Closed Beauty Doctoring (Kechaiya)

[Caela Dorin]

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31st Fall 514AV, 12th Bell

Nervousness and excitement warred within her as she waited. She was looking forward to seeing Kechaiya and further developing the friendship that had begun to blossom between them three nights ago. There had been alcohol involved on the doctor's side and so things that had been said in such a state under the cover of darkness might well seem now in the daylight. It wasn't solely the anticipation of some measure of awkwardness between them, the dancer was also more than a little worried by how reliant the woman was going to be on her today. The foreigner was going to think that Caela had all of the answers and she certainly did not. She didn't even have any real plan of action. They were going to go shopping to buy items that would make the doctor more appealing to Noven, the Orphanage's cook and Kechaiya's crush. Once at the market it was going to he pretty much the dancer going with the flow and hoping that the mixed blood wouldn't mind it too much.

She hadn't dressed extravagantly, not in her own eyes and she had no real interest in attracting unnecessary and unwanted attention. The blonde had only done a few minor things. It was just a smidgeon of red pomade on her lips, a scarf tied tight and jauntily to one side, a slight curl added to the tips of her blonde hair with the earlier aid of some twisted rags. Simple pants had been coupled with a simple blouse.... well she was wearing one of her altered blouses, the cloth made slightly tighter by a girl that she knew so that it stretched more appealingly over her bust. But it was only a little thing really, just a little something to help her if she had to do any bargaining with men today. There were no plans to buy anything from any male individuals today but it might happen that some of them had taken to selling cosmetics and women's undergarments.

The blonde arrived a few chimes ahead of time and had propped herself up at the bar, elbows stuck out behind her on the wooden surface as she watched the door for a sign of the good doctor. It had been difficult to do anything this morning with all the nervous energy flowing through her concerning the inevitable meeting but it had grown worse now. It was taking all of her self control not to squirm at the bar side as she awaited Kechaiya's arrival, her true demeanour sometimes betrayed by the nervous twitches of her fingers or an impatient tap of her foot on the floor. Water had quite wisely gone unordered by the dancer. If she'd had water to drink it would have given her hands something to do while she waited but she knew what she was like. The drink would have been sipped at every few ticks and would have been gone in no time at all. Another water would have followed the first and would have continued until she was left with the urgent need to empty her bladder rather than achieving anything in the long run. Still anyone watching her would have wondered if the signs of discomfort she was displaying might not have been connected with such an outcome.

"Damn it, Kechaiya! Why couldn't you be here early too?" she muttered, fingers itching to drum on the bar counter.
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[Kechaiya]

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Kechaiya stared down at the cleaned slab of fish in front of her on her table. It was white flesh, bones and scales removed, though skin left on, the prior day by Nellie the fisherwoman, her neighbor a few doors down. Kechaiya was trying to figure out the best way to cook it, an area that was nowhere near her strong point. The only cookware she had was her pot and her kettle, and she didn't think either would work really well for this. Perhaps she could fashion something that could hold it over the fire.

Moving around her apartment she began gathering various things she thought she could use, her fork, her knife, her half hatchet, and a strip of cloth leftover from the bundle she'd purchased a while back. Her mind was already working on this make shift fish holder and it was now time to make it a reality. Holding the half hatchet in one hand, gripping it just below the head, she slipped the handle of the fork on one side of the axe, and the eating knife on the other. Keeping a firm hold on them, she then took the strip of cloth and began wrapping it around the neck of the axe and utensils' handles. She kept it tight, wrapping round and round and then tied it off. Holding it up, it looked both ridiculous and effective, the fork and knife sticking up well beyond the head of the axe.

Her tool created, it was time to experiment. She knew some people had used dried herbs to season food, and now she wanted to try her hand at it. Grabbing several bowls from around the table and her mantle, she set the dried herbs in a line in front of her. From left to right, there was Aletrid leaves, mint leaves, Batonal leaves, Gigar root, and parsley leaves. She sniffed at each of them, trying to figure out which might taste good with the fish. After several chimes, she settled on Gigar, mint, and Batonal. She put all of the ingredients into her mortar and began crushing and mixing them together. It eventually formed a strange gooey, leafy paste. Pulling up the skin from the meat, she began spreading and rubbing the paste into the meat, not bothering to see if it was even. Having done this to both sides, she picked up the slab of meat and skewered it onto her make shift cooking tool. Shaking the tool a few times, watching as the tools stayed tight and didn't move, and the fish stayed secure. It was cooking time.

Plopping her butt down in front of her hearth, legs crossed, she stuck the fish over the flames. She watched as juices dripped out of the fish, sizzling as it landed on logs. The skin sizzled and crackled as the smell of burning fish and plant filled the apartment. Wait. Burning? Kech pulled the fish out and realized the entire back of the fish that had been out of sight had been on fire gods know for how long. It could've been any time during the several chimes she had held it there. Well if it was burnt, it was cooked she supposed. Blowing out the fire after several attempts, she let it cool a bit, then brought it to her mouth. She bit into the flesh and blanched. The ashiness of the the burnt, combined with the weird tang of the Gigar and mint, and the chewiness of over cooked fish had made for a weird meal. But it was her only meal for the day, so she forced herself to choke it down. She made a mental note to not use mint with fish ever again.

When she was finished, she stood up and grabbed her cloak, and decided that for once, she'd leave her pack at home. Her hair was in a ponytail, tied with one of her cleaner bandages, and she was wearing one of her standard brown, worn blouses that was in no way flattering and her tattered brown skirt. They were her work clothes AND her every day clothes, and she had three outfits exactly like it in varying degrees of wear and tear. Slipping her boots on, she made her way out the door and locked her door.

Kech stepped into the tavern exactly on time as she had planned, seeing the blonde sipping at something at the bar. She moved over to her, only to hear her muttering impatiently. Kechaiya decided to try her hand at translating a saying her father used to use on house visits. "A doctor never late. Doctor arrive pre-ricely when it mean to." Nailed it.

[Caela Dorin]

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Right on time her friend arrived, spouting some garbled phrase that made Caela raise an eyebrow at first. Once she realised what the woman had been trying to say, she burst out laughing. "I get what you're trying to say, Kechaiya but what you said sounds a bit off. It doesn't matter though. Did you think I thought you were late?" the dancer asked, frowning as she realised that she held a tankard of water in her hand. How had that gotten there? Somehow it had appeared in her hand without her noticing and she had been drinking it despite her resolution not to go filling up her bladder. She stared at it then shot a suspicious look at her employer where he worked behind her. The barman must have left it beside her, knowing her preference and she had just been drinking it on automatic. It was her own blame.

The vessel was returned to the counter as she pushed away from it and made to turn the woman around to head straight back out the door again.

"I was early myself and I knew it. I was just wishing that you'd arrive early too but you're here now and that's what matters. No point hanging around here though." The blonde shrugged, leading the way out of the tavern as she spoke. She waited for the doctor to appear beside her before she set off in the direction of the Seaside Market, allowing her companion the chance to fall into step beside her. It was a marketplace that was more likely to have what they were looking for than the Castle Commons. There were other things to be found in the Commons aside from food of course under normal circumstances so it wasn't like they couldn't go shopping there but the waterside market certainly had better variety.

Some cosmetics would have to be found although Caela thought that only lip pomade would be necessary. With her ebony eyes, kohl would be a very poor choice for the foreigner. The dancer was going to have to work out what lip colouring was going to work on her. Kechaiya had her heart set on purple and the blonde was hoping for her own sake that it would suit. She didn't want a cranky doctor on her hands if she didn't get her own way. A nice dress would have to be bought somewhere and a corset as well. Going the corset route meant that she was going to have to teach the mixed blood how to lace it up. There were going to more awkward lessons on the horizon and she knew it too. There was nothing else that she could think of that might be needed although she knew what she wanted to be able to get for herself: food.

She'd acquired food through far from honest means the day before but it hadn't satisfied her hunger for very long and she'd been left with a gnawing feeling in her belly again. She was hoping that some sort of sustenance would hit the market again soon or she was sure that she was going to be driven mad. The doctor didn't seem to be suffering from hunger pangs but then again neither did Caela, not openly at least. There was an interesting smell lingering around the doctor though, a scent that she'd gotten a faint whiff of in the tavern. It could have been her imagination but she'd thought that the odour was somewhat like fish. Then again the woman also had a scent of burning clinging to her and she hadn't exactly been set on fire. It was just her hunger playing tricks on her.

"So Kechaiya, is there anything that you'd like to get today? I think that some lip pomade, a dress and a corset should do you but is there anything else that you might like to get? It's your shopping trip after all, I'm just leading the way," the blonde explained, an inquisitive glance directed at the foreigner as they walked.
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[Kechaiya]

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When Caela asked if Kech thought she thought she was late, Kechaiya cocked her head to the side. Perhaps that hadn't been the best of quotes to use. It was hard trying to apply idioms from one language to another sometimes. "No, no think that. Common hard," accompanied by a simple shrug and a tossing of hands loosely. She chuckled at this lightly. She was not going to bring the emotional turmoil from a few nights ago into this day. Kechaiya only wanted smiles and happiness, and no tears. Friends needed to have good times too, not just tearful ones.

Kechaiya followed Caela out of the tavern, and the doctor wondered how the dancer had been. "Did tea help? I have more leafs if need. Find lots day before today." She wondered if she should start checking up on all of her patients as if they were Caela or Noven. Did they like that sort of thing? Would it help them to come back to her in the future? It was an interesting thought, and one she'd have to consider if these stupid street wars ever ended.

Kechaiya knew by the direction Caela was taking that they were going to the Seaside Market, a place she both enjoyed and detested in equal parts. She enjoyed it because on occasion she found things from her homeland that her people had crafted. On the other hand, many vendors were leery of her foreign appearance and more often than not either accused her of being a thief or ran her off.

When asked if there was anything else she'd like, a thought crept into her mind. She should get Caela a gift. Back home, whenever someone did a good deed for them, it was expect to return the favor with a service or gift. There was one thing she'd noticed about Caela that had been different from all the dancers she'd met or seen in her travels. The woman wore no jewelry. Even the Chaktawe dancers wore some, mostly clay and bones painted in the colors of the tribes, but still. Kechaiya never wore any out of the practicality required in her work. Bracelets, necklaces, rings all got in the way of her work, so it simply wasn't necessary.

"I want see jewelry. Like clay, wood, bone. And see if any goods from desert. Sometimes ship bring." Then she added on, "You need visit Ahnatep some day. Makeup is life there. Even men wear, and no look bad. Women paint hair, face, body. Whole body is art." She made sure to not mention anything about her past or her parents so as to not trigger any more emotional outbursts. After all, Kech did want to return one day, if only to buy or rescue them.

[Caela Dorin]

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Sometimes the barrier of languages between them could be gone around or hopped over but other times, one or the other of them would run smack bang into it. Caela was hoping that they wouldn't have this problem concerning anything important. A wrongly spoken phrase during a conversation was fine but a problem communicating vital information in a time of need would be disastrous, perhaps even life threatening.

Oh do you have plans to get into life threatening situations with her? an inner voice remarked snidely.

It wasn't something that she'd considered that much before but had been an idle observation of what could happen if the two of them couldn't talk. It wasn't something that she wanted to happen of course but maybe it would at some stage. Maybe Kechaiya would need help with a patient and Caela would be the only one near enough to help. It'd make a big difference then.

I'm not going to be in that situation though so there's no point dwelling on it.

The dancer smiled to cover any odd faces she might have made during such thinking and concentrated on the present situation rather than a possible future one. She listened to what her friend had to say, a more genuine smile appearing at the other woman's concern for her injury. It was feeling considerably better than it had been. She wasn't pain free but the current levels of pain were manageable. No point putting herself through unnecessary discomfort though when there was a readily available solution.

"Oh yes, the tea definitely helped. I wouldn't say no to some more of it though. The pain isn't completely gone yet," the blonde admitted, patting her right hand side lightly as she did so before adding, "I'll pay you of course." Caela had no idea how many patients the foreigner might have. While her charges for treatment had seemed pretty fair in the dancer's eyes the good price might not be enough to encourage people to allow Kechaiya to treat them. She was a foreigner, a doctor who might easily be a quack for all anybody seeking treatment from her might know and of course there were the eyes... Chaktawe or mixed bloods of the woman's pedigree weren't a common sight in Sunberth it was safe to say. While her skin marked her out as being a native of a different place, her eyes marked her out as being something outside of nature, something unnatural. She had no idea the woman was likely to bring in and so Caela wasn't going to take advantage of her by keeping money from her purse, money that she might be in real need of.

An incredulous eyebrow was raised at the mention of jewellery, or rather of Eyktolian goods. Did they really sell it in Sunberth? Well if anyone was going to know then it was going to be the doctor if she said that they did them it must be true. "We'll look at jewellery then," the young woman agreed immediately, pausing to listen to the rest of what Kechaiya had to say before she voiced anything else. "Men wearing makeup? Oh well I suppose different strokes for different folks. A Sunberthian man wouldn't be caught dead wearing the stuff. I suppose that in Ahnatep - the city with the Eypharians, right? - it's probably good to draw attention to less exotic features."

She was fairly sure that Ahnatep was the home of the walking, multi-armed freak shows. Maybe even they knew how off their features were and strove to try to draw the eyes elsewhere. The mention of body painting made her wonder if that meant tattooing or literally meant painting. It made her wonder briefly if they wore clothing but the dancer didn't want to ask in case they did and it made her sound stupid.

The young woman was left to her own thoughts for the most part. Aside from the occasional comment on their surroundings and a word or two from Kechaiya, the pair remained in silence. The silence between them wasn't awkward either. Just because they didn't have anything to say didn't mean that things were uneasy between them. On the contrary they were heading shopping together so they were obviously on okay footing as long as they didn't dwell on anything said a few nights before. Caela was trying very hard not to allow thoughts of that time to slip into her mind, beating them back with a mental stick so that she wouldn't let something inappropriate slip. There was no sense in putting a dampener on the day before it properly started.

Once the smell of brine began to make itself known over the pungent aroma of the city the dancer breathed it in, glad of the clear air that signalled their closeness to their destination. Another few chimes and they were wending their way through the stalls of the market and searching for the items that they desired. Jewellery stalls existed in abundance, the vast majority offering wares of varying metals that masqueraded as quality ones. If there was genuine silver or gold in the place then it was no easy task to find it amongst the rest of the tat. A few stalls offered cosmetics and clothing so they had a broad enough choice but where they started was left entirely up to Kechaiya. "Choose a place to start, doc."
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