Arastal stepped up to the door, paused a moment, then knocked twice, very lightly.
"Is open!" The voice from within was loud enough for even humans to hear from outside.
The elf cracked the door open slightly with one hand, conscious of the cold air that must have rushed in from the outside as she did so. “Hello Tree-Walker,” she said softly, “may I come in?”
The woman was seated on her sleeping furs near the fire, and wearing nothing but her sling. She seemed unconcerned by this, though she did - rather uncharacteristically for her - nearly look at the elf's eyes as she nodded. "Oh!" The moment of surprise didn't have that much facial reaction otherwise, and she nodded again. "Yes. Is come in."
Arastal stepped inside quickly, shutting the door quietly behind her. Her free hand carried a small, steaming cup of some hot beverage that smelled suspiciously like willowbark tea, and she balanced a small plate of bread and cheese on her arm. “Thank you,” she said. “I wished to see how you were doing.” She took a small step forward. “I do not know if you like bread or cheese, but I brought some, along with the tea for your shoulder.”
Once inside, the additional bits of padding and stowed clothing made it clear to the visitor that there was a separate hound-bed, and beyond that, that the hut slept two. The room was a bit cramped by the addition of a small table with two chairs, which were pushed up against it.
Tree-Walker smiled up, still seeming a bit surprised, and nodded again. "Is nice do. Like both. Want sit?"
Arastal smiled and stepped forward again, then paused, then nodded the affirmative. “Yes, I would like that.” She gestured subtly toward the table with a lifted brow, then looked around for Fang.
Tree-Walker smiled. "Is sit where like. Here. Chair. Where like."
The woman was apparently home alone - not even Fang. And it seemed she kept her boots by the door, probably because that way dirt and mud wouldn't get tracked into the furs.
Arastal nodded with another smile and took the balanced plate of cheese and bread into her other hand so that she could slip off her light cloth shoes, which she was able to do without using her hands, using only the floor and the feet themselves. She wore (as she often does) brown robes with cream and green vines embroidered along the hems.
She stepped over to Tree-Walker, setting the plate down next to her and offering her good arm the tea. "Your hound is not with you, today," she commented.
The woman smiled warmly up to her, blinking a bit, as she took the tea. "Ljota take. Walk hounds." After a moment, she remembered to add social graces. "Thank you." She sipped carefully.
“Ah,” Arastal said, taking a small step back to a respectful distance before lowering herself gracefully to sit cross-legged upon the ground. “How does your shoulder fare?” she asked.
A small sigh came then as Tree-Walker nestled the cup in a bit of fur to keep it from tipping, then broke off a nibble of cheese for after her reply. "Is hurt. Get tired bitter bark. But hurt is worse. Leohna make salve. Is good. But numb Ljota hands. So have bark."
The elf’s brows pulled together for the barest of moments, then she nodded. “I see. Yes, the bark *is* somewhat unpleasant… I am sorry. Have you been remaining inside, much of this time? I’ve not seen you since the battle."
A nod came from the woman as she nibbled. "Is hard Ljota dress me. Is cold do without. Walk yard some. But cold. Ljota bring food. Ljota and Scarlet Jay bring bark. Sometime Leohna bring bark. Smoke fish when have. Not catch. Not fletch. Is dull."
Arastal hesitated a moment, the long fingers of one hand reaching up to thoughtfully run themselves along the neckline of her robe. “Have you anything you enjoy to do that can be done more easily with one hand?” She paused again, but not for long. “Perhaps drawing, if you set a stone upon the parchment to hold it steady?”
Tree-Walker pondered a bit, then sighed. "Is not thing know. Scout. Hunt. Fletch. Fish. Smoke bird and fish. Now can write, some. Is new. And read. Have no read. Have no... parchment." She struggled a bit with that word, but only a bit. It seemed also to be relatively new to her. "Try sing. Not know much song." She shook her head once, apparently as though to dismiss her own thoughts. "Not mean complain."
She took up the mug to sip more of the tea before it got cold. Bitter tea is worse yet then.
Arastal shook her head slightly, smiling. “It is alright to express these things; I asked because I wished to know. How long ago did you begin to study writing?”
"Is... just before find orcs. Three moon? Four? Is mostly Jess teach." The woman sighed softly. "Still feel bad complain. Clan tell... old clan. Old clan tell, not important. No talk elf. Keep think true. Even though, know were mean."
“Was there an elf with your old clan, or one that visited?” Arastal asked.
A shake of her head as she sipped more. "Sometime, see scout from forest. In woods. Not scout then, me. Useless idiot. Be mean. Not Fletcher. He nice. Teach me. Like fletch." She sighed softly again. "Need two hand fletch."
“I see.” Arastal took in a breath, held it. “Well, this elf enjoys speaking with you, and disagrees with the assessment that you are unimportant or a useless idiot.” She gestured to herself subtly as she says this, smiling slightly, and released her held breath when she finished. “Fletcher was one of your old clan?”
A slight flush and a smile, then a nod. "Yes. Old man. Lose leg. Sit by self, make arrows. Not yell me. Show me. Was only one nice me."
The elf nodded approvingly, then indicated the cheese plate with a little jerk of her head. “Do you mind if I share your plate? I intended it all for you, but now that I sit here so near it, I find myself wanting some,” she chuckled lightly, the corners of her eyes crinkling.
Tree-Walker smiled with a nod. "Is fine. You bring." She sipped a bit more, then secured the mug again to have some food herself, after waiting so they wouldn't get hands in each other's way. "Is tasty."
Arastal took a bit of cheese and slipped it into her mouth, chewing thoughtfully. “In fletching… You need the two hands so that one can hold the shaft whilst the other binds the fletching to it… Is that right?” She chuckled lightly again. “I’ve not done it myself in several yen-.. In quite a long time.”
The woman pondered how to answer, given her usual struggles with words. "Is... wind around, and hold feather. And before, is hold and break feather. Pattern. So fly true. And brace, break feather wrong way. Not find way, just one hand." She nibbled some more, then finished the rest of the tea.
“I see,” the elf reached toward the plate again, taking a piece of bread this time. “If you’d like… I can take another look at it? I would have to touch it, but I may be able to quicken the healing. Not by much, perhaps a week’s worth of rest.” She placed the bread in her mouth and chewed quietly as she watched the other woman for her reaction.
Tree-Walker got wide-eyed for a moment, surprised that such a thing would even be possible, but then nodded as she finishes her bite. "Is fine. Like this," she waved her hand at herself, presumably about the lack of clothing, "is better. Quiet in head." She blinked, then frowned a little, briefly. "Forget you not here before. When make speech. Try say why so hard talk, not good for touch. But here, so long be quiet, is good."
Arastal nodded and shifted her weight so that she could shuffle over on her knees, not bothering to stand. “I would be touching and applying gentle pressure,” she said, “and it feels different to different people, but I am told that it often feels a little warm. Or sometimes tingly. Is that alright?”
Tree-Walker nodded, setting the empty mug aside so that she could turn about without just dragging herself around in the furs. "Is fine. Is good know. Trust healer."
The elf reached out, using a hand to slightly adjust the sling’s strap so it was not in her way, then placed the other over the injured bone. Her fingers were soft and mildly cool to the touch, but they quickly warmed as she probed gently, a little searchingly, then simply held her hand there for a while. She worked quietly, not breaking the silence.
The woman held almost too still, but continued breathing. She even managed to pick up a bit of bread without moving her torso at all. She seemed content to let Arastal do whatever she needed to do without chattering at her.
Arastal continued working for a little while, then shifted her weight back with a soft sigh, gently settling the shoulder strap back into place. She shuffled back around to where she’d been sitting before, something in the set of her shoulders and the reach of her arm looking more tired than before as she took another bit of cheese from the plate. “That is all I can do,” she said softly. “And as I said, it isn’t much. But it might save you a little boredom.” She smiled.
A bit of smile, then a blink at seeing her look more tired. Tree-Walker nodded. "Is nice do. Thank you. Is... not expect. Is... need water?"
A light chuckle as she finished her bite of cheese. “Oh, no need,” the elf smiled again, “thank you. But I should be leaving you to rest, soon.” There was some ambiguity as to who she was saying needed the rest… Perhaps intentionally.
Another smile and nod. She seemed only ever to give a single nod of her head at a time, and her facial expressions tended mostly not to last. "Is very nice, you come. Thank you."
Arastal paused a moment, then rose to her feet. “I enjoyed your company as well,” she said, walking over to her shoes, bending down to put them on.
The smile that came for that was, perhaps, shy. "Am glad. You nice. Like voice. Nice fingers."
The elf paused, looking at her own hand resting on the door for a moment, then turned back. "If you need anything, or simply wish to talk, I am often in my tent, or sometimes in the lodge."
The woman by the fire nodded with another small smile. "Is good know. Thank you."
"May stars smile," the elf nodded, giving a warm smile of her own. Then she ducked her head, opened the door, and slipped out.
