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Ael was a woman who took great pride in her patience. Having a job that involved steady work and delayed gratification had trained her well, but on one quiet evening she was finding it increasingly difficult to wait.
Satina and Ael had agreed to meet at a tavern halfway between Satina’s apartment and the Authors of Iron once Ael’s workday ended. When she arrived, the blacksmith scanned the establishment and didn’t see her date, so she grabbed a drink from the bar and sat at a table to the side with a clear view of the entrance.
It took fifteen minutes for her patience to start to fade, leaving behind prickles of annoyance. The tavern was only a five minute walk from Satina’s apartment. Where was she? Ael’s workday had been long and stressful and this dinner was something she had been looking forward to all day. She tried to push this annoyance down as she continued to sip her ale.
It took thirty minutes for Ael to start worrying. Satina was usually the punctual one out of the pair and it wasn’t like her to bail. Especially not on a date. Especially with no explanation.
Immediately Ael’s thoughts twisted into dark visions: Satina being hurt or killed by some faceless enemy. Satina trapped somewhere with no escape or getting her memories wiped. Her mind flashed to a day just a few months ago, vignetted with flames and pain and fear.
Ael shook off her thoughts and placed a silver piece on the bar to pay for her drink before exiting the tavern and walking back to the street. She nervously scanned the crowd of workers but saw no sign of the curly-haired adventurer. Tapping her fingers nervously against her thigh, she let out a sigh and started walking in the direction of Satina’s apartment.
It only took her a few minutes to reach the small gray building hidden on a quiet side street. She scaled the stairs to the second floor, blaming the climb for her increased heart rate as she walked up to Satina’s door. After taking a moment to steel her nerves, she firmly knocked on the wooden surface.
She waited for a beat. Then a few more. No response.
Ael’s heart was racing at this point. What was happening? If Satina had forgotten, this was where she would have been, and she would have answered the door. That left only two options: either she had left on some business and forgotten to tell her, or she was unable to tell her, for a number of reasons that made Ael’s normally steady hands shake.
The woman took a deep breath and attempted to push her thoughts away. Spiraling wouldn’t help. It was time to assess the situation.
The apartment complex was quiet, but she could always check and see if any neighbors were home and ask if they had seen Satina. She could hunt down Satina’s friends and ask the same. Neither option seemed promising, the first because it was unreliable and the second because it would take time. Too much time.
She began to take stock of everything currently on her person. Knife tucked into her boot. Pouch of coins hidden in her pocket. Sending stone in her other pocket. Metal water bottle. Handkerchief in her-
Wait. Sending stone! Ael drew the smooth stone from her pocket and quickly recorded a message for Satina.
“Is everything ok? I thought we were getting dinner. I’m outside your apartment.”
She waited with bated breath and stared at the stone, hoping beyond hope that Satina had hers with her, wherever she was.
Ael almost dropped the item as it buzzed in her hand. She looked down and heard a response, only a few seconds long:
“The door’s open.”
A chill ran down Ael’s spine. Satina’s voice sounded strained and she was clearly breathing with great effort. Ael wasted no time as she opened the door and walked into the apartment.
Satina’s place was sparsely decorated but cozy nonetheless. A kitchen sat to the left of the entrance and a small living room to the right. Ael didn’t see any sign of Satina, nor anything out of place. She felt another pang of nervousness shoot through her stomach as she saw the bouquet of metal flowers she had crafted sitting in the middle of the kitchen table.
“Satina?” Ael called out, her voice strained.
“Here,” the scratchy but unmistakable voice of Satina responded from what Ael could tell was deeper in the apartment.
The blacksmith hurried down the hallway that spanned the center of the building and noticed that the door to the bathroom was open a crack. She pushed it the rest of the way open, her heart beating out of her chest with the thought of what horrors could lay beyond.
What she saw was equal parts relieving and concerning. Satina sat on the bathroom floor, her back propped up by the bathtub and her legs stretched out in front of her. Her arms were shaking ever so slightly as they wrapped around her stomach. Her hair appeared stringy with sweat. Despite all of this, there was no visible blood or bruises like the visions that had plagued Ael’s mind. That didn’t stop her from immediately rushing to kneel in front of Satina as she made eye contact across the room.
“Are you all right? What’s wrong?”
Now that she was closer, Ael noticed the vomit that coated the bottom of the bathtub and the tears staining Satina’s face. She placed a hand gently on the seated woman’s shoulder.
“I’m so sorry Ael.” Satina struggled to speak through labored breaths. “I should have told you, but I got really dizzy and nauseous all at once, and I couldn’t tell what time it was, and I couldn’t move, and-”
“It’s ok, don’t worry about it,” Ael responded gently. “Just breathe, ok? I’m not mad, I’m just worried about you.”
Satina’s face crumpled and fresh tears began streaming down her cheeks, sobs wracking her weak body. It felt like a knife to Ael’s heart. She snaked an arm around Satina’s shoulders and grabbed one of her hands, rubbing circles into her palm.
“I’m so scared Ael,” Satina managed to choke out.
“It’s going to be ok, I’m here. There’s nothing to be scared of,” Ael responded in a comforting tone. “It’s probably just a stomach bug.”
Satina shook her head and took another shuddering breath. “No you don't…Ael…” Satina looked up and met Ael’s eyes. “This was how it started last time.”
“What started?”
“It…this was…I was sick, Ael. That’s how I died. I got sick.”
A jolt of realization shot through Ael. She held Satina’s weak form a little tighter while she pushed down her own fear, knowing she needed to be strong right now.
“I’m so sorry Satina, I didn’t know,” she said as she continued to rub circles into her palm. “I’m here, you’re going to be alright, ok?”
Satina looked like she was about to stay something, but she suddenly clamped a hand over her mouth and turned toward the bathtub as a wave of bile streamed out of her mouth.
Ael jumped into position next to Satina, pulling her hair out of her face and rubbing her back as her stomach spasmed. Ael had to fight the urge to turn her head away due to the smell.
Once Satina stopped retching, her arms collapsed and she fell against the tub. Ael helped guide her back into a seated position, pulling her to her chest. Satina’s whole form was shaking now, her chest shuddering with difficult breaths and her eyes leaking tears.
“It’s going to be ok, I promise,” Ael said in a steady voice. “Here.” She placed her left hand on Satina’s chest, the other grabbing one of Satina’s hands and placing it over her vest. “Try to match my breaths. Can you do that for me?”
Satina met Ael’s gaze and gave a weak nod. She took a few shaky breaths, trying her best to mirror Ael’s deep inhalations. Eventually, after a few minutes, her breathing began to even out and her tears slowed, leaving her to close her eyes and slump against the side of the bathtub.
Ael’s heart ached to see Satina like this, in clear distress and fighting more than just physical pain. This woman who had run headfirst into a burning building and single handedly carried her across New City rendered prone and shaking on the bathroom floor.
“Great job, you’re doing so well,” Ael praised. “Just try to rest if you can. Do you want me to get a healer?”
Satina nodded weakly without opening her eyes. “Please,” she whispered.
“Ok,” Ael responded and squeezed Satina’s hand. “I’ll be right back.”
As Ael began to stand up, Satina’s eyes shot open and she reached out with surprising speed to clutch at Ael’s shoulders. “No, Ael please, please don’t leave me,” she pleaded frantically. “Not again, I can’t do this alone again!”
Ael sat back down instantly and pulled Satina against her chest. “I’m so sorry, Satina. I’ll stay right here. I’m sorry, I’ve got you. It’s not going to happen again, I won’t let it.” She rubbed Satina’s back and tried to model deep breaths as she felt her shirt dampen with tears. She felt her own eyes begin to water. “I’m going to call a healer with my sending stone, ok?”
Satina nodded. “I’m sorry,” she muttered. “Thank you for staying.”
“Of course,” Ael replied as she held Satina tighter and leaned down to kiss the top of her head. “I’m here. I’m not going to leave you. You’re going to be alright.”
…
The healer arrived ten minutes after Ael called. The small bathroom became cramped as the cleric knelt down in front of Satina, but Ael refused to move from her partner’s side or dislodge their intertwined fingers. The healer worked swiftly, casting spells and checking the sick woman’s pulse and temperature. After a few minutes, she stood up and began rifling through her bag.
“It looks like you have a stomach virus. Take this to settle your stomach, rest up, and you should be fine in a few days.” She handed Satina a vial filled with blue liquid before turning to Ael. “Make sure to get some water into her once she’s ready.”
Ael nodded. “Thank you so much.”
The healer smiled softly before leaning back down to rest a hand on Satina’s shoulder. “Of course. I hope you feel better.” After that, she exited the bathroom and the sound of the front door opening and closing echoed through the apartment.
Ael turned toward Satina. She still looked pale and the potion bottle was shaking in her hand, but the panic in her eyes had dulled, leaving behind a look of exhaustion. “Do you need help drinking the potion?”
Satina nodded slowly in response.
Ael let go of Satina’s left hand and gently took the potion from her right. After uncorking the vial, she lifted it up to Satina’s lips and tilted it so a slow stream of the liquid made its way into her mouth. Satina cringed and tensed, but slowly drank the whole vial. After finishing it, she let out a small cough and scrunched her nose. “Disgusting,” she muttered.
Ael let out a small laugh as she placed the vial off to the side. Sitting up, she waved a hand over the bathtub in the way that Jade had taught her and watched as the vomit disappeared just as water normally behaved in the enchanted tub. She grinned in amusement. Sometimes having mutual friends with a wizard had its perks.
“How are you feeling? Do you want to try to get to bed?” Ael asked as she sat back down.
Satina had her eyes closed and her head leaned back against the tub. She gave an almost imperceptible nod. “That would be nice,” she whispered.
“Ok,” Ael replied. “Do you think you can get up? I’ll help you.”
Satina opened her eyes and nodded again, this time a little stronger. She reached her left arm up and rested it around Ael’s shoulders. Ael snaked her arm around Satina’s back and braced against her ribs, trying to lift the two into a standing position. It took some effort, but she was eventually able to achieve this. Satina was clearly still very weak and leaned heavily against Ael’s side. “I’m sorry,” she muttered. “I’m trying.”
“I know,” Ael responded. “It’s all right. I’ve got you.”
The pair shuffled their way through the apartment until they reached Satina’s small bedroom, just large enough for her double bed. Ael maneuvered them so that Satina could sit down, then gently guided her into a position on her side. She pulled the quilted blanket back and helped her slide under. She then pulled the covers back up and tucked Satina in, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead and stroking her cheek with her thumb. Satina hummed in response, her eyes drifting closed.
“I’m going to grab you a glass of water for whenever you’re ready, I’ll just be in the kitchen. Is that ok?”
“Yes,” Satina murmured, her voice heavy with sleepiness. “Thank you.”
Ael planted a kiss on Satina’s temple and left the room, returning shortly with a glass of water that she placed on the table next to the bed.
Satina opened her eyes and met Ael’s gaze. “Are you hungry? I have some food here.”
Ael smiled down at Satina. “I’ll be alright for now. I can make a sandwich while you’re resting.”
“Okay,” Satina replied, reaching out from beneath the blankets to grab Ael’s hand. “I’m really sorry I missed dinner. I was looking forward to it, and I know you were too.”
Ael sat on the edge of the bed. “It’s ok. You won’t be able to get rid of me until you get better, so we’ll have plenty of time to spend together. I don’t care about the dinner, I just like being with you.”
Satina smiled weakly for the first time that evening, and it made Ael’s heart swell. “Thank you for taking care of me, and for helping me through this.” She swallowed. “I love you so much.”
Ael leaned down and kissed Satina’s forehead. “I love you too. I’ll always be here for you, Satina, and I know you would do the same for me.”
Satina gently rolled over and pulled back the covers behind her. Ael smiled at the gesture and climbed into bed behind Satina, wrapping one arm around her waist and pulling her back towards her chest. She listened carefully to hear the adventurer’s breathing slowly begin to even out, and she gently whispered into the back of Satina’s hair before closing her eyes.
“Rest up, Satina. I’ll be right here when you wake up.”