Sunday, April 19, 2009

Cough Medicine

Minya uncurled herself carefully from around the sleeping form of her companion and set her hooves carefully so as not to disturb her cat. They had been hunting the elusive bargains at the auction house for weeks, setting traps carefully to lure people in to buy odds and ends Halinka had collected in her travels. It was boring. Minya's normally robust earthy tone had lost a few shades. The crystal dust still in the ventilation systems of the Exodar caused both of them to have a nagging cough that most remedies barely touched. Noone was meant to stay at the Exodar this long. It was a place to visit, understand, and get out of as quickly as possible.

She reached the small table she was using as kitchenette and pharmacy, and started to heat a pot of water. From one of the packages sent from Halinka, Minya pulled a few Silverleaf and a Peacebloom. She took her mortar and pestle and ground them into dust, which she put into the water, adding a bit of some dwarven stout and some honey. It was an awful concoction, but it helped somewhat. She poured a bit into a flask, took a swig, and tucked it into her hip pack for later, then quietly made her way to the mail box to see what treasures awaited her trading that day. A cough escaped as she emptied a couple large crates into her carisak, ducking her head into her shoulder to keep from offending anyone.

At the auction house, she put her wares up for sale, and collected sales made while she had been away. Bundling up the coin with a small exotic pet, she sent them on their way to Halinka, with the unspoken, "Get me out of here!" that always accompanied these payments. Halinka knew she was doing poorly, but didn't have much choice. Her travels kept her far from the Exodar, as they should, meeting all the peoples of the Alliance with hopes they would accept her self appointed status as ambassador of the Draenei. The humans and the night elves had been easy, but the gnomes were proving difficult. The dwarves would be alright, so long as Halinka conditioned herself to the ale they drank. Minya knew that was a problem, as that small bit of stout in her syrup was enough to make her happy, even in this dying spaceship.

Minya bundled up her carisak and shoved it into her hip pack, taking out the flask in the same move. Another tot of the sauce, and she was walking, if not as steadily, a little more spritely than before. She vowed to poke her head outside with her cat for a little hunting later that day. Maybe she'd even start fishing....

Sorry I haven't been posting lately. Spring break was not as fun as I remember it being! I have had the worst cold, followed by my husband changing laundry soaps on me while I wasn't shopping, left me miserable for my return to work. So miserable, in fact, that I missed the first half of the week, went back on Thursday, tried to go back Friday, and went home an hour later in fits of coughing with a fever. Hopefully, the fact that I am sitting here writing is a sign that I'm getting out of this, though my chest is heavy still, I am at least almost rested and not running a temperature.

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