08-01-2018, 03:07 AM
BEATRICE
If Beatrice was going to be honest with herself, she didn't have a clue what she was doing here. The ginger dog was not a healer by design. No. No, the crewmate was used to hurting others. It seemed that no matter where she went or what she did, she always ended up bringing harm and misfortune to those she cared for. She did want to change though. She wanted to be good. She wanted to be like Lilyspoise had been when they first met: a medic who was both tender and tough.
Though she had only known Lilyspoise for a short period, the cream-colored feline had inspired her in a multitude of ways. Lil took care of her own. She was level-headed and balanced. She was thoughtful and a realist. And while Lil (and her twin souls) had most likely hurt others in their travels, she had helped a great many. Beatrice wanted to do that too. In her heart of hearts, she knew none of it would ever amount to the pain she created, but it would help to right a few of the wrongs she cast into the world.
Word of the sage tryouts had reached her easily, and the canine figured this was as good a time as any to attempt doing something right in her life. "I was unsure about this little endevour of yours at first, Beatrice, but I have since rethought. You can easily take the souls of those that die in your charge," the Beast had whispered in her mind. She had protested that. She told him she would not steal from her groupmates, but the looming threat of never seeing her friends again often made her bend to his wishes. She told herself it would be less painful that way, too. Taking the souls of the deceased, before they crossed fully into the afterlife, would ensure no harm... wouldn't it?
That thought clung to her mind like static as she slowly retrieved her leather sack. She had been one of the last to step forward, and her movements hinted at her uncertainty. Even so, a determined look ignited in her eyes. She wanted to do well. She wanted to learn.
The red heeler gathered up her shattered confidence and headed out into the jungle. She wasn't even sure what she should have been looking for. Did she even know any herbs? Off the top of her head, she could list maybe five, and that was a huge maybe. The femme tried to remember every piece of medical advice she had encountered, but most of it was just how to patch up bumps and bruises and cuts and sores - without the help of plants. She knew about tansy. 'That's the yellow-thing.' And then, there was passionflower. 'Purple and real odd-looking.' Another was water mint. She pursed her lips. 'What the heck does it do?' She hoped the knowledge would return to her in time. For now, she knew she should begin searching for some things.
As she moved through the dense tropical forests, bluebird song filled her ears. The cheery voices of the pack of birds that seemed to follow her everywhere was a welcome thing. It helped sooth her worries, but it also distracted her. Luckily, however, she managed to shut out the sweet music (though she had wasted about thirty minutes listening to their tunes).
The first thing she happened upon was a yellow flower. Though Beatrice knew most of the more common flowers like roses and tulips and sunflowers, she had never really seen yellow daises before. For a few heartbeats, the canine stared at the flora. Finally, the girl moved a paw forward to pick it and place it in her leather bag. 'Tansy. Check!'
Not terribly long after that, she wandered toward a tiny stream. The day was hot, and the water was extremely inviting, but she had work to do. It seemed luck was on her side today: within minutes, the molly had found a cluster of water mint growing alongside the petite river's edge. 'Water mint. Check, check!' Thankfully, this was actually the herb she was looking for and not something completely different.
It had taken her the longest to find a passionflower. The odd flower seemed to be quite rare in these parts of the world. Then again, maybe she was just awful at locating things. Regardless of whichever was the truth, the cattle dog did find a single bloom. The odd, purple flower was plucked with ease and sat inside of the bag. 'Passionflower. Check, check, check!'
"Best to run along, little bird. Time is almost up."
A grimace contorted her face as she glanced skyward. From the position of the sun, she could tell she had only a handful of minutes left before the two-hour period Rosemary had given them ran out. Red paws thundered across the ground, and Beatrice scurried as quickly as she could back to where the tryouts had began. A self-assured smirk eclipsed the usual tight-lipped expression she wore; she had tryouts in the bag! Ha, get it? In the bag? Bea chuckled at herself.
Finally, she arrived. Out of breath, the canine slide in beside Temulin. She gave Tem, Tokoyami, and Junji and nod in greeting. Silence hung in the air, and it was obvious she had almost ran out of time. The crewmate knew it was time to speed through her faux lesson.
"Uh, okay! Okay, so this-" she dug around in the leather sack before she produced a wilted yellow daisy whose petals were almost all fallen off, "is tansy. You use it to treat wounds so they don't get infected and gross." Not only had Beatrice not gathered tansy, she had also confused its uses with that of marigold. "Alright. So the next thing is water mint. I guess it's named that way because it grows close to the water," the female explained as she grabbed the herb from her bag. "This little, circular, lilac-colored beauty is used for - it's uh - oh! - it's used for stomach aches. You chew it!" She nodded after she spoke as if to reaffirm her words. She was correct. "The last one I got is passionflower. I think-" Beatrice grabbed the flower out of her bag, and just like the two before it, was somewhat crushed by her impressive sprint, "this one looks really neat. It's for relaxing. Kinda like p-... puffy? Puffy seeds? Yeah, sounds right." Once finished, she sat back, long tail wagging slightly.
Maybe she'd done well, she thought.
Though she had only known Lilyspoise for a short period, the cream-colored feline had inspired her in a multitude of ways. Lil took care of her own. She was level-headed and balanced. She was thoughtful and a realist. And while Lil (and her twin souls) had most likely hurt others in their travels, she had helped a great many. Beatrice wanted to do that too. In her heart of hearts, she knew none of it would ever amount to the pain she created, but it would help to right a few of the wrongs she cast into the world.
Word of the sage tryouts had reached her easily, and the canine figured this was as good a time as any to attempt doing something right in her life. "I was unsure about this little endevour of yours at first, Beatrice, but I have since rethought. You can easily take the souls of those that die in your charge," the Beast had whispered in her mind. She had protested that. She told him she would not steal from her groupmates, but the looming threat of never seeing her friends again often made her bend to his wishes. She told herself it would be less painful that way, too. Taking the souls of the deceased, before they crossed fully into the afterlife, would ensure no harm... wouldn't it?
That thought clung to her mind like static as she slowly retrieved her leather sack. She had been one of the last to step forward, and her movements hinted at her uncertainty. Even so, a determined look ignited in her eyes. She wanted to do well. She wanted to learn.
The red heeler gathered up her shattered confidence and headed out into the jungle. She wasn't even sure what she should have been looking for. Did she even know any herbs? Off the top of her head, she could list maybe five, and that was a huge maybe. The femme tried to remember every piece of medical advice she had encountered, but most of it was just how to patch up bumps and bruises and cuts and sores - without the help of plants. She knew about tansy. 'That's the yellow-thing.' And then, there was passionflower. 'Purple and real odd-looking.' Another was water mint. She pursed her lips. 'What the heck does it do?' She hoped the knowledge would return to her in time. For now, she knew she should begin searching for some things.
As she moved through the dense tropical forests, bluebird song filled her ears. The cheery voices of the pack of birds that seemed to follow her everywhere was a welcome thing. It helped sooth her worries, but it also distracted her. Luckily, however, she managed to shut out the sweet music (though she had wasted about thirty minutes listening to their tunes).
The first thing she happened upon was a yellow flower. Though Beatrice knew most of the more common flowers like roses and tulips and sunflowers, she had never really seen yellow daises before. For a few heartbeats, the canine stared at the flora. Finally, the girl moved a paw forward to pick it and place it in her leather bag. 'Tansy. Check!'
Not terribly long after that, she wandered toward a tiny stream. The day was hot, and the water was extremely inviting, but she had work to do. It seemed luck was on her side today: within minutes, the molly had found a cluster of water mint growing alongside the petite river's edge. 'Water mint. Check, check!' Thankfully, this was actually the herb she was looking for and not something completely different.
It had taken her the longest to find a passionflower. The odd flower seemed to be quite rare in these parts of the world. Then again, maybe she was just awful at locating things. Regardless of whichever was the truth, the cattle dog did find a single bloom. The odd, purple flower was plucked with ease and sat inside of the bag. 'Passionflower. Check, check, check!'
"Best to run along, little bird. Time is almost up."
A grimace contorted her face as she glanced skyward. From the position of the sun, she could tell she had only a handful of minutes left before the two-hour period Rosemary had given them ran out. Red paws thundered across the ground, and Beatrice scurried as quickly as she could back to where the tryouts had began. A self-assured smirk eclipsed the usual tight-lipped expression she wore; she had tryouts in the bag! Ha, get it? In the bag? Bea chuckled at herself.
Finally, she arrived. Out of breath, the canine slide in beside Temulin. She gave Tem, Tokoyami, and Junji and nod in greeting. Silence hung in the air, and it was obvious she had almost ran out of time. The crewmate knew it was time to speed through her faux lesson.
"Uh, okay! Okay, so this-" she dug around in the leather sack before she produced a wilted yellow daisy whose petals were almost all fallen off, "is tansy. You use it to treat wounds so they don't get infected and gross." Not only had Beatrice not gathered tansy, she had also confused its uses with that of marigold. "Alright. So the next thing is water mint. I guess it's named that way because it grows close to the water," the female explained as she grabbed the herb from her bag. "This little, circular, lilac-colored beauty is used for - it's uh - oh! - it's used for stomach aches. You chew it!" She nodded after she spoke as if to reaffirm her words. She was correct. "The last one I got is passionflower. I think-" Beatrice grabbed the flower out of her bag, and just like the two before it, was somewhat crushed by her impressive sprint, "this one looks really neat. It's for relaxing. Kinda like p-... puffy? Puffy seeds? Yeah, sounds right." Once finished, she sat back, long tail wagging slightly.
Maybe she'd done well, she thought.
© MADI
[glow=black,10,100]YOUR EYES ARE A THOUSAND TIMES DEEPER THAN THE SKY[/glow]
[glow=black,1,100]AND I AM A TINY STAR, FALLING FOR ALL TIME
beatrice | grounded | sage | the typhoon