Leila's Soothing Salves and Clinic

by **Reign** on June 4th, 2013, 11:33 pm

Summer 12, 513AV, on the Seventeenth Bell

Cursing and reeling, Reign stumbled up the road. Her face clenched into a hard grimace as she clasped her bloodied shoulder; a poor attempt to staunch the blood that oozed out of the laceration there. The thief knew nothing of cuts, or medicine at all for that matter. A piece of cloth cut from her shirt and sloppily tied around the wound was the only solution she could devise. The wound was wide and jagged; a nasty looking cut, one that had been delivered by the blade of a sharpened eating knife. Was it worth 5 mizas? She spat at herself, hearing the money clink together mockingly from within her pocket. Figures, a cheap trick would be the thing that finally chased her into a coffin. She shuddered, just the mere thought of the exuricating death by infection that was sure to ensue, gave the mad girl goose bumps. A group of lavishly dressed shop-goers wrinkled their noses in disgust as she passed, muttering something that sounded close to “little freaks like her shouldn’t be about on such nice days like this.” Blushing, Reign lowered her gaze to the ground, avoiding the wondering stares of other strangers. Though she could still feel their eyes pounding down upon her back, "You should have listened to mother, Reign,” she seethed, painful laughter escaping from her lips, “you should have gone into healing.”

The man had been drunk… that’s how most of Reign’s tales began. The setting always in a bar alongside a fool that had swigged one shot too many. Anyways, he had appeared to be a simple target, shouting loud jibberish at the bartender and tossing his glasses at the ground. Reign had slunk in from behind, causally striding past him on her way to a table in the back. Plunging her small fist into his pocket, it had appeared to be an easy enough trick, pulling out 5 mizas she could recall looking forward to enjoying an excellent hot meal for once. It had all happened in a flash; Reign’s heart had skipped a beat as she watched him grope around in his pockets, searching for his absent coins. Looking up, his eyes crossed, Reign met his gaze. He must have seen the fear radiating off of her, for he pounced on the girl then. “You filthy little thief!” Squirming and lashing about Reign had clawed her way free, regarding his size her escape was based solely on luck and his drunkenness. Tearing out of the bar before anyone could get a glimpse out of her face Reign hadn’t noticed the horrid laceration until she had left East street. The drunk must have cut her in the fight with his eating knife.
Tears blurring her vision Reign paused out of a store. She couldn’t even care at this point who was inside, as long as they’d appoint her to a healer. Taking a deep breathe Reign pushed the door open.

by **Leila** on June 5th, 2013, 2:05 am

Leila was busy humming to herself as she was tidying up her shop, ready to close for the night. It had been a surprisingly busy day, many new customers had started coming in, her little shop spreading quickly by word of mouth it seemed. She was ready to collapse into bed, read from her book, maybe jot some things down in her journal, and pass out. But that would not be the case, for the outer door of the shop opened up. Leila opened the inner door to see who was coming, when her eyes grew wide. She saw a short little woman and a shoulder bleeding.

Immediately her instinct took over. "Come in, come in, I can help you. It's okay, you're safe now."

Leila didn't ask questions as to why she was injured, and didn't intend to, it was not her place. Her place was to help others and let the gods sort them out. She didn't bring the woman into her shop, but rather into her herbalism lab. Blood was dripping all over her wooden floor, but that wasn't important now. She led the woman by the elbow, making sure to not cause her any more harm as she opened the door and led the way into the plant filled room. Nearly every surface was covered with plantlife, save one table, which she always kept clear for moments like this. She noticed that while bleeding, the flow wasn't really quick. She assumed this meant to mean it was less life threatening, and wouldn't require her to go to the infirmary.

Leila knew she needed to take charge of the patient. Sometimes injured people didn't respond well unless commanded. "Sit on that table and remove your shirt. I will need to clean the wound, assess it, apply a salve to prevent infection, then wrap it. Understand?"

by **Reign** on June 6th, 2013, 2:39 am

The gods must be in a pleasant mood today, Reign thought as she entered the little shop; no way this is a healing joint. Swaying Reign glanced briefly over her shoulder. Usually in times like this, Jair would make an appearance. Suddenly a hand grabbed her wrist, whipping her head back; disappointment filled her chest when Jair’s familiar haunting figure was replaced with a woman of similar age to Reign. The woman was obviously of the respectable sort, so it seemed odd for her kind to come in contact a lowlife such as herself. Though healers were mostly of the weird sort. Blood dripping all about the floor Reign mouthed, “I’m sorry, I’ll clean you up later,” towards the floor. Clamping her mouth shut Reign concluded the girl didn’t seem the type to find conversation in floors.

Reign felt it difficult to meet the other woman’s eyes. They were pretty and glowed with sympathy, but somehow they made the thief’s insides squirm. "Sit on that table and remove your shirt. I will need to clean the wound, assess it, apply a salve to prevent infection, then wrap it. Understand?" Strong words seemed out of place flowing forth from the healer’s lips. Nodding, Reign plopped down on the table; from her peripheral vision she noticed that the room was littered with plants. With a deep breath Reign removed a shaking blood caked hand from her wound, and with a sharp tug she pulled her tattered shirt over her head.

“This is a nice place you’ve got here,” Reign winced, shifting her weight uncomfortably, “my mother always wanted me to go into medicine… I-I'm sorry for the trouble.”

by **Leila** on June 9th, 2013, 7:59 pm

Leila smiled at the woman as she talked, her mother wishing her a better life than the one Leila thought she had. "It is no trouble, it's part of my job after all, taking care of those who need it. Now let's get you patched up. Wait right here, I need to get you some clean water." Once the woman's shirt was off, Leila grabbed a waterskin, and crossed the hallway to her home. She poured the water, and then added some wine from her other skin, leftover from her grand opening, into her clean pot, then hung it over the fire in her hearth. She knew it would take several chimes to boil, so she returned to her patient to begin preparing everything else.

She needed to make a salve to prevent infection and dull the pain, so she first gathered her two standard ingredients. Honey and cayenne, setting them on the table near the woman. She grabbed a clove of garlic as well, and in turn her mortar and pestle. She went to the far end of her lab and snipped off a length of horsetail, adding that to the ingredients on her table. The final thing she grabbed was a shoot from the lavender plant. She put the garlic into her mortar, and began grinding it with her pestle. She'd wanted to ask the woman how she'd gotten the injury, but was forcing herself to not ask.

So she settled on a different line of questioning, "So was your mother involved in medicine? If she wanted you in to get involved with it, she must have been a good person."

The jar of honey would serve as her base, so she quickly dropped the ground garlic in, and sprinkled in the cayenne. The garlic would help fight off infection and the cayenne would help dull the pain. She put the horsetail and the lavender side by side, and with a small knife, began to cut them into fine pieces. She didn't want to turn them into paste since the honey would be thinner. So Leila sliced them up as small as she could get them, then dropped them into the mixture as well. She then took a stirring stick and began vigorously stirring the concoction. It made an interesting golden brown color when it was mixed thoroughly, and she set it down. She then grabbed a small bucket that sloshed around, and inside were several lengths of kelp, and set it next to the woman.

She knew it was about time for the wine mixture to be at boiling, and she returned back over to her home. She could hear the bubbles flowing so she, using a rag to keep her hand from being burned, lifted the pot out of the fire. She then grabbed a bowl and a ladle and scooped out a few droughts of the dark purple liquid. She carried it carefully back to her lab, "This is going to hurt, but it will help clean the wound, so prepare yourself." Leila gave the woman a moment to steel herself, then raised the bowl above the woman's should, and tipped it gently. The liquid poured directly on the open wound, and would burn like fire. But it wouldn't burn the skin and it would help to clean the wound of germs and foreign matter. Leila knew it would make a small mess, but she had no assistant to help her in the matter. She continued to pour the liquid until there was no more.

"See that's not so bad, now we just need to apply the salve and bandage you up."

by **Reign** on June 13th, 2013, 10:50 pm

The other woman clearly knew her trade; preparing and pouring, the concentration on her face suggested experience. Her movements were fluid, as though she was preforming a dance. The healer’s presence caused Reign’s mind wander though; what would have happened to Reign if she had followed the path her mother had been forcing upon her? She probably would have been well off, married (to Jair), and… miserable. Medicine repulsed Reign, she understood only how to experience injury, not how repair a wound or illness. "So was your mother involved in medicine? If she wanted you in to get involved with it, she must have been a good person,” the woman spoke as she grinded up some ingredient (Reign was never good with identifying plants) into a bowl.

“No, she just viewed it has the most beneficial job I could perform…” talking to herself more than she was to the healer, Reign bowed her head, pure rancor flowing through her veins. Money and social class were the only things that had ever mattered to her mother. That woman would’ve sold Reign for a miza. Voice lowering an octave Reign hissed, “After she realized she couldn’t marry ugly little Reign off! No, no, that hag got what was coming to her.” Trembling and mind numb, Reign failed to register the rest of the woman’s words. Her mother hadn’t done a good thing in her life; Jair, that was her mother’s fault! Jair… with his sweet words and unfortunate face, he lay dead because of… The searing wine woke her up from the darkness of her memories, gritting her teeth, Reign didn’t allow a single sound of pain to escape her lips.

“Thank you healer… I suppose you’d like an explanation for this wound?”

by **Leila** on June 14th, 2013, 7:38 am

Leila was looking close to the wound, her eyes inches from the red meat beneath the skin. She saw a small glint of metal in the wound, but couldn't quite make it out. She heard the woman's painful words, reminding Leila of her own childhood; a mother trying to sell her daughter to a suitor, never getting to do what you really wanted, live how you wished. Is this woman how Leila could've turned out, had things gone a different way? Stumbling into a shop bleeding from an unknown attacker?

"An explanation isn't necessary, but I'll listen to your tale if you'd like. I'm just here to treat, not to judge. Now where did I put those... ah there we go."

She found her tweezers, and dipped them in the salve, to help prevent further contamination, especially now that the wound had been sanitized. "I'm guessing this little guy is the how... hold still," Leila held the tweezers as steady as she could. But she was no surgeon, and she did poke a bit of unnecessary flesh on her entry. She stayed the course however, and finally got the tweezers closed around the glinting object, able to feel the solidity of it. She gave a gentle tug, it came out with ease, and then she dropped it in her hand. She then held it up, to get a good look at it, "Looks like the tip to an eating knife. Good thing we found that, or you'd likely get several infections, the body doesn't care to have foreign objects in it."

Leila then grabbed the salve she'd made, and a clean rag. She wrapped the rag around two fingers, then dipped them into the oddly colored substance. "This will hurt, but I need to apply it deep." She got a good slather on the rag. She then brought it up to the wound, and as gently as she could, began rubbing the salve along the inner meat of the wound, knowing painful would be a nice way of putting the entire process. She rubbed it in good, knowing the numbing effect of the cayenne would take hold soon. She made sure to get it in every crevice and nook she could manage. When that was done she got a healthy dollop and filled in the rest of the wound.

She then grabbed the bucket of seaweed and grabbed a length. She squeezed out as much of the excess water she could. "Raise your arm just a bit, I need to wrap this." She pressed one end of the seaweed a few inches below the wound and held it in place with one hand. Using the other she brought the seaweed down the woman's chest, underneath her armpit, then up her back to the wound. She then covered it, continued the path, wrapping around the tip, to hold it in place. She continued wrapping until the wound was fully covered and the seaweed had run out of length. Just to ensure proper application, Leila checked to make sure she get two fingers beneath the green skin. She smiled, that was the first time she'd gotten a bandaging done right the first time.

"That should take care of that. All better now."

by **Reign** on June 14th, 2013, 8:29 pm

“T-thank you,” Reign nodded her head uncertainly at the woman, before leaping down from the table to retrieve her shirt. The torn, bloodied black cloth would have to be replaced, which meant another day out scrounging in the bars. With a sigh, Reign pulled the fabric back over her head, easing her left sleeve over the bandaged wound. It was odd but Reign felt a strong desire to tell the healer of her misadventures this afternoon. Perhaps it was the thief was still in shock of the kindness that had been performed for her, or maybe it was the fact the woman didn’t seem to type to judge too harshly. Taking a deep breathe, Reign began, “if you couldn’t tell already, I come from the lower rungs on the ladder of life. But not always, my parents were fabulously wealthy and they, especially my mother, loathed me. I was ugly and unsophisticated, I was nothing more than a burden, so I... ran away in a sense and now I-I make my living by stealing… and… Well, today I was trying to take some mizas from a drunk and well, you saw. I’m not the greatest thief.” Rubbing her eyes in discomfort, Reign felt a sudden desire to leave the place; to run out and forget the healer with pretty eyes and sympathetic voice. Though the wound would surely scar, so banishing the memory completely was unlikely. Leaping down from the table, Reign reached into her pocket. How many mizas do healers usually charge? She wondered, shrugging Reign tossed down 16 gold mizas on the table, just to be safe, “that’s all I have on me right now, but thank you, I am truly grateful.” Unable to stay and hear the woman’s reply, Reign hurried out of the place, fleeing out into the familiar streets. Dazed from her experience in the little shop, Reign hurried back to her little cottage; preparing herself for yet another sleepless night.

by **Lullaby** on July 23rd, 2013, 5:28 am

Here is your reward!

Reign :

Leila :

A quiet song to soothe the heart

If you have any questions or concerns regarding your grade, please send me a PM and we can figure it out.

Completed Leila's Soothing Salves and Clinic