Starsong

Scene 4

{--} Piya {--}

          Tok winced as the woman poured a sharp-smelling solution over his wrists, and he whimpered, resisting the urge to pull away. Piya wrapped her arms around his neck, hanging sleepily on him and trying to comfort him. She wrinkled her nose-- her sense of smell was sensitive as ever, and the smell of the cleaning alcohol was hitting her hard, strong and chemical.

          "Don't worry, darling." The woman breathed as she moved on to gently rubbing his bindings with a cloth and he cried out in pain, "It'll all be over soon. These just need to be cleaned and wrapped, then... well, you really need to rest them for a while to have them heal. It's good for you." Tok continued to whimper, trying as hard as he could not to jerk away every time it rubbed over an open wound. It seemed like forever, but eventually, the woman put down the cloth and lowered Tok's leg, the last binding done. They were still irritated, but they were significantly cleaner now, the area now faded to pink. The woman took out a long bandage, now gently wrapping his wrists, firm and snug but not tight enough to hurt him. He stared at them, almost awed by this level of care. The woman chuckled warmly at how starstruck he was, then lifted him, struggling much more than Ren did to get him on her back again, "There you go. Now you both can take a warm bath, then turn in."

          Piya wiggled in sleepy excitement, thrilled at the idea of a bath. But a little detail nagged at the back of her mind: they weren't going to go to sleep here. Ren wanted to leave, right? She didn't think about it for long, though-- she wanted to come here, and if Ren were to change her mind and stay, then that would be great! Piya knew better than to pass up free shelter, after all. Living alone your whole life and coming from the desert does that to you. She got up, bouncily following the woman as she led them both aside. There was a long hallway, full of identical doors, and the woman opened two. Inside, there were two smooth stone tubs, little markings carved into them. Piya paused slightly-- she recognized those markings. She never used them, but she'd seen them before. They had something to do with--

          "Watch this, darlings." The woman smiled, a bit of thrilled mischief in her voice, and the she clapped twice. Suddenly, the markings glowed, calming and blue, and the tubs filled on their own. Piya clapped excitedly-- magic! Of course! Of course a place like this was magical! Piya watched as the woman took Tok into one of the rooms, setting him down on one of the tubs' rims, murmuring, "Now, you get in whenever you're comfortable, and you stay as long as you need." Tok smiled at her gratefully, making a hand gesture Piya didn't recognize, and the woman left him, closing the door before turning to Piya, "Are you going to be alright if I leave you to it, darling? I need to attend to something."

          Piya nodded vigorously, "Yes! Thank you!"

          "Not a problem, darling." The woman smiled softly as she walked away. "Not a problem at all."

          Piya stretched in the hot water, comforted. How long had it been since she was able to do this? Maybe once, a few years ago, when she'd managed to find a lake in the Plains once that had been warmed by the sun. But this was more, better. A deep purring rumbled in her throat as she settled into the warmth, sleepy and safe.

          Eventually, her exhaustion overtook her. It was time to get out. A little sadly, she braced herself against the cold air, dripping wet, and got back into her old clothes. She felt cooler now, happier. She stepped out the door and looked up and down the hallway, trying to remember which way it was towards the dining room so she could find Ren again. She frowned at the thought. She didn't want to leave...

          "Oh! Hello!" Piya turned to see the woman coming towards her, fast. She looked a little startled, "Are you done already?"

          "Mhm! That was really good!" Piya grinned gratefully. The woman stared at her for just a second searchingly before she shook her head slightly and smiled.

          "I'm glad. Your guardian's already turned in. The poor woman was more exhausted than she thought. You're all going to stay here tonight, then you're free to leave in the morning. Just a little rest to fix you all up."

          "Oh, okay! Where's Tok?"

          "Sleeping as well." The woman said, maintaining her smile, "Now, if you'd let me lead you to your room..." The placed a hand on Piya's back, ushering her forward, and she followed happily. The woman led her through hallway after hallway, eventually opening up a door into a dark, large, wooden room. She could see Tok bundled up in the far bed, his chest slowly, deeply rising and falling. Piya ran to her bed and flopped down on it, snuggling into the thick blanket happily and gathering it around herself, creating a little cave for herself in seconds. The woman chuckled warmly again, and Piya felt her eyelids finally droop as she melted into the bed, purring long and low. "Goodnight."

          A high, soft song rang through the air. Piya stirred, her mind alert and curious. The song... it was beautiful. Soft notes were drifting from down the hallway, barely even muffled by the door. She got up and out of her bed, out the door, down the hall, following, following...