An Apothecary's Handiwork

Submitted by Lila T. on Tue, 5/14/2013 at 11:00pm

Shadra gracefully slipped through the back entrance of the seemingly abandoned hospital building, making her way up to the second floor where she had made residence not long after its establishment.  The petite, young ixifar had chosen an inconspicuous room to call her own.  One half of the space was filled with drying herbs, dressings, pouches, bottles, a mortar and a pestle delicately strewn across a few benches and hanging from the ceiling. The other half was dedicated to her other hobby: crystallizing, knitting and stitching together phoenix feathers to be made into armor. Shadra glanced around her abode, turning with a swift jingle to a crisply folded pile of cloth amidst the armor crafting supplies. She gently unfolded it, revealing a modestly sized banner. Neatly stitched onto the fabric was an ivory scimitar bathed in feathery flames the colors of the sun.  After snipping a few loose threads, she scooped up the banner and walked briskly to the front of the hospital wearing a small, proud smile on her face.  While there had not been much activity in the building, a few of the rooms remained clean, their beds made with crisp white linens.  She chose a window to the left of the entryway, and standing on her tiptoes, began to nail her banner to the wooden window trim using a few sturdy thorns and the hilt of her dagger.  Once finished, she took a few steps back to make sure it was level. Pleased with her work, she set off to find a few of her comrades, a slight skip in her step.

While walking back from gathering herbs, Chataya notices the banner. Smiling in obvious recognition, she heads toward the hospital. After checking for Shadra inside, and not finding her, she sets her basket down near the entrance and waits for Shadra to return. She seems to be in a very happy mood as she waits, braiding some of the herbs and flowers into a wreath.