"Moral superiority?" Cadmus repeated, a little amusement in his voice. Well. She wasn't wrong, if she was being selective about who received her services. He simply took whatever offers he received, if they paid well enough to be worth the risk, and that was that.
It wasn't his business. He was just a tool, he didn't pass judgment.
He shifted when Raizel adjusted, putting his back to her more, and couldn't help but jump a little when Albert returned, looking quite...ruffled. Literally, his hair looked ruffled almost like feathers. Cadmus's eyes narrowed as he peered at him and his bird-like mannerisms, his too sharp nails—and then the man all but confirmed.
Angry bird??
The door thumped shut. Huh. Of course it was obvious the man wasn't human, but...
What was with Raizel and collecting bird companions? Oh. Her nickname was The Raven, too, wasn't it...
Before he could ask about that, or make any comments, Raizel shut him up by starting work on his back. Cadmus hissed through his teeth, the warm water and rough cloth stinging a bit, but it was more the initial surprise of it that sucked. He listened as she spoke, quietly taking it in, remembering a little of what she had told him before—the scars on her back, the innate skill. He shook his head. Nothing? That was going a bit far.
"You're not nothing," Cadmus said with a frown, wincing a little when she started on the shoulder wound. "Whoever you were before and who you are now is the same person, just with fewer memories. Besides, you have a lot of talent for a nothing. I've seen what you can do. That doesn't just manifest from thin air—that comes from a lifetime of training and discipline."
He sighed when she was done, and tensed in surprise just a moment when she rested her chin on his good shoulder and trailed her hands on his sides, an eyebrow raising because...well, he was convinced she'd be pissed at him, and rightfully so! No, she probably just didn't realize what she was doing, and he was touch-starved enough that he wasn't going to point it out.
He leaned his head against hers, relaxing again. "You probably have a lot of people out there who are missing you."
He'd kind of missed her.
Ahem.
He straightened abruptly, realizing he was enjoying this and probably shouldn't be, and cleared his throat. "Ah, your turn. Let's get at that ankle."