Cutie blinked. "Because I live with her," he answered simply. "And I touch her a lot."
The sparrow choked. Veer went scarlet. Kaya just stared for a second.
The healer studied Cutie, then nodded. "Sit," he said. "Shirt off."
Cutie obeyed without fuss, perching on the edge of the stone bed. The healer pressed fingers along his throat, over his collarbones, down his ribs. He listened to Cutie's chest, back, checked his breathing, his pulse. Cutie stayed relaxed, answering every "breathe" and "hold" with soft little "mn" sounds, body loose, no flinching.
"Strong heart," the healer murmured. "Very steady. For a twig, you're hard to knock down."
Veer scowled. "He gets a compliment?"
The healer ignored him. He checked Cutie's eyes, tongue, joints, made him squeeze his hand, stand, turn, balance on one foot.
"No damage in the organs," he said. "Whatever he went through before, his body recovered well. Good blood flow. No signs of lingering poison."
