Private Horseplay

[Corazona von Ascania]

Village of Anatol, Ukatis

"The Princess needs to be seen at once! Her wounds are grievous!"

At the reception counter of Anatol's newly built clinic stood two figures. The first, a distinguished middle aged man in military fatigues, was frantically yelling at a receptionist. A half a step behind him, flanking his right, was a flustered teenage girl cradling a limp arm close to her chest.

As a part of an initiative to increase rural medical access, Cora had persuaded the crown to work with the Alliance to develop a number of urgent care clinics across Ukatis' agrarian provinces, which made up the majority of the world. At present, they new healthcare facilities were staffed with primarily Alliance personnel—soon, though, a number of native men and women would train as nurses and medics. Cora insisted on overseeing the project herself, which meant traveling from village to village. It kept her away from the capital, which her husband was none too pleased about.

"Captain, please. My injury is not an emergency." Raising her free hand, Cora tried to smooth over the urgency of the situation. Her tone was even in an attempt to be soothing, but her voice was strained. "If the clinic is busy, then I will simply wait. It would be unfair for me to take attention away from those who need more immediate treatment."

The Captain had seethed to the point where the veins of his neck visibly bulged. Uncurling his fists, he reluctantly leaned away from the receptionist and stood down with a grunt.

Turning to Cora, the nervous clerk began typing away at her terminal from behind the counter.

"Wh-what brings you in to the clinic today, Y-Your Highness?"

Cora winced, pale cheeks flushing in sheepishness.

"I was…bitbya…"

"I...I'm sorry, you'll have to speak up?"

Cora tilted her head back and sighed.

"I tried to pet a horse and it bit me."

Shan Pavond

 

[Shan Pavond]

Shan could hear the yelling from where he was already helping out already. Normally, he would have said no to helping out at the clinic, thinking that he wouldn't be capable enough but being able to help out Ukatis and help teach people how to do basic medicine whilst the more skilled healers taught more advanced medicine was something he thought would be a good use of his time.

So he walked off towards the reception, brushing down his robes for a moment. There was a part of him that felt strange, not having his lightsaber on his person after having spent so long training with it the past few weeks but in his eyes, a lightsaber had no business being in a clinic. He might possibly end up changing his opinion on that at a later date but that's not what today was about. Apparently the Princess had been injured and had grievous injuries...Though he felt like there would be a much bigger fuss if that was the case. Generally Grievous wounds would cause a lot more panic and stress.

Though as he overheard it was...a horse that caused the injury, Shan tried his hardest to keep in his chuckle, letting out a cough instead. Well, that was it now. If they didn't realise he was there earlier, they'd realise now as he gave a small wave towards the trio of the Receptionist, Guard and Cora before clearing his throat, pretending that the cough was meant to have happened.

"Did the...animal manage to break the skin?" If he called it a horse, Shan probably would have just ended up chuckling. He just shook his head, taking a few steps forward, keeping a small smile on his face. Bedside manner and that was important for treating. "If not, we'll just need to worry about it having broken something in your arm and giving you a compound fracture, and I can treat that pretty easily...I can treat an open fracture pretty well as well, just to erh...reassure you." Was he meant to be acting more formally around a Princess? Perhaps he was being too casual...Nay! All that mattered was him helping treat Cora's injury. Though if the Guard kept yelling like he had earlier, he might end up getting a hoarse throat.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

A cough drew their collective attention to the healer. Cora blinked, looking slightly taken aback by his sudden presence—either he was silent with his steps, or they'd been too caught up in this little fiasco to notice him.

"No, I don't think it broke the skin." The Princess shook her head, relief in her voice at having been approached by a medic. A wince followed soon after. "Erm…let's just hope that it is a compound fracture. That sounds easier, right?"

She wasn't sure, exactly.

Gingerly, she peeled back her sleeve to show the healer her heavily bruised forearm, complete with the unmistakable indents of horse teeth on skin.

"I uh, was bit by one of the…animals who is currently being trained. I didn't realize that when I tried to pet it."

The admission inspired another wave of heat to her face. However, she did her best to maintain friendly eye contact.

"Are you one of the Alliance medics?" As she eyed his robes with curiosity, a surprising barb of sadness wedged into her heart. As drab and monastic as they were, a part of her missed wearing them.

Shan Pavond

 

[Shan Pavond]

"Compound fractures are much easier, yes. I can do some basic treatment for that." Shan crackled his knuckles, rummaging around in his little first aid pack for some bandages and a splint to use, though he did raise an eyebrow, listening to the Princess talk for a moment. He was mostly in business mode right now, as much as he tried to have good bed side manners...Though they weren't really at a bed side right now, so that didn't matter too much.

He raised an eyebrow as Cora explained how exactly she got bit, and once again he had to fight the urge to chuckle. "It's fine. Animals can be unpredictable sometimes. At least, I assume. I've never had much interaction with wildlife. I just try to admire them from a distance." A small chuckle escaped his mouth at that, giving Cora a small grin. There was still a part of him that felt like he should be treating her more dignified or formally, but he was mostly just treating Cora like he'd treat anyone else. No-one got special treatment form him when it came to healing. Sure, he could have just used the Force to heal her, but there was always a chance that someone with a more grievous wound would show up.

A small nod was his response to Cora's question, as he carefully examined the bandages to make sure they were suitable to use. "Yes, I'm a Jedi Padawan. Shan Pavond. Normally I'd be on Coruscant trying to help out the lower levels...but I felt like helping out on Ukatis would help me get a better understanding of the universe. After all, you don't see many people in Coruscant getting bitten by an...animal."

Once Shan assured himself that the bandage and splint were both reasonable to us just in the likely chance that the arm was broken, he glanced up between the trio of the receptionist, Cora and the Guard, clearing his throat as he decided it would be best to at least be slightly more professional. "May I hold your arm so I can check to see what damage I can feel? I'll be as gentle as I can. If it is broken, I'm going to apply a splint. I can try to see if I have any form of painkillers in my bag as well, if you think you'll need them."

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Shan's demeanor was good—calm and even. What was more, he spoke to her conversationally without intimidation for her station.

Cora appreciated that.

Jedi tended to treat those around them similarly, be they commoner or king.

Cora listened to Shan's explanation with a smile. The word Coruscant touched a surprising nerve, one that caused her heart to lurch. It had been three months since she'd left the Jedi.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Shan. You can call me Cora, and yes, Coruscant is very different from Ukatis." She agreed with a faint nod. "There are only a handful of modern cities on this world, and the rest is much like this village. During my first visit to Coruscant I was quite surprised to learn that the planet was not only an entire city in and of itself, but that it had so many layers beneath the surface!"

The corners of her lips twitched into a more genuine smile, recalling the trouble she'd gotten into with Tenn and Makko in the lower levels.

"I'd imagine that it is good for your training to see different landscapes and ways of life. Did you grow up on Mirial?"

His skin tone and telltale markings had not gone unnoticed. Cora had never been to the Mirialian homeworld herself, but she'd recognized his species well enough.

"Of course." Gingerly, the Princess held out her arm for examination. "Oh, save the painkillers for those who need them. This'll serve as a nice reminder to not pet strange…animals."

She chuckled a little awkwardly, having picked up on the fact that they were dancing around the word horse. A grunt from the Captain drew her attention before she refocused on the medic.

"Would it be possible to go somewhere with a bit more…privacy? It doesn't need to be an examination room."

Shan Pavond

 

[Shan Pavond]

"Oh I wasn't surprised about the city and the levels. If I'm being honest, it's places like this that surprise me." Shan admitted to Cora, giving her a little grin. It was true though, no matter how many times he thought he was used to it, seeing trees, plants and fauna was always a surprise to him. Every planet had its own different flora and fauna, yet he had never really been able to see any back in Nar Shaddaa...

Though he shook his head once Cora asked about Mirial. "You're the second person to have asked that. But no, I'm from Nar Shaddaa. Not even my parents have been to Mirial. They've lived on ships all their lives, up until they settled on Nar Shaddaa. They didn't think living on a ship would be a good place to raise a child or somethin'. I don't know, I haven't really spoke to them since coming to the order. Though I suppose I should be grateful for living there. It gives me more of an appreciation for people." If that information upset Shan, he didn't make it easy to figure out as he kept a smile on his face, clapping his hands together to try and move onto the next topic.

"It's fine to pet strange animals. You just need to keep an eye out on their behaviour. I know that's easier said than done, but more often than not, animals will show you if they're willing for you to come closer or not. Anyway, you and your guard can come this way Cora." Though he nodded his head at the suggestion to go somewhere more private. It was getting a bit...awkward to keep referring to the horse as just an animal, before turning around on the heel of his foot to look around for a spare room that they could take. Some of them were likely in use...Hm, it wouldn't take too long for Shan to get to work, so one of the storage rooms could work well enough. It wasn't professional, but it was private enough for them to talk.

Once they were in the storage room, Shan carefully started to place his supplies he planned on using on one of the storage racks. It would make it easier than rummaging through his bag to get all of the items again. Plus, with the fact it wasn't an open wound, he didn't really have to worry too much about infections. "Alright. This might hurt a bit and I apologise in advance. I'll be as gentle as I can. Tell me when it starts to hurt" With that, Shan gently took Cora's arm and started to apply pressure carefully. Glancing up every few seconds to check Cora and make sure it wasn't too sore. He was mostly just trying to figure out how far the damage would be going.

Corazona von Ascania

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

"Nar Shaddaa?"

Surprise was evident in her voice as Cora cocked a brow. It was hard to imagine this kindly young man with a gentle demeanor hailing from one of the dregs of the galaxy.

Then again, Makko had been a criminal from Denon. Tenn had lived in the slums of Coruscant's lower levels, and Starlin had a similarly rough upbringing as well. Her own childhood on the Ascania estate was far removed from any visceral hardship.

Cora had no idea how Shan had been raised, but she found it curious that his upbringing gave him an an appreciation for people, as he'd put it.

"I swear it was docile!" Came her protest where animal behavior was concerned. Cora's unrefined pout thinned out as she waved the soldier away. "I'm sure that Shan can take it from here. Thank you for your assistance, Captain."

The message was clear; her babysitter was dismissed.

The storage room garnered another look from her that said 'really?', but Cora held herself back from complaining out loud. It was far better than being treated on an active battlefield, a comparison she had to remind herself of.

"Have you been learning medicine for long?" Cora's tone was less accusatory and more conversational, watching Shan carefully as he worked her arm to figure out the extent of the damage. "I've been told that medicine and healing with the Force are two different beasts when it comes to instruction. Though I can imagine that there is some—nnngh—overlap?"

The Princess visibly winced when he pressured a spot that ushered a deep surge of pain in her forearm. Steeling herself, she bit the inside of her cheek and held still for him.

"Was never good at…either of those myself."

Shan Pavond

 

[Shan Pavond]

"Yup. It's not as bad as some people make out...but I suppose that's just 'cause I got used to the fighting there. Probably why I like being a Jedi. Being able to help people, instead of hurting them."

He made no reaction to her surprise. It was completely normal to him for someone to be surprised at how polite he was, compared too how most people from Nar Shaddaa were normally. It was part of why Shan himself didn't judge people for where they came from. He could think of quite a few people back in Nar Shaddaa that would have hated Cora just for being a Princess, though part of me him wondered if those people would be able to deal with the stress of being a Princess...

"It just...helped to show me how cruel people can be sometimes. But at the same time how most people are only cruel out of necessity. If they have what they need, they don't need to be as cruel. Very few people are cruel, just for the sake of it." That was his, potentially, naïve belief in life but he would stand by it no matter what.

Though finally, a small chuckle did escape him when Cora protesting about the animal behaviour. "Sometimes the things we could swear on tend to surprise us at the end of the day. At least that's how I assume. I can see myself leaning on what I've read about horses in the archives, only to end up getting bitten by myself when it turns out the real thing is barely like what is written." As much as Shan tried to sound smart, he knew that it was purely only book smarts, which weren't always useful.

And as much as Shan did like to be polite, a part of him couldn't help but laugh again at Cora's look as they walked into the storage room. "What? This won't take too long. And you don't exactly want to see any of the other patients or workers here seeing you get treated for a horse bite, do you?" Afterwards, he went back to his work, frowning as she winced at his touch, though he spotted where he'd need to put the splint now.

With that, he grabbed the splint, and placed the center of it where Cora had winced, trying to be more gentle now. He could probably do this in his sleep anyway, so he decided it would be a good time to answer her question. "I've studied medicine longer than I've known the Force. Nothing advanced however, just the basics. I thought it would have been a good idea to learn it to help people on Nar Shaddaa. My parents thought it was a bit...reckless, with me running off to help people who are hurt but if I have the knowledge, I should use it. It didn't...always go well for me. After all, like a wounded animal is likely to lash out in fear, so is a wounded person."

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora's mild expression suddenly deepened into a scowl.

"Some people have everything in the galaxy and are cruel for sport."

She spat the words from her lips like venom, her glare easing into a pained wince when her arm decided to ache sharply.

"S-sorry, that was uncalled for." A touch embarrassed, she offered Shan hint of a bashful smile. "What I mean to say is, I think that you're right. A difficult life can make people harden, which is why I'm doing my best to help meet the basic needs of the people in this province."

For better or for worse, Cora truly believed that it was her duty to care for the people of Ukatis. Her husband didn't seem to share the sentiment in earnest, and Cora would've made her peace with that if Horace hadn't been so viscerally brutal towards her on a number of occasions.

Cruel behavior aside, he would not make a good King.

A noticeable flush deepens her pale cheeks when Shan reminded her that a private room—or storage closet, whatever—would prevent the general public from discovering that their Princess had been bitten by a horse. Still, she watched with fascination as he began to apply the splint.

Shan struck her as the type who was almost too kind for his own good. Cora like that about him—she'd found that many Jedi, at least in the face of adversity, had chosen to be kind. Maybe not always nice, but kind.

"It must be different for you, I'd imagine. Being at the temple on Coruscant versus a place like Nar Shaddaa, even if the lower levels of Coruscant are more…"

She waved her free hand in a vague gesture.

"I wasn't born a Princess, but I did grow up in a noble household. When I'd first gone to Coruscant, I was surprised at how modern everything there was, but also by how much I had to do own my own. Tell me, are the Padawan dorms still as small as shoeboxes?"

To some, having a warm bed of their own and and a safe place to rest was an unimaginable luxury.

Cora had assumed that her dorm room was a closet at first.

Shan Pavond

 

[Shan Pavond]

Shan stopped for a moment, his head snapping up to look towards Cora as even he could sense the emotion in that statement, his own face furrowing into a frown.

"I can agree with that, but I don't place all the blame squarely on them. It's people's upbringing and experiences that makes them what they are most of the time. Though some people can...turn against that I suppose. I guess I'm a prime example of that. Most people with my kind of upbringing wouldn't mind hurting someone. Whereas me? I used to barely be able to hold my own lightsaber because I was afraid of hurting someone"

At that, he waved his hand towards his empty belt, before shaking his head at Cora's apology, his frown slowly turning back into its own smile. Frowning always felt wrong to him, even if it was sometimes suitable for the situation.

"Don't apologise. Letting your emotions out is good, as long as it's not in a volatile manner. You're a princess. I doubt you get the time to relax, or vent your frustrations positively. As long as I'm here, I'll be an ear to listen to you at any time. You may be a princess, but to me you're still a person like anyone else. And I'll treat you like anyone else, even if that offends you...Though you don't seem to be that kind of person"

He shrugged his shoulders. It was true to him, that Cora didn't seem as snooty or as...obnoxious as what he had assumed princesses would be. Maybe he was just someone who had his own biases, but he wasn't sure about that at the end of the day. Instead he turned his attention to Cora once more, as she started to talk about the lower levels.

"The lower levels feel like...home to me. Courscant doesn't feel...too different. It's a lot livelier, less dark and depressing but...the people are still the same. There's still some people who are scared. Just wanting to get on with their lives. It's sad sometimes to see how they look...But that's the way of the Galaxy I suppose...Though on the topic of the dorms, I suppose they're still relatively small. I never had a big place to my own on Nar Shaddaa. It's nice though. It feels...homely. I like a bunch of the people back at the temple. They feel like family, more than my actual family."

Shan focused on wrapping the bandage around Cora's arm, making sure it was tight enough that it would keep her arm in place, but not too tight that it would cause excess pain, or worse cut off the blood flow.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Shan had a point. Cora could acknowledge that much of the time, for better or for worse, people were, at least partially, a product of their upbringing. It was impossible to ignore how the environment shaped you, but she had a chip on her shoulder.

"Having a bad childhood doesn't give someone license to be an awful person."

She didn't see the irony in that. Every action of Cora's life had been dictated by her father—even her training with the Jedi. Her marriage too, but she'd pushed back on that to a degree.

Cora seethed for a moment, then stilled. Shan looked to be about her age, but his upbringing meant that he'd very likely seen more of the galaxy's ills than she had. She had the sense to at least look a little embarrassed as the healer drew her attention towards his belt where most Jedi had clipped their sabers.

"So it had the opposite effect on you, then." She mused thoughtfully. "I can't even imagine all that you've seen, but I'd guess that much of it wasn't good. And instead of letting it turn your cruel, you sought to help where you could?"

His kind words ushered a bashful but genuine smile from her.

"What if I was that kind of person? The type to look down at my nose and call you a peasant, who wouldn't dare let you near me simply because of where and how you were born?"

The Jedi had tapered some of her arrogance and ego, but in Cora's first few months on Coruscant she'd rubbed a remarkable amount of people the wrong way.

She listened carefully as Shan spoke of Coruscant, a touch of nostalgia lighting her features.

"It sounds like you've settled in well there. That's good." Cora's gaze idly followed Shan's hand as he wove the bandaging around her splint. "How did you come to join the Jedi, if I may ask?"

Sometimes that particular story could be painful, she'd learned.

Shan Pavond

 

[Shan Pavond]

"And what gives us a license to judge other people for being awful?"

Whilst it might have sounded like Shan was judging Cora, he wasn't. He'd rather get someone to start thinking than to feel offended as he glanced up towards Cora, raising his eyebrow ever so slightly with a smirk.

"There are some people on Nar Shaddaa who would think you're awful just because you have money. Does that make you awful? I wouldn't think so. At the same time, some people might be awful and cruel because they've known nothing better. It's not an excuse, but it is a reason for why some people act the way they do."

Though he nodded when Cora said that being on Nar Shaddaa had the opposite effect on him, though the smirk did fade from his face at that. "What's the point of being cruel when people need help? Honestly, it might have been safer for me to just be cruel and not help people back home, considering how many times people picked on me 'cause I'm not a fighter...but I'm also not a coward. If I can help, I will." He just rubbed the side of his neck at that, letting out a long sigh afterwards. It was hard for him to be overwhelmingly positive when he thought back to Nar Shaddaa. Was his positivity fake? No. No. Shan shook his head at that, twisting and turning the bandage carefully

"Well. First off, if you wouldn't let me near you? You'd need to find another person to deal with your arm. If someone doesn't want me to heal them, I'm not going to force them unless it's a matter of life or death. Secondly, if you did end up letting me heal your arm and you were like that? We'd both just be stood here in silence. I wouldn't feel comfortable to talk to you in anyway, since you'd just be a more subdued version of some of the people I dealt with on Nar Shaddaa. Thinking they were better than people because they had power and money."

A small scowl made it's way on Shan's face. A few little bubbles of anger raising to the surface as he thought about them. He had barely any impact in actually helping Nar Shaddaa. He had just been one person, against almost a wave of criminals, scum and thugs. He only ended up snapping out of that thought when Cora asked him how he ended up joining the Jedi.

"Suppose my parents pushed me into it...They got sick of seeing me coming home hurt all the time, just because I wouldn't fight back. So once we found out I was Force Sensitive, I was on the first shuttle off the planet. It must cost them like a couple years of their wages but I dunno. I haven't spoken to them since I left. It's...fine though. I don't need them."

This time, a fake smile spread across his face at that. He didn't want to make Cora worry about him. It was his job to worry about her at the end of the day instead.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Shan may not have been judging Cora, but there was still a haughty part of her that disliked being challenged on her views. Her teeth ground together, jaw tensing.

"I judge people based on their actions. What else should they be judged by?" She sniffed. "Even if you don't think it's right, aren't you upset when someone is cruel to you? You have that right, even if you understand what made them cruel."

Cora was coming at this discussion from a singular point of thought; the cruelty Horace had done to her. Ukatian custom had dictated subservience to her husband, and each little act of rebellion had earned her another scar, another bruise, another threat against the well-being of her family.

But Shan didn't know any of that; he was coming at this from an angle of his own life experiences, which was to be expected.

Tension flared across her skin, inspiring the partially healed wound at her hip to simmer and burn, reminiscent of the red-hot iron Horace had held there against her skin a few weeks ago. Bending at the hip slightly, she grimaced before drawing in a heavy breath, holding it, then exhaling out her anger.

"Whatever." She mumbled. "Not everyone is like that, I guess."

The scowl that smoothed into a less-than-genuine smile had caught her attention. Cora was accustomed to hiding her discomfort behind that very same expression, and she took a moment to puzzle on why she was letting her irritation fizz to the surface now.

There was a lot written in Shan's visage. She took a few long moments to study it.

"Do you miss them?" She asked simply.

Shan Pavond

 

[Shan Pavond]

An eyebrow raised as Cora seemed to snap at Shan. He was curious as to what he had said wrong as he turned his attention towards Cora for a moment, listening to her talk, instead of just ignoring her. He had said he'd be here for her to listen to, and so that's what he planned on doing.

"Sometimes you have to wonder why people are going through those actions. Perhaps someone is cruel, because they tried being nice. Or perhaps someone is kind, because they think it's all their good for." He raised an eyebrow at the last of his sentence, indirectly talking about himself before shrugging his shoulders. He was trying to stay calm, even though he could see Cora seemed stressed...but he couldn't sense it strangely enough.

"I personally don't have the right to be mad at anyone. I've been people's punching bag for as long as I can remember, and I've accepted it...but that doesn't mean other people have to be..." Shan sighed to himself...before glancing down towards Cora's side as she seemed to grimace. Was she still hurt from something else? He finished off with the bandage to the arm...but that didn't mean his job was done, as he rubbed his hands together, letting out a small sigh before pointing down at Cora's hip. Part of him wondered if that was to do with why she seemed so...angry at him. Well not at him, but what he was saying to her.

"Job isn't finished yet. You're still hurt. Come on, let me deal with it. And before you try to deny it, you're not the only person who's tried to hide an injury from someone. I'm also not leaving a frien-...a patient, in pain." Another "reward" for Cora being less of a stereotypical noble. If she had been all high and mighty, Shan would never have offered to try and heal whatever was wrong with Cora's side. After all, reward good behaviour with good actions and everything, right?

He was taken aback by Cora's question. It was simple. He didn't have to give a complicated answer...but... "No. And I hate the fact I don't. They tried to look out for me whilst I was on Nar Shaddaa. The fact I had parents is a blessing that not everyone gets...but they thought I was stupid for wanting to help people. They couldn't wait to ship me off so they wouldn't have to deal with me coming back hurt every day...They wanted me to work on ships, or droids or something stupid, instead of actually helping people." Once again, Shan's anger was slowly starting to bubble back up to the surface, as he grimaced to himself. It's part of why the Jedi felt more like a family to him. They supported him when it came to the idea of helping people, of healing them.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Perhaps if she had been more level—or in a better life situation— Cora would have thought about what Shan said and agreed. Maybe she would have caught the way his voice trailed off thoughtfully.

"Whatever works for you, I guess." Came her grumbled, petulant response.

Cora's teeth clenched. The injury at her torso was as much of a wound to her pride as it was to her body. Nobody else had seen the scorched flesh of her hip aside from Horace and a handful of guards, and she wasn't ready to show it to anyone else.

"Your job is done." She insisted firmly, taking care to straighten out and mask the pain from her body language. Her expression softened as Shan almost called her a friend, and she sighed. "I will, however, take those painkillers your offered earlier."

She was quiet as Shan relayed his feelings about his parents. The expectations he'd faced, the lack of support from his family, feeling like a burden. It was all very real, very raw, and Cora placed her uninjured hand on the Mirialan's shoulder.

"Meet me outside the back of the clinic after it closes tonight." Her hand left his shoulder to grip the doorknob. Before twisting it, she paused and looked over her shoulder at Shan.

"Oh, and I hope you're not afraid of horses."

Shan Pavond

 

[Shan Pavond]

Shan raised an eyebrow at Cora's petulant response but he never said anything about it, just keeping his mouth shut. This might have been the longest time he had spent without having a smile on his face...Though he shook his head once more when Cora said that his job was done and he let out a frustrated sigh, pinching the bridge of his nose.

"Fine. I'll just get you the damned painkillers." Even if Cora didn't mean it, she had made Shan feel more useless by not letting him help heal her other injury. It was all he really saw himself as being good at. Healing. He wasn't a fighter and wasn't good at defending people. But...he knew Cora wasn't trying to make him feel like that. That didn't mean he didn't feel any less frustrated at things. He wanted praise, he wanted to be able to do things right but he was snapped out of that thought when Cora put her hand on his shoulder.

Meet her outside the back of the clinic? Was Cora planning on executing him?!?! No. No. There was no point for him to overexaggerate about that kind of thing as he gave Cora a small nod, bringing that fake smile back onto his face. Though the comment about horses did make him actually chuckle, as he shook his head. "I dunno. I heard that horses have a real nasty bite."

After the little tease, Shan let Cora leave, whilst he focused on sorting out the supplies on the shelf now. Also so he could sort out his own thoughts as well. He had felt his frustrations and anger coming to the surface and wanted to push them back down. He was feeling fine. He'd be alright. He was always alright.

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

As dusk swept along the village, Cora returned to the clinic.

She'd had a few hours to think about her altercation with Shan—while it began pleasant enough, in the end it had been…weird. They were both left to simmer in the deeply hidden anger of their respective situations.

The horse slowed to a trot just outside the back entrance of the clinic. It was a little tricky to manage the reins with one hand, but Cora figured she'd be fine so long as the beast did not break into a gallop.

Slung across her shoulder was an insulated bag, which she tossed to Shan.

"Here," She said, used to being obeyed. "Carry this."

The contents of the bag would clink against one another, a curious sound. Letting the reins rest, she next offered him a hand.

"Have you ever ridden a horse before, Shan?"

Cora looked to the forested treeline in the distance. It wasn't too far, just past a few crop fields.

"We're going into to the woods."

Shan Pavond

 

[Shan Pavond]

Shan was leaning against the outside of the clinic, a small frown on his face. As soon as Cora had left, he had let the fake smile fall from his face. A few of the patients in the clinic even seemed to take notice, but he shrugged them off whenever they had asked. They were the patients after all, not him. They didn't need to worry about him. No-one ever had to.

Either way, at the sound of a horse, Shan stood up straighter, brushing down his robes. This time he did have his lightsaber on his belt. Whilst the clinic wasn't a place for a weapon, he wasn't in the clinic anymore. It wasn't like he didn't trust Cora, he did. It was more...he didn't trust the planet. He didn't know too much about it, and so thought it would be best to at least have some form of protection in case something happened.

Though for now it looked like could relax as Cora just came trotting in. Before having a bag just thrown at him which he caught carefully, frowning at the clink. Normally, he might have told Cora that he wasn't some kind of servant...but considering Shan wasn't in a great headspace, he kept himself quiet, grabbing Cora's hand gently to help himself up onto the horse, shaking his head towards her.

"This is my first time seeing one in the flesh. I've never really seen that many animals. Master Noble did mention something to me about animals when I was at one of the temples but..." He shook his head either way, trying to get comfortable on the horses carefully. "Erh...Where do I hold onto it? I can't reach the tail from here."

 

[Corazona von Ascania]

Cora tsked.

"And yet you had the gall to lecture me on animal behavior…"

Mumbling, she shook snide thoughts from her head. A vague look of amusement touched her features at Shan's question which she answered with a smirk.

"I'd advise against grabbing her tail—not unless you want to be on the receiving end of her hooves."

Cora leaned over to pat the chestnut mare's neck.

"Petunia here is fully trained and used to riders. She's very steady and docile, but even the gentlest creatures can lash out when you do something untoward."

She canted her head to the side as if to think on that.

"You can…h-hold onto my waist, I suppose." Stammering, Cora couldn't stem the flush of her cheeks. Years of being raised in a conservative aristocratic household meant that she wasn't exactly used to physical contact, especially with men. "But nothing untoward!" She snapped, leveling a finger at the Mirialian healer with a scoff. "I am a married woman, after all."

Regardless of whether or not Shan would hold onto her for stability, Cora ushered the horse into a slow trot.

"The woods aren't far from here, so it'll be a short ride." She murmured, embarrassment creeping into her mind.

Shan Pavond

 

[Shan Pavond]

"Yeah! 'Cause I've read up on them. I know about their behaviour and things."

Shan grumbled slightly, but nodded when Cora said not to grab the horse's tail. Hm...Petunia? That was the name of the animal. As much as Shan wanted to pat the horse a few times, he didn't want to risk scaring or spooking it. It was interesting to think about however...maybe he could try and get lessons in connecting to animals via the Force once he was back at the temple. His force sensing capabilities weren't great, but if he could start linking towards the horses.

Though then Cora said Shan could hold onto her waist for stability...and the Mirialan just blinked at her in confusion. "Erh...As in literally holding onto it? or...wrapping my arms around?" Shan was mostly confused, since he hadn't actually wrapped his arms around someone before, or held onto anyone so he was trying to wrap his head around what exactly he needed to do. He cared more about falling off Petunia than he did about making a fool of himself.

"Also...you don't need to worry about being a married woman. I...don't care about those kind of things. You're a friend. That's it." Now that they were out of the clinic, Shan didn't seem...as concerned about calling Cora his friend. It wasn't like he had many of those in his eyes. He still wasn't sure why Cora seemed so embarrassed, as he just carefully wrapped his arms around Cora. If he was falling off the horse, she was coming with him.

Corazona von Ascania