#14

Mei let her shoulders sink, exhaling. He was complying. Good. She delicately began to remove his bandages, careful to not accidentally touch his sensitive flesh. The somatic components required for her magic made her fingerwork much more delicate.

When she finally reached the last layer, she could see the reddened, slightly blackened flesh. With proper care, his face might get back to some semblance of normal color, but the scar tissue was deep and plentiful. Even if it did heal, there'd be so many patches of scarring he'd look like a tire tread for the rest of his life. It would take a powerful white mage to fix this kind of damage.

With the bandages removed, Mei finally got a full look at his face. It was a miracle his eyelids and lips were still functioning in the red roadmap of scars and blisters. She bit her lip, not to stifle a scream, but to stop herself from asking questions. It was probably better she didn't know what happened to this poor guy. The head nurse didn't even tell her anything.

She turned slightly, opening the jar of antiseptic, dipping some fresh bandage into it. Once it was soaked, she approached Kyo's face. "This may sting a bit...if you need it, I can dull the pain for a second. Not a great option, but easier than starting a morphine drip..." Slowly, she pressed the bandage to his face, beginning to wrap it around his head.