Day Three: Morning

[Violet]

This sucked, she thought as they dredged across the open fields of sun-scorched grasses. Their canter had slowed due to the nourishment they had taken from Bardock’s kill, and it was quickly catching up to the blister ridden female. As she peered over at her partner, she couldn’t help but notice that something was wrong with him; although he looked fine on the outside, his eyes held something unspoken behind them.

Tempted to ask, but unwilling to bring herself to it, she simply fell back into stride with him once more as they marched onward. Guess if he wanted her to know, he’d tell her; she didn’t think he’d willingly just spill whatever was troubling him.

And so, the pair traveled in silence into the murky depths of the forest once more. She had a funny feeling they’d passed this exact spot at least three times on their journey around the island. Wasn’t that the same hole they’d dug a firepit into a few days ago?

“So…” she began in a subtle way to break the monotony. “How long do you think it’d take you to get back to full power?”

He shrugged. “Couple days, maybe.”

“That means we’re vulnerable until you’re back at a hundred percent, then.” Sighing as she adjusted the canvas straps over her burns, Violet looked over at her companion, noting the tightening around his eyes. He was in pain, and from the way his hand was swollen, it was a pretty safe bet that that pain was seriously distracting. They didn’t need distractions, and she hated seeing him like this. “Let’s stop here for a second, Bar. I’m going to use my medpack to heal these burns. If we get attacked, I won’t be able to last long, and I am going to have to be the one to step up to the plate while you’re weakened.”

“I’m not weak!” he snapped passionately.

Dropping her bag onto a pile of rotting leaves, she stared skeptically at him. “I didn’t say you were weak. I said you were weakened. There’s a huge difference.” Falling to her haunches, she rifled through the bag until she produced the small package he’d given her back at the shack. Setting it to the side, she also pulled out the small pot and ceramic mugs she’d pilfered from their shelter, and set them aside. The last thing she took out was three fresh bottles of water, and laying them neatly beside the rest of the items, she stood and wiped the dirt from her hands. “Stay here, I’m going to go find some stuff so we can splint your hand.”

“It’s nothing, Vi, don’t worry about me.” He objected, but the female simply ignored him and continued about her way. It took all of ten minutes for her to return, her bruised and blistered arms heavy with plants and other items she’d found growing nearby. “What’s all that?”

“Angelica, some willow bark, um, a few sticks, and some lemon grass. Amazing how abundant good herbs are around here.” She smiled as she laid her findings down beside the rest of her supplies and continued back into the forest, returning once again with several decent sized logs. “The tea I’m going to make you is one that I learned to make when I was training in the forest back on Earth. It helped ease the pain when I got injured.”

“Tea?” he questioned, a slight lilt of skepticism in his voice. “Tea won’t heal my hand. It’s useless to even try.”

Brows furrowing, she gazed over at her companion while her hands busied themselves with stacking the logs. “I never said that it’d heal it, I said it’d take the pain away.”

“Why do you care?” he asked, still unconvinced of her unconventional methods.

Rising to her full height, she laughed. “I care because you’re my partner, and my survival is directly affected by you. If you’re hurt, like how you are now, you might as well just put that axe to my head now.” She left silent the fact that it wasn’t just because he was her partner. She genuinely didn’t want him to be in pain because it hurt her just seeing him like this. It wasn’t right.

Smirking, Bardock lowered himself to the ground, leaning his back against a massive Oak tree. Resting his good hand on the kneecap of one leg, he chuckled. “I’ve been tempted to do that before, but, as it is, you have nothing to worry about. I may not be the brightest Saiyan of the pack, but I do understand the benefits of having you around.”

Nodding, Violet sat down to her herbs and began her mixing, grinding and combining of ingredients. A few minutes had resulted in two mugs of unfinished tea, and a pot of water boiling over a small fire. Taking the bubbling water from over the heat, she poured the contents into the two cups of the herbal mixture, handing one to Bardock, and setting the other to the side for herself.

Taking a seat in front of the muscular Saiyan, she scooted in close enough to where he sat just inside the V of her legs, much to his further discomfort. She laid the twigs to the side and proceeded to rip strips of fabric from her shirt. Taking his hand gently in hers, she surveyed the damage done to his shattered appendage, noting the disfigurement of the bone structure beneath the purple tinged skin. Her fingers prodded at different areas, feeling out where her splint would best be suited. His entire hand would have to be bandaged, she deduced, for that bat hadn’t just merely broken a few bones, it crushed the entire thing. Her eyes lifted desolately to his face, taking heed of the pain that lit his beautifully shaded eyes. Bringing the battered palm to her lips, she kissed the sensitive flesh delicately, cradling it within her palm.