Calypso was often up with the sun. The morning stillness was her favourite time of day, and her chosen spot was (of course) by the sea. Many mornings the sun would rise to find the peach toned pirate settled on the sand, gaze focused on the horizon. The sky would lighten and she wouldn’t eventually, close her eyes and draw a deep breath. This was how she liked to begin her day and this day was no different. Eventually she would rise and set out to scour this new world, but for now she enjoyed the peace and quiet that came with the early hours. For now she sat, alone, at the edge of the water, the waves reaching nearly to the tips of her toes.

image by shan, code by koi

on the other hand, he is not a morning person. early mornings often came on the heels of long, long nights — of which lux indulges in more often than not. after all, the stars were only out during the night. so when dawn rolls around and he still not has slept, and he feels yet another headache creeping in, he removes himself from the mountain air — trailing down the well-worn paths that lead him lower into the island’s valleys. he means to head for fresh water ( and maybe find a spot to eat, somewhere between here and there ), but instead he gets… distracted. drawn by the early calls of sea-birds, lulled by the waves. he’s stopped, just where the grass meets sand, as he stares almost blankly at the waves — standing there for however long before he blinks and shakes himself from the stupor. he needed sleep, aye, and would after getting his belly full. easily his paws swing back into motion, his gaze sweeping along the shore and resting on the distant figure of another. peach but darkly shaded, @Calypso still stands out against the morning sea. alone at the break of down. blinking blearily ( just to make sure he's not imagining her ), he chuffs softly to her. are you alright, ma’am? she looked awful content there, but he just wants to make sure that’s truly what’s happening.

“hmm?” she was so at peace she had not heard him approach. In any other situation she would have been immediately on guard and on her feet, but his tone did not give her the impression of any threat. Mornings also had that effect on the pirate girl, especially when lulled by the sea.

Was she alright? Did she look… not alright? And ma’am? She wasn’t THAT old!

Calypso actually snickered at that thought before she realized she hadn’t answered him. “Quite fine aye,” her accent was thick with the morning. The medicine woman studied him for a moment before she asked “are YOU alright?”

@Pollux

table by sentinel / lion + beach

her accent is thick, unexpected — it takes him a moment as his ears tip forward to parse what she’s said. not that any of her words are particularly hard or difficult, but that he hadn’t been expecting an accent so early in the morning. she’s fine, though, and maybe she has a laugh or two at his expense. he smiles regardless to hear it, giving a small nod — not wanting to take up too much of her time if she was fine. then, of course, @Calypso continues — turning his question around on him and his smile widens, just a moment, going sheepish at the edges. oh, i’m alright — just a little tired. he says through a chuckle, almost a little embarrassed to admit it. if coffee was a thing in the lion world, he’d need buckets of it. today and every morning after. nothing a nap or five can’t help. there is, too, the pounding in his head — it itches at his brain, creeps in in behind his eyes. it seems the moment he thinks to acknowledge it the more prominent it gets, and he can’t help but wince, slightly. the sun’s a little too bright for my taste, but i’m guessing you can’t help with that. he says, with another half-hearted chuckle. maybe he’d have to hunt down something for the pain, and then get his breakfast to go.

tired. Oh how she could relate to that. Tired was her perpetual state, though likely not for the same reasons as his. Calypso could not rest when she had others to watch, and though it was not her job she could not help but do so.

“well,” she began, after having watched the way he winced at the light, “I can’ turn off tha light but I cen help.” Her gaze darted down the beach towards the cave they had taken up residence in before it turned back to him.

“I have m’ herbs nearby, if yer head feels like its poundin’?” calypso was certain she had a few things that would help with that, if he’d like her help.

table by sentinel / lion + beach

her words are… unexpected, surely, but certainly welcomed. realization dawns slowly over his features — their handsome cut shifting as he parses her words. she had… something that could help? ears prick forward with keen interest, starlight eyes following her gaze as it glances down the shoreline. it does, yeah, he confirms slowly — almost cautiously, as if suddenly sensing a trap. i get these… pretty bad headaches, and i get them pretty frequently. a pause, as he snorts; calling them pretty bad and getting them pretty frequently were both understatements. i haven’t been able to find anything to really help with them, but i don’t have much of a mind for herbs. he’d thought that, as time passed, they might fade away — but after the lagoon had gotten swept away ( and he, with it ), they’d come back with a vengeance. i don’t have much to offer you in return, but i’d… really appreciate it. any help was better than what he had now, and the slow-spreading smile he wears is proof of it. it might not be coffee, but @Calypso might have the curse for ailed him regardless.

A small furrow creased her brow as she listened to his laments, and while she was sad for him she also was eager to help. “this be what I be born to do,” she dismissed his concerns of having nothing to offer in return as she stood and shook off the sand.

“wait here,” it sounded a lot like an order, but there was a please in her tone if he listened for it. She did not wait to see if he listened but promptly turned and headed quickly towards the cavern they were set up on. It was only a few short minutes before she returned, a small bundle of wormwood clutched in her mouth.

Calypso deposited this on the sand before him and looked up. “This be wormwood. Chew the leaves and it should help.” Calypso frowned as she considered something. “I cen try other tings if it does no’ work.” ever the efficient healer she sat back to wait and see, before she dumped any more instruction on him.

+10 Help a character with a non-physical illness 1/2

table by sentinel / lion + beach

perhaps it was a tired cliche but every medic he’s ever had the fortune of meeting seemed to have her opinion: that helping was worth more than whatever she might get in returned. he exhales, slow and steady, as he offers a her smile — still shrouded with pain, but warm. grateful. i appreciate it, he murmurs, as she instructs him ( nicely ) to sat here. and sit he does, lowering his haunches to the grassy ground below, his front paws embedded firmly in the sandier bits. @Calypso is not gone long and he’s glad for it, tired under the morning sun. he casts a curious look to the bundle of leaves she provides him — considering them for a moment before taking them in his jaw and chewing as instructed. the taste is… strange, and certainly not pleasant, but he dares not voice ( or show ) his displeasure, not when he’s being so dutifully nursed. ignoring the bitter tang as best he can, he realizes he should’ve asked if he could swallow it before he’s gotten this far. still, he looks up to her and nods, slightly, still chewing. where you do find this? he asks, doing his best to enunciate through the mouthful of leaves. if this did work, he'd want to know where to find it in the future. happy to ignore, of course, how terribly optimistic that question was.

Calypso watched carefully as he did as instructed, and after a few moments of his chewing she realized she hadn’t mentioned that he should swallow. “t’ taste be bad, but ye must swallow.” It was said rather gently, though she was personally a bit amused as he tried to speak with the mouthful.

Her gaze turned over her shoulder, in the direction she had tracked these particular plants. “t’ caves over t’ere.” Calypso indicated the labyrinth behind them, though she did not know the name of it. “Ye can use t’ leaves as a paste, too. On yer head.” A cream lined paw lifted to gesture at her forehead, expecting that he would understand her intent.


+10 Help a character with a non-physical illness 2/2
+5 Teach herbology trivia to someone 1/2

table by sentinel / lion + beach

if his mouth wasn’t quite so full, he might’ve laughed — glad that the healer woman decided to take pity on him. he does as he’s told, but he’s unable to help the icky face he pulls once it’s all swallowed down. his muzzle wrinkles with the effort, blinking sharply as if that will help chase the taste from his mouth. it doesn’t work but it’s the thought that counts, right? that warm gratitude bleeds away ( and quickly!) into confusion as @Calypso continues. he’s never been in that set of tunnels before but he’d have to pay them a visit, but it’s what she gestures that really gives him pause. really? he asks, brows pinching up. that… works? he says, head tilting slightly. not that he had any real reason to doubt her, it just… seemed strange. perhaps that’s why he couldn’t get anything to work before; he’d been ingesting them, instead of.. applying them directly to his forehead. huh.