Fallow let go of the breath he'd unknowingly been holding.
Lijuan let him go and turned away without uttering so much as an apology for what she'd done, and he felt his stomach sink. He thought he'd deserved an apology, at the very least, but that was that. She gestured to the wound on her body and asked for his help. Well, it was less of an ask and more of a demand, but who was he to deny it? He'd been the one to injure her in the first place...
"Let me... g-get some herbs..." Fallow managed to choke out as he stood up, wiping the spots of blood from his face with a sleeve. Without any further words the deer kelahati trudged into the forest underbrush, his feet leaden. It didn't take him long to find what he needed; Fallow knew this forest as well as he knew his own hands, after all, but even as he picked the herbs his hands trembled, and he soon found himself crying quietly into his palms. For once he was glad to be alone. He could cry in peace without Lijuan's harsh judgements. With a few sniffles he wiped his puffy eyes with the back of his palms, staining them with tears, and quickly gathered the rest of what he needed.
When he returned to Lijuan his eyes were no longer puffy, but the whites were pink from his tears. With the herbs clenched tightly in his fists Fallow sat under a tree several feet away and began to grind them into a paste with a small mortar and pestle he removed from his pocket. One could never be too prepared, after all. He was focused on his work, not daring to look in her direction in fear of what he might see. There was nothing but the sound of stone against stone as he ground the assortment of herbs into a thick green paste. Only when he was satisfied did he turn his head to his companion.
"Um... I... m-made a salve..." He still couldn't look her in the eyes. "You'll have to apply it yourself before I c-can, um, bandage it..." Fallow's voice trailed off, all confidence lost.
Lijuan let him go and turned away without uttering so much as an apology for what she'd done, and he felt his stomach sink. He thought he'd deserved an apology, at the very least, but that was that. She gestured to the wound on her body and asked for his help. Well, it was less of an ask and more of a demand, but who was he to deny it? He'd been the one to injure her in the first place...
"Let me... g-get some herbs..." Fallow managed to choke out as he stood up, wiping the spots of blood from his face with a sleeve. Without any further words the deer kelahati trudged into the forest underbrush, his feet leaden. It didn't take him long to find what he needed; Fallow knew this forest as well as he knew his own hands, after all, but even as he picked the herbs his hands trembled, and he soon found himself crying quietly into his palms. For once he was glad to be alone. He could cry in peace without Lijuan's harsh judgements. With a few sniffles he wiped his puffy eyes with the back of his palms, staining them with tears, and quickly gathered the rest of what he needed.
When he returned to Lijuan his eyes were no longer puffy, but the whites were pink from his tears. With the herbs clenched tightly in his fists Fallow sat under a tree several feet away and began to grind them into a paste with a small mortar and pestle he removed from his pocket. One could never be too prepared, after all. He was focused on his work, not daring to look in her direction in fear of what he might see. There was nothing but the sound of stone against stone as he ground the assortment of herbs into a thick green paste. Only when he was satisfied did he turn his head to his companion.
"Um... I... m-made a salve..." He still couldn't look her in the eyes. "You'll have to apply it yourself before I c-can, um, bandage it..." Fallow's voice trailed off, all confidence lost.
