Maximus flinched as Vivilene drew near, ears pinning for a moment. They were frankly unused to touch from others aside from those they allowed to get close. But they stayed still, gritting their teeth at the pain which didn't really measure up to what was already existing and just nodded.

"I... I know," they said softly, "But thank you."

They were quiet, strangely so, feeling awkward among strangers who were so... normal. They didn't have knife hands or bulky muscle or a strange number of eyeballs. They didn't have to worry about what others thought.

"I have to go out and fight again in the next round," they explained nervously, "The threads might break. Is there a way to secure it so it won't? I can't have a wound I have to nurse or else it'll affect how I fight."

They looked to Karyo, considering their idea, but with how magic had gone for the two of them so far, they were wary. They didn't want the dog to hurt themselves.

"What are you?", they asked instead, curious about the other's shape.

@Karyo

CHARON
The very mountains whisper your name...

Charon was still soaking wet as he trudged into the medical room, his 'nap' more like he'd passed out for ten minutes and been kicked awake by someone yelling at him to get out of the way.

He stopped for a second, quills flat against his back, blood still running down his body from the chicken scratches covering almost every inch of him from his face to his back, his breathing hoarse and uneven. Then he sat down heavily and stared at the room's occupants, jaw clenched.

”... I won,” he said, as if he needed to make sure they knew that.

”I didn't lose to a chicken,” he growled, daring any of them to even speak of such a thing.

As if they would, like they would know of what had happened when everyone here hadn't even been present for his fight. Hadn't heard Nemean call out a false victory to bird less than half his size. And he wasn't in denial because Nemean was wrong. He'd won.

@Vivilene ig??

karyo

Karyo opened their mouth, wondering if they should say something. Vivilene looked like she was about to use the same plant magic that had failed before, when Maximus had said not to--but the valkhound seemed okay with it, oddly enough. They sure get over fears quickly, I guess, they thought, amused.

That smile faded as they watched the vines weave their way through the valkhound's flesh. Karyo's lips twitched, hints of teeth showing as they winced at every puncture. That had to hurt, didn't it...? At least the wound was sterile, for now.

Still, the technique could be useful if their own prokaryotic magic failed. Crude? Yes, but it worked. And really, Vivilene's stitches were quite neat. Karyo wondered how much practice it had taken her to get this good. So they watched with a kind of half-horrified fascination, refusing to let themselves tear their eyes away. This was important. Useful. They couldn't miss it just because they were feeling a bit squeamish.

"I'm a Researcher!" they told Maximus, happy to make conversation while Vivilene healed them. "We investigate and learn things about the caves! I'm tryna learn about healing right now. As you might've guessed." Karyo offered Maximus a lopsided grin, tongue hanging out from their mouth.

Their attention was jerked away by the mildly distracting event of a giant ice worm-dragon crashing backstage. "Of course you did," the saluki agreed hastily, taking a few steps back in case Charon was too clumsy to avoid hitting them. He certainly seemed to be a fan of flopping around--probably because he was tired and beaten up. Karyo didn't blame him! They'd admit that it was a bit funny, though. Just not in front of Charon.

"Let's get you cleaned up, yeah?" There were scratches all over the dragon, and boy was he big. Karyo was already dreading the effort this would take, but they gritted their teeth and focused their magic. The spell washed over the dragon, blasting all germs away from his wounds, and Karyo blinked away the dizziness from the effort.

"We've got a nice, hmm..." Researcher liked professional names, but Karyo liked casual impromptu ones. And it wasn't like this was very official. "range of healing choices here! Pick from a menu of... weaving your scratches shut with vines, good ol' non-magical healing in case you're feeling a bit macho," not that Karyo knew any means of non-magical healing themselves, "or... the INVESTIGATIVE CLINICAL TRIAL of a new means for ACCELERATED HEALING, performed by our very own medical Researcher! --That's me," they added, flashing Charon a dorky grin.

stars shining in an infinite indigo sky
can you hear them speak?

@Charon @Vivilene sorry for double tag hfgnskpasf wasn't sure who I should tag