Liah's attempt to reach the Physician was little more than an instinctive bid to salvage the situation. Only her hands moved, her body lagging behind, and with the man already closer to the Young Master, her effort amounted to nothing.
Physician Otoma's abrupt dash came to a quick pause—an almost dust-piling pause, only that there was no dust here. He stopped just close enough to Elmah, yet still at the edge of the cushion, leaving sufficient distance to avoid the other's breath while also sparing himself the loss of an eye.
"How do you feel? Your eyes—do you feel any strain? Where does it hurt?" Physician Otoma's eyes glinted with concern—whether wholly for his patient or entangled with other motives was impossible to tell.
Touching as it may have been, Elmah had no intention of answering.
When his barrage of questions met an unyielding wall, Physician Otoma paused, drew a measured breath, and reclaimed the composure befitting his profession.
