Who That

[Mayra]

19th of Fall, 515AV
5th Bell, Evening
Blackwater Camp

The sun was not close to setting once Mayra had set off from work. It was a good fact, because Mayra was not at all tired. The day hadn't been very exciting, checking on the pregnant mother, but nothing more, so Mianda had told her to go home.

Most people were retiring back to their camps to relax for the night, so it was pretty busy when Mayra suddenly decided to turn around. She wasn't so far away from his camp, due to his own request. Perhaps she could jump over there for a warm meal instead of returning home to her raw vegetable meals. She was the worst eater.

Walking quicker now, Mayra came to her own camp, ducking inside her tent to find the diurnal Reo just waking up. "Hey, River boy." She shrugged off her bag, opening the latch and grabbing a handful of carrots. If she was going to mooch a hot meal off of Dravite and Belkaia, she might as well contribute. In an instand, the infant Ixa, found his way to her, scratching up her calves until he was balancing on his hind legs, eyes following the vegetables. Mayra snorted, tossing a carrot to the ground.

"You've been here all day, sleeping. You didn't steal any for yourself?" She accused the reptile as if he could understand her. Tossing two onions and her favorite pickled okra in as well, Mayra slipping the pack back on her shoulders, taking a moment to adjust the leather between her wing stubs. Then the halfbreed scooped up the Ixam and ducked out of her door.

❖ ❖ ❖

It was barely a two chime walk from her tent to his, but of course Reo was as impatient as ever. The Ixam darted ahead, wanted to get where they were going, but not straying too far from Mayra's sight. Dravite was probably still out doing... whatever he did, but the camp was not completely empty. No fire had been started yet, since it was still pretty light outside and Kyanite was sitting in the middle, trying to mount a goat. Another boy was with him and they were giggling as neither of them could stay on the goat for very long before it escaped their grasp.

Of course it didn't take long for Kyanite to catch sight of hte half-breeds wild hair and she hear a shrill exclamation of her name.

"Kyanite!" She grinned, and Reo bolted in the face of a curly hair boy running straight towards her. Greeting! Excitement! She signed to the boy, knowing full well the child didn't understand her common and she utterly didn't understand his gibberish in the hand-dancing language.

Mayra crouched down just in time for Kyanite to barrel into her toppling her over. Even though it was excusable since she hadn't seen him in over twenty days or more, Mayra never understood why the child was so enthralled by her presence. Perhaps he just liked that she wasn't like his people with her claws and black eyes.

Peeling the boy from her, she watched like an imbecile as he spoke excitedly to her in his language. Mayra tried to nod, but not having a clue what he was saying. Of course the child didn't care whether she heard what he said or not and was content with continuing on. Ignoring the child for a moment, she looked past him to see that there was a boy much younger than himself still sitting there, shyly.

"Ky-Kyanite." She interrupted the boy. "Who is your friend?" Friend. Curious. She signed. Kyanite watched her hands for a moment and giggled. Signing something she didn't recognize in return before running back to his brother.

Once the boy had left her premises, she saw Reo dart back to her, clearly worried about the chaotic children in such close proximity to him. Marya scooped the Ixam into her arms, cradling him in her shoulder and walked over to the boy crouching down near them. "Hello," She offered her free hand to the toddler awkwardly as if he was an older child. She was used to Kyanite at this point because she had known him for half a year, but Mayra's skill with children was not the best, and that much she knew when the toddler only stared at her hand as if she was a moron, signing something to Kyanite that made him giggle.

Kyanite tapped on her shoulder, and Mayra gave him her full attention. For two ticks the boy seemed to be formulating something in his head before he spoke. He spoke three words, only two of which Mayra understood. 'Family' and 'Brother'.

"You're brother?" Mayra looked confused back at the boy. Belkaia could not have possible gotten pregnant and had a child of this age since last season when she had last seen her. "What? How?"

Common | Tawna | Pavi "Speech" Sign | PC/NPC "Speech" Sign

[Pearl]

The past day’s events had taken their toll upon Pearl, and it showed on her face, in her actions. She was pushing herself to keep going; not to slow down and given in to the sorrows and loss she was feeling. She had scarcely slept the past two nights, and the dark circles beneath lifeless blue eyes didn’t lie about it.
“You shouldn’t be here,” fussed Star.
Pearl merely shook her head and continued into her office, the bowl of herbs held tightly in her hands. “Let Eve’s mother know I’ll be in the room momentarily,” she instructed and set the bowl down on the counter.
With a sigh, Star turned to go to the room next door. She knew Pearl, and admired her strength, she just wished she didn’t think she always had to be so strong; that it was okay to break down once in a while and let others help you through the difficult parts of life. But Pearl wasn’t there yet, she was still pushing through it all.

The familiar sound of stone grinding upon stone could be heard from Pearl’s office as she ground down the turmeric root into a fine powder. It was almost a mindless task for her as she continued on, blue eyes glazed over as her hands moved in the familiar, one holding the bowl of the mortar, the other twisting and pushing down on the pestle. She wasn’t sure when she had actually stopped, but when she finally focused upon the bowl the yellowish powder was clinging to the sides of it and ready for what she intended. She put it into a small pouch made of paper and clearly labeled it with the ink stick she always kept close. She picked up the packet along with a few other instruments, and her needle and sutures.

When she stepped into the room, she nodded to Star, then forced the smile upon her face as she looked to Eve, her young patient, who sat in her mother’s lap with the bandage around her leg, and her leg propped up on the table nearby. “I need you to lie down on the bed for me, Eve,” Pearl began to explain. “We need to stitch up the cut so it will heal for you. You remember what I told you? About holding still?” she asked her as she began to set up the supplies in the order she would need them, and close enough so that she, and Star, could reach them easily while they worked.
“Yes, Ma’am,” Eve repeated. “You said it’s going to hurt, but if I hold really still then it won’t hurt nearly as bad and it will be over with faster.”
“That’s right,” Pearl reassured her. “I’ll do my best to make it quick, and you do your best to hold still. Mom can help you, if you’d like her to, and so will Star.”

Once Mom was in place behind Eve, holding her back against her body with her arms wrapped around her, Pearl got straight to work. She and Star worked in unison, removing the bandage that had been placed to help staunch the bleeding earlier, and cleansing the wound once again with a mixture of salt and water that had been allowed to cool. “You’re being a real trooper, Eve. Keep holding still for me,” Pearl encouraged as she put some of the turmeric powder on to help keep the wound in good healing condition and to help deaden the area for the sutures she was going to be placing soon.
“I will,” Eve said proudly.
“Good,” Star looked at her, “I’m going to help you hold your leg still while Doctor Pearl stitches you up now, okay? Just look at me, at my face and nowhere else,” she instructed.
Eve nodded, her eyes rounding but looking directly at Star.

Pearl worked quickly, placing the four sutures that the small laceration needed to help hold it together so that it could heal properly. The needle punctured the skin around the round easily as Pearl guided it through as if it were second nature to her, tying off each suture and clipping the ends with the small scissors before she began the next. Once they were all in place, and she was satisfied that the skin was in perfect position to heal properly, she added another dusting of the turmeric powder to help with the pain and to help fight infection, then wrapped a clean bandage around the wound, securing it with a knot so that it didn’t slip away easily.

“You’ll be good as new in a few days. Until then, rest with your leg up to keep it from swelling so much. If it starts swelling, then rest and put it up right away, and you can put something cold on it to help with the pain and swelling too. Pretty soon, you won’t even remember you were hurt,” she kept the haunting smile upon her face as she spoke to Eve and her mother. “Take this turmeric with you and clean your wound twice a day, and put some of this on it after each time you clean it. Then come back and see me in seven days and I’ll take the stitches out for you. Just be careful until then. And if anything doesn’t feel right, or doesn’t look right, you can always come back and see me early.”

Once her patient was taken care of and on her way home, Pearl sat down at her desk to write out the information in her patient journal. She was careful to form the letters clearly so that others could read it easily if she wasn’t available.
Star watched her from the doorway.
“I’m going home now,” Pearl told her as she closed the book and put it back in its proper place.
“Good. Try and get some rest.”
“Okay,” Pearl nodded, knowing she wouldn’t be able to rest, and knowing Star knew exactly that.

***

Knox carried her home easily, knowing the way himself as easily as she did. She sat upon his back, her head down, lulled into an ounce of comfort from his slow walk. Knox was more vigilant of his steps and his surroundings as he sensed his bonded rider was only going through the motions of living while her heart was broken from the loss of her father. He stopped at the edge of camp when he noticed a visitor there. Pearl blinked and looked up, leaning forward to pet Knox at his neck before realizing why he had stopped just outside the camp. For a chime she too simply watched the woman interact with the boys. She was obviously familiar with Kyanite, and Kyanite with her as was evident, she saw, as the Kyanite conversed with her with ease. Garrison was even at ease also, following his brother Kyanite’s lead.

It was another tick before Pearl slid down from Knox’s back and with a hand at his neck, led him into camp and over to the side of the main tent where she removed the yvas and set a bucket of water near to Knox so he could drink while she began brushing the loose hair from him.

Kyanite and Garrison both spotting Pearl about the same time, they pointed to her and said in unison, “Momma!” Garrison toddled as fast as he could towards Pearl with his hands up in the air while Kyanite hung back, taking up a lean against Mayra’s shoulder.
“Momma sad,” Kyanite said to Mayra, his small hands forming the two words as he spoke them.

Pearl scooped up Garrison when he got close and settled him onto her hip. Knox craned his head around and nuzzled his wet lips against Garrison’s head in a sort of a kiss and acknowledgement of his rider’s son. Pearl set the brush down and made her way over to the woman and Kyanite, leaning in to press a kiss in greeting to Kyanite’s head as she let her hand settled onto his shoulder. “Hello, I’m Pearl, Dravite’s second wife,” she introduced herself. Mayra had similar eyes to Akasja’s, she noticed and as such, Pearl had spoken in common, as that was the language Akasja and she conversed in.
Kyanite put his hand on Pearl’s and brought it from his shoulder, pushing it towards Mayra as he told Pearl, “Mayra, friend. Me and Da and Ma know her.”
Pearl smiled through the weariness to Kyanite for his explanation. “Thank you, little man,” spoken in Pavi to her son, before switching back to common, “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Mayra.”



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