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"I am still unsure we should take a break, Malaya." Castti and Malaya were taking a stroll through some hills. Blue skies all around, not a cloud anywhere to be seen. A soft breeze could be felt.
"We have been working too much, Castti. You in particular deserve a break more than anyone." Malaya walked over the hill in front of them, disappearing in an instant. On her hands was a picnic basket.
Castti followed suit. On the other side was a lake, its waters pristine. Ducks and Swans enjoyed a swim, and a group of little frogs stood upon lily-pads. Malaya was standing near the lake, she had started to setup what seemed to be a picnic blanket.
"This is quite the nice place." Castti slowly walked down the hill, making sure not to trip.
"I found it the other day while collecting herbs." Malaya finished setting up the picnic, the blanket was a mix of sky blue with white stripes. On the top, there was a bottle of red wine, two glasses, as well as what seemed to be tomato and cheese sandwiches.
"It is quite the place for a date." Castti chuckled.
Malaya sat down and invited Castti to do the same. She then poured some wine for the both of them.
"I'm glad we took some time to do this." Malaya took a sip of her wine as she looked at Castti, "We have been working a lot recently. It was time for a little date."
"Yes, I agree. But as you know our work…" Castti tried to put on some excuses but Malaya dismissed them.
"You know I understand, it's our job to save lives, and you are particularly talented at that." Malaya sighed, "But you have to remember you are a human too, if something were to happen… If you overexerted yourself and got ill or hurt… We, no, I wouldn't know what to do."
"You are quite talented yourself, Malaya." Castti hadn't touched her wine yet, she instead kept looking at Malaya, a warm smile on her face, "But you're right, It is important I'm at my best to heal others…"
That was the moment they heard a loud cry. Castti looked at Malaya, who returned a knowing nod. The two of them quickly ran towards the source of the noise. A young boy had seemed to fall down the hill, scrapping his knee in the process.
"Let me see." Castti approached gently, Malaya decided to stand back, and let Castti do her magic. The boy kept sobbing as Castti approached, his face full of tears. It was Castti's warm and inviting presence that finally calmed him down. Malaya really admired that quality of Castti's.
"What happened?" Castti asked, she could deduce what had happened, but it tends to be better just to ask.
"I was looking for some herbs, and fell down and hurt my knee…" The boy sobbed, Castti took out a salve and some bandages and started treating the boy's wound.
"Done. It should start feeling better soon." Castti finished applying the bandages.
"Why were you looking for herbs?" Malaya inquired.
"My sister, she's sick…" The kid seemed sad. Malaya knelt down next to Castti, putting her hand on her shoulder.
"Well, you're in luck. We are apothecaries. If you would allow us, we would be happy to check on your sister." Malaya gave both Castti and the boy a confident smile. This was both her way to inspire trust on the boy, as well as reassure Castti it was fine to prioritize the sister over the date.
"Yes, please bring us to her." Castti told the kid, "Don't worry about paying us if you are not able to. Our priority is to help as many people as possible."
The kid nodded and attempted to stand up. Castti helped him up. He then guided them towards a small cabin on top of a nearby hill.
"So, where are your parents?" Malaya asked as they walked towards the cabin.
"They are out right now, working… It's just me and my sister at the moment." He seemed melancholic.
Malaya opened the cabin door. It was quite empty, three beds were stacked next to each other in the corner. Whatever little space left was occupied by a dining table and a rudimentary kitchen. In one of the beds laid a little girl, she seemed to be about four or five years of age. Her face was a bright red.
Castti approached carefully and checked her temperature. "Brother…? Are you back?" the girl struggled to say, her eyes were closed. It was clear she hadn't noticed Castti nor Malaya. The sickness dulled her senses.
"I… I am, I brought some help." The kid said weakly, with tears on his eyes.
"Me and my partner are apothecaries, we'll do our best to treat your ailment." Castti turned to Malaya, beckoning her to come closer.
"So, have you identified what is it?" Malaya inquired.
"Not yet, she has a fever, so it's probably just a cold, but I'd like to confirm if she presents other symptoms." Castti started examining the girl, meanwhile Malaya proceeded to ask the kid about her sister's sickness.
"Since when is she like this?" Malaya asked calmly.
"A few days ago I think? She started complaining about her throat being scratchy."
"Anything else?" Malaya knew they needed more information. Of course, she trusted that Castti's analysis would give it to them, but part of their job was asking about any symptoms people had noticed in the past.
"She has been sweating a lot… And… she has complained about having trouble breathing." The kid started crying, "I… I didn't know what to do, I was so worried, our parents were out by then and I…"
Malaya turned to Castti, they exchanged places, Malaya went on to continue examining the girl, meanwhile Castti went to comfort the kid.
"Don't worry, your sister will be fine, you did well." Castti had always been good with kids, she had a motherly aura that Malaya had once envied, but now was something she deeply loved.
"So, what do you think it is?" Malaya asked Castti.
"It seems like a respiratory infection. What's your opinion?" Castti valued Malaya's opinion.
"Yes, I agree. Do we have something that could help in the meantime?" Malaya had not brought her supplies with her, after all, this was supposed to be a relaxing date. Thankfully, Castti was always prepared.
"I'll see what I can do, in the meantime, could you please go back to the lake and bring some water?" Castti asked Malaya, "Some steam would help a lot if it is indeed respiratory. I would like to make some tea as well."
"Roger that." Malaya stood up and approached the kid, "Do you have a bucket?"
"Yes, I do." The kid immediately scrambled to look for a bucket, giving it to Malaya.
"I'll be right back!" Malaya left the confines of the cabin, meanwhile Castti sat down and got to work.
Some time passed by, Malaya came in, carrying a bucket full of water on one hand, and the picnic basket on the other. Castti had finalized the salve, rubbing it on the girl's throat. Malaya started the small fireplace inside the cabin, putting the bucket on top of it.
"Once it boils, could you please separate some into a glass?" Castti asked Malaya while she looked for more ingredients she might have at hand, "Like I said, I would like to prepare some form of tea for her. It might not be tasty, but hopefully it'd help her feel better."
Malaya nodded and went to look for a cup, she finally found one, but it was somewhat dirty. Malaya sighed, doing her best to wash it with some of the water from the bucket, and some soap that Castti had in her bag. When the water started boiling, she picked some up and passed the cup to Castti, who started to prepare a ginger tea.
"It's a shame we don't have lemons…" Castti lamented, that was when Malaya passed one to her.
"I brought one for the salad I had prepared for the date. I would have added it but I wasn't sure if you were feeling like lemons today." Malaya confessed.
"Thank you." Castti grabbed the lemon, cutting it in half and squeezing it into the tea, then mixing it. She then went over to the girl, helping her drink it. Her face contorted from the sour taste.
"I know it's not very pleasant, but please do your best to drink it. It'll help you feel better." Castti reassured the girl, who seemed to listen and did her best to continue drinking the concoction.
On the other hand, Malaya had started to set the table, using what she had brought for the date. She would have preferred for it to be just her and Castti, but it would be rude not to share with the kid.
"You should eat Castti." Malaya passed a plate to Castti.
"But you made this for our date." Castti said, she was a bit hungry, but she was willing to wait to eat once they were done.
"Yeah, but now we're on the job, and I don't think we'll be finishing anytime soon." Malaya sighed, she looked at the kid who seemed to be devouring one of the sandwiches.
"I'm sorry." Castti sighed, "I know how much the date meant."
"Don't worry about it. Helping others always comes first. 'Extend a helping hand to all those in need'." Malaya smiled, "Isn't that the creed?"
"Yes, but nevertheless, I still owe you a date." Castti said, a serious look plastered on her face.
"You do!" Malaya laughed, "Promise me that next time we are in the area, we'll come back to this lake, and have a proper date."
"I promise, Malaya." Castti said with a smile. The steam from the bucket had started to fill the room, making it easier for the girl to breath.
They two women stayed the night, Castti stayed awake for a while, monitoring the girls state from a chair in front of the bed. Malaya had laid down in what seemed to be the parents bed, the kid had fallen fast asleep.
"Castti, you should get some rest too." Malaya beckoned her to the bed. "At least one hour won't do harm. She has been stable for a while." Castti turned to the girl, she seemed to be sleeping peacefully, and her fever had gone down a bit.
"I am still somewhat worried the symptoms might return." Castti said, she looked incredibly tired.
"I'm worried about you. Please, just take a small break." Malaya begged Castti, but if she didn't listen, she was prepared to pick her up and bring her to the bed herself.
"You're right. But just a 30 minute nap, okay?" Castti stood up and walked towards the bed, Malaya chuckled.
"Sure, 30 minutes." Malaya knew that once they got Castti on a bed, she would easily fall asleep. The issue was getting her in the bed, as she would run around, working on different medicines and preparing everything they might need for the next day.
And as predicted, once Castti laid down, she immediately fell into a deep slumber, Malaya in turn cuddled with her, she was warm. They both fell into a deep sleep.
"I promise… We'll come back here… And have a picnic date…" Malaya could hear Castti mumble as she fell asleep.
Castti was walking over some hills. It was a cloudy day, it seemed as if rain could start falling from the skies at moments notice. Nevertheless, Castti had a determined look on her face. On her right hand was a picnic basket.
She then arrived at a pristine lake, it's water reflected the gray clouds in the sky. Castti took out an old sky blue blanket with white stripes and laid it down on the floor. Next, she took out two wine glasses and a bottle of red wine, serving some wine on both glasses. Castti took one of the glasses and took a big sip from it, turning to look at the horizon beyond the lake.
"I know this isn't exactly what you had in mind, Malaya, but I hope wherever you may be, you know I tried to fulfill my promise…" Castti let out a long sigh as she took another sip.