Elemental Thief Part I : Child of Calamity

Crime, With No Punishment.

As Treasa braced, Darya merely shook her head and gave her a genuinely caring expression. "You're not just a healer, kid. You're not just a tool for people to use when they need you. You don't exist so that every time someone stubs their toe, they can make the pain go away. You're more than that, you're not a weapon. I'm not here talking to you because you're a healer, or because you saved Clairval. You're a good kid, Treasa. But you deserve to be that, to be a person, to be accepted and cared for, because of who you are, not all the things you can do. I do not want to be someone who just uses you."

Treasa stared at the woman, unsure what to say in response, ignoring the three men for a long moment.

As much as she wanted to help the other woman, Darya's words soothed her a little. The woman was saying no, because she wanted to be friends, wanted to have a genuine relationship, expecting nothing in return. Treasa did not know how Darya could be in so much pain but still be so selfless. It only made her respect her that much more, for the strength and conviction of character that Darya showed as naturally as breathing.

Treasa nodded carefully. "Ok. We can be friends. But friends help each other. I don't just like you because you saved my life, or you're the strongest, bravest, smartest, and most caring woman I've ever met. I don't just like you because you're a hero and I think you could beat anyone you had to fight against. You're a good person, and I want us to be friends."

"I'm not a hero." Darya blushed and shook her head. She hesitated, watching Treasa for a bit more before nodding. "If it will not hurt you, and as long as you don't overdo it on me, sure."

Treasa supposed she should have allowed for them to move somewhere else, should have thought about at least getting Captain Darya to sit down, or given her more warning than she did. But she had been holding herself back for far longer than she liked to.

The pain in the woman was so intense it was nearly causing Treasa pain by not healing it.

Treasa reached out and grabbed Darya's hands the moment she received permission, letting her power flow into the woman, so enthralled with what she was doing, she was only vaguely aware of the yell of pain she caused as her power attacked the scars and healing that was holding Darya together all wrong, unaware of when Darya had been caught by Lianza and lowered to the ground until the healing was complete.

It didn't take a lot of her power, but it drained her mentally, working through bit by bit, injury by injury, breaking up the scar tissue and healing it properly.

And unravelling that other thing that she had found working its way through Darya's body like a ravenous snake. A spell that had laced through Darya cruelly, but not as vicious as the drug that had nearly killed the queen.

This was a rudimentary spell that someone had put on the woman, and as Treasa healed its presence away, she realized it had been causing a lot of the damage.

The process left her sitting back and closing her eyes against the pain of the bright sun when she was done. The morning was half done, and she leaned against Lianza, who only ever embraced her as much as she sought from him, turning to lean her head on his shoulder as she tried to steady herself.

"Are you alright?" Lianza whispered softly, allowing her to pull back to look up at him when she could, his expression concerned.

Treasa glanced to where Darya was laying beside her, then over to where Lord Cansal and Prince Davanos sat beside them, watching her expectantly.

She frowned softly, looking back at Lianza. "I don't think it was the healers who messed it up. I think someone did something, it seemed like... I dunno, someone had made the healing not work, was forcing her body not to work properly. They just... couldn't see it."