Solo Say It Isn't So

[Pearl]

17th Fall, 515 AV
10th Bell, Morning
The River Flower, Endrykas

Pearl added a piece of wood to the fire to keep the flame hot and the contents of the pot she had put on to cooking in a slow, rolling boil, just as Yuki had showed her. She smiled as she saw the liquid around the small pieces of ginger root thickening and turning syrupy. Leaning over the pan as she stirred it with a long spoon she inhaled deeply and then squinted as the steam drifted up to her eyes, causing them to sting a little.

Stepping away, letting the ginger root cook for a bit longer, she arranged the jars on the table and made sure the cloth was laid out on the table. She wanted everything to be neatly organized and ready for when the ginger root was ready. Pearl let a hand rest to her lower abdomen a chime while she looked over the jars. Just the thrill of knowing she was pregnant was enough to make her giddy and she was looking forward to telling Dravite and Belkaia, and the rest of the family, when they all gathered around the fire later that evening.

Forcing herself to focus, she picked up a small portion of the dried lavender and chamomile flowers that she had gathered back in the summer she put it in the heavy bowl of her mortar and pestle. Using the heavy pestle she began to grind the flowers into a fine powder, twisting her wrist as she applied the pressure to make sure she was getting every last bit of it ground up. She was planning on putting the dried herbs on the crystalized ginger root she was making; this batch being for the children of Endrykas as she knew the herbs would make it a little more pleasant for their sensitive tastes. It would also aid in comforting them and helping quiet their coughs as well as helping them to rest easier so their little bodies could heal.

Pearl sprinkled some of the lavender and chamomile powder on the cloth she had laid out to dry the ginger root on. Smiling and humming to herself as she went along. The bowl was then taken over to the pan of simmering ginger root and she carefully added some of the remaining powder into the pan so as to flavor the syrup she intended to keep as well. She stirred the mixture until it was ready take off the fire and set it aside to cool while she tidied up the area once again.

The scent in the area where she was working was quite pleasant. The steaming ginger root sweetened with sugar, lavender and chamomile was just the thing she needed to keep her nerves calm while she anticipated the conversation she envisioned would be taken place that evening. Babies were always welcomed additions to families, but she knew the timing of this pregnancy might upset Belkaia and she had no desire to ever do such. Belkaia seemed even more fragile as of late, but with the pregnancy nearing the final stages, Pearl certainly understood the reasons why; so she thought.



.
.
.

[Pearl]

“What is that you’re cooking?” piped up Star as she came into the area where Pearl was working. “It’s making me drool like a little baby!”
Pearl laughed, “Oh just a little something for the kids for this cold and flu season.
“Can smell it all the way up to the front,” Star told her.
“Oh, I didn’t know it had drifted that far.”
“No, no. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good thing!” she laughed.
Pearl couldn’t quit smiling.
“You’re so chipper this morning. That smile means something. I know you. Anything I should know about?”
Pearl bit her lip, but the smile shown through, regardless of her attempts to hide it.
“Alright, you don’t have to tell me. I can see by the look on your face that it’s good, whatever it is. But, do you have time to see someone? I’ve got Rose in a room with her son. He’s got some welts on his back and legs. His father didn’t take too kindly to his rustling the hens so much so that they lost three of them and took a switch to the boy.”
Bluest eyes could not hide the anger that flared within them. She nodded curtly to Star. It wasn’t Star that she was upset by. “Yes, I need to set this out quickly and then I’ll be right there.” Pearl turned and picked up the bowl of lavender and chamomile powder, thrusting it towards Star. “Take this and put it in some boiling water to steep, then soak some bandages in it. Do that in the room with him as it will help him to relax a little before I get there.”
Star knew that Pearl had no tolerance for children being hurt and knew well the anger she saw in the young doctor’s eyes was not directed at her. “You got it,” Star took the bowl of powdered herbs and headed off to carry out the tasks she’d been given.

With renewed determination, Pearl took up the pot of crystalized ginger root and strained the ginger pieces from the syrup, putting them on the cloth that was already sprinkled with the herbs. Her mood had shifted from bliss to barely controlled contempt for the man that had beat his child so severely that he needed medical attention. She managed to get the syrup into the jars, filling four of them with the sweetened syrup that would be necessary in the coming months to treat the coughs and illness that she knew were soon to come. Carefully she took up the cloth and folded the ends of it around one another and shook the contents of it all together, just to be sure the root pieces were coated sufficiently with the herbs, then laid it all back out to dry upon the table.

Pearl dipped the tip of her finger into the jar of cough syrup then lifted the finger to her mouth so she could taste it. Her nose wrinkled a little and she scraped a little of the lavender and chamomile from the cloth and added it to the jars. When she tasted it the second time, she smiled and then laid a clean cloth over the entire area, covering the jars and the ginger root so they could dry.

On her way to the treatment rooms Pearl stopped and took one of the assistants aside. “Go to The Watch, find my husband, Dravite, or my father, Trail and tell them I need to speak with them as quickly as possible. Tell them it’s about a patient, the Cloverleaf boy.” She knew her family knew about the beatings the youngest Cloverleaf has suffered from her telling them of the treatments she’d had to give him in the past for welts and bruises, and Trail had told her that he wanted to know if it continued. “If you aren’t able to find them, then find Bayon and tell him.”
“Yes Ma’am,” the younger girl nodded and hustled off to deliver the message.




.
.
.

[Pearl]

Pearl stepped into the room with Star, Rose and Oak. Oak was lying on the bed on his stomach in just his under garments, his face towards his mother, his mother at the head of the bed, sitting on a small stool so she could stay close to him. Star smiled at her when she entered and had a small wooden stirring stick in her hand that she was using to keep the bandages soaked into the bowl of hot water and herbs, as Pearl had instructed her to do. Oak was scarcely a season older than Kyanite and while he should know better than to torment the animals, so should his father know better than to beat him so. The open welts she saw on his back and legs caused her to purse her lips into a thin line as opposed to the professional smile she usually wore on her face when treating her patients.

“Hello Oak,” she greeted the young patient first as she signed to his mother, greetings, apologies, concern. She took a seat on a stool on the opposite side of the bed from Rose and began explaining things to Oak. She talked to him, rather than his mother, knowing Rose would be able to hear and keep up with everything she was saying. “What we are going to do is this,” she started. “Star here has some bandages soaking in some lavender and chamomile and we are going to use these to lay over your back and legs to help make it feel better. Then I want to get a closer look at and see how you’re doing.” Rose nodded and Pearl offered her a small smile.
“Is it gonna hurt?” Oak asked.
“Might sting a little, at first,” Pearl wouldn’t lie to her patients, no matter their age. It was her experience that if she told them the truth and exactly what to expect, that she was able to build up trust with them. Once that trust was in place and developed, she had a much easier time getting them to listen and follow her treatment plans. “Ma can help with that if she blows really gently as I put on the bandages,” she nodded at Rose who smiled and nodded in return. “Okay, now I need you to be a big boy for me. Even if it stings, I need you to hold very still. If you need me to stop, then you just say so, okay?”
“Okay, I will,” Oak managed to say; he still hadn’t looked at Pearl but rather kept his eyes on his mother.
Pearl smiled as she turned to pick up the first of the bandages from the bowl Star had soaked them in. Drykas boys, regardless of their age, were tough as nails.

The bandages had soaked up all but a little bit of the herbal water, which is exactly what Pearl had wanted. She unrolled the first bandage and laid it over the largest of the welts on Oak’s back, pressing it gently onto the wound so it would be able to provide the most amount of healing.
Oak sucked in a breath and held it, but made no other movement.
“That’s the worst of it,” she let him know as she continued putting the bandages over his wounds. Pearl made sure each welt was covered with a bandage of the soothing herbs. It was a tender process and she was careful not to cause any additional pain or aggravation to his already swollen and broken skin.

Once all of his wounds were covered, she took the towel Star offered her and wiped her hands dry. “Alright, now you stay here with Momma and rest for a few chimes. I’ll be back in a little while to check on you and then we’ll put some different medicine on.”
“Will it hurt?” he asked, lifting his head from the bed to finally look at Pearl.
She smiled to him, “Might sting a little,” she said again.




.
.
.

[Pearl]

Star and Pearl stepped out of the room, letting Oak and his mother rest for a little while. “We’ll need to get some Calendula salve to put on those wounds.”
“Can’t believe his own father did that to him,” Star shook her head.
Pearl shook her head, “The Watch will handle that. Right now we focus on helping that little boy feel better.”
“Right,” Star nodded.
“See if they have any of the Calendula with Comfrey in it? I’ve been reading and the Comfrey adds an additional healing property that soothes the wounds. Maybe with that we can have him up and running around again in a day or two. Until then, he and Rose, stay here, where they are protected.”
“I’m on it,” announced Star as she headed off to find the medicines that Pearl needed.

The towel she had was resting over her shoulder now and had large splotches of dusky purple on it from the lavender and chamomile water she’d had her hands in; her fingers were also stained a purplish color that looked similar to dark bruising to the untrained eye. To pass the time until Star returned, Pearl went to check on the crystalized ginger root that was in the drying stages of being processed. Using the spoon, she turned the pieces over so they could continue drying. The aroma of the room was indeed comforting and she smiled as she continued working.

Now that the syrup had cooled, she put the lids on the jars and then labeled each one carefully, using her ink stick and writing on the lid. She didn’t want it to get mixed up with the others she had made and was sure to add the word “child” on the label. The ginger root still needed more time to dry, so she left it there while she returned to Oak’s room.

Just as she was about to go in and check on the boy, Star came around the corner and announced, “Found it,” proudly.
“Wonderful,” remarked Pearl. “We’ll need to get those bandages off before they dry completely, but I do want to add more after we get the turmeric and the salve put on him.”
“You got it,” she said as she opened the flap and held it so Pearl could step in first, then she followed her in.

“Hey there, little soldier,” she spoke in a soothing tone as she approached the bed where Oak seemed to be fast asleep. She had a tick’s hesitation as she didn’t want to wake him, but knew that they had to get the rest of the treatment finished, and then he could rest for a few bells before they had to begin the process all over again.
“Hi, Miss Pearl,” said the sleepy little voice.
“That’s Doctor Blackwater,” corrected his mother.
Pearl smiled to Rose and offered, “Please, you may both call me Pearl, if you like.” Doctor Blackwater, regardless of her being proud of her family, simply sounded too formal and she wanted to be familiar with her patients, not just a doctor to them. “But only if Momma says it’s okay,” she followed up with that so as not to take away Rose’s authority.
Rose smiled and nodded, “Alright then, you may call her Pearl.”
Oak smiled a toothy grin.
“Best we get started now. Star is going to take off these bandages and then we’re going to put some medicine on. Two different kinds and then you get to spend the day and night here with us. Agreed?” she gave the illusion of Oak being able to make his own decisions on the matter, when really, she was simply explaining to him what she was going to do and what she expected.
“Okay,” he said quickly.

While Star removed the bandages, Pearl used the mortar and pestle to grind up some dried turmeric root into a powder, checking the consistency often until she had it exactly as she preferred it. “This part may itch a little,” she told him before she sprinkled the turmeric powder onto the worst of the wounds where his skin had split open from the lashing. Most the other wounds were simply raised welts now, which caused her to smile. “Wow, you’re a really fast healer. You’ll be up and playing again in no time.”
“Hear that, Momma? I’m fast,” he stated proudly to be sure his mother had indeed heard what the young doctor has proclaimed.




.
.
.

[Pearl]

“Where’s Pearl!?” squeaked the assistant in a high pitched voice as she came bursting in through the back of The River Flower. “I need Pearl!”
“She’s in a treatment room.”
“Go get her!”

Star, hearing all the commotion, looked at Pearl with a brow lofted. “I’ll check that out,” she said.
Pearl nodded, “Thanks. Bring back some moist bandages, please.”
“Will do,” Star closed the flap to the room behind her.
“Don’t you worry, Oak, we’re almost finished here,” she told him as she started putting on the Calendula and Comfrey salve.
“That don’t hurt none,” he bravely told his doctor.
“Really?” her tone soft and encouraging, “You much be tougher than I thought. Sometimes members of The Watch don’t like it when I do this.” Which wasn’t a lie, they didn’t like it, not because it hurt, but because most of them didn’t like having to be still or get any medical treatment. But she wanted Oak to feel strong and empowered, and so she encouraged his thoughts of bravery with her words.
“I’m gonna join The Watch when I get big enough.”
“Well then, you’ll have to come and meet my husband and my father. They both work for The Watch. I’m sure they’ll give you some pointers.”

Each stripe from the lashing was covered with the salve to that little Oak would indeed heal faster and be out and about causing his mischief sooner rather than later. Pearl’s touch was gentle as she applied the salve with her purple stained fingers. She would lean in and blow on the wounds gently if they were open while she applied the concoction so that it would cool the stinging of the medicine.

Star came back in with the moistened bandages in her hands and a creased brow as she looked at Pearl. The look on Star’s face made Pearl wonder what was going on. “Here are the bandages you needed. I can put them on, if you’re ready for them,” the look on Star’s face told Pearl that she would want to agree to that and get outside to the people waiting on her as quickly as possible. Pearl nodded, automatically reaching for the bandages. Her intention for them both to put on the bandages as quickly as possible so they could go out and tend to the commotion together. Pearl and Star were a team that worked well together, even under extreme pressure. With both sets of skilled hands, they had the bandages on covering Oak’s injuries in as little as a few chimes.

“Oak, I have to go help someone else now. You rest here with your mother and I will see you again as soon as I am able to. Be a good boy for your mother,” she spoke in haste and then followed Star out of the room.





.
.
.

[Pearl]

“Pearl, hurry!”
“We have to get to there!”
People were rushing around The River Flower, grabbing all sorts of medical supplies. The flurry was a vision that Pearl had seen before whenever there was something extreme that had happened. Soon she was ushered by Star to the side who continued to hold her arm, keeping the woman close as she tried to explain, “There’s been an accident. Not really an accident. A member of The Watch was attacked and hurt, badly. We don’t know who it is yet.”

Pearl put her hand to her lower abdomen; her mind flashing to the worst possible scenario, that of Dravite being hurt, or already dead. Assuming the worse, she tried to free herself from Star’s grasp. “I have to get to him! Let me go! Let me go!” she yelled. She would not sit here and wait, and wonder. She would get to her husband and no one would get in her way or keep her from him. She had a sole purpose in focus, in that moment, and nothing was going to dissuade her. Star held her arm for as long as she could, but when Pearl wrenched herself free, and all the woman could do was follow her.
“We don’t know it’s him! We don’t know who it is!” Star continued to try and convince Pearl of that fact. “Pearl calm down, please? I’m right here with you. You know that.”
When Pearl rounded the corner heading for the back door, she ran right into Bayon. Stunned and not realizing who it was she pushed at him and yelled, “Get out of my way!” while shoving as hard as she could at so she could get by him.

Bayon, however, was not stunned, and had managed to run into the very person that he was looking for. His arms wrapped around Pearl and held her against him, unyielding to her shoving and unwilling to release her and let her pass. “Pearl, look at me,” he commanded.
Trapped and unable to get away Pearl continued to shove and yell, “Move! Let me go! I have to get to him! I have to help him! He’s my husband! You can’t keep me away from him!” She began hitting his chest with her closed fists, then with her open hand when he still refused to allow her to pass.
“Look at me!” Bayon took hold of Pearl by her upper arms and held her in place while giving her a little shake to get her attention. “It’s not Dravite. Your husband is fine. Do you hear me? Dravite is not hurt,” stern words were growled at her to get her attention.
Pearl went still in his arms, her head snapping up so she could look at who had a hold of her and who dared to speak to her like that. Finally it registered, what he was saying, who he was and she calmed some. Her breaths were still wild and her chest heaved with each one, but she was no longer pummeling him. She was listening. "Not Dravite?”
“Not Dravite,” he assured her, his own tone lowering now that he had her attention. “He’s okay. I promise.”
Pearl nodded, “Alright, but I still need to get there, to help.”
Bayon shook his head, “You’re not going anywhere.”
“Bayon, I have to help them, it’s what I do, and they said whoever is hurt is hurt badly. I have to get there, and quickly. I can’t wait for them to bring them here,” she protested.
“No. You can’t help. No one can,” he added quietly, letting the weight of his words sink in.
“They’re dead?” she asked quietly.
His nod confirmed, “Yes.”

She was too late. Pearl hated losing a patient. It didn’t matter that she had not been actively treating this person of The Watch yet, they were already hers, all of them were as she had treated them when they were wounded, whether it be in practice or battle with animal or otherwise, each member of The Watch was her patient. Now that fear wasn’t driving her, and she knew Dravite wasn’t harmed or killed, she asked the question, “Who?”

Bayon looked her in the eyes, his own already tired and filled with pain. How do you tell the woman that spent many a lonely night in your arms, the woman that married another through an arranged marriage at the request of her own father, that her father, the last relative of her immediate family, was now dead? The man swallowed the lump in his throat, his hold on Pearl tightened to the point of leaving bruises upon her upper arms, “Trail Riverstone.”

Star gasped. Pearl’s mind fought the truth of Bayon’s answer. She shook her head, her eyes wide as she refused to believe. The world around her began to blur before it faded out of sight completely. Bayon pulled Pearl in against his chest as she went limp before him. One arm reached down to slide behind her knees and lift her, holding her against him, supporting her at her back and beneath her legs as he carried her to her office.




.
.
.

[Tribal]

G R A D E S

Pearl

Experience

• Wilderness Survival, Plains: 1
• Cooking: 2
• Observation: 4
• Organisation: 2
• Planning: 1
• Herbalism: 3
• Cleaning: 1
• Socialisation: 5
• Leadership: 2
• Rhetoric: 2
• Logic: 2
• Medicine: 2
• Writing: 1
• Childcare: 2
• Intelligence: 1
• Endurance: 1
• Bodybuilding: 1
• Wrestling: 1
• Philtering: 2

Lore

• Drykas: Love children
• Belkaia: Emotional when she's pregnant
• Star: Knows Pearl well
• Medicine: Steeped lavender and chamomile will relax a person
• Medicine: Treating welts
• Pearl: Never lies to her patients
• Young Drykas boys are tough as nails
• Calendula salve: Soothes wounds
• The Watch: A dangerous line of work
• Bayon: Bearer of bad news
• Trail Riverstone is dead
• Pearl: The loss of a father

Rewards

4 x 8oz jars of ginger cough syrup

Notes

Beautifully written thread, and a pleasure to grade; quite emotional for poor Pearl, she has been through a lot lately! Enjoy the rewards; let me know if you think I have missed anything.

EDIT: Added two Philtering to the grade that I missed the first time. Thanks for letting me know!