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

[Silk Suture]

"Yes, of course," Silk Suture nodded, quite fine with having the mare fetch something from upstairs, from her saddlebags. He didn't know what it was or what Raven even had with her in the first place – or thought she needed right now – but it's not like he had to know. His bathroom should have everything she needed to get washed, at least, so if she was worried about that, she didn't have to be... Though, it's not like the stallion was stopping her. Whatever she thought was for the best, whatever would make her comfortable. That was the best course of action.

"Well," the pharmacist started, wondering,
"Just take it easy and don't push yourself," he replied when Raven was offering her help getting the tea ready after her bath. Silk didn't really need help and perhaps it would have been for the best if the mare just soaked in the bathtub for as long as she wanted, relaxing and not worrying about a thing. But if she really wanted, then he wasn't going to stop her here, either. Raven had mentioned that she enjoyed tea and had tried making her own blends in the past, and they had sort of agreed on doing it together at some point, once she had seen the stallion's skill with the drink...

The pegasus was already ready to head downstairs to get the tub filled, still waiting for the mare to leave first, just in case she had something to say still. She was mostly talking to the cat, urging it to stay with Silk, causing him to raise an eyebrow.
"She... Mostly just stared at me," he spoke of the cat, glancing in the direction of the dark feline. The pharmacist hadn't really been paying too much attention to the cat, as it mostly had stayed out of his way. And hadn't broken anything. Surely everything would go just as smoothly now as well.
"Don't worry about it, I'll go get the bath ready."

[20monkies]

Raven couldn't help but let out a soft laugh. She knew the habit of her cat, and when it came to strangers, either she was pawing at them constantly, circling them, or staring and minding her own business. It seemed the latter was the case for Black with Silk.

Still, she nodded her head and watched the feline disappear down the stairs as Silk had said he would get the bath ready.

"I won't be too long." She reassured him, watching him turn before returning to the bedroom she was sleeping in.

She lingered in the doorway for a moment, recalling what it was she needed. Thankfully, the fear and edginess in her body was no longer there. She wasn't as jittery, and grateful she was back to her norm - almost - she proceeded to open the flap of her saddlebag.

Digging her hoof inside, nudging the opening a bit, she found a few wrapped up leaves and had to sniff each one before picking the one she needed. Her cloak was there as well, and scooping that up, she surveyed the room once more.

Healing salve and gauze. Raven wasn't sure if Silk had kept some downstairs, but whatever was in the room she figured it would be a good idea to take some with her for after the bath. As she piled and wrapped everything into her cloak, her gaze fell upon a book title, lying on it's side by the mattress. Medicinal Plants and Herbs. Although not related to what they were going to need to research, she thought some reading might come in handy. To keep her mind from wandering to unpleasant memories.

Once Raven was sure her supplies were set, and she was ready for the bath, she turned on her hoof to return back down the stairs. Stalling momentarily at the top before climbing her way into the pharmacy itself.

It was getting dark already, and the shop was rather quiet. Shelves of jars and products lined neatly in rows, a couple of books at the main desk, and no hint of what had happened remaining on the floor boards. She searched for Silk, unsure which side the bathroom was. After all, she hadn't exactly been here for too long and hardly had a chance to examine everything in detail.

"Silk?" she called out quietly, glancing too and fro.

[Silk Suture]

Silk Suture nodded, not minding how long the mare was going to take handling whatever it was she wanted to do, though he would certainly go check on her if it started feeling like she was in trouble of some kind, having stayed too long. But as long as the water didn't get cold, she could take as long as she wanted. The pharmacist turned around and walked down the stairs, listening as Raven's hoof-steps went in the opposite direction, growing more distant. The cat had already slipped past him, walking downstairs to do whatever it was that cats did. He, however, actually had a job to do.

Once his hooves stepped on the floorboards of the first floor, the stallion took a little look around to see if any ponies had happened to come inside while he was busy, in case he somehow happened to not hear them open the door. The pharmacy was still open after all, but it was getting late and the store seemed to be devoid of customers. No one had come in after the last one left a moment ago. That... Was just fine, honestly. It made it easier for Silk to go get the bathwater ready and warm, not having to worry about serving paying customers on the side. He would most likely be closing up shop soon enough, but for now, he was fine with staying officially open. Just for a little longer.

Silk Suture entered the bathroom, small but quite clean, as could be expected from him already. He stepped over the smooth, white tiling, over the soft carpet to get to the bathtub, soon starting to fill with warm water as the stallion kept an eye on the temperature, wanting the water to be warm enough to be comfortable and relaxing without scalding Raven. For a moment, the pegasus just stood in the room quietly, watching the water rush in, listening to the sound it made. A voice calling out for him caused Silk to snap out of it, turning off the faucet as he started to exit the room – preparing a few fresh towels for the mare on his way out.

"Right here," he called out, opening the door as he stepped outside from under the stairs, into the pharmacy proper,
"The bath is ready."

[20monkies]

As soon as she turned herself around, Raven came face to face with Silk as he emerged from beneath the stairs. His orange eyes were bright, and bold against his dark coat. They stood out quite prominently, and were such a warm colour that she never really realized they were almost like the setting sun. She had froze in her place for a moment, captured by the concept. Missing the outdoors, sitting upon the hillside to watch the horizon as the sun would kiss the earth in those precious moments.

Raven hadn't noticed that the stairs contained a passageway to the bathroom. The door was almost hidden from view, which made it great in terms of privacy. She nodded her head, her cloak bundled up with the book placed atop of it.

"Thank you." She said, bowing her head a little. "I have troubled you so much. I really won't be too long." She just needed to wash herself, maybe relax for a while before getting out. Having been cooped up in her bed, sleeping for well over a day, she had a lot of now pent up energy that she needed to get out of her system.

Her mind was active, fresh and ready for the day. Despite the hour it was, darkness settling outside.

Moving forward, she stopped just by the door where Silk stood, peering up at him with a bowed head. She really didn't know what to say to him. She really did appreciate everything he had done for her - the care to her wing, the attention he took to her weakened state, being there to comfort her when she had been mentally disturbed. And now this - drawing out her bath when she could have done it herself as well. She truly had troubled him much, and wasn't sure exactly how best to thank him.

Quickly, she moved past him in silence, gently closing the door behind her.

She hoped he didn't mind her abruptness.

Raven looked down at herself. She was disgusting, indeed. And standing in front of him, very much aware of her appearance, made her even more uneasy.

The bathroom was warm and cozy as the steam rose up from the bath. Towels, fresh, were placed by the tub and she immediately set out to resting her stuff on the side, just on the soft carpet. Folding open the leaf, she had saved some bath salts and soap residue to use. It was mostly her own, for when she was out in the wild and needed to wash in the rivers.

Climbing in carefully, she allowed her muscles to relax as her body sank into the water absorbing the warmth and carrying it deep into her bones.

She dropped in some of the bath salts and used them to scrub herself down, pelt soaking and washing away the dirt, grime and sweat built up over the days. As the water discoloured, her feeling of uneasiness disappeared. Finally, her true colour was showing through.

Raven was careful to not let her injured wing soak, but she knew she would have to drain the water and refill with some fresh so that one time more, she was properly cleaned. The idea of soaking in dirty water was not much to her liking.

[Silk Suture]

Silk Suture watched the mare for a moment, raising a questioning eyebrow as Raven suddenly got quiet, staring at him. Still, just like her, he kept his mouth shut as well, letting the moment pass without making a big deal out of it, unless Raven was the one who was going to say something. Finally however, she thanked him, bowing her head. The stallion did the same, letting his own nod be a bit deeper and longer than usual, responding to the bowed head with a similar motion.
"Don't worry about it," he started as the mare spoke up, raising his head to look at her,
"While I can't say this is my job, I think it's close enough. Wouldn't be right to just throw someone on the streets," Silk tilted his head to the side a bit, of course appreciating the thanks that were in order, but Raven shouldn't really be thinking that she owed so much to him because of what he did. He was a pharmacist. Bathing someone in his own house wasn't exactly a part of that, but helping ponies certainly was. What kind of a monster wouldn't take a pony in Raven's condition in and at least allow them to take a bath?

"Take as long of a bath as you think you need. Relax," the pharmacist continued, watching as the mare walked in closer, giving her some room once she was close enough so she could actually get inside the bathroom,
"Be careful with the wound, try not to let it soak," Silk Suture still added, walking away with calm steps as the door closed behind him. Now, all he really had to do was wait. The pharmacy was empty except for the mare and him, and would most likely stay so until he closed. Still, that didn't mean he was going to slack off during the final minutes of being open. The pegasus wandered around his store, quietly and in no hurry, going over the shelves and seeing if he should be restocking anytime soon. Being the owner of a store and the only employee made it quite sure that he never really had time to get bored with nothing to do...

Finally, Silk decided that it had been enough, officially closing for the night and making the rest of the evening a bit easier for him and Raven, surely. If someone really needed him then yes, they would be coming in. But your average customer wasn't going to be bothering them, the door would stay closed and the pharmacy empty. Quiet. A more relaxing atmosphere both in and outside the bathroom, surely.

[20monkies]

Raven Feather took her time. She needed to cleanse herself thoroughly before she was content with her own self appearance. Being dirty was never an excuse for laziness in taking care of herself, despite her being a wanderer. She was still a mare, and the habit of a tidy first impression always came first.

She scrubbed herself, watching as the dirt came off with some ease after soaking herself thoroughly. She was very careful and kept her injured wing out of the water, using the salts and bits she had always kept packed on her to do a thorough once over.

The water was filthy. She needed to drain it, and refilling the bath tub again so now she was kept with fresh water. Raven was used to the running waters of the river, or even the shower stalls that most ponies tended to have in their homes. A bathtub, she could make due with. She had no complaints, after all, only appreciating that Silk Suture was taking out the time from his life for her.

If only things hadn’t gotten so complicated.

She soaked in the fresh water, washing her hair once more until she was certainly pleased she was entirely clean. Her mane and tail were squeaky and shiny, unlike the oily, dirty, dripping of sweat that she was when she woke up.

Leaning back, she opened the book to look through a few of the pages but nothing really jumped out to her as important facts for their Mousetrap. Perhaps Silk had found something more useful with amongst the others that he had been reading through? She needed to ask him. Considering the time of day it was now, she was unsure if the library would be open to searching their shelves.

Having seen the books littered about in the room, she figured they had more than enough resources for the time being.

Draining the water again and finally cleansed, she checked upon her wing and decided it needed changing. Some water had splashed onto it, and she wanted to at least keep it dry of moisture, only the salve to behave as the barrier between the wound and the gauze. So she changed it, and satisfied dried herself with the towels provided to her.

Wrapping her entire body with her cloak and hood, hair swept back neatly away from her eyes and behind her ears, she took one last look and made sure the bathroom was set neatly. The bathtub washed down so that no residue was left over before she emerged with the book and leaf in hand.

Spotting Silk immediately, she came forward towards him without hesitation and her easy smile.

“That was much needed. I apologize for taking so long. Your book.” She said, holding out the literature towards Silk.

[Silk Suture]

Silk Suture was walking in between the shelves, taking mental notes as his eyes explored the empty spots waiting to be refilled. More would have to be made soon. Winter had a habit of diminishing his supplies, when there was no easy source of fresh, good quality plants for him to work with, making the best medicine he could for his pharmacy. Still, this was business he had done before, even before he had opened up his own shop in Ponyville. He could handle it as long as nothing happened that suddenly required more supplies than he could ever possibly produce, he had his ways...

The sound of the bathroom door opening caused the pegasus' ears to perk, his eyes to glance in the direction of the noise, taking couple of steps closer. Raven was finished with her bath, stepping out clean and mostly dry. Silk approached her, realizing that he must have been so deep in thought that he hadn't even felt the time pass. After all, it must have taken a while for the mare to take a bath properly, but to him, it felt like she had only just went in!
"No, no need to apologize at all. I hope it was enjoyable," the stallion was quick to brush her apologies off, they definitely weren't needed right now. He didn't even feel like he had been waiting, his other tasks taking his mind off of that just fine!

"Oh, right," Silk Suture's eyes opened slightly wider as the mare offered him back his book, grabbing it and placing it on the counter to wait for now, out of his mouth. He had left quite the large pile of books back in the bedroom Raven was using right now, so that's where she most likely got it. It was a plant book, after all. She was most likely curious about the same thing as he was.
"Can't say I've had much luck there, either," the pharmacist started as he looked back in the mare's direction, answering to a question that no one had even asked,
"I know I have read more about the Giant Mousetrap somewhere, as I do have some knowledge. But I'm starting to think it wasn't in any of my books, or I would have found it already," he continued pondering, closing his eyes for a moment.

"It is a very rare plant, one that has been thought to have died out already. Your average book won't even give the thing a mention, and I'm afraid I can't quite remember where I learned about it and what the book was called," Silk sighed,
"Perhaps... A library in Canterlot, they do have a habit of having some rather rare pieces available," the stallion mused, as if thinking out loud. It would certainly make sense. That was where he had lived until, well, just recently.

[20monkies]

"It was enjoyable. A change from what I am used to. At least, I am clean now. The muck of the Bogg is gone." Being clean had significantly lightened her mood, and the fact she had rested well clearly showed in her face. She was feeling so much better and much more content.

As Silk Suture took the book from her, she smiled kindly at him. Raven hadn't exactly expected him to start laying out what he had researched, found or not found, right now. But he did so automatically, and in a way it gave her some relief to know he was really serious about it and had done the best he could. Given the limited resources on their hoofs right now.

"Well, aside from not finding anything on the Mousetrap, at least I've gained some knowledge of certain plants and herbs I never knew about." She laughed a little, shaking her head. In a way, it helped for when she came across those plants again in the future. She was sure she had seen them in the wild somewhere or another during the warmer seasons. In winter, it was not exactly the best time to be looking for medicinal ingredients.

She watched Silk's expression changing and thought about it. Of course it was a rare plant. And what better place than the Canterlot Archives to go in search for more information. There was still a bit of fear that the plant could return, but it wasn't so bad. And it had been several days since it's appearance and them last having drowned it in the Bogg. It was a good sign, was it not? It hadn't shown for nearly 2 days, and Raven hoped it was dead by now.

Did the plant have a way of communicating with the others to tell them of what happened? Of who was the cause of it's demise?

She shuddered of such thoughts. No, that couldn't be true.

"The Canterlot Archives are perhaps the best place to search. I have been there once as well, and can be for sure they must have something or another there. Even if they are noted on the ancient scrolls. If you've read about it somewhere before, then that may be the best place to start our search…" he drifted, wondering, if that was a trip worth while. Raven knew as much that she wasn't going to be leaving Silk's home any time soon. While she was here in Ponyville she would want to at least make some new friends, get to know Silk some more, help out in his pharmacy if that was the case.

"We could always make it a day trip, take the train, when we are ready." She suggested, testing her injured wing once more. There was a little movement with hardly any pain which was a good sign. Another couple of days, and she was sure she would be up and flying.

"I'd very much like some tea now, if you don't mind. Let me help you out. Teach me a few tips and tricks." She grinned, attempting to lighten the mood from the seriousness of it.

[Silk Suture]

Silk Suture nodded, glad that Raven had managed to enjoy her bath despite taking it in a strange bathroom, in a strange house belonging to a stranger – if he still could even be called a complete stranger after everything they had been through. But still, some ponies could find it hard to relax in such an environment, but perhaps after such tense moments, a dirty and tired pony could find any bath enjoyable, as long as the water was warm enough. The pharmacist wasn't someone who could understand ponies who enjoyed being dirty, so at least in his mind, getting cleaned would always make a pony happy. He certainly would have wanted to wash the mucky swamp water off himself as fast as possible!

The stallion smirked a bit, understanding that his books rarely were what other ponies were interested in reading unless their job was somehow related to knowing about plants, such as his own. Most likely, he wouldn't have gotten interested in plants in the first place if he hadn't wanted to work with them.
"Your time hasn't gone completely to waste, then. More knowledge is always good," Silk nodded, being a pony who did quite appreciate knowledge in general. Not everyone would agree, but you never knew when the information you learned in the past would come in handy, even if you might think it's something that would never come up. Everything was situational, and you should never underestimate the power of knowledge.

Silk listened to the mare quietly, continuing his musings in his head, quietly. A trip to Canterlot would more or less be necessary if they had to learn more about the Giant Mousetrap – and with their current lack of knowledge, they had no idea if they did have to know something else or not. Perhaps the thing was dead, long gone and Raven was safe. Perhaps there was still something that would prove to be very dangerous if not taken care of. After all, the pegasus had read about it somewhere, and that book certainly didn't seem to be in his collection. So, where else? Perhaps it would even be better that they went together, leaving the mare alone in Ponyville close to where they had last seen the plant didn't sound like a very good idea. It would be quite difficult for a ponyeating plant to board a train to Canterlot, that was certain...

"Indeed," the pharmacist quietly agreed, as if still deep in thought. However, once Raven mentioned that she would like tea and would even like Silk Suture to show her the ropes, he couldn't help but smile and raise a questioning eyebrow.
"Very well," he just suddenly replied, starting to walk towards the kitchen and expecting the mare to follow,
"As I said, it tends to require a lot of trial and error, knowing how everything tastes, what flavors go well together, how long they should be allowed to seep and how much of every ingredient you might need together to create the perfect blend," Silk held his head high, walking with calm steps as he started to speak. There was a lot he could say and Raven could only really blame herself for it, if she wasn't ready to listen!

"Luckily, that also means there are no hardset rules for the most part. You can try so many things, the sky's the limit," the pegasus gently pushed the door to his kitchen open, stepping inside the clean little room – if one ignored the few boxes still stacked in the corners, unpacked,
"But the flavor isn't the only thing you should be worrying about. Herbs have different ways they affect us, so what you want out of your blend is a good place to start. Knowledge of herbs is going to be required there, to know what you could use to create a tea that has a, say, calming effect."

[20monkies]

Raven Feather knew they had to go to the Canterlot Archives soon. They couldn't waste much time in wait, if anything terrible was to happen in the coming days. Another day or two, maximum, before they would need to find more information on the Giant Mousetrap.

Silk had been silent the entire time she spoke about her idea, and plan about their research trip. He had been deep in thought, and Raven was quite sure he was going to forbid her from stepping out of the Pharmacy in the condition that she was. If he did, it still may not have stopped her from going anyways. They were both in this together, and whatever happened they both were going to solve it once and for all.

When Raven had something in her mind she needed to do, or whenever she had made a plan, she was usually on edge and just had to get it done. Otherwise, nothing else could ease her mind. Not even the encouragement of others to stop her. She would think things through, but if she had everything thought out and ready it was a little nerve wracking that she couldn't go through with her actions.

But in a way, it was a good thing. Her body needed to recover, and learning to make tea currently was a great way to distract those thoughts of hers. Keep her mind occupied, and at ease. As Silk said, more knowledge was always good. Her time wasn't going to go to waste.

Following after the stallion, head held high in confidence, she came to stand by Silk's side to learn the art of tea making. The kitchen was very neat and tidy, again, just in the same manner the bathroom was. The store was also very organized and Raven appreciated the effort that must have gone into keeping things in an orderly manner.

Tea.

She was ready to listen, not wanting to interrupt Silk's lesson into tea. Raven began mentally logging in every little detail and every little piece of advice Silk had for her. Anything and everything about the art of tea, she was paying very close attention to.

Flavours to create a calming effect. Flavours to put one to sleep, or to remind them of a happier time in their life. Tea seemed to be a solution to life's problems in the most strangest way. Tea leaves, herbs and flowers. Even spices, all could be blended together perfectly to create the effect one wanted to have.

She smiled joyfully, excited for this newfound discovery. Someone whom she could share a common liking with, and someone to learn from. It showed on her face, as the anxiety of the past days were replaced by something more positive as she looked at the brighter side.

[Silk Suture]

Tea. It was one of those funny things that could bring ponies together. Not everyone liked to drink it of course, but many did – having someone be as interested in making their own blends as the mare was a bit rare, however. Silk Suture couldn't say he had ever really been asked to be shown the ropes. Some asked for tips and his blends could be asked about and complimented on when ponies tasted them, but Raven had asked for more. Not that the pharmacist really minded. He couldn't tell her everything and what he could teach her would only be the tip of the iceberg. If she was actually serious, there was a lot she would have to do on her own, a lot of reading and tasting to create those perfect blends. But luckily for Raven, the stallion had a lot of books he could direct her attention to, if she wanted to truly know...

But even if she didn't, one peaceful moment of not worrying about anything but the taste of the tea would be perfect. No Giant Mousetrap, no fear, no plans for the future. Just the present moment, dried plants and hot water. An entire day could easily be used just working with them, for fun. Fun. That certainly was something the two ponies needed after their adventure that had ended up being a bit too exciting for the pharmacist, at least. And he had a feeling that Raven felt the same!

Silk would be helping the mare with what she wanted. He had no way to stop her from leaving or doing something, but he certainly could try – at least with his words. The mare was still wounded and he would like to see her wound getting better before she left on her own way, returning to the wilderness and the roads she called her home. A medical professional couldn't really suggest such an environment for someone with a wound, so Silk Suture was quite happy to share his house and allow Raven to use the vacant bedroom upstairs as long as she needed. Even if he couldn't offer her the knowledge of the plant she – and the pharmacist himself – wanted to know about, he certainly could offer her his knowledge of teas and show her how to treat her wound!

A trip to Canterlot was most likely something they were going to do in the future. Just in case. And just in case, the stallion couldn't suggest that the mare would even go near the Everfree Forest for now...



((Well, I think this is the end. Good game.))