Unexpected Break (Rista)

[Taln]

40th of Summer, 511 AV Behind the Infirmary "Whatever, take two bells off then back to work Dek." A large hand shoved Taln out the door and almost to the ground. Just before hitting face first, he caught himself on his hands and scrambled up to glare back at the man with fierce emerald eyes. Both of his fists raised to challenge the healer, but the door was closed in his face. There was a new rip in the already tattered bryda with a 8 inch gash along the leg, with a matching length gash on Taln's back; the obvious work of Talon Swords. Honey covered the wounds and vinegar was liberally applied. He stank of vinegar, blood and sweat. He moved farther away from the door and sat on the ground mumbling. The dek didn't mind resting by his own choice, but enforced idleness just irritated him. The man stretched out his long legs and six foot frame, now reluctantly doing a big fat bunch of nothing. He kept a space between his back and the filthy bricks behind him. 'If I stand up, someone will see a six foot dek and look for more Talon Sword practice for my idleness. Best to stay low and not call any attention to myself.' Taln thought, drawing up one long leg to rest an elbow on it. "Ya get used to ten bells a day, you expect ten bells a day." He said in his unusually quiet way. It was pretty quiet this late in the night. Most people were with their families and home for the night. Keeping his head bowed, it allowed the copper hair to fall forward and cover most of his face and eyes. It was the best way to stare at people in a subtle enough way to not start a fight. Taln would fight if he felt like it, but he didn't need to pick one. Trouble usually found him easily enough.

[Rista]

It was late. Rista smothered a wide yawn behind a hand as she made her way through the warrens, back from her exploration of the tunnels. It had been a nice day, long and free from all work what so ever. Market days were good like that, she just wished it wouldn't have rained. Instead of risking the displeasure of getting wet, the young woman had spend her day roaming through the city, playing like she hadn't done in a long time. For once she had been able to push her troubles away, and let go of everything that had to do with Endals, Avora and strange foreigners. And her future. Lets not forget about that.

The black-eyed mongrel rubbed her eyes and wondered what it actually was that had brought her this way in the first place. Without bendi to perform she didn't have anything to do in these parts of the Reach, neither at the aviaries nor by the infirmary. She wasn't ill after all, neither did she know anyone that was. It must have been the result of a strange turn somewhere. The warrens was a wide-stretched labyrinth, not even the people that lived within them were always sure where they were if they ended up loosing focus for a while. The young yasi was lucky, at least she knew exactly where she were and how to get back to the common rooms.. Even though it was a long way.

A strange scent suddenly caught her attention and made her sniff the air as she passed by the infirmary. Frowning in mild disgust, she tried to place whatever it was that smelled. It had this sour scent, rich and heavy and a bit nauseating. Jet-black eyes searched around to see if someone had dropped garbage somewhere; unlikely, but who was to know? Her steps slowed down, curiosity slowly emerging from within her tired mind.. then her gaze caught the sitting frame of a person some way away from the infirmary door. Now what was this about? Looking over the person, all she could see was a pair of long legs - really long, in fact, was he some kind of giant? - a red buzz of hair and not much else. With so little information, it was near impossible to confirm which caste he belonged to.

Her steps hesitated, then stopped a few strides away from the person. Rista chewed slightly on her lower lip, teased the ring that was pierced into it with her tongue while she tried to decide what to do. It was from this person the strange scent came, and smelly people normally meant Dek. She didn't want anything to do with those kinds, useless leeches as they were, lower in caste than even the young yasi. But that hair.. Perhaps he was injured, a chiet that hadn't been able to find someone to help out this late at night? Many of the people in the city had been enjoying the holiday, drinking and dancing to their hearts content. Perhaps...

"Hey, you there.. Why are you just sitting there? Who are you, are you hurt?" Her voice was sharp but slightly hesitating as she called out to the person. She wasn't sure where this figure belonged; only the red hair made her determine that it was an Inarta at all, and thus worthy of her attention. A foreigner would have been passed by without a second thought.. or at least she hoped so. Lately she had been surprising herself with the kind of people she spent her time talking to...

[Taln]

A high pitched young female voice addressed him and he was reluctant to answer. "Please gods don't let it be yet another tween girl Yasi! There are herds of them this year--nursery brats with more status than they know what to do with." Taln turned his head and sure enough, he saw a teenage, female Yasi--with black eyes and a peculiar skin tone. 'This half blood should be far more dek than I! That mongrel is adding to the tween girl nursery Yasi population?! -She's- ordering -me- around? She's not even pure Inarta!' His green eyes blazed angry emerald and it took more than the average will power to down cast his eyes from that..that..demon eyed mutt. Reluctantly, he rose, mindful not to put all his weight on the right leg. The seam on the leg of his bryda flushed open, giving the fresh wound a breath of air. At Taln's full six feet, he towered over the little Yasi and he was hard put not to stare at her. He took his time answering, considering it was just a mutt who placed herself too highly. In a quiet surly voice he replied with a hint of resentment. "I'm on orders from the infirmary to rest for two bells...Yasi." The dek mentioned her caste like he'd tasted something foul. "My name is Taln and yes I'm injured on my back and right leg." Her sharp tone grated on his ears like metal on bone. Without even realizing it, he was staring at the yasi. His green eyes stared into her freakishly black ones and involuntarily shuddered with superstition of devils and demons. After a few long chimes, he bowed his head and cast aside his piercing green eyes in the traditional posture. 'That black eyed demon must be back from partying. Gods only know -what- she's on.' Taln thought with a moment's apprehension.

[Rista]

Her eyes widened when he moved and began to stand up, her eyes having to follow up, up.. finally her neck was bent in a rather humiliating angle as she looked up at the man. Syna, he was tall! Gods knew that she wasn't, not in comparison to anyone - if she hadn't been so proportional in her built and with the heritage of a generally short-built people she could have been taken for dwarfed with her 4'6'' inches - but this man.. For a man it was, she saw that now, and judging by the defensive look on his face.. But no. Even if the man was a dek, a bryda wearing, long haired and decidedly foul smelling dek, it mattered little in comparison to how tall he was. The girl felt seriously small when she stood this close, barely reaching to his ribcage even as she stretched her back a bit, and for a long moment she found herself speechless, mouth hanging open in a stupid looking way.

Only slowly did she react to his tone and the words he said, it was visible on her face how initial shock and indignation - how dared he be taller than her! -slowly was replaced by irritation. The dark-skinned girl shifted a bit and placed a hand on a rounded hip, lips tightening as she looked up at him with hardening eyes; it was strange how they could express so much with all that darkness. It was as if there was a fire flickering beneath the depths, that shone through and revealed all her intentions.

"No need to sound so angry" she said, her dislike of his obnoxious tone apparent. "I've never done anything to to you, and I rather doubt I will either. I know my place perfectly well, and you should be more aware of yours.. Dek." The word sounded like she had bitten it off and spat it out again, caused by an increasing anger with herself. What was she even doing here? Talking to a dek like this, when she could be heading back to her room for some much needed sleep. Rista never liked being around these people; they were a constant reminder of how she could end up if she didn't manage to prove herself good enough. Not a pleasant thought.. Her eyes strayed to the gaping hole in the mans bryda and frowned; not only had he been wearing those instead of the more appropriate Lontev, the formless tunic normally given to the dek, but he had also managed to tear them. How had he even managed to get injured?

Rista took a few steps to the side and tried to look at the mans back to see if he had been injured elsewhere. Her gaze caught the sight of the long wound, and involuntarily she hissed; so that was the reason for the foul stench. No wonder he was feeling grumpy.

"Have you asked someone to take a look at that?" she asked and reluctantly returned her eyes to his face, located way too high up in the air. Not fair.. "Left like that it's going to go bad.. How did you even manage to injure yourself like that?" She didn't know it, but the girl had gotten a tone in her voice that sounded a bit scolding and yet almost kind. Like the chiet women at the nursery, or perhaps a bird with a chicken that was too big and slightly unruly. It was comical, especially compared to the frown she had that stated that she wished for nothing more than to just be on her way back to bed...

[Taln]

Taln was about to snap a reply but the look on her face was priceless! The barest glimmer of a smirk formed around his lips when he saw her stunned expression. Sometimes it just felt so good to be this tall. The man almost laughed out loud when she stood there with her mouth open like his hatchling at feeding time. Rista's astonishment was something he'd hold onto for those darkest times when he needed a good laugh. 'I love how they break their little Yasi backs to look up at me when all they have to do is step back a pace. Common sense is rarely very common. How did this height challenged black eyed demon child even get to be a Yasi?' His green eyes sparked at the way she mentioned his caste; they both knew the mere mention of it was enough to be an insult. Taln scrutinized her closely from the protective shield of hair, wishing for the millionth time that he could see better. His expression nearly dared her to challenge him for wearing the bryda, but she only glanced at them. When he followed her gaze to his injuries, his face flamed at showing such a flagrant weakness. Staring down at the tiny girl, he watched her circle him curiously, looking intently at the sores. Taln eyed her warily, ready to move away if she tried to touch him. The dek knew she'd want to move away pretty damn quickly once she got a snootful of that foul vinegar they'd doused him in. He'd nearly gagged at the stench when they'd applied it not half a bell ago. As if to remind him of the ample amount of vinegar doused on the fresh gashes, her sudden hiss coursed down his spine and he felt the abused flesh slide uneasily over the side of his ribs. There was something unnerving in Rista's unblinking ebony stare and he forced himself to stand still. The Yasi sounded strange and he wasn't quite sure why. He answered shortly, in sotto voice, barely above a whisper and twice as deep. "I just left the infirmary half a bell ago." His copper hair slid back as he gestured with his head to the back door behind him. "They don't waste clean bandages on a lowly dek, Yasi." The pitch of her voice was strangely... off. It wasn't as sharp any more, nor did it contain even a suggestion of contempt or irritation. He must be mistaken, because she kind of sounded-- concerned. Which was entirely out of the question. The girl was frowning and no one wastes time caring about dek, not even his own mother. "Yea it'll probably go bad unless I can wrap it up with something clean. I think I gotta sew the skin first though." The tall man looked down at the wounds thoughtfully as he answered her, hoping she wasn't about to add any more injuries before he healed from these. " A Yasi a little older than you thought I'd make a great unarmed practice dummy against her Talon Sword. She was bored and wanted something to do before going to the festival. I didn't have a whole lot of say in the matter." By now, Taln was confused and became pensive. 'What does -she- care? It's late and she looks like it's past her bedtime. Why would this tiny creature be wasting her time with him when she could be sleeping in a cozy yasi bed? Maybe she smelled that vinegar stink and thought I was a trash pile that needed kicking out of the way.'

[Rista]

She listened quietly to his replies, barely noticing that she had begun with her thoughtful chewing on the lower lip again. The frown could have been painted on her brow, so unchanging was it - except perhaps for a slight lowering of the eyebrows as he mentioned the yasi girl.

"What was her name, do you know? I might know of her.." Not that it mattered. She had nothing to say about how others treated the drudges; only her distaste for lashing out on people that didn't deserve it kept her from abusing any herself. Her battles were against her own caste members, the yasiry who thought of her in about the same way as Taln was; a mongrel who should be dek. If she'd have heard his thoughts, there would have been consequences, but luckily Rista wasn't a mind reader. She just ignored the dark glances he gave her and concentrated on battling some instinct within that wanted to care for this person like she would an injured bird. The wound was way beyond her skills though, she could barely stitch a tear in her own bryda..

Even so, she eventually sighed and rubbed her eyes tiredly. Dek or no dek, he was still a living person. Rista didn't like to think of herself as cruel, and to just ignore this when she could be able to do something about it.. No. It wasn't something she could do.

"Come along" she said and turned away from the man, giving a slight wave with a hand for him to follow before she continued on her way towards her room. "I don't know how much I can do, but.. Eh, just follow me."

She sounded annoyed, but it wasn't directed towards Taln. Not really, anyway. It was more her own indecisiveness she thought about, the fact that she went out of her way to bother with someone from a caste she despised. Or was it just her own lack of skill that she hated? Perhaps it was fear that made the higher castes treat the dek so badly, a fear of becoming useless and left to the whims of others should they become injured or ill. Rista didn't know, it was way too late in the evening to bother with such deep question. She made an effort to push the thoughts away, but instead they just grew more persistent. A sudden feeling of doubt struck her, doubt about her own position, her admiration for the Endals and the hatred she always felt towards the dek..

Petching dek, to bother her like this. It was his fault for getting injured and getting in her way, surely it had to be. It was his fault for getting her this confused... Rista bit her jaws together tighter for each step, and unknowingly picked up the pace until she practically rushed through the corridors. A few yasi around her own age, drunk and singing in false notes as they wobbled along, tossed complimenting comments about her hips as she passed. They must have been really wasted to say something like that. The young womans cheeks gained a slightly deeper tone as the face warmed; surely it was just from her rushed pace. Nothing else...

[Taln]

He shook his head negatively, his copper hair covering half his face as he replied quietly again. "No, she never gave me her name." Although her frown was the most lasting impression, her expression gave small clues to what she might be thinking. The girl's tone spoke of distaste, but that would most likely be from the vinegar stink. She blatantly saw his unfriendly glare, and said nothing to wipe it away. The uncomfortable silence dragged on as he watched her carefully. Her thoughts seemed drawn inward and Taln couldn't fathom what could possibly be so interesting about just another stinking dek. When Rista sighed and rubbed her eyes, he knew she'd leave him alone and go off to sleep. 'Wait. What? Come along?! She wants to torture me in private. Great.' While his mind thought, his large muscled body was quick to comply to the order. His neck and face turned crimson at how he immediately heeled like a dog at the wave of her tiny little hand. He swallowed down his pride and put his chin up. With no choice but to obey he reluctantly followed her, shortening his large stride to her small, quick ones. He kept his thoughts tightly reined, trying not to even contemplate what -this- Yasi had in mind for him. As they started toward a crowd, his head buzzed and rang at all the noise. So many voices, young, old, male, female, dek, endal, and loud music from different directions! He resisted the incredibly strong urge to clap his hands over his ears at so much noise. Gods how he -hated- loud parties! The yasi's face went crimson and he heard the drunken words. The very tall man heard some lewd comments directed at the young Yasi in front of him and he reacted without thinking. He'd stand a lot, but sex and kids don't mix. Period. His emerald eyes blazed as he 'accidentally' knocked down, shoved and bumped his not inconsiderable weight into the ones giving catcalls to the girl. "Back off!" He growled in a fierce tone that brooked no argument. Taln may have been a dek, but he was six feet of muscled male dek. In two angry strides he'd moved to the side of the Yasi like a towering and vengeful bodyguard, clearing her some respectful space. "Sick petching bastards." The dek muttered furiously. If there's one thing he wouldn't tolerate, it was lechery anywhere near a child. He stayed close to Rista's side, within a hair's breadth, making sure his intimidating height was put to good use.

[Rista]

She had just carried along on her way, with complete faith that the man would follow her because she told him too, and had almost forgotten about Taln's presence. Thus the girl was surprised when she heard his growl - it was what it sounded like to her, hard words spoken from a deep voice - and spun around, just in time to see the tall person lash out at the wasted boys. Her eyes widened slowly in surprise as she not only saw the dek tell the boy off, but watched how they paled, almost sobered up on the spot, and turned to run as soon as they were released.

Black marble eyes lingered on the tall man as he returned to her side, the yasi's face colored by shock and reluctant gratitude. Perhaps it wasn't so strange that they had obeyed.. With his long hair, bryda and impressive built, Taln looked very little like the dek he was; upon a first glance it would have been easy to mistake him for an Endal on his day off, and along with that quick reaction.. Incredulous, she shook her head and turned to continue towards her room, not saying anything about the incident. It wasn't so much the fact that he had reacted that stunned her, but rather the fact that someone had stepped out of their way to help her. Rista was used to handling her own problems, others were used to staying away from her. This, the thing that just happened.. It never happened. Not to her, the dirt-skinned dog without an apprenticeship.

Sunken in deep thoughts, the girl led the rest of the way to her room without further incidents. Opening the door, she gestured for the other to go inside, and then followed. It wasn't a very big one, as expected, and it seemed that the girl wasn't usually spending a lot of time there. The walls were roughly carved out with no decorations, the floor was cold under bare feet, and the only light came from the glowing embers on a small hearth that served as a temporary cooking place - not in use very often. The bunk was a mess of blankets twisted into a sausage hinting towards rough nights, and on the floor lay pieces of parchment and char-sticks, used for writing and some sketching. Along one of the walls stood a small table and a chair, and at the end of the bed was a chest with a closed lid. That was all. No decoration, no fabrics, no nothing. It was a storage room, used for sleeping and nothing more.. It suggested a lot of others things too, but upon a first inspection it just looked small and rough and messy.

Rista chewed on her lip as she closed the door behind them, and led the way to the table, kicking things out of her way as she went. Gesturing to the tall man that made her room seem so small to sit down, she went over and began to rummage through the chest, looking for some necessary items.. The silence was getting both long and uncomfortable, but the yasi had no idea how to end it. How did you thank someone that was lower than the lowest, when you had nothing to offer? Her thoughts were becoming more and more confused, and when she finally found the kit of sewing equipment she had been looking for, she had both missed it and dropped it several times.

Finally she actually had to talk to the dek, but it was with a severe lack of confidence the girl spoke, as if his actions just now had disturbed something within her. She didn't really look directly at his face, and the fingers fidgeted with the large pouch she held between her hands.

"I don't really know why I'm doing this" she muttered and shifted her weight a bit, eyes glancing at Taln from the side. "I really shouldn't bother and I'll probably just make things worse, but I.. can't just let someone walk away under my nose when there might be something I can do to help. What I'm trying to say is" she took a deep breath, "if you allow me, I can try and stitch those injuries together for you. I'm not a healer" she added quickly and made a rejecting motion with her hands, "and I can barely sew at all, but I think I might be able to at least do something.."

Finally she looked straight at his face, the conflicting emotions battling within displaying on her face as if it was an open book. She wanted to help, but she wasn't sure that she should, or could. She wanted to hoist him out of the door that so rarely had been opened to invite guests, she wanted to thank him for defending her.. It was all so confusing, and with her tiredness it made for a huge pile of dung that probably wouldn't be sorted out anytime soon. Just asking a dek for permission was beyond strange, but after his completely unexpected, protective display, Rista had a hard time looking at the man as if he was one of those crippled, slow-minded creatures she thought of when she pictured a dek. How had he even ended in a caste like that, when he probably could have been chiet without trouble, or even avora? It was beyond her, and she couldn't help but wonder as she looked at his face, taking in those green eyes that had glared at her so challengingly.

[Taln]

Taln glared at the crowds with menace, his expression turning the squint into a scowl. It was really dark and getting much harder to see things and the noise was almost as much of an irritant as the aching open wounds that goaded his temper. Rista's quick look of gratitude and shock went unseen by the tall dek. It was too hard to read anyone's expression right now. He stayed pressed close to the girl's side, swinging his arms to ensure no one would approach the tiny yasi or even think of making a comment. When they entered her room, he looked around with envy. 'She's got her own bed, her own fire, her own privacy. Space that's only hers that she doesn't even have to share unless she wants to.' He snapped off the train of thought, knowing it would just make him more envious of all the things she had. The dek's eyes widened when he saw the parchment on the floor. It could only mean one thing--Rista could read and write! He swallowed back a stab of jealousy at yet another thing denied to him and closed the mental door on it. Taln sat in a small chair she gestured to, his large frame dwarfing the furniture. His knees stuck up at odd angles and involuntarily he winced and kept his right leg outstretched instead of bending it. He sat idly, watching the girl rummage through an -entire chest- of possessions. It was beyond him to imagine having so many things that he had to look for one among so much. He turned to the embers of the fireplace instead, enjoying the peace. Taln exhaled, now knowing that the public caste bashing could end because they shared privacy. The copper haired man kept these few moments close to his memory, savoring the comfort of private space. He reveled in the luxury of when someone gave him a place indoors to sleep at night. It made him feel like a human--at least until they kicked him out after a few bells. The dying flames caught hold of his incredibly vivid emerald eyes as he stared at the fireplace. The crimson embers flashed over his eyes and a faint bluish glaze cast over them, as if he saw through some kind of skin. The chemical burn from his childhood left a blatant cloudy mark over his eyes, only seen by firelight, forever hindering his ability to see clearly. They'd spent nearly a quarter of a bell in peaceful silence and he wanted to thank her for the small kindness. Comfort, peace and security meant more to him than anything else in this harsh world and he clung to it with childlike longing. Taln heard objects thudding to the floor repeatedly and he turned toward the sounds, more with his face, than with his eyes. Rista held something in her hands and fidgeted with it. He squinted fiercely in the dim light but couldn't define what it was. When the young yasi finally spoke, her voice broke in a few places and he heard the pitch of her voice like seeing in daylight. 'I don't think she's ever let anyone into her quarters before. She sounds grateful, but how embarrassing to be thanking a lowlife dek, right? She's nervous, the tiny little thing, and I don't blame her. If I was that size and had a stinkin hulking dek alone, I'd be scared witless!' The meaning of her words and the -question- made him stare at her in astonishment with piercing green eyes. He scowled fiercely, (squinted hard) trying to read her expression but it was just too damn dark to see it. Taln responded in a deep and very quiet, honest tone. "You've given me shelter and privacy yasi, for which I'm truly grateful. If you want to practice sewing on me, I won't object. We're safe now Yasi. We're in private, so no more worries about what others might think. I know I'm a tree taller than you, but I won't do anything to harm you. Thank you- for all of this." Taln replied with utter sincerity. He gestured with a sweeping arm to the messy, stark, ugly room like it was a luxuriously furnished castle. With the air of long practice, he put up a lengthy arm and rested it on his head to raise and clear his ribs. The ugly wound gaped open, and though he winced, no sound crossed his lips. Taln nodded gently to the tiny yasi, reassuring her it was safe to approach him. For a chime he felt like some kind of wild beast that inarta were afraid to approach. The dek fervently hoped it didn't show on his face.

[Rista]

She blinked and stared at the man through the dim light of the room, rather surprised by his words. Her honesty could be brutal at times, and the fact that she never even considered the man to be threatening said a lot of things about her complete faith in the caste system and the fact that she stood higher than him.

"Harm me?" she said with incredulous tone of her voice, as if the notion of him raising a hand towards her was completely unheard of. "Worry? The thought never crossed my mind. Why in Caiyha's name would you harm me, Taln? I've never done anything to.. Oh.. Are you talking about..?"

That a man as big as him could have made use of his advantage over her for whatever purpose, no matter what her rank was, had never struck her, but it seemed like it did now. The girl blinked a bit and frowned as color once again rose on her cheeks, as if a lot of things suddenly was dawning on her. There they were, in a private quarter behind a closed door.. If it had been brighter in the room, it might have been possible to see the tip of her tongue as it darted quickly to moisten her lips, but as it was, the light was a bit too dim. Were they referring to the same things now? She hoped not.. She hoped the she hoped not.. This was getting way too complicated.

Rista didn't allow her sudden insecurity affect her actions though, and seemingly confident moved over to the man, placing herself on her knees beneath the chair to access his wound in a more comfortable position. Unable to completely stomach the things he had said, she spoke as she rummaged the leather kit, searching through it for needles and thread; a thought went to getting a better source of light, but to be honest the girl was a bit glad that she wouldn't see exactly what she was doing. It was very possible that she would end up making things worse.

"You really don't have anything to be grateful for yet" she mumbled and pulled a thread through the thinnest of the needles; knowing nothing about sterilization or washing her hands before she began, she was more concerned about how well she would be able to do this.
"I'm just being selfish; you can get back to me at next market day or so, when it becomes apparent whether I've done a good job or not."

Her hands hesitated as they reached out to touch him, unsure whether it really was alright. Rista wasn't one of those who ran up and hugged people just because she felt like it; touch was something very private, and in her case mostly related to fights and immediate pain. She gritted her teeth a bit, considered the pain of being stitched by someone as clumsy as her, but then resolutely shoved the thoughts to the side and crossed those last few inches, needle at the ready.

"I don't get why you did what you did back there either" she continued, compelled to talk to distract herself and him from the weird situation; his skin was warm and felt foreign under her hands, and the feeling as she pressed the needle through the edge of the wound made the girl a bit nauseous. She remembered an incident when she was a kid - more of a kid at least - and got the piercing between her eyes made by a large boy using a dull needle.. She tried to do it smoothly, but there wasn't going to be anything to ease the pain.

"There was really no need to go that far for a pair of drunk guys. I'm used to things like that, I can handle myself... I'm grateful, don't misunderstand, but.. It's only the fact that they took you for an Endal that keeps you from getting in trouble."

Her frown came from concentration this time, as she pulled the thread through the mans skin almost to the end, then tried to place the needle at the exact opposite side to be able to tie the sides together. She felt that she had no idea what she was doing; her fumbling with the blood-slicked needle probably brought more pain than what was strictly necessary. It made the dark-haired little yasi feel bad; she feared pain herself, and never actually liked causing it for others. At least there was nothing wrong with her empathy...