Once they'd cleared the isles the traveling felt longer than before. The archipelago had scenery, land to spot in the distance, the occasional vessel that passed, something on the horizon. This leg of the journey was vastly empty and blue as far as the eye could see. 

Syko wasn't interested in scenery today. He went directly to Kay'la's cabin when he'd  finished with his patients. He knocked politely then entered, and found Kay'la still in bed.

She rolled over in a heap of covers.

"Good morning," she mumbled.

"I'm sorry," Syko's cheeks flushed. "I didn't mean to disturb you."

"It's alright, I was getting up anyways." She rolled onto her feet in nothing but her undergarments.

Syko turned around in embarrassment. He could hear her giggling. He almost turned around but thought it rude to peep.

Kay'la threw on a pair of linen pants and a wool sweater. "Have you come to prepare?"

"Y-Yes." Syko cleared his throat.

"Don't let me interrupt." She heaped her blankets and pillows into a chair at the table. "Mr. Cotter sent sweet rolls with cinderbark, would you like one?"

Syko turned to the table, "Actually it's better if you don't eat before the procedure."

Kay'la looked dejectedly at the pastries. "But I'm hungry."

"I'm sorry. It can have adverse effects mixed with the sleeping draught." Syko shifted from foot to foot, "I could eat one on your behalf."

"By all means." Kay'la slid the basket to the edge of the table.

Syko scooped it up, folded down his workbench and picked his wand from his materials.

"Would you like to see a trick?"

"What kind of trick?" Kay'la leaned her elbows on the table.

Syko placed the basket of buns on the workbench and traced a rune above them. A shimmering aura surrounded the basket like a bubble.

Kay'la was smiling pleasantly. "What did you do?"

"I cast a preservation spell. They won't go stale now."

"Wow. How long does it last?"

"About a day with strong affinity. It's not good for anything but a parlor trick, really."

"I think it's a wonderful trick."

Her appreciation was bittersweet. He knew he shouldn't be wasting affinity on stupid tricks when he had an important task to fulfil. He pushed the basket to the side and brough out his still and magic bowl.

Kay'la had turned her attention to a pile of papers and maps. She chewed at her nails as she flipped through an old, poorly bound book.

Syko didn't want to disturb her, so he focused on measuring and portioning out all his ingredients. When he did need something, Kay'la was already watching with fixed interest.

"Do you happen to know how much you weigh?"

"It's not polite to ask a lady that kind of question." she chided.

Syko straightened, "I need to know for the sleeping draught. If I make it too weak it won't work, but too strong could...kill you."

Kay'la shrugged, "Sedrick say's I'm about as heavy as a keg of ale."

"How heavy is that? I need a number."

"I don't know."

"Is there anything else that weighs that much?" Syko tried to size her up but it was hard to guess when he didn't know his own weight.

Kay'la mumbled to herself counting on her fingers. "A sack of flour is ten kilos, and I'm a counter to eight sacks, so less then eight is six and half so sixty-five kilos." She looked to Syko expectantly. "Does sixty-five kilos sound right?" 

Syko nodded. "That should work." A small voice in the back of his head telling his it wasn't precise enough, that he would poison her. She could die and the crew would string him from the top sail.

He focused intently on his work, walking himself through every step to be sure he didn't miss anything. He didn't notice Kay'la standing at the workbench until she said,

"Where did you get this?" She was holding the jar with the floating rock.

"I bought it-at the market." Syko tucked his hands behind his back.

"Do you know what it is?" Kay'la's expression was serious, but not angry.

"Not for certain," Syko twiddled his fingers behind his back. "I believe it to be a coral heart." His own heart was racing.

"It is. Why do you have it?"

"I need it. Its a key ingredient in the draught."

"Do you know what has to happen to harvest something like this?" Her tone wasn't accusatory.

"No," Syko looked down.

She sighed, "What does it do?"

"What does it do?"

"You said it's a key ingredient, explain to me it's role in all this." She gestured to the workbench, the heart clutched in her other hand.

"It's magical binding agent, without it you might as well drink tea."

"You have no substitutions?"

"Not now. The heart was the best option available. I need it." he insisted, his frustration building.

"It's my body and I say I don't."

"You don't-" Syko took a deep breath as his cheeks flushed.

"Go on, let me finally see the real you."

"I didn't kill the creature, I bought it."

"It doesn't matter, the need for these items drives the supply."

"It's already purchased, surely wasting it is worse than buying it." He thrust his hand out. "Give it back."

Kay'la clenched her jaw. She set the jar delicately on the bench and went back to her seat.

Syko popped the jar and used a set on long slender tongs to remove the specimen from the jar. He placed it gently on a handkerchief and pat it dry before adding it to the bowl this the rest of the ingredients. 

"A coral grows like a giant tree under the water," Kay'la began, "well, more like a bush, growing up and out and creating lots of spots for fish and all kinds of creature to live, and at the center of all that is a beating heart." 

"You can save the lecture, my fear of failure is worse than my guilt." Syko conceded. "I do know what happens. The ecosystem dies." He stopped what he was doing and leaned on the table. "If I don't use it, you'll die. A life for a life, it's an equal exchange." 

"That's some rationale." Kay'la admonished.

Syko dropped his hands to his sides. "If you'll excuse me Captain, I should find Eskal."

"No, stay and prepare." She stood, "I'll send Eskal in when I relieve Sedrick."

Syko opened his mouth and shut it again, biting his tongue. 

Kay'la paused, waiting. "Is there something you'd like to say?"

Syko's heart was pounding so loud he could hardly hear himself. "Don't stay out too long, you should rest before we begin."

"Thank you, I'll keep that in mind." Kay'la walked out of the cabin, leaving one door open behind her.

Syko let out a long breath and slumped into Kay'la's padded chair. It was warm, and smelled like sugar and lanolin. His stomach growled loudly. He scampered to the workbench and pluck a sweet roll from the basket, the familiar tingle of magic dancing across his skin as he reached through the bubble.

He curled back into the chair and picked away at the bun. It was soft and fluffy, still warm in the center. He let the cinderbark filling melt in his mouth as he went over the rest of his preparations. 

When he'd finished the sweet roll he stood and heaped all the blankets back onto the bed, then pulled the chairs to one side and wiped the table down with a rag doused in strong spirits.

Eskal came in shortly after and helped to line the table with a clean sheets and setup for surgery. Syko ground his ingredients together in the bowl, the runes humming and glowing as he worked.

Eskal procured a small pot and a bottle of strong jeniver from Mr. Cotter. He used the liquor to clean the floor while Syko boiled his razor and other tools.

Kay'la returned with Sedrick at fourth bell and stood impatiently at the workbench while Syko finished his final steps.

"Alright." He handed Kay'la a vial of dark liquid. "Drink."

She raised it hesitantly to her lips and recoiled after the first sip. "It's horrible."

"You need to drink it all."

She grimaced and raised it to lips again. "It's so bitter and gritty."

"Don't make me force feed you."

"You wouldn't dare." She drained the vial and forced herself to swallow. "Now what?" 

"Now you undress, and lie down on the table."

Syko turned around while she undressed and got situated on the table. He arranged the sheets to expose the wound.

Eskal gasped when he saw the state of the injury. 

"We'll fix it." Syko assured him. He turned to Sedrick, "I'll need you to monitor her breathing while we work. You just sit here and tell me if something starts to go wrong."

"I can hardly keep my eyes open." Kay'la mumbled. 

"That's normal, just take deep breaths and try to relax."

When it was clear she was asleep, Syko began.

He cleaned his hands and the wound with spirits, Eskal did the same. Syko pulled back the folds of infected skin and picked up his razor. He activated the first rune, slowly drawing out the venom from under the skin. A long snake of black ooze migrated to the basin below the table.

When he could see the tissue clearly, he pushed deeper and continued, removing the venom drop by drop. Finally he reached the deepest point of the wound. 

"Tongs." Eskal handed him the slender metal tool.

Reaching in alongside the razor, Syko pulled back the blood and tissue to remove out a tiny shard of metal embeded in the bone.

Removing the last of the venom, he began to mend the wound closed. Activating the runes, he willed the bone to repair itself, stitching layer after layer of tissue back together. 

His brow was sweating under the glow of the runes, his his legs shook as he focused on the task at hand. He was almost finished.

He could feel strain on his affinity as he pulled millimeter by millimeter across the flesh. The bone was healed, the muscle layer was complete. He pulled back to the subcutaneous layer, repairing the connective tissue and blood vessels. 

Syko's head was swimming, spots dancing in front of his eyes as the glow of the razor faded.

"Eskal, close the wound for me."

Syko's hands shook, his razor slipping point first into floorboard. His vision pitched sideways as Eskal came towards him. He fell heavily to the floor. 

He could hear Eskal's voice like a echo in a cave. He waved his attention back to closing the wound.

Sedrick's hand was on his shoulder. Again the voice sounded distant. He offered Syko a handkerchief, his nose was bleeding.

He sat in a heap on the floor, pinching his nose. He hadn't suffered nosebleeds since he was child. It was the most common side effect of runework.

When he felt better, he stood but his vision blurred and he felt someone's arms were around him. 

Sedrick brough him to the bed and let him lie down. When Eskal had closed the wound, the two men brought Kay'la to the bed and let them rest side by side while they cleaned and disposed of everything.

Syko lay awake, his body unable to move but his mind racing. He played everything again in his head, wondering if he missed anything, or if he'd gotten his dosage correct. 

Kay'la was breathing smoothly beside him. He listed to the rise and fall of her breath as he stared at the ceiling.