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 Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2024 1:11 pm
Asa rolled his shoulder with a pained hiss. With the stress of his personal life weighing on him, the Zenan born healer hadn’t been sleeping well and it was starting to take its toll. A good night’s rest was hard enough for him, considering his own ailments and those of his children, so to go without even for a day left him exhausted. Still, he couldn’t afford to slack when finances were always tight and so he continued prep work at the clinic.
It wasn’t nearly as illustrious as most in the city, mainly because it catered to those of a lower financial status and foreigners who hadn’t yet established themselves. In all honesty they were the only one willing to take a chance on a desperate Zenan and most of the time he found himself performing house calls instead of seeing patients at the main location. Today, however, was a unique case. His coworkers had been called out for an emergency – something about a house fire – so he was tasked with finishing up for the day. At the moment the clinic was quiet, bereft of patients due to the hour, and Asa was mainly busying himself with sweeping the floor.
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Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2024 1:13 pm
[Corny via Discord / 1]
Despite how her body felt like it could use another week of sleep, Honi's mind had been spinning too much to lie still. She had made a makeshift headscarf out of one of the pillowcases and turned her filthy dress inside out to hide the stains and make herself a little more presentable while walking around outside. She was too worn out to make full use of the illusion stone, only changing her skin color to fit the lightning tones to blend in more.
Honi had two goals in mind for her trip out, if she could manage them. Maybe three goals, if not having an anxiety attack at being outside alone as one goal. Some basics were needed though, and she hoped to find some and return before Eli woke. He was even more beat up than she had been. How nice would it be for him to wake to find something taken care of? If she could even slightly relieve the burden on his shoulders...
She had asked the employee at the inn desk about cheap medicine and food, and that was how she found herself walking through the doors of the humble clinic with her heart in her stomach. This was hopeless with not a single coin to her name, but she had to at least try. She cleared her throat gently to catch the attention of the Zenan. "Hello. Can you help me?"
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Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2024 1:14 pm
“Welcome, miss.” Despite the broom in his hand, everything in Asa’s bearing spoke of his affluent birth. He held himself high, despite his smaller frame and the exhaustion clinging to his bones. Seeing a hybrid was nothing new to him here, much less one in need and Asa’s smile was as charming as it was warm. Whatever brought her here today had to be stressful if the pinch in her eyes and the bandage around her head was anything to go from.
“If you’ll allow it, I can certainly try.” Setting the broom aside, the Zenan looked back to her, “Would you like to sit down first?” He made a slow, easy gesture to the room behind the waiting area. Inside was a simple examining table and a chair for himself. “Or we can speak out here; whichever you prefer.”
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Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2024 1:15 pm
[Corny via Discord / 2]
Honi cast a wary eye at the indicated seating. That would put them rather close together, and she wasn't sure the illusion stone's power would hold up under close scrutiny. The way the man carried himself made her instantly want to trust him.. but she was too jumpy to allow herself the luxury right off the bat. Coming here alone was risky enough. Finally, she shook her head. Instead, she took a few steps forward, set a small cloth onto the floor, and quickly stepped back toward the door again. "I'm sorry.." she began, praying he wouldn't be put off by her behavior. "I just need something to help my friend. He's been hurt, but I doubt he'll be willing to come here. If that will cover anything. A small potion. Clean bandages. Anything." Inside the cloth was every bit of jewelry that Honi had been wearing from the start of the whole wild ride she was on. It wasn't much, and most of it was trinkets she had made herself, but the earrings had a couple small gems fit into them. Maybe being foreign made would add a bit of value?
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Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2024 1:17 pm
Ah, had he overstepped? Rather than rescind his offer, Asa calmly waited until she’d decided on a course of action. He should have known not to push others, especially given his particular clientele but overriding years of gallantry wasn’t nearly that easy. The cloth was odd, as was her behavior and Asa couldn’t help getting suspicious. Was there something inside it to attack hIm? A creature? Black powder?
He chose to keep a level head and was grateful for it. Her words just…well, he couldn’t help but to trust her. There was just something in the tone…Ygraine would hate this. She’d told him time and time again that his bleeding heart would get him into trouble and here he was, taking a few steps closer to danger. Asa gingerly crouched beside it, then lifted a corner of the cloth to inspect it’s contents. Spirits bless her.
As much as Asa would have liked to hand it back to her, he finances were tight enough without him refusing payment. So, he accepted it with a smile and tucked it into the folds of his robe. “Can you describe some of his symptoms?...You needn’t tell me what happened, but an idea would be good to make sure I don’t give you something that could make them worse.”
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Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2024 1:18 pm
[Corny via Discord / 3]
It was all she could do to not bounce on her toes with concerned anticipation. Would the man accept her offering? Would he simply laugh in her face? Of course, the relief at seeing the calm smile was brief. Describe.. Describe the injuries?! Of course he would ask that. Why hadn't she thought about this beforehand? Telling him her friend had nearly been strangled to death with a whole apartment building burning down around them was not going to be something she could admit...
Still, if he was willing to help her for that bit of jewelry, she had to be willing to give a little as well. "He was in a fight. A bad one." She clasped her hands together at her chest while she tried hard to fend off the guilt that still rattled through her. Hopefully, this clinician would be able to figure out what would be needed most. "It's.. lots of bruises and cuts. His throat was hurt. And a burn." Now all she had to do was just pretend for a little longer that she was blind what kind of burn that was marking Eli's skin... She raised her hand to gently touch the wrap around her head and sighed. She had gotten off easy with mostly bruising to deal with.
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Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2024 1:20 pm
“Oh my.” A fight? Aggressor or not, Asa could only imagine the sorts of injuries he might have sustained. Broken bones, bruised organs, lacerations…It was such a broad term that he could only mentally tick off the basics in his mind. Clearly it wasn’t an easy thing for her to talk about, though, and so he tried not to press too much.
“Does his cut need stitching? That is, is it very deep?” Even as he was speaking Asa was moving behind their receptionist counter to a wide, locked cabinet. With a little key he was able to open it and, after making sure it was opened wide enough for her to see, unveiled the medical supplies within. “Keeping it clean will be good regardless-,” So a cleansing wash, bandages, a salve for pain… “-and this will help his muscles to heal. When you say his throat was hurt though, what kind of damage was that?”
And a burn. She’d mentioned as much and try as he might Asa just couldn’t help getting curious. What sort of fight was this?
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Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2024 1:22 pm
[Corny via Discord / 4]
Honi's brow knit with embarrassment. She hadn't actually expected to get so many questions considering what she'd had to offer in return. She only knew what she'd seen last night and what she had been able to look at that morning. She didn't have the full extent of Eli's injuries to describe. Her eyes shifted to follow the other's movements to the cabinet. "I don't.. think so. No stitches." Even if it would be good to have them, there were probably other medicines more important to spend that limited offering on. Like Eli's throat.
"They... they tried to..." Her own throat clenched up at the memory of those thin but furiously strong hands crushing Eli's neck, and her eyes instantly began to water. What were you going to do if you did find the one who framed him? Cry and beg them to show you mercy?' The harsh words shot through her mind and even made the back of her head sting. The woman who uttered them might have been taunting her.. but was that awful wretch.. really wrong? She couldn't keep crying at everything that upset her. Honi quickly brushed at her eyes and cleared her throat. Logic, not impulse.. Still, the potential for tears remained in her eyes as she wrapped her arms around herself. "They tried to choke him.. but he can still talk and breathe."
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Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2024 1:23 pm
Admittedly Asa was more concerned with counting out and measuring the supplies he was retrieving from the cabinet than noticing her facial changes. When she started to stumble, however, he looked up and sighed. “It’s alright; you don’t have to recount the details.” Especially if it’s going to cause her more trauma. She looked ready to have a fit that very moment and the last thing Asa wanted was to be the cause of it.
“Right.” He nodded. A choking victim? Goddess. It was a wonder he’d made it through at all. If the same had happened to him…Well, but Asa was a frail man and thinking too hard on that wouldn’t help. “This salve helps keep the area cool, but if possible putting ice on it would help. Just a little, with a cloth in between, to keep the swelling down. The same tonic I’m going to give him for his muscle aches will help with the swelling as well, but make sure he doesn’t take too much of it and if his breathing worsens seek medical care immediately.” He didn’t want to scare her, but he also didn’t want to fumble with a man’s life. “So long as he follows through with this he’ll be fine, but if the swelling gets too bad it may cut off his breathing.”
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Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2024 1:24 pm
[Corny via Discord / 5]
Honi made herself take a few more deep breaths. At this point, she knew she had to keep her head if she was to walk that fine line between too much information and not enough. She wanted to give Eli as much help as she could, but she couldn't reveal too much more either. At least the healer seemed to be understanding of her desire for discretion. He could have been much pushier than he was being.
She chewed on her lip at the warning given. Having never gone through such an injury herself, she was willing to take the healer's word for it. Of course, experienced or not, she knew it wasn't an injury to trifle with. She nodded with utmost seriousness. "I'll make sure he does." She didn't want Eli to suffer any more than he already had. Plus, they couldn't prove their innocence if they were dead...
Still, her expression gained a little bit of life when she realized what this meant. He really was going to help them out!
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Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2024 1:26 pm
Satisfied, at least for now, Asa started to bundle up the supplies, but he noticeably didn’t close the cabinet. Instead, he looked up at the young lady and observed her for a moment. “…And you? How are your injuries?” From what he could see outright she didn’t seem to be in the most stable of states, which likely meant she hadn’t come out of this unscathed either. “We can’t care for others if we don’t care for ourselves first.”
He couldn’t force her, Asa was far too frail for that kind of thing, but he might be able to convince her to at least let him examine her.
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Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2024 1:27 pm
[Corny via Discord / 6]
There it was again; the temptation to let herself relax and trust in someone else. What a cruel world this was. "It wasn't nearly as bad for me... thanks to him." A hand started to rise to touch her head, but she caught herself and took a moment to inspect her hand instead. The illusion looked solid... but she couldn't risk it. Not only could it be dangerous for her, but it would be safer for the doctor as well. After last night, the doctors in the area might get questioned. A belated realization on her part. She couldn't help describing Eli's injuries, but at least the doctor would be able to truthfully deny seeing anyone with her Matori skin. "Nothing a little extra sleep and a clean bandage won't fix." That, and a hot bath to get rid of the blood and soak her sore muscles. She'd woken up with a mission in mind though. The bath would come later. Speaking of water- She felt like she could drink a whole tub and still be parched! "If I may, do you have any water to spare for a drink?" Frankly, she trusted the water here to be cleaner than what the inn was offering.
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Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2024 1:28 pm
Asa bit down on his questions and nodded. “Of course. Let me get that together for you.” Reaching back into the cabinet, he pulled out a few extra bandages, salve, and for good measure some cleansing salt. He would need to write down instructions on exactly how much to use when diluted with clean…water…Bold of you to assume she has access to any. Ah, well, that was…very true. Placing the salt back into the cabinet, he instead reached for a premixed solution and placed it into the bundle.
“Just moment.” Setting all of that aside for now, Asa went into the back room, making sure to stay in full view of the open doorway, and grabbed a water pitcher. As far as cups though…well…It wasn’t as if they had many. Most of the water was used for cleaning wounds and the only cup he had was one he’d brought from home. Thankfully Asa had already washed it on the premise of leaving soon, and when he returned it was with a nice, full glass of clean water. “Here you are.”
The cup itself was nothing special. It was ceramic in make, clearly amateurish, with what looked like two sets of handprints dipped in paint on the sides.
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Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2024 1:29 pm
[Corny via Discord / 7]
After a brief hesitation, she let her shoulders relax just a little to let the healer close enough to accept the cup directly from him. "Thank you, very much." Honi accepted the cup, and of course couldn't help pausing to look over the craft. The little handprints had her attention more than anything else, and made an unconsciously sad smile rise into place. It seemed like a special cup to entrust to her for even a brief use. Not only that, but it served to reinforce in her the desire to keep the healer as distant from the situation as she could manage. Maybe when she got home, she would help her little nieces and nephews make something similar for their parents. If she actually got to see them again...
She closed her eyes against the emotions and forced herself to drink slowly. Of course, the cup was empty all too quickly for her liking. Reluctant to ask for too much, she approached the counter to set the empty cup down. Unable to help herself, her fingers ran along the cup's rim gently. "Is there a public kiln around here, or was this sweet little cup made somewhere else?"
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Posted: Wed Mar 06, 2024 1:30 pm
While his patient drank from her cup, Asa finished up gathering up the necessary supplies and closed the cabinet. He’d lain everything out onto a clean, if not worn, piece of linen and brought the edges up to tie them together. When it felt a little too heavy for his liking, the Zenan reached behind him for the basket he’d brought his lunch in. Not that it had been touched; his appetite escaped him most days, and so Asa sat his meal to the side.
Now with everything neatly tucked away, he sat it all up on the counter for whenever she needed them. “There is, actually,” Asa couldn’t help, but to smile. “Well, in a sense. There’s a pottery shop on the west end and sometimes they host amateur classes. I’ve taken my little ones there a time or two, and this was one of the creations that survived.” He chuckled. Now that it was sitting on top of the counter it was obviously leaning to one side, but at least it didn’t leak.
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