The Adventures And Mishaps of a Half-Plant Apothecary - Febuwhump 2024

Day 8 - 'Why won't it stop?'

CW: Injuries, fantasy violence, blood, inaccurate medical practices

AN: New POV! I don't know how to write characters ~in love~ so if anything sounds weird that's why

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Calixto, very understandably, does not want to be in this situation.

It hisses, pulling up its shield as an arrow sails into the air a few inches in front of its face. The mangled face of a zombie looms in its peripheral vision, and Calixto whirls around to lop off its head. It glances over in Emery's direction. Just to make sure it's okay. Definitely not because she looks really pretty right now, darting around the clearing and taking down any monsters trying to stop her, even with sweat beading down her face and her hair pulled back into a too-short ponytail.

Definitely not.

Calixto is snapped out of its stupor by an arrow grazing its side. It yelps, glancing down. Better check that out later. It starts carefully backing up, making sure its scrape is at least mostly covered by its shield. It looks over at where it knows Nyxie has been diligently watching the backs of both Calixto and Emery, calling out warnings if anything's snuck up behind them.

Calixto hasn't heard any warnings for a few minutes by now.

Oh no.

It rushes over to where Nyxie once was to find its friend lying limply on the floor. Her sword lies on the floor next to her.

There's a large cut over her stomach.

"Em!"

Emery whips around, before seeing Calixto kneeling over Nyxie. She runs over. "What happened?" she begins to ask, but as soon as she says that, she sees Nyxie's limp body on the floor. "Holy—"

"Yeah," Calixto interrupts, "Where's Nyx's medic kit?"

Emery thinks for a moment, before rushing back to Nyxie's cabin. "Be right back!"

Calixto focuses back on Nyxie. Her skin, already incredibly pale, has gained a sickly, white pallor. Dark blood gushes out of her wound. Numerous other cuts are littered over her unprotected skin. "Nyx," Calixto murmurs, "When we told you to watch our backs, we didn't mean that you couldn't watch your own."

Emery runs back in, quickly setting up an extra shield behind Calixto. "So we don't get screwed over as well," she explains.

Calixto only nods.

Emery opens the kit. A pair of regen potions, as well as an instant health one, lay on the edge. A needle and a spool of thread are on the other side. A few rolls of bandages sit in the middle, as well as some rags.

"So," Emery says, "How are we doing this?"

Calixto stares for a second before answering. "I guess we do regen first," it says, "then stitch it up. I dunno, Nyxie's the healer, not me, for a reason."

Emery hummed. "It's our best shot."

Calixto looks back at Nyxie. The wound is still dripping blood, though a bit more slowly than before.

Calixto really hopes that it isn't because she's running out of blood to shed.

"Holy heck," she says, "Why won't it stop?"

Emery shrugs helplessly, dripping the regen potion onto a rag, before holding it on top of the cut. Nyxie shifts a little.

Calixto and Emery both perk up a bit at the sign of life, but they can't get distracted now.

"Calio," Emery says, and the nickname almost makes Calixto's heart flutter but now is not the time, "Calio, can you do the sewing up the wound? I'm no good at that sewing thing."

"Sure."

It grabs the spool and the needle, threading the string through the needle as she waits for Emery to finish regen-ing the wound.

Emery does, eventually, stop, and Calixto takes the opportunity to start sewing the wound, which is already starting to look better, back together.

Behind Calixto, something shoots the shield, and she stabs the needle in a bit too hard. Nyxie gives an almost silent whine.

"I'm so sorry," Calixto says.

Calixto finishes the rest of it a bit more quickly, tying it up and putting the needle and thread back in to be cleaned at a better time. While it had been sewing Emery had been dropping the remaining regen onto some of the more severe cuts and scrapes. When they were both done, they glanced at each other for way too long.

"So, uhm," Emery starts.

"Like, so," Calixto says at the same time.

They pause. Then they start giggling. They are definitely delirious by now. It's been a long day.

"Okay! Uhm," Emery says, trying to get her composure back, "Dibs not carrying her?"

Calixto groans, but hums an agreement anyways. It's way too hard to say no to that face. "Fine.

"Let's go home."