#and Tanza gets to be a bit important come icebrood

[kerra-and-company]

Touching 20. For the prompts!

Heya @salamanderapocalypse and thanks so much for the prompt!! :) Sorry this took a couple days, but here you go! See under the cut for the rest of the fic. 

Warnings: Icebrood Saga spoilers, vague discussion of frostbite

Bjora Marches was cold and creepy and utterly unpleasant, and since Minei knew basic first aid, she was on medic duty.

Specifically, she was in charge of trying to keep soldiers from wandering off into the forest, chasing voices. And of trying to keep them alive.

That was usually difficult (if not impossible) and painful. Today, it was just annoying. No one was dying, but a squad of Vigil soldiers had stayed outside too long. She was in charge of treating their lieutenant, a very tall norn who looked utterly exhausted—probably from carrying two of their squad back to Jora’s Keep singlehandedly—and who had the oddest case of frostbite she’d ever seen.

“What did you do, stick your right hand and only your right hand into a snowdrift?” she muttered, dunking the lieutenant’s hand in a bowl of warm water. They snorted.

“No. I made the grave mistake of grabbing an Icebrood Svanir by the arm to stop him from cutting my head off,” they said. “And I didn’t have gloves on.”

“Why on Tyria did you not have gloves on?” Minei reached across the table to grab bandages, setting them next to her so they’d be ready when the injured tissue was warmer.

They shrugged. “I’ve never had trouble with the cold.”

Minei sighed, leaning back in her chair. “We’re going to have to sit here for a while. I’m Minei. She/her. What about you, Lieutenant?”

“Tanza’s fine. She/they.”

“You a fan of snow, Tanza?”

“Not in particular. But I do think it’s beautiful.”

It was Minei’s turn to snort. “That sounds like a fan to me.”

The corner of Tanza’s mouth curved up. “I was found in a cave as a baby by the women who would become my mothers. As far as we know, the only reason I didn’t freeze to death was snow.”

Minei blinked. She’d meant to make small talk, not share personal information. Then she processed what Tanza had said, and she furrowed her brow. “I don’t follow.”

“Do you know how some animals sleep through the winter?” Minei nodded. “Some of those animals dig tunnels made entirely out of snow and stay there for months. They don’t die because, funnily enough, snow walls actually trap heat.”

Tanza looked down, her eyes not quite focused. “There was a snowdrift in front of the cave when I was found. The snow protected me.”

See, child? It is as I told you—ice fortifies. Ice protects.

“Ice is not snow,” Minei snapped aloud.

Tanza’s eyes jumped back up. “Sorry?”

“Never mind.” Minei’s voice was tense. “Not talking to you.”

Their face shifted just a little. “Ah. Well. Okay.” They coughed. “The more important point is that I was saved. And I was lucky in more ways than one. I ended up with wonderful mothers who taught me to hunt and to respect the Spirits. What about your parents? What are they like?”

It depends which ones you mean, Minei thought. The ones I can’t remember? The one who raised me? Or the one who died for me?

Aloud, she said, “I had them. I don’t now.” Anticipating pity, which she did not want, she quickly added, “But I’m glad you do. Let’s take a look at your hand.” It was far too early for that, but it was a change of subject, at least.

Tanza carefully lifted her hand out of the water, and the two blinked.

“You didn’t tell me you were going to heal me with magic,” Tanza said.

“I didn’t,” Minei said, completely nonplussed. She grabbed Tanza’s hand, inspecting the palm and fingers for any sign of discoloration or chill. There was none. “I can’t heal that way. I don’t know how.”

More than that, no one on medic duty today could have healed Tanza. None of them had so much as talked to her, and, more importantly, none of them were capable. Jormag seemed to have a particular fondness for taking out healers, and the Vigil was still waiting for reinforcements.

Minei shook her head. She’d seen enough weirdness to last a thousand lifetimes; she wouldn’t let this unsettle her. “I have no idea what just happened,” she said. “But I’m still giving you a bandage.”

Tanza laughed, and Minei began wrapping their hand in gauze. The entire process was over in under a minute, and Minei secured the gauze with a pin.

“All right,” she said. “You should be good to go. But stay in the keep today, and wear gloves next time.”

“No promises,” Tanza said lightheartedly. She stood up and headed towards the door.

“Lieutenant!” Minei called after her.

They turned around. “Yes, Warmaster?”

“At least promise not to die, would you? We’ve lost too many soldiers already.”

Tanza grinned, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “I’ll do my best.”

[kerra-and-company]

“Focus on me, okay?” / “Bad dream?” / “I’ve been looking forward to this.” for the prompts :)

It’s been a bit, but here you go! Thanks so much for the prompt @i-mybrunettelady :D

Prompt: “Focus on me, okay?”

(And the entire fic’s under a cut because of Icebrood spoilers, just fyi!)

When Jormag fell, Tanza screamed.

They collapsed onto the ground, struggling to undo the bindings on their armor, desperately trying to see the problem. She couldn’t make her hands work, and spots were dancing in front of her eyes. “Help,” they croaked.

“Hey—HEY!” A blurry shape moved into their view. She wouldn’t have been able to identify them if it wasn’t for their hair, shining like it’d absorbed the sun. Cio. “Tanza! Stay awake! Focus on me, okay?”

“Okay,” she whispered, blinking hard.

They felt hands fumble with the clasps and lift their armor over their head. A new voice behind her hissed out “Burn me,” and she felt cooling healing magic cover her torso. The charr pilot, Ari. “Cub, you have a hole in your chest. I’m going to fly you back to the Eye for treatment.”

“What…happened?”

“Your diamond’s gone, Lieutenant,” Cio said flatly. Tanza felt movement; they were being placed on a stretcher. “It must have vanished when Jormag died and taken part of you with it. And I could come up with several theories as to why you’re hurt and I’m not, but the most important thing right now is to get you to safety.”

The sky was blocked by the metal ceiling of the copter, and Tanza took a stuttering breath.

“…Gone?” she said, nearly inaudible.

“Say that again, kid,” Cio said. They were pretty sure she was holding their hand.

“They’re…gone, right? Jormag…Primor—” She coughed, cutting herself off and nearly blacking out from pain.

“They’re definitely gone,” Ari called from the cockpit. “Saw them explode into magic dust personally.”

“Cio…she’s right?”

“Yes, Tanza.” There’s warmth in the asura’s voice, and it burns away the last of Jormag’s cold. “She’s right.”

As they rose into the sky and the noise made conversation impossible, they held tight to Cio and focused on the pulsing glow of her eyes.

She’d stay awake. She could do that.

They refused to die without seeing their mothers again.

[kerra-and-company]

"I know it smells bad, but you'll feel better, trust me." For whoever you'd like! - cycleof-dusk

Took me a bit to do this one, but here you go and thanks for the prompt @cycleof-dusk! :D (It ended up being basically a sequel to this one, haha)

Warnings: Icebrood Saga spoilers (which is why it’s all under a cut, just to be safe), discussion of injuries and medical treatment of said injuries

“Okay, what’ve we got?” Rel said briskly, pulling on his gloves as Cio and a Crystal Bloom soldier he didn’t recognize lowered the stretcher off the copter.

“Lieutenant Mjallkin, 20-something, magic backlash,” Ari rattled off, jumping from the cockpit. “Has a hole in her chest because Jormag’s magic vanished when they died.”

“Dragons are dead, then?” Rel said almost absentmindedly, more focused on examining Tanza. He summoned just enough fire to make his left hand glow, lighting up the edges of the wound. “Not a lot of bleeding, so that’s good news. Jiare!”

The tiny asura materialized at his side. “Yes?”

“You’re the Elder Dragon expert. Her injury was caused by Jormag. Your territory, your patient.”

They nodded, gesturing to the rest of their squad and grabbing hold of Tanza’s stretcher. “Let’s go, bookahs! Time to prove that we really are the crack team.”

“Hey, aren’t you going with them?” Cio demanded, eyes blazing.

“I will be shortly, but Jiare’s very capable. The lieutenant’s in good hands.” Rel strode past Cio to Ari. “You, on the other hand, have a nasty wound in your leg that needs treatment.”

Ari blinked and looked down. “Oh, huh. Guess I do.”

“Ari!” Cio looked furious, but specifically the kind of furious that came from fear and guilt. She moved to the charr’s side.

“I’ll be fine, Sparks, don’t worry,” Ari grunted as Rel helped her into a nearby chair. He pulled a small, thin knife from his belt and sliced through the already-ripped fabric near the offending area.

Seems clean. No debris. Decent amount of bleeding, though; can’t believe she didn’t notice.

“All right,” Rel said, pulling out a container from his bag and unscrewing the top. “Warning you in advance—this smells bad, but you’ll feel better once I put it on, trust me.”

“What is it?”

“It’s a disinfectant, and it speeds healing.”

Ari sniffed the container suspiciously. “And you can’t just use magic because…”

“Oh, I could,” Rel said. “But this helps to ensure that you won’t need to come and see me—or another healer—for this again. Don’t get me wrong,” he added, giving Cio a sideways smile. “You’re friends, or something close, at least, with my sibling, and you’re welcome to drop by any time. But I’d prefer to see you without any gashes in important limbs, if possible.”

Ari glanced at Cio, who nodded, then back to Rel. “Okay. I suppose I trust you, then. Go ahead.”

Rel carefully but quickly applied the ointment. Once he was done, he placed his hand over the wound, closing his eyes and calling on water. The magic swirled, repairing most of the internal damage and sealing it closed. He pulled out a bandage next, wrapping it around the leg.

“You have strict orders to take it easy for a few days, solider,” he said sternly, meeting Ari’s eyes. “And we’re done with dragons for now, so you better not come up with another excuse.”

“I’ll hold her to that,” Cio said with a tired smile, placing her hand on Ari’s shoulder. The charr seemed unsure whether to look offended or thankful. “We’re good here, Rel. Go.”

He nodded, standing and stripping off his gloves in one fluid movement. He strode over to the corner of the Eye where Jiare and their team was working on Tanza.

“Where are we?”

“Probably going to need an implant of some kind,” Jiare said shortly. “There’s too much missing to easily repair. But they’re stable, for now—it’s impressive, honestly. Strong kid.”

“Understood.” Rel called up his magic again, and his hands began to glow.

“Let’s see what we can do.”