[ Zelgadis is quietly stunned by the progress that's been made already. It reaffirms that there is hope for these people, and he is right not to pursue the mazoku. Just maybe they can turn this around before Zel's own curse progresses too far.
"If you've only got a one percent chance of winning, but convince yourself you're going to lose, that one percent becomes zero percent."
Underneath that hotheadedness, Lina's always been strikingly wise. Whatever likelihood he and Rezo have of pulling this off, it's greater than zero percent.
He clasps the little girl's hand as its placed in his. It's so small. She's so frail. ]
We're going to get you better. I promise.
[ Now he has no excuses.
Heeding Rezo's instruction, he begins casting a healing spell. The dull ache in his body has become ignorable enough; less so the abrupt return of the burning sensation. He doesn't manage to stifle a grunt of pain. ]
--Bit my tongue.
[ It's a lie for the little girl's benefit, and an indirect way of telling Rezo to carry on as if nothing happened.
It's immediately clear to him what's going on: magic comes at the cost of pain.
He will grit his teeth and bear it. This child is far worse off and can't even communicate her suffering, can't so much as cry or complain as she has every right to.
But it does burn.
Then there's Rezo. He was working all through the night and then must have kept at it as Zelgadis slept. That's the only way this much progress could have been made so soon. If he goes and wears himself out, they're in even bigger trouble.
...Plus, it would bother him if Rezo got hurt. That could lead to getting killed.
Very few people ever get to come back to life. Nobody gets to do it a second time. The universe is not so generous.
Rezo can't die. Zel won't let him, not when he's finally giving a damn.
Zelgadis doesn't even want to acknowledge how much he has wanted that. It's mortifying.
This round of treatment concludes. The young girl is a long ways from fine, but she looks unmistakably healthier than she did before.
This pain will be worth it.
He addresses Rezo, grimacing when he hears the strain in his own voice. ]
I've gotten the hang of this. Leave the next patients to me.
[ Go rest, he can't manage to say.
He'll leave broaching the subject of "biting his tongue" to Rezo, should he want to ask. ]
no subject
"If you've only got a one percent chance of winning, but convince yourself you're going to lose, that one percent becomes zero percent."
Underneath that hotheadedness, Lina's always been strikingly wise. Whatever likelihood he and Rezo have of pulling this off, it's greater than zero percent.
He clasps the little girl's hand as its placed in his. It's so small. She's so frail. ]
We're going to get you better. I promise.
[ Now he has no excuses.
Heeding Rezo's instruction, he begins casting a healing spell. The dull ache in his body has become ignorable enough; less so the abrupt return of the burning sensation. He doesn't manage to stifle a grunt of pain. ]
--Bit my tongue.
[ It's a lie for the little girl's benefit, and an indirect way of telling Rezo to carry on as if nothing happened.
It's immediately clear to him what's going on: magic comes at the cost of pain.
He will grit his teeth and bear it. This child is far worse off and can't even communicate her suffering, can't so much as cry or complain as she has every right to.
But it does burn.
Then there's Rezo. He was working all through the night and then must have kept at it as Zelgadis slept. That's the only way this much progress could have been made so soon. If he goes and wears himself out, they're in even bigger trouble.
...Plus, it would bother him if Rezo got hurt. That could lead to getting killed.
Very few people ever get to come back to life. Nobody gets to do it a second time. The universe is not so generous.
Rezo can't die. Zel won't let him, not when he's finally giving a damn.
Zelgadis doesn't even want to acknowledge how much he has wanted that. It's mortifying.
This round of treatment concludes. The young girl is a long ways from fine, but she looks unmistakably healthier than she did before.
This pain will be worth it.
He addresses Rezo, grimacing when he hears the strain in his own voice. ]
I've gotten the hang of this. Leave the next patients to me.
[ Go rest, he can't manage to say.
He'll leave broaching the subject of "biting his tongue" to Rezo, should he want to ask. ]