Jin very quickly gives up on her idea to walk through the village and re-summons her miracle chair. Not for the first time, she finds herself missing her flight ring. She never even got to use it more than a few times, since flight is generally banned in large cities. She rubs at her fingers, still not used to how they feel without any metal on them.

She winces when she bends her hand in the wrong way, and then stares at her hands for several long moments. They’re still wrapped in bandages, but Jin can already feel them coming loose. Peeling some of the bandaging up shows dirt stained flesh and only partially cleaned wounds covered in a flaking dark brown-green goop.

“You said we’re going to your home, right?”

Sage nods happily, “Yep! Momma is probably cookin something to bring to the feast right now.”

Jin interjects before Sage can keep talking, “Do you have a bath there? I don’t mean to impose, but-“

Sage follows Jin’s eyes to her hands and her own go wide, “Oh yes of course! Yeah we’ll get ya sorted out before anything else. We have this big stone tub on the first floor, Papa just finished it up last year and it’s soooo nice. Rosemary is studyin’ to become a healer too, so she can help take care of any bad injuries!”

Jin isn’t so sure about letting Sage’s younger sister tend to her, but if nothing else the bath is an exciting prospect. “Thank you,” she says meaningfully.

“It’s the least we can do, really! I’m sure you could ask anyone here for the same and they’d do it for ya before they even know you’re a cleric. Oh also! We have a spare room in case any travelers need a place to stay the night. You’re free to stay there as long as you want! Probably, I haven’t asked but there’s no way Momma is gonna say no, so, yeah!”

Jin is gobsmacked at this, “What? You… you just let strangers stay in your home? Regularly?”

“Uh, yeah? Where else are they gonna stay? It’s not like we get enough traffic through here to warrant an inn.”

Jin doesn’t know what to say. Sage guesses city folk aren’t used to a lack of amenities.

Jin tries to offer Sage a weak smile, and drops the expression once Sage turns back to the road. What the hell? She literally can not imagine letting someone she didn’t already know even enter her dorm, let alone spend the night in it. The same goes for her family home, which is probably the better example with its excess of bedrooms.

Or… No, Jin remembers reading about old cultures, and how in some places it used to be common to extend the hospitality of your home to travelers. She frowns at this thought. She wonders where all that human kindness went all her life. Maybe that crazy anthropology professor was right all along- civilization and agriculture were humanity’s worst mistake. Ha!

The thought of that line of thought being correct is funny enough to cheer Jin back up.

They’ve been approaching the hill, and Sage points out a small plateau with a lone building on it, “That’s our home there!”

The house is partially obscured by a dense leafy garden that takes up most of the flat land. Behind the house is a large oak tree that Jin can spot a treehouse in.

A quick hike up the road and they’re standing before the house. Round stones are plastered onto the walls of the first floor in a way Jin recognizes from old buildings. Thick paint coats the wood of the house in a pleasant cream and light green. Warm light pours from the open shutters of the first floor. The smell of cooking already has her stomach demanding its due.

Jin steps off her miracle chair and dispels it. One day, she swears she’s going to get a better transportation spell structure going. Going the direction you’re facing all the time and having to manually recast the spell every time you change speeds or want to hold your head in another position gets tedious fast.

A teenage girl with straight long black hair steps into the open doorway and waves at the two of them. “Sage! Basil came runnin by earlier shoutin you were back.”

She approaches the two with a warm smile. Her steps are delicate, with a reserved grace to them. Sage doesn’t wait for grace and skips forwards to give the girl a hug, “Hey Rosie-Rose!” She lifts and spins the girl in a circle before gesturing to Jin in a wide motion.

“This here is Jin! We’re gonna get a bath going for her. She’s had a rough couple of days. Jin, this is Rosemary!”

Jin idly wondered how much of Sage’s family she was going to meet before a bath, but she smiled and waved. Rosemary for her part put on a much more convincing smile.

Then she surprised Jin by bowing, “Itsa’ pleasure to meetcha Miss Cleric.”

Jin is already starting to miss just being another face in the crowd. Especially if people are going to start bowing to her. People didn’t even bow to Alize, and now they’re bowing to her?

“Please, you don’t need to bow. Seriously. It’s… nice to meet you too, Rosemary.”

Rosemary smiles and tilts her head while examining Jin. “You’ve got real pretty eyes Miss, is that a blessin’ of yours?”

Jin has no desire to explain what exactly bloodline magic is to someone who doesn’t know what magic is. She smiles thinly, “Something like that.”

Sage gives her a curious look at this, but doesn’t comment. Instead she claps her hands together once, “Alright! It’s time to take care of the cleric. Rosie, can you get the medical supplies out? Oh yeah and that kit you sent me with was absolutely necessary! Thank you for making me take it Rosie. I’m gonna go put the big pot on the fire.” Rosemary quickly switches to a more serious demeanor and nods, then disappears into the house. Sage looks like she’s about to speak to Jin, but Jin interjects.

“I can heat water quickly if you want to fill the bath directly.”

Sage’s eyes widen, and then she smiles broadly, “That’s a good idea! Oh that’s so convenient, ok yeah I’ll go start filling the tub. Come on, I’ll show you where it’s at.”

Jin limps into the house after Sage. Sage makes moves to help her, but she waves her off.

The door leads into a large living room filled with cozy looking chairs in a loose circle facing a huge hearth. It isn’t burning now, but years of built up soot stains indicates frequent use. The room clearly visible to her right is a kitchen that’s absolutely pouring out smells of cooking food and spices. Drying herbs line half the visible walls.

Sage pokes her head into the kitchen, “Hey Momma! Oh! Hey Moss!”

Jin sighs. Sage disappears into the kitchen and Jin looks towards the door in the back of the house that Sage was originally walking to before the kitchen detour. The doorway is framed with dried lavender and other flowers. People normally put good smelling things in their bathrooms, right? She starts limping towards it.

She doesn’t get far, unfortunately. Sage can still be heard talking to someone, but a tall lanky boy comes out from the kitchen to look at her. He doesn’t say anything, so Jin awkwardly waves, “Hi.”

He keeps staring at her.

Jin stares back.

She points to the lavender framed door, “Is that where the bath is?”

The boy nods.

She starts edging towards the bathroom again, “Alright, thanks.”

He keeps staring at her.

If it weren’t for the freckles and curly auburn hair Jin would doubt this boy could possibly be related to Sage.

“Moss! Quit starin’, you know betta’.” A sharp voice comes from the kitchen, and a tall woman steps into the open doorway. She looks a lot like Rosemary, but with greying hair and darker skin. Even her eyes are dark, unlike the green all her children seem to have. Her smile is bright and warm; Jin sees where Sage got hers.

She places one hand on the boy, Moss’s shoulder and gently pushes him back into the kitchen. His eyes don’t leave Jin until he’s physically out of sight. “Keep a watch on that pot Moss, itsa’ wantin to boil ova’ the moment ya stop lookin’ at it.”

She turns back to Jin and walks over with a smile. Sage reappears out of the kitchen chewing with a bitten carrot in hand.

“I’m told you’s a cleric Miss Jin? Well, itsa’ hona’ to meet ya. Please feel welcome in our home.” She bows quickly.

Jin glances over towards the bathroom, but plasters on a polite smile. “Please don’t bow. Nice to meet you.”

“Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Lilia Gardener.”

“Mm.”

Jin wants nothing more than to blow off introductions and take up that bath offer, but the world isn’t so kind. Sage is, though. The auburn haired girl places a hand on her mothers arm briefly before stepping past her.

“Jin’s had a rough time of it Momma. Rosie and I are gonna get her cleaned and patched up. I’m sure she’ll be more chatty then.”

“Of course! Pardon my rudeness, Miss Jin. I’ll be in the kitchen if ya need anythin.”

The woman tilts forwards slightly in the beginning of a bow, catches herself, then nods towards Jin. She then disappears into the kitchen again. Sage is already at the bathroom propping the door open. Jin limps into safety after her.

Unlike the rest of the house, this bathroom has stone floors. The bathtub is half buried in the stone floor, and stunningly looks to be carved from a single rock. Is that… marble?

Sage moves to a small table with a wooden basin on it and turns a lever. Water starts streaming out of a spigot at a surprising rate. She grins over at the bath. “Papa planned the whole house around that bath, and it still didn’t get done till after I grew up. We’ve been using wash basins for years while he’s been slowly chipping away at that tub, tryin to get it juuuuust right.”

Jin takes a closer look at the tub and understands why someone would plan a house around it. She knows arch-mages who would be jealous of a bathtub like this. Well, maybe not arch-mages. Anyone who can claim that title at the academy is rich enough for any number of luxuries.

It’s definitely made of marble on a closer inspection, and a massive amount of it at that. Two people could easily lay side by side in the tub. While it has nothing on the polished reflection marble tiles at the academy had, the stone is polished to smoothness. On the inside, at least. The outside of the tub is still rugged natural stone.

Jin takes a seat on the brim.

Sage turns off the faucet and brings the wash basin full of water to the tub and splashes it in. Jin frowns as Sage returns to the faucet to fill the basin again.

The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Jin starts putting together the necessary spell structure before speaking, “I can divert the water directly to the tub, I think.”

Sage blinks, then smiles, “Being a cleric sure is convenient, huh? Tell me when you’re ready and I’ll turn the water back on!” She turns the faucet off, leaving the basin only partially filled.

Jin nods and starts idly unwrapping the bandages around her hand while working through the formula. It’s at this point that Rosemary comes in with a large wooden box that she hefts onto a cabinet across from the sink.

“Thanks Rosie! Could you take a look at Jin’s hands? Oh and maybe that cut on Jin’s leg. And um, actually Rosie you should probably give all of her injuries a once over.”

Jin sighs, then channels mana into the spell structure, “Spell’s ready.”

Sage grins and turns the faucet on eagerly. Rosemary gasps loudly when the water, instead of filling the wash basin below it, pours down only briefly before being funneled towards the tub. “A miracle…” She speaks breathily.

Jin waves a hand dismissively. It’s only two planes of force squished into two sides of a triangle at a downwards angle. It’s not impressive, a couple pieces of wood could do the same thing. Unless you’ve never seen magic before. She frowns and finishes unwrapping her left hand with a pained grimace.

Ah, fuck.

The skin on her palm is… Well, there’s much less than she’s used to seeing. Peeling the bandages off took the partially dried salve with it, and red pricks of blood start pooling where both salve and skin is missing. Distantly she hears a sympathetic groan from Sage.

Rosemary, for her part, freezes for only a moment upon seeing her hands, and then she’s all business. “Sage, door.” Sage dutifully closes the door. Jin catches a glimpse of Moss curiously peering in from the other side of the living room before it latches shut. Creepy.

“Miss Cleric, I’ll be needin that runnin water to clean your wounds. The bath can come afta’.”

Jin looks forlornly into the barely filled tub, and Sage goes to pull the plug. “I bet it’ll be easier to clean up in the tub, yeah?”

“Thank ya Sage. Now get outta here.”

“What?! I’m here to help Jin, she saved us from an arc-wolf, you know. I can’t just leave her!”

“What?! Ah, nevamind that, yes ya can! Shoo, shoo!” Rosemary is pulling at a curtain that cuts the room in half with one hand, and shooing away Sage with the other.

Sage huffs loudly, but leaves.

Rosemary tsks and finishes shutting the curtain. She turns and puts her hands on her hips while analyzing Jin. Jin starts unwrapping her other hand, much more slowly this time, not sure how to act under scrutiny.

Now Rosemary huffs and she stalks over to Jin, “Let me do that. Just, lemme take care of ya, ok? I’ve tended more cuts on Basil than he can count to.” Strangely, this is reassuring and Jin lets Rosemary take over. The girl has her keep water in the basin boiling once she learns Jin can do that.

She didn’t use any proper terminology, but Rosemary clearly knows about infections and how to prevent and treat them. The girl’s matter of fact tone and generally analytic nature towards her injuries reminds Jin of nurses and doctors from home.

It’s enough for Jin to stop worrying about dying of infection, at least.

Medical magic is a… complicated subject. Mages would spend generations working out a spell structure that can fix one very specific condition. Once medical science started improving, medical magic advancements took a back burner. Magic is no substitute for chemistry, or something. Which isn’t to say that magic isn’t used much in the world of medicine- far to the contrary- but being able to precisely cut out a tumor isn’t going to be the same kind of groundbreaking work as figuring out how to create and use synthetic insulin is.

Which is to say, Jin knows jack shit about medicine. The fact that Rosemary somehow knows more is an impressive point in both her favor, and to the education the village apparently offers.

When she’s done Jin is left almost clean before her bath begins and with fresh new stitches in her leg from where Sage yanked a rock out of it last night. Jin asks to be left alone for the bath. Rosemary gives her instructions to not get soap on the stitches or either of her hands while bathing, and a challenging look.

Jin returns the challenge, “You aren’t bathing me.”

“An’ you ain’t gettin soap on those injuries.”

The two stare at each other for several moments.

The two hear the bathroom door open on the other side of the curtain, along with a knock. Why knock when you’ve already opened the door?

“Hey Rosie, how’s Jin doing?” Sage’s voice.

“Not lettin me help her clean up, is what.”

Ugh.

“What? Is she already-“

“Hi Sage. I’m fine. Rosemary just doesn’t want me to get my hands wet.”

“Wet is fine, it’s no soap, and it hurts more ‘n it helps!”

Sage slips into the room and closes the door behind her. She then dramatically opens the curtains. Jin suddenly feels self conscious for being stripped down to her underwear.

“Sage!” Rosemary complains.

“Sorry Rosie, but you don’t have “I saved your life” cred. I’ll get her sorted out.”

Jin groans loudly, “Can’t I just take a bath already?” She knows she’s being whiny but come on. Not only is someone insisting on bathing her, but there’s two of them, and they’re fighting over who gets to. It’s weird.

“Nope! Now you, shoo, shoo!” Sage starts shooing Rosemary out the exact same way Rosemary shooed her out earlier. Ha.

Sage closes the door behind her sister with a self satisfied smile that slips more into a look of concern when she turns back to Jin.

“Rosie is just tryin to help…”

“I know! That doesn’t mean I… Ugh, look I just-“ Jin sighs and slumps, “I don’t even know what I’m trying to say anymore.”

Sage takes a seat next to Jin, “There’s no shame in gettin help from someone-“

Jin glares at Sage, “Don’t lecture me.”

Sage knits her brows together, but then shrugs like it’s no big deal. “Okay, but if Rosie says no soap, then no soap.” She stands and saunters over to the cabinet from where she pulls out a basket full of soaps and dried flowers and hooks it under one arm. “Have a nice bath Jin!”

What? Wait- Jin pinches the bridge of her nose, “Fine! Fine, just, ugh. I don’t even know why it bothers me right now I just-“ Jin sighs again and looks into the still filling bath. “I want to be alone for a while, is all, maybe.”

Sage opens her mouth, pauses, then has a thought, “Do you have any siblings, Jin?”

Jin gives a half hearted glare, but shakes her head, “No, none.”

“A ma and pa?”

“…In the context I assume you’re asking, my grandmother raised me, mostly.”

Sage nods slowly, “Is your grandma someone you could go to for help?”

Jin can see where Sage is going, but thinks about it anyway, “Not… really, unless I want to politically fuck someone over.”

Sage nods once firmly, “Then I’m adopting you.”

Jin blinks, “Sage I’m twenty-three. I’m older than you.”

“Twenty-three is a lot of years to be alone.”

Jin’s glare is a little less half hearted this time, “I wasn’t alone, and I didn’t need that much help growing up. I was taught to take care of myself.”

“And now you can’t, look at your hands!” Jin’s jaw works, but she does. They’ve been cleaned, but skin is missing in patches on her palms and the base of her fingers. It takes an act of will to not clench them.

Jin sighs, “Fine, do whatever you want.” She’s tired.

A complicated expression passes over Sage’s face, but she brightens and it’s gone, “Okie dokie! Now strip!”

So much for a relaxing bath…

—

Sage only sticks around for a few minutes before leaving Jin to herself to soak. Turns out people with three younger siblings are very efficient at sponging people clean. Jin doesn’t even know why she was so against the idea, it was certainly more effective than doing it herself, even with functional hands.

It was a poorly executed need for control. Self sabotage; you don’t deserve help. You secretly hate Sage, you’re lying to yourself. You’re stalling for the feast and will take longer wherever possible, damn the consequences. You hate everyone and will always push them away. You aren’t worthy of them. They only help out of a sense of obligation. They aren’t worth your time anyway.

Jin forcibly silences the voice, the lying contradictory bitch that it is. Damn, it wasn’t around for a couple months. Guess that dream is gone now.

She scowls and sinks deeper into the luxuriously warm water, careful to keep her hands above the surface. Sage salved and wrapped them up before the bath, both to keep them from bleeding too much and as a reminder to not get them wet. Her left leg is draped over the edge of the bath to keep the stitches dry.

Rosemary comes back in at one point to double check Sage’s work and to take Jin’s clothes away despite her protests. She comes back with clean clothes after and instructions to call if she needs anything. Jin has no intention of listening, but nods to get her to go away.

She closes her eyes and tries to relax. It really does smell nice, at least. Lavender, other floral scents, a… generally, soapy smell?

Ugh, screw trying to be in the moment, this mindfulness shit was never her thing.

She instead focuses on recalling different spell structures and how to fit them together. She’s rusty on a lot of her fundamentals since she’s gotten used to relying on her rings to have the necessary structures. The practice will do her good.

Jin isn’t sure how much time passed when she hears the door open followed by a knock.

“Sage you’ve already opened the door, you don’t need to knock after the fact.”

“It’s rude not to knock!”

The door shuts behind her and Sage opens the curtains to Jin’s unimpressed look.

Sage crosses her arms, “It’s better ‘n not knocking at all!”

“Keep telling yourself that.”

“I will!” Sage throws her nose into the air. Jin snorts in amusement.

“So have you just come in to gawk at me or am I being summoned away?”

“Just gawk.”

Sage stares intently at Jin’s face. Jin stares back. Sage cracks first and grins, “Kidding! Most people are gonna be in the church plaza by now. I came to see if you’re done yet.”

“You could have asked from outside.”

Sage shrugs, “I don’t like speaking through doors.”

“Or from the other side of the curtain.”

“You’re covered in bubbles! And aren’t curtains just another kind of door?” Sage sounds genuinely thoughtful about that line.

“No.”

Sage sticks her tongue out and steps back to close the curtains again. “Anyway, Momma finished up cookin and took Rosie and Basil with her to help carry food. I’ll be right outside whenever you’re ready.”

“Ok.”

Jin hears the door close behind Sage.

Well, it may as well be time to stop putting on her best lobster impression. Before insisting she wash Jin, Rosemary offered Jin a small baked pastry that she said would help with pain. Given how she can get out of the tub now without her hip promising murder is enough proof that it worked. She looks at her side, finally taking a good look at it. The bruise is over a foot long, spanning from the top of her hip bone down into the thigh in a brilliant blue purple color. Jin didn’t even know bruises from a ground level fall could get this bad.

A towel is set out for her and Jin uses it to dry off, and then slips into the clothes left by Rosemary. It’s just baggy black pants and a cream colored shirt, but the clothes fit and are clean. Well, they mostly fit. Jin has to pull the pants high and tie them around the waist to keep the pants from dragging, and they’re a little tight around the hips. She tucks the shirt in. It’s not high fashion, but It’ll do. The socks are strangely bulky, but don’t pose an issue when she puts her boots on, fortunately.

Jin finds a hand mirror on the cabinet and stares at her reflection.

…

She misses eyeliner.

Petty.

She props the mirror against the wall and tries her best to tie her hair back up. Her fingers feel stiff and clumsy, but she thinks she manages well enough and comes out of the bathroom.

“There you are! Lookin good Jinny-Jin!”

“Oh hell no. Just Jin, please.”

Sage giggles and nods, “Well! Follow me, off to the feast!”