A good day to all of you, these pieces are all based on the Sororitas Quest that has been running on /tg/. You can find a link to an archive of the quest in my profile. Basically, we have been fighting a massive Chaos threat with a group of...interesting Sisters. Most of the pieces can be read without any background in the quest.
I will be going into Anna and Verity's relationship.
As always, let me know what you think.
The tent was stifling hot, and smelt strongly of antiseptic with an undercurrent of blood. Verity finished applying a bandage to the thankfully superficial wound on the Sister in front of her, and gave her pauldron a pat. "It will heal quickly, but try not to put too much force on that leg for a while. Don't make me force you into bed rest," she said cheerfully.
Elizabeth sheepishly nodded her head, and wrapped her arm around Sonja for support. From what Verity had learned from the sniper, Sonja had brought the woman in after her thigh plate had cracked under a bolter round. Elizabeth had been too zealous in her assault, as usual, and had exposed herself needlessly. It had been bleeding a great deal in the field, and Sonja had coerced her into going to the Medicae. Verity had been afraid when the two had come staggering through the door, but she was relieved that the wound was nowhere near the woman's femoral artery, and had been relatively simple to patch up. She nodded in a satisfied manner as the two hobbled out of the door.
She brusquely washed her hands, and plopped into the small canvas chair that had followed her through countless campaigns. She wiped her brow with a nearby handkerchief and looked happily at the mostly empty beds of the tent. The newest campaign had been going extremely well, and the worst the unit had suffered was a concussion from a round glancing off a helmet. The Sister in question was soundly asleep, and Verity didn't need to check her symptoms for an hour or two. While she loved doing the Emperor's work, Verity always hated when she saw a wounded person walk into her tent. She mused on this for a bit, but the warmth of the tent was so soothing, and she slowly felt herself slip into a doze.
Which was then interrupted by one of her most common patients. "Hello again, Verity! How are things going for you?" Anna called with a broad smile, a mass of shattered ceramic and machinery where her pauldron used to be.
Verity sighed in irritation. Things had been going so well, she petulantly muttered to herself. Out loud, she gave Anna fierce tongue-lashing. "Again? The Emperor protects and all, but could you do me a favor and stay in cover for once?" she said, mingled irritation and concern on her face.
She reached up and grabbed the Retributor by the ear and dragged her to the table she had been using for her operations. To an outsider, the sight of a woman barely taller than five feet dragging a woman if full armor would be comical, but Anna knew well how serious Verity was when she had a patient. The Hospitaller quickly stripped Anna of her torso armor, and began to clean the area around the wound. Thankfully, the round had exploded outside of the pauldron and there were no burns or mangled flesh. Only a few lacerations from where her own armor had buckled from the hit. As she continued to clean, she glanced over Anna's heavily muscled body. The sight only made her sigh again. She addressed her patient as she picked up the thread and needle needed to sew the wound shut,"You are really collecting an impressive collection of scars. You just love making me work, don't you?"
Anna grinned cheekily. "Naturally, it allows me to drop in and say hello to my favorite Hospitaller."
Verity just growled under her breath, and quickly set to the task of fixing her patient. She spread a layer of anesthetic around the wound, and began to skillfully sew the wound up. The two slipped into a companionable silence, the only sound in the tent being the occasional hiss from Anna and a quiet hymn that the Hospitaller sung under her breath as she closed the laceration.
"Done," Verity stated simply.
She reached into her kit to grab some bandages and a cream to speed the healing. When she looked up again with the items in her hand, she quirked her eyebrow quizzically at Anna's expression. "Well?"
A slow grin spread over the Retributor's face, and Verity felt the urge to groan for what felt like the thousandth time. "Kiss it and make it better?"
Verity stared for a moment, a slight blush coloring her cheeks. With a huff and an air of wounded dignity, she swiftly leaned down and placed a light kiss on Anna's shoulder. She kept her head down to hide the flush on her cheeks, and with a tad too much haste bandaged her patient's wounds.
Jumping up happily, Anna gave a bright "Thanks!" before making for the door. If she though she could get away from the Hospitaller, though, she was woefully mistaken.
"Oh no you don't," Verity crowed with a triumphant air, "You aren't going out there and ruining my handiwork again, my dear sister. In fact, I think that I need to prescribe bed rest for my patient! Why, with all of the wounds you have suffered from, I don't want you to push yourself too hard."
With comprehension dawning too late upon her face, Anna was swiftly dragged to the cot nearest to Verity's chair, and was forcefully tucked into bed. With a stern look that dared the Retributor to try and escape, Verity sat and began to organize the contents of her medical kit. Anna sighed in defeat.
Another silence fell over the two, punctuated again by Verity's quiet singing. Anna began to nod off, the wear of the battle coupling with the warmth of the room overcoming the urge to fight against her captor. As she slowly slipped into slumber, she murmured, "Sorry to make you worry."
By the time Verity turned to respond, Anna had already fallen into a deep sleep borne of exhaustion. The Hospitaller sighed again, but this time with an amused smile on her face. "Idiot," she said quietly, with no venom behind the world. She turned back to her supplies and began humming a lilting song that was a strange blend of joy and melancholy. Around her, endless war raged. But here...this was her sanctuary.