Angela and Nissaya (A teensy weensy itty bitty bit Marek's Revenge TP....maybe. Y'all'll have to decide for yourselves on this one, srry)

Redwall Abbey Infirmary

The door of the infirmary literally bursts open to admit one angry white otter. Nissa looks like he's on his last bit of what used to be an endless pool of patience, but now he looks as though he would rather tear something in half with his bare paws rather than be patient.

Angela looks up from the very feverish rat she is tending to and glowers at the otter. "You need to calm down and find another way to let out yer anger. Come over 'ere. I need yer 'elp." She looks like she's in pain, and she's leaning on her staff more than usual right now.

Holding back what can only be described as a boiling rage, Nissa makes his way over to Angela, trying to breathe normally and forget his anger when another beast needs his help. "What do you need?" He asks. He didn't have a whole lot of friends, but he liked to think he could count Angela among them, so whatever he could do for any friend, he would do to the best of his ability.

Angela holds out a bowl. "'Old this." Peeling the bandages off the gangreneous wound, she dumps the filthy wrappings in the bowl, then bares her teeth in a savage manner. Mumbling under her breath, she adds, "I was afraid of this....I might have to amputate." Muttering again, she cleans the wound as best she can and rebandages it.

Nissaya takes and holds the bowl while Angela goes through the procedure, rather confused. "I'm sorry..what?" He asks, not quite following in his current state of mind. Then again, he couldn't really be blamed considering recent events.

Angela growls and grabs the bowl, hobbling very slowy and in a very pained fashion over to the washing station. "I said I might have ot amputate that rat's arm. I'll have to drug him into a stupor first so he doesn't feel any pain. And thta might not even save him." When she is finished washing her paws, she just stands there, swaying and leaning on the counter heavily. "Bring me my staff, young 'un. I might keel over if I have ot take one more step without it."

Nissaya quickle walks over to the door to the infirmary, grabbing the staff and bringing it quickly over to Angela. "Listen, just let me do this, and you can tell me the extent of the damage. I'd rather that I do it than you if you don't feel that well." His voice as an edge of concern to it, as do his pink eyes.

Angela leans heavily on the staff and shakes her head. "It's bad. Gangrene is eatin'away at it. I've been a-puttin' it off as long as I could, but I'm thinkin' that if we don't remove it, it'll kill 'im."

Nissaya looks back at the rat on the cot, and he sighs. "I agree..." He says slowly, though his mind seems to be somewhere else completely, evident in his distant gaze. "I'll have to amputate it while he's still asleep, so he doesn't struggle and make it worse."

Angela shakes her head. "No, we need to drug 'im. I 'ave somethin' I developed in a war back in Tuscani that I used on the battlefield. It's extremely effective."

Nissaya looks back at Angela questioningly. "What is it made from?" He asks curiously, ever thirsting for any new knowledge he can obtain, whether he is all there or not.

Angela chuckles. "I don't even remember now. I made so much of it, and it was such a long while ago. I was nought but a young 'un then....not even 9 seasons old. Over the seasons, it's concentrated itself, so I can use less and less with each patient. The recipe is in the library of Roma."

Nissaya sighs softly. "So we only have whatever you have with you, then?" He asks, staring at the rat with a faraway look. He felt as though he had no idea what to say or do, and his head felt muddled, but he wasn't about to admit that to anybeast, much less Angela.

Angela taps the otter's shoulder withthe top of her staff, threatening to tickle his ear with the knotwrok tied to the very tippy-top. "What're ya thinkin', young 'un? A distracted healer's not a very good'un."

Nissaya starts, shaking his head slowly. "I-It's nothing.." he says, shaking his head again, though more rapidly, as though he is trying to clear his head. "I'm just spacing off I suppose." He takes a moment to square his shoulders and take a deep breath. "Right...we need to drug this rat and start working on the amputation. He won't last much longer without that."

Angela pokes him in the arm. "I ain't gonna let you work on 'im in yer distracted state. Why are ye so absent-minded at the moment?"

Nissaya sniffs softly, stubbornly trying to retain his neutral expression. "I-It's not important, Angela...I-I'll be fine.." Despite his insistence, his eyes do start to look slightly watery.

Angela keeps pressing, aiming to literally and proverbily back him into a corner. Tappign his chest with her staff, she asks again, "Why're you so distracted, son?"

Nissaya cannot think of any response aside from what he's been saying by now. "P-Please, Angela.." He says, the wetness in his eyes threatening to spill over into tears. "I don't want to talk about it.."

Angela nods descicively. "Fine. Then until ye decide to talk about it to me, ye shan't work in here. I can't afford for somebeast to die because yer too distracted to 'elp them properly."

Nissaya looks away from Angela, blinking rapidly. "I-...I heard about Leon..." He begins slowly, his voice slightly strained.

Angela pulls back like she's been slapped, then turns and stares at the floor. "Aye. What did ye hear?"

Nissaya struggles hard not to burst into tears then. "H-He was taken by a bird...I didn't hear anything more..." Despite his best efforts, one tear does slowly make its way down his cheek. "Th-The only one I truly trusted aside from you...gone..."

Angela swallows hard, blinking rapidly. "'E's my granddaughter's 'usband. I....I'm losin' my family, it seems...just after I find them again..."

Nissaya turns completely away from Angela, struggling to control his breathing. "I...I told him that he was my first real friend here...but.." He sighs, sitting on a cot with his face in his paws.

Angela slowly taps the floor with her staff and sighs. "Ye 'ave to compartmentalize. If we don't separate our feelin's from our work, we'll never do what needs to be done in the way it ought to be done." She sniffs, then slowly goes over and sits beside the otter. "Easy to do when yer not worried about yer family."

Nissaya shakes his head slowly, his body starting to shiver gently, and his paws fall away. "I always felt secure with Leon around because I figured that if I made a mistake, he would catch it. Now...despite everything I know about healing, it's on me to not make a mistake...I don't know if I can handle that."

To be continued. Thanks for reading! :)