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It was supposed to be a simple hunt. But plant monsters thrived in the rain, and both Delitia and Macy had misjudged the weather before setting out. Macy lost her footing as the monster lashed a vine toward her, and after Delitia shoved Macy out of the way and fired an arrow, she remembered only pain as everything went black.
She forced her eyes open, and pain shot through her body. The sound of rain filled her ears and she tried to sit up, but a steadying hand at her shoulder kept her pinned. "Careful, now," came Macy's gentle voice. "I'm still treating your wound."
Delitia tried to speak, but her words were swallowed by a pained moan. Above she saw only ragged stone, like the inside of a cave, and heavy rainfall obscured whatever she might've seen outside. She risked a glance downward, and saw Macy's hands were covered in blood as she pressed a cool, wet cloth to Delitia's side, and Delitia let out another low hiss of pain.
"It looks worse than it actually is." Macy gave Delitia a reassuring smile. "Just let me clean and dress it, all right?"
"I…" Delitia tried to say, but the pain in her side only grew sharper, like the edge of a blade.
"Here, drink this." Macy held a cup to Delitia, and although the liquid inside had a strong scent, she drank it without complaint. The bitter taste was even stronger, but as it slid down her throat, the pain began to ease slightly, and once more her eyes fell closed.
When Delitia awoke again, the rain outside still fell heavily. Her head was resting in Macy's lap, and an ache in her side told her this was no dream. Bandages encircled her midsection, but fortunately, no blood had gotten on her clothing. She attempted a deep breath, and winced as her side hurt.
Macy laid a careful hand on Delitia's hair. "We're safe now," she said. "What do you remember?"
Delitia gingerly touched her bandaged side. "We were in Valore, and we got reports of a plant monster causing trouble, so we decided to investigate. But it started raining, and then you… " Her eyes went wide. "Wait, what happened to the monster?"
"Your arrow struck true. And fortunately, I was able to find this cave and treat your injury. Though, we're stuck here until the rain lets up…"
"Does it always rain so much in the Woodlands…?" Delitia let out a heavy sigh. "I… remember now. You slipped, and when the monster went for you, I got scared you'd be hurt…"
"And shoved me out of the way." Macy fell silent a moment. "I was careless, and you got hurt because of that."
Again Delitia drew her fingertips along the bandages. "No, it's not your fault. This isn't the first time you've had to treat me."
"We have been through a lot together, haven't we…?" Macy whispered, so softly that Delitia almost didn't hear her.
Silence fell over the two of them, save for the sound of rain falling outside. It had been a year since they met, Delitia remembered. She'd never imagined that her quest to find her missing brother would lead her to helping take down some of the worst villains this continent had to offer, but now that Sazantos was defeated, things would hopefully be peaceful, at least for a little while. Yet, despite all the violence they had witnessed, Macy never stopped healing others, never stopped looking for a cure to her own brother's illness.
But she had stopped searching in Sazantos' fake utopia. Her smile had been so empty, and there'd been no path outside of Wishvale. Delitia herself had given up her ties to her beloved Aqeeq, barely even remembered her brother. She chewed her lip; a single person dictating who was allowed to have desire and even then, only desire was that "pure." Such power still terrified her.
She looked up at Macy. When the Ringbearer Chosen had illuminated her, when they all broke free of that empty utopia, she had never felt freer, and when she looked at Macy afterwards, such warmth blossomed in her chest that she swore then and there no one would deny her desire again. She raised a hand to touch Macy's cheek, and Macy smiled so sweetly at her.
"…why did you accept this mission?" Macy asked, finally breaking the silence.
"Valore's always been good to us, and it's something I'm good at, so I thought, why not?" Delitia tried to smile. "And am I ever glad you were with me!"
Macy's smile vanished. "But you only got hurt because you were protecting me."
"Well, yeah. I care about you, so of course I don't want you to get hurt."
For a moment Macy's eyes went wide, and a blush graced her cheeks. "Because we're comrades, right?" she murmured.
Delitia's heart skipped a beat, and again lowered her gaze toward her bandaged midsection. Getting involved with the Ringbearer Chosen had caused a lot of trouble, and Delitia certainly hadn't expected to traverse through Hell of all places, but she didn't regret a thing. She'd found her brother, met so many new comrades, and Macy… She tried to speak, but no words would come.
"I… care about you too," Macy said clumsily, and her hand on Delitia's hair trembled slightly. "And not just as an apothecary..."
Her heart racing, Delitia shot up, and not even the sudden pain in her side could stop her. Macy jolted, startled, but accepted Delitia's touch when Delitia reached for her face. Macy pressed her own hand to Delitia's, a soft smile on her lips, a familiar smile that Delitia had grown fond of. A heartbeat passed between them, and Delitia pressed her lips to Macy's.
In that false utopia, would she still have been allowed to desire Macy? Or would that desire have been deemed unnecessary because it couldn't beget children?
"I'm so, so glad I met you," Macy said, her breath warm on Delitia's lips. "You can be reckless, though, and I worry."
Delitia laughed and cupped Macy's face between her hands. "I can't stop being a hunter, but I can at least promise I'll try to be more careful."
"And I can't stop being an apothecary, so we're a good match," Macy replied with a chuckle of her own. She laid a careful hand on Delitia's bandaged side, and Delitia felt her face grow warm. "No matter what, I will protect you."
"I'll protect you too!" Delitia grinned. "A little bit of pain won't keep me down."
Macy sighed, but her smile didn't fade. "Still, as I said earlier, we're stuck here until the rain lets up."
"Well, I don't mind!" Delitia flung an arm around Macy's shoulders and drew her closer. "I don't mind resting a while with you!"
"You, wanting to just sit here doing nothing?" Macy rested her head against Delitia's shoulder. "I must truly be special to you indeed."
Delitia pressed a kiss to Macy's brow. With that first kiss, her heart felt so much lighter. Even if her side pained her now, it was truly preferable to being trapped in that empty utopia. She saw how her brother smiled at his new wife, how the Ringbearer Chosen smiled at her beloved Stia. Was that how she smiled now at Macy? "Thank you, Macy," she said softly; she refused to treat her love for Macy as something sinful or immoral.
Macy too smiled, a loving, adoring smile, and as the rain fell outside, she and Delitia shared another kiss.