The vampire sputtered and coughed, causing Hestra's concern to grow tenfold. His hands flew to his chest comically as though he were some woman of high society that had been thoroughly scandalized at her request. "Absolutely not! I will be keeping my clothes on, thank you very much. God's darling, there are more romantic ways to get me naked and in bed, you know. You could have just asked." Hestra blinked in confusion. He must be delirious. "I am asking now." She reiterated that she needed him to disrobe, pulling out her stethoscope and explaining, as she did with most other ornery patients, exactly what she meant to do with it. Some patients were off-put and grew anxious by the thought of receiving medical attention altogether. Some were off-put by the idea of receiving medical attention from a young woman, no matter how highly skilled. Whatever the case, and whatever the source of their anxiety, Hestra had found early on that narrating her actions and explaining exactly what she was going with what instrument and how it was meant to help usually calmed even the most skittish, among whom she was beginning to count the dandy vampire before her. He bucked at her touch like a skittish horse. "I use this tool to listen to your heart; that is how most examinations begin after I've taken into account your general appearance, pallor, temperature, and eyes. " The vampire gave her the shadow of his usual debonair grin. "And how do you find my appearance?" Hestra gave him what she hoped was a disarming smile that belied her rising concern. "You're by far the most beautiful vampire I've ever met, if that passifies your vanity." (In truth, he was the only vampire she had ever met, but he did not need to know that.) Asterion gave her a full-bodied, hearty laugh and began to unfasten the button of his flouncy top. It was quite complicated, and he fumbled a bit. Hestra took note of how his hands were slightly shaking. "That does nothing for my vanity, my sweet; please be specific, don't be shy, go into excruciating detail. I want to know just how beautiful you find me." Hestra chuckled and raised the metal disk to his now and exposed bare chest, just below his collarbone where his heart ought to be, and listened. His heart was beating wildly and erratically, and Hestra devoted her full attention to masking and concealing her concern. Something was very wrong here, but she did not want to alarm him. Not without fully ascertaining the nature and true extent of the illness. Hestra set the stethoscope down and began to fish in her medical bag for her other examination tools. She needed to keep him calm and talking for as long as she could. "Hmmm, well, let's go from bottom to top. You have possibly the longest legs I've ever seen on a man, but you bare them well, your torso is shapely and proportionate, and you have fine arms, broad enough shoulders, and the fairest skin I've ever seen. Fairest hair, too. You look like you're made of fresh snow. Your face is quite pretty, with your high cheekbones, strong chin, and pointed nose. It would look homely on any other face, but it balances yours out quite nicely. I'll admit the red of your eyes was unnerving upon first glance, but now I've come to find they are quite brilliant. They sparkle like rubies when you smile. " Hestra found the tool she was looking for and returned her full attention to the sickly vampire once more. He coughed and would not meet her gaze. "Well, you certainly know how to flatter a fellow." Hestra asked him to turn his head so she could examine his pointed ears. He obliged, and she could find nothing amiss, so she moved on to testing his reflexes. They were intact and remained inhumanly quick, and Hestra had exhausted the extent of a protocol general examination and was left at a loss as to how to proceed. His symptoms were strange. Erratic heartbeat, shortness of breath, redness, possible fever, and dilated pupils. Hestra wished she could call upon the expertise of the Elder Healers from the caravan. Their years of experience would be invaluable in this moment, as she had no clear diagnosis to offer and felt as though any further examination or prodding would only agitate and cause alarm, which was to be avoided at all costs. "Well then, little healer, what is my prescription? What can you do to heal me?" The dandy vampire asked, sprawling upon his bed like a lazy cat and waiting for her response. Hestra took a moment before responding. They had traveled together in the party for nearly four days, and she hadn't seen him eat once. She recalled in her studies that vampires required regular feeding to maintain their general health and wellness. A horrific thought, but that must be what it was. Surely, this was the cause of his deteriorating health. "Blood, Astarion. You need blood."
The vampire scoffed at her. "Oh, really? What gave you that idea? Is it perhaps because I'm a vampire?" Hestra huffed at the vampire. "You asked for a prognosis, and one was given." The vampire chuckled. "I am absolutely ravenous, but come now, darling, look around. You don't exactly see many volunteers lining up, do you? " He gestured to the empty room, which suddenly felt quite small. Hestra grabbed a small vile from her satchel. She was used to conjuring up medicines from herbs and tonics from spices and wines, but she was about to attempt something new. "What is that for?" The vampire asked as he curiously watched her as she worked from his spot on the bed. Hestra grabbed a scalpel and sterilized it before running it down the length of her palm. "Gods! What in the blazes do you think you're doing?" The vampire sprang up from the bed and grabbed her hand wielding the scalpel, physically restraining her from doing herself any further harm. "Sit." She instructed as the blood ran down her wrist and dripped neatly into the small glass vial she had prepared. The Vampire sat in silence as he watched the dark red of her blood slowly drip into the vial, drop after crimson drop. When the wound ceased its bleeding, Hestra corked the vial and handed it to the vampire, who stared at her in abject horror. "Your prescription." She stated matter of factly. Trying not to laugh at the vampire, whose mouth hung open as his eyes darted from the vial, to back to her, then back to the vial. He was really quite expressive, and Hestra found that he was quite entertaining to watch. "You...you didn't have to do this; I would never have asked you to..." Hestra silenced the vampire with the palm of her now bloodied hand. "I gave an examination, made an assessment, and prescribed a solution. That is what healers do." The vampire took her bloodied hand into his own and ran his thumb along the harsh red line she had cut into her palm. His touch was gentle and cool, a welcome sensation against the pain. "One would say you went above and beyond the lines of duty tonight." He whispered as he raised her palm to his lips. His lips parted, and he kissed her wrist delicately, his lips barely touching her skin. Then came his tongue as he licked the drying droplets of blood from the length of her palm. It was rather intimate, and the gesture made Hestra's breath catch in her throat. His tongue was wet and cold but altogether strangely soothing. Hestra cleared her throat, and the vampire lowered her hand from his mouth but did not release it, not yet. He held it fast, resting it in his lap as though it were his own, running his thumb along the top of her hand. "Why did you do that?" he whispered, staring at her with an intensity that she didn't understand. Hestra took her uninjured hand and leaned forward to give his hand a comforting pat. Reiterating the singular truth that she believed in;
"Because all are deserving of care."
