"Do not worry about it Serrif. I was far less useful than you," Blythe said, as she tried to re-adjust the bag on her arm by slowly lowering her arm, and then rapidly raising it, so the bag would be propelled further up her arm. But it didn't seem to do much. "Not only that, but the healers at the temple should know what to do," and with that, Blythe turned sharply on her heels, digging them into the sand. As soon as she had turned away from the sea, Blythe began to head slowly up the beach, that way, Serrif was sure to keep up. "Just yell if you need a break," Blythe called over her shoulder. "Or if you need help with her, or for me to slow down." As she walked, Blythe kicked up small clods of sand. Her feet sunk into the warm grains, leaving a messy imprint of her foot upon them. Several grains slid in through the open spaces in her sandals. The grains clung to her drying feet, and tickled her toes. At times, it was difficult for Blythe to ignore them, and to simply carry on without wiping the grains away. Even so, Blythe never did allow herself to stop, knowing that each minute she took to care for herself was another Keyta spent in pain. The procession walked in silence for a few moments before Blythe began to reply to Serrif's questions. "Well, just about everyone here is a Konti, and thus, a woman. There are very few outsiders, if you will, although they do exist." Blythe paused for a moment as if considering her words. The two of them had walked past the beach, and were now walking over lush green grass. A series of tiny white cottages and stone buildings could be seen here and there, although there were very few people. "As for the temple itself. Well, there isn't much to know. It is larger on the inside than it seems on the outside. As you will know soon enough, it is a building surrounded by twin white towers, and is set in the middle of a park. It's by the coastline though, perhaps we could have walked around the beach and gotten there eventually, but I think this way should be faster." "Anyway," Blythe continued, "the temple houses a medical library, as well as a clinic, and another section that serves as a hospital. Almost everyone, if not everyone who works there is a woman, and quite a number are marked by Rak'keli..." Blythe's voice trailed off for a moment. "A lot of healers gather there since lessons on medicine and herbalism are provided. That and some of the staff are said to help those who struggle with their gifts." Blythe continued walking in silence. Her shoulders were beginning to grow sore and her legs felt rather heavy. Even though the bags she was carrying were relatively light, they wore on her. She had been carrying them for at least fifteen minutes, and was both walking and talking, which proved to be extraordinarily tiring. "Boy am I in need of a proper workout," Blythe muttered under her breath, frustrated with her out-of-shape body for seeming as though it would quit on her so soon. But she wouldn't tell Serrif such things, and she'd do her best not to show her discomfort. A few beads of sweat had appeared on her brow, and her heart rate was steadily increasing. At least, she thought, they were more than halfway there. OOCI figured we'd do one round of sheer traveling to the temple, and then on my next post, I'd say we got there, and run us through meeting Merida and being directed to the clinic on the west lawn. |