Redsand Canyon i will always think about you,

the natural shelving aquene spoke of was a boon to this room, qiao thought. many an inconvenient stone she had found mid-excavation in past dens. this one would serve mereo just fine. 

qiao returned to the indentation, thumbing it with long rakes of her thin paws. for a while they worked in silence — a comfort to the herbalist who had long ago learned to endure lulls in speech. after probing two roughshod cells, qiao spoke. i came by my trade as a mistake. i fell to lean times and — ah, an aembu woman took me in and taught me much of what i know. there came across her face an expression that could be called sentimental were it not for the ruthless wear of time pressed against it  m’waki. your mazoi arsenio reminds me of her. how was it you fell to such? healing is a ruthless calling - many do not seek it of their own accord. qiao’s gaze slid from the loam to aquene, flickering with interest.