[ To Aymeric, the situation is different from what Phya is thinking it is. Of course, how could she know what he is thinking when he has not said? It is not her that he wants nothing to do with. He has spent so long doing his best to shut out the world and everyone in it, but there are exceptions to that resolve, even if he would be loathe to say it out loud. Estinien is one exception, and... Aymeric feels his heart clench inside him as his thoughts move in this direction, a direction he has tried to avoid. Alkaid is the other exception. Was the other exception, because as far as he knows, she is lost. He hasn't even dared think about the possibility of finding her again.
Someone with a curse like the one he now has doesn't deserve such fortune, or at least that is what he tells himself.
But he finds he has no time for continuing such thoughts; he feels Estinien's hands on him again as he helps move him properly to his side, and while he makes no sound expressing discomfort, his face twists slightly as the movement pulls on his wounds. Then he feels a rush of cold air as Phya lifts his shirt, exposing his injuries for her to see them.
He's managed to bear the discomfort for the most part, but moving around has caused it to increase just enough that he bites down on his lip while he waits for the discomfort to subside. In a strange way, the slight pressure he feels on his lip as pointed teeth meets skin distracts him from the unwanted feelings.
His eyes slide closed as she begins to examine him, and as she speaks, something strange seems to happen. He sees Phya, or what he was able to observe of her from the brief interactions they've had so far, and he hears her voice, and maybe it's the slight delirium from the infection speaking, but he keeps seeing shifting images of her and the person he lost so long ago now.
What's more, the way she seems to read his aether feels familiar. It's so familiar and until this exact moment, it had not occurred to him why that might be.
It's impossible. I lost her because I was not there to defend her. Why would she even return, knowing that I failed to save her?
He shakes his head as if trying to push away those thoughts; he does not wish to allow himself to hope, especially when that hope is all but impossible. Isn't it?
Instead, he focuses back on the words she's saying, talking about the wound he sustained and its present condition. She mentions instructing the household staff how to care for it, and he feels a sudden dislike for that idea. If this is the healer that Estinien found and vouched for, then she's the only one he'll allow to take care of him: not because he does not trust his staff, but in an attempt to show the dragoon that he is not so obstinate or petulant. Maybe he still is, but at least he can relent enough to allow Phya to heal him, if she wishes to.
Then, he senses rather than sees Phya turn away from him, and he shifts slightly on the bed, curling inward as much as his wounds will allow. They protest at the movement, but he ignores it until he's positioned to his satisfaction while still allowing her access to what she needs.
Opening his eyes once more, he notes that Estinien has glanced at him, and he glances back at him in return, as best as he can from his position on the bed. He hates being in this position: vulnerable and temporarily unable to move while being observed by others.
It feels shameful to him, and he despises it, but he can do nothing about it at the moment. He has to wait for Phya to resume her work, and then... Either he'll be back on his feet or he won't. If the beginnings of the thoughts he's started to have are correct, she'll see him recovered in no time at all. ]
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Someone with a curse like the one he now has doesn't deserve such fortune, or at least that is what he tells himself.
But he finds he has no time for continuing such thoughts; he feels Estinien's hands on him again as he helps move him properly to his side, and while he makes no sound expressing discomfort, his face twists slightly as the movement pulls on his wounds. Then he feels a rush of cold air as Phya lifts his shirt, exposing his injuries for her to see them.
He's managed to bear the discomfort for the most part, but moving around has caused it to increase just enough that he bites down on his lip while he waits for the discomfort to subside. In a strange way, the slight pressure he feels on his lip as pointed teeth meets skin distracts him from the unwanted feelings.
His eyes slide closed as she begins to examine him, and as she speaks, something strange seems to happen. He sees Phya, or what he was able to observe of her from the brief interactions they've had so far, and he hears her voice, and maybe it's the slight delirium from the infection speaking, but he keeps seeing shifting images of her and the person he lost so long ago now.
What's more, the way she seems to read his aether feels familiar. It's so familiar and until this exact moment, it had not occurred to him why that might be.
It's impossible. I lost her because I was not there to defend her. Why would she even return, knowing that I failed to save her?
He shakes his head as if trying to push away those thoughts; he does not wish to allow himself to hope, especially when that hope is all but impossible. Isn't it?
Instead, he focuses back on the words she's saying, talking about the wound he sustained and its present condition. She mentions instructing the household staff how to care for it, and he feels a sudden dislike for that idea. If this is the healer that Estinien found and vouched for, then she's the only one he'll allow to take care of him: not because he does not trust his staff, but in an attempt to show the dragoon that he is not so obstinate or petulant. Maybe he still is, but at least he can relent enough to allow Phya to heal him, if she wishes to.
Then, he senses rather than sees Phya turn away from him, and he shifts slightly on the bed, curling inward as much as his wounds will allow. They protest at the movement, but he ignores it until he's positioned to his satisfaction while still allowing her access to what she needs.
Opening his eyes once more, he notes that Estinien has glanced at him, and he glances back at him in return, as best as he can from his position on the bed. He hates being in this position: vulnerable and temporarily unable to move while being observed by others.
It feels shameful to him, and he despises it, but he can do nothing about it at the moment. He has to wait for Phya to resume her work, and then... Either he'll be back on his feet or he won't. If the beginnings of the thoughts he's started to have are correct, she'll see him recovered in no time at all. ]