A hard knock and a gentle one.

[Rúna]

((Continued from Flightless Bird))

Rúna knocked lightly on the infirmary door before poking her head inside, biting her lip and looking around for the healer. "Hallo? Ellie?"

[Elliestraaeln]

Ellie peeked out of the supply closet, eyes a deep blue to match the ripe juniper berries in her hair. They caught the light as they narrowed with Ellie's welcoming smile.

"Hello, sweetling. How can I help you?" She stepped into view with her arms full of essential oil jars, mostly rosemary and tea tree and ginger.

[Rúna]

Rúna smiled a little awkwardly, her free hand going back to her head. "I had a scare and fell into a tree. I'm pretty sure I'm getting a bump. And my back hurts a bit too."

[Elliestraaeln]

Ellie set her collection of jars down on the nearest flat surface and glided over to Rúna. "Let's take care of that bump first, and then we'll have a look at your back."

She held up her hands first, as was her habit, silently asking if it was alright to touch her.

[Rúna]

Rúna nodded and stepped forward acquiescently, her hand still at the back of her head. "It's right about here." She held still and kept her eyes on Ellie, wondering what this was going to feel like. She'd never had magical healing before.

[Elliestraaeln]

Ellie brushed her fingertips over the rising bump and nodded. "Won't take but a moment."

Her magic made short work of the injury, at first feeling very warm, then cool and tingly. Ellie tapped her fingertips gently on the back of Rúna's skull and made a humming noise. "All fixed. Now let's take a look at your back, shall we?"

[Rúna]

Rúna sighed in relief as the alternating warmth and cool eased the pain from her head. "Thank you."

At the mention of her back she hesitated, then slowly pulled off her shirt. The poultices and bandages Arnbjörg had tied over the holes where her wings had been were still in place; Rúna hadn't been able to reach the knots herself to change them.

[Elliestraaeln]

Ellie inspected and unwrapped the bandages with careful touches, wondering why Rúna hadn't come to her sooner.

"No infection, thankfully. I would like to clean these before I heal them, though. Just in case." She patted her shoulder and stepped away, to quickly dilute a dozen drops of tea tree oil with clean water. She dampened a bit of gauze and dabbed along Rúna's wounds, being careful to not press too hard.

[Rúna]

Rúna held still, biting her lip and praying Ellie wouldn't ask where the wounds had come from. It was probably pretty obvious that they were right in the places that wings had been, or would be. And she didn't think she could stand to talk about it yet.

[Elliestraaeln]

As Ellie reached out with her magic to cleanse and repair the damaged tissue, her brow furrowed. These were tears, and not neat ones either. There was still bits of cartilage and sinew left in the joints where appendages had previously sprouted-- but with the anxiety radiating off of Rúna's skin, Ellie didn't want to immediately demand an explanation. She could heal these wounds with little issue, however they may have been acquired, but Ellie made a mental note to have a talk with Bolin about it.

She decided to leave anchors of cartilage and tendon within the sockets as she coaxed the skin and other tissue to knit neatly together. Just in case. She had regrown limbs before, and once the entirety of a merrow's tail. Wings were not something she had attempted, but she was confident that she could pull the procedure off where it called for.

Over the course of several minutes Ellie worked, the foliage in her hair rustling much louder than usual in the quiet room. She hummed as smooth skin finally formed beneath her fingertips, and she tapped Rúna's shoulders once to let her know she was done.

"You're all set, sweetling." She walked over to the sink to wash her hands and smiled at Rúna as she dried them. "Please don't hesitate to come to me, or anyone else for help."

Help with anything.

"If you had left those for much longer, infection would have settled in."

[Rúna]

Rúna took a deep breath and let it out slowly before turning around. "Thank you." She should probably go apologize to Zaïren again for screaming in his ear. And wash the charcoal off her face and hands.

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