“My hands are slippery; can you please rethread this needle?”
Dyna grimaced, struggling to contain her vomit while accepting the bloodied fishhook needle with trembling pale hands. After some time, she returned it with a fresh thread of silk through the eyelet.
“Good, now… I’ll be sewing up the gum, and with a bit of healing magic it shouldn’t even leave a scar. As I said earlier, dental work requires precision tools Healers rarely own. When even the roots have rotten, you need to scrape the infection away from the bone, which is difficult to do in such a tight space.”
Finishing the suture, Exill channelled mana into the angry red flesh, fusing just the surface of the cut. “That’s all done. Please come back in three days to remove the stitches and apply this ointment before you go to bed.”
The Clinic was finally silent after the last patient was sent out, only the crackling of the fireplace could be heard when the four of them took the weight off their feet by the table.
“Thank you everyone, now let’s study from the books while the soup is heating up.”
There was a collective groan from Dyna and Tsarra when he fetched the tome on herbalist recipes and clay tablets. They were given a crash course on ingredient substitution, using the very basic healing poultice as an example.
The girls struggled to focus, both tired and hungry, so he abandoned the lesson early to eat. While they ate, some semblance of spirit was restored, and he began to see a few smiles around the table.
“Have you ever treated male genitalia?” Dyna turned to Tsarra, innocently posing her inquiry. Their initial topic of discussion had been about persistent rashes brought on by allergic reactions.
Exill felt soup snort up his nostrils when the question caught him off guard, and the Dwarf’s reaction was very much the same.
“Hyah?!”
“I mean, how are we expected to treat something we have never seen before?” The sly vixen eyed the Murderess warily, knowing she was toeing the line. That was why unfortunately, she had to get Tsarra on board– for educational purposes of course.
“This conversation isn’t appropriate for the dinner table, and I expected better from someone of your upbringing.” Exill shut the conversation down fast, having a good idea of what Dyna was really after. “If you really are that curious, you can check the reference tome after clinic hours.”
“But-”
Envy only had to shift in her seat to shut the girl up. Dyna looked down at her empty bowl, her obsidian eyes downcast as they admitted failure.
Trying to salvage what was left of a good evening, Exill patted both his apprentices heads, shaking them out of their reverie when he collected their empty bowls. “You guys will have no problem meeting the right man to show you the real deal, seeing how talented and pretty you both are. Dyna, you should head home before it gets dark. Tsarra and I can handle the washing up.”
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The young girl’s protestations died on her lips as Envy stood up. She wasn’t even trying to be intimidating but the councilman’s daughter was utterly cowed by the Vampire’s presence. She reluctantly walked to the entryway, looking over her shoulder at Tsarra and Exill who were companionably working together at the sink. She paused to swallow, staring at his taut forearms, tantalisingly glistening from the swirling dishwater. A light tap on the shoulder brought her down to earth.
“The door is that way.” Envy warned her.
Dyna flicked her midnight hair back, annoyed that she had to leave just as it was getting interesting. She gave the Vampire a grudging look, then stepped out into the streets, painted red by the setting sun.
Exill watched the young vixen leave and let out a sigh of relief. She was a handful, but he had to admit the young girl was a fast learner. Thanks to her, his mana drain hadn’t been so excessive. He leaned to the side to brush his shoulder against Tsarra and catch her attention.
“I promise we can go clothes shopping tomorrow.” This was his third time making the arrangement, and to ensure it happened, they agreed to turn in early for the night. Wiping his hands dry with the dish rag, he entered Envy’s room to find her already lying down, changed into her black dress.
Nudging in behind her, he groaned while collapsing onto the soft mattress. Today had been a rough day, with the scare from the Aberration in the morning followed by a hefty patient load.
“Thank you for your work today, I didn’t hear a peep of complaint from the patients.” Exill said, when Envy lifted her head to rest against his biceps so that she could feed.
“Mn.” She intoned, mildly annoyed he chose this time to engage in conversation.
“Are you worried about Grundle and that newbie struggling in the Labyrinth without you?”
“Mn.” This was accompanied with a light elbow strike to his side, trying to get the point across that she wasn’t interested in conversing while eating.
“Ouch! Okay… no more questions.”
A while later, she closed the puncture with a kiss and turned to face him, her lips dyed a deeper shade of red.
“The newbie’s name is Feroy, and they will do just fine without me. Any other questions?”
Exill faltered when he was about to ask the next question. After talking to Dyna about how she had no agency in the decision to select her second job, it had opened his eyes on how little he knew about the customs and traditions of this new world.
“Tell me about your second job, [Murderer].” The question he had been too afraid to ask finally left his mouth.
She stared at him, almost expecting the Witchdoctor to compel her to tell the story with an order. Something her previous master had done when she told that swine the same brief. It had taken all her guile to avoid mentioning her brother, knowing the sick bastard would find new innovative ways to torment her.
“You can have the short story. I killed a man then assigned it shortly afterwards. You can hear the long version once you set me free.”
“I hope that day comes soon.” Exill whispered back.
She stared back, momentarily at a loss for words. 'Why does he do this to me?’ The bitter thought invaded her mind. It was the familiar bloom of hope impaling her heart with its well-known cruelty. It was so painful - that just for a moment - her amber eyes flared crimson in anger.
Knowing she was about to snap again, she sat up and gestured towards the door, “I’m full, you should go to your bed.”
Hesitating only briefly, Exill let out a “Good night.” with a smile and scooched off the bed. After having spent so much time with the Vampire, he understood that this form of dismissal was just a coping mechanism. She didn’t want to lash out and hurt him.
Double checking all the doors and windows were locked and curtains drawn, he unfolded the sleeping mat and finally lay down to sleep.
However, it was an uneasy dream, filled with visions of slowly digesting bodies and the yammering of tormented souls. Were he to wake up and look outside, he would have seen the decrepit house of his nightmares, its moist doors slightly ajar and beckoning.