#// DOUBLY SORRY FOR ITS MATCHING LONG TITLE just call it by this tag

[zappygolucky]

@ladyleonster

Why am I going this way? Shut up shut up shut up! Don’t think about it! Just go! 

Her feet picked up where her mind hesitated. The staircase seemed to lurch backwards, further and further, continuing on and on. I can help. I can help. I volunteered. The hallway towards the infirmary seemed to stretch and contract as she made her way onwards. Micaiah told me I have a knack for it. I’m sure of it. Keep moving. That feeling, of healing with bloodstained hands, of helping cultivate life back from the brink. What if I can’t help? She’d gotten addicted to the novelty of helping others. And frankly, she wasn’t ready to give up on herself just yet. Not when she had found familiar faces that smiled back at her even throughout everything.

Yunaka poked her head through the door. 

The ghastly sight of the wounded, misery, barely reflected on her face. Peppered throughout, nurses and volunteers treated at any empty bedside. Her eyes darted to their hands that shined with magic, soft light that glinted too in the patients’ eyes. Some volunteers dressed wounds with cloth and poultice, and even others monitored wash cloths or managed bottles of medicine. So I’ll be of use after all…!

As she walked in, a nearby nurse turned to her. Noticing the academy uniform, Yunaka was handed a short staff and pointed towards a bed in the back of the room. Without further elaboration the encounter was over, and the nurse, picking up a tray of bottles, disappeared into a nearby storage room. 

Yunaka stood there for a moment, turning the staff over in her hands. 1.6 lbs, copper and wood. Much smaller than Elyosian staves. Easy to conceal, easier to travel with- STOP THAT! Move! It was definitely some sort of smaller heal staff. She recognized the carving of the wings above the stone placed on its crown, and reflected on her ability. 

With Micaiah, everything had been so easy; and not just because of the emblem’s power. The warmth of her presence had filled her with confidence, giving her the extra push she needed to stand shoulder to shoulder with any member of Alear’s army. When she casted magic back then, she had never been worried about whether or not it would work; Micaiah’s words had guaranteed her success. She had had only to trust Micaiah. Over the greatest distances, even through silence staves, her spells would always be cast into the night. 

She moved towards the back, turning her head to let her eyes wander over the passing beds. A student volunteer, back turned to her, uttered small words under his breath, hand pressed to a patient’s chest. A woman lay on her back, her left arm covered entirely in bandages; a priest attended her. Though the window’s glare shined directly on him, small shimmers of his faith magic rippled over his sleeves. I’m such a sham, I can’t even heal without a staff… Wait, can I even use one? 

As she arrived at the patient apparently assigned to her, she concealed a small gulp. “Hiya! Don’t you worry, I’ll be helping you out today!” She twirled the heal staff in one hand, her other hand on her hip. “Now, I’ll be just a second…”

Yunaka held out the stave toward the patient’s chest. Just as she always had, she closed her eyes, and felt for the pulse in her chest. Remember what Micaiah said. Her heartbeat resonating in her head, she exhaled slowly. I’m already good at aiming for vital organs. This is no different. Not daring to open her eyes, she stood there in silence, breathing in and out deeply.

A quiet voice struggled from the bed. “Hey, um… I don’t think it worked…”

Her eyes snapped open, immediately making direct contact. The eyes enveloped her gaze, and Yunaka began to drown in the misery on the woman’s face. No, no, this isn’t…

“Um, sorry about that! I guess it didn’t work just yet, huh. Well um, while it, er, begins to set in, let me get someone to make sure!” Catching the uncertainty in her patient’s eyes, she continued, “Don’t you worry, everything will work out zappily!”

Turning away, Yunaka’s smile seemed to waver. Privately, panic had started to seep in, though her facade would never allow it. Desperate for some help, she tapped the back of a volunteer at the bed beside her. 

“Hey there, do you mind helping me out with this…? This is a little embarrassing, ha ha, but could you help me cast this heal spell? I’ve definitely done this before but… help me out, wouldja?”

don't worry, all the bleeding's internal! that's where blood's supposed to be!