Alton had absolutely kicked Veximarl out of the room on purpose. His only goal was to get laid. This was the conclusion that Veximarl had come up with.

Veximarl sighed heavily. Better in the room than them getting caught somewhere else. He was currently waiting for Gwyn to finish up her business in the infirmary before they left for Tilrey. Blu wanted to send them off with some supplies for Philomena. She was showing them off to Tish as she packed them away.

“I heard that Zynn’s shield takes the shape of a turtle shell, and I simply loved the motif,” exclaimed Blu as she held up a quilt. She had made three. One with a mountain theme for Philomena, another with turtles doing acrobatics for Zynn, and a final one with winged turtles for Zikor.

“They’re absolutely lovely!” squealed Tish. “Do they have matching pillows yet?”

“I was hoping to have them done next week,” continued Blu. “Philomena is such a dear. Honestly, it’s been so refreshing to talk with her about the medical practices in the Crimson Region.”

Gwyn glanced up from her work. She honestly couldn’t care less about their gossip. “Vex, I’m done,” she finished braiding Anais’ hair. Every day, she would come in here to speak with Anais. Simply to tell her what was happening and to brush out her hair.

Anais’ wolf was sprawled out at the bottom of her bed. Still nameless. Gwyn and Ivy took turns walking him around the barracks so that he could stretch his legs, but other than a few short breaks, he refused to leave Anais’ side.

Veximarl reached out his hand and Anais obediently turned her head to the side. She had been in a coma for four days after her accident. There had been some brain damage. Most of her motor functions had survived, but she had trouble with language. Specifically, she couldn’t understand anyone if they spoke quickly, and could hardly form any words herself. She mostly just smiled and nodded whenever someone said anything to her.

“Your heart still needs a long time to recover. It will be several weeks before you stop feeling lightheaded whenever you stand up.” Veximarl had been checking her vitals on a daily basis. “I don’t believe that you will ever have a full recovery, however, you still have a long life ahead of you.” His fingers slipped away and he gave a brief squeeze to her hand.

“A load of shit this is,” muttered Ivy.

“Language!” Called out Blu from the other side of the room.

“I’m sorry, Doctor Blu, but I can’t stand this.” Ivy held up the stack of letters that Naiov had been sending Anais.

They were mostly letters of apology. After that came daily letters that talked about what he was doing each day. Naiov was likely venting due to frustration over his situation but that didn’t stop Ivy from being pissed.

“It’s for Anais to decide when she’s better,” replied Gwyn. She took the letters from Ivy’s hand and set them on the table. “Are you ready to go, Vex?”

“Yes.” Veximarl stood up and went to straighten the flower arrangement on the table. Gwyn immediately glared at him with the fury of a thousand suns. Without a word, Veximarl quickly rotated the flower back to where it had been and took a step back.

Tish pouted at Blu. “Are you certain I can’t go with them?”

Blu blinked a few times. “I had completely forgotten that you were staying! Wait right there, Tish. I made extra copies of the medical records. Bring them to Luca so that he can compare them to the information he has gathered.”

While Tish continued to pout at her knight, Veximarl and Gwyn slipped out of the infirmary. He was surprised that Ivy wanted to go to the elementalist encampment instead of Tilrey, likely because she wanted to give Naiov a piece of her mind.

Gwyn wasn’t going to argue with her dear friend’s logic. She loaded up the blankets and other supplies in a governess cart. They sat opposite of one another, crammed in by both supplies and Alex, who was waving his tail frantically about as he examined every angle of the cart.

Veximarl had summoned both of his foxes so that they could get some exercise. Cacophony and Martyr preferred rest, but Alex and Rite got bitey when he kept them locked up for too long. Instead of running alongside the cart with his sister, Alex chose to gush all over Gwyn, much to Veximarl’s embarrassment.

“... I can put him away if he is bothering you.”

“He isn’t any trouble. I’m used to having four dogs while steering in a cart this size. Having him here reminds me of home.”

Gwyn grasped Alex by his furry cheeks and kissed his nose. Veximarl’s cheeks flushed red. The cart ran over a pothole, and he let out a yelp of surprise. He then cleared his throat as he looked off to the side, hoping that Gwyn didn’t notice his embarrassment.

“I am… I am relieved to be able to talk to you,” he muttered. They had almost stopped talking completely when they returned to Braytons.

“... There isn’t a point in avoiding the topic forever,” replied Gwyn. “Either we confront what has happened or keep the interactions between us professional.”

Veximarl fiddled his hands together. “I do not wish to turn my back on our friendship.”

“Then where to begin?” She glanced at him briefly before her eyes returned to the road.

There was much on his mind. “Sybil confided in me that she heard a rumor about you… Specifically, that you were a slave belonging to the Nox family.”

“I was born in the Clay Region. My hometown was located near the border. It was one of the first to be destroyed as the north pressed its way southward. I lost everything, including my parents. I spent the war in a detention center in the Violet Region with other Clay Region children. After the war, they were able to contact a distant relative of mine.

My relatives were poor, and I was too small to earn my own keep. I was sold and eventually ended up under the care of the Nox family. They are a family that is concerned with status. In Fogbloom, it is not uncommon for rich households to exchange daughters. They are taught how to become proper women and are usually guaranteed married to one of the family’s sons.

That was my role in the family. I was brought in to receive an education and to eventually marry their son, Ivger. This was a fate that I accepted. I owe the Nox family my life, Vex. If not for them, I would likely have been sold into a much worse fate.

However, they allowed me the opportunity to apply to Braytons, and I was fortunate enough to have been accepted with Ivy. Now the two of us have the chance to help out the family together. I will be able to support them financially rather than be another mouth to feed.”

“Does that have anything to do with your relationship with Shaw Arbutus?” Veximarl whispered.

“This is a conversation, not an interrogation,” replied Gwyn.

“Then I suppose that you wish to ask me about Tish?”

“If you could volunteer such information, I would be grateful,” said Gwyn with a gesture of her hand.

Veximarl began to fumble his hands together again. “I believe that Tish is manipulating me with her magic to force me into being her boyfriend. Specifically her mood-altering spell.”

“Vex!” Gwyn would have stood up from shock if not Alex weighing her down. “You realize that what she is doing illegal, do you not?”

“No more illegal than slavery,” whispered Veximarl.

“Do you not understand how serious this is?” Gwyn eased her stress by scrunching up Alex’s ears, but her voice remained tense. “Then it’s possible that she manipulated you into having sex with her last winter… What you have isn’t a relationship.”

“It is as real as the one you maintain with Paladin Arbutus,” whispered Veximarl.

“Shaw visited the Nox family while he was in Fogbloom. He found the situation to be not as dire as the rumors you have heard. We are in the midst of a proper courtship. We only do what we are both comfortable with, and there is nothing wrong with our arrangement.”

“And that is an arrangement that you agreed to? Not one that where your hand is being forced?”

“I believe that Shaw is being sincere in his approach, unlike how Tish has been in your situation.”

Vex frowned. He didn’t realize that Gwyn was going to start a pissing contest about this. “I am giving Tish the opportunity to self correct her behavior before I confront her about it.”

“I don’t see why she would seek to correct anything. Not when you are dick deep within her,” spat back Gwyn.

“She will no doubt ask to be expelled if she realizes that I know what she’s doing,” argued Veximarl. “Braytons was her salvation. If not for her acceptance here, she would have been forced into a contract of servitude under a much older man. I do not wish to be the one who signs that death warrant.”

“She signed it herself by poisoning your mind,” whispered Gwyn.

“I view this as an opportunity to better myself.” He winced when it looked like Gwyn was about to give him a tongue lashing. She only stopped because Alex whined and began to nuzzle at her cheek and neck. “I am not often forward with this information, but I view myself as asexual.

There is little room for normalcy in my life. I often have trouble relating to my friends, especially in regards to their worries with love or lust. Being with Tish... This is the only chance I have to experience a normal relationship.”

“This isn’t normal…. Are you saying that you can’t fall in love either? Not without Tish?”

Veximarl frowned at Alex’s behavior. The fox had sat up so that he could give a single lick to Gwyn’s cheek. “Are you certain that you do not wish for me to put him away?”

“He’s simply an animal, Vex. He isn’t hurting me by being affectionate,” quipped Gwyn. “Answer the question.”

Veximarl stared at her until Alex calmed down. “... I do believe I can fall in love,” he whispered. “But what about yourself?”

“I believe that Shaw will make me happy,” replied Gwyn. “In due time.”

Veximarl looked away. Both Alex and Rite melted into ash as he unsummoned them. “We’re approaching Tilrey.”

“This isn’t a simple issue. We need to report this to Lady Till.”

“Please give me the time to handle it on my own first, Gwyn. I ask you for that much,” he replied. “Please.”

Gwyn kept her eyes on the road. It took her a moment to reply. “... I will agree to this,” she muttered.

“Thank you, Gwyn.”

They parked in front of the clinic and began to unpack. Zynn helped Veximarl carry everything upstairs while Philomena showed the herbs to Gwyn. She took the time to look through her herbology books and categorize them. Veximarl began to help her as soon as he set down the last box.

Zynn pulled out a quilt from the last box. His face twisted with disgust. “That doctor does know that I’ve never met my father, right?”

“It’s your crest, Zynn,” replied Philomena. “If any of our children inherit it, it will be something important that you share with them.”

Gwyn closed her book “I’m done.” She had sorted all the herbs into different boxes, and both she and Veximarl had written down extensive notes on their use. “I will be able to start a garden with some of these in the event that you need more.”

Medicine in Carapace was compartmentalized. Each role had a specialist assigned to it. Diagnostics, surgeons, clerics, pharmacists, and more. The majority of them started off apprenticing under diagnostics before moving to a different field. Philomena had trained under several positions, but her father wanted her to stay as a nurse.

Despite all of her experience, she was still feeling overwhelmed at the thought of having to manage it all on her own. At least her clinic was an urgent care facility, so the majority of her clients had broken bones. Her other blessing was that Zynn was taking care of all the housework and Zikor, which gave her more time to study and work.

“Thank you so much, Miss Hewitt.” Philomena gave an appreciative bow. “Will you be staying with us for dinner?”

“I promised Anais that I would eat dinner with her,” replied Gwyn.

Zynn grinned widely. “No use letting a good woman head off without an escort, Vex. You can come back tomorrow.”

Yes. Because Veximarl absolutely wanted to intrude on whatever Alton may have been planning. He looked off to the side and awkwardly poked his fingers together. How was he supposed to come up with an excuse to stay without sounding either awkward or like a jerk?

Gwyn spoke up before he could think of anything. “I may be a woman, Mister Krogastein, but I am not in need of an escort. A squire who is not capable of being independent has no place at Braytons.”

Zynn held up his hands defensively. “Yeesh, sorry I tried to do something nice for you,” he muttered. Philomena shot him a frown and he rubbed the back of his head. “Thanks for all your help today, Gwyn. Feel free to drop by anytime you want!”

“I will walk you to the cart,” added Veximarl.

They walked back outside. Veximarl couldn’t think of anything to say. He had nothing to add to their previous conversation, but he didn’t like the idea of leaving it where it was. It felt somehow… Incomplete.

Gwyn politely curtsied. “I hope you have a pleasant stay.”

Veximarl blinked a few times before he bowed. “Thank you. I hope that you have…” He couldn’t think of anything to say.

“I will message you when I reach Braytons to let you know that I arrived safely,” she replied.

“... Thank you.” He watched as she got back into the cart and rode off. It was only once she had disappeared around a corner than he chose to go back inside.

He was allowed to sleep in one of the patient rooms. Due to the nature of the injuries treated here, they were only used during examinations. There was only a bed, but Veximarl didn’t mind. All he had brought with him was a few changes of clothes and a set of books he had been wanting to read.

“Hey, Vex, need you in the living room for the moment.” Zynn had peaked his head through the door.

Veximarl followed him upstairs. Dinner had been spread out on the table. A spiced bacon and strawberry salad served alongside a spatchcock chicken. It had been roasted over a bed of onions, pears, and turnips. Zynn had even finished dessert already. There an upside down pear and walnut cake cooling on the counter.

“Certainly seems like a feast,” said Veximarl. He wasn’t particularly fond of turnips but kept his opinions to himself.

“You should show Philomena that trick you do with the tainted beasts,” quipped Zynn. “Food is always better when a show is involved.”

“That’s far too dangerous to do around Zikor,” replied Philomena.

“Nah,” retorted Zynn. “It all has to do with blood iron and…” He spaced out. Veximarl had explained it to him before, but he wasn’t capable of remembering all that science stuff.

Veximarl elaborated on his behalf. “The tainted beasts I summon are constructed from my magic,” he began. “All of my summons are. However, I will warn you that tainted beast iron works differently than regular blood iron.

For some reason, each of my summons have an aspect of myself, and that serves as the basis of their personality. They are still very much their own creatures with their own wants and needs. Alex and Rite are the safest of my summons. One is my impulses and the other my eagerness to please others.”

“Alexandrite? Like the stone?” Philomena was having difficulty imagining what they could look like.

“Yes. Alton was with me when we fought their living selves. Alexandrite is the color of his eyes. I thought it fair to give them a name that reminded me of the battle. There are two others aside from then, but they are much too large to summon indoors. Martyr represents my fear, and Cacophony, my wish to remain invisible.”

At Zynn’s encouragement, Veximarl summoned his foxes. Rite went around and sniffed everyone, which was her way of doing a polite greeting. Alex merely sat there. He stared at the table. Webs, like drool, were slowly oozing out of his mouth.

Zynn stared at Alex. Veximarl’s impulses, huh? “Maybe you can let them run around a bit while we eat dinner. Let’s go ahead and sit down.”

They sat and discussed what Veximarl’s duties would be over the coming days. Philomena had written to several of her former associates in Carapace. She wasn’t the only woman who had been discouraged from being a doctor. There were plenty of them who, like Philomena, wanted to prove themselves in medicine.

Philomena was aiming to start a hospital. Specifically, a teaching hospital. The best colleges in the Gilded Region were located at the capital, which was along the coastline. The center of the region could use a facility for training doctors and clerics.

The constant stream of travelers meant that there would always be someone in need of treatment. Philomena had the means to gather doctors, but she needed land and funding. She was currently in talks with Lady Till, the mayor of Tilrey, and the other clinics. They were coming up with a plan and budget and were hoping to get funding from Duke Sickleson.

Veximarl was to help the clinic while Philomena was out. A hospital was at the edge of town, but they specialized in long term patients. Clinics took care of day to day illnesses. Though Veximarl was limited in what he could do with magic. However, he could effectively stabilize someone during an emergency. Philomena had requested him personally for the task because of how well he handled Anais’ accident.

He would continue to prove his usefulness over the next few days. Veximarl saw to patients, kept keep the clinic clean, and assisted with Zynn’s studies. Zynn had wanted to learn more about his magic, and Veximarl was teaching him medication techniques for his magic.

Though the moments Veximarl enjoyed the most were the times he had to himself. He had an hour break after Philomena returned from meetings. Veximarl would ride out to a nearby field and let Alex and Rite run about. It also gave him time to talk with the others by letter. Either gossip or giving advice, depending on what was needed.

“There you are!” Tish called out from above. She swooped down and landed nearby. “I didn’t think you would head this far out!”

“Apologies. People tend to panic when my summons are out. I try to keep out of sight.” He flashed a brief smile as Tish knelt down next to him.

“I know you’re heading back to the barracks tomorrow, but I finally got permission to join you! We are going to make the best of it!” She took a step back as Rite bounded up. The fox swished her tail back and forth as she sought out a compliment. Instead, Tish continued to retreat until she had placed Veximarl between herself and Rite. “Are you certain that they’re safe?”

Veximarl glanced over to Alex. He hadn’t approached at all. His ears lowered as Tish reached up and placed her hand on Veximarl’s cheek. “I only use them for non-combat situations. They’re perfectly safe,” he muttered.

Alex let out a thin whine as a rush of endorphins hit Veximarl’s mind. He closed his eyes and placed his palm against the back of Tish’s hand. Rite’s ears perked up and her tail started to swish even faster.

“Perhaps it’s best to put them away,” replied Tish. “It’s been so long since we’ve had some time to ourselves. There’s so much for us to catch up on.”

Veximarl let out a sigh as both Alex and Rite melted into ash. “... Yes. Of course.”

He didn’t hesitate when Tish pulled him down for a kiss. Though he went along with her desires, he also wanted her to stop. He desperately wished that Tish would realize that what she was doing was wrong and he feared what would happen to her when she didn’t.