Hex 05

The male healer began to laugh. Siri found somewhere else to look.

Helmine stared at the male healer. This time the look was piercing.

Delmira, on the other hand, looked at Siri curiously. "That's quite the specimen you have there, girlie," she said cautiously, wondering about a wealth of things.

Siri nodded. It seemed wisest not to comment. "This is Delmira and Guep," she told Helmine carefully, indicating each with an open hand.

"Charming. Charming," Lefrui replied. This older feraisai man was similar to the other examples Helmine had encountered of the region's 'elves', with a goldish tint to the skin (albeit a little darker than usual), slightly weak-looking blue eyes and a tendency to smile with the bottom teeth. He was half a head shorter than Delmira. He dressed like a pompous prat of modest means. He looked like he'd lose a fight with an asthmatic sapling, however deceptive that impression might be.

All right. This wasn't looking too threatening, Helmine thought. Even the older woman looked like a twig, like some of those old women that smoked a lot and ate very little. She even dressed similarly, in boring, light tones...

Helmine decided it was best to just nod, rub her right hand with her left and say, "Helmine." She tried not to glare at Lefrui too much.

"Capital!" said the ferais. "Worry not, young Helmine. I, Guep Lefrui, will make you as good as new before you can say sanguinello."

Delmira rolled her eyes and walked up to Helmine, extending a hand. "What he said. We'll figure out what's wrong. Oh. And sanguinello."

Helmine looked at the two, then at Siri.

"Now, which hand is it?" Delmira asked. Helmine presented the right one. She barely resisted to urge to twist the fingers into a rude gesture.

"Bah!" Lefrui bleated at Delmira, hurrying forward to make sure the baggage didn't get the exclusive first look.

"Do you smoke?" Delmira asked conversationally, resolving to elbowing Lefrui if the fool got too much in the way.

"Yes?" Helmine said, uncomfortable with the attention. She could already feel her temper rising -- first she had to suffer the indignity of losing control of her hand and now there were two fruitbats that looked ready to saw it off, hovering around. And Delmira especially looked a little too happy with her answer.

Lefrui was obviously less so. "What about fruit? Do you eat plenty of fresh fruit? Very important."

Siri, who'd looked rather disapproving at the mention of smoke, was all in favour of fruit. If this Lefrui was a nutritionist, they'd get along famously.

"...yes," Helmine said flatly. Of course it was important. She'd seen a scurvy patient... or tens of them, anyway. "Neither of those did this."

"Yes, we know," Delmira sniffed. The seemed to find Helmine's hand interesting in more than one way. Callouses, partially healed skin, some scarring on one finger... she began pinching the hand much like Siri had. "Do you feel this?"

Helmine rolled her eyes and pointed at her wrist. "No. Til there."

Lefrui nodded and took the hand, bending the fingers back gently. He didn't seem happy with the results. "How long has it been this way, and how did you say it happened? Little spell went wrong, did it? You exotic magicians, eh."

"Give me some more lip and show you what I did to who did this to me," Helmine said in a low, cold voice.

Delmira twitched.

Siri hissed. "They are trying to help. Perhaps five hours, Guep. I didn't see what caused it, only the onset."

The ferais calmly mentally added a deuce to his bill.

"Can do without the tone," Helmine snapped right back at Siri.

"You're not exactly being nice yourself," Delmira tut-tutted, but gave Lefrui a knowing sideways glance. "Although I can understand where you're coming from..."

"Doubt it," Helmine said, instantly suspicious again. This woman just couldn't know about her home.

Delmira frowned and set off to work after a sigh.

Lefrui was measuring the pulse in the wrist, then thumb, and making observations concerning skin colour. "Harridan," he muttered to Delmira.

Siri watched them both attentively. Yes, she'd checked that while in trance, but in hindsight it was stupid not to have looked with her eyes beforehand.

Delmira said: "Shush."

"Quack," Helmine muttered. Someone had already called her a harridan rather rudely. She was deftly ignored by Delmira, though: "Very interesting."

"Yes, very... you baggage," he replied. With a glance at Helmine -- my, he could tell already they'd have their work cut out with this one -- he suggested "Shall we continue indoors? I don't know about you ladies, but I am dying for some tea."

"Oh, shove it, golden boy," Delmira sniffed. "Tea, but of course some incense too. Definitely."

Helmine looked at the three healers helplessly. "Yes. Thanks. Talk about fee?" She hoped at least something was sane here.

"Later," Delmire said and took her by the arm. "Now, this way..."

While the others got Helmine comfortable, or at least ensconced, Siri disappeared into the kitchen.

Lots of houses, lots of villages, always the same deal. The local top dog gave the new blood shelter and training, while the new blood took over the top dog's round for the duration and generally made herself useful. It worked, for the most part.

She returned once to ask where the mugs were kept and once more to ask about the teas. There was a... large selection of these. Very large. They more or less filled the shelves of a tall kitchen dresser, along with one or two other spices and tins of what looked like tobacco.

Lefrui initially suggested "the one marked raspberry leaf and pink clover" for Helmine. When the student brought the mugs back, he took a peek at what she'd chosen for herself. Ah... Apple. Interesting.

Helmine hadn't even known what she was getting into, nor had she even cared. She had just said "thank you" and sat down, looking blank and deflated. Delmira suspected this wasn't going to last for long, and that the patient was just going to have another illogical fit sooner or later.

And so Delmira sipped her tea (vanilla) and cleared her throat. "I doubt we're going to get a very clear picture of what happened, not by asking the patient anyway..."

Helmine glared, but tasted the tea instead of saying anything.

"So what can you tell us, Buckleyhurst?" Delmira finished.