Bird of a Nest (bow 3)

Chapter 22

Pol'ar was not Ryraso. Eyeri had known that going in but he hadn't been sure what to expect in different methods of keeping a clinic. For one, Pol'ar's clients were nobles so the equipment was top of the line and often decorated with gems to make them look more impressive. Unless the warship where they had used whatever they would salvage or get Wiljam to make for them. Keeping the tools clean felt more like polishing cutlery than medical tools. It also meant it took longer, so Eyeri had worked longer hours than at the warship to keep everything in good condition.

The floors were still wooden but the sheets on the beds were expensive too. Eyeri had pulled up memories of being trained as a slave to get those cleaned to an acceptable level. Pol'ar had seemed surprised that Eyeri had even known how to do it right. Pol'ar seemed surprised by a lot of Eyeri's behaviour.

It was like the older man was expecting him to start complaining like a normal spoilt teenager. Not the war-hardened one he was. He had been protected on the ship but not spoilt. The men on the ship had no time for that. Eyeri had no time for tiptoeing around either. He had a job to do and that was that. So cleaning up an elderly k'nairi after he had soiled himself, Eyeri would do that with grace and kindness. Bandaging a child's leg after a nasty fall while Pol'ar was dealing with a more serious case, he would do that too with a smile.

Forgetting to eat was an unfortunate side effect of trying to keep everything as perfect as was expected. The others in the clinic all had their own jobs to do and Eyeri kept out of their way like the good slave he had meant to be. A good slave did their work without being noticed or getting in the way. A good slave predicted their master's needs and sorted them out before they became an issue. A good slave did not complain. It was rather remarkable how many skills transferred to being an assistant, as much as the others would be angry at him for remarking so.

A good slave did not have to worry about their older brothers kidnapping them for lunch, however. Or their fathers warning their masters about their problems. Meaning after a few days of Fetmar kidnapping him, the day before the final judgement about his fate was settled, Fetmar failed to show up leading Head Healer Pol'ar to take him to lunch instead.

Eyeri exhaled as he bit down onto his bread, trying not to let his nerves show. Pol'ar was looking at him. The look was almost predatory. Not too unusual. Plenty of the k'nairi looked at him like something to eat. Eyeri was starting to accept it as them sizing him up and falling short. That was fine, really. Better to be underestimated. Something Eyeri knew Pol'ar had done before seeing his work.

"You are a good medic," Pol'ar commented almost out of nowhere.

"Thank you, I was trained well," Eyrei said curtly, his shoulders tense and forced back so he didn't look scared. K'nairi didn't respect weaklings. Pol'ar was one of the few that it was better to let his strong side out around.

"You were. That was never in question," Pol'ar acknowledged.

"Yet, Da is still stuck in Dyn'ad's shadow instead of working," Eyeri challenged softly. "Though admittedly, he has been helping with first aid in the training ring. I think Captain Par'nast is enjoying having a healer hanging around almost as much as he is enjoying having people from his hometown he can boss around," Eyeri mused, tilting his head slightly. Hermyi has some interesting complaints.

"Yes," Pol'ar said unhappily through gritted teeth. "I am aware that Ryraso has been working despite being told to wait until he has been cleared. As long as it is only as a medic, I have no problems with that. He has also been proving his worth in the ring."

Eyeri laughed amused. "Well, that wasn't entirely his fault. Fetmer had been on a mission to get people treating the humans you have captured as a threat instead of pets," he said with a big smile. "It's good that people don't forget that Da can fight. I mean half his scars are from the Royals anyway. It would be pretty bad if they just spend four years hurting him. They were actual fights in battles that meant something." He flicked his hair slightly and played with some of the food on his plate. "Mind you, I wonder if that's partly because Tai'ray didn't want anyone else hurting Ryraso looking back," Eyeri frowned.