Field Medicine
Ship: Linnet/Kestrel
Word Count: 1330 words
Summary: Linnet and Kestrel meet, and realize they don’t quite know what to expect from each other.
(Note: This takes place directly after Linking Rings! I recommend giving that a read first, but it’s not required.)
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"There! All patched up!" Linnet gives the most reassuring smile he can at the pale, bloodstained man. He said his name was Kestrel, didn't he? Kestrel had been silent as he was bandaged, clearly not a very talkative person, so Linnet expected a nod of thanks at most before they'd both be on their way.
"You were going in there alone," Kestrel says, a bit too quickly for it to be something he just thought of now. He taps his ring, a bit frustrated at himself for just how long he'd been waiting for the right moment to bring it up.
Linnet pushes down his immediate reaction of anger quite impressively, in his own opinion. Only a slight twitch of an eyebrow makes it through. He's sure he knows what he means by that. This stranger is judging him, thinking he's stupid, thinking he's too weak to handle that sort of thing-
"I don't meet many other solo adventurers," Kestrel adds casually.
Oh. Okay, well that makes him take a second to recalibrate. Linnet blinks, feeling his brain trying to catch up with the situation and discard his previous assumptions. It takes just long enough for Kestrel to wonder to himself if he said something wrong without knowing it. Just as he considers if he should apologize, Linnet opens his mouth to respond.
"Oh, ahaha, I'm not really a solo adventurer! I'm just... between groups?" He laughs airily and scratches the back of his head, making his golden hair clip clink softly.
A healer, between groups, likely actively looking for a new one, appearing directly after Kestrel thought that perhaps traveling with a healer in the future could be helpful... That worked out, almost too perfectly. He could just ask him to work together, couldn't he?
"Would you-" Kestrel only manages that before some part of him starts listing everything that could possibly go wrong. The best option, Linnet would be frightened by his magic, not want anything to do with him, and leave. The much worse option was that they'd actually get along, that he'd get used to working with a partner.
Adventurers didn't last long. It was better for all involved to keep some distance.
Linnet tilts his head, waiting for him to finish his thought. Kestrel's eyes flick away, focusing on a tree behind Linnet's left shoulder. He shifts uncomfortably, trying to gauge if he's too woozy to stand from his prior blood loss, if he's physically able to just end this interaction and never see this man again.
One, two, three... The silence is stretching on for entirely too many moments, and Linnet needs to fill the space. Would it be rude to ask what Kestrel was going to say? Maybe? He settles on the first question he can think of. "So, what hurt you this bad?"
It's a prime opportunity for Kestrel to end this. He honestly feels relieved that he's been given such a perfect out.
"Nothing hit me. I'm a blood mage," he says, and he waits. Now was the time for Linnet to stumble over his words awkwardly for a bit, then find an excuse to leave. Kestrel crosses his arms and leans against the stone wall behind him, scowling a bit. He can lean into that harsh, uncaring look, make him feel like he never should've helped him in the first place-
"Oh, neat." Linnet doesn't even look up as he says it. It's... it's not even like he's looking away due to discomfort, he's just packing his first aid kit back into his bag. It's like it wasn't even notable enough to make him pause.
The silence stretching on after that remark makes him look up though, and he lets out a sharp little bark of a laugh, so different from the airy one before, the instant he sees Kestrel's shocked expression.
"What? Did you want me to freak out?" He closes up his bag and shakes his head, as if it was completely ridiculous to expect a different reaction than the one he had. "I've got magic too, ya know."
"Like that matters," Kestrel huffs sharply in response. Even others who knew magic, hell even other songbirds... almost everyone had suspicions about those with blood magic. He couldn't exactly blame them, who wouldn't be scared about the idea of being near someone who could steal their life force?
...Well, he has an answer to that now.
"Oh, hey, wait!" Linnet hops to a full standing position, bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Blood magic would work pretty well with healing magic, wouldn't it?"
It would, Kestrel had already been thinking that, and- wait-
"You have healing magic?"
"Hm? Didn't I say I was a healer earlier?"
"You did but it was while you were pulling out bandages! I thought you just meant you knew first aid!"
"No, I meant I was a healer."
Kestrel doesn't mean to be ungrateful here, but he can't help but think of how much more sense a spell would've made. He wouldn't be in pain, wouldn't be woozy, and it would've almost certainly been faster. He isn't trying to glare, but he's definitely not trying to stop himself from doing so either.
"Any particular reason why you went for first aid instead of a spell?" The sharpness of his tone only seems to amuse Linnet, based on his smile.
Linnet pauses, bouncing again on the balls of his feet. His eyes flick upwards as he hums softly, trying to think of a good lie, something believable... He's taking too long, he can tell. Kestrel is raising an eyebrow.
Eh, screw it.
"I didn't trust you," he says. "Didn't know how you'd act if you weren't hurt, didn't know if you'd be weird about me using my magic, me being a songbird..." He shrugs one shoulder, for once in this interaction not bothering to smile at all.
Kestrel is quiet, blinking slowly. It's like his vision just cleared, like he's seeing the person in front of him for the first time. Linnet had been acting so casual, constantly laughing and chatting, but of course it was a bit of a performance. He finds himself uncrossing his arms without even meaning to, leaning slightly forward.
"I'm a songbird too." Kestrel rarely tells people that, rarely talks about it at all. But, he wants to show Linnet that he can be trusted with that much at least. That it wasn't a mistake to share that.
There's silence between them then, a silence that Linnet doesn't rush to fill. Kestrel knows what he needs to say now. He felt utterly sure of it once Linnet said he didn't trust him, once he got the smallest glance of who he was underneath that bright and cheerful mask.
"Do you want to work together?"
Linnet lets out a tiny laugh, barely more than an exhale, and doesn't answer. Instead he sits down and pulls a few things out of his bag. A notebook, a permanent marker, and a thermos.
The next words that come out of his mouth aren't ones that Kestrel understands. It's another language, he can tell at least that much, and his tone is soft and melodic, he's just... quietly singing?
In no time at all, Kestrel realizes that his body feels lighter, his head feels clearer, all nausea and dizziness are gone. So, this was Linnet's healing magic. Who knew healing magic felt so nice? ...A lot of adventurers, probably.
The song stops abruptly as Linnet uncaps the thermos and takes a long drink of whatever is inside. Based on the scent, an overwhelming amount of honey with the tiniest splash of tea.
"Yes," he says, finally, voice ever so slightly scratchy. Kestrel lets out a soft breath, feeling simultaneously relieved and a bit petrified. He was going to be working with someone...
"But!" Linnet points the capped marker at Kestrel's face, his usual smile returning to his face. "We should set some ground rules!"