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RESPITE CLINIC - EARLY AFTERNOON
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Tarbin lies on his clinical bed, staring at the slightly off-white blur that is the ceiling. He sighs to himself in the general quiet of the clinic, it's purposeful construction blotting out most of the street noise out front, none of it reaching the back room through more wall and a curtain, and leaving Tarbin feeling as if he's lying on an uncomfortable bed in limbo. He waves a scaly hand arms-length above his face before turning his head to look across the room. Seeing nothing but vague, fuzzy shapes is still more pleasant to his vision than the monotony of ceiling, though his aching body craves more than a slightly changed view. With a grunt inspired by aching stiffness, the lizard grips the side of the mattress and sits upright, hissing in a breath as his hips and muscles protest. After a moment, he carefully swings his legs over the edge of the bed, leaving the willow bark for now and instead seeking out his crutches.
Tarbin slides down from the bed carefully after finding them, settling his arms into the supports as he eases as much weight as he dares onto his legs. Looking up from the floor, knowing by now that the middle of the room is well cleared for him, Tarbin follows his routine circles, his eyes lingering on the curtain's outline with each pass, listening out for the Doctor, though not seeking them at the moment. After a lap in the other direction, Tarbin pauses near the curtain, letting the painful ache in his thighs settle as he listens. "[Nothing? No writing scratching, no voices... I wonder if the doctor is out.]"
Tarbin mutters to himself, stepping up to the curtain before clearing his throat. "Doctor? Are you in front? Are you... Ah. [What's the word...] doing something?".
Tarbin waits for the lack of response to play out, humming to himself before slowly pushing the curtain aside with one of his crutches, leaning heavily on the other. "Doctor? Not in? Greetings?"
Tarbin hobbles forward into the unoccupied front room, unfamiliar with it's layout, but able to vaguely make out the floor by shadows. He glances about, not that it helps much, in fact the first thing the lizard accomplishes on beginning to wander through the room is to stumble into Plume's desk chair, uttering a string of curses at the inanimate object as he maneuvers away from it. The sound of muffled chatter from ahead of him brings his attention to the squares of muted light from the clinic door, the lizard carefully making his way towards it after a second of hesitation. Even without their noise, Tarbin can feel the vague essence of Nature's light beyond the door, stepping up to it and leaning onto one crutch as he carefully searches for the door handle. A minute later, Tarbin finds himself standing at the edge of the sunlight, shaded by the porch roof and squinting at the overwhelming brightness, compared to the artificial light inside.
Tarbin's other senses don't fare much better, having gotten used to the general sterility and silence of the clinic, he wasn't expecting to smell so much from dust to smoke and more. One thing his nose and a more vague, back-of-the-mind sense pick up on, though, are a handful of young buds nearby, turning the lizards head as he seeks out the source. His eyes can see the hint of greenery, blurred blotches of green, white and red growing among the wooden porch and planters as he approaches them, though when he stops and closes his eyes to sniff the air among them, their forms show clear as fire in the night in his mind's eye, a welcome vision that he holds on to as he opens his eyes to stare at the blotches again. "[You bold ones, growing as much as you can in this heat. Even out here The Spirits lay their root. I am grateful.]"
Tarbin ignores the folks passing in the street as much as they ignore him, leaning against a post as he frees one hand from his crutch, blue scales along the side of his finger fading orange as they caress a leaf, the chosen flower's closed buds unfurling slowly, stem thickening and reaching further from the soil until the runty plant stands inches taller than it's neighbors, blossoms open as fireworks of exotic cyan and violet, rather than the white and red of their neighbors. "[There, little one, a bit of help out of the shadows.]" As he takes his finger away, scales fading to blue once again, the blossoms similarly slowly change back to match the others in the planter, though each retains a handful of the out of place petals.
Tarbin turns away from the planter to gaze pointlessly out at the street, still leaning against the post for support, considering the bustle and feel of the town around him. "[So dry and hot... I must remember to ask Nesseth or Plume where their water supply comes from. It tastes of steel pipes and sterilization, but that's not so strange for a medical office. All these folks, as well... Many questions to keep in mind, I suppose.]"
Xochi winds her way down the road from the market. She is due for an appointment with Doctor Plume soon regarding her wings soon enough, but had little to do today. Always best to arrive early. She smiles a bit hesitantly at the lizard on the porch, bowing her head, "Greetings."
Tarbin turns along with the slithering sound up the clinic path, blinking at the shape in front of him, nodding to her with a cautious smile. He adjusts on his crutches just before speaking. "Greetings to you. You look for doctor?"
Xochi keeps her eyes low as she spots the caution, fearing confrontation she keeps her voice low, "Ah, I do, yes. They are here, yes? I have an appointment soon, but can return if they are busy."
Tarbin hesitates, his concern immediately confirmed in the issue of communication. He pieces together what he knows, guessing at the rest. "Mm, I think Plume is not in. Was not there as I walked." He's making an obvious effort to be clear, not quite looking directly at Xochi.
Xochi nods slowly, still mistaking Tarbin's hesitation for distrust of a snake. "I... am early. I can return later then." She pauses a moment think. "I am sorry."
Tarbin shakes his head, looking a little more directly toward her. "I am sorry, not for you. I... Do not understand some of Common yet. Can not be much help."
Xochi looks up, understanding dawning upon her, "Ah! Ah yes. Common still sometimes fools me. A strange language. I can try another?" She considers, then speaks again in a completely different tongue, :Do you understand Nakahi? The snake tongue?:
Tarbin blinks, shaking his head slowly. "Ah... Is strange to Tarbin. [What of Yurettan? Or lizard, I suppose.]"
Xochi frowns, thinking back. Her accent is awful. [Yurettan. Yes. Little. Read many... schools. Never speak before.]
Tarbin grins as she tries pronouncing the unfamiliar words, knowing he likely sounded similar struggling through Trade Common. "[Yes, I can tell that it's unfamiliar to you. I appreciate the effort, but if Common is easier for you... I am known as Tarbin, by the way.]"
Xochi chuckles, switching back to common, "I read many books, but never had time to practice. The trade common I learned to come here." She places her hand over her chest and bows again, "Tarbin. I am Xochi."
Tarbin can tell she's bowing by the way her blurry form shifts, returning with a short bow as best he can manage with the crutches. "Good to make meet you, Xochi. I am learning out of need. Am here not by choice. You are not of Respite? Where from home?"
Xochi hesistates a moment, a few pieces clicking into place, "Orela. The southern islands. The Snake Empire, once. No longer. Are you... not of Orela then?"
Tarbin shakes his head again, resting on his crutches as he pauses. Like her, he is considering the implications of telling where he is from, though he realizes he's already given it away by his language. "No, am of Yuretti, not Orela." He perks up after a second. "Nesseth is of Orela, you know?"
Xochi nods, "Nesseth I know. He is of Orela, yes. We are friends, despite this."
Tarbin blinks, tilting his head. "'De...Spite you say? Well, friends help, very happy to be shipwrecked on Aephix of all places. Kind people."
Xochi smiles sadly, "The lizards and snakes of Orela once went to war, not so long ago." She lowers her head, shaking it before she begins again, "Respite is very kind. Many come here to find peace, it seems, though I am sorry to hear what has happened to you, I hope you recover soon."
Tarbin smiles, shaking his head. "No sorry again, pain is not so bad. Shipwreck gave Tarbin freedom, [the Spirits] turned the sea to save me." He adjusts on his crutches again, wavering slightly as his arms start to feel fatigued. "Respite is a haven for now."
Xochi tilts her head curious at the word spoken in Yurettan, trying to repeat it. "[The Spirits]? I do not know this word. Someone saved you to bring you here?"
Tarbin nods, "[The Spirits], yes. Ah, I think Nesseth and Plume called it 'magic', I think may not be quite same. Can call it [Nature] as well." He sighs quietly at his own inability to put the words out in clear Common. "A talk that I can not make clear in Common."
Xochi sits back to think. "[Nature]. That word I know. Though I don't think magic is a proper word for it. Magic can be learned in a book. I do not think... [Nature] is such a thing."
Tarbin looks toward Xochi, nodding. "Is hard to say right." He wraps his split tail to his side, tapping the ends on the porch, though he knows not if the significance would be apparent. "Can show, do you have ache or scar?"
Xochi chuckles, "Nothing serious." She raises a hand closer to Tarbin, "Some scratches from tending my garden this morning."
Tarbin hobbles closer, the sun on her arm letting him make it out in front of him. "Is good, I am weak after wreck, but can still perform light magic." He leans one of his crutches against the wall, reaching the freed hand towards her arm, scales on his palm fading from deep blue to orange. The moment he touches her, his expression falls, grimacing slightly as his healing works on her cuts, though it's more or less blindly pouring between the two through touch. He pulls his hand away before the last scratch heals, shaking his head. "Something is not right... [Disconnected... You are not rooted, a shadow between you and The Spirits. I can not sense your body.]"
Xochi blinks, then lifts her hand back to examine it. Some of the scratches and cuts are gone, but others seem to remain. "That... is strange? I do not know what you mean. [Shadow. Spirits. Missing body?]"
Tarbin seems unsettled, picking his crutch back up and leaning slightly against the wall. "Maybe am too tired. Strange though." He looks at Xochi, "[Are you cursed or hexed?]"
Xochi clutches her hand against her chest, suddenly feeling very uncertain as well, "[Curse...?] No? I do not think so. I do not know."
Tarbin hears the uncertainty in her voice, realizing he's probably causing her worry with such a flat question. "Perhaps not something as bad as [curse]. I am not learned with such magic, [it's not my place to assume such a dark possibility.]"
Xochi considers this a moment more. "[Curses]... curses. They are very real to me. To my people. Or, they once were real to them. I cannot say anymore. Perhaps those beliefs have fallen away. Erika was cursed as such, though now she is cured. Has it passed to me in some regard?" She takes a moment to make a gesture of prayer.
Tarbin vaguely notices Xochi's gesture, though he doesn't piece together everything she says. "Course? Course. Cuorse." He mutters to himself, before replying. "If one was cuorsed, maybe? Was it like your-" he stops short of calling her 'shadow' as a curse again, trying for a less worrying manner... Within his limited Common. "-injury?"
Xochi shakes her head, "No. Erika was... transformed? [Made anew]. Changed. It is hard to explain. [Made of new body?] She has recovered now."
Tarbin hesitates, tilting his head slightly. "[Morphing curse? Who would use such a barbaric thing?]" He shakes his head slightly. "But you are not changed?"
Xochi tries to gather the meeting, clearly keying in on the 'who' "Who? No one. Caused by a flower, err [Flower], or so I hear." She shakes her head again. "I am not changed. I have only met friends here, received blessings and gifts, not hate."
Tarbin gives Xochi a clearly incredulous look, sighing. Interesting, indeed. "I did say [Nature] has power. I am glad you are not changed, though that does not help with [shadow]." He can't help but feel he's not making things better with speculation. "Maybe I just do not sense you, [strange, but I suppose possible.]"
Xochi considers the implications, and ponders words spoken to her. "Some call it dark... or evil, if they do not understand. I wonder..." She reaches into the pockets and removes a small broach, simple with only a single pearl upon it. "A friend gave me this to hide me from prying eyes. I did not understand her meaning. But perhaps...?" She sets the broach down and extends her hand to Tarbin once again.
Tarbin blinks, listening carefully to Xochi, though much of what she says, surprise, is lost for him. Something does seem to fade into his mind after the brooch is set down, though it's very faint at first. He closes his eyes and begins to see a faint light in his mind's eye, reaching directly out to touch her forearm despite his closed eyes. The contact, as his close scales turn orange again, sets Xochi's light into full brilliance in his mind, seeing the figure before him as a coiled web of energy. "[Incredible! I've never seen such a thing for myself...]" His eyes open, looking toward the blur of snake as his magic cleanly undoes the remainder of her gardening scratches. "A great... 'gift', as you say!"
Xochi slowly pulls her hand back, marveling at how not only have the scratches healed, but the hand simply feels... better. She smiles back at Tarbin, "[Incredible.] A gift, yes. I did not understand the nature of it, [Did not know it.], only the intent, [know the purpose], which I appreciated."
Tarbin reaches for his crutch again, slightly more wobbly than before as the small displays of his ability drained already limited energy. "Is not curse, you can be easy for that. I am sorry for being worry!" He bows his head. "Does what expected, even if way is unexpected after all."
Xochi retrieves the broach and returns it into her bag with a chuckle. "No worries. Simply unexpected, as you said." She tilts her head as Tarbin shakily wobbles. "Ah, I have probably taken enough of your time! Forgive me!"
Tarbin shakes his head, accompanied by a minor wobble. "Is good to meet more than [Doctor] Doctor Plume and Nesseth. I thank you for talk, Xochi."
Xochi giggles, a strange hissing sound, "Thank you! If you wish, I am ever available to speak too many words to you, Tarbin. One can never have enough friends. [Farewell, friend.]
Tarbin nods into a polite bow, chuckling quietly. "I may use your offer. Good day Xochi, [May the skies remain clear ahead of you.]"
Xochi grins, returning the bow to Tarbin, and definitely not picking up any significant meaning within his farewell, "Ah, same to you, Tarbin." She checks Plume's office, and with a final wave, heads inside for her appointment, her long tail slithering inside before the door shuts behind her.
Tarbin turns as Xochi heads inside, realizing that he's either stuck awkwardly walking by them back to the back room, or sitting outside waiting for her to leave. Despite the potential slight embarrassment, Tarbin hobbles up to the door and makes his way inside, opting to not interrupt the others as he quickly crutch-walks straight through the backroom curtain.