Truly, though, Faver was a little surprised at just how much Remal seemed bothered by the mere presence of a visitor in camp. Or, maybe, in his part of camp. Oh, well. Once again, Faver thought to himself that Remal would be better off if he'd get more sleep.
Faver checked to see how much sleeping draught he had on hand. Less than he'd thought; some of the people in camp tended to request it on a regular basis, but it was one of the few things that they happened to have plenty of ingredients in stock for, and Acker knew the formula quite well. The boy usually would mix up more and dispense it as part of his duties that Faver often did not even think about anymore. The past several days, however, with Freesia being sick, Acker had taken over some of her duties, and Faver others. Nathley was helpful, as were other helpers, but they didn't have the training that Faver's regular apprentices did, and there had been more work for them all while so many were ill and needed care.
Faver started mixing some more of the sedative. In spite of threatening to do so, he really wouldn't force Remal to take it. If things got bad enough, if Remal got so sleep-deprived as to be genuinely delusional and a potential danger to himself or others, then maybe Hin would. Hin could. Faver probably would let him, but didn't think he could bring himself to be the one to force medicine on someone who refused it.
Remal had a serious aversion to this formulation of sleep aid, but whenever Faver asked why, Remal would get all flustered and mumble, and not really explain it. He didn't have any physical, measurable bad reaction to it that Faver could observe - no symptoms of an allergy or anything like that. Faver would think that it was only that Remal didn't like to give up control over when he would sleep and for how long, and perhaps that was a factor, but that wasn't everything. Remal would say that he objected to this specific recipe. He claimed not to have any problem with a different formula, one his mother used to always make, but that one required an ingredient they did not currently have. They used to import it from Lynchburg, where there was an apothecary's guild. The ingredient was extracted from a certain plant, and they had a formula for it, and an entry in the Herbal Tome for the necessary plant... but it was a plant that Faver had never seen with his own eyes. It didn't grow in the region around the Downs, and he'd heard that the guild in Lynchburg had to import it from somewhere farther away.
Perhaps Emri might have an idea as to whether there might be something else with the same properties that grew in the area, or... well, even if she did know the plant and where it grew, Faver thought there was little chance it grew around here. Yet, her knowledge of plants was truly impressive from what he had seen so far, so it might be worth questioning her about it. In any case, there was no harm in asking.
Putting what he'd mixed so far to one side where it could warm over a candle, Faver pulled out the Herbal and looked for the page with the image and description for Clarith Twined Paveran, a flower with long stalks, and long thin leaves sprouting up from the roots, alongside the stalks. The drawing suggested that the leaves had a tendency to twist slightly, and the notes described it as being common for plants growing adjacent to each other to have stalks and leaves grow somewhat intertwined.
Selecting a few samples of the new plants, Faver consulted some recent notes and practiced a few sketches with charcoal and bark paper. The plant used for the poultice had a name that, according to Emri, translated as Gravel Trefoil, so that's the name he scribbled onto the pages for that one. The marsh fern, she'd said, was also known as Tiger Siltfern. As for the one from higher up in the hills, the one related to Piedmont Firesparks, that was called Wayward Stars. Or, rather, that's the closest translation Emri could suggest.
Later, Faver would spend more time with his apprentices and make proper botanical references on good vellum, to add to the Herbal. After Freesia has recovered, he told himself as he sketched.
He really hadn't done much drawing before Acker returned with Emri. Right away, Acker noticed that Faver had a bowl simmering to one side, sniffed, and motioned a query as to whether Faver would like him to finish it. Faver shook his head. Not only would it be better to let it stew a bit longer, but they had other work to do.
Acker lit the lamp to provide more light than the candle Faver was already using, then made a point of gesturing at Emri, with a couple additional hand signals thrown in.
Faver nodded, understanding. Acker was saying that he couldn't tell what Emri said when she was speaking. After all, she barely moved her lips when she opened her mouth.
Acker looked at the sketches that Faver had made so far, nodded to say he liked them, then took up some charcoal and bark paper and set to writing.
Emri had also been looking over the sketches, but must have noticed that Acker pointed at her when he'd talked to Faver with his hands. She tilted her head in a quizzical way.
"He said he can't read what you say when you speak." Faver explained.
"I should practice that." Emri said. "Speaking more clearly, I mean. Enunciating."
Faver nodded, but said: "Don't worry about it much. You write well enough."
Acker handed her a piece of bark paper, which appeared to have a couple of notes that Acker had wanted to tell her about some of the patients.
Setting it on the work table, Emri took up a charcoal stick to write a reply, though first she pointed at the page and said to Faver, "His handwriting is much better."
Acker poked Faver in the arm, so he said to the boy: "She likes your handwriting."
Acker smiled at that, then exchanged notes with Emri for a couple more minutes. Meanwhile, Faver asked Emri, "I don't suppose... I mean, in your travels, have you met people who couldn't hear?"
"Not... many." Emri said, sounding hesitant. "He seems... unusually quiet. I don't just mean, that he doesn't speak, but also he seems to go out of his way to avoid anything that he thinks might make a sound?"
Faver wasn't comfortable discussing that with Acker there, unless he were to bring Acker into that part of the conversation. He didn't think Acker would want to discuss it, so he simply said, "That's just his particular way. Don't mind it."
Perhaps Emri sensed his hesitance, or maybe she was merely distracted by the open Herbal next to Faver's sketches. Either way, she changed the subject.
"This is quite a different one, here." She pointed at the entry for Clarith Twined Paveran. Indeed, it bore little resemblance to any of the ones Faver had been sketching.
Acker had finished the notes he'd written to Emri, and Faver took up charcoal and gave a written response this time. "I wanted to ask if you were familiar with it, if you knew of places it might grow, or perhaps something with similar properties."
Emri tilted her head again, clicked her tongue, then finally replied, also in writing. "Not around here. Way out Westward. Quite a ways. Maybe something similar, not as far off, but less potent. Related plants growing near here aren't likely to have the same effects. You want it for...?"
"Recipe for a sedative. We have an alternate recipe to use instead, but it would be useful to have this one as well."
Emri nodded, but made no written response. Faver supposed that she might not have any suggestions, or wanted to think it over.
Yet again, Faver said, "Don't worry about it." After all, the formula he had currently cooking worked adequately for most people. Yes, there were some who preferred the other, but they all tolerated what he had well enough to use it instead. All but one. Faver was certain that Remal wouldn't want him talking about it with anyone at all, let alone a newcomer who Remal regarded with distrust.
They had plenty of other things to discuss anyway, plenty of other work to do. Faver changed the subject, writing a question to Emri about what they should do to prepare for teaching a group about the new plants that evening.
Emri, Faver, and Acker discussed it briefly in written notes, and then set to sorting the plants that had been collected earlier that day.
Soon enough, Brylin arrived with Nina, bringing dinner. Dinner was later today than it had been most of the time the camp had been stationary. It was because part of the camp had been moved that day. Instead of stew, they had a mix of roasted root vegetables, with mixed greens and seed cakes.
