To Close a Wound [Talen]

[Seodai]

Winter 9, 511 AV "Just a little further, I think." Seodai had promised that at least five times, and he was sure that Talen had long since stopped believing it. He really hoped he was right this time, though, because it seemed to be getting colder as the day wore on, temperatures dropping as he and his cousin trudged through the rough tundra on the outskirts of Denval proper, looking for something tiny and green amidst the frost covered rubble. The pack Seodai wore bounced against his hip, an annoyance he wanted to shirt an hour before. It was filled with water enough for he and Talen, but that could have been carried much more conveniently than this. The rest of the things filling the pack were at the insistence of Caelum, the sentiment echoed by a Cian Noc who had passed through in the middle of the pseudo lecture he had received. Apparently he was doing an appalling job of keeping his wounds clean enough until either of the healers could fix them up properly. Seodai had, at length, conceded and agreed to be better prepared. That didn't mean he had to like it. Every time it brushed him the pack reminded him of how imperfect the skin he wore in this life was. He had been bothered by it before, when he was just Seodai. Now that his mind was filled with Melchior, it was even more demeaning. An insult, really, to be so flawed and so utterly incapable of fixing it. Today wasn't about himself, though. It wasn't about coming to terms with who he had once been, with who he was now. It wasn't about being Alahean, or Denvali. It wasn't even about Syllke, whom Seodai had found was the most certain place to find peace and comfort. To be grounded into himself, into the present. Today was about Cici. Though Talen was the only cousin Seodai actively befriended, actively involved himself with, and actively cared for, that didn't mean he did not understand the concept of family. He was Theo's son in that way, and had learned far too much from his beloved Uncle to be so callous. Anytime his father or mother needed something of him, he was quick to respond, even if it often left him sullen for a day to follow. That same spirit extended to aunts and uncles, cousins. And so it was that, when CiCi had fallen ill, and when nothing was working to chase away her fatigue, her lethargy, her fever, Cian had come. "Why is it all the way out here?" his cousin, looking very much the Denvali guard in all of his gear, asked. Seodai had laughed when Talen had arrived so prepared, but he was really relieved and quite glad to have him hovering just over his shoulder. After all, even this close to Denval, things could be dangerous. And Seodai couldn't let go of the words the gods had left them in the fall, with so many ominous suggestions about danger to come. "Because it isn't native to Denval. Our climate is much too harsh. Theo and I usually keep it in one of the greenhouses, but we have to use our gnosis to nurture it." It made perfect sense to Seodai, as things often do to the well-informed, but only seemed to puzzle Talen, who pointed out that they were, in fact, still in Denval - if only on the outskirts of it. "Yes," Seodai replied with a shrug. "I know. But this is where we found it first, several years ago. I don't know why it would grow here, and not elsewhere. Theo says it is more comfortable in the south, where Syna is warmer for much of the year. But, the rubble is sparse ahead, and there's a place where there is a full cubit of unencumbered dirt. We found it there, once, growing in the snow. I'm hoping we can find it again, because we do not even have a seedling on the farm." That a cure might so fully depend upon one little plant was a great deal of pressure for Seodai, who felt as if his hands had been bound behind his back since the incident with the grapes. Talen had been there for that, to see his god given power explode into something nasty and vile. He was helpless and sometimes felt useless without Bala. At least, in this, he could try to help. He knew what he was looking for, as only a few other people in Denval might. Theo, for certain, and Cian Noc. Seodai thought Caelum probably did too. But, of the lot of them, he was by far the most dispensable to send on a search mission for something tiny and green. Talen? Talen was the muscle meant to keep him safe. And, since it was a tiny cousin of their very own, they both had a vested interest in seeing this through. "Not far," Seodai promised, yet again, with a half smile offered back to the blonde behind.

[Talen Stirling]

"Oh please..." Talen growled with a grin mirroring Seo's. "If you say that one more time I ain't sure what I'll have to do to silence your lies." He trudged along behind his cousin patiently, his steel sword and armour weighing considerably much more than the package against Seo's hip. Such things were a question of habit, and Talen always made sure the shield was strapped tightly, and the sword hung perfectly. Otherwise guard duty would be hell on earth. He wasn't usually so impatient, but today wasn't all about himself. It was about Cici, who last he had seen had been crying with pain and fear. He walked swiftly, boots grinding loudly upon the frost bitten ground, close enough by Seo to touch him by raising an arm. Usually, he might have been a little annoyed, having to look for vegetables and flowers far outside of town... But with his own trip to the mines beneath Denval and the danger of divine predictions haunting their entire town it was only reasonable that he was out here. Even if he did not have much patience for it. "What does it look like?" He looked searchingly across the tundra, small hills and rubble rising into tall snow-capped mountains and cliffs swiftly as one left Denval. The Unforgiving's frozen crown looked down upon them, and he guessed it was fortunate they did not have to travel too far from town. Winter was not the season to travel far in Denval, an already dangerous and wild countryside turning frozen and feral with the lack of food for predators and humans alike. He curled his fingers in and out, trying to get some blood flow and warmth into them despite the cold. Seo's answer had him looking for the prize, although he was almost surdent he wouldn't be the one to find it. There seemed to be little life amongst the cold stones.

[Seodai]

"Like... a plant," he answered, not meaning to be condescending in his response. But, really, he couldn't imagine that Talen would understand the tiny nuances of leaves and stalks, even if he could put them into words. Talen was clever, full of wit, and useful in many ways. Plants just weren't his thing, and so it was easier to shrug the question away with a playful smile than it was to struggle through explaining something that was difficult to translate into language. "We probably won't see much of that out here," he added as an afterthought. "So anything green is worth pointing out." Five chimes passed, in which Talen pointed out two living things. One was nothing more than a weed, and the second impressed Seodai if only because it was little more than a green bud protruding from the space between two jagged rocks. While Seodai knelt to inspect it, the quiet of wilderness and lack of habitation was suddenly pierced with the yowl of a wolf. It didn't seem terribly close, but he glanced up towards Talen with a furrowed brow nonetheless. His cousin was glancing in the direction of the noise, and not at him, so Seodai returned his attention to his part of this mission. "Isn't it," he mumbled, standing to brush off his palms. With faith that Talen would keep them safe, he continued the difficult journey across uneven terrain. Once more they heard the wolf, though it didn't sound so far away this time. Once more, Talen was looking after the possible threat and not at Seodai, who carried on in response. "There!" Seo cried, when they had climbed a steep grade. He pointed, but it might have seemed meaningless to Talen. The thing that had excited Seodai so much was only a tiny chunk of dirt, no bigger than a large melon. The young farmer hurried ahead, and dropped to his knees on the smooth stone flanking one side. He knelt over with a furrowed brow, reaching out to touch the soil. When Talen finally caught up, he'd find Seodai staring at a tiny plant that looked wilted and weak, biting on his lip in consternation. "Ahh," he groused, in obvious conflict. "It isn't healthy enough to be useful. The leaves are practically non-existent, and that is where the medicine comes from." Seo sat back on his haunches and removed the pack from across his body, dropping it to the stone beside him. He could fix the plant. Or, he could have, anyway, before Denval had gone mad. The last time he had used his gnosis it had been ugly. "I could fix it," he mused aloud, glancing up to Talen. "I just... don't know what'll happen if I try."

[Talen Stirling]

It was true, that Talen knew next to nothing about plants. He might not be able to tell the difference between a weed and a cure, but after a dozen patrols any oddity and interest in the terrain was something he had started spotting ages ago. In truth, it was a skill that his life could possibly depend on, although he had rarely thought of it by such grand designs. He just looked out for things, was all. A howl rend the air, and his eyes scoured the horizon broken by debris and scattered, dying vegetation. There was no movement there, but his hand had still fallen to the hilt of his sword. Wolves did not often attack people, but in winter prey could be sparse and strays might be particularily ferocious. If they hungered, they might take what they could get. Even if what they could get was also armed with more than just their teeth. "Hrmpf. Let's keep movin' then, before wolves sweep down upon us and you won't laugh at me bringing along what I am good with." He smirked down at his cousin and followed him carefully, although his eyes now kept watch for something other than plants. He climbed the rocks slowly, stopping now and again to look around. Everything seemed so empty, a cold wind the only movement in sight and even that he could only feel and not see. He snapped his head to attention as Seo cried out, and staggered into a huddled run as his cousin darted off towards an unseemly patch of dirt. He broke off a few steps before him, afraid to step on anything of importance. It didn't look like much though, and his expression was sceptical to say the least. He almost cursed, but didn't even have the energy to do so when Seo once again claimed it was dead. He sighed, but perked up at his cousin's question. "Hmm... You might as well try? Even if whatever curse is haunting us kills it, it's already dead... It has to be worth the attempt." He felt a nervous anticipation, but shrugged it off and remained stoic. He looked up over the landscape again, the barren hills holding little promise of relief for them. At least he hadn't seen any wolves bearing down upon them, although the rocks could have hidden much bigger and worse.

[Seodai]

Seodai felt an eerie sort of comfort at the fact that it was Talen encouraging him to try, if only because Talen had been there to suffer the results of his last use of gnosis. Of course, he couldn't have felt the bone piercing shock and disappointment when something so holy was polluted, but still. He'd seen the results, seen the vision. The young farmer felt a hesitant dread. He'd sworn not to do it again, until the fuzzy distance he felt between himself and his Beloved was gone. But in his minds eye he could see Cici with her feverish little cheeks and her distant stare. How could he not try? "Okay," he breathed at last. "Here goes." He wanted to give Talen fair warning as he reached out to touch the frail plant, focusing every bit of his spiritual energy on the Goddess who seemed distant, too far away to reach. He muttered hopeful prayers in his thoughts, even as he attempted to channel his divine gift and bring that single plant to health enough to be useful.

[Legion]

Moderator Interruption When Seodai warned his cousin that he beginning, Talen possessed the forethought to reach out and slide a strong hand beneath the farmer's elbow. It was meant to support Seodai should the ill effects of gnosis use in the past season prove to be undiminished. Denvali were ever courageous, as Seodai was proving, and as Talen was displaying, also ever prepared. Despite all odds, the desperately needed plant ripened beneath the divine power gifted Seodai by his favored goddess. It struggled and threatened to fail, as if the progress of the holy power was somehow stunted; but the job was done. Yet in synchronization with the plant's ripening was the weakening of Talen. Energy drained from the guard like wax from an overturned candle, causing his muscles to tremble and his knees to threaten to give out. Clouds skudded across the sky, throwing fluid shadows over the earth like omens. They had best hurry.