Another adventure, one the rose woman had looked forward to since her and @Alexon planned it. They were able to see each other more often now that she lived in the Grove again for the time being. She had made sure to wake up a bit early that night, when the sun was just barely beginning to set. Still sore on her body, but by the time she made it to the cactus farm, the sky was dark blue, many hours still welcoming for her to roam.

The air was a still kind of cold, the freezing of a desert at night familiar, but the cause of her bare form. The mamba was not with her tonight. So the witch sat back on her haunches and waited for her russet friend to arrive.

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Alex had woken up just a bit later than they'd intended, so they made up for it by adopting a quicker pace. Their leg was pretty much healed, the occasional twinges not really enough to slow them down. These nights of scientific discovery were their favorite, especially with @Arachnae as their partner.

They slowed as they got nearer, not wanting Arachnae to worry about them overexerting themselves. "Good evening," they chuffed as they got closer. Their tail was twitching with excitement. What they would learn tonight could make healing severe wounds a much more comfortable affair. But first things first. "How is Nonoyo? Has she improved?" They'd only had the pleasure of meeting the lioness once, but they worried about her.

Warmth bloomed in the lioness's chest as the clay lion appeared. It had been just a little while that she had to wait, which meant that her friend likely had hauled ass. It was a funny thought, to think of them running all the way to the desert so they could collect aloe. "Good evening, @Alexon." She purred.

The question made the witch's features soften just a bit, and a quiet sigh came from her maw. "A little. She is going to be alright, but it has taken a lot of energy from her." She stated. Arachnae appreciated that care from the other feline.

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Alex dipped their head to @Arachnae, then moved closer to headbutt her in greeting. A greeting they had learned from her. Last time they had been in the desert, Nonoyo had been with them. It felt wrong to be meeting without her, like something was missing.

"Tell her I send my love. And if there's anything I can do to help, please don't hesitate to ask." In truth, they missed the lioness. They felt at home between the two in a way they had never felt before. Like both lionesses actually liked them for who they were. It wasn't something they'd ever expected to find.

Arachnae gently pressed her own head against @Alexon's in return, happy to participate in the familiar greeting. In the time they had spend together, the blood colored feline had come a long way to come out of their shell and be more comfortable, and honestly the rose was proud of them. Proud they could overcome their past and become someone new, someone who didn't suffer the way they used to. And Ara would do anything to keep it that way.

"Of course. I will be taking her prey and herbs again soon, so I will tell her then." In her mind, she thought the same thing as her friend. That something was missed without the spirit kissed cleric. "Shall we get started then, my dear?" She chuckled playfully.

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Nearly every step of progress they had made, they owed to the lioness before them. Since the first night they met, she had been nothing but kind and encouraging, and they truly didn't know where they would be without her.

She had also been instrumental in many of their... discoveries. Many of which had happened here in this desert. Such as the potion they had created to improve dreams (that had done a little more than improving dreams). It had made for a... very fun evening. Tonight's experiment was slighly more serious (and less hallucinogenic), but it would still be a fun evening. "Let's do it!"

@Arachnae

Let the years we're here be kind

Let our hearts, like doors, open wide

code by corvus

At the agreement from the other felines, the witch turned and slipped into the cactus rich desert, carefully avoiding the sharp needles at the various cacti that grew there, in search of the low growing aloe vera. Since they seemed to mix it with healing ointments and likely various other things, she decided to grab as much as they could find without wiping out the entire population.

So hot by bit, the witch snapped a few of the leaves from each plant, leaving the green bundles with still enough leaves to survive, and began placing them in a pile. Her mouth tasted bitter from the juice, and so after spitting onto the sand, she set off back in between the cacti to see how @Alexon was faring.

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Alexon took @Arachnae's lead and trotted off in the other direction, searching for the plant. It didn't take too long, they were very familiar. First though, they got distracted by another familiar cactus.

It was the one that had kept them alive when they'd gotten lost in the desert, and the one that they had shown Snake to make her sleeping potion. It could come in handy, so they gingerly collected it and bit off the spines. Then, they quickly collected several Aloe leaves. They needed to ask Arachnae if she'd ever tried to dry and rehydrate the gel- if it was possible, it could certainly come in handy.

They trotted back towards their companion with their prize. "Success!" Their tail waved excitedly as they set the plants down.

Let the years we're here be kind

Let our hearts, like doors, open wide

code by corvus

Happily, Arachnae grinned at her friend, seeing the abundance they managed to gather together, including the shape of a cactus that she vaguely recognized, likely seen in her early year living in the sands of Egypt, and tilted her head curiously. She hadn't ever messed with that one, that she knew of, unless it had been given her her already stripped of skin by cult members for water or medicine. "What effects does this one have?" She asked.

Desert plants and surroundings reminded her so much of the place she had escaped, and in a way, she felt uncomfortable there. But then her mind went over the fact that once her mother traveled the arid dunes as well, spreading her words as a prophet and priestess. It was something to be proud of, even if she was gone now.

@Alexon

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Alex picked up the cactus pad and shrugged, then carefully broke off a couple spines they had missed earlier. "Don't know the name. But it's sweet and a safe source of water. I figured it would mix well with the aloe juice." They set down the cactus pad, then looked back to @Arachnae.

"Have you ever tried dehydrating and rehydrating aloe gel? If it's possible, it could make treating burns so much easier." Keeping stores of the juicy leaves was near impossible- they rotted easily, especially in the heat. But if they could dry the gel and keep the powder in a tortoise shell, then just take some and mix it with water when needed, it would be easy to transport large quantities anywhere.

Let the years we're here be kind

Let our hearts, like doors, open wide

code by corvus