Fisher of Peace (Open)

[Blythe]

"Do not worry about it Serrif. I was far less useful than you," Blythe said, as she tried to re-adjust the bag on her arm by slowly lowering her arm, and then rapidly raising it, so the bag would be propelled further up her arm. But it didn't seem to do much. "Not only that, but the healers at the temple should know what to do," and with that, Blythe turned sharply on her heels, digging them into the sand. As soon as she had turned away from the sea, Blythe began to head slowly up the beach, that way, Serrif was sure to keep up. "Just yell if you need a break," Blythe called over her shoulder. "Or if you need help with her, or for me to slow down." As she walked, Blythe kicked up small clods of sand. Her feet sunk into the warm grains, leaving a messy imprint of her foot upon them. Several grains slid in through the open spaces in her sandals. The grains clung to her drying feet, and tickled her toes. At times, it was difficult for Blythe to ignore them, and to simply carry on without wiping the grains away. Even so, Blythe never did allow herself to stop, knowing that each minute she took to care for herself was another Keyta spent in pain. The procession walked in silence for a few moments before Blythe began to reply to Serrif's questions. "Well, just about everyone here is a Konti, and thus, a woman. There are very few outsiders, if you will, although they do exist." Blythe paused for a moment as if considering her words. The two of them had walked past the beach, and were now walking over lush green grass. A series of tiny white cottages and stone buildings could be seen here and there, although there were very few people. "As for the temple itself. Well, there isn't much to know. It is larger on the inside than it seems on the outside. As you will know soon enough, it is a building surrounded by twin white towers, and is set in the middle of a park. It's by the coastline though, perhaps we could have walked around the beach and gotten there eventually, but I think this way should be faster." "Anyway," Blythe continued, "the temple houses a medical library, as well as a clinic, and another section that serves as a hospital. Almost everyone, if not everyone who works there is a woman, and quite a number are marked by Rak'keli..." Blythe's voice trailed off for a moment. "A lot of healers gather there since lessons on medicine and herbalism are provided. That and some of the staff are said to help those who struggle with their gifts." Blythe continued walking in silence. Her shoulders were beginning to grow sore and her legs felt rather heavy. Even though the bags she was carrying were relatively light, they wore on her. She had been carrying them for at least fifteen minutes, and was both walking and talking, which proved to be extraordinarily tiring. "Boy am I in need of a proper workout," Blythe muttered under her breath, frustrated with her out-of-shape body for seeming as though it would quit on her so soon. But she wouldn't tell Serrif such things, and she'd do her best not to show her discomfort. A few beads of sweat had appeared on her brow, and her heart rate was steadily increasing. At least, she thought, they were more than halfway there. OOCI figured we'd do one round of sheer traveling to the temple, and then on my next post, I'd say we got there, and run us through meeting Merida and being directed to the clinic on the west lawn.

[Keyta]

Keyta began to slowly come back to her senses, and slowly began to feel the pain that she still had in her arm and leg. She tried to figure out where she was but was almost too tired to really move, although she could tell she was begin carried. She tried listening to the two voices as they walked through the forest, but she couldn’t quite make out who the second voice belonged to, and she couldn’t yet figure out who was holding her. Keyta wanted to see better, but she could see the light from under the hood and didn’t want to hurt her eyes again. Instead, Keyta lifted her left arm again, but this time placed it on the chest of the person who was carrying her. Keyta used her hand to try and better tell who might be having to carry her. She began to tremble slightly when she couldn’t remember the structure, this was certainly not a woman, and therefore wasn’t of the local Konti, but this did seem to be ruff, and covered in scars under a shirt. Curiosity began gnawing at her better judgment as she took her left hand to her hood again and lifted it to try and see who was carrying her away. She lifted the hood so that one eye could peek out from under the cloak, and gave her eye some time to try and adjust, but all she could see was a dark outline with the sun light behind him. Luckily the sun was behind him and not directly in her eye, but she still couldn’t help but wonder who this was. With that same eye, she looked to the side, the direction this man was carrying her, and saw Blythe leading them somewhere. Keyta was worried because she did not know this man and wanted to be with someone familiar, and since Blythe was the only one she remembered in the area, she wanted to be with her. Keyta began to struggle slightly at first trying to break free and get to Blythe, she wanted to be with her, she wanted to be safe against her scent. But no matter how hard she eventually continued to fight, she couldn’t get to Blythe cause this stranger would not let her.

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

He was focused as he followed Blythe. He felt a small hand press against his chest. Seemed the girl was coming to..Which was indeed good and bad at the same time. Good because it meant she wasn't dead...yet. But bad because it meant she could thrash about and complicate things. Again he was cradling her carefully, and in his large cloak she was indeed in darkness. Exactly where she likely wanted to be. He could feel her move about and noted what she was moving. It was hard not to given that she was in his arms. He felt her move her hand and press it against him. Likely trying to figure out just who was carrying her. He listened to her talk about the temple and he pictured the entire thing in his head. It had to be a wondrous place. He hadn't been many places before this...that he could remember anyway. He blamed the constant torture and poisoning for that. Parts of his memory were missing and well everything before the slave camp was blank to him. There wasn't even anything that 'seemed' familiar to him. It was like being reborn into this world all over again. He remembered places, and where he was. But past that he was ignorant. He felt the girl struggle some and he would hold onto her. He looked over Blythe, she seemed to be struggling some but she hid it well. But even he could tell when people hid things. Especially discomfort. Again another horrible gift he had obtained from the slave camp. You always tried to hid discomfort, but you could always tell. It was like you just knew when people were really miserable. And the better you hid it the better you fared. He knew because he hid discomfort and pain as well. "Blythe, lets take a breather I have a feeling you need to comfort the girl." He said as he laid the girl gently on the ground making sure not to set her weight on any of her injured limbs. He then helped aid Blythe in the removal of his pack. "Here let's get this off of ya." He took the pack off of her and figured a quick break was warranted for the three of them. Maybe she could get the girl to calm down. That sure would be nice. He knew that Blythe was in no shape to carry the girl. And he didn't want to make her struggle more by asking her to do so simply because the girl was finicky. No the girl would just have to learn to trust him. That was what this all came to; or at the very least tolerate him carrying her with Blythe nearby. "So how much farther do you think?" He said gauging how much longer they had to go versus how much energy he had in his reserves. It may come down to them having to take camp here. She wasn't all that light and he didn't want Blythe to struggle too much more. "She likes you, but I have to carry her. I don't know what to do about that one." He commented as he then coughed some. It was a somewhat violent fit of coughing that when finished somewhat startled Serrif. But again he completely shunned it away. The taste of copper was in his mouth and he knew what that meant. He sipped on water from his pack and washed the taste away. He didn't spit; alarming Blythe or the girl would do him no good and would in fact put him back a hundred steps from where he was. He could shake off the sickness if he just focused. Now was about the time he would lay down and rest. But instead he was here carrying this girl. A sad truth that was leading him to a temple where maybe he could get an understanding for everything that was happening to him. Maybe someone understood what was happening to him. It was possible that he could even be healed. But he was weakened, even by his own races standards. He looked somewhat frail; which was why he was fishing! He figured that fate had a reason for all this and he didn't mind pushing hard to get to where he needed to be. Pain had become something that he could just switch off in his mind. Something he pushed away and disassociated with his own body. Again another survival technique that he had to learn to survive. He closed his eyes caught his breath then sipped on his water some more. Misery, pain, and suffering all left his body as he stood there. He needed to set them aside. Otherwise this girl would suffer. "So what's the verdict Blythe?" He asked as he referred to the girl and him carrying her. OOCWorks for me although we may have to do one post each while resting depending on how all this works out

[Blythe]

Blythe looked over her shoulder at Serrif and stopped dead in her tracks. Keyta seemed to be squirming somewhat. "Are you sure you're not just getting tired?" Blythe asked playfully. "It's ok if you are," she added, wondering if he were merely using Keyta as an excuse. Perhaps he had grown as tired as she. But she couldn't be sure. Especially because men did their best to hide their discomfort in order to appear "tough," and well... masculine. Or so she had gathered from her past experiences. Blythe watched as Serrif delicately placed the Kelvic bundle on the ground, he seemed so thoughtful, she thought, as she began to try and shake her bag off her shoulder. She was finding it rather difficult, but thankfully, Serrif came over to help her with the bags, and she soon found her body feeling lighter. It felt like she was hovering just above the ground. As soon as they had been placed on the ground, Blythe said, "thanks." After she had thanked Serrif for his kindness, she walked over to Keyta. She bent down on the ground, and knelt beside her. The top of the cloak had fallen around her face, leaving it exposed to the daylight. Blythe smiled shyly as she gazed into the girl's honey-colored eyes. Blythe extended her right hand towards the girl's face. Her hand was curled slightly, as she ran it over Keyta's smooth skin. A soft tingling sensation shot through Blythe's skin upon contact. It was almost as light and delicate as her touch. "Shhh now, try not to move. I know it is rough little one, since you're in so much pain, but please do you best," Blythe said, before pausing for a moment. She twisted her hand so that her palm rested on Keyta's cheek and then slowly raised it towards her hairline. Tiny strands of orange colored hair imbedded themselves in the space between Blythe's nails and finger flesh. They prickled and tickled her fingers as Blythe began to bring her hand farther back on Keyta's head. Her fingers were running over her hair. It felt smooth, and relatively soft. She repeated the motion over and over, allowing her fingers to run through Keyta's hair from time to time. Blythe was leaning over her now, blocking out most of the sun. Keeping most of it from reaching Keyta. "Serrif would appreciate it. It is difficult for him to carry you when you wiggle around like that you know," Blythe whispered to Keyta, doing her best to soothe the girl. Blythe's voice seemed to match the honey within Keyta's eyes. "So just do your best to relax, and we'll be there before you know it," Blythe said as she raised her hand and curled all of her fingers, except her pointer finger, into her palm. She brushed her pointer finger over Keyta's nose, rather playfully, flashing a wide smile as she did. "So don't worry, ok?" Blythe added as she pulled the cloak up and around Keyta's face again. As soon as Keyta was once again under wraps, Blythe turned to Serrif and replied, "if we continue at the same pace, we should arrive within the next fifteen minutes or so." She hadn't bothered to ask Serrif if he was ok. She figured his cough had been caused by his exhaustion, which had led to a shortness of breath, or at least, a dry throat. Or perhaps a strange tickling sensation within its confines. After a few moments, Blythe returned to the bags and pulled out her own waterskin. She opened the top and took a long drink of cool, refreshing water before putting the waterskin back and picking up each of their bags. She slung each of them over her shoulder, one at a time. "We should best get going, wouldn't want to make the poor girl suffer for too long," Blythe called over her shoulder as she took another two steps towards their destination. "And yes, I do agree, it would more than likely be best if you carried her. Hopefully, she has calmed down a bit by now..." Blythe's voice trailed off into the air. It seemed to swirl around Blythe and her companions. She really did hope, however, that Keyta would stop moving. It would make life easier on Serrif, and would help prevent the girl from re-injuring herself, and generally making things worse. OOCI feel like a mom. Seriously. Oh... and next round of posting we reach the Opal Temple then. Hopefully. =)

[Keyta]

The large man said something that was too muffled by her cloak for Keyta to actually understand, but she could tell that he stopped moving. Keyta froze in place and saw Blythe was slightly further away from them then before, but before she had the chance to try to break free again, the man began to set her down. He walked away and began coughing rather loud but Keyta was more focused on Blythe, who came over to her and placed her hand on Keyta’s face. “Shhh now, try not to move.” Blythe said and the little girl began to close her eyes and enjoyed the feeling of Blythe’s hand. It calmed her, made her forget everything else and focus only on the moment at hand. Blythe began to blocked the light with her shadow as the explained how difficult it was for Serrif to carry her, she began to wonder who Serrif was but then she remembered the scary looking man that had been carrying her before. ‘Serrif?...’ she thought to herself, almost trying to commit the name to memory. Suddenly Blythe tapped Keyta’s nose and said “So don’t worry, ok?” and gave a huge smile to Keyta. The kelvic couldn’t help but smile and blush back at the beautiful smile that Blythe had given her. Keyta began to wonder why she felt so warm when she was around Blythe, but she knew that Blythe was at least some one she could trust to the end of time. The konti woman turned on her heals and walked back to the bags she had dropped before, and began to place each of them back on her back one at a time. Keyta’s face may have been hidden under the hooded cloak, but she was making sure to keep a close eye on this Serrif person and to also make sure Blythe was, at the very least, within visual range.

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

Serrif did hide his pain and discomfort for various reasons. Yes many did it to look more masculine; tougher than they really were. But the exact opposite was true for Serrif. He appeared far weaker than he actually was. His spirit was tough, his mind an iron fortress...but his body. It was frail and even looked it. Obviously for some reason he had been starved; or it looked like that. It was only the past few weeks or so that he got actual food in his stomach. Well food that didn't come at a cost that was. He hadn't eaten it all like a glutton though. No he had to ration it or he would worsen the sickness with a stomach ache as well. And then vomiting and extreme discomfort. None of which would again help him in the least. He knew his limits; and he had a good grasp for what he could and could not push. And right now he didn't feel like he could push his luck. But what he felt like he could do and what he would do were to very separate things. He stood there and pondered just what he was to do next. He 'wanted' to carry his backpack in; but not offend Blythe at the same time. He didn't want to make it seem like he didn't think she was strong enough to carry the pack. But then again did he really have the fortitude to carry both the girl and his pack. He sized it all up and came to the conclusion that indeed he couldn't do both. But he figured it would likely be improper of him to have her carry his entire pack in by herself. He felt a little guilty that he wasn't strong enough to carry his pack; even if he was carrying the girl. He sighed and then figured he would do the next best thing. He gathered from Blythe that they were only about fifteen minutes away. That was good so he decided he would do her and him both a favor. She put back on his pack and he would again help her dismount it. "Here let me do something." He said as he then rummaged through his pack some. He moved over to the pack and quickly pulled the rope from it. Then with the tarp he took some of the larger items, such as his lantern and tent and rolled them all up in the tarp. He first tied one knot at the bottom then another one half way up and another one at the top. Making sure the entire thing wouldn't come undone. He had left two rather long lengths of rope. Then he hoisted the entire thing on his back and pulled one of the lengths of rope over each shoulder making makeshift straps for a makeshift backpack. Then he pulled the rope under his arms and wove it through the bottom knot of the pack at his back. And then brought these two lines back around his waist and tied the lengths together. This burdened most of the weight at his hips rather than his shoulders. "This should lighten up the pack for you." Truth be told everything else including his gold coins were in that pack. His small philtering kit and supplies as well as all his food. But removing the tent would even out the weight distribution a little more between the two. He could shrug off the little extra weight easily. "Good thing it isn't that much farther. I'm not sure how much longer the girl could hang on." It almost sounded like he was somehow referring to himself at first. But he knew he could hang on, if for nothing else for this little girl. He wanted to help her and well this was really the best he could do right now. He helped her put back on his pack and he would then bend down and carefully pick up the girl. He was gentle with her because he knew she was definitely hurting by now."Ready?" And when Blythe moved on he would follow. Just trying to really focus on putting one front in front of the other. It was a simple task really. One would believe it was anyway. The real task was making sure the girl didn't find any real reason to muck about. He wanted her to remain calm so he measured each step and carefully navigated the terrain so that she was as comfortable as possible. But even now he knew that 'comfortable as possible' really just meant with as little misery and pain as possible. That was it, the simplicities of it all were somewhat astounding. It wasn't about making her comfortable at this point. It was more about making her not miserable. In the end he just wanted to deliver her to this Opal Temple and see what could be done for her...and possibly him as well. He was hopeful but at the same time he really just didn't know. The damage that had been done was more than extensive. His body ached with the effects and he was sure that the poisons still ran through his body even now. And what could they do about that? He hadn't seen any real healers. But those that he had seen didn't seem to know what they were talking about. And all seemed to think he was surely making up what had been happening to him. So he had really lost hope in ever really getting to the bottom of this. And even now he was pessimistic; maybe they would say their Goddess couldn't lay the graces of healing on him...or something like that. Then what? He was left even more hopeless than before. And well that was something that he wasn't willing to accept just yet. No, he was going to learn the healing art of medicine and herbs. He would find a cure himself by his own hand. And all the while he would treat those that needed it as well; people like this girl.

[Blythe]

Blythe felt a slight tugging on her shoulders, and the muffled sound of various items lightly bumping into each other. Serrif seemed to be digging through his bag, looking for something. "Looking for anything in particular?" Blythe asked, as she waited for him to finish. Wincing a bit each time he dug the straps farther and farther into her shoulder. After a few moments, he pulled a few things out, making the weight on Blythe's shoulders far lighter. Finally, Blythe seemed to exhale the breath that she hadn't even realized she had been holding in. "Thanks," Blythe said as she bundled everything up, rather neatly, and tied it onto himself. She felt bad for him. Serrif was carrying the girl, and now, at least half of the contents of his bag. Blythe wondered if he saw her as weak, someone he needed to care for and be macho for. Or perhaps, she hadn't hidden her discomfort as well as she thought from him, which caused him to take on a larger burden; in order to help her. Regardless, Blythe was thankful for it. Her shoulders ached less, and her body felt far lighter. As though it were no longer slowly being dug into the dirt she walked upon. "Not too much farther at all," Blythe commented as she continued towards their destination. She walked in silence for another few minutes before the coastline came into view. She knew she was close, and that their destination was only seven minutes away or so now. Feeling rejuvenated now that the end was in sight, Blythe picked up her pace. She was walking only a bit faster, but her arms were swinging more and more wildly with each step. Right arm with right foot, left arm with left foot, propelling her forward. "We'll be there real soon," Blythe commented just as the Opal Temple's park came into view. A large white-stone building surrounded by twin towers. The Opal Temple. "See," Blythe said as she looked over her shoulder and pointed towards the building with her right hand, "there it is," and with that, Blythe turned her gaze back to their destination, and continued walking. Soon enough, the travelers found themselves before a white, wrought iron gate. The gate had already been opened, each of the doors swung backwards and away from them, welcoming them in. Blythe stepped through the gates to the other side, and found herself in a lush green garden. A long, straight grey-pebble path led up to the Opal Temple. The path was lined by a series of trees with light green leaves. A tree Blythe knew she had seen several times before on the Island, but didn't know the name of. "Quickly now, we're almost there," Blythe called as she kicked up tiny pebbles, and a thin streak of dust with each of her steps. When she reached the milky white steps that led into the structure, Blythe hopped up each one, and ran ahead to the door when she reached the top of the stairs. She pressed downwards on the handle with her right hand, and when the lock clicked, she pulled the door towards her. The door was rather heavy, which may have simply been because she was so tired, so it took her a moment. But even so, she made sure she got it open by the time Serrif arrived with Keyta, so that he could easily stroll inside. As soon as her companions had made it inside the doors of the temple, Blythe tip-toed through the door, and allowed the door to swing shut behind her. The room she found herself in was rather small, and circular. A woman with milky-white eyes greeted them. She looked as though she were blind. "Hello, I am Merida. Welcome to the Opal Temple. How can we help you?" she asked. Blythe smiled sweetly at her and replied, "the girl he is carrying in that bundle seems to have broken a few bones, is there anyone around here who would be willing to lend a helping hand?" Merida gave a curt nod in response, and raised her right hand. She gestured towards an open doorway to Blythe's left. "Just walk out that door, and you will soon find yourself on the west lawn. There is a clinic there. A healer should come around to help you as soon as she finds the time." "Thank you Merida," Blythe said as she crossed the room to the door. She hoped the girl was ok, and that Serrif was strong enough to make it for those last few steps. They were almost there! OOCI borrowed the picture from the Opal Temple write-up in the linkmap. Oh, and Serrif, can you say body-building experience? What a workout >.< Oh and sorry I mentioned a lot of your movements. But since you were following me, I figured it would be ok. Just holler if you need me to change anything.

[Keyta]

Little Keyta kept the hood of the cloak opened just enough so she could watch Serrif and look over and see Blythe. She kept her hand up near her face so if a ray of sunlight hit her eyes she could hide from it quickly. The kelvic girl was beginning to seem interested in this man, why would he go through so much trouble for a complete stranger? Why would he worry more about someone else’s discomfort when he was obviously in pain? Keyta had several questions similar to these running through her head. It kept her distracted from the pain and she did not move like Blythe had asked her to do. Instead, she found herself starring at the large man trying to figure out how he worked. Suddenly a large amount of light seemed to blind Keyta as Blythe also said, “Quickly no, we’re almost there.” The light was so bright, Keyta could see the building through the hood of the cloak, and thankfully the cloak made it dark enough that it wasn’t too painful to look at. Blythe ran ahead and Keyta almost freaked out but calmed down when she had to stop at the door and Serrif caught back up to her. When they entered inside, Keyta pushed the hood back away from her face to see everything, and also to better see Blythe. But then they were told to head to another area outside, so Keyta just pulled the hood back over her face and tried to simply listen to the delicate footsteps Blythe made.

[Serrif Von Chatlyn]

He didn't think her weak, but rather he wanted to help her. Seeing her relief told him he had indeed done the right thing, she seemed to be walking with a little more energy in her steps. This was good because he didn't want to tire her out. The girl was settling down a little more; that was good because she was really testing his patience. He guessed she didn't know the two of them were trying to help her. He pondered most of the trip what they would say about his illness. Did any of them have the length of understanding needed to reverse or even purge the damage done to him? He couldn't be sure and the honest fear was that even they wouldn't be able to do anything for him. If that be the case then was he just to make himself comfortable while he wasted away? It seemed like that was what he was doing. HE ate and had brought his body a little more strength. That was good given his current circumstance. Serrif was a little aversive at just walking into the city with Blythe. He supposed the deal really couldn't get any better for him because she was Konti. And having a local guide you around was about as good as it came. Especially when you were new; obviously new, to the city. His mind swarmed as they picked up pace unknowingly. But he felt it. Every step. He didn't struggle to horribly. His arms burned from carrying the little girl. Who knew carrying a little girl could work you so hard. And this leg was a little more torturous than expected. He saw a wonderful white building come into view and he was somewhat astonished by the beauty it held. He figured if he was to name anything 'The Opal Temple' this would be the building. And besides that it fit the description that Blythe gave him. Blythe then pointed at it and well that confirmed it. The twin towers and big courtyard were what came to mind. He could smell the flowers and such as he approached. He passed through the open gate with her and "Quickly now we are almost there." She called as Serrif smiled and nodded. Well where else could they be? Unless there were two buildings that could easily be mistaken for each other. And well he doubted that was the case. He summoned the last of his strength and followed. He was really pushing whatever strength he had built up over the last few days. He would have to train a little more and build up endurance. He continued to follow up the stairs. They felt like climbing a mountain to the worn out man. He walked inside and let Blythe take the lead. His pace was slow at this time because well they were here...after about half an hour of struggling and carrying they were finally here. The room was circular and somewhat small, not what he expected to find in a large opulent temple. He saw a woman there who at first glance looked normal but then on closer inspection her pure white eyes may hint that she was blind. But truth was a little evasive at times so he wasn't going to jump to conclusions just yet. "Just walk out that door, and you will find yourself on the west lawn. There is a clinic there. A healer should come around to help you as soon as she finds the time." When she 'finds the time'. Well that was an interesting notion. But he supposed it was better than nothing. His strength was fading and well his adrenaline had run out long ago. But he dug deep and told himself he wouldn't fail now. No not here. Not so close to the finish. He swallowed hard and nodded walking out into the lawn following Blythe. He had been keeping tabs on the girl the entire time. He figured she would be fine especially since they had gotten her help so fast. Now as long as this healer didn't take her sweet time they would be fine. How many people could be here at this clinic? There couldn't be too many people that needed medical attention. From what he understood the window of opportunity after most wounds was around an hour or so before they started getting too bad. He knew this from firsthand experience; he had seen people with horrendous wounds treated within 15 minutes and they lived; and seen people with moderate wounds treated hours later and they died. He figured her wounds were more on the serious side. He wasn't sure the 'powers' of these healers. He would honestly be curious to see them work. It would be a different kind of experience for him; as well as the girl. His mind was going numb. Well that was different...He took a seat wherever Blythe told him and he took a few breaths. His head wasn't spinning but his body was a little numb. Blame poor circulation for that. His vision began crawling to a long black tunnel. He closed his eyes and breathed a little. He felt his body gaining composure again. That was good. He opened his eyes again and well his vision was perfect again...but everything was a little fuzzy. Was this what drunkards felt like...but with a little more disorientation? He rubbed his forehead and felt the sweat. He closed his eyes again and swallowed hard. Ok...he just wanted this to be fixed. His eyes opened again and everything was fine. Good. OOCYeah figured you would do that. You kinda had to or else we would just waste posts. Well not really waste posts just make things difficult on Alice because she has to (does she) read it all when we turn it in for experience and all.

[Blythe]

When they had reached an open bed, and Serrif had put Keyta down, Blythe was overcome with a feeling of accomplishment. They had made it all in one piece, and without taking too long! Blythe was so overjoyed that if she had any more energy, she may proceed to jump up and down. But instead, she merely slid the bags off her shoulders, setting them down at the foot of the bed Keyta was in. The bed Keyta had been placed on was simple. All white sheets, and from where Blythe stood, she could tell they'd be the scratchy kind. The mattress was thin, and was flattened out completely, despite Keyta's small size. She imagined the girl couldn't be too comfortable. Realizing that she was rather thirsty, Blythe reached into her bag and pulled out her waterskin. She opened the top and lifted the nozzle to her lips. Nothing came out. Blythe pulled the waterskin away from her, and turned it over. A single droplet trickled down the side and out of the container. "Lovely," Blythe muttered, "out of water. Convenient." Blythe was still holding her waterskin and muttering about the lack of water when she heard a series of muffled footsteps approaching them. When Blythe looked up, she realized that there was another Konti standing on the other side of Keyta's bed, just above her head. The Konti seemed younger than Blythe, no more than thirty years old, although she still looked like a teenager. Her long, white blonde hair was tied up in a ponytail that ended in the middle of her back. Her eyes were a bright grassy green, that seemed to take in everything around her. Her nose was small and seemed to be lost in the center of her blemish-free face. Her lips were a bright rosy-red, and seemed to mimic the shape of her face; a heart. The woman was shorter than Blythe. Blythe guessed she was no more than five feet, three inches tall, and one hundred pounds. She wore a pale pink, strapless dress that was so long it seemed to drag elegantly across the grass. The lack of straps exposed the gills on her neck, as well as a series of white scales on her forehead, and the back of her arms. They seemed to shimmer a pale yellow in the sunlight. "Hello, my name is Metis," the healer said as she looked from the bundle in the bed, to Serrif in his chair, and then to Blythe. "Did you bring the patient in?" she asked. Blythe simply nodded. "Well, what seems to be the problem?" Metis asked. Blythe wished she would simply look for herself instead of asking so many questions, but she didn't say that. "She seems to have broken a few bones," Blythe said simply as she waited for Metis to either fire another series of questions at her, or begin inspecting her latest patient.