68 Ash, Year 123
[Closed - Solo]
Having finished her shopping, Lia was enjoying a cup of tea in the cozy herbalism shop while Hilana finished her work day. She had an embroidery hoop in her bag and plenty of floss, but for the moment, she was enjoying tea and watching Tiaz where he was on his branch. It didn't remotely surprise her that Vasilei had no problem with Hilana's snakes; it was wholly a Solunarian attitude of respect towards the cold-blooded creatures. And all the time she had spent with the snakes over the last few seasons made her somewhat less wary. The venomous ones she kept a wide berth from, no matter what reassurances came her way from Finn and Hilana about how calm they were and it was fine.
Lia would never trust them, and Hilana did not push it. She had gotten used to the cats, even if they did like to shed on the fabric that Lia was working on. That was more than enough.
Hilana was taking an inventory, making notes of supplies and ingredients, working her way down Vasilei's list. It was important to keep track of what they had on hand, what they needed, and keep their stocks and stores up. One never knew when someone was going to want something in large quantities, and in a place like this, it happened more often than someone might think. She was up on her ladder, sorting through the large glass jars when she heard the tinkle of the bell that was over the door. "Salve, Domina," she greeted the Sunborn Re'hyaean, coming down from the ladder and bowing. "How many I assist you?" She didn't look very old, but she did look stressed and strained, and she was carrying a bundle in her arms, a quiet, unmoving bundle. Judging by the wraps, it was an infant.
Well, faex.
"I need Hilana. My serva said she has been here before and that she could help. My son is very weak, he does not feel right," Domina managed as the sunborn came forward towards the women, closing the gap. Hilana stood by the table where Lia, who had also risen in the presence of one of Populus Ex Re'ha and offered a curtsy of her own before returning to her seat and making herself quiet and part of it. It would be best to stay out of the way here: this wasn't something she could likely help with.
"I am Hilana, Domina, and I will do everything I can. May I?" she extended her hands for the child, and trembling ones placed the babe within. "Would you like to sit?" she indicated one of the seats by Athalia. "May I ask your name and your son's name?" the Elvish woman nodded, sinking down into one of the chairs, her limbs folding like a doe's. Lia silently poured her a cup of tea from the pot that Hilana had had steeping for them while her soror had a look at the boy.
"My name is Aurelia Val'Gennias. My son is Aetius," she nodded to Lia in acknowledgement and perhaps some thanks, elegant fingers wrapping around the cup. She did not raise it to drink, simply embracing the heat of the liquid and letting it warm her hands. Perhaps it was just to give her something else to focus on, perhaps it was the painful heat that might distract from her clear worry about her baby. Green eyes watched as Hilana laid her fingers on the lethargic boy's head, checking his temperature.
"He's rather hot," Hilana knew that this was high-grade fever territory as she checked his neck and chest as well within the wraps. "When did you first realize something was wrong, Domina?"
"Yesterday. My mother said he would sweat it out," Aurelia watched the Vastiana as she gathered an oval basin to lay the infant in where he would be supported, and began to unswaddle the little elfling, peeling off layer after layer. He was far too hot, and the colourful young woman made soft crooning sounds, though Aetius was too sick to even attempt a complaint. That was not a good sign.
"It is a fine balance," Hilana was gentle in her words and movements. "But in general, trying to sweat out fevers is an old wife's tale. Sweating more causes dehydration, which doesn't help the symptoms he is experiencing. Has he eaten today?"
"Very little this morning. He had trouble latching, and when he wouldn't swallow, I knew he needed help," the sunborn shook her head, setting the tea down without drinking it, wringing her hands. "He will be alright, won't he?" She was a first-time mother, and he was the apple of her eye. She was also nervous about how this would reflect on her - Founders forbid that her child was sickly or became stunted because of it.
"He will," Hilana was quietly confident in that. If the patient was reassured, or in this case, his mother, the symptoms could be managed. "Can you just watch his head, Domina? I'm going to fill the basin, and we'll give him a bath. Sponge him down with some herbs and oils. We need to reduce his temperature in a safe manner so that it doesn't shock him or cause any further stress to his system." Aurelia had a more nervous sort of energy to her, and involving her could distract her from it... or so Hilana hoped. Manage the patient, manage the symptoms.
The elf was happy to leave her seat, reaching across the table to touch the still, quiet infant's head. Hilana filled a pitch with water once it was at the temperature she desired - warm, but not hot, as too hot would scald and too cold would chill. A fine balance. She returned to the basin, and began to pour the water down the sides slowly. "Why herbs and oils in the water? And not drinking?" Aurelia wanted to know, so that she could put the information away for later. She was entirely new to this, spoiled and coddled, but with a house of her own and some servii who were not quite so experienced and educated to keep the place and all of its inhabitants going smoothly.
"Babies have small tummies, right? So what they can hold is better reserved for milk. They need nutrients, and herbs and oils cannot replace you," Hilana offered with a small smile, finishing up with the water and setting the pitcher aside. She took a soft cloth from the cupboard and handed it to the Re'hyaean... who took it with uncertainty on her elegant features. She'd never bathed her own son before; that was what the slaves were there for. Hilana took the cloth back, dipping it in the water before squeezing out some of the excess. "Just dab gently," she encouraged her. "Watch his nose and mouth, but do try to get some on his chest and forehead. I am going to grab the herbs." Lia and the noblewoman could wash the baby, but neither of them could identify and grab the right plants that Hilana needed for treating him.
Aurelia was not used to a Vastian giving her directions, but she did as she was bid. Hilana was off and hurrying with a flash of skirts, bundles of desert sage, yarrow, and echinacea were pulled down as she moved with her usual urgency. Lia had started showing and encouraging the young mother how to sponge her son off, and once she got the hang of it, the older sister backed off. The sunborn wanted to help her son - she clearly felt bad about his current state, and responsible for it. Fabric was moved by air and shadows as her light steps brought her back to the table with a drawstring pouch made of cheesecloth. The plant leaves and flowers were placed within the pouch and the string tightened, only to be submerged into the water by him to let it infuse. "There we go," she touched the baby's head, checking his temperature. "That is an improvement. You're doing great," she reassured her.
With the baby's mother sponging the boy down, Hilana took up a small cotton cloth and soaked it in the water before wringing it out and laying it on his forehead. "Do you want me to take that over now?" she offered, and when Aurelia hesitated, Hilana nodded and left it alone. "So what I am going to do now is prepare some sachets that you can take home and soak, then lay them on his chest or half an hour at a time. I have some ointment for you that can go on his chest after the sachet is done, or you can put it on the soles of his feet. Either is fine. You will want to keep him in light clothing for the next little while to be safe, too. I would expect that in a few hours, he should be a little more willing to eat. So when he is showing a little more energy, please give that a try."
Aurelia was busy with the cloth, but she was listening, nodding, as Hilana went about selecting some different herbs to build the blend for the little one. "Babies can't really tell us everything.... well, maybe Mesmers... but for those of us without that Rune, we have to do the best we can and rely on what they can show us and what we can puzzle out," she added. "Once we get this fever to break, it will be much smoother from there and things will get better."
"Gratias, Hilana. I won't forget this," the elf nodded and Hilana gave a small bow as she set a number of jars on the next table, grabbing the scale and a metal mixing bowl.
"I am happy to help. That's what I am here for," she smiled at her, weighing out chapparal, crushed ocotillo and osha roots, sage leaves, and echinacea flowers. They had their own ratios, and they went into cloth packs that could be soaked. If the baby was older, she might have made them as a poultice or plaster, but little ones didn't always know to leave that alone and it just made a god-awful mess without being quite as useful as it could have been.
With the water starting to cool, Hilana took up a towel and positioned it in Aurelia's arms, before she carefully lifted the little one out of the basin and deposited him in the towel, helping her to dry to him and picking the lightest of the blankets he had been in, letting the sunborn hold him once more, guiding her back to her chair.The cold cloth would stay, refreshed time and again with the water from the basin, and inventory was forgotten for the moment while the little one took their attention. Apparently, Aurelia was not going anywhere just yet until the little one's fever broke and he was willing to drink. Hilana couldn't entirely blame her, and she made sure that the woman was comfortable and was able to have some of her tea, and even prompted her to have a biscuit.
It would be some hours, while other clients came in and out, before the baby let out a scream and moved in his blanket, his eyes opening. The cloth was removed, and at Hilana's urging and some Manifested shadow to help give her some privacy, the young mother was able to silence her offspring with a drink, the expression of relief on her face as clear as day. When he was done, there would be another cloth for burping, and his temperature checked again before Aurelia would take her baby home, leaving the excess wrapping there. A slave would be back for it and to settle the bill, and the sisters saw her on her way.
A fine balance, in all things.
[Closed - Solo]
Having finished her shopping, Lia was enjoying a cup of tea in the cozy herbalism shop while Hilana finished her work day. She had an embroidery hoop in her bag and plenty of floss, but for the moment, she was enjoying tea and watching Tiaz where he was on his branch. It didn't remotely surprise her that Vasilei had no problem with Hilana's snakes; it was wholly a Solunarian attitude of respect towards the cold-blooded creatures. And all the time she had spent with the snakes over the last few seasons made her somewhat less wary. The venomous ones she kept a wide berth from, no matter what reassurances came her way from Finn and Hilana about how calm they were and it was fine.
Lia would never trust them, and Hilana did not push it. She had gotten used to the cats, even if they did like to shed on the fabric that Lia was working on. That was more than enough.
Hilana was taking an inventory, making notes of supplies and ingredients, working her way down Vasilei's list. It was important to keep track of what they had on hand, what they needed, and keep their stocks and stores up. One never knew when someone was going to want something in large quantities, and in a place like this, it happened more often than someone might think. She was up on her ladder, sorting through the large glass jars when she heard the tinkle of the bell that was over the door. "Salve, Domina," she greeted the Sunborn Re'hyaean, coming down from the ladder and bowing. "How many I assist you?" She didn't look very old, but she did look stressed and strained, and she was carrying a bundle in her arms, a quiet, unmoving bundle. Judging by the wraps, it was an infant.
Well, faex.
"I need Hilana. My serva said she has been here before and that she could help. My son is very weak, he does not feel right," Domina managed as the sunborn came forward towards the women, closing the gap. Hilana stood by the table where Lia, who had also risen in the presence of one of Populus Ex Re'ha and offered a curtsy of her own before returning to her seat and making herself quiet and part of it. It would be best to stay out of the way here: this wasn't something she could likely help with.
"I am Hilana, Domina, and I will do everything I can. May I?" she extended her hands for the child, and trembling ones placed the babe within. "Would you like to sit?" she indicated one of the seats by Athalia. "May I ask your name and your son's name?" the Elvish woman nodded, sinking down into one of the chairs, her limbs folding like a doe's. Lia silently poured her a cup of tea from the pot that Hilana had had steeping for them while her soror had a look at the boy.
"My name is Aurelia Val'Gennias. My son is Aetius," she nodded to Lia in acknowledgement and perhaps some thanks, elegant fingers wrapping around the cup. She did not raise it to drink, simply embracing the heat of the liquid and letting it warm her hands. Perhaps it was just to give her something else to focus on, perhaps it was the painful heat that might distract from her clear worry about her baby. Green eyes watched as Hilana laid her fingers on the lethargic boy's head, checking his temperature.
"He's rather hot," Hilana knew that this was high-grade fever territory as she checked his neck and chest as well within the wraps. "When did you first realize something was wrong, Domina?"
"Yesterday. My mother said he would sweat it out," Aurelia watched the Vastiana as she gathered an oval basin to lay the infant in where he would be supported, and began to unswaddle the little elfling, peeling off layer after layer. He was far too hot, and the colourful young woman made soft crooning sounds, though Aetius was too sick to even attempt a complaint. That was not a good sign.
"It is a fine balance," Hilana was gentle in her words and movements. "But in general, trying to sweat out fevers is an old wife's tale. Sweating more causes dehydration, which doesn't help the symptoms he is experiencing. Has he eaten today?"
"Very little this morning. He had trouble latching, and when he wouldn't swallow, I knew he needed help," the sunborn shook her head, setting the tea down without drinking it, wringing her hands. "He will be alright, won't he?" She was a first-time mother, and he was the apple of her eye. She was also nervous about how this would reflect on her - Founders forbid that her child was sickly or became stunted because of it.
"He will," Hilana was quietly confident in that. If the patient was reassured, or in this case, his mother, the symptoms could be managed. "Can you just watch his head, Domina? I'm going to fill the basin, and we'll give him a bath. Sponge him down with some herbs and oils. We need to reduce his temperature in a safe manner so that it doesn't shock him or cause any further stress to his system." Aurelia had a more nervous sort of energy to her, and involving her could distract her from it... or so Hilana hoped. Manage the patient, manage the symptoms.
The elf was happy to leave her seat, reaching across the table to touch the still, quiet infant's head. Hilana filled a pitch with water once it was at the temperature she desired - warm, but not hot, as too hot would scald and too cold would chill. A fine balance. She returned to the basin, and began to pour the water down the sides slowly. "Why herbs and oils in the water? And not drinking?" Aurelia wanted to know, so that she could put the information away for later. She was entirely new to this, spoiled and coddled, but with a house of her own and some servii who were not quite so experienced and educated to keep the place and all of its inhabitants going smoothly.
"Babies have small tummies, right? So what they can hold is better reserved for milk. They need nutrients, and herbs and oils cannot replace you," Hilana offered with a small smile, finishing up with the water and setting the pitcher aside. She took a soft cloth from the cupboard and handed it to the Re'hyaean... who took it with uncertainty on her elegant features. She'd never bathed her own son before; that was what the slaves were there for. Hilana took the cloth back, dipping it in the water before squeezing out some of the excess. "Just dab gently," she encouraged her. "Watch his nose and mouth, but do try to get some on his chest and forehead. I am going to grab the herbs." Lia and the noblewoman could wash the baby, but neither of them could identify and grab the right plants that Hilana needed for treating him.
Aurelia was not used to a Vastian giving her directions, but she did as she was bid. Hilana was off and hurrying with a flash of skirts, bundles of desert sage, yarrow, and echinacea were pulled down as she moved with her usual urgency. Lia had started showing and encouraging the young mother how to sponge her son off, and once she got the hang of it, the older sister backed off. The sunborn wanted to help her son - she clearly felt bad about his current state, and responsible for it. Fabric was moved by air and shadows as her light steps brought her back to the table with a drawstring pouch made of cheesecloth. The plant leaves and flowers were placed within the pouch and the string tightened, only to be submerged into the water by him to let it infuse. "There we go," she touched the baby's head, checking his temperature. "That is an improvement. You're doing great," she reassured her.
With the baby's mother sponging the boy down, Hilana took up a small cotton cloth and soaked it in the water before wringing it out and laying it on his forehead. "Do you want me to take that over now?" she offered, and when Aurelia hesitated, Hilana nodded and left it alone. "So what I am going to do now is prepare some sachets that you can take home and soak, then lay them on his chest or half an hour at a time. I have some ointment for you that can go on his chest after the sachet is done, or you can put it on the soles of his feet. Either is fine. You will want to keep him in light clothing for the next little while to be safe, too. I would expect that in a few hours, he should be a little more willing to eat. So when he is showing a little more energy, please give that a try."
Aurelia was busy with the cloth, but she was listening, nodding, as Hilana went about selecting some different herbs to build the blend for the little one. "Babies can't really tell us everything.... well, maybe Mesmers... but for those of us without that Rune, we have to do the best we can and rely on what they can show us and what we can puzzle out," she added. "Once we get this fever to break, it will be much smoother from there and things will get better."
"Gratias, Hilana. I won't forget this," the elf nodded and Hilana gave a small bow as she set a number of jars on the next table, grabbing the scale and a metal mixing bowl.
"I am happy to help. That's what I am here for," she smiled at her, weighing out chapparal, crushed ocotillo and osha roots, sage leaves, and echinacea flowers. They had their own ratios, and they went into cloth packs that could be soaked. If the baby was older, she might have made them as a poultice or plaster, but little ones didn't always know to leave that alone and it just made a god-awful mess without being quite as useful as it could have been.
With the water starting to cool, Hilana took up a towel and positioned it in Aurelia's arms, before she carefully lifted the little one out of the basin and deposited him in the towel, helping her to dry to him and picking the lightest of the blankets he had been in, letting the sunborn hold him once more, guiding her back to her chair.The cold cloth would stay, refreshed time and again with the water from the basin, and inventory was forgotten for the moment while the little one took their attention. Apparently, Aurelia was not going anywhere just yet until the little one's fever broke and he was willing to drink. Hilana couldn't entirely blame her, and she made sure that the woman was comfortable and was able to have some of her tea, and even prompted her to have a biscuit.
It would be some hours, while other clients came in and out, before the baby let out a scream and moved in his blanket, his eyes opening. The cloth was removed, and at Hilana's urging and some Manifested shadow to help give her some privacy, the young mother was able to silence her offspring with a drink, the expression of relief on her face as clear as day. When he was done, there would be another cloth for burping, and his temperature checked again before Aurelia would take her baby home, leaving the excess wrapping there. A slave would be back for it and to settle the bill, and the sisters saw her on her way.
A fine balance, in all things.
