[open] you can lead a sick horse to water

[lumberlady]

Who: Konoha and YOU
Where: around the Temple
When: 8/28 - 9/20
Rating PG???
What: catch all log for hanging with a centaur before or after the sick sets in

01 | GARDENING | 8/28

[What Konoha really wanted to do was to go home. But she knows... She has to make the most of her situation. Has to try and stay positive the best she can. So, like she'd talked about with Nier... a garden seemed like a good idea. With the plants withering like they were planting didn't actually seem like it would work, but at least she could get the field ready? It seemed like something to do, at least, and hard labor is what Konoha did best.

So she gets to work. In the first few days she can be found out near the woods, sleeves tied back and a cloth wrapped around her forehead to keep sweat out of her eyes as she starts prepping the dirt. Digging out stones, ripping up dead roots, cutting away weeds, dragging a makeshift plow behind her to till the soil...

At the sight of anyone from the Circle, however, she takes a moment to give a friendly wave.]

02 | BATHHOUSE | 8/30

[All the plowing she's been doing works up a sweat, and it wasn't often she had the luxury of a bath big enough for jinba that wasn't... wading into the river. Not that there's anything wrong with rivers, but. The bathhouse at the temple is more luxurious than she's ever really tried before, and it's so comfortably hot???

She could be mistaken for a human woman at first glance, with all the steam, but the dark shadow in the water reveals her more equine half. That and the long black tail floating towards the top of the water. Sighing happily and resisting the urge to try and roll, Konoha lets her hair down from it's usual bun and sets about running her fingers through it to try and untangle it as she sinks a bit deeper into the water.]

Ah... This is nice.

03 | HELPING THE SICK | 9/5

[Konoha has never gotten sick when her parents or the other humans in the village had. She didn't really hear a lot about jinba getting sick at all, really... So she thinks it will be fine. She doesn't have enough education to know that this might be because, as similar as her upper body looks, a jinba and a human are different species, and not all sickness can cross those differences... She just knows that she's probably fine.

So she tries to help.]

Morning... I brought breakfast.

[She pokes her head in the door of one of the bedrooms in the Temple, smiling through the concern on her features and a steaming bowl of what looks like porridge in her hands.]

Feeling up to eating?

04 | KITCHEN STUMBLE | 9/12

[Fun fact for anyone studying this outbreak... Species doesn't matter. Jinba get sick, too.

She's been feeling tired, but... She's also been working hard as more and more people got sick. Hasn't really been sleeping well. The low fever, that... had been more concerning, but what could she do about it? She did tell someone, she wasn't trying to hide anything-

But she also didn't expect it to take a turn so fast. To be so clumsy as to catch a hoof on a stone, to send the basket of apples she'd been carrying rolling across the floor and her sprawling right after with a crash as her attempt to catch herself failed and only managed to knock cutlery off the counter.

She'll get up... She will. In a minute. Meanwhile, a lone apple rolls out the kitchen door.]

05 | HUMPTY DUMPTY | 9/17

[It's so hot. She knows it has to be because of the fever, knows she's supposed to sweat it out... but she still can't help the urge, anxiously twisting where she lies on the ground in her temple room to try and undo the bear hide wrap she wears tied about her waist, try and loosen the fit of her shirt as sweat beads on her dark skin.

Sometime in the last night... She's lost the strength to stand. Had gradually collapsed to her knees, then to her belly, and then to her side. She forgets how long ago. Long enough for the pillow she'd taken with her to soak with sweat, for her throat to parch and her stomachs to twist in protest, both starving for food and roiling to reject it.

The sound of a visitor... doesn't even really register.]

Comments

[lumberlady]

Well, you're a lady, and ladies need seven herb porridge when they're sick.

[The reply is more automatic, but she honestly... cannot even fathom a person also being a plant, so the insinuation goes... right over her head. This is obviously a human woman??? Look at her???

Look at her... looking at her porridge...]

A lot of things, actually. Mine taught me everything she knows about cooking and weaving and everything. So I can be a mother someday, too. That's the whole point, I guess.

[Hmm... With a bit of a fretting sound, Konoha leans over to nudge the spoon into Tefe's hand. Come on, eat up.]

[extirpator]

[ frankly speaking, that's more modest than he's accustomed to. thanks, kaine. anyhow, his lips furl into a small, benign smile — he wets the cloth like it's a ritual, straining the water over her again. ]

I did. [ never mind the fact that he's...lost his sense of touch... ] Thanks to your help, that is. I'll stay with you until you feel better. That's what's friends do, right?

[ nier wipes underneath her neck with the rag in hand, hoping to do away with some of her swear for the meantime. ]

I don't think taking you to the bath is a good idea right now. I could try to pour water over you, though.

[lumberlady]

[Friends.]

Yeah... that's what friends do...

[She smiles a bit, even if it's a touch trembly in the corners, sighing in a bit of fleeting relief at the touch of the cloth, leaning into the wiping motion. She wanted to go to the river... or the bath... There's a reason she should go, should stand up, she knows... she just can't remember what it was right now, even as her heavy body weight gradually continues to make it hard for her to breath, pressing down on her lower set of lungs.]

Water sounds good...

[A bit weakly, she flops her arms out to the side, forelegs kicking out just a moment before she curls them back up to her belly up stomach, Bring it on, Nier...]

[beyondthegreen]

[Oh yeah. Food. She hesitates with the spoon over the porridge though, staring into its depths.]

Mine taught me parents can't be trusted for shit.

[She grumbles nearly but not quite sotto voce, blinking a few times and trying to focus. The little bits of herb stop weaving around in her sight finally, and almost angrily she stabs the spoon in and takes a bite.]

What... time is it?

[extirpator]

Haha, alright.

[ the cloth is then plunged into the bowl of water — his drags it back out, not straining it until his hands are hovering over her body.

he starts at her neck, maneuvers down towards her chest, and then reaches her stomach. he rinses again to ensure he drenches a bit of her forelegs as well — rinse and repeat, back towards her face at last. for extra measure, he smooths the rag along her stomach in a circular motion.

and then he raises that bowl, only to funnel water right over upper body. ]

More, or should I stop?

[lumberlady]

[For a moment, she forgets where she is. With her eyes closed, her breathing labored, her mind slightly clouded her by fever... it reminds her of something. Of a pair of arms she had only been held in a few scant years, of a voice she only barely remembers. Of hands that had gently swept hair from her face and held her small body against her chest in the river until her fever broke. Konoha...]

More, please...

[Now in a slightly cooler puddle than the hot one of sweat add been occupying earlier, Konoha tries again in vain to rise and instead just manages to upset her balance and tip her body over onto its side, where she lays quiet for a moment, legs tucking up and tail weakly swishing beneath her skirt as she pants softly into the pillow.]

And...

[He said he wouldn't leave. That's right. She doesn't have to ask.]

Maybe a story... That would be nice...

[lumberlady]

[... oh, yeah. Some people didn't have good parents. Konoha does seem a bit apologetic about it, frowning slightly... but if it's a bad memory the last thing she wants to do is bring it up while the poor woman is ill. That wouldn't do anything for her recovery. So instead, she fluffs the pillows behind her head, and if not stopped, places the back of her palm against Tefe's forehead to check her temperature, marveling for a moment at how pale the other woman's skin was in comparison not only to her own brown hide but to her human parents- to all the humans she'd ever known.]

Almost noon now... Do you have anything that needs doing? I'll help if you do.

[extirpator]

Oi...

[ he places a hand onto her shoulder, giving it a light squeeze — it's a gentle means of reassuring her, of indicating that she should settle down.

nier sweeps up the excess water with one of his spare cloths (an older brother must always be prepared!), so the puddle begins to shrink, at the very least. a story...his gaze softens.

and then he leans forward, patting her head the slightest bit. ]

Alright.

[ nier tucks her hair behind her ear. softly does he begin to speak: ]

There was a girl — she was beautiful, but rejected by her entire village for something she couldn't control. Her parents died long ago, so an elderly woman took her in as her own instead.

The village had shown her nothing but cruelty. But the girl had steeled herself and persevered through it all with the help of her grandmother. Her life wasn't an easy one, but it was still worthwhile in her eyes. She felt that that love could overcome anything.

...

One day, she came home...and found that her grandmother was killed by a monster. It filled her heart with rage, despair, and....sorrow, above all. From thereon, her reason for living was to avenge her grandmother's death. That's what she said. But the truth was...even if she was angry, and lonely and distant, she wanted to protect people. She was a kind girl...and the world could never change that.

It hurt a lot. The way she would help people when they had never cared for her...she was always on her own, and always waiting for the day she could die in peace. She had to avenge her grandmother, she told herself. Nothing else mattered.

One day, she caught a young boy trying to steal the flowers her grandmother had grown for her. They were beautiful, white flowers called "Lunar Tears". There was a legend saying that they could grant any wish imaginable.

The truth was, the boy wasn't trying to steal the flowers...it was just the first time had seen them, and his little sister had always wanted to find one. The girl attacked him, and the two had a fight. It was a close call...until the monster that had killed her grandmother all those years ago appeared.

The girl wound up falling unconscious after another fight...so the boy had decided to save her and carry her to her bed. She didn't understand why, but he figured he didn't have a reason not to. After that day, the girl never left his mind. They reunited again and killed the monster for good. The girl was intent on dying. but the boy tried to convince her to life with all his might...he told her that her life meant something, and that she was stronger than this. He told her that he was her friend, and for her to travel with him...

She listened. And she decided to live. She called herself his blade. Even when it was hard, she always fought for him — one day, a monster attacked the boy's village...so the girl helped him fight it with her dying breath. She was turned into stone to seal the monster away.

5 years passed. The boy spent everyday of those 5 years trying to find a way to save her. He grew Lunar Tears in preparation for the day he could meet her again. And he did. They found a spell to turn the stone of her body back into flesh...

And he gave her the flower. She smiled gently at him. He would never forget that smile. She wore that flower in her hair everyday of her life, even after he had vanished from the world.

[ he rests his head into his palm. how longwinded. how nostalgic. ]

Tired yet?

[beyondthegreen]

[She's feverish, boiling hot, but doesn't seem inclined to lie back down, having another couple mouthfuls of food between words.] I don't think you can help much. I can help keep the trees around here alive a bit longer though. Just need to.... get up.

[Which is... ugh, everything feels tired and hot and just awful. Way worse than yesterday. She puts down the bowl of porridge, still mostly full and swings her legs out over the edge of the bed, fully intent on getting up. In.. just a minute... god, she's so tired.]

[lumberlady]

[Not finishing her food brings a bit of a frown to Konoha's face, but she doesn't try and force her to eat more. Even if it was just a little it should help... and she'd rather not have her eat too much too fast. She could heat it up later, she supposed.

She also doesn't quite get what Tefe means by helping the trees... She must have some sort of green thumb. Or the witch power? But either way, she certainly can't let her walk around that weak, so-]

Here, I'll carry you there, and then afterwards you have to rest up more!

[Gently as she can, Konoha leans down in order to slip her arms beneath the other woman's shoulders and knees, (making sure to pull down any fabric needed to protect modesty!!), and just... pick her up, bridal carry style. Just looking at her more human looking half Konoha was strong, used to hard labor in the lumber yards, but having those muscles anchored in heavy equine base meant that to her... lifting Tefe was no problem at all.]

Which trees?

[Maybe one should avoid contact with sick people, but- Konoha also assumes that she can't get human sicknesses, so. No problem!!]

[lumberlady]

[As he speaks she settles slightly, save for the occasional shift and anxious twist, futile attempts at relieving the pressure on her lungs and other organs that came from having been lying down so long. That discomfort blurred into the rest, to the heat and the sweat and the fever and the bubbling nausea, but she wasn't alone... the water was cool for a little while...

She drifts in and out of full attention as he speaks, vaguely following the story. It had all the good elements of a story... monsters and fights and companions and sacrifice and love and even a happy ending...]

Lunar Tears sound really pretty...

[The question she didn't quite catch, but she whispers her reaction into the sweat drenched pillow anyway. Even if she maybe focused on a really odd point to get hung up on.]

Do they never wilt... ? That's amazing...

[extirpator]

[ she really is just like yonah, he thinks.

it isn't odd to him. not even remotely. instead, he smiles. ]

They don't. They're the hardest flower to grow. I failed countless times before I got it right.

[ he places the cloth back onto her forehead. ]

But once they bloomed...they never wilted. One day, I want to see if I can grow some here. It would be nice to give you one myself.

[lumberlady]

[If she weren't so ill she'd probably connect the dots. Realize that maybe it's his story he just told her. But it all seems so fantastic that it's easy to just think of it as a legend... like the eight headed serpent or the snow woman tale... a fanciful, long adventure...]

That'd be nice... You could plant them by the spider lilies...

[Absently, she reaches up to her now damp hair, patting the bun nearly come undone from all her tossing and turning.]

My mother puts flowers in my hair for festivals... and my tail, too... but they only last a few hours...

[cuedoves]

It's fine. We'll just wash it after.

[ humans?? maybe she's a spirit? well, he's too sick to really think this through. it's fine if she isn't moving, he's very strong himself. the sickness's sapped some of it, but he starts to pull and manages to get her to lift slightly. he's sweating from the exertion though, gross. ]

It's not a natural sickness. It's affecting the plant life, too.

[lumberlady]

[Well, she can't really argue with that now can she?

After a long moment where she just kind of wonders why he's tugging at her hand, she finally realizes... oh. She should get up. With a grunt, she actually starts contributing instead of being nearly a half ton of dead weight, getting her forelegs under her properly and finally rising back to her feet. Well, hooves. Considering her human half starts at horse wither height, already at most people's shoulder, this means she has to turn her gaze down now to look at him.]

Thanks... Sorry...

[Awkwardly, she gives a small bow.]

Plants don't get sick like people do either, though... are you sure?

[purrtagonist]

[hesitation. . .]

[and then Akira lets out another protesting grump as he rolls over onto his face, further tangling himself up in this pile of blankets and sheets. he's being. . . difficult]

[. . .]

[although the porridge does smell good]

[extirpator]

That's right. The red and the white would go together beautifully, don't you think? And you could pick as many as you wanted.

[ he leans forward, still dabbing away and sweeping at the puddle underneath her. nier meets her gaze — the expression he wears is placid, like a rush of water. ]

The Lunar Tears would look nice on you. They'd complement your skin and bring out your eyes, I think. You'd look even prettier than you already are. [ and then a soft chuckle escapes him. ]

Your mother sounds like a good woman. After you get some rest, I'll decorate you with some of the flowers surrounding the forest. Does that sound like a plan?

[lumberlady]

[On to the nightstand goes the porridge, and casual as you please... Konoha starts gently looking for the edges of sheets and beginning to peel them away and unravel the tangle of blankets, taking care not to jostle him. As he already knew well... his weight was nothing to her, so even if she needs to literally pick him up to extract a sheet edge from beneath him... seems like she might just do it.]

Out we come... you'll feel better if you get something down, you know!

[Maybe it's not the best idea to manhandle sick people bare handed, but. Medieval education didn't much prepare her for plague prevention. Nor does she even think she can get sick from humans, she's certainly never gotten anything her adopted parents had.

So!!!]

[lumberlady]

[Normally those sorts of things might make her blush, flick her tail and wave off such compliments with a hand while insisting she wasn't anything like that, "pretty" or anything... but his voice is calming, and his eyes too... there's something about them that makes her forget for a just a little while how hard it is to breath, how heavy and clouded she feels, how hot. Makes her smile absently, nodding weakly into the pillow.]

Sure...

[She meant to say much more than that. Something about the flowers. Something about her mother. Something besides just a childish agreement to a plan that had no real purpose or result except to play... but. Her chests flutter weakly along with her eyelids, and she seems to teeter on the edge between sleep and wakefulness. Maybe as close to sleep as she can get this ill.]

[extirpator]

[ his features ebb into something warmer, something more delicate. it's then that he places one last pat atop her forehead, fingers stroking along her hairline for a moment. ]

Sleep well, Konoha.

[ he doesn't move away from her. ]

I'll still be here when you wake up. So try to have a nice dream, alright?

[dadandgone]

[It's certainly more than he can manage at the moment, so he definitely appreciates the gesture.]

A family recipe huh? Those are even better.

[His smile is a little sadder now, though he hopes Konoha doesn't notice. To cover it up, Maes blows on the porridge to cool it down a bit. He then takes a bite. Unfortunately, he doesn't know herbs very well, though he's fairly certain he recognizes a few of those.]

Mmm. This does taste good.

[lumberlady]

Right?

[Oblivious to the saddening of his smile, or, at least to the actual cause, Konoha doesn't think to question it. After all, he's sick, and he's far from his own village. That's enough to put a damper on things for most people, even if you try your best to put on a happy face. Like she is.

At least he has an appetite, though! She's obviously pleased to see him eat, smiling.]

Haha, I'm glad I managed it alright.

[Settling a bit, tail swishing beneath the "skirt" she wears on her rear, Konoha looks about real quick. Maybe she should open a window- oh, yeah, there were no windows inside most of these... hmm...]

Do you need anything else I can help with?

[lumberlady]

[It's so familiar that for a moment, in the heat of the fever, she can almost believe she's home. That it's her father or her mother, even perhaps the birth parents she barely remembered, a gentle touch and a soothing word.

Konoha sighs softly, an exhale that had meant to be a word or some sort of thanks but never fully formed, lost in labored breathing and sweat, but. Later, she'd thank him properly later. He'd be there.

For now, she descends into fevered sleep.]

[beyondthegreen]

[Tefé's too exhausted to even really protest outside the initial suddenly wide-eyed surprise and a small startled noise. Despite some of her misgivings about the jinba woman on their first meeting, well, if she's willing to help, she'll take it.]

Whichever ones need the most help to stay alive, at least until someone finds a real cure. [She explains, relaxing a little bit in Konoha's arms.] Yellow leaves, dead branches. That kind of thing. Any of the plants around here. I don't think I can do anything for the humans affected, though...

04

[bleps]

[It’s the sound of a clattering that raises more alarm than the lone apple rolling out through the kitchen door. That never heralds anything promising, thinks Connor, his mouth twisted into a frown as he diverts his current route to the kitchen, slipping through the entryway by stepping over yet another apple that had decided to come tumbling his way.

Eyes on the floor, they trail upwards, and spot a familiar figure with telltale equine features sprawled out on the ground.]

Konoha—!

[He moves forward, hurriedly, until he’s close enough to crouch down at her side and place his hands worryingly on her shoulders. The cutlery that had fallen to the floor glimmers in his periphery, but Connor only vaguely notes it for now, his focus on Konoha instead.]

Are you all right? What happened?