19th Ymiden, 719
Desnind was an interesting place when it came to healing the people who call it home. The city had two places of healing. One, the more traditional of the two was the Olọravu Slosneppe. Translated into Common, it was the Medicine House. And from what Tei'serin could tell, it had existed as long as the city had.
Totrial, Tei'serin was at the Order of the Adunih Outpost. She found the Olọravu Slosneppe to be a fascinating place, but she felt hopelessly out of her depth there. The herbs she relied on exclusively were foreign there, and sources of suspicion. As a result, she was much more comfortable working in the Outpost. The Outpost was so much...more than she was. Tei'serin knew herbs, and she was confident in her abilities when using them. But herbs were only one small aspect of healing. And when she considered that, she found herself very lacking. Herbs were what she loved. But how many people was she failing by not knowing more than the herbs she trusted? As a healer, she wanted...no, needed to know more.
So while she had come to the Outpost to help out, there was one thing she needed to do first. Tei'serin made her way over to the reception area where a simple wooden desk could be found. A girl who looked to be a few arcs younger than her sat behind it.
"May I help you?" the girl asked politely.
Tei'serin hesitated. Did she really want to do this? Yes. More than just about anything. There were only two things that she wanted more than this. And yet...he wouldn't like it. Thorin would be furious if she joined the Order of the Adunih. He didn't like it if she attracted too much attention to herself. Being a teacher and an herbalist in a tiny village was one thing. Joining a faction that was known all over the world...was very much another thing entirely. He wouldn't like the time she would have to spend honoring the commitment she would be making if she were to join the Order. If he found out...and he would, there was no denying that fact. When he found out, the punishment he would give her for denying his wishes would be a truly horrible one indeed. Tei'serin shuddered at the thought, and the girl behind the desk frowned in concern. And yet...it would be worth it. She hoped.
"I would like to join the Order of the Adunih." Tei'serin said softly.
The girl's eyes widened slightly. Tei'serin got the feeling that she hadn't been expecting Tei'serin to say what she had said.
"Are you certain? It's a big commitment, and you looked a little...worried a few trills ago." she said.
Tei'serin nodded.
"There are...complications that I will need to deal with. But they are personal ones, and they will not affect my duties to the Order if I am allowed to join."
It was true enough. Thorin would be furious with her, but the scandal of being forced to quit after she had joined might draw attention to him too, since he was her guardian. So like it or not, he wouldn't force her to withdraw her membership. Instead, he would find other ways to make her life miserable.
"I see. Please wait here. I need to get Rue for this. She is a hooded gold cloak member of the Order, and she is the head healer at this Outpost. This is something she needs to deal with."
Tei'serin had no idea what a gold cloak was supposed to represent, hooded or not, but from what the girl said, it sounded like it meant that Rue was a person of authority. Especially when combined with the fact that she was the head healer. That much, Tei'serin could understand.
She didn't have to wait long.
"Is this the woman who wants to join the Order?"
Tei'serin jumped a little, and turned to see a woman wearing a gold cloak with a hood over a dark green dress enter the reception area.
"Yes, Rue."
The older woman turned to Tei'serin.
"My name is Rue Westfield, and I am the head healer at this outpost. Juel'rie tells me that you want to join the Order of Adunih?"
"Tei'serin nodded.
"Yes, ma'am." she said politely.
"Why don't we take this somewhere where we can talk more freely?"
Rue led Tei'serin through a hall that branched into nine rooms. She was told that eight of them were exam rooms where patients could be examined and treated in privacy. It was far from anything she had ever experienced back in Treth. Normally, she treated people in their own homes. That offered her patients all the privacy they could want as long as the rest of their family kept out from underfoot, but this seemed...more professional, somehow. She couldn't tell if it was better or not, but she figured that that was a sign of her own lack of knowledge on such matters.
At the back of the exam area, there was a room that Rue explained was the staff break room.
"No one will disturb us here. Why don't you tell me a bit about yourself. I know you have some experience as a healer because I've seen you helping one of the healers who work here. How much experience do you have?"
"I'm an herbalist, ma'am. Back in Treth, I'm the village herbalist. We have a doctor who tends to things like broken bones, or surgery. But people come to me when they need a remedy for a cold, or the flu. Or if they need something to help them relax, or get to sleep. I know what herbs are good for easing pain, preventing infection, making the body stronger so it can fight illness of better, and speeding healing. If someone wants to have a child...or not to have one, I know what herbs they should take. And I know what herbs are safe to use on children, and which ones are not. I know a few basic things like how to bandage some injuries, but what I know the most about...what I know best, is herbs. I have also been honored by Moseke's blessing. I try not to rely completely on the gifts she has given to me, because to do so would be to take them for granted, and I could never do that. That would be wrong."
Rue considered her words, then continued with another question.
"What do you think your greatest weakness is as a healer?"
"My lack of knowledge in every aspect of healing other than herbs. I like herbs. They fascinate me, and I am good at making herbal remedies. But they can't heal everything."
She had seen many cases where herbs wouldn't be enough to help her patients even if she had had enough to work with in a tent on an icy field during the war back in 716.
"Take away my herbs, or give me a patient who is bleeding out, and I am useless."
Rue nodded, watching Tei'serin carefully. Finally, she offered her a small smile.
"Well, at least you are honest about your limitations as well as your strengths. If you are willing to learn, I think you will be very useful to the Order."
Tei'serin smiled weakly. If she were being completely honest, she wondered if Rue would feel the same. She loved learning about herbs, collecting them, and making remedies out of them. Actually treating patients made her uneasy at times if their need wasn't severe enough to override her anxiety. Men terrified her because of everything she had suffered at the hands of Thorin and his men. There were few exceptions to this, and most of them were related to her. Treating a man for anything was a battle between her fear of him, and her duty as a healer...and she could never be completely certain which would win. Women weren't a source of terror the way men were, but it was hard to trust any stranger when she had to wonder if they were a spy for him, or had been blackmailed into helping him in some way. That lack of trust sometimes made it difficult for her to do her duty to them. With herbs, she had some distance, at least. Suggesting that someone drink lavender tea to help them sleep didn't take a lot of trust, after all. That was another reason why she liked working with herbs. She wouldn't have that distance if she was using other methods. Children didn't cause any conflict in her, though. And if she could learn more ways to help them, then she would be glad to.
"I am always willing to learn." she said simply.
"Then its settled. I'll get the paperwork that you'll need to fill out, and we'll get everything settled."
"Thank you."