Open [The Heat Is On] In The Balance

[Karin]

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17th Summer 517 AV
"Speech"
"Others"

Under the skin of the water, which was rippled and flecked like an animal's hide, the breathing of the Suvan pulsed with life and sparkled with innumerable fish dancing in a swimming pattern that Karin couldn't grasp. She swam under the surface, battling the niggling tug of the tides at their turn, and held her breath as water pressed at her from all sides. To some, it would be their nightmare. The surface wasn't too far from her grasp, but it was still a few, strong kicks away. Some might have drowned, those with little experience or caution, but not she. The Svefra held panic at bay and, with a tightening in her lungs, kicked powerful strikes with her feet and breached the surface of the ocean to gasp in deep lungfuls of air.

She bobbed up and down for a moment, lazily treading water and gazing at the shoreline and the crystalline twinkle of the surf as it hounded the sands. All in all, it was another perfect day. Clouds billowed on the horizon, threatening sudden, sharp showers, but they were on the horizon... far away in her books. Overhead, the sun was too bright, and so she regulated her breathing and gradually took deeper and deeper breaths until she filled her lungs and dived once again.

She kicked up in a flurry, pushing herself deeper to the waves. The bottom of the sea wasn't far away, and coral grew against shards of rocks that lay smashed on the bottom amongst the trailing skeins of twisted seaweed. Pressure pushed on her head and squeezed her ears until they popped, but she wished to push herself, and so she did. Her fingers graced the bottom, feeling sand as soft as silk. Karin didn't have long before she must surface again, but she stole a few ticks of time to investigate the hidden folds of the ocean floor. An empty shell lay forgotten on the sea bed, along with curious red and orange blobs that reached out feathery fronds as she passed her finger nearby. A silver fish flicked past, idly drifting through pale green weeds. She watched and smiled, then began to turn around and swim back up to the surface.

Her hair obscured her face for a moment, but even as she was kicking back up to the air, she thought she saw something glistening. Seawater dried on her face as she gathered herself for another dive. This time, a deeper curiosity swirled in her core. What was it that lay down there? The blonde-haired Svefra dived in an eddy of saline water.

Her hair whipped in a light maelstrom and her legs kicked fiercely as her hands pulled downwards. She tried to make herself as streamlined as possible, keeping her elbows from jutting out into the currents. And... yes! The glistening thing was more apparent now, something dark and unusually shaped. It was surrounded by a haze that swayed in tune with the tide. Karin's heart suddenly seized up as she realised it was blood, but she continued to swim down. Somehow, she knew she would already be dead if whatever it was were a threat to her.

Even so, the presence of blood in the water couldn't be a good sign. She had been incredibly lucky to avoid having any face-to-face interaction with a predator of the deep, but a scent of a good meal would surely bring them calling. The whatever-it-was was lying on a raised sand bar, and so Karin approached and seized the creature. It was heavy in her arms, even in the water. Something draped across her thigh, and she flinched even as she began to haul it to the surface. Her body was screaming by the time she breached the surface, and there was too much hair and sand and sea in her eyes to be able to properly tell what the thing was. So all she did was swim doggedly to the shore, and floated herself and the thing in with the tide.

In exhaustion, she quickly checked to see if it could breathe on land... It didn't seem to be in further anxiety, and so she pulled it onto the sodden sand, surprise etched across her face at what she saw. Doe-wide eyes stared up at Karin's suntanned face, and she noted with stunned shock that they were bright, almost glowing amethyst in colour. It was roughly the size of a seal, but nothing alike in shape. The creature had a long, slim tail that branched off into thinner segments at the tip. It had soft downy fur on it's body, but it was a strange colour... like mirrored glass, it seemed to reflect with the beach it lay on. Surrounding it's head was a mass of inky black strands that lay wet and flat amongst the sand. But worst of all was the deep, purpling gash dug into it's stomach. It's eyes flickered, and a small sound emerged like a whimper of pain as it's eyes began to close.

"What are you?"

Word count: 843

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[Eamon]

Eamon often found himself drawn to the beach when he wasn’t busy with other tasks. The pleasant view of waves lapping on the shore never failed to lull him into a sense of serenity. The only more pleasant activity for the Ethaefal, who now was in his Svefra skin, was praying to Leth under the light of any moon. Still, Laviku, whom the Svefra revered above all else, had a special place in Eamon’s heart as well. After all, his human guise was that of one of the seafaring folk, and he’d spent many a year wandering these same waves with them, learning their very unique way of life. Eamon smiled at the memory, although it was bittersweet. He wondered what they’d make of his life now, shorebound, cast upon a new land knowing no one and not having any kin to share his life with.

Still, though he’d only be in Syka a short time, he felt at peace here, as he hadn’t since his Lia’s death. Alesa had been his closest relationship among the Svefra and when she was gone on to the next life he had left as well, not able to stand being around the memories of her constantly. Maybe one day he’d return, but for now this jungle paradise was his home. It was constantly evolving, which forced change upon Eamon as well, and if there was one quality he favored above all else, it was flexibility. It was in the domain of Leth, who, along with chaperoning the moon, also oversaw change, thought, and reflection, which were all aspects of the moon itself anyway. That was what he’d been taught, at least, long ago when he was first pulled out of the waters at Riverfall. The Akalaks had immediately recognized his nature – after all, people falling from the sky wasn’t exactly common – and educated Eamon in the mysteries of Syna and Leth, who were the guardians of all the Ethaefal who hadn’t turned away.

As far as Eamon understood, which he really should, as he’d had excellent teachers first among the Akalaks and then among the Svefra, Syna, goddess of the sun and sight, joy, and energy as well, was Leth’s lover, and theirs was a tragic tale. They were destined to be apart from one another except at rare times, as the spheres of the sun and the moon were opposite, though apparently it was true that opposites attract. Still, Leth was Eamon’s deity, above all others. Still, it didn’t mean that a prayer sent to someone else now and then would harm his bond with the moon God. The other man God who had touched Eamon’s life was Laviku. As the Svefra had told him, Laviku was the god of the sea and all that dwelled within it. His wrath meant death and his kindness meant life for all who used the ocean. So Eamon paid his respects to Laviku often as well.

Although he might have been angry with Leth for his fall from above, Eamon harbored no ill will towards Leth; after all, it was hardly like Eamon’s descent was Leth’s fault. Instead, Eamon felt a constant reverence to Leth, as well as Laviku and Syna. He was a child of these gods, after all, across his lives, even if he couldn’t remember any of the details. So a prayer was the least he could do to repay his debts. As he strode from his tent to the beaches, Eamon smiled, formulating his prayers even as he basked in the sunlight and the warm sand underfoot. Although Syka was still new to Eamon, even he knew that the beaches were often crowded, especially on a day like this. So he wandered, although he kept a sharp eye on the direction of his path home, until he found a relatively deserted stretch. There was one shape in the water but he wouldn’t let that deter him. He set his pack down on a dune, with his healer’s kit inside as always. Stripping down completely, as the Svefra had no modesty and neither did he, Eamon stepped into the surf proper.

The water was warm and welcoming, but Eamon didn’t enter just yet. “Great Laviku, he who watches over the fishes and the sailors alike, hear my prayer. May you grant me safety within your domain and safe sailing in all my travels. May I never displease you and may I never feel the wrath of your waves.” That formality and pleasure completed, Eamon stepped further into the water. Thankfully, none of his kin was here to see him, as his secret shame was that, despite his many years sailing, he’d never learned to swim properly. They’d have laughed themselves silly as he flailed about in the water now, barely able to keep his head above the water. He tried to remember his lessons but they eluded him as the water slipped through fingers when cupped in one’s hands. Still, he was smart enough to stay relatively close to shore, as he knew he would drown if he ventured too far out. His limbs were aching even from this small exertion, and Eamon was sure the figure slipping gracefully in and out of the waves ahead would find his efforts amusing, if sad.

Suddenly, something appeared to have caught the woman’s attention, and she dived deep. Moments later, although it seemed an eternity to Eamon, she appeared again, this time dragging a shape with her, one that must have been an incredibly difficult and ungainly burden. Eamon cursed his lack of skill in swimming. He couldn’t risk going out to help her, and as he watched in growing horror, the water turned dark, clearly from blood. Presumably the girl wasn’t bleeding, or she wouldn’t be bringing along whatever it was that trailed behind her. Realizing that there was something he might be able to do, Eamon made his way laboriously to shore. By the time the woman had returned, he had finally made it back himself and was just barely taking his kit out.

He approached the two of them at a run, breath huffing out, and the sand unsteady and puffing beneath his feet. This exertion probably wasn’t good in this relentless heat, but it might be necessary. Eamon hadn’t bothered to put on his clothes, and as he approached he was shocked to see someone who looked to be as much of a Svefra as he was. She had long blonde hair, although it was dark and wet from the water now, and fierce deep blue eyes, set in a tanned and freckled face. Eamon didn’t know her, but if he had to guess she was one of Laviku’s children as surely as he was one of Leth’s.

Still, he didn’t have much time to look at her, as the creature she’d somehow transported to shore quickly took up his attention. Eamon had never seen anything like it, its wide purple eyes glazed slightly with pain, atop a strange looking body, with a long thin tail that broke into smaller pieces, reflective skin that reminded Eamon of his own occasionally in the moonlight, and most oddly of all, tendrils writhing atop its head where hair might be. “What manner of beast are you,” he breathed, loudly enough for the woman to hear.”

Still, whatever it was, it was wounded and in pain, and Eamon knelt to examine the gash. With dawning dread, the Ethaefal realized that this wound might be beyond his help. Opening his kit, Eamon began to rummage through it desperately. “This is far beyond my abilities. I can’t heal a wound like this even if I tried.” Shooting the woman a glance, Eamon bit his lip. “Do you have any medical knowledge? If not, we’re going to need to come up with a plan.” If she didn’t, then Eamon would have to assume responsibility. People tended to listen when he bothered to make a point, which was rare. Almost as an afterthought, Eamon introduced himself. “I’m Eamon Tidechaser, but we can swap histories once this poor soul is safe.” Or once it had moved on to the next life, he didn’t say, although it floated unspoken between them.

word count1170 + 1371 = 2541

[Anibesa]

Title
"Common" | "Fratava" | "Tukant"

The weather was pleasant as usual, and Anibesa in her red headed Svefra seeming was stood in the shallows, enjoying the feeling of the sun on her face and body, the feeling of the waves washing over her feet and ankles and the feeling of the sand shifting and moving beneath her feet.
She hadn't really learnt how to swim properly, though she enjoyed the water, and swimming was something she intended to do, just not yet. Not until she'd practiced in the baths!
Sighing, she looked out to see, wondering how many others like her had fallen since herself fifty odd years ago, and as she pondered that, she noticed a blonde woman treading water and a light grin spread across her face as she watched the woman.

She focussed her attention on the woman, trying to figure out how she was managing to stay afloat without falling below the waves, but as she watched the woman disappeared under the waves, presumably checking the sea bed.
Anibesa couldn't help but frown slightly as she was trying to learn how to swim by watching the woman, but she hadn't had long enough. Maybe she'd have to just find the woman and ask her to teach her.

Anibesa looked up towards the sky, her hand moving to shield her blue eyes from the harsh glare of the sun, as she thought of where she had come from, though no memories would come. She'd never managed to remember what it was like so far. Only that she had come from somewhere with Leth, and that she had been ripped away from that when she had fallen back to Mizahar and crash landed into the sea.

Sighing, she looked back down from the sky and back to the sea to see the blonde haired woman back at the waters surface, and Anibesa stared at her again, before glancing around to see how many others were at the shore.
All she could see was a man with blonde hair and tanned skin, though he didn't interest her much and wasn't near enough for her to start a conversation with, so Anibesa opted to ignore him and turned back to the sea and the sky.

"Thank Syna for the Sun..." she turned to herself as a light smile spread across her face.
Syna was the lover of Leth, the god she favoured above all others, and because of that Syna would always be one of the gods she worshipped and prayed to. And as much as Anibesa loved the moon, the Sun and the daytime was also something that she could appreciate and hope to see more of, especially since she took her Svefra form during the day.
That form always seemed to blend in more, and she enjoyed being able to explore without standing out due to her horns. And she enjoyed being able to meet people twice as most didn't realise that the red headed Svefra and the female Ethaefal were the same person.

Anibesa longed to go back to where she had come from, to find herself back with her favoured deity for eternity, but she knew that there must be a reason for her to be stuck on Mizahar, and that she'd have to find her own way back through prayer and action, and she'd continue being faithful over and over again until she found her way back.

"Leth, thank you." she thought, knowing that it wasn't Leth's domain but hoping that he could still hear her quick thanks.

It was then that she she the blonde woman trying to drag something to the shore, and Anibesa watched cautiously, trying to see if she could work out what the woman was bringing in. It was then that she saw that it was a living creature and almost instantly Anibesa began running through the shallows, water splashing up to her waist and drenching her pants, until she reached where the woman was coming ashore and Anibesa stopped in her tracks. She wasn't the first to arrive or speak, but she found a question escaping her lips as she pushed her red hair out of her face.

"What in Laviku's name is that?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow at the creature before peering closer at it, trying to work out what it was. "It's kinda cute though, whatever it is." she murmured to herself, being careful not to touch it in fear of aging it's wound and causing something nasty to happen to it.

Then she realised that the other two were trying to find a way to help the creature, and Anibesa looked at the two.
"Is there anyone here that could help? I can run and go get them if we think it'd work? I mean, every little helps, don't it?" she offered with a concerned look on her face. "Or would that take too long? Is it too late to help the poor thing?" she mumbled worried as she crouch down to look at the creature, occasionally looking up at the two.

Word Count842

[Karin]

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"Speech"
"Others"

She had thought she was alone on the beach. She had thought that she was alone almost all the time, and for the most part it was true. Solitude was her normality. During her time at Syka, she had come to both love the endless quiet and loathe the echoing, aching void of human contact. Whenever she did stumble across another human being, she found that she never quite knew how to speak to them. So it was that as the two strangers approached, one after the other, asking questions and conversing, Karin could only focus on one at a time. Even then, she still lay half on the beach and half in the water, with blood staining her skin pink as the beach washed an alarming shade of crimson.

The Svefra trembled once, and glanced at her fingers. Blood had seeped into the cracks of her knuckles and in between her fingernails. She was grimy and covered in sand and salt, with a scraped knee bejewelled with grit. She was also suddenly coming to realise that her hands and arms, and even her legs and face in some places, were beginning to sting painfully. Needles of pain prodded her, waiting for her to acknowledge it. Raised bumps laced her hands and arms, red with a crest of thin, white lines crisscrossing her tanned skin. She cursed a muttered, "Petch," and then "Ouch," as she hesitantly touched an affected area. The imprint of her fingers left a pale mark for a tick until it faded to angry red again. All she could think of was that the limpid strands of quasi-hair were stinging like jellyfish tentacles. The uncomfortable pain grew stronger, and she gripped a strand of inky fibre and swiftly pushed it off and away from her. The Svefra woman pushed her arm across the man's chest, without looking, to stop him from getting too close and suffering the same ailment as she had.

"Look, I think it's stinging, this hair or whatever it is, so watch out, okay?" She glanced at her fellow rescuers, and faltered off. The one self-titled as Eamon Tidechaser was completely naked. Her mind flashed to Nya, wondering if he was a Kelvic like her. It seemed unlikely with his name though, something that screamed of Svefra blood. A tumult of emotions flashed through her, would he recognise her as Svefra? Would he scoff at her for living on the land? Her eyes darted to his torso, his arms, looking for a mark of Laviku but finding none. His eyes were a familiar blue though, so she simply swallowed and quickly turned her attention to the woman in the circle, who's hair was red like fire, and then back to Eamon in quick succession as her wet hair fell limply across her body.

"I... No, I don't have medical knowledge. All I know is woodworking. You've got the tools though. Can't it be saved?" She spoke out of a kind of wistful desperation. Although she had no real, deep emotional attachment to the animal, it wasn't hard to see that it was more emotive than something akin to a fish. Its eyes were flickering open and closed, and a tiny, high-pitched noise kept filtering over the sound of the surf. "Should it be in the water? Have you... have either of you seen an animal like this before?"

"I'm Karin. It's not far to the rest of the settlement, maybe... maybe the doctor could help, if they're not busy, if you're a fast runner." Whether the doctor would come or not was another question. The life they were trying to save wasn't a human life after all. They didn't even know what kind of life it was. But Karin felt, despite her lack of empathy for most animals, that this creature of the sea was a beloved creature of Laviku. Because of it, she had a duty to care for it, and some lingering feeling of love for one of Laviku's own. There was a split moment where she wondered if perhaps it should be left in the sea to die and become food for the other animals that lived in the Suvan. That was the natural process, wasn't it? Perhaps there was a reason it had received that horrible, purpling wound. But fascination, horror and fate won out, and she carefully wound wet seaweed around her fingers and tentatively rubbed its head, seeking some kind of response that it wasn't dead, hoping that it wasn't and praying silently to Laviku for help.

The animal felt warm to the touch. That surprised her, considering the cold, wet texture of fish. She wondered why animals would need to be warm when they lived in water. The blood was congealing in it's wound now, but still it leaked out from the seams without hesitation, as if the clots couldn't hold it back. Having little to no knowledge about medicine, all she could think was that something should stop the flow of blood. It was vitally important. Without blood, it would surely die. She gazed without hesitation and with much fierceness at Eamon. You're a doctor, or a herbalist, or a medicine man? At least do something to stem the flow of blood. It won't last long if that runs out." Then she spoke to the stranger who had yet to introduce herself. "Run if it would help, but don't if you can help here." Her voice was quiet and low throughout, as if trying not to alarm the creature, whose tail twitched once in answer.

Word count: 929

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[Eamon]

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17th of Summer, 517V

Everything started off as hectic and then just escalated rather quickly from there. From Eamon’s arrival to the first woman's actual exit from the water to the arrival of a second woman, Eamon could barely follow it all. Even with his quick thinking and willingness to change to fit the situation he found himself in it required him more than a few precious ticks to register all that was going on. Those ticks might not be ones that this poor creature could spare, depending on the severity of its wound. Someone needed to take charge of the situation and Eamon saw no reason he couldn't step up to the challenge unless someone took over from him.

First step first: Eamon had to figure out whatever he could about the redheaded woman as quickly as possible. Her hair, her startlingly blue eyes, and her height, which was tall for a woman, were her most distinctive features. She was dressed in simple black and white clothing, and she wasn't carrying anything. That simple analysis completes Eamon focused his attention on answering their questions and figuring out how to proceed. It seemed he was the closest thing they had to an expert here, which, considering how far he was from being an expert, and, given that he was as far from being an expert as it was possible to actually be in the field of medicine, it didn’t bode well for whatever animal this was. At least it didn’t seem to be struggling all that much, which was probably for the best, as Eamon had no method to restrain it or sedate it on hand.

Eamon decided to begin by replying to the redhead’s first set of questions as he shifted his weight to try and get a better look at the wound. “I’ve never seen anything like it before, but whatever it is it’s wounded.” As the blonde woman started cursing, and brought her hands away from the creature’s tendril-hair, Eamon watched, concerned by the red marks that were already forming where the tendrils had touched her. She had pushed him away, and he was grateful, as her next statement confirmed his suspicions. “I’ll be careful. We all should be, as other parts of it might be dangerous to touch as well.” Fixing the blonde woman with his best authoritarian look, he explained, “We’ll need to get you checked out as soon as possible. Who knows what effects that hair might have.” Since she’d touched him, he’d also have to monitor his own skin, as it might transfer that way as well. Eamon simply didn’t know. He didn’t have the medical knowledge or the anatomical knowledge of whatever this was to even begin to make educated guesses. So he would have to operate on the assumptions that the worst possible outcomes and hope it wasn’t as dire as that.

They were throwing questions at him even faster now and he found himself unable to concentrate on the animal itself. “I inherited these; I’m afraid I don’t really know exactly how to use them,” he admitted regretfully. “I’ll do my best though.” Trying something was no worse than doing nothing. At least, that’s the assumption he was operating under. He forced himself to think through the distractions. “If it’s still breathing, there’s a chance it will still live.” Laviku, providing, of course, and he wasn’t always a kind master. Spare your creature, please, Eamon begged. A mysterious, but beautiful specimen such as this shouldn’t die due to his incompetence. At the thought of water, a thought sparked deep in his mind and he focused on the animal’s face. He couldn’t see any signs of gills, but he didn’t want to get too close to its tendrils to find out. “Is it breathing? If it can breathe air and not water, I think we should keep it on land for as long as possible. It looked like it was losing a lot of blood in the water, didn’t it?” He had some vague recollection of Alesa mentioning that being in water might accelerate blood loss, but his hesitant question betrayed his faulty memory. Eamon should’ve paid more attention during her lessons.

Glancing at the redhead, Eamon tried to evaluate the distance to the main settlement. “If you think you can get there, still have breath to explain, and then run back within half a bell – and that’s probably too late – I imagine it’s better to have you here.” Calm. Focus. Statis. He was trying to stay in control of himself and the situation, even though he was basically as lost as the other two. But if he panicked, it wouldn’t help, so he did his best to take the leadership role. The other issue, that Karin mentioned, was that the doctor might not be able to come out here. It was entirely possible that either some emergency would keep him away or he wouldn’t bother to come out for an animal and not a person.

Karin, for that was the blonde woman’s name, suddenly seemed to blaze with a fierce energy that she directed at Eamon. The Ethaefal simply let it slide over him. He’d be cool to her heat if that were what it would take to keep this situation stable. “I was an apprentice, briefly, and my memory isn’t perfect. I can try, but I won’t make any guarantees.” Turning to the redhead, Eamon pointed in the direction of Syka. “If you’re going to run, run now. If not, look through my kit. If not, we should see if we can stabilize it. If we can get it to at least stop getting worse we can maybe rig up some way to transport it to Syka.” Setting his bag aside for either woman to look through, Eamon finally got an opportunity to look at the wound. “There are salves in there – they should be labeled – but I don’t know exactly what they are off the top of my head.” He would do it himself, but Karin was right, the purplish blood seeping out of the wound and spilling onto the sand below, staining it an ugly brown, was not a good sign, and they had to stop the blood loss as quickly as possible. The blonde woman had wrapped her fingers in kelp and was touching the animal again, which was smart, although Eamon hoped it proved an effective enough barrier.

“I need calm and quiet for a moment, so I can think.” Hopefully the women would provide it to him, although on the inside his emotions were all roiled up. He closed his eyes to reduce the distractions. Stopping blood loss…what did she say about stopping blood loss! Alesa had told him, but like so many of her lessons it had slipped through his mind like water through his fingers. It wasn’t that he didn’t try to pay attention, or that he was a bad student, but he was easily distracted and often moved on to new topics before the last ones were mastered. He strained, trying to remember even the smallest bit of information.

Finally, as if her voice was calling to him either through the years or from wherever she’d gone after she passed, he could almost hear her admonishing him for lack of knowledge: ‘Pressure, boy. Pressure. I told you this a thousand times already.’ It was only a faint memory of her teachings, but he latched onto it. “I think…I think you are supposed to apply pressure to a wound and sometimes it stops or slows blood loss.” It was a tentative solution, offered only as a last resort because Eamon didn’t have anything better. Standing up, Eamon started running again, although his muscles protested going from a crouch to a run so quickly. “Stay there,” he called to the woman, before focusing all his attention on his strides.

He got to his clothes, and snatched them up, before sprinting back to the fallen creature. Skidding to a halt, he knelt again, took his shirt, balled it up, and then pressed it as hard as he could against the wound. He tried not to think of how hard bloodstains were to remove from cloth, a selfish thought. He also tried not to think of how likely this was to fail, and how he had no idea if this was even the right course of action. “If one of you can find something else to press down with, it might be for the best. There’s a chance this will soak through.” Eamon tried to project calm authority, but was afraid his voice quavered with fear for the animal’s life.

word counter1441 + 2541 = 3982

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[Anibesa]

"Common" | "Fratava" | "Tukant"

Anibesa watched the creature carefully, trying to work out what it was, occasionally turning her attention to the blonde Svefra woman and looking at her hands and arms where the red lines were appearing as she listened to her saying. that the creatures hair must be stinging. Anibesa couldn't help but cringe inwardly at the sight and take a step back slightly, wary of the creature, despite seeing that it was unlikely that it was intending to hurt anyone.

Then she heard the woman say that she only knew woodworking, and Anibesa tried to remember some of the things she'd managed to Philter before, trying to see if anything she could remember would help, though without any equipment to filter with, she doubted she'd be able to make anything, and with no knowledge of the actually herbs and plants to use, she was fairly useless.
"I can philter but I ain't a clue on what does what. I just put what I was told in and let others use them afterwards." she shrugged her shoulders slightly, berating herself for not having looked into what different plants and berries could do.

"I 'aven't seen anything like this before. I was on the Suvan for years and saw all sorts of things but nothing like this!" she exclaimed as the woman asked if her or the man had seen the creature before. "It doesn't seem too panicked being on land though. If it was supposed to be in the water still, it'd be doing something else, wouldn't it?" she tried to reason, mostly with herself, but she had no idea what to do, so she simply stared at the creature, feeling somewhat drawn to it.

She'd spent at least forty years on the Suvan Sea with the Svefra that adopted her into their pod that she was shocked that it still held secrets like this creature. In her mind it had to be new, one of kind maybe, or even having been made by someone with magic.
It was too hard for her to believe that this creature could have been in the Suvan and she'd never seen it, though she was still naive as to all the creatures in the world.

Then she heard the woman give her name and say that if she was a fast runner she could try to get the doctor, and Anibesa silently cursed. She wasn't fast and she wasn't graceful, it would be likely that even if she could get the doctor to come help them, they'd be too late to help the poor creature.

"Anibesa, but most call me Ani. I doubt I'd be fast enough. I'll fall over and the Doctor'll be busy knowing my luck, and it could be gone by the time I get back..." she said quietly, as her mind mocked her for assuming that the doctor would be free and willing to help the animal. Then she heard the man mention some salves in his bag and almost immediately she began searching through it, pulling out a few jars and reading them to try and see what they were. She knew that they wouldn't likely be cheap, but maybe she could help him replenish what was used later, help him to make a few salves and whatnot, if he could find the plants somehow of course. The plants weren't something she understood, but she knew how to make creams and salves.

"Narnvayt Oil, vomitting. Miaso Cream, blisters." she mumbled as she read the labels to herself until she found one that seemed useful. "Jile salve, wound cleanser and skin conditions? Will that help?" she asked as she looked at the other two, before placing that salve closer to the man, before rooting through the bag a bit more. "And there's another one that sounds useful! Azhiltu, stops bleeding! There ain't much of it though!" she continued searching through the bag, hoping for more useful stuff, until she heard the man say that they needed something else to press down with, and her hands instantly moved to her back to try and grab her cloak and pulled it off as fast as she could. She heard something tear, but didn't really care. This creature was in need of it more than she was in the tropical environment. Plus, she could always try and get somebody to fix it for her later, while this creature might not have a 'later'.

"I 'ave this! It could be useful?" she offered. "There's more cloth in it, and I think it's thicker. Also a lot darker so the blood won't really affect it much. I don't think it will anyway." she moved closer to the man and the creature, seeing the blood already beginning to seep through the shirt, before placing the cloak over his hand so he wouldn't have to remove the pressure while getting the cloak into place. Also, you know more of your salves than I do. You choose which one to use and I'll keep the pressure on here until you're all ready?" she said calmly, looking down at the creature and moving her hand so it was ready to take over from the man if he opted to let her. "After all this, I can tell you how to make a few of those salves if you like? I'd show you but I don't have any equipment and I don't know where you can get these herbs..."
Word CountThis Post: 908
Seasonal Total: 1750

[Karin]

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"Speech"
"Others"

The sea was nearby as it always was, its waves lapping at their makeshift clinic. It was appropriate though, for they were three Svefra, although only one could be called a 'true' Svefra, and only two could be easily recognisable as such. They were children of the sea, and they laboured over one of their own. Karin knelt in the sand, her clothing drenched through and sticking to her skin as cloth is wont to do once wetted in salt water. Fair hair was beginning to dry to its usual yellowness in the sun, and it curled in waves around her face. But it wasn't her hair that would draw attention to those that might watch, but her arms and hands that were covered in raised, nasty-looking stings. They itched and bit at her skin, making her scrunch up her face to manage the tickling pain. However, where she might have ordinarily devoted time to worrying about the injury to her body, here she only responded to Eamon's instruction and his leadership. She tugged the seaweed so it was bound tighter around her hands, and kept quiet as she began to wipe sand from the area surrounding the wound.

The man who called himself Eamon had dashed to his clothing, not to cover his nakedness but to assist in the aid of the helpless creature that lay on the briny beach. It was odd, she thought, that he refused clothing but by now she was growing used to the peculiar habits of others. Besides, even if he was an eccentric (which was her growing opinion) he commanded attention, and she gladly gave it. The other woman was talkative too, and her auburn hair flashed in the sunlight as she spoke animatedly. The two strangers discussed together which salves and medicines they should use, but Karin simply stroked and touched the creature as it emitted it's strange, warbling noises. They evoked the sound of a whale's song... not that the Svefra woman had ever heard of or experienced such a thing. To her, it was mournful and worrisome, although more alarming were the occasional stutters in the pitch, where it dropped lower than it had previously.

Finally, with the red-head pressing her cloak against the wound, and Eamon readying the salve from his pack, Karin spoke. "We should know what your name is, although after this... if you're willing, I would gladly accept a lesson in medicine making." This was an off-hand comment, directed at the freckled woman applying the much-needed pressure to the precious life that hung in the balance. Then, "Once you apply the salve, we'll have to close the wound. No amount of cream will help once it washes off in the water. And I really think that although it seems to be able to survive on the land, well... we- I found it in the sea. That's where it lives, and that's where it should be." She thought for a moment, and stroked a finger along a spot on the creature's head, which seemed to calm it's agitated noises.

"I only know boats. But we should fix this animal. We need to close the hole, but I can't think how..! She took a deep breath, and drew herself back to the problem at hand. With all the unknowns, Karin's only anchor was her own self. She didn't know these strangers, but she must work with them. Equally, they didn't know her. But if they were to save the animal, and she thought they stood a decent chance, they must trust each other. With that in mind, she gestured for Eamon to come closer, so that the three of them were bent over the animal. "I trust both of you to know what you're doing. I... will do what you say. As I'm already stung, if needs be I can act as your hands. But I am out of my depth here." She grasped the creature's torso as it began to quiver slightly. "But we need to hurry. That's all I know."

Word count: 674

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[Eamon]

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17th of Summer 517 AV

They were looking to him for direction and Eamon felt the stirrings of panic in his breast. He wasn't a great leader and he certainly wasn't a doctor. So the look Karin was directing towards him, one of a longing hope, made his stomach sink. “I haven't...I haven't closed a wound before!” It was true, and while he knew the theory behind the operation, knowing the theory was a far cry from doing it, and doing it was a far cry from teaching it. The doubts were swirling within him – What if I make it worse? What if I forget something vital to its survival? What if I didn't learn enough to save it? What if, what if, what if? It took over his mind his thoughts running in circles making it impossible to think straight. They should've gone for the doctor right away, not relied on Eamon’s imperfect memory and even more imperfect abilities. This was a disaster waiting to happen. “I don't know what to do!”

However, this panic wasn't helping anyone, especially his patient. This child of Laviku was relying on him and these others and Eamon didn't want to fail the sea God’s test, or worse, allow harm to come to one of the creatures of the waves when he could do something about it. He could here Alexa again, admonishing him through the years: ‘A doctor must do no harm, yes, but must also not stand by when he or she could help. It is never about you, but the patient.’ She was right and the thought of her strengthened him. She'd be proud of his efforts as long as he tried and that's what he should cling to, not the potential for failure. He could give in to his emotions later, when there was no patient relying on him.

He called upon one of his favorite images, which could usually ground him. I am the moon reflected on a lake without waves. Serene and undisturbed. Whatever might be going on under the surface, of both the lake and Eamon, wouldn't show. While he might not be able to control his emotions, he could control his reaction to them. He took a deep breath and that helped steady him as well. He'd learned one fact during his time back here in this world as well, which was the fact that nerves didn’t necessarily have to be a bad thing. As long as they were properly channeled into action, they could be highly beneficial.

So Eamon did that. The Ethaefal took his anxiety and forced it sideways into a new path, one towards ordering the exact steps that he would need to follow to pull this off. Anibesa had decided to stick around, for which Eamon was grateful. The more heads on this project, the easier it would probably be. The redhead took over applying pressure, supplying a piece of her own clothing, and Eamon gratefully let her slip into the spot he'd just been occupying. He watched her for a moment to make sure she was doing it properly, before realizing that it was probably a waste of time. First of all it wasn't that difficult a concept to grasp. Secondly, the Ethaefal didn't know enough to actually know if he had been applying pressure properly, let alone someone else. Her efforts seemed reasonable and he'd have to leave it at at. “Alright thanks. I'm calmer now. I still need to say that my best here isn't going to be very good but it's the best we've got.” Probably repeatedly admitting his lack of skill wasn't the best way to instill confidence in his skills as either a leader or a teacher but it was too late for that now.

“I'm going to need to speak out loud for a bit. It helps me get my thoughts in order.” It was sad that a disciple of the god of thought couldn't do better than that but it was where he was at this current moment in time and he basically would have to accept that. Worrying about it now wasn't worth it; he could come back to the issue later. “Now, about all those salves, what do I need?” He ran through the ones that Anibesa had highlighted, trying to figure out which would be most useful at this current moment in time. “Wound cleaning, what do I know about wound cleaning…” There was definitely some fact about it in the back of his mind but he couldn't remember it. Focusing all his attention on that nagging tidbit, he finally managed to tease it out

“Right, clean salt water can purify – or sterilize – a wound if it’s clean. I think. Alesa, my Lia, used to believe pretty strongly in the therapeutic properties of salt water, but I don’t know how much of that was actually true and how much was her devotion to Laviku.” Eamon trailed off. “That’s not important. Too much information. Anyway, Laviku willing, which, if this creature is his, he should be, the wound shouldn’t need additional cleaning. We should check for sand or other particles in the wound though, once we think it’s stopped bleeding.” He probably should’ve relied on the wound cleanser, which was guaranteed to make the wound wouldn’t get infected but he also felt he should trust his instincts, which were telling him it wasn’t strictly necessary. He’d take the blame if he was wrong, although it was likely none of them would contradict them. “Any objections to that?”

Regardless of their answer, Eamon picked up Azhiltu. “Anibesa, I’ll take you up on the medicine refill and the lessons. For now, though, let’s apply some Azhiltu. The Jile salve might help Karin with her welts. Karin, how’re they feeling? Think we can keep moving ahead?” Hopefully the blonde haired woman’s reaction wasn’t getting worse, because if it was, they might have more trouble than simply trying to save this animal. If Karin had complications, then they might have to cut their losses with the creature.

Assuming Karin was fine, though, he should keep the process moving. Turning to Anibesa, he nodded at her. “After I tell Karin what to do, you can release the pressure. For now, keep up the good work.” He didn’t know how long pressure should be applied for, but he was pretty sure that too much pressure for too long wasn’t as big a problem as too little pressure for too short a time. Now, he had to wrack his brains for information on how to properly close a wound.

The truth was, he knew what to do, but not necessarily how to do it. Rummaging through the slightly emptied pack, he eventually pulled out a small sewing kit. He pulled out a large and sharp looking needle and a thick thread. He probably should heat the thread, but they didn’t have any fire making materials handy and he couldn’t risk taking the time to go find some. Taking the thread, he tried to put it through the eye of the needle, but his hand was shaking too much. Forcing himself to take a deep breath he closed his eyes. No ripples on my surface. It calmed him enough to get the thread into place.

He held it out to Karin. “Okay. I have a couple questions and a couple instructions. First of all, have you ever sewn before? Because we’re going to have to sew the wound closed. At least, I think that’s the only way I know of. This thread and needle are bigger and stronger than usual because they’re supposed to go through flesh. There’s going to be a problem because we’re supposed to remove the stitches after a while, but I don’t know what we’re going to be able to do about that.” He shrugged, not really having an answer to that particular problem. Maybe one of the others would have a suggestion. “Do you think you can do this? And are you ready?” The Ethaefal held his breath as he awaited her response.

word count1345 + 11515 = 12860

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[Anibesa]

"Common" | "Fratava" | "Tukant"

The Svefra man was beginning to panic and Anibesa noticed that. She simply hoped that he would be able to hold himself together long enough to help the creature. Hoping that she'd be able to help somehow she focussed her eyes on him, offering a warm and reassuring smile if he were to look at her, though she felt as though the smile might be slightly out of place in this situation.
Either way, she thought that a smile would be more helpful than anything that looked worried or sad, and she figured that if she forced herself to smile, she might manage to force herself into a more optimistic mood.

Then she listened to him as he talked himself through things, furiously shaking her head when he asked if anyone had objections to his plan.
Anibesa knew too little about medicine to even consider saying that they should do anything different, so to her ears his plan sounded like one of the best plans she'd heard of.

Anibesa smiled up at the two as they both accepted the idea of her telling them about Philtering. If she could find the equipment she'd even show them how to Philter a few things, though she'd have to get that equipment first, and they'd have to find the herbs and ingredients to work with, though it would be worth a try.
She also knew she wasn't the best at teaching, but it might be fun to attempt to teach the two Svefra something, provided they'd be able to put up with her long enough.

Then she heard Eamon address her again, telling her to keep the pressure applied until he'd told Karin what to do, and Anibesa nodded, making sure to keep the cloak pressed onto the creatures wound.
It seemed that either the pressure was helping to slow and stop the bleeding, or that her cloak was thick and absorbent enough to prevent the blood from escaping it.
The former was obviously the best scenario, and the one that she was hoping for with all of her might.

Silently, she squeezed her eyes shut, trying to remember the name of the goddess that reigned over healing, though no name came to her.
Instead she offered a nameless prayer to the health goddess, hoping that she would not be offended by her lack of knowledge.
"I don't know if you listen to those that don't follow you devoutly, or if you help creatures as well as people, but please help this poor creature. Please give us the strength to help save it." she said silently in her mind, before opening her eyes and looking at the two.

And raising an eyebrow as she saw Eamon retrieve a thread and needle, then attempt to thread it. When he succeeded, Anibesa realised she'd been holding her breath, and she suddenly exhaled. It was slow, though she found it quite relaxing.

She listened to him speaking to Karin, asking her if she'd seen before and explaining a few things about why she was needing to sew, and why the needle and thread were different than usual. Then she heard him say that the stitches should be removed after a while, and she wondered what could happen if they weren't removed.

"If the stitches need removing, then surely Laviku will 'elp this creature to somewhere that can be do. And even so, surely it's better to have the stitches for longer than desired than to not sew it up and let 'im bleed out." she mumbled to herself, more to reassure herself that they were doing TK right thing. Then as he asked Karin if she was ready and if she could do it, Anibesa offered the woman a warm smile.

"I prayed to the healing goddess. Hopefully she'll be guiding you." she said calmly, hoping that her words might be encouraging to the woman, or that they'd at least offer a comfort.
She wasn't a devout follower of the goddess, and she didn't know whether Eamon or Karin were, or whether they had even heard of that goddess before, but surely a healing goddess was the best choice to pray to in this situation.

Now her eyes were on Karin, watching her as they waited for her answer.
Word Count713
Seasonal Total: 5535

[Tailyn]

Grades are here!

Anibesa

XP Award:

• +2 Observation
• +3 Persuasion
• +2 Medicine
• +1 Socialization

Lore:

• Persuasion: Offering to Help
• The Strange Creature: Fur Stings
• The Strange Creature: Functions on Both Water and Land
• Jile Salve: Wound Cleanser
• Azhiltu: Stops Bleeding
• Medicine: Apply Pressure to Slow Bleeding
• Persuasion: Offering Reassurance

Karin & Eamon: If you ever return/unretire feel free to hit me up and I’ll get you a grade!