>"My leg'll drink to that. I know I'll be more useful after some more solid rest."
>If they don't object, retire to our quarters to leg our wounds heal, and rest.
>"Go on," Murasa says, jerking her head towards the stairs. "There'll still be stuff to do once you're feeling more lively - not going to say no to a spare hand at a time like this. But don't you worry; now that the ship's ours again, we'll still make Val Razua soon enough."
>You make your way leisurely back to your quarters as Murasa and Neu head down to the hold to release the rest of the crew. It's good to lie down again, though you find yourself less sleepy than earlier. Still, you don't find yourself too motivated to get up and move as you hear the ship come back to life around you, sailors fanning out above deck and below. You already bled for them today; you've earned your time off, you think.
>Despite their injuries and the lingering defeat in the air, they're remarkably swift and efficient at taking charge of the situation. Damage is assessed, cleanup duties are prioritized and distributed and you hear orders ring out from one end of the ship to the other. Before long, you also hear Chisato rise painfully from her bed only to be intercepted by Miyuki before she can even leave her room and sent sternly back again. The redhead rails against this, of course, but Miyuki is absolutely unyielding and eventually Chisato gives up with a grumble and returns to bed. You can hear her swearing under her breath afterward, seemingly at no one in particular.
>Not long after this, Miyuki pays
you a visit, a crutch under one arm and first aid supplies in the other. You contemplate protesting, but decide that this would be as much a waste of breath for you as it was for Chisato and simply let her do what she wants. The antiseptic stings and is probably unnecessary for you, but it seems to make Miyuki feel better, so you grin and bear it without too much complaint. It
is nice to have your wounds cleaned up better than your hasty toweling accomplished earlier, though, and you're not about to say no to the bandages. Miyuki herself looks remarkably spirited again and studiously focused; if you didn't know better, you would never have suspected that only an hour ago she was a prisoner on her own ship, but you can't help wondering if she's simply keeping busy to avoid dwelling on it. Her eyes linger just a little on the edges of a Blight mark that becomes exposed while she works and you think you see something darker tug at the edge of her expression for a moment, but it passes quickly. You don't bother to press the issue.
>Once Miyuki is satisfied with your condition, she excuses herself and heads towards the galley. More time passes. Eventually the boredom of remaining sedentary grows to outweigh the irritation of moving, and you drag yourself out of bed in the hope of doing something useful. The hallway doesn't look much tidier than it did the last time you saw it, but you suppose the crew's had other priorities than getting bloodstains out of wood. If you had to pick between
that and fixing the engine... The biggest tripping hazards seem to be cleared away, at least.
>_
