Healing

[WP] "Now remember, a healing spell has some side effects. You may be tired, slightly dizzy, and DO NOT interact with anything strange you might see after. Let me repeat DO NOT interact with anything strange you might see. Ready? Good."

*****

"What the hell did you fight this time?"

"A robot that acted like a schizo Sonic the Hedgehog."

Eleanor sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I swear, Sweeney, one of these days. One of these days."

He coughed. It didn't hurt as much as it should, thanks to the alcohol in his system, but it still was uncomfortable. "Pity 'bout the flask. Could'a used it right about now."

It had been half an hour since Gallows was attacked by said robot, which, by its dialogue, thought it was cleaning. In that time, it had proven resilient and persistent, scoring several deep cuts in Gallows, and scoring innumerable small ones. By pure luck, it even made him drop his flask, gouging his arm as he tried to get it out of his pocket. Now he wasn't sure where it was, and his left leg was in a state. He would have used it to heal himself.

He would have been angrier, if he wasn't lightheaded. It was a good thing he was on a recliner.

"At least you're tougher than some rando off the street." Eleanor mused. She examined the shredded leg. "This would have probably killed anyone else. You lost a lot of blood."

"That bad."

"Yeah."

The tone of voice said everything. She was not able to sort out the wounds how she normally would, using alchemy-borne poultices and medicines. But there was something to it, Gallows noticed. Something off, like she had a trick up her sleeve that she pinched from Pandora's Box.

He cleared his throat. Better rip the metaphorical thorn out before he thought about it too much. "So what's the plan?"

Eleanor didn't answer at first. She placed her hands on the wounded leg. "This healing spell has some side effects. You should be fine with it, considering what was in that flask, but for the love of whatever gods there are, don't interact with anything weird that you see."

"Wha-"

"Don't. Interact. With anything weird. That. You. See." She glared at him. "Am I clear, Sweeney Gallows?"

"...Crystal." The word came out at a higher pitch than normal. Eleanor was often morose in nature, and firm at times. Never strict. Not like then. It said all he needed to know.

With that, she got to work fixing his leg. Hovering her hands over the damage, she muttered something under her breath - a chant, he thought. Asking a higher power to take pity? Either way it made the wounds itch fiercely. He gripped the sides of the recliner and waited it out, the short seconds stretching into an eternity of maddening irritation.

Next was his arm. Muscle and skin knitted back together, and every moment was like the first, his mind screaming demands to scratch it raw. And again, for his chest, his shoulder, and his back.

Soon, the large, threatening injuries were closed, the bleeding staunched. And Gallows found peace at last.

"Right. I'm going to find some stuff, help the healing along." Eleanor frowned. "Don't interact with anything weird."

"Guess half of our friends are off the table."

"I'm serious."

"So am I." He grinned. "But, yeah. Just... make sure you come back soon?"

"I will." She took his hand for a moment and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Don't move. You might be dizzy as well from that spell."

"Aight."

And with that, she left the room.

Gallows thought about it for a moment. Then he closed his eyes.

It would be easier to ignore what might appear that way.

​

Sometime later, Eleanor returned, a tray of items in her hands. It took her far longer than she would have liked to find the poultice she wanted, only to discover she overlooked it twice. Then she found the bandages had either grown legs or were misplaced. The antibiotics were easy to get at least.

She re-entered the room Sweeney was in. He was still there, laying down on the recliner, with his head to the side and his eyes closed.

"Sweeney?"

She approached him. Was he asleep?

Eleanor put her tray down onto the floor and poked him. When he didn't stir, she shook him a bit. It was starting to worry her.

"Hm?"

For all of five seconds. His face shifted, then contorted into a pained expression.

"Ow."

"You fell asleep?" Eleanor was a bit more incredulous than she thought she would be.

"I think so." He said. "Just closed my eyes so I didn't see anything weird."

"And?"

"I might have sobered up between then and sleeping. Can't really tell."

Eleanor shook her head. Sweeney going to sleep was not something she thought would happen, but it seemed to have worked out. As she began preparing the medical supplies, she mused on the spell itself. Normally, humans wouldn't have had access to such a spell. Humans had their own healing spells, at least within the communities attuned to such things. But to use the power of the Fae was flirting with things that she shouldn't mess with. But she had no choice, either she healed Sweeney, or he most likely died.

Whatever the consequences, she was going to face them sooner or later.

*****

THE END.

It's raining again, which means tomorrow will be wet and bleak. Still prefer this to the dry, sunny season though.