The Empath carefully examined Sennymay. He checked her pulse, measured her temperature, and thoroughly checked for injuries. When he was done, he sighed and looked up at Kifka.
"Three broken ribs, dislocated shoulder, broken arm, internal bleeding, bruised eye and pieces of glass embedded in her back," was his verdict. This was the famed Empath, Sir Chelrodin Maloris, who just happened to be one of Kifka's good friends. He brushed the long, unkempt silver hair from his eyes and walked to the medicine cabinet.
"Can you heal her?" Kifka asked.
"Of course!" the Empath snorted. "Who do you think I am?" He took out a pair of gloves and put them on while Kifka moved Sennymay to the surgery table.
"You're going to operate?!" Kifka exclaimed as he saw Chelrodin remove a kit of surgical tools out of the cabinet.
"I am not Zeus, my dear friend," Chelrodin explained. "I will heal the broken bones and the bruised body, but I cannot get the internal bleeding from here. I have to operate. And that scar left on her back…" He paused, thinking something over. After giving a silent sigh, he made some intricate gestures and Sennymay's bruises quickly disappeared, but her pale colour still remained.
Sennymay made a muffled choking noise, then a cough, which send blood dripping out of her mouth. Chelrodin nodded.
"We have to operate now," he said and threw Kifka a pair of gloves.
"What do you mean 'we'?" Kifka gasped back, catching the gloves.
"My assistant's at his grandmother's funeral," the Empath explained as he lit the lamp above the table. "You're the only one here except her," -he gestured at Senny- "but since she can't operate on herself, you're the only candidate."
Kifka pulled on the gloves. "What do I do?"
"Give me the tools and hold her down if she wakes up," Chelrodin informed him calmly.
"Wakes up?!" the Wizard screamed.
"This is not the World of One Moon* where empaths can drug their patients so that they sleep for hours. We have to use the crude ways. I am allowed only one dose of this 'drug', and I have their lovers administer it. It only works with them. That is the drug," he pointed at a small flower.
"But I'm not her… lover," Kifka protested, his face as red as the inferno hilt of his sword.
Chelrodin cocked an eyebrow at him. "Then how do you explain your emblem on the palms of her hands?" He pointed at the pair of Fire Drake signs. "You will give her the potion. I will not have her die on my table!"
Kifka nodded. Chelrodin ripped apart Senny's tunic, leaving her upper portion naked. He then picked up a scalpel and made a cut in her chest. Kifka grimaced. They slowly continued the operation with Kifka handing Chelrodin tools and receiving bloodied ones in return. Once or twice Chelrodin would yell at the Wizard for handing him the wrong tools. Finally Chelrodin opened up Senny's rib cage. Kifka turned away.
"This is it," Chelrodin commented with a smile. "I can get that bleeding from here." He rose his hands and repeated the gestures done earlier. Kifka turned to look, but closed his eyes again, seeing no improvement. "Now to seal this," Chelrodin mumbled. He rose his hands once more and Senny's flesh began to pull together, closing the wound on her chest.
As he was halfway through, Sennymay stirred. The Empath's eyes widened.
"HOLD HER DOWN!" he screamed at Kifka. The Wizard pinned Senny to the table. She opened her eyes.
"Get off me!" she screamed and knocked Kifka away. Chelrodin pointed at the sleeping flower. Kifka grabbed it, smeared the nectar on his lips and pinned the rogue down again. She tried to wiggle out, but weakened by the wound in her chest, she had no power to fight. One last push, but Kifka grabbed her harder and kissed her right on the mouth.
Her surprise was replaced by a sleepy look, and in moments she was sleeping like a baby. Chelrodin wiped the sweat from his brow.
"I once had a Giantman's wife giving birth here," he remarked to Kifka, "but not even she was as violent as this gal of yours!" He laughed. Kifka found no humor in that as he sunk into a nearby chair and closed his eyes.
After a while Chelrodin was done. He accepted Kifka's cloak and wrapped Senny's exposed torso in it. He handed the rogue to Kifka and waved him out the door. "The excitement was enough pay for me," he remarked after declining Kifka's offer of 1k silver.
Senny opened her eyes and found herself in a bed. She lifted her head slightly. The room tilted. She closed her eyes again. After a moment of calming down her nerves, she sat up and examined the room.
It was a burrow with rock walls and cold stone floors. Her gaze fell upon a window and its curtains that carried the Fire Drake on them. Kifka's house, she thought. Suddenly frenzied thoughts of passion and love making rushed to her head as she realized that she was in Kifka's bed. She pushed those thoughts out of her mind and crawled out of his bed. She looked herself over, finding out that she was wearing one of Kifka's silk shirts. Only the shirt. Again the naughty thoughts rushed to her head, but this time she was more successful at battling them. She was suddenly aware of something very uncomfortable on her back. She reached back to see what it was. It was a stitched up wound with an enormous band-aid over it. It snaked its way from the nape of her neck down to the very bottom of her spine. To her own surprise, she let out a sob.
After calming herself down, she tiptoed over to a cabinet at the far side of Kifka's room, and opened a drawer. In it were her backpack, her clothes and armor, a cloak, and a sketch of her. She picked up the sketch and examined it. She flipped it over and found a date on it: "697.7.5, Kifka." This was done only a week ago and, according to the name in the back, by Kifka.
Kifka walked in and stopped in the doorway. He leaned against the side of the door and watched Senny as she rummaged around in his cabinet. She obviously didn't hear him come in.
Sennymay came upon a brush and took it out. Its handle was the colour of the crimson clouds that covered the setting sun. Without thinking, she reached up and began brushing her hair as she explored the cabinet further. Kifka smiled. Senny kneeled down and opened the bottom drawer of the cabinet. In it were some scarlet robes and what looked like a chest. Curiosity got the best of her and she pushed the robes aside to take a better look at the chest. Her eyes widened as she was what appeared to be the Royal Crest. She reached for the chest
Kifka cleared his throat. Senny whirled around, instantaneously jumping to her feet. Her face was the colour of the robes she just touched in that bottom drawer.
"I must go now," she said after a long pause and went towards the door. Alas, Kifka was in the way. She examined her possibilities.
"What, wearing just my shirt?" he remarked.
"If you want me to say, just say so!" she growled, not expecting a response.
"I want you to stay," Kifka answered. Senny frowned. She knew better than not to plan for all possible situations she could get herself into, but this happened too fast. "I can see you didn't expect this," Kifka said. He folded his arms across his chest. "No one is keeping you here if you want to leave. My desires never mattered to you before, why should they now?" He moved over, making the door a legitimate exit once more. Senny walked forward. Kifka didn't move. She shuffled her feet.
"I'll stay for a while," she decided, mentally kicking herself for being so weak-willed. Kifka showed her into the next room.
Food! she thought as she saw a beautifully set table in the middle of the room. She ran to it and grabbed a fork. The Rogue plopped herself down across from Kifka and began stuffing herself with the food. This amused Kifka. In no time, Sennymay was done with her food. She looked up, scanned the table, and then glanced at Kifka.
"Go ahead," he smiled and pushed one of his plates towards her. She beamed at him and began eating while Kifka drank his wine. She was soon done with all the food on the table. Senny sat up and looked at Kifka. "I'm glad you liked it," he smiled. He reached for her hand.
The front door sprang open and Devyd waltzed in. He froze as he saw Kifka sitting across from Senny, who was wearing only his white shirt, holding her hand. His jaw dropped.
"I hope I'm not interrupting anything," he said and headed for the food supply. He took out an apple and bit into it. Kifka sighed.
"Senny, this is Devyd," he pointed at the Bard.
"We've met," Senny remarked dryly, remember with how much ease the Bard read her mind. Devyd grinned at her.
"I'll go to my room now," he said and strolled towards one of the doors. He paused in the doorway. "Senny, you really should tell Kifka how much you love him."
Sennymay's face turned crimson red and the fork she was holding practically melted in her hand. Before Devyd realized what was going on, she jumped out of her chair, dashed at the Bard, and crashed into him, slamming the door behind them.
"Easy, woman!" Kifka heard Devyd yell. "Why are you denying it?" There was a muffled sound, then a thud, another muffled sound, another thud, a groan, and finally Senny's muffled scream. Kifka rose his eyebrow in the door's direction.
"How dare you!" he heard Sennymay scream. Her exclamation was followed by a slap. Kifka jumped off his chair and rushed into the room. Senny sat up and grabbed the Wizard's leg as soon as he was in the room. She clung on to him as if trying to hide behind his leg. Kifka glanced down at her, then at Devyd. The Bard tried flashing the Lord a grin, but grimaced instead, rubbing his pinkish cheek.
"Kifka can do that too, you know!" Devyd told her with a more successful grin. Senny let go of Kifka's leg, slowly crawling back. Her gaze traveled from Kifka's crimson boots to his belt buckle, to finally his eyes. Devyd licked his lips. Senny turned around and shot Devyd a deranged glance. Devyd kneeled down and whispered softly into her ear "he taught me, you know" loud enough for Kifka to hear. Kifka raised his eyebrows.
"What's going on here?" he inquired. Devyd whistled slightly to himself while Senny gazed out the window. "Hello, I'm talking to you!" Nothing. Senny twiddled her thumbs and Devyd twirled a lock of hair around his finger. Kifka frowned. "That's it!" He threw Senny over his shoulder, ignoring her kicks and protests, carried her out of Devyd's room, and into his own.
Kifka locked the door behind him and threw the Rogue on his bed. She flashed him an outraged look. He stared at her from the door.
"What did he do?" he inquired once more.
Senny spread herself on his bed and sighed. She looked Kifka over, suddenly remember Chelrodin's operating table and Kifka's kiss. She froze.
Kifka walked over to the bed, got on, and leaned over her. "Tell me."
"No," she answered.
"Why not?"
"No," she repeated and pushed him away lightly as she sat up.
"Knowing Devyd, it must have been something like…" Kifka froze in mid-sentence. Knowing Devyd, it must have been one of his tricks to get a woman into bed. But which one? He went over all the things he ever "taught" Devyd, and numerous things came to mind. Since Devyd licked his lips, it must have been a kiss… But what kind?
"You know what it is, don't you?" Senny asked. Kifka nodded. "How?"
"I've done it. Of course not with Devyd, but I've done it," he smiled at his last remark. Something inside made him gag when he though of kissing the Bard. He quickly pushed the thought aside and glanced at Senny. She slowly crawled off the bed, her face the colour of an early Vermilion blossom.
"I really should get going now," she said and walked towards the door. She staggered back as she bumped into Devyd. "Get away from me!" she screamed, slamming the door in the Bard's face and locking it.
"Which one would you rather be with?" Kifka asked her. "Devyd who did it, or I who taught him?"
Senny froze. She thought it over. She knew that Kifka was honorable, but she wasn't sure if she could say the same about Devyd.
"I'll take my chances here," she decided. She heard Devyd's disappointed groan from behind the door.
"Not even one time?" The Bard asked. Kifka laughed. "Fine!" Devyd yelled into the keyhole. "I'll find myself someone better!"
Senny breathed a sigh of relief. She scanned Kifka and noticed another pouch of teleportation powder on his belt. She found a way out! She decided to start a conversation, hoping to keep Kifka busy for she was not going to leave in just a shirt. "So," she said, opening the top drawer of Kifka's cabinet and removing her possessions, "how many women have you been with?"
"Hard to say," he answered, watching her carefully, "there were a few."
"Really?" she asked, her interest genuine, "Tell me about them." She unbuttoned her shirt and took it off. Kifka straightened up and coughed.
"Well… um…" he mumbled, trying to keep his cool. "One was this Countess, and …" Senny pulled on her panties. "She was very… tall…" The Rogue clipped up her bra, nodding to Kifka's every word. "She had nice… hair…" Kifka blinked, then shook his head. "Here, let me help you with that," he jumped off his bed and handed Senny her double leather. She smiled at him.
"Go on, I'm curious," she told him. Kifka shook his head in dismay.
"Well… She was very quiet and ---"
"Could you please button the back?"
"Uh, sure." Kifka buttoned the back of her leather.
"Thank you," she said, turning around. She picked up her armor and pulled it on, piece by piece. First the shoulder pieces, then the breastplate, then the belt, and finally the arm greaves. She picked up her thigh-high boots and walked back to the bed, Kifka following her. The wizard sat behind her, watching her struggle with the boots.
"Here, I'll help," he said, getting off the bed. He kneeled before her, letting her slip her feet into the boots, pulling them all the way up her thigh. As Kifka pulled on the second boot, his hands still on her thigh, Senny locked his gaze.
"Thank you," she whispered. Her hand slowly reached for his belt, and that precious powder pouch. Her hand was almost at the string. One quick move and ---
Kifka grabbed her hand. "Do you think I'm stupid?!" He yelled at her. "Your tricks won't work on me twice!" A smile crossed his face. He leaned closer to her.
"Don't…" she whispered as Kifka's lips almost touched hers. He sighed and drew back, his hands back to himself.
"Here's your pouch," he said and tossed her the teleportation powder. Senny rose her hand as if to throw it down on the floor, but stopped. She looked at Kifka, who was standing just a foot away from her. She kicked herself mentally, knowing she would probably loose sleep over this, but she couldn't resist. She leaned towards Kifka and brushed his lips with hers before disappearing in a cloud of smoke. Kifka smiled.
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Etrion, "Four Gems," and its characters are Copyright © Sennymayy 1997 - 1999.
