Mint is for Tummy Aches

As much as it would have brought her great comfort to never go outside again and risk being assaulted by a god or a person influence by a god, Phoebe could not live her entire life inside. She had useful skills that people needed access to in order to help increase the survival rate in this new place. Bother. Unfortunately, she hadn’t come through with her midwifery kit. Some things could be easily replaced. Others…not so much. She had had a collection of herbal teas that could assist with a great many things – conception, nausea, general health, pregnancy prevention, and for extreme cases a few to induce labor or a miscarriage should it be needed. Now she had to go out and see if she could find these things on her own. So she trekked out into the woods, a small basket on her arm. Phoebe was quite confident in her ability to find these herbs on her own, as far as identification was concerned, but she was less confident that this new world would have them. It was quite possible that the same plants simply didn’t exist here. The young blonde midwife was so focused on her task, she hardly noticed her surroundings as she went foraging through the woods for the elusive plants and roots. Jorseval Phoebe In a gentle way, you can shake the world

Jorseval You can dunk me in the river, gonna clean my sin But you might as well dunk me in a bucket of gin Jory didn’t often hunt, he didn’t have the right temperament for it. It usually required a great deal of sitting still and quiet movements and those weren’t exactly his forte. Still, he hadn’t starved to death yet so it seemed he could buckle down and use a bit of stealth when he needed to. He’d set off with his bow, mind only half on acquiring dinner and was easily distracted when he spotted not a hare or a foul perusing the underbrush of the woodland but a girl. She was a pretty blond thing, and he thought she looked a bit out of place in the skeletal woods. The contrast was as good an excuse as any to investigate, and so Jory slung his bow across his shoulder and moved to follow the easy pat she set. He simply watched for a short while as she moved through the woods with her little basket, not seeming to pay particular attention to anything other than her task. Silly little rabbit, not paying attention… Trying to maintain as soundless of an approach as he could, the vagrant crept up to crouch behind the girl. “What are you foraging for, little rabbit?” The words were slightly muffled  by the cloth that covered the lower half of his face, but his eyes obove sparkled with mischief. “There are foxes about, you know.” Phoebe

Phoebe was indeed engrossed in her task. She was quite surprised at the variety of herbs she was able to find as she foraged through the woods. Some were a relief to find, as they came very much in handy for her practice. Others were just nice to have around because of their many uses. Like the mint she was now picking. It had bother medicinal and foodstuff uses. Very versitile. But the sudden male voice was so unexpected her reaction was purely instinctual. She jumped, screaming as she whirled around. Phoebe slipped and fell on her butt, back pressed against a tree...which she of course whacked her head on. The blonde winced, lifting a hand to rub the back of her head which now throbbed. No blood but she would have a nice bump there she was certain. Then she found the source of the voice. A man standing much to close for comfort given she hadn't realized he was there. Terror was written plain as day on her face. Who was this and what did he want?! "U-uhm...I'm looking for herbs for remedies. I'm a midwife." she said nervously, way him wide eyed. "What are you following me for?" Jorseval Phoebe In a gentle way, you can shake the world

Jorseval You can dunk me in the river, gonna clean my sin But you might as well dunk me in a bucket of gin The girl’s reaction is predictable, a jump and a little shriek, but still relatively amusing. Jorseval could have turned it into a nice lesson on keeping your eyes and ears open when alone in the wilderness, but his focus was as ever more on his own amusement than taking advantage of a teachable moment. His chuckle came easy from his throat. It wasn’t a malicious thing really, but hey, it’s funny when someone falls on their ass. “Easy there, little rabbit, No foxes here, just a crow.” He reached up and gave a little tug on his kerchief to expose his face (though that wasn’t to say that his face was always reassuring). His lips were already set in a wide grin but he quirked a brow when she started with the introductions and questions. “Not following!” He exclaimed with a rather affronted look, but then seemed to replay the last few minutes in his head. His elastic features pulled taught in a very plain ‘you’ve got me there’ grimace before turning back into the nonchalant smile. “Okay well, a little following. Just curious. You seemed a little out of place in the woods is all.” He let himself tip back onto his own ass at that, folding his legs underneath him and settled in for a conversation with all the air that they had planned to meet here for a pleasant picnic. “A midwife yeah? So you help with Vi’s work. Good. I don’t know much about the business myself, but’s it good that someone does. No, me? I more often dwell on Mort’s side of the scales. I suppose we’re all on Caido’s watch though, eh?” He winked like Phoebe would appreciate his little joke. He leaned forward to peer into Phoebe’s basket and l lifted on of his hand to point at the greens inside. “What’d you use that one for?”