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Gage’s head throbbed and she let out a groan. It took considerable effort to push herself up from the mat to a seated position. She flinched as there was movement next to her. Gage fluttered her eyes and squinted. Elfric was kneeling next to her, a cup in his hand.
“My mother would call you lazy, with how much you sleep.” Elfric grinned and offered the cup.
Gage took it and downed the liquid. Water flushed down her mouth and throat, the liquid flushing the dried gunky feeling away. With a gasp for breath, “Good Kin, that’s good. Thank you. How long was I out?”
“The rest of the evening and through the night. It is early still. The hunters are making their way out about now.” He took the cup from Gage and refilled it. “Rajan’kin brought by some food and water, as well as both of our things. I have hidden yours away. I’ll be sleeping out here while you are in,” his eyes flicked up to look Gage-jun in the face. “In your quarters.”
Gage-jun nodded, “Thank you, my friend.” He hesitated a moment before reaching out and putting her hand on Elfric’s shoulder and giving a squeeze. “I do mean that, thank you.”
Elfric nodded and smiled, “You saved my life and did not walk away when you could. You shared your home, your food and water. Since then, we have become friends, I am… confused by knowing and seeing two different things, I am trying to keep track. But I will not leave my friend.”
Gage-jun smiled and nodded. “Let’s get to work then. We will keep things simple for a few days, get a handle on what is going on. We can go from there.”
The two of them spent the early morning getting the healer’s hut set up for the day. Elfric ended up doing most of the heavy lifting and moving things to where they needed to be. Not that Gage-jun was incapable, far from it as Hye-jun had been able to do all of this herself before Gage had even showed up each morning.
No, it was the difference in coordination that made things difficult for him. More than once she had tried to turn about and ended up spinning herself about suddenly. She had even found herself on the floor from one such attempt. She could move quickly and gracefully. Gage was personally pleased with being able to stand with straight legs to reach down and touch her toes. He hadn’t been able to manage anything like that since childhood.
That is what it was like, being a child. Learning to walk and move, how much force and strength to use, and even gripping things was different. Gage felt slightly miffed from not being able to do basic tasks safely but pushed the feeling aside as the tent flap rustled. The dwarf with the sprain from the day before stepped through, a small basket with a cloth draped over it in his hand.
“Daja! I gleam with gratitude for your services. As promised, I bring a gift.” Gage-jun noticed that while Elfric stayed seated off to the side where he had been, the elf’s eyes never strayed from the dwarf.
“Thank you, though you didn’t have to do that.” Gage-jun walked forward with a steady pace to the dwarf. As she approached the dwarf removed the veil over the basket. Inside was a cluster of clay jugs.
The dwarf nodded towards the contents. “I have set aside two of these for you, honored Daja.” Gage-jun carefully reached in and withdrew two of the jugs. They were cool and heavy.
“I can’t say no to a gift, can I?” She smiled at the dwarf. “Thank you.” The dwarf nodded to Gage-jun, then to Elfric before covering the basket and departing. After he had left, “I wonder what this even is.” She brought them back to Elfric and set them down before taking a seat.
Elfric lifted one of the jugs and wiggled out the seal. A heady scent quickly escaped the jug and swirled around them. Elfric’s eyes began to water as he worked to shove the seal back into place. “By the moons! That is strong.”
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Coughing and blinking, Gage-jun tried to wave off the smell. “Did I just get paid in alcohol?” The two of them looked at each other and Elfric cracked a grin. Shaking her head, “I have an idea for it. Unless you want one?”
“For safe keeping, of course.” Elfric’s grin widened and Gage-jun laughed.
“Of course,” Gage-jun stood, “Bring one of them with, then. We will save the other for later.” She led Elfric over to a side room and showed Elfric in. The room was dark, but for the little light that filtered through the cloth from the sun above. Laying in the center of the floor was the bandage wrapped body of Hye-jun. Wrapped as she was in the off-white cloth, her corpse looked like a freshly wrapped mummy.
“If you could set it before her, please.” Gage-jun’s voice was strained, and she cleared her throat. “I have been considering how to deal with the… the dead. They will be wrapped and placed before a shrine for four days. People may use that time to leave offerings for them and to say their goodbyes. A figure will be made in their likeness and placed in a family shrine and an official shrine of Kin, kind of like the memorial in the merchant’s bazaar. I think a pyre may be the best way to go after that.”
Gage-jun sniffed back a tear as Elfric placed down the jug. Together they left the room. “When Rajan’kin comes back, I’ll ask for a shrine to be put in place in that room. After,” Gage-jun looked to the closed flap of the room, “She is done, I will open it up and make it known it is there for those who wish for such a funeral.”
Elfric nodded, “Many may not wish so, right away. Set in the ways of their traditions. Maybe they can find a way to honor both.”
“That would be nice, would it not?” They held a moment’s silence. “Well, let’s keep moving. I have the feeling we may have a long day ahead of us.”
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Rajan’kin did in fact stop by during the day. When Gage-jun explained what he wanted, the newly devoted of Kin was overjoyed and eager for the task, immediately setting out to complete it. The day itself was busy, not just with the occasional patient. Most of which were only light wounds and an occasional patient who was feeling under the weather, though Gage-jun was able to confirm that none were any serious forms of diseases. There were also logistical situations that popped up as well.
Before Gage had paid little attention to such things, as Hye-jun had managed all the to do with that. Thankfully, he at least knew the amount he should keep in stock at any one time, after that he had the payments go through Elfric. The token he had was still his own, Gage’s and he did not want to risk anyone noticing the difference between the tokens.
All too soon, the day was over and winding down as once more the people returned to their homes. It was shortly after the alleys quieted that Rajan’kin returned to the healer’s hut.
“Daja, Elfric. Excuse the interruption of harmony.” Rajan’kin said after stepping into the tent.
Gage-jun gave a slight bow in response. “May serenity find its way back to us.”
Rajan’kin gave a slight bow in return. “The shrine will be complete by the morning. This one managed to find the sand crafters who made the bazaar memorial. They were all too happy to assist.”
“Thank you Rajan’kin, this truly means a lot.” Gage-jun gestured for the alajin to sit before bringing over broth for them all.
Rajan’kin smiled brightly. “It is an honor, Daja. Though considering the community this hut services,” Rajan’kin looked a little guilty for a moment. “This one also commissioned a neutral one for those who wish to pass on with their traditions of old.”
Gage-jun nodded. “It… that is actually a really good idea. I understand the logic behind it.” With a thoughtful look, “I suppose I will have to reach out to someone in the kumdahari and ask how to deal with death for those who still respect their ancestors as well, just in case that does occur here.”
“In that regard, the Respected will be stopping by tomorrow.” Rajan’kin replied, “She heard of the intent when this one was speaking with the crafters and wishes to discuss that matter with you. Now that the Ancestors and Kin have both approached you, Xarax will have to be the one to approach you as well, instead of the other way around.”
“I hadn’t thought of that. He will most likely wish to have a shrine here as well. He can’t pass up the opportunity if the kumdahari ancestors and Kin are both having respects paid here.” Gage-jun smiled ruefully to herself. “Oh, what I wouldn’t give to be able to say no.” With a pained sigh, “To bad I can’t afford to do so. It would be too much of a snub to ignore on his part.”
“You mean the Son of Sand, right?” Elfric asked, looking to Gage-jun.
She paused a moment, then nodded as she looked down at her broth. “Of course, the Son of Sand is Xarax’s… representative, as I am for Kin.” She smiled to Rajan’kin, “Well, I suppose you now as well, eh?”
The three of them continued to converse about the shrine and how they would like to set it up. They even went on to discuss potential traditions, rituals, and common prayers. So far they had mostly been fairly generic, with lots of exclamations for Kin thrown in. The discussion drove them late into the night before Gage-jun ended it. He had some work to do. Prayers had been neglected the last few days, and it was time to discuss things with Hye-jun in Haven. Leaving Elfric and Rajan’kin to it, Gage-jun excused herself and departed to the privacy of her quarters.