Xenofos — Nauseous In Duckpoint
????, Sea Season, Fertility? Week
Context
Sea Season Fertility? Week, Windsday Eve [[[s02:session-38|Session 38]]]
Events
A lanky figure enters the common room of the inn and strides through patrons until he finds a servant and gives her some requests.1 with a 90 on scan so he does not really see anyone
Mellia enters the common room. Her white robe is a bit muddy. As usual, she is carrying her medical kit. When she sees Xenofos, she calls out, “Hello!”
The scribe looks around the common room. He almost decides the call was not for him but then his eyes catch Mellia.
“Why, Mellia? What a pleasant surprise.”
“Xenofos! Hello! I hope you are doing well. You are invited to both weddings.”
“Who is getting married apart from you and Venlar?”
“It’s just us, in Nochet in early Fire Season and in Boldhome in early Earth Season.”
“So the negotiations are over? That is excellent news.” shadow passes over his face “I’ll try to be there.”
“What is the matter?”
“That is excellent news, I just don’t know where we all will be tossed in two weeks let around two seasons.” He smiles tiredly “Life has been quite unpredictable of late. But I am really glad to see you right now. Do you have any lumiviiva?”
“No,” Mellia says with a frown. “Is Varanis with you? What is she up to?”
He tilts his head towards the private rooms.”She is here and feeling pretty ill. It is a weird story but Valseena suspects hazia. Anyway she asked me to to look for lumiviiva.” He shrugs “I think she should sleep that off, but she insisted…”
He looks back towards her room. “Would you try to speak some sense to her? Please?”
“Gladly,” Mellia replies, “take me to her.”
He walks back to private rooms, knocks and opens the door.
Varanis is sitting on her pallet, knees pulled to her chest, and rocking. She tenses when the door opens, but seeing Xenofos she relaxes. “Did you get the hot water?”
“It is coming, Varanis.” he answers. “Look who found me”
She doesn’t look any better than when Xenofos left. Still pale, sweating, and shaking.
Bloodshot eyes peer past Xenofos to see who follows him.
Mellia says, “What hot water? Back into bed!” Yes, it’s Mellia!
“She might feel better if she washes off some of that sweat…”
“I am in bed,” Varanis protests. Then, as realization dawns, “Mellia?”
Mellia says, “Yes, it’s me. I seem to have found you in the nick of time.”
Mellia comes over to Varanis and says, “Stick out your tongue and say ah.”
“I don’t know what’s wrong with me.” The Vingan sounds like she’s fighting tears.
Varanis obeys. Up close, she stinks of stale sweat. Mellia also picks up the faint but distinct odour of vomit. Looking her patient over, there’s some suspicious dried splatters on her shift.
2 Both Xenofos and Mellia realise that Varanis just gave up all attempts at being fine. On seeing the healer, Varanis has crumbledAs Mellia takes in the varied symptoms, it rapidly becomes obvious that Varanis is suffering from some kind of withdrawal.
Xenofos steps over and takes Varanis’ hand into his own.
“Hmm, what did that vomit look like? Any odd colors?”
This gets a bleary look from Varanis. “I wasn’t exactly looking closely. But send him for food and I can show you again.” Sarcasm. So, she’s not completely defeated by whatever this is.
“Good news,” Mellia says, “I don’t think you have been poisoned. What have you been abusing lately?”
“Would you really try eating something, Ranie?”Scribe asks.
“I haven’t!” Varanis protests. “And no, Xenofos.” She turns slightly green. “Food would be bad.”
Mellia frowns. “You look like you are in withdrawal, Varanis. What did you take?”
Xenofos clears his throat. “It is a bit weird, but I don’t think she knowingly took anything.”
“I haven’t!”
“Let’s get you washed and into a clean nightgown.” Mellia orders.
Everything Mellia knows about withdrawal suggests Varanis is definitely going through withdrawal.
Mellia tries to figure out what Varanis is withdrawing from.
“Valseena – you remember the Eirithan bison rider – said it looked like hazia symptoms. And we travelled through a very strange mist before this happened.” the scholar says quietly.
The shaking, the sweats… it fits. Especially if Varanis is cramping too.
“We all went…” Varanis gasps and rocks again. “We all went through the mist.”
“There is a village up there in the hills with some weird Lunars, who call themselves Seeders. Their abode was surrounded by this weird mist… and yes we all passed through it.”3 “We all did indeed, what is different in her that made her succumb? Oh, no…” Xenofos
“I don’t know if I should go examine that mist, or stay away from it. You look like you have been trying to kick a hazia habit, Varanis.”
“I don’t think you should go without a troop of fyrd – and even then that might be a bad idea.” He pauses for a while “Though I am intrigued by that village to be honest.”
Mellia has some herbs she could use to mix up something that will likely purge some of whatever this is from Varanis’ system.
It won’t be pleasant and the washing and changing might be best left until later.
“I haven’t touched…” Varanis shivers and rocks, “hazia. Promise. It hurts, Mellia. Like my insides are trying to get outside.”
Mellia hums as she opens her bag and mixes some herbs. “We could make this into tea,” and she looks at Varanis, “but it will work better if you just gag it down. This’ll get you well quicker, but it will be rough.”
Varanis turns a pleading look on Mellia, then her eyes flick to Xenofos, and back to the healer.
Xenofos looks down and away when Varanis looks at her. But he presses her hand a bit.
“Okay, okay, we’ll make it into tea. Xenofos, can I send you to get some hot water?”
“I asked the servants to bring some for washing, but is that hot enough?”
Mellia sits down on the bed and tries to hug Varanis. “No, we need to make tea.”
“Right, I’ll go and get some…” scribe says quietly and goes on his way.
Varanis flinches a little at the hug. “Skin hurts,” she says by way of apology.
Mellia says, “Sorry. You should survive this. You will just wish you were dead. There’s news…”
“News?” Varanis blinks at Mellia.
“The weddings are getting scheduled. You are invited to both weddings. So are all the cousins and our old friends.”
Xenofos returns with a jug of hot water.
“That’s nice,” Varanis mumbles. She tries to brush damp strands of hair from her face and offers Mellia a weak smile.
Mellia thanks Xenofos and makes the evil herb mixture into tea. “By the way, who is the thane of Apple Lane?”
Xenofos looks at Varanis and then tilts his head towards door questioningly.
Varanis gives him a pleading look. It seems to suggest that she’d rather he not be present just now.4 Xenofos passed insight, Mellia did not
The Vingan seems to have missed Mellia’s question.
“If you don’t need me Mellia, I’ll grab a bite in the common room, and… send a servant if you need me…” He raises “The washing water will take a while longer…”
“Thanks, Xenofos. If you see Berra, I may need her. Irillo should be around somewhere.”5 Insights for Mellia, which Varanis missed Xenofos sounded and looked liked he was ashamed of something. And when you mentioned Berra he turned away. Well he was going anyway…
“Irillo?” Varanis is eyeing Mellia’s concoction with trepidation.
From the common room downstairs comes Venlar’s voice. He is singing something about love and loss and happiness.
“I came with him and his caravan. Now drink this down fast.”
Varanis pinches her nose and does her best to drain the cup. It very rapidly becomes clear that it is not going to stay down.
Then again, maybe it’s not meant to stay down anyway.
Mellia holds a basin ready.
The next half hour isn’t a pleasant one, but eventually Varanis is completely wrung out. Pale, shaking, and exhausted, she offers Mellia zero resistance.
Venlar, damn him, is still singing. Something about a tree and a lover. It speaks, mostly, of a world a long way away in which Varanis is NOT being horribly sick.
Mellia will hold Varanis’s hair and basins and generally be helpful.
Mellia will also clean up Varanis as soon as she quiets down.
By the end of it, Mellia has managed to get Varanis cleaned up, into a fresh shift, and she’s even had servants in to strip the bed and put fresh linens on it.
She gets a weak thank you from Varanis, before the Vingan’s eyes drift closed and she sleeps at last.6 ((I really hope that room has a window. Security be damned, it must reek in there. Erin))
“Sleep well and marry that thane,” Mellia says softly. Mellia settles down for the night.
Mellia will get the window open.
- 1with a 90 on scan so he does not really see anyone
- 2Both Xenofos and Mellia realise that Varanis just gave up all attempts at being fine. On seeing the healer, Varanis has crumbled
- 3“We all did indeed, what is different in her that made her succumb? Oh, no…” Xenofos
- 4Xenofos passed insight, Mellia did not
- 5Insights for Mellia, which Varanis missed Xenofos sounded and looked liked he was ashamed of something. And when you mentioned Berra he turned away. Well he was going anyway…
- 6((I really hope that room has a window. Security be damned, it must reek in there. Erin))
