Lydia winced on instinct as the needle slid in, even though it never actually hurt. The Elf Nurse wore her usual professional mask. The same polite, distant expression, like she'd been programmed to look human well...not human but living but forgot the warmth part.
Lydia tapped the injection spot twice, flexed her wrist, and lowered her arm. Same old routine every single time: come in, offer wrist, take the shot, leave. Predictable. Safe. Boring.
Which was exactly why she was shocked when the nurse suddenly broke the pattern.
"See you tomorrow," the nurse said with a faint half-smile.
Lydia's jaw unclenched a little. Wait… she actually had emotions? For the longest time Lydia had been convinced the elf was some kind of magical academy robot or construct. She'd heard whispers that this nurse had been working the clinic for over a hundred years. One hundred. That kind of number did things to a girl's imagination.
She almost asked for her name.
