haven't we been here before

Loren glanced up at the woman's voice. "You don't even know what I'm making." Sorrow made his voice more bitter than he'd intended. Still, she was right and he sighed and he scraped the ruined paste out of the mortar, tossing it into a bucket at his feet. As he did, he took a deep breath. When he let it out, he was calmer and he glanced up at her. "How can I help you?" As he waited for her response, he added more ingredients into the mortar. The fluffy pink bird in her hair earned a glance as well. Astra, having been napping in the corner, woke up and poked her head up from her bed in the corner. Rising to her feet, she trotted over to the woman and looked up, hoping for scratches. His companion brought a brief smile to his lips. It faded at the stranger's question. "Just a numbing cream. A slight painkiller" He ground the herbs with the appropriate amount of force this time. LOREN Not quite an open book