The two fell silent at that and focused on moving quickly through the morning streets. They passed the inner gates easily, despite their commoner clothing, and went through the inner city very quickly before coming to another inner wall so great that it also looked like another city wall. Joe looked at it with some confusion as he’d though there was only the inner and outer city, at least as he’d learned about it from Gwenvair and Kukurnal. But when he arrived at the gate, he noticed that it was quite a bit different from the city gates as it appeared to be more for foot traffic than the typical large trade vehicles that traversed both the outer and inner city. Heading through to the other side also revealed that he was not coming to an inner city, but some form of family, or more likely clan, home. It was extensive, almost half the size of the inner city itself, but it was laid out much more like the typical ancient style large family or clan homes with spacious fields and nature preserves scattered around a variety of open homes which consisted of two or three buildings that formed a courtyard-like structure. It looked like incredibly rich rural wealthy homes without the typical privacy fences and hedges, everything wide open and very spread out. Individual families, maybe? Set out and spread around everywhere? Scattered amongst the family homes were other buildings, some large and imposing, other smaller and mysterious in their purpose, a variety of courtyards, and some training areas, from what he could see.

As they traveled further in, each of the family home groupings soon began to have their own individual walls raised up around them. They were not large or really meant to be defensive as they did not go very high and only offered some privacy to the family homes. The family units grew ever more as they traveled deeper into the clan area, they became larger, taller, added floors, and enlarged their walls until towards the middle, several became veritable small keeps in their own right, although very much miniature in comparison to a true military defensive structure.

After passing through the inner clan for some time, they came upon a truly ostentatious family home made up of quite a few more buildings than others with several courtyards of its own instead of just one and they were led to the entrance through the wall. Guarding the gateway were several guards dressed the same as their guide, and Joe was quite certain they’d arrived at their destination.

Despite having arrived at the home, they still took another few minutes of wandering through various hallways and courtyards before arriving where he saw a small loose crowd gathered in a courtyard, most far from the true disturbance which was obviously within a room as it was guarded by several guards standing at attention just outside the large double doors. Joe didn’t take long to look around and immediately headed towards the crowd where he pushed his way through but paused at the doorway as he didn't wish to intrude into the room for privacy reasons. Kilniara came through right behind him to stand at his side. When he made it to the front before the doors, one of the guards immediately noticed him and questioned very politely.

"Eccentric?"

"Yes. I am Joe."

"Please wait, eccentric."

Joe nodded, and the man turned away before knocking firmly on the door frame which Joe noticed and found odd, but did not comment on it as it wasn't an appropriate time.

"Matriarch? The eccentric is here."

The reply was immediate and Joe easily recognized Gwenvaire's voice, "Please send Joe in immediately."

"Yes, First in Line for Matriarch," the guard replied immediately before turning around and bowing to Joe once again and pulling the door open slighlty.

Joe nodded to the guard, "Thank you, guardsman."

The guard seemed surprised, and froze, but Joe didn't really notice and simply walked through. Kilniara came with him mainly because Joe had captured her hand in his when he stepped through, and both came inside to see several different women gathered around the room. Several seemed to be doing what Joe would consider was typical alchemical 'things' like crushing, boiling, burning, or mixing some herbs or other assortment of things.

The Matriarch lay on her bed moaning while Gwenvair sat at her mother's side in obvious distress and Joe felt himself grow a bit concerned. I'm not really going to be able to do anything, but... this really sucks!

Kilniara, who was beside him, gasped and ran forward, dropping beside Gwenvair before putting an arm around her.

“You are OK?”

Gwenvair looked up at Kilniara, her eyes red and cheeks wet with tears even as her face was still very stoic, masked to maintain some form of control. When Gwenvair turned, he saw Gwenvair’s face light up with desperate hope. Joe quickly came to stand beside the Matriarch's bed and looked at Gwenvair. Well… what am I going to do? She’s a freakin’ dog / wolf … person. Joe settled his nerves.

“What happened?”

Gwenvair’s reply was wooden, but interspersed with interrupting hiccups as she tried to speak. The description was barebones, but quickly painted what had happened.

"We do not know. My mother has been laying in pain this entire time and does little but moan. She woke this morning and her maid ran in upon hearing her cries of pain only to see her like this. We... do not know anything else."

Joe frowned. I'm not going to be able to do anything? I have ... no idea. Disease. Poison? Why would she call me?

"I am no doctor. Why would you call me?"

Gwenvair's hope faded but she continued, "I don't know. My mother simply has cried out your name several times."

"My name?"

Gwenvair nodded, "She continues to say 'eccentric... eccentric' every few moments."

Joe blinked at her, confusion pulling his eyebrows down for a bit before he flickered an eye towards Kilniara and back to Gwenvair. However, as soon as Gwenvair said 'eccentric,' the Matriarch opened her eyes and lurched with a moan.

"The eccentric... is he... oh..."

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She turned to face Joe and grimaced before continuing, "Eccentric. What have you done?"

Joe froze and grew very concerned at being deep in clan grounds surrounded by who knew how many people and he spoke cautiously, "What do you believe I have done?"

She growled, "I practiced your cultivation... and... I wake to find... myself... in complete pain. What deviation... have you caused... me!"

Joe blinked and struggled to hide his relief, "What?"

The Matriarch moaned deeply and sat up, eyes burning as she looked at the him, "I... am in pain. I practiced... your cultivation... last night... and now... my body burns!"

Joe stared at her in shock, feeling his face shift between humor, disbelief, and relief, "You tried practicing without stamina like how we do it?”

The Matriarch nodded then collapsed back to the bed in pain, “I learned from Gwenvair what you taught her last night.”

Joe struggled to keep the humor from showing on his face, "Did you stretch? Cooldown? Ice?"

"Ice? I am no... Why ice? What is stretch? I..."

Joe's smile finally began to show on his face, relief loosening his control, "Let me guess. You exercised very hard, then went to bed. You did not do anything else?

"Yes?" the Matriarch offered with a soft groan.

Joe looked at Gwenvair before smiling really brightly and falling on his butt. He pulled his feet in to sit cross legged and began to laugh lightly.

“So she … cultivating means she was fighting, punching, and practicing her attacks without stamina?”

Gwenvair nodded at that but frowned at Joe's laughter, "This is how she cultivates... I do not know if she did without stamina."

Joe's chuckling continued, "You did without stamina yestereday, yes Matriarch?"

The Matriarch groaned, "Yes. As you described. Why are you laughing... at my pain!"

Joe sobered at that, trying to control his laughter and he replied with as straight of a face as he could, “I’m not laughing… OK, I'm sorry. I am laughing a little bit. But ... you are just very, very sore, but you are fine… you should be fine, if you are anything like me and my people,” Joe chuckled even more after explaining.

The Matriarch moaned, but seemed relieved even as Gwenvair’s wooden face melted away into hope, “Truly?”

Joe laughed even more and nodded, “Truly. Although, I think she may hate me or even wish to kill me after today. She will be very sore and very tired.”

“And you do this?”

“Every day since I was a child.”

“It is worth it?”

“Very much so.”

Gwenvair stared at him for a bit before looking at Kilniara, then back to Joe.

“But your apprentices are not … do they black out and fall to the ground?”

Joe laughed at that and shook his head before looking to Kilniara and waving her on, “Tell her what you three do after the exercise.”

Kilniara smiled at that, then giggled herself as she realized what had happened, “We do not black out, but we all collapse on the floor or ground almost every time.”

Gwenvair’s eye’s narrowed, “Really?”

Joe nodded, “They... exaggerate. They do not collapse from pain and exhaustion, but they do just to rest after their cooldown, which your mother did not do! But, you may wish to hide for a day or two for your mother may wish to kill you, too, for telling her of this.”

Gwenvair, catching the mood of the two and seeing their easy unconcern, smiled tremulously, “I do not think I have anything to fear, but you may!”

Joe laughed at that, “Then let me see if I can ease my punishment…”

Joe’s response was interrupted at that and both looked down when they heard the Matriarch groan. Gwenvair immediately turned towards her mother, much less concerned but still careful not to touch her.

“Mother. Did you hear? All should be well.”

Her mother groaned even louder, "I will still find a way... to get you back... eccentric."

Joe grinned at that, then laughed brightly, “Now I know you are fine!"

The Matriarch laughed at that, then moaned deeply as she attempted to curl up around her core, then moaned again at the movement. Joe's laughter broke free at that and then he struggled to calm himself.

"I’m sorry. I'm so sorry. I know I shouldn’t laugh, truly, but … it’s just,” Joe took a deep breath and tried to calm but his smile still threatened to break free.

“OK. OK. I’m calming down, sorry.”

Gwenvair looked up at Joe, but seeing his humor actually calmed her and she realized that things were well and she offered her own timid smile.

“You laugh at me freely, Eccentric?” the Matriarch’s voice cut through the moment and Joe looked at her.

Joe kept his chuckle down, but still smiled, “My people often joke or fight through the pain, especially in training… or… I guess you call it cultivation.”

The Matriarch slowly relaxed back once again and softly moaned again, "Is there nothing to be done? How do your people resolve this pain?"

"There are several things to ease the pain, but protection against the pain is too late."

"What eases this pain?"

“Allow me to at least offer some recompense for my humor, Matriarch. Have a very warm bath, the hottest that you can rest in without pain, prepared. This will help reduce and remove the pain. A massage after is also a very powerful way to reduce the pain. After, I may be able to help more and I will teach you how to properly train with this method. Ah… also… a healer can greatly help as well, although… it… I am uncertain, but a healer may reduce or remove any benefits from training. You must… yeah… Enough time might have passed, however, and you may be able to heal without consequence.”

Joe waited but the Matriarch only groaned, although she did nod to Gwenvair and she quickly spoke up for her mother.

“Prepare a bath for my mother, of the greatest heat for my mother’s cultivation!”

Several of the surrounding maids quickly bowed and called out, “Yes, First in Line for Matriarch.”

They then quickly turned and glided from the room, the crowd outside the door parting from the maids and backing off a bit now that the door was open. Gwenvair looked up to Joe then and Joe smiled back, turning back to the Matriarch.

“May I take you to the bath, Matriarch? I do not wish to offend, but I should be able to take you easily enough.”

The Matriarch grunted, nodding then stilling her movement with a groan, “Yes… oohhh!”

Joe chuckled then schooled his face and the Matriarch looked at him with a glare before groaning again in pain. Joe grunted another laugh, schooling his face.

“You really should stop moving, it will help the pain. It doesn’t matter if you do keep moving, so please do so if you wish, but the pain will be better without movement. Try to relax as much as possible.”

The Matriarch stilled with those words, nodding and speaking softly, “Thank you.”

“I’ll take you to the bath now. I’ll need a guide, though.”

Gwenvair quickly stood, “I will take you, of course.”

Joe looked to Gwenvair and smiled, “Thanks. Right. Let’s get going.”

Joe leaned down and lifted the Matriarch’s head and shoulders to slip and arm underneath before slipping his other arm under her legs then standing, lifting her in the traditional princess carry.

“Could you settle her head…” Joe trailed off when he looked up at Gwenvair then noticed the guards that had been standing around had pulled their weaponry out and were preparing to fight while the the various maids and alchemists stared on in dumbfounded shock. Joe blinked at that, then looked at Gwenvair again to see shock on her face.

“I’m… sorry? Did I do something wrong?”

Gwenvair blinked another few times before shaking her head quickly and calling out to the guards, “Weapons down! He is only assisting the Matriarch.”

Joe looked at her, confused but nodded along with her statement, “I meant no offense. Please forgive me if I have? I asked if I could take her to the bath. She said yes? Did I do wrong?”

Gwenvair gulped a few times and Joe’s statement then shook her head, “No. Please follow.”

Joe nodded then looked at Kilniara and saw her also look a bit shocked. The crowd around them, however, stilled his tongue and he decided to focus on just getting her moved to the bath.

“Kilniara? Could you press her head up a little higher on my arm, it would be very uncomfortable and painful for her if it is falling from my arm.”

Kilniara looked up at Joe for a bit, seeming to be lost on what to do as she moved to help, then stepped back, finding herself in an obviously uncomfortable position but one that Joe didn’t really understand. Gwenvair seemed to understand Kilniara’s discomfort and quickly came to her rescue.

“Let me help!”

Joe nodded in thanks, “Good. Please just keep her head held up. If your mother has to hold her own head up, she will likely feel a lot of pain. So, please show me where to go.”