Is There Such A Thing As Too Much Sunshine? [Finn]

[Hilana Chenzira]

11 Ash, Year 122

[Closed - Finn]

For a Vastii used to the desert, this was a downright beautiful day. The sun was high overhead, and it wasn’t quite as blistering as Searing was. There were a few degrees difference, and that was a decent enough improvement. She knew that if you prepared for it, you would be fine. It was still early in the new season; and that residual heat was still holding the Sands in its grip, but this was her element, her home. More so than the apartment in the Antiquine District of the city, she had the sands and her camel. She would be just fine. She had packed well, between water, snacks, tools...

Vasilei had sent her out to do some foraging. The girl knew where to go - downriver a few miles, turn at the bridge, and go straight. There were markers for her - plants, burrows - that wouldn’t have made sense to most, because one person might see a scrubby bush, and...well, it was just a scrubby bush. Then they went a little further, and, just another scrubby bush. But for Hilana, those were different plants entirely. One was an acacia, the other was an artemisia, and they were needed to map the desert out when she didn’t have the stars overhead to do it. But they were also wonderfully valuable plants in their own right, and Hayima’el had had a lovely acacia snack while Hilana was on foot, digging up root balls and wrapping plants and cuttings. The thorns didn’t bother the thick lips of a camel, after all, they were just a nice scratch.

For her, this was a very successful trip out. Desert thyme was in abundance, and she had filled a bag with it. Good for cooking, good for treatment... but her main prize had been visiting the grove of mastic trees for the sap. She had cut taps into them last season, and she had been visiting regularly, perhaps every 15 days, ever since in order to collect the harvest. Sap wasn’t one of those things that flowed quickly; and when she was there, she was able to carefully pick off the beads of sap off of the tree trunks, placing them in a waxed bag while Hayima’el helped himself to some of the leaves. It really was a wonderful plant, and Hilana did appreciate those with broad applications - digestive problems, breath fresheners, spicing foods both sweet and savoury, booze... It was all in what you knew.

She was able to climb the trunks deftly, having used her scarf to help secure her long skirts and free her legs and feet up to get higher up into the tree and give herself a good view of the sands around the grove, too. Had she not used the sunshade on her camel saddle, she could have stood on him while harvesting, but he really was the best boy, and if he wanted to browse and snack, he had well earned the break. Climbing, just like riding, was one of those pastimes for her that reminded her of freedom, and while the mastic trees weren’t particularly tall, not like some of the palms she used to scale, they were still a great deal of fun for her. She dropped down neatly into the sands below, emptying out the smaller bag into the larger one, before starting on the next tree.

[Finn]

Finn wasn't afraid to admit when he was wrong. The problem was, there was nobody around to admit it to. But it wasn't likely to be too dire a problem. He had gone out early to beat the heat, but now he was out of water and the sun was high. He knew he was headed back to the river; all should be well. He was just going to rest in the shade of these trees for a few minutes; he was sweating so much, that it would probably be wise to cool off a bit, regroup, and then make a beeline for the river, where he could drink his fill and dunk his head.

Gods, that water was going to taste so sweet...

In any case, he could always vault back into his temporary home in the Luxium. That is, if his vision firmed up. Everything felt a little watery, everything except the inside of his waterskin. But he could just ride out the afternoon here if he had to, move with the shadows of the trees. Perhaps there was even some fruit around here, or some tiny oasis. There were trees, after all. They couldn't survive on sand alone. But he would investigate once he cooled off.

He began to hum quietly; perhaps he couldn't get the lines of the slipspace to align between here and the coolness of the tiles in his bathroom, but he had been singing since he could breathe, and the Mesmer spun out effortlessly, persuading him to be calm even as his pulse felt like it was racing, persuading any spiders or scorpions or snakes or the like in his environs to be calm as well. He couldn't be all that tasty or nourishing. It was best not to bite him. Or sting him. Or strangle and eat him.

Whatever things did out here.

Finn leaned back against the trunk of a tree, willing his head to stop spinning. It wasn't as though he had been drinking alcohol, after all.

[Hilana Chenzira]

She was moving from tree to tree, keeping an eye on Hayima’el as she worked. The camel would hear and sense things before she did, after all, and if something was about, that was her first warning. His teeth and tongue took off a branch, contentedly chewing. The big bull left the tree she had been working on, moving on not to the next one, but a few away, padding along the sand apparently about to investigate something else.

The enormous, saddled beast lowered his head as he approached the man resting in the shade, or trying to. A pale muzzle started snuffling his hair, breathing in his scent, but with Finn’s latent channeling, he wasn’t inclined to bite or stomp or kick. And the camel wasn’t quite sure what was going on with him. Hayima’el was not known for his friendliness, as bulls could be difficult, and this was not someone he had ever met before.

But Hilana heard that snuffling, saw the way her mount was standing there like he had found something interesting indeed, and she emptied the mastic resin into the larger sack before coming around. “Hayima’el, what are you… oh,” she saw the man, and her eyebrows went up before she hurried over, opening the saddlebag and pulling out her waterskin. Oh, Founders. Not good. He didn’t look to be a Vastian, which increased his dangers out here… But the girl was surprisingly calm, all things considered.

“Sir? Salve, can you hear me?” She switched to Common, just to be safe. Hilana moved quickly. Heatstroke meant seconds counted, and the way he was looking was concerning. Too much, too long, and the risk of internal damage skyrocketed. She opened her waterskin, trying to check the state of Finn’s eyes, looking at the colour of his eyelids and for any ability to focus as soft fingers touched his cheek, and then the two fingertips were on his throat, feeling his pulse. It was impressive, really, that he hadn’t started to pass out. How much longer would he have? “Here. You need to drink,” she held it up to his lips, tipping it up a bit so that some would trickle in to make sure he knew what it was, and hopefully instinct would kick in. Water. Cold, fresh water. But that soft song…

[Finn]

The camel's song was simple, and by the time it was snuffling his hair, it was in harmony with his symphony. That was nice. It was nice. And then there was a woman.

"Bad at Vasti..." he apologized, then realized she had changed languages. "Oh."

And then there was water. He wanted to protest that he could just get back to the river and drink, but then there was water and he began to drink. He tried to be slow and steady about it, not wanting to upset his stomach. He was so tired. His muscles were cramping strangely, too. But he felt a rush of energy from the water, his body apparently knowing what he needed.

"Thank you. Gratias. I just need help to the river, perhaps, and then..." And then he would be fine, but now he wasn't so sure. "Messed up. Got hot too early. Stupid. Stupid Finn. I'm Finn."

Right, making introductions.

"Thank you."

Her symphony wasn't that of a saint, but he could hear her honest concern and no hint of malicious intent. Perhaps it would be all right to let her help him with her better knowledge of desert life, and he could repay her for her kindness somehow.

"Please, help." If help was offered, he would be stupid, stupid Finn indeed to turn it down. The heat would only get worse as the day moved into afternoon, and he didn't want to drink all her water. He laughed like a child when the camel playfully lipped at his neck, hands coming up to pet its face. He had no idea that he might have lost a finger if he was someone else attempting that.

Lucky, lucky Finn.

[Hilana Chenzira]

She held the skin level so that it didn’t choke or drown him, letting him drink his fill. The herbalist’s eyes were checking him over as he drank. His colour was a bit pink, and she knew he could use something for that, but he had been smart. He found shelter and saved himself from much worse.

“You are welcome,” Hilana assured him. Oh, Deus and Domina. Finn. Surely this was the Golden Dominus’ Amatus. Regardless, it did not matter… she would have helped him anyway. “Hello, Finn. My name is Hilana. You are not stupid. You did three very smart things,” she capped the skin and placed it in his hands for when he wanted more. “One, it is still early in the day, so that is good. Better to be out before the sun is too high. Two, you found shelter, and that saved you. This grove is a good one, and there are parts of the tree that you can eat. And three, you charmed the very best camel in all of Atraxia, Hayima’el.” She smiled at him, standing up now that she was comfortable with him having had something to drink. She wasn’t concerned for herself; Vastii could go a solid seven days without hydration. She reached into her saddle bags again, pulling out a bag of roasted chickpeas and returning to his side again, settling in the sand on her knees with her skirts. It was quite endearing to see his easy friendship with the piebald bull; and it brightened the girl up all the more. She knew he had the Rune of Mesmer from her earlier encounter with Arvaelyn, and it made sense… but it was still a delight to see.

Hayima’el pressed his muzzle into the Bard’s hands, his thick lips going over his fingers playfully as he huffed and breathed in his scent, getting used to him. “Hayima’el and I, we will help you. We can take you back to the city after river. But you should eat something, Finn. I have some roasted chickpeas here. The salt will help with your muscles. Drink what you need. Vastii can go several days without water,” she reassured him, “I am fine.” She opened the bag, and the scent of salt and spices mingled in the shade, and held it for him to help himself. “Hayima’el, let him eat,” Hilana scratched the bull’s leg lightly with her fingertips. “Go on with you. You can cuddle him later.” He clearly didn’t want to, though, huffing some more and lifting his head, only to shift over to the man’s other side and lower himself into the sand where he was with reach.

[Finn]

Finn drank carefully, making eye contact with her and looking for approval. He vaguely remembered his father scolding him for drinking too fast when dehydrated, that he would give himself a stomach ache. He definitely didn't want to vomit the precious water.

"Thank you, Hilana," he said while pausing to see how his stomach dealt with the water. Oh, there were snacks, as well. He smiled faintly. She was listing off the things he had done right, which may have been true, but was probably just kind. If he wanted to cross the desert in search of Syren, he was going to have to learn the ways of the desert, so foreign from his own, he who had grown up next to a lake had never wanted for water.

"They call me... water-fat." That was the Vastii word for someone like him whose body was heavy with water.

They swapped water for food, which was familiar by now; he only dined in palaces and villae when Arvælyn's family demanded it. Otherwise, he was content to be among the more common people and he had developed a taste for their cuisine. Some of the spicy things made him sweat more, but as long as he had water to drink and shade, that helped cool him off.

With his free hand, he scritched at the camel, who made himself available. A Mesmer Finn might be, but the camel seemed to have him right where he wanted him as well.

"I don't suppose... if I survive, you might teach me how to survive the desert better?"

She looked like the sort of vision he imagined getting halfway between the city and an oasis, but she seemed to know what she was doing—certainly better than he did. And if political intrigue ever forced him to flee with Arvælyn, it was likely he would make a portal, but if they could survive in the desert for a while, that might put off pursuers who also had that Rune up their sleeves.

[Hilana Chenzira]

The herbalist in her was keeping an eye on him, watching his intake as he was watching her to make sure that he was not overdoing it. But she did not caution or raise a hand or any such warnings, so it seemed his measured pace with the refreshing liquid pleased her. “You are welcome,” she assured him. She was just happy that he was as aware and in the shape that he was now that he had water in him. A good gallop on Hayima’el would have gotten them to the River Vasta in minutes to cool him down and start treatment, but this was a good start for heat exhaustion. Get him on the road to recovery first, and when he was feeling better... then they could carry on their way.

“Did they? Of course they did,” she shook her head. “Worry not about it. It’s just a... not-so-nice term for non-Vastii. Most of them wouldn’t know what to do beyond the city’s walls if their lives depended on it anyway.” Which was fair. She had to adapt to living in the cities, and that took a bit of doing... but she at least knew how to thrive in the arid sands that surrounded said city, and being careful within it went a long way.

Hayima’el knew he was on a good wicket, as the bull stretched out his neck in order to get his head and jaw in just the right position for those fingers. His rider hadn’t wanted him to stress out this very fascinating bard, so it just meant craning his neck a bit more... but that touch was clearly magical. The girl chuckled. “He’s likely to give you one of his hugs later when we get ready to go, I have a feeling. His mother would probably be nuzzling you like a sand kitten right now.” That aforementioned mother brought good memories to the girl, it seemed, though she did miss her a bit. But Hayima’el made up for it in spades.

“There is no ‘if’,” Hilana was smiling at him, encouraging him to the chickpeas. She had hoped his tastes ran like Arvaelyn’s - not minding the more simple fare, if only because that was what she had on her. She had a pita with cold cooked chicken still in the saddlebags, but she wanted to make sure first that he could stomach the chickpeas and get the salt and vitamins into him. “You -will- survive this, I promise you. You do not have heat stroke. You prevented that by getting into shade and staying calm. This is heat exhaustion, which means that what you need is water, food, and rest. And I would be very happy to teach you,” she certainly seemed delighted by the question he had posed. The desert was what she knew and Hilana was quite content in it. She would just have to adapt what she knew in order to teach Finn, considering they had a different physiology. “Did you come looking for something out here? Or just exploring?” she asked him, taking one of the roasted chickpeas from the pouch to crunch on. If he had come out for a purpose, then she could make sure it was resolved. There was no judgment or negativity in her Symphony, but she was curious.

[Finn]

Finn laughed weakly, glad the camel liked them. He had steered clear of the strange beasts for the most part after seeing so many altercations between them and seemingly innocent bystanders. But the water did make him feel marginally better so he tried to string some ideas and words together to answer her properly.

"I'm from outside Kalzasi. We don't have anything like this. Needed to get away from the city for a little, and thought I could see some of the land. Tried to be careful, but wasn't careful enough."

Apparently, she approved of the measure he had taken. Next time, he would be better prepared.

"At some point, I need to take a journey through the desert to return something to someone, so I ought to acclimate myself. I suppose this means it will be a long, slow process." He laughed again. It was a little stronger, and he was looking about a bit more alertly. Blinking at her, he wondered if somehow Arvælyn was going to be displeased by this. So far, he only seemed to get jealous of men, but as restrictive as he found his lover's jealousy, he understood where it came from and tried to work with it rather than fully against it. He had hope Arvælyn would eventually feel secure in their relationship and relax a bit. Or a lot.

"What were you doing out here?" He had eaten some, but seemed not to want to eat all her rations, though they were delicious. "Should I let you return to it and then seek the safety of the city when you are finished?"

Finn could accept help, but he hoped it didn't come at a great cost to her. Relying too much on the kindness of strangers was only charming on stage.

[Hilana Chenzira]

She listened with interest as he spoke of his homeland. Arvaelyn had mentioned it to her a few days ago, but now she might have an opportunity to ask Finn, too. And find out if it was positively crawling with Orks, though they seemed to have escaped with their skins from them... Though why the ambivalence, she didn’t know. Maybe they were just different from the Ecithian hordes. Perhaps that was it. Hilana would have to find out. “Atraxia will play tricks on you,” the girl offered. “She’s mischievous often... and sometimes her games are challenging until you get used to them. When the sun goes down, that’s when things get easier in their own way.”

At the mention of traveling through the desert to return something, her head tilted and she retrieved another couple of the chickpeas. She was wondering where he would go, and with what, and to whom, but... those were hardly appropriate questions for her, so she managed to restrain herself. Perhaps one day she would find out, but she could certainly teach Finn how to make his way here. Maybe she would take a leave from work and help. Her Wildness all but whispered with delight in her bones at the prospect. “Well, you can learn. I have seen that there are those not from here that come to learn the sands... It just takes a bit of preparation. But I would think that if I went to your land, I would also need preparation too, yes?” she smiled brightly at him, enjoying the chickpeas. “Your home climate must be very different from this one. But the more you practice, the more you acquaint yourself with it, the easier it will be for you. I come out often, during the day and during the night... So when I go, I could find you and see if you would like to come, if you would like, should your schedule accommodate it.” She knew he was busy, after all.

When he asked her what she was up to out here, Hilana rose up on her knees, and leaned, tapped the tree behind him lightly. “These trees, we call them Mastic trees. They produce a sap that we can use for many things,” she explained, opening the little pouch on her belt and bringing out a couple pieces of pale yellow chunks. They were a bit shiny, and the bigger ones resembled a clear, crystalized honey. “This is mastic sap, the resin,” she explained. “I cut taps into the trees last season, and so I come out now every few days to collect it.” It smelled clean, almost like pine. “We use mastic for treating the lungs, stomach, and mouth, in both sweet and savoury foods, and even making alcoholic drinks. It can be chewed by itself as a palate cleanser, but it does take some time to get used to. Maybe once you’ve finished with the chickpeas and pita. How are you feeling? Do you feel up to that? I have chicken in a pita that we can share.” She was cheerful. If someone had told her that morning she would have a picnic with someone new, she would have packed a lot more.

“You need not worry about that. I come back here regularly... sap only flows so fast, yes?” She grinned at him. “What is more important is making sure that you get back before too long so that you can cool down and relax.”

[Finn]

Finn laughed, his mind toying with the idea of the desert as a woman. At least, he didn't think animism was actually part of the Varværyn religion, so it was likely humor.

"That would be nice, though. Short trips into the desert. Flirting with her a little bit... Mastic, hm." He wasn't certain he would retain today's lessons except to be even more careful than he had previously been, but she didn't seem the type to be impatient unless, perhaps, she had to repeat herself multiple times. Finn was careful to eat slowly, but he didn't turn down the chickpeas, the pita, or the chicken, but only made sure she was eating as well.

Finally, feeling somewhat restored by the shade, the water, the food, and the knowledge that someone knowledgeable was there to help, he tried to assess his physical state.

"I think... I might be ready to walk. At least to the river for more water?" He didn't know if she had a better plan. He wanted to dive into the water and swallow half of it. Hayima'el didn't seem to mind when he set a bracing hand on the camel's shoulder and got shakily to his feet. He stood slowly to prevent his head from spinning, and once he was up, he felt stable enough.

"Yeah, I think... I'm ready." But he looked to her, unsure if his feelings were objective truth in this situation. The camel rose, as well. Finn didn't know if it was the sort of beast to mimic the humans around him, or if he was ready to head back to more comfortable environs. He had proven he didn't know much about much, but at least he could learn. He smiled.