06. Text

[baldrshand]

[A photo appears shortly before the post beneath.]




It seems that there is a lot of... strangeness happening to people. So far, I haven't noticed any drastic changes in my person or my thinking, but I think I'm one of the more fortunate ones. This seems like a good time to issue my customary greeting to all of the new "Chosen" of Aldrip.

Hello! My name is Ethlyn. (If you're not new, hello again!) If you find yourself ill or injured, I manage the Willow Clinic. It's not too far from the Inn, between the residential and commercial districts. You'll know it immediately from two things: the willow tree out front, and it being a farmhouse in the middle of a lot of four-and-five story apartment complexes made out of concrete and whatnot.

Since it's come up: I don't charge money for medical services (although if you would like to make a donation it's welcome!). I'm not interested in making injured people fish through their purses while they're trying not to bleed out.

As well as the Clinic, I lead the Arztenritter--we're a mounted brigade of healers. Anyone is welcome to join; if you don't know how to ride a horse or set a bone, we will happily teach you. Should you need emergency assistance, please send a message on the network, or message myself, Marianne, Toph, or Minato.

I've been here for over a year, and I've lived through the many disturbances and changes of this world, so if you have any questions, I would be happy to help...

I suppose that means I've grown another year older, hasn't it? Twenty-one.


[She's not going to add FUNNY GIVEN THAT I'M DEAD but she's sure thinking it.]

Comments

[baldrshand]

[That rhetorical question gives Ethlyn reason to pause and think before she answers.]

The latter, certainly. The men of Thracia are known for hiring themselves out as mercenaries--and they're feared throughout the continent for their skill and ferocity in battle. But from what I know... they are very devoted to their king. I've never heard that he was corrupt or self-serving.

[It's a strange thing to admit about the man who killed her. She doesn't owe Travant a hearing--certainly doesn't owe him any preservation of his reputation. But she doesn't want to slander him for one of the few things he isn't guilty of.]

You really ate lizards?

[firekiss]

Well, once or twice. Resources were scarce back home, and if you wanted to eat meat you needed to catch sky minks. And sky minks? They're FAST, and there's no way you'd catch one with your bare hands.

But they had shrieking lizards guard their nests. So what we did was catch the lizard, the lizard calls down the sky mink, and we caught the sky mink. That wasn't easy either, since the lizards spew out a potent venom and if you didn't take proper precautions you'd lost your life.

..........and when you catch enough lizards you get curious about what they taste like. So one day we caught one, I had someone cook it, I ate it, and it was TERRIBLE. Someone caught another one, cooked it a different way, and it still was TERRIBLE. Never again.

Don't worry! One thing led to another and I moved to somewhere WAY better than that.

[baldrshand]

[Sky minks. Ethlyn wonders how literal that is, because she really is just picturing ferret-like creatures with little wings streaking through the air.]

I'll have to keep that in mind next time I see a lizard. Although I've never seen any lizards--or snakes--here shriek or spit venom, so at least it would be less dangerous if you decided to try again. Although I wouldn't advise it.

[One thing lead to another? Ethlyn is very curious.]

I'm glad to hear that. What was the new place like?

[firekiss]

Believe me, I've got no desire to try again. At least, not unless I can get some people to like and subscribe - I might try it again for the clicks? But that's a different story.

New place: big, clean, great food AND great people. The Luofu's huge! The Xianzhou's bigger than Aldrip is, that's for sure.