thefinaljedi | Appointments

The second day of the fourth month. April, I think.

[The Galactic standard is actually similar, but he's not going to try and ever explain that. Easier to just use Earth months.

Luke gently puts a hand on her shoulder, nodding.]

It is. Where else would it be?

[April second. A week then. A shorter stay than she thought and she's all the more grateful for it.

Ginia looks at Luke, her thoughts jumbled and unfocused as she tries to find the right words. Her eyes are tired, but there's wary caution behind them, the look of an animal that's been beat down but still ready to fight.]

-Could be a trick. Could still be in a cage.-

[Luke meets her cautious gaze with a collected one of his own, his blue eyes completely calm and relaxed. He's seen it before, someone convinced that it might be a trick, and he doesn't blame them. But then, he can't treat her if she won't let him.]

You are in a cage. A gilded one, but a cage all the same. Lay back and let me do what I can for you. I won't hurt you, I promise.

[A very nice gilded cage. One with plenty of food, water, supplies, and nice comfy apartments you can be snatched out of at any moment. A wonderful place indeed.

Ginia still regards Luke with cautious skeptism even as she carefully lowers herself onto her back, adjusting and spreading her wings to lay easier. With her wings out, it's easy to see two primary feathers are missing from her left wing.]

[Luke sets to work, washing his hands and putting on a pair of gloves before beginning to clean her injuries, applying ointments to the cuts first. He'll hold off on the Force, for the moment but after a bit it's to the point where he feels he'll need it.]

Ginia, I'm going to do something that may make you feel a little cold. Don't worry, it'll pass, and it'll help speed the healing.

[Ginia lays as still as she can while Luke works, hands slowly clenching and unclenching. She's not bound, she can move as she wishes. It's all things to remember.

At his question, Ginia glances at him, hesitates, then nods.]

[With assent given, Luke gently lays one hand on her chest and the other on her stomach and closes his eyes. Taking a series of deep breaths, he begins to focus, drawing on the Force, a great sea of light blazing just beyond the corporeal world. His hands begin to glow with a soft, blue light as the Healing begins. Ginia's body would feel cool, perhaps a little numb in the worst injured areas as Luke speeds up her body's regenerative processes.]

There, see. It's not so bad, is it?

[Were the circumstances any different, Ginia would be full of questions, awe, and maybe a bit of giddiness. She had her phase of stick lightsabers and bathrobe jedi robes, reenacting or quoting scenes with her brother or friends. It'd practically be a dream come true for her.

But instead she accepts the healing with tense anxiety, breath hitching at the cold numbness. But when it finishes, no, it wasn't that bad. The persistent dull ache over her body and the sting of cuts is lessened, if not gone. There's still a lingering feeling of weakness from the missing feathers, but those will grow back in time.]

-Thank you.-

[Frankly, for Luke, this is vastly preferable. He doesn't mind people asking questions about the Force or being curious about his identity. He's used to that, and gets it at home as well. But it does often leave him feeling strange.

He keeps at it, maintaining the link for a moment more before removing his hands.]

Of course. It's why I'm here.

[Why he's here. Because he's a healer, a doctor, an accepted medical professional in the village. Use your gifts for healing, not harm. Such is the Hippocratic Oath, though that didn't stop the Rogue Malnosso.

(But they're scientists, not doctors, and there's a difference.)

Ginia pushes herself upright and lets her hands rest on her lap, a bit at a loss still.]

-I should probably go. Thank you again.-

I don't think so. Not just yet.

[Luke places a firm hand on her chest, unrelenting. He figures she won't like this, but he'd be remiss if he just let her wander off in this condition.]

You need to rest. The healing I used draws on your life energy. You won't make it far. Give it an hour, have some tea, and I'll let you go.

[No, she really doesn't. All she wants is to head back to her apartment, check on her dog, take a shower, and clean up before taking a long nap. She wants to be alone again as much as she doesn't want to get alone because she knows herself and her habits. Her head is in a bad place and it's easy isolating herself or falling into drink or doing any number of destructive things as a distraction.

It's better she stays. Ginia knows that. Even if she doesn't like it, she knows that, and she's too tired to argue anyway.]

-Just an hour.-

[Things Luke would prefer a patient he so recently worked on not do. He nods, though, acquiescing.]

I'll be back in a moment. Tea or coffee?

-Tea, please.-

[Ginia remains sitting awkwardly on the edge of the examination table, hands folding and resting on her lap. She rubs her fingers against each other, remembering how each finger was systematically dislocated, then popped back into place and healed. It's hard not remembering the pain, the tears streaming down her face, her ragged breathing.]

[Luke leaves her to her thoughts, and he's gone for five minutes or so. When he returns, he's got a tray with steaming mugs of tea, a dark oolong he's fond of. There are also a few cookies, and other simple snacks.]

Here you are. It's a bit bitter, but it'll be good for you.

[Bitter she doesn't mind. Ginia takes the cup and simply holds it for a bit, enjoying the warmth of the cup before taking a careful sip. She doesn't have much of an appetite - though she can't remember the last time she ate either. She alternates between sipping tea and nibbling at a cookie.]

-Anything happen in the village?-

[Luke picks up his own cup and shakes his head.]

Nothing, really. It's been quiet for the last few weeks.

[A relief and also oddly disappointing to hear. She considers the dates and time period she was gone.]

-No shift at all in March?

That I know of? No. Everything was quiet. That's happening more and more frequently, these days.

[Go figure. Kidnapped and tortured during the quietest month. At least everyone else had a good time.]

-Think it's a sign things are changing or are we well-overdue for a shift?

[Luke snorts, amused at the very thought.]

Oh, we're definitely overdue.

[A matter of time then. When will it be? Sometime soon, later in the month? Always waiting, never knowing, constantly preparing for the worst. It's frustrating and tiring.

Ginia sips her tea and munches on a cookie, falling back into sullen silence for several minutes. Until:]

-How's your family doing?-

[Luke sips his own tea, shrugging.]

They're fine. Better than, really. Obi-Wan arrived while you were gone. Or...re-arrived, rather.

[It takes a moment for her to process that. Obi-Wan, returned.]

-Does he remember being here?

He does, yes.

[Simple answer for a simple question.]

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[Action, April 2nd] cw: torture

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