Make the Ouchies Go Away!

A hand on her wrist paused her packing.

“I’ll go with you this time,” Corinne said.

Weaver wrinkled her brow at her partner, lower arms still paused in their motion. “You hate when I do this.”

Corinne rolled her dark eyes, putting her hands on her hips. “Yes, because it means we lose progress on our experiments. But I know you’re not going to stop it, so I’m going to go with you.” Seeing the look on Weaver’s face, she huffed. “The guards almost got you last time, because you don’t have a single fucking offensive power.”

Usually, Corinne could be a pushover for Weaver, but as she sized her partner up, she knew that wouldn’t work today.

“You could get sick.”

“Says the woman going to heal half of Conquest from the flu, cold, and whatever other problems they have,” Corinne retorted as she donned her cloak, knowing she had already won.

“It’s not like I really care about healing them,” Weaver grumbled.

“I know, you like pushing yourself to your limits and beyond them,” Corinne said, shaking her head. “Omma forbid the healer likes healing.”

It was her turn to roll her eyes, as she finished packing herbs, gauze, and smuggled medicines into her pack. “I don’t like it.”

“Mmmhm, that’s why you go into Conquest every year to heal thousands, and why all your favorite kinks involve making me bleed so you can heal it, and why you like being over the operating table using your power at the same time you use the scalpel…”

“You’re going to be really annoying all week, aren’t you?” Weaver grumbled.

“Yes, of course. We’re not even going to have sex for like a week while we dodge guards for this, I’ve gotta do something to entertain myself besides killing them all for you.” Corinne busied herself doing up the lacing on a bag of her own.

“What’s in that?” Weaver asked, figuring she might as well quit before she lost this any harder than she already had.

“Food,” Corinne answered, giving her a Look. “You didn’t eat the last time you did this, as though pushing your magical limits has to mean pushing your physical limits.”

Weaver cursed under her breath. She really hadn’t thought Corinne had noticed.

“How are you both the stupidest and the smartest woman I’ve ever met?” Corinne asked, laughing in spite of herself. She crossed to Weaver, and wrapped her arms around her neck, leaning in to kiss her. “Look, I’m just being a jerk to be a jerk. I know this is something you feel compelled to do, just like I feel compelled to still keep up with TV and fashion from the Isles. You help me with smuggling for that and getting the signals, so I’m helping you with this.”

Weaver pressed her lips against Corinne’s, smiling a bit herself. “I know… I do appreciate it, and you, annoyance and all.” She sighed, parting from her to shoulder her pack. “Let’s get going, it’s a trip.”

“Do you have contacts who bring people to you there?” Corinne asked, following her out the door. Unlike Weaver, she paused to lock it, and to activate the protective spells on the building, which were written in her own blood.

“Kind of.” She gazed out over the lake they lived on, before beginning to walk on the concealed stones that let them look as though they walked upon the water. “I never stay put long, but people I’ve healed will take their friends or family and go looking to find me.”

Corinne shook her head. “Got it.” This was going to be a long week, she could already tell… But she wasn’t going to let Weaver heal half a city from the flu without some form of protection again.