Of Crows and Songbirds

“Yes’m.” Tadaaki dipped his head and obediently lifted his arm as much as he could. “…how… long should I wait, ma’am?”

It seemed like he’d be sitting up for a very, very long time if he wasn’t allowed to lay down until a bone healed itself. He wasn’t sure he could go that long without sleep.

"It will be a few weeks, but we'll do our best to keep you comfortable. There's no shortage of pillows in this Keep, I promise." She looped the sling over him and made sure his arm was in the right position.

“Yes’m.” He took a moment, carefully looking away from her as he grimaced for a few seconds, then controlled his pain and settled into the sling. His stomach felt turned from the pain.

"Is that better?" she asked. "Is there anywhere else?"

Tadaaki looked down at his fingers and flexed them with a slight grimace. They hurt like heck but didn’t seem damaged. “I… think they’re okay.”

"Good. Do you have any questions?"

“No’m.” He shook his head. “… thank you, ma’am.”

She dipped her head and moved on to Aleth. "Right, then. Are you ready?"

“Yes ma’am.” Aleth dipped his head and sat up a little straighter, keeping his gaze lowered.

"Shall we start with the toes or work up to them?"

Aleth sighed. “…may as well get it over with while I can’t feel them… ma’am.”

"You won't feel anything but the edge where they meet the live flesh," she pointed out, "but I think that's wise. Hollis, Ria, would you hold him down, please?" The young man and the other assistant, a woman a few years younger than Sera, came over to Aleth.

Gods. Gods no. No. Anxiety punched him in the gut and he involuntarily scooted closed to the headboard away from the two of them as he let out a shaky breath. What was he doing? No. This — no.

The pair held him down, and Sera took a cup of poppy milk from her tray and offered it to him. "This will dull the pain pretty much immediately."

Aleth nodded vigorously and drank it. It was terrible. And yet he appreciated it more than he possibly appreciated anything else in his life this far. “Thank you, ma’am.”