Helping a friend(Tocky)

[Iris Timandre]

57th of Summer, 512
Iris giggled to herself. She thought about childbirth. It was something she hasn't done yet. Her mother told her quite a few things about it but the healer knew that she would never really understand childbirth until she had a child of her own. And Iris wasn't in that much of a rush to have a child. When she left Mura other Konti thought she was going to answer the call but it just wasn't the case.

When Iris got no reply to her comments on crying she thought Tock took it in, smiled, and decided to leave it alone. Iris continued the stiching moving as slow as possible to make sure the stitching came out tight. The thin needle went through Tock's skin once again. It had most of Iris' attention, she didn't try to keep any eye contact with the woodcarver during the conversation. She mumbled a couple of things in Kontinese.

"I hope this comes out perfect. I strongly dislike when I fail."

Tock bought up something about staying in Mura for a year. A wide smile formed on the healer's face. Now that her homeland was bought into the conversation maybe she'd have a clue about some of the things Tock speaks about. Another giggle slimed out when Tock mentioned the color changing wood. She asked Tock,

"Oh you were in Mura? Of course it's a beautiful place, much much different from this area. And well most of us are friendly so I'm guessing you made friends?"

Iris listened to hear a reply but she thought to herself. Tock was starting to open up to Iris. But the Konti felt that it was one sided and she wasn't telling Tock anything about her. Like the two years she spent training in Medicine at the Opal Temple. Or the deep emotional conversations Iris shared with her sister Lynnea and her mother Amaris. Iris decided to tell Tock more. She let a simple sentence escape her mouth.

"Since you were in Mura for that year, do you know of the Timandre?"

Iris finished up the last corner and pulled on the thin thread to tighten it even more. The healer removed the needle. There was a little extra thread. Reaching into her medical kit she pulled out a small knife she bent down and quickly cut the extra thread slowly until it detached. All that was left was good stitching. It wasn't the work of a master but it would allow Tock to move around well. The Konti finally shifted her blue eyes up to make eye contact with Tock.

"I really feel honored that you'd let me do this for you. We haven't known each other long."

Iris shifted her gaze back down to the ground.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

Tock smirked through the pain when Iris mentioned a dislike for failure. "Ain't what nothin' ta failin', Sook," she said. "Jus' dun gotsta try again and what learns from yer mistakes. Ain't like my leg's goin' anywhere..." As much as it hurt, she knew she had to deal with the process, and if that included Iris making a mistake and needing to start over, then so be it. After all, it wasn't like Tock finished all of her projects perfectly on the first try. Then the subject moved on to Mura. Tock shrugged and replied, "Couple o' friends, I guess. My friends don't what tends ta stick 'round though..." She trailed off, not keen on thinking about her past. She had left one place and then another, traveling around the world partially because she had never made strong enough connections in any one place. She was more or less waiting for the same thing to happen in Zeltiva... it was only a matter of time before her few friends here got sick of her, or packed up and left her. She got distracted from her thoughts, thankfully, by Iris's next question. "Timmy Andre?" she asked. "Whazzat, some kind o', whatchacaller, birds o' somethin'?" Her ignorance of the world sometimes seemed limitless. She hadn't gotten any schooling back in Sunberth, aside from learning carpentry at her Granddad's side. Thus until she started traveling, she hadn't known about a lot of things in the world. She knew she was a genius, but she lacked the education to back up her smarts. She leaned over to look at the stitching and nodded. "Looks good 'nough ta me, Sook," she said. "Wanna 'elp me inta my crutches? Can't walk 'round on 'er, after all." She would wait until the stitching was covered with a bandage, then indicate the contraption sitting beside the table. The crutches were a tall, four-legged device with two supports that fit under the arm, a metal bar crossing behind the back, and leather straps to hold Tock in place. The arm supports had metal hinges and springs to allow the long wooden legs movement and help them support her weight. She had originally made them for a broken foot, and expected never to need them again. But she seemed to keep on getting more and more use out of them.

[Iris Timandre]

57th of Summer, 512
Iris looked at Tock's face. The Konti decided not to respond to her comments about failure. Tock simply wouldn't understand. The Timandre family was extremely strict. And well disciplined, Iris pondered telling Tock about it. It would go well with her explaining some things about her family to the woodcarver.

The healer frowned at Tock saying she was waiting for her friends to just get up and leave her or get tired of her. As a healer, Iris knew she had to heal a patient BOTH mentally and physically. After one quick thought Iris blurted out.

"Well I'm your friend. And I won't get sick of you, and I'm not going to leave you if you need me. And on top of that. Leaving someone in need is against my religion."

When Tock said "Timmy Andre" Iris began to laugh, she tried to hold it in but it just came out. There was a little smile on Iris' face. Now she had something good to tell Tock, something that possibly would be appealing to the woodcarver. Iris looked at some of the woodcarvings around the cottage.

"Ti-man-dre, a very well respected family in Mura. We're a pretty big family too. I have a grandmother, Shahal. She's the High Oracle. Or high priestess of Avalis. Me and my grandmother aren't exactly close. And I rarely talk to her because she's so busy. And then there's great aunt Kidala. But it's sort of the same as my grandmother. We don't speak alot."

The Konti went on supposing that Tock was still listening to everything she was saying.

"There are a few of my favorite aunts. Like Nokomis and Avalone. Nokomis is the mother of a cousin I call close. Daeva. And then there is my mother, Amaris Timandre. She had me and my younger sister, Lynnea. Grandmother Shahal has ten other daughters but It's too much of a long story to go into it. The elders are so strict. And the mother's, growing up with them. And my cousins all doing something great with their lives. And my mother pushed me to do something. So I picked up Medicine at the Opal Temple and studied the religion of Rak'keli. So you see, failure and me don't mix very well. I have a name to live up to all the time. And it gets hard."

Iris stopped talking for a second. She just lost herself telling Tock the basic information about her family. Tock had asked the healer to help her into some crutches. Iris pulled some clean bandages from her healer's kit using her right hand and wrap them around Tock's thigh once. After Iris wrapped her right arm around Tock's upper back. Placing her hand under Tock's right underarm to attempt to help her stand.

"Of course, easy now. Take your time."

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

Tock gave Iris a small smile when she declared that she wasn't going to leave her. She didn't believe it, but chose not to argue. Sure, she believed Iris thought that what she was saying was true, but that didn't mean it would last. People moved on, or they forgot about her, or they just up and left. Except the ones she programmed to stay. Her head spun as she listened to Iris listing all the members of her HUGE family. "Oy, 'ow's ya done keeps track o' all 'at, aye?" she asked. "I jus' done 'ad two family members my 'ole dang life. Wouldn't o' wanted no more..." If any extended family had turned out to be like her Da, she'd have despised them. She couldn't imagine having the dozens of family members Iris listed. But then, from what she'd seen of Mura, she doubted any of them had taken to beating Iris when she stepped out of line, failures or not. She brushed the thoughts off, and with Iris's help, climbed into her crutches. She rested her arms over the two supports, then strapped the leather belts across her chest and over her shoulders. "Oy, ya wanna maybe take a trip up ta the infirmary?" she asked. Earlier she had been thinking that that was the LAST place she wanted to be today. She was getting sick of the place. But all this talk of family was making her think of Mikey, who didn't have any family left, and all the other sick kids up there. "Maybe ya can done work some o' ya 'ealin' magic on somma 'ese tykes I knows... If'n yer not too tired what from does'n me..." She was feeling the clench of guilt in her chest. It didn't seem fair that she could get her axe wound magic-healed, when there were so many sick kids up at the infirmary. She knew Iris wouldn't be able to heal all of them. But maybe they could accomplish something... And then maybe Tock could stop feeling so responsible for the little monsters.

[Iris Timandre]

57th of Summer, 512
Iris watched Tock get herself settled in her crutches. What Iris' and Tock's knowledge were worlds apart. The Konti thought that was the beautiful thing about meeting someone of another race. Though, she's only ever met two other than her own. This had been the longest conversation Iris ever had with a human, Tock.

The healer bent down one more time and closed up her healer's kit and lifted it with both her hands. The Konti then pushed the healer's kit into her backpack and proceeded to lift the backpack and put her right arm through the right strap.

Tock made a comment about having two family members and not wanting anymore. And asking how Iris kept up with the large Timandre family. Iris smiled, she had different views on how big any family should be. She turned back to face Tock.

"I personally think having all of those family members is a good thing. There were many times when my mother was very busy and I had to turn to an aunt for advice. Alot of family means you have alot more people to lean on in your time of need."

Tock then mentioned the Infirmary. The place where the Konti was currently employed for work. She was an assistant healer. Iris responded again.

"That's a good idea. I work up there, I was headed in that direction too. And I'll help anyone in need to the best of my abilities. Let's go carry out Rak'keli's work."

Iris turned to face the Cottage door, she reached her left hand down to pull the door open slowly. Once it was open she stood aside for Tock to go through first. Iris held the door for her new friend.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

Tock's expression darkened when Iris spoke of her mother and aunt, and being able to lean on them in a time of need. She didn't have a mother; hers had died shortly after childbirth, and her worthless drunken Da had never remarried. Tock had never had a woman in her life to teach her the things a girl needed to know. Her Granddad, wonderful as he had been, couldn't prepare her for womanhood. What she had learned, she had either picked up through hard earned experience, or learned on the streets. No, she hadn't had a woman to lean on. She didn't voice any of this, though. Sweet as Iris was, Tock's past was none of her business. She just touched her fingers to the metal discs attached on springs to the front of the crutches' arm supports, and piloted them out the door. The four wooden legs lurched and walked crookedly forward, carrying Tock through the streets. The device supported her weight fully, holding her up off the ground with her legs dangling in the air so she didn't need to put any weight on them. When they got there, Tock was shocked to see the place in a bit of an uproar. Thoughts of visiting Mikey just yet vanished from her mind at the sight of half a dozen men, bleeding from various injuries, being laid out on tables at the entrance. They had just been rushed in, and listening to the frantic talk around the room, Tock realized why: there had been an accident at the docks, and a stack of crates had fallen on a group of laborers. Uncertain what she could possibly to do help, Tock unstrapped herself from her crutches and hopped over to the nearest table. She cast a worried look at Iris, hoping the healer had some magic left in her today. Meanwhile one of the doctors called out, "We need more bandages here!" "Got it!" Tock replied, wanting to help however she could. She had been stitched up here enough times to know where they stored things. She hopped over to the supply closet, opened it, and leaned on the door for balance. She pulled Grippy off her hip, and aimed him inside, so his extendable metal arm could reach up and grab a bundle of linen bandages off the shelf. She hopped back to the table to deliver them, and the doctor grabbed her hand. "Hold here!" he told her, pressing a bandage down over a bleeding wound and placing Tock's hand atop it. She just nodded, not having a clue about medical practices beyond what she'd had performed on her. She kept pressure on the wound while the doctor struggled to stop the bleeding on several others.

[Iris Timandre]

57th of Summer, 512
Trying to keep up with Tock's weird crutches, Iris breathed in and out quickly. Tock was actually really fast, faster than Iris was on feet. And the healer wasn't used to moving at those paces all the time. Zeltiva sure did move at a faster pace than the much more peaceful and relaxed Mura. Humans bumped into the small Konti and looked at her as if she were something exotic. Tock seemed to move through all of it with ease. Iris fell behind and ran a few steps, still bumping into people, to catch up. Iris' running was very sloppy but it got her closer to Tock.

Once the duo were outside of the Infirmary the healer let out sighs of relief. Not having to move through those large groups of people did wonders for the Timandre. Then the smile washed away when Iris saw that the entire Infirmary was wild. Men on tables, people in serious pain. The healer's head begin to ring in pain. She looked at everyone.

The Konti wasn't happy because she knew she wouldn't be able to heal everyone in the Infirmary. She would get tired very soon. Tock looked at Iris, and the Konti figured out why. Iris' human friend wanted help. And now was the perfect time to show Tock that Iris wouldn't leave her in a time of need.

First Iris saw a man with a small clean cut on his wrist. Iris reached her left arm down and gripped the man's wrist tightly. Slowly, the small cut on his wrist began to fade away. This did take something out of Iris. She began to breathe harder. From the work she did on Tock today and now this she only had so much left in her.

The healer made her way over to Tock and looked down at the bleeding wound. Iris turned to the doctor and then back to Tock confused as to what she had to do. The Konti wasn't perfect, she got worried that she'd mess up badly. She asked both the doctor and Tock in common.

"How deep is the wound Tock is pressing the bandage on? Hurry! I think I'll be able to help. I'm a healer."

Iris was in a rush. She wanted to help out anyway she could before she couldn't take anymore.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

The doctor looked at Iris and said, "A healer of Rak'keli? Thank the Goddess..." There tended to be too few magically gifted people in the infirmary to keep up with the needs of a city this large. "That wound is bad, it could use your touch. But don't waste all of your energy on it... just close it up enough to stabilize it, and I'll stitch the rest. We need to spread your gift out among all the men, if possible..." The doctor clearly had experience with such things, and knew that one healer couldn't restore all of these wounds alone. But, if she just put a little bit of magical energy into each wound to heal it just enough to not be critical, then mundane medical techniques could handle the rest. "I need water to rinse this wound," the doctor said. Without moving from her spot, Tock lifted Grippy in one hand, the other still pressing down on the wound. She extended the Automaton arm to the side of the room to retrieve a wooden pitcher of water from there, drawing it back to the table. The doctor stared for a moment, then shook it off, not wanting to let himself be distracted from the task at hand. "Gently, right here," he said, indicating a wound that was covered in the grime from the docks. Tock used Grippy to slowly pour the water as the doctor used a clean cloth to wipe away the filth. After Iris used her magic on the first wound, the doctor gestured her to the second one. "We don't want infection..." he said, knowing there'd been an unusual amount of vicious infection spreading around lately. Tock just kept silent, continuing to assist as best she could. She hadn't come here for this, but she couldn't walk away now. She had just wanted to visit poor little Mikey, and maybe get Iris to try and heal his illness. But now it didn't look as though that was going to happen. Mikey's condition was bad, but his need wasn't as urgent as these people lying here. They'd die today if they didn't get help. They needed the healer's power...

[Iris Timandre]

57th of Summer, 512
Turning to face the doctor Iris looked down at the wound he pointed out. The small Konti placed her right palm on top of the wound. But nothing happened. Iris knew when things like that happened she was having doubts about her own ability to make someone else feel good. This was never good, both for Iris and the person who needed the healing powers borrowed from Rak'keli herself.

The Timandre healer tried to focus. And push all of the doubts out of her head. Slowly but surely she started to clear the wound of germs that could have caused a bad infection. After, Iris removed her hand and turns around to look at her palm. There was blood. The red liquid Iris never wanted to see, even though it was part of the job.

Iris waited for the doctor to give another order. She whispered something under her breath "They owe Rak'keli an entire temple." Sighing, Iris turned to Tock again. This time the Konti has a dull look on her face.

"Tock I did not want to ask you to do this but I think everyone needs it now. Doctor, If you would, I need a moment." Part of the Konti's mission as a member of the Opal Order was to find more people that look to Rak'keli and worship her. Since Rak'keli was the reason for Tock's leg making a recovery Iris thought Tock owed the Goddess at least one prayer. Turning her entire body around to face Tock, Iris held her left hand out to Tock.

Finally getting to the point, Iris said to Tock. "I need you to pray with me to Rak'keli right now. Pray with me, help these men get on the road to recovery. Without worship I won't be able to do anything, Tock."

The Konti held her left hand in place hoping that Tock would take it to share a prayer with her. The healer inhaled and exhaled quickly looking back at some of the other wounded men wanting to do something to assist them.

[Minerva Agatha Zipporah]

"...Huh?" Tock stared at the girl like she was crazy. "Pray?" she asked. "I ain't knows 'ow ta pray!" She had never prayed to no God, not one day in her life. And why did she need to? Sure, Rak'keli gave people the healing magic... or, whatever. She didn't really know the specifics of how that worked. She just assumed it was like any other magic. Sure, the Gods must have made the magic sometime back in the past, but she sorta figured that once it was made, the Gods kinda left it there and stopped being involved. Like a parent that birthed a child and then abandoned it to its own fate. So she had not the least clue that Iris had any continued connection to her Goddess. She just assumed that after the Goddess had dumped the magic on her, that was that, and she went about her own business. "Jus' 'eals 'em!" she protested, figuring it was as simple as that. With her Animation magic, it was always just a matter of what she knew or didn't know; what she had taught herself, and figured out on her own. If she knew how to perform a process, she could do it, just like if she knew how to build one table, she could build a hundred of them. Why should healing magic be any different? Iris had been doing it a moment ago, so why was she now asking Tock to stop and pray!? But the girl kept holding her hand out, and Tock reluctantly took it. She didn't see what she could do to make any difference here. She didn't even know HOW to pray. So she just held the Konti's hand and figured the girl would do her own thing.