Hex 10

Helmine looked slightly amused. Afraid? Her? "All right," she said, cranky enough.

"How are the bandages?" If they could be left until the morning, Siri would do so.

"They are good," Helmine said and got off the bed, grabbing her coat. Slipping her right hand through it was easier than fumbling around with a shirt. Tired though she looked, she still needed some air.

"All right." Siri opened the front door - not for Helmine, just that she was leaving anyway.

"I'm downstairs." She pointed at Guep and Delmira's place. "So if you need anything, call me or send someone. Any time. No heroics and don't wait for it to get worse."

She had made sure Helmine's landlady knew the drill, anyway. Suze had given the healer a searching look and said "Do I want to know what happened to her?" Siri had replied without batting an eye that she didn't know what had happened (which was basically true, in any case) and as far as she knew, the breastplate-wearing, nunchuck-toting Helmine was just a traveller who'd run into trouble.

If the patient kept up the attitude, though, that assurance might not be enough. People could be, Siri was embarrassed to admit, a bit countryist.

"Buckleyhurst," Helmine said, before they went out the door. She supposed it was all right to say it anyway, but as always, it came out sounding more than a little strict. Annoyed, yes. "Tell that ferais to keep his month blood tea to himself. I get angry."

"Month... blood," Siri repeated, less intimidated than simply puzzled. There was a second's pause.

Then she threw a hand at her mouth and giggled. She would not have been at all pleased to hear how much she looked like a little girl when she did this.

"Helmine," she said a little breathlessly, "red clovers are a blood cleanser. Yes, they're used for women too, but not only for girl problems. You did lose quite a bit of blood, you know."

"I think you think him too nice," Helmine commented dryly, making note of exactly how girly Siri looked at that moment.

"Some people really do want to help, you know." Was she getting defensive? Drat. Be nice. "Or maybe he was having a joke with you. Either way, the tea won't hurt you."

She paused a beat and then added, in a far-off voice, "If you get the chance and you're still cross, offer him some green tea with ginkgo."

Siri believed in fighting flower with flower. Or non-flowering tree, as the case might be. Anything but actual weapons.

"He was having a joke," Helmine said dryly, "Will not be as... childish. Old men, children." She rolled her eyes and looked as if suffering from a migraine. Or indigestion. She had nothing to say about 'some people wanting to help'. As an outlander, she understood that as 'wanting to offer paid services'.

"Good. After all, you said you work well with children."

"Different. Can't slap him unless he touches too much," Helmine said in cynical tones.

It was difficult to tell whether Siri was looking more appalled at the thought of slapping a healer or a child.

"Um, good, I suppose," she managed.

In spite of herself and the circumstances, Helmine smiled a little. This was such an amusing world. "The end," she mumbled, then, gesturing with her healthy hand. She wanted out.

"Right. Well. Remember, call me if... if anything." The healerette set off, it has to be said, a little quickly for Delmira and Guep's.

"Yes, yes," Helmine said and parted ways from Siri, going out to firstly wash her hands, secondly to smoke some tobacco.

She did this, sat on a rock, enjoying the view. If this was about as relaxed as she could get, with a whole bunch of language in her head, then maybe that was for the better. Soon, she busied herself by trying to figure out how to put one of her favourite stories into the local language.

That took an hour or so. She headed back for bed, shivering considerably but tired and relaxed enough to sleep without throughout the night. Avoiding the nightmares was impossible, however.

Siri went and found Delmira next, since Guep was out back scrubbing his feet.

"The patient is settled in," she stated. "Thank you, by the way."

Delmira lowered the book she was reading, taking off her spectacles. "Good, that. And you're welcome, if you're talking about having a look at her," the woman said, restful eyes watching Siri.

"Yes. And in general." Siri's gaze wandered off into nowhere. She'd put the bag down by the door and now had nothing with which to fidget.

She asked "What are you reading about?"

The best Delmira had to offer by way of acknowledgement was to nod and look down at the book again, hand on her collar. "Phantom limbs," she said. "Not what we're dealing that here, but I wondered if I might not get an idea of some sort."

Siri nodded. It was the opposite problem, in a sense.

"It - spreading," she burst out finally. "Towards the elbow now."

There was a clank and a "What?" from out back.