[For Sam] Healer & Dragon

[carrythetorch]

It had all gone wrong this time. In retrospect, Lio thinks maybe he'd been going too hard. He was on the brink of exhaustion, and his latest raid on livestock had been met with more resistance than it should have, almost as if someone had known he was coming.

He'd gotten away, thankfully, but not before he'd taken a number of blows -- arrows shot from crossbows with enough power that they'd pierced even through his scales. He'd ripped them out in flight and set the better part of a fallow field on fire before he'd flapped high enough to disappear into the cloud cover. That had been what saved him. It wasn't long before he couldn't keep himself aloft any longer, too much pain, too much blood lost.

Even maintaining his full draconic form is too much, and as he plunges to the Earth and tries to slow his descent with his wings, he fizzles back into his human shape, a lithe, slender man. His clothes are dark enough that the blood soaking them isn't obvious from a distance. He lands in a crumpled pile not far from a road through the woods, just off the trail in the underbrush. And that's the last thing he knows.

...

When he opens his eyes next, he's warmer than he expects to be. There's soft blankets beneath him and over him. He can smell something clean and earthy, herbal maybe, and light spills in setting the whole room in a comforting brightness and-- wait. He's in a room. The last thing he remembers is falling, and, oh.

He sits up all at once, hissing at the way his body protests the movement. Where is he? Has he been captured? Except no, if he'd been captured he'd be bound. Or dead. Maybe staked through to the ground. Not wrapped in soft blankets and tended to. "Where am I?" He asks the question mostly to himself as he blinks against his bleary vision willing it to clear, willing his eyes to focus.

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[carrythetorch]

"I--" Lio opens his mouth to argue, but no, okay, Galo is right about that. He isn't shy about sharing his opinion, and that has gotten him in trouble before. He purses his lips. "You've got a point. I'll keep my head down."

He will try to keep his head down. Try is the key word there, of course, but at least his intentions will be in the right place. And there is Galo being concerned about him again. It's a weird feeling in a lot of ways, having someone this concerned about him. But that's...

It's kind of nice. That's all.

He watches Galo move for the kettle and watches in further surprise as the healer takes one for himself. Seeing Galo swallow it without any sort of hesitation is reassuring somehow. It makes it feel safer somehow, and Lio reaches to take the offered mug with a murmured thanks. He sniffs at it once before drinking. The water magic floods through him with the drink, his fire surging to meet it in the moment. He finishes the cup.

And then he looks to the fish. "You're sure? You should eat. You've used a lot of magic." Lio won't take food that Galo needs.

[barenakedspirit]

“I ate. No sense stuffing myself when the way I’m going to recharge will fill me up anyway.” Galo says as he hangs the kettle back up and finishes off his mug. He sets it on the bench.

He drags out his pack and sets it out. Healers are rare and their secrets kept tucked up against their chests. But this isn’t that big of a secret. “So, I have a spot where I take my recharge naps. It’s along the side of the house is the space I’ll sleep. When I do the elements will move in around the house and guard it.”

Galo sweeps his finger around in a circle in the air. “I’ll recharge a bit then we’ll see about cleaning up your injuries again.”

[carrythetorch]

"I see," Lio answers and well, that's all he needs for permission to devour the last fish. His body has been through the ringer. The amount of blood that he's lost probably should have killed him, yet here he is, rescued by a handsome shirtless healer. Damn it, it's like the set up to a song that some cheesy romance story.

He looks up curiously at Galo. Huh. Recharging, is it? That is interesting. Lio wants to see what it looks like, but for now at least, he'll try not to be exceptionally nosy this time. Besides, the truth is, exhaustion still has its claws in him.

"And I'll stay inside. I should rest too." See, Galo? He's a good patient. Totally innocent. Nothing suspicious here.

[barenakedspirit]

“Nice to see you coming round to the rest up and get better route!” Galo says with a pleased tone. He checks his pack once then steps away from it. He walks to his staff and vaults up onto the windowsill beside it.

“Okay, so here’s the plan. I’m gonna go recharge and you’ll let that draft work on you. Once I get up I’ll see how much it’s helped and we go from there.” Galo rests his staff against his shoulder as he turns to Lio. “Remember. Stay inside. I’ll only be asleep until noon.”

[carrythetorch]

Lio shrugs. "Seems like the right thing to do. Fighting against someone trying to help me is counterproductive." He can see and understand logic. That doesn't always mean that he goes with that logic. Emotions run hot and deep in dragons, and though Lio does his best to remain in control, he has enough self awareness to know it sometimes gets the best of him.

For now though he nods. "Good plan." He moves to stand now, wobbling only a little. Okay, he actually may behave fully after all. His entire body aches, but he can feel Galo's potion starting to work.

Lio gets back to the bed he'd woken up in and climbs back into it, pulling the blankets up entirely over himself.

[barenakedspirit]

Galo watches him. The morning sun cuts through the window and warms him as he closes his eyes. He’s exhausted. The trees creak as their roots pour through the window and wrap around the edges, anchoring themselves in place.

Roots and vines reach for him as Galo turns to face the forest that has come to him at his request. “I know, I know.” He casts one last glance at Lio then slips from the window sill to the ground below. The forest curves around him, opening a path to a hole in the side of the building.

He walks and his mind flashes through what he needs to do when he gets up. Dragons need to be saved somehow. Kray would help. The forest whispers soothingly to him in the sigh of its branches and creak of its wood. He doesn’t hear their sorrow for the faith so misplaced.

——

At noon Galo pulls himself up into the house and runs a hand through his hair. There is a shadow falling over the house and he watches it from his spot by the window. He doesn’t seem that alarmed as it passes. “Aina.” He says at last, more to himself than anyone else. He turns to get a look at how Lio is doing.

[carrythetorch]

Lio had intended to get up and slip out of the house at least long enough to send a message to his people to let them know that he's all right. But he wakes later than he means, close to noon, but that doesn't stop him from trying.

What Galo will find is half of Lio -- the back half in particular -- since he's bent over leaning as far out the window on the opposite side of the house as he can. Now, that involves trying to wiggle past some of the forest that has helped secure Galo's home.

He's not actually trying to leave. What he is doing is talking to a small bird perched on his finger. The bird hops a bit and all at once there's a sudden surge of fire -- a small little puff of magenta flame, that looks suspiciously like dragonfire if on a much smaller scale -- and the bird lights up. When the fire fades the little bird is unharmed, though its plumage has gone a bit miniature-phoenix looking. "They'll know what it means. Just tell them that."

The passing shadow startles both him and his bird, and then the sound of Galo moving. Shit. He's going to wind up busted, isn't he?

[barenakedspirit]

He had dreamed of the past where heat had always been present and safe. The threads of the dream that ended in dragon fire and Kray’s rescue still cling to him as he scrubs at his face. He can almost hear his mother’s voice soothing him with a story he can only remember pieces of.

The trees whisper and he turns in their direction. Had he felt the heat? The trees say he had and he calls over his shoulder. “Lio! If you wanted to go outside you should have waited! Using fire magic near the forest isn’t a way to make them happy!”

He rests his staff against the wall and shakes his head. “If you reopened something I’ll put my foot somewhere you won’t like.” Lio has all the time to get the bird sent off as he says with a little heat. “Mages,” and calls out to the woods. “Come on. I know you don’t like surges of fire magic. Go back home. I’ll ask Aina to redirect a little rain your way.” The roots draw back as the forest creaks and moves away, then Galo turns to Lio.

“Since you’re up anyway, let’s see how you’re healing.”

[carrythetorch]

"Fire is a natural part of the forest," he informs Galo, letting the little bird fly off as he shimmies his way back into the cabin to stand up and look at the healer. But he's a biased little firebug, given that he's a dragon. Still. Fire cleanses and clears and rebirth follows in its wake. He's not planning on burning anything here though. "It was only a little spark. I won't do anything to hurt your home. Or myself."

Lio turns to look at him as the forest draws back, head tilted to the side as he watches him. "This forest treats you as its own."

It loves him, and that's so very clear. What an interesting human. Pretty too. ...wait. Where did that last thought come from?

[barenakedspirit]

"Fire in the forest is a seasonal thing. This isn't the season for it." Galo says as he stretches his burn scarred arm out. It's healing nicely since the dragon fire was pulled from it. He glances to be sure the forest is retreating and says, "...Probably because I've been talking to it and answering its requests since I was a kid."


He smiles fondly at the forest then walks to his pack, "Come sit with me. I want a look under those bandages." Galo drops down into a sitting position and pats the grey stone beside him. "And thanks for the help with the burns. Should heal up in a couple of days."

[carrythetorch]

Lio lifts a shoulder. "Lucky there's no fire then." But it seems at least he's gotten away with his little bird trick anyway. He's glad. He wouldn't want to have to escape now, half-healed. And he likes this healer. Even if he wants to believe that perhaps, just perhaps, this healer might not immediately turn on him or chase him out of his home if he discovered him being a dragon, that nagging concern he's wrong...

Well. He doesn't want to be wrong. So maybe it's better if he never finds out.

So he makes his way over to Galo, taking a seat beside him. The thanks catch him off guard, but he shakes his head. "I'm happy it helped."

[barenakedspirit]

"Yeah, you did! I can get to helping right the balance sooner than I thought I would." He grins, then he reaches out. "Relax, let's get a look at how much good that draft did for you." Galo unties the bandages and notes where Lio bled through, nodding to himself.

He unwinds carefully, his touch light and gentle. "Looks good. I can feel where it took to greater effect." Those spots he had to just pack and hope for the best look better. A few are even starting to close. Is his imagination some of the healing looks a bit more advanced than it should be? Lio did seem to take the fire into himself.

He can't remember if fire mages could do that. His knowledge is a cobbled mess of memories. He could ask fire mages in the village but he keeps clear of them for a reason. "I can do a bit more work on you. Won't feel the greatest. But you'll be less holey."

[carrythetorch]

"Righting the balance. You're really going to take that on. How do you think you'll manage that?" This guy. Lio is still trying to puzzle him out, and he's really coming to the conclusion that this man is different than so many humans he's encountered. The fact that the forest treats Galo like its own really caught him by surprise.

But he holds still as Galo undoes the bandages, shifting only to help. He looks down at himself, the wounds in various stages of healing. So many of them, it's only now that he realizes the extent of it. A frown and he murmurs quietly, "I should have died."

He would have without a doubt if not for Galo. And yes, the flames he welcomed back from the burn in the healer's arm have helped. His eyes lift once more to Galo and he offers the first faint smile he's really sent in the healer's direction. "I told you before. I don't mind pain. I can handle it."

[barenakedspirit]

"I know, I know. But I don't want to just start without asking for your permission." He says as he skims his fingers over one of the carefully packed wounds. Galo lays his hand over it and meets Lio's eyes. "You came close but, let's keep you among the living." He removes the packing to the wound. It seeps and bleeds again, but his hands are already sliding over it his magic flowing through his fingers into the wound.

Like trickles of water it works at speeding up the body's recovery. "Breathe in, this is about to really suck." He says as he reaches for the packing on the worst of the wounds over Lio's chest. He eases it out and presses his hands over it. Heat rises all around them and streams down, joined by the natural energies of water, wind, and earth within the house. The damn arrow he got out of Lio when he first found him. He searches for anything foreign in the wound.

He coaxes the splinters out and they turn to ash as they hit the stone. "Yeah, I'm going to right the balance. It has to be done. Gonna start with the biggest voices I can find to put the word out to stop dragon killings. Gives me time to go find and talk to the dragons themselves. I need to hear what they have to say or putting things right just won't work out."

[carrythetorch]

Lio remains stoic for the first wound. He can feel the magic running from Galo into him, can feel his body responding to it. It's strange but not terrible for the first one, but the healer is not wrong about the next one sucking. Lio flinches as the bandage is removed and braces himself.

It still takes his breath away and he swallows down most but not all of a whimper. It hurts, but he can feel his body healing under Galo's touch. It has Lio breathing a bit quicker, but he's good. And focusing on Galo's words takes his mind off it.

"You want to talk to the dragons?" The irony of it is, well, enough that Lio has to bite back a laugh. Talk away, Galo, the dragon lord is right in front of you, watching like he can barely believe what he's hearing.

"I could help with that," he offers, tentative. He doesn't want to give away who he is, but if he leans into the fire mage thing. "Dragons and fire mages used to be closely entwined. Some of us still remember the old ways." Those words are entirely true. He's just saying it in a way that when he says us he hopes Galo thinks he means fire mages, when he really means dragons.

[barenakedspirit]

He stares at him, “Who the hell is still passing those on? Was it Carver?” He asks, disbelief chased by something unknown in his face. He closes his eyes and shakes his head. “No. Never mind I don’t want to know. This solves a bunch of problems. I don’t have to stir up the ghosts for them.”

That unknown thing becomes easy to see. Grief. Old, old grief. He shakes his head and dismisses it. “One more then you can rest and we’ll eat.” He shoves the grief down and straightens up, a healer in command of himself again. He studies the wounds and reaches for one closer to Lio’s stomach. His hand warms as he touches the packing as he says, “Another sucky one. You can hold onto my shoulders if you need to. This was the worst of the whole lot. I think we can at least close it. Ready?”

[carrythetorch]

"My family," Lio answers anyway. And that is true too, even if he doesn't necessarily mean his blood family. His people, his dragons, he tries to make sure they haven't forgotten that they are people, not beasts like the world wants to treat them. And that human mages and dragons used to work together.

But he can see that grief on Galo's face and something in him softens. He doesn't know the source of it, but he can make guesses based on that comment. And moreover, he doesn't want to hurt this man. Galo is kind, and kindness is rarer than Lio thinks it should be. Especially for dragons. Granted, Galo isn't aware he's offering his hospitality to a dragon, but Lio is still a stranger to him.

When he reaches out, it's more to do with that sadness he'd seen in Galo's face than worrying about bracing himself. His hand settles on one broad shoulder. He nods. "Ready." But once Galo starts it turns out he underestimates this one and is not ready. The hand on Galo's shoulder grips tightly, and then it's more like clinging, leaning a bit heavily into him, head resting on Galo's shoulder as he tries to keep himself steady.

[barenakedspirit]

He has to be careful as he removes the dressing over the wound. He'd made sure it was ready for more healing but it's still bad. It had nearly been fatal before he pulled Lio from the abyss. Lio's fingers are warm on his skin. Life.

Life is so precious. He wraps his other arm around Lio as he clings, making soothing sounds to him as he focuses his magic. It's like building a garden Varys had told him once. The earth has to be stable before it can be reworked.

He knows how the muscles should be. Should feel under his hand. He starts with that, building it back up then dealing with the blood and the pain. As the wound closes he knows he'll have to do more work tomorrow. Mid-day.

Lio's body needs time to build up a bit before he dares do more. More shards of wood hit the floor and turn to ash as the wound closes up. It's going to hurt. It's going to ache and feel terrible, but for now this is what he can do. "All I can do today." He says, his voice soft. "You need to recover naturally a bit more before we get the rest of the worst wounds. You'll need the draft again when you sleep."

He keeps his hands where they are to hold him steady until Lio is ready to move on his own. But his hold is looser, letting Lio decide if he wants to let go or not.

[carrythetorch]

Lio focuses on breathing. He's silent save for each breath, but the strain of his body responding to Galo's magic. Even through the pain, it's impossible to miss that Galo is a talented healer. Healing something like this without killing him -- never mind this wound along with the various others that he's currently sporting -- is an achievement. If he were home, he'd have to be entirely bathed in fire, in borrowed flame from his clan, and even then it would be touch or go if his body could handle the healing.

When Galo stops, Lio doesn't move for a long moment, doesn't speak, just takes a moment to make sure his breathing is steadied enough that his voice won't shake when he speaks. "Thank you." He finally lifts his head and sits back, setting a hand below the now-closed wound. "You're good."

Though as he settles back, staying where he's seated -- because he in no way trusts his strength to stand for the moment -- he looks at Galo curiously. "You haven't asked me how I was injured."

[barenakedspirit]

Galo checks the wounds he closed with a light touch. They're exactly as he wanted them to be. Good. "It's my job to help everyone, no matter who or what they are." He closes his eyes and nods once. "People really wanted you dead. The elements really want you to live. That's enough for me."

He can see the pain in Lio's face and he pulls his pack close. "During my initiate training I wasn't allowed to heal anyone with magic. Had to do it all by hand. Captain was super strict that we had to have a well rounded set of skills. Personally I agree with him! It follows the ancient ways too which, I'm on board with." He takes out a small pouch and snags a dried leaf from it. "Bite down on this. You can swallow it if you want. Won't hurt you or mess with your senses. It's for inflammation."

[carrythetorch]

"Is that so?" Lio murmurs, while he chews on those words. It's not a surprise that the elements might want the life of a dragon saved. Their numbers are dwindling thanks to the fear and hatred that has been stoked in this land. Kray Foresight is to blame, and even the thought of that name has a little spark of rage kindling in him before he quells it. Not the time.

Instead he focuses on this healer, head tilting to the side. "You're the strangest person I've ever met." Dragon or human alike. But he holds out a hand towards him to take the dried leaf. "Thank you again."

He'll owe this human a debt after this, and dragons aren't ones to leave debts unpaid. For now he slips the leaf into his mouth chewing. Galo remembered his objections to having his senses dulled. It's a strange warmth that spreads through him.

[barenakedspirit]

"I've heard that one before." He says with a grin on his face. Strange. Weird. He soaks that up and shrugs. "I am strange. The strangest traditional stickler of a healer most people will ever meet." His eyes are bright. The insults - as they sometimes are - just run right off his back.

"And yeah. They woke me up because they were really scared for you. It's not often the Earth itself communicates as fast as plants do. Or united with the others." He strokes his chin and reminds himself to shave tomorrow. He has to look presentable and official when he arrives in the village. He scratches the side of his neck as he says, "Not something you roll over and ignore."

He'd bolted out of bed, grabbed his gear, and charged off in the direction they told him to go. "So you know for the future." He pulls a fresh leaf out of his pouch and turns it over, exposing the faint blue lines underneath. "You see it out in the wild like this. Just be careful it hangs out next to a hallucinogenic plant and you eat the wrong one. You won't die."

He coughs into his closed fist. "But you're not doing anything but staring at the sky for a while." He'd sat and studied pictures of plants while guarding the tripping balls Aina. By luck he hadn't chewed on it with her. Luck.

[carrythetorch]

Lio's eyebrows lift. Yup. Definitely a strange guy, but damn it, he's really starting to like him. He feels the start of another smile, and he shrugs one shoulder. "It's a good look on you. That's all." The strangeness, the kindness, the odd mix of magic and tradition.

But ah. Then he owes the elements his thanks too, doesn't he? He's glad to be alive, after all, and he wants to get back to his people to make sure that they're okay too. He'll be patient, since he doesn't have much choice on that. There's no way he can make the journey home until he's more healed. Changing forms right now would likely kill him.

Lio looks from the leaf to Galo and blinks before ducking his head with a short laugh. "I know the plant." He's seen young dragons get into it as well. It has an effect more or less like catnip on his kind, and there's something endearing about watching a fully grown dragon roll around like a kitten. "Probably better to avoid that."

[barenakedspirit]

"Good." He'd felt the need to explain that just in case. Galo puts away the leaf and climbs to his feet. He's almost sorry for breaking the closeness but he needs to check how much of the draft is left in the kettle. He circles around his pack and touches the kettle.

There's enough for Lio when he's ready to sleep again. But it reminds him of an important thing. He kneels at the edge of the pool at the center of the room and turns back to Lio. "Hey, let's get all that blood off. I'll redress all your wounds and decide which ones to work on in a couple days."

He taps his fingers on the stone edge of the pool. "It will take about a week and half to get you back in tip top shape. I'll be able to work on you more as you regain strength. But, you should be doing well enough to take that village trip with me this evening or tomorrow. Depends on when you feel up to you. Keep in mind I did a bit of big healing on you just now."

[carrythetorch]

Lio remains seated for a moment, watching Galo move about. He's feeling worn out now, but better. The healing has taken, and some of the pain from that wound is gone, even if a soreness is left from the effort of the healing Galo's magic coaxed his body through. Slowly he rises, tentative but steady. Ah. Good. That's good.

The dragon perks up at the offer. Getting the blood off sounds amazing. Maybe it's the wild creature in him, but smelling of blood is never a good idea. It draws the wrong sort of attention. "That sounds like an excellent idea."

He resettles by Galo, looking down into the pool. "I'm ready. I don't want to hold you up." He's also stubborn, despite the fact that Galo is right. He will need rest and more of that pain draft before he goes anywhere.