In the Houses of Healing (open)

[lalaith]

Lalaith was at the Houses of Healing, in one of the patient’s rooms. A woman had cut herself with a knife while cooking, and the young healer was tending to her wound now. The hand had looked awful at first, covered in red thick blood, when the woman had appeared just some quarter of an hour prior. But Lalaith had never had any troubles with seeing and dealing with blood. She knew, some people became sick when seeing it, but not her. She had quickly ushered the woman into a room, had fetched some water and cloth to wash away the blood and take a look at the actual wound. The cut had not been very severe, neither deep. Lalaith had quickly fetched a salve made out of linden tree leaves and yarrow to stop the bleeding and help the healing process along, and was now applying it to the wound. Then she wound a cloth around the hand.

”You need to give your hand a break for the next few days. Is there someone else to help you in the household?” Lalaith asked, not wanting the woman to use the hand too early. That would harm the cicatrisation. And after being affirmed that the woman had a daughter who could help her out for a few days, Lalaith handed her a small pot of the same salve she just had applied a little earlier, telling the woman to tend the wound with it and to keep it bandaged. Then, she led the woman outside to the exit to the Houses of Healing, telling her to fare well and to be sure to return, would any problems arise with the hand.

Lalaith enjoyed her occupation. It fulfilled her to help people and see them being healed. She had not yet had to deal with a patient dying on her, not being such a sufficiently trained and experienced healer yet to deal with the severe wounds and sicknesses. No, she was only allowed to tend to the minor injuries and illnesses. In any other cases, she was to act only as assistant to more experienced healers and aid them, not coming in close contact with such patients.

Now, Lalaith was in the healers’ room, washing her hands, which had blood stains on them as well due to tending to the wound. She used soap smelling of lavender. It was her favourite scent. She also splashed some water onto her face. Then she dried her hands and her face on her apron, which, too, was a little sprinkled with blood and other substances from previous cases, or from the production of several salves, tinctures, teas and even earth stains could be found on that apron. Having refreshed herself, she stepped outside to tend to patients who were staying longer at the Houses of Healing.