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TRAVAILS OF TEYVAT: Rota Calamitas
Pain, Pain, Go Away
Bennett tucked his left arm tightly against his side, ignoring sharp fractals of pain spanning from shoulder to wrist. He sucked in a deep breath as he braced his palm flat against one of the thick wooden double doors. With a push that left his elbow throbbing, the doors opened into a spacious grand hall with high ceilings and marble floors he was keen not to track mud or dirt on. Instinctively, he dragged his heels against the cobblestones before stepping inside as quietly as he could.
As an attestant to his bad luck, there were a fair number of people inside. From common folk sitting upon long wooden pews to sisters standing with their heads bent in prayer. Some turned around with annoyance at the door’s creaking and Bennett peeked up, only able to muster an awkward smile as an apology.
Their expressions soon changed upon laying eyes on him, some of the townspeople he faintly recognized speaking in hushed whispers or corralling their children away from greeting him loudly. While most adults gave him pitiful or nervous glances, kids were always happiest to see him. They thought his misfortune was a little funny - or maybe it was just his personality.
Either way, he didn’t give himself time to dwell, putting a finger to his lips to hush one bright-eyed girl eagerly bouncing in her father’s grasp. She mouthed his name as one of the Sisters started off another hymn a bit louder than needed.
His arm throbbed in protest as he stepped inside fully then pushed the door shut behind him. It gave a dull groaning cry on its hinges, drowning out Bennett’s nervous chuckle as he sheepishly scratched the back of his head.
“Assuming you haven’t come to join us in prayer, I gather you’re seeking out the Deaconess…”
It took all of his self-control not to yelp and leap away from the cold, snappish tone coming from his right. His hand slapped over his mouth to muffle the noise while he turned frightfully to gaze up at the impassive, unimpressed look of Sister Rosaria. She gave a low, inquisitive hum. Her half-lidded gaze swept over him once, though she lingered for a second longer than usual near his shoulder.
Bennett gulped and tucked his left arm closer to him, slightly bending his shoulder to hide it behind his back despite his muscle’s straining. A part of him felt a little ashamed for the additional damage he was creating. Especially considering why he came here. Yet, no amount of guilt could compare to the begrudging blame amounting in a icy chill flickering across Sister Rosaria’s face.
Or perhaps, Bennett thought as he chose to avert his gaze from her, it could have just been a trick of the light cast by the shade from red and gold banners hanging from the pillars over their heads. The chandeliers and lanterns remained unlit as sunlight filled mosaic windows, brightening the colors on stainless glass depicting stories long past. Bennett’s fingers inched down his jaw til his hand slipped free of his chin, hanging uselessly. He furtively glanced away in hopes of catching sight of ash blonde curls to no avail.
Not even the Anemo Archon’s silent, smiling visage could bring him solace.
Eventually, Sister Rosaria ended his misery with a weary sigh. “She’s currently tending to another patient. If it isn’t urgent,” her eyes drifted to Bennett’s arm and he hoped he’d hidden his wince well when he forced it further behind his back. The corner of her lips twitched, but there wasn’t a trace of humor in her expression. In fact she only seemed further displeased, her arms folded loosely across her chest as he dreaded the next words that came out of her mouth.
“Then you must wait.”
Bennett almost sighed. There was a significant lack of warmth in the tranquil cadence of her voice, almost too quiet and imposing even in the hushed halls. But he found little use in arguing with her. Sister Rosaria was notorious for being immovable as a glacier, with a countenance cold as ice.
Even with his Pyro vision and winded, yet still upbeat mood, he’d never have any hope of thawing her resolve.
Longingly though, Bennett peered past her toward an alcove tucked behind two pillars oft by the eastern side aisle of the cathedral. There a single umber-colored door remained firmly shut and hidden partially in shadow.
Often times, Barbara would come to greet him immediately when he reached its handle, at times contemplating what he would say to her as he stared up at the frieze above its archway, depicting the Four Winds. Drawing confidence from the Falcon of the West and searching for wisdom in the Wolf of the North’s gleaming eyes was impossible now.
Guilt simmered low in Bennett’s stomach as he thought of how seldom he needed Barbara’s assistance. Sister Rosaria’s stern huff snapped his attention back to her and regretfully, Bennett bobbed his head in a nod.
Bandages weren’t difficult to come by in the Adventurer’s Guild, he thought as he watched Sister Rosaria stroll through the pews without a backward glance. No need to bother Barbara over something as trivial as a scratch. Slowly, carefully, and gracelessly - Bennett hyped himself to leave the cathedral when the door to the alcove opened slowly. Light spilled out from the opening and Bennett’s heart skipped a beat as a shadow inched across the threshold, stretching across the floors.
When it became too long to be hers, his brow quirked. Oh. That had to be the patient Barbara was tending to. Excitement swelled in his chest until it ballooned but a sharp ache in his shoulder reminded him of his resolve to leave.
Awkward shuffling back, he looked over to the Fatui agent who’d taken one of the back pews as a temporary reprieve from standing at the pillars. Copper hair fanned out as he reclined against the back with delicate snores barely audible from beneath the mask.
Bennett grimaced. How was he going to get out of here unscathed with that lingering around?
Glancing around for an exit strategy, his shoulders stiffened as he noticed a subtle gleam from behind the pillars. A knight sluggishly marched with his shoulders slumped to the ground and chin held lower than most as he circled the nave, seemingly trying to avoid disturbing the devout worshippers by keeping his steps as quiet as possible. A hard task considering the plate mail he wore. Though aside from a few dents in his chest plate and his reddened cheeks, there wasn’t a scratch on him.
Barbara’s magic could do wonders, Bennett thought.
His earlier apprehension banished as he thought of her triumphant smile upon hearing her patient’s exclamations of joy and gratitude. But this one didn’t seem happy at all. The knight rounded the corner, eyes downcast and lips moving but Bennett couldn’t hear what he was mumbling at all.
He seemed lost to his own thoughts and upset about something - fists opening and closing around nothing. Slowly, the knight’s head lifted and their eyes met. His brows raised in shock then furrowed over a suspicious glare.
Floundering for something to say, Bennett glanced up at the doors then realized that he may be trying to leave which would be a better out for him than any. Shuffling off to the side as best he could while accommodating his arm, he offered the door with a pained smile. The knight’s expression darkened further with palpable displeasure. His lips parted though before he could utter a word, a soft whisper interjected.
Bennett craned his neck to peer around just as the knight turned back to see the intruder. Barbara waved from behind the pillar where she peeked out. Bennett shared a glance with the knight, now sporting a small wrinkle between his brows. Together, they turned back to Barbara who cupped a hand around the side of her mouth and whispered, “Bennett!”
His mouth fell open in shock as she beckoned him over with a wave of her hand, gifting another small smile then dipping out of sight behind the pillar. Nervous excitement lit beneath his heels and as he hurried past he caught sight of the knight shooting a glare at him.
Bennett nearly froze mid-step, almost tripping over the tips of his boots. What had he done to have one of the Ordo upset with him? Keeping his eyes on the knight’s stiff movements until he was out of sight, he ran through a list of his recent blunders. Nothing that would have gotten him more than a little scolding from Lawrence and Swan. They were a little tired of seeing him toppling down the hillside into Cider Lake after a bad fall.
Barbara slipped back into the infirmary as Bennett walked past the pillars, sneaking a glance over his shoulder long enough to catch Sister Rosaria’s eyes.
Her hands folded in front of her designated an ongoing prayer but unlike the other Sisters who’d closed their eyes, she watched him with an expression he couldn’t make heads or tails of. Then her eyes flicked down to his arm and he quickly scampered into the infirmary, tugging the door shut behind him.
Bennett breathed out relief, lifting his head and opening his mouth to address Barbara. The words dried in his throat though as he watched her tug rumpled bedsheets back into place. Her humming filling the small chamber with the soothing lilt of song. He pressed his back against the door, arm nursed against his chest as he slid down with a dull thunk.
Despite subtle morbidity looming over the room’s intended purpose, the stained glass windows allowed light to warm the walls and rows of beds waiting to house the ill and wounded. Barbara’s presence resonated radiance as well. Sunbeams colored the pale curls of her hair in a glimmering glow almost as if they were spun from sunlight itself.
She was absolutely radiant, head bowed and hands gliding over tucked bedsheets. Only after Barbara fluffed the pillow once then twice and propped it up in a way she liked did she turn to him.
“It’s nice to see you aga—”
Her face fell, smile melting away while rounded eyes centered on Bennett much to his confusion.
Oh. It probably wasn’t a good sign if he was just sitting on the floor holding his arm, now was it?
Bennett struggled up to his feet, hiding his arm behind his back despite his elbow’s protest at the angle. He smiled sheepishly. Panic knotting deep in his chest when Barbara didn’t return the look, her lips pursed while she stared at him. A sheepish smile tugged at his lips awkwardly as he picked up where she’d trailed off, “You too. I’m… not back too soon, right?”
Recollections of a promise from an eventide some time ago when he swore he would not return, bruised and battered, for at least a fortnight. Bennett counted back anxiously. An internal sigh of relief loosened the ball of nerves tightened around his heart. It’d been a fortnight and one day since that promise. At least he wasn’t a liar atop of unlucky.
Barbara’s lips twitched at the corner as she walked closer to him. “… That depends,” she began, leaning over curiously and Bennett stumbled backward against the door to hide his arm as best he could. A twinge of pain ticked his brow when his arm collided against the door with an audible thok. Barbara glanced up at him, “Are you hurt again?”
Bennett sputtered a laugh, wincing at the pitched almost painfully strained sound. “Me? No,” he dragged out the vowel, averting his gaze from Barbara’s concerned blue eyes. “Not… really..”
It was difficult to lie to Barbara but he could only imagine what would happen if he hadn’t. She only allowed herself a small time during the day to feel sad and he wouldn’t let himself be the cause of that today.
Bennett gulped. “Can’t a guy visit you just because?”
He tried to be lighthearted but as the silence dragged on one second after another, he began to worry.
“Of course you can—” Bennett’s shoulders stiffened at the exclamation and he turned his head, mouth hanging open as the full beam of her smile was turned on him. “But if you were hurt, I wouldn’t be mad.”
Part of him doubted that immensely but Barbara had never lied to him before and it was difficult keeping his arm hidden when his back was against the wall. Well, door, but still.
Bennett’s jaw snapped shut as he wrestled between keeping it hidden and allowing her to help but one good pop of his joint left him at a conclusion. Glancing down at his arm, he slowly pulled it from behind his back and held it out in front of him.
“I guess, I got a little carried away again…”
Thin cuts and bruises, beginning to take on a mauvish hue, freckled across his bicep. While his forearm had been marred with deep spiraling lashes, raised soot grey marks etched into light tan skin. He hadn’t noticed how pink the skin around his wounds became or how unnaturally warm it was until now. An itching sensation curled tight just below the skin making his fingers twitch and tremble. He tried to form a fist but his nerves refused to respond to him. Bennett gradually became aware of warm bursts of pain seesawing along his forearm.
“Bennett,” Barbara gasped in that soft, breathy tone she used whenever he arrived in worse shape than a few scrapes. He winced and inclined his head to avoid her gaze. “You need to be more careful…” She scolded, reaching up with her fingertips brushing against his arm. They were strangely cool to the touch but it was her Vision reacting to his more than anything serious. He knew that but his breath still hitched and it took him a few seconds to realize that the pain was numbing to a dull ache.
“What happened this time…?” Barbara asked, her fingers falling away from his arm to grasp his uninjured hand instead. He staggered after her, head bowed and boots dragged against the floors.
“Nothing that bad..!” Bennett all but whined.
Did she have to say it like that? It wasn’t as if he attracted trouble all the time.
Well, not on purpose.
Barbara motioned for him to sit down on the freshly made bed and Bennett glanced toward it guilty. Her nose wrinkled, the sharp jab of her finger against the air felt like a blow to his chest. Reluctantly, he sat down and offered his injured arm to him again as she came to sit beside him. A pointed look from her demanded he start speaking as she carefully examined his arm, her lips curved down into a concentrating frown.
Bennett winced, shoulders hunched. “Hilichurls… There was a Pyro Slime in a barrel, and I might’ve hit it with one of my attacks and it just..” His fingers twitched as he recalled the explosion hurtling him through the air and across wetlands. One sickening crunch after another as he tumbled into water alongside shredded pieces of wood and metal. His arm spasmed violently when he tried to lift it. Upon a few choice tugs, he recognized why and dredged himself up enough in the stream to pick out the pieces of wood gouging into his flesh.
Cauterizing the wound was the easiest part but it was getting his arm to obey him that took some doing. He was lucky to make it back to town, let alone the cathedral, without passing out. Counting that as a victory, he mustered a smile and flexed his fingers where they curled unconsciously around Barbara’s own prodding against his palm. “Don’t worry, it looked a lot worse earlier. Splinters and everything, but I managed to get the worst out, see?”
He could see where his attempts weren’t so clean and could likely scar but there was less work for her to do. For a moment, Bennett felt triumphant and nothing could have robbed him of this. Not until Barbara looked up at him with a staggering amount of seriousness in her eyes. He’d always thought her eyes were blue like the sky during misty, early mornings or the crystals Wagner often commissioned from hard to find spots near Stormbrearer’s Point.
Even stars in the night sky.
Now, he couldn’t find any of that. Her expression stormy, bottom lip pushed out into a pout. “You should have come to me earlier!”
All the blustered elatedness from succeeding deflated immediately. Bennet paused, staring down at the dirt crusted in the crevices of his fingernails. His uninjured hand curled tightly against his knee wrinkling the cuffs of his shorts. Barbara huffed, never loosing her hold on his injured arm. Her hums filled the silence between them and from the corner of his eye, Bennett could have sworn he saw all the colors of a rainbow washing over the shimmer blue foci of her Vision.
He found some comfort in its gentle gleam.
Unclouded unlike Barbara’s eyes and the tension looped into her hums as her magic spilled out over his fingers, dousing the heated ruptures beneath his skin. Like water dousing a flame or the sea colliding with bedrock and lava, steam arose between them creating a thin veil that stung Bennett’s eyes.
He blinked once then twice, wincing at his blurry vision. “… Barbara, I’m…” Bennett wondered if there was any explanation he could give that would make her less upset with him. Uncertainty sat about as well in his stomach as a Dendro Slime whose leaves were on fire. But then, Barbara opened her eyes and focused intently on him and no excuse would make up for this. He quickly averted his gaze and mumbled, “Sorry… Please don’t be mad.”
After a moment, Barbara sighed. “… I’m not mad. I was only worried.”
Bennett snuck a glance at her as the steam dispersed, vapors curling off into the sunbeams streaking over their heads. “I’m sorry for not… coming sooner.”
While he wanted to admit he wasn’t sure how he could with how much pain he was in, that wouldn’t have made it any better. And his apology must have been the right thing to say because there was tiny twitches at the corners of Barbara’s lips. The frigid expression melted off her face, stormy shadows banished by a little smile.
“It’s okay.” She held onto his injured wrist with one hand, reaching up with the other to ruffle his hair. Her fingers brushing shy of his goggles, accidentally pushing them further back on his head. Another shock jolted through him and Bennett sputtered a laugh, closing his eyes.
He wasn’t sure when the habit started but he’d grown to look forward to the occasions where Barbara would ruffle his hair or tease him a little. These quiet moments where he felt he could do little wrong beyond saying something stupid were utterly precious. Her touch skimmed across his temple with cool relief ebbing away at an oncoming headache from his falls. Thankfully, his skull was a little dense.
Opening his eyes, Bennett shifted on the bed as much as he could without pulling his arm from her grasp. One of his legs curled up beneath him while the other swings carelessly off the side of the bed. “So, did I interrupt anything?”
Barbara shook her head, tipping his arm one way then another. “Not really,” she said, pursing her lips as a large bruise coloring almost the entirety of his elbow was revealed. Her gaze flicked up to his and Bennett gave a nervous smile. He couldn’t help but try to muster up a tiny defense after all. Her expression calmed once more, eyes rolled to the ceiling. The opalescent glow of her Vision magnified gold more-so than any other color in the sunglow. “I was cleaning up from one of the new knights that came in. You saw him, right?”
Thinking back to the young man who cast him baleful glances as he marched out of the cathedral, Bennett grimaced and nodded. “What happened to him?”
Barbara hummed softly, skimming over the fading marks winding around his forearm. “I think he just overworked himself. Really, I couldn’t find anything wrong with him.”
“Mm.. Well, if it’s you, I’m sure you could figure out if something was really wrong.” Odd looks aside, to Bennett, he seemed in perfect health. There was the redness in his cheeks and murmuring to account for but he couldn’t quite put a finger on why it felt so nostalgic.
Barbara gave him another one of her smiles, placid and grateful. “Thanks.” Her smile faltered for a second then fell, brows knitted together in concentration while her eyes distanced to a place Bennett couldn’t see. “It was strange though…” Carefully, she laid his hand down and gave him a pointed glare. Without her even having to say it, Bennett knew to stay right where he was as she stood to go gather something from off the medicine shelf tucked away in the corner of the infirmary.
“Strange how?”
Cupboard doors open and closed as she peered through them, muttering confusedly, “He kept insisting he needed to stay.”
Bennett tipped his head to a side. “But you said there was nothing wrong…”
“There wasn’t,” Barbara stressed insistently, returning with a roll of bandages and a few adhesive ones in the shapes of stars. His mouth fell open and he barely caught her giggle as she handed them to him. “Wait until I wrap your forearm, then you can decide where those go.”
Bennett nodded and held up his arm as best he could. Barbara’s magic was remarkably good at numbing pain but also left his limbs feeling like they were tied to cement blocks. She supported the underside of his wrist and started to give a few loops of the bandages.
“There really wasn’t anything wrong with him,” Barbara continued, seeming a little more frustrated from the tighter wind of the bandages. “That’s why it was so weird.”
Bennett couldn’t make sense of it either. He moved to fold his arms but Barbara’s hold on his wrist tightened and she gave him a cutting, weary look. He smiled abashedly and held his injured arm still, mulling it over. Why would he insist on staying if he wasn’t injured? It wasn’t anyone Bennett knew so having a grudge against him was out too. Did he just want to spend more time with Barbara then?
Oh.
A flame lit the brazier inside Bennett’s mind. “Maybe he’s one of your admirers?”
Barbara arched a brow at him and Bennett gave a shrug in response. That was all he had. She shook her head, continuing to tuck the bandages around his arm. “I’ve never seen him before at one of my shows. Though, most knights are off duty then. Maybe I didn’t recognize him…?”
Bennett wanted to laugh. Of course Barbara wouldn’t recognize one person out of the crowd. The sheer number of people who attend her performances has bodies practically flowing outside of Angel’s Share. Windows left open so her voice could carry on the winds, outdoors tables filled and some even taken to sitting on the floor while others leant over the second floor’s railing to get a glimpse of her.
Master Diluc always seemed a little worn on those nights and Bennett made sure to stay as far away from anything breakable as he could. Which often meant having to listen to Barbara from the balcony on the second floor of the tavern. It was worth it though. Her voice soothed all of his aches and pains from adventuring. And after her shows, she smiled brighter than all the stars in the sky.
No wonder so many in Mondstadt adored her but the ones who loved her the most were members of her ‘fan club’. Admittedly, he wasn’t sure what that meant but apparently they were dedicated fans of Barbara’s. Harmless as it came off - he didn’t really know what to make of a few who hovered close to the Cathedral merely wanting to catch a glimpse of her.
“Barbara is a great singer,” Bennett thought as he watched her tie off the bandages at his wrist, “But no one owns her time.”
“I think a lot of them are shy..” Bennett surmised, pulling his arm away from her grip and flexing his fingers. “Like Albert. He keeps glaring at me whenever I come for you to patch me up.”
He wilted a little at the thought of the sandy-brown hair peeking from behind one of the cathedral’s stone pillars. Contemptuous blue eyes followed Bennett every time he slunk up the steps though when he glanced over his shoulder, all he could see was a shadow of a blur. Eventually, he figured out who it was but it didn’t make his departures any easier.
“I didn’t know that.” Barbara’s voice softened, as if she were in disbelief then firmed with determination. “I’ll have words with him next time he comes for prayer.”
Bennett shook his head. “You don’t have to do that. To be honest, it’s not that bad.”
Barbara gave him a skeptical look but it was true. He didn’t really mind being the subject of ire. It wasn’t as if Albert was the first or if he’d be the last simply because Barbara told him to stop picking on Bennett. The number of times his dads tried to get someone to stop messing with him over the years was more than he could count. At some point, Bennett had wizened up and learned how to weather the blows.
Scratching the side of his nose, he thought it over. “It got you to laugh, so it’s not that bad.”
Barbara’s eyes widened and she stared at him with the slightest hint of pink beginning to color her cheeks. “Oh.. Well…”
Bennett’s smile widened. He drew his hand away to settle in his lap, giving his fingers a few more flexes. It felt almost good as new but he figured once her magic wore off there would be a few more aches and pains for awhile. Bennett rubbed the back of his forearm, studying the cuts criss-crossing up his bicep. The adhesive bandages twiddled between his fingers as he tried to decide what would go where.
“Thank you.”
“No problem.” Bennett fiddled with the bandage’s strip, trying to fit it on the side of his forearm covering up one of the larger cuts. He could feel the slight chill seeping beneath his skin once it was sealed. “But hey, if you get a guy like that who’s too pushy - knight or not, kick him out, okay?”
Barbara’s brow creased in confusion. “But… I can’t turn away someone that needs help.”
He paused in midst applying another bandage, glancing up to her. “Well, if he’s faking it then it’s not worth your time.”
He’d been duped one too many times to know that. Although he would accept any of his teammates back with open arms, he couldn’t help but be a little hesitant.
“I guess…”
Bennett wasn’t sure what to say at the sudden onset of gloom. He quickly turned to look at Barbara, noticing how she looked down at the roll of bandages cupped between her palms. “H-Hey,” he stammered, heart sinking when she glanced up at him. He could see the hurt and uncertainty in her eyes, lamenting that he was the one that put it there. “I didn’t mean you don’t have to help.. It’s just.. Uhm…”
Barbara scrunched up her nose, interrupting him sharply, “I want to help.”
“And you do!” Bennett blurted out, feeling foolish and a little childish by his sputtering. “It’s just.. It’s not right if someone.. takes advantage of that.”
He had to learn that the hard way with all the friends he made, but it didn’t stop him from trying to befriend others or adventure on his own. Still - it did get lonely sometimes - and if he could save Barbara from that then all the better.
“Bennett,” Barbara’s hand hovered over his own, resting lightly against it as she smiled a little, understandingly. “I can’t turn someone away who needs me just because I believe they’re taking advantage of me.”
Bennett wanted to ask why not. If someone unlucky as him was tricked then that was one thing, but Barbara was a good person through and through - she didn’t deserve that. He wanted to say those words but they wouldn’t come to his lips. Perhaps because Barbara was smiling at him, wholly accepting of something and her belief almost made him want to believe too.
“… Alright,” he conceded with a long breath. “But if someone does make you uncomfortable then just tell me. Or.. Sister Rosaria! She’s plenty scary.” He set the other adhesive bandages in his lap, clenching his fist. “What I mean is, I’ll protect you, I promise.”
It was a pleasant surprise to see her so taken aback and while he braced himself for the rejection, he wasn’t ready to hear the quiet murmur of, “You will?”
For a second, nothing else mattered. Not the wounds he had or the rejections he’d faced. Even the people outside the door or all of Mondstadt. His dads said adventurers were pioneers of the unknown but they also protected anyone who crossed their path. Yet, a believer of the zephyr would pray to the winds for all. Every time he set out on another adventure he was confident he’d make it back - maybe not in one piece but enough to tell the tale.
Because she was here likely praying for his success.
Who was praying for her? And who was looking out for her?
Bennett held out his bandaged arm to her, pinky extended. “It’s a promise.”
Barbara glanced between him and his pinky, a soft giggle tittered from her lips but she reached out to link his pinky with her own, smiling all the while.
Once the promise was sealed, their pinkies unhooked but Barbara reached out to grasp his hand between both of her own.
“Thank you, Bennett..”
He laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck with a lopsided grin. “No problem, Barbara.”
Her rounded blue eyes flicked down to his hand then traveled up to his elbow as she settled his arm in her lap, inching closer to him slightly. While it mussed up the sheets some she didn’t seem to mind. “Does it feel any better?” She asked, fussing with the bandages.
He flexed his fingers then shifted his arm at the elbow. It stretched across her lap where her fingers splayed beneath his own, caressing his hand gently. “Yep..” At least there was a lack of stiffness in his movements now.
Barbara gave a sigh of relief, her shoulders sloped downward. “That’s good..” Her hand patted the back of his own before offering it to him again. “You can come back in the morning so I can check on it and change your bandages, okay?”
“Yes ma’am,” Bennett replied, giving a mock salute with his opposite hand, grinning silly-like to see the first few ripples of laughter breaking her composure. She pushed at his uninjured shoulder playfully and Bennett rocked backward, snickering to himself.
“What are you laughing about now?”
“You’re laughing again!”
“Because you made me laugh.”
“Yup!” His lips curled upward in a self-assured, mischievous grin. “Sure did.”
Barbara shook her head, tweaking his ear lightly. “Maybe next time you can come see me without being hurt.”
Next time? His smile fell, and the lit brazier extinguished as if someone doused him in cold water. He waited for the inevitable fall or something to happen but nothing did. Barbara was still there, smiling at him, though there was a hint of worry tightening the corners of her lips. The infirmary was quiet aside from the two of them and their laughter ringing off the walls.
“Y-Yeah!” Bennett blurted out, much to both of their surprise. He winced at his brief misstep, leaning forward with one hand on his knee. “We could hang out and maybe even go on an adventure together.”
Fat chance of that happening, but Barbara’s eyes sparkled and he would make it happen if he could. She nodded, her hands curled in the sheets between them and Bennett returned the nod with one of his own.
“Then it’s a promise.”
She shook her head. “Nuh-uh, you have to make it a proper one.”
“Huh?” He tipped his head to a side, his lips twisting around a soft ‘oh’ when she lifted her pinky up to him. “Yeah, that’s right.”
Hooking his pinky with hers again, he was surprised by the strength in her squeeze and the gentle shake between them.
“It’s a promise,” Barbara announced happily.
Bennett huffed a breath through his nose, nodding in agreement. He’d have to be extra careful from now on. He had a promise to keep after all.