The child disagreed with her older companion’s opinion regarding being healed, and Adrianna could understand why. It made more sense to tell a Ydran child to accept help when it was offered, especially since the girl’s mother was apparently a healer as well. Adrianna didn’t know too many Dimurans, but she knew that they were much more often fighters, and as such it made sense that they were meant to be more self-sufficient. It was the Dimuran’s body, and therefore her choice to be healed. Adrianna didn’t feel right interrupting the child, and imagined that the young girl and her older companion had a relationship better suited to advice. She was just a stranger to them all.

In response to her offer of showing the woman how to tend to it herself, the Dimuran seemed more open-minded. Adrianna wasn’t averse to instructing at all, and liked doing things without magic just as well. It was almost…more satisfying, in a way, to tend to wounds without the use of her gift. Adrianna nodded along with the woman as she said she didn’t know of the local herbs, and would appreciate instruction, as long as Adrianna didn’t heal her. “Of course, I know—“ Adrianna began to speak, but Lionel jumped in, telling her not to waste her supplies. Her smile fell quickly, and she closed her mouth as Lionel stepped forward and began to tend to the woman.

What Adrianna was going to say was that she knew much more about local herbs and salves, and could perhaps exchange that information with the Dimuran for knowledge about what she would use in her own home. While Adrianna didn’t imagine she would find herself there any time soon, she valued knowledge quite highly. In her pack, she even had a notebook filled with drawings and descriptions of important plants and their healing properties. She could have perhaps filled in more with the Dimuran’s help. Adrianna had imagined that the woman would have appreciated an exchange of information. She seemed like the sort to want to “earn” things…but Adrianna was just making assumptions, really.

Lionel used the excuse of getting his supplies from Taliya, but Adrianna stayed quiet. It didn’t really make sense to ask the Dimuran about herbs she would have used in her home now that Lionel was disinfecting and wrapping the wound. Her jaw set tightly as she felt cut off from this potential ally, and her respect for Lionel dwindled a bit more. He was the man who was supposed to have taught her? He didn’t ask the Dimuran about her home’s healing herbs at all. [i]Give him the benefit of your doubts…Perhaps he already knows about all of those herbs, and so doesn’t need to ask. He must be good at what he does in some respects.[/i]

[b]He isn’t even telling the woman about what he is doing, when she had clearly expressed a desire for instruction.[/b] Adrianna silently lamented. Her annoyance with Lionel only grew, but she did not need to cause conflict. Lionel seemed friendlier with the group, and perhaps they were old allies. Or perhaps this was just how he acted with everyone. Nothing about Lionel was intuitive.

At the mention of her being able to help if it began to rot, Adrianna nodded. “Absolutely.” He agreed. Lionel then mentioned having to get back, presumably to the healer’s den, and ran off. 

Once he left, Adrianna debated addressing the Dimuran again for a few moments before speaking. “Lionel did a fine job with the cleaning and bandaging, but if you ever do want instruction on tending to your own injuries, you are welcome to find me. I am not sure how long I am staying here in Mutebo, but while I am here, I am happy to provide instruction or information.” Adrianna hesitated a bit longer, and then spoke up once more. “And…if you are interested in exchanging information, I would love to learn more about the herbs that grow where you are from.” She added. She breathed a silent sigh of relief for having at least posed the offer. It was always a risk, even in a place that was supposedly safe, to offer information, and ask for it in return.

Whether or not the Dimuran wanted to converse further with Adrianna, she followed the group a little while further, just to keep an eye on her foot to make sure that she didn’t find the wrapping too tight, or accidentally put too much weight on it. When the woman seemed fine, Adrianna veered off and busied herself with some other things. She went to grab a bite to eat, asking around about the plans of other folks in Mutebo. No one else was planning to depart, and so she began to consider putting her plans to leave on the backburner. A part of her felt cowardly for doing that because she couldn’t get together a party with whom to travel, but she also knew how much safer it was to travel with companions versus alone. Patience was a virtue, or some shit like that.

-.-

Adrianna next saw the Dimuran woman a few hours later. She had been speaking with Jerard, the man she healed who brought her to Mutebo, a few rooms away from Taliya’s office. When she healed the man, she hadn’t realized how important he was to the resistance. Hell, she barely even knew that there was a resistance then. Having heard that she was planning to leave, Jerard wanted to try to encourage her to stay. He talked about why healing them and aiding their efforts was protecting those with magic everywhere, and that if she wasn’t helping them, then she was basically helping the church. He believed quite sincerely in his message, but Adrianna simply didn’t agree. With the hospitality that was being extended to her these last few weeks, Adrianna didn’t want to start an argument with the man, and so she simply declined, reminding Jerard of what she said when she arrived. She would ask around for information about an old friend, and then move along when she (inevitably) heard nothing.

Upon leaving the building, Adrianna heard Ethan call her name (or rather, Adrian) a few feet behind her. Turning her attention to the Mura she healed earlier, Adrianna saw the rest of the group behind him. “Yes? Is everything alright?” She looked at his arm, and then at the Dimura, but didn’t notice any new injuries that needed tending to. She was told that Taliya wanted to see her, and she turned her gaze back on the building, wondering what Taliya had to say. She had made it pretty clear that morning that she didn’t care if Adrianna left, so what changed? “Thanks.” She replied to him, and then excused herself to go back inside, and straight to Taliya’s office.

She knocked briefly on the door before entering. “What’s going on?” She asked.