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 Posted: Thu Jun 24, 2021 2:40 pm
"Miss Terrwyn please.." The voice of the older woman at her side sounded distressed.
Terrwyn herself was limping, giving a wince each time she put pressure on her wounded leg, and shooing the woman away with her free hand. Her other hand had a crossbow clutched in it.
"Miss Terrwyn you need a healer!" The woman fussed a bit more. "Or at the very least sit down so that we can take a look at how badly you're hurt!"
The young teen shot the woman a small glare. It had no real bite behind it. At most she was only really capable of showing displeasure with it. She still said nothing but waved the woman off as she kept walking.
The older woman sighed loudly as she looked back at the others that were with them. The whole hunting party was looking at the young teen with worry but none seemed willing to stop her. The man who seemed to be in charge simply raised his shoulders before speaking. "Unless we can bring the healer to her or somehow convince her to walk by a healer's shop I doubt she's going to go."
Terrwyn rolled her eyes a little and made another face as the pain shot up her leg. She'd fallen during a hunt since they weren't used to this terrain. Because her weight landed on the one leg she ended up scraping it pretty badly. Dried blood and dirt could be seen through the rip in her leggings. Honestly she knew it needed to at least be cleaned. Having seen enough injuries on her siblings she wasn't stupid. A huff left her and she stopped walking so that the others could catch up. Her eyes went toward the man that seemed to be their leader before she motioned with her hand for him to lead the way. That was her only indication that she would allow them to take her to a healer.
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Posted: Thu Jun 24, 2021 3:26 pm
Asa was becoming more and more known in the area which meant that he was being asked to make home visits. Since he and his partner primarily traveled, having settled for a small stint in Oba due to the children, he wasn't unused to long stretches of walking between jobs. That being said he also wasn't in the best of health so more often than not their raptrix, Sev, would accompany him. The rather large, pudgy canine sauntered easily beside him, ready at anytime to scoop up the tired healer, but today he was happy enough just to pad along back on his own two feet.
As such it wasn't entirely uncommon for him to come across a hunting party though it was strange to see leaflings among the mix. Especially one who was clearly limping.
"Miss?" Asa called out. He gave Sev a pat on the neck before moving forward, trying his best to gain their attention. "Are you alright?"
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Posted: Thu Jun 24, 2021 6:10 pm
Terrwyn heard someone calling out and usually she'd have brushed it off as one of her party but she didn't know that voice. It was a stranger's voice. So she paused in her limping to turn her head to look at who it was that spoke. Her green eyes narrowed a small fraction as she took in the person's appearance. Ice, she thought, Either overly concerned for strangers or has some healing abilities. The young teen held her hand up in a fist just over her shoulder to signal to the rest of them that they should halt. Amazingly the whole party did. The man in charge looked from Terrwyn to the man that had gained her attention. "Hello. Do you know the quickest way to a healer by chance? The Miss here was injured." Normally he wouldn't state their business but the man had clearly seen Terrwyn limping and it wasn't like a closer look wouldn't reveal the state of her leg. The young teen had since lowered her hand back down to her side, but didn't say anything. Her eyes took in everything about Asa that she could. His size, his clothing, his posture, even his beast companion. The crossbow in her hand shimmied slightly and she tapped her index finger against the trigger.
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Posted: Thu Jun 24, 2021 6:25 pm
Even Asa halted out of habit when she raised her fist. Sev, however, did not. The lackadaisal raptrix kept walking until she was settled just behind her master, tongue lolling out of her thick head. "Ah, actually, I'm a healer." He may have been as slight and fair as a spring maiden, but Asa stood as firm as any hardened iceling.
He couldn't help dipping his golden gaze to that leg of hers and grimacing. "It's a wonder you're walking at all. You're a tough one, miss, I'll give you that." Also incredibly stubborn. It was impossible to miss that determined glint in her eye.
"Sev, down." Turning to the raptrix, Asa motioned for her to lower and without complaint the large canine did so. When she settled she tucked her wings against her body. "If you could sit down-" He made another motion, this time toward the large canine, "-I'll see what I can do."
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Posted: Thu Jun 24, 2021 6:46 pm
Well that answers that one.. Terrwyn thought to herself again. However, she had noticed how the man had stopped when she'd given the signal. Did he go out with hunting parties? With as fragile as he looked? Her head ever so slightly gave a tilt to the right as she questioned that bit. The man that had spoken, a muscular leafling, smiled. "We're in luck then." He moved his eyes to look at the teen girl. "Miss.." He motioned with one hand toward the icling. Terrwyn watched the beast as it obeyed the command. Then as she was motioned by both her own head guard and the healer she turned her body so that she could limp over. It hurt, even more so now that she'd stopped walking for a minute. The weight being added after being slightly favored even for just a little bit made the first few steps worse than before. She didn't sit, though, instead she stood and looked to the side of Asa at the ground. Terrwyn didn't feel comfortable sitting on the beast and sitting on the ground so close to it would put her at a disadvantage. So worry showed on her face for a moment.
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Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 7:47 am
It was certainly strange to see the way the larger leafling deferred to the younger woman. Asa couldn't claim to know enough about Talean culture to know about social standings, but he'd seen enough similar situations in Zena to come to the conclusion that she wasn't an average teenager. There was something more here; something that he needed to be careful with.
Seeing the way she hesitated, though...It caused Asa's heart to clench. He'd thought that having a softer surface might make her more comfortable, but - Moving forward, he reached across Sev for the blanket thrown across her back and tucked it against his body. Once he'd managed to wrestle it away from the raptrix he walked closer to Terrwyn, and chose to spread it on the ground instead. It wouldn't be as soft, but if she was more comfortable this way then it was worth it.
"Please Miss, I must ask you to sit. You're only antagonizing the wound at this point." His voice was soft, but with a hint of sternness to it. For the briefest of moments Asa rose back up to stand, but only to move back to his raptrix for supplies. When he came back the iceling settled himself onto the blanket. He would have offered to assist her in getting down, but in all honesty he was worried that by touching her unnecessarily she might spook.
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Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 12:01 pm
The male leafling came up behind Terrwyn, the teen gently turning her head to acknowledge his presence, and placed a hand on her shoulder. It was a reassuring one as he smiled at her. "We'll be right here so you don't have to worry." Her green eyes went back to the Icling as he put the blanket down and told her that she was basically doing more harm than good for her leg. Finally she nodded her head and moved so that she could sit down. She positioned herself in a way that made her wounded leg available to the healer. Her guard stepped back to give the healer space, not wanting to crowd him or make him think he was in danger. Everyone in the hunting party seemed worried about the young teen but it was the older woman from earlier that stepped forward this time to speak to Asa. "I'm Gilda, her chaperone. Is the wound that bad?" Terrwyn half rolled her eyes and half looked off to the side as Gilda introduced herself. The woman had been her nanny when she was younger and now she was basically a companion to make sure nothing inappropriate happened since her step mother would be livid if the family name was tarnished. Bringing her eyes back toward the older woman the teen finally deemed to speak. "..'S fine.." A small lie but one to hopefully make the woman feel better. Terrwyn then looked at Asa. "...'M Terrwyn." Her voice was soft and barely above a whisper, almost like she feared speaking altogether.
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Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 12:57 pm
Asa did his best to come off as unthreatening as possible which wasn't difficult to do at all. Even the way he sat was almost a little too proper and only further accented his narrow frame. Even if he were to put up a fight it surely wouldn't last more than a few seconds and the only true threat was Sev who was happy enough chewing on her own paw.
Once she was settled Asa crept closer - slowly, so as not to upset her - and yet before he touched the wound an older woman spoke. With a soft smile, he turned up to look at her. "A pleasure, Mistress Gilda. My name is Asa and from what I can tell-" Turning back to the wound itself the icelings smile dropped to a concerned grimace. "-infection has started to set in, but not terribly. See here, around the edges of the wound where it's started to swell?" This time he looked up to the teen herself with a calming look. "Good news is with a proper cleansing that should take care of itself."
It was most assuredly not fine, but just hearing her voice, after having so many others speak for her, was surprising. He'd almost thought the teen was mute. "You're a strong girl, Terrwyn, far stronger than I. I'm going to need you to keep being tough just a little while longer, alright?" No matter how he went about this it was going to hurt and he didn't like lying to patients.
Reaching for his back, Asa brought out the tools of his trade. A vial of freshly cleansed water, a variety of salves, and the bare bones of a splint.
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Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 1:15 pm
Everyone watched Asa with varying degrees of worry on their faces. Gilda was the one that gasped when he mentioned infection, her hands flying to her mouth as she turned to look at the man who had done the talking either. "Kise! We should have made her stop sooner." She cried with a worried tone. The man just shrugged his shoulders at her. "Can't make Miss Terrwyn do anything she doesn't want to do." The teen sighed at the reaction of her companion. Still she nodded her head at Asa when he told her to be tough for a bit longer. As the healer went about whatever it was he was doing, because she honestly had no clue, she studied him. The way he sat and the way he moved. A realization set in the made her frown at him a bit. He's upper class. Doesn't seem to be like Merle though. Her thoughts supplied for her. He doesn't know if I am high or low born but he's willing to clean my wound. Definitely not like her step mother. Terrwyn turned her head to look at the head guard and give him a look. Only her eyes moved but he had been with her long enough to get the meaning. He took Gilda by the shoulders and moved her away from the healer. With the extra space she looked back at Asa. "... Family name?" This time two whole words, not shortened because she didn't think there was a way to do so without butchering them. Still she spoke quietly like she didn't want anyone else to hear. "... you on loan or running?" Her own sister had been loaned out so that she could learn more dances. Perhaps Asa had been loaned out so that he could increase his skills? Running was also an option because Terrwyn had considered it.
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Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 1:41 pm
"It's alright." Asa cooed, more so for the adults in the party than the teen herself. "As I said the infection is minor and with proper cleansing it should be fine. I wouldn't worry over it." He'd seen far worse on far younger patients, but saying so wouldn't aid the situation. Asa tenderly pulled back the sleeves of his shirt, careful to fold them just so that way they wouldn't wrinkle, before reaching for a clean cloth and the treated water.
"Forgive me, but I need to expose the wound." Her leggings may have already been tore, but that didn't mean he wanted to do more damage without at least telling her first. Even while on the road Asa had manners! He tugged a little on the fabric, just enough to widen the gap but not enough to jostle the leg itself.
At the mention of a family name his whole body pulled to a stop. "Ah, I'd...really rather not say." Tenderly he wiped the blood and dirt from the surrounding skin before changing the cloth completely and tackling the wound itself. Some areas needed a brief soak to loosen the debris, but all in all he was pleased that it wasn't as drastic as he had initially feared. She wouldn't lose her leg to this and for that he was grateful. "Knowing the truth wouldn't do you any good." His tone was soft, matching hers in volume, as if the conversation was for them alone.
Still...the next question had him pausing and stealing a glance up into her eyes. She was perceptive, he'd give her that, and his earlier assumption that she held some clout seemed to be validated. "...Running."
Now that the wound was cleaned he set his materials aside and braced her leg with his hands. One for support, the other to hover above the affected area with a golden glow, one that would warm the skin and after a brief burn bring some semblance of pain relief. "Is that helping at all? Tell me if you would prefer I stop."
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Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 2:00 pm
She nodded her head when he apologized for having to expose her wound more. Terrwyn would have done so herself if he'd told her to. The leggings weren't of any particular value to her. With the rip in them she would need to cut them anyways. It would also supply her with something more cool for the warm weather of Oba in the long run. It was more practical that way. The teen didn't seem upset with his refusal to tell her a name. It just made her lean more toward the running part. The less people that knew who he was related to the less likely it was someone would find him. And just as she thought that he answered her. ".. Won't tell.." Terrwyn nodded her head in understanding followed by a wince and a hiss as her wound was being messed with. Her green gaze dropped down to look at her leg to watch what Asa was doing. Upon being asked if it was helping she gave a small nod but her expression said it still hurt. The young teen seemed to be chewing on the inside of her cheek for a moment before she turned her head to look away. ".. 'S fine.." She was back to shortened words and still kept her voice low. Terrwyn didn't talk much and when she did she always feared the wrong people hearing her making noise and the punishment that could follow. She'd learned it was better to be respectfully quiet a long time ago.
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Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 3:09 pm
"Thank you." If she'd known enough about the Zenan elite his crystals would have been more than enough information. There was only one family with such an elaborate pattern so the further away he could get from the mountains the safer both he, and his new found family, would be.
Again, it definitely wasn't fine, but Asa knew the only way to make it better would be swift, decisive action. His magic would start to numb the area soon enough, though there was no real way for him to take away the ache. He helped to heal as much as he could through magic with what little strength he had left - so much so that the healer had begun to pop a cold sweat - before forcing himself to pull back with a sigh. "Forgive me, Miss Terrwyn, if I had more stamina I could mend it completely, but you've caught me at the end of a long day. I'm afraid that's as far as I can get it." Still, she would be able to walk easier now, once he applied the splint and in a few days she would be right as rain.
Touching the skin once more, Asa applied a medicated salve before starting work on the bandages. His hands had a little shake to them that wasn't there before, but it wasn't anything he wasn't used to. "I'm going to leave this salve with you, alright? Apply it three times a day for a week, only after the wound has been cleaned, even if it doesn't hurt anymore."
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Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 5:35 pm
She made no more to acknowledge his thanks since she didn't think it was needed. Terrwyn would simply keep to herself and it didn't require a thanks. Her free hand had taken to clutching at the blanket they sat on as an outlet for her pain but by the time Asa was done it felt a lot better. Her green gaze went back to the wound to see the improvement as the healer apologized. Like doing his job to help others earlier had been a bad thing. The teen shook her head. "..'S fine." Already this was more than she had before and in truth she had almost not gone to seek a healer. When he touched it again she grit her teeth to keep from hissing again. It was a bit tender. She watched him closely as he applied the bandage and when she noticed the shake she squinted slightly. Her hand raised again, this time to motion the large leaf male back over. When he was close enough she looked up at him. "Fruit and pouch." Was all she said to him before he nodded and moved away from her to collect what she'd said. Terrwyn looked at Asa while he explained that he was going to leave a salve with her. Putting it on three times a day would be a bother and it made her frown but she nodded all the same. Her injury was going to cause the party to have to slow down. They would need to stay in an area that she would have access to water to clean her wound with. That meant no treks into the desert to hunt. Her tongue clucked slightly with annoyance at herself. When Kise came back with the fruit and coin pouch she'd mentioned she took them both from him before handing them to the healer. "Eat, it helps." She spoke in front of Kise but still kept her voice low for just Asa to hear.
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Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 5:58 pm
Asa settled back onto the blanket and slipped the rest of his supplies back into his bag. The salve in question was left out, but the rest, even the bloodied clothes, were delicately packed away to be washed later. At the very least his partner understood that he was a healer and he never had to answer questions about why he came home covered in someone else's blood.
If he'd been tired before he was utterly depleted now. Even using that small bit of magic was taxing on his frail body. Every time he thought he was getting stronger something in life reminded him that he really wasn't, but at the very least he was helpful. She would walk, hunt, and trek the desert another day which was more than he could hope for.
"Ah, just the fruit, thanks." While taking the offered food he held up his palm in regards to the coin pouch. "Payment isn't necessary. Just pass it forward next time you see someone who needs help." Of course he should take it. He had a family to support, but taking coin from patients who needed help always seemed wrong to him. Asa just wanted to help; that was all.
The fruit, however...that was something he was truly grateful for. His tired, shaky frame needed the extra boost and he savored the treat gratefully.
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Posted: Fri Jun 25, 2021 6:17 pm
She watched him take the fruit but deny the coin. Terrwyn pressed her lips into a thin line with that. For a long moment she stared at him, her eyes taking him in. She'd seen enough of her siblings reactions to certain things to understand some situations. Finally she sighed. Shifting slightly she used her free hand to take a small flask from somewhere under her shirt, likely strapped around her waist, and held it out toward him. "Drink. Sweet for energy. You're shaking from exertion." The teen didn't seem to meet his gaze as she said this but seemed to be looking at the ground to the side. Kise, the leafling man, was looking between the young teen and the healer with a confused look on his face. He'd only ever seen her share the contents of that flask with her siblings after they were pushed beyond their limits and on the verge of passing out. "Healer Asa, if you are exhausted we can help you home to ensure nothing happens to you. As thanks for helping Miss Terrwyn." That offer gained him a look from the teen. Terrwyn seemed to be contemplating the whole thing as she waited for Asa to take the flask she offered him.
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