Page 119 of To Fight and To Fold

"Ouch," Aaryn murmured, glaring at the tips of her fingers. She flipped Thea's hand over, lifting the pot from the table and holding it beneath her fingers.

Carefully, Aaryn tilted the container and dipped the pad of Thea's forefinger into the ointment. It stung slightly, but less than it had acquiring the burns. The myrtle would soothe it in time.

Thea let her hand go limp in Aaryn's as she lifted what wasn't one sheet of cloth, but many tiny slivers. She wrapped the small strip around Thea's first finger, careful to keep the fabric flat over the most sensitive skin. Around and around it went until she tied it off with the smallest knot.

She worked in silence, and while she was preoccupied, Thea took her time studying Aaryn.

Her deep rose hair was braided back away from her face, but her work from the day left small tendrils escaping in every direction. Her full lips were firm in a line with concentration, brow furrowed.

Her hands were gentle as she lifted Thea's and dipped the next finger, before showing it the same amount of focus and care as she had the other.

Thea shifted her stiff back in the chair, and their knees brushed. Neither of them moved away.

"You make quite the healer," Thea said when Aaryn relinquished her hand. She studied the tidy knots and tested the strength by bending her fingers. The bandage didn't roll up.

"I watched a lot of people get bandaged today," she murmured, and held out her hand.

Thea placed her opposite hand in Aaryn's and waited for the tingly healing sensation.

"You didn't have to do this," Thea told her, a little uncomfortable at the attention, the tender care.

"I know," Aaryn said, easily waving her efforts off.

Thea bit back a smile and turned her head. It was then that she noticed a new drawing had been hung, separate from Thea's, next to the wardrobe.

"Did you hang that?" Thea asked.

Aaryn stiffened, glanced over at the new addition, and nodded. "One of the kids gave me that one in exchange for—well, I don't really know why, to be honest," she said.

Thea hummed, studying the drawing. It matched a few she had on her own wall. "That's probably Kiam."

"The small one," Aaryn clarified, lifting her gaze.

Thea nodded, swallowed. "Yeah, that's the one."

"He's cute. He lives with the taller boy?"

"The leader-ish one?" When Aaryn nodded, Thea continued. "Yeah. That's Finnan."

"Where are their parents?"

Thea blew out a breath. "Finnan lives with Kiam's family. They took him in after Timberscale."

Aaryn paused for a moment, attention trailing to the drawing and then back to the task at hand. "Oh."

"He's adjusted well. I think Kiam gives him someone to look after. Someone to distract him from it all."

"Good," Aaryn said softly, expression carefully blank as she tied off another finger.

Thea could guess what was hiding behind her facade, because she'd felt the same things. Instead of letting the feelings percolate, she lifted her hand, bending her fingers into a claw shape. And then she—meowed?

Aaryn's lip didn't even twitch, and it was a bit humiliating. "Can I ask you something?"

Thea nodded.

"What happened to your family?"

"Oh," Thea said, her hand falling back to her lap.