…..:::::|. Havvenchael Clinique .|:::::…..

A new sun-rising broke over her face and the warmth of it soothed her cheeks. She bent out a tiny smile.

Siin sat forward in his lounge a bit upon seeing her face respond.

“D'you see that?”

“Mmm, see what?” Kodlaa opened eyes toward him then shot looks to her friend from the curled up position she kept in the infirmary's comfy chair. “She do a thing?” Kodlaa yelled in a loud whisper.

“She smiled.”

“No way.” Kodlaa bolted up posted on the arm and back rest of the lounge and looked Halycind over to see if any more movements had been made. Nothing. But before she had sagged back fully, Halycind Cashtiel made a wincing noise.

“Cash?” They both whispered.

“Mmmm.” Halycind answered.

Kodlaa leapt from her lounge and danced a full circle of cheer. “I knew you were a tough shite.”

“Mhm.”

“What'd I tell you, aBn.”

Siin just stared at Halycind, ignoring being stiffly jostled by all the bouncing her friend was doing on and off the lounge.

“Hey, Kodlaa,” He said without looking at her. “Could you go retrieve that music box?”

“Oh, yeah she'd love that.” Kodlaa was clapping madly. Darting to leave, she thought about herself for a moment then looked back to Siin still staring at Halycind.

“Uh, which one?”

“The small one, with the gold trim...made from the rosestones in Ashok.”

Though Siin had never left from this spot save to relieve himself, he'd forced Kodlaa to take walks to ebb out her anxiety. Siin had taken the drops of his Adhesive here, he'd slept here, he'd eaten here, watching her rise and fall between death and recovery. His eyes could hardly believe the salves and ointments and potions and mendings with thread and magecraft, had even taken seat. Taken her to full recovery.

“Listen...Cash.” His voice was quaking.

“Mmm?”

“While you yet rouse...I need to tell you something.”

“Loose.”

He thought for a moment if he really wanted to spill this but he swore to himself, outside of himself, that if she ever awoke, she needed to hear his confession. “You were dead...everyone was certain of it. Everyone.”

She groaned out a chuckle.

“I watched you die. I watched you breathe again only to watch your chest fall still once more. I've never felt such dread.”

Halycind listened and remembered her own dread on the Tawny Swan and something of this moment matched with that feeling.

“Even now, when I see you recovering, when I know what the mages and medics have done to heal you, I can scarcely believe what I'm seeing.” He took a breath. “When the Kadif's stole me back here to the 'Raam, I fought them like a rabid wolf. I cursed them. I spat at them. I ate none of their food. I drank none of their wines. All because I felt they stole me...from you.”

“What? Waddn't done pulling mah hair?” She huffed a weak giggle.

“No, Halycind...”

She peeked open one eye over to him. He'd so rarely called her by first name.

“I was in love with you...am...in love with you. I've always been in love with you. Swore to myself to one day get back to you. Even when I ran away to Air House and got mixed up with the brothel, you were my first, last, and only thought.”

She rolled a supremely confused head to her childhood romping buddy, both her eyes now working. His young muted blue face was so full of coarse reality she wondered if he was really even Siin. Something in her broke. She was unsure if it was her heart or her willfulness to keep him out of it.

“So when I thought you were dead...I...tried to suss out my life. Without you.”

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“What did you do?” Her heart quickened with worry.

“I...made some decisions. I got the news you would finally live...before I had a chance to enact all of them. But I’d made some choices.” His tone carried an odd regality to it more so than vengefulness.

“You were going to hunt down the child's paedron.” She bent a head to him.

“Long ago my dagger was dipped and forged in Aagenite's blood. It burns to ash any who have been enthralled. Were I to find them, I was to ash them.”

“You were going to forgo the Venge for me.”

“I was going to forgo everything for you.”

She rolled her head back to a comfortable sit. “That would have been dumb.” She closed her eyes once more. “I don't even know why, I'm not pleasant. I would be hard on your life, like I was hard on Taphsel's.” A wafting reticence crept up her gut as she tried her best to keep the possibility of loving the good Siin from her heart. And it was a very real possibility. Too real for a hospital bed.

“Only if you tell yourself that, Halycind. You've a soft middle and it needs to be loved by someone...who can handle loving you.”

“And who's that...you?” She said with an unsure smile.

He sighed long. “Haly--”

“Siin, I tried what you said. And it worked.”

“What worked?”

“I thought of my intent, what gives me hope. And I was able to see the gale’s thoughts.”

“Ah, you’re Carabaaniel and it was a beast, that makes sense. I’m quite thankful for that.”

“As am I.” Halycind sighed.

“Does she stir, aBn?”

His broken voice was sucked up into the tears that were about to leap from his eyes. And he collected himself. “She yet stirs!” He called to the medics and mages peering over from the great receiving hall. The cheery smile, she now noticed as a mask of his deeper persona, shown brightly to them as they approached her room.

Then, oddly, Siin looked guilty for a moment and burst a snicker.

“Siin, what have you done?” She said from her bed.

“I sort of told them you were a green-sasher.”

She wanted to raise up from that bed with a crushing choke to his throat but she was weak.

“Yeah, I told them all bout the nightly ravishings you put your male slaves through.”

“What?! Ow.” She grabbed at her softly throbbing head.

“They're going to want to have a conversation with you.”

“Ynggrloch...” She growled in a warning.

“It's aBn Ynggr...now.” He winked.

“Ugh, and they'll believe—“

“Anything an aBn says.” He gave her a little chuckle. “Told you I'd get you back.”

“Let me—Let me find some real Yaan. You will rue your days.” She warned through clenched teeth.

He blew her a slow satisfied kiss.

Many medics and mages rushed her bedside to check her vitality and bones, all full of accomplished smiles.

How bad off had she been?

They said she was the most nearest death they'd witness in recent cycles. She bled from the brain, from the spleen, her heart's fluid and lungs had been punctured and many of her bones had been broken. How she was alive they hadn't concluded at all. Many heard of the Ashok will to live but it still remained much a mystery as to the strength of that will until Halycind walked through the doors, dead on her feet.

She'd laid there for near the full moons' whole cycle and it was Percival's choice by right of charge to halt the proceedings of the Venge until she recovered, if she recovered. In this decision, however, he had drawn the ire of some of the other Agents in the company but because of his station they only sent letters of staunch quandary. Dun'ahka's wife had supported his decision as she had only one new Agent to train and hoped his search for more had yielded a good haul.

After Halycind explained away Siin's prank and the medics and mages looked her over and told her of things she'd missed in her long sleep, she saw the tall frame of her Exemplariat come in to her room with a bouncing Kodlaa. She was holding a little golden box with bright pink bows on it.

Kodlaa shoved it to her as Halycind made to sit up finally.

“Here's to you not bitin' the boot, sister.”

“Take more than that.” Halycind smiled as she took the box.

She opened it, and inside sat a rosestone music box.

Rosestone only came from Ashok. Only mined by the kind-hearted trolls there in the crevices of the Steeps. Rosestone was difficult to shape and expensive for purchase. Rosestone was a gift only lovers gave to one another in courtship.

"Rosestone?" She whispered.

"He picked it out. Well, actually, he sent me to look for a thing to give you. Then I went out and reported back, and then he’d send me out again, and I’d report back, and then he said get the rosestone one."

Halycind looked at Siin. She wanted to hold him but could only manage a strained huff and sigh. He was nodding it off as if it were nothing. But his confession of love had been deeply true.

“T'was a Ghostgale, Lady, you killed.” Percival's voice was shaking. He was overcome with amazement and his smile wavered between wonderment and joy. “The Queen wants to celebrate you. I told her to wait till you could see it.”

“Can you tell her...well...kindly, that wolves tend to there own kills.”

“She knows. The gale's meat smokes in a closet in Havvenchael.”

“Then I shall get to roasting.”

“Nono. You'll spend one more night here as we administer our tonics now that you're waking body can process more of the decoctions.” A small forceful medic pushed Halycind’s shoulders back to the headboard.

“Yes, don't screw up their hard work.” Percival joked as he looked at the happy tenders of his wolaenki.

She settled in to look at the box she’d been gifted. Her eyes danced in all the small metal-crafted roses with their gilded edges, and its sparkle, and sounds. Sounds, she could hear clearly. She felt the most proud she had in a very long time. But not in her own triumphs...in the warmth of those who loved her. She felt proud to know them. In her thoughts and reflection Halycind fell to a cheerful sleep.