expiationlogs | Green and imperfect June

Entry tags:

Green and imperfect June

Who: Ethlyn and thee
Where: Around Aldrip
What: Open log for throughout June (or backdating a little closer after the battle if you wish!)
Warnings: None to start with!

Go home and take a shave

[Normally Ethlyn works in a little clinic near the edge of town, but the one that's been set up up in the inn is much more active what with the chaos from Pessiria and this newer chaos from the party... and then the party potions. Ethlyn's not sure what she's supposed to do about being attractive to rats or sprouting whiskers that weren't there before, but...]

All right... what did you get into that you shouldn't have?

[She's just trying to be friendly, not judging. Much.]

Cleaning up

[The colossus from the forest may be gone, but like a strawberry plant or a lilac, its runners, roots, and suckers still have life of their own that needs to be weeded out. That's in contrast to the patches of wood and field that have been bled dry.

Ethlyn's walking beside her horse, Venture, with a bagful of seeds in her hands--in the saddle is one of the forest fae.]

Well, here goes nothing... [She tosses out a handful of wildflower seeds and takes a breath, channeling the fairy's borrowed power through her hand. In a moment, daisies, sorrel, and grasses begin spiraling up from the ground.] Oh, my.

[Elsewhere, however, you may find Ethlyn riding slowly through the fields, sword in hand and scanning the ground. She must have seen movement, because in a moment she dismounts and walks briskly to confront something in the weeds.]

Healers: take your own advice

[She's been doing the usual things you're supposed to do after losing blood from severe injury: eating eggs and liver and peas, and the novelty of a thermos has allowed her to take beef tea along with her in her saddle when she makes her rounds. So she's been eating the right things.

She hasn't been doing the other thing that she always admonishes patients with... that whole 'take it easy' business. But there's so much to do, obviously she can put off the rest... until her muscles take matters into their own hands and go on strike.]

Ah... blast.

[There's a bench nearby, and she sits down on it a little more solidly than her sense of pride would like. She unhooks the thermos from her belt and rubs her sore leg. She'll just sit here for a few minutes. Five, or twenty maybe.]

Wildcard

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compassinks]

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Quite so. My apologies for being rather confrontational about it, but I could not simply stand by.

[He rests his hand on his thigh, and keeps his gaze pointed at the ground in front of him. Still unable to shake his awkward habits, since he had a hard time making contact with others. Still Ethlyn wasn't a stranger, so he manages to twitch his gaze toward her. Careful not to make her uncomfortable, since she was hurt, after all.]

Do you need some healing...?

[In spite of things, Ethlyn gives him a little smile.]

You're being a lot less confrontational than I usually am when I see someone who needs a hand. [As some of her encounters during the beast attack can attest, she's not one to mince words in such matters.] I did have some help when I got hurt, so my wounds aren't open. But they're not exactly all shut yet, either.

The healing sounds like a good idea.

Ah, that is good to hear. I would not want to put you in an uncomfortable situation.

[He listens to her in silence, before he finally stands up from his position beside her. This time, kneeling down in front of her, but keeping his eyes on her own with a friendly, but caring smile. Not hesitating to light up his hand so that he could heal her wounds, where she was hurting.]

May I? Will you show me where you are hurt, exactly?

Only inasmuch as it's embarrassing to be caught in a fit of hypocrisy.

[Oh, if only her brother could see her now--she's chastised him often enough for such antics.

She pulls up her skirt over her injured leg a little to show him the most currently troublesome spot. There's a bandage around her leg just above the knee. To her dismay, there is a little red showing, so evidently she's opened it up again.]

...Ah. I should really limit my daily travels more than I've been doing.

I would not worry too much. All of us are hypocrites in some way, are we not? It is nothing to be ashamed of.

[His eyes stare over at the spot that's revealed to him now. His lips curving into a frown upon noticing the red skin. Careful not to chastise her for overworking himself, since he too, knew how it felt to go beyond one's limitations. It's why he shakes his head, and simply brings his hand over to that skin.

He could easily just heal the wound, but for now, he forms a block of ice against his fingertips. The cold block of ice against her skin cooling down the inflammation first, before he starts the healing process.]

This is just to help with the redness. I will start the healing process in a moment.

Well, when you put it that way. [It does have to be said, healers tend to be the worst when it comes to slowing down and taking it easy. What else are they supposed to do when all the warrior types are trying to fight with their arms hanging by a thread?] I used to give my brother a hard time for picking up a sword before his sprained wrist was done mending, or opening up an injury by riding around with it. He'd love to know that the tables have turned.

[She looks on with interest at the little block of ice that he creates. Most of the ice magic she knows about is combat-oriented. It's new to see it used in first aid.]

That's a neat trick. How do you do it?

I do understand your plight. There are times where I must scold my husband and wife for constantly pushing themselves to their limits and injuring themselves further. So... I must admit, that I am used to this sort of care.

[He laughs softly, and lets the ice do it's job to ease the red skin underneath. It stays like that for a moment, before he pulls his hand away. His gaze shifting to look up at Ethlyn when she asks that question.]

There are different sorts of magic in our world. I use ice offensively, but I am able to augment the element to also be restorative. ... I suppose I can just will it to be offensive, or restorative.

[The ice disappears, and a glowing light is quick to replace itself with the ice. It's soft, and comforting, as his hand makes contact with her skin to ease her pains.]

This is nothing more than a restorative spell.

Ah. [Ethlyn laughs a little.] So this must be just like home for you.

[The ice does a lot to help the injury stop throbbing, and her expression looks noticeably more at ease once Astralin takes it away.]

If any of my mage friends come here, maybe we can brainstorm how to use their magic for healing as well as battle. [None of them use ice magic--well, Lewyn could, as the heir to the god of winds--but she wonders if thunder and fire might have some applications.] That feels much better--you're a good hand with this.

It brings back quite a bit of memories. Good ones, of course.

[He finally pulls away from her completely, and takes a seat right beside her once more. His hands resting against his knees, as he begins to ponder what he else he could do for her. Though, his thoughts are shifted once she speaks. Not being able to help but let out a little laugh.]

I have my share of experience... In the war, I was contracted with the resistance to heal their soldiers. I have saved many lives back home... Or have tried to. My powers are much more potent, as I am able to heal those from the brink of death. ... So, I suppose I am decent at this.

[He presses his back against the wall, and he smiles softly.]

I am just glad I could help you and my powers are still useful here.

I'm glad too. [She returns his smile.] It's a good feeling, when you can take a young soldier who's never tasted war, or a veteran with a family waiting for him at home, and keep him alive for a day longer than otherwise.

[It doesn't always work, of course. Some wounds kill at once or bleed too fast, and sometimes an injury not seen to in time will sicken, and then survival is down to luck.]

So your homeland was at war, too... Can I ask what happened to cause it?

Yes. The look of relief and happiness on their family's faces made it worth it for me. Although it expends my own life energy, it is something that can be recovered with a full night of rest.

[Oh. He wasn't expecting that question at all. It's been so long since the war, and now that a new one is afloat... Well. He'll talk about the first one.]

Ah... This woman, named Demetria... She sought out to kill my species in order to gain their powers to rule over the humans and mystics back home. Her conquest destroyed many lives, and she could have cared less... A young woman who was here in Expiation, in fact, was the one who created her seal and placed it upon her during a pivotal battle.

Unfortunately, the seal has been broken by some fanatic who sought to release her once more. I am... Worried that we are at the brink of another war, but I suppose that is for me to worry about when I am back home.

[He sighs.]

Was something similar happening at home for you as well?

Yes... nothing so horrific as the destruction of an entire race. [The thought makes her shiver. She knows that Grannvale was clamoring for the heads of all Isaach after their attack on the border, and apart from Jamke she has no good opinion of the people of Verdane, but the idea of wiping them out, for personal gain or any other reason, is unfathomable.] We were at war... an unprovoked attack from another country, and then an abduction that turned into a full-scale war.

But the followers of a dark god were behind it all--the one who laid waste to our continent long ago. [She recalls that the king of Verdane warned her brother about the Loptrians' ends. To what end the war brings his revival, she's still not sure.] So in that way, it sounds like what was happening in your world when you left it.

[Evidently Astralin survived the old war and hasn't been killed by the burgeoning one, which is a relief. She won't ever know how things turn out.]

[Astralin listens in silence, not too surprise that another world was plagued with war. It seemed to be a thing shared between worlds, which... Was sad, to be quite honest. Simply nodding his head at her words, and well. Abduction certainly brings back memories of his own past. The corner of his lips twitching softly when his memories come flooding back, but he tries not to think about it.]

A simple abduction turning into war... That is quite extreme, but it must have been a predominant figure.

[Or so he assumes, anyway.]

Yes, you could say that. It is quite similar, is it not?

[Astralin trails off into a soft laugh, and his fingertips grasp together as he sighs softly.]

I do wonder what else we have in common...

The daughter of a duke--and a close friend of my brother and I. [That's what made it important to Ethlyn, although she had a great deal of respect for Edain's father.] Naturally, he crossed the border right away with only our own household knights to rescue her.

[That was how Leonster got involved. Of course she had to save her reckless brother, and with her husband being a close friend to Sigurd himself, he rode right alongside her.]

We're both healers, and we're both from worlds ravaged by war--wars started for reasons beyond just land or philosophy. And we were both deeply involved in it. I don't suppose you were a duke, or someone else whose duty it was to lead men into battle?

Ah, I suppose that would do it, yes. I do hope that she returned safely?

[Who knows with that sort of thing, after all. As for that last statement... Ah. He almost wants to laugh, since she nearly hit it. A sheepish smile spreading upon his face, as he turns his head. Somewhat embarrassed to admit such a thing.]

... A prince. My family left the life of nobility when I was young, but had we not left noble life, my life would be... Very different. But I must admit, I do not have any ill feelings toward my mother and father for leaving such a life. They were... Unhappy, and often look down upon due to circumstances beyond their control.

We are simple, common folk now. I would not have it any other way.

Yes--we were able to save her before any harm came to her. My husband and I rode to Sigurd to help him, and a few others joined along the way.

[They seemed to gain more and more comrades, all with their own reasons for fighting. Lachesis' desperate attempts to save her brother from their own king, Tailtiu and Lex standing in opposition to their fathers, Lewyn trying to flee his responsibilities and Erinys following to bring him back to them. Now that she thinks about it, it was quite a complicated net.

But Astralin's own history--Ethlyn can't disguise the look of surprise on her face when he says that his parents walked away from their lifestyle--from their responsibilities. Lewyn tried, but in the end he followed his duty back to his homeland.]

So they--[Gave up are the words about to pop out of Ethlyn's mouth, but she catches it just in time. She doesn't want to insult Astralin's family, especially not after he's just helped her.]--Did they have a great deal of difficulty with their people when they made that choice?

[His world... Was definitely hard to describe. He wonders if he should go into length with immortality in their world, and all the other semantics that went into it. So, he's silent for a good moment, before shaking his head. After all, their titles were nothing more than just that. Titles. No real rule behind it.]

No... My people are immortal, so those who wish to reign for an eternity, can do so. My parents had nothing but just a simple title behind their name; my grandparents -- I loathe to call them that -- had no reason or no intention to dethrone themselves.

[Surprisingly, as relaxed as Astralin was, there is a hint of venom in his voice when he speaks about his Grandparents. Certainly a long story.]

Of course, I will not burden you with such a tale. But... I do thank you for telling me a bit of your own story. I would like to get to know you better, Ethlyn.

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Green and imperfect June

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