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[Aledrade Naoise]

Off-tune humming bounced off the walls like bits of shattered glass after an explosion. Thankfully, just about anyone who typically used the hallway was in his or her class at the time, safe from the onslaught. Ale timed his footsteps to match the percussion of the song he was humming, resulting in a very strange halting and bouncing gait. As if to add to the already sense-jarring environment, a box full of pottery clattered noisily in the man's arms. In his wake he left leaves and twigs that had been knocked free from his clothing and hair by his jerking movements.

Finally Ale burst into full song, the sound of which would have caused the bard who wrote the song-- had he not been long dead-- to wail with grief. Even so, the poor bard's soul must have been turning in his grave at such a butchering of one of his masterpieces. Beneath his warm winter coat there were strange bulges and angles rising in equally strange places.

The weather had just turned cold outside, more or less without warning. Without time to prepare as he would have liked, Ale had resorted to potting his most delicate plants to bring inside. Unfortunately, the weather had dipped once more while had been outside. To his horror, it had started to sleet on his precious plants. Instead of moving the plants in several trips, the healer had panicked and stuffed the extra pots under his coat. The coat was tight enough to keep the plants in place, but also tight enough that the pots dug into his ribs, stomach, kidneys, and just about everything else. Thankfully his coat was only waist length, otherwise he might have been rendered senseless on the floor from an unfortunate bounce of a pot in a very painful place.

As it was, though, he had successfully rescued all of his plants. During his flight indoors he had managed to get turned around somewhere. He wasn't sure exactly where he was at the moment, except that he definitely wasn't in the Herald's Dormitory or the House of Healing. He suspected he might be in the back hallways of the Bardic Dormitory. Where in the Bardic Dormitory, however, he hadn't a clue.

Ale was content with this situation. Evan was in the house of healing today, which meant Ale would be as far from it as possible. Wherever Evan was, Ale made it his business not to be. This wasn't because he was afraid of the man like so many others, but just the opposite. He didn't trust himself or his temper near him. Evan was rude. He wasn't just rude, he was chronically, blatantly, and intentionally rude. Ale detested rudeness, especially deliberate rudeness. The last time Ale had been near the man he had almost been driven to say something vulgar, and in front of children!

One of Ale's feet came down awkwardly as he capered. He tripped and stumbled to the side, frantically wind milling with one hand for a handhold. His searching hand encountered a door handle. His shoulder collided with the door it belonged to. The door swung open, sending the healer stumbling into the room. Thankfully the door had absorbed most of his momentum, and he was able to catch his balance a few feet into the room. As soon as he was balanced again he checked his precious cargo. Nothing was missing, though a few leaves had been damaged.

The dark-skinned man heaved a sigh of relief, lifting his eyes from the pots to gaze around his surroundings. He was in the bathhouse… A sudden grin split his face. This would be a perfect place to store his plants for the winter. Often steamy and humid despite the weather outside, his heat-loving plants would thrive in such a place. He'd have to find an out of the way corner to tuck the precious little things so they wouldn't be harmed.

A dark place would be best, and some place shielded from prying eyes. A curious bard could be just as bad, and sometimes worse, than a clumsy Herald. He healer slipped his jacket off and carefully piled his potted treasures upon the cloth, tugging it slowly behind him as he looked for just such a place.

[Tavi Crebshaw]

The inevitable had happened. Tavi had broken the Bardic Dean's order that he not get in another fight that month. In fact, he'd been in two. The reason he wasn't currently cooling his heels at home was because neither had been his fault. He'd been jumped twice (though neither time had been related to Jackson Thorphouse). He had some bruised knuckles. The other five had needed short stays in the House of Healing.

As fights went, they'd been good ones. Decent fighters. Tavi had used some of his newfound skills from the Salle, and had felt better afterwards. His head always felt so clear after a fight! Unburdened and just... freshened. He didn't know how to explain it. The fuzzy blanket over his thoughts was lifted, maybe. Like everything was so straightforward. Of course, he was in extra chores till Midwinter and possibly beyond, but he didn't care.

It had been a week since his last fight, the one that had gotten him dinner dish duty in the kitchen for two months. It was like his neighborhood all over again the rest of the time though. Everyone now knew Tavi could be goaded, and that it wasn't very hard. People whispered little things to him in the hall, wrote things on his slate, slipped little notes into his homework. Sometimes they pushed him in the halls or passed by him, clipping him with their shoulders. "C'mon, c'mon, bruiser," they called, "Put 'em up!"

Mostly he resisted. If he retaliated now he'd be fighting all the time, even during class. But the resistance came with a price, and Tavi had lost weight and wasn't sleeping well. He had a headache almost all the time, even down sparring in the Salle, and ate sparingly so he wouldn't throw it all up. Three days ago he'd even fainted in the middle of his literature homework. That feeling of despair was deeper and sharper, and Tavi was getting increasingly desperate for a solution.

A Healer had stopped him in the hallway somewhere, he couldn't remember. One look with her Double Sight at his upset stomach and feverish head, and she noted that after the Healing her patient still wasn't looking better. It was like she hadn't done anything at all. She deduced correctly that it was more a pain of the psyche than one of body, and had made him an appointment with Healer Aledrade. There was Healer Evan, of course, but the boy looked like he needed some understanding, not a slap upside the head and a lot of extravagant cursing.

Tavi had been on the way there, to the House of Healing, when his stomach had given another lurch. Someone had crashed into him on the way to lunch and spilled his books all along the hall, and others kicked them out of his grasp. It was a curious dichotomy, being both the bully and the bullied, and Tavi felt that as the former he had no call to complain about the latter.

Books in an untidy mess, he nearly fell through the door to the Bardic Bathrooms to drop it all on the floor and run into the nearest water closet, ignoring the person who was there. He was sick messily and loudly into the wooden stand holding the enameled repository. The world went grey around the edges at the end, and he sat back against the wall of the closet, door still open, too tired to wipe his mouth.

[Aledrade Naoise]

After a bit of searching Ale found just the sort of corner he was looking for. In the back, under a particularly wide bench placed for those who had to sit to change. It was dark and nicely shielded from prying eyes, though not nearly as well as he would have liked. Still, it was better than having his poor plants scattered around his room, only warmed when he remembered to bank a fire before leaving, and they would have plenty of water in the air here.

As Ale bent down to place the last of his pots the door slammed open without warning behind him. Startled, the healer reflexively attempted to sit up. His head met the bottom of the bench with a rather spectacular thump. For a few seconds Ale saw bright flashes of light wheeling around before his eyes. When the flashes of light cleared, the pain set in. Several more seconds passed with the healer hunched in front of the bench, hands pressed to the back of his head. Some how he managed to keep from cursing, despite the pain. Aledrade hated to curse. In his mind, cursing was the epitome of rudeness and crude behavior, and something to be avoided at all costs. Still, he sometimes was unable to stop himself when he grew too angry. It was a lamentable reflex from his childhood that refused to die easily.

When the pain faded to a manageable level Ale sat back and looked around. He didn't see anyone, but there were some rather loud and painful sounding noises coming from the water closet. Ale winced a little. Someone was being loudly, and from the sound of it, messily ill. The healer heaved himself to his feet, carefully exploring the new, tender bump on the back of his head as he did so. It wasn't too bad, and he didn't feel dizzy at all. He would live. Certain that he was capable of it, it was now time to deal with the person in the water closet who had very suddenly become his patient. He wasn't a physical healer, per say, but all healers, mind or otherwise, had to know something about treating wounds and illnesses.

Ale fetched a pair of clean towels from the closet, running both under one of the tub-faucets. The default temperature was cold, of course, but thanks to the icy weather outside it was freezing right now. As Ale wrung the excess water out of the towels, he noted that the temperature of the water was a good thing at the moment, if a pain in the arse the rest of the time. Cold tended to sooth upset stomachs. As Ale approached the closet he knocked absently on the door to let the occupant know he was coming in. He highly doubted whomever it was would care at the moment, and thus he didn't pause to wait for an answer before entering.

There was a boy collapsed in the corner of the stall. The poor child looked utterly miserable. Ale winced, noting the mess that remained around the boy's mouth. It appeared that he had been too weak to even wipe his mouth. That certainly wasn't good. Ale squatted down beside the child, reaching out with the towel to wipe his mouth if he would let him. Many of the occupants of the Collegiums came from horrific pasts, and thus lashed out when scared or ill. Ale had learned early on in his training to be careful and keep an eye out for certain warning signs of such a reflex.

"Hello, little one. It looks like something had a violent disagreement with your stomach, hm? I'm Aledade... can you tell me what your name is?" He questioned gently, watching the child closely, and not just for signs of violence. The boy was pale, definitely, but Ale couldn't tell without touching his skin if he was running a fever or not. He would wait a moment and see if the boy was violent before attempting such a thing, however. Ale also watched carefully for signs of another rebellion of the stomach, in case he had to get out of the way. Though the healer was used to catching a lap, chest, or even the occasional face-full of vomit, like every other healer, he would try to avoid it if at all possible. It was a mess to clean, after all, and never a pleasant experience.

The boy's freckles, standing out in harsh contrast to his pale face, caught Ale's attention. In the back of his mind something clicked. Short brown hair, pale skin, freckles, and a sturdy build. Could this be the boy that had been referred to him? What was the child's name? Crebshaw. One of the Crebshaw twins. But was it Sidney or Octavius? Ale chewed thoughtfully on his lip, trying to remember. He had been in a hurry at the time, seizing one of his breaks to go rescue his poor plants from the weather.

[Tavi Crebshaw]

It was just such a relief to be out of class, out of the hallways, just out of everywhere that had people. People who would stare and tease and poke and just generally make his life miserable. Even Papa said Tavi had seen more than his fair share of assholes in his short life.

Too worn out to stand up to pull the chain on the water closet's flushing mechanism, Tavi just sat for a moment, savoring his peace. He jumped a little when a new guy peered in. Green. Healer. What was a Healer doing in the Bard Trainee bathrooms? The man reached towards him with a towel and Tavi sighed and relaxed when all the guy wanted to do was wipe off his mouth. Tavi blushed a little at this; it wasn't like he wasn't going to clean up. He just... hadn't gotten to it yet. And good gods, he sounded like Sid. He started to open his mouth to thank the Healer when he closed it again. He didn't trust it yet.

"Hello, little one. It looks like something had a violent disagreement with your stomach, hm? I'm Aledrade... can you tell me what your name is?"

...Little one? Boy. It had been awhile since Tavi had been called that, but he didn't mind. It brought a crooked smile to his face. Moving his mouth made him aware of the foul taste within, and the smile turned to a frown. Ugh. Oatmeal and stomach acid. Tavi started to respond but his voice came out so thick and froggy it sounded more like a croak. Literally. Like, bro-apf. How attractive. His singing teachers would have a fit.

Pushing his hair out of his face, Tavi licked his lips and tried not to blow his breath into the man's face. "T-Tavi," he rasped. "Tavi Crebshaw."

[Aledrade Naoise]

Tavi Crebshaw. That was right, the one he was supposed to have an appointment with in half an hour. By the look of it, the poor boy likely would have been late. Ale wracked his brain for the details of the case. There hadn't been many, as he recalled, something about welts and an illness that did not fade with healing. Ale winced as the rancid smell that circled around the closet caught his attention. The poor boy had even been too weak to flush the privy. A dusky hand grasped the pull-chain, pulling it while simultaneously using it as a gentle lever to pull Ale to his feet.

While he listened to the rush of the fresh water spilling from the pipes into the bowl, and the simultaneous noise of the old water spilling down a newly opened pipe, Ale moved back to his plants. Somewhere in the bunch he knew he had a mint plant. He was so familiar with the dark green leaves that he could conjure up a picture of them in his mind. Mint was certainly one of his most-used plants, and one that he had been growing the longest. It only took him a moment of rooting around the various pots to find what he was looking for and pluck a leaf.

With the leaf firmly pinched between his thumb and pointer finger Ale quickly moved back into the water closet and bent down beside the boy. The healer gently worked his arm around the boy's shoulders, slowly leveraging him to his feet and offering him the sprig of mint at the same time.


"Here," He held the leaf out, "Chew on this. It will help with the taste, and might settle your stomach as well." He smiled a little, supporting the boy half against his side in a sort of half-hug. As he moved and spoke he was also thinking. What else had been written on the papers sent to him? Something about welts... Ale thought he remembered that they had been on the poor boy's rear end. He fought to come up with a scenario where the boy could have injured himself in such a way by accident. No matter which way he turned the idea over in his head, he couldn't place a scenario, even falling off a horse or sitting on something, that would result in a series of welts like those described in the referral.

That meant someone else had to have injured Tavi. A frown of concern worked it's way over Ale's dusky face, narrowing his gray eyes slightly. Even as slow as the walk back to his office was, it seemed to go by in a blur to Ale. He was brimming with questions and theories, concerns and ways to help the poor boy. With the ease of long practice he snaked an elbow out and pushed the doorknob down partially with it, kicking the corner of the door at the same time, never relinquishing his supporting hold on the boy. Ale had perfected the maneuver of opening his office door without hands a long, long time ago.

"Here we are." He smiled cheerfully for Tavi's benefit, guiding the boy over to the couch in the corner. Its worn, gray-green cloth surface was perhaps years old, but had only grown warmer and more comfortable in its years of surface. With the passage of hundreds of bodies of different shapes and sizes, ever lumpy or uncomfortable spot on the seat had been pummeled into submission. Years ago, when Ale had purchased the couch himself, he had intended to use it as a bed for when he had work so pressing he didn't want to leave his office. That intention hadn't lasted long after he had realized his patients were far more comfortable talking to him when sitting on that couch, not the chairs in front of his desk. Of course, he still slept on the couch from time to time, but it's main use had long ago become that of seating for his patients.

Once he had the boy sitting down, Ale moved over to take one of the aforementioned seats in front of his desk, rather than the chair behind his desk. He felt it was more personal, sitting without obstruction between them, far more open, and trusting on his part. The musky scent of potted sage mixed with the sweet scents of various exotic flowers imported from the Tayldares to fill the room with an odd sort of subtle perfume.

"Now that we're settled down, I guess I better introduce myself." Ale chuckled dryly as it occurred to him that he hadn't done so when he had first encountered the poor boy in the water closet, "My name is Aledrade. I know, it's a mess to pronounce, so if you'd rather you can call me Ale." His small smile was self-depreciating now; in recognition of the strange, convoluted name his mother had given him as a baby. At the very least, he thought, it was a unique name. He was unlikely to ever run into anyone who had the same name, and thus would never have to worry about cases of mistaken identity. At least, when it came to his name that was.

"And to start, is there anything you would like to make you more comfortable? A glass of water for your throat?" Ale questioned, watching the young man. As innocent as the question might have seemed, it was the opening for the initial examination. The way Tavi would react to this simple offer could tell Ale quite a bit about how Tavi had been treated in his young life, and give Ale a base to begin both work and careful questioning.

[Tavi Crebshaw]

Tavi was feeling too weak and dazed to feel grateful that the Healer was flushing the water closet for him. He just sat back and let everything settle, not caring he was being rude. The Healer moved away, and Tavi savored the light breeze of the man's leaving. His face was hot and his hands were cold and his middle was still trembling. A dim part of his mind recalled that his books were still all over the Bathroom floor. Well. It was the Bathroom. They were... bathing.

With just enough time to spit into the water closet's basin, the Healer came back holding a leaf Tavi could smell from the floor. The man gently, more gently than Tavi could remember anyone manhandling him in some time, got him to his feet, half carrying him.

"Here. Chew on this. It will help with the taste, and might settle your stomach as well."

Even if it hadn't been mint, Tavi would've taken it. He stuffed the leaf inelegantly into his mouth and chewed. The cold, fresh taste of the mint burst in his mouth, immediately overpowering the stomach acid taste. Unused to mint anything, the taste was also fairly strong, but he didn't care. The pair stopped to pick up Tavi's spilled books, the Healer carrying them himself.

Tavi couldn't remember the route taken to the House of Healing. Half the time his eyes were closed and the whole time he was concentrating on not throwing up again. Just in case. At some point he fished the chewed up leaf out of his mouth and tucked it into a trews pocket. The mint taste had gone from refreshing to burning a hole in his cheek.

"Here we are."

Looking up... yeah, they were. When had they gotten to an office? Tavi sank gratefully into the couch. It was so soft, he wanted to sleep on it. The color was rather unfortunate, reminding him a little of vomit, but he closed his eyes and refocused on the floor or his knees.

"Now that we're settled down, I guess I better introduce myself. My name is Aledrade. I know, it's a mess to pronounce, so if you'd rather you can call me Ale."

Slowly, it occurred to Tavi that this was the Healer he'd been on his way to see. How convenient. Was there a Healing Gift that... found errant patients? Looking up into the Healer's, into Ale's earnest face, Tavi smiled just a little. "Thank you."

"And to start, is there anything you would like to make you more comfortable? A glass of water for your throat?"

It hit him then that this man had flushed the water closet for him, given him a mint leaf, picked up his books, half-carried him to his office, and was now offering him water. It was so... so damn nice. In a way Sid never was, since the kid wasn't proactive about anything except not being proactive. Tavi was very alarmed at the tears pooling in his eyes and he sat up (ignoring the spin in his head) quickly and croaked, "Yes. Please."

And blushed. Yeah, this was his MindHealer and he didn't have to be uncomfortable, but Tavi found himself feeling shy again. Like with Healer Sofie. It was embarrassing. He wanted to explain himself, but something stuck in his throat and all he could do was look sort of in Ale's direction with crimson cheeks and hunched shoulders.

Way to go, Bruiser. The Guards in training's words hung over his head. Tavi blushed harder.

[Aledrade Naoise]

Ale nodded slowly, watching the young man's eyes grow suspiciously bright and his cheeks turn red. As he rose to pour Tavi the glass of water he had mentioned, he digested the boy's reaction. It was painfully obvious the boy was very, very unused to kind treatment by anyone, to the point that when someone did react kindly it embarrassed him. That certainly wasn't a good sign. The flip side of what he was seeing now was that the boy was used to maltreatment by someone, or several someones. Judging by the illness, Tavi was under so much stress that he was manifesting it outwardly. It was a lucky thing that the young boy didn't have one of the more tangible gifts like a mage or herald trainee might have.

After handing Tavi the cup of water, Ale snagged one of his larger, empty pots from under his desk and placed it beside the boy, just in case. He didn't look as if he was feeling very much better yet.

"One moment, little one, I think I have some ginger around here somewhere..." Ale smiled kindly and turned to his desk, rifling through the many, overcrowded drawers. Somewhere, in one of them, he had a collection of dried herbs for common ailments. He found them clustered in the third drawer, hidden below a collection of papers. Scooping them up, he peered at them intently. Which one was the ginger? He wasn't entirely sure...

"On second thought, perhaps I'll just talk to the cooks and get some more for you later, hm?" Ale chuckled, scooping the dried herbs into the wastebasket. They didn't do him any good at all if he didn't know which was which. He really should have considered that before he dumped them in the drawer. Ah well.

"Is there anything else I can get you instead? Have you got the chills as well? There's a blanket behind you, if you need to use it." Ale assured the young man, pointing to the grayed, but still warm blanket draped over the couch behind Tavi. Unfortunately, taste in decor was another skill that Ale lacked. He circled around the desk finally, taking his seat again. Seeing how uncomfortable the poor boy was, Ale attempted to steer the conversation to something the boy would find familiar and safe.

"You have a twin brother, don't you?" He questioned, watching Tavi for signs of fainting or increasing nausea. Carefully he tested the proverbial waters around Tavi for signs of mental and emotional wounds. Though he had already suspected their presence, he was shocked at the extent and amount of them. His breath caught in his chest, eyes widening a little in sympathy. No wonder the poor boy was physically ill. Depressed, alone, tortured by his peers and with a twin/best friend who was kind, but rather lazy...

This was going to take quite a bit of work, but Ale thought he was up to it. Cases like these were the entire reason he had become a mind healer, anyway. He was secretly very, very glad that Tavi hadn't been referred to Evan instead... not that he would be rude enough to say such a thing out loud. Still, he shuddered to think of the emotionally scarred young man in the care of the cranky, sharp mind-healer.

"What collegium is your brother in?" Ale shook himself and inquired further, thoughts whirling behind his gray-blue eyes. There were several things he needed to do now. First he had to make the boy feel it was safe to speak with Ale about what was bothering him. Until Tavi felt safe with him, Ale would be unable to get close enough to actually use his gift. Second, Ale needed to find a safe place where Tavi could go during the day if he needed desperately to get away from people. Ale would have to talk to Tavi's teachers about letting the boy out when things got too bad in class. Third, and definitely the most important, Ale needed to boost the boy's self esteem and find a safe channel for those darker emotions.

"And how do you enjoy your classes?" Ale questioned, glancing at the rusty reds Tavi was wearing. The bardic gift certainly opened up new possibilities for therapy. Perhaps Ale could find a way to help Tavi channel his dark emotions into his music in some way.

[Tavi Crebshaw]

Tavi had been embarrassed by kind treatment long before he'd been bullied, but his parents had called it simple shyness. It wasn't as if he'd felt it wasn't his due to be treated with respect and manners, but he hadn't been comfortable in any kind of spotlight and kindness seemed to be a form of attention that led to people looking at him. Putting him on the spot. That wasn't all of it, but it was the only part of it Tavi had ever been able to identify himself. He certainly never felt like he was doing the same thing when he was polite to others, and others' reactions never gave him any reason to believe they felt like he did. So, he'd deduced, it was his own personal problem and should be dealt with as such.

Except, he hadn't been very good at dealing. Childhood emotions and logic had gotten in the way of most of it, and by the time he was mature enough to think things through more objectively, he was known as a brawler in a five block radius of his home. And it wasn't like there wasn't enough to do in Haven for children to not have anything better to do than egg Tavi into another fight, but he'd been saddled with the bad luck of having a great many immature boys in his neighborhood who thought a show of fists and blood was the best thing in the world. And unfortunately most of those boys, now in their early teens, still thought a good fight was great entertainment.

And now, Tavi was who the neighborhood and his own explosive emotions had made him, rather than who he'd wanted to be, and didn't know what to do about it. At night he lay in bed, wondering, am I a brawler? Am I a bully? And it didn't feel very good. He dreaded going new places. All it took was one fight, and people realized he was the one they could count on for fun. It made him wish he could go somewhere with no people. Well, except Sid. And there was the fact that Sid would want people around, so it wasn't a very good plan.

Tavi took the water with a nod of thanks and drank, letting the cool liquid carry away the sickness and the lingering bad tastes and the sting of the mint.

"One moment, little one, I think I have some ginger around here somewhere... On second thought, perhaps I'll just talk to the cooks and get some more for you later, hm?"

Coughing lightly into his sleeve, Tavi tested his voice. Good. "For what?"

He wanted to ask why a Healer would have a bunch of herbs just... in a drawer, but he didn't think it polite.

"Is there anything else I can get you instead? Have you got the chills as well? There's a blanket behind you, if you need to use it."

Tavi blushed again. This was getting to be almost too much. "No," he said hurriedly, "No, I'm fine. Uh, thank you."

He felt better when Ale was finally sitting again. Seeing the MindHealer move around made him nervous. Like he was looking for other things to offer.

"You have a twin brother, don't you?"

Tavi wasn't good at smalltalk, if that was what this was, just because no one bothered with it much around him. It was right to the taunting. Or with Sid, it was usually right into the meat of matters, which was better. Talking with Sid was relaxing. Or at least calming. Tavi looked down at his cup of water, over at the plant pot he guessed the use for, at his knees.

"Yeah. Sid." His voice was small. "'Dentical."

"What Collegium is your brother in?"

"Bardic," Tavi said into his cup.

"And how do you enjoy your classes?"

He shrugged. "They're okay." Glancing up, the Healer didn't look annoyed that he was giving very basic answers when he should've been giving more detail. Tavi was annoyed with himself for not... trying to help himself. That's what he was here for. He shook himself and added, "I like singing the best, I guess. History's okay too. I like weapons practice the most, though."

[Aledrade Naoise]

"Oh, Ginger is good for settling an upset stomach. Mint is all right for washing out the taste after you're sick, but ginger is best for keeping you from being sick. Unfortunately, in my zeal, I forgot to label which of my herbs was which." Ale shrugged with a small smile. He guessed that Tavi was a smart boy, and could probably figure out the rest of his reaction from that basis.

"Yeah. Sid. 'Dentical." The bard trainee sounded so timid that it was all Ale could do to keep from leaping out of his chair and hugging the poor boy. Seeing how Tavi had reacted to the most basic forms of politeness, such as offering a glass of water, however, Ale restrained himself. It looked like Tavi was more familiar with punches than hugs, so it would probably take some time before he was comfortable with hugs.

"Identical twins?" Ale questioned, tilting his head slightly, "You must be very close. I've never been able to even imagine being a twin, myself, especially an identical twin. I'd be bothered by all the comparison I'm afraid." Ale smiled a little, waiting to gauge Tavi's reaction to his admission. He knew that some twins resented being treated like just one part of a being, or like an extension of their twin. He wanted to see if Tavi was one of those, or if his twin-bond was one of the stronger sorts.

At first Tavi only replied "Okay" to Ale's query about his classes, but then to the Healer's surprise and pleasure, the boy gave himself a shake and clarified, "I like singing the best, I guess. History's okay too. I like weapons practice the most, though."

"I imagine weapons practice might be soothing, in a way. Not a lot of talking, just straightforward actions. The drills could even be nice, if you can settle into the repetition. I never really had to take weapons class myself. Are you good at it?" Ale questioned. He didn't want Tavi to feel pressed, like this was some sort of test he had to pass. The first part of Ale's job, at least as he saw it, was to put his patient at ease. Evan on the other hand obviously felt differently about the subject.

"History must come in handy when you're composing too, but I prefer songs that are more like poetry. More about sensation and feeling than about something that happened to someone." Ale offered, rising briefly to pour himself a small cup of water. He figured that Tavi would feel more comfortable drinking his own if Ale was drinking as well. Ale wondered briefly if Tavi had ever actually read any poetry. If the bardic trainee hadn't yet, perhaps he could be introduced to poetry. Poetry would be a good outlet for the young bardling's darker emotions. For that matter, poetry would be a great form of expression for brighter emotions as well.

"Have you read any poetry in class?" Ale questioned out loud as he crossed back to his seat. The healer considered, trying to remember if poetry was a standard part of Bardic training. With a small, inward cringe he realized he just couldn't remember. Obviously it had been a long, long time since he himself had been a trainee. Once, when he was younger, he had prided himself on knowing which collegium had which curriculum. Apparently he needed to get reacquainted with them.

"You know, Tavi…" Ale prompted last, working his way carefully into the subject now that he had hopefully made his patient more at ease, "If you ever need to just get away from people and go somewhere quiet, you can come to my office. I might not always be here, but even if I'm not, you're welcome to relax. If you'd rather be outdoors, I have a small garden as well. I doubt you'll want to go out there at this time of year, though." He laughed softly, and then smiled as warmly as he could without out-and-out beaming at the boy.

[Tavi Crebshaw]

Tavi listened to the Healer's explanation for all the herbs in the trash. He guessed it wasn't often that a Healer was so disorganized with his herbs, but Healer Ale was a MindHealer, so maybe that was part of it.

"Identical twins? You must be very close. I've never been able to even imagine being a twin, myself, especially an identical twin. I'd be bothered by all the comparison I'm afraid."

Shrugging, Tavi sipped his water again, from another side of the cup so it wouldn't have the old taste from his mouth ringing it. "We're... we're not close, like some. We don't finish each others' sentences or anything. My Mama, she says we're more like two different boys born at the same time than anything else. She's right." He shrugged again. "Comparison? We're so different, it's hard. But don't most kids with siblings get compared?"

For the most part, people just looking at Tavi and Sid could draw conclusions. Neither boy was particularly fastidious about grooming, and both of them could collect impressive stains when given the chance. But there was a difference. In how they stood, in how they reacted, in their natural facial expressions. One could tell Sid had the air of neglect from laziness. And Tavi was more that there was so much on his mind that personal appearance took a second seat.

To his schooling, Ale said, "I imagine weapons practice might be soothing, in a way. Not a lot of talking, just straightforward actions. The drills could even be nice, if you can settle into the repetition. I never really had to take weapons class myself. Are you good at it?"

Setting the cup down between his feet, Tavi ran his hand through his hair and spoke slowly. "It's... it's not so much the practice. It's the fighting. I fight the Guards in training a lot. I'm good at fighting, 'n stuff. I like it. It helps to, y'know, hit people." Looking up, he quickly clarified. "I mean, like, sparring. Not just, beating on people. I don't do that."

Except that he did. But not without a great deal of provoking. He wasn't sure if the Healer would see that though.

"History must come in handy when you're composing too, but I prefer songs that are more like poetry. More about sensation and feeling than about something that happened to someone."

"Haven't done much composin'," he replied softly. ""N I like both kinds." Tavi's eyes looked up through ruffled bangs to watch the MindHealer get up again and flit about the room.

"Have you read any poetry in class?"

"Um, some. I haveta memorize song cycles in singing. That's... poetry, kinda. It rhymes 'n all." He wasn't sure what the Healer was getting at, but felt better when the man sat down again.

There was a pause and then the Healer seemed to get to what he'd been meaning to all this time. "You know, Tavi… If you ever need to just get away from people and go somewhere quiet, you can come to my office. I might not always be here, but even if I'm not, you're welcome to relax. If you'd rather be outdoors, I have a small garden as well. I doubt you'll want to go out there at this time of year, though."

Tavi blinked at this proposal. Not only was it very generous, it was puzzling. If he 'got away from people', he'd just have to go back. And then the others he was hiding from would ask where he'd been, and then someone would find out. And then there would be teasing, and taunting, and another fight. Tavi didn't want to get MindHealer Ale in trouble. But it was tempting. A place just to sit and not have to worry about anything. There was his room, of course, but Sid often came in, and there were other Trainees who passed by. And too, what if he was just in the man's office all the time?

Skirting the question, he said, "I go outside all the time, now. Weather doesn't bug me 'r nothin'."

And then he couldn't help himself. "Why're you givin' up your office like that? What if I'm just in here all the time?"

[Aledrade Naoise]

"It's... it's not so much the practice. It's the fighting. I fight the Guards in training a lot. I'm good at fighting, 'n stuff. I like it. It helps to, y'know, hit people. I mean, like, sparring. Not just, beating on people. I don't do that."

Ale glanced up, smiling slightly. Ah, a hit. The boy's quick correction of himself told Ale a great deal. It sounded like the boy liked to fight, but he didn't want to fight those who didn't deserve it. That was good, very good. The quick correction Tavi had made, however, made it clear that some people thought that he did beat on people. Now that was interesting. Filing that tidbit of information away, Ale waited for Tavi to respond to all of his questions, patiently trying to draw the young bard into an approximation of a conversation. Thankfully, Ale had a great deal of experience with this sort of thing, having spent two years coaxing words out of Deirdre, his best friend. At last, the young boy seemed to feel safe enough to give into curiosity and ask a question of his own. It wasn't quite an answer to Ale's offer, but it certainly was progress.

"Of course, I understand. Working out the frustration of the day and whatnot. I do the same things when I crush the herbs I grow." Ale responded smoothly, seeking to assure Tavi not only that he understood, but also that it was a perfectly normal thing to do, "I know several heraldic trainees who enjoy weapons training for just that reason." Inwardly, Ale began to grow more and more concerned for the boy sitting across from him. If he wasn't particularly close to his twin, had no companion, and didn't appear to be particularly close to his peers, that left the poor boy pretty much isolated in a compound of hundreds. Ale knew very well what kind of devastating effect that feeling could have on the psyche of anyone, much less a teenage boy or girl recently separated from their family.

"Why're you givin' up your office like that? What if I'm just in here all the time?"

"Well, for one, I doubt very much you will be. You don't strike me as the type who wants to be alone all the time. I think, when you come, it will be more to get a few moments of peace. Just a moment or two to sit in the quiet and take a deep breath and calm down. Besides, you do still have classes, as much as every trainee dislikes them." Ale smiled genially, his eyes now a soft shade of washed out green.

"And even if you are here all the time, it won't make a great deal of difference. I mainly use this room for paperwork and my plants. Usually I go to my patients. I prefer to meet them somewhere they feel relaxed and safe, like their room, or the gardens. Some of the heraldic trainees like to have their companions nearby, for comfort, so I'll meet them out in the fields or at the stables." The healer gained a far off look as he recalled all the strange and unique places his patients found most comfortable.

"It likely would have been the same case with you, save for the fact that I didn't get a chance to talk to you about where you would like to meet before our scheduled appointment." Ale added, nodding a little. He privately added to himself that it was sheer luck he had run into the bardic trainee where and when he had. If it hadn't been for that chance encounter, Ale probably would have been a little late to their meeting. Rescuing his plants had taken far more time than he had anticipated, on top of getting partially lost in the bardic dorms.

"Speaking of, do you have any place you'd prefer to meet outside of this office?" Ale asked, carefully watching Tavi out of the corner of his eye. Fully watching people, especially his patients, seemed to alarm and make them uncomfortable, so Ale did his best to avoid doing so until they were comfortable with him. This was another of Ale's hidden examination questions. If he could find out where Tavi felt safe, it would tell him a great deal about what kind of things Tavi enjoyed. If Tavi didn't have anywhere he felt safe, that would tell Ale how out of place and lonely the poor boy felt. In any way the question could be answered, it would give Ale insight into the young man sitting across from him.

[Tavi Crebshaw]

"Of course, I understand. Working out the frustration of the day and whatnot. I do the same things when I crush the herbs I grow. I know several Heraldic Trainees who enjoy weapons training for just that reason."

Tavi didn't quite see crushing herbs with a mortar and pestle and beating the crap out of some poor Guard trainee who hadn't been keeping fit with a practice sword the same thing, but he guessed it all served the same purpose. He nodded reluctantly. It was difficult to think someone understood him. Not even Sid understood him. Like he'd told Aiden, it was more they accepted each other. That covered a multitude of sins and tresspasses, but it wasn't the same thing. It was very close though.

The Healer's answer raised more questions in Tavi's mind. "Well, for one, I doubt very much you will be. You don't strike me as the type who wants to be alone all the time. I think, when you come, it will be more to get a few moments of peace. Just a moment or two to sit in the quiet and take a deep breath and calm down. Besides, you do still have classes, as much as every trainee dislikes them."

What if he wouldn't mind being alone all the time? Especially if it meant peace of mind, no one bugging him, no taunting, and no build up of anger that exploded into fights? But that smacked of hiding, and he knew no one could hide in this world, not forever. Softly he replied, "I don't dislike my classes."

Well, not all of them. Just law and math, mostly. And sometimes instruments. He didn't know how Sid stood it, playing the lute.

But then Ale went on. "And even if you are here all the time, it won't make a great deal of difference. I mainly use this room for paperwork and my plants. Usually I go to my patients. I prefer to meet them somewhere they feel relaxed and safe, like their room, or the gardens. Some of the Heraldic Trainees like to have their Companions nearby, for comfort, so I'll meet them out in the fields or at the stables."

Really? Tavi's face showed how impressed he was with Healer Ale's dedication to his craft. Still, it might be better not to use the MindHealer's office at all. At least in his own room he didn't care much about puke on the floor. If he threw up in this man's office he'd feel obligated to clean it up right away, however he felt.

"Speaking of, do you have any place you'd prefer to meet outside of this office?"

Intellectually he knew the question was coming, but still Tavi was unprepared. He didn't, really. In the Salle he felt the best, the most like himself and the happiest. But the Salle wasn't really a place for private conversation, no matter how empty it was. His room wasn't an option either. It was sort of like this office, just a place he slept and did his homework and sometimes was sick onto the floor, or if he was prepared, a bucket. Tavi looked down at the cup between his feet. He shrugged. "Not really. I mean, if you need to be somewhere other than here? Um. I... dunno. Could we meet here?"

Tavi looked up into the Healer's face, concerned. It didn't trouble him at all that he had no 'safe' place. He'd never had one, except for his bed in his room back at his parents' house, and they couldn't use that. Sometimes Tavi wished he were back there, reading books on his bed.

[Aledrade Naoise]

"Yes. If you want to meet here then that's where we'll meet." Ale smiled in Tavi's direction. The smile was a carefully constructed front to avoid alarming the young man with the frown Ale really felt. It bothered the dusky-skinned Healer that this young man had no safe places and no real confidants. It was small wonder that all the bullying he must have been experienced built up into headaches and nausea. Ale mused that if he were being threatened or attacked on an almost daily basis by his peers with nowhere to go and no one to talk to he'd be throwing up constantly too.

"Hm. Well, Tavi, we've gotten a great deal done today. I'm very proud of you, you were better than the vast majority of your peers, especially on the first day." Ale closed his hands around his own cup, inhaling the scent of the Luke-warm contents before lifting the container to his lips and taking a deep pull.

"There's just one last thing I'd like to do before we go, if you don't mind." The Healer set the cup down in one of the few areas on his desk free of papers. His mind was already trailing, thinking of words he was going to use for his next and last test for the day. He wanted normal, inconspicuous things to start off with, to get Tavi in the swing of answering without thinking. Then, once he was settled into the game, he'd start using more pointed words.

"I want to play a game of sorts, if you don't mind," Ale tacked on the 'if you don't mind' with reflexive politeness, "I'll say a word, and I want you to say the first thing that comes to mind in association with that word." Ale wanted to be perfectly clear that he only wanted to know what popped into Tavi's mind in response to the one word. In the past patients had either deliberately or accidentally misunderstood him and spouted whatever happened to pop into their heads, whether it had to do with the game or not.

"Now, the goal is to immediately say the first thing that word makes you think of, period. If, say, "Blue" makes you think a foul word, then for this moment it is acceptable to say it. Don't try to spare anyone's feelings. This is a reflexive exercise." On the arm of the chair Ale's long fingers flexed, curled, and uncurled in a bizarre sort of dance against the worn fabric. He was thinking, and thinking hard about where to start, mind whirling through a thousand possibilities before settling on a small handful. The twisting and flexing ceased, abruptly turning into tapping.

The boy kept looking at the cup at his feet. In the world of body language dropping one's eyes practically shouted, "I'm uncomfortable and scared". Or said "I'm nervous" at the very least. Ale spared a moment to consider why the boy would be so uncomfortable. Was the boy just uncomfortable around all people, outside of his bullying peers, or was there something specifically that Ale was doing to make him uncomfortable? Either way, Tavi just might relax while playing this game. Ale found that there was something refreshing and relaxing about speaking your mind without sensor, or judgment. Well, bad judgment anyway.

"Now, most people close their eyes for this game, but it's not a requirement." Ale warned, watching his patient like a hawk. This is the point where things would get interesting in the therapy session, as Ale was now calling it in his mind. Now that he knew some of what Tavi needed he just needed to find out what Tavi liked. The more he knew about Tavi, the easier it would be to find compatible surrogates for the desperate absences in his life.

"Let me know when you're ready to start…" Ale coaxed gently.

[Tavi Crebshaw]

"Yes. If you want to meet here then that's where we'll meet."

"Really?" Tavi looked up, relieved. "Oh, good." Here was as good a place as any, and the couch, now that he'd sat on it awhile, was pretty comfy, if still a poor color choice for a kid who threw up an awful lot. Not like Healer Ale could help that though. The couch color, not the throwing up.

"Hm. Well, Tavi, we've gotten a great deal done today. I'm very proud of you, you were better than the vast majority of your peers, especially on the first day."

Tavi blinked, then squinted down at his cup. They'd gotten a lot done today? They'd barely talked and Tavi didn't think he'd said anything of use. But, Ale was a MindHealer, so maybe he'd said more than he thought he had. You never knew with these guys. His mind bypassed the compliment, and he said, smiling a little, "So you drag all your patients out of the bathrooms after they've puked on the first day?"

"There's just one last thing I'd like to do before we go, if you don't mind."

"Um. No." The second word came out more like a question, but Tavi was ready.

"I want to play a game of sorts, if you don't mind. I'll say a word, and I want you to say the first thing that comes to mind in association with that word. Now, the goal is to immediately say the first thing that word makes you think of, period. If, say, 'Blue' makes you think a foul word, then for this moment it is acceptable to say it. Don't try to spare anyone's feelings. This is a reflexive exercise."

"Okay." But before they started, Tavi had to ask. His voice stopped and started, hesitating and unsure. "Hey. I mean, me seein' you. Seein' a MindHealer. It doesn't mean I'm crazy, right? Or like... wrong? Or... bad. Somethin' like that? I mean, you'd tell me if I was, right?"

Tavi knew MindHealers dealt with crazy people, but that they dealt with smaller things too, like people with unreasonable fears or behavior problems. Where did he fit in all that? He didn't know if what he was was considered a behavior problem because he didn't think most behavior problems made the ones who had them physically ill. Or maybe he was crazy, but just a little. Like the outskirts of crazy. Tavi didn't actually care what he was, but he did want to know. At the very least, to tell Sid.

Then he frowned. "Are you gonna haveta tell my Mama and Pa 'bout this?"

Tavi exhaled, and seemed to sink back into the couch. "Y-Yeah. I'm ready."