Blooming between Stones

Why not?

It was only for a moment. She swore to herself afterwards, she'd closed her eyes only for a moment.

However short that moment felt, it was cut and rudely ended by a sudden force that ended up flipping the room around her and with her face in the oak floor boards underneath her. She cries out, half disoriented and half in pain when her arm is twisted behind her helplessly and something jabs into her back, between her thin shoulder blades.

It takes another moment to blink sleep out of her eyes and realize the sun was setting in pale oranges and yellows through the open window of the apothecary, streaming down on the now empty bed. The boy - the boy was gone - where could he have gone? Did this attacker do something to him?

"Who are you, what did you do to me?" A voice, cracked and forcefully dark hisses above her disgruntled form.

Oh - the attacker was the boy.

Well, this was just rude of him. "I - ugh - I'm an apprentice here, we - we - gah!"She squeaks when he pushes down a smidge harder than necessary, what did he think she would do with her spindly arms? "we found you nearly dead, we fixed you!" She gasps sharply when he leans forward.

"I won't kill you - "

She would have shivered if his weight wasn't baring down on her back, kill her? He would have . . . she tries to swallow, wondering if he would have killed her if she was Gen Anda instead of a small girl that he could easily subdue.

"Where - where are my clothes." The gravel in his voice meant to menace drops a bit into uncertainty and Ainsley realizes that he might not be as scary as he was trying to be.

She huffs out, the yellow strands poured over her eyes flutter and she feels him wince at that.

"We had them burned - They were soaked in your blood, we couldn't' save them and you so we - you'll rip your stiches like this, you shouldn't be up yet and - "

"Burned!" He sounds utterly put out for a moment before clearing his throat.

She's had enough of this. With a singular breath, she jolts her head back, startling him by her sudden strength and smacking against his stiches. He wheezes a gasp and lets out a strained yowl of pain before he reels backward off of her.

Ainsley huffs and roll to her feet just as Gen Anda comes up stealthily behind the patient before he can stand and deftly covers the boy's face with a Balm soaked rag. He chokes and wobbles, fighting for a moment before his eyes grow heavier. Gen Anda harrumphs and picks the boney boy up and Ainsley hurry's, despite the twinge between her shoulders, to go and grab his long legs to help lift him in the bed.

"I told you to stay vigilant." Gen scolds, puckered mouth turning up wryly at the corner.

Ainsley sighs and pushes at her, now thoroughly, mussed hair. "I was, I - he just - "She sighs again. "He seemed pretty tense, I suppose anyone would be confused to wake up when they went to sleep thinking they'd died?"

Gen doesn't say anything, just nods and picks up their bottle of drink, pouring down the boy's throat, he struggles against the onslaught, still mildly conscious before settling back in a fitful drugged sleep.

"Seems he tore some stiches over here." Gen Anda shakes his head. "Nasty business with this one, he's not a very grateful patient anyhow. But, seems alive enough. Fever hasn't' set in yet, but we'll keep watch." He instructs calmly, his reedy voice cracking with age as he turns towards their brewery.

Ainsley nods along and tries to catch the yawn that stumbles out of her.

Gen Anda catches it instead and smiles wryly. "Go home girl, I don't need a sleepy kitten around."