| Logs |
2010 September 01
| Neverneverwhere |
| Realms |
Retired
| Reality Fault |
General Info
 |
| Realms: Taps Logs |
Healing Dreams
It's one of those weird, timeless stretches that doesn't feel like any time at all has passed, but when Suraksha wakes up she has one monster of a headache and her mouth tastes as if she's been licking sand. Sand that has been used as a litterbox by ducks. Sick ducks. Suraksha makes a noise that's part groan and part growl, absently putting a hand to her forehead and suddenly realizing it's a paw. That's when memory comes flooding back... rather like a herd of elephants trying to trample her head. She closes her eyes tightly, wincing, and groans. The next thing she becomes aware of is the fact that it's not just her head that's making things feel like they're moving. She's laying on a thick bed of hay in something that is definitely swaying along. She is also not alone.
Suraksha carefully sniffs to place the person. She doesn't want to open her eyes and feel like her eyeballs are being speared by the overly bright light. If the person smells calm she'll try croaking, "Wa'uh." She swallows, concentrating on calming her stomach too. So much swaying! Did they lay her over a camel?!
When she stirs, a strong, gentle hand reaches over and strokes her ruff and a voice murmurs, "Shh. Shhh. Don't try to stand up or anything." The voice is definitely feminine, "You're in a wagon. You're safe. For now."
Suraksha grumbles a bit -- why does she feel so shitty? -but doesn't try to get up. Instead she'll cautiously open her eyes, a little at a time to give them a chance to adjust to the light. She really wants a drink of water! She tries again, swallowing and then croaking a bit louder this time, "Wa'uh?" The scent says it's Joan in there with her. Odd... Joan was all glowery at her before. Why's she being nice now?
There's some shifting of movement and then there's a wooden bucket near her head that is definitely full of fresh, clean water. Joan chuckles very softly, "Yeah, blood loss and ether'll do that to ya."
Suraksha shifts very carefully, lifting herself up on an elbow enough that she can stick her head into the bucket. It smells wonderful, and tastes even better -- she eagerly sucks down several clean mouthfuls, then sighs in relief, licking the water droplets from her whiskers. Now she doesn't feel like immediately killing herself to stop the headache -- maybe just a small maiming? She grins ruefully and glances around herself to see where she is. She adds politely, as soon as she remembers her manners, "'Ang'oo."
Joan smirks a little bit and says, "Welcome. I think... you need to be all four-footed right now?"
Suraksha thinks about that, staring down at one dirty forepaw -- eew, yuck! She's all over blood still! She wrinkles her nose, then looks back at Joan, her rumble vaguely hopeful-sounding, "Rivuh? Baf?" She belatedly shrugs in confusion as a perplexed answer to the previous question... then she takes a cautious peek at her side. How bad is it?
The wagon is the sort that might be used to transport cattle without spooking them too much: slat-sided with perhaps two inches between four-inch-wide slats. A sturdy bottom, which has been covered thickly in fresh hay. Joan says, "We're not stoppin' again 'till nightfall. Bath'll have to wait until then." The gash on Suraksha's side looks like it could be quite bad, but it's been stitched up most competently. The scar won't be too bad.
Suraksha sighs in a mix of relief and regret, but simply nods once. She adds again, "'Ang'oo." She glances around for the door as well. She's pretty sure she can break out of here if really necessary, but she'd much rather not shatter anything that belongs to someone else... and whether the door is locked or not will give her valuable information on how the caravan sees her currently.
The door is latched, but there doesn't seem to be any sort of a lock on it. Joan is crouching on her hunkers in a corner, watching the tigress carefully. Her face is impassive, but not unkind. Suraksha looks back over at Joan, a little perplexed. She politely shifts a bit so her huge body isn't filling the entire wagon floor, so Joan isn't crowded, then studies the woman in silent interest. She seems... almost to be waiting for something...? Joan looks back for a long moment and says, "Can you put your other face back on, girlie?"
Suraksha hesitates, then nods slowly. She's pretty sure she can -- what she's not sure of is if she should. "Mebbe bad? Oww?"
Joan smiles humorlessly, "You're gonna hurt no matter how many legs you have. But I know how much opium to give to a girl. Not to a tiger."
Suraksha shakes her head, "Uh-uh. Mea', na op'um." She tries again, making an effort to be clear, "Mmmeee'dh!" then sighs. Her tongue doesn't always work the way she wants in this form. She winces slightly and decides maybe she won't shake her head around so much for a bit. She sighs gustily and has another drink of water, finishing off the bucket.
Joan says, "I don't speak tiger that well. You're going to have to talk to me in the other form." She reaches down beside herself and holds up a bundle of cloth, "Little Joe found your clothes."
Suraksha sighs in relief, "'Ang'oo!" She wonders if they found the blackpowder rifle too... then she blinks. The gunpowder in kegs... and that wagon. They were trying to blow it open. What could be in it that was so valuable? She frowns consideringly, then sighs and rests her chin on her crossed forepaws. She doesn't know what to do right now to heal herself any faster, except to eat a lot of meat, and she can't seem to get that across to Joan. She sure doesn't want any pain-killers, though -- she's heard stories of just how bad it is for her kind to lose their minds. She tries another tack, "'Ongree?"
Joan ahhs and chuckles, "Now that I understand." She stands up and walks around Suraksha with surprising grace. She knocks on a window at the front of the wagon and says, "Send someone to Buddy for a couple of steaks for our new girl."
Suraksha rumbles appreciatively, "Yah! 'Ang'oo!" then winces again. Mental note: lie still! She sighs, but she's smiling faintly as she rests her chin on her forepaws. A few steaks and a bit of sleep and she'll be willing to try changing shape again. The steaks are brought. They're nicely aged and marbled and taste quite wonderful going down. Joan brings her some more water and then she can sleep again.
It's another of those strange, dreamy times later when she wakes again. The scent is different this time. Suraksha raises her head, sniffing curiously. She's feeling much more alert now, although also much more grungy. The feline part of her is absolutely disgusted with how filthy she is currently. When she stirs, Corbett's voice says, "You feel like changin' back yet?"
Suraksha takes a deep breath, checking how her side feels... then she nods firmly once. She closes her eyes, concentrating carefully, and focuses on what her human form feels like. Fingers, toes, longer hair just on the head... she carefully tries to change. It takes some concentration, and it really isn't pleasant at all, but she can shift back to her human form. Once she's changed, Corbett hands her her clothes. What's more, he looks her over, but it's definitely more to check the wound than anything else. Suraksha is gritting her teeth and moving very carefully, wincing as the stitches pull painfully and oddly against the now smaller wound. She just wraps the shirt around her -- she doesn't think trying to pull something over her head, and raising her arms, would be wise just now. She waits until her heart slows down again and she's not panting with effort, before she wheezes out, "Am I in trouble?"
Corbett's calm, deep voice says, "You need help with that?" He is peering at the wound carefully. He snorts, "In trouble? You saved the lives of a couple of my people from what I hear-tell. Why would you be in trouble? Other than the kind of trouble that happens when someone sticks a knife in you."
Suraksha sighs in relief, then smiles a touch grimly, "J-just want to rest a bit more. Sleep and heal. Didn't know how you'd all react to a tiger." She adds in sudden worry, "Buddy is all right? He was shot -- and the powder kegs? They're safe now?"
Corbett smiles behind his mustache, "Buddy's sore as a virgin the day after her wedding, but he's going to live. And Sabrina is a little banged up, but no one was killed." He pauses, "Well, none of my people."
Suraksha sighs in relief at that, letting herself relax back onto the hay. She's starting to feel sleepy again, but she makes herself murmur, "And the powder?"
Corbett snorts, "Powder's packed up safe and sound and bein' watched real close. No one's gonna blow up any time real soon." He watches her lay back down on the hay, "Might be better if you got in a bed, gal."
Suraksha blinks slowly, considering, then smiles with unwitting sweetness, "Oh, right -- I have one now, don't I?" She sits up carefully, considering the rest of her clothes, then simply gathers them up against her good side. After that she cautiously tries rising to her feet, to see if she can walk to Sabrina's wagon. The thought of a bed there is truly wonderful, although she's a bit worried -- is she going to be able to climb up to the top bunk? Maybe someone will open it for her?
Corbett puts a hand on her shoulder very gently, "Let me help you get some clothes on. You'll cause a ruckus runnin' around starkers."
Suraksha blinks up at Corbett, then looks down at herself. She flushes with embarrassment, murmuring, "I -- I'm sorry, sir. I... this isn't how I'd thought to tell you about myself." She sighs, then takes a deep breath -- winces partway through and makes it a smaller, more cautious breath, and then nods once, "Yes, please. I'm sorry to be so incapacitated, and I would appreciate a bit of help."
Corbett smiles again, eyes twinkling, "Wan't gonna ask. Already told ya my rule. Here we go..." He helps her get dressed and his hands are strong and gentle, like a father's, "I think you'll get along just fine with us, gal. But first we gotta get you better."
Suraksha winces a bit as she has to shift and stretch with her clothes -- even with Corbett's help -- but she sighs in relief once she's dressed. She smiles up at the tall man, also relieved he's a gentleman about helping her, and says, "Thank you, sir. If I could ask for a lot of very rare meat for a few days, and be allowed to sleep and rest a bit more than usual, I should be fine by the end of the week at most, I think?"
Corbett looks down at her; up close she can see the friendly twinkle in his eyes, "You need it rare or raw? We got both. And you rest all you need to rest. I'll run your ass ragged later. Figure you've earned your keep for a while." He knocks on the window of the wagon and they stop, carefully so as not to jostle.
Suraksha says, "Rare, please, in this form." Once they're at a standstill Suraksha finds she's transferred not to the bunk wagon, but to Joan's wagon, where there are two comfortable bunks. She's admonished to sleep as the caravan starts off again. She blinks a bit startledly at being taken to Joan's wagon, her automatic protest at taking up someone else's bunk dying on her lips when she's so admonished. She grins shyly then, curling up to sleep and, before she drops off, adding a soft, "Thank you all for your kindness."
Corbett snorts at Suraksha's protests, "It ain't nobody's bunk. Usually it's folded up. Joan's boy used to travel with us, but he grew up and decided he wanted to be a farmer."
Suraksha blinks sleepily at that, then closes her eyes. Her voice is dreamily soft, trailing off as she fades into sleep, "Huh... who'd want to farm instead of adventure...?"
Corbett chuckles, "Someone who was born on a caravan, nursed on a caravan, and grew up on a caravan, apparently." He pats her shoulder lightly, "Sleep ye, gal. We'll get a little further on down the road." Suraksha is already asleep by then, wondering in her dreams what it would be like to be Joan's child.
Two days go by with Suraksha leaving Joan's wagon only to relieve herself. The first time she wakes up after Corbett gets her settled is to find Sabrina perched beside her on a sturdy stool, using a sponge to gently clean the blood off her skin. She's humming softly as she does so, an unfamiliar tune that has the feel of a lullaby. The next time Suraksha wakes is to eat and have Joan help her into some clothing that is easier for the disabled girl to wear. Buddy himself brings her meals and spends some time talking with her as she eats. He's bandaged up himself, but doesn't seem to be letting that stop him.
The next couple of days slide by in that waking-sleeping haze of recovery. Eventually she wakes to find herself feeling much better, though still sore and not completely healed. The wagon is moving; the first thing she sees is Joe sitting tailor-fashion on the bunk across from her. He's intently reading a heavy leather-bound book. Suraksha blinks sleepily at Joe, rubbing her eyes with the back of her hand and looking about 10 years old as she does so. "What'cha reading, Joe?"
Joe jumps and blushes as Sura catches him reading, "It's... ahh..." He mumbles something that sounds like, "fairytales."
Suraksha sits up carefully, pushing her dark hair back out of her face, "Really? Oh, I love fairytales! Fearsome Grandmother used to read them to me before bed when I was a little girl." She smiles a bit nostalgically, wrapping her arms carefully about her knees and resting her chin on her knees, "Which ones do you have?"
Joe says, "Uhm... Hans Christian Andersen." He smiles at her, brightening up a bit when she doesn't seem inclined to make fun of him, "I know that they're silly. I mean, we know now that all of this stuff is real, but it's sort of interesting to read how the information changed." The wagon is swaying gently as they talk, so they know they're still moving.
Suraksha smiles a bit perplexedly at Joe, "Why are they silly?"
Joe says, "Well, because so much of it is wrong. I mean, mermaids aren't anything like the one in this story. At least, the one I met wasn't. She was a fearsome thing."
Suraksha brightens, "Oh, you've met mermaids too? Where was yours? Mine was in the Bay by The City!"
Joe says, "That's where I met the one I met, too. She was trading pearls for pretty glass baubles. She had greeny-blue skin and big jagged teeth and hair like seaweed."
Suraksha brightens, "Oh, that sounds like Long-Wave-Diving! She's nice." The small woman grins, something a little feral in her eyes as she adds, "Well... nice for a predator." She cheerfully adds, "Ama gets much of her gold jewelry from her. They've been friends for ages!"
Joe grins, "Is that her name? She wouldn't tell me it." He fidgets with the book, "So, uhm... how are you feeling?" He says it with the air of someone who has been told to ask the patient how she's feeling.
Suraksha says, "Much better, thank you." She smiles at Joe, "And yourself? Oh! Also, thank you for finding my clothes. I don't have much with me, after all."
Joe says, "Pretty well, actually." He grins and it lights up his face, "You're welcome! I'm a pretty good tracker and, well, you leave a pretty big track."
Suraksha looks a bit sheepish, "Er, sorry about that." She falls silent for a moment, watching Joe, then says hesitantly, "So, um... can I ask you a question, and if you don't want to answer you just won't, and I won't get thrown off the caravan?"
Joe grins again, "You're getting the hang of being with this lot. Sure. Ask away." He carefully closes his book and puts it aside. Books, after all, can be nearly as precious as gold.
Suraksha says, "What, um... what's in that iron wagon that's so valuable? And who were the bandits, that they knew it was there?"
Joe's cheeks color slightly and he says, "I sorta think they might have been sent by someone that works for the people we're doing the hauling for. But I can't tell you what's in the wagon."
Suraksha nods slowly, thinking for a bit. Finally she says gravely to Joe, "This isn't something... unethical, is it? I mean, not like slavery or anything?" She frowns then, her voice absent, "No, not slavery. Corbett wouldn't do that, and blowing the wagon would destroy slaves. It's got to be something which can either withstand that, or which remains valuable even if in pieces, like... like gold or something."
Joe looks horrified at that suggestion, then relieved as Suraksha works out for herself that it's not slavery. He says, "It's not that I don't want to tell you. I just don't know."
Suraksha smiles at Joe, "That's fine. Thanks, Joe." She thinks a moment, then grins mischievously, "Aren't you curious, though?"
Joel grins, "'Course I am. But Corbett is really serious about the no nosy questions thing." He says, "That doesn't mean you can't find it out other ways, though. Sabrina probably knows, and she gets chatty when she's had a couple drinks."
Suraksha raises an amused eyebrow, "Is she now?" Her voice is teasing as she adds, "That makes me wonder why you haven't tried that, though... could it be because you get chatty and forgetful too after a few drinks?"
Joe says, "I don't like to drink, actually. I start feeling strange when I do – and I feel strange enough half the time, anyway."
Suraksha looks puzzled, "Howso?"
Joe shrugs, "Being a Tap. Feeling the weather changes. Took me a while to figure out what it was. And it feels really... like my brain isn't all my own. I'm getting used to it, though."
Suraksha huhs in fascination, absently running her fingers through her dark cloud of curling hair, "How can your brain not feel like your own?"
Joe shrugs, still smiling self-consciously, "I just can't control it. I'll be going along, doing normal things -- and then suddenly my mind is a hundred miles away inside a storm cloud."
Suraksha frowns thoughtfully, considering as she automatically braids her thick mane of hair. Finally she says slowly, "Do you actually want to control it?"
Joe says, "You need some help with that?"
Suraksha looks blankly at Joe, "I beg your pardon?"
Joe motions at Suraksha's head, "Your hair. Do you want help with it?"
Suraksha blinks, looking at the partially plaited braid in her fingers, "Uh, no? Why, is it doing something funny?" She grins at Joe, "Did you miss my question?"
Joe shakes his head and blushes, "No, it's not doing anything strange. I'm actually trying to control it. Being on the caravan is safe, you know? My duties don't have much to do with something that could hurt someone if I suddenly go all slack-jawed."
Suraksha nods interestedly, "That's good, then. Good for you!" She finishes braiding her hair, then smiles, "So, what's the plan for the day?"
Joe seems relieved to have the subject go elsewhere. He lines out what the plans are, including Suraksha getting up and moving around a little. There's a warning that Joan will want to prod and poke at her a little bit. After a bit he also suggests she just act like her turning into a giant cat is no big deal. Suraksha looks faintly perplexed at that, although she agrees amiably enough. To her, turning into a tiger is no big deal.
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