Once her visitor left, Hildegund got out of her clothes and checked on her leg. It was, as she'd just told Faron, sore from all the walking, but it was only sore. There was no new bleeding, and no new redness. It just hurt.
That was all right, then. She'd rest it tomorrow, as promised, since she needed to make more arrows. She hoped the other woman remembered to bring the antlers by, so she could make some stronger ones. Even if that didn't happen the next day, though, they'd had a very nice chat, and she'd offered to give them to her. They'd agreed to exchange visits, and talked about quite a few things.
She wasn't sure what to make of some of the times Faron repeated things she'd said. She mused on it some while feeding Fang, but it didn't bother her. She knew she was different, and that even when she did well with words – for her – she could say things others found funny. It was probably that. And, well, she didn't outright laugh at her, and was nice to her. If she was also amused, that was fine.
Her reaction to "touch hurts," though, was more puzzling. That seemed like she might have some reason of her own to say or think that. She wished she could put words together enough to ask about it later, but that was beyond her. She'd just have to remember, like others did with her.
And that reminded her that she still hadn't made her apologies to Ljota or Nightingale, nor the explanation to Home-Wright about why hugging wasn't good for her. Or, indeed, as best she'd be able to, just what was so different about her. That would take a lot of thinking on words ahead, so she'd know things to say. That couldn't be left to fumbling through her thoughts at the time.
She wondered again, even as she set to trying to prepare phrases to say in advance, whether she even knew enough about how she was so different to explain it. She only knew what it was like to be her. What was it like to be someone who could hug, and talk, and not feel hurt by loud noises and bright light? Maybe she could try to ask. Would the asking help explain? That was yet another thought to try to corral and save for later. She was collecting quite a few of those.
