Private Tales I Forgot to Remember

[Trahaearn]

The horse beneath him was going at a steady pace, the trees giving them little room for the galloping pace the beast had held for the past few days. His head screamed with pain, and he had felt rattled when he had woke the morning of what he guessed was the second day on this god forsaken path the horse had taken. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the trees, feeling as though he were being watched. Or maybe it was just something about his headache that was making it seem like the case.

He once more turned his head, vision half blurring as he did so, making him slow his turn and put a hand to the necklace with the strange stone on it. He didn't remember what had given him the wounds he had about him. It didn't seem like there was anyone around at the moment to help him, not entirely sure that whoever he found would want to help someone such as himself.

He wasn't exactly sure where here was either.

Being dressed in leather and chain mail with weapons about his person likely would not endear him to anyone. He patted one set of cuts on his thigh that lightly bled still, the four gashes evenly spaced in their pattern at other points on him. Whatever had cut him had certainly wanted to do a right job of it. He felt remorse for something, or someone. He wasn't entirely sure at the moment as his thoughts blurred and made any kind of details to memories come with a sort of obscured haze.

Something had attacked him maybe? Or had he attacked, something?

His vision went black for a long moment, making him flail in a bout of fear at the sudden blindness. Stirrups dug into the horse as it made him flip the backside of the horse since he had dropped the reins trying to scrub at his eyes. He rolled, every muscle in his body tightening against his will as he was thrown to the ground and laid there for a long time.

The horse made good time in getting away, the sound of it's hooves hitting earth quieting quickly as he laid there in misery. His thigh and several other spots with similar claw marks were now bleeding once more with the jarring toss the horse had given him. Not wanting to rise yet, he wondered if he was asking for trouble with just closing his eyes and relaxing for a moment. It felt like the weight of the world was on his chest, and he was desperately tired.

Surely it could spare him a moment of reprieve as he closed his eyes, flat of his back to the earth and sprawled from being tossed.

Xiuying

 

[Xiuying]

The air smelled like rain. As she wandered through the forest, keeping to the familiar paths, Xiuying could feel the moisture in the breeze and taste the incoming storm. She could hear its distant rumbling, the promise of thunder and torrents. When she'd been a child, thunder storms had always been terribly frightening, but now they were both therapeutic and annoying. The sound of the rain was a song she dearly loved, but finding her way by scent was impossible for days after and she accidentally stepped in puddles.

So she was walking blindly through the forests around her secluded cottage, following a path she foraged often. Her hand reached out to touch a landmark tree and she stepped off of the path. Ten paces off of her path from this point should have been a gathering of berry bushes. Sure to her memory, her fingers brushed against the leaves.

Xiuying smiled to herself and began collecting berries. The mountainside was quieter than usual, and she wondered if, perhaps, its inhabitants could see something she couldn't -- if the storm was closer than she thought. It would be a pain to walk home in the rain, but not impossible with the paths.

But she heard the horse's hooves well before it came near. Xiuying straightened and turned toward the sound, her long pointed ears twitching. A saddled horse was trotting by, but there was something strange about the sound of its stirrups thumping. Was it without a rider?

Against her better judgement, Xiuying whistled. She heard the horse's gait change and the creature blew a heavy gust of air at her in caution and warning. Her head turned as she listened closely for any sign from a rider.

"Hello?" She put down the basket and reached her other hand out. There was no answer, and the horse was coming to a stop. She heard it continue to blow air at her, but she kept moving closer. Still, it allowed her to slowly walk up to it.

"Where did you come from?" she asked, taking the loose reins her hand felt first and finding its neck. She was smiling, curious, but the smile faded when she caught the scent of blood on it. Remaining calm, she felt her way to the saddle. Empty, but her hand came away with blood, not yet dried and tacky. Fresh.

Xiuying reluctantly turned her face back toward the path. If she left it, could she get back? She turned her head and sniffed the air. Not like this, but in another form she could.

Tying the horse to a nearby tree, she shifted. Trading her hands and feet for paws and her braided hair for a thick fur coat, she lifted her nose to the air once more. Her senses were sharper in this shape. She could track the rider and follow the horse's path right back here.

The cwn annwn plodded along cautiously down the trail the horse had taken. It had come a ways without its rider, and she walked almost an hour before she caught the scent of blood on the shifting wind. Xiuying approached slowly, listening. She hear only the rasping, heavy breathing of a person at rest.

"Hello?" she called again. There was no answer. She lifted her long head and sniffed again. She was very close to them. If they heard her, they should have been able to answer.

Creeping forward, she shortly understood why she wasn't getting an answer. Shifting, she tentatively touched the rider. They were wearing leather armor and mail, but she immediately stuck her hand in something warm and wet. Sniffing wasn't necessary to identify it as blood. Tracing the lines of their body to reach their face. A beard. And they were too tall to have been a dwarf. A human man, then? What was he doing all the way out here in this condition?

"Don't worry," she said quietly. "I'll take care of you."

// Trahaearn //​

 

[Trahaearn]

He rasped a few breaths, eyes having been closed for some time now as he heard something moving around him. Closing his eyes had made dealing with the soft but constant pain a little easier, but he felt so terrifically tired. His vision was waning, his other senses doing what they could to accommodate the shift.

He could smell rain, almost taste it in the air as he sucked in a few more breaths as the world began to narrow to a dwindling tunnel of vision. Words were on the air but he didn't here them all, couldn't as the world was engulfed in pitch.

---

The gasping start he gave upon waking in an unfamiliar place only mirrored the frantic casting of arms about himself in order to defend himself from the unfamiliar nightmares that plagued the sleep he had been in. Images of battle against strange creatures, of fighting, using what he guessed was magic and wielding weapons of war. Riding a horse before it was cut out from below him, running headlong into a fight with several men alongside him.

It didn't make sense to him. He couldn't recall anything of that sort happening. Who would be crazy enough to chase after monsters and try not to kill them? It seemed preposterous as he cast his eyes about the place he had been asleep in. Maybe closing his eyes and relaxing had been a terrible mistake after all.

Around the room was a strange choice in decoration. Herbs and other odds and ends hung from small cuts of string or some other kind of material. The walls were lined with every available space being a shelf save for the cutout of windows which bore a shelf below but not above that held a plant.

The rain smell permeated the house, but could not out shine the robust scent of lavender and other floral smells. There were a few blinking attempts at making himself used to the smell as he caught a whiff of something having been cooked recently. His eyes glanced the small table and stool next to the bed. A bowl that was empty, and his own feeling of not being outright hungry suggesting that he had been fed perhaps?

His eyes narrowed at the draping curtains that surrounded the bed he was in. Perhaps a design to keep bugs out? He blinked a few times, wondering where the line of thought had come from, putting a hand on top of the blanket that covered him and realizing he was stark naked beneath the cover.

The blanket was warm he was informed as he pulled it away from himself and found the biting cold suddenly upon his bare skin. He spied his clothes on the small table beside the bed, pulling the blanket back over himself as he mentally prepared himself for the task of dressing.

His side ached horribly for some reason the longer he sat there scrunched beneath the blanket, remembering finally that he had been wounded by something before waking in a strange place. He sucked in a breath as he removed the blanket and looked down at his thigh and hip. He found it surprising that the wounds had been mostly closed, like a scab had grown over them.

How long had he been asleep for? Who had him? Where was he? For the matter who was he? Questions that begged for answers in his mind as he quickly dressed, shivering in the chill of frosty clothes. He had to find whoever had helped him and see if they knew what was going on. He looked around once more, confused as to who could live in such a clutter.

Xiuying

 

[Xiuying]

The storms had passed, but they had taken their time about it. Xiuying had opened the windows to let fresh air into the cottage, making sure to layer on her second comforter so he would be warm, and ventured outside to do her chores. The chickens pecked her hands as she reached into their box, an irritation at being cooped up for two days. The sentiment was mutual, but she wasn't allowed to nip when she got cranky.

The horse was free to roam within the fence, a low wooden perimeter surrounded the property -- a clear warning to people and things that they were approaching a home. She heard it near the garden and took it a few scoops of the grains she usually reserved for the chickens. Xiuying liked to think she and the horse had bonded some the past two days. It hadn't run away in the storm, at least.

The cwn was humming to herself as she hung out her laundry. Good days like today would be rare soon. Autumn was in full swing and soon the temperatures would fall, and with it: snow. Winters were always the hardest season for her. Blindness and a lack of friendly neighbors meant she would be rationing out her food stores carefully.

Her humming stopped suddenly when she heard a gasp from within the house. Xiuying's head snapped to look toward the open door. Was he finally awake? She placed a wooden pin on the towel she was hanging and turned to the house. She could, indeed, hear someone moving around within.

"Hello?" she called, stepping closer to the door -- but not too close.

// Trahaearn //​

 

[Trahaearn]

He briefly caught the sound of someone stepping close towards him, spying the entrance to the room that now held someone in it that was deathly pale. At least they had seemed that way in comparison to the dark room that framed them in the light of the day outside. It was a strange sight, pale white hair and skin, eyes even that deathly pale color. A trick of the light possibly, or his distorted vision once more.

Not entirely sure what was happening, he was loathe to say anything that would draw attention to himself. At the moment however, he doubted there was anything else that would truly have this person's attention other than himself in this time. He remained silent for a long breath, debating internally with himself as what he could only describe as feelings seemed to itch at the surface, pleading to be heard in their silence.

But he no more than the next person could understand the silence that could neither be seen or heard, and was left grasping at straws for how he should act in this moment. They spoke however, and it made him blink. He wasn't entirely sure what language he himself spoke, but he was certainly not familiar with the language this person spoke.

"Pardon? I, I don't speak that language. Do you speak..." He trailed off for a moment, pondering the phrase that had constructed itself in his mind. What were the words? Human language? No, this person spoke a different dialect, and while otherworldly in their appearance, he certainly wasn't in some strange lucid dream still. At least he hoped he wasn't.

"Common? Do you speak, common?" The word finally manifested, feeling strange as it rolled off of his tongue. Unsure if it was the word, or the phrasing that made him uncomfortable, he made sure to move slowly. Something in him demanded to move slowly, something instinctive, or at least that was how he was rationalizing it to himself.

// Xiuying //​

 

[Xiuying]

Xiuying hesitated, because he didn't answer at first. She was nervous and lingered, unsure if she should take another step forward or remain where she stood. Her guest had been wearing armor. He had been wounded and come from some sort of fight. How was she to know if he was the victim or the assailant? There wasn't until he proved his character.

She was going to keep approaching, but he finally responded. In the language of Alliria and westward. No wonder he had hesitated. He didn't sound aggressive, but... confused. She smiled.

"I speak Common," she assured him, but her accent was thick. "You are a long way from home. Please, sit down. You are not well. You should not be standing."

Feeling more confident, Xiuying came to the doorway. She raised her hand and felt for the jamb. The interior of her home was the most familiar in her mind. She navigated it without faltering as she came in and went to the kitchen to ladle out a cup of water from the pail.

"Are you thirsty? You were dehydrated when you got here. You've been asleep for two days."

Coming closer to the bed, she smiled again and held her hand out to make sure she didn't bump into him. Xiuying sat on the stool and held up the cup for him. She waited patiently for him to take it.

"I've treated your wounds. How do they feel?" She held up her hands. "May I?"

// Trahaearn //​

 

[Trahaearn]

He nodded at their use of common, thankful he wouldn't have to try to speak with someone that couldn't understand him when he was at a loss for who he was.

They entered finally, tenatively though and he blinked. Uncertain at first at the hesitation before remembering that he had been wounded and likely in a fight. One that it felt like he has sorely lost given how he had felt. He sat back down towards the wall on the bed, giving them room to move.

He watched in silence, unsure of his own voice in that brief span of speaking as they moved around. Finding out he had been asleep for two days made his brow furrow in thought. Two days? It had felt like a few hours at most from when he closed his eyes and awoke in this...bed? "Water would be, appreciated." He spoke abruptly, his throat suddenly dry at the mention of water.

He examined the room as they moved through it. They were comfortable in this space, but the small groping gesture when they drew near made him curious before they held out the cup in the middle of the space between them. As if they couldn't...

His thoughts trailed off as he got a closer look at them. Their eyes did not search for him, did not move as they turned to listen. His own hand closed around the cup, holding it a moment before gently removing it from its place.

"They feel-" He stammered, realizing that while the cuts ached still, they weren't bleeding or singing with pain like he remembered, save for the ones on his hip that had begun to protest even slight movement. Likely torn open by his sudden jerking motion upon waking. "-Fine actually. And you may look."

The words felt odd as he again looked at their face, watching the unseeing eyes as he sipped from the water. Did they live alone? Surely someone else was here, aside from himself he thought in silence. The plink of water in a pan off to the side drew his gaze away from the other person. The slow drip of water from the ceiling a somewhat telling sign that maybe it was just them.

"You aren't alone out here, are you?" He asked quietly. Not entirely sure why he felt the need to ask, but feeling uneasy about not doing so. Another thought struck him as he added to the question. "Where is here if you don't mind my asking."

// Xiuying //​

 

[Xiuying]

Her guest was quiet but he still sounded confused, like every word that came out of his mouth was somehow a surprise. It was curious. When he finally took the cup from her, she had a better idea of which end of the bed he was at, and one of her pale hands gently reached for him. The back of her fingers touched his right knee and she smirked. He had found his clothes.

Finding his stomach, she touched his hip with a feather-light touch. It was warm, no doubt irritated. He had dressed and gotten up, and the bending at the middle would have strained it. She couldn't tell if it was bleeding by touch, so she drew a low, subtle breath. It was faint, but he was bleeding somewhere.

Xiuying blinked and turned her face toward him. "Alone? Oh, ah... Yes." She began to carefully lift the hem of his shirt to lay her hand over the cuts on his ribs. It was fine, at least. That had been the worst of them.

"My mother once lived here with me, but I am alone now. I have neighbors in the forest, however. And I do not mind being alone."

She sat back and replaced his shirt. "Mudan mountain, near a village called Liuye. I think you would call my home... uh, Waian? Weian?" She couldn't quite remember what it was called in the west, but she thought she was close. "You must have traveled a long way to get here. You and your horse were very tired. I am glad you have recovered. I was not sure the first night."

Her smile was somewhat strained, but she held her hands up. "Please allow me take your water? I need to check your hip. I am sorry you had to wake up alone. This must all be very confusing."

// Trahaearn //​

 

[Trahaearn]

The touch was a surprise at first, his eyes darting to the hand before looking back to her face. She lifted his shirt, and he didn't resist the movement but his attention was sharpened as she felt his ribs. They were tender, feeling the muscles there tense and pull on his sides as his arms went up. He would have to be more careful he noted to himself, certain he hadn't done himself any favors by moving earlier.

She affirmed that she was alone, having outlived her mother it seemed. She mentioned something about having neighbors in the forest which confused him for a brief second. He dropped the follow up question however, figuring the woman meant she had some people living somewhere nearby.

She told him of the the place they were in, and it did not ring a bell for him. She apparently had a better idea of where he was from, guessing by her comment of how he would say the name of her home. Only reinforced by what she said afterward of having to travel some way to get here.

"Was I that bad off?" He quietly asked, unsure of this turn of events. He knew he had been hurt, could tell that he had been in bad shape by what he remembered, but he didn't think it had been that bad. She held her hands up, and asked to take his water. Taking a last sip, he handed it back to her before pausing a moment.

His mind said to not strip down, it wasn't proper. The reasonable portion of his brain however spoke up and cleared his thoughts for a moment. She has already seen you naked man, you woke up without clothes. He shivered at the memory of how cold the air was however, sucking in a breath as he resigned himself to the task.

"That is alright. No more confusing than, well-" He spoke, wondering if he was going to sound as crazy as it felt to say. It had to come out eventually, and it was likely to be better early than much later. "I uh, don't actually remember, anything."

// Xiuying //​

 

[Xiuying]

She took the cup and touched the table before setting it down, assuring that there was nothing there to potentially spill it. He was silent, however, and she smirked.

"I have cared for you these last two days," she said quietly. "But if it reassures you, I am blind. You need not worry about being improper." Her cheeks were a soft pink, in spite of her words. She was a practiced healer and he was not the first she had helped, but he was the first she had rescued in this way. Caring for him had been necessary albeit awkward.

She waited until she heard him set aside a garment before she raised her hand to show him she was going to touch him. She was professional about it, though she tipped her head as she thought.

Xiuying sat up in surprise, however, when he clarified that he didn't remember anything. "Nothing at all?" She withdrew her hands from his hip and held them up again. She blindly found his shoulder, the touch if her finger hardly touching at all before it shifted up to his neck, then his cheek. The second hand followed and she sat forward to gently touch his temple.

"You had hit your head -- or was struck, I am not sure." Xiuying was frowning, her clouded eyes moving around as if they searched for something that couldn't be seen. "It was such a small cut. It healed so easily..."

Looking somewhat upset, she returned to his hip. Her hands, as she began to pull aside the loose bindings, were deliberate and careful. For not being able to see him, she was incredibly conscious of where his body was.

His hip was, indeed, rather irritated. He had pulled it getting up and she smelled blood as she pulled back the cloth bandaging. Rather than touching his cuts, she touched the cloth to gauge how much he was bleeding. Not bad, then.

"Please rest," she told him. Carrying the bloodied bandages to a large basin on the table, she poured water from the pail into another bowl, then removed a kettle from by the fire. With her fingers in the cold water, she added the hot until it was a decent temperature and replaced the kettle. Her hands moved around in familiarity as she picked up replacement cloths and returned to place the bowl on the stool. She flitted over to a shelf and, without looking, grabbed a small stone crock and returned to kneel beside him. She pulled the comforter up from his feet and held it for him.

"Here. It is chilly. You can cover up some, but not your hip."

Xiuying wetted a cloth in the water and wrung it out. She laid a delicate hand on his hip as a guide and began to clean the cuts.

"So you do not remember anything at all about how you got here?"

// Trahaearn //​

 

[Trahaearn]

Her quiet affirmation of having cared for him while he was nude made him snort. Somehow he didn't feel quite so mortified by the idea, even if she were blind. The cavernous scars that made a false patchwork pattern on his skin told him a possible reason for that boldness he felt. She raised her hand slowly, drawing his attention before she could surprise him.

The epiphany of his lack of memory however had her drawing short before her hand found his shoulder and slowly eased its way up the side of his head. The second joined the first, and the pair seemed to meet at the same point on his temple. She spoke of a small cut, and he couldn't recall anything other than being so disoriented that he couldn't make heads or tails of anything.

"Typically the small things that affect us the most." He spoke quietly, the truth of those words seeming to resonate from deep within him. It struck him as odd that the words seemed so meaningful and yet had no base to come from as she moved back to his hips.

The flash of nerves where there and gone when he realized she was after the bandaging there. He undressed enough to let her work moving back to the bed as she moved with ease around her home. How long had it taken her to become accustomed to the home she called her own? How long had she been alone? All questions that were held back as she brought a kettle over and gave him a blanket.

"Appreciate it." he said quietly to receiving thr blanket, making sure to not cover what she was working on. Scars seemed prolific all over him as he silently watched her before answering her question.

"No. Nor anything before. I would tell you my name if I could but-" he drew short realizing how severely at a loss he was. "I can't even tell you that."

// Xiuying //​

 

[Xiuying]

Xiuying might have been blind, but she had lived a decent life in spite of that. Of course, there were the occasional struggles and challenges that her condition facilitated or often exacerbated. But she felt happy, and she thought she was still fortunate in many ways.

But he didn't even know his name. He had no memories before she had found him. It was no wonder he had been so confused. Xiuying almost felt guilty for not knowing, but how could she have? Then again, was it a result of the fever he'd had when she had found him, or from the injury to his head?

Or was it something else? Something about his injuries had made her preternaturally uncomfortable -- like her senses were trying to warn her about something she had no other means to detect.

"I am sorry," she said quietly. His name, even. Xiuying would never see, but she would always have the memories of her mother holding her as a child. She could keep the feeling of being rocked to sleep, of being spun around in play, of being loved.

She cleaned his hip, growing quiet. She carefully reapplied some of the green salve from the little jar, then placed new cloths on his cut. As she readjusted the bindings, she finally smiled again.

"My name is Xiuying," she told him. She giggled quietly, hiding her smile behind her wrist when he had trouble saying it. "Xiu...ying," she repeated more slowly for him.

She had finished her task and she stood to bow to him. When she straightened, she gestured toward what she assumed was his hip.

"You should continue to rest, but if you must get up I will ask that you are mindful of your injuries. You are, of course, welcome to stay here. You should be well enough to ride in a few days. Perhaps your memory will return in time." Xiuying smiled. She picked up the basin of water and carried it to the kitchen. Without error, she began gathering the old bandaging into it.

"I am doing laundry. Do you need anything before I step outside?" She walked around the table and paused beside the bed. "I have bread and some broth, if you are hungry. And it is a sunny day. I can bring a chair out for you to enjoy the sunshine, if you would like?"

Her smile was bright and she waited patiently. She hadn't had a guest in a long time, and she was a generous hostess. Her patient would be able to leave by the week's end, when his injuries would be strong enough for riding. Xiuying had every intention of being a good hostess for the duration.

// Trahaearn //​

 

[Trahaearn]

He shrugged to her apology, realizing afterwords that she could not see his physical reaction to her words. "No need to apologize for me. If these scars are anything to go by, I have certainly had a full life." He halfheartedly joked. Honestly, the thought of how he got all of the scars scared him more than forgetting.

She worked quietly, just as he was while he watched. A salve was applied, the same as what had gone on before he assumed as she smiled and spoke. Her name, a pretty one at that. The corner of his mouth twitched as he tried to say it once and failed, receiving a small giggle from her as she enunciated it for him, slower this time.

"Shi- ying." His lips struggled to make the proper sound once more, far closer this time than the last. She stood, giving a bow and waving towards his lower half, instructing him to be more careful this time around if he felt the urge to move. He had to force back a smile, again realizing that she couldn't exactly see his reaction to her words as he inhaled and mentally chastised himself.

"We'll have to see on all of those things. Riding with wounds again doesn't sound like fun. As for my memory-" He shrugged, pausing for a tangible moment to remind himself before finishing his statement. "We can hope."

"I don't-" His stomach growled, angrily. Having nearly made a liar out of himself for ignoring the mounting hunger, he chuckled a little. "Alright, so I may be hungry for that bread and broth, outside with you if it isn't a bother." He half asked, trying to keep his tone from the desperate want to not be alone once more.

It wasn't a fear of being alone that made him anxious, but rather he would miss something and never know. He wanted to watch her work, wanted to see the outside, taste the air and feel the environment. Being cooped up inside didn't seem all that appealing to him.

// Xiuying //​

 

[Xiuying]

She nodded and smiled at his request. She set her bowl down on the table momentarily and picked up the chair to carry it outside. She did, for the first time, bump into something, the legs of the chair tapping against the frame as she carried it out. A small adjustment was all the acknowledgement she gave it, and continued to carry it outside. Xiuying raised her hand and her face to feel the sunshine, and set the chair down for him in a spot she thought would be nice.

"I am not sure if that is a very sunny spot, but I can move to a better spot if you will direct me." She waited for his satisfaction and offered to help him stand. Her hands were steady and she was, in spite of her small size, stronger than she appeared. Helping him rise and then making sure he was settled in the chair, she flitted inside with quick, light steps.

Xiuying gave him a bowl with broth, a bun the size of his fist, and a wooden spoon. Feeling the breeze, she removed her yellow jacket and set it on his lap, not taking no for an answer.

She was industrious. She washed the bandaging, the hot water from the kettle steaming in the cool mountain air. The sun was warm, but there was, occassionally, a slight breeze. It was chilly, but she was hardy; fae didn't chill or overheat easily. She finished hanging the towels, strips of cloth bandaging, and what appeared to be a skirt and blouse.

A trio of chickens clucked and pecked in the small patch of yard and through the small garden. One hopped on top of a gourd and spotted the man in the chair and made an eager noise before she trotted over to look up at him. She pecked at his leg, obviously demanding an offering of his bun.

Xiuying had just finished pinning the blouse, and turned at the sound of the hen. "Bao!" she scolded, turning away from the line to clap her hands and chase away the hen (and the other two who had come over to investigate as well). "I'll turn you into the next pot of stew if you don't mind your manners." They seemed to recognized she was serious in the use of her usual language.

Cheeks flushed pink with exasperation, she returned to the man's side. "Please forgive them, we do not have guests often and they are very nosy. Are you finished eating? If you would like, you can sit out here for a bit longer." She closed her unseeing eyes an lifted her face skyward. "The sun feels really nice today."

// Trahaearn //​

 

[Trahaearn]

She carried the chair outside, and he gently scooted his way off of the bed. Saying nothing as she bumped into the frame of the door remembering that she could not see her path as he could. His legs were off the bed, and he had pulled his trousers up when she had finished but now he got them the last little bit without having to lift his hips or back. He had already been told to be careful about twisting and standing, and decided that waiting for further assistance was a wise idea.

When she came back in, he took the offered hand at first unsure if she would be able to help a person so much larger than herself. To his pleased surprise, she was well able to handle herself as she helped him amble outside before settling him in the chair.

"This spot should do just fine." He affirmed, as she brought out broth and bread to him, having not noticed her flit back inside so quickly. A slight breeze graced them, and he found himself suddenly adorned in the yellow jacket she had been wearing, to which his protests against fell on deaf ears.

He ate slowly, enjoying the sun, the company, and the outdoors. He had nearly finished off the bread when he heard the small, thing, come at him after making a curious noise. Fear didn't take hold, but nerves did as it pecked his leg and he waved the bread about. It followed his hand before he tore a piece off and tossed it away from his leg.

The other two of the things had come over as Xiuying came over and scattered the trio. She was speaking in her language, but he had caught the word Bao somewhere in there. She addressed him next, also enjoying the feel of the sun. He gave a nod, not stopping what felt like a natural response.

"It does feel good, and yes, I am finished eating. It was good and appreciated. So long as you are outside, I will also stay outside." He told her, feeling the warmth of the bright light sink into his bones. "So, do they have a name?"

 

[Xiuying]

Xiuying nodded and smiled brightly. "I will work in the garden, then." There was always something to do in the garden. She had melons and squash growing, and as fall was coming to a chilly end she was beginning to harvest them.

But she looked a little guilty when he asked after the hens' names.

"The chickens?" Xiuying laughed awkwardly. "Ah, well... I cannot tell them apart. I call them all Bao. I do not think they know the difference. It... it means dumpling."

Her cheeks were a soft pink of embarrassment as she looked around. Rather, as she listened around to be sure they weren't underfoot as she stepped closer and held out her hand for the bowl.

"Let me take that and you can enjoy the sun. I will not be far."

Xiuying made herself busy. No doubt, it was an interesting sight for the stranger if he cared to watch. She knelt in the garden, the mud soiling her dark green skirts. It was dark as pitch against the white of her skin. She reached into the vines for zucchini, feeling the size before she snapped them free and placed them in a large basket. She repeated much the same process for the squash. The melons she bent and smelled. Her hands roamed around plucking a few late blooms as well.

By the time she was finished, the end of her white hair was clumped and her hands were earth-darkened. She carried the basket to the man's side and unceremoniously dumped out its contents. She didn't quite yet sit still, going inside for the pail of water, a basin, a towel, and a stiff brush.

"Are you still comfortable?" she asked as she sat down. Xiuying had pushed the fine stray hairs out of her face, streaking her forehead with mud. She smiled, oblivious as she began to wash the muddy produce. The clean ones were set back into the basket after being rubbed dry with the towel.

// Trahaearn //​

 

[Trahaearn]

Working in the garden sounded like a fine task for someone that could see. It sounded like a daunting task in his very short experience with Xiuying as someone that was blind. Then again how long had she been doing this already? If the woman knew what she was doing, who was he to say what she could or could not do?

Her awkward laugh caught his attention as she informed him of the name she had given them. He blinked when she told him the meaning of the name, giving the trio a glance before looking back to her and biting back a small laugh of his own.

"A...functional name I suppose. And, chickens, is what they are." He nearly commented on different names when he once more reminded himself of her inability to distinguish by sight the chickens. Not that it would be a readily done task since they all resembled one another anyway.

He handed her the bowl when she offered to take it and sat with a contented sigh. When she began working, his gaze wandered over to where she was and watched in silent wonder. It was, peaceful, and odd feeling for him it seemed as he continued to watch her through the garden.

She stood, moved about and cleaned what she had gathered before coming and asking about his comfort. His eyes stayed in place at the streak across her features for a moment, and pondered.

"Do you have a wetted towel I can use?" He ignored the question of comfort for the moment, in lieu of his own request, he smiled, knowing full well she couldn't see his intent gaze or the smirking look he had.

// Xiuying //​

 

[Xiuying]

He asked for a wet cloth instead of answering her, and Xiuying's brows pulled together in some confusion. She paused with washing one of the zucchinis.

"Yes. Is something the matter?" Her hand reached for the towel she was drying with. She dipped one corner into the water, wrung it out, and rose up on her knees. She pulled up her skirt and shuffled closer to him, holding out the towel for him. "Does this work?"

// Trahaearn //​

 

[Trahaearn]

He watched her brow furrow and he couldn't contain the smile that formed once more. He couldn't simply shake his head though and had to vocalize. "Nothing is the matter no." At least with him anyway. He was not about to let the dark streak across her forehead go though.

"Yes this should do, but come closer please." He asked, the laughter not out of his tone as he accepted the towel with his free hand. Shifting in his chair, he was set upon the edge and waiting for her to come closer as his other hand kept him steady on the chair until then.

She complied, though slowly and with hesitation as his hands though gentle with intent were still rough to the touch. Even unseeing eyes could flinch as his fingers curled beneath her chin and the towel was scrubbed across the skin where the mud was.

"You have a streak across your forehead of mud." He informed her, and once finished he would hold the towel out for her to take. Something in him nagged at her flinching, but he couldn't say what or even guess as to why. He let it be for now, only time would tell when he would begin to remember and be able to put names to feelings.

// Xiuying //​

 

[Xiuying]

His request was an odd one. Xiuying smiled nervously in an attempt to mask her nervousness. She didn't ask why, but complied. Shuffling a little closer, she sat back on her heels with her hands in her lap.

"Here?" she asked softly. The first touch of his hand startled her. Jumping, she leaned away, then steeled herself. He touched her again and she managed to hold still, but he touched her face. She made a small, uncertain noise and frowned, but remained sitting still.

It all felt a bit stupid when he informed her she had mud on her face and began wiping it away from her brow. Her cheeks were pink -- a common state in his company, it would seem. Xiuying attempted to laugh it off.

"You might have said as much."

The moment he let loose of her chin and handed her the towel, the girl scurried back to her work. She quickly finished washing the produce and took the water to the fence and dumped it out. Returning, she hoisted the basket and smiled toward her guest.

"Are you ready to go inside? I think I have exhausted my day's work our here. I need to go to the creek to bathe, but you can stay here for a little while longer." She gestured down toward the creek, waiting for his reply.

He chose to go in so she carried the basket to the kit hen table then came back for him. Settling him in the bed again, she made sure he had water on the bedside table before she left.

// Trahaearn //​

 

[Trahaearn]

She complied but seemed all too eager to be away from him when he had finished his task. He smiled but snorted a laugh at her words. "Oh yes, and left my kind host in a deplorable state while I am able to help."

He admitted to himself at least the pale pink of a flush was cute on her as she finished her work and dumped the water by the fence. She gave him a smile before asking if he wanted to go back inside, and at first he was insistent on staying where he was.

At least until she made a gesture towards where she would be bathing. The creek, and had it been anymore covered by the brush that was between it he might have enjoyed his seat and listened to her. The creek however, was not far enough away for healthy eyes to miss anything.

Especially when there was only enough of what he assumed were trees in the way to make more noise than cover for whoever was bathing. It wasn't a blush that crossed his features, but thinking on being rude to the woman that had been kind to him didn't sit well on his conscious.

"I think I'll head inside, for a nap. Getting a bit tired." He muttered, now avoiding looking at the creek. She wasn't even in the water yet, but the simple thought of her bathing so close was enough to bother him. She settled the basket inside and came back for him, settling him in the bed once more as he watched her fetch water for him.

"Appreciate the water, now go get cleaned up quick. It's cold outside. You should eat something when you get back, keep you energy up." He huffed, still keeping his mind from wondering at the possible sight.

// Xiuying //​

 

[Xiuying]

Xiuying grinned brightly and nodded. "Yes," she replied in her native human tongue. "Rest well. I will come back soon."

Picking up another basket (one of nearly a dozen of different sizes), she filled it with clean clothes, a comb, and a bar of soap. Waving, she frolicked out of the cabin along the familiar path to the creek. She heard the rustle of the bamboo leaves and the tall evergreens beyond. She tipped her nose and drew a long breath of the wind. It was going to rain again. She sighed.

She bathed and washed her clothes at the same time. It took a while because she cleaned everything thoroughly, unsure what was dirtier than the rest. Her hair, she knew, certainly needed it.

When she came back, her clothes were much brighter. She had her bright yellow jacket on, but her blouse was a soft blush pink and and her skirts a rich teal. The sash that tied them was a deep indigo with cherry blossoms and fuzzy honey bees flitting between them. She had stitched little lines on the inside hems of her garments to be able to tell what colors they were, a coded only she understood, and her mother and a friend had helped her learn what colors worked better together.

Xiuying just liked the feeling of the embroidery, the lively textures and shapes. The color consciousness was more so that she didn't embarrass herself in town.

She hung up her drying clothes and came back in quietly, her bare feet absolutely silent and her long ears perked to listen for his breathing. Putting the soap and basket back in their places, she grabbed a few pieces of fruit and a bun and crept to the chair at the table to eat in silence.

// Trahaearn //​

 

[Trahaearn]

He assumed she had replied with a yes, just in her own native language. She told him to rest, and reassured him that she would not be long. He gave her an affirming grunt as he settled onto the bed. Some time had passed, and while he couldn't tell what she had done, her clothes were certainly cleaner as was her hair.

The colors went together well for the outfit that she had put together somehow. A question he would have to ask another time, as he lay against the wall and watched her silently. She moved about quite easily, and it was pleasing to watch her move.

He kept his breathing even and flat, something his body knew how to do without him telling it how or even knowing why he could do it. She ate quietly, fruit and a bun at the table that was almost outside of his peripheral.

// Xiuying //​

 

[Xiuying]

Unaware that she was being observed, she ate her meal in absolute quiet. Her hands worked delicately, wielding the small paring knife with evident practice. She cut open the three little loquats to pit them, laying them in a polite row on her plate. Her eyes were shielded by her white lashes and she carefully tucked her drying hair behind her long ears.

She ate slowly, making the meal last. While Xiuying didn't require much, her guest was a tall, broad man. He would be regaining his strength, so she saved the chicken for him.

While she ate, she contemplated gathering some sage and finding some more berries for a sweet porridge. Did she have butter? She had some cane sugar she kept for various purposes. She could ask the neighbors to make her some butter. And she would have to buy more rice.

A trip to the village tomorrow, then. Did she have something to trade for it? She needed her garden produce for her winter stores. Perhaps, then, she could talk to the horse in the nearby lake about digging up lotus plants. He would want fruit, though, so she would have to gather more loquats. Xiuying sighed to herself. So loquats, berries, and lotus tomorrow. Village the day after.

// Trahaearn //​

 

[Trahaearn]

She did little to entice his curiosity further, and it was very near though not literally killing him to remain silent as she ate. Was it for him that she did not eat of the broth? Or was that a choice of her own habit? What was she thinking about?

"Something on your mind?" He blurted, not quite realizing at first what he had done. His own voice seemed to startle him from his wandering thoughts and made him conscious of just how quiet it had been only moments before he had broken the silence.

If he had stayed silent she might have been able to enjoy her meal, or at the least been able to finish her last few tasks in peace without worrying about him.