This is a tree...
Nineteenth of December, 2008
Eastern Outpost: Infirmary - Recovery
<>----------------------------------
Just as large as the room below, the recovery room is for those patients who won't be recovering quickly. Cots are laid out in rows for patients and occasionally those family or friends that refuse to leave their loved ones.
From the floor below, there's always a scent of herbs, but it's not so strong as to be nauseating. It's rather refreshing, even.
The wooden slat staircase appears out of the floor and continues up, up and out through the ceiling. Instead of the rounded carved-from-the-tree ceiling, there are boards instead. Also, between this floor and the one below, there is a contraption of ropes and pulleys disappearing through another hole in the floor.
Below, there's a platform attached with enough room for a cot and a healer to stand.
<>----------------------------------
Exits: [Down] the Stairs, [Up] the Stairs
Madison is sat on the bed, as she always is. She was confined to the infirmary... that confinement was probably lifted a long time ago, but either way she hasn't left the place in days... almost two weeks. With the now-regular expression of vulnerability that has replaced her old look of sour derision, she sits with her sewing kit and numerous rags, practising chain stitch.
Gwennythe is sat nearby, just watching. Her ears twitch, and she follows the needle, glancing to the squirrel every so often. There's a crinkle of worry in her features, which seems to be her default expression these days, but she's content to watch in silence for the moment; thoughtful.
Madison continues the silence, of course. Though she's aware the bat is there. And to tell the truth? She's glad Gwen's there, despite her apparent icy exterior. She adds another pinprick to the many she's accumilated since taking up her new hobby, and winces with a small hiss, sucking ruefully on the offending digit.
Gwennythe flickers her ears slightly, peering worriedly at the pin prick. But, she reasons, it is just a pin prick, after all. She settles, but has to ask anyway. "How are you doing?" It could be about the sewing, or about the squirrel herself...
Madison has the same reasoning, but answers the sewing side of the question. "It's coming along well. I have to figure out how to put the seperate bits together to make a whole tunic... Elspeth is insistant I make a new tunic for myself. Personally, I don't see the problem with these." she looks down at her mismatched clothing.
"Well, um, it never hurts to have another set of clothes..." The bat muses, recalling her summer dress and, perhaps, missing wearing it a little. "I like M'dam Elspeth... She seems sensible..." The little bat avoids the use of nice, but 'sensible' seems to be said in the same way.
Madison gives an acknowledging grunt that could mean anything, but there's no denying that Elspeth has become the 'Greater Power' over Madison. "Well they want it to be green, for camoflages I think. I figured brown and white make more sense, me being confined to the ground in WInter."
"Oc, but... It won't be winter for ever. And, um, there are some trees that stay green. I do see your point though... The snow..." The bat fidgets a little, eyeing the walls. "But... If you have a green one as well, you have both. One for winter, and one for when there is no snow?"
Madison shrugs. "I guess." she doesn't seem to have picked up on some of the squirrels' plan to fix her leg. But... "Sharpclaw was on about mending my leg. Then he inspected it and suddenly went quiet." a mirthless chuckle.
The little bat looks puzzled. "He went quiet? Perhaps he was thinking about how he could, M'dam? If anybeast could fix it, I think Senher Sharpclaw probably could..." She seems to practically hero-worship the blind fox these days. "Um, it would be a good thing, to finally have it healed, I think?" The question slips in. As different as Madison seems, the little bat really can't guess how the squirrel might feel about the idea of her leg made well. She's hopeful though.
Madison waves her paws, presumably in an impression of Sharpclaw. "He went from, 'Don't talk silly, we'll have that leg fixed in no time!', to, 'oh, right...'" she shrugs. "I had the use of my leg last Autumn, remember. Mostly. Not sure if having it for a month was worth losing it again."
"Oc, but. It got worse again. With Senher Sharpclaw helping to mend it, perhaps it will stay well this time?" Her muzzle twitches. "I'm sure he just meant it might take a little longer than he thought it would..."
Madison just shrugs again and turns back to her sewing. "He's welcome to try." she says, with no faith at all.
A nod comes from the bat. A small one. That means what? Who knows, the bat just seems to have thought a nod was a good response. "Good. Um, I'm sure he'll know how to make it better."
"Yeah." Madison sighs. Sad squirrel. She continues her stitching. Yay.
Gwennythe tilts her head. "Um. You don't sound very... enthusiastic?" She tries, that worry frown returning and increasing. Her ears perk, eyes darting from needle to Madison.
Madison stares at the needle. Um. "More a lack of optimism than enthusiasm." she corrects.
"Lack of optimism? But, um, why? Like you said, M'dam, you could use it last Autumn, so surely your leg is fixable, and, um, Senher Sharpclaw is a /very/ good healer..."
Madison shrugs, and simply repeats, "He's welcome to try." before catching her finger again. Yow.
Hmm... The bat frowns, her ears fall a little. She even looks somewhat... sulky. Not sure of what else to say, she opts for nothing. Though a little look of concern sneaks through when she notices the squirrel prick herself with the needle again.
Madison looks annoyed, even angered. "I'm always doing that." she wrings her paw and stares at her finger accusingly. "Which there was something I could do well. Really well."
"Even beasts who sew perfectly, and have been doing it for a lifetime do that sometimes..." The bat offers, concerned. "You don't seem very bad at sewing at all, M'dam. Practice makes perfect... Um, maybe you need a thimble?"
It's true, she is pretty good, all told. But she's off on one of her feeling-sorry-for-herself rants. She drops the sewing, and slouches.
Gwennythe blinks. And states the obvious. "Um, you've stopped, M'dam..?" There is, of course, the worried, questioning tone.
Madison sighs, and shrugs. And brings a paw to her face. Urrrgh.
The little bat is soon up and pattering across to peer, concerned, at the squirrel. A wing extending for her shoulder. "M'dam... Um, wh-what's wrong?" A little fear mixing in as she reflects the squirrel was fine before they started talking.
Madison is never fine! "I'm fine." she assures in a completely unconvincing tone. See!
The wing stays where it is. And so does the bat. She doesn't say anything, but looks expectant, and worried, as she continues to peer at the squirrel.
Madison sighs again. She swallows and, as she's done before, moves to take that wing. "I know you're not fine." Comes a simple statement. Gwenn's expression doesn't change. "And, um, I can't help if I don't know what's wrong..."
Madison shrugs again under that wing. "I'm not sure I know. It's very much a 'staring into the abyss' kind of thing."
Gwennythe stares into the abyss and makes sure there's nothing in the way with her ears before she flutters down into it... The phrase leaves her looking a little blank. "Um... You feel sad when you see big caves..? This is a tree."
Madison hmph's. Then hmph's again, a little higher-pitched. Then she smiles. o.o And chuckles! O.O At first, the chuckle is a simple shudder, almost like sobbing, before it becomes apparent. It sounds downright odd, as though she's not got the hang of laughter.
Gwennythe is very... confused. But she's pleased when she works out Madison's sort of laughing. She smiles, but warily, and puzzled. Is she happy this is a tree, not a cave or... The bat shakes her head a little, and just keeps smiling for the moment.
Madison actually manages a little full-throated laughter, and is still chuckling, even wiping her eyes, though she still clutches that wing. "This is a tree...!" she repeats. She manages a further laugh, though this is a little... not forced, but needed. Cleansing.
Gwennythe nods... "Oc, M'dam. This is a tree." She repeats. Brightly pleased but... still very confused. "Not an, um, abyss." Her ears are casting about for a healer. Or... just another squirrel. She knows Madison's not like most other beasts, but perhaps being this happy about a tree is a squirrel thing..?
Madison doesn't bother to explain. For the first time in probably forever, she's been given a chance to really, truly laugh in good humor - not bad, to say it came out of one of her most macabre sentences. Laughter makes her feel somewhat... warm, and tingly. Nice. "I'm glad you're here." she says once she's calmed down.
Gwennythe beams. Her ears lift a little more. She still doesn't understand the cave/tree thing, but it gets filed away, probably for some later, perhaps humorous, misunderstanding in the future. "Um. I'm glad I can help." A very truthful reply, and though the bat is pleased, she can't help but have that ever present edge of worry.
Madison is breathing a little harder, as though the laughter took a lot of effort. "...I... I think I enjoyed that." she assured the bat, breathing a sigh, though one of relief this time.
"That's good, M'dam. I'm glad..." She frowns just a little though. The fact that it seemed to take a lot of effort from the squirrel just worries her more.
"Um, it's nice to hear you laugh... I think... I think that needs to happen more often." She doesn't sound sure... That worrying, after all...
Madison nods, calm again. "I'd like that." she looks around, to make sure there's no other creatures listening, "I don't... I don't enjoy being how I am..." she hesitates.
"It must be quite... tiring, M'dam." She reflects, nodding a little understandingly. "Though, I do not think anybeast does not understand that you have had reasons for being so."
Madison shrugs again. Lots of shrugging. "I do have my reasons. I wish I didn't." a pause, "In all honestly, I genuinely thought I'd forgotten what it means to have good humor."
Gwennythe nods. "And I know that. But others might not. Yet, I think they, mostly, work it out. And I'm pleased. That you have it again." Another nod. There are lot of things niggling in the bats mind that she wants to talk over, her brow furrows a little, but she decides now is not the time for any of them.
Madison has been having her own thoughts, and after a looong moment of silence, she decides to share them. "...I've been thinking," she begins, slowly, as though waiting for permission to continue.
Gwennythe perks her ears, a tiny little noise just about makes its way out as encouragement for Madison share her thoughts, though otherwise, the bat just settles to listen.
Madison takes this as a sign to continue. "...At first, I wanted to learn things just to keep my mind occupied. But now... I enjoy sewing. I want to learn it properly. Then I want to learn to cook. And... and then I want to go back to the abbey."
"You want to stay here." The bat doesn't seem very surprised at all. But it's hard to tell how she feels about it. She's thoughtful again, and concerned still, silent for a good few moments.
Madison nods some, "For now. Until the spring maybe. I want to..." she looks around again. No creatures listening in. "...I want to be a good person. I saw all the mouse maiden at the abbey and I was just so /jealous/. And I know I can't be like that... but I'd like to regain some of my former..." she trails off.
Gwennythe is silent for a few moments longer, but, slowly, she nods. "Oc... Um," She smiles a little. "I've noticed... This place, it has been good for you. M'dam, Madison, you seem to feel better here." She looks around the room, the ceiling, and then lets her gaze drift back. "I think I've been expecting this."
Madison has to bring it down to some degree. "Oh, I still don't feel too great... the leg's always aching. But you get used to it." she trails off, then, "Expecting what?"
"For you to stay. Um, I could not guess how long, of course, but I think I knew you'd stay." She offers a sad little smile "Even if your leg still hurts, and I still think Senher Sharpclaw can help to heal that, you do seem, I think, sort of happier here. It does seem good for you, to be here."
Madison can only nod. "Kinda like a holiday, right?" she adds, then offers a confession, one that the bat may have slight prior knowledge of; "Personally I prefer the company of fellow squirrels. Practically the only species that hasn't hurt me in some way."
The little bat finds herself returning the nod, slowly. She takes another look around the room. A tree. In a tree. Very squirrely. "I can understand that..." She offers quietly. Her ears fall just a little as the bat becomes just a small bit subdued.
