Mellia — Spheres Of Influence
????, Fire Season, Season/Illusion Week
Context
1626 Fire Season/Illusion Week/Wildsday/early evening, before dusk [[[s01:session-44|Session 44]]]
Events
In the evening of Wildsday, before dark but only by about an hour, Berra seeks out Mellia. The Humakti is dressed in scale mail and plate, but still has her old helmet on. She shines, all new, polished bronze.
“That’s beautiful,” Mellia says.
“It is. It shines – Ireen gave it one last polish for me. How’re you?” Berra looks happy, but relaxed.
Mellia smiles. “Rested, worried about a patient and missing Venlar. Good, really.”
“Fair enough. I need to go down to your Temple. I’ll see Irillo if he’s awake, but I should have a healing spell. I might need to be right-handed in a hurry, in a Heroquest, if things go that way.” Berra holds up her right hand, which is improving but still nowhere close to functional.
Mellia studies Berra’s hand with care. How is it healing? Is there a way to speed Berra’s recovery?
It is healing well, the feeling and movement creeping back into it, but it is going to take maybe another season to be fully functional. That is the problem with such wounds. The only better, faster ways would be with other magic.
Mellia purses her lips and continues to study the hand. Presumably Regrow Limb is working as fast as it can and more of that wouldn’t help. That leaves Heal and Heal Body as options and Mellia doesn’t know Heal Body.
The Heal Spell would work on fresh wounds but this is old. Were it not for Mellia’s magic, there would simply have been a change in Berra – a new and crippled state. As is, Chalana Arroy’s greatest healing for the living is the only way. Healing the whole body as one.
“You are going to need major healing if you want that healed faster,” Mellia finally says. “It’s going to take, in fact, healing I cannot do right this second. I think I had better go with you up to the temple, Berra.”
“I know this sounds odd, but don’t speak for me too much?” Berra looks slightly embarrassed. “If I am Humakt I should try to do that alone.”
“Certainly,” Mellia promises. “By the way, if you are going to show off that beautiful new armor to the Emeritus High Sword, tell him from me to go back to bed.”
“Hah!” Berra gives Mellia a look. “You noticed that too?”
“I am his healer. He is in danger of ripping his stitches out. I told him the only thing he’ll be attending to if he does is making a bloody mess, but he didn’t care.”
“I can give him your respects, and tell him you are worried, but how he chooses to take it is entirely up to him. I’ve no right to give him orders.” Berra shrugs inside her bright new armour.
Mellia shrugs inside her old, but perfectly nice, robe.
“Anyhow. I wondered if you wanted to walk to the Temple together. I can’t take too long, but it’s a nice evening.”
“I would love to. Thank you, Berra.” Mellia gets her kit and prepares to go out.
Berra is already mostly ready, although she changes her leather helm for a fuller, brighter, far flashier helmet. It has a single white feather instead of a crest.
“That’s beautiful,” Mellia says when she sees the helmet. “Shall we go? Do you think I should get a new set of healer’s robes for the quest?”
“Um… I don’t know. Probably, because you’re likely to need to be as close to being Chalana Arroy as possible.” Berra runs her hand over her helmet, and then down to her side, unconsciously stroking her new scales. “If being in very white clothes helps, then you should. If using the same money to help other people would help more, then that’s what to do. We all need to be in a state of as much purity as possible.”
Mellia thinks about it. “What I really should have been doing is healing the poor people of Boldhome for free,” she says at last. “Clothes shopping would probably help my state of mind, but healing works even better.”
“Then that might be the way. If you feel it’s appropriate, it’s probably the thing to do.” Berra falls silent for a bit, getting clear of the inn and the surrounds with the habit of a scout scanning. “It’s a question of what you think you should be doing.”
“Healing,” Mellia says firmly. “Although new robes would be nice. It’s getting hard to get the stains out of these.”
“Definitely. I was just considering danger, but even if there is some, you probably should. Only I don’t like to say that.”
“I know, dearest of friends. If anyone is safe in the poor end of town, I will be.,”
Berra nods. “This armour’s heavy,” she says after a bit. “I can take it, but I need to walk and move around in it a lot to get used to it all. The eyes are the strangest bit. It’s a warrior’s helmet, not a scout’s.”
“That will indeed take getting used to,” Mellia agrees. “New robes are a lot easier to get used to.”
“Yes. These are different – for a different reason. But it’s how I’m fighting now, and this has helped me to realise it. If Lord Eril can’t take the part of Humakt, I’ll have to. He probably shouldn’t, but he’s also just BETTER at it than I am.”
“He should get more rest, but I think he’s up to one sword strike. It’ll just hurt.”
“This isn’t the only thing – it’s not just the strike. It’s the presence of the God. If he thinks it will kill him, he’ll have me do it. I really don’t want to let him down. Or fail. I’ve been meditating on it and… I don’t yet know the way. But I will, in case.”
Mellia admits, “I have no idea what the presence of Humakt involves. It probably won’t do his wounds any good, though. If it comes to you, Berra, I have faith that you will do Humakt honor.”
“It’s just about being.” Berra shrugs. “It’s hard to explain. But yes. I have to be ready for that, and also not take away his readiness. I’ve got thinking and talking and learning to do. Maybe this evening, I’ll be able to ask the God questions.”
“I am sure Humakt will answer them.”
Berra shudders slightly. “I’ll try not to rely on that,” she says quietly. “Do you think Irillo will be awake?”
“Oh, probably,” Mellia says. “He’ll want to eat dinner.”
At this point the two reached the temple of Chalana Arroy and went their separate ways.
