Loose Ends

Transference. It was the phenomenon when a patient receiving treatment developed feelings towards the caregiver. Being a male nurse, Sebastian experienced difficult and awkward situations when patients expressed romantic feelings for him. His face wasn't bad - it was above average at most - the contributing factor was the fact that when patients were sick or critically ill, they were at their lowest point. Being a male nurse and having spent a lot of time with them in their worst state, a slight misunderstanding tends to grow fast. They imagined him staying with them in their hour of need simply because he cared for them and he had feelings for them. When such thoughts began to surface in the patient's consciousness, such thoughts persisted until they were sure it was a reality.

Reading over his handwritten notes regarding such matters, Sebastian reviewed what he needed to do and what he actually did before. He remembered that he needed to assign specific roles and discuss the feelings of Mel and his own. It seemed hard and awkward, but in his experience, it helped resolve this misunderstanding before it could spiral out of control. With a sigh, he fixed his usual clothes before donning his small sling bag which contained his notebooks and study materials.

It was still morning when he came down the stairs to the dining hall. The dwarven owner, Urhill, was polishing the floors when he passed by. With a grunt, he greeted Sebastian before resuming his serious task of mopping the floors. Chiza, his beastkin assistant came out of the kitchen to serve his breakfast which came included in his payment.

"Here's your breakfast Sebastian. Still the usual porridge and fruit juice as you requested."

"Thanks, Chiza. I'll bring the plates to the kitchen when I'm finished."

"You know you don't need to do that. You're probably the only customer who does that in like, ever."

"I've been under your and Urhill's care for quite some time, I'd like to think that I'm helping you in some ways as well."

"Coin has always been a great help you know. You paid in advance and you don't make any ruckus whatsoever. That's the best customer material right there."

"Chiza, please don't bother Sebastian. Tend to the kitchen now." Urhill peeked his head into the small dining room as he gave instructions. Simple and concise as always.

"She wasn't bothering me Urhill. Thanks for the food."

"Aye." Urhill turned away as he went back to his cleaning task. He moved on to the fixtures in the hallway now. With his dedication to cleaning and maintenance, the inn always appeared in immaculate condition.

"I think he means thank you as well, and he hopes you will enjoy the food. I'm off to the kitchen now. I really don't mind if you leave the tableware here ya know." With a quick turn, Chiza went back to the kitchen for her tasks as well.

'Even if I'm renting in this place, this homely feeling doesn't feel bad.' Sebastian found his breakfast tastier than usual as he wolfed it down.

***

"Mel, I'm not going to sugarcoat it or make it sound complex. From my point of view, I feel that there's been a misunderstanding between us. I'd like to hear your side as to why you were upset yesterday." Sebastian sat on Mel's armchair as they started their talk therapy for the day. Although the topic was different and difficult, Sebastian decided that it was still related to Mel's recovery.

With a sigh, Mel got into position as she laid down on her couch facing away Sebastian. "I felt happy when we were doing our talk therapy comfortably. However, when you mentioned Rivie's name I started to feel that gnawing frustration in my stomach grow."

"Why do you think that is? What do you think of me aside from your party member?" Sebastian used his open-ended questions again. It was only the third day of his therapy, but he was getting used to using these questions to get Mel to talking.

"I'm not too sure myself. Ever since you rushed to save me in the mutated wolf quest, you've been on my mind then. Which was why I sought you out using the adventurer guild's messaging system."

"When you were at death's door, you thought that I saved you from the brink. However, I merely stayed by your side because I didn't want another adventurer to die in front of me like when I came here." Sebastian paused as he waited for Mel to respond, even if it was non-verbal.

"Yes, I understand that part. You told me that as well during our previous sessions. So what does that have to do with this situation now and yesterday?"

"Like I said Mel, you were at a life-and-death situation so you turned to me. It might have caused misunderstandings of some sort which progressed until yesterday. In your words, you were frustrated when you heard me talk about Rivie. Why would you get angry when I talk about another woman?"

"You think I'm jealous? Well -" Mel cut herself off as she switched to her inner voice.

"Sorry, you were saying something Mel?"

"Nevermind. If I was, I'm not now. I'll be okay and it won't happen again." Mel started playing with her hair, indicating she was flustered.

"I'm not saying that it was a bad thing. I simply don't want that to happen when we're in the middle of a quest or a fight and you suddenly get distracted because of it."

"I understand what you're trying to say - that I misunderstood your intentions and got jealous when I didn't have the right to."

"I wasn't trying to say that it was a bad thing. Let's air out your concerns. This might not be related to the mutated wolf trauma, but it will affect our adventuring abilities."

"Sebastian. I think that this might not be the right time for it. I'll sort these feelings out myself and I'll let you know when the time comes."

"I'm here to listen when you do. No rush or anything, take it one step at a time."

"Comments like these make it easier to misunderstand you. Let's have a meal before we start sparring, shall we? Physical activity might get our mind of this."

Sebastian found himself in deep thought as he watched Mel prepare their meal. He definitely had his fair share of relationships before, he wasn't naive or innocent regarding matters like this. He even went through the same route as most of his male friends when they were in their younger years - playing around, thinking that they were untouchables.

'However who knew that I would resort to rural nursing to get my mind off her, which eventually resulted in my death.' Sebastian unconsciously touched his chest where the village elder stabbed him, sending him into Kalonia in the process. He was just starting to get his feet wet as an adventurer in a small city like Wildecross. 'I agree with you Mel, this isn't the right time for it.'

*

pant pant

"You're really good with your swords Mel. I think at this time you can start teaching me a thing or two."

"I might be good, but I couldn't overcome mutated wolves you know. It's not at that level yet. If you used your [Augment] on that spar it might have been different." Mel placed her sword down as she wiped off the sweat from her forehead. Sebastian was also gasping across her as if to indicate how intense their fight was. Considering that this was their last day of therapy, both of them seemed aggressive and had a lot of frustrations pent up. Their fight almost spilt out of Mel's courtyard.

"I thank you though Sebastian. If you didn't notice the signs of my mental trauma and you didn't help me, it would have been really bad in the future."

"You've done well yourself as well Mel. You were very willing to undertake in this effort. You even reminded me about this when I forgot. Let's do our best in our adventures from here on out. Let's rest for today and prepare for tomorrow when we meet with the rest of the party. Aima would have finished our equipment by then, and we might go on Leo's quest immediately thereafter."

"I agree. We should be in peak condition then. Physically and mentally." Mel gave Sebastian a wink before she went inside the house. Sebastian was caught unaware as he tried to think where Mel found her sudden confidence.

***

"With this, everyone's equipment has been returned to them. Feel free to check it for yourselves. I'm quite proud of my handiwork." Aima puffed her chest out as she gave the rest of the party time to look over their equipment. Once everyone was satisfied, they handed over the payment to Aima one by one. She meticulously counted each pouch given by the members. Her brow raised as she went over Sebastian's pouch.

"What is this? Sebastian, did you make a mistake in counting your coins?"

"Eh? I was simply giving you a bit extra, as thanks for your services. You did customise my equipment to my specification after all. Was it strange?" Sebastian quickly looked at Jin and Mel as he belatedly realised that tipping might not exist in Kalonia in the first place.

"Don't worry, I don't think it's strange. What I do find weird is the amount that you gave me. This is almost 40 silver coins extra! What are you expecting from your shy senior?" Aima was acting shy as she looked down and covered her chest.

"Sigh. I'm sorry but I don't feel that way at all. It's scary when you do that Aima. Please don't do that. I can reduce the amount if it bothers you."

"No! *cough* I mean, no, I'm not bothered by it. I thought you may have made a mistake when you placed the amount in, that's all. I don't want people to think I'm ripping my customers off. I'll accept it gracefully." Aima suddenly became tamer when money was involved. Sebastian found it both a sad and satisfying discovery in terms of Aima's exploitable weakness.

"I see. Hmm. I might have actually placed a bit more than what I intended to. There were 40 silvers in it you say? I think that's too much." Sebastian replied with a sly grin.

"sigh. Jin and Mel, are you both ready in terms of your preparations? Erimead Village is about a day's walk away from here. They'll probably follow us if we leave them and start walking by ourselves." Becky never failed to focus on their task at hand.

"Haha, that's a bit harsh even if it's coming from you Becky. However, I am indeed ready to set out." Jin strapped his upgraded glaive to his back before wearing his rucksack over it.

"That goes for me as well. I'm ready to go whenever." Mel also placed her new sword on her waist as she headed towards the city exit.

"I'm sure those two will get ready when we start moving. Let's go." Becky joined Jin and Mel as they started walking without minding the bickering two.

"Wait. Aima, I think they're really leaving us behind. Let's go!" Sebastian realised after a while that the other three already placed quite a distance between them. Sebastian and Aima had to run fast as they tried to catch up with the others.

***

"With all this walking and camping involved, I wish we could just hire horses or a carriage." Jin unexpectedly complained as they followed the path markings for Erimead Village.

"I didn't know there was that option Jin? Why didn't we do that?" Sebastian's unquenchable curiosity was awakened as he imagined himself in a carriage as romanticised by the movies on Earth.

"Because it is expensive and maintaining the horses are actually more cumbersome than dealing with whiny adventurers." Becky crossed her arms while walking. Sebastian was impressed with her mannerisms and easily-irritated attitude.

"The both of you get to enjoy this trip with us three beauties anyway. I bet it's actually more than what a country bumpkin like Sebastian here would have ever dreamed of. I mean you get to travel with a petite dwarf like me *ehem*, a pretty human, and an angry beastkin. I'm sure at least one of us here would fit in with any man's fetish." Aima again resorted to teasing Sebastian to pass the time while they enjoyed the sunshine.

"That's a bold statement coming from you. Are you sure? Would you like to bet on it with coin then?" Sebastian used Aima's newfound weakness to his advantage.

"Ah, er... Suddenly you've become more annoying than usual. I feel like I can't tease you like before." Aima pouted as she pretended to hug and sob on Mel's shoulder.

"By the gods why isn't Erimead Village nearer." Becky felt the familiar throbbing in her head as a headache started to brew.