After they went back to the tavern and ate, having pleasant small talk even for her, they all retired to their rooms after they all settled down. Aetrius bowed out first and went to her room. She removed her belt and weaponry, placing them on the edge of the bed, and her boots, placing them under the bed. She sat down on the bed, legs crossed and began reading a book. Moments later there was a gentle knock on the door that garnered her attention.
"Door's open." she said with an all too relaxed tone, going back to her book.
When the door opened in stepped Linde, she put her book down and gave her her undivided attention.
"Yes, Linde?" she asked, who only came a few feet away from the bed.
"It's time to dress your wound, Aetrius. Would you mind if I sat down?"
Aetrius reluctantly nodded and looked back at her.
"So, where do we start?" Aetrius asked rather nervously.
"I would like to request that you remove the armor and clothing covering your torso. I have the easiest access to the wound if you aren't wearing anything around the point of injury. Try not to worry. We're both women and I'm a doctor. Modesty isn't an issue with me." She said with a smile.
Aetrius was hesitant, highly hesitant. Not just because she was a doctor, but of her scarring.
She looked up at her and stuttered a bit.
"I...I uhm....Not really comfortable doing that...Not cuz you're another female or doctor, just....My own reasoning, it makes me rather, uncomfortable..." Her voice was rather distant, and the relaxed tone in her voice was all but gone by now.
Linde smiled at Aetrius.
"I understand. Many patients in the past have been reluctant to reveal their bodies to anyone. Even doctors. It's happened to me as well, many times. But I think I have a way around your discomfort. At least in part."
Linde shifted her weight and gripped her own shirt, lifting it up along the side of her body showing the same spot on her own body where Aetrius' wound would be, but nothing more.
"Would you be more comfortable lifting just this much of your shirt and lying on the bed for me? It will be easier for you to hold the clothing out of the way and easier for me with you lying still."
Aetrius thought for a moment, that would be more comfortable for her. But having to hold it up would cause her side to be tensed up and harder for Linde to work with. She sighed and stood up, slowly grabbing the bottom of her shirt, then stopped and looked at Linde, pausing for a moment, then she spoke.
"Just....just promise to not be...disgusted by what you see?"
Aetrius asked, her voice held some sort of sadness in it, but the reasoning was left unknown at the moment for Linde.
"Fuck it..." She muttered under her breath, and gathered enough courage to remove what needed to be done for Linde to address the wound properly. With her leather gloved hand that wasn't injured she removed her over cloak and shirt, tossing them aside.
What was left was her long, rather think pants and boots and gloves, her chest was tightly bound with chest binding, making her basically flat and modest for the most part. It helped in combat and helped free up her mobility, among other reasons. She slowly turned back to the bed where Linde was sitting. Her back was littered with a plethora of scars littering her body, all ranging in sizes, shapes, severity, and recent damage tissue. They were a mix of A multitude of scars big and small on her back, as most of those are due to whips, and then a few dozen scars from arrows and bolts all over her body, especially her abdominal region and arms. Indicating as to what she has been through, and how many close calls this one human has endured. As well as her tattoos that were now visible. One on the center of her back and one on her right shoulder. She kept her eyes down and away from Linde, ashamed to look her in the eyes.
She stuttered as she spoke.
"I-is this good enough? I-if I need to r-remove more, I will..."
The usually calm and collective and apparently confident Aetrius was now gone, leaving the now current shell that was Aetrius in her most vulnerable state. Which usually appeared when people could ask and would usually ask about her scarring and tattoos, which usually caused her to panic and stutter.
Linde observed calmly as Aetrius removed her clothing in full along her upper torso, revealing her scars and numerous wounds received from over the years doing whatever it was she did. And Aetrius' demeanor upon completion of this task was... Surprising. But as she spoke, stuttering and looking down seemingly embarrassed beyond recognition from who she was before, Linde slowly stood up and put her hands on Aetrius' shoulders.
"You've already gone out of your comfort zone, Aetrius. I would be nothing short of inhuman to ask more of you. Here... Lay down."
She gently urged Aetrius to lay down on the bed, keeping her hands on her shoulders and using her thumbs to give her flesh a tender massage.
"Just relax, Aetrius."
She grabbed her tools, washed her hands, put gloves on, and began to work. She began by undoing the bindings around her abdominal area, leaving the bindings covering her chest in tact to help with her comfort level. And as she worked, her hands were incredibly soft. Incredibly tender. Almost as if the woman who fought five bandits didn't exist. Her hands were so gentle that it was almost like a completely different woman was working on her now.
"These scars all tell tales of your exploits, Aetrius. You should not be ashamed of them. Even if many of them look to be caused by something humiliating, you bore the pain and pushed through to become who you are today. You have nothing to be ashamed of." She cooed softly.
She removed the patch over the wound, and began applying her solution to keep it clean of infection while checking the stitching as well. The stitching did seem a bit loose, so she had to clip them and re-stitch the wound. And even while stitching she was gentle and the prick of the needle barely registered with her skill to use it in just the right way.
"So, Aetrius. Would you tell me more about yourself while we have some time?" She asked.
"I'd like to know more about where you come from and how you got to this point. Or at least what details you're willing to share. I will not pry into matters that are too personal to discuss." She said.
Aetrius slightly blushed as she was calmly talked to by Linde and guided over to the bed and laid back down on her back, watching as Linde busily got to her work of taking care of her wound. She could barely feel the needles and alcohol being used as not only did she have a high pain tolerance over the years, but the medicine used worked wonders. She would have fallen asleep if Linde remained silent, her eyes opening as Linde spoke up, asking about her scars but offering Aetrius to refrain from explaining if it was too personal.
She sighed and remained silent for a moment, looking up at the ceiling as she was lost in thought. Where would she start first? Most were self explanatory for Linde to figure, multiple crossbow bolt scars practically made her look like a pin cushion of sorts. Others were obvious slices and stab wounds, the most prominent one was on the same side as the wound Linde was currently working on. It was a long, rather good sized scar that ran along her side. She chuckled as the memory came back to her.
"The scar right below your hand, that one... Heh, got that one not by fighting if you can believe it. Instead, years ago when I was living on the streets....I was running away by an angry store owner as I stole what was my dinner. I hopped a metal, barbed fence. But as I was hopping over it, my side got hooked and it tore into my side. It was a poor sight to see if you asked anyone that saw. Twelve year old me hooked on a fence like a piece of meat." She chuckled a bit, but groaned as laughing caused discomfort as Linde was still at work on her wound.
Linde listened to the story Aetrius told her about the long scar on her side beneath the latest in what was obviously a series of crossbow injuries. And Linde couldn't help but chuckle a little to herself as she finished stitching Aetrius' wound. And when Aetrius groaned, Linde placed her hand over Aetrius' stomach and gently massaged it to help ease the tension in her muscles.
As the mind encountered pain, the core was often the first muscle group to respond. And not often positively.
"That must have been a sight." She said with a tiny hint of glee.
Linde sat up straight and looked at Aetrius calmly, but with seriousness.
"Mine is but a single reminder of a deadly encounter, but nevertheless the fact that I am alive is nothing short of the Goddess's mercy." She said quietly.
Linde slowly removed her gloves and placed them in a bag before putting it in the trash, and then stood up beside the bed, facing Aetrius.
"Please pardon the display, but..."
She slowly lifted her shirt, revealing her stomach, breasts, and upper chest area to Aetrius. And along Linde's middle, directly between her breasts and stopping just shy of the base of the rib cage, was a massive, jagged scar from a single puncture wound. Obviously this was caused by a serrated blade of some kind, and it was a grim reminder that not even Linde's body was safe from the marring scars of life.
"This wound..." She turned around, revealing a near matching scar on the back... A full puncture from front to back.
"Was received in a battle against Te'i Sai." She said quietly.
"It was when I met Kyero. He was injured after fleeing from them, and I tended his wounds. But after doing so they found us and presumed I was already his ally. So they attacked us, and I was unable to match their speed or expertise with their weapons. I was stabbed in the back through the chest, and left to die."
She slowly lowered her shirt, turning back around to face Aetrius with a sad, but still somehow charming smile.
"Kyero managed to drive them off and save me. I don't know how he did it. But he did."
She chuckled.
"The Red-Eyed Demon saving a life instead of ending it. Who would have guessed, right?"
She sat down on the edge of the bed, putting her hand on Aetrius'.
"No matter how many scars you bear, your story is your story. Be proud of your marks, Aetrius. They do not define you, but they do tell your story to the world." She cooed.
Aetrius chuckled, and a small smile appeared on her face when Linde found what she told her a bit humorous albeit dark. At least she could make one person laugh, never mind even cracking a small. A first for her. She listened to Linde as she began to explain her scar, sitting up as she gave her full attention. But what she didn't expect was for Linde to start disrobing, quickly she looked away as a blush over came her, only to glance up when Linde had turned around, seeing an entry wound. Her expression changed, her face flushed white and looked somewhat saddened at the fact that Linde could have, no should have died. But due to Kyero, she lived. She looked back at Linde when she turned around and fixed her clothing, not realizing that Aetrius was blushing all the while.
She only blushed more when Linde gently placed her hand on her's when she spoke a word of encouragement to her about her scars. She sighed and nodded. Aetrius pondered for a moment, and then looked back up, she sighed and begrudgingly started to remove her gloves. Starting with the leather gloves themselves, then stopped when it came to the under wrappings that kept her hands hidden.
She paused, and looked back up at Linde and in a soft voice she spoke.
"No one....well, not many people have seen my scars...Only those who are lucky enough to have..." she paused and looked away, her right hand holding the bandage over her left hand. "But....These....these are my worst scars..."
She slowly unraveled the wrappings, they fell to the floor where they lay. Aetrius looked down at her badly and distorted hands. They were marred over by dark, scars obviously burn marks. They were in the shape of chains, leading from wrapping around her palms and lead up to her elbows. Seeing how the gloves covered them perfectly, no one else had to wonder why she constantly wore gloves as well as layers.
"These... These are a reminder... Of the man that took everything from me... as well as the scar on my face... and back..." she said as she remained looking down at her hands that she held out in front of her, hands shaking all the while from fear and the memories coming back to her the day she received her most notably bad scarring.
"W-would you like to know...?" she asked rather innocently, which was odd coming from someone such as herself.
Never did she open up to someone like this before, not even to someone she barely knew. But, something about Linde made her feel like she could trust her, and be honest with certain aspects that others would most likely find repulsive.
Holding Aetrius' hands seemed to help her calm down, at least a little bit. Linde was not blind to the flush in her face, but she passed it off simply as Aetrius being new to this situation. And what she said afterwards only confirmed it. She was not used to people seeing her like this. Showing her past. Her nightmares. Her demons. The scars of numerous clashes and belittling moments... Culminating with the scars on her hands and arms.
She asked if Linde would like to know, but Linde brought up her right index finger and put it to Aetrius' lips.
"... Another time, perhaps." She whispered with a warm smile.
She gently put Aetrius' left hand in both of her own, sandwiching it softly.
"You have shown me so much already, and I thank you." She said, her smile growing even warmer.
"I feel I understand you much better now, and it makes me even more determined to help you find your friend. Kieran."
She slowly let go of Aetrius' hand, placing her hands in her own lap.
"Once I have ensured your wound is travel ready in two days, we will set out for Veilbrand. And we won't stop until we find Kieran." She said calmly, but with confidence and authority.
Aetrius couldn't help but blush more as Linde held her hand closer and tighter to herself and spoke to her as she did so. Her encouraging words did help a bit, but it wouldn't alleviate the struggle she dealt with for so long, the memories, nightmares, constant self hate and regret due to the cause of them. But she nodded, and smiled a bit as well when Linde confirmed wanting to leave with her, no matter what.
"Thank you, Linde...Your kindness...Is something I'm not fully accustomed to...Thank you..." She said with a genuine, but small smile.
Her hands twitched and she finally realized she still hadn't fully dressed herself yet. Aetrius quickly stood up and fumbled while putting her clothes back on, and when she was done she took a deep breath and sat back down, looking back at the floor then back up.
"So...Now what then? Like..Where do we go on from here?"
Linde's warm smile did not falter despite Aetrius quickly moving to clothe herself. And as she sat back down to ask where we go from here, Linde was happy to answer...
"For now, we rest. In two days, Veilbrand. It need not be more complicated than that." She said with a chuckle.
Linde said goodnight to Aetrius, giving her a small bow before leaving, and moved on to Okumi's room. She knocked quietly, entering upon a little tap in response against the door, and walked inside. She sat with Okumi at the bed and checked her wounds, which Okumi was a bit reluctant to show. However, once Linde showed she had gloves at her disposal, Okumi was relieved and allowed Linde to work.
It was a simple procedure to check her wounds, clean it, and re-bandage it before Linde bade Okumi good night and returned to her own room to check her own wounds. Her cheek was still raw and missing a layer of skin, but overall it was her shoulder that was the main concern. Her stitching held well, but the wound was seeping slightly. She cleaned it off before applying her disinfectant, and then re-bandaged herself as best she could.
For the next two days, as promised, Linde kept a close eye on everyone's wounds. She cleaned them, re-bandaged them, and made sure to keep everyone as occupied and content as she could during these two days of rest. The village was starting to settle in after what had happened, and had begun proper reconstruction by the time they departed for Veilbrand the next morning.
And as they all hit the road, now on horseback courtesy of the mayor as thanks for their heroic deeds, Linde was riding just behind Aetrius who took the lead position.
"Does anyone have any stories for the road?" She asked.
