Doctor Ivors and Japlir had arrived at Wilpen’s inn—or to be exact, crashed into her inn. They burst through the doors with flushed faces of exhaustion and gasping for air like fishes out of water. Japlir was covered in soot from the smithy and Ivors had his clipboard with the papers almost flying away.

Wilpen was seated with Porlifi at a table with a pen and paper being passed to each other. When the boys had busted in, Wilpen immediately set up chairs for them to sit on across from Porlifi.

“Doctor Ivors, Japlir, meet Porlifi. Porlifi is 22 years old so respect her,” Wilpen said while warning Japlir in particular. “Porlifi, these two are Doctor Ivors and Japlir. Japlir was the one who helped me when you first came here.”

Porlifi pressed her arms against her heart and back separately—well, as much as she could. She bowed before the two then leaned over the table to pass over her paper. The two men looked at the paper that told them she was a mage.

“A mage! As I suspected, but that doesn’t explain your incredibly recovery,” Ivors exclaimed as he began writing away on his clipboard, nodding to himself but raising a brow.

Porlifi’s head fell slightly then raised her foot on the table. Her arm pointed at the marking then she dropped it and picked up a pen. She struggled to hold the pen between her arms, but somehow still managed. Wilpen held the paper steady, which got a smile and a nod from Porlifi in response, as Porlifi wrote away. When she finished, she slid the paper to the boys: Spell=recovery

Japlir’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion and turned to the doctor for answers, but Ivors was just as confused. “But mages I’ve met have never heard of a spell that matches your case,” Ivors argued confidently, “There’s no spell that can hasten the recovery of something so drastic.”

Porlifi’s lips pursed in annoyance and she slammed a nub on the table. She picked up the pen and wrote: Porlifi>mages.

Everyone looked at each other then stared back at Porlifi. It was easy to tell that they didn’t believe the words written on the page, but didn’t want to say it out loud.

Porlifi sighed and picked up the pen but fumbled with keeping it steady between her arms. She dropped it then got up and left for the kitchen. Wilpen was saddened because to her it seemed like Porlifi was giving up. Japlir and Ivors didn’t know what to say to Porlifi who had left out of frustration. What would you say to someone who lost their ability to converse and hold things? What do you say to someone who went through what Porlifi had gone through?

Such concerns held them back from saying anything that would trigger Porlifi, and they stayed silent the second she left. That is, until Porlifi came out with a bloody mouth.

“Porlifi! What happened?! What did you do?!” Wilpen cried out and rushed to Porlifi’s side.

Porlifi opened her mouth and with a voice that struggled to pronounce just about every letter that required the tongue, said, “This will be difficult to speak with but make it easier.”

Wilpen collapsed to the floor and Ivors jumped to his feet while Japlir stared with his jaw to the floor.

“Y-You can talk? How? What—I—But you—,” stuttered and stammered the doctor as he stepped closer to Porlifi who opened her mouth to reveal her makeshift tongue.

It was a piece of chicken breast cut in the shape of a tongue. The chicken breast wiggled at the doctor who stepped back in shock. He placed his hand to his heart at the sight but was intrigued nonetheless.

“Levitation magic,” Porlifi answered sharply then turned to Wilpen to add, “I’m sorry that I had to use your chicken. And your knife.”

Wilpen’s hand shook but she managed to reply, “I-I understand.”

Prolific raised her arm to show the fresh cut spilling small drops of blood and said, “I also need help with dis.”

Wilpen shot to life and ran for her supplies as the doctor applied pressure to the wound. “Did you cut yourself cutting that chicken breast?” He asked as he examined the cut whilst applying pressure. Thankfully, there was no need for panic as it didn’t seem to be a deep cut.

“Of course I did, I don’t have hands,” Porlifi said sarcastically then leaned over to drop the chicken breast to the ground. The chicken’s blood spilled to the ground revealing just how fresh it was. Japlir sighed and pulled out a rag covered in soot and whatever had occurred in the smithy.

“I’ll just… wash this chicken,” Japlir announced in defeat after cleaning the blood then entered the kitchen.

Wilpen reentered and handed the doctor the medkit who immediately got to work. “Porlifi you should have asked me to cut it for you,” Wilpen said in a voice that pleaded not to do any more that would injure herself.

Porlifi nodded in response and opened her mouth to say something but realized it wouldn’t come out right because of the lack of tongue. Instead, she waited until Japlir returned with the chicken in hand. 

Porlifi opened her mouth for Japlir to place the chicken in her mouth, but she quickly closed it realizing the spell on it had worn off because of its rinse. Japlir raised a brow and asked, “Now you worry about what goes in your mouth?”

Porlifi huffed out her amusement and shook her head. She then angled her nubby arm to trace a magic circle on the chicken. Everyone watched Porlifi draw nothing on the chicken then she opened her mouth. Japlir complied but was ultimately confused beyond all reason.

“Wilpen, with all due respect, it's not easy to ask someone to cut a chicken breast into the shape of a human tongue,” Porlifi said as a matter-of-factly but then noticed the look on the doctor’s face.

“How did you…? There’s no magic circle or spell on that chicken yet you claim it to be levitation magic. This isn’t possible,” the doctor claimed as he stared at Porlifi and her movable chicken tongue.

“I don't know if you’re aware, but affinity with magic is what makes a mage. I happen to encompass an unprecedented affinity with magic,” Porlifi bragged as she boasted her magic talents.

“Impossible,” the doctor refuted. Japlir noticed the expression that briefly appeared on Porlifi’s face before it returned to that prideful one. It was almost like she was disgusted by the doctor, but he couldn’t say for sure since it disappeared as quick as it came.

“It's happening in front of you, Doctor,” Porlifi countered with a cocky smirk.

“I think we’re getting off track,” Japlir suddenly piped in.

Wilpen immediately knew where Japlir was going but couldn’t stop him in time. She reached for Japlir in hopes to stop him with a silent signal but froze when he spoke.

“What happened to you, Porlifi?” Japlir asked shamelessly with a raised brow and crossed his arms. He looked prepared to interrogate her by any means necessary, even if it meant triggering her past memories.

Wilpen panicked and quickly turned to Porlifi to see her reaction. The doctor snapped his head towards Japlir who had a determined expression intent on finding the truth behind Porlifi’s situation. The woman in question was staring at Japlir like he had unlocked a case of memories that were locked away.

“P-Por—?” Wilpen began but Porlifi beat her to the punch.

The woman in question burst out the words, “Excuse me, I’m going to retire for the day.” She turned to the side and the chicken flew and made a sharp, slap sound when making contact with the wall. Porlifi quickly left for the stairs as everyone watched her leave.

“Japlir!” Wilpen scolded and slapped him.

“Japlir, this isn’t a light subject like talking about the weather! You need to give her time!” Scolded the doctor.

“I think you both’re forgetting a crucial fact. Porlifi isn’t just some woman found on the street. She’s unknown. She has horrific injuries, was tossed aside like trash to die, and she’s a powerful mage on top of that. How can you be so at ease with her around? We don’t know a thing about her. There’s a reason why she’s like how she is now. She can’t be trusted and we can’t let our guard down. You agree, Doc? Even you were surprised by her talent as a mage. She’s dangerous.”

Japlir knew he was being hypocritical. After all, he was just as worried about Porlifi as Wilpen was. But that doesn’t mean he didn’t have his concerns, especially after learning about her being a mage that even Doctor Ivors was unfamiliar with.

“I can say the same about you.” Japlir snapped towards Wilpen who spoke so darkly, he wasn’t sure what to do.

Japlir wasn’t expecting such hostility from Wilpen. She was a warm person with all the patience the world could supply her. Not once had he ever seen her raise her voice above a light scolding or that scream of fear from when she saw Porlifi. This time she was furious. She wouldn’t get angry when even the unruly drunks would cause mayhem in her bar. He messed up.

“W-What do you mean, Wilpen?”

Wilpen’s fists were clenched and shaking as if she was holding herself back. As if another word from Japlir would set her off and she would act upon her emotions.

“Why has the smithy been so busy as of late, Japlir? You don’t think I would have realized how less frequent you come to the bar for a drink? How you are always coming here covered in soot and grease? What are you planning that needs so much from the smithy?”

Japlir couldn’t say anything. What she was mentioning was something that was agreed to keep her in the dark for her safety. He could only hang his head down in shame.

“How can I trust her? She’s a stranger just as much as the both of you are. Japlir, I only know you as the local blacksmith who frequents my bar. I know so little about you yet I trust you in helping me help that poor woman. I trust that you won’t dare do anything more than what has already been done to her.”

Wilpen’s words struck Japlir like a whip. She was right. He was keeping secrets from her and not once did she question him on it. She has been the same caring and warm-hearted Wilpen this side of town knows.

“And you. You’re just a doctor Japlir brought over. You’re a friend of Japlir’s and not once have I ever met or heard of you before your arrival. But I trust you. Because you were the only person who Japlir knew to help that woman. Because Porlifi needed the medical attention I couldn’t provide.”

The doctor couldn’t meet Wilpen’s eyes. He didn’t say anything but felt like he was the one at fault. Like she somehow knew of his inner cautions when near Porlifi. He was scared of Porlifi too, because of the power he learned she holds. Porlifi wasn’t an ordinary mage, and the invisible magic circle she made was proof of that.

“Get out of my inn, both of you.”

All alarms blared in Japlir’s head at Wilpen’s words. His worry and concern overpowered his guilt and he didn’t dare leave the inn. Although Wilpen was right, it didn’t erase the fact that he was right. Porlifi wasn’t someone to think lightly of.

“Wilpen, we can’t just leave you with her. Please, she’s unstable. Didn’t you see how she reacted to my question?” Japlir pleaded, he couldn’t bear the thought of Wilpen getting hurt when he could’ve prevented it.

“Japlir, enough. She’s a wounded woman who had suffered traumatic experiences. Of course she would react like that when she finally had healed physically. She may look better but she’s suffering mentally,” the doctor cut in.

“I’m just saying that we have to walk on eggshells around her. We can’t deny the fact that whatever happened could have messed with her brain and made her worse than she could have been before. Whether you’d like to admit it or not, she’s dangerous. Especially when she has the ability to use magic without its most vital piece.” 

Japlir stuffed his handkerchief into his pocket and headed for the door. “I’ve got work to do, I’ll come back tomorrow,” Japlir said as he left the inn without another glance.

Doctor Ivors looked back at Wilpen who stared at the door with several emotions. They were muddled and mixed on her face but the most prominent was suspicion.

“Doctor, what has he been working on?”

Ivors froze. He knew exactly what Japlir was doing. The problem was that it didn’t include Wilpen. He would be hanging from the rooftops if he informed Wilpen of what was occurring behind her back.

“I’m sorry, I am not informed of that. I have been busy going to and fro learning all I can about Porlifi’s situation. In fact, I was going to meet with a mage from the Emperor’s mage court. I was given a meeting time from one of my connections that I can’t bear to waste. Please understand that I must leave,” Doctor Ivors said and lied about the time of his meeting. He wasn’t sure how much longer he would last under the pressure of Wilpen’s knowing stare.