Closed Sunlight and the Spider (Velindor)

[Asterope]

8th/Autumn/517

Things had calmed considerably the last few days at Ionu's Mercy; while intense, the outbreak of infection had cleared up rather quickly. Most patients had left with strict instructions for bed rest and lots of fluids, but otherwise not overly worse for wear. Some still lingered at the healing house, mostly the young or elderly. And then of course, there were the unfortunate few who they had been unable to save and had passed at the hospital.

Aster was still there far earlier than the norm, as she had been since the infection began. She showed no signs of fatigue, nor did she feel it; the brief moments of rest and soaking up some sunlight refreshed her just as well as, if not more than, a solid night's worth of sleep. Unfortunately, the majority of workers at the Mercy were not of such divine origins, and their exhaustion was palpable. Even Irene was beginning to show signs of it, her smile a little bit tighter than normal, faint shadows beneath her eyes.

The main hallway was lined with large windows between the rooms today; Aster didn't bother to try and puzzle out how the architecture of that was possible. The pale morning light streamed in through the glass, glancing off her horns which were now a deep, burnished gold, as they had been since the first day of the season. Glimmering reflections danced off of the walls as she moved down the length of doors, giving a faint smile to a stranger as she passed them.

With the sudden influx of patients, the Mercy had been incredibly understaffed; thankfully, their call for volunteers had been met, and some were still coming by the hospital even in the aftermath of the immediate crisis. Aster stopped in front of what she was fairly certain was the correct door, and opened it to find the young girl she had been treating almost since the start of the infection.

While she had improved since she'd first come in, she was still showing concerning signs of illness; Aster had become somewhat fond of her during her stay, and was determined to get the girl healthy and out of the hospital. "Good morning,"
Aster greeted, giving a much more genuine smile than she had moments before as the girl looked up.

"Hi Aster," she returned the gesture, but it was tired.

"How are you feeling today?" The girl shrugged as Aster approached, placing gentle hands on her cheek and forehead. Her skin was warm again, whereas the day before it had been almost back to normal.

"Are you drinking your tea?" Asterope asked, as she moved to the medicine and herb cabinet.

"Yeah, even though it tastes like dirt."

Aster laughed softly, barely having to search now before pulling down the bottle of elder flowers. She pulled the bottle of bon'mur leaves off of the shelf as well, shaking a few out into her palm, making to hand them to the girl who made a face of disgust.

"Sophie," Aster chided gently, dropping them into the hands of the girl who reluctantly placed them in her mouth, wrinkling her nose as she began to chew. Aster hummed quietly under her breath, somewhat haltingly, as she changed the bandages on Sophie's bites. They'd been reopened a few days ago, and seemed to stubbornly be refusing to scab properly.

Securing the clean bandages, Aster straightened up. "I'll be back, I'm going to make you a cup of tea, alright?" Sophie nodded, mouth full of leaves, and Aster left the room, bumping into Irene on her way out.

"Irene," Asterope greeted her boss, who gave her a tired smile.

"I just sent a volunteer a few rooms down; go make sure they know what they're doing, please." Irene motioned down to the left of the hallway. Aster opened her mouth to protest, but Irene plucked the jar from her hands.

"I'll have someone else make Sophie her tea, don't worry."

With a resigned nod, Aster turned and headed down the hallway to where Irene had gestured; it was useless to mention which room since they were rarely numbered, but she knew she'd find the right one eventually, if only because she was coming to know the faces of most of the regular staff and the volunteer would be a stranger to her.

(Word Count: 723; Total: 723)


"Common" | "Nari" | "Pavi" | Thoughts
"Other People's Speech"

[Velindor Calendula]

Nestled into his small cottage as the pale morning light streamed through the single window, distorted through the dust-laden glass, Velindor gently nursed a cup of hot tolm tea, freshly brewed. As a sip of the mild restorative warmed his throat and stomach, the Symenestra pressed thumb and forefinger to his temples, massaging in gentle circles. Not that that had ever done much to soothe the incessant drum-beat within his head. The headaches came when they pleased and left in similar fashion. Velindor’s usual herbal remedies seemed to have little effect beyond a general dulling of his senses, though the ache was omnipresent in his mind. Still, the migraines were becoming less and less frequently of late. And good thing too. Velindor shuddered to think how he would have dealt with the horrific headaches on top of whatever sickness had swept Alvadas by storm in the last days of Summer, carrying on well into the first fortnight of Fall. After taking a second, deep drink of his tea, the Symenestra stood and dressed for the coming day. With sickness abound in Alvadas, the opportunity was ripe for anyone interested in the deterioration of mortal bodies to study and learn from the afflicted, if only one had the proper access to patients. And where did the sick of Alvadas go to be cured? Why, to Ionu’s Mercy, of course. So crushed by the sudden demand had the small house of healing been, that they had sent out a fervent call for herbalists and freelance healers alike to volunteer time and resources towards their healing efforts. And all of that was certainly well and good, but for Velindor, the chance to get unprecedented access to the sick and dying was irresistible. “I suppose I’d best thank a deity or two that I wasn’t afflicted myself,” Velindor thought with a wry smile as he donned his dark silken shirt. From the small table near his bed, the Symenestra retrieved his leather bracer, fastening it securely to his left wrist. As had become his habit, Velindor quickly checked to ensure all three vials were safely tucked within their respective pouches. “I’m running low,” he thought, mentally inventorying the approximate doses of each poison he had left, “some time soon I’ll need to replenish my stock, or make my own.” Still, he had enough Lost Tongue and Lazy Gel to get by for now. Lilyweb was his concern, the proper spiders were notoriously difficult to locate in Alvadas, he had found. Velindor checked over his appearance with his small hand-mirror, using his comb to smooth and detangle his long, silver locks. Content with his appearance, and with the migraine in his skull already beginning to recede, albeit with the speed of cold molasses, the Symenestra stepped across his threshold onto the streets of the ever-changing city of Alvadas, locking the door behind him. While commuting in Alvadas could wreak havoc on even the most loose of plans, Ionu seemed to have an interest in making sure those bound for the healing house found their way quickly. It only took Velindor ten chimes to reach Ionu’s Mercy from his cottage, though who knew how long it would take him to return home when his work was finished? Today, it seemed, Ionu’s Mercy was of a mind to emphasize the grand mission being worked within, taking the form of a truly palatial mass of alabaster walls and high windows. As the herbalist stepped into the foyer of the hospital, he went through the routine of signing his name in the volunteer book before making his way through the hallways in search of the ever unflappable Irene. For being one woman, and human at that, Irene seemed to keep the entirety of Ionu’s Mercy running like clockwork all on her own, but even she was beginning to feel the stress and strain of long hours and sleepless nights brought on by the plague. Out the corner of his eye flashed a strange hint of gold radiance, disappearing behind a corner as Irene honed into his location. Before Velindor had time to even open his lips in greeting, the formidable woman had shoved a glass jar into his hands. “Little Sophie, the girl in that room,” she pointed to one of the doors just behind her, “needs a fresh batch of restorative tea. You’re an herbalist, yes?” She didn’t bother to wait for a response before continuing, rattling off instructions at a pace that belied her fatigue. “Ground bon’mur leaves and belltor root, you’ll find them in the storeroom, I trust you know where that is?” Velindor nodded without a word, barely hearing Irene’s voiced approval as he pivoted left and made his way to the stores. While Velindor had little experience with bon’mur, he was fortunate that Irene made a point of labeling any and everything that may go into patients’ bodies. The leaves were not hard to find, and he had been working with his own store of belltor since mid-Summer. Working with careful precision, Velindor ground the bon’mur leaves together with the belltor roots, wrapping them together into small linen pouches before dropping them into the glass jar Irene had handed him in the hallway. Filling the jar with water, Velindor placed it over a small open flame. As he worked, the Symenestra marvelled at the efficiency of its layout and the vast array of equipment. He could never have prepared the same tea as quickly in his own home, no doubt! While the tea steeped, Velindor took a moment to survey the stores. There were cabinets filled with glass vials and jars, and a dizzying array of retorts, alembics and even more pieces of equipment the Symenestra couldn’t identify, much less make use of. But the vials....those could be quite useful indeed. Velindor removed three empty vials, still corked from the shelf above him. These would hardly be missed in the coming midday bustle, Velindor thought as he stashed two in his pockets, concealing the third within his wrist bracer. Finally, the water within the jar had turned opaque, tinged with gold-brown as the medicine of the roots and leaves permeated the vessel, agitated by the heat below. Carefully, Velindor removed the jar and wrapped it in the small towels provided just for the purpose of keeping hot tea hot - and also protecting delicate hands from burns! Returning quickly to the hallway where Sophie’s room was located, the Symenestra entered softly. In the bed rested a small human girl, frail and weak with sickness. Velindor had never tended to her during his volunteer stint here, but he didn’t need to be an expert healer to see that this girl was very ill, likely she had been one of the first to be infected. Putting on what he hoped was a sweet smile, though it never touched his golden eyes, Velindor spoke in a soft tone. “Hello there, little Sophie. Are you ready for your medicine today?”

[Asterope]

Sophie glanced up upon hearing the door open, eyeing the silver-haired Symenestra as he approached. "...You're not Aster," She mumbled, almost accusingly, a small frown tugging at her lips. She knew she was being childish; the Eth had other patients and couldn't always tend to her, but to say that the girl had a case of favoritism when it came to her medical caregivers wouldn't be wrong. Peering curiously at the man before her, Sophie nodded begrudgingly. "Yeah."

It took Aster a little bit longer than she would have liked to locate the correct room, but finally she poked her head through a door and was met with an unfamiliar face. "Sorry, are you a volunteer?" She asked, leaning in through the doorway. Upon the woman's nod, Aster smiled in relief and entered the room.

The woman, it turned out, was actually fairly competent, much to Asterope's relief. Aster watched her move about the room, silent except for a suggestion to use tolm for the patient's muscle aches. "You're alright, then? You don't need any more help?" When the woman cheerfully shook her head, Aster took her leave.

Aster hesitated for a moment, torn between returning to Sophie to finish her morning visit to the girl, or simply beginning her rounds. Settling on a compromise, Aster decided to visit any patients she had on the way back to Sophie's room.

Some might find the work she did, on an average day with no emergencies, rather monotonous; Aster, on the other hand, enjoyed it. She found the regular motions of grinding herbs and measuring tinctures calming, and the routine of checking a patient (temperature, pulse, pupils, breathing...) soothed and grounded her. All of the patients she had to check before returning to Sophie were victims of the illness that had swept through Alvadas save for a very young boy who was in for a bad cough, his exhausted mother asleep in the chair by his bed.

Aster felt a swell of pity for the woman, who looked far too young for the amount of grey that threaded her hair. Staying as quiet as she could, Asterope did her best to work around the slumped over, sleeping woman. Once done with the boy, having rubbed myrrh oil on his chest and given him a spoonful of marshmallow syrup to alleviate phlegm build-up and his cough respectively, Aster exited the room as silently as she could. She shut the door carefully with a barely audible click before straightening up; the next room on her mental list was Sophie's.

Not bothering to knock, Aster opened the door to Sophie's room, pausing mid-step in surprise to see an unfamiliar figure by the girl's bed. Then again, she supposed Irene had promised to have someone else make Sophie her tea. Sophie's face brightened significantly upon Aster's entrance.

"Hello," Aster smiled faintly at the man. His golden eyes and ashen skin caught her slightly off-guard, and it took a moment of wracking her brain for the proper word to come to mind. Symenestra. The spiders were rare, or at least in her experience, having only ever met one previously, and briefly at that.

Suddenly aware that her somewhat intense, curious stare might be taken as rude, despite not being ill-natured, Aster cleared her throat and glanced to Sophie. The faintest hint of a blush grew in her cheeks, almost entirely unnoticeable beneath the faint rose-gold gleam of her skin. She was pleased to see that the man held a jar full of tea, steam wafting gently from it to disperse into the air, his slender claw-tipped hands protected from the hot glass by a cloth.

"Thank you for making her tea, I appreciate it. I'm Aster, by the way." She looked back to the Sym, golden eyes meeting gold. "I haven't seen you around before, are you a volunteer?"

(Word Count: 642; Total: 1,365)

"Common" | "Nari" | "Pavi" | Thoughts
"Other People's Speech"

[Asterope]

The pleasant introductions were ceased abruptly when a crashing sound was heard from the hallway, followed by a cry. Aster whirled on her heels, darting out the door to see what the commotion was about, leaving Sophie and the Symenestra behind.

Both nurses and patients alike were poking their heads out of rooms in curiosity; a few were running on the same instincts as Aster and hurrying towards the source of the noise. Aster broke into a brisk walk, down the hallway and further into the Mercy.

The hallway opened up into a modest square room, a sitting area with a few benches and potted plants before it continued on. One of the plants was knocked over, the pot shattered; dirt spilled out over the floor. On the floor next to it lay a man, convulsing weakly. A weeping woman stood a few feet away with her back against the wall, hands over her mouth.

Aster strode across the room, addressing the woman without looking up even as she dropped to her knees beside the man. "What happened?" She asked, attempting to keep her voice calm and level to not further frighten the woman.

Her first thought was that the man was simply seizing; perhaps due to medication, or some people were simply prone to it. Aster carefully rolled him onto his side, his body twitching faintly; she didn't want any spit or vomit to collect in his mouth and end up choking him. However, as she moved the man to face her, she noticed something alarming; his mouth was frothing slightly, and his face was unnaturally pale and tinged blue, his eyes rolling back up into his head.

"He was poisoned!" The woman finally cried. Bafflement was the first thing Aster felt; poisoned? In the Mercy? By who? The second was a sharp urgency; the man in front of her was likely dying.

Aster swallowed hard; she had almost no experience with poisons whatsoever, and the dangerous part was that meant she couldn't identify what poison caused the man's symptoms. She would just have to do her best, because she needed to act fast; the man's breathing was shallow, his twitching slowly beginning to subside. At the woman's cries, she had heard a nurse run off shouting for a proper doctor. She just had to keep him alive.

Word Count: 389; Total: 1,754

Speech" | Thoughts
"Other People's Speech"

[Asterope]

"Okay, petch," Aster breathed out; she hardly ever swore, so the word carried the weight of just how tense she was. Without glancing up, she spoke briskly. "I need narnvayt oil and water."

She could hear the sounds of the nurse turning and running down the hall, her footsteps echoing. Aster moved herself closer to the man, sliding his head onto her lap, hoping that the elevated position would help his breathing somewhat.

It seemed like ages had passed, but was really only a few chimes when finally the nurse returned; she had a girl who Aster assumed to be a volunteer in tow. The volunteer made their way over to the still sniffling woman, offering her a mug. "Here ma'am, drink this, it will help calm you down."

"What is it?" She asked, shrilly, and Aster supposed she couldn't blame her given the circumstances. The volunteer assured her it was simply lillian root tea for her nerves as the nurse knelt next to Aster, arms full of bottles.

"Narnvayt oil, water, and filan essence for the seizing." She listed them off as she set them down on the floor one by one, and Aster could have kissed her.

"Perfect. Here, take my place." She eased her way out from underneath the man's head, the nurse moving to sit where she had been. "Alright, hold his head up." The nurse obliged, tilting his head slightly to make the angle easier as Aster uncorked the bottle of narnvayt.

She had no way of measuring without a spoon, but she supposed too much was better than not enough; it wasn't going to be in him for very long anyway. Gripping his jaw to keep his mouth parted, Aster carefully poured a decent amount of the liquid in. It even smelled vile.

The man coughed reflexively, his breathing wheezing and rattling through his nose, liquid splashing out of his mouth. Aster held his lips closed and stroked her fingers deftly down his throat to encourage him to swallow until he finally did.

"Alright, let's get him onto his front," Aster murmured. Between the two women, they managed to roll the man over so he was slightly more on his front than his side. The nurse supported his head, and Aster slid a hand underneath his chest to support his shoulder.

There was nothing more to do except to wait.

Word Count: 396; Total: 2,150

Speech" | Thoughts
"Other People's Speech"

[Asterope]

The air was thick with tension as they waited. A chime passed, then two, then more. Suddenly, the man's shallow breathing stuttered, then stopped completely. Aster tensed, her gaze flying up in panic to meet the nurse's; but before either of them could say anything, the man gave a wet, deep cough.

Relief flooded Aster as the man gagged and then finally vomited. She angled herself away as best as she could, but couldn't entirely escape the splash zone. Her nose wrinkled, but she resigned herself to simply having to bathe and wash her clothes later; such were the hazards of working with the ill.

She stroked a flat, open palm down the man's back, patting lightly to both soothe and encourage him to continue retching. The smell was vile, making Aster's stomach flip and her eyes water, but she simply pressed her lips together and ducked her head down slightly, unable to do anything else.

Finally, the man stopped vomiting. He gagged a few more times, but did nothing more than meekly drool in response; he was barely conscious, his body weak and sagging in her and the nurse's grip. Carefully, the two lowered him onto his side away from the pool of vomit.

Aster held his head up slightly to trickle some water into his mouth, which he greedily swallowed instinctively. Lastly, she dipped her finger in the bottle of filan essence and with a slight grimace, stuck her finger in the man's mouth, rubbing the liquid underneath his tongue to hopefully prevent any future seizures from whatever poison was still in his system.

The man's breathing had evened out somewhat, though it was still raspy; but colour was also slowly beginning to creep back into his face. Aster slumped back, not realizing just how tense she'd been.

A doctor rushed in then, surveying the scene before him with raised brows. He took control of the scene with a practiced ease, voice brisk and brooking no nonsense or argument as he directed people. The nurse and volunteer were to carry the man to the nearest room, the woman to follow and speak to him later, and someone needed to come clean up the mess.

That left Aster, rising to her feet slowly.

"I need to know his symptoms so I can try and narrow down what poison may have been used."

Aster blinked, thinking back. "He was frothing at the mouth. He was very pale; his skin was actually starting to go blue, and he was having trouble breathing. He was having a seizure as well, or something similar."

The man hummed thoughtfully, nodding, then glanced to Aster. His nose wrinkled, and some amusement entered his voice. "Alright, thank you. Now get out of here and go take a shower. Gods know you need one."

Aster let out a short, surprised laugh, but she wasn't going to argue; she did desperately need one. She nodded to the doctor as she skirted past him, but unease weighed heavily in her mind. Who would poison someone at the Mercy, and why? Was the man targeted for a reason? How did they even manage to do that?

She sighed, shaking her head slightly; she had a hundred questions and no feasible way to get any answers. But most importantly, the man was alive, and hopefully out of danger. Aster whispered a small thanks to Rak'keli as she left the Mercy, stepping out into sunlight, the door slamming shut behind her.

Word Count: 579; Total: 2,729

Speech" | Thoughts
"Other People's Speech"

[Asterope]

The Sun Has Risen

And so have your grades!

Asterope

 

Skills

✧Herbalism +3
✧Medicine +5
✧Socialization +2
✧Observation +3

 

Lores

✧Symenestra: Not very common
✧Routine is calming
✧Medicine: People on their side are less likely to choke on vomit
✧Myrrh oil: Alleviates phlegm build-up
✧Marshmallow syrup: Good for coughs
✧Lillian root tea: Calms nerves
✧Narnvayt oil: Induces vomiting
✧Filan essence: Stops seizures
✧Dangers of medicine include being vomited on
✧Medicine: Using symptoms to determine the poison

 

Notes

Aster just acquired more lores on vomit than she ever wanted to.

Velindor

 

Notes

If you return, please PM me for your grades.

Thank you for your patience! As always, please edit or delete your request in the grading queue; and if you have any questions or concerns about your grades, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me!