Recovery days (Phi/Siegmund C Support)

[Phi]

They had finally reached the small village where Siegmund could get some proper medical attention. The sun was about to set as Phi and another man trained in first aid were making sure that everything was okay. Surprisingly, Phi had done a pretty good job and almost nothing needed to be corrected. Sadly, no clerics or priests lived in the small hamlet, so rest was the only eay for Siegmund to recover from his injuries. Sometimes, Phi wished she studied curative magic instead of light magic. There were so many people she could've helped with it compared to the people she had fought with her light beams. Maybe one day, she'd be able to learn how to heal the wounded to ease their sufferings.

After making sure that Siegmund was okay as she brought him to his room inside of the inn which the town elder had so graciously offered for him to regain his strength for a few days, Phi decided to quickly head off for bed, this whole thing had tired her out quite a bit after all. She didn't forget to pray for a bit before bed, thanking Elimine for guiding Phi to find the young man. Otherwise, he would've probably ended up god knows where, captured by brigands to be used as a slave. Her conscience being at ease knowing she had done something good that day, she let herself drift off into a deep well deserved sleep.

The following day, she decided to let Siegmund rest for a bit, instead going downstairs to try and help the innkeeper to thank him for letting them have the rooms. He was surprisingly nice as he asked her to help make breakfast. Some toasted bread and a bit of cured ham with a sunny-side up egg. It wasn't anything fancy but it did the job. Cooking was definitly something Phi enjoyed to do, she did use to feed many mouths at one point... After having helped the man with serving and perparing the meal, the innkeeper was kind enough to let her bring up a plate for the poor injured boy upstairs. Thanking him sincerely, Phi went for the stairs with the warm breakfast. Slowly opening the door, she said in a soft voice without looking inside of the room: "Siegmund? Are you awake by any chance?"

[Deleted]

Siegmund had always been an early riser, apparently being injured hadn't changed that. Though with the comfort of his bed and how accustomed he'd grown to the slight soreness Siegmund could have easily forgotten that he WAS injured. He supposed he had much to be thankful for. A tumble from that height could have easily killed him a number of different ways. Ah, he found it best not to think too hard on that though.

Instead he focused on his surroundings. A modest room – reminded him a bit of home. Soft bedding, the size of the bed itself only large enough for himself. A single room at an inn. Nothing spectacular, nothing he hadn't seen before, but the familiarity only made it even more cozy. So Siegmund had little to complain about.

Then he heard a familiar voice from the other side of the room door. It opened a crack as Phi asked if Siegmund was awake. He could smell...eggs? Some sort of meat as well, likely ham from the smell of it. She'd brought him breakfast as well? Hah...he'd really need to find a way to repay the woman for her kindness. Yes, he was certainly lucky indeed. It seemed misfortune also bred new fortune in tandem.

“I am. Please come in.” Siegmund called from the bed. Ordinarily he would get to his feet and open it himself, but given he was supposed to be resting it was safe to assume Phi wouldn't be thrilled with him if he did so.

[Phi]

As she heard his voice, she entered the room slowly before closing the door behind her. Turning around, she saw the yung boy wrapped in his bandages. He seemed to be doing pretty well all things considered which brought a smile to her face. The light from the sun was starting to light up the small room as it crept up Phi's body to warm her. It was strange to be directly warmed by the sun when her usual robes were much too thick to let the heat affect her directly. However today since she wasn't travelling she opted to only wear the white blouse that was normally under her much thicker robes. Walking over to Siegmund, she brought the plate and placed it on the small table, laying down a fork next to it while dragging the table so that it'd be next to the bed. Hey, she liked to take care of people. Helping Siegmund out was almost making her nostalgic in a way. It had been a while since she actually cared for somebody since... ANYWAYS!

"Here you go, that's for you. Hope you're hungry, I did make it myself afterall..." she giggled a bit at her own words. Walking over to the window, she could see people slowly starting their day, some heading off to the fields while others were going to their workshops. Small villages like this were definitely one of Phi's favorite places. Just the atmosphere of a close-knitted community was beautiful to see. Maybe she could go see later in the day if her skills in writing could be of use. She absolutely did not want to be a burden to these people after all. Coming back to face Siegmund, she sat on the end of the bed as she asked him something: "So, how are you doing today? Hope your wounds don't hurt too much...

[Deleted]

“You made this yourself? I'm...grateful, Phi.” If the young man hadn't already made the internal assessment of how kind and generous a person Phi seemed to be, and if he hadn't already thanked the woman time and again for helping him as she had, then he'd certainly do both right then and there. However he hoped she understood just how grateful he was by this point. More words on top of what he'd already spoken wouldn't do anything. He'd simply have to find a way to return the favor with actions.

...There was uh, also the fact that an admittedly beautiful woman had just served him breakfast in bed. And was now seated on that bed with him. Ah, the cruelties of male hormones and the teenage mind. Siegmund did his best to keep his eyes fixed on his food. It would be bad enough to stare at her ordinarily – but the fact that she was a woman of the cloth just made it that much ho-NO, worse. Worse.

“A-as for how I am.” A rare stutter as Siegmund cleared his throat. He grasped his utensils and began to cut his ham. Between the hot food and the warmth of the sun he WAS feeling comfortable on all other fronts, so there was that. “I feel wonderful. Definitely cannot complain. I figured I'd try to walk about later, see how that feels, and if all goes well I can head home first thing tomorrow. I'd rather not overstay my welcome, or deepen my debt to you.”

Having collected himself by this point Siegmund looked up at Phi and smiled before he took a bite of the ham. It was quite good! Not the best he'd ever had, but, he could probably do without saying that out loud. Either way it was still delicious, and the youth nodded his head in approval as he had a bite of egg to follow.

“Mhm, this food is quite good! So you make for a good chef as well, then? I imagine this is a skill you picked up outside of the church?”

[Phi]

"Oh please, I'm helping because I want to, you don't have to feel like you owe me anything Siegmund." It'd be wrong to expect a reward when she was the one who decided to bring him here and to nurse him back to health. She wasn't petty enough to demand a reward for her good deeds.

He seemed to be enjoying the meal she had prepared for him. Feeling relieved, she smiled softly as she watched him eat the food, it definitely felt like back home. Guess all she could do was enjoy this small break and relax for a bit. It took only a few moments before Siegmund asked about where she had learned to cook: "Oh quite the contrary. The church was also responsible for taking care of orphans. Cooking was one of the skills I had to learn to take care of them on top of multiple other things such as sewing and first aid, but I think you knew that last part already." she giggled a bit as she eyeing over the young man with all of his bandages on him. It was quite a sight to behold to be fair. "But thank you, it feels nice to have my cooking being complimented." Huh, for once she took the compliment without getting embarassed... Was it because it was an insignificant skill in the grand scheme of things or was it because she started to warm up to Siegmund and enjoy his company more? Even she wasn't totally sure nor did she really care right now, it was simply nice to be able to talk to someone casually like this.

"How about you? Do you have any interests besides training with that sword of yours?" she said, pointing to the iron sword sheated and leaned against the wall.

[Deleted]

Mhm, the food really was quite delicious. Siegmund happily continued to savor the taste as Phi spoke to him. She reminded him that she acted out of her own desires and that he owed nothing to her, and that was true. It didn't really matter in regards to how Siegmund felt, though. He would happily accept her kindness but he was still determined to return the favor. He wasn't quite sure how, unfortunately. Siegmund didn't really have much to offer...but he'd come up with a way.

“Ah, yes. I can very much attest to your first-aid prowess.” Siegmund hadn't exactly been on the brink of death, but he would certainly have wound up in much worse shape had it not been for Phi. “But you learned to care for orphans at the church, hm? That sounds quite fulfilling...” ...To the average person. Siegmund would gladly lend some sort of aid to children in need, yes, but that wasn't enough to bring him long-lasting joy. He'd already learned that bringing happiness to others alone wasn't enough to satisfy him. “Well, I'm certain those children were happy to eat such good food every day.”

Having made his way through about half of his breakfast, he contemplated Phi's question. His interests...hah. How did he even phrase them? Swallowing the food in his mouth, Siegmund took a breath before he was ready to try and answer. “I have many interests beyond honing my swordsmanship. I enjoy reading all manners of literature. From historical texts to fictional novels. I have a yearning to see the world as well...”

Those were the desires of his friends. Of Leif, Reina, and Hadvar. Yet each of them were satisfied to cling to just one of those desires. They were happy to settle for so little in life – enough that it drove them forward. But Siegmund's ambition was larger. Those desires weren't the end goal but instead they were tools. Prowess, knowledge, and experience that Siegmund could add to his skill sets to serve an even greater purpose.

“...But most of all, I want...more. To elevate my current status in all areas.” That was the only way he could truly phrase it, and even then it wasn't quite right. Siegmund still strove to work out exactly what it was he wanted out of his life. Until then, he could only focus on the tools he could utilize to reach that coveted goal. So he smiled at Phi and nodded. “Anything that brings me closer to that end is worth taking interest in.”

[Phi]

At the mention of the kids, Phi's mind kindof went into a flurry of pictures and sounds amalgamating into memories. It felt good at first however as her mind reached the fall of Ostia, she couldn't stop thinking about the blood. The blood, it was everywhere, on everything, in everything, covering all in the church...

I couldn't help them They counted on me, I was their big sister... "Phi, come play with us! Phiiii, I hurt my knee!" Hehe, I still cherish those memories fondly... But sadly I can't think about their cute little faces without also seeing their hopeless expression as their skulls were crush-Stopstopstopstopican'tgobackidon'twannaseeitnono!!! Ha...ha... It's like a barrier in my mind stopping me from truly reliving that day, the wall keeps breaking down slowly and my fear makes me rebuild it as soon as i start seeing through the cracks.
I can't look behind it, never. I don't know if I'll be able to still want to live if I start to remember it all. I already hate myself enough... I was too weak to protect them, I remember that for sure. My own lack of strength lead to their death.
Nobody but me is responsible... I-I just... wish I could see their faces again. Any memories I do still hold, I can't place any of their faces in my minds. All of them have lost their personnalities in my head. I can't even protect that for Elimine's sake... I... I simply let them all die. I don"t remember exactly but I know that that is true. I can feel it at the very core of my being from the other side of the wall, tempting me, trying to break down the wall. Oh! That was just like when Stepha- ohgodohgodnonopleaseidon,twannaseeitmakeitallgoawaystopstopstop!!!

Suddenly, she broke out of her stupor as Siegmund was talking about whatever it was... Ah yes, interests. She honestly had lost her train of thoughts from earlier, still stunned by those traumatizing seconds of agony in her head. Staying silent as she listened to him, she noticed that she had actually started to sweat a bit because of this. Dang, she didn't want him knowing about this! Trying to sound natural, she decided to simply give a normal answer as she did not have the concentration to start thinking about it seriously now.

"Wow, you're pretty determined huh? That definitely sounds promising alright. Yeah, she was still kindof in shock, not the time to think deeply about anything.

[Deleted]

...Hm, it seemed Phi wasn't all that interested in Siegmund's goals. In retrospect he should have expected as much. She was a member of the cloth, after all. Didn't exactly seem the overly ambitious type – which was fine. Further more Siegmund still couldn't clearly articulate his goals. That was why he opted not to speak on them if he wasn't prompted. No sense spouting rhetoric that would only confuse that whom he spoke with, unless that was his intent. So while he was a touch disappointed he didn't hold anything against Phi. He really couldn't either way, given all she'd done for him.

“Moving right along...” Siegmund spoke after a final bite of his food. While Phi had made her brief response to his semi-monologue, he'd finished the rest of his breakfast. As much as he enjoyed the flavor he hadn't wanted it to go cold. He set his utensils down and smiled at Phi. “The meal was delicious, I have to thank you once again for it.”

Hm, still, Siegmund didn't like the idea of remaining bedridden – especially having eaten. It was inefficient. He didn't require so much rest that he couldn't stand up and walk about at all. So Siegmund shifted on his bed in preparation to climb off it. He wore slacks beneath his bed shirt, so there was no fear of indecent exposure in front of the lady. “Though having eaten I feel even better. I think it'd be good if I were to walk around for a bit. A test to make sure I'm ready to head home tomorrow.”

Siegmund tossed his blankets and bed sheets off of himself, carefully held his plate, and slipped his legs over the side of the bed. “I want to see the town, as well. This is still my first time stepping outside of Bern after all – may as well make a bit of a vacation out of it while I can. Care to join me?” Siegmund wasn't going to take no for an answer when it came to whether or not he would be “allowed” to go on this stroll, but if Phi was not interested then he'd understand. Walks weren't always better with company, but Siegmund would prefer not to wander about this new town alone.

Not that he'd admit it, though.

[Phi]

"Ah. Oh yes! Thank you, I'm glad you liked it!" She was finally taken out of her own head by Siegmund's comment.
By Elimine, I hope I didn't make him suspiscious of me... Seeing try to get out of bed, she seemed a bit worried until she noticed that his movements looked very natural and didn't look painful at all. Hmm, the boy was healing quickly at least. He also seemed to want to visit the town.

"Heh, glad to see you in such high spirits! Alright, sure. I think it'll also do me some good to not have to worry about bandits or wild beasts. Turning to look outside the window, she looked at a couple of children playing in the streets while multiple housewives were taking a break together from their probably very busy day. Looking at them, she decided it would nice to simply enjoy herself for the day.

However, she did go to grab his plate out of his hands. "Though I STILL will take care of that at the very least, I'll be waiting outside." Quickly exiting the room, she descended the staircase to thank the cook as she gave him back the plate. Telling her to not worry about it, he smiled at her and told her that she had been a great help. Phi was about to mention something about Saint Elimine's kindness but stopped herself as she remembered not many Lycians would like to hear about Elimine after the fall of Ostia. She herself didn't associate with the Etrurian church, but she was still a believer in Elimine... But trying to explain that to people would sometimes be difficult in all honesty.

Going outside, she felt strange to leave her tome in her room. It had been such a long while since she had simply relaxed like this...

[Deleted]

“You're too kind.” Siegmund said with a light chuckle as Phi exited his room. That was a minor relief. Pretty woman was no longer seated on his bed. Somehow his room felt a bit cooler...

While standing was fine and easy enough, actual action was a bit more difficult. It wasn't so much that Siegmund was wracked with pain, not at all, but more that parts of his body were stiff. Er...well, it was true regardless how that was taken. His back and shoulders were what he spoke of, specifically. His legs as well, due to having spent the vast majority of his time stuck in bed. As such it took a bit longer than usual for him to change out of his bed clothes and into attire suitable for walking about outdoors.

Still, once he'd actually changed into his tunic and slacks, Siegmund felt quite pleased with himself. As he expected it felt quite good to briefly resume life as a proper individual again. Life as an invalid was not nearly as pleasant as...well, few probably found it to be pleasant at all, but Siegmund knew plenty of individuals who longed for a life of laziness. He was not among them.

After his boots were tied he stepped out of his room, key in hand so that he could lock it behind him. He wasn't entirely certain where Phi had gone, she hadn't specified where she'd meet him or anything, but given that she'd taken his plate and utensils he presumed she'd be in the main seating area, where one had easy access to the cooks. So Siegmund descended the stair case, looking around for the dark haired pseudo-nun.