A Cure for Every Wound [Silk Suture] [Concluded]

[20monkies]

"I admire you. I have tried making blends before, but they never turn out the same. I prefer to use a simple flower, such as Chamomile, and steep just that. I have a hard time finding the perfect combination. But you... effortlessly create and make it beautiful. It is in your blood." She smiled into her cup. It took great skill and talent. Since he was a pharmacist and a botanist, it made perfect sense he was able to experiment and know the perfect plants to use - the proper, edible kind. She had drank many cups of teas in her travels across Equestria. It was difficult to replicate her favourite blends, so she stopped bothering. That didn't mean she stopped drinking tea - she always kept some loose leafs in her saddlebag when she had a pot of hot water.

"I have a love affair with tea as well. I look forward to trying more of your blends. Perhaps if you ever have a chance, you can teach me a couple of things about tea blending? I collect many strange and exotic plants, and many have such gorgeous smells that I am afraid they might be poisonous instead of edible." Raven was more relaxed and at ease, the tension and fright of the plant long past. "I usually sell them for a good price, but never know what their true use ever is."

Her hunger had been satiated and her thirst satisfied. She helped herself to another cup of tea as she had drained her first, allowing it to set and cool before she drank it. Black had curled up beside her, purring, snoozing quietly. Raven looked down at the cat, nuzzling the little creature before a small yawn escaped her. Politely, she covered her mouth with her hoof and blushed apologetically.

She was tired, and she knew Silk understood. He was tired himself as well, she could see it in his eyes. Then again, that tiredness seemed to be part of how he appeared since the moment Raven had met him.

Her wing still needed cleaning up, but she did not press the matter yet. She took a couple of bites more of food before settling down with her head on her hooves, stomach full and lashes fluttering closed. 

[Silk Suture]

Silk Suture looked up from his tea in the mare's direction, rarely getting such admiration from someone because of his tea blends. Rarely he actually bumped into someone who shared his liking for tea, as well. Not many seemed to turn down an invitation to drink a cup if a situation like that presented itself, but that didn't usually make tea the main topic. But making tea blends was something Raven had tried – and failed – to do in the past, so obviously she had a lot more interest in this subject than your average pony. And the pharmacist was just fine with that.

"Hard to say if it's that effortless, seeing that everything does take a lot of practice," the stallion closed his eyes for a moment before turning to look at the fruit salad in front of him, taking few pieces of fruit and placing them in his mouth. It was easy to see why a pony would have so much trouble making the perfect blend, not everyone really had spent the needed amount of time actually practicing and memorizing different tastes of teas and other plants, a skill needed for blending the perfect tea of your own.
"It takes a lot of trial and error when you start out, I can tell you that."

Silk couldn't help but allow a small smile force its way on his lips as Raven asked if he could teach her about making tea blends, raising a questioning eyebrow.
"I suppose I could, later," the pegasus agreed after he had listened to her story, quickly continuing,
"First we would of course have to know if the plants you gathered are safe, then it's just a matter of trying how they taste and remembering those flavors," a sneak peek was given to the mare about what it would be like if she was truly interested in learning more about tea. Raven was quite tired however, yawning and barely able to keep her head up. It was about time they allowed her to rest...

"Looks like you should rest. How about you let me take a look at your wing now, so we get it out of the way and you can sleep?"

[20monkies]

Raven Feather nodded in agreement. Everything took time and practice, and she knew this first hand. Even with something as simple as tea, and blending the right flavours together, she could master it if she put her mind to it. She had done so with many other skills such as silver smithing and gardening, and even with music. Some things were better left to the experts, and with tea she rather preferred enjoying it made by somepony else's hooves. It was one of those arts she most appreciated because of it's true effort and expertise required in the field.

She was still willing to learn. Even if it took some extra time and patience - she could do it. She wasn't impatient, at least. Considering her spending much too much time travelling, exploring the different lands of Equestria and even beyond to more exotic places. She had seen glimpses of it, and felt like she could share that experience with Silk if he was willing as well.

She let out a soft, "Hmm" and lifted her gaze to look up at Silk from beneath dried bangs. "That sounds wonderful." She nodded again. After she was feeling better, and up for it, she would show the few plants she had in her bags and perhaps get a more clearer idea of what their true nature was. Maybe in the morning, she would even take a bath and wash off the extra gunk that was left on her pelt, mane and tail. She didn't like to stay dirty for too long.

With her hunger gone and her body in an extremely relaxed position, she shifted her wings a little under the warmth testing the joint. Feeling was finally returning, and the pinching was present where the wound had occurred.

"I am quiet relaxed, Silk." She laughed softly, tilting her head sideways on her hooves. "Just having you here makes me feel more at ease. If you've finished eating and feel just fine, you can take a look at my wing." Lifting her other wing to push the blanket aside so Silk could go ahead and take a look. Raven was more comfortable now with Silk looking at her wing, compared to the first day. She could trust his expert hooves to do the work and it no longer felt strange to her that another was taking care of her. She knew she couldn't do everything on her own and sometimes just asking for help never hurt anyone. As long as it was something the other was fine with doing.

[Silk Suture]

Silk Suture nodded as well, both ponies agreeing to push anything extra for a later time, when they both were feeling better. Especially the mare's condition was something they had to keep an eye on, she had been through quite a lot recently! There was no hurry – at least in the pharmacist's eyes – so they could take all the time they needed to rest well. Silk wasn't someone who would force a tired and injured pony out of his house, so at least as far as it came to him, Raven could stay and rest as long as she thought she needed. He wouldn't mind.

The stallion continued to slowly destroy the fruit salad offered to him, chewing on the juicy bits of fruit and berries in his mouth. It was good that Raven didn't seem to be feeling to awful anymore, not as cold or frightened and more tired than anything. While she was urging the pharmacist to finish eating before doing anything, he didn't really have any problem at making the mare's wound a priority, taking just one extra mouthful of the fruit salad before getting on his hooves and pushing his supplies closer to Raven, who had already lifted the blanket out of the way to reveal the dressing wrapped around her wound.

"Right, let's take a look," Silk Suture started, digging out his glasses which were then placed on his nose. Gently, he worked the cold bandages off the mare, removing them and placing them next to him for now, not wasting any time to get rid of the dirty gauze while treating a patient. He took a look at the wound, a bit red as could be expected this soon, but it was difficult to say if it would get better or worse during the next few days. He would do his best to take care of it to prevent any major complications or infections, at least.

First Silk washed his hooves using the water he had brought with earlier, now cooled enough so his and Raven's skin could actually take it without pain. Some of the clean water was of course saved for the actual wound, as the stallion quickly dipped a piece of cloth in the water and started to gently wash the wound, trying to use enough water to possibly wash away any extra gunk that might have gotten in there during the mare's little swim. The Bogg didn't really seem like the cleanest place to swim in, honestly, and that worried him a bit. And that was also why he had brought something to disinfect the wound with, of course!

"This might sting a bit," he finally continued after working in silence for a moment, happy with the throughout washing of the wound as he pushed the water away and switched his wet piece of cloth for a new, dry one. Of course it didn't stay dry for long as the disinfectant was poured on it and greedily sucked by the clean fabric. Silk Suture waited for Raven to brace herself for the little pain she was going to be experiencing before pressing the cloth against her wound, keeping an eye on the mare to see if he had to stop in case she was feeling too uncomfortable.

"I'll still put some salve on your wound and wrap it up, can't say it looked too bad yet, at least. I can't say how it will look tomorrow, but hopefully it will be a bit better," Silk turned away to put everything in his hooves down to give him more room, getting the ointment and clean gauze ready.


((Not feeling too great yet, so I'll probably be pretty quiet this weekend. Just felt like I had to write a response now, hah.))

[20monkies]

Her body was giving in to sleep, slumber tugging her gently and more invitingly than ever before. It was difficult keeping herself as awake as she could, without collapsing right then and there. The food had made her even more heavy lidded and cozy in her spot. Thankfully, after her wing was tended to, she could sleep. The slight nervousness and fear she had earlier had now completely dissipated from her mind, more focused on resting as much as she could. The night before had been a crazy adventure, and the entire day had sucked every bit of energy she had gained to compensate from that mad dash away from the pony-eating plant in the EverFree Forest.

As Silk Suture began to remove the gauze from her wing, she winced a little but no more than a millimeter. It wasn't so bad, considering pain was the last thing she could feel compared to the sleepiness overwhelming her body.

He was swift and gentle, deftly working away to clean up the wound which seemed to have gained a strange shade of pink and brown. It must have just been the water though - hoping that whatever the case was, it would disappear in the next couple of days. And whatever poison the plant had induced her with that was making her body pull towards it's call.

Raven Feather gritted her teeth just a little as the anti-septic was used to disinfect the wound, groaning a little.

"It's fine. Do what you need to do, I can manage." She could handle the slight sting. The momentary sting was followed by the cool blissful air striking against her freshly washed wound. It made everything feel so much better. The salve would make things even better.

Head still on her hooves, laying and ready to sleep within moments notice, she continued to gaze upon Silk as he worked to finish up the dressing. Hopefully she would be able to handle her own wound in the morning and gently wash it and apply salve with her own two hooves.

If she wasn't able to, she was definitely going to ask for help again.

"That's a relief to hear, at least it's not so bad. Silk..." she began, hesitating a little. "Do you think you can stay here with me tonight, if it's not so much to ask of you?" She would understand if he said no, but just having another body close by would at least continue to keep her mind at ease. She only asked out of her own concern. She was worried the other might have been injured somewhere, considering he had been carrying a dangerous, and thorny, plant the entire way and might need some help as well.

[Silk Suture]

Silk Suture applied some of the salve he had brought with him on the cleaned wound, spreading a thin layer of the cool ointment with his hoof. Surely it would make the stinging of the disinfectant feel better. It wasn't going to help with the wound itself in mere moments of applying, but with time, the ointment was going to help with the healing process. They really had to proceed one step at a time here and take a look at the wound every day, see if it was getting better or worse. Infection could easily end up being very serious if it wasn't take care of and in this case, there was no way of telling how it would go. The pharmacist of course hoped that it would go well and did what he could to try to make sure the wound was going to heal fast and without complications, but that was the best he could do...

"Mh?" The stallion asked his wordless question as Raven mentioned his name, waiting for her to continue as he put away the jar of salve and take the clean roll of gauze, not even glancing in the direction of the mare's face. He was so concentrated on the task at hoof, getting the dressing ready and starting to wrap it around the wound, snug but not too tight. Once Raven continued, however, Silk had to look up from his hooves and turn his gaze towards the mare's eyes. He said nothing as, well, the question was a bit odd and unexpected but still quite understandable, considering what she had been through just now.

"Well," the pharmacist started, turning his eyes away and back into the roll of gauze as he finished wrapping it around the wound,
"I would need to clean up a bit first and then bring something to sleep on here," he continued pondering, almost as if he was thinking out loud. Silk Suture certainly couldn't stay up the whole night being as tired as he was, so he would need to bring a mattress over. This little guest bedroom had only one bed which was occupied, and a pony quite used to luxury probably didn't have it in him to sleep on the hard, wooden floor.

"If you give me a bit of time to get everything ready, then yes. How does the gauze feel, not too tight I hope?" Silk finally replied after a moment of silence, also interested to hear how his handiwork felt – it was quite important that Raven could sleep and not think the dressing is too tight!

[20monkies]

The gentle throbbing in her wing was followed by the slathering of the healing salve, meant to provide a calming comfort to aid in the healing process. Raven Feather was thankful for the product, at last warmed by the pressing of the clean gauze.

She continued to watch Silk Suture working until her wing was wrapped up nice, tight and snug. It wasn't uncomfortable, he was very good at guessing the appropriate pressure that needed to be applied. The perfect tightness to wrap around a wound. He had done a great job before, and he had done it with impeccable precision.

When the other paused to think upon a response, Raven immediately felt uneasy with herself. Why had she asked such a question? He might not feel comfortable being in the company of a mare, let alone sleeping in the same room as one! She couldn't help but blush at the thought, shaking those unwanted notions away from her mind. No, they didn't know each other too well yet. She couldn't have herself thinking like that. She never thought of any stallion in that way, especially with how she had seen her father. He was a strict stallion himself, and set in his ways. Raven wasn't sure she could be constrained to that when she had her freedom in front of her now.

"If it's too much trouble, you don't have to." She responded after a while. "I will understand. You are tired yourself, and moving a mattress is too much work. You can stay where it is comfortable for you. Don't mind that I asked." She sighed, staring now at her little cat snoozing without a worry in the world.

How she could be just as careless as a cat.

Using her free wing, she pulled up the blanket a little and tested the gauze with a slight shift of her joint. It didn't feel bad at all - it was perfect of course. And, it wasn't cutting any blood circulation from what she could tell.

"It is perfect, once again." She smiled. "I will now be able to sleep without a worry. I know that you aren't too far away, at least." She felt just a little helpless unable to help him out with the cleaning up, but it was best for her body now.

She nuzzled against Black a little before closing her eyes, listening to the shuffling of Silk and his hoof steps. She was still awake, just resting her reddening eyes.

[Silk Suture]

Silk Suture couldn't help but frown a bit to himself, hearing how the mare was suddenly telling him how he didn't have to stay, how much work it would be for them to sleep in the same room like she had requested just a moment ago. Raven was trying to just hide her earlier words now, sweeping it under the rug and telling him to not mind that she asked. The pharmacist was good at handling injured ponies and their, well, actual injuries, but this... This was a bit trickier. What to say? The mare had wanted it and he had made it a big deal himself, causing her to doubt now and pushing aside her own wants due to his own perceived reluctance. It's not like Silk was trying to make it sound like he didn't want to, but it's not like he could act excited about it either without seeming quite odd, to say the least! Perhaps, perhaps he should have just stayed quiet...

The stallion nodded, content that he had managed to wrap the gauze the right way at least, so that was one less thing that went wrong today. Perhaps the mare was right, he wasn't going to be too far in any case – either downstairs when awake or right behind the wall when sleeping. But still, seeing how Raven had wanted someone else to stay with her earlier... Could she even sleep, despite how tired she was? Would every little sound cause her to wake up and be unable to fall asleep after that? It would most likely be too difficult for her to come wake him up, then! And really, if Silk Suture tried to insist that he wanted to sleep here now... That would just seem wrong. Strange. Perhaps even creepy. But he wasn't nearly as tired as the mare was!

Silk got on his hooves, gathering his supplies on the very same tray he had used to bring them up in the first place, his pace calm but overly slow. He did want to get this done sooner rather than later, after all. There was no need to be sluggish – and quickly the pegasus' eyes noticed the leftovers on the floor as well, something he quickly picked up and placed on the tray to be carried.
"I'll be taking these downstairs now, I'll try to be back as soon as I can," he explained, picking up the supplies and food before heading out of the door. Silk could quite easily stay with Raven as she slept for a little while, assuming she was fine with that. Which she probably was, considering what she had asked for earlier, but it all was depending on if she could sleep while Silk was in the room. If she fell asleep and didn't seem to wake up too easily, then maybe... Maybe the pharmacist could consider bringing in something so he could sleep...

[20monkies]

Silk Suture’s words brought her out of her drifting thoughts, cracking one eye open to look up at the other Pegasus. He was carrying all that back, on his own, after all that work he had done earlier in the day. Wasn’t he just as exhausted? Sure, it was a little messy and Raven herself felt odd if they left all the dirtied and used dishes lying around the bedroom. But surely, that could be done in the morning, right?

Just his little actions of cleanliness had her appreciative of the fact he didn’t leave a mess. He definitely preferred to keep things neat and tidy, lacking clutter and disorganization.

Raven nodded her head from where she was, letting out a soft, “Hm” sound as he disappeared from the room. As his presence was no longer near her, she looked back to Black to keep herself comforted and calm. Was saying that earlier the right thing to say? She didn’t know how at ease Silk Suture would be if he stayed and slept here with her. She never wanted to cause any trouble to anypony – let alone someone who took the time and effort to care for her. Another sigh, and her hair fell over her face.

She could smell the bit of swampiness clinging to her strands, and it made her frown, eyes shut tightly. Cleanliness. She needed a wash.

Turning her body slightly sideways, facing the wall, she curled up on herself under the blanket and sank into the mattress more easily. Sleep came all too easily once she let herself go – allowed it to wash up over her entire body.

The darkness had pulled her down further than the Bogg had taken her – deeper into the endless abyss. She was breathing deeply, intermittently, and rather quietly. It may have seemed she wasn’t breathing at all.

[Silk Suture]

Silk's hoof-steps were soft and his pace told everyone hearing the gentle clopping that he was in no hurry, yet still not trying to be too slow – he was still trying to keep his word and do his chores as fast as possible, to be back soon! But he was carrying a full tray of supplies and other items, which he could easily drop if he was going to run his way through the house. Not to mention rushing down the stairs could be quite dangerous, and it was never his style to put himself in danger just so he could do something faster. The pharmacist's own fatigue was also another thing that made him want to take it all easy... And Raven would most likely prefer his steps to not be too loud, so she could rest. The mare was tired and needed to sleep, he didn't want to force her to stay up just because he had to move and his hooves of course made some sounds on the wooden floors.

The stallion did everything as fast as he could, though holding his comfortable speed of doing so and never forcing his steps to go any faster than needed. He walked down the stairs and unloaded his tray, putting the supplies where they belonged. Of course Silk didn't want to waste his time arranging everything as neatly as he could, for once happy with the result of "good enough". Just this once. Swiftly, he returned upstairs to check on the mare and decide what to do after that.

It could have been awkward to do so, but luckily, Raven had finally fallen asleep by the time he had managed to get back upstairs. A good thing, as she needed to rest and it was excellent that she could sleep even though the pharmacist wasn't there to watch over her. However, her earlier request of... Having Silk sleep in the same room with her was still in the stallion's mind. It was something she had wanted, something that would maybe help her feel a bit better. Or something that would make her feel threatened if he did do as she had asked after she tried to tell him to forget about it, without a way of asking if it is alright now. In the end, Silk Suture just decided to bite the bullet and pull a mattress into the guest bedroom, as quietly as he could so he wouldn't disturb Raven. He'd sleep there, as long as she was comfortable with it. Perhaps he'd even bring a few books over and leave them next to the sleeping mare if he woke up earlier than her, in case she wanted to read...

[20monkies]

Raven Feather was lost in her dreams.

Her mind relayed all the events in a jumbled mess. Black, Silk Suture, the Giant Mousetrap, even Hay were whipping through her thoughts in scrambled segments. They were broken shards of a mirror, hanging off of a fragile piece of thread - ready to cut through and snap at a moments notice. She wasn't sure how to tread with her hoofs across it, without the thread snapping under her weight and tossing her into the shadows threatening to swallow her whole.

Her body shifted uneasily, whimpering every now and then with no consciousness of the real world around her. How was it that such an event could have traumatized her so? Her nightmares were the only way to release the negative energy that had built up from that experience, the near fatal circumstances she and Silk had to endure. They were washing out of her nerves, evaporating through it's due course, finding a way to get out and get lost.

Raven didn't want to be lost to this darkness forever. She knew she had to surface towards the light eventually. Perhaps the poison that still plagued her from the infection of the plant, that had nearly gripped her mind was fading. The only way was to succumb to it until it no longer existed in her blood stream.

Hours passed.

Days.

She had no recollection of what happened to her, or when she was being treated by Silk, or even eating anything. All she knew was that she finally found a tunnel of light to head towards, and her eyes were fluttering open, gasping for breath. It was as though she had been under water, finally breaking the surface to find fresh air.

Sweat was beading across her forehead and her initial instinct was to wipe a hoof across her forehead.

Raven looked around.

She was tangled in the blanket, wrapped up tightly, sweat soaked through it. Disgusted with herself, she quickly untied herself from the confines of the fabric and pushed it to the edge of the wall, a shudder creeping through her.

Her limbs weren't as exhausted anymore - in fact, she felt normal. Back to her old self.

Still laying, she stood and tested herself and sure enough, Raven was able to stand on her own hooves without collapsing under her own weight. She let out a sigh of relief, joy spreading through her up to her mouth. Glancing over her shoulder, she noticed the fresh gauze and could feel the coolness of the healing salve. Silk must have just taken care of it.

Surveying her surroundings, she noticed there was a bundle of books heaped into a pile beside her bed and another mattress was in the room as well. Silk must have been staying with her. She glanced towards the window and saw that it was dim outside - near evening she supposed.

Moving her body towards her saddlebag by the door, Raven quickly shifted through them to see if everything was still in place. Content that nothing had been moved or taken, she swept her hooves through her mane to neaten it just a little and creaked open the door. It was already cracked open just a little, and she was sure that Silk must have kept it open for her cat Black and to check on her without opening and closing the door constantly.

She could hear the movement of hooves shuffling down in the pharmacy itself and she hesitated just a little at the top of the stairs.

She was a dirty mess, and she needed to clean up and wash herself. She didn't want to come down with how she was looking right now, suddenly uneasy with her appearance.

As if on cue, her cat Black appeared at the bottom of the stairs, meowing up at her. The cat was then glancing over her shoulder and meowing again, in a more urgent tone. Raven assumed that Black must be calling out to Silk.

"Black, it's so nice to see you." a warm and content smile spreading across her face. "Is Silk down there?" The cat disappeared again, and Raven hovered at the top level, waiting.

[Silk Suture]

Silk Suture did sleep the following night in the same bedroom with Raven, as she was too tired to say anything and he certainly didn't want to wake her up to ask now that she had finally fallen asleep. Besides, it was easier to just do this without asking, as that would be a bit strange after everything she had said about forgetting her requests. Of course he hoped that he didn't really have to come up with any explanations the following morning as he let his head rest on the pillow, pulling the blanket over his body. It felt great to be finally able to rest, his eyes forcing themselves shut as his eyelids felt heavier than ever before, the muscles in his legs screaming from the workout they had to perform. It didn't take long for Silk to fall asleep once he closed his eyes...

The morning seemed to come fast, the light pouring in causing the stallion to start waking up, opening his eyes and taking a look around. They both were still in the same bedroom, nothing had happened overnight. Raven was still sleeping and he certainly wasn't going to wake her up yet, getting on his own hooves first and taking a look around, figuring out how late it actually was. Silk Suture was a pony who normally woke up very early in the morning, but now it was later, closer to afternoon – still early enough for him to open the shop. He hadn't really thought if he wanted to open his pharmacy after everything that had happened, but figured it might be for the best. Last day didn't end up being too profitable thanks to the Giant Mousetrap, so the pharmacist did like the sound of trying to make up what he lost today, instead of taking it easy like he probably should have. His legs felt a bit sore due to all the running, but he felt well-rested enough. He could do this.

He used the little time he had to clean up his shop a bit and to keep an eye on the sleeping mare, cleaning her wound and changing the gauze even though she wasn't awake. While it was certainly good that Raven was resting, it was a bit worrisome as well. Was she even alright anymore? Was she alive? Questions that haunted Silk's mind, causing him to check up on her often, paranoid. It did mean that by the time he was ready to open the pharmacy for the day, he had to juggle his time between his job and the mare, serving customers when any came in and quickly heading upstairs when he was free to do so. The pegasus did try to wake up the other now and then and it seemed like she did wake up, but was too tired to even notice it or anything around her. But such moments could easily be used to give her something to drink, when she was able to swallow...

But most importantly, majority of Silk's free time was used to go through the pile of books, in case he could find something, anything. Not an easy task as he had a lot of books and not that much of time, so unfortunately, he wasn't having that much success there – if his books even had anything about the Giant Mousetrap's venom in the first place, but it was a good place to start. The day passed quite fast with such a busy schedule, the sun started to set and paint the sky as the surroundings slowly got darker and darker. The cat – Raven's cat – seemed to be following him, watching him intently like cats often did, but there wasn't much Silk could do. What did he know about cats, anyways...

As a customer left the pharmacy, Silk Suture was walking towards a book he had left on the counter to continue reading, before a meow from upstairs caused his ears to perk up. Now, he really couldn't say what the cat wanted, wasn't able to do that during the entire day, but the cat had proven itself to be quite smart. Actually being a part of saving the pair of ponies from the Everfree Forest, whether the pharmacist wanted to admit that or not.
"Coming, coming," the older pony muttered quietly to himself, turning towards the stairs as he slowly started to climb the steps, finally raising his gaze to see Raven, awake and waiting.
"You're awake," Silk started, blinking, not really expecting to see her up. Maybe he should have, as she had slept for a long time already, but it was almost as if he had become accustomed to her being asleep. But this was good.
"Did you sleep well?"

[20monkies]

Leaning against the wall, Raven let out a soft breath. Thankfully the weakness in her body was no longer present, her limbs well rested with but the gentle throbbing of what was there days before. Her muscles, from all that running, seemed a little more toned than they were. With her mind, she reached out and checked every aspect of herself. Save for her wing, she knew it still needed another couple of days or so to heal fully and function normally.

There was no sign of pain, or pinching. Just the coolness of the salve and warmth of the gauze. She would have to dress it herself after she cleaned up. This, she knew.

When the dark pony appeared at the bottom of the stairs, climbing his way upwards, she felt a little surprised to see him. Raven had been expecting him, but didn't think she'd be as startled as the other when his gaze fell upon hers.

The same kindness in her eyes warmed, nodding her head gently. It was so good to see Silk after those terrible nightmares kept her uneasy and tossing in her sleep. And it definitely appeared he had rested up well himself, looking fresh despite the hour of the day.

"I did, I suppose." She wasn't sure if she should tell him about the dreams, rubbing her forehead with her hoof a little. "You stayed with me." after a moment hesitation, pause, she spoke more quietly. "How long was I asleep for? It couldn't have been longer than a day."

Black climbed the stairs behind Silk and past between his legs, coming up to greet Raven with an excited meow, leaping onto her back and curling between her shoulders. With her free wing, she nudged the little feline gently and felt the tickling of her whiskers and fur.

Turning back to Silk, she suddenly realized her own appearance was horrid compared to Silk. He was well groomed, and she was still dirty from the Bogg water and sure - her silver coat was a murky shade. It was disgusting herself.

"You look well rested yourself. I'm glad to see you." Shifting uneasily in her place, she turned her face to the side and murmured quietly, "You don't suppose I can wash somewhere? I'd like to cleanse myself, at least."

[Silk Suture]

Silk Suture nodded, content with the mare's answer. It was good that she had managed to sleep well – then again, she had been sleeping for ages. Perhaps she would have woken up much earlier if she wasn't sleeping too well. Maybe. Who knew, she had been very tired. She did seem well-rested enough... And sharp enough to have noticed the slept-in mattress on the floor right away, being able to connect the dots and know that the pharmacist had actually stayed in and been there with Raven. The small, quiet pause that followed was extremely awkward as Silk tried to desperately come up with an answer. It felt like it took ages, as if time was stopped before he opened his mouth and said something, have an explanation of some sort that didn't sound creepy.

In the end, he just cleared his throat. Raven herself was switching the subject and the stallion was thankful for that. Ignoring this would be much easier for him, at least...
"Yes, well. A bit longer than a day, certainly," Silk was quite quick to answer her other question, the one he could actually answer easily and had no reason to leave hanging – perhaps it was a good way to distract the ponies and give them another topic to talk about. The cat, however, had suddenly moved right next to the pharmacist, pushing its way between his legs, causing the stallion to lift his hooves, cautious as he glanced down. Odd things, those cats. Seemingly everywhere and appearing from thin air when they wanted...

The orange eyes followed the black ball of fur as it made its way to the mare, greeting her and jumping on her as the pair exchanged their feeling to each other without a word. Such a strange little scene for Silk Suture to witness, but what would he understand when it came to the bond of a pet and its owner. He didn't have a pet himself, never did have. With a slow blink, he just turned his gaze towards Raven's face, looking her into the eyes, giving her a small nod.
"It's quite easy to fall asleep when you are tired," Silk was agreeing with looking well-rested – he was. At least he felt that way, if nothing else.

"Oh, yes, of course," he suddenly jerked his head back up as he opened his eyes a bit more than usual, understanding that the mare most likely did want a bath after all she had been through. Not like it really mattered to a pharmacist how someone looked, it was quite obvious that those who were unwell wouldn't look absolutely perfect... But a bath would be nice after a swim in the Bogg.
"Downstairs, in my bathroom. I'll get your water ready, something else you would like? Tea, food?"

[20monkies]

She was surprised to hear it had actually been longer than a day. She had never slept like that in such a long time, never even in her youth! Raven was always alert and ready to wake up at a moments notice if she had to, since she spent majority of her time outdoors. In the comfort of a home, she was more at ease and calm.

Silk had also fallen asleep quite easily, and it must have been for the best. For both of them. But she hadn't the slightest clue to what day it must have been, since the stallion was clearly awake from way before she was, and had gotten the pharmacy up and running. She could never imagine what it was like to be tied and dependant on a shop, to function and flow normally on a day to day basis.

She wanted to know which day it was, but there were more pressing matters concerning her at that moment. She could find out at a later time. For once, she was glad there was a change of mindset right now.

And Silk had generously offered her his bathroom to use to wash up. She nodded, strands of hair sticking to her sweat-slicked forehead. A smile creeping at the edges of her mouth. Sometimes, she just couldn't help but be so formal around the other.

"I appreciate it so much. I'll just get a couple of things from my bag, and be down in a few moments." She paused to think for a moment as the other asked if there was anything else she would like. At that moment, Raven wasn't exactly feeling hungry but a nice cup of tea was sounding good for after a bath.

"Some tea would be nice after. But don't worry so much about it just now. I'll help you once I am washed, if that is okay?"

Turning her head back, she nudged the cat. "Off with you, Black. I need to get some of my things. You… stay here with Silk." She smiled back at the other again. "I hope she wasn't too much trouble to you while I was out. She can get into things because her curiosity gets the best of her."