Delphinium, or A Necromancer's Home (TCoLaD Book 2)

Flirting

~ Hexday, 4th of Aprilis, 11831 ~

"How did you get up there?"

Pluta meowed her reply, which sounded just like a cat's voice to him for once. Perhaps she was too embarrassed to say the truth. With a smile he held out his arms, anyway. "Come down now."

She sat up, adjusted herself, and sprang into the open air. He caught her and hugged her before letting the cat climb up to her favorite perch around his shoulders.

Pierre winced at the claws that were dug into his back. "Ow! Pluta, I caught you already, be careful!"

Beside him Elizabeth stifled her laughter.

They had stopped for lunch and to rest in a small village. Pluta had gone hunting in the woods and not returned after a time so Pierre and Lizzy had gone off in search for her (not truly worried, but it was a nice excuse to be alone). She had gotten herself stuck in a tall tree and, Familiar or not, was wary of the way down.

"There, there, Pluta, you're safe with us again." Lizzy said, reaching out to stroke her. Pluta meowed and nudged her hand in agreement, Pierre understanding her telling Lizzy that she was fine. Elizabeth, of course, did not understand the familiar's language.

"She does seem better now," he agreed. "Come on, let's have a stroll around before we go back." They had not been allowed much time alone together after that first half of the day in the carriage.

"So what did you do this last year or so?" Elizabeth asked. Pierre wrapped his arm around her and they began to walk down a natural path. "Piers mentioned you working like mad. And you never sent a letter."

"I apologized for this already, my lady," he replied in a light tone. "It is not becoming to hold grudges." Having said that, he looked towards her to make sure it was not still a sore subject. She was smiling.

"And it was surgery work mainly, assisting in hospitals when possible," he replied. "I had decided around then that I wished to finish early, though I was already ahead of many in my classes as I rarely took the summertime off."

They heard water and made towards the stream. Pluta decided against this plan and jumped off from Pierre's shoulders.

"Go back to the village then," Pierre told her. "If you get stuck again we shall not help you."

"Oh, don't say such things! Of course we will help you, Pluta. But look for a mouse and not a bird this time."

The cat was already turning around and heading back, tail high in the air, deciding to ignore the two of them for now.

Lizzy giggled.

"How does one learn surgery work?" she asked.

"We had corpses to practice on," Pierre admitted. It was not nicest thing to say aloud. Most of the students were uncomfortable with it at first, even. "We need to be able to know what goes where, and why, and how. In the hospitals we mainly watched the surgeons and passed them instruments."

"How did you receive corpses?" It seemed Lizzy was undeterred with the gruesome topic.

"Several people and families generously allowed us to use their loved one's bodies after death. They saw it as a good cause, to foster learning and help advance medicine."

"I cannot imagine that is very popular, though. Did you share each...Body?"

Pierre grimaced. He had not wished to inform Lizzy of this specifically. "Truthfully most were criminals whose deaths were not deemed important enough to give full funerals. At least this way they would be... of use."