Gawain had recently discovered a tree with fruit that carried seed pods. If he'd been traditionally trained as a medic, he'd know it was called akuamma. But all he knew was that chewing the seed pods seemed to help the slight ache that had been growing in his joints. He'd started chewing the seeds one day after watching an elderly monkey do the same. He felt older than he really was- years of carrying lions on his back had started to take a toll on his joints. He'd been visiting the ocean regularly, soaking in the cold water helped. But the seed pods seemed to be working even better, and after a few weeks of this, plus the warmth at night of having others in his den, he was feeling better than he had in months. He hadn't mentioned it to Eli yet- he didn't want him to worry, after all. So instead, he just collected the pods regularly and kept them carefully stored away. @Calypso

code by irish

calypso had a bundle of herbs already. she stopped again to pull some leaves from the gnetum plant - the painkiller was one of the more important items in her arsenal. while she would not force anybody to take them she would administer them as needed, and often if a bad enough injury occurred they would be enough to relax the injured party.

staying still was vital to the healing process.

the male she spotted looked vaguely familiar and she wondered why, but did not puzzle on it long. perhaps she had spotted him in passing - this land seemed to be full of strangers - and it seemed inconsequential to the present moment. calypso noted where his attention lingered and drew near with a curious expression. "what ails ye?" she was a healer, had been her entire life, and she had a few solid guesses. it would not likely be seen as helpful if she started making assumptions, though, so she allowed him to fill in the gaps.


+5 Collect herbs 1/2

table by sentinel / lion + beach

Gawain glanced up at the sound of another lion approaching. Clearly, she wasn't trying to sneak up on him, but she had noticed what he was messing with. That was fine, his aches and pains didn't slow him down enough that her noticing would cause him any problems. He was still confident in his ability to do his job well. He offered her a smile at her question. Based on the bundle of leaves she carried, she was either a medic or an assassin, and her question led him to guess the former. "Just the aches of a life hard lived. What are those for?" @Calypso

code by irish

as she stood she gathered a few of the akuamma pods as well, being careful to grasp the entire stem to remove it from the plant. all parts of it were useful and she liked to be prepared.

his answer was the one she expeted and her gaze turned to the herbs she had gathered. grasping one of the collected leaves she removed it from her collection and deposited it at his feet. "dis be gnetum," she began "it helps wit' pain too, and if ye ever eat somet'in' d'at makes ye sick it be good for d'at."

she gestured to the leaves - "de leaves be best for pain." she looked up in order to gauge if he was receptive to the information.

@Gawain
+5 Collect herbs 2/2
+5 Teach herbology trivia to someone 1/2

table by sentinel / lion + beach

Gawain studied the plant she had offered him. "Gnetum, for pain and stomachache. Thank you." He was no medic, but it was good to be prepared. Besides, he lived with two medics, so he would make sure the information got passed along to those who could do more good with it. Or maybe they already know, in which case he would be adding a single leaf to their collection. He didn't dwell on this. The information was good, and he was grateful for it. He pawed at the seed pods he had been collecting. "Know the name of these?" He wasn't sure if they had any other uses. Perhaps he should tell Elijah about them. The lion had had more than his fair share of hardship, perhaps they could be helpful to him as well. @Calypso

code by irish

She shook her head. "No' stomache really. It'll make ye vomit, so only if whatever ye ate is makin' ye sick, and only if it was recent." She realized her original information was a little lacking and wanted to make sure he had whatever knowledge he needed to use the herbs properly.

Inquiring about the seed pods drew her attention back to them, and she nodded. "akuamma," it grew near her birthplace, too, "good fer pain in yer joints. helps wit' cough, too." There was another use but if he was not going to be a medic himself it wasn't likely to be much help. "Can numb an area if its a bad injury, good if ye need somebody still while ye fix 'em up."

Taking the pain away was always a bonus in her books, if only because they were less likely to thrash about.


+5 Teach herbology trivia to someone 2/2
@Gawain

table by sentinel / lion + beach

"Understood. So if a cub eats something poisonous, that can help?' Now that they had a cub, it was something they constantly worried about, and even though he had Eli and Mono around now, he still wanted to know what to do. He listened intently to her words while he rolled a seed pod under his paw. "I've been spending time in the ocean too, it seems to help. But it really only troubles me first thing in the morning or if I've been carrying someone for too long without resting." He bit his tongue, a little frustrated that he'd given that away. She seemed trustworthy enough, a medic, after all. But too many lions knowing who he was and what he did was potentially dangerous. "Otherwise, I feel fine." @Calypso

code by irish

He was a quick learner, she would give him that. "Aye, d'at would be a good use." Calypso hoped he would never have need of the information but was pleased that he seemed to be taking it all in regardless.

His next words give her pause for more than one reason. "Hmm," a thoughtful sound as she wracked her brain to think if she could help. "Are d'ere any hot springs near here? De hot water will help ye more." The ocean soothed her soul and could help with injuries that burned, but the deep ache of joint and muscle would benefit from heat.

"Even better if ye can go from hot t' cold." She did not press him for details about why he was carrying others around, that seemed like none of her business.

@Gawain

table by sentinel / lion + beach

Gawain thought back, trying to recall if he'd ever noticed any hot springs, then finally shook his head. The only ones he knew of were in darkstone, and he wasn't going to go there to ask to take a dip. It sounded nice, though. "I tend to move from the hot sand to the cold water and back, but that's about the best I can come up with." He could probably use Nazonal as a heating pad for his ankles, or even his shoulders, but he didn't want to ask them to do that. He didn't want to worry them. "A hot spring sounds incredible though." @Calypso

code by irish

Calypso glanced to the north as he spoke where she could see the frosty peaks of the nearby mountains just visible through the jungle canopy. "If ye know anybody who lives d'ere," she gestured towards the snowcaps, "maybe ask d'em. D'ere was a mountain like that in my homeland an' it had a hot spring." It was a longshot, sure, but if it would help him in the long run...

"Hot sand is good but when the winter comes.." Well he'd be out of luck, wouldn't he? So if he could find an alternative before the colder weather it would be good for him.

@Gawain

table by sentinel / lion + beach