ways_infirmary | (no subject)

"Not too long, I hope," she nods, just slightly. "I'd rather not spend the night out in the open, if I can help it."

Most people wouldn't call an indoor infirmary 'out in the open,' but Sunshine has specific ideas on public versus private spaces. Just anyone can walk into the infirmary without needing an invitation.

Gavroche eyes her, suddenly gravely worried.

"Are you still in danger? Even here?"

"Not as directly in danger here as at home, but... it's not something I'd want to test," she says.

"There are vampires among the patrons here, and I'm not exactly close friends with some of them."

"And security can punish after the fact, but not undo what they might have done before anybody stops them." He nods, considering something, then makes up his mind and says formally, "I offer you healing. I don't know if I can fix everything, but I should be able to get you well enough to go to your own room."

Sunshine blinks at him, somewhat blearily.

"Would this be magic, Gavroche?" Because, and her face probably shows it, she's not really comfortable with accepting magical healing from someone she doesn't already know and trust. Even if he says they met when she was a child.

He sees her expression and, well, if her world has vampires, chances are good it also has malevolent magic users of some kind.

"It would be a form of magic", he says frankly. "We call it wizardry and it can't be used to do harm without good cause, if I want to keep the ability. But the choice is yours, I won't do a thing you don't agree to."

Some very malevolent. Some only moderately so.

"I'm... going to have to pass, Gavroche," she says, hoping he'll not take offense. "But I appreciate the offer? I just wouldn't be comfortable accepting that sort of thing without knowing you better."

"Understood", he answers with no sign of offense at all. "You've got no reason to trust me yet - no reason to distrust me either, I hope, but that doesn't mean you'd take things blindly."

"Milliways patrons are, for the most part, good people," she says.

With certain notable exceptions.

"But it's like Milliways itself. Not something you can trust all the time. I do appreciate the offer, though. I'll pay you back with cinnamon rolls, sometime."

When kneading dough is an option again.

"Mostly", Gavroche agrees, "but there have been exceptions. Any big group of people's got rotten ones and if you could tell who, it'd be too easy." He smiles brightly. "Cinnamon rolls will be gladly accepted, and the offer will stand forever, although let's hope you won't be needing it."

"Let's hope," she echoes with a faint smile.

But she is in this now. She's been in it for two years. Her first encounter with vampires had her slowly dying of a poisoned wound that would not heal. This is not the first time she has taken injury, and it will not likely be the last.

"The first time I met you here", he says slowly, "you had blood on your clothes, and you weren't hurt, but you'd seen something that had you very upset. Child-you wouldn't talk about it and I don't want to ask her - was it the vampires?"

A faint line appears between her eyebrows, mild confusion. She doesn't remember this. When would that have happened?

"I don't know."

His expression mirrors hers, with a touch of concern.

"Well, it was a long time ago for you", he says after a moment, determinedly casual. "And your world sounds... difficult."

"It... really and sincerely can be, yes," she says, regarding her world.

Rae would admit to being jealous, sometimes, and occasionally resentful of how people from better-off worlds take what they have for granted.

"Is it a situation everyone knows about there?" he asks, genuinely interested. "Or one of those things where most people just live their lives like nothing's happening?"

"Some people try and pretend, but those are in the minority. Everyone knows, more or less," she replies.

"I don't know if that'd make it easier or harder", Gavroche says sympathetically. "At least if it was a secret, the vampires might have an interest in keeping it that way."

"Vampires have been a part of human history since the beginning, and, well... there was a war, recently. It only ended ten years ago - not many people are ignorant of the situation after that."

There aren't nearly as many people around, for one thing. It's a hard thing to miss.

"No, open war would be a difficult thing to hide. Do the survivors know how to defend themselves now?"

"... For the most part," she answers.

It's not as simple as that. Not with the secrets SOF has been keeping.

"But the situation is still, well, desperate enough that those charged with protecting the human population from them are enlisting their local baker for help."

"Which would be you?" he guesses. "And that leads us to what happened today."

Sunshine's face falls.

"Yeah, that'd be me."

It's a long story, and not one she's really up to telling at the moment.

He picks up on that easily.

"Okay. I should probably let you get some rest before the doctors kick me out."

(no subject)

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