A Needle and Stitches (Waisana)

[Irea Rasar]

"I'd love to and my father won't mind or anything so we can go right now," Waisana said, her entire manner radiating excitement. Almost immediately, she corrected in a more normal tone, "I meant that we can go now if it suits you. If it doesn't then I can go with you in a little while or...something..." Irea was more than a little confused. The girl was acting very strange. Irea had seen young boys act in the same way around older men who were well-settled in their work. The healer was not sure whether to be pleased or uncomfortable about that; why would Waisana attach herself to Irea like that? It made no difference, Irea supposed. Waisana seemed like an interesting girl, and Irea was pleased to make her acquaintance. With a faint smile of amusement at the girl's antics, Irea replied, "We can go now." With a quick beckoning motion in the direction of her tent, Irea asked, "Which Pavilion are you from, Waisana? I might have met some of your family, sometime." Irea doubted it; she had not had much acquaintance outside of her own Pavilion. She had been content to work in her own Pavilion unless someone outside needed assistance. It was a choice that the healer was beginning to regret, now that she was separated from her family for some time. They wound their way through the thick mass of tents, and arrived at Irea's after about five minutes. It was a simple thing, fit to hold four people comfortably. Irea's family had loaned it to her, and she was quite appreciative of the extra space. It did get lonely, though. Inside, it was fairly spartan; she had not had time to personalize the space. It had a small place in the center where some kindling had been set up for a fire, and there was a bedroll set up on one side of the tent for sleeping. "What do you think?"

[Waisana]

The young healer clapped her hands together in delight and smiled at the older woman. Perfect, they could get to know each other. She followed her beckoning motion eagerly and made a face at her question. The woman probably did know some of her family, particularly her father who was a well-known and well-respected healer among the Opal clan in Endrykas. She surely would have met him.

"Um my family goes by the name of Windsong. You probably know my father, Pirden Windsong, he's the Ankal of course but he's also a well-known healer around here," she replied as they moved among the tents that made up the mobile city until at last, they arrived at the healer's tent.

It was small like her own, not at all like her family's pavilion which held considerably more people. It was very plain inside, there was nothing personal in it at all. There was no indication as to whether a man or woman lived there. It was nothing like Waisana's where she kept her medicinal plants, her hair kit and her other bits and pieces. The woman had nothing really.

"Well...to be perfectly honest, it's a little...impersonal but I'm not one to judge," she mumbled, hoping not to offend her.

x

[Irea Rasar]

"Um my family goes by the name of Windsong. You probably know my father, Pirden Windsong, he's the Ankal of course but he's also a well-known healer around here," Waisana told Irea after a moment as they were weaving their way toward Irea's tent. "The Windsong Pavilion?" The healer asked curiously, recalling the name. "I've met a few people from your Pavilion, but I've only heard of Ankal Pirden. I'll probably meet him sometime." Irea certainly hoped so. He couldn't be too bad, if someone like Waisana could be his daughter. She found some healers to be far too arrogant about their abilities. Once in Irea's tent, Waisana answered the older healer's inquiry, "Well...to be perfectly honest, it's a little...impersonal but I'm not one to judge." She said it in a mumble, as if she didn't want it to be heard. The girl seemed to alternate between bashful and buoyant at unpredictable times; it confused Irea. "You're right," Irea agreed, "I haven't been here very long. I still have to see about getting some tools and maybe a few nice things." The healer shrugged, "If you'll get the fire started, I'll go fetch some water to boil."

[Waisana]

The young healer nodded as the other woman spoke. She wasn't surprised that the woman had come across others of the Windsong Pavilion although it was strange that Irea hadn't met her father. Perhaps she'd seen him but just hadn't been formally introduced. Pirden was a busy man after all and wasn't likely to waste time seeking out a new healer in the city just to introduce himself.

Waisana jumped into action at the woman's words, moving to the fire put immediately. She set about arranging the wood into a teepee, filling the cone with dry grass that would catch easily when lit. Taking flint and steel from her pocket, she struck one upon the other to create a spark. It took a few tries but she managed to get a spark to land on her tinder. Blowing gently, she watched as the flames spread before she placed the final piece of wood to complete the teepee.

Sitting in front of the fire pit, the teen waited patiently for the fire to grow bigger. She watched with fascination as the space within glowed orange and smoke began to spill out, growing darker and darker as the flames licked the wood. When the fire was crackling merrily away, the healer turned to see where Irea had got to and whether she'd come back yet.

x

[Irea Rasar]

Irea returned a minute or two after the fire was properly lit, lugging a heavy pitcher of water in her arms. She set it on the ground beside the fire and suspended the cooking pot over the fire. That done, she began to pour the water in. Once it was appropriately full, she selected several vegetables from a series of baskets in the corner and began to dice them into the pot using a small knife. It had taken the healer quite a while to get the hang of that, and more than a little blood spilled into her food. She'd never been adept with a knife, but her training as a healer was slowly improving her coordination. "How long are you going to be in Endrykas?" She asked conversationally, the movements of her knife slowing as she turns her attention to speech.

[Waisana]

Waisana turned to find that Irea had returned. She smiled faintly at the woman as she set about putting a cooking pot over the fire, filling it with water and preparing vegetables. The girl watched in fascination and admiration as the woman worked, the knife moving deftly to slice. Her movements were so quick, so perfect that the teen couldn't take her eyes off her hands. The question from the older woman made her glance up for a moment but her eyes went back to the slicing.

"I'm almost permanently in Endrykas actually. We move when the city moves because every Drykas knows how to find us. If there's help needed somewhere else in the Sea of Grass then someone is sent. Healers do come and go but we like to stay all year. We don't often leave to be honest and I can't really remember when we last did although I have my own tent now so I can leave if I want to. Are you only in Endrykas temporarily?" she babbled, her hands moving rapidly as she talked. She didn't do it consciously, it was purely automatic.

The healer hoped that Irea would be staying in Endrykas for awhile. It'd be good to have someone like her as a role model. She certainly seemed like someone that she could look up to.

x

[Irea Rasar]

Irea felt the young healer's eyes on her, and had to suppress a small smile. The girl was barely a few years her junior, but she seemed to think that Irea had some vast store of knowledge and experience. Irea was reasonably certain that Waisana would shift her admiration to someone more experienced in due time. She decided to enjoy it while she could, and teach the girl whatever she wanted to know. After all, Waisana seemed a nice enough girl. Smart, capable, and still full of the enthusiasm of youth. "I'm almost permanently in Endrykas actually. We move when the city moves because every Drykas knows how to find us. If there's help needed somewhere else in the Sea of Grass then someone is sent. Healers do come and go but we like to stay all year. We don't often leave to be honest and I can't really remember when we last did although I have my own tent now so I can leave if I want to. Are you only in Endrykas temporarily?" Waisana asked with bubbly eagerness, her hands flying through the signs almost too fast for Irea to follow. "Slow down," The healer replied with an amused chuckle, "I'm going to be staying in Endrykas for at least a year or two. Until I know enough to really deserve the title of healer." Irea smiled at Waisana, quirking an eyebrow curiously. "Why are you living in your own tent instead of with your family? Doesn't it get lonely?" She gestured around her own empty tent for emphasis. "It drives me mad, sometimes."

[Waisana]

The young healer flushed. It was amazingly obvious that she was very interested in Irea. She couldn't help but see the woman as someone to look up to. She seemed intelligent, capable and obviously she was getting somewhere with her healing abilities so why wouldn't Waisana want to emanate her? She couldn't do that if the woman wasn't around.

She tried not to squeal with delight when the woman told her the length of her stay! A year or two! That was better than the girl could have hoped for. She'd have loads of time to work out how the woman had gotten to the age she had without marrying yet still respected by the other healers.

She paused at the older healer's question. It was a tricky subject to try to explain and she wasn't sure how much she could tell someone from outside her own pavilion so she tried to come up with a version acceptable for her ears.

"I don't really get on with my half-sisters or their husbands and it's a little crowded. I'm the youngest of everyone so my mother fought for a pavilion just for me. She thought I needed my own space," she explained, her enthusiasm seriously dampened. It was very noticeable that this wasn't a subject that she wanted to discuss.

x

[Irea Rasar]

Irea smiled at Waisana's clear excitement when she announced the length of her stay. It would be nice to have someone around who could keep her company from time to time. She hoped that Waisana's entIrea continued to dice the raw vegetables that were to be their evening meal, listening to the girl's words. "I don't really get on with my half-sisters or their husbands and it's a little crowded. I'm the youngest of everyone so my mother fought for a pavilion just for me. She thought I needed my own space." Waisana seemed deeply unhappy about having to speak of her family, and Irea decided to drop the topic; it wasn't as if the girl's family difficulties were any of her concern. Every pavilion had a few who simply didn't fit in with the rest. Irea had felt that way when she was Waisana's age, too. The healer gave Waisana a sympathetic look as she considered the best direction to take the conversation. "So, what do you do in your free time?" Irea asked just when the pause was becoming awkward. "I like to cook." The woman chuckled, "Not that I get much free time these days, with everyone coming down ill." At that, it was Irea's turn to look depressed; the sickness that was destroying her people was taking its toll on the healers, as well. She herself had come down with it fairly early on, and had survived with a bit of luck. Irea was always around the sick; she liked to think that was one of the reasons she dealt with it so well.

[Waisana]

The woman looked very sympathetic to the young healer's situation and Waisana wondered if the woman had any inkling of what she was talking about. Had she experienced something similar herself? She supposed that it was possible but she couldn't be sure and she didn't know if she should ask or not. No, she probably shouldn't say anything. Her thoughts were interrupted by Irea's question.

"Oh I spend most of my time in the tents. I could have more spare time if I wanted but I like the tents. If I do have free time though, I usually do a bit if gardening. I have medicinal plants you see and so I like to look after them. They're very important you know. I don't really do anything else," she explained. She probably sounded like she had no life which was true, she didn't.

"So you like to cook then? What do you like about it? Anything in particular that you like to cook?" she asked. The girl knew that she was asking too many questions. The healer was sure to want rid of her soon.