Magical Lotus - Mahou Shoujou Byakuren - Episode 4, Part 2

[Oldmansour]

>"Give her to me."
>Accept our poor injured girlfriend and carry her inside

>You accept the kasha as the dragon uses its dextrous tail to push the door open for Alisae. Rin is not a heavy girl, but in your current condition you do have to work not to drop her, or fall down yourself. Reisen thoughtfully supports you from behind as you enter the room after Alisaie. It is not an overly attractive room, the walls painted a drab beige, the carpet a cheap off-white affair. It is a fairly large room, though, with eight beds lined up, four on either side of the room, each one with a small table on one side and a closet on the other. A pair of large mirrors dominate the back wall, and there are two doors, one on the west wall, on on the east.
>At the moment, only one such bed is occupied, by the Metal miko Anya. She is sporting a bandage over her eye and appears to be sleeping.
>Alisaie lays Lily down on the bed across from Anya's. "This servants room. It is not pretty, but it has the most beds in the house."

[DracoOmega]

>"The decor is unimportant."
>Lay Rin down gently on another bed.

[Oldmansour]

>"The decor is unimportant."
>Lay Rin down gently on another bed.

>"Try saying that after a few months of living here." the dragon rumbles from out in the hall as you, relieve yourself of your burden. After which, Reisen heavily sits down upon the bed next to hers, with a heavy sigh exploding from the tired rabbit.
>"Never mind about that." the summoner chides her dragon as she crosses the room and retreives a red and black leather bag from the table next to Anya's and asks you, "The fighting is over now?"

[DracoOmega]

>"For now, yes. I wish I could say how long a reprieve we'll have."

[Oldmansour]

>"For now, yes. I wish I could say how long a reprieve we'll have."

>She nods then turns to her dragon. "I dissmiss you."
>"I'll collect later." the dragon replies in a lilting tone as it dissolves into the green smoke from whence it came, which vanishes moments later, leaving only the scent of chlorine to waft through the room.
>Alisae retreives a stethoscope from her case and checks Lily's heartbeat. "You mentioned another fight. Any injuries from that one?"

[DracoOmega]

>"A little. Not as bad, though."
>Let's go plant ourselves on a bed, too. No need to keep standing now if we don't have to.

[Oldmansour]

>"A little. Not as bad, though."
>Let's go plant ourselves on a bed, too. No need to keep standing now if we don't have to.

>"Please tell me. I am a doctor." she states, repeating what Reisen told you earlier as she checks Lily's pulse.
>As she talks, you plonk yourself down next to Reisen, the rabbit having fallen back to lay down parallel-wise on the bed.

[DracoOmega]

>"Well, Rose had her eardrums ruptured." Gesture to her. "Though I believe someone else already tended to that in the meantime. Several of us got hit by lightning magic, though I avoided the worst of it myself."

[Oldmansour]

>"Well, Rose had her eardrums ruptured." Gesture to her. "Though I believe someone else already tended to that in the meantime. Several of us got hit by lightning magic, though I avoided the worst of it myself."

>Alisaie looks up sharply as you explain what happened to Rin during the brawl with Air, and quickly shifts her position to the kasha. "A cat youkai's ears are very sensitive and important. She should see a specialist regardless of what I say or see, to make sure." she informs you strictly. "Unless that someone else was a specialist?"

[DracoOmega]

>"Not to the best of my knowledge, though she did work some healing magic on them. I wasn't there to witness most of the exchange."

[Oldmansour]

>"Not to the best of my knowledge, though she did work some healing magic on them. I wasn't there to witness most of the exchange."

>"Magic is well and good, but is not always a substitute for a real doctor, especially a specialist." Alisaie replies, not with the arrogance you'd expect from the other older Knowledge woman you met, but simply as a matter of fact.
>"So, you're a doctor and a summoner?" Reisen asks her as she carefully examines Rin's ears.
>In a more subdued voice, considering her location, Alisaie answers, "Yes. I was a doctor before I was a mage."

[DracoOmega]

>"An interesting career path, given what you just summoned."

[Oldmansour]

>"An interesting career path, given what you just summoned."

>"I wanted to make people well." the woman replies modestly. "I would have preferred to stay in that career, but I am a Knowledge. I was not given that option." Wrapping up her look at Rin's head, she looks up at you. "I do not see any structural damage, but if her eardrums were ruptured, there may still be some lingering effects. Her ears may be more sensitive than normal for a time. Try to keep her protected from loud noises for at least a day, to be safe."

[DracoOmega]

>"I'll do my best."

[Oldmansour]

>"I'll do my best."

>Alisaie nods and resumes her examination of the still unconscious Rin, wincing at the sight of the wounds on her leg and tail. "Would one of you mind assisting me for a moment?"
>"I will." Reisen says quickly, clapping you briefly on the shoulder as she comes to her feet.
>"Please, hold up her leg." the doctor asks as she retreives a roll of bandages from her bag, wrapping first the wound on her leg, then her tail, with Reisen's assistance. Her compassionate face betrays her sadness as she does so. "I am sorry this happened to you all. You were wounded defending a family that should have been able to defend itself."

[DracoOmega]

>"What do you mean?"

[Oldmansour]

>"What do you mean?"

>"Magic is strong in The Knowledge family." she replies as she stands, walking over to the door. "For generations, the Knowledges have studied the arcane." After closing the door, she lowers her voice and adds, "But that strength is not what it was. Once, the Knowledges would have been willing, been able, to defend themselves from that kind of being. But this is not as true now. If it were not for you five brave girls, we would have been helpless. For that, I give you my gratitide, and my deepest apologies." The quiet woman bows her head to you.

[DracoOmega]

>"Please, there's nothing to apologize for. No one should feel any shame for being unable to stand against that kind of destructive power. I am simply glad we were able to prevent anything worse from happening."

[Oldmansour]

>"Please, there's nothing to apologize for. No one should feel any shame for being unable to stand against that kind of destructive power. I am simply glad we were able to prevent anything worse from happening."

>She's not like any Knowledge I've ever met before. Reisen remarks telepathically. Strong enough to summon a dragon, humble enough to bow her head to strangers? I can see now why Madame and Lord Knowledge don't talk much about her.

[DracoOmega]

>I imagine they don't see eye to eye on more than a handful of things.

[Oldmansour]

>I imagine they don't see eye to eye on more than a handful of things.

>Alisaie offers you a tentative smile. "It is kind of you to say so. But still I feel indebted to you. If there is anything you need, please, ask."

[DracoOmega]

>"How much of the battle did you witness, anyway?"

[Oldmansour]

>"How much of the battle did you witness, anyway?"

>"Not a lot." Alisaie admits, turning once more to her examination of Lily. "I was tending to the shrine maiden. Once I was allowed to bring her inside."

[DracoOmega]

>"Did you... see who we were fighting?"

[Oldmansour]

>"Did you... see who we were fighting?"

>"Not clearly, no."

[DracoOmega]

>Perhaps it would be kinder if I didn't tell her.

[Oldmansour]

>Perhaps it would be kinder if I didn't tell her.

>Perhaps. Reisen agrees. But she's probably going to find out sooner or later. You can be sure that Patchy's parents knew.

[DracoOmega]

>You feel certain of this?

[Oldmansour]

>You feel certain of this?

>There's no way at least one of them doesn't know. Unless neither one of them was home. She pauses briefly before adding, Alisaie may have been preoccupied with the wounded, but those two wouldn't have that problem.

[DracoOmega]

>Heavy sigh
>"I'm very sorry to deliver more bad news, but I'm afraid it was Patchouli."