“Something I’m used to fixing. The slave trade is very prominent back home.” Angela looked her over. “Miranda?” Mia’s eyes snapped to Angela to acknowledge her. “Have you always never had a voice?”

Mia thought about it and shrugged.

Angela did an impromptu medical evaluation, “It’s been surgically removed. That I can’t fix. I might be able to mend what’s left but it’s professional work. If she can’t remember it that means she was very young when it happened. She was most likely born in captivity. Lycanthrope slave trade is a big seller especially for people who need workers who are strong.” Angela thought about it for a moment. “She’s… never mind. Xeik just keep her close. She’s a valuable one.” She was going to explain something else but it could wait.

Angela waved him off and smiled, “I’ve had worse. This year is just a bit busier that’s all. That and the triplets are running a muck. I can just ship them off to the Bastion if I have to.”

Miranda tilted his head and followed him. She was wondering how he was going to fit her in his room if it was anything like her ‘room’. What she found was actually shocking to her. She hobbled around the room looking at everything.

She flopped back on the bed and stared up at Xeik. She tilted her head and wondered if he was going somewhere. Mia managed to immediately make a big as she pulled books from the bookcase. Laying them all open where she could look at them on the floor. The ones without pictures she made a face and threw them to the side not knowing any better.

There was a knock at the door where Melina was waiting, “Lady Angela wanted me to give you these. It’s a fresh dress, some undergarments, oil for her hair, and other things for a bath. She said you can use the communal bath and that just say the word and she can keep others out. Lady Angela wants to remind you that she probably doesn’t know how to bathe or anything so you’ll have to show her. Which means and I’m quoting her ‘You’ll have to suck it up and deal with it’. She should have Raine do it but… She’ll probably show her how birds bathe.” Melina sighed a bit. “If you need anything else please let me know.”

As Miranda started to make a mess, the mender rolled his eyes. For now he would tolerate it, but she definitely needed etiquette lessons in the near future. As one of the clergy came in with clothes and body care supplies, Xeik was unwholly surprised that Angela was making him do it. There was always some underlying excuse on why, and usually it was right, but Angela had a way of throwing everyone she knew into the absolute most uncomfortable situations she could find.

“It’s not like I haven’t had to do it before,” Xeik replied with a sigh. “Thank you.” He turned to Miranda, and smiled. “Well, let’s go ahead and knock this bath out. By the time we’re done, food should be here. Here…follow me.” He held out his hand again. Once more, she apprehensively took it, and was led once more out of the room.

They stopped in front of the communal bath, to which Xeik took a deep breath. “Okay. I have a friend who will help you from here. She’s…just like me. Gentle, and kind. I promise.” There was another warm smile. “She’s a lot better suited for this than I am. I’ll be back after the bath.” He walked around the corner, leaving her alone.

Not a few seconds later, a cute woman popped out from the side. While Miranda was curvy and hourglass shaped, this blonde haired woman was not. Still, she held what little bust she had with confidence. She was wearing a loose fitting top and shorts, and had a basket of her own bath washes.

“Ah, you must be Miranda,” she said with a smile. It was warm, just like Xeik’s. “My name is Ayaa. He felt it would be easier for a woman to help another woman.” She held out her hand, just like Xeik had. “Shall we go?”

Miranda took his hand with little effort as she trusted him only a little bit. Thought that little bit seemed to be expanding. Once Xeik told her he was leaving she was… distraught. Even visibly so that he would just up and leave her with someone she didn’t know. Even if he said that everything was okay.

Once Aaya showed up Miranda made a face and came over to her. Something was off and Miranda squinted her eyes. Getting closer the lycanthrope started to sniff Aaya and then she made a face. Smacking Aaya’s hand Miranda crossed her arms and turned her back to her.

Xeik was trying to trick her for some reason that she didn’t know. She didn’t understand the concept of sex, to begin with. It was awfully hot in the room though, but she didn’t budge as she held a pout face and kept looking towards Aaya with it. She was slightly disappointed and she wouldn’t stop looking nor acknowledge anything Aaya was saying.

She kept slapping Aaya’s hand if it was offered.

Ayaa pouted when Miranda slapped her hand away. Why was she being so difficult? Most women hated it when a man had to help them, and usually it was ayaa who had to tend to them. For Miranda, though, it seemed as though she were being stubborn about it. The woman kept pouting, “Do you know why Xeik wants me to help?” The lycanthrope shook her head. She didn’t seem to care about the reason either, and kept looking for Xiek to reappear.

“He’s not coming back,” Ayaa replied. “Not until you’re finished at least.” The blonde haired woman crossed her arms. “You’re a woman, you know, and most women don’t like men invading their space in a private setting such as bathing.” At that, Miranda just gave a deadpan look, completely unable to comprehend what Aya was trying to explain.

“You…have zero concept of this, do you…” Ayaa replied, answering her own question. She let out a long sigh. “Whatever…” She turned around and walked back around the corner. Xeik definitely felt hurt as he turned around the corner. Ayaa was definitely as part of his personality, and she hadn’t been getting enough time out. He had been so busy with the Terrowins and everything else that he wasn’t allowed to use her as often.

“Ayaa is really, really disappointed…” Xeik replied as guided her into the baths. “Let’s just get this over and done with so we can get you back to the room and fed.” There was definitely an aura of disappointment around Xeik as he helped disrobe the lycanthrope woman. “Now, gently into the water here. Be careful, it might be a bit hot.”

Mia didn’t understand and all she knew that this felt like a trick to her. Something akin to a lure and that scared her but Mia felt more like she needed to stay stubborn. Once Xeik was back Miranda turned on her heel and faced him. She might not have noticed what she was doing but she was tapping her foot at him. There was a look on her face that said she didn’t know why he did what he did.

At the words, he spoke Mia looked up at him and shook her head before touching his face. In her mind, it was the same but him being Aaya scared her. There was a flashback of something in her mind and for a moment Mia froze. Something about a stuffed animal. Shivers went up her spine and her breathing increased rapidly. It was only once she noticed it that she tried to stop and took a look around her surroundings to make sure she was safe.

Once she was free of her clothes all of her scars were showing. Deep wounds old and new across her back from different things. They were sore in some places like it had only been a few days ago. On her left thigh was a firebrand of a hawk-like creature. Miranda felt the water with her food and looked back up at Xeik. She had never seen this much water before but as he motioned her in she gently lowered herself.

There were winces from her as the water hit areas on her back and on her bruised thighs. The baths had herbal soaks in them not that she knew it but it would help with the wounds on her. She ran her hand over the top of the water and looked up at Xeik. She wasn’t shy because she didn’t understand the concept of it. She didn’t know what to do next so she simply just waited.

Xeik had stripped down to his undergarments. It was less that he was shy (though he was) and more than he didn’t know exactly how to explain to Miranda the differences between male and female at the moment, and that was only going to cause more problems in the short term. The easier he could make it on her, the better. He pulled the bath stuffs out, and opened it, taking a quick sniff.

Angela had given him oils for her hair, and it seemed like the best place to start. He produced a comb and brush, and looked at the tangled mess that lay before him. “Okay. We’re going to do something about your hair.” Luckily, because of Ayaa, he had some experience in dealing with long, tangled hair. “This is going to hurt a bit, but it’ll feel better at the end.” He explained first that he needed to get her hair wet, and demonstrated how to do it. Once she had, timidly, soaked her hair, he moved behind her, and with the utmost care, he started to use the comb and brush as needed to try and detangle her hair.

“Once we get this taken care of, I’ll teach you how to maintain it. It shouldn’t be too difficult for you once you learn, and it will keep it from ever getting to this point again.” He paused. “If it ever starts to hurt too much, just tap my arm, or…wherever, three times. Like this…” He tapped her shoulder three times in succession. “If you do that, I promise I’ll stop whatever I’m doing.”

Mia patted the top of her hair and tilted her head. It was a long tangled mess but she didn’t know the difference. Every once in a while the slavers had cut it off because it had gotten too long. Miranda followed along and got her hair soaked for him. She nodded once he showed her how to say it hurt.

However, what followed next hurt but it didn’t hurt as badly as some of the things that had been done to her. Mia just calmly waited for him to be done with it. There was a small clump of tangled hair that came out and she poked it on the water. She watched it float. Taking her hair once it was done she smelled it and then looked up at Xeik.

She pulled him down into the water and dunked him to get his hair wet. It was her turn. Right? This was normal? He did it to her. She put way too much oil in his hair and she was rough with the comb. She was trying but at least Xeik’s hair wasn’t long. Once she thought she did a good job she held a proud look as she handed the comb back.

Remembering the book Mia felt a bit bad about earlier though she couldn’t place the feeling. In the book, it had a picture of Miranda and the man. She held a questionable look on her face as she pouted and hugged Xeik. Looking up at him she once more pouted before hiding her face.

Maybe he wasn’t trying to trick her after all.

It took some time to detangle the mess of hair on Miranda, but eventually he worked through it. With a quick rinse, her shimmery, silver blonde hair was finally in near pristine condition. He took a comb through it, and noted that it was smooth. To Miranda, it should have felt good.

“There we go,” he said with a smile. What came next, though, surprised him. Miranda tried her best to dunk him, and succeeded. Luckily, he didn’t inhale any water. The woman wanted to repay the kindness. “You don’t have to,” he started, but she seemed determined to work through his hair. The healer sighed with a half smile, and let her do her thing, which barely had any affect on the shorter hair that Xeik had. When she was done, though, she seemed very content with her work.

“Good job,” he said. “Didn’t really need it, but thank you anyway.” For some reason, though, she suddenly had a sullen look, and hugged Xeik. “Hm?” he asked as she broke away, leaving Xeik blushing just a little bit. “What was that for?” He looked at her curiously.

As they finished up, he showed Miranda how to dry herself with a towel, helping her at least with her hair. Wrapped in his own towel, he lead her to the changing rooms, and helped her into the short replacement dress that Angela had chosen. “All right, and now back to the room. I bet you’re hungry. I think they made something easy tonight. Probably a soup or porridge.”

Miranda didn’t know how to convey what she was sorry about so she put her hair over his head and lightly slapped his wrist. Then she gave him a frown and rubbed his wrist. It was her own way of saying sorry to Aaya.

Once they had dried off Miranda was quick to throw a towel over Xiek’s head and attempt at being gentle. Which wasn’t really gentle and more whipping his head around a little. She did try to the best of her ability.

Xeik helped dress her and she looked at the dress. It was a light nice material and her fingers rubbed against the fabric. She spun around in it and looked up at Xeik. It was just being given to her? Just like the bath? Clinging to him she peeked around him in the hallway.

There were women there talking and she scooted up against Xeik. One even tried to greet her and it forced her almost into Xeik’s arms. Her legs gave and she found herself being carried by Xeik back to the room. Even one person she didn’t know how too much for her.

Mia’s color started to look a little worse for the wear as well as she laid down on the floor and looked up at the food. She shook her head and closed her eyes. Her stomach made a noise but she didn’t feel good as she curled up into a ball.

There was a knock at the door and it was Raine, “Lady Angela says she’s showing signs of the drug now that we flushed her system a little… It might be a rough night for her Xeik.” Raine had a tray full of medicine. “Here this is for her. This balm on the right should help speed up the healing of her thigh bruises.”

It was unfortunate that Miranda’s apology was lost to Xeik. Her way of communicating was so different, and even she was having trouble figuring out how to convey what she wanted. In the end, he chalked it up to something that he would have to figure out later, and instead focused on the other tasks at hand. Even the trip back to the room was a whole ordeal; her trust in people was practically non-existent and it caused a lot of issues.

With as much as she had been doing, her legs finally gave out, and the mender ended up carrying Miranda back to the room. Despite it being time to eat, though, Miranda only seemed to get worse. Xeik had a faint idea of what was happening, but he wasn’t sure the entirety of the withdrawal symptoms she would have in comparison to his own experiences.

That was when Raine came in with a slew of medicines, most of which Xeik recognized at first glance. From that, he worked in reverse; Angela pretty much knew what drug was used, and that gave Xeik all the information he needed. As the convulsions started, Xeik went to work, and started to treat her.

Time seemed to slip by as Xeik made sure she didn’t hurt herself in her convulsions. He wiped away the sweat, cleaned off the vomit from her mouth, and made sure that she was cleaned as she lost control of her body. It was almost hard to watch, knowing full well that just over five years ago he had experienced the same thing. Still, he was glad that he could help someone in their time of need, a testament to how far he had gotten.

The tonics he had given her started to settle in, and she was able to drift off into a restless sleep. He remembered it…conscious, unmoving, but not entirely there. The half sleep, waking to only find pain, only to be put back to sleep moments later. It went on for almost a week like that. It would probably take longer for Miranda to fully recover, unlike Xeik. He had been lucky…

“Just hang in there, and fight…” He muttered, taking her hand and squeezing it. “You have so much to live for…things you’ve never seen or done. You’ll find happiness, and find love…visit fields of flowers every day if you want. And the ocean…you’d love the ocean.” His words carried a longing weight, almost as if he wanted to show her. “You just have to survive…”