-
The mention of sleeping deeply concerned Crystal. She couldn’t hide the worry on her face.
"I can't sleep without folding my wings." She told the two mortals. "I mean, I can try, but what if the scabs break again?"
The dwarf chimed in.
"They shouldn’t. Scabbing is a part of the healing process and that paste speeds up healing."
"So the scabs should be completely formed by now."
"So it's safe to furl our wings again?"
"Maybe."
"Wouldn't hurt to try!"
"Or maybe it would…"
Crystal slowly and carefully began to fold her wings. No pain.
She pressed her broken wings against her back tightly. Still no pain.
Crystal sighed in relief.
"Thank the Queen. I thought I was gonna be losing sleep over these."
With a child-like smile, she began to fold and unfold her wings again, as if testing their resilience. The dwarf scowled.
"You're definitely going to tear them more if you keep doing that."
He was right. Crystal composed herself and kept her wings folded, still smiling in contentment.
"Thank you for helping me, by the way."
"I'm just doing my job."
Even so, the debt has to still be paid. And it's probably for the best if she got the proper amount of rest after such an eventful afternoon so she could help pay that debt.
Crystal turned to Celandine once more.
"Is there any place to rest around here? I still can't fly to my usual place in the ruins."
-
Celandine blinked oddly at the fae, confused about her words and question. It was good that they had - at least partially - agreed to stay the night but she thought where they would stay was more or less obvious.
Lifting a finger slowly from the table she pointed at the ceiling, the rounded pale tip poking the air. "Uh ... Yeah, here. There's rooms upstairs. I've already paid for three."
Was it too forward? Had it been too presumptuous? She did not know, but also told herself not to worry. Her mother's allowance was more than generous, and she definitely thought that Crystal needed a rest. They were all tense, sweaty, anxious and could do with a bath. Indeed, the food the young faun had provided was merely just the beginning - or so she had intended. A lovely, pleasant night out for a few young ladies.
That had now ended in some form of epic quest.
Somehow. She had her father's luck for misadventure. No sooner had she got into Salvar after all than she had witnessed two different murders, one which had caused an entire lockdown of the very grand ball where they had been. Felicity too had actually been there.
"Thank you for your help," she smiled genuinely at the dwarf doctor. "It was very kind of you to come so fast and we will go get your herbs. You are of great benefit to this town." Then she looked to Felicity. "You need rest as well, dearest. You're still tense." Softly she traced the hardened shoulders of the flame-haired young lady. "Here. Lots of tension. Go punch some sandbags if you need but rest. Relax. Eat."
She smiled and nodded. "As to me - I'm going to go see this library. Just an hour or so of reading and I'll have all we need to know about the area."
...
A few hours later and she bustled back from the library, her eyes alive with passion and new knowledge, her hair bound back by two new large steel knitting needles that were essentially skewers. Under her arm was a parcel of notes that she had taken, but the main knowhow was in her mind. It had not taken long for the talented scholar to locate, read and attain the necessary information for this adventure, and now she felt more useful than ever.
Sunlight waned as she clambered up the steps to the bedrooms of the inn. She hoped that Crystal and Felicity were getting some form of rest, and had taken up her offer of the rooms. But that was up to them. They were keen and so far unpredictable. Celandine already bore a soft spot for them in her heart.
It was a fire that wouldn't die easily.
