Once again Nelanna stopped by the cottage after another morning of training. Kohaku didn’t mind much, as he always welcomed Nelanna’s company. However, the day hasn’t exactly been kind to him. Shopping took longer than he intended, then a pair of carefree kids bumped into him and made him drop everything. And suddenly a cat appeared and stole some of the meat he had bought. The entire way back home it rained on him, soaking him to the bone. It was as if a curse had been cast upon him for misfortune, and Mirannda wasn’t around the cheer him up.

As if his day hasn’t been bad enough, a portal opened in his living room. Ensarrian emerged with an injured angel in his arm and another in tow. Naturally Nelanna was alarmed and acted quickly. But healing magic was not the best solution. With a heavy sigh, Kohaku pushed aside his irritation and looked at Ensarrian seriously, “Take her upstairs and try making her as comfortable as possible.” He gave no one time to explain what had transpired, but he didn’t need to. He knew torture wounds when he saw them, and there was no time to waste with the young angel as injured as she was. He then turned to Nelanna, but Ensarrian didn’t stick around any longer.

He carried Raziel up to the top floor and kicked open the door, not caring if he broke it or not. He needed his hands to hold Raziel, so it isn’t like he had any other way to get inside. Ever so gently he laid her down on the bed, then took one of the two pillows and helped her get comfortable. Moments later Kohaku and Nelanna entered the room. The fox was holding a bucket of warm water and a clean rag, setting them down on the bedside table. Nelanna instantly began rummaging around in the chest at the foot of the bed. She pulled out an injury kit. “I will need the alcohol,” said Kohaku as he turned to Raziel, eyes looking up and down her bloodied body thoughtfully, as if he were looking for the worst of her injuries. Ensarrian walked to the other side of the bed, gently sitting on the side. “Where all are you hurt?” Kohaku asked the angel as Nelanna started laying out what will be needed from the kit. And while he waited for a reply, Kohaku took her hand and examined the puncture. Then he took the rag, dabbed it in the water and began wiping away the excess blood.

In an attempt to offer comfort, Ensarrian tenderly held her other arm, careful not to disturb any wounds. His heart twisted as he imagined what all was done to her, until he had to force the images from his mind to prevent himself from becoming angry once more.

Despite knowing she was safe in Ensarrian's strong arms, Raziel huddled into his chest as best as she could. Every bounce from his step sent a fresh wave of pain up her legs. Her hands were held close to her breast, afraid to touch anything as she tried to ignore the throbbing fire. It took everything she had to keep from crying out while not hyperventilating due to the ache of her ribs. A number had been dealt to her. Now, she had to fight back and recover.

It was nice not to be in the cold lands, having starting to grow accustomed to warm climates. Not to mention, she wasn't even properly dressed for such cold when she was snatched. Voices broke through her thoughts, and Raziel could almost laugh at the irony. Once again, one voice was new, the other familiar, but the genders were swapped. "Nelanna," she gasped, a smile momentarily flashing across her face before she gritted her teeth once more.

While Ensarrian went up the stairs, Raziel tried to keep her feet from bouncing with the movement. It was a near impossible feat, however. She winced as the door was kicked, wondering if he damaged anything. The bed was softer than any she had used in the last month, a welcome reprieve. He ensured she was sitting propped up with pillows behind her, but she kept her hands to her chest. Several sets of booted feet walked up the stairs shortly after.

On one hand, she wanted to concentrate on them, try and figure out what they were doing. Ensarrian and Nelanna would not let anything happen to her, of this she was sure. The stranger took her hand and examined it before getting to work with washing away blood to see the work cut out for him. Raziel hissed as she resisted the urge to pull away. "Wings, broken ribs, eight fingers broke, shattered ankles. Cuts and bruises galore." She was listing everything that needed to be dealt with. "Surprised my teeth don't hurt," she joked and started coughing again, gasping with the sudden convulsions of the action.

The angel wanted to cling to Ensarrian, to feel him beneath her fingers, as if that alone would make bearing the pain any easier. Raziel's steel eyes rested where Nelanna was laying items out at the foot of the bed. "Nelanna, my cube in my bag… Has jars. I need the ones with two dots, a Z, and an X. Make a tea from two and X. Give the Z to… this gentleman to use on the cuts after stitching." She began giving orders, trying and failing to keep the pain from her voice. Then she turned her dead gaze to Ensarrian.

"Brother mine, I ask you to help him to straighten my fingers. I fear to lose them. While you do, would you talk to me? Like, who is that woman? Could you describe her to me?" This was her request. She wanted the hard stuff done, out of the way. By the time the tea kicked in, Raziel would not feel much of anything. The salve would help prevent infection and scarring. Azula had perched on the desk, preening herself. "I would suggest asking the angel to preen Raz's wings after everything else is done. I'm afraid nothing else can be done." She gave her advice from an avian's perspective.

Raziel listed all that had been done to her, and Ensarrian tightened his grip on her arm just slightly so he wouldn’t hurt her. His blood boiled with rage, but he calmed himself with a brief reminder that the woman who hurt Raziel was getting what she deserved. By now the paralysis was setting in, he imagined, as the pain reached its climax. He could already imagine her screams before the silence. It almost brought a cruel smile to his face. But he resisted and returned to reality. Kohaku was looking at Nelanna after hearing Raziel’s response. Nelanna returned his gaze with a sorrowful one, then she looked at the Angel, “What happened?”

“She was tortured,” Ensarrian said simply. His Master stiffened with massive eyes of horror. “I figured as much,” Kohaku cut in, who had already returned to cleansing her hand. His eyes were oddly lacking any emotion. Not quite empty, but more like he was used to this, unwavered. Ensarrian lifted a single brow at him. “The placements of these wounds are hardly lethal,” the fox explained. “If killing her was no the initiative, then causing pain was. Crippling her hands is proof, for they are her means of sight.” Ensarrian blinked in amazement, “You know she’s blind?” Kohaku, without peeling his eyes from her hand, dipped the rag back into the bucket and continued with the cleaning, “Their color may help with making them look that way, but when you’ve seen as many blind eyes as I have, you learn the unmistakable signs.”

Finally, he finished washing away the blood on her one hand, and Nelanna handed him the alcohol for a deeper, better clean that added the benefit of numbing the wound. However, before he started pouring it, Raziel called for Nelanna’s attention. Once she had finished giving her instructions, Nelanna spun on her heel and raced out of the room with determination. Then Raziel turned to Ensarrian. He ignored the look of surprise on Kohaku’s face at her name for him and listened intently. “I…” he began, but stopped short. He had never set a broken bone right before and wasn’t sure he knew how. Was there a secret to it? His fiery eyes lifted to set on Kohaku’s face for a heartbeat, then back down at Raziel. “I can try,” he replied. He would do anything for her. And if he didn’t know how, then he will learn, somehow, some way.

Ever so carefully, he took her hand in his and gazed up on her crooked fingers. Broken bones was a familiar feeling, and the sight of hers reminded him of every little detail. He knew exactly how she was feeling. Hesitantly, he took the first finger, and with a sympathetic wince, he popped it back into place. With it set right, he moved to the next. Each pop and crack was painful to hear, especially when he could feel every single one beneath his hands. Once he was done Kohaku went back to working on her other hand. Ensarrian blinked. Had the fox been watching him? Perhaps to make sure he didn’t do something wrong. Ensarrian assumed he did good if Kohaku said nothing. “This may sting a little,” said Kohaku, and he began pouring the alcohol. This is when Ensarrian started telling Raziel what she wanted to know.

“The woman you ask of it an angel, like you. Her wings are just as white as yours, her hair long and honey brown with large amber eyes.” He paused, trying to recall her details from when he was closest to her. He wasn’t sure telling her the colors helped or not, but he figured she didn’t want anything left out. “Her face is quite attractive, soft, with plump lips and a button nose, and her skin is lightly tan. As for her height… I would say she is about an inch or two taller than Nelanna. She seems fit and strong, certainly capable of handling herself in a fight.” He recalled his brief fight with her, remembering how strong she was. It was impressive, but not many people could fare any better against a Wyvern like him, especially if he had used his larger and more vicious form.

“What is her name?” Kohaku suddenly asked. He had finished cleansing the open wound and begun stitching it before rubbing a salve over it, then wrapping it in bandages. Ensarrian shook his head, “I don’t know. We didn’t exactly have time to introduce ourselves.”

“Ramiel,” the strong yet feminine voice turned his head towards the door. The angel was standing in the doorway with Raziel’s bag in hand. Nelanna was with her, carrying the requested cup of tea to Raziel. “My name is Ramiel,” the angel said more softly, and stepped into the room.

Ensarrian seemed reluctant, Raziel nearly burst into pleading before he agreed to assist in straightening out her fingers. She closed her eyes in anticipation, allowing him to take her hand in his. The hesitance he displayed only served to allow her to tense up with the dread of the incoming pain. Her toes could not be scrunched, any muscle in her legs would agiate her ankles, and there was little else for her to concentrate her nervous energy. It showed on her face as she tried to keep the rest of her body from being too tense, even if it hurt to just breathe.

A scream filled the small room, bouncing back at them as the first finger was popped into the place. Tears were streaming down her face as she began to sob. But she would not let Ensarrian stop. “I’m fine, I’m fine,” she would lie, all but ordering him to continue. Even the other was working on the other hand, less hesitant than Ensarrian. Raziel did not question why he seemed less sympathetic, her mind red with pain. Each and every time, Raziel screamed. Each time, she tried to control herself, knowing that they weren't trying to hurt her, they were trying to heal her. When all of her fingers were finally straight, Raziel fighting to return her breathing to normal as her body ached, the observant one gave a warning.

The cold sting that bit her hand caused another hiss to escape her. It felt like liquid fire as it splashed over her wounds, cleansing them. Raziel had to forget about her hand, to be distracted by something else. So she clung to every word Ensarrian said. He painted the woman so clearly in her mind. Tall and strong, long hair… what was an angel doing that far away from Zets'Ki's Cradle? Information had to be such a minor part of something greater. As entranced as she was by his words, trying to forget the pain in her hand as the unknown man was working on it, Raziel nearly jumped at his voice when he asked for the angel's name. While Ensarrian answered the question, Raziel remembered that she had asked about Gabe. What connection did she have to him?

The angel's voice made Raziel jump, her body flaring with pain causing her to nearly double over. Ramiel had surprised her, and she wondered how pathetic she appeared to another of her own kind. The items she had requested were passed to the unknown man and Ensarrian. He helped her drink the hot tea by holding the cup to her lips, which she consumed nearly at once. It never tasted the best, but it would help things go smoother. She could feel the cool salve being worked into her hand as she settled back onto the pillows she sat against. "Ramiel? You aren't from Zets'Ki, are you?" Her voice was soft as she asked. The name wasn't familiar, yet she felt as if she should know it.

The tea began to set in, allowing Raziel to finally relax as the unknown was bandaging her hand. "And your name?" Her silvery, clouded gaze was intently staring at Kohaku's face, despite the fact she was blind and unable to see it. She knew that once he was done with her hands, and they set her feet, the men would likely be kicked out to bandage her chest. Uncertain, Raziel turned to Ensarrian, her eyes beginning to feel a bit droopy. "After they bind my chest… Promise me, Brother mine… that you'll come back." The half-angel knew well of his fear of enclosed spaces, but she needed the comfort of his presence if she was to rest easy. For too long she had been alone, freezing and in need of rescue. Now, she felt like this is just a dream, and when she wakes up, she will be hanging from the ceiling again. She will be cold and miserable as pain throbbed, her wounds demanding attention.