As It Should Be

[Naiya]

Winter-20th-516AV
15th Bell

She worked a wide-toothed comb through the matted locks of the zibri in front of her, plucking not quite delicately at the tangled hair that stopped her progress. It was.. slow work. Unrewarding. With the dampness in the air this was work to be revisited tomorrow.

Two days of storms had halted her grooming, however, and now she could wait no longer to remove the mud and debris from the shaggy coats of her herd. If she continued to let it sit, there would be consequences. The lingering dampness of mud paired with the warmth and rubbing against the skin could create sores, which could become infected.

So, the task had been put off while the rain had fallen, but could stand it no longer. Wet clumps of loose hair gathered behind her, ready to be dried and sold to cover the expenses she would face as her herd dried up and milk became scarce.

Shai was carefully wrapped against her body, the cloth that held him bound around her body in a way that had taken her a number of attempts and help to get right. Still, it was worth the trouble to have him close and still be able to toke after the chores that needed her attention.

She lingered over the task, doing more than chasing mud from the hair and legs, but plucking tangles loose and prying out grass and leaves as well. It wasn't a task quite as easily done as grooming a horse, it required more attention, but still there was a meditative repetition to be found.

So it was that her mind wandered through the motions with little else to think of, hands busy, mind at rest. It was not an unfamiliar set, and it was easy to forget the struggles they faced and fall into old mindsets, the ease of doing her work and returning to her family.

Chimes passed into bells as she moved from one zibri to the next, first cleaning hooves with the pick at her belt -a careful eye checking for odd growth or damage- and then combing the mud and tangles loose. It always took longer to do this task after a heavy rain.

Built into habit as she was it was not unexpected to hear the soft approach of familiar steps, come to see and perhaps lend a hand. It took long ticks to recognize that those steps in particular were wrong. Not because she didn't want to hear then but because it had been so long since she had.

She twisted to seek the source of the sound, peering out into the fog with no avail. She waited, listening, the blooming hope in her chest fading quickly to the realization that she had imagined the noise.

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Naiya space Pavi | Common | Tukant
other space Pavi | Common | Tukant

[Naiya]

She returned her attention to the pale coated zibri in front of her, fingers plucking mud and knots out of the bull's fetlock by hand. Their hair was so long over the eyes that there was no such thing as taking a comb to it, lest you poke them in the eye. Still, watching the mellow creature observe her work through big kind eyes was a reward all it's own for the task.

She smiled as she finished, giving him a pat on the head, hand pushing aside the large horns that boxed her into place. She moved to check his hooves once more, picking clean the mud-covered hooves and combing away the mud that clung to the hair around it. It would dry up and things would be easier.

She was less focused, now, the fog muffling sound, changing the way it traveled, and she found herself hearing again the sound of steps. Not real. Not real. She reminded herself, plucking a bug away from the hair at the top of Dene's back.

Again the sound and she couldn't ignore it, it was so close. She tucked the comb in her hand away, balling up the hair she had gathered to take home and tossing it into a yvas bag. She turned eyes back into the fog, seeking the shape of the person who made the sound.

It was impossible, surely. He couldn't be here without Khida knowing, and Khida wouldn't have left her to working with their husband returned. Yet, her feet drew her forward, eyes tasked with finding. She looked to the ground, boot prints clear as day in the mud.

So where was he?

She followed the marks, but they circled, bringing her back to the herd. A game, perhaps. A trick of her mind. She turned, eyes dropping to Shai, the little bundle at her chest a comfort in her confusion.

A touch, feather light across her shoulder, up into the mass of her dampened hair, dancing across her neck. That was unmistakable.

She froze, her entire body going tense with confusion. She wasn't sure whether to move and risk losing the touch or be still and let whatever magic this was linger.

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Naiya space Pavi | Common | Tukant
other space Pavi | Common | Tukant

[Naiya]

Her mind and body warred. She knew in her mind that something was amiss, that this couldn't be real. He wasn't here. Couldn't be here. No animals stirred but from her own passage, no feline raced to meet him, no horse calling his excitement. It could not be.

But - Oh! - how she wished he was here. Her body screamed that he must be, that his touch was real. She could hear the gentle footfalls, feel the warmth of his hand resting on her shoulder, clearly waiting for her to acknowledge him.

She couldn't be still, couldn't let the opportunity to see him again pass. To actually see him, to find him here beside her. She turned and his touch fell away, gone cold in the absence, yet, there he was.

Her eyes took him in, from the gentle fall of dark brown hair across his brow, the sharp plains of his face, to the dark stubble across his jaw. He was just as she remembered, worn by a hard life, but the quirk of his lips soft and just for her.

"Shahar." Hardly more than a whisper, choked past the beating heart that had risen to her throat. This - whatever this was - didn't let her down. Brown eyes that danced with magenta flicked up to meet hers, body shaped with worry and happiness as though concerned she wouldn't be happy to see him.

Her heart soared got caught up in her throat and her stomach flipped, filled with the tingles of excitement, but she didn't trust, couldn't trust that this was real. She reached out to touch him, hands lighting on his chest, feeling the steady thump of his heart beneath her palm, the rise and fall of his breath.

His eyes fell once more, not looking at the ground, but at the child slung tight against her chest, little face peering out so similar to the one that now peered back. Tears welled in her eyes, she couldn't help it. More than anything this was what she had wanted. She wouldn't have to explain to her bosu why her husband, his diakh was missing. Shahar wouldn't miss any more of their child's growth, the new sounds, the achievements. They could raise him together.

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Naiya space Pavi | Common | Tukant
other space Pavi | Common | Tukant

[Naiya]

It took her only a tick to loosen the ties that held Shai to her enough to lift him carefully into her arms. "Shai." She told her husband, only the beginning of the recounting that would have to happen, the reacquainting they would need.

"Miss?" The voice startled her, lost as she was in the paradise that was this moment. She turned, tucking Shai back against her chest as she did. The voice was vaguely familiar, a young girl that she had grown to recognize from her time in the city. Behind her, looking equally worried was the boy, her brother..?

She wasn't sure, but they shared a look between themselves. "We were hunting in the grass, but something began to chase us," The boy spoke now, she couldn't recall if she had ever learned his name, it didn't matter as she cast her gaze out behind them, seeking what had startled them. "My seiza fell," hurt, "we were hoping you could help us?"

Naiya nodded, casting a glance over her shoulder to Shahar, reassuring herself that he was there. He was, waiting patiently.

"My home isn't far," she pointed to the dark shape in the mist, "We can help." She reached her hand back to Shahar, letting the children walk ahead of them.

"Akaidras," see, back soon she nodded, understanding the need that called to him. She scooted the children through the drier air of the camp, the fire helping to ward off the mist. She settled Shai into the basket that served as a cradle, freeing her hands once more as she dug through the herbs she had inside.

"Here," unsure, name inquiry? She held up a small bundle of herbs, mixed for warming in water to wash a wound with.

"Diani"," the boy supplied, tilting his head towards his sister, "and I'm Halo." Naiya nodded, setting a pot into the fire, her eyes tracking to the door, waiting for Shahar to return, her doubts returning as the memory of his touch began to fade.

Well met, Naiya signed as she dropped the bundle of herbs into the pot. "I am Naiya Dawnwhisper." Her voice held steady as she poured water next into the pot. "This will take just a few minutes. The herbs will disinfect a wound. Can I see what happened?"

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Naiya space Pavi | Common | Tukant
other space Pavi | Common | Tukant

[Naiya]

She could feel herself surfacing, coming up from something but unsure what. As though she'd had too much mead at Baultime's but was finally sobering back up.

The red gash on the girl's knee and similar marking on her hands helped too, clearing her head further although why she couldn't quite tell. Naiya nodded, peering at what didn't seem to be an injury too serious.

"It doesn't look too bad, your maisa can surely tend to this at home later as well." The two shared a look, expressions too unfamiliar to be readable. "I'll help you get it cleaned up, anyway. These herbs will help keep it grom getting infected, and I can pick out anything that may have gotten stuck in the wounds so your maisa doesn't have to."

"Thank you." The boy said again, his sister echoing the words. Still Naiya couldn't shake the dread that settled over her, moving to peer out of the pavilion while the water warmed. Nothing, the bodies of the animals were there, but the distinct form of Shahar was missing.

She had known, had told herself. A trick of the mist. One she had seen and heard and felt. She had fallen headlong into the illusion, a cruel trick of the gods for the blasphemy of the Pridesuns.

"I was... it was just me and the wuepo, when you found me?" Naiya asked, her voice wavering. A new emotion building in her chest as she imagined the interruption that has stopped her from handing her son to a phantom.

"Yes." There was no shared look between them this time, something they already knew. "We ran, we were chased to our tent nearby. Once we had dried off... there was nothing." The girl explained, Naiya caught sight of the boy shaping a sign to ward off evil.

A phantom, she reminded herself. Her logic from before returning. There was no way Shahar would be here and Khida would be absent. She had known, and still fallen prey to the illusion, the lie.

She had wanted it to be true. It was as simple as that. She wanted to believe it, and it had taken over her mind, filling it with what she wanted to hear, to believe.

She turned away from the entrance of the pavilion, casting about for a clean cloth in the supplies they had brought in out of the rain the day prior. She tested the water, finding it had warmed, she pulled it away from the flames that licked at the ceramic.

The children watched, quiet murmurs coming from the rest of the pavilion, not unexpected, although she would go speak to the others, warn them against going out into the mist unprepared.

Chimes passed in silence, Naiya planning, the children content to watch her prepare the water. When it was cool once more she pulled a cushion beside the one she sat on, beckoning Diani over to sit beside her.

Slight discomfort. Naiya warned before she began, "I'll have to break away any dried blood first so I can see, but I'll be as gentle as I can." She started with a gentle pass of the cloth over her hands, just enough pressure to knock things loose. One more swipe and Naiya was comfortable wringing the cloth over the palm instead and letting the water rinse away dirt and blood.

Her first hand was clean of detritus, but there was a small stone in her other palm that Naiya had to pluck free. Diani, for her part, grimaced and let Naiya work.

She cleaned the palm as best she could, inspecting both and deciding that neither one needed any more care.

"Just make sure you keep the cuts clean." Naiya reminded her, and the nervous look Halo gave his sister lent her to offer a bit more. "If they start to look worse, you can come see me. I'm not a healer, but I can take a look and take you to see a healer if you need it." She wasn't sure what exactly had drawn her to make that offer, but noth children looked relieved so she let it stand.

The girl's knee hadn't closed up, walking seemed to be keeping it open. Naiya rinsed it with water until she could see it better, but aside from a few stones that she picked away, it seemed like the problem was that it was swollen and not kept still enough to heal.

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Naiya space Pavi | Common | Tukant
other space Pavi | Common | Tukant

[Naiya]

Bad spot "Not a bad wound though." Naiya told her, running the cloth gently around the wound to clean up the edges. "When you move your knee, it breaks the healing... and it looks like you hit something hard. It's swelling, and you might have a bruise." She doused it in the tincture once more. "Keep it bent for a while, let it close, and that will help it heal. I don't have any bandages, though." Apology.

She glanced at them both, and then made another offer that struck her as something they needed. "You can take the pot of water, so you can clean it again later." Before bed, "Then it'll have all night to close before you need to use it again." She couldn't be sure why their mother hadn't offered them any advice so far, but it didn't hurt Naiya any to give it instead. "Just make sure to return the pot, we use it often and will miss it if you don't." She managed to deliver the words without sounding too much like her own mother, although she was sure it hadn't escaped notice.

Soft 'thank you's were spoken again, and they stood, prepared to leave.

Once more Naiya reached out, "Did you want me to walk you home?" She inquired, coming to her feet as they did.

"No thank you. We live close enough." Halo replied, gratitude in his posture once more. Naiya nodded in acceptance. Sending both the pot of tincture and the cloth with them. She pulled the flap of the pavilion aside, watching them disappear into the fog.

She lifted the woven basket, finding Shai to be sleeping again, and took him back to where she could hear other quiet conversation. She posed her question, seeking someone to look after Shai, and when she had that she gave her warning of the illusions in the fog.

She took her cloak, fastening the clasp at her throat, and stepped back outside. She had left her things out where they might be trampled by the animals, and she needed to fetch them.

She made the trip to the supplies in peace, gathering them into a bundle and dropping them off back in their proper places. She peered out, feeling the pain of mourning settling back into her heart as she realized again what she had known the whole time.

Shahar was gone. Some magic played a trick on her heart. It had been a lie, one quite convincing, but a lie all the same.

Still she lingered, waiting despite her better judgment. It didn't take long at all to find the tall form outlined in the haze, it was a sight as familiar as the sea of grass, one she longed to see.

He beckoned to her. Her phantom husband. His arm waving an invitation to join him. She couldn't deny him, didn't want to.

She went out to meet him, a miserable smile breaking her features as she slipped her hand into his own. She could feel the tears spilling down her cheeks, could feel the roughness of his fingers as he wiped them away.

She was weak, broken by the moment of belief. She let him lead her into the grass until they found a spot that overlooked their pavilion. They settled in beside one another, the dew-damp grass pressing against her legs, but the discomfort was chased away easily by the lazy movement of his fingers tracing loving signs into her skin.

They sat together as they hadn't in over a year, looking out across the grass at their home, their family, and there she stayed. Wrapped in her lover's embrace.

It was long past the setting of the sun before she moved. Far and away from the falling of night. She sat there in stillness until the image of Shahar was gone, the feel of his touch a memory against her skin.

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Naiya space Pavi | Common | Tukant
other space Pavi | Common | Tukant

[Rufio]

G R A D E

xp

Grooming +2
Planning +2
Logic +1
Philtering +1
Cooking +1
Socialization +1
Philosophy +1
Childcare +2
Medicine +2
Rhetoric +2
Teaching +1
Interrogation +1
Cleaning +1

lores

Grooming: Prevents sores & infections
Planning: Many sources of income
Grooming: Picking & checking Zibri hooves
Tracking: A phantom Shahar in the fog
Logic: Determining illusion from reality
Wilderness Survival: Fire wards off mist
Philtering: Make a wound wash tincture by infusing warm water with herbs
Philosophy: The Pridesuns’ blasphemy invited the fog hallucinations
Childcare: Caring for neighbour children
Childcare: Sensing & responding to child needs
Medicine: Cleaning a fresh wound with a tincture
Medicine: Swollen wounds need rest to heal
Interrogation: Seeking validation of reality from others
Teaching: How to care for a wound
Fog Hallucination: Loving, bittersweet moment with a phantom of Shahar

If you feel I missed anything shoot me a PM.
Don't forget to edit your grade request here -