Cloudy Skies [Beodan]

by **Nira'lia** on July 23rd, 2015, 4:40 am

While he was busy working on the plant, she snuck away to carefully take her clothes off and wrap herself in the coat he had pointed at. She tied it around in her waist snugly and squeezed a small amount of rain water out of her hair. Nira’lia smiled to herself, feeling modest enough to be comfortable. Then, she turned back to him and looked at the fresh plants and the jar of honey that was before her.

“To be totally honest with you, I haven’t worked on a honey based tincture before… just with vinegar and alcohol, if I do something wrong here, you’ll have to tell me,” she said softly. Nira’lia had only read about the process a few times before but she had never seen it in action. If she remembered correctly, the plants had to be put in a cheesecloth and this would be warmed along with a honey. It sounded like a simple process, she hoped she wouldn’t mess it up.

Beodan seemed busy at work so she decided not to bother him, instead taking things that might work in her task. She saw what she assumed were clean rags and took a thin looking one before taking fresh leaves from the plants. The Konti wrapped the leaves in the cloth and tied it shut, before pouring about two cups of honey in a pan she had also found nearby. He was heating something on the lamp, but when he was done, she placed the wrapped leaves in the honey and held the pan over the lamp. It was going to take a while… but if she remembered correctly, she only had to warm up the honey, and there was no need to get it to the boiling point.

“Thanks,” she smiled, in response to the cup of tea he had placed out for her. He was done with his work now and was watching her closely, which made her feel slightly self-conscious. “You know, this may seem silly, but I don’t believe I caught your name. I’m Nira’lia.”

The Konti laughed. She had only realized it when she was about to call out to him to ask if she could borrow the cloth and pan (which she didn’t end up asking), but it made her realize she didn’t know his name. The pan felt warmer now, and the tent smelled of the sweet liquid. Nira’lia pulled away from the lamp and poured the contents, along with the wrapped leaves, into the jar. She then set the pot aside and proceeded to shut the jar shut. She poured it to the rim, not realizing that it might be better if there were less honey to get more effects out of the plant. Since she was only a beginner at philtering, she hadn’t known this. Nonetheless, she looked over at him with a wide grin that was proud of her accomplishment.

by **Beodan Clathony** on July 23rd, 2015, 5:30 pm

Cracked hooves! He knew he had forgotten something. But for it to be something so simple as a name exchange, he was properly chagrined. Perhaps it had to do with the speed of their meeting, there had been no time to meander with pleasantries? He laughed with her, mostly at himself, and replied, “Nira’lia, I am Beodan. But call me Dan, it is easier to say. You have a pretty name, it glides off my tongue as if begging to be spoken again.”

Beodan nodded at the closed jar packed tight with herbs and warm honey. Tinctures took a long time to set, but he had found honey worked very well and set faster. It seemed to want to suck up the important elements of the plant, and tended not to go bad. It also tasted better than using alcohol too. Honey was really magical stuff! So sweet that he almost felt guilty for taking his index finger and swabbing a bit of the golden ichor from the warm pan. He closed his eyes as he savored the taste, knowing that this honey was not for eating straight, but reserved for tinctures. Ah well, one finger full would not hurt anyone.

“Thank you so much for helping me on that tincture, it would have taken me all day to do both the grinding and the concocting! In a few weeks it should be ready to pour into vials,” Dan said happily, holding up the jar to the light of the lamp. It glowed a dull green around the edges where the glass brought the light, but it was opaque through the layers of herb. He shook it gently by twisting his wrist, a process he would repeat over and over for a fortnight or so. He placed the jar onto its spot on the shelf, making a satisfyingly dull thump.

The Horse Kelvic cracked a grin of contentment, feeling invigorated by the work they had done. The ground Belltor was ready to be used at a moment’s notice, though he did not know more complex medical procedures, save for pressing a hot paste on a wound or just eating refined herbs. True, that did work, but it was very rudimentary. “Do you know anything about medicine? I am afraid I only do plants, not people. If you do, could you teach me a little? I learn fast, I promise!”

by **Nira'lia** on July 24th, 2015, 6:00 am

Beodan! That was his name. Nira’lia repeated it in her mind as she took one of the cups and took a sip. The warm, minty tea did a good job to warm her up, just like he had said. It was amazing how such a simple concoction could do wonders, which was exactly the reason philtering and herbalism interested her so.

“Uhm, I know a lot more about medicine than I do about plants,” she said with a nod. Nira’lia worked with medicine almost all her life and knew more about it than most people did. The Konti looked down at the cup in her hands. A hint of its minty smell enveloped the room slightly. “But it’s a pretty broad subject… was there anything in particular you wanted to learn? I could probably try to teach you if it was something basic. Unfortunately, I’m not very good at teaching, so yes, we would have to stick to something basic!”

Nira’lia grinned at him and looked at him from head to toe. He looked fine, and she couldn’t tell what she could possibly teach him at the moment.

“It would be difficult to practice medicine without a patient around!” she said with a laugh. “Let’s give it a try, though. Anything you wanted to know?”

by **Beodan Clathony** on July 24th, 2015, 4:18 pm

Beodan smiled to himself as she enjoyed his simple tea, then took his own cup from the desk and inhaled its sharp aroma before actually sipping the tea. Warmth shot through him as the liquid fell into his stomach. He had not been cold really, but certainly not warm. Some medium between the two, now tipped towards comfort by the hot, minty water. “Funny thing, peppermint. It tastes amazing, but grows like a weed if you leave it on the ground, crowding the roots of other plants and causing them to die. How was I supposed to know? Last summer, it killed a few transplants, so I moved it to a pot. The growth is restricted, but that is for the best,” he rambled in a somewhat rant-like fashion, very passionate as he was about his plants.

The Horse Kelvic whooped in joy, she did know medicine! Learning a little was better than learning nothing at all, and excitement began to pulse through his veins. Trying to control himself, he nodded at her assessments of the field and her teaching ability. “I’m sure will be a great teacher, Nira’lia!” he complimented earnestly. Her eyes roamed over him, starting from his head and working all the way to his toes, pausing only for a moment at the large scar on his chest. That was not something for healing anymore.

No patients, huh? That was an issue. Dan thought for a moment. He did not have any injuries or sicknesses that he knew off. A stinging on his elbow reminded him of their recent collision with each other and then the ground. “What about us? I mean, I haven’t noticed because I was concentrating, but we are a bit scraped up. What about that?” he suggested. They had their patients.

OOCI made a simple drawing of Beodan's tent in MS Paint and attached it to my CS under the "Housing" section. It is rough, but it should give you some idea of my vision for the place, if you want

by **Nira'lia** on July 25th, 2015, 5:18 am

“Us?” the Konti repeated, cocking her head to the side. Her skin stung a little from the scrapes but there were no deep wounds, and she had somehow forgotten about it because of the rush of events. But now, she realized he was right! She glanced at the back of his elbow and saw a shallow wounds and scratches, which might bruise in the process.

She frowned, feeling stupid. Mentally, there was a tinge on her right shoulder, where Rak’keli’s healing mark was. Nira’lia resisted reaching forward to heal it there and then. He wanted to learn, she reminded herself. Still, there was a nagging voice at the back of her head, repeating over and over, that the right thing to do was to use her gnosis.

“Uhhh…” she started, uncomfortably. “Alright… it’s not that serious, all we really need to do is make sure it’s clean. If you have a poultice, perhaps a plant that would keep it sterilized and speed up the healing, then we could use that. But for a wound that shallow, there’s nothing much to worry about. Your body will heal it on its own.”

Nira’lia looked around again, seeing what they could make use of.

“You could take a clean cloth and put it in warm water, and wipe away the dirt. Just be really gentle. Actually, don’t wipe. Dab it… with a damp cloth, not a drenched one, and afterwards pat it dry with another clean cloth. If you have soap, you can put that in the warm water as well. Want to give it a try? Sorry it’s not any more interesting than that, like I said, it’s pretty basic.”

She looked down on her elbows and arms. There were scratches, and a shallow wound on her knee that had dirt and grime on it. She gaped—how did she not even notice that. No wonder her knee felt slightly numb, she had assumed it was just because of the fall.

“Don’t worry about mine, I can take care of them, unless you want the practice?”

Secret :

by **Beodan Clathony** on July 25th, 2015, 3:55 pm

Beodan listened to her with intense concentration, hanging on to every word. After she finished, he nodded and said, “I will do us both. As you say, for the practice.” Taking a clean cloth, he dipped it inside the kettle, the remains of the warm water sopped into the fabric. That done, he filled the kettle once more and placed it onto the lamp. He would use it for the poultice. In the meantime, he began to dab at his elbow with the cloth. He winced as the wound stung, particles of causing irritation. The dirt stuck to the wet cloth, the wound getting slowly cleaner, until he was left with a patch of pink, raw skin. Fetching another cloth from the folded piles on the shelf, he patted himself dry. He would be ready for poultice application.

He moved over to his teacher, his eyes scanning over her, looking for wounds he had not paid attention to before now. There were scraps on her arms and elbows, even a knee. His brow furrowed in sympathy, he apologized once more “I’m sorry we didn’t do this sooner, Nira’lia. I should have noticed before now.” He knelt down at her feet and adjusted the damp cloth in his hand. He gently dabbed the cloth, just as he had done before, but with more careful movements. He was trying not to cause her any unnecessary pain. Soon the dirt had vanished, and he moved up to her arms. Seeing his intention, she held her upper appendages out for him, scales lightly glimmering in the light of the lamp. Taking each one in his left hand, he did the same to the plethora of small scrapes. They both were clean. Beodan smiled, proud of his minor accomplishment.

Now came his area of specialty, the poultice! He did not do it very often, only on himself if he had gotten a small scratch or cut, but the practice had been ingrained in his mind. The hot water was almost boiling now. He took an older jar of ground Belltor off of the shelf and placed a few spoonfuls into the mortar, pestle placed on the desk beside it, out of the way. He poured the steaming liquid onto the ground plant, and stirred it, spreading the water throughout. Soon the water had been absorbed, making a damp, dark green (almost black even) paste. He distributed it evenly between four cloths, one for each injury area. He guided her to the couch, having her sit so that the cloth would not have to fight gravity. He placed the warm, oozing cloth over her knee first, wanting to watch her face as the plant worked it’s magic. He always thought it felt like a slightly damp, warm massage. Next he placed them on her elbows, the ends of the cloth tied around her arm in a loose knot. He smiled at her expression, then placed the poultice on his own elbow, sitting beside her.

“How did I do, Nira’lia?”

by **Nira'lia** on August 6th, 2015, 5:21 am

"Excellent!"

She gave him a bright smile and looked down at his handiwork. Of course, her skin still stung, but she felt a lot better. Nira'lia was proud that she had been able to impart knowledge to him, especially since she was not very skilled at being a teacher, and she was unsure if she had communicated herself properly. Fortunately, he seemed to have picked up her words, and also added a little bit of what he knew.

"This is going to sound silly, but..." she giggled in an embarrassed way. "I can get rid of the more shallow wounds. I'm so sorry, I just wanted to teach you, after all, you won't have me or another healer around all the time."

The Konti turned to him and held out her hands, and prayed to Rak'keli with her eyes closed. She spoke softly under her breath, speaking to her Goddess, and asking for her power to heal. At the same time, the mark on her shoulder tingled slightly as the scratches slowly disappeared from his skin as well as any other bruises. The deeper wounds, if any, would not be healed completely though they would be sanitized -- as an added measure, since he had already taken care of that.

Then she proceeded to heal herself, and then opened her eyes to look up at him. "I'm sorry... I just couldn't help it, I wouldn't be able to sleep if I hadn't done that. I hope you're not offended."

Nodding at him, she took a look to the tent's opening to see if the rain had subsided.

by **Beodan Clathony** on August 10th, 2015, 10:50 pm

“Excellent!” Nira’lia praised, favoring him with a glowing smile, which proved to be contagious. Ah, he had done it right! Though Dan prefered to use plants for everything, the traditional medicinal way of doing things held merit as well. He vowed to remember what he had learned. He looked at the bandages with pride. He had done that. His chocolate eyes were brought back to hers when she spoke, “This is going to sound silly, but I can get rid of the more shallow wounds. I’m so sorry, I just wanted to teach you, after all, you won’t have me or another healer around all the time.” He raised an eyebrow, what did she mean ‘get rid of them’? Was she some sort of shapeshifter that could grow new skin at will? He took a half step back, unsure of what she was going to do.

The Konti shut her eyes. Her lips moved rapidly, in some powerful chant. His eyes widened. His skin began to crawl under the poultice. What was she doing to him! He took another step back from her, his eyes fearful. He wiped of the dark green paste with a hand. The skin underneath was flawless. He checked his arm, that too was healed fully. His mouth hung open, his world lying in shambles. What...W-wha...How? Large brown orbs stared blankly, shifting from his wound, to her, back to the wound, to her again. She opened her eyes by the fourth alternation, and he blurted, “What was that? How did you-- Where did you learn-.. Can I-..That was amazing!” Mind thoroughly blown, his word stumbled over each other to escape his chaotic mind.

Beodan was not offended in the least, how could he be! Miracles did not happen that often, and this was sure something to behold. He wondered if other people could do what she had done. Was that what they did at the hospitals in Syliras? He wanted to learn...whatever it was. Though maybe it was just a gift, one he would never have the pleasure of receiving. Droplets still pattered softly in the gaps between the tall trees, though not as much of a downpour as before, more of a drizzle.

by **Nira'lia** on September 1st, 2015, 6:42 am

"Ah, well..." she smiled sheephisly and looked down at her hands. "It's not really something I can teach, it's a gift that only Rak'keli may give you. She is the Goddess of healing and I was fortunate enough to be blessed by her."

The Konti looked back at him. The downpour had subsided to a drizzle, and it appeared that the drizzle would soon come to an end. She had been enjoying a lot so far and was happy to meet a new friend in such a chance encounter, but she didn't want the night to reach her while she was out.

"Tell you what!" she said excitedly. "One day, you come visit me in the city, and we will go to the temple and I will introduce you to Rak'keli!" Her voice was high-pitched and a fire seemed to ignite in her. She was always like this when she spoke about topics she liked, and introducing someone who wanted to learn medicine to the Goddess of Healing seemed like a good idea! "I can't actually introduce you to her since she's a Goddess and it would be very improbable for her to be in the temple, but I can show her your statue, tell you more about her, and then we can offer her some prayers! What do you think?"

The Konti grinned widely, evidently joyful at her idea. At the same time, she took one last glance outside the tent and saw that it was safe to walk back now.

"I should get back..." she said. "Beodan, this was a really fun day, I hope we can do it another time."

Nira'lia grabbed his hands and squeezed them in gratitude, before standing up to gather her belongings. She was scared that the weather would act up and bring back the rain again, so she had to act fast.

by **Beodan Clathony** on September 1st, 2015, 11:26 pm

“You can come visit me in the city, and we will go to the temple and I will introduce you to Rak'keli!" Beodan’s eyes widened comically, Nira’lia was going to take him to a goddess? He had never met a goddess before, at least that he could remember. Just as he had started to imagine what such a being would look, his companion continued, “I can't actually introduce you to her since she's a Goddess and it would be very improbable for her to be in the temple, but I can show her your statue, tell you more about her, and then we can offer her some prayers! What do you think?" His face fell, and then rose again with a vengeance as she spoke. By the end, his eyes shone with anticipation with a grin to match hers. “I would love that! Rack’eli sounds like someone I could pray to. I look forward to it,” he replied happily, collecting their tea cups and setting them to the side.

"I should get back… Beodan, this was a really fun day, I hope we can do it another time,” Nira’lia said softly, taking his hands and giving them a gentle squeeze. He stood with her and waited near the door as she gathered her things. “I’m glad I bumped into you,” Dan started, then said quickly, “Well, of course, I’m sorry about that too, only it wasn’t so bad in the end. He scratched the back of his head awkwardly and said, “Anyway, I had a good time. It will probably start to rain again in a bell or two. You can make it to the gates if you don’t take your time.” He walked outside with her, staying with her until she reached the forest path that led back to the road. She walked on. He held his hand up to her, smiling as he waved her off.

Closed Cloudy Skies [Beodan]