Work is Never Done (open)

[Vexa Blueclaw]

Kota Greysong

The infirmary wasn't exactly a large place but neither was it overly small. The wolf that had taken up residence as the fort's head healer had worked under more stressful conditions in smaller places thus making this one of his more favored places to mix herbs and treat the wounded. His pawsteps seemed to echo in the currently empty space as he paced among unoccupied beds, occasionally making his way back to a portion of the infirmary at the back that he had made into an office of sorts to house the rarer herbs and mixtures he trusted no one else with. As he pushed aside the door into the decent sized office-like space, Kota's jade-colored eyes roamed the shelves. To the left of the doorway was a small fireplace that vented outside where Kota would make teas and brew some of the healing potions he used on wounded soldiers or ailing dibbuns.

The top shelves provided homes for bottles of mixtures that ranged from healing potions to deadly poisons used just in emergencies that he closely monitored. Antidotes, earthenware jars of dried herbs and bowls of berries occupied the lower shelves while bundles of herbs hung from the ceiling to dry. The drying herbs left the little office with the smell of many herbs, slightly strong but not overly unpleasant to one that knew them well enough.

Walking into the small space, Kota situated himself on a stool behind a table where he mixed herbs. Grabbing a pestle and mortar, Kota reached around on the shelves gathering a few dried and fresh herbs, throwing in a few berries and beginning to mix and mash them together. When the herbs came together into a relatively smooth dark green paste, Kota rose from the stool he had perched on and began searching for an empty earthen jar to store it in.

The sound of someone entering the infirmary however, made him raise his head, smacking it sharply on the shelve above. A jar toppled off the shelf and shattered on the stone floor and Kota pulled his head back from his rooting about, grumbling and rubbing his now sore head.

"Yes? Who's out there?" he called.

[Kirah Lovestorm]

Rose Lovestorm

The morning has started with rose crawling from her large four poster bed. She was a late sleeper which didnt bother her one being unemployed and having a loaded family was one of these things that came down to it which was heaven sent. She would never have to work though at the particular moment she had been keeping the house up to date while her father was off on one of his business rounds in another little state somewhere around here in the world. He was never home except for when they were younger and for one Rose wasnt a big fan of her sister Kirah but hey she was like spoiled fruitcake. Rose rolled her eyes and pulled on a bra and then pants she didnt wear her black leather to people would know who she was if s he did that. She cinched her leather belt running a brush through her cream undertones gray pelt. She looked in the mirror glad she liked what she saw and she always looked the same the most stunning appearance probably her eyes which were a pale moon color. With that Rose left the house in a hurry a letter from her father to take herbs to the guys or girl down the road. She grabbed the small package and hurried out the door down the steps and through the rather large courtyard and then on farther. She got to the infirmary barely having broke a sweat. Knocked and no answer from the other side of the door oh well she thought and opened the door and went on in her feet barely making a sound. She found a door that read infirmary. She opened and right when she did she hear a loud smacking noise. Looking she bit her lip to not laugh after all it was funny. He spoke to her though she was around the corner. She came on in and rounded standing there the package held to her bosom like school books. "Oh um I'm Rose Lovestorm I live down the road father told me to deliver these to you" she said in soft tones.

[Vexa Blueclaw]

Rubbing his sore cranium, Kota raised his head carefully as another beast came into his office. It was a she-wolf, finely colored fur and looking both shy and amused. What she was amused at, Kota could only assume, was his throbbing head and the broken pot that had held dried herbs. Oh well. Pots were fixable and there were more herbs in the world. Perking his ears when she spoke, Kota nodded as he sat down on the stool beside his herb bench. Picking up another jar and pulling off the lid, Kota sniffed it carefully before pulling out two leaves and chewing them to help his sore head. Finished with administering his own medicine, the healer put the jar back and turned to Rose.

"Is that so, Rose? Well by all means lets see what I've been sent" Kota said with a smile.

Many times he had been told he had a very pleasant voice, wonderful to listen to. It was how he got dibbuns to sleep at night when they spent the night in his infirmary or soothed old warriors while he tended their wounds. Of course Kota wrote it off. Any beast could have a lovely voice when the one hearing it was in pain or uncomfortable with fever and blood loss.

Either way, the ash-colored healer took the package from Rose and use his claw to open it. Once the package was open, Kota sniffed it carefully before holding it away, very carefully. "Ah, I see" he said to himself, momentarily forgetting his visitor.

Reaching up to one of the upper shelves, Kota grabbed a jar and opened it, carefully tipping the contents of the package into it, sealing it firmly and replacing it upon the shelf. Getting up, Kota went to the little fire pit and tossed the envelope in even though there was no fire going currently. Then he turned to Rose.

"My name is Kota Greysong, by the way I hope you'll excuse my rudeness." The healer nodded his head to her as he crouched down to begin gathering pieces of the broken jar. "Is there anything else you'll be needing?"

[Kirah Lovestorm]

Rose watched him with a piqued interest perking her gray cream undertoned harks her pale eyes watching him. He was chewing on leaves probably for that headache he just gave himself. His voice was pleasant nothing abnormal there even she had a nice pleasant voice that you wouldnt expect she sounded so educated but it wasnt that she hadnt been schooled for very long. Rose stifled a giggle and waited for him to finish then handed him the herbs in the seal manila envelope. "Im not sure what that herb is" she said casually watching as he sniffed it which she wouldnt have done for fear it could be poison. Rose plaster her harks to her head and crossed her arms over her bosom curious as to why he had sniffed it and then burned the envelope "so what was it " she asked curiously her voice filled with wonder. She watched him like a little kid in a candy store looking at something delicious. To Rose he was hot how often it was you came across wolves this was a first wolf siting besides her mother and father they were like a dying breed. "Oh its fine" she said rewarding him with a smile. "Nope...Unless you can keep me occupied by giving me something to do because I seriously dont want to go home anytime soon" she said softly waiting for what he was going to say.

[Vexa Blueclaw]

Kota looked at the jar he had put up on the shelf and chuckled. "It was bander-root, quite deadly only if you mix it with yew" Kota said, glancing at the envelope burning in the hearth. By now it was merely smoldering with only a light hint of the root's musky odor coming from the burning paper it had been held in. "I use it in some of my more potent remedies for poisonings because it makes you vomit on its own without yew." Kota smiled quite innocently. It was impossible to tell he could whip up poisons in a matter of moments. What was also strange was that in the fort, Kota was perhaps one of the few beasts with access to herbs with high potentials for being quite deadly. Still, almost everyone that knew him was quite assured he was too much of a softie to use his herbs to harm anyone, even prisoners of war.

When the fae asked for things to do in order to avoid going home, Kota flicked his ears and chuckled. "Well, I do have a bit of herb gathering to do out in the forest." Kota glanced at the remains of his dried baltic leaves. Standing up the young wolf brushed a few dried herb specks off his tunic and smiled at Rose. "If you would care to join me, I could probably have it done in no time."

He decided not to ask why a young fae, obviously from a well off family, would rather spend an afternoon working with a healer rather than enjoying the finer points in life. Instead, he simply accepted the potential help since at the moment it was just him all alone working in the infirmary. Thankfully though, Kota hadn't seen anything worse than a dibbun with a thorn in his paw. Though he doubted Rose had any real interest in healing, at least it was company. More often then not, Kota spent his afternoons and vast parts of his days alone in his empty ward.

[Kirah Lovestorm]

"Oh that is interesting I betcha you could brew up a poison so strong that it could wipe out the town but you seem to nice to do that" she said. Though she had know a past apothecary whom she didnt very much like thank god he was dead that old scabby rat. "I think the house maid got those out in the herb garden earlier we do supply the hospitals and such with our herbs my sister is the town vet so she uses them to" she said. Rose was unsure of what he needed help with but sure she had some interest in medicine and she currently was unemployed maybe she could help him but her dreams currently were for the black smith job though medicines interested her more than some. When he chuckled at her question of having something to do she smirked perhaps he did have her something to do. "Herb Gathering that sounds fun I would love to help you" she said beaming at him with a smile alight upon her feminine features. Rose may be from a well off family but she didnt act it she was a care free one that sought out adventure and drama but in a rich family you had to practically fight to get what you want schooling, fencing, and more schooling. "Ok Ill just follow you where to Kota" she asked curiously.

[Vexa Blueclaw]

"I've been known for my poisons" Kota said offhandedly, checking his stocks on other herbs so he knew what to look for. "Torture, instant death, slow, whatever they ask for. Depending on the situation I choose whether or not to provide my medicinal expertise." Making a mental list, Kota decided to look for poppies, horsetail, chamomile and ginseng. Anything else they found would be a welcome help though Kota doubted there would be a sudden rush for his medical aid. Since coming to Fort Emerald Bay, Kota hadn't had many more complaints that went beyond thorn extractions, headaches and the occasional tummy ache. Still, he had decided roaming around wouldn't do him any good when he got older and a fort would always be in need of a healer for some reason or another.

Deciding he'd made his list long enough, Kota grabbed a satchel off his work bench. It was a small bag similar to what messengers used. He slid the strap over his head so the bag's strap went across his chest, the pouch hanging at his right hip. It was the one thing he had left from his original home among wolven brothers in the north where he'd been raised as an orphan and taught the mysteries of mixing herbs and cooking up potions and poisons. Absentmindedly stroking the material, Kota headed for the door, motioning for Rose to follow him.

"There's a clearing not too far into the forest where a creek runs that usually has plenty of herbs growing" Kota said as he made his way along the aisle of vacant beds neatly made by him. "We should find everything we're looking for there and it's not far so we'll be back before the gates close for the night."

Yes, Kota had made the trip many times and was well versed with how long it took to get from one herb pocket to another and find what he needed before being locked out for the night.

(I'll make a new thread in the forest for them)