[Flashback] Shattered Glass and New Acquaintances (Veldrys)

[Shai]

Timestamp: 14th of Winter, 508 AV

Shai grined and laughed, “Another perfect one Vi! Alright I’ll make this next one hard . . . hmm”. Sanvis and Shai sat across the table from each other; they’d been studying for almost a bell now. Sanvis was preparing to graduate from school and Shai couldn’t let her adored little sister study alone. The two women looked remarkably alike; Sanvis could have been a copy of a younger Shai if only they shared the same eye color. Sanvis had the same lovely ruby gaze of the rest of web Nerium while Shai viewed the world through amethyst eyes. “Ok, ready?” The younger Symenestra nodded so Shai continued. “Very well. What are the three major threads in the web of logical reasoning?”

The younger woman took a few moments to compose her answer before replying. It was a characteristic Shai always envied in her little sister, she always thought her words through before voicing them. “The first is that if you have blood then you have blood if you have a web then you have a web. You can never have a web that is blood. The second thread states that you cannot have two true statements which contradict each other. You can say ‘it is dark’ but you cannot say ‘it is not dark’ and mean them both to be true at once. The final thread is the concept that something is either true or it is not, even if you are unaware of its truth it is still true.”

Shai smiled with pride, her little sister was almost ready to graduate. “Correct but you failed to name them. They are called-“

“The thread of identity, the thread of noncontradiction and the thread of excluded middle.” The younger sibling interrupted.

“Again correct, well done.”

“Sister aren’t you late? Usually you’d have already left.” Sanvis chirped in before Shai could offer another more difficult question.

Shai’s eyes widened, had so much time past? She surely would be late for what her family had assumed was a reoccurring gathering of close friends. They assumed wrong, it was a religious ceremony that a small group performed every handful of days. Shai scrambled to her personal hutch in the wall and extracted the delicate glass chalice she stored for the group. Along with her black cloak to keep her warm and the chalice hidden discretely within, Shai hurried from the nest.

Taking the quickest route in this case was not the most direct, to avoid other people slowing her down she took a less traveled path. So not expecting to come across anyone Shai nearly ran across the cords toward her destination. Unfortunately, there was someone in the way and Shai wasn’t paying enough attention until it was far too late. She managed to stop without fully colliding into the young man but the bump was enough to set her off balance. Using both hands to steady herself so she didn’t fall, Sha lost her grip on the chalice. Shai reacted immediately, dropping down onto the cord as a gymnast would on a bar and clenching with her legs which forced her to flip onto the underside of the ‘street’. She had to keep a death grip on the silken road with her hands which left only her mouth to catch the cup. Luckily, as anyone who’s caught a ball before knows, you can often tell when you’re going to make it in time to catch something. Shai had just this feeling of certainty right before her teeth clasped around the lip of the glass. What the Symenestra had failed to account for was the fragility of the goblet which shattered as her teeth clinched the delicate glass. Shards of glass cut into the soft insides of the girl’s mouth and the remainders of the chalice fall away into the darkness.

As she pulled herself back on top of the cord, Shai had the most ridiculous thought fly through her mind. She should be concerned about the damage to her mouth, the pain was fogging her thoughts for certain and the blood certainly wasn’t helping. Or baring the pain and blood she could have considered what to do about the lost chalice. No instead for some inane reason the first thought on her mind was that she should apologize to the person she’d bumped into. The following the thought was much more logical in this situation, she needed to see a healer and get off the cords before blood loss made her dizzy. And Shai would have done just this but there was a young male Symenstra still on the path before her.

[Veldrys]

The surrogate had somehow gotten her hands on a knife and plunged it right into her stomach, hoping to kill her baby. Her knowledge of anatomy had been sorely lacking though. She had aimed much too high and only managed to mortally wound herself. A guard had found her in a somewhat secluded area of the Nest, lying in a pool of her own blood. They had called for somebody from the Purging to try and save the baby.

Veldrys had accompagnied Hellebore, his superior, to the Nest. They had cut her open, with little care as to whether he damaged any vital organs. It was already too late for her. All he could do was try and save the baby. The child had been a boy, perfectly shaped and beautiful, but he had been much too small, too premature. He had died a few hours later in the arms of his parents.

Veldrys had decided to take the rest of the day off after that. He had claimed that he wasn’t feeling well. He needed some time for himself. He was mad, at the woman that had taken her own life as well as those that had been supposed to watch her. There was a hypnotist working at the Nest. Why hadn’t he come and hypnotized her? Hadn’t anybody noticed that she was suicidal? And why had the surrogate been so foolish? Hadn’t she been aware that she would likely only kill herself? She could have had a few more months in relative luxury!

This was why it had to stop, this waste of life. There had to be another way ...

He had decided to go to the Blue Grotto. Swimming or sitting at the edge of the pool and looking at the water always helped to clear his mind and calm him down. He was so deep in thought that he didn’t notice her until it was too late. There was a vague kind of pain as they collided. He instinctively reached forward to catch the goblet that she had dropped, but he was a little exhausted, and his reflexes had suffered.

And then she was already doing her acrobatic stunt. As she tried to catch the goblet with her mouth and subsequently crushed it, he instinctively winced, as if he could feel her pain. „You are hurt“, he remarked as he rushed to her side. „You shouldn’t have done this. Surely the goblet wasn’t worth that much. You are bleeding. Come with me. My home isn’t far. I'm a healer. I’ll take care of your wound ...“

He put his arm around her as it seemed as if she was feeling dizzy and looked at her worriedly. Had she cut her tongue with the glass? If the inside of the mouth was damaged as well, it could be slightly problematic. He wished he had his healer’s kit with him. But he had left it at home. He hadn’t expected to encounter any wounded people on his way to the Blue Grotto.

[Shai]

Shai opened her mouth to speak but flinched instead. Gingerly closing her mouth the young woman nodded her assent, using her right hand she covered up her bloody mouth. This was by far one of the least intelligent things Shai had done. She’d manage to make a spectacle out of herself and get injured in the process. The only saving grace was that by some miraculous stroke of serendipity the man she’d bumped into was not only a healer but one she didn’t know. And the best part about her lack of knowledge was that in this case, there was a chance his web wouldn’t have close contact with hers. The final thread in a situation like this would be for her web to find out. All Symenestra ended up knowing one another, there was too few for that not to be inevitable, but maybe the conversation would just never arise. Well, it was something to hope for at least.

Her train of thought could only distract her from the pain for so long, so as the first drops of blood escaped down her chin she was rudely reminded. Shai chose to simply follow the young man, accepting his support to avoid any further incidents besides it would probably get her inside faster than if she tried to go on her own. While he led she focused on how she could explain why the chalice was so important without giving away the secret. It had been tough to keep a secret so long, rumors spread through Kalinor like wildfire.

[Veldrys]

Veldrys‘ home was indeed not far. It was located near the red strand road. Like all other houses in Kalinor it resembled some kind of coccoon that hang from the ceiling. There were no windows – windows didn’t make a lot of sense in a cave – and the door was near where the roof of a normal house would be.

As they stood in front of the door, Veldrys let go of Shai for a moment to produce a key and open it. Behind the door the young woman could see a narrow staircase that led towards the main area of the house. It would be impossible for a human or any other surface dweller to use the stairs without stumbling and falling, but for a Symenestra it provided little challenge.

Veldrys descended the stairs first, and then he gestured for Shai to follow him. The stairs were so narrow that it was impossible for them to walk next to each other and for him to support her.

On the other side of the stairs was a large, round room that was rather sparsely furnished. There were just a table, a few chairs and a single chest. Most of the healer’s possessions were stored in small niches in the wall. Long curtains of precious white and golden silk separated the room from the other rooms in the house. Everything was very clean and tidy, and each single object had its place. The entire room was filled with the light of candles.

„Please sit down.“ Veldrys pointed at one of the chairs, and then he he retrieved a few things from a niche. He put them on the table in front of Shai. She could see a piece of clean cloth, a container with a white salve that smelled rather pleasant, a few medical instruments and strangely enough a small box that was filled with what looked like salt. „And open your mouth. I need to see if any of that glass is stuck somewhere. If you just have a few shallow cuts, rinsing the mouth with salt water should be enough, but if the cuts are deeper ...“

He looked at her, a little worried. It occured to him that she hadn’t said a single word yet. „It hurts to talk, doesn’t it?“ he asked compassionately. „You should feel better soon. The cuts should heal within a few days if you do what I say.“

[Shai]

Shai followed Veldrys down the stairs quietly; his home was not so much different from hers. She kept her hand covering her mouth as much as she could it looked odd but not nearly as odd as a bloody mouth would. Taking the seat he indicated Shai observed the healer ready his things. Knowing next to nothing about healing or medicine Shai went on faith, besides most of the items looked medicinal and one even smelled nicely. Her mouth had begun to stop hurting as long as she was very careful not to move her tongue or jaw and so she dreaded the words she knew were coming, ‘open your mouth’.

Removing her hand the Lady Symenestra managed to remain stoic instead of letting her embarrassment show. Her lips had a few cuts on them but it wasn’t terrible, it looked much worse due to her smearing the blood with her hand but there was no doubt a healer could tell the difference. Lying her bloody hand palm up in her lap Shai took a deep breath through her nose and then opened her mouth.

The truth of injury was not nearly as bad as the blood had indicated. The glass had hardly cut her tongue but the roof of her mouth had several shallow shards still embedded into it. There was no damage down to the muscles underneath her tongue and while scratched a bit her gums were left intact. The worst part of injury really was that the shards were still in it the rest might scar but unlikely.

The first thing Shai would do when he was done was apologize profusely, she was the one who had bumped into him and now he was helping her, such horrible manners.

[Veldrys]

Veldrys was relieved as he inspected Shai’s mouth. Her lips only had a few cuts on them, and they weren’t particularly deep. Her tongue wasn’t bleeding too much either, and it would be easy to get rid of the glass that was stuck in the roof of her mouth. He had been a little shocked when he had watched her hurt herself, but in the end he came to the conclusion that he had seen much worse. It was nothing compared to the injuries he dealt with in the Purging every day. It was a welcome change in fact because he knew that this patient would get better.

„I need you to sit completely still now“, he told her. „And open your mouth as wide as possible. I am going to remove the glass now, but you must not move at all!“ With that he took a look at his instruments and picked the one that was best suited to removing the glass as he didn’t want to poke around with his claws in her mouth. That would probably make it worse. He tried to be gentle, but it would likely be a little unpleasant for Shai nevertheless. Fortunately it didn’t take too long though. After a minute he put the instrument away again.

„You can close your mouth again.“ He handed her the container with the salve. „Put this on your lips to prevent infection, but try to keep your lips dry otherwise. There might be a little swelling later on. In that case ice will help. As for the cuts inside your mouth, as I said before, rinse your mouth with salt water.“ He pointed at the box with salt. „You can take the salt and the salve with you. I have more elsewhere. But make sure that the water you use is a little warm.“

Having said that he disappeared behind one of the silk curtains and returned with a bowl full of water and a towel. „I thought you might want to wash your hands. Unless you enjoy being covered with blood?“ He arched an eyebrow, and there was the hint of a smile on his face. He wasn’t really serious. „Regardless, promise me not to try something like this again! The next time you could break something or fall off the rope. Even if you survive the fall ... you know what is at the bottom of the cave, don’t you?“

[Shai]

Shai followed his instructions exactly. The only way to embarrass herself further in this situation was to make mistakes on simple directives. She grabbed large folds in her cloak to avoid hurting herself further; she could guess pretty easily what the implement he had chosen was for. She kept perfectly still as he pulled out the small shards except for her fists where she tightened them with each splinter’s removal. It wasn’t horrible, the healer was fast and efficient she couldn’t have asked for anyone to complete the task better. With the shards gone she was able to speak again and so she followed through with the promise she made to herself. “Thank you, Healer. It was my poor attention to my path that got you into this small ordeal. I apologize for my carelessness.” Shai reached for the salve, as he left the room, so she could inspect it.

When he returned Shai hardly registered the bowl, instead she was struck by his mention of her fondness for being covered in blood. There was no way he could know. I have never had any close contact with him. Belatedly she noticed the small smile and visibly relaxed. She pulled on a small smile as well. “Thank you for your kindness.” She washed the blood off of her hand and face after he admonished her, politely giving him her full attention it was the least she could do. “I promise I will not pull such a stunt again. I have thoroughly learned my lesson this time. The chalice was important, I did not think before I reacted.” She regarded him curiously at his finally query, “I have no idea what lies beneath us, only that is it is decidedly unpleasant and covered in refuse. Regardless, I appear to have forgotten my manners. I am Shai of the Nerium web. By what name can I know my savior? And how can I thank him?” Shai returned her hands to her lap and began to file through her thoughts, looking for two answers. One, did she rush to meet her fellows for the ceremony or was it better to find a new vessel first? And second, what could she possible give him as compensation? She had a few mizas but probably not enough for the services of a good healer.

[Veldrys]

„Don’t apologize for your carelessness“, Veldrys replied curtly. „Just don’t do it again.“ He didn’t particularly like it when people apologized. In his opinion apologies were useless, empty words. It had already happened, so why apologize? It was much better to admit that you had learned your lesson and really try to change. Regardless, he was happy that she was already able to talk again. He liked it when his work began to show results so quickly.

He watched her as she washed her hands for a few seconds, and then he asked, „What was the chalice for? If it was that important, maybe I can help you find a replacement. My father is a merchant. I have access to certain things.“ She had stumbled and lost the chalice because of him, because she had run into him. He felt as if he needed to make up for that somehow.

„Not just refuse“, he told her as they talked about what was beneath them. He shuddered. „There are dead bodies, lots of them. They throw the dead surrogates down. They throw all kinds of garbage down. That place is full of disease, and I don’t want to know what kind of nasty animals live there.“

His eyes darkened a little as he mentioned the surrogates. In his opinion throwing their bodies away like garbage wasn’t right. They had given their lives for the Symenestra. The least they deserved was a proper burial. Their sacrifice, however unwilling it was, should be honored ...

„I am Veldrys, of the Vervain Web“, he introduced himself. „I have to admit, I’m not familiar with the Nerium Web.“ In Kalinor where less than one thousand people lived most Webs knew each other at least by name, but sometimes it wasn’t much more than that. Not all Webs constantly had contact with each other. „What is it that you do?“

As she asked him how she could thank him, he furrowed his brow. „Normally I just ask for a few golden mizas, but if you don’t have enough money with you ... whatever you think is appropriate ...“

As he said this, he looked at her closely. From the way she sat there, from the way she had asked this question, he had the impression that she was fairly poor and would rather not or could not pay him with money.

But he wasn’t really sure what he needed besides that. Should he tell her that the treatment wouldn’t cost her anything because he had been at least partly responsible for her accident?

[Shai]

Shai’s took a beat before answering. The best lie she could think of was more omitted truth than anything else. “I was holding on to it for some friends of mine. I’ll have to replace it somehow, it wasn’t particularly expensive but it had sentimental value I suppose.” She replied smoothly, it was easier than she expected probably due to the fact it wasn’t really a lie. While it was an open secret that many Symenestra had began worshipping Viratas in different ways it was still better for her web if they were not associated with the fringe fanatics.

Watching Veldrys’s expression change when he mentioned the surrogates gave her ample warning to moderate her reply. At best she was indifferent towards the surrogates, Shai hardly ever came in contact with them and so it was something she rarely considered. They were a part of Symenestra society and they had their role to fill just like Shai did. It was unfortunate that their part required great sacrifice but that was the way of the world wasn’t it? Besides it was hard to begrudge the system which gave you life. “I was unaware that they disposed of surrogates that way, I rarely have anything to do with the process. I am not the eldest child in my web; surrogates are considered my brother’s business.” She hoped that was moderated enough that her lack of concern didn’t show through.

She quickly grasped on the next topic, it was safer and something she knew enough about to maintain a real conversation. “The Nerium are tailors. We don’t make fancy gowns or suits, we specialize in practical clothing. We make garments like coats, cloaks, gloves, tunics, leggings, and stockings. It is not a prestigious or wealthy calling but someone must do it and it affords our web some respect.” She pulled out a 5 golden mizas from a pocket inside her cloak and placed them on the table. “I am not one of the tailors, I’m the delivery girl.” She snickered, “Once again someone must do it. This is all the coin I have with me, but perhaps we could arrange for a trade. If you need a new cloak perhaps we could see you get exactly what you’re looking for.” Shai was used to talk about her family’s business so the information flew of her lips like she had said it hundreds of times before, which was probably true for quite a bit of it. “Regardless of the circumstances, it is pleasant to meet you Veldrys.”

[Veldrys]

„And what did your friends want to do with it?“ Veldrys asked. The tone of his voice was polite and calm. He didn’t talk like somebody that suspected that she was involved in questionable activities and wanted her to reveal all her secrets. It was more like the natural curiosity of a man that was facing somebody he had never met before. „As I said, I can help you find a replacement. My father should have something adequate in one of his storage rooms.“ His father likely wouldn’t appreciate it if he gave one of his things to a stranger without demanding anything in return, but he didn’t plan on telling him. There were some things he was better off not knowing.

He didn’t notice that Shai didn’t particularly care about the surrogates. She had her features under perfect control. „They do“, he only answered as she admitted that she had been unaware of what happened to the dead surrogates. „I’ve watched them occasionally. I’m the oldest child of my Web, and I work as a healer at the Purging.“ While Symenestra regularly came to the Purging for treatment, a considerable number of his patients were surrogates, surrogates that were often completely unware as to what kind of fate awaited them and that nobody would ever honor their sacrifice.

He had often wished he weren’t the oldest child. He wouldn’t only be forced to get a surrogate for himself when the time came, his Web also expected him to find surrogates for his two younger sisters so that they wouldn’t die in childbirth. He didn’t know if he would be able to do that, if he would be able to knowingly condemn another person to such a death, no matter that it was the only way for his race to survive.

He was glad that she changed the topic and talked about her Web instead. „Practical clothing is needed as well“, he remarked and accepted the coins from her. „As are delivery girls. I would appreciate a new cloak, maybe a red one that I can wear when I go to the Temple of Viratas to pray. My old one is already a little frayed around the edges.“ He gave her a somewhat embarrassed smile. „It is also a pleasure to meet you. Did I already ask you for your name?“

As he waited for her reply, he emptied the bowl where she had washed her hands. The water had turned red. Having that done, he put his instruments away. He couldn’t bear it when his things were just lying around. Everything needed to be in its place.