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Cin entered the Healing Halls and sat quietly in an empty seat, holding his bloody left hand gently with his right.
A young Quermian Padawan emerged from a room and saw him before she spotted the blood soaking his improvised bandage and falling to the floor.
- Master Drallig, what happened?
- A clumsy, stressed-out Padawan stabbed my hand when I tried to advise him on a move. I can wait if you have emergencies, don't worry, I just know my healing skills are poor so I preferred to leave it to the professionals.
The girl nodded and approached, reassured of his calm and rational handling of things, which Cin understood. Many people lost their rationality in the Healing Halls, they sometimes lose their temper, and that was rarely pleasant for the Healers.
- May I see? There are several Masters available but I would like to check the severity of your injury before I direct you.
- Of course.
Cin slowly unrolled the improvised bandage and smiled slightly at the stability of the Padawan in front of him despite the disturbing sight of what was literally a hole in the middle of her hand. Healers saw a lot, they had a strong stomach for it.
- Okay... that'll be Master Che. I'll be right back, I'll let her know.
- Thank you, Padawan...
- Payaa.
- Padawan Payaa.
The Quermian disappeared behind a door and left Cin to her own thoughts. Master Che. Cin obviously knew her reputation, a competent and serious Healer with a lot of knowledge.
He didn't remember seeing her train with a lightsaber, though, and that was what her life revolved around. Yet other Healers did both and were very good, like Master Allie or Master Unduli who were remarkable fighters as well as being good Healers, or Knight Vebb.
The Padawan stepped out and waved him into the room before walking away and leaving the Halls. Cin stood up and walked the short distance, trying not to feel guilty about leaving a trail of blood behind.
- Master Che?
- Yes?
And there Cin found himself facing a stern, serious-looking Twi'lek woman, bent over three datapads and a Lannik chart. Oh.
- Master Drallig, come in. You may sit down.
He went to sit on the changeable sheet that protected the medical bed mattress and passively watched the doctor write comments on the chart to her right.
She was exhausted, when was the last time she had slept a full night? A normal person might not see it, but Cin could see the line of tension in her shoulders, the subtle slow movements to stretch her neck, the slow blinks and the slowly rising eyelids.
He could only imagine what it was like to be the Chief Supervisor of the Healing Halls. Even the Jedi seemed to revert back to loud, fast-talking Initiates when they were around, keeping one's cool took a lot of effort, and that didn't even take into account the necessary skills. The number of species in the Temple was huge, usually doctors specialized in one species and could handle the first aid of derived species, but this Jedi had a reputation for being able to save anyone.
Cin remembered that it was her who had operated and treated him a few years ago for liver disease, even though he hadn't seen her, the appointment and preparation and aftermath of the operation were handled by other Healers who operated less but managed the medication or the relationship perfectly. Even then, she had a reputation for being an outspoken Jedi, bordering on insulting and with extremely limited patience, which seemed to be the case even now.
- Well, Padawan Payaa tells me you have a hole in your hand.
- That is correct.
- "When did it happen?" she asked, rubbing her hands with a cleaning and antiseptic solution.
Cin checked the time.
- Sixteen minutes ago. I took the time to calm my class down and dismiss them before I came.
- "Hmm... that's a lot better than most," she mumbled, reaching around her desk to frankly grab his hand and unwrap the bandage. "Take a towel so you don't stain your clothes."
Cin leaned to his right and obeyed, wincing as the Jedi touched the edges of the wound. It was difficult not to remove his hand.
- "You didn't try to heal yourself?" she remarked, taken aback.
- No, I prefer to leave it to the professionals.
The Twi'lek's bright blue eyes quickly met hers with amusement and recognition before she sat down on a stool.
- Okay, indeed, you did the right thing. I'll have to recreate the material and knit it all together to make it work on its own. It will be painful, but I suppose you don't need anaesthetic?
- "You guess right," said the Master cordially with a smile. "Do what you have to do."
"Painful" didn't even begin to define the tearing sensation that ran through his hand as Master Che began to work, instilling energy into his hand, gently urging the cells of his body to multiply to replace what had been destroyed. It was like being squeezed into a tiny place that tightened around him while being stretched to the limit of what his body could handle. It was horrible, just awful, nothing like an ordinary wound, clearly the holes were much worse.
To distract himself, Cin moved his leg muscles, contracting his body everywhere but in his left arm to keep himself busy, when he noticed a drop of water fall on his left knee where he had squeezed his legs, letting the Healer frame it with her own. Piqued in his curiosity, Cin quickly found the origin of this drop of water, or rather a drop of sweat. Master Che's forehead was beaded, his eyebrows were furrowed and his skin seemed to turn pale and grey.
- Do only the minimum so that I can move, do not tire yourself in vain.
- I'm all right.
- No, you're not.
- "I'm fine," the Jedi insisted, giving more energy to her work as if to prove her words.
- "You don't have to prove anything to me," Cin reminded her, placing his right hand on the Twi'lek's wrist, present but not preventing her from continuing. "But don't forget that everyone's health means yours too. No one wants to see you collapse."
- Well, it doesn't look like it, or they wouldn't all be acting like children.
Cin chuckled softly before growling as the Jedi Master jerked his hand sharply.
- There. What are sensations?
With an incredulous, bemused smile, Cin closed his fingers over his perfectly... normal hand. He couldn't see any difference, his skin wasn't even burned or even scarred.
Everything was... as before. He moved and smiled appreciatively at the incredible Twi'lek who looked away.
- That's fine, thank you very much.
- That's my job.
- Hmm.
They washed his blood off their hands and Master Che carelessly tossed the bloodstained cloths into a dirty laundry bag.
- Well, have a nice day-
- "If you don't mind, I'd love to help you rest through a short muscle relaxation session," Cin offered. "It won't take long."
This was probably his best argument, and finally she agreed - Cin thought she would refuse. He beckoned her to sit beside him and led her in gentle stretches and movements that relaxed their muscles and they sat in silence, a knowing look and a knowing smile passing between them.
Then, at one point, when Cin considered walking away to leave the Healer in peace, a weight fell on his left shoulder, genuinely surprising him.
The stern woman's features were softened by sleep and relaxation and she leaned frankly against him. Her mouth was slightly ajar and the lek moved more in unconsciousness than since he'd seen her, amusing Cin. He didn't really know the Twi'lek body, he had never touched a lek in his life, and now there was one wriggling against his arm. Cin tried to pull away to let her sleep on the bed when suddenly Master Che grabbed him tightly and held on to him. He couldn't get out without waking her up. Kriff...
Well... okay. Resigned, Cin shifted his position to make himself comfortable, removing his boots and those of his sleeping comrade with the Force before settling more comfortably. A lek fell on his hand, answering his internal questions.
It was soft, warm and smooth, he could feel it like a heartbeat and finally the lek was firmer than he thought it would be, he thought it was less rigid.
Lulled by the deep breath that was breathed into his neck, Cin meditated peacefully but opened one eye when the office door opened.
A middle-aged human with long blond hair walked silently into the office and stopped when he saw the empty desk and came to a complete stop when he saw the sleeping Twi'lek on Cin's shoulder. Master Feemor, whom Cin belatedly recognized because he didn't remember him having such long hair the last time he'd seen him, winked at him in amusement, grabbed a datapad, and walked out as quietly as he'd entered. Huh. The Jedi had become a Healer? Too bad, he would have made a good Guard, but it was understandable, it took total devotion to forget oneself for the benefit of others, and it was probably the same in the Healing Halls.
Drawing a blanket and pillow for his back, Cin covered them to conserve heat, Twi'lek being notoriously difficult to warm, and pressed his cheek to the Healer's forehead, dodging the lek's protrusions because he knew it would hurt, and let the quiet peaceful breathing carry him.
He too needed sleep.