Single for Eternity

"Hey, Tauriel, I have a question."

Tauriel, who had been swinging her head around like a madwoman, suddenly stopped her erratic movements, finally paying attention to me.

I cleared my throat.

She looked awfully stiff, and I didn’t like my workers being that way.

"Don’t be so stiff," I said. "I’m basically giving you work, and you’ll have permission to go back home and take care of your old man."

Her expression shifted instantly.

The tension in her shoulders loosened, and a faint hint of color returned to her face.

Good. Now that she was somewhat fine, I could get to the main topic.

"By the way," I continued, "how do you guys take care of wounded people?"

This question had been nagging me for a while, especially after I saw the mangled bodies of the miners.

I could regenerate, but that didn’t mean everyone else could.