Redsand Canyon With legs littered with scars cut from these olive branches

She wasn’t sure if he was listening, but if he weren’t it was simply his own fault. She would not clarify again unless asked. He offered grunts in response, not a single word. A part of her had felt guilty for the role she had played in all of this, but something about his demeanor made any guilt or remorse fade from her. Later she might reflect and scold herself for taking such an approach, but in the moment she was nothing if not petty.
 
Still, she didn’t let the thoughts in her head affect her job. After a few minutes she was pulling the poultice back and offering a nod to the Imperator. “That is all I can do for now. Are you sure you don’t want anything for the pain?” It would be the last time she offered. “Make sure to keep it clean, watch for signs of infection in yellowing or whitening crust around the edges of the wound.” With that, her job was done and he was free to leave, made evident by her movement to start cleaning up the space and disposing of the waste from her materials to avoid it recirculating back into her collection.