[SRP] A Check-Up (Zephyr x Tala)

[Epine de Rose]

It wasn't every day that the Hlare were sought out over the Mwani - generally the Mwani came to them and the Hlare operated off their specific requests. But this particular lioness had been adamant that she didn't believe a healer could help her; at least she had no injuries of note and therefore something more medicinal might help. She hadn't given any further details, but the Mwani had at least communicated the visitor's intention and Zephyr had agreed to receive her.

Hindsight indicated that she really should have asked for the date and time, but given she hadn't done so, Zephyr had had no other choice than to clean everything up early. Her collaborative research with the Stormborn had been shuffled to one side for the time being, and her standard concoctions and day to day brewing were placed carefully off to one side. It left the majority of her den free to move around in, even if she couldn't entirely remove the distinct smell of brewing herbs or peculiar substances from the air.

...Ah, but such was the life of an alchemist. Most days they could smell very pretty, if unusual; other days they smelled like death and this was generally down to a mistake with their ingredients. Fortunately, she hadn't chosen today to investigate some of the toxins that the Stormborn had brought; the gods only knew how those might smell whenever she finally got down to trying to brew them in to something that could cause necrosis.

Urgh, she didn't even want to know what it would smell like when she began to test it!

Words: 268

 

[Epine de Rose]

The Mwani had been very understanding. She had sat and listened as Tala had explained her concerns, and when she had indicated that she had no symptoms, they had both agreed that perhaps there might be something the alchemists could do. No promises had been made, the mwani had only provided her with reassurances that her request would be taken seriously and the Hlare would do their utmost to provide her with assistance... Whether they would be successful or not remained to be seen.

Nevertheless when the white lioness had final gained the courage to take the steps she needed down the path towards the Hlare compound, she was surprised to see what she did. For want of a better description, it seemed like a cluster of several homes with multiple gardens surrounding them. The entire area was an assault on the senses with a variety of different flowers and plants blooming here and there... while peculiar scents seemed to flow out little 'windows'.

So this was where the 'magic' happened?

Tala had received the directions from the Mwani as to which Hlare she was meant to see today. They were all exceedingly busy due to additional work they had received, but one had made time for her. Thus she picked her way down the little path to the den with the two pools by the door and came to a halt, gently patting it with her paw to let the alchemist know she had arrived...

Words: 246

 

[Epine de Rose]

Zephyr peeked her head around the doorframe as she heard the little pat and promptly offered a warm smile to the white lioness who had come to her. Aha, well she was one of the foreign visitors who had been wandering about. She recognised her from before, and it seemed she had come back for another visit. She took comfort in the knowledge that even the visitors were content to request assistance from them, rather than attempting to struggle their way home to receive treatment...although she still didn't know exactly what that treatment was.

"Come in, come in!" she instructed as she cleared the doorway for the paler lioness to enter. "You must be Tala, they said you would be around but I was a little..." she paused and glanced around her den. Yes, she reassured herself, it was as tidy as an alchemist's den could be in the given circumstances. "I forgot to ask when you intended to visit so you'll have to excuse everything lying around," she apologised.

As for the smell, well Tala would simply have to get used to that one on her own as there was very little Zephyr could do about it. There was a reason the Hlare were housed a short distance away from everyone; too close and the scents from their produce might cause some discomfort.

"So what can I do for you today? The mwani indicated that they weren't able to help you," she added.

Words: 244

 

[Epine de Rose]

Zephyr's sudden appearance gave her a start and she jumped briefly; however by the time she had regained her bearings she was staring into the inquisitive eyes of the alchemist. A pleasant smell rippled from her fur and the warmth of her smile indicated that Tala really had nothing to fear. She might have been uncomfortable, but that didn't necessarily mean that Zephyr was there to make her feel worse. If anything, she got the impression that the mwani and the hlare would do anything in their power to make someone feel better.

She obediently followed the lioness into her home and paused briefly to take in the scene. It was certainly chaotic, but everything seemed to have its place. Plants, dust and a variety of strange liquids (including what looked like clay) seemed to be strewn about on little tables. Tala surmised that these were deliberately separated and related to a specific project. It was curious to see how this pride operated, it was quite unlike the pridelands in so many respects... This was simply one of them!

"Oh well, ah..." she cleared her throat and finally returned her gaze to the lioness. She took a seat, if only because she had the suspicion she might be instructed to do so and took a breath. "I have um... I've been having concerns about my ability to have children. My mother has recently had another set of cubs and -" she blushed.

"I haven't been well behaved in all these years," Tala confessed and shook her head. "Nothing has happened though and the more I think about it the more worried I get," she added. "The mwani said they couldn't see anything wrong with me so they thought you might have something that might help...?"

Words: 294
Total Words (Tala): 540

 

[Epine de Rose]

Zephyr held back a wince at Tala's concerns and shook her head; honestly the fertility of the Bahari had never been a problem and as such, they had never had to look at its causes. However she had heard from some of the older lionesses that on occasions, one simply had difficulty conceiving due to bad diet, anxiety... It turned out that lionesses really were quiet fragile whenever it came to that. However they'd never really given any other suggestions than to 'eat better'!

Should she be honest about this?

Zephyr pursed her lips as she regarded the lioness and then hazarded a small smile. "We don't generally have that problem here so it's not our area of expertise," she said at last and wandered across her den to select a number of roots from it. They weren't anything special, if anything they would help to clear out her system, but it would act as a placebo which tended to be quite potent.

"But we know of it," she said finally and walked back to the paler lioness. "You should take these, but I would also advise that you relax a little and try not to think about it," she added.

"If things are still a problem when you are actively trying," she added with a knowing smile. "Then you should come back, but this could be a case of the males being a little lack lustre rather than you," she pointed out.

The remark was enough to make the white lioness smile as she took the roots in her paw; but they'd both have to see how this played out...

Words: 272
Total Words (Zephyr): 784