[Veltzeh]: 39.The Heritage of Humankind.Tales from Kyerrion.11

Tegafel was brought one meal and the herbal drink and toward the evening, not too long after the medic had examined eir wounds properly and changed the bandages, ey heard some faint commotion some distance away from the tent. Ey could not make sense of it yet and ey could not see the source either, at least without moving from eir spot and ey thought that the medic did not exactly want em to do that. Therefore, ey just sat still and kept reading.

After a moment, the sound of arguing went civil again. Shortly after, the medic peeked in and said, in a vaguely frustrated voice: "Tegafel... I'm sorry to bother you... But do you know an ancod whose name is Krezagon?"

Tegafel's eyes lit up. "Krez— Is... is e— I mean... yes, yes I do!"

Fronel looked vaguely confused. "Do you... want to meet em?"

"Yes, please!"

Fronel gave Tegafel a glance, but said nothing. Ey turned at something outside the tent and made a gesture. Tegafel then heard running steps and finally saw Krezagon's upper body at the entrance of the tent. The medic still held Krezagon for a little while. "Ey's supposed to be resting. So don't be disturbing."

Krezagon seemed visibly agitated. "Yes. Thank you, sonige." The medic then let em through. A ridiculously wide smile appeared on Krezagon's face and ey sat down on eir legs beside Tegafel, carefully bent eir upper body over em and hugged em. "I can't — I'm so glad you're alive."

Tegafel massaged Krezagon's shoulder lightly with eir left hand and just touched eir side with the right one. "I'm... so glad that you're here, too," ey mumbled. "But... how'd you get here?"

"I was... Well, I'd just been worried at the camp. It had been over two frindos and we hadn't heard any news about your squads... and when we did, they just said that you all were killed. So I... I just had to come see. And it was so much worth it, because I got to see you again." At this point, the medic, who Tegafel and Krezagon thought to have left, actually left.

Tegafel was flattered in a confused manner. Ey had not remembered Krezagon often while ey was accomplishing the mission the squads were sent to take care of, and ey had spent the days in captivity mostly grieving Roinynin. Ey had not really thought that Krezagon would even remember em so well after all that time. Tegafel could not really come up with anything to say to Krezagon, but ey wondered just how important it had been for em to come. However, ey was afraid that eir questions would sound like rejection, so ey decided to mask it with eir own ignorance: "I didn't... I didn't think... I mean, I'm surprised, that... that you cared about me so much that you came all the way here."

Krezagon looked down at Tegafel's eyes and seemed pretty much as confused. Ey had not really thought why exactly ey had wanted to come. A soldier did not think about the reasons as much as the goals themselves. Ey found emself wondering the same: ey had really cared that much about Tegafel to have come all that way. "Me too." Ey looked at Tegafel and stroked eir shoulders.

Tegafel continued being slightly confused, but it made em mentally smile that Krezagon implied ey was confused as well. Tegafel looked at em a bit more closely and saw a few fainted bruises on eir shoulders, arms and face. It was easy to spot them, since Krezagon's skin was so pale. "You're... a bit bruised..."

Krezagon bit eir lip. "Yeah... I'd rather not talk about that." They were quiet for a moment. "So... what WAS that mission you went on?"

Tegafel smiled and started telling what had happened on the mission, mostly things about eir late squad members and Roinynin. Telling that finally loosened Tegafel and eir speaking. Krezagon listened and smiled, feeling glad that Tegafel got to experience such good times. Ey was jealous for it, but of course ey did not ruin Tegafel's mood by expressing that.

Tegafel started to get toward the end of eir story when they heard footsteps outside the tent. They turned to look at the entrance and the captain from Adenelihe came in.

"Attention!" said the captain, a gewacod. Krezagon got up, turned to face the captain and greeted em. Tegafel greeted em from the bed, though it looked awkward. "You, dismissed," the gewacod said to Krezagon.

Krezagon hesitated, long enough for the captain to frown. "Can I come back here later, captain?"

"Get out, ancod. Eat and go to your tent." Krezagon did not question that anymore and just left. "So, you're Tegafel Darrelter?" ey went on, as if Krezagon had never been there.

"Yes, captain."

"Tell me what happened after you left Adenelihe almost three weeks ago."

"Uh... nothing much first, but on the second day I was scouting and met a homehan. We fought but it was a draw and we both got away... I went back to my squad and we prepared for the fight. Then the homehans came and we fought. I was captured and brought —"

"You were captured? How? Why you?"

"I uh... I was feeling weak because I had already fought, so I had to keep to the back. My partner tried to protect me, but well... ey was... ey was wounded... and then someone hit me with a... with a sledgehammer." Tegafel was confused because ey still did not quite believe that it had really been a sledgehammer. However, there was no doubt, ey had seen it very clearly indeed. "So... I was unconscious. I suppose my partner fell on top of me and protected my body... When I woke up, the homehans were looking for survivors. I think they stabbed everyone who was still alive except me. I figured it was because I wasn't hurt badly enough... because I'd live for a longer time."

"I see. Why did the fight start? Did anyone try to talk?"

"Uh? I... I don't know... I don't think so. I was at the back then so I couldn't know then. I just got the order to fight."

"How about when you met the homehan scout? Did you try to speak?"

"Scout...? Oh. I um... No... I was very startled and I think we drew our weapons at the same time. Ey jumped at me and then I figured I couldn't do anything but defend myself."

"I see. Do you have any idea why the sergeants didn't attempt to speak to them?"

"I... I think there was some talk about surprise... Maybe they wanted to catch them by surprise so they'd have an edge."

"Hm, good. Alright, then what happened?"

"Well, I woke up... and the homehans took off my equipment and threw me in a cage. They kept asking me if they were being followed and poked me with sticks and swords... I was cold and I had terrible nightmares..."

"How long did that last?"

"Uhm... well... I think four days?"

"Yes. Then what?"

"I was thrown in a wooden cell in here... The next day they interrogated and tortured me."

"What did they ask?"

"How much armed forces we had and how far were the major towns and stuff like that..."

"What did you answer?"

"Uh, I don't know the answers so I couldn't say much anything... I did tell them about the towns I knew and when they started torturing me, I made stuff up that I thought would make them stop."

"Heh, that's nice. Did they ask anything else?"

"Well... the next time they interrogated me they asked really specific stuff about places and other things I couldn't have known... So I just told them I don't know all the time."

"Hm. Anything else they did?"

"I... uh..." Tegafel hesitated to tell about the raping. Ey did not want to admit to having been subjected to that and ey did not want to remember it.

"Yes? You can say what they did. It's not like it wouldn't have been done to someone else before. That's interrogation and war for you, rookie."

"Aeh. They... raped me. A lot."

"Do you think you're pregnant?"

Tegafel went quite pale. "I-I sure hope n-not."

"Well, I really doubt you are. I don't think femehan-homehan half-breeds are possible, either. Did they take good care of you after we made the peace?"

"Uh... yes, I was treated very well yesterday. They cleaned and tied my wounds and let me sleep in a warm tent and gave me very decent food. And before that... I think it was a week before that they stopped raping and torturing me..."

"That's good. Well then, soldier, the medic will bring you some food in a moment. Heal well."

"Thank you, captain." The captain left.

Tegafel got eir food. Ey did not meet Krezagon that night anymore. Ey got very sleepy a few hours after having eaten and therefore slept.



Tegafel woke up due to nightmares twice, but was always sleepy even afterwards, so ey just went back to sleep, though sleeping itself started to scare em a bit. The third time ey woke from one nightmare, it was already quite light outside. Ey immediately noticed that Krezagon was sitting next to eir bed. The ancod startled when Tegafel woke up so suddenly, but ey brushed that aside and instead turned toward Tegafel and said: "Hey, Tegafel. Good morning."

Tegafel smiled. "Good morning, Krezagon." They spent a few minutes talking about generalities like the weather and how bad Tegafel's wounds were. "You know... I just told you yesterday about my only real army experience I had. I bet you have some more since you're older and all. So could you tell me something, too?"

"I suppose I can. What would you like to hear?"

"Well... I don't know. Anything?"

"Heh. Well... How about when I came to the Ailanihi camp?"

"Yeah."

"Well, we came from Ertenhine, that's the opposite direction from Ailanihi than Adenelihe. It's a seven-day trip... I wasn't exactly in the best of conditions right then, so a day before we arrived, I got suddenly very sick. I wasn't really wounded or anything, it just felt like the worst flu I ever had. Anyway, I felt so bad I could barely get up from my tent. I tried to pack it and I fainted... I woke up to hear someone ask whether I had fainted or not. I was kind of dizzy so I'm not that sure what was said... But I think that they were talking about whether to leave me there or carry me to the camp. Oh and of course what kind of disease I had. I said to them that I didn't know. I don't remember why, but they figured it wasn't that dangerous. A lot of people were ready to leave me there, but one argued that it'd be better to carry me to the camp to be healed, because it was just one day. It was that gewacod who takes care of the inventory. Ey's usually been relatively nice to me. I know ey doesn't consider me a friend or anything, though. Anyway, they then made some stretcher, put me on it and my stuff too, and off we went. I can't remember much of that trip because I was so sick, though. What I do remember is that when we got to the camp, I was taken to that infirmary room close to the sergeants' lodge. It was the first time I'd been in a real bed!"

"What? You'd never been in a real bed before?"

Krezagon shook eir head. "Nope. I had always slept on the ground in tents or in hammocks. So there I was, in a real bed with sheets and a quilt and all! It would've been awesome if I hadn't been sick. I was sick for about a week. I really enjoyed the bed when I was almost healed. Groshje, it was so soft and warm and comfy..."

Tegafel felt quite sorry for the ancod, but did not express that, since ey thought Krezagon probably did not want that. Instead, ey smiled and petted Krezagon's leg. Ey was about to say something when the medic came in.

"What are you doing here?" the medic, Fronel, asked from Krezagon. Krezagon almost replied, but the medic was quicker: "Attention."

Tegafel could see that Krezagon was slightly annoyed. However, ey did get up, greeted Fronel and said: "I came here to keep company to Tegafel, sonige."

"Are you aware that Tegafel should be resting?"

"I... I thought ey was resting."

"Obviously not, since you're bothering em. Get out. Actually, just go get food. Bring portions for me and Tegafel."

"Hey!" said Tegafel. "Ey was not distracting me! Ey's my friend and ey makes me feel better over this whole thing!"

The medic was fairly dumbfounded and glared at Tegafel. However, since neither Tegafel nor Krezagon spoke, ey had to continue: "...What?"

"Ey is my friend. Ey does not bother me, actually ey makes me feel more relaxed. So I see no reason why ey should leave."

Fronel was a bit quiet, but then went on: "Oh... well. Well, if that's the case, I suppose it's okay... Krhm. But..." Fronel looked directly at Krezagon again. "Can you still leave for a while? I need to speak privately with Tegafel." Krezagon stood still for about four seconds, but then started to walk outside. "Actually... Well, can you bring that food? Eat first yourself and then bring portions for me and em."

Krezagon gave the medic a slightly frustrated glance. "Yes, sonige." With that, ey left.

Fronel looked at Tegafel who was actually making an effort at looking pissed off. Fronel thought it was all authentic aggravation, however. "Tegafel?"

"I hate it when people treat em like some... some slave or some possession. It makes me so angry."

"Why? Ancods are mostly useless either way."

"They're NOT!" snapped Tegafel, breathing heavily.

"Excuse me?" the medic frowned.

Tegafel had to calm down a little before speaking, but at least Fronel did not try to push em. "Ey is a person. A very nice and smart person and a great friend and even if ey can't have children doesn't make em useless! I had to hear so much groshje about it from my squad because I wouldn't whore myself because I said I don't want children or sex!"

Fronel was still frowning, but ey kept a professional cool about it. Ey thought about what Tegafel had said for a moment and then said: "So you don't want children nor sex. And your squad members bothered you about that in a way that's similar to how ancods are called useless."

"Yeah. And I realized how stupid it is. Because I can still do anything else! Krezagon's an awesome crafter and archer, you know!"

Fronel was slightly inconvenienced. The thought of ancods being useless was very much hardwired to eir brain and yet ey knew that it was entirely possible that Krezagon, for example, was actually useful in some other field than having children. Therefore, ey attributed it to personal success. Ancods were still useless and crazy, but this particular one was not quite so much. "Well, if you say so. This Krezagon is a quite close friend of yours then, right? If em being here really does make you feel better, then I guess I don't see a reason why ey shouldn't keep you company. It's not like you'd be sick with an infectious disease. As long as ey doesn't make you exert yourself."

Tegafel acknowledged the message. "But I still hate that ey's treated so badly. Ey really deserves better."

"I just commanded em. That's the way things are done in the army in case you hadn't noticed," the medic said, somewhat snappily, and then continued more civilly: "At least I don't continuously beat em and insult em, like eir sergeant. I thought it was ridiculous how much physical damage that nicod forced on em. I don't even know why because ey wouldn't say and the ancod kept saying ey did it because ey could. And I'm not walking around calling em 'shynderfolter' like that sergeant."

Tegafel was quiet. "Ey... beat Krezagon?"

"Well, I don't think the bruises are all faint yet. Has three nasty whiplashes on eir back too." Tegafel started getting red with anger. "But hey, if you want to complain about that, take it up with the sergeant, not me. But I'd be careful about that. Ey might eat you for breakfast, too." After a moment of pause, Fronel continued: "Let's not talk about that. I wanted to tell you about the nightmares. It's good that you're having them."

Tegafel moved straight on to the new subject. "What? How can that be good?"

"It means you cared about your friends, dislike being imprisoned and tortured and are at least a bit afraid of death. That's healthy. True, overcoming the nightmares is hard as well, but in most cases it's better to be shaken and healthy than cold as a dead tree in winter, with a dead spirit. Now, that book I gave you is an excellent way to distract yourself from all that death and horror. Getting interested and immersed in something as boring as that helps to put aside the more hurtful memories."

"But... I can never forget it, can I?"

"No. Well, you could get a far-walker to mess with your spirit, but usually people only do that when they're starting to go crazy." Tegafel thought how ey had been thinking that ey was going crazy while tied down in the cell. "Besides, there's no real guarantee that a far-walker could fix it, either. I've heard they've made things worse, even, in some cases. But I'm sure you'll be fine. It'll be hard for maybe a week, maybe even a frindo or over... but you'll get over it. If not sooner, then later. Just don't give up. Read that book and talk about something else with ...your friend."

Tegafel looked fairly content. Ey was relieved and yet a bit troubled, still—it was doable to not care about the nightmares when doing something else, but when ey tried to sleep, it was a strain. "It's... what if I don't? What if they just keep coming back and... it's hard to sleep an' I'm already scared of the nightmares when going to sleep."

"Well, I can give you herbs that make you sleepier. Of course that doesn't take away the fear, but it will be easier to fall asleep. As for the nightmares just coming and coming... They won't. They'll milden and go away eventually. I'd rather not say when, because that's very personal. Well, you might see a nightmare occasionally even after you've gotten over it but those would just be single cases and you'll be able to cope with them." By now, Tegafel mainly just nodded. Ey believed what the medic said. "Anyway, you're off duty for as long as your wounds and especially that leg needs to heal. After that, if you're still having bad nightmares, you won't be required to train, but training might take your mind off it. And when you're over the nightmares, you'll be back on duty. Is that clear?"

"Yes."

"Now, how's that leg feeling?" Fronel and Tegafel spent the time moving Tegafel's hurt leg around and bending it to one direction and another.

At some point, Krezagon arrived with two platefuls of breakfast. Ey gave the other plate to the medic who just grunted something that should be interpreted as thanks. Krezagon went: "Can you wave at the cook outside, sonige? Ey wanted to be sure that I took the food to you." The medic sighed and got up, thinking that Krezagon could not do anything by emself.

Krezagon gave the other plate to Tegafel. "Thank you," said the wacod kindly, and Krezagon smiled. Ey stood still then, waiting for the nigecod to command em. Fronel did not say anything, however, and instead Tegafel continued: "Would you like to sit?"

Krezagon was slightly confused since the medic did not say anything and since Tegafel sounded a bit too formally polite. Ey guessed Tegafel did that because of the medic, though, and after a bit of hesitation, just said: "Yes... yes I would." Ey sat down then and was slightly inconvenienced because Tegafel started to pet and touch em while the medic was still present. Ey just tried to smile and respond.

Fronel knew ey was an extra person in the tent, but ey decided to finish eir food first. However, when ey had done that, ey left and said that Tegafel and Krezagon could get their own dinners without em having to bother.

"Krezagon... you looked kind of uneasy while ey was here..."

"You think?" said Krezagon a bit snappily, but in a good-hearted manner. "I'm not used to other people watching my doings if it isn't work, or even being in the company of someone who doesn't want me around. I've always... always just walked away if that was possible."

"And... you didn't do that now? Why —?" Tegafel pretty much knew the answer before ey had even asked.

Krezagon smiled. "You asked me to sit and stay."

Tegafel smiled back a little sillily and petted Krezagon's back. "Well... You told me one story about your life. Could you tell another?"

"I could." The two femehans settled comfortably and Krezagon started touching Tegafel in a way that made em feel quite good again. "Hm, the way I got my own tent in Ailanihi was quite a thing. I first slept in the hammocks in barrack two with the rest of the group I was with. No one wanted to sleep close to me so I got a pretty private spot and of course my own hammock rack. Anyway, one night one of the nigecods came over to me. I was asleep then but obviously that happened, it's not like it could've happened in some other way. Ey climbed on top of me in the hammock and I of course woke up. Well, I was damn confused, ey was pressing eir body against me like ey was wanting to have sex or something! I muttered something about em getting off and wanted to push em off but it would suck because the hammocks..."

"Yeah, believe me, I know," said Tegafel with a smirk, though ey retained eir curiously sympathetic attitude toward Krezagon's story.

"Mh. Well, ey didn't move off and told me to just lie still and that ey wouldn't hurt me. Ey brought eir face close to mine and I was thinking ey's gonna kiss me. It took a while, but ey did it and rubbed eir stomach and breasts against me. I was thinking that it couldn't be happening to me, heh. I was kind of scared since I couldn't have imagined someone like em to pay attention to me. Another ancod or maybe an anwacod or... or a wacod..." Krezagon gave Tegafel a brief glance or worry and curiosity, and Tegafel thought that there was more behind the words the ancod had just spoken. Krezagon brushed it off. "Aeh, never mind. Anyway, ey was making out with me, kind of like we did... And I'd just started thinking that it might be good when ey broke off and started howling. We grappled a bit and fell off the hammock. Most of the others were awake and now the light was lit. They'd been listening and watching, even, and they were just howling with laughter. Granted, I felt like total groshje, but well, it happened. They started pushing me around the gzoozzing barracks and took most of my clothes off. But they were so loud they'd woken up some of the other soldiers in the other barracks and the sergeants, so two sergeants came there. At least I think it was two, it's not like I paid attention to that since I was pretty much crying. My sergeant grabbed me by the arm and pulled me to the door. I think ey got a blanket from someone's hammock. Ey said something about the rest of my squad being in trouble, put the blanket on me and then took me away. I saw people getting back to their sleeping places. My sergeant led me to the backside of the sergeants' lodge and had me sit down next to the wall and sat down emself, too. Ey told me to go ahead and cry, so I did. It felt like I cried for like half an hour. My sergeant had just sat there and when I was more or less done, ey just asked if I was okay, and then went on to explain that maybe I shouldn't sleep with the others. Ey suggested that I could get my own tent, which at the moment sounded gzoozzing awesome. And ey took me to sleep in the sergeants' lodge, too. But I still didn't sleep in their beds, they just had to spread a bedroll on the floor... Anyway, that was the best half of a night I'd slept in a while. And the next day I got my own tent! I've been sleeping it ever since, I still have it with me. I'm amazed that it's so good quality, usually the clothes they give me are really defective. Like this bloody shirt, I've had it for ten years and it's been like this for like three years already. One more rip and it'll be just us—" Krezagon stopped emself suddenly. Ey was not going to say that word. "...And I won't wear it anymore."

Tegafel managed an uneasy grin. Ey appreciated Krezagon sharing eir life, but the stories had only depressed em. "You've... really been through a lot."

"Heh! I thought you could tell that just by looking at me." Krezagon was still light-hearted, something that Tegafel did not quite understand. Ey shared these depressing and nearly heart-breaking stories and still laughed, even if obviously not at the stories.

"Ehehm... I... guess so." Tegafel had never wanted to comment on Krezagon's scrawny, scarred and lean body. It was even slightly disfigured due to broken and healed bones. Ey might have been well-proportioned, fairly good-postured and in an admirable physical condition with respect to efficient performance, but the rest of eir body certainly did not compliment those positive qualities. Tegafel soon turned to look at the ancod's face, which ey thought was fairly pretty, even if creased, scarred, missing teeth and for the moment, slightly bruised. However, Krezagon's long, pale hair was in a category of its own, though it was slightly messy. It was beautiful and exotic and reminded Tegafel of the only galanfetzcan ey had ever seen, even if only by brief glance.

Krezagon turned away. Tegafel's face revealed much of eir thoughts and Krezagon pretty much knew that ey did look that bad, but ey did not want to care. "At least I'm in top condition and very resistant to many illnesses," ey then said, with another light-hearted smile. "I can fight off three nicods or nigecods or geniwacods. Won't even stand a chance."

Tegafel managed an uneasy grin. "...Why won't you?"

"Hey, I might be great, but I can't stand up against the whole military. The leaders would have me executed if the squad wouldn't team up on me right away."

"So... have you ever even fought against other femehans then?"

"You went to fight rebels yourself!" Krezagon enjoyed eir win.

Tegafel smirked and did not resist defeat. "You really fought off three of them?"

"Well... I did two with no problem, four with minor wounds and six almost managed to kill me. And here I am! I also once fought a bloody gzoozzing fierce homehan iocod. Ey was like twice my size, endurable as groshje and much faster than one would think. And I made it. Granted, my team shut me up because I was fairly badly wounded and they claimed the deed and got the praise. But that won't change that I did it, all by myself! My damn team didn't release one arrow even though they could have! Ha ha! Probably thought that prosht would kill me where I stood!" Krezagon continued laughing, but Tegafel was quiet. Now Krezagon was laughing at eir own misfortune, which Tegafel thought to be just tasteless. Krezagon noticed Tegafel's silence and stopped laughing. "Uh... what?"

"How can you... how can you laugh at it like that? You were... well..."

"...I'm... I'm laughing at how great I was, mostly. I know the others are having a great time telling these same stories and laughing at me, but I don't care. I tell the same stories as I experienced them and feel happiness where I get it." Krezagon smiled. "I just learned to cope with all that groshje."

Tegafel was quiet for a moment. "Do you... do you have any story that doesn't involve you getting hurt in some way?"

Krezagon smiled a bit sillily and forcedly now. Ey was quiet and eir gaze turned down. Eventually ey spoke: "I... No. No, I don't." Ey looked back up at Tegafel and the smile was gone. "Sharkeli, this is ridiculous. The only good things I can remember are when I by chance got an awesome batch of food or found a spring in the forest, or when I was a kid and proved myself I could climb up into a tree. You would have wanted to hear nice stories, wouldn't you? Everything I told you just made you depressed, didn't it."

"No! I... No, I don't... I don't mean that way..." Tegafel was speechless for a while. Ey wanted to apologize, to say how sorry ey was and express eir sympathies, but Krezagon was the type who did not need nor want pity or even more sympathy from people who had already expressed it in a clear way. "I just feel that... it's so unfair. Someone should make all this... groshje up for you. You should be compensated, and apologized, and respected for all the things you've done! I get so ticked off when I hear such injustice!"

Krezagon could not say anything to that. Ey agreed, even if ey was not very enthusiastic about it since ey had conditioned emself to never truly expect it—which meant that ey had no idea how to react to Tegafel when ey expressed it so straightforwardly. Tegafel grabbed Krezagon's shoulders and petted them and eir back firmly before hugging em. Krezagon hugged back. Tegafel's hand wandered to Krezagon's back where the torn shirt stopped short and ey touched the bare skin there. Ey remembered that the medic had said that Krezagon had been whipped, but ey decided to not mention that now. Just thinking that made em angry and ey felt something ought to be done about it.

Tegafel ended the hug but held Krezagon affectionately. "I want to... I want to make it up for you somehow! I want you to have something nice to tell somebody some day. Just tell me what you want me to do."

Krezagon stared at Tegafel, unsure if ey should be amused, just smiling, tearful or right out crying with happiness. Ey was quiet for some time. "You're not the one who has hurt me. If I am to be compensated, it should come either from the scum who did it or some ruling body, council or government or whatever. What I want from you..." Krezagon did not think that was well-phrased, so ey thought it over again. "If you want to make me happy, don't purposefully try to compensate anything. Just be my friend and show your affection."

Tegafel looked at Krezagon, smiling and teary-eyed. They hugged then, kissed carefully and eventually fondled and caressed each other.



They spent the day mostly just being together and talking about some more generalities. Tegafel told approximately what had happened after their mission up to the point when Krezagon came there. Krezagon figured that ey should not bring up Roinynin or anything related in order to keep Tegafel relatively happy. They walked around a bit since the medic had said that if Tegafel thought emself to be fit enough, ey should try to walk a little to better the leg's movement and condition. They ate dinner and went back to the tent to wait for the medic to come change Tegafel's bandages.

Fronel was timely and came around at the same time as yesterday. Ey just came in and said a few greetings and generalities and got to work without addressing Krezagon who did not know what to do. However, ey did not want to stand there doing nothing and feeling ultimately useless—though of course ey denied being useless even at that point. Therefore, ey soon asked:

"Do you need any help?"

Tegafel just glanced at Krezagon, since the medic was quite obviously supposed to answer the question. Fronel then said: "Well... you don't have a medic's training, do you?"

"No, sonige."

"Well, then there isn't really that much that you could do."

"I can bind wounds and help with it, though. I've done it to myself many times at least."

"Hm," uttered Fronel and glanced at Krezagon, eyeing eir scarred body. "Well, you're indeed alive, I'll give you that. Well, I suppose this will go faster with an extra pair of hands."

They bound Tegafel's wounds and the medic left again. Krezagon and Tegafel continued being with each other and later ate a snack before night. When it was time to sleep, Krezagon left Tegafel in the infirmary tent and went to sleep in eir own tent.