Querencia

Healing of a Fox

Cole managed to stay quiet for a good 45 minutes, finally leaning forward to begin asking the questions that had been bothering him. "So, who exactly are we going to see? You said we were going to Red Bamboo Grove." When [M/n] did not immediately respond, he continued. "I honestly thought you didn't know anyone outside us and your 'contact'." He tried to use quotation marks, but winced when he used his broken hand without thinking.

[M/n] sighed, "The woman we are going to see is a renowned healer for her own village and the other surrounding villages. And I only remembered her after . . . after the bell. She is closer to me in age, my true age, only a few years younger if I am remembering correctly." A long pause. "I met her when I was going after Keres. She helped me recover and sent me in the right direction when I started the hunt back up."

"Keres?"

"My . . . my family's murderer."

Cole winced. "Non lo sapevo. Mi dispiace aver insistito." (I did not know. I am sorry for pushing)

"Non ti rimprovererei per ciò che non sai." (I would not hold what you do not know against you)

"She'll help?"

"Sivannah is a healer; even if we were not friends, she would help." 'If she still lives within the Grove.'

Cole slowly nodded. "We are close?"

He didn't need to answer, Ara descending towards the distinct entrance of the Red Bamboo Grove. [M/n] was glad that Ara was not heading straight for the semi-hidden village, since it would bring far too much attention to them that they didn't need. Bending low, Ara made it easier for the two to climb down from his saddle, watching his rider more closely. Cole was awed by the red bamboo woven around a well-kept Torii Gate, with star jasmine crawling across the top and releasing a fragrantly sweet scent.

Breathing deeply, he mumbled, "Incredibile."

[M/n] swayed. "Vieni. Non so per quanto ancora riuscirò a resistere." True to his word, his first few steps were unsteady, with his limp much more noticeable before he managed to hide it. Cole frowned deeply, reaching out to offer a hand, but he was waved off. (Come. I do not know how much longer I can stand.)

Leading the way up the short path, Cole lost focus as he looked around the bamboo grove, smiling when he saw the lemurs darting around and heard the sweet song of the partridges. He was less happy when he saw the green form of some kind of snake, a shudder running through him when he saw the frog hanging from its mouth.

It took them only 5 minutes to reach the village itself, emerging into the small, bustling town. Machiya were the first thing Cole spotted, the shop fronts decorated with merchants' and artisans' wares, but farther on he could see Kominka. It shocked him to see how old-fashioned the town was, even more than Jamanakai or his own hometown. These kinds of houses had long been replaced by concrete and metal in Ninjago City.

[M/n] seemed to have no problem navigating the streets. Following the main path, he passed three machiya before turning down an alley onto a smaller road. He led them farther down, focused on an older machiya at the end, where a small koi pond sat in the center of the road. It brought a certain peace to this area. The machiya he was focused on had dried herbs hanging from the overhang, jars of tinctures on the window shelf, and living pots of herbs and other plants sitting all around.

Cole couldn't help but wrinkle his nose at the overpowering smells.

Knocking thrice on the entrance, [M/n] called into the shop, "Sivanah? Είσαι εδώ?" (Are you here?)

They both heard a gasp as a middle-aged woman stepped into view. The hem of her deep brown, flower-embroidered kimono fluttered as she hurried to approach them, delighted surprise all across her face. "[M/n]? Is that you?" She crossed the space until she was standing a foot away from the ninja. "You don't look a day over 20. Looks like you aged backward, in fact."