Camp of the True Queen of Glacia, Central Glacia, Sunday Evening (Fandom Time)

[glacial_witch]

Karla looked at the heaps of the dead surrounding her camp and blinked back tears. The only "upside" to this--and yes, Karla was thinking of that in quotations--was that most of the dead were not her own

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[trigons_child]

Raven had gone numb. She'd wrapped up all her emotions, all the fear and horror and rage, and bound it deep inside her. Maybe later, when she could find a place to be alone, she'd let it out, but for now, she focused just on healing the injured, moving from person to person to do what she could to mend their wounds, and trying not to dwell on those she couldn't help.

[glacial_witch]

Karla came into the Healer's pavilion and beelined for Raven, holding out her arms and wrapping her friend into a solid hug. Yes, people needed Healing stat, but, for a moment, Karla needed an emotional anchor point.

"You doing okay?" she asked, voice shaky.

[trigons_child]

"I am all right," Raven said automatically, though she sounded dazed and tired. "Though there is still much work to be done."

She let down her shields enough to relax into Karla's embrace and hugged her back just as tightly. "This is not your fault," she said softly, knowing the awful burden this would put on her shoulders.

[glacial_witch]

"I'm the one that took the shield down," Karla said, voice hoarse. "If I hadn't...at least none of our people would have died."

[trigons_child]

"And then your heart would have been filled with guilt about not attempting to save those who attacked us," Raven said soothingly, stroking Karla's hair. "You did what you could to save them from their madness."

[glacial_witch]

"And what I could do can be summed up with a hearty 'fuck all,'" Karla retorted, moving to wash her hands so she could get to work with the rest of them. With the savagery of the attack, there was a lot of Healing to do. The pavilion was overrun with injured and even more waited outside. "Except get people hurt and killed."

She didn't even know how many people they'd lost today. Julian was out there now, tallying the dead of both sides.

[trigons_child]

"They are your people," Raven said, following after her. She was as concerned about Karla's state of mind as she was about anyone who needed her healing gifts. "You could not ignore their suffering."

[glacial_witch]

Karla shook her head, though whether to deny the charge or agree with it was unclear, even to her.

"How could they do this?" she whispered, nodding at the apprentice Healer who was busy boiling supplies for fast and easy sterilization. "I don't just mean Hobart and Ludmilla, but the Black Widows who wove that web. How? It goes against every vow we swear!"

The girl, shocked at having her Queen so close to hand, jerked and spilled some boiling onto her hand.

[trigons_child]

Raven immediately darted forward to the girl, taking her burned hand between her own and drawing the injury into herself. It wasn't a serious wound, but it was also important to keep the healers strong so they could tend to those truly in need. "Be careful," she said gently.

"I do not know," she said, facing Karla again. "Vows can be broken. Power can corrupt. Whatever their reasons, they will be punished for what they have done."

[glacial_witch]

Karla looked at the apprentice and gave her a soft smile. "Thank you," she said, "for taking care of this so that the other Healers don't have to worry about such things."

The girl was wide-eyed at both of them, stammering out a thank you and bobbing her head. "Yes'm," she added to Raven. "I'll be more careful in the future."

"Good lass," Karla said. She reached for the sterilized tools and turned away. As soon as she did, her face fell back to looking stressed and tired, the smile she'd manufactured for the girl gone as if it had never been.

"Not soon enough," she mumbled to Raven. "It will be the Hourglass's final say, but I would have them all broken back to basic Craft for this."

[trigons_child]

Raven laid her hand on Karla's arm, noting how tired she looked.

"That Shield must have taken a lot of power," she said. "Have you had something to eat?"

[glacial_witch]

"With what time?" Karla asked. "And I'm not hungry."

She could feel Raven's gaze on her and she hurried to add, "Not like that. More like, 'I just watched a slaughter and lost my appetite.' Are you all that hungry, either?"

[trigons_child]

"No," Raven said, shaking her head. Her stomach wasn't going to want to face food for some time after all she'd seen and felt that day.

"But my gifts do not draw strength from my body as yours do," she reminded her gently. They did weaken her in other ways, which she'd been completely ignoring for some time now.

She wasn't about to force Karla to eat and rest, not yet, but she was going to keep a close eye on her to see if she needed to insist.

[glacial_witch]

Stupid Craft.

"I have a lot more now," Karla said, waiting to be assigned a patient. Here in the tent, she was only Karla, journeymaid Healer and Black Widow. She wasn't in charge and she would take her orders as they were given. "I can go a lot longer before my Jewel starts tapping me for energy."

Though once it did, it would be much harsher on her body, too.

[trigons_child]

"Please do not push yourself too hard," Raven said. "Your energies are welcomed here, but they are needed elsewhere as well. We do not know when another attack may come."

Not soon, she prayed. She'd seen more than enough carnage that day.

[glacial_witch]

If it came today, Karla was going to personally walk out onto that battlefield and flay alive whatever members of the Blood who seemed to be there of their own free will. She had so much fury battling with her grief and guilt and it would be nice to exorcise at least one set of emotions.

"I will do my best to work within my limits," Karla promised, successfully not snapping or growling a reply. It got frustrating, those constant reminders to go slow, to take breaks, to watch herself, but part of that frustration was always turned towards herself, for making those reminders necessary. "But you have to promise to do the same."

SHE NEEDED A ROLE-MODEL, RAVEN. DIDN'T YOU AGREE?