semantics a little, but she couldn't deal with being told she had been looking for trouble. Still... something was driving her up the wall. Or tree. "Fee."

"What? You trying to rob me now?" She'd managed to shock Siri, anyway. "Well, I don't have any money, so tough luck." She stood up straighter, crossed her arms and glared.

Helmine facepalmed. What a dense little strumpet. Was she really doing anyone a favour here? "Look. Owe you. Your fee." Pause. Helmine was tempted to point out that the bandits probably had purses. Maybe she wouldn't figure that one out and would leave first. "All right?"

The healer subsided just as quickly, maybe a little embarrassed. "Oh. No. Forget about it. Anyway, I couldn't help, could I?"

Much as she was tempted to set off in the other direction, she admitted "I was going to Monais too. I could walk with you."

And it was such a good, good idea, too, Helmine lamented. But at least she didn't have to pay -- no. Wait. That was suspicious: exactly what was this girl up to? "Fine. Why no money?"

"Because that's -- not how it works." She suspected trying to explain this simply was going to give her a headache. "Doctors -- magic healers, at least -- when you're on the road, you work for food and board, no money. While you learn. It's the tradition. So the people too poor to rob can have doctors too."

"So owe you food and board?" Helmine shot back, wrinkling her forehead. She wasn't really happy about the way this was turning out -- she had better uses for her money. Except... that she didn't. Not dense enough to throw away an opportunity and in danger of losing her livelihood and safety, Helmine figured she didn't have a choice. It was really depressing.

"No. I thought... you don't look like you live around here," Siri said lamely. She took a step away and looked along the road.

She wasn't going to fleece a foreigner, anyway. It wasn't nice. Granted, a sawbones might well have done it anyway.

Turning back, she added "I told you, forget it. Helping travellers is what we do. Now, do I take you there, leave you alone or what?"

Gangrene, this patient was unnerving. And sort of annoying. Which made Siri worry she was being prejudiced. She hoped not.

Helmine took a deep breath before exhaling. The aching and hurting from both cold and wounds remained in the background. The knowledge of not having a working hand took precedence -- and blunted the sharpness of her answer. She still looked annoyed of course. "Fine. Yes. Please."