• PM To Join • The Consequence of Ignorence

[Vakhanor]

Arc 716, Ashan 39

Sick with fever Bjorn lay nestled beneath his blankets, curled up like a fist resisting death burdened by the hard labour of breathing “Vakh,” he cried and for the millionth time reached for the hand that he trusted to deliver him from his pain like an unspoken promise, Bjorn knew Vakh was the one that would look after him. Worry drummed through at the smith's beating chest until his heart bled tears “Shhhh, we’re gonna take you to a doctor ok?”

A fool, Vakh had assumed Bjorn had been around the forge, that maybe his energy had finally caught the better of him and he had told himself that his little brother was fine. Carelessly his mind told him whatever Bjorn had would pass until he wound up even more ill. Guilt plagued his pale face as he wrapped Bjorn up in a blanket and into his arms and ventured out into the streets.

“Can anybody help me? My little brother is sick,” he yelled around to attract some attention, drying the tears from his eyes. He could not remember for the life of him where the infirmary had been.

“Hush hush,” the voice of an elderly man spoke out amongst the several people walking by and approached them. Dressed in finer and warm clothing the man was balding with a small tuft of greyish white hair around the edges and tired, but kindly blue eyes “There’s an infirmary not far from here, they can help you.”

“Thanks, d’ya think you could point me toward them?” Vakhanor asked, clutching the shivering body of the young boy in his arms.

Pointed toward where he needed to go, he was quickly welcomed by the pungent aroma of growing lavender from a large plot of flowers on either side of the building and a sign attached reading ‘Infirmary.’

“Hello, can anybody help me?” he called, stepping inside to slowly approach the front desk where he met a woman with a raised brow.

“What do you need?” she asked, curiously eyeing the child.

“My little brother is sick and I’ve got no idea what to do,” he admitted, “I hoped it would go away like it usually did after making sure he was well fed and rested but it stuck around.”

Concern reached her eyes as she stepped past her desk to take a look at Bjorns face “Oh you poor little thing. I don’t know if anybody is even available at the moment,” she muttered, returning to assess her sheets of paper “Do you mind waiting?”

Without much choice Vakhanor nodded and sat down in one of the free chairs that were neatly arranged in the corner, hoping somebody would come to his aid, “I got you little bro,” he whispered, tightening his grip around his unnaturally quiet and sickly little brother. How could he have been so stupid?

[Kala]

Kala was exhausted, something that was quickly becoming a standard state of being for the woman. Her first aid kit was strapped securely over her shoulder, and she wrapped her fingers loosely around the strap as she shouldered through the front door of the infirmary. It was a busy day, as usual, and the intake room was abuzz with patients, clients and employees.

Directly across the room from her, a man sat, cradling a little body in his arms. The concern and fear plastered across the man's face drew Kala forward, and instead of leaving to her office, she drew forward, her brow tightening as she studied the little boy for any sign of what may be causing his distress.

"What happened?" Kala barked, her voice short with concern, and her thick accent making her words even rougher. She swooped forward, pressing the back of her hand to the little boys forehead, not bothering to wait for permission from the man holding him. The little one's forehead was hot to the touch, though shivers were racking the little frame. Fever. "Come with me." Kala ordered with a tug to urge the man to his feet. Manner's had well and truly fled the young woman, replaced with concern for the little boy. Her eye's flashed with a steely, serious silver as she led the two down a hall to an empty exam room. "Sit him on the table." She said over her shoulder as she closed the door behind the man and boy, setting her bag down on a bench and opening it up.

[Vakhanor]

Dumb founded by the healer's question Vakhanor gladly handed the child over to the woman "Not a clue, he was hot but I work in a forge. Thought it was just a simple temperature change thing and that he'd get over it," he said, trying his best to explain.

Kala was quick to take action and ordered the smith to follow "Yeah alright," he muttered, steadily pacing behind her. Nervous sweat dripped from his furrowed brow as he trailed casually along behind the doctor and followed her into a quaint wooden room, filled with book cases, various medical equipment and a few vibrantly coloured paintings whose magnificence was dulled by the gloom of the pouring rain. In contrast to the environment she worked in the doctor's reception toward him had been icy at best and he wondered what he had done to offend her. Was Bjorn really that worse off?

Vakhanor obediently carried out her request and lifted the boy onto an elegantly sheened, clean, oak surface. "You're gonna be okay Bjorn, be good for the nice Lady okay?" he pleaded with the child, "When you're all better I will take you out for food okay? special treat like the other kids always do."

Weary excitement entered the feverish boy's eyes "Va-" he muttered, reaching for his brother's shirt when Vakhanor tried to pull away.

The smith took a hold of his brother's little hand "Can you help him?"

[Kala]

Kala hurried around the room, stowing her bag away hurriedly. She ignored the mans question for the time being, her total focus directed to the little boy, who's face was pale, aside from to high spots of colour on his little face. Stepping forward Kala gently pushed his hair back to press the back of her palm to his forehead. He was hot, certainly hotter than he should be, but he wasn't as scalding as some cases of fever that the apothecary had witnessed.

Kala smiled and let out a relieved breath, her hand leaving the boys forehead. While usually calm and collected, children were a weak spot for the young woman, and seeing a little one ill or in pain worked as a live wire to her heart strings. Because of that, Kala generally disregarded all else but the child's well being, not realising it until she considered the child safe. She smiled softly as she watched the exchange between the boy, Bjorn and the older man.

"Sorry." She said, turning to address the other adult in the room. "He's not as ill as I'd first assumed, and now I realise I've been rude." She smiled guilty, holding out a hand as she introduced herself. "I'm Kala, an Apothecary. I assume you're his father..?" She paused to allow the man to reply, before turning back to Bjorn. "He has a fever, and while it's quite high, it shouldn't be too much of a threat so long as he is treated promptly."

Kala lifted the boys arms one at a time, pushing back his sleeves in search of rashes or bites. The cause of the fever was more concerning to Kala. "Other than the fever, has he been ill at all?" Kala asked Vakhanor, turning to pose her next question to Bjorn. "Have you had a runny nose, a sore throat? Any vomiting or rashes?" Kala's best guess was that the boy's fever was a secondary symptom of a cold or flu.

[Vakhanor]

Hushed by the healer's focus the smith patiently sat as she examined him. He had not meant to leave the boy in that state for so long and relief washed over him when he knew that the boy was going to be okay. Cheerfully he shook the doctor's hand that was smooth and delicate against his skin and he made sure not to crush her "Nah it's all good. Cheers for helping me, I'm Vakhanor and this is my little brother Bjorn. No idea who his father is," he said, letting go.

Shy of the strange lady Bjorn clung to Vakh's sleeve and looked up at her with his big beady brown eyes, scared of what she was going to do. Like Vakhanor it appeared that Bjorn wasn't overly fond of doctors, more often than not they'd made him nervous as kid. "His nose has been running, but he's not vomited. Not yet anyway. He's been trying to itch the inside of his thigh, kept telling him not to. What do I need to buy to treat him?" he asked and pulled Bjorn into his arms to comfort the boy.

Not a medical man, Vakhanor had little clue on how to deal with fevers. After living in Sirothelle for so long being hot had never been an issue to him, he'd had medical treatment before but if he couldn't pull through the symptoms of what he had the smith would have been kicked out and shamed his father's name.

"Honey," Bjorn pleaded clinging to Vakh.

"When you're all well and better we'll go out and eat down near the wharfs okay? You can have honeybees for desert," Vakh promised. Tired excitement entered the boy's expression at the mention of honeybees. It was a nickname for the apples that the half-blood would make but cutting small lines in the apple to make it look like a be and melting honeycomb into the cracks, it was Bjorn's favourite.

[Kala]

"Well met to you both then." Kala smiled sweetly, another pang of sympathy going out to the little boy. She too had no knowledge of her father, other than that he was a fisherman in a coastal town. "It's good that the two of you have each other at least. I can't imagine how difficult it must be to care for Bjorn on your own." Kala said, her gaze drifting to the anxious little boy.

"Are you a citizen of Andaris?" Kala called over he shoulder as she crouched to look through the cool, dark cupboard. "If so you need not pay anything, treatments are covered by your taxes. If not, the fee is small anyway, I'll simply provide a tea for now, that will hopefully lower his fever and help his body fight any infection he may be suffering from." Standing, Kala returned to the counter, a small clay jar and a bundle of paper bags in hand. Setting them down on the counter she moved to the fireplace, crouching to light the kindling and setting the kettle above it to boil.

Glancing up, Kala watched the sweet exchange between the brothers, smiling slightly. Moving back to the jar of tea leaves, Kala began by uncorking it. "I'll make a cup now for him, that way you cans see how long to steep it and all that." With a small smile she moved her gaze to Bjorn. "We can even sweeten it with some honey." Moving back to the cupboard she retrieved the larger jar, the outside of it coated in sticky spilt honey. "Honey is great, it will even aid in healing you up a bit faster."