❧ April 23rd, 1888
The MacFusty Home – The Hebrides
The way that Bella looked up at her made Tilda's heart break. The broken, defeated and pitiful look that a person got when they were done dealing with the world; but the world wasn't quite done with them yet. Well, not if Tilda had anything to say about it.
As soon as Bella's hand moved up to hers, Tilda grasped it. Surveying the girl, Tilda saw that she was covered in small gashes; she didn't even want to know what was magically inflicted and what wasn't, though Healer's instincts told her it was a good half of them. The witch hid her grimace as she thought of ways to get Bella up and into the house.
Glancing down at Bella's dress, Tilda saw that a good portion of it was soaked in blood. Gingerly, she brushed the girl's skirts aside and she saw that her leg was the source of the blood. Biting back a grimace, she stood up and set Bella's hand down. No, she wasn't going to make the girl walk to the bloody door. She could barely stand as it is.
"Hold on, Bells," she said, and immediately summoned a stretcher. Stooping back down, Tilda placed another hand on the other side of Bella and with a brief but sympathetic, "My apologies for this," she hoisted her classmate up on her feet. Her former classmate wasn't really heavy - Tilda's penchant for knife throwing had given her enough muscle to handle her own - at least against her brothers or a 50 stone horse, whichever was in the mood to mess with her first.
With Bella on the stretcher, Tilda levitated it and threw a glance back at Venetia, who had somehow meandered into their front yard by opening the gate and was now having a go at her mother's petunias. It wasn't the time to be sympathetic to her mother's garden though, and she headed inside with her friend levitating on the stretcher in front of her.
Once inside, Tilda turned to Bella as she made her way to the guest room. Searching the girl yet again, she recognized the signs of shock setting in - wide, dilated pupils, quick shallowed breaths and a 1,000 yard stare. She pressed her hand to her friend's arm again, this time with a firmer (though no less gentle) grip.
"Bella." she said firmly, perhaps a bit louder in order to reach her friend. "Can you tell me what happened?"
As soon as Bella's hand moved up to hers, Tilda grasped it. Surveying the girl, Tilda saw that she was covered in small gashes; she didn't even want to know what was magically inflicted and what wasn't, though Healer's instincts told her it was a good half of them. The witch hid her grimace as she thought of ways to get Bella up and into the house.
Glancing down at Bella's dress, Tilda saw that a good portion of it was soaked in blood. Gingerly, she brushed the girl's skirts aside and she saw that her leg was the source of the blood. Biting back a grimace, she stood up and set Bella's hand down. No, she wasn't going to make the girl walk to the bloody door. She could barely stand as it is.
"Hold on, Bells," she said, and immediately summoned a stretcher. Stooping back down, Tilda placed another hand on the other side of Bella and with a brief but sympathetic, "My apologies for this," she hoisted her classmate up on her feet. Her former classmate wasn't really heavy - Tilda's penchant for knife throwing had given her enough muscle to handle her own - at least against her brothers or a 50 stone horse, whichever was in the mood to mess with her first.
With Bella on the stretcher, Tilda levitated it and threw a glance back at Venetia, who had somehow meandered into their front yard by opening the gate and was now having a go at her mother's petunias. It wasn't the time to be sympathetic to her mother's garden though, and she headed inside with her friend levitating on the stretcher in front of her.
Once inside, Tilda turned to Bella as she made her way to the guest room. Searching the girl yet again, she recognized the signs of shock setting in - wide, dilated pupils, quick shallowed breaths and a 1,000 yard stare. She pressed her hand to her friend's arm again, this time with a firmer (though no less gentle) grip.
"Bella." she said firmly, perhaps a bit louder in order to reach her friend. "Can you tell me what happened?"
![[Image: ohwRsWh.jpg]](https://i.imgur.com/ohwRsWh.jpg)