City Streets, the next morning.
Arlo trudges behind Tessa like a donkey hauling royal luggage. She struts down the cobblestone street, head high, golden hair catching the sunlight like she owns the whole city. Her flowing robes are pristine white, trimmed with gold—while Arlo looks like a mud-smeared extra from a farming drama.
Arlo grumblingly said, "Remind me again why I'm carrying six bags of ointments, five jars of perfume, and... are these candied almonds?"
Tessa without looking back replied, "They're for me. A celebrity healer must snack between appointments."
"I thought you were helping the sick, not hosting a picnic!" replied Arlo.
Tessa smugly said, "Why not both? Healing miracles burn calories. Besides, my fans expect me to look radiant."
Arlo thought to himself, "Fans. She actually said fans. Like she's a pop idol on tour. I'm literally a pack mule for Beyoncé with a magic license."
A group of townsfolk spot Tessa and immediately swarm.
"Lady Tessa, bless my child!" yelled by a woman in the crowd, raising her baby up in the air.
"Lady Tessa, my back aches! Heal me, please!" said a merchant in his stall, while is hands were on his back.
"Lady Tessa! Sign my tunic!" a random teen shouted.
Arlo nearly drops the bags as the crowd engulfs them. "Oh great. The Tessa Fan Club. Do I get hazard pay for this?"
Tessa grinning, waving gracefully, "No, but you get the honor of witnessing greatness up close. Try not to faint."
Arlo thought to himself, "Fainting is on the table. Preferably into traffic."
The crowd pushes forward an old man wobbling on a cane.
"Lady Tessa... my hip... it hasn't been right since the goblin raid..." the old man said wheezing.
Tessa kneels dramatically, hands glowing with holy light. The crowd gasps as though she's about to part the sea.
Tessa with a soft, saintly voice, "Fear not, good sir. For in my hands, all pain is but a fleeting shadow."
She taps the old man's hip. Light floods him. He straightens like a rusty hinge being oiled, then tosses his cane into the air with a cheer.
The crowd cheered, "Lady Tessa! Lady Tessa!"
Arlo muttering, "Wow. Miracle. Hip replacement, medieval edition."
Tessa turning to Arlo, sweet but sharp, "And what did you contribute?"
"I carried your almonds."
"Truly heroic. Would you like applause, or a participation ribbon?" Tessa said with an irritated smirk.
Arlo thought, "I hate her. I hate her so much."
Next, a burly blacksmith steps forward, whispering in embarrassment.
Blacksmith: "Lady Tessa... I, uh... I've got a rash. Down there."
The crowd gasps.
Tessa with a calm, saintly smile, "Of course. Healing knows no shame."
Arlo horrified, "Oh no. Ohhh no. Please tell me you're not going to make this man strip in public!"
Tessa sweetly, to Arlo, "Assistant. Privacy screen."
"What?" Arlo replied with a stupid look on his face.
Tessa: "Hug the man and pull down his pants. You're the screen."
Arlo: "You've got to be kidding me."
Tessa with a serious tone, "Do you want this man's business flapping in the wind? Because I don't."
Arlo's Inner Monologue:
"This is my life now. I survived death, got handed a cosmic coin-flip skill, and I'm hugging a man with his junk right on my face, while this priestess casts healing magic on him. Kill me again. Please."
Next, a wealthy noblewoman pushes to the front, fanning herself dramatically.
Noblewoman: "Lady Tessa, I feel faint! The sun is cruel to my delicate skin. Heal me!"
Tessa sighs but humors her, placing a glowing hand on the woman's forehead.
Arlo whispering to Tessa's ear, "She doesn't need healing. She needs sunscreen."
Tessa whispering back, "Hush, peasants don't understand the pressures of nobility and this is easy money."
"I understand she's milking you harder than a dairy cow."
Tessa smiling at the noblewoman, "Don't mind him. He's new."
Arlo annoyed and thinking to himself, "New. As in 'new idiot assistant.' Yeah, tattoo that on my forehead."
The noblewoman swoons after the "miracle" and immediately tosses a purse of coins at Tessa's feet.
Tessa cheerfully scooping it up, "Another satisfied client!"
Arlo staring, "So much for the dignified saintly priestess, picking up coins.And you literally cured nothing."
Tessa shrugging, "Placebo is still a miracle if they pay for it."
Arlo thought to himself, "...She's evil. She's a genius, but she's evil."
The crowd suddenly turns on Arlo.
"What about you, young man? Are you also a healer?" The merchant with the aching back asked.
Arlo freezes. All eyes are on him.
Arlo panicking, "Uh... yeah! I mean, no! I mean... kind of?"
Tessa mock gasp, smirking, "Oh? My assistant wishes to demonstrate?"
Arlo glaring at her, "You set me up."
Tessa innocent smile, "Maybe."
Arlo thinking hard, "Okay, think. Herald skill. Choices shape fate. Big move, big outcome. If I fake it, maybe I get lucky and heal someone... or explode. Fifty-fifty."
He grabs a random child from the crowd.
Mother (panicked): "Wait—that's my son!"
Arlo (sweating): "Uh, yes, perfect volunteer!"
He presses his hands on the kid's shoulders. Nothing happens.
Arlo (forcing confidence): "...Be healed!"
The kid sneezes.
Kid (cheerful): "My nose feels better!"
The crowd erupts in cheers.
Crowd: "A miracle!"
Arlo stares, dumbfounded.
Arlo thought to himself, "Wait. Did I just... actually heal him, so my luck changes when I'm trying to heal this kid's stuffy nose? but my skill can't help me get out of being this woman's servant! GREAT! JUST GREAT!"
Tessa's smile twitches.
Tessa whispering through clenched teeth, "You lucky little fraud."
Arlo grinning ear to ear, "Looks like I'm the new celebrity healer in town."
Tessa deadly sweet, "Touch my market share, and I'll bury you under the church floor."
Arlo quickly realized "...And there's the disaster part of my skill. Should've seen that coming."
...
Later that evening, Arlo collapses onto a pew, exhausted. Tessa counts coins at the altar, humming happily.
Arlo groaning, "My arms are noodles, my back is broken, and my soul is gone."
Tessa smug, "And yet, the church coffers are full. A productive day, wouldn't you say?"
Arlo: "Productive for you. I carried your almonds, got poked by that Blacksmith's brown sword, and got sneezed on by a kid. What do I get?"
Tessa (tossing him a single copper coin): "Here. Don't spend it all in one place."
Arlo stares at the coin.
Arlo reflecting on the events so far
"Fifty-fifty chance of fortune, huh? So far, it's ninety percent humiliation, ten percent child-snot."
Tessa stretches luxuriously, tossing her golden hair back.
Tessa: "Rest well, servant. Tomorrow, we have twice as many appointments."
Arlo groans and flops backward on the pew, glaring up at the ceiling.
Arlo:
Note to self: if fate offers me two paths—one toward this woman, and one toward a pack of wolves—I might actually take the wolves.