[open post!]

[ravkanwitch]

Nina misses Ketterdam.

Make no mistake, she is Ravkan through and through; her pride for her country is one of her largest defining features (and she has many delightful defining features). But when she allows herself a moment to think, it is the hustle and bustle of Ketterdam that she misses. The ships in the harbor, the vendors hawking in the Barrel, the shops, the friends, the noise, the friends--

There’s always a weariness to the initial dance of friendship. Of her new acquaintances, only two are aware of her abilities and only one of them - Shen Qingqiu - even has an inkling of their full extent. Fortunately, that also means there’s room to grow…

She’s found hot chocolate and now she’s seated somewhere, sipping at it and reminiscing about Ketterdam, wondering what Inej and Jesper and Kaz and everyone must be doing right now.

Comments

[ravkanwitch]

Nina picks up his hand again, starting to apply some salve to the burn. Her hands are warm and callused in some places from her recent difficult journey through the Fjerdan woods.

"I see," she says, the wheels turning in her head. Could he be an Inferni? Or something similar? A lot of Grisha don't understand what's happening to when they first discover their abilities -- but even if he was from her world, which he doesn't seem to be, he's slightly too old for the initial discovery. Her mind turns more practical again. "When I'm done bandaging your hand, do you think your friend could check you for any burns on your body? It looks as though you might have burned yourself badly..."

[onthewillowsthere]

The warmth of her hands is as comforting as any of the warmth he's felt lately: he likes the slight roughness of her fingers, the firmness of her grip.

He thinks of the warmth of skin and the heat of the fire and the light white-hot in the kitchen and struggles not to jerk himself away.

"I'm not hurt," still quiet, speaking mainly for Nina. "That's why I burned myself."

[ravkanwitch]

She doesn't respond to him quite yet and keeps her hold on his hand until she's neatly bandaged the burn. That, at least, she can do. She wishes she could do more. "There," she says, stepping back to look at her handiwork. "That should heal well. Not fast - but well."

She looks up at him now, ready to respond. "Did something happen? Did you... somehow burn your clothing but not your skin?"

[onthewillowsthere]

The unhurt hand he drops to his side, his fingers twisting in the burnt fabric. "I--" As frightened as he is, it feels stupid to keep saying the same words that no one understands. I am a weapon, I am a sword, I am a flame. He feels as if he's speaking a language untranslated.

He feels ashamed.

He hurt Laertes, then let him go on the wild errand of managing the burn by himself, then let him be scolded by Nina. He snapped at Lan Wangji. He wept all over Shen Qingqiu. He feels like a child throwing a fit, letting everyone else manage his hurt feelings.

If he tells her, she'll try to help. Everyone has tried to help. Everyone has been kind.

He is a stumbling wild animal, with a power he doesn't understand that could leap out of him at any moment, and the self who knew what was going on is still locked away. He's as naive as Damien and as much a danger as Galahad.

His shoulders sink. "I made a mistake. It was nothing. Thank you for looking after me."

[ravkanwitch]

Nina does not believe him. Even without being able to feel his heartbeat, without sensing it increase, she knows that this is a blatant lie - especially with what she’s seen. She frowns. But what is she to do? She can’t force this young man into telling her the truth.

“You’re welcome,” is all she says.

“Sir,” she says, turning to Laertes now. “I’m sorry for snapping at you earlier. I… I was panicked. What’s your name?”

[timebethine]

"My name is Laertes, and I know not how his clothing came to be burned," says Laertes. It had not at any prior moment achieved top priority in his concerns about Damien; the moment it had occurred to him to ask, several other fire-related priorities arose rather precipitously. "He has ... forgot himself, and all the world besides," says Laertes reluctantly. "He forgot that fire burned. I fear the lesson was a hard one."

[onthewillowsthere]

He relaxes just a little. He had forgot, the first time, and if Laertes thinks both times were forgetting, then perhaps he can just be thought ignorant.

"Laertes is hurt too," he says. "He tried to stop my hand."

[ravkanwitch]

“We all forget things,” Nina says, easily, turning to Laertes. “Can I see your hand, please?”

[timebethine]

"It only smarts a little," Laertes says, but offers his hand anyway. There's a fine, fat blister rising on one finger, and a smaller one on the next, but it's not much worse than the kind of burn one might get from handling a hot pot carelessly.

[onthewillowsthere]

He'd actually forgotten, until just now when he said something, all about the fact that Laertes was also burned, and he's relieved to see the result of it isn't bad. And Nina will know what to do; she knew what to do for his hand.

[ravkanwitch]

“Let’s see,” Nina says, taking a look. “Good news is that it’s not bad at all. I think we should still put some salve on it though. I know the burns were a… mistake, but… is everything okay in this house? Nothing burned down?”

[timebethine]

"Not that I saw," says Laertes carefully. He is all too aware that, if Damien's clothes were burn, there was likely another fire that he didn't see.

[ravkanwitch]

“Hmm. Okay.” She starts rolling up the cloths that she didn’t use. “Well, if either of you get your dressings wet, please come and find me. I‘ll rebandage them for you.”

[timebethine]

"Thank you, my lady Nina," says Laertes. He makes a swift bow to her, and then to Damien, to whom he says, "Please come find me, an thou need me."

[onthewillowsthere]

He nods. "Thank you for helping me."

[ravkanwitch]

“My pleasure,” Nina says, smiling at both of them.