In the kitchen, the healer swiftly gets to work. She grabs lettuce and tomatoes and onions and scallions from the vegetable bin in her fridge - she grew everything herself - and slices them expertly. She throws everything together in a bowl. She reaches for her favorite dressing - Lola's own vinaigrette mix that she taught Rosie - and drizzles it lightly over her salad, not drowning the greens to keep them crunchy and fresh but also just enough to give them that little zing.

Rosie puts a finger to her chin and then decides to be a little more fancy today and decides to finally use the gifts Joy has been sending her. Joy is a succubus that she treated once before and who seems to have taken a liking to her. The succubus would send her flowers at first, every week, and she absolutely loved them. But she was sad whenever they wilted. Joy eventually learned that she liked food and that she liked to eat healthy and has been sending her expensive food and different seasonings from all over the world since. She adds the three cheeses that came in Joy’s package last week - swiss, feta, and parmesan - already grated and ready, to the mix. Rosie puts her hands on her hips after, happy and proud of her work.

Perfect.

Next, she grabs mushrooms and truffle oil (also from Joy). She chops more onions and a little bit of garlic. Then, she pours the oil on a pan generously. She heats the oil up before putting in the mushrooms and she sautees them until they are coated in oil and glistening beautifully.

The smell of her cooking hits her nose, making her stomach complain again and rumble louder this time. She puts a hand to it, in instinct, then she turns the stove off and takes the pan off of it. She poaches two eggs quick, to complete her meal. She transfers the mushrooms on a plate, tops it with the poached eggs carefully, so as not to pop the yolk, and rests a fork on the side.

With both hands full - one with her plate of salad and the other with mushrooms - she heads back to the greenhouse.

On her way back there, the healer’s mind wanders back to her patient’s elixir-fueled antics. A blush creeps up her face again and Rosie tries to mentally will her body not to react that way, pushing the thoughts back and trying to calm herself.

It’s not like people haven’t complimented her before. Joy certainly loves to shower her with compliments whenever she stops by to drop whatever gift package she has for the week. Jennie compliments her a lot, too, and so does Cotton.

So what makes this half-demon different?

Well, for one, Joy is a succubus and flirting with everything that moves is in her nature. Jennie gives her compliments out of love and a sense of gratitude for saving her life, and, well, isn’t it Cotton’s job to feed her ego, technically?

Rosie’s mind answers itself and she almost throws her hands up in frustration before she remembers that she’s holding her precious food in both of them.

“Argh!” The healer can’t help but express her frustration.

She just needs to stop dwelling on it, is all.

Stop thinking about it, stop thinking about it, she tells herself.

The healer turns around and uses her backside to push open the door to the greenhouse because her hands are occupied. She sees everything as she left it - patient and rosefinch sound asleep. She sets down her food on her table and pulls out her phone. She opens her Netflix application. She tilts her head to the side and wonders what she should watch while eating her lunch.

Disney musical? A series drama?

She decides to go with Disney because one can never go wrong with Disney.

Disney it is, then, she thinks.

The healer presses play on Frozen and pops out the popsocket stuck on the back of her phone and props it up in front of her. The opening credits play, the Disney castle is formed and glittering, and she digs into her food.

Right as “Do You Want To Build A Snowman” starts playing, she hears Lisa snore loudly from the bed. Rosie almost chokes on her food from laughter. She realizes she forgot to bring water with her and starts coughing like mad.

Suddenly, there is a glass being pushed into her hand and when she looks up, it’s Cotton holding it with its two tiny feet by the rim. She takes it with gratitude and drinks to wash down the food lodged in .

“Oh my gosh, thank you. You’re a lifesaver.”

Rosie breathes hard. Cotton just laughs.

“Anytime, Miss Rosie.” Cotton does a cute little salute with its wing and Rosie smiles wife, reaching out to rub the pad of a finger lovingly against the feathers on Cotton's head.

Rosie thinks there will never be enough words to express how thankful she is that she has Cotton in her life and how she knows that Cotton will be here as long as she's alive.

“Love Is An Open Door” starts playing and Rosie realizes that she had a whole meal and movie waiting for her before her most recent brush with death after choking on a piece of mushroom because her patient started snoring. The healer spares another glance at the half-demon who was now on her side again, but curled up fetal with her back facing Rosie.

Rosie gets up to look at her. She takes a peek at her patient, tiptoe-ing and carefully looking over from behind. The healer lays eyes on the perfect side profile she admired the first time she saw the woman, but this time the half-demon’s face is peaceful and not in pain.

Rosie notices another difference, too, and she snickers. Lisa’s lips are parted a little and there’s a line of drool steadily streaming down the white pillow.

Rosie’s gonna have to wash that pillow and sterilize it more than once. Not that her half-demon patient looks like she doesn’t have good dental and oral hygiene but it’s better to be sure.

Lisa suddenly snorts and Rosie is surprised. The patient starts mouthing words and Rosie leans down closer to hear what she’s saying in her sleep.

“...nnn door, wiff youuu….. Luuvv ‘s ann opeenn dooohh…”

Rosie leans back and stifles her laughter with a hand, so as not to wake her patient. Lisa is singing along to Frozen in her sleep and all the while snoring and drooling in between.

If that’s not both the most endearing and amusing thing Rosie’s ever seen…

Suddenly, Lisa’s eyelids fly open and she awakes with a start. Her breathing comes out ragged and hard. Rosie can tell her patient is stressed. Alarms go off in the healer’s head.

Lisa’s eyes scan her environment, looking around and studying everything. Lastly, without turning her head, her eyes land on the healer. Rosie notices how clear Lisa’s eyes are.

This is the first time the half-demon and witch’s eyes come into contact while they are both fully awake and conscious. Lisa’s breath hitches and Rosie is frozen dumb in her spot.

A whole moment passes with them just looking at each other, eyes locked in an involuntary staredown. Both of them could tell that there’s something happening in this moment, right as they look into each other’s eyes. As if the stars and galaxies halted in their movements so the universe can exhale a deep sigh of relief.

Neither of them could explain the pause. But it is Lisa who breaks the spell as she moves a finger and Rosie’s eyes follow the movement.

Okay, Rosie tells herself. I need to focus because my patient is awake and probably in a panic.

The half-demon is assessing her body. Everything is heavy and she doesn’t know if she can use her flames to defend herself. She has no idea where she is and who this woman is. She also doesn’t know why she can’t move. And in all her years training to fight and working for the Ministry as an operative, the one thing she’s learned is that any position where she has no idea of where she is and she is partly physically invalid is not a good position to be in.

Rosie sees the gears turning in her patient’s head and decides that she should do something before her patient hurts herself.

But it’s too late because in a split second, Lisa is sitting on the bed facing her, one arm s around the back of her head with a hand cradling it and the other poised across her neck as if holding a dagger pointed at it.

Rosie feels heat against her neck and she knows Lisa is trying to conjure a flame dagger. But nothing comes and a second later the half-demon’s hand just fizzles. Both of their eyes look towards the direction of Lisa’s hand - Rosie with relief and Lisa in annoyance and frustration.

“Okay.” Lisa starts, voice sounding hoarse from thirst and sleep. She clears . “You’re gonna tell me where I am and who you are or I shift my arm and break your neck.”

Cotton immediately flies to Rosie, ready to shed off its rosefinch appearance and go completely astral to protect its master. White light emanates from in between its feathers and the air around it crackles with pure magical energy and Rosie feels this from afar. The healer decides to act before things get out of hand.

“Cotton, stop! It’s okay.” Rosie yells. “I got this.” The healer stares right into the half-demon’s eyes. Lisa gulps.

There’s that feeling again, when they first made eye contact. The half-demon steels herself.

Focus, Lisa, focus.

Anyone who doesn’t know Rosie well enough would think that a soft girl like her would be scared of the half-demon in this moment. But Rosie is born under and Aries moon and Lisa’s threat felt like a challenge to her abilities. She might not be good in close combat, but she was one hell of a witch, if she does say so herself.

So the healer just stares the half-demon down and then raises a challenging eyebrow.

Lisa visibly gulps, feeling the change in the pretty blonde’s aura.

Pretty? Did I just call her pretty? Damn, Lisa, focus!

Rosie sees the shift in Lisa’s vibe and knows she shook the half-demon a little. The healer smirks. Lisa’s eyes follow the movement, the slight quirk of the full lips. Her eyes trace the curve of the healer’s cupid’s bow and the plump bottom lip.

Lisa gulps again, but this time for a different reason.

Holy…. What’s going on with me? The half-demon thinks.

“Lisa,” Rosie starts, voice a little lower than usual.

Lisa looks up from the healer’s lips at the sound of her name being said in a honey, silky sweet voice.  She looks straight into the other woman’s eyes again only to realize that’s probably a bad decision because suddenly her knees feel like giving out from under her.

“Jisoo told me to tell you to call her when you wake up.” Rosie smirks again, watching the confusion pass by her patient’s eyes. She allows for a dramatic pause for a beat then reaches into her sweatpants’ pocket for Lisa’s phone.

Lisa’s eyes widen as she recognizes the pink case of her iPhone and the unicorn popsocket. The rush in the half-demon’s blood dissipates and she visibly deflates. All of a sudden, her body is heavy and numb and she staggers and falls. The healer gracefully and quickly catches her patient in her arms, careful not to drop the phone.

Rosie sits Lisa down on the edge of the bed, propping the half-demon up with her whole body - crooks of her arms supporting Lisa by her underarms, chest against chest, cheek against cheek, with Lisa’s chin resting on the healer’s shoulder.

Lisa feels something thundering in her chest, only to realize it’s her heart. The half-demon blushes, knowing the blonde must be hearing and feeling it, too.

Rosie looks down and smiles shyly to herself. She realizes they’ve been in an embrace for far too long than what’s comfortable for people who had just met and decides that she should let Lisa go, but not until she’s made sure her patient isn’t gonna fall again.

“Lisa?” Rosie asks tentatively, voice soft and caring that it almost sends Lisa reeling.

The half-demon gulps for what felt like the millionth time. She feels her heart rate going impossibly higher and feels her whole body get warm. She nods meekly against the healer, all confidence and bravado from earlier gone.

Rosie continues with her question.

“I’m gonna let you go now, okay? Can you sit up by yourself?”

Lisa gives her a small nod again.

“Okay.”

Rosie extricates herself from the embrace but still uses both hands to hold Lisa still by the shoulders.

“Wanna lie down?” Rosie asks again, voice still as lovely, still as caring. Lisa just nods again.

“Okay.”

And the healer carefully assists the half demon down, putting a hand behind Lisa’s head and pulling it away once it feels the softness of the pillow. Rosie turns to Cotton.

“Can you fetch water for her, Cotton?”

Cotton wordlessly flies away to comply with its Mistress’ orders. The healer can tell it was unhappy still about the threat Lisa just threw her way, but that’s to be expected of a familiar, especially one who’s seen everything Rosie went through.

Cotton comes back with a bottle of water, defying all laws of science by carrying it with its two tiny feet and being able to fly through the air at the same time.

“Thank you, Cotton.”

The healer accepts the water bottle and opens it. She puts it against her patient’s mouth and gently guides Lisa’s head as she drinks, tilting it only little by little so the other woman doesn’t drown.

Lisa pulls away and Rosie closes the bottle. The half-demon closes her eyes and exhales relief. That was nice. She hadn’t realized how parched she was until now. Lisa looks at the other woman shyly, making eye contact for a second then looking away.

“Thank you.”

Rosie smiles her signature smile, full and warm and bright.

“You’re welcome.” The healer holds the half-demon’s phone up in front of her face. “Call Jisoo?”

“Right.”

Lisa takes the phone and her fingers brush against the healers’ lightly. She ignores the fact that her brain actually took mental note of the brief touch.

Rosie clears . The healer felt the split-second skin-to-skin touch, too, which is weird considering she’d been taking care of the woman for two days now and she’s cleaned and replaced her wounds and touched her skin multiple times.

This time, it’s Cotton who clears its throat. It speaks directly to the half-demon.

“You were gonna call Jisoo?”

“Right!”

Lisa exclaims in embarrassment, getting right to unlocking her phone and dialing her best friend. The half-demon's eyes shift nervously from the pretty blonde woman to the pink bird who's probably her familiar and now perched on her shoulder.

Rosie wants to laugh at everything - Cotton acting like a disapproving parent and her patient being all nervous and unsure.

Jisoo picks up at the third ring.

“Yo! You're alive!” Jisoo's electronic voice comes through the phone's speakers, loud enough for both Rosie and Cotton to hear as a witch and familiar with enhanced hearing. Lisa winces, already feeling advanced embarrassment over whatever her best friend and roommate will be saying during this call.

“Ye-yeah, I am.” The uncertainty comes off of Lisa's voice and Jisoo does not miss it.

“Your dumb has no idea what's happening, does it?”

Lisa feels her face go red. Rosie covers to stifle her laughter but her eyes are already visibly tiny crescent moons from amusement. The half-demon answers meekly.

“No…”

Loud laughter bursts from the other side of the line.

“Oh my spirits, did you embarrass yourself already? Did you hit on Rosie or something?”

Lisa's whole body goes up in flames, figuratively (she still can't conjure in her state), and she tries her best to defend herself.

“No! What the hell, Soo?”

Cotton clears its throat and quickly flies up to Lisa, on the other side of the phone, interrupting the conversation.

“Miss Jisoo? Hi! It’s Cotton!”

The familiar's voice is chirpy, happily greeting the seer. Jisoo responds equally happy to hear its voice and pleasantly surprised.

Lisa does not have any idea as to whatever is happening and doesn't know whether she should speak up or shut up. Rosie just watches everything unfold, completely amused.

“Hi, Cotton! What's up?”

“Actually, Miss Jisoo, I just wanted to clarify that Miss Lisa has in fact hit on Miss Rosie.”

Jisoo and Lisa both yell in surprise.

“WHAT!”

“I KNEW IT!”

Lisa almost throws the phone from her hand. Rosie is chuckling. Cotton tries to explain to both the seer and half-demon what it meant.

“Well, Miss Lisa wasn't fully conscious and she was probably high from the elixirs, but I believe she called Miss Rosie 'pretty’, 'prettiest girl’, and 'angel’, repeatedly, every time she would wake up dazed and high.”

Jisoo laughs so loud that both Cotton and Lisa physically flinched away from the phone, the half-demon holding it at arm's length from her face.

“Oh my gods, you !! After she healed you and completely revived you from near-death, you repay her by being a complete weirdo and hitting on her?” Jisoo scolds her friend.

Lisa looks up at Rosie in panic, both “I am so sorry,” and “can the ground swallow me” written plainly on her face. Rosie chuckles. The healer would have felt sorry for her patient but this was too good and too funny. Cotton perches itself back on its master’s shoulder, snickering like a little naughty elf.

“The bird said I was high, okay?!” Lisa screams at her phone.

“Well, you weren’t high anymore when you threatened her.” Cotton speaks up from Rosie’s shoulder, loud enough for the phone to pick it up and for Jisoo to hear it.

All the color drains from Lisa’s face.

Oh, right, I did that. .

Rosie just bursts out laughing.

“You WHAT?” Jisoo yells in disbelief.

“I--” Lisa tries to explain herself. Cotton puffs out its chest proudly, happy that it got the half-demon in trouble with the seer for threatening its master.

The familiar knows that it shouldn’t be a big deal but it can’t keep itself from being a little petty. It doesn’t help that its master is laughing and enjoying all of this right now, too.

“I swear to the gods, Lalisa, when I get back there to pick you up, I will--”

“Okay, Jisoo, see you, then, bye!”

Lisa presses the end call button in haste - pretty much today’s version of slamming the phone down on someone. She immediately puts her phone on airplane mode so her best friend won’t be calling her nonstop. She’ll text Jisoo again when the older girl has cooled off and won’t be scolding her anymore.

Lisa looks up at the healer and the familiar, again, this time ready to give them a proper apology.

“I didn’t know, I--,” Lisa sighs. “I’m sorry.”

Rosie just shakes her head and waves off her patient’s apology.

“Oh, your reaction is normal. I expected you to not remember much from what happened because of the sleeping spells and elixirs and also the gravity of your injury.” Rosie smiles and takes a hesitant step closer to her patient on the bed. “That’s why I’ve been watching you closely, so I can be there when you wake up and let you know you’re okay.”

A warmth spreads in Lisa’s chest. She reaches out for the healer’s hand without thought and holds it in gratitude.

“Thank you.”

Rosie nods, accepting the thanks, Lisa’s touch sending sparks up her arm to her chest and down to her stomach. Lisa’s body mirrors the effect and they both look down at their linked hands.

What is this? What’s going on?

Cotton observes the two in silence. After a while too long, it clears its throat.

“Miss Lisa?”

“Hmm?” Lisa immediately lets go of the healer’s hand, looking up at the familiar like nothing happened.

“Miss Jisoo instructed me to offer you chocolate milk when you wake up. You were also asking for cotton candy earlier. Do you want me to get you some?”

Lisa’s jaw falls slack and there are sparkles in her eyes. Rosie watches the expression change on the half-demon’s face.

She’s adorable, the healer thinks.

“Do I want chocolate milk and cotton candy?” Lisa puts both hands to her chest in reverence. “Always.”

Cotton snickers. Rosie just smiles at her patient with adoration.

“Okay, Miss Lisa. Let me get you your snacks.”