Before she could tell Noel to retrieve it, a knock came to the door. Dave immediately opened it without question and stood there for a moment exchanging a hushed conversation with whoever was on the other side. After they were done speaking, he moved to the side and Celestine and Hadrian entered the room.
Upon seeing them enter, Altair frowned and thought, 'That didn't take them long.'
Seeing Altair awake lifted a weight from Celestine's mind as she sighed visibly before quickly approaching and asking, "How injured are you? Why aren't you in the Healing Pod?" During their fight she was surprised at how skilled Altair was and how her combat style worked. It was so unique that she wanted to ask where she learned it. But she lost control of herself when she got slapped in the arena and the result shocked her. Their plan had basically left her mind as she was more interested in Altair herself than everything else.
Altair waved her hand dismissively without moving the rest of her body while saying, "It's not that bad. It's just some broken ribs." She deliberately ignored the question about the Healing Pod.
Celestine looked at Altair with a worried expression as she chose to ignore the fact that Altair ignored her question and asked, "Why aren't you in the Healing Pod?" The Healing Pod itself was already full and ready to receive Altair but she was placed on the table instead. It made no sense to her.
It didn't make sense to Hadrian either her watched with a curious expression.
Altair simply replied, "You don't need to know. It's a private reason."
Celestine wasn't stupid. Her brow furrowed as she considered her words. She asked, "You have some kind of issue with your body?"
Altair was inwardly stunned. She didn't think that Celestine could get so close to the answer with just her words. 'If I say anymore she might figure it out.' Under that thought, Altair clammed up completely and didn't reply.
Her silence was as good as an answer for Celestine and Hadrian.
Celestine didn't hear anything about this kind of condition and it startled her. The healing pod was the most used treatment machine in the Empire. If Altair couldn't use that then how was she supposed to be healed? Celestine didn't actually know of any other ways people were treated because she had only ever seen healing pods used.
Hadrian's expression turned thoughtful as he looked at Altair. He had never heard of anyone being unable to use healing pods for any reason. He found this entire situation completely bizarre but interesting. "Can you tell us more about your condition?"
Altair didn't reply to him and a heavy silence fell over room.
Time passed by slowly as Hadrian and Celestine stayed in the recovery room in silence. Altair felt the stabbing pain in her chest with every breath that mostly chased away her exhaustion. It wasn't able to completely remove it though, especially since she wasn't moving and was lying down at that moment.
Hadrian spoke from a seat next to the same table that Rictor and the others sat at before, "So, when are you going to receive medical attention?"
Just because she couldn't tell them anything didn't mean that she would go untreated. The longer she went untreated the more problems could arise from her injuries. Since she couldn't use the Healing Pod, then what was she supposed to use?
Altair scoffed at them, "I thought you two were smart." She looked over at Hadrian without sitting up and said, "It's because my treatment can't be seen by you people that I haven't been treated yet. Why haven't you figured that out yet?" Altair didn't mind telling them that much leading them on in the wrong direction. She just wanted them to leave already so she could see if that fluid was what she was looking for.
Hadrian gave her a curious look but didn't reply. What she said made sense when he thought about it.
Celestine was going to keep trying to get more information out of her but Hadrian spoke up, "We have an invitation to give you." He was surprised that Altair had given them so much already.
Altair gave him a blank look, "Then hurry up and give it here so you can get lost." The sooner they left the sooner she could find the answer to her suspicion. Once that was done she could get the checks she wanted. She wouldn't let that doctor treat her until she knew the results of whatever had changed in her.
Hadrian looked at Celestine and told her, "Give it to her so we can leave. She needs to rest."
Celestine gave him a conflicted look. She wanted to ask other questions about how Altair fought but now didn't seem like the right time. Still, since she had won a legendary Friendship By Combat then she was certain that her fate was intertwined with Altair's. She would naturally have plenty of time to get the answers to her questions later. So, she reached into a bag on the table and pulled out a letter. Then she walked over to Altair and handed it to her.
Altair took the letter, glanced at it briefly, then looked Celestine in the eyes and said, "I'll be sure my father gets it. Now, if you'll leave I can get treated."
Her words caused Celestine's and Hadrian's faces to darken. If Altair gave the invitation to Renald then it meant that their efforts were for nothing. It would die on Renald's desk the moment he got it.
Before they could make any comments on it, the door to the recovery room was slammed open and Sarah came dashing right over to Altair with a look of concern on her face. Once she didn't see anything wrong with Altair visibly, she picked her up into a big hug that immediately caused Altair to give out a cute cry of pain.
Altair was scooped up into Sarah's arms and it felt like she was being stabbed with swords. She had felt that kind of pain before but she didn't expect it which is why she let out such an embarrassing noise. Her face paled and she also let go of the invitation and it fell to the ground.
The cute noise Altair made caused Hadrian to give her a strange look while Celestine almost laughed. That was the first girlish thing that Altair had done in front of them and it was because she was in pain.
Sarah worriedly cried out as soon as Altair was in her arms, "Aria are alright?! Are you hurt anywhere?!" Sarah had run over as soon as Ben had informed her that Altair was injured. This ended up delaying Ben from getting to Renald.
But her arrival was a complete surprise to Altair. Her sudden appearance also caused Altair to feel a surge of joy from her heart as the pain from being hugged grew more prominently. Altair struggled as hard as she could to free her face from Sarah's chest, which wasn't that impressive, while her muffled voice said, "You're hurting me let me go!" It was getting hard for her to breathe from the pressure and she wondered if Sarah was doing was making her injury worse.
Sarah blinked at Altair in confusion and eased up on her grip but did not put her down. She then turned her attention to Celestine and Hadrian and said, "You two are… The Ladrian siblings, Celestine and Hadrian right? What are you two doing here?"
"It still hurts," Altair said, "Let me down."
Sarah looked at Altair with a warm smile and said, "If you call me Mama I'll put you down."
Altair's brow scrunched up. She did not want to do that even though there was a voice in the back of her mind telling her to do so. She refused and gritted her teeth and tried to say something, however her lungs tickled slightly at that point and she instantly gave a bubbly cough.
It would have been a cute cough if it wasn't for the blood that sprayed out of her mouth with it.
When Sarah gave Altair a hug it had made everything a lot worse. Altair's ribs had been shattered upon impact, not just fractured or broken. There were pieces of them floating around in Altair's body as they had separated from the remains that remained roughly intact. When Sarah hugged Altair she had pushed some of these bone shards into her lungs, which promptly punctured into them. They were now filling with Altair's own blood.
Sarah's expression turned back into worry as everyone looked at Altair with concern. Sarah was the first to quickly ask, "What's wrong?"
Altair didn't answer her, instead coughing several times and expelling more blood. She turned her head to Hadrian and Celestine and spoke between coughs, "Get out."
The Ladrian siblings gave her a complicated look but Altair didn't have time to entertain them, or anyone, at that moment. A growing sense of urgency was spreading in her mind as she was coughing more frequently with every passing moment. She struggled to push her way out of Sarah's hands while repeating, "Get out so I can get healed!"
Sarah let Altair down and turned to the Ladrian siblings while Altair made her way to the sink. They all assumed she was going over there so she wouldn't make a mess of the room while she was coughing. Noel walked over to be ready to assist Altair at any moment.
"Come now," Sarah said with a warm smile towards Celestine and Hadrian, "her treatment is a private matter. Outsiders are not allowed to see it unless they want to lose their eyes." Even though her gentle voice was heartwarming her words were chilling.
Celestine and Hadrian didn't even need to share a look before they both rushed out of the room. Even Sarah followed them out while pulling Dave along with her.
Dave's excuses to remain in the room due to his duty went completely ignored.
Altair grabbed the jug that was next to the sink and started to take off its cap. 'If this doesn't work then I'll drown in my own blood.'
After coughing a few more times she took a deep breath before drinking a single gulp of the transparent liquid.
Altair felt a surge of Mana as it entered her stomach.
Before she could tell Noel to retrieve it, a knock came to the door. Dave immediately opened it without question and stood there for a moment exchanging a hushed conversation with whoever was on the other side. After they were done speaking, he moved to the side and Celestine and Hadrian entered the room.
Upon seeing them enter, Altair frowned and thought, 'That didn't take them long.'
Seeing Altair awake lifted a weight from Celestine's mind as she sighed visibly before quickly approaching and asking, "How injured are you? Why aren't you in the Healing Pod?" During their fight she was surprised at how skilled Altair was and how her combat style worked. It was so unique that she wanted to ask where she learned it. But she lost control of herself when she got slapped in the arena and the result shocked her. Their plan had basically left her mind as she was more interested in Altair herself than everything else.
Altair waved her hand dismissively without moving the rest of her body while saying, "It's not that bad. It's just some broken ribs." She deliberately ignored the question about the Healing Pod.
Celestine looked at Altair with a worried expression as she chose to ignore the fact that Altair ignored her question and asked, "Why aren't you in the Healing Pod?" The Healing Pod itself was already full and ready to receive Altair but she was placed on the table instead. It made no sense to her.
It didn't make sense to Hadrian either her watched with a curious expression.
Altair simply replied, "You don't need to know. It's a private reason."
Celestine wasn't stupid. Her brow furrowed as she considered her words. She asked, "You have some kind of issue with your body?"
Altair was inwardly stunned. She didn't think that Celestine could get so close to the answer with just her words. 'If I say anymore she might figure it out.' Under that thought, Altair clammed up completely and didn't reply.
Her silence was as good as an answer for Celestine and Hadrian.
Celestine didn't hear anything about this kind of condition and it startled her. The healing pod was the most used treatment machine in the Empire. If Altair couldn't use that then how was she supposed to be healed? Celestine didn't actually know of any other ways people were treated because she had only ever seen healing pods used.
Hadrian's expression turned thoughtful as he looked at Altair. He had never heard of anyone being unable to use healing pods for any reason. He found this entire situation completely bizarre but interesting. "Can you tell us more about your condition?"
Altair didn't reply to him and a heavy silence fell over room.
Time passed by slowly as Hadrian and Celestine stayed in the recovery room in silence. Altair felt the stabbing pain in her chest with every breath that mostly chased away her exhaustion. It wasn't able to completely remove it though, especially since she wasn't moving and was lying down at that moment.
Hadrian spoke from a seat next to the same table that Rictor and the others sat at before, "So, when are you going to receive medical attention?"
Just because she couldn't tell them anything didn't mean that she would go untreated. The longer she went untreated the more problems could arise from her injuries. Since she couldn't use the Healing Pod, then what was she supposed to use?
Altair scoffed at them, "I thought you two were smart." She looked over at Hadrian without sitting up and said, "It's because my treatment can't be seen by you people that I haven't been treated yet. Why haven't you figured that out yet?" Altair didn't mind telling them that much leading them on in the wrong direction. She just wanted them to leave already so she could see if that fluid was what she was looking for.
Hadrian gave her a curious look but didn't reply. What she said made sense when he thought about it.
Celestine was going to keep trying to get more information out of her but Hadrian spoke up, "We have an invitation to give you." He was surprised that Altair had given them so much already.
Altair gave him a blank look, "Then hurry up and give it here so you can get lost." The sooner they left the sooner she could find the answer to her suspicion. Once that was done she could get the checks she wanted. She wouldn't let that doctor treat her until she knew the results of whatever had changed in her.
Hadrian looked at Celestine and told her, "Give it to her so we can leave. She needs to rest."
Celestine gave him a conflicted look. She wanted to ask other questions about how Altair fought but now didn't seem like the right time. Still, since she had won a legendary Friendship By Combat then she was certain that her fate was intertwined with Altair's. She would naturally have plenty of time to get the answers to her questions later. So, she reached into a bag on the table and pulled out a letter. Then she walked over to Altair and handed it to her.
Altair took the letter, glanced at it briefly, then looked Celestine in the eyes and said, "I'll be sure my father gets it. Now, if you'll leave I can get treated."
Her words caused Celestine's and Hadrian's faces to darken. If Altair gave the invitation to Renald then it meant that their efforts were for nothing. It would die on Renald's desk the moment he got it.
Before they could make any comments on it, the door to the recovery room was slammed open and Sarah came dashing right over to Altair with a look of concern on her face. Once she didn't see anything wrong with Altair visibly, she picked her up into a big hug that immediately caused Altair to give out a cute cry of pain.
Altair was scooped up into Sarah's arms and it felt like she was being stabbed with swords. She had felt that kind of pain before but she didn't expect it which is why she let out such an embarrassing noise. Her face paled and she also let go of the invitation and it fell to the ground.
The cute noise Altair made caused Hadrian to give her a strange look while Celestine almost laughed. That was the first girlish thing that Altair had done in front of them and it was because she was in pain.
Sarah worriedly cried out as soon as Altair was in her arms, "Aria are alright?! Are you hurt anywhere?!" Sarah had run over as soon as Ben had informed her that Altair was injured. This ended up delaying Ben from getting to Renald.
But her arrival was a complete surprise to Altair. Her sudden appearance also caused Altair to feel a surge of joy from her heart as the pain from being hugged grew more prominently. Altair struggled as hard as she could to free her face from Sarah's chest, which wasn't that impressive, while her muffled voice said, "You're hurting me let me go!" It was getting hard for her to breathe from the pressure and she wondered if Sarah was doing was making her injury worse.
Sarah blinked at Altair in confusion and eased up on her grip but did not put her down. She then turned her attention to Celestine and Hadrian and said, "You two are… The Ladrian siblings, Celestine and Hadrian right? What are you two doing here?"
"It still hurts," Altair said, "Let me down."
Sarah looked at Altair with a warm smile and said, "If you call me Mama I'll put you down."
Altair's brow scrunched up. She did not want to do that even though there was a voice in the back of her mind telling her to do so. She refused and gritted her teeth and tried to say something, however her lungs tickled slightly at that point and she instantly gave a bubbly cough.
It would have been a cute cough if it wasn't for the blood that sprayed out of her mouth with it.
When Sarah gave Altair a hug it had made everything a lot worse. Altair's ribs had been shattered upon impact, not just fractured or broken. There were pieces of them floating around in Altair's body as they had separated from the remains that remained roughly intact. When Sarah hugged Altair she had pushed some of these bone shards into her lungs, which promptly punctured into them. They were now filling with Altair's own blood.
Sarah's expression turned back into worry as everyone looked at Altair with concern. Sarah was the first to quickly ask, "What's wrong?"
Altair didn't answer her, instead coughing several times and expelling more blood. She turned her head to Hadrian and Celestine and spoke between coughs, "Get out."
The Ladrian siblings gave her a complicated look but Altair didn't have time to entertain them, or anyone, at that moment. A growing sense of urgency was spreading in her mind as she was coughing more frequently with every passing moment. She struggled to push her way out of Sarah's hands while repeating, "Get out so I can get healed!"
Sarah let Altair down and turned to the Ladrian siblings while Altair made her way to the sink. They all assumed she was going over there so she wouldn't make a mess of the room while she was coughing. Noel walked over to be ready to assist Altair at any moment.
"Come now," Sarah said with a warm smile towards Celestine and Hadrian, "her treatment is a private matter. Outsiders are not allowed to see it unless they want to lose their eyes." Even though her gentle voice was heartwarming her words were chilling.
Celestine and Hadrian didn't even need to share a look before they both rushed out of the room. Even Sarah followed them out while pulling Dave along with her.
Dave's excuses to remain in the room due to his duty went completely ignored.
Altair grabbed the jug that was next to the sink and started to take off its cap. 'If this doesn't work then I'll drown in my own blood.'
After coughing a few more times she took a deep breath before drinking a single gulp of the transparent liquid.
Altair felt a surge of Mana as it entered her stomach.
