Mineral Healing | Nova_Eclipse

[Kadakism]

It had been precisely seventeen days since Ser Richter had become Belafay's master. She knew because she had counted, both as a measure of how long he was Sixth Master and as a way to keep track of his injuries. It had taken them much longer than she would have liked to get to a town with someone who could appropriately deal with the impacted armor and set the broken bone, but he would at least live and not need an amputation. Those were tragic.

Belafay herself had needed to amputate her fire hardened parts, leaving her much smaller than normal for several days while she collected clay to reconstitute herself back to a reasonable height. She normally did this whole Richter slept, knowing that the medicinal herbs used to help him heal would keep him asleep, and assured of his safety by her unspoken threats to the apothecary.

She sat in the chair situated beside his bed, her hands resting delicately on her lap as she waited for the sun to rise and for Richter to wake. For all her fine, realistic detail it was in moments like these, when she didn't even move an inch, that she looked uncannily artificial. Her ruby red eyes were the only facet of motion to her, the early morning light catching on them and making them practically glow.

@Nova_Eclipse

[Nova_Eclipse]

Dreamless sleep yielded to the piercing light that roused the knight from his drug-induced slumber, a groggy noise escaping dry lips as his eyes hesitantly fluttered open.  Despite the blinding rays of the sun that irritated his retinas, it was rather trivial to notice that he was no longer in the forest.

Somewhat soft bed, dull ache in his leg and where the armor had been brutally driven into flesh instead of searing agony...

...He didn't have his armor on.

Hands shot up to his head - or, at least, tried to through the numbness and lethargy he was feeling - and met...metal.  The mouth/faceguard of his helm was lifted up just enough to uncover his mouth, but not reveal the rest of his face.

Richter let out a relieved and tired sigh as he let his hands fall back down onto the bed.

It was then that he noticed Belafay sitting beside him, looking not unlike a ruby-eyed porcelain doll that was not yet fired.  Memories, scattered but rapidly gaining coherence and cohesion, surged forth and reminded him of what had transpired the last time he'd been awake.

"...H...ell...o...Bel...af...ay," the knight rasped, wincing at the sound of his voice and mild soreness of his vocal cords; it seemed like he'd been unconscious for a while for his voice to be suffering the effects of disuse.

@Kada

[Kadakism]

Belafay saw Richter stir and then seem to panic as he reached for the helmet still on his head. She hadn't understood why it was important to him to keep his identity secret, but she had done her part and requested that the surgeon had not removed it. She couldn't imagine that it wasn't hot and stuffy underneath that metal cage, but hers was not to judge.

"Good morning, Master," Belafay said with practiced nuance, showing her concern with the slight downturned pitch in her voice. She moved ever so slightly to let him know that she was awake. She looked a bit different from when he had last seen her properly. She was taller, more filled out. Extra clay making up her body in case she needed it, since she had wasted so much of her body in the fight and subsequent healing process.

"Your leg was injured severely. I was not sure the surgeon would be able to fix it, but she seems to have done adequate work. I have helped feed and bathe you while you slept. Is there anything that you need of me at this time?"

[Nova_Eclipse]

The knight started to shake his head after a few moments, but stopped as his head angled slightly upwards seemingly in thought.  Then, her master brought his unseen gaze back down to meet her ruby orbs, "Arm...or...anythi...ng...salvage...able?  Other...wise...I think that...I'll be fine, Belafay."

Richter then reached out with his left hand and gently curled the fingers around her right hand, "...You saved my life.  Thank you."

Even if she couldn't see his entire face, the lifted faceguard was more than enough to let the golem see his mouth and the fairly white teeth within form a warm, grateful smile while his hand squeezed hers.

"By the...the way, you seem somewhat taller and more...developed than you were before the battle and before I fell unconscious.  Is there a magical or more mundane reason for that?"

[Kadakism]

"Some pieces of your armor had to be cut away. I have repaired a majority of it, since it was just the straps. But the greave that had impacted on your leg had to be destroyed to get it off of you without crippling you."

She gave his hand a squeeze, running her thumb across his knuckles in a comforting gesture she had learned long ago. Belafay took a moment to look down at her body when he commented on it, and the dress that she had borrowed to better fit her.

"I took in more clay into my body, to ensure that if I need to use some of it for something I can do it without diminishing my form too much and leaving myself less useful. Does it displease you? I can change my form to better suit your wants and needs."

[Nova_Eclipse]

"For the foreseeable future, I think it would be best that you choose what to do with your form.  You know your own body, strengths and limits infinitely better than I do, so any...'adjustments' I could ask you to make may very well end poorly or less-than-satisfactorily," Richter replied, returning the squeeze to his hand with one of his own as best he could. "In any event...is there an estimate for how much longer I may need to be bedridden for recovery?  I would prefer to be traveling again before another week passes, though I doubt that that will be possible given how long it took for me to regain consciousness, alone."

[Kadakism]

"I can accommodate any form you wish for me to take, Master. Second Master was fond of the serpentine women he had met once in his travels, and would often ask me to assume such a form when he wished to lie with me." The was Belafay so dispassionately talked about this, it didn't seem to bother her at all. She simply patted Richter's hand and gave him a small smile.

"That is to say, you do not need to concern yourself. I do not have bones or muscles. Whatever form I take is as natural for me as yours is for you. That said, your leg is a ways off from being fully healed, yes. However, I know of a technique taught to me by Fifth Master that would allow you to walk with the assistance of a crutch."

Standing up, Belafay moved over to Richter's injured leg and placed her hands on it gently, so as not to hurt him. "I could encase your leg in clay soaked gauze and allow it to harden. That would protect it from incidental injury and allow us to move on without too much trouble."

[Nova_Eclipse]

Richter nodded and gestured to his leg with a tilt of his head, "If this technique will work as you say, then go ahead.  I'd almost certainly go stir-crazy if I stayed in this bed any longer than a day more, now that I'm awake."

The knight opened his mouth again, but no words came out as a thoughtful hum instead made its way past his lips.

"...On the subject of your appearance, Belafay, you need not change yourself for me when you are already exceptional as you are," Richter said with a soft smile on his lips.

[Kadakism]

"I..." Belafay paused as she gathered the linens that she had procured ahead of time in case he was interested in her casting idea, hesitating as she felt the material between her fingers and searched for the proper thing to say. "You are too kind, Master. I will heed your word for now, and choose forms that are most beneficial to our current situation. But if you ever desire a particular form from me, all you have to do is ask."

Still facing away from Richter, Belafay lifted her dress to push the linens into her body and allow them to be soaked in clay so that she could get to work. He seemed the modest type, so she did not want to simply flash her bare legs at him unprompted, though she had no real concept of indecency. She resumed her modest posturing when she turned back to him, pulling the end of one of the strips of cloth from inside her dress' sleeve.

She was as careful as she could be with his leg; the gashes were healed enough to not be bleeding anymore, but the leg itself was still undoubtedly tender to touch and movement. "I will procure a crutch later, while the clay hardens. It will take some time, at least the morning. And in the meantime, you can eat and I can attend to any needs you may have, now that you are awake to voice them."

[Nova_Eclipse]

"Well..I think it would be preferrable if you could help me move my arms and legs around sometime soon.  I have heard stories of how the inactivity of bedridden individuals can lead to necrosis and infections of some kind, and that is without taking into account how much weaker I must have become with all of this time I've been bedridden," Richter says, barely managing to clench his left fist and raise it a centimeter off of its surface before he's forced to let it drop back down from the lack of energy.

[Kadakism]

"I will do as you ask, Master. Your limbs are not as atrophied as you might think. Some food and perhaps a brief walk around the room after will help you get your energy back."

Belafay finished the cast around Richter's leg, making sure that it was tight and thoroughly slicked with clay before she stood up to give him a faint, barely present smile. "I will go get some food for you."

She was not gone very long, returning with a wooden bowl of some mild smelling stew filled with dandelions and some root vegetable, as well as a pair of roll loaves and a slice of pale cheese. Helping her master into a more upright, sitting position where he wouldn't be as uncomfortable to eat, she returned to her seat next to the bed with the tray on her lap. "I can feed you if you wish, Master. The clay on your leg should harden before too long."

[Nova_Eclipse]

The knight nodded gratefully to the golem, "I would appreciate it, Belafay.  As I just demonstrated with my hand, I don't have the strength or energy to move my arms, let alone feed myself.  It's...somewhat embarrassing, I'll admit, to need someone to do this for me, but...it's necessary, and I trust you enough to do so."

Richter let his head fall back into its natural resting position but kept his gaze on his companion.

"...Again, thank you for saving my life, Belafay.  One day, I hope to repay you for it," the man said softly, giving her a thankful smile before he let his mouth drop back into a neutral shape.