Vendi Druri, in Cruncher's eyes, acted as the clan's closest point to contacting the watchful sun of their Goddess; perched at the top of an ancient forest, with just enough tree cover to prevent too-terrible sunburns during the day, the holy treehouse always played host to Mender Sunshore at her most cheerful. The circumstances for her ascension up to the heights of Vendi Druri today were less sunny, relative to past excursions, however. Asked to provide several consultations throughout the day, both to evaluate general health and well-being as well as, covertly, feelings on the clan as of late, Cruncher had prepared herself for a busy day; coffee had been plentiful in her morning routine. The bags beneath her eyes seemed hardly visible with the dazzling sunlight glistening off of her multicoloured hair-- even her pale skin seemed to glow specially up here, so close to the solar rays.
"Okay, who's next? Name and occupation? All consultations come with a cookie afterwards so keep your answers for my questions honest and you can walk out of here with a nice snack to show for it," she rattled off, albeit maintaining a tone of cheer, from behind a clipboard-- Cruncher was on her fiftieth something patient at this point, peering at each individual to identify them before jotting down the next set of notes had proven inefficient around patient eight. Lowering her clipboard slowly, she sighed and opened her eyes to visually receive her latest guest. "Have we met before? I'm Mender Sunshore and I have a few questions to ask but first, how are we feeling today?"
Insanity, the poison that plagues every one of us. At all costs, I must discover it, I must fix it. Its a lonely path. A far-fetched imbecilic cause, but I know that the old me would have wanted this. That me I will respect at all costs, until the end of time. Until the end of my god-forsaken life.
poison fills her veins as the clock hits midnight
"Oh, a cookie? How enticing." Elizabeth stepped forward next for the inspection. All Lunaris refugees were mandated to a health check before entering. Elizabeth held the menders of Solarisclan in somewhat low esteem -- their tools and talents tended to be unscientific and therefore less predictable in nature. For that reason, she wished to be done with the examination as soon as possible. "Elizabeth Winters, Lunarisclan Craft- er, uh, warrior. Nice to meetcha." Her eyes seemed determined to meet every single tree around them before they would think of meeting the mender before her. Yet, as soon as she mentioned her name, Midnight snapped her attention directly to Cruncher, an eyebrow raised.
"Sunshore, huh? Well then." She had regretted saying her name a few minutes ago. Although she had not the details, Elizabeth knew something had transpired between a Sunshore and her father some time ago. She always assumed it was a research project followed by a one night stand or something. The person in front of her could be her half-sister for all she knew. But she didn't really care either way.
"Feeling fantastic. Never been better." She did not elaborate any further.
Cruncher rested both clipboard and pen on her lap to sit straight, hands folded with graceful curiosity; here was a different kind of consult from the other clanspeople, at least partially by nature of not being one of her clanspeople at all. "Well, howdy Elizabeth Winters. Not often I see Lunarisclan folks, here in the Treehomes! Little excited, it's like seeing an old friend, if that makes any sense," giggled Sunshore. Clearing her throat, she picked up her notes once more, yet maintaining eager eye contact with Elizabeth. "It is a pleasure to meet you, and yes, there are indeed cookies available. Baked 'em myself, they're cute little shortbread stars and-- ah, you'll, you'll see 'em soon enough, I should leave some suspense, right? Er, maybe anticipation is the right word there, not suspense. But yes, I'm Mender Sunshore, you can call me Cruncher if you prefer and I'll be asking you some basic questions if that's quite alright with you!" Though Cruncher spoke candidly and cheerfully as she would to everyone, seeing the Elizabeth Winters was cause for a mini-celebration, additional to the general celebration that continued constantly in the head of Mender Sunshore; making it here from the Lunarisclan territory, with little warning and time to prepare, was no easy feat-- and the same, if not moreso, could be said for accepting refugee status in a foreign clan. The corners of Cruncher's mouth remained turned upwards; Elizabeth was certainly as capable as projected to be, how pleasant! Mender Sunshore turned over her notes and tilted her head at them, letting opportunistic rays of sunlight dance off her colorful ponytail at new gleaming angles.
"To start, I am delighted to hear you are feeling fantastic, so I hope you don't mind if I just run through some of the basic questions with you in a moment here! I'm sure you've seen or heard this type of thing, this screening process, before; it's a simple assessment to ensure good health and won't affect your refugee status here. Awful brave of y'all to drop everything and seek safe haven. I don't imagine that was a light or easy decision at all." Other menders would rely upon the questions to get an idea of the possible health risks, known and unknown, that the newcomers might have; Cruncher's approach took a bit of a shortcut, while keeping up with the usual questions. Mender Sunshore quietly jotted down 'never better' as dictated by Elizabeth and as verified internally by herself before resting her pen once more. The rest of the assessment would be a good opportunity to see a clearer picture of Lunarisclan's health in general and as of late. "I'm supposed to start with some questions about infectious conditions that might have been noted around your clan recently, but before you answer any of that..." Cruncher paused to make sure the formalities of the consultation took a slight backseat to ensuring Elizabeth's comfort, "Do you have any questions or things I can clarify for you about this process? Stress can be a big drain on one's health so anything I can do to, y'know, alleviate concerns or worries, I'm real happy to." The mender crossed her legs and rested her head on her propped-up hand. What might this Winters have to share; moreover, what had driven Elizabeth all the way here, wondered Cruncher considerately.
Insanity, the poison that plagues every one of us. At all costs, I must discover it, I must fix it. Its a lonely path. A far-fetched imbecilic cause, but I know that the old me would have wanted this. That me I will respect at all costs, until the end of time. Until the end of my god-forsaken life.
poison fills her veins as the clock hits midnight
As soon as the woman talked, Elizabeth found herself overwhelmed by her... 'radiant' energy. It was starting to get annoying. She couldn't really tell whether she was genuinely being nice or just passive aggressive. She frowned.
"No, no questions. General screening to prevent an outbreak of whatever the hell is happening over at Lunaris, yada yada. Cool. Got it. And yes, stress can even lead to death in some cases." Her eyes darted away from Chrusher as if suddenly losing interest in the conversation all together. By this point, Elizabeth was growing rather tired after a long day travel. "Ask your questions quickly. I've got somewhere to be." It wasn't necessarily a lie, but...
"Well, let's get right on into it, then!" She nodded cheerfully and dipped her pen in an inkstone. "So, of course, all of this is confidential and whatnot, that's real important to remember throughout," Cruncher stopped briefly to gesticulate, "All of this. Have you had any concerns about settling in? As far as preventative health measures go, you seem to be well and fine on those. That's real good. Is there any worries you've got about infectious diseases in your clan's territory, or perhaps some chronic disease risk that you might know of? Anything helps."
The mender glanced at her notes from previous consultations, hoping to track or align some scattered points of interest possibly; her review was brief, and Cruncher returned to looking at and listening to Elizabeth with maximum attentiveness as if she'd never stopped at all. "Oh, sorry, not trying to bother you while you're thinking but, if I can ask real quick, whereabouts are you needing to be? I hope no one here is trying to pass their work onto you or your clanspeople; it's not how we do things here, never was," said Sunshore with a note of seriousness. Accepting refugees into Solarisclan territory was new to many of Cruncher's clanspeople but she hoped the rules were easy enough for them to grasp without too much trouble. Show the utmost respect and consideration; wasn't there enough hardship outside to make one want to avoid creating any more inside? If Elizabeth did speak of mistreatment, then Sunshore would either handle it herself or, should the new deputy be announced in a timely fashion, take it up with that individual.
Insanity, the poison that plagues every one of us. At all costs, I must discover it, I must fix it. Its a lonely path. A far-fetched imbecilic cause, but I know that the old me would have wanted this. That me I will respect at all costs, until the end of time. Until the end of my god-forsaken life.
poison fills her veins as the clock hits midnight
In a desperate attempt to keep Crusher from recongizing her, Elizabeth anxiously shifted her body away from her as if she were ready to sprint away at full force at any moment. Her anxiety only worsened at the though of what the hell might be happening back in Lunarisclan, be it a big fire, a noxious gas, or an encroaching pandemic to change the lives of the clans forevermore. Her father, Doctor Winters, had stayed behind to do further research on the matter with a handful of other menders and volunteers with certain expertise in the matters of chemistry.
"No. No diseases or what have you. Don't even know why we all had to move out anyways," Elizabeth lied plainly, yet she was curious, "But maybe you, as a mender, have some sort of theory about what is going on? I am afraid I haven't the slightest clue." In her attempts to lie, she almost began to sound like an entirely different person.
"I am just visiting a, uh, friend. I think she's the Master Hunter now or something. I don't really know all the details." She sniffled as she brought a hand to her forehead. This whole mess was beginning to give her an insufferable headache.
Cruncher hummed as she jotted down what Elizabeth shared; the tune, gentle and sweeping, settled in the air with such smoothness that one could be fooled into believing there was no humming at all; that this was just natural for the ambience to be there around Mender Sunshore. "There's a great many diseases and ailments can hide in plain sight sometimes, without anyone knowing; so we're just asking everyone in case two or more accounts match up and point to something worrisome. But so far, so good. I'm sure your friend will be happy to see you, it's probably been some time since you last saw them, I bet. No time like the present, right? In the interest of making sure I don't anger the Master Hunter, or something, then, I won't keep you too much longer."
Cruncher began writing up something different altogether. "You've been very helpful and I wanna thank you for your cooperation with this; I know there's gotta be tons of things you'd rather be doing than this but due diligence is exactly that sometimes, ain't it," she said with a lighthearted sigh. Swift penstrokes listed criteria before making little checkboxes to be promptly filled in. "Let's see... Last couple things here. Family history, which is usually more for diagnostics but that's not really in the scope of this assessment... So I'll just leave it blank, I guess?" Cruncher neatly tore off the piece of paper she was writing on and held it out for the warrior to take. "You're all done, thank you kindly for your patience, Ms. Winters. This bit of paper here is proof that you've completed your health assessment with me successfully; if anyone gives you trouble, show it to 'em or, if that doesn't work, just holler for me and I'll help you sort it out, alright?" grinned Cruncher. Elizabeth was certainly capable of handling any crap people around here could give her; but Mender Sunshore was happy to help her out when needed-- such was her duty after all. Cruncher refreshed her pen in the inkstone and looked at her next page of consultation patients. "Oh, one more thing, Elizabeth. If your father is here, would you kindly send him in next?"
Insanity, the poison that plagues every one of us. At all costs, I must discover it, I must fix it. Its a lonely path. A far-fetched imbecilic cause, but I know that the old me would have wanted this. That me I will respect at all costs, until the end of time. Until the end of my god-forsaken life.
poison fills her veins as the clock hits midnight
"Well, I appreciate your diligence, Sunshore," she spoke as she snatched the paper from her giving it a short lookover. Her eyes glazed over the contents of the page in indifference for but a moment before meeting Cruncher's eyes once again, her desire to leave promptly seeming to fade all at once. "Thorough. You have a lot of skill as a mender." As if concluding some sort of discussion in her head, Elizabeth corrected her posture and cleared her throat. "I can take care of myself. But...thanks."
As she turned around to leave, her whole body noticeably winced at the mention of her father's name. She stood still for a moment as she struggled to restrain her eye from twitching. "Oh, right. I will be sure and send him." It took every fiber of what was left of her being to remain professional in that moment.
She tried, but she really could not keep her mouth shut. She turned around once again to face Cruncher once again. "What, you his booty call or something? 'Research partners' or something like that?" Her dismissive scoff was barely audible through her words. It wasn't until the words escaped her mouth that she saw her father's name on the list of patients she was holding.
Clutching her clipboard close, Cruncher tilted her head in confusion. Elizabeth appeared distraught, and the mender knew not why. The co suktation had concluded and the Lunarisclan warrior had received a clean bill of health as well as Sunshore's personal guarantee of safety and well-being; where, then, had this scouring and inquisitive glare arisen from, Cruncher sighed to herself. "Well, I gotta ask first, um, what exactly is a 'booty call'? That one escapes me," she said, clearing her throat quietly as if to reverse-complement Elizabeth's scoff.
Sensing that her patient bore at least some curiousity within her disdain prompted Cruncher to make an honest disclosure of an answer. "I haven't seen your father in a long time now, what with clan tensions having been what they were. I used to accompany trade caravans that went out to the Lunarisclan territory, and your father always seemed to be the first to eye whatever wares or goods we brought with us. It was sorta like he was always quickly check if anything we had was useful to him or his research. Real efficient of him, I suppose. One day, he manages to find my medical notes on accident while I and the others are eating. I don't think he could quite read my handwriting, so he ended up coming and asking me to explain it to him. He was a real rascal of a kid back then. But, if my understanding remains correctlike, he became a real prominent figure in Lunarisclan's research work and, perhaps more importantly, had a fine woman like you as a daughter, one of Lunarisclan's premier warriors, if I've been hearing correctly! I dunno if he'd call me a research partner; last I remember was handing him a requested copy of some treatment protocols I'd come up with, and then I stopped being assigned to travel with the trade caravans." Cruncher sighed with a smile and set down her clipboard-- with how many other menders there were also running health consultations, Cruncher could afford to take some extra time before her next one to answer any more questions, personal or professional, that Elizabeth had. She hoped her recounting of things wouldn't anger or dismay the warrior further-- Cruncher was surprised the matter of past acquaintance had come up at all, actually. It had always seemed rather insignificant, especially to Mr. Winters.
Insanity, the poison that plagues every one of us. At all costs, I must discover it, I must fix it. Its a lonely path. A far-fetched imbecilic cause, but I know that the old me would have wanted this. That me I will respect at all costs, until the end of time. Until the end of my god-forsaken life.
poison fills her veins as the clock hits midnight
Skeptical, her face dismissive, Elizabeth turned from Cruncher again considering the information she had given her. It was of course possible it was all an elaborate lie on the mender's part. The sincerity in her voice however seemed to indicate no malintent to Elizabeth. Either way, it was clear to her her father had not grown very close to the woman as her name had hardly been whispered out of his mouth once, likely in in passing. At worst, she was only a victim, too.
It had not crossed Elizabeth's mind at all that she may need to respond to Cruncher in any meaningful way. "Yes, that sounds about right," she covered her mouth with her hand as she muttered. "Probably intentional." The compliments coming from Sunshore were as though they were entirely unheard. Extinction of a response was her most potent tool in a time such as this.
Her voice now clear, she tilted her head backwards far enough to see the mender in the very corner of her vision. "Well then, Sunshore. You seem capable enough. Will you assist me with some research while I am here in Solarisclan? I am sure you're very busy. However, If you'd entertain me, I'd like to see more of what these Solarisclan 'treatment protocols' might look like. And, maybe you would be willing to look into something important for me too." She turned her head back away as she began to walk. "As I mentioned before, I'll be staying with the Master Hunter. Give it some thought." She began the final stretch of her journey from Lunarisclan. Maybe she could finally catch some sleep when she arrived...
