Final Fantasy VII: Lifestream - Book 2: Aftermath

THIRTY-SEVEN

Madam M's hand massage parlor hadn't changed much, either. Still the same hand-painted illustrations decorating the walls, the matching pots sitting nearby, her dark, polished wooden desk with its lamp, pole, and little white masks, and the short hallway to the right leading to the room where she gave her massages.

"Ah, Jessie," Madam M said. "So good to see you again."

I smiled. "You too, M."

The folds of her kimono rustled around her as she approached me. "I must admit, when the plate fell last week, I worried about you. But I didn't know for certain that you were still in Sector 7 until Andrea told me the other day. And that you were hurt."

"Still am, a bit," I admitted. "That's why I'm here."

She nodded. "Of course. I see it in the way you're carrying yourself. But don't worry, Jessie. I'll help you get back up to snuff. Don't expect it to be easy, though. Because it won't be."

I hadn't expected anything different. "I'm ready."

"Good," Madam M went on. "I know many therapeutic techniques for soothing and rebuilding muscles. Mostly for hands, of course, but I can adapt them in order to assist you. It'll take several sessions to fully restore your strength and mobility, and they won't be short, I'm afraid. I'd say three to five hours each. But if you're willing to put in the work, Jessie, you'll soon reap the rewards."

"Then we'd better get started," I smirked.

She laughed. "That's the spirit. And don't worry about the price. It's already been taken care of. I don't think I need to remind you where to go, either. I'm sure you remember the way."

Biggs looked at me. "So do we just wait out here, then? Sounds like you're gonna be busy for a while."

"Yep!" I agreed. "So you boys just run along."

"You sure?" Wedge asked.

Madam M shooed them away with her closed fan. "You heard her. Now get going. And if either of you two even try to peek, I'll have your eyes on a stick. Do I make myself clear?"

He gulped and backed up. "Uh, y-yeah! Yes, ma'am!"

"Sure do," Biggs added, hurrying toward the door. "C'mon, Wedge. let's split. Jessie'll be fine. We'll come back later."

"Have fun!" I grinned.

Once they'd left, Madam M and I went into the other room, where she had me lay down on the cushioned table. Then we got to work. She used a combination of massage, creams, and other treatments I'd never heard of before to help soothe the hurt muscles in my arm and legs and get some of the tension out. She also tended to my bruised ribs as well. They'd been healing up well enough for the most part thanks to Aerith, but they were still a bit sore here and there.

There wasn't anything that Madam M could do about the scars on my arm and shoulder from where I'd been shot besides gently rubbing in more of her lotions and creams to ease the pain. They'd never really go away, though. And though Aerith had healed most of the burns that I'd suffered, my skin was still red in a few places—my elbow, part of my stomach, both my legs, a bit on the side of my face—so Madam M took care of them, too, soothing the stinging pain.

When she was finished, I sat up and put my shirt back on. Then we started on the exercises. These were a little different and more involved than the ones that I'd done with Tifa. It wasn't easy, and I was worn out by the time we finally got done about three and a half hours later, but I also felt looser and more relaxed, and the pain wasn't as bad as before. I also didn't have to limp as much when I walked. I still had a ways to go, but I felt a lot better than I had earlier.