Kael mostly ignored the flirting after that, answering with grunts or short replies whenever necessary. To the man's credit, he did good work. The wild length was cut down and shaped, the red hair cleaned and styled enough that Kael could look in the mirror without seeing a half-drowned survivor of three separate nightmares. He looked different. Still rough. Still too large. Still not the old Kael.
But human enough.
After that, he took a taxi to the hospital.
Sitting in the back seat felt strange. Too soft. Too normal. The driver kept glancing at him through the mirror, opened his mouth twice as if to ask something, then wisely chose silence. Kael watched the city slide past the window and kept one hand near his inventory out of habit. Every traffic light felt too slow. Every turn felt unnecessary. Every minute away from the hospital made the Elixir feel heavier.
When he arrived, he paid, stepped out, and entered the building.
The hospital smelled the same.
