Elder Iori
"I've done all I can, but she'll still need five months to fully recover. I'm honestly amazed. I've never seen anyone this heavily injured still have a chance at full recovery. Even her meridians don't seem to have taken any extra damage." The healer marveled.
"Thank you for your quick work Elder Iori, do you have any idea when she'll wake up?" Tai asked.
"She should wake in five hours." She said after a quick check. "She'll be in quite a bit of pain when she does, I suggest you have some of these suppressants ready." She directed that last bit at Raul while holding out a perscription.
He sighed with mixed feelings while not even glancing at Iori. He felt relieved it wasn't more serious, but he naturally felt frustrated with the situation too. He didn't even know what she was doing to end up this way.
A feeling of intense danger suddenly woke him up. He didn't get any time to think as a feeling of intense euphoria then pain flowed into him, he knew it was the Pairing Hearts right away.
He never imagined it could be used so far away. A quick switch of focus showed him how bad the condition of Marina's body was, and he'd already called Tai with his mirror before Marina cut the connection.
Now he looked over her sleeping form. Even after the healing her skin looked dry and sandy, as if she'd aged forty years over night.
'Why do you have to be so ruthless to yourself? Is it really worth it?' He sighed helplessly.
"Are you listening young man?" Elder Iori scowled at Raul's disregard. As an Elder with a rare healing talent, she was always treated with respect.
"Yeah yeah, I heard you. Tai, get suppressants ready." Raul waved for him to take the prescription without glancing at her.
"Do I look like a servant to you?" Tai scowled, in an extremely irritable mood. He couldn't get one damn day to sort out his feelings before shit hit the fan again. He might've been more sympathetic usually, but Raul acted the same as usual, so the two can't be all that close.
As for Tai's own concerns for Marina, as long as she had no permanent injuries he couldn't care less. He just wished she'd stop making more work for him. He already had a headache from just picturing explaining it to
"Please get some suppressants for me. I only ask cause you're the best big bro in the whole world." Raul turned and asked ingratiatingly, despite Elder Iori's presence.
Iori's face twitched at the shameless display before a frown settled. "Have some class. You're the son of the Patriarch, carry yourself with the dignity of your station." She scolded Raul before dragging him off to the next room.
"Ouch! Softer Granny, that hurts." Raul winced and complained from the force she grabbed his arm with. Even using all his might to pull back she still handled him like a child.
Elder Iori's face darkened further. She looked like a beautiful woman in her early forties, certainly not a grandmother. "Boy you better watch what you say…"
"Ah, my apologies. Your age is in the triple digits so you're a super gra – Ah!"
Qi entered him through her hand and caused pain to shoot through his arm. His qi's attempts to block it were akin to paper tiger before a storm, utterly irrelevant. Even still, her eyes widened in surprise. The short interaction gave her a glimpse of his sturdy foundation.
"Elder Iori!" Tai warned.
"Calm down Young Master, I'm merely healing his bones." She stated calmly, and it was true. Raul's broken bones were healing, regardless of how much unnecessary pain the chosen method caused.
"You can't keep coddling him Young Master. Since he has the talent to walk this road he must face the hardships that come with it." She lectured him before turning to Raul. "We've all been too lenient on you so far and allowed you to get away with ignoring our teachings. Now it's time for you to learn how to act, starting with never mess with your healer."
"Oh, I remember all you Elders' 'teachings' all too clearly." Raul sneered through the pain, his disdaining eyes never leaving the Elder. "You've all given me a full understanding of my debts, but I don't need any of that infinite wisdom crap. I'll pay them back my way."
He could never forget the shift in the Elders behavior when his disability came to light. The way those warm eyes changed to cold disdain was permanently etched into his psyche. He didn't want to hear any crap about obligations from them now.
Iori's eyes blazed. "Listen here you brat –"
"That's enough!" Tai stood between them and said in a commanding voice that brook no argument. "Elder Iori, it's beneath a healer of your stature to cause so much unnecessary pain to a patient."
Elder Iori clicked her tongue, but the pain in Raul's arm eased significantly.
"Raul, apologize." Tai looked at Raul.
"Fat chance." Raul sneered coldly.
Tai narrowed his eyes. "Apologize. No matter your personal vendetta, Elder Iori came her to heal you and your wife. Is this your way of repaying debts?"
Raul's sneer crumbled. He glanced at Marina and clenched and unclenched his free hand. "I'm sorry for my transgressions Elder. Thank you for your care." He managed to squeeze out through gritted teeth.
"Hmph, so it is possible to get some sense through that thick head." Iori snorted.
Raul's temper flared again, but a quick glare from Tai smothered them. He clicked his teeth and looked away from the irritating pair.
"There's no need for conversation, please focus on healing Elder." Tai politely asked for her silence.
Iori's mouth twitched unpleasantly, but she kept quiet.
'Hmph, so it is possible for you to shut up.' Raul almost said. It only seemed fair after how she'd commented on him, but Tai's warning eyes never left him and he had to settle with thinking it.
Under supervision, the two managed to sit without snapping at each other.