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Miyuki nodded, "I'll go get that flask of water then..."

It was the only thing she could do that the moment, other than perhaps think about what he could eat that would be okay. She honestly didn't know how these things work.

It was rare that the two got this chance, and knowing it would be even rarer once they started traveling again, it was Lin who broke out the tea set and clothing. Just so she could do so.

Most people knew (though some instinctively) that this was a time for them to be left alone. So she was surprised to see Shoneah looking for them.

"Sliverbirch," Lin looked up from the tea she was pouring, "Did you need of us?"

Lin frowned and thought about it. While not a lot of people in her family got sick (at least in her recent memory) she was familiar with the concept. YanYu had gotten sick once, and Quintin and Raven often caught something during the winter season. Kin, because of his dog demon blood often came out unscathed.

"Well... the weather has been changing a lot, and while Andarien has gone through several seasons over the years without getting sick, I suppose it shouldn't be surprising that he does...." she mused.

Anderian also tended to get caught up in his work, so he didn't look after himself as well as he should. He wasn't as bad as Shiro, it was amazing Shiro had never gotten sick before.

Lin tilted her head curiously and then recalled elves didn't normally get sick. She supposed it would take something as bad as an infection (from the result of a wound no doubt) in order to become ill.

"He probably has the flu," she paused, "I think that's how Raven put it. Colds will just make you feel miserable, but if you have the fever it's likely the flu."

People tended to use the terms interchangeably, but it was Raven who cleared it up for Lin.

"My family has been relatively healthy and free from the seasonal sicknesses, but it's actually not uncommon for certain to become ill when the weather gets colder. There are, actually a lot of diseases that certain races can get, not because they have a wound that got infected but rather a disease that jumps from one person to the next, or because where they live isn't as sanitary as it should be."

She scratched her cheek thoughtfully.

"Yukito once told me it's because the weather gets colder and people tend to stay indoors more putting them in close contact with each other. Though I've also heard not looking after yourself, such as not sleeping enough, or not eating regularly can open yourself up to get sick easier... something about the immune system but that's a topic Shiro is better at than myself."

"Not directly, but yes it can..." Lin paused a bit because part of that was Andarien's choice after all.

She thought about what Yukito had told her. Lin herself, had a tendency to over work and going to the Four Lands for language lessons certainly messed with her own sleeping habits. Her brother sat her down when she started school for socializing in order to make sure she understood the importance of not over working herself.

"How did my brother put it? All living beings, have the ability to fight off disease... admittedly, some races do it better than others, but things like lack of sleep can make it harder for our bodies to keep illness away. It doesn't mean you'll get sick right away, it just means you're more likely to get sick. In all honesty, it's probably a combination of that and the fact that those of us that can have pretty much forgotten we can become ill on occasion. The combination of traveling constantly, and probably being among people who don't normally get ill has kept the rest of us pretty healthy."

"We probably should head back," Lin murmured, "I know through friends you can feel pretty miserable while sick. Though he's probably sleeping by now..."

She paused and looked thoughtful.

"I wonder if we could make soup, but that would take a lot of fire time... I heard soup is the best, because you get both liquids and nutrient from that."

Once Shoneah was gone, Lin worked to pour what was left of the tea out (it wouldn't hurt the plants and the leaves would be good compose). She would clean the set later when there was time.

"I wonder if he just felt the symptoms today, or if it's been like that for a while," Lin mused after everything was packed up, "I've never talked to the children about being healthy, and Andarien... he tends to not say when he's being bothered until he's really bothered by something..."