Author's Note: Oh, hey, it's another "let's add some interactions between two characters who really would've made sense together" fic. I do have some idea for other characters besides Corentin, I swear. But he's my fave and I need more Corentin things, plus this is a good excuse to flesh out both him and Medina a bit.

Chapter One: Medical History

Corentin nodded as he secured the bandage around his arm. That should be fine… It wasn't a terrible injury—he'd just gotten a small cut on his arm during the last battle—so he hadn't felt the need to bother Geela or Hossabara. Still, he'd seen plenty of supposedly-minor issues that escalated into something worse. As such, he'd decided to take care of it himself once he'd gotten back to the encampment.

There; now he could get the medical supplies out of his way. Corentin moved everything to one side of the table he was currently occupying. Now he could get back to studying, and…

"Hey, Corentin—mind if I ask you something?"

He glanced over his shoulder. Medina was standing nearby, blinking curiously at him. So much for getting back to work… Though Corentin supposed a simple question wasn't too bad, as long as it didn't take very long to answer.

"Of course not; is something wrong?"

"Well, I just…" Medina shrugged. "I kind of figured you wouldn't be too big on patching yourself up like that. I mean, you left the Ministry before I did, right? And you're always over here studying, so…"

She gestured at the scattered piles of tomes and parchment spread randomly on the table. The implication was obvious: Medina had clearly assumed that Corentin had left because he disliked medicine altogether. Well, she was kind of right, but also kind of wrong by extension.

"I don't dislike medicine," Corentin replied after several seconds' thought. "It is a very useful craft, and I learned quite a bit from Minister Lyla. I may as well put it to use for small things like this. I'd just rather study magic if given the choice, is all."

No need to go too in-depth on the Plinius issue, he decided. Most people who'd been working at the Ministry at the time it had happened had probably heard about it, after all. Corentin had already made his feelings on the matter clear to House Wolffort when he'd left, and he didn't care to dredge them up again.

(But since Medina left as well, she probably wouldn't judge him too hard for being "sympathetic to heretics." It couldn't hurt to be careful, though. Knee-jerk reactions, and all.)

Corentin shook his head, deciding to finish with, "Though I'm sure you can relate to not having much of a choice."

Medina frowned lightly as she mulled over her response. "Well…not exactly? I mean, I do like being an apothecary, and I probably would've picked something similar anyway. That said, I…do wish some things were different…"

Her frown deepened, and Corentin found himself feeling sympathetic. Normally, he would've been irritated to have a research session get delayed so much. Still, Medina was probably thinking about whatever had caused her to leave the Ministry. He hadn't asked what it was, and he wouldn't pry if she didn't want him to, but it was something he could relate to all the same.

"But that's not important anymore!" Medina said abruptly. Then, she leaned over and squinted at Corentin's pile of research. "What were you doing over here, if you don't mind me asking?"

A light smile flickered over Corentin's face. Medina was clearly asking in part to distract herself, but if she wanted a distraction, he could certainly provide her with one. He shifted his chair over, and Medina obligingly sat down in the one next to him.

"Well, I've been working on various non-combat uses for ice magic," he explained. "There's one particular topic I'm most interested in, but there are several smaller things I've been looking into as well… For instance! Did you know that ice has a variety of medical purposes?"

"Ooh, really?" Medina pulled one of the nearest tomes closer. "You think it might be worthwhile for me to study some of it? I mean, I don't think I'd go too far with it, like you do, but…"

"Of course! Even some of the basics could help. And I wouldn't mind showing you some of the more practical uses, either…"

Medina grinned at him. "Really? I'm not, like…interrupting anything, am I? I'd hate to bother you if you were in the middle of something."

"Well, there were a few things I was going to look over," Corentin admitted. "But going through the essentials every now and then can be a good refresher for me, too. For now, I think I had my medical notes over here…"

He skimmed through some of his stacks of parchment until he found the correct pile. Then, he nodded and pushed them towards Medina. She promptly grabbed the top sheet and began reading, eyes sparkling eagerly as she looked it over.

…Well, Corentin did want his research to be useful to other people, too. This seemed like a good place to start, he thought in amusement.

It wasn't how he'd expected things to go today, but Corentin certainly wasn't going to complain about it.