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Ballads of Nirvana
Chapter 16
Part 3
As if in answer she saw the two men exchange surprised glances and she heard the words that relieved her of the churning and twisting her insides didn’t quit since she saw the lady in Agni’s room.
They have changed, haven’t they? Agni seemed to say, and Chag agreed to it with a slight nod and a slightly disappointed look took over his face. While she could hear the thoughts of the guests too, she couldn’t quite understand or make out, they spoke in a different tongue.
Then Mythri who looked as cool as a cucumber was screaming in rage internally. She even considered gouging Lekha’s eyes with the meat knife she had in her hands. Indriya fought the urge to smile.
After dinner Mythri didn't disperse to her room, instead she came to Indriya’s room.
Indriya didn’t mind the healer, in fact she thought Mythri was a nice woman so she didn’t complain when the healer entered the room without knocking on the door when Indriya was changing her clothes. Mythri didn’t even care to say sorry, she didn’t even look at Indriya, instead she only sat down in the armchair with her legs dangling off one of the arms of the chair.
She stared at Indriya all the while, Indriya cleaned her room and kept the laundry basket outside. After a while when Indriya was finally on the verge of burnout due to the awkward staring she asked: “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Mythri blinked at her.
“Are you planning to sleep here?” Indriya asked her, politely.
“Princess, if you feel uncomfortable in my presence you can ask me to get out.” Mythri retorted.
“I never said I felt uncomfortable in your presence, I was just wondering why you are here instead of being with Chag or Agni.” She shrugged her shoulders. Mythri tipped her head back and closed her eyes, sighing as she did so. Indriya walked closer and she noticed how young Mythri was. She had a face like that of a water lily, fresh, fragrant and pure. Her eyes too had a beautiful sharp black grayish hue.
Indriya smiled at her companion’s endearing face. Mythri as she realised was not big on being beautiful, but she was very adorable to look at. She understood why her cousin was head over heels for her. She was smart, reserved, witty and of course unique. She would look like she was daydreaming but she was completely aware of her surroundings.
Mythri opened her eyes and knitted her eyebrows together, which made Indriya chuckle at the healer who didn’t look any older than six.
“What are you smiling at, Princess?” She asked, squaring her shoulders slightly. It was ironic how Agni would also ask the same question when she would smile at his man bun.
“Nothing, I was wondering if you are as endearing as you look.” She placed her index finger between Mythri’s brows and pressed it gently.
“Oh, Princess, that does feel good. Do you...mind pressing my head?” She asked, awkwardly as she sunk into her chair. Indriya snorted at the request and nodded.
So there she was pressing Mythri’s head, the healer sighed and smiled as she pressed her head.
“Princess, I know I can heal myself but then it’s been a while since I have been with good people. Thank you.” She said with a bashful smile on her face.
“Good people? Isn’t Chag a good guy?” Indriya asked, raising her eyebrows.
“He is the kindest person I have met in my life, but he is not someone I can befriend, he is more like a king to me rather than a friend and he tried his best to make me feel at home but he couldn’t get me out of me. He has a heart of gold.” Mythri’s eyes were distant and yet they seemed to come back to the present at the mention of Chag’s name. She looked like she had just woken up from a dream.
Indriya could almost see what she was thinking about, Chag was smiling at Mythri in her memory, smiled at her in a kind way, the kind of smile that would warm the heart of even a crocodile. Then she saw a memory in which Mythri had walked in on Chag when he wasn’t wearing his shirt, and she didn’t know if she was hallucinating, but she could see that the healer’s cheeks turned a slight shade of pink. Indriya smiled at the healer as she slumped on the sofa, beside the chair and spread her legs.
“You know, Princess even if he is a Prince, soon to be King, he never acted like one. Neither of them do, even Agni asked me not to bow to him whenever I saw him, soon enough we became good friends. I don’t know if Agni has told you, but one day when we all were in Ujwala, we had to go to the forest to meet a spy who had information about your whereabouts.” Mythri continued, her eyes very distant.
“When we were on our way back a group of bandits shot darts containing poison at us. I could have died that day had it not been for those two, Agni almost tore those people apart as the Prince carried me back to the castle as I had sprained my ankle. They risked their lives for someone as worthless as me.” She concluded.
“I wouldn’t call you worthless, you know,” Indriya said. “I owe you a life debt, you are important to me as much as Chag and Agni are. I too would’ve done the same thing as my cousin did.” She said casually. “And I certainly don’t think that Chag thinks you're worthless as well.”
The healer smiled at her, warmly. “You know Princess, I wanted to ask you a few questions.”
“Fire them away.”
“What do you think of me?”
“You’re not a bitter gourd, but you’re not a strawberry pie either.” Indriya’s description was absolutely vague, even for herself. But she felt it was a nice comparison.
“Then what am I, a banana bagel?” Mythri raised a brow and sucked her teeth.
“No, not a bagel, a spice cake, maybe. Do banana bagels even exist? ” She admitted.
“I don’t know. But, Ooh a spice cake, huh?” The healer’s eyes gleamed in the dim lighting. “But why do you like food so much?”
“It’s not what you think. It's food, how can you not like it? And anyone could find out you are a doctor, you’ve got that weird doctory vibe.” Indriya’s voice turned grave all of a sudden.
“Yeah, sure.” Mythri shook her head and raised her eyebrows.
“Why are you so interested in knowing what I think of you?” Indriya inquired.
“I am a curious animal, so I just wanted to know.” She asserted.
They chatted for a long, long time before the two of them fell asleep on Indriya’s bed.
© YDR
Part 3
As if in answer she saw the two men exchange surprised glances and she heard the words that relieved her of the churning and twisting her insides didn’t quit since she saw the lady in Agni’s room.
They have changed, haven’t they? Agni seemed to say, and Chag agreed to it with a slight nod and a slightly disappointed look took over his face. While she could hear the thoughts of the guests too, she couldn’t quite understand or make out, they spoke in a different tongue.
Then Mythri who looked as cool as a cucumber was screaming in rage internally. She even considered gouging Lekha’s eyes with the meat knife she had in her hands. Indriya fought the urge to smile.
After dinner Mythri didn't disperse to her room, instead she came to Indriya’s room.
Indriya didn’t mind the healer, in fact she thought Mythri was a nice woman so she didn’t complain when the healer entered the room without knocking on the door when Indriya was changing her clothes. Mythri didn’t even care to say sorry, she didn’t even look at Indriya, instead she only sat down in the armchair with her legs dangling off one of the arms of the chair.
She stared at Indriya all the while, Indriya cleaned her room and kept the laundry basket outside. After a while when Indriya was finally on the verge of burnout due to the awkward staring she asked: “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Mythri blinked at her.
“Are you planning to sleep here?” Indriya asked her, politely.
“Princess, if you feel uncomfortable in my presence you can ask me to get out.” Mythri retorted.
“I never said I felt uncomfortable in your presence, I was just wondering why you are here instead of being with Chag or Agni.” She shrugged her shoulders. Mythri tipped her head back and closed her eyes, sighing as she did so. Indriya walked closer and she noticed how young Mythri was. She had a face like that of a water lily, fresh, fragrant and pure. Her eyes too had a beautiful sharp black grayish hue.
Indriya smiled at her companion’s endearing face. Mythri as she realised was not big on being beautiful, but she was very adorable to look at. She understood why her cousin was head over heels for her. She was smart, reserved, witty and of course unique. She would look like she was daydreaming but she was completely aware of her surroundings.
Mythri opened her eyes and knitted her eyebrows together, which made Indriya chuckle at the healer who didn’t look any older than six.
“What are you smiling at, Princess?” She asked, squaring her shoulders slightly. It was ironic how Agni would also ask the same question when she would smile at his man bun.
“Nothing, I was wondering if you are as endearing as you look.” She placed her index finger between Mythri’s brows and pressed it gently.
“Oh, Princess, that does feel good. Do you...mind pressing my head?” She asked, awkwardly as she sunk into her chair. Indriya snorted at the request and nodded.
So there she was pressing Mythri’s head, the healer sighed and smiled as she pressed her head.
“Princess, I know I can heal myself but then it’s been a while since I have been with good people. Thank you.” She said with a bashful smile on her face.
“Good people? Isn’t Chag a good guy?” Indriya asked, raising her eyebrows.
“He is the kindest person I have met in my life, but he is not someone I can befriend, he is more like a king to me rather than a friend and he tried his best to make me feel at home but he couldn’t get me out of me. He has a heart of gold.” Mythri’s eyes were distant and yet they seemed to come back to the present at the mention of Chag’s name. She looked like she had just woken up from a dream.
Indriya could almost see what she was thinking about, Chag was smiling at Mythri in her memory, smiled at her in a kind way, the kind of smile that would warm the heart of even a crocodile. Then she saw a memory in which Mythri had walked in on Chag when he wasn’t wearing his shirt, and she didn’t know if she was hallucinating, but she could see that the healer’s cheeks turned a slight shade of pink. Indriya smiled at the healer as she slumped on the sofa, beside the chair and spread her legs.
“You know, Princess even if he is a Prince, soon to be King, he never acted like one. Neither of them do, even Agni asked me not to bow to him whenever I saw him, soon enough we became good friends. I don’t know if Agni has told you, but one day when we all were in Ujwala, we had to go to the forest to meet a spy who had information about your whereabouts.” Mythri continued, her eyes very distant.
“When we were on our way back a group of bandits shot darts containing poison at us. I could have died that day had it not been for those two, Agni almost tore those people apart as the Prince carried me back to the castle as I had sprained my ankle. They risked their lives for someone as worthless as me.” She concluded.
“I wouldn’t call you worthless, you know,” Indriya said. “I owe you a life debt, you are important to me as much as Chag and Agni are. I too would’ve done the same thing as my cousin did.” She said casually. “And I certainly don’t think that Chag thinks you're worthless as well.”
The healer smiled at her, warmly. “You know Princess, I wanted to ask you a few questions.”
“Fire them away.”
“What do you think of me?”
“You’re not a bitter gourd, but you’re not a strawberry pie either.” Indriya’s description was absolutely vague, even for herself. But she felt it was a nice comparison.
“Then what am I, a banana bagel?” Mythri raised a brow and sucked her teeth.
“No, not a bagel, a spice cake, maybe. Do banana bagels even exist? ” She admitted.
“I don’t know. But, Ooh a spice cake, huh?” The healer’s eyes gleamed in the dim lighting. “But why do you like food so much?”
“It’s not what you think. It's food, how can you not like it? And anyone could find out you are a doctor, you’ve got that weird doctory vibe.” Indriya’s voice turned grave all of a sudden.
“Yeah, sure.” Mythri shook her head and raised her eyebrows.
“Why are you so interested in knowing what I think of you?” Indriya inquired.
“I am a curious animal, so I just wanted to know.” She asserted.
They chatted for a long, long time before the two of them fell asleep on Indriya’s bed.
© YDR
