When last they had met it hadn't been for a particularly happy reason; Phoebe had intended to go down to the underground shrine and try to seal the Voice away, and their conversation had waxed philosophical. She had, however, been confident, stubborn, and brave. Now she looked... careworn. Faded, almost, as if the sunlight didn't quite strike her as brightly as it did the world around her.
He was also tired, but there was a brightness in his eyes that had been lacking when last they'd met, and fresh energy in his step as he picked his way carefully across the fresh spring growth to join her. His deft fingers caught a sprig of chamomile blossoms as he passed them, hiding the motion with his body so that he could present the flowers as if by magic when he reached her side and offered them to the young woman with a flourishing bow.
She had echoed his question without answering it, but given her apparent distraction he decided not to tease her about it, and instead showed her the herbal he was translating from, with its pictures of medicinal plants and their descriptions written in a strange, looping script. "I spent all winter cracking the alphabet," he explained. "And now I'm working on building the vocabulary. And there are same Caido-native species in here that I'm unfamiliar with, so it's a good learning experience. And a good way to combine research with gathering herbs for the infirmary," he added with a chuckle. Now that he had her attention his voice turned more gentle. "And what about you, miss Phoebe? Are you on the same quest for herbs for your clinic?"
He was also tired, but there was a brightness in his eyes that had been lacking when last they'd met, and fresh energy in his step as he picked his way carefully across the fresh spring growth to join her. His deft fingers caught a sprig of chamomile blossoms as he passed them, hiding the motion with his body so that he could present the flowers as if by magic when he reached her side and offered them to the young woman with a flourishing bow.
She had echoed his question without answering it, but given her apparent distraction he decided not to tease her about it, and instead showed her the herbal he was translating from, with its pictures of medicinal plants and their descriptions written in a strange, looping script. "I spent all winter cracking the alphabet," he explained. "And now I'm working on building the vocabulary. And there are same Caido-native species in here that I'm unfamiliar with, so it's a good learning experience. And a good way to combine research with gathering herbs for the infirmary," he added with a chuckle. Now that he had her attention his voice turned more gentle. "And what about you, miss Phoebe? Are you on the same quest for herbs for your clinic?"
