Off to a Good Start

[Reece]

“Well, it looks alright.” the Archwitch spoke after having removed the bandages from around his head. “How does it feel? How is your vision?”

He blinked a few times.

“Seems fine.” the eye appeared to have fully healed. Looking past the stern old lady, he grinned at Daniel, who was waiting hopefully.

“So he's free to go then?”

“Yes,” she glanced between them suspiciously, “you pair wouldn't be planning anything idiotic, now would you?”

Flinching at her sharp tone, the guardsman took a couple steps backwards, waving his hands before him, as though he could brush away the glare she had directed his way, “What!? No! Me? Do something stupid? Don't be ridiculous, when have I ever...?”

Daniel trailed off, wilting as he realised that not even Yajima, who had seen him in action only once, was buying into the belief that he was actually remotely intelligent.

“Recur is a pretty frequent visitor to our Healing House.” the voice came from the other side of the bed before which the factor stood, even before he turned to face her, though, Yajima recognised the speaker. It was the same pink-outfitted nurse who'd been present when he'd woken the day before. Her name was Saera, she'd told him at one point, and so far she was the only one of the Archwitch's assistants to whom he had actually spoken.

“Oh? I guess that makes sense.”

“You could at least pretend to be surprised by the revelation.” Dan said dully. The head healer scowled, but Saera just laughed.

“I don't know if that really can be considered a 'revelation',” she said, “after all, your nickname is-”

“Don't even say it.” he held up a hand to stop her, and she laughed again. “Hmph. Well, if you're quite done making fun of me, we'll just be on our way, okay?”

“Yeah, sure, sure.” before Yajima had taken two steps, though, she spoke up again, “Oh! I almost forgot! You need to actually pay for your treatment!”

Yajima shuddered. Crap. He'd hoped no one would notice until after he'd gone.

“Damn. Why'd you have to remember?”

She giggled. “You know, I probably wouldn't have if you hadn't gone on about how badly you wanted to leave and earn some money. It wouldn't be the first time I've forgotten to charge someone, after all. I bet you're regretting all those conversations we had now, huh?”

She laughed again. He couldn't help but get the impression that she cared a lot less about his financial well-being than he did. And then he noticed something rather worrying.

“Umm … Saera?”

“Yes?”

He pointed.

“Oh.”

The Archwitch's cane had been replaced by a pair of blood-stained, medieval bone saws, her hands clenched around the handles so tightly that her knuckles were white as her robes, one eye twitching as she visibly struggled to suppress the immense rage which had permeated her entire being.

“'Wouldn't be the first time'? 'All those conversations'? You imbecile! You cretin! What in all the hells have you been doing around here!? He's only been awake two days, how long could you possibly have spoken!? You think I pay you to chat!? And you've been letting patients go without charging them!? Are you mad!?”

As Saera backed off, fumbling for an apology whilst the old woman continued to rant and advance upon her, Daniel sidled up to Yajima.

“Say,” he muttered under his breath, “how about we use this opportunity to slip away?”

The boy nodded, and both turned to go, walking as quietly as they could for the first few steps, but accelerating as they went. Before he knew it, Yajima was running full tilt.

“Sleep!”

The spell resembled a small cloud of sparkling yellow lights, and when it struck the guardsman's back, he tumbled forwards immediately, smacking his head off a bedpost and crumpling to the ground.

The factor froze on the spot – glad her aim was so bad, but not willing to risk having the same happen to him if she kept firing those things and got luckier the second time around – and Dan groaned; the blow he'd taken apparently having woken him just as quickly as the crone's magic had put him out.

“You are going to pay up, insolent brat.” the Archwitch strode towards them, dragging after her a teary-eyed Saera, held by a clump of hair. “Here. This is how much you owe me, now get summoning, Prime!”

“Yes, ma'am.” he replied, studying the foreign coins for a few moments, before beginning the long and tedious process of materialising some of his own.

It likely took no more than a few minutes, but with the crone glaring at him the entire time, it felt like an eternity. Eventually, having exhausted the last dregs of the Omnilium he'd been given by Omni – some of the larger coins she held were surprisingly expensive to summon; they must have been cast from quite the precious metals – he stopped.

“You're not done.” she held up a small, dull copper piece between her finger and thumb.

“I'm broke.” he looked up at her imploringly, fearing that she would demand he extract something in order to finish his payment. She glanced at the coin in her hand for one long, drawn-out moment.

“Hmph. Fine, I'll let you off the hook this once. If I ever see either of you trying to get out of paying even a single coin again, though, you'll be charged double, got that!?”

“Yes, ma'am.” the boy and man chorused, heads bowed apologetically as Yajima handed over all he'd summoned.

“Good. Now get out of my sight! I do have patients to treat, you know!” the old buzzard screeched, snatching up her earnings in one claw-like hand. Many of those patients seemed to have been woken by her shouting, and along with the two other nurses currently in the large, wide room, were now staring her way apprehensively.

“Bye, you two, see you soon!” Saera gave the retreating figures a cheerful wave, but was interrupted when the ancient, decrepit hag yanked at her hair again, “Ow!”

“You can just stay silent, girl. We're going to be having a serious talk about how you go about your duties once I'm done here.”

As she cast her glare about the room, the other nurses hurried back to their work and many of the patients pretended to be fast asleep. Given that more than a few had been sitting up as they took in the spectacle, though, in some cases this act wasn't particularly convincing.