Vella carried fresh bedding to the third recovery room while the protected child followed at a careful two-pace distance.
Vella paused outside the third recovery room, gesturing toward the open threshold with an open, relaxed hand.
The room smelled cleanly of dried lavender and fresh pine shavings scattered beneath the floorboards.
The protected child stopped abruptly two paces back, her quiet gaze fixing intently on the tarnished latch plate.
Her bare toes curled against the smooth pine floorboards, anchoring her frame as she surveyed the interior space.
"Would you prefer another room, or should we change this one until it feels yours?" the healer asked gently.
The girl shook her head in refusal, giving the freshly made straw mattress in the corner only a brief glance.
Rumi stepped toward the doorway before Nari caught her wrist firmly, pulling her back into the central hallway.
