Wild Berry Meadow do re mi

@Liri

With everything that happened recently, Rose had begun to wonder what exactly was meant for her future. She had never really thought about what she liked and disliked before, but saving Keoni had sparked something within her that she didn't even know was there. It was like a breath of fresh air was breathed into her and the young girl wasn't exactly sure what to make of it. 

So instead of worrying over the feeling that consumed her, the flame simply let it take hold. She let her mind relax and soon enough she found herself weaving in between the budding berry bushes of the quiet meadow. She moved to pluck a few from their bushes, her face twisting up at the bitter taste they left in her mouth. She was hoping they could make for a fine treat to snack on, but unfortunately it seemed they still needed a bit more time before they fully blossomed.

[table width=85%][tr][td]She threw up this morning. 

This fact would not be so startling if she didn't recognize the symptoms. The sun baked carcass she had passed after leaving the mud churned river behind, dried meat clinging to the bones as it was scavenged by carrion crows, would not have bothered her before. Only a small whiff of the scent brought her breakfast, a fat brown rat, back up her throat. 

Liri chose not to think on it. If she thought on it, her stress might crush her. The fae had taken to lavender for her anxiety though this did not keep the heavy thoughts at bay for long. 

So immersed in her troubles was she that Liri did not notice the scent of the other until she was almost upon them, the bright coloring of the woman's coat snapping her back to reality. 

She dances back a few paces, not unlike the way a spooked horse might, tail puffing in surpise like a startled cat. The snow-crafted woman settles with a tight smile of embarassment, noticing then the grimace of disgust. 

"I don't believe those are ripe enough yet. Not quite their season," she murmurs conversationally as she approaches the shrub with a curious glance.[/table][/tr][/td]

Her eyes darted to the pale woman, nose twitching as she leaned forward to catch the stranger's scent. There was something different about her, something Rose was not familiar with yet felt like she had experienced once before a long time ago. Perhaps it was a sickness or disease, but all the young flame knew was that the female before her smelt differently than any other she had come across. 

Her lips parted to question about the woman's scent, but she was stopped by the stranger's own sudden words. Not ripe enough, not in season; that much was obvious. "Do you know when they will be in season?" she asked, her head tilting slightly upwards as she waited for an answer.

[table width=85%][tr][td]Liri's head tilts to the side as she thinks, unaware of the fiery woman's thoughts.

"Mmm...couple of weeks, maybe? Month at most," Liri nods to herself, satisfied with the answer. They may not be medicinal but the healer knows plants.

She turns then, after realizing she is still staring at the budding foliage, and smiles at the stranger. "I'm Liri."[/table][/tr][/td]

A steady hum flows from the girl's lips as she receives her answer, her eyes following the pale female's gaze to the bushes and back. So Liri was her name. "Rose," she introduced with a flick of her tail, before awkwardly shifting closer to the woman. "You know anything else about plants?" she eagerly asked, her eyes lighting up like a child's on Christmas morning.

There was nothing more attractive than knowledge to the young girl and Rose was determined to soak up every bit of information she could get. She was scholarly that way, constantly seeking to learn something new, and she wasn't about to let her anti-social personality get in the way.

[table width=85%][tr][td]Liri, who had become skilled in reading people after her...incidents, could tell that the scorched Rose was not an adaptive conversationalist like herself. This suited her just fine, better to just stick to plants which the burnt young woman seemed to find interest in. 

"Oh, yes," the arctic fae agreed with an assured nod. "I'm a healer."

"What would you like to know?" Liri asked as she sat, head tilted as she waited to fill her pupil's head with knowledge.[/table][/tr][/td]

The usually stoic and uninterested girl didn't know what to make of the sudden happiness that flooded through her. Her tail swished back and forth when Liri revealed she was a healer and Rose instantly felt she could trust the pale female. "Everything!" She excitedly blurted out when asked what she wanted to learn, but quickly slunk back when she realized what a ridiculous request that was.

"Ugh I mean.." she trailed off while sitting; trying to think of a good place to start.  "How do you keep the herbs healthy after you pick them? I gather them up and try to keep them alive, but they just die a few days later." It would be a real pain if she constantly had to search for them every time someone got sick or hurt.

[table width=85%][tr][td]Liri could not help but smile at the girl's enthusiasm, continuing to do so even as Rose shrunk back.

"You'll want to leave them in the sun to dry if you pick them while wet." Liri gestured to a small clump of rosemary that still had some morning dew clinging to its small leaves. 

"The cache you keep your herbs in should be cool and dark, you can build a cairn of stones on it to protect it from the elements and animals alike. But you should check it occassionally because not at all herbs keep for very long."[/table][/tr][/td]

Dry them up? Rose had thought that would have killed them sooner, but if the experienced medic said it worked than she would give it a go. The flame's face turned thoughtful for a moment and she slowly lifted her head to study the pale female. "I recently helped a girl that was injured all over on the face and in the mouth" she started while thinking back to Keoni. "I knew how to stop the bleeding but...is there any herb that helps with pain?" 

It must have been painful for the girl to eat anything or really do anything with her mouth those first few days. Rose regretted that she couldn't do more back then, but now was the perfect time to learn as much as she could so that she was prepared for the future.

[table width=85%][tr][td]Liri frowned as she thought back on the young grey woman with the disfiguring wounds. 

"I think I may have met the same girl. It's likely she will never be the same again and will feel pain for a long time. Not much can be done for such a wound except to keep it clean and treat it best as you can," Liri confided with a sad sigh. The girl would feel pain until the wounds healed and maybe even afterwards. 

"There are several plants that help with pain: alder bark, bay leaves, garlic, horsetail, marigold and comfrey root. And cobwebs should be placed over wounds to keep them clean. Though this likely won't stop such severe pain completely." As a healer, Liri was a bit frustrated that she could not have helped the girl with the pain, only time could do so.[/table][/tr][/td]

While it was slightly upsetting to hear that Keoni might never go back to being her old self, truth was it didn't really matter to the aspiring medic. She hadn't known the girl before the incident so whether or not she changed was irrelevant to the young flame. Of course she wished the best for her patient, but sometimes changed was necessary to get through tough times. Rose had changed and look where she was now. If she hadn't been willing to adapt she might not have even made it this far. 

Rose shook her head to clear her thoughts and smiled when the healer told her the names of the herbs she requested. She repeated the plants several times in her head, then offered the pale woman a sincere "thank you." She thought of a handful more questions to ask, but not wanting to take up too much of the female's time, Rose eventually settled on asking one more question. "One more thing. Do you know how to transfer a large amount of herbs from one place to another?" 

[table width=85%][tr][td]Liri feels the conversation nearing its end, rising to her paws as it does so. A brief pang of dizziness unsettles her, her eyes squeezing shut with discomfort before the world returns to its usual balance.

"Certainly," the arctic fae responds with a smile. "I prefer to keep several small caches near particularly plentiful spots. It's best not to take too many from one spot, a mouthful at a time to ensure next year's growth is healthy." Liri advises this carefully, recalling the year when the locusts came and there was no green to be found for miles.

"But if one must move such a large amount the best way to do it is to find a plant with large leaves, nudge everything onto ir, and either drag it by the stem or carry it," Liri answers with a final nod. It's rare that she has to move so many herbs but it's the only way the healer knows.[/table][/tr][/td]