Chapter 93 - Pleasant Memories

Jean woke up earlier than usual. Although the new environment was quite tranquil and soothing, it was always uncomfortable to be pulled out of one's comfort zone. It was twice as hard for Jean since even back in her own bed she would struggle with sleep, given her frequent nightmares.

In the end, rather than laying on the mattress and staring blankly at the ceiling, Jean figured it would be better to take a walk and familiarise herself with her new home. That is, as long as Teacher Larks would have her.

Jean quickly shook away those disparaging thoughts that threatened to infiltrate her psyche, which would ultimately be propagated by the deprecating voices in her head, and calmly walked out of the orphanage. Yesterday, courtesy of Senior Brother Markus, she was already accustomed to the general layout of the orphanage. He had also pointed out areas to avoid and areas to be wary of, although there weren't that many to begin with.

Without a goal in mind, Jean decided to take a stroll in an arbitrary direction to see where her feet took her. And with that, Jean began walking.

It had been quite some time since Jean had last left the confines of her clan's mansion and lived out in the wilds. After her mother's passing, her initial, childlike wonderment with nature and outdoor living had somewhat subsided. However, now that she had returned to the said environment, she found it pleasantly welcoming.

Although the mansion was cleaner and more ordered, it didn't offer the same level of solitude and peace of mind as the open woods. Even with the constant chatter from the birds, the mirthful bubbling of the nearby spring, and the infrequent grunts, squeals, screeches and squeaks of the plethora of fauna, Jean found the ambience to be more calming and stimulating to the mind.

She didn't know for how long she walked, but soon, Jean found herself in front of a small, fenced-off space adjacent to the spring. The fencing was sufficiently low for her to look over, yet it was sturdy enough to dissuade the various small rodents and creatures nearby from entering.

As Jean observed the area beyond the fences, she noticed a bunch of familiar shrubberies, herbs, plants and flowers situated near and around the spring.

Her eyes gleaned with interest as she mentally listed them off through familiarity.

____

"This is a Gracidea plant. Do you remember what its uses are?" Nyla asked while carefully sprinkling droplets of water over the leaves of the pink coloured plant in front of her.

"Gracidea leaves are used as prophylactics against low-level illusionary spells. An incense created by powdering dried Gracidea roots can also act as a sobering agent," A little Jean answered with a serious expression on her face.

"You forgot one use," Nyla pointed out, to which Jean narrowed her eyes and pouted.

"I- I forgot..." Jean confessed while dropping her shoulders with a frown.

Nyla chuckled and plucked a small flower shooting off from the Gracidea plant and nimbly attached it to Jean's hair, "The Gracidea flower is also used as a gift to a loved one. It symbolises gratitude and affection."

"Mommy..." The little girl said while sulking. Although she tried her hardest to appear angry, her chubby and cute appearance, augmented by the frivolous flower adorned on her head, simply made her look even more endearing.

Nyla reached forward and pinched the girl's puffed cheeks, "What is a healer's primary goal?"

"To do everything within their power to treat their patients to the best of their judgement," Jean answered while raising her head, as though she were trying her best to recollect the exact phrase.

"Exactly! But always remember this! Treating a patient may not always correspond to external injuries," Nyla added. She then kneeled in front of Jean and tapped her head, and then at her chest above her heart, "Some injuries hide deep, beyond our sights. Even the strongest of mages can never find them. To become a true healer, we need to pursue treatment in a holistic sense."

Jean didn't seem to understand what her mother said. However, she noticed her mother turning her attention towards the herbs in the garden. Therefore, to not disturb her mother, Jean walked close to her and observed her actions.

____

"They're in good health. You don't need to inspect them like that, it might damage the stem's integrity," A calm feminine voice brought Jean out of her stupor.

Subconsciously, Jean had entered the fenced premises and was performing physical inspection through the various herbs in the field with a pre-programmed sense of familiarity. It was a practice Jean used to adhere to back in her garden at the mansion in the city.

"I'm sorry. It is a force of habit," Jean replied while facing the somewhat unfamiliar woman.

"It's fine. I figured that you were experienced by the way you approached the plants," The woman replied while closing the fence door behind her.

Jean deduced that she was probably the person Marie referred to as Matron Grace Reva. She was a short woman; although she was as old as Teacher Larks, she was only just taller than Jean. In fact, apart from the woman's sharp chestnut-brown eyes, there weren't any special features that made her stand out from the crowd. Grace was just perfectly average, to an almost uncanny degree.

Jean looked around the garden and spoke with an impressed tone, "These plants are well maintained, especially given the uncontrolled environment."

"I have some experience," Grace responded. As she did so, her face adorned a bitter expression. Jean noticed this and deduced that there were probably a few unpleasant memories associated with that statement. This was because it was the exact expression Jean wore, or at least wanted to wear, when someone asked her about her mother's passing. It wasn't a memory Jean wanted to dwell on.

'It must also be Matron Reva's sore spot.'

"It's the only thing I am good at anyway," Grace confessed. "It pays the bills. Keeps everyone fed."

Jean nodded solemnly. "You don't enjoy it?"

Grace shrugged and got down to work. She scanned around and found a herb ripe for the picking, and expertly handled the stem and leaves. While she was doing this, Jean just stood there and stared at Grace with a blank expression.

The girl didn't move from her place for a long time. This cause Grace to grow a little discomfited. Breaking the awkward silence, Grace spoke up, "If you aren't busy, why don't you help me out? You can start near the spring. Harvest those that are ready."

Grace had seen the way Jean handled the plants, and she knew right away that Jean was experienced. Therefore, Grace didn't fret when it came to delegating the task to Jean. If the girl were anyone else, such as Marie, Markus or the Twins, Grace wouldn't have done it so readily and confidently.

____

"Do you know what this flower is called?" Nyla asked while pointing at a blood-red blooming flower floating in position at a flowing spring passing through the garden.

Jean shook her head and said, "No."

"It's the Enduring Lotus. It is one of the most useful plants ever recorded. First, this lotus only grows in flowing water, never stationary. It's because its life cycle is extremely quick, and so it requires a steady influx of minerals and sustenance to support this growth rate. In stationary water bodies, it just isn't feasible. Interestingly, even in flowing water, this lotus plant never moves from the place where it is planted. That's because the moment the seeds touch water, they quickly sprout and anchor themselves firmly at the bed."

Nyla brought Jean closer to the spring's bank and pointed at the petals of the lotus.

"We can use the petals of the Enduring Lotus to create potions that invigorate blood. It is extremely useful for women with heavier flows during their monthly periods."

Nyla directed Jean towards the large leaf pad floating underneath the lotus and continued, "The pad of the lotus can be squeezed to extract its oil, which can then be used to coat items with a temporary waterproof layer. The seeds within the lotus can also be squeezed for their oils and can be used for cooking. Furthermore, the seeds can also be eaten as a light snack."

Nyla pulled the lotus towards her and exposed the long anchoring stem and root extending from the bottom.

"Due to the strength of the lotus stem and root, we can use it to make ropes in a pinch. Peasants also use it to make temporary and cheap clothing or apparel."

"But interestingly, the Enduring Lotus is named such not because of its ability to withstand the pressure of flowing rivers. It is actually because of this right here," Nyla added while pointing at a series of inconspicuous thorny protrusions along the length of the stem.

"Due to its myriad of uses, the Lotus should theoretically be a delicacy relished by the river fauna. However, these thorns here act as the greatest deterrent, earning the Lotus its name."

With a curious expression, Jean reached towards the stem. Nyla was too distracted in explaining the various characteristics of the lotus, that she failed to catch Jean's approach. By the time she noticed, Jean had already touched one of the thorns on the stem with her index finger.

"Jean no!" Nyla screamed.

In pain, Jean pulled her hand away and in the process, her flesh ripped against the minuscule barbs lined at the tip of the thorn causing the earlier prick to elongate into a bloody gash.

Jean winced as the effects of the unceremonious slash assaulted her. Before she could voice a response, her hand was caught within the warm grasps of her mother and was quickly dunked into the flowing river water. Nyla pulled it out immediately and shoved the affected finger straight into her mouth, slobbering it with her saliva.

"Ewww!" Jean commented while scrunching her nose, seemingly forgetting all about the pain on her fingertip.

Nyla smiled slyly and explained, "Saliva has the ability to heal, did you know that?"

"No way! You're joking," Jean rejected.

"Am not! Don't animals always lick their wounds? It's because they are naturally cleaning it and letting it heal," Nyla explained. She chuckled and then said with feigned seriousness, "You better get used to this, Jean. In the future, when you become a healer, you will have to lick your patients' wounds too!"

Jean squirmed in place in disgust and laughed along with her mother.

____

Jean was brought out of her stupor this time by the assault of a warm, wet and fleshy feeling at the tip of her right index finger.

"Tsk, I kept calling out to you to be careful. How can you get distracted like that when handling an Enduring Lotus? You cut yourself real good, didn't you?!" Grace reprimanded as she doused Jean's bloody finger with her saliva inside her mouth.

"Ah!" Jean exclaimed in surprise, causing Grace to realise what she had just done.

"I'm sorry! It's a force of habit... The twins keep cutting themselves all the time, especially Dora. I did that subconsciously," Grace said with a wry smile.

Grace's expression quickly turned into a frown, and she added with a soothing tone, "It must've hurt you real bad, huh? It's okay, don't cry."

"I'm not cry-" Jean stopped herself when she noticed a saline liquid dripping along the side of her cheeks and off her chin. She felt the trail leading up her cheek, towards her eyes, and her jaw dropped agape in surprise.

Grace brought Jean's finger towards her and wrapped it with a small length of cloth torn from her dress. After dressing the wound carefully, Grace said with a smile, "There! All fixed up. It's okay, the pain's only temporary. Mark my words, once this wound heals, your finger will be even stronger!"

Grace chuckled, to which Jean reciprocated, but with an awkward attempt.

Grace rubbed Jean's head and said, "I'll handle the rest, you should go and treat the wound properly. If any dirt gets in, it might hurt more."

Jean complied and left the fenced area. As she walked away, her fingers once again touched her cheeks and felt the long-forgotten sensation of tears streaming down them.

After a very long time, Jean's cold and uncaring face cracked with a nostalgic smile.. Alas, no one was there to witness it.