Reina and Shinsusa stood in front of Razmuth's room. Reina knocked on the door gracefully and said, "Time to practice, Razmuth."
"One moment," Razmuth replied from within.
Reina stepped back from the door and faced Shinsusa. As she studied Shinsusa's rugged, scarred face she felt her heart go down a rollercoaster. Shinsusa's blonde hair, tall stature, and obsidian eyes tugged at the strings of Reina's heart. How could she ever live without seeing them? However, the scars and ruggedness of Shinsusa's face caused Reina to feel as though there were a red-hot knife stabbed through her heart. It showed her that when Shinsusa needed her most, Reina couldn't help. As she was thinking about this, a tear trickled down her cheek, leaving behind a trail of cold and wet skin.
"What's wrong?" Shinsusa asked, wearing a very concerned expression.
Reina's chest twisted on itself; she did not want to be a bother to Shinsusa. She quickly quelled her negative feelings, made herself smile, though she still felt as though a dam was about to burst inside of her.
"It's just that… You and I haven't been sleeping toge—"
"O—OKAY," Shinsusa interrupted Reina while being as red as a ripe tomato in the face. "Let's just focus on Razmuth—"
The flood of emotions inside of Reina evaporated as she let out an uncontrolled laugh. Shinsusa, meanwhile, just squirmed in anxious embarrassment. They both composed themselves as Razmuth opened his door and stepped out into the hallway.
Reina smiled kindly at Razmuth, "Let's go."
The three moved through the streets via their horses. Reina took point with Razmuth following and Shinsusa in tow. Razmuth was rather quiet and seemed to be a bit of a wriggly mess.
"What's the matter, Razmuth?" Reina asked concerned.
"Nothing."
"If it's bothering you, it's not nothing."
Razmuth opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out though his jaw did shake momentarily.
"Better out than in; if you carry these emotions into battle, you will die," Shinsusa chipped in.
"Even more than that, I do not want you to be hurting," Reina's voice had the same gentleness as a smooth spring gust of wind.
Razmuth hesitated again before speaking, "I… I do not know what I feel. I… I am…" Razmuth paused, trying to find the right word to describe his emotions. "…Easy not."
"And why is that?"
"I do not know, I… I…"
Reina stopped, approached Razmuth and hugged him tightly and gently.
"Whatever it is, you'll get through it. I will make sure that you get through it no matter what."
Reina kept hugging Razmuth until he stopped shaking as much and then studied his face.
"Better?"
"Yes."
Reina smiled widely and then the three of them continued on their way.
As they moved through the more populus part of the city, they saw some truly terrible things. They saw men, who appeared to have molded into black, rough filth; children who had not clothes on nor had been washed for weeks; women who had the color drained out of their cheeks, clothes tattered and dirty, were sat or standing wherever they could, offering to rent their selves to anyone with a half a pouch full of coin.
One such woman rushed and grasped Reina's hand. This woman who had blonde hair turned gray due to the sheer filth accumulated on it, wearing a gown with stains of all kinds covering whatever the original color and design was, had hands that had overgrown nails, calluses, and had bumps all over her skin.
The woman pleaded with Reina, but unfortunately, she spoke in the Walindian tongue, a language that Reina did not know. She turned to Razmuth, hoping to get a translation but was stunned by Razmuth's expression. Razmuth wore an expression only reminiscent to one a person would wear after seeing a man eat his own feces. Though Reina did not know why Razmuth had that expression, she realized that she should distance herself from this strange woman.
Reina pulled her hand away and tried to distance herself from this odd woman, but she rushed and grasped Reina's hand again. Before Reina could react, Shinsusa pulled the stranger back and threw on the ground away from Reina with enough force to make the woman cry. Everyone was now staring at the group.
"Hurry," Razmuth advised.
Reina got off her horse and approached the woman.
"Sorry, we do not speak your language."
Reina put her hands on the woman, and she squirmed in protest.
"Razmuth, ask her where it hurts."
Razmuth spoke to the woman, who yelled back.
"Her back. Lower back."
Reina nodded in acknowledgement then turned her attention back towards the woman in front of her. She took a deep breath and began her incantation.
"O lord, he who helps all! O lord, he who knows all! O lord, he who heals all! O lord, he who fixes all! This poor fool hath lost her way, this poor fool hath been harmed! This poor fool hath a broken back, gather her bones and mend the shards!"
As soon as Reina's incantation was complete, she felt her body temperature rise. To her, it felt like from the back of her ears to the side of her neck on both sides had been exposed to the direct heat of a flame. She felt this heat in her chest and stomach as well. Then, she felt this heat begin to accumulate in her heart from where it traveled down to her hands, through her fingers and into the woman. When all the heat had migrated, Reina stopped touching the woman.
"Ask her how she feels," Reina commanded Razmuth while keeping her eyes on the woman.
Razmuth did so and was met with a soft spoken and seemingly confused response.
"No pain."
Reina smiled, mounted her horse, and continued on her way, leaving all of the city folk confused in her wake.