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 Posted: Thu Apr 27, 2017 5:50 pm
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Posted: Tue May 09, 2017 1:04 pm
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 Avner’s mind was always busy. His thoughts took him everywhere, getting distracted with each new thing his eyes landed on as he walked the small village. Certain huts were needing repairs, gathering groups were needing to be switched out, and the harvesters… Which brought his mind back to their lacking harvest. How was anyone not able to grow something in such a lush environment? How were they failing at it so hard? This was the never ending question for him.
If they couldn’t eat they couldn’t survive. Living like nomads wasn’t something they were excited about being either, moving from place to place in order to recover food for themselves. They needed more security than that, especially with their numbers growing thanks to the addition of some children. It was a happy sight, but also a terrifying one for Avner- more mouths to feed.
His eyes landed on the healing hut. Another thing came to mind, when was the last time he’d taken an order for Hachiko? Was she gathering it out on her own? Well, that wouldn’t do if that was the case. It was safer in numbers as the gathering party would do. So, he turned his way towards her place and knocked lightly before poking his head in. “Excuse the interruption, Hachiko.”
“I’m about to send out the next gathering party and thought I’d check in to see if there was anything you wanted them to keep an eye out for.” As he spoke his eyes wandered. He was surprised to see how well pulled together the little place was becoming. Suppose if he’d spend just an ounce of time in his own he might be able to make something of it as well, but alone time wasn’t something he had much of. Or perhaps he kept it that way.
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Posted: Tue May 09, 2017 3:28 pm
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Healing, in retrospect, was a lonely profession. Fidgeting as that thought gnawed at her, Hachiko prepared to go see Thyone. Checking on the family was a worthy enough of an excuse to visit. There was a cavernous void chilling her to the very bone but a friend helped.
On a que she never set, there was a knock and a familiar voice. Had there been a heart to jump, hers would have. Turning on a heel one fallen faced another. Their last real conversation sat heavy on her mind and weighed down her shoulders.
Not even healer mode would cure this, she thought absentmindedly rubbing the back of her left calf with the right foot. Taking a swallow of more than just saliva she greeted him, "Avner, welcome, the door is always open in the healers hut." Patients or friends, in their community it was practically guaranteed to be the same thing.
He wasn't hurt, it seemed, but this sounded like it was not a social visit. Of all the hard workers Avner seemed to be the one that needed a good rest. Healers orders.
Running her tongue along her lips a moment to pull words out again, Hachiko responded. "There are a lot of things, the store is woefully short. Top priority is something I can use for bandaging so materials that can be woven together or used to pack a wound." Where he'd find something like that was beyond her, but if anyone could figure it out it would be Avner. "Next is as much willow bark as you can manage, white willow if possible by any will do." Tenseness to her voice gave away some of how hopeful she was for the substance. This was almost everything she carried from home, but it had to be enough.
"Last, if you find anything that smells particularly nice and strong, try to gather it up. I may have uses." Nice was subjective but if she was staying here, his judgement would have to do. Willow bark was a nasty beast, anything that could take the edge off it could be of great help.
What else, Hachiko, what else! Looking to the side she brought hand up to run her fingers through a lock of dark hair trying to think. Subtle tug of frustration followed as the left of her bottom lip settled between her teeth. The little bit of pressures didn't do whatever she expected them to do so her lip was released but her hand stayed frozen in a useless task. "How have you been?" Don't leave yet. That would have to do, a healers question.
Irish Night Fox Willow bark is what aspirin is made of, without a great bit of teaching, felt it was safe to give her one useful nugget.
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Posted: Tue May 09, 2017 4:37 pm
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Avner’s mind slowed down just enough to take notice of not just his surrounding, but the female in front of him. Something was different, it almost felt as though he wasn’t speaking to the same fallen who’d arrived in this land with him. It wasn’t bad, no, it was almost… hopeful? Flashbacks hit him of the last time they were alone and he had to keep himself from frowning. That had been a Hachiko that almost hurt to reflect on, but this one… Had she found her place?
She certainly seemed to. The fallen that had once called herself a burden had landed in an important role to the group. Though none of them had any true skill in the tasks they’d found themselves in, each was doing enough to keep them all going forward. Hachiko included. It seemed to be going well for her and not only in the fruit of her labor by all the Fallen showing a healthy status, but even her demeanor. If only all of them could find their place.
He pushed the thoughts and memories away. No use getting wrapped up in it, they had work to do. “That’s good to know. Don’t ever hesitate to let me or one of the gathering party know when you need something else. We’re only as healthy as we help you make us.” He paused, listening to her needs nodding slowly, “Wrapping up a wound… I’ll see if they can find any vines we can strip into flat pieces or large leaves…” His voice trailed off as he processed her next request, “Could moss work to pack a wound? Uh, either way I’ll be sure they look for anything that sounds like it would work.”
“White willow, got it. It sounds important enough I might just send someone else out with them to look for that specifically, so we don’t split their attention between gathering food and medicine. We can get as much of all of it as we can get.”
He watched her in silence, allowing her her space to think. He rolled the list over in his head making sure to not forget it before blinking slightly as the sudden change of topic. He felt the need to answer to be kind, but also felt a light p***k of stress hit the back of his head. He had so much to do… but at the same time he hadn’t really taken the time to check on the others. The notion slapped him in the face. He was so wrapped up in caring for them he didn’t actually know what they needed.
He leaned against the wall and crossed his arms over his broken chest, deciding that whatever else it was he was needing to do could wait just a little bit longer, “I guess saying ‘busy’ would be pretty obvious. It feels like things never end or take a break. It looks great in here, Hachiko, seems you’ve really found your place.”
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Posted: Tue May 09, 2017 5:11 pm
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This was woefully inadequate for a healers house, items were missing. What she thought didn't matter, it was his assertion that what she did was important that froze her. Somewhere in the full body iced in place the fallen forgot how to breathe. Her heart had been removed, left behind where it belonged so how was it that it felt like said heart was stuck in her throat?!
How was she supposed to respond? Turned out the answer was not floating around Avner's head, waist or feet, shame that. "I try. Full bellies are the ounce of preventive to my pound of cure." Tug of war between taking comfort in the acknowledgement and instant fear of being recognized strangled her voice. The verbal hot-potato had to go somewhere, any where. None of them could discount the green Fallen's efforts to improve the home.
Pale green eyes widened a fraction with the suggestion of moss. Chastising herself for not thinking about it hers, Hachiko had to fight the urge to hit her head with a palm. "That is brilliant, Avner! I didn't think about moss.." Some healer she was, the idea didn't occur until he voiced it.
Bringing her hand out of her hair to her chin she looked to the left and right processing the possibilities. Growing her own moss could keep it healthy and had hand should it be needed. The large leaves had been silently disregarded as they dry out but his other ideas held merit. "Vines are excellent, wider and more flexible the better." How to keep it flexible was the issue. Maybe they could find a weaver or someone that made something like a bandage? At least with all the trees around things could be found in the mean time.
"It will be time well spent, thank you. The bark is a staple for healing" Growing one would take far too much time especially if this wasn't where they stayed. More stock of the stuff the better for everyone in the village. Small comforts such banishing a headache goes a long way. Distracting even one food gatherer had to be worth it and this was vitally worth it.
Darkened purple cheeks bloomed with his praise, "I remember liking making others feel better, this is right. I am glad I can do something." Small comforts created huge impacts before the masters tried to banish empathy. Their greatest rebellion was not just escaping but doing so with some shades of empathy.
Healer or fully Hachiko herself, she couldn't say, but the concern was voiced "Too busy can be bad for your health. Healers order, take a few minutes to breathe and enjoy the day. You've worked hard to help make this happen." Between him and Naya'il this couldn't happen, especially Naya'il. There was no discounting Avner or selling him short.
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Posted: Fri May 19, 2017 2:15 pm
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Was she feeling alright?
Avner noticed that her demeanor had changed, but he’d been so lost in his own thoughts about her ingredients he hadn’t picked up on what he had said that would cause this. He quickly thought back attempting to remember if something had been hurtful or wrong, but then again he wasn’t perfect so he could very well have said something off putting without knowing it. He really needed to pay attention-
Ah, well, her words hadn’t come off as hurt or defensive so perhaps he was imagining things? Though it was her next words that gave him a pause this time. Full bellies. “Sadly, full bellies aren’t something we’ve been able to always make available to everyone…” he mumbled this a bit to himself, but didn’t hear how his voice easily carried this to her. Not that she’d be a stranger to it, it’s the reason they were constantly having to send out gathering parties…
He jumped slightly as her voice changed to a more excitable pitch. He’d gotten wrapped back up in thoughts about not having enough food that he hadn’t expected her voice, “Ah! Well, uh, thanks.” he rubbed the back of his neck unsure how to take the praise. “The stuff just kinda reminded me of the sponge like stuff they use to give us to clean up…” he trailed off deciding he didn’t want to talk about their healthcare back in their hell hole. Tending to one’s own wounds whether self inflicted or from a brutal master wasn’t something worth dwelling on.
“It just looks right.” he finally decided to just leave it at that. He nodded at the vines bit, “I’ll see if they can find the young, green ones. I think they’d hold up better to being stripped down and wrapped around limbs. They’ll dry out after awhile so we could add it on to some of the rounds. As well as your bark and anything else you can think of.”
“What is the bark used for anyways?” A staple for healing, huh? Sounded important. Too bad it wasn’t something they could grow here in the village. It would be nice to have it on hand, though their other planting attempts weren’t going so smooth- “And if you can think of anything you’d like to grow yourself here. We could see about picking up seem seeds while we’re out there.” Perhaps she’d surprise him and have a green thumb, then maybe they’d be out a healer then if they needed her magic growing talents elsewhere.
He felt a small smile turn up the side of his lips, just about all he could muster in his weariness. Still, seeing her find her place and the look it made bloom on her face managed to make him feel good. This is what they’d fought for. This ability to feel like they were worth something more. To have that freedom. “It seems a perfect fit for you. It’s not easy though so thank you for your hard work.”
He looked away from her as she spoke. He understood her concern and knew he’d do the same for the other’s, but at the same time he felt a sense of owing it to them. He’d helped them get here so it felt like his burden to help bare. “I appreciate it, Hachiko. I promise I'll do my best to be mindful of taking breaks and when I’m less concerned about the state of our livelihood I’ll take an extended break. It’s just…” he wasn’t sure how much to share. It was known that food was hard to come by, but it wasn’t voiced just yet how badly the harvest was going. “There are just a few more things that need to be taken care of…”
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Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2017 5:09 pm
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A deep breath brought her empty chest up before falling with a heavy sigh. Not a one could blame Avner for hungers. Besides the next generation, they were used to having little food. As she placed one arm against the other, the fallen was frozen with words jumbled in her throat. He was doing a great job, thats what she wanted to say. How could anyone believe that they were anything but luxury now?
Resting on the Master's throne, it was never safe and never lasted. A good lesson to keep teaching if the village grew more.
Folding in her shoulders, it was all the fallen could do not to step back and hide. In the brief moments that her eyes were shut, she could hear the sound of sharp claws cutting air. The sound was so real it set her nerves on fire. Fight or flight was the second thing beaten into submission after hope. Hope visibly pulled her back from shrinking in on herself, "Those furballs would be so unhappy to know we make our lives better with anything they used." Each word growing in strength and it ended with a tiny half smile.
Remembering anything from those days to help the community felt like a theft and that was a victory.
"Drying out has its own uses but I might be able to keep the vines going." In the dark past her mother had kept a flower growing for weeks before they found it. If something could grow there, surely it can manage here? One day they would have time for frivolities, then she'd have a flower again.
What should be a happy thought began pulling her back towards evil memories until he asked the question about the bark. Jerking her head up she started quickly, "It heals pain! It also helps with swelling and fever." What a concept, relieving pain! It was almost enough to make her want to fly, her feet hardly on the ground at the prospect.
What could be better than her people not having to feel pain? There was a luxury just under not being hungry.
Unable to keep eye contact when he praised her, Hachiko looked away and responded softly, "I am glad to help." Pulling her lip in on the left side and holding it down between teeth, the young woman fidgeted with finding courage to look back at Avner after his recognition. "Your efforts help make it possible." Standing out was bad, bad minimize minimize! Habits die really, really hard.
With a hard swallow she released her lip to offer a closed smile, reaching out tentatively to place a hand on his shoulder, "There is always a few more things. It is better now than its ever been, just try not to forget that?" Pot thy name is Hachiko.
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Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2017 3:04 pm
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Her words tugged at the corner of his lips, trying to pull a smile out of him. She was right. He’d always had a bad habit of comparing where things were with where they should be and didn’t take enough time to think back. A part of him feared thinking back. He had enough sleepless nights due to nightmares and fear of the darkness that still nibbled at the edges of his mind. Some times he purposefully kept his eyes forward to ensure he kept his mind in check, but hearing the words out of her mouth brought so much truth to light. Yes, they weren’t round bellied and full, but they were definitely in a better place in life. “You’re very right. Thank you for that reminder. I actually needed that.”
The conversation switched to matters at hand, “If that’s the case I’ll try to get something with a root system for you. Perhaps you’ll have better luck at growing something and you won’t have to rely on us to find it for you.” His eye brows perked up at her, heals pain? Swelling and fever? “No wonder it’s so important we get it- that’s quite a few things. I’ll make sure it’s the top of our list then.”
His head tilted to the side slightly, not moving away from her touch. It had taken awhile for him to get comfortable with such things. He’d caught himself flinching a lot, but was proud of the strides he’d taken to feel and seem ‘normal’. Whatever that was. He was looking at her in thought. His face didn’t show much of what was going on, but it was Avner. His mind was always going. He shook his head slightly, “You’re curious. I don’t know how you manage to remain so positive despite everything we have been through. Don’t lose that, it’s the only way to make it through this life with yourself intact that’s for sure.” He wished so badly he'd managed that for himself.
“I’ll keep it in mind though, you’re very right. My list is never ending.” He pushed off the wall. “Speaking of, I appreciate the moment break, but I’d better get your list to the gatherers before they take off. Is there anything else you can think of?”
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Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2017 6:05 pm
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A healer's job was to take care of the health of their patients. This fractured, scraggly group encompassed their tribe, her patents. Three won top spot, Avner had the dubious honors of being on that list. "It is what I am here for,"unspoken was a promise to always be there for that, should he need it. Empathy kept them alive in the dark place, and the echos still color her world.
Survival meant working together.
Grow? Her tongue was quickly bitten before speaking the thoughts that sent her eyebrows up. "A water source would be better for growing but I wouldn't turn down the try." For the whole of the village she added, "Thank you and the foragers for being willing to look for it." Priorities as they were, it could be considered lesser than food, but for her own it was high.
The next remark caught her off guard. Positive? When had that happened? For several moments the fallen female reflected on just what he had seen. There was one of their village who she'd never question their observational skills and he had just made one. So haunted for so long, it was a wonder that she might be coping. "I remember." Two words, one monologue of an answer. "Part of a healer skill set." A grain of sugar to be found and honey cures better than vinegar. Was it really that simple?
With a sigh, Hachiko stepped back to make it easier, "Be safe, and a Healer's hut is always open."
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