The Day of Thunder

[Kaiu Tai]

Tai makes the relatively short walk to the village to find the home of the healer Ayako mentioned this morning. One more disturbing report in a series of odd occurrences.

[Enrou]

Currently Enrou was bustling about the outside of his house, moving through the medicinal garden and taking cuttings of plants here and there. He didn't seem to notice anyone approaching him.

[Kaiu Tai]

Tai watches for a moment, recognizing only the most common plants that might be there from her old life in the south, or new one to the north. The productivity of this bit of land is appreciated, if somewhat odd. She steps to the edge of things, leaning on her spear/walking stick and actually a bit warm under the bear cloak as the day has warmed a bit more than the morning chill foretold. "Good afternoon!" she calls after a moment, "you're Enrou, I'm guessin'. Though if you're just visitin' to harvest, I'll go knock at the door."

[Enrou]

"Well, that depends. If you're here to seek medical attention or ask a few questions, I might be Enrou, but if you're here to collect on some sort of debt, I might not be Enrou." He puffed idly on his pipe as he turned to face Tai. "So you tell me, who might I be today?"

[Kaiu Tai]

There's a blackened grin. "Be an awful bad day for a tax collector comin' here and findin' how hard it is to get out, neh? Just questions." There's a pause to internally sort something resembling a proper introduction. "I'm Kaiu Tai, here with Lady Anjing and some others from the north."

[Enrou]

"In that case I'm Enrou, here with the local villagers and some herbs of questionable lineage." Enrou paused for a moment. "From the dirt." His tone of voice didn't seem to lay any weight on whether it was he, the villagers, or the plants that were coming from the dirt in this situation.

[Kaiu Tai]

"Eh, I think it's only these new families born of those leadin' the Empire who care much about lineage." she shrugs. "Though the herbs do well for this edge of winter."

"More questions on the healin' side of things." She walks a bit closer, keeping to paths to avoid trampling anything that seems tended. "Ayako was by helpin' the other night with those messed up by the wolves. Heard mention of some part of the festival healin', even growing back parts of a body taken off entirely. Haven't heard of anythin' of the sort elsewhere and thought it worth lookin' into."

[Enrou]

"Ah, yes, that. It's part of an upcoming ceremony for the village." Enrou clenched the pipe in his teeth for a moment, scratching the side of his head as he thought about it. "I can't say I've ever heard of it elsewhere myself. I'm guessing you have a lot of questions about it if you're coming to me."

[Kaiu Tai]

"Ah, yes, that. It's part of an upcoming ceremony for the village." Enrou clenched the pipe in his teeth for a moment, scratching the side of his head as he thought about it. "I can't say I've ever heard of it elsewhere myself. I'm guessing you have a lot of questions about it if you're coming to me."

"Unless there's someone else I should ask?" She shrugs slightly. "You were the one she'd heard it from, so comin' to the source seemed sensible. Plus you're the healer. Assume you'd know your folks and their injuries pretty well."

[Enrou]

"I know the injuries well enough, but as for the healing ritual, I just make a concoction so people needing major changes don't go mad from the pain. Far as I'm aware the process can be quite unpleasant, but it's Chouri that performs the actual rite."

[Kaiu Tai]

"Hmm, then I guess, it's her I'll need to talk to about the ritual itself. I'd be curious about your concoction though. Pain relief or drugging folks unconscious? Can never have too many recipes for those." She pauses a moment, thinking over the words. "Far as you're aware? Then you haven't watched the ritual and healing?"

[Enrou]

"More like I've never needed to use the rite myself, so I'm not directly aware of any of the more unpleasant side effects." Enrou shrugged a bit, but seemed happy enough to change focus onto the plants. "You find yourself in the position of knocking people senseless all that often? I've got quite a few formulas for that."

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Sincerity roll: 23

[Kaiu Tai]

"After years of nightmares? Yes, sometimes folks become so afraid to sleep that it takes somethin' to help. Ideal of it's somethin' that drops 'em so hard they don't dream, though that's always been inconsistent."

Her eyes narrow a bit at a somewhat artificially casual mention. As they look through plants and discuss formulas, she asks. "Not so aware of side effects of the ritual? Your patients don't complain of them then?"

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D3:vs. Enrou's Sincerity Inv/Per, VP | 6k4 ⇒ 38 (TN: 23) Rolling on previous day here since that seemed indicated. Can back up if that's not intended.

[Enrou]

"Yeah, everyone does seem to have different needs when it comes to staying asleep. I can share some of my concoctions if you need some ideas on how to help with that."

Enrou glances sideways at Tai, offering a half-hearted smile. "Hey, results speak for themselves, you know?"

[Kaiu Tai]

Tai nods. "Some of the herbs are likely harder to come by up in the mountains, but that's what trade's for." She sighs and shakes her head as she very often did when one of the kids was trying very hard to talk their way around a direct but easy question like 'did you do your chores?' Suddenly they wanted to spend time defining chores or coming up with things about designing a more efficient way to do the chore so it would be done so fast that they really didn't need to start it yet.

"No direct knowledge kinda' says there's indirect knowledge, neh? Can't be all sunshine and new hands for such major work. Magical healing has costs...some easy to pay, but whole limbs?"