Fire in Her Eyes - Charlie Weasley

Chapter 11 - The Question

Kai woke up the next morning exhausted again. She hated not sleeping well. It left her feeling grumpy, sore, and without full strength of her magic. Groaning, she rolled out of bed and started her coffee maker, rubbing her eyes.

Pouring her cup, she sat down at her kitchen table with one of her favorite books. She lost herself in the book as she drank her coffee and let the calm of a lazy Saturday morning wash over her. She had been so focused on work all week and she enjoyed having the time to relax. She wished she was still in Bucharest, but she could understand Charlie's anger and making her come back. She was effectively grounded.

She finished her last sip of coffee and sighed. Stretching, she stood up, placed her coffee cup in the sink and got ready for the day. She needed to get some actual food supplies today and restock on some personal items. Then she figured she would spend the day checking over all the animals in town. She had a feeling that the previous healers didn't have much experience in the way of healing animals and she wanted all the creatures to be in top health.

Dressed for comfort in black skinny jeans, doc martins, a black sweater and and over coat, Kai stepped out of her cottage into the brisk morning air. She headed towards the local market and saw vendors lining the street. She took her time, stopping at each stall and speaking with the people who worked them. She introduced herself as the new healer and asked about their lives, their work, and their items for sale; getting to know each person. Having a working knowledge of their lives and background was instrumental in taking care of people. She also wanted them to know her and feel comfortable coming to visit her if they needed to. She herself always disliked going to the healer's when she was growing up and didn't want that experience for those she served.

Regardless of what Charlie thought of her age, she had a wisdom about her that only came from a lifetime of being forced to grow up too quickly. She had learned how to read people well, and could interact with them in a way that would make them want to open up to her. She had spent a lifetime learning subtle cues that gave her insight to what people were really thinking, and it allowed her to get most people to trust her. As a healer, trust in her was one of the most important things. It allowed people to be honest about their issues or what no-so-legal fun they might have been involved with. Charlie was the only person she couldn't read, and it frustrated her to no end.

Gathering up all her supplies, she began to make her way back to her cottage. She was happy with the conversations she'd had with most of the shop owners. Some were more reserved, and like Charlie, judged her by her age. But most were happy to hear that she had survived her first week. She always made sure to not mention that it might also be her last. Her fight with Charlie wasn't any of their concern. However, every person that she talked to, promised to come by in the next couple of weeks for a yearly exam.

"Kai!"

She jumped at the sudden sound of her name, and turned around to see Kellen heading her way. She smiled warmly at him, welcoming his hug. He always smelled of an expensive cologne that made her nose itch, but he almost always picked her up and swung her around every time he saw her. She could stand a little itchy nose for the attention.

"Hey, how are you?" She grinned brightly, the success of the morning was like a jolt of caffein through her veins, as they both headed in the direction of the cabins.

"I'm good! I'm heading off to Norway tomorrow to check out a dragon problem they're having. You?" he smiled easily back. While she knew the war had also been hard on him, Kellen was always a ray of sunshine. The exact opposite of Charlie's usual thunderclouds.

"I'm alright," Kai bit her lip, the memory of Charlie's anger crashing over. "Honestly, I might be fired."

"What?!" Kellen paused his walk beside her, frowning, and crossed his arms.