fandomtownies | early evening: Sanctity

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early evening: Sanctity

Twilight is beckoning, somewhere, but Zhaan is ignoring it. She's perched on her stool again, carefully measuring elglita seeds into small bottles and stoppering them.

The events of the night before did not touch her, though the smell of chakkan oil and the stench of plasma blasts had invaded her garden that morning. But this was not her town to defend, it's not Moya and Pilot in danger from their own gods.

Through the open door, a chilled breeze wafts, and for just a moment, Zhaan paused her head tilted to one side.

"If only it were that simple," she said to the air.

To distract herself, she flipped on the radio, selecting a random station and allowing the music to drown out the strangeness in the air.

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Great, of all the days for every food eating establishment to close, they had to pick this. Tex heard the noise coming from the Faire, but she stayed away. Crowds was not something she wanted now, not when she was like this. Apparently this was the only store open. She halted in front of it, but she doubted very much they were selling food.

Having given up on doing anything constructive, Zhaan looked up from doodling on her scratch paper. She frowned as she studied the woman outside her shop, then stood and went to the door. Obviously, she wouldn't be finding serenity anytime soon. "My dear, you look like you could use a stiff drink."

Tex laughed, but quickly regretted it as it hurt her ribs. She kept herself from wrapping an arm around her chest. "Don't I know it."

Noting the quick tightening of pain around Tex's eyes, Zhaan held out a hand, "I was about to make myself dinner. Would you like to join me?" And while doing so, she could make certain to lace the food with something pain-killing.

Tex raised an eyebrow and cocked her head. "You feed everyone who just walks by?"

"You're going to be difficult," Zhaan said, amused. "If it worries you less, I'll charge you for the food."

"No, I'm fine with getting free meals." Tex replied but relaxed a little.

"Good." Stepping back, Zhaan waved Tex into the shop. Her eyes didn't miss the careful way Tex was walking nor the bandage on the back of her neck.

Tex entered the shop, her eyes scanning the items around her. "What the hell is all this junk?"

"Herbs, plants, what most humans would consider 'folk medicine', I believe, some of it has only recreational value, most has at least some use." Zhaan didn't add that some of that recreational value was in blowing dren up.

"You're like a pharmacist?" Tex asked and stopped near the counter as she wasn't sure where she was supposed to be going.

"Something like that," Closing the door to the shop, Zhaan walked past Tex and continued into the back of the shop, once past the small stack of crates, she opened the door that let out into the garden, and looked back, "We can either eat out here or upstairs."

Tex shrugged and now did wrap her arm about her at the pain. "Don't care, but you're going to freeze your ass off in a few weeks."

"Actually, I can regulate my internal body temperature." Zhaan stepped out and gestured to the small round table and chairs. "I won't be long, unless you want to come watch me cook."

"Handy, I got armour for that." Tex replied and shook her head. "Not unless you're doing some fancy show."

Zhaan smiled and pointed at a chair. "Sit. I'll be back shortly." Without waiting to see if Tex obeyed her command (not that she would, Zhaan had a feeling she was at least as stubborn as Aeryn Sun), Zhaan headed back inside and took the tiny staircase up to her little nook of an apartment. Glad she'd been cooking roast beef with vegetables, she quickly put together two plates of meat and vegetables, added two rolls and set them on a tray.

There was a bottle of denebian wine she'd been saving that would go fine with the herbs she'd suggest to Tex.

For a moment, she considered simply dosing the woman's food, but without her consent it wouldn't be ethical. There wasn't life at stake, simply pain.

Hoisting the tray, Zhaan headed back down to the garden, balancing carefully.

Tex closed her eyes, trying to ignore the pain in her body. Her head was throbbing, her chest wasn't much better. She'd been stupid to not have seen that one coming.

She opened her eyes when she heard Zhaan come back downstairs. "You sure you weren't expecting anyone?"

Carefully setting the tray down, Zhaan looked at Tex. "Quite sure." She sighed. "Where does it hurt?"

Tex froze, she shouldn't be surprised as she by now had some nice bruises. "It's fine."

"It's not fine," Zhaan said, her tone brisk. "You've got a cracked rib, bruises, and the bandage on your neck is beginning to seep blood." She picked up the bottle of wine and poured them both glasses. "Now, you can let me look at it, or continue bleeding until you pass out from shock and bloodloss." She smiled, "And then I'll look at it, anyway."

Tex scowled at Zhaan. "How do you know that?"

"I've lived a long time, my dear. Your breath hitches when you breathe, you walk very carefully as if in pain, and red blood on a white bandage is hard to miss." Zhaan took a drink of her wine, "I'd suggest drinking something, it will help dull the pain."

Sighing in resignation, Tex picked up the glass and took a long drink. "Fine, knock yourself out."

"That would make attending your wounds difficult," Zhaan said, her tone amused. She stood and carefully began removing the bandage from Tex's neck. "This wasn't badly done, but given the blood, you're going to need stitches." A moment later, she'd uncovered the wound and studied it, glad the garden had enough light for her to work by.

"That's what they said," Tex grudgingly admitted and took another drink.

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