Hex 11

Delmira was grateful she hadn't said it in chorus with Lefrui. For a moment, she looked a little startled. Then she frowned. "Good work," she mumbled, a little too faraway look in her eyes. She didn't know what else to say.

"I haven't told her. Yet, I mean. I thought it would be too much for her. Do you think I did the right thing?"

Lefrui came back in as Siri spoke. He hobbled slightly when he caught the towel in the back door.

"Yes. Gives us time to think, for now," Delmira said, looking at Lefrui seriously and tiredly. "Does that sound familiar to you, Guep?"

Lefrui had parked himself in his habitual chair and started casually drying his feet, which had turned an interesting shade of purple.

"The girl who did this," he said to Siri.

"Dead. Helmine killed her, Guep. And two others."

"Yes, cherie, I'm not surprised -- but the girl. Was there anything on her?"

"Anything as in... no. Not even a decaying pattern. She was practically cold."

Lefrui shook his head. "See, it's not right. I knew a witch back home who -- it can't be like that, though. He had to be close by. What could it be feeding off?"

"It's certainly feeding on the patient," Delmira pointed out thoughtfully, closing the book. "Though not in a manner that makes much sense."

"I still can't understand the way it was blocking me," Siri thought aloud. Oh dear. I'm not contributing much.

"It's very interesting," Delmira added, watching Lefrui intently. Keeping this calm was getting tiresome, but the thought of at least it's not me was pretty helpful. "I think we can stop thinking in terms of opposite phantom limbs."

"Grmph," said Lefrui, who had disagreed with that line of approach in any case. "Well, given that we can't exactly interrogate the deceased's nearest and dearest, it doesn't change much; only makes time more of a concern. I shall still treat for magical shock. I wonder if I can hurry the peppers along."

He was getting too old for that, really.

Delmira cocked an eyebrow at Lefrui. "Yes. Likewise... but we can't, can we?" she said, turning slowly (deliberately so) to look at Siri. "Maybe you should ask the, ah, patient for a bit more information regardless."

"Me?" Wait, wrong question. "I mean, what sort of thing? About the -- dead woman?"

"Yes, of course. It's pretty elementary, isn't it?"

"The patient said she couldn't demonstrate what the woman did," Siri recalled, guessing at what Delmira meant. "I'll ask again, though. I suppose anything would help?"

"Anything," Delmira agreed, still trying to sort out what good further knowledge would do aside from keeping Buckleyhurst from walking in worried circles.

Siri swallowed and nodded. Helmine's going to be sick of the sight of me come tomorrow morning. Poor thing, on her own and injured.

Lefrui finished with his towel. "Regarding other duties, I was to see Fred Lemince tomorrow about his nagging cough, and Nallie Murie with her wrist. If you'll take those, Siri, that will give me more time to work on this."

The girl sat forward. "Of course."

"Murie'll ask for more painkillers. Don't give her any. She hoards them."

Siri nodded.

Delmira had nothing to say to that. She had considered her own convalescents and patients, but figured that she needed the time to work her brain on other problems at times. "How is Helmine doing, anyway? I can't tell."

"Um. A little bit grumpy," Siri said. "I tried to relax her and talk about other things. She mostly wanted to know medical terms, so don't be surprised if you get a lot of those tomorrow."

She glanced at Lefrui and added "And she wasn't impressed with the tea."

"Shoots. I didn't think she'd notice." Lefrui had his woollen socks and shoes back on now and gave a resigned foot-tap.

Delmira decided it was better not to ask. "Curious one, that woman," she said, intending both meanings of the word 'curious'. "Well, that's that then, Buckleyhurst. You must need some rest yourself, I'm sure?"

"Definitely," said Siri with a tired smile. She hoped she'd be able to sleep at all. Honestly, one would think she'd be used to travelling away from home by now.

"Get to it then. Lefrui's having you do an awful lot of work tomorrow," Delmira said, slipping back to her usual quippy mood. She set her glasses back on and went to find something more inspiring by way of reading.

Lefrui had also got out a blanket and a couple of threadbareish towels. Siri thanked him and wished him good night, upon which Lefrui departed shortly behind Delmira. She thought she faintly heard one of the pair call the other a soppy old fraud, and an answering quip.

Yes, curious people.

She woke up only a couple of times in the night and went through her usual mental exercises in order to drop back off. List the bones from top to toe, interspersed with the muscles from foot to head, and things of that nature.