As the healer for some of the most respected heroes around, Sadie was used to the looks her injuries sparked- doubt, curiosity, pity. She stretched her arm out before her, satisfied with her redressing of the wound. She had just ladled her soup into a bowl when she heard the door creak.

  "This is the spot for healing, yeah?"

  Sadie winced at the pain in her leg as she stood to greet him. She was expecting something urgent, but the young man seemed steady on his feet.

  She pushed her green, rectangular glasses up her nose and ran a hand through her brown waves, suddenly aware of how she must look. Her hair was frizzier than usual from the summer humidity. Her olive skin had tanned from her time in her greenhouse, adding a smattering of new freckles along with it.

  Sadie knew the wrap on her arm didn’t exactly scream "capable healer", but she straightened her posture anyway, schooling her expression into something professional. Though her face said otherwise, her first instinct was annoyance. He certainly was not injured enough to have pushed past her "Back Soon" sign on the door.

  The young man’s skin was a warm medium brown. His dark auburn curls skimmed the top of his ears, framing an oval-shaped face that featured a wide nose and a smirk that seemed practiced. His dark brown eyes, accentuated by black wings, met hers for a moment before drifting away again, as if something to her left kept pulling his attention.

  "Yes, you're in the right place," she said evenly. "Take a seat and tell me what's going on."

  "Just a fall," he said. "No big deal."

  "Well, it was a big enough deal for you to ignore the sign," she teased gently.

  The man, who looked to be in his late teens or early twenties, winced. He glanced toward the door. "I'm sorry! I guess I just missed it. I was just excited to see you and I was distracted and- I mean, I'm not making excuses, just explaining. Sorry. Again.”

  Crap. Was she too harsh? She thought she was just teasing… He'd been in here all of a minute and she was already sounding like a jerk. Uncle Gabriel would be ashamed.

  "I was just giving you a hard time,” Sadie reassured him, turning back to her desk and grabbing a clipboard. “We could talk while I eat if you don't mind. Let's start simple. What brings you in today?"

  The young man stalled for a brief moment, head tilting. He stuck close to the wall as he made his way to the chair. His hand brushed against the chair before he seated himself.

  “I'm Caden,” he began once he was settled. “A couple of weeks ago, I found myself in the arms of gravity’s cruel embrace. This wretched wrist of mine has since become a constant reminder of my inferiority. The healer who visited our town last month- a well-meaning soul who promised a miracle- was unable to accelerate its recovery. Before me today, however, is a person with a reputation for results. I am not throwin' away my shot to see the Deflector's medic.”

  "Well, I'm flattered you thought of me," Sadie replied, her smile becoming less professional, more genuine. "So what do you do?"

  Caden leaned back in his chair. "I mold the earth with my hands. Pottery- to put it boringly.”

  As he spoke, Caden's eyes flicked around the room, never quite settling on her for very long. Was he nervous? He didn’t seem like the shy type, but that didn’t mean he was comfortable. She'd met quite a few people who didn’t like eye contact during her time as a healer, so she filed the observation away as irrelevant.

  As if noticing her thoughts, he turned to fish a pair of sunglasses out of his pocket and put them on. A small silver hoop in his left ear caught the light, going through the piece of cartilage just above his ear canal.

  She tuned back in to his rambling about glaze just in time to see his eyebrows flash. "And, if the result is even half as pretty as you are, I can usually find someone to buy my pieces."

  Sadie sputtered and looked away, her cheeks warming. Caden, however, continued like nothing had happened. Not the shy type then…

  “Where’d the sunglasses come from?” she asked when he finally paused.

  “From my pocket?” he explained as if it was obvious. “Migraine.”

  Sadie closed the curtains. “Better?”

  “Indeed,” he grinned. “Thank you. Anyway, with this wrist…"

  He paused, "Not used to whipping things into shape one handed. Might have to get used to it though. I don't know what other jobs I would want... Or that would want me. Maybe a traveling show where I swallow fire or set myself on fire."

  Sadie looked up at him, a bit more intrigued. "You're awfully casual about self-immolation."

  "Fireproof," he grinned. "Wanna see?"

  "That's alright. I'd rather not burn the place down. That's interesting though. Can’t say I’ve heard of a pyromancer around these parts."

  Caden looked away again as Sadie gestured vaguely with her spoon.

  "Not that I keep up with every powered person, but you’d think word would get around. Well, that explains the confidence. You must think you're indestructible.”

  Caden chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck. "Nah, I learned otherwise a long time ago. I got into fire spinning for a minute in high school. I had to sneak around to do it cause my parents would've freaked out, but it seemed like a good idea at the time since I couldn't burn myself. Anyway, I realized I wasn't invincible right around the time I broke my nose from smacking myself in the face with a baton. Now I just rescue the toast before it burns.”

  Sadie tapped her fingers against the table, thinking. His face angled towards the noise as Sadie continued. “If you're interested, I know someone who could teach you how to use that gift for more than just party tricks."

  "Oh yeah? You know a guy? Who is it, some wise old guru hiding in the mountains?"

  "I'm sure he'd be flattered by that comparison," Sadie stifled a laugh at the thought.

  "Oh, don’t tell me: he’s got a long white beard and speaks in riddles. 'The flame within must first learn to flicker before it can blaze,' or something like that."

  "No riddles. No long beard. Just someone who knows what he’s doing. And he’s not gonna be impressed by your toast rescues. If you stick around, maybe you’ll meet him.” The young woman looked hopeful.

  “You specified no long beard,” Caden stroked the reddish stubble on his own face. “So he does still have a beard then?”

  “I think you're focusing on the wrong details here,” Sadie rolled her eyes. “My uncle Gabriel has experience training someone with…destructive powers. If you're scared of hurting people, he could help you learn control.”

  Caden was silent for a minute as Sadie continued her lunch.

  “Maybe,’’ he said finally. “Depends on the benefits. Is there dental?”

  Sadie laughed as she finally swallowed the last of her soup. She put her bowl aside and turned the sink on.

  "Alright, I think I've heard enough. Let's see what we can do about that wrist."

  Caden flinched as Sadie gingerly grabbed his left wrist to examine it.

  "Good news is: it's not broken. This should be simple enough."

  "That's what the other healer said too."

  Sadie ignored his comment, trying not to let it shake her confidence. A soft glow flickered to life around her hands. She gently cupped his wrist, letting the warmth from the golden light spread over it. After a moment, the young man squinted and turned his head away. Sadie closed her eyes too, partially from the brightness and partially so she could better focus on her connection to the injury.

  She had never tried to heal a wound like this. She didn't know an injury could be so... stubborn. She pushed harder. Her magic continued to slide off like oil. Her heart pulsed faster in time with the light, but Caden’s wrist remained swollen and a bit discolored. A part of her mind screamed that her magic wasn’t enough... that she wasn’t enough.

  "You're persistent, aren't you? Though she be but little, she is fierce,” Caden said, slipping into an accent that was somewhere between Monty Python and a BBC documentary. The corners of his mouth perked slightly up into a grin, as if this were all some kind of joke to him.

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  Sadie bit her lip and pulled back, glaring at the greenish bruises as if they had intentionally rebuked her magic. "It's... not quite there yet. I'll just have to try again."

  She took a deep breath and grabbed his wrist again, but Caden pulled back.

  "I don't think it'll make a difference. Thanks for trying though. 'Tis but a scratch.”

  Her fingers curled at her sides. Though his tone indicated he wasn't angry or even really surprised, the thoughts still creeped unbidden into her consciousness. She turned to grab something to wrap his wrist with. The same type she'd used on her arm.

  Her thoughts raced as she searched. Was she really that good of a healer? What would Uncle Gabriel think? Did she even deserve to accompany him and Aunt Ryn?

  He gestured vaguely with his other hand to the bandage around her arm. "Are you the same? Unhealable, I mean."

  Sadie startled slightly as she broke from her spiral. "My arm? No, I just- I don’t waste mana on minor injuries."

  "Like a sprained wrist?" he pushed.

  "I... That's different," she said, unsure how to continue. "Clearly it was bothering you enough to seek me out, so it must have been serious to you. Mine's not keeping me from my work like yours is. Anyway, if rest and over-the-counter painkillers aren't helping, I can try to make you something for it. If you want.”

  "Ah, double, double toil and trouble. I should've known you were a witch! And it's not that different. You're limping. You lie, ye rogue.”

  Sadie didn't turn to look at him as she shuffled back towards the kitchen area. She pushed her glasses up her nose and began to select her ingredients: a handful of these, a sprig of that, a drop of this…

  “Your British accent isn't half bad, by the way,” she commented.

  Caden beamed. “Dost thou enjoy it?”

  “It’s…something.”

  “Something wondrous, perchance?”

  “Just something.”

  "I'll take that as a yes. Anyway, don't change the subject! Why don't you heal yourself?" Caden pushed again, "That's not just a minor injury."

  Sadie paused, her hands hovering over a spice jar. "If I can handle it, it's not worth the mana," she said, her voice soft but firm. "I'd rather save it for someone who needs it more."

  Caden's brow furrowed. "But everyone needs help sometimes, right?"

  She gave a small, tight-lipped smile. Her demeanor was reminiscent of one about to explain the harsh realities of the world to a young child. "It's not that simple. If someone else died because I didn't have enough mana left to heal them... I don't know what I'd do."

  "I get it,” he said carefully, “but… you can't neglect yourself.”

  "You sound like my uncle," she muttered, her voice betraying more emotion than she intended. “I'll visit a healer on my way back home.”

  Caden looked down, rubbing his fingers in small circles around his left temple as if trying to ease a headache. They fell into an awkward silence. After a minute or so, Sadie offered him the mixture. He grabbed it and sniffed it.

  “The instruments of darkness win us with honest trifles…or whatever this brown stuff is,” he commented as he rubbed it on his wrist as instructed. It was cool and smelled faintly herbal.

  Meanwhile, Sadie moved towards the door and took down her "Back Soon" sign.

  "Sorry for making you work through your lunch break," he said softly. "I'll be on my way."

  Sadie's face fell for a moment before she pulled it back to a more neutral, professional expression. "Let me just wrap your wrist up and get you that recipe then.”

  He nodded, holding his hand out towards her again. She was gentle as she started to work.

  “You said you fell 2 weeks ago?”

  “Mhmm,” Caden replied.

  “And it’s still this swollen? What have you been doing with it?”

  “Before I answer, healer, I would like you to remember that if money go before, all ways do lie open. Or at least the way to pay for my order at my favorite cafe. Maybe I could take you there sometime.”

  Sadie blushed but soldiered on. “Don’t flirt with me right now; I’m about to scold you. You’re saying you’re still using your hand for work?”

  “Yep! I tried throwing one handed; it was a mess. Literally. I managed to knock it off the wheel. Clay everywhere. So back to two hands. I admit, I have ta’en too little care of this. Still, how can Miss I-can’t-waste-mana scold me about working while injured?”

  Sadie couldn’t come up with a good retort. “Is that too tight?” she asked instead.

  "No, it’s just right. I can no other answer make but thanks, and thanks, and ever thanks…” he recited with a bow after she pulled away.

  Sadie scribbled down the ingredients she had used and extended it towards him. “Here.”

  Caden paused for a second before grabbing it from her. “Oh, right. The recipe. I forgot.”

  “Alright, Shakespeare. Feel free to stop by if you have any trouble with it; I'll be staying in this town for another day. And don't worry about my break. I appreciated the company... for the most part.”

  “What do you mean 'for the most part'?"

  *****

  Time passed fast for Sadie. She had a comfortingly steady flow of patients.

  Around lunch time the next day, the door opened with a soft creak. Sadie, seated by the window with a large book and a half-eaten sandwich in her hand, looked up from her meal just as a familiar face opened his mouth.

  He was wearing the same grin and sunglasses from yesterday, his bad hand lifted in surrender and the other carrying a small bag. "Before you ask, yes, I know there's a sign now. But all it means is there's probably no clients in here. May I offer the fair lady my company?"

  She swallowed quickly, and for a moment, the nerves she’d carefully tucked away fluttered again. She had a feeling he’d be back soon. Is he here to ask about that ingredient already?

  Sadie forced a soft smile, her eyes betraying a flicker of fondness. She hesitated for only a second before saying, "Sure. What’s up?"

  Caden trailed his hand against the wall as he walked towards the table. He tilted his head as he emptied a small collection of roots, leaves, and a vial onto the table with a dull clink. He passed his hand across the chair before seating himself across from her.

  "Okay, so I got these, but uh... I’ve got no clue where to find this one thing you mentioned. The..." He waved vaguely, trying to remember the word, “The one that sounds comfy.”

  Sadie wiped her hands on a napkin and set the sandwich aside.

  "Comfrey root,” she corrected with an amused tilt of her head. “And yeah, you’re a few months too early. You’d need to dig it up in autumn." She paused, watching his face for a reaction.

  He exhaled sharply. "When sorrows come, they come not single spies, but in battalions,” he recited, rubbing his temples with his fingers. "And I suppose you're gonna tell me I need to go order it online and wait forever?"

  Sadie considered him for a moment before turning towards her cabinet. "You could, if you like."

  After a moment of rummaging, she pulled out a small bundle wrapped in cloth and set it in front of him. "Or," she paused. "I could give you some from my stash. Dried from last year. I don't hand it out lightly."

  Caden raised an eyebrow. "What’s the catch?"

  Sadie handed him a clipboard. "It’s just so my uncle can get a sense for your potential,” she said casually, turning back to her sandwich. “You don’t have to commit to anything. I’d just like him to at least consider training you. Even if you’re not sure you’re interested yet. They're kinda giving him a hard time about recruiting a 4th.”

  After a few moments, she noticed the room was dreadfully silent. Was he even writing? She glanced over. The clipboard was clutched awkwardly in his hands, his pen hovering above the paper.

  "Do you really need this much information?" Caden asked, the words tumbling out as soon as she looked over.

  "If you're serious, then you need to fill that out while I finish my lunch," she said, her tone firmer now.

  He hesitated, squinting down at the page. "I'm just not great with paperwork," he muttered.

  Sadie softened at his body language and mentally kicked herself. Scenarios ran through her head. Dyslexia? Literacy issues?

  She offered him an awkward, reassuring smile. "Don't worry about it.”

  “If you read me the questions, I can answer fast,” he offered.

  Sadie nodded. “Alright,” she said, taking the clipboard back from him and pushing her glasses up her nose. “Name?”

  “Caden. I know some people have K's or I's or Y's, but I'm just C-A-D-E-N. Last name Reed, R-E-E-D." He paused. "Do you need my middle name? It's Ariel, A-R-I-E-L. Like the spirit from The Tempest, not the mermaid.”

  “I didn't say anything about the mermaid.”

  “No, but you were thinking it!”

  She shook her head and resisted a smile as she guided him through the rest of the questions.

  “Now what?” he asked.

  “Now you sign here at the bottom. And maybe you can come by later.”

  She handed him back the clipboard.

  His expression shifted, intrigued but wary. "Oh?"

  "Yeah," Sadie hesitated for just a fraction of a second. "I'm inviting you to dinner."

  Caden looked up from where he was staring at the clipboard.

  Sadie froze as she realized exactly what she’d said. Her face felt like it was on fire, and she quickly buried it in her hands. "I-I'm sorry, I meant… I just-"

  Caden blinked, but his lips upturned in amusement. "Well, that’s... forward."

  Sadie’s eyes widened, her panic only growing. Her words came out in a jumbled mess. "Ah! No! I just meant... my uncle! I want him to meet you."

  Caden's shoulders slumped just a little, though his smile didn’t quite fade. "Wow, you sure know how to make a guy feel special," he said. "Why'd you have to get my hopes up like that?"

  Sadie hated how he was knocking her off-balance. Was she really that lonely? She grabbed what remained of her sandwich and took the biggest bite possible. It was, frankly, too much bread at once. Her cheeks puffed slightly as she struggled to chew, avoiding eye contact at all costs.

  Caden, on the other hand, tilted his head back. He closed his eyes as if trying to spare her some dignity. "You know," he began, tapping the clipboard against the table. "I've always wondered if my love life would be as tragic as Romeo's.”

  Sadie quickly grabbed her drink, forcing down the too-dry bite as heat crawled up her neck. "Are you trying to make me feel sorry for you?" she mumbled, barely audible.

  Caden let out an exaggerated sigh, shaking his head as he put on his British accent. "Relax, healer. Feel however thy heart pleases. O, I am fortune's fool. Here I was, thinking a date with a beautiful woman awaited me." He placed a hand over his chest as if wounded. "But alas! My hopes? Shattered. My heart? Stomped upon."

  "You knew what I meant. Sign the form, Romeo."

  "Did I?" Caden returned to his normal voice as he pretended to consider it. "I mean, first you send me on a scavenger hunt for stuff you probably have in your medicine cabinet anyway, then you hand me a bunch of paperwork in the tiniest font known to man, flirt with me, and take it all back. Who’s to say what your true motives are, healer? Perhaps you are but a trickster here to waste my time..."

  “Methinks the lady doth protest too much,” Sadie said, trying (and failing) not to smile.

  What was she doing? She shouldn't indulge this. He was distracting her.

  Caden paused as if reconsidering her. His grin grew wider. “The lady doth protest too little, methinks. Anyway, where am I signing?”

  She pointed her finger to the line. Caden was quick to line the pen up with her finger before she moved it. He printed his name quickly and messily. It was barely readable.

  “Ta-da! Mission complete. So…if your uncle is going to be at the dinner, does that mean we're having our date before or after? Or is it like a chaperoned thing? Aren't you too old for that?”

  "I'm 22. You?”

  "20, but I don't mind an older woman," he said easily, resting his chin in his palm.

  She groaned and covered her face, and Caden laughed.

  After a moment, she peeked at him between her fingers. "You are coming tonight, right?"

  "Hmm. What time were you thinking?"

  "A little after sunset if that's okay? That's when I'll be closing up."

  "Well...I'll have to clear my schedule. Let me think."

  Caden let the silence stretch just long enough for her nerves to creep back in before finally shrugging.

  "Yeah. I’ll be here."

  Sadie sighed in relief as he moved towards the door.

  Caden turned his head back to grin in her direction. "But I'll be expecting a 3-course meal for all this emotional distress.”