Flashback: Sylphiette Healer Extraordinaire

Sylphy [pov]

Tap. Tap. tap…

While I was sleeping, something kept tapping at my window.

Tap. Tap. Tap…

I didn't know what it was, but it kept tapping at it.

Tap. Tap…

Again and again…

"...mmm… who was it?" groaning, eventually I couldn't take it anymore, and woke up. Going to my window I went to check it out, opening the window with sleepy eyes.

"Kya-" 

Only for a hand to shoot out from the shadows and cover my mouth.

"Sylphy calm-" a voice called out to me.

I blasted it. 

I didn't know what was going on, but I wasn't having any of it. When a man lays a hand on you, you can lay your hands right back, and hard. Preferably with Magic.

Rudy lesson number… something!

And I wasn't going to let anyone touch me.

Also something Rudy said.

Throwing 'it,' out the window, I slammed it against the tree, before putting up a barrier in front of me, and preparing to fight. 

I'm an, almost, Saint rank mage you know!

"Hugwah-"

A noise and crash later, and I was free.

Looking outside the window, the shadows made it very hard to see, but thanks to my magic I could faintly see the figure of…

"...Rudy's dad?" 

Coming into view… propped against the tree…

"H-hey Sylphy… you've gotten pretty strong." He said, raising a hand weakly and looking at me with a smile. "Um... may I come in? I won't cover your mouth, or anything, I just… ooph that hurt… didn't want you to wake your parents up, and… I kind of… wanted your help."

"Um… sure?"

Confused, I didn't know what to do, but I let him in anyway.

It's what Rudy would want me to do, or at least I think so. So despite being… weird, and Rude, I let him anyway. 

Having good manners is the sign of a good lady. 

That and mom said having good relations with Rudy's dad and mom will go a long way for my future. 

I don't know… but it's worth a shot.

Trotting along inside, sir Paul dropped mud everywhere leaving the remains of shattered armor in pieces in the corner, before dropping at the corner of my bed.

…he got my room dirty…

Instant regret.

"Ha ha," he looked out the window, as he sat on my bed. "Sorry about that. Old habits die hard. I saw a window, and went through it, but enough about all that. I've made a little bit of a boo-boo and I'd like your help."

"Boo-boo?"

I swear he thought I was four. 

I'm almost eight!

"Yeah… you see… I… got myself a little bit of an injury, and… could use a little bit of healing. I was thinking of… whew… I was thinking of going to my wife and getting healed like always, buuut… worrying her might not be a good thing, right?" he asked me.

"Right?"

"Exactly. Anyway… I was walking down the road when it came to me…" he pointed to the roof, "who do I know has… whew… has healing magic and could help me out in a time like this, then bam, out of nowhere, your window came into view."

"Ah… huh…"

"And that's why I'm here."

"..."

Suspicious…

I don't know what was going on. I don't know what. But something was suspicious about what he said. But I couldn't put my finger on it. I was still pretty sleepy.

"...can't Rudy's mom or Rudy heal you too?" 

But not 'that' sleepy. I was starting to wake up as the talk kept going.

"I think Rudy's mom specialized in these kinds of things, doesn't she?"

"I don't want her to worry."

"I don't think she would be worried. If Rudy got injured I'd be more angry that he didn't ask me to heal him then him trying to hide his injuries. You should be more responsible sir Paul."

"...am I being chastised by a child?" He grumbled under his breath.

"I'm seven!"

And eight months! That's more than halfway to being an adult! Paul was being rude right?

"Shh, shh!" He puts a finger to his lips telling me to be quiet. "Please don't make too much… ooph that still hurts," he grabbed his stomach, "don't make too much noise. I was covering your mouth for a reason. I don't want your mom and dad coming here and getting angry at me."

So you are doing something bad! I thought at the time.

"Don't look at me like that. It's not like that at all. Your mom and Rudy's mom are just good friends, that if your mom found out about… whew… this… she would definitely tell her, and then that would invite a whole lot of… quest-" He stopped himself. "Worries that she doesn't need. As for your dad. He'd just get angry for getting you involved in these shenanigans." 

I just stared at him.

"I really am injured you know… can you please heal me?" He looked at me pitifully.

…he looked kind of like Rudy…

"...okay…"

…I gave in. I felt like I was cheated. But I gave in. If Rudy asks why I healed his dad, I'll lie and tell him, because it was the right thing to do.

Yup, that's right. I was being nice. Yup. 

"Thanks Sylphiette!" He hugged me, and raised me off the ground.

He was getting me dirty!

I elbowed him in the stomach.

"W-why did you do t-that?" He groaned. Hunched over, and doubling down on the floor.

"Men that force themselves on girls are no good. That's how you're supposed to respond."

"...that's not what that means…"

"It's what Rudy says."

"...of course it is…" he groaned still scrunched over.

"...are you alright?"

"...you hit my injury," he told me.

"Ah." 

///

After that he told me everything.

Sitting down on bed I performed my healing duties as Rudy taught me.

Luckily the injury wasn't too bad that even someone like me could patch him up. There were a few cuts and pieces here and there, but nothing too serious where I would have to ask Miss Zenith about… but there were alot of them. And one really nasty one.

A boo-boo doesn't do it justice.

Long story short, he fought a wild beast, and got injured. He had just finished training with Rudy for the day, when he got a surprise attack by a wild animal. He needed healing, but didn't want to worry Rudy's mom so he came to my house instead. Apparently Rudy's mom was angry with him earlier for being reckless, and this would have made her more angry.

"And that's it," he put on his shirt, as he waved his arm in circles testing his flexibility. "Hmm, that's not half bad. If you become an adventurer in the future I recommend you become a cleric. Their the lifeblood of the party."

"Hmph, of course I am Roxy and Rudy's student." I puffed out my chest with pride.

"Yup, I can totally see it," he said with a smirk on his face. "You sure do pack a mean wallop you know."

"Hmph, that's barely a push by Rudy's standards."

"Yeah… you're definitely right about that. Anyways," he grabbed his tattered gear, "I'm off, I made my wife worried enough just by being here," he hopped by the window.grabbing the tattered remains of his gears, wrapping it up and throwing it out the window. 

Maybe he was too healthy.

"I'll see you off Sylphiette. I'll make sure to send Rudy your way, and hint at him to give you a kiss already."

"K-kiss? I stuttered.

"Of course." He smirked. "It's the least he could do after patching up his old man. You don't want to kiss him?"

"T-t-that's not what I'm saying?!" I yelled.

"Ha ha, and that's my q to leave," he opened up the window, and turned back to look at me. "Try to calm down Sylphiette. You'd probably wake up your parents at this rate. Oh! And don't tell anyone about this. Let's keep this our little secret, and I'll help you out, by sending Rudy your way."

"Gr-mnnn…"

I hate it.

That is what you call a bribe isn't it.

I hated that it was working.

"...I don't think keeping secrets is a good idea…" I grumbled.

"...you're not wrong," he ruffled his hair as he looked at the ceiling, "but we're not keeping secrets. We're postponing them. In a few days time you can brag about it to Rudy how you healed his old man all by yourself, and ask him for something."

"Ask him… something?"

"Something~" He wiggled his eyebrows. "Like kissing."

He was making fun of me.

I started gathering mana, ready to push him off. It was fine. He healed. So I can be rough with him. In fact I think Rudy would praise me for it. 

When people push you, you push back.

"And I'm gone," he hopped out the window.

Feeling a little disgruntled I looked around my room and the state he left it in. It was muddy. Mud everywhere, dirty bed sheets, small pieces of chainmail on the corner. It was a complete mess. My bedsheets were ruined with splotches of dirt, sweat, and a little bit of blood.

After doing him a favor he didn't even offer to help clean for me.

"I'm going to tell on him."

Rudy taught me a lot of things. Roxy taught me even more.

Roxy lesson number one; being nice is fine, but being overly nice can make people take advantage of you. You have to set your limits, else people won't take you seriously. 

I feel like I was just taken advantage of. 

And all I had to show for it was a dirty room.

Should I have asked for payment?

But then it really would feel like a bribe.

"Hahh…"

Knock. Knock. 

A moment later my parents would come in.

Wondering what all the noise was about, funny enough not the noise Paul was making, but the noise I was making, my parents would walk into a scene of me washing my blanket, and hanging it out the window.

…they thought I wet the bed…

Annoying. Sir Paul is annoying.

All I had to show for it was an embarrassed face.

///

"And that's what happened."

I finished telling my story.

Rudy and Lilia stood before me as they listened quietly through the whole thing.

Feeling disgruntled and confused I swallowed my feelings that day, and nearly forgot them when the next morning I got a note from Roxy sensei, and remembered about the more important things in life. 

Like Rudy's and I's date.

Then Rudy forgot about me, and it all came back.

I dropped a cold shower on his head.

Anyhow, I had just finished sharing my note about Roxy sensei a second ago, when one thing led to another, and I remembered that Paul came to visit me last night. 

He said to keep it a secret, but I wasn't going to keep it from Rudy.

I don't need his help.

…okay maybe I need it a little…

But… keeping secrets is bad, and my gut is telling me it would have backfired if I didn't. 

So I told him. I wanted to hear his opinion.

…Rudy looked really annoyed by the time I finished…

"I'll kill him," Rudy said.

On that note, Paul was probably right about one thing. It probably was a good idea that I healed him instead.

Rudy looks a little angry.

So cool~

Rudy's angry face is cute too.

"Now that I think about it…" I whispered to myself, "a kiss can be a form of payment too." I looked at Rudy's lips. 

He owes me one… or two… right?

"Indeed," Miss Lilia said from behind me. 

I turned to look at her.

Her eyes were shining in the light.

She doesn't have demon eyes right?!

///

I didn't know it then, but my day had just begun.