Blacktail Deer Plateau i lived the dream of nymph and men

a swear in french upon her lips, erzulie hissed at the violent pain behind her eyes that had woken her before dawn. a headache, she sighed, feeling the agony shudder into her skull and at last fall silent. she had paced from the den in a furor, and now stood overlooking the cliff, blinking at rosewater now washing the horizone.
a trip must be made for more medical supplies, and soon. perhaps the stresses had now congealed into a hammer that knocked her about, and the thought tightened erzulie's mouth. she would not bear that.
in time, the harlot wended her way into the forest, heading for no particular direction as she warily awaited the return of the discomfort.

the huntress stomped through the territory, expelling her frustration with each huff. a few days had passed since her challenge but the disappointment remained. was she really too weak to take on a child? she'd been born a fighter so it wasn't incompetency or inexperience, both of which she attributed to nieve. once she was able to level herself and finish a few more practices, ying planned to go in for a second try.

ahead was the sulking frame of erzulie. recognition came immediately — border friend! — and from this, she was given a moment of relief. she sped up to meet her companion's side, hoping that a good conversation would knock out her attitude.

it did not come, but ying's voice sounded. 
any other time, the harlot would have welcomed the sprightly young siren, but now, now with her head poised upon the edge of another pain, ageing body protesting the lack of sleep — ying was only a reminder of what she stood to lose.
so vain a bitch, she chided herself.
"hello, ma chère," the bayou-witch invited, still enchanted by the cloud-and-sapphire seafoam glint that seemed to always glisten around ying.

ying had already made note of erzulie's distant demeanor, and so stopped herself from making too much of an approach. she wandered close to her companion and smiled, deciding that she didn't have to understand everything that she said. it sounded pretty; she doubted that it was an insult.

what you doing? yuèguāng asked, curious as to what had brought erz so far from the border where they'd met.

what was she doing?
she did not wish to tell ying of the plaguing headaches, but recently she had decided to collect whatever herbs had been known to help, locate where the bulbs grew now and mark the location for spring.
"i need more healin' plants," she chose. "want to come wid me?"

You heal things? Ying asked. Did Erzulie think that she was rude for not asking when they'd first met? She hoped not. 

The guardian moved to position herself steady beside her companion. Her knowledge did not span the world of healing; it was a task that required a mental dexterity she simply did not posess. However, a chance to spend time with Luli could not be ignored.

She began to walk, presumably following behind. What you need? she asked, wondering if she should also be on the lookout.

"yes. i have patched up many a sailor," she remarked. but her thoughts were upon the herbs, and she was happy to change it back to the task at hand. somehow it was due to the headache, her shorter patience, but she did not like to dwell on it now.
"i am looking for long grasses dat stick up above de snow. there are all kinds. today i am marking where de herbs be growin' to bloom in de spring."

The affection held for Erzulie quickly grew. Knowing that her companion was a healer made Ying more comfortable in their relationship because it was only a matter of time before she needed her assistance. She was a good fighter, but not yet perfect.

How they smell? she asked, shoving her nose against the snow. Ying was a hunter; without a trail, she was essentially helpless. I look close, promise. She didn't say anything else, instead focusing on the current task.

to demonstrate, erzulie turned aside, indicated where a clump of long grasses rose up from beneath the drifts. she dug to the base, shallower snow here at the base of a tree, until the soggy ground was uncovered and mud gave way to a tiny bulb.
"dandelion," she grunted. "dere will be a lot of dem here when de sun comes back." an all-purpose, simple plant, and one quite necessary.

Oh! she whispered. The ease with which Erzulie moved was both intimidating and fascinating. She had complete control over her body, as was evident with each swift motion. Ying worried that she might not have the same prowess so instead of immediately going off on her own, the huntress decided to linger. What dan-de-lion for? she asked.

"a bit of dandelion in some water can help wid cough in de springtime," erzulie answered, not wanting to overload ying with a full list of the plant's abilities. "it is very bitter though, so if possible, you give it wid sap or honey."
she moved on to the next tree-base, scratching through the snow once more.

She trailed behind Erzulie, still hesitant to begin her own excavation. We call this, púgōngyīng, she explained, but...I never know what it was for until now. Ying thought that plants were confusing. How was one meant to tell them apart?

What you call it? she asked. Erzulie's accent intrigued Ying; did she know another language, too? Having two language buddies would be much better than only one.

erzulie did not attempt to say the name, not wanting to insult ying by butchering a word in her tongue. "i like de soun' of it," she said instead, and truthfully. "pissenlit," she answered, muzzle wrinkled with an amused disgust. "an ugly word. not as pretty."

I like it. Ying's voice was but a whisper; the majority of her attention went to tracking the movement of Erzulie's paws. Another bulb began to appear, eliciting an excited yip. You are so good!, she told her. The sylph bent down just close enough to get a whiff before backing away in submission.

She looked around for a moment. I want to try, maybe. Ying wasn't confident in her ability, but she thought that with her friend's assistance, the task was nothing that she couldn't handle.

she enjoyed the sound of how ying praised her. it seemed genuine, despite erzulie's deeprooted suspicions of all commentary given from most.
"come now," she encouraged. "i t'ink you will be just as good at it." she stepped back, glancing encouragingly to the girl.

Apprehensive to start, Ying wandered to the next tree. She looked to Erzulie once more for reassurance, before beginning to dig at its base. There was nothing worth noting there, save for the broken and exposed flesh of a once-bud. The huntress gazed up her mentor with apologetic eyes, hoping that she hadn't ruined the search.

"dat is all right," erzulie murmured. "we cannot save dem all. but dis tells me dat roses will grow here. dey are good for de coughing."  though she did not know the name, it was greencough she meant, and eyes flickered silently, interestedly, to ying.

Fade?

Oh. Ying quite often got sick with the season, so was glad to know that there was a remedy for the cough. She nodded for Erzulie to fall ahead once more. I stay with you for now. If she would be had, that is.

<3

a nod. she was happy for the company, and liked ying. together they whiled away a good portion of the day, and erzulie felt as though she had imparted some wisdom when they at last separated for their own devices.