11.Jun.18, 02:33 AM
Dessa had crossed paths with a good amount of people in her travels to and from her daughter’s home. She’d seen a lot of reactions, but fear wasn’t usually one of them. Granted, there were renegades all over Pern who would make traveling painful for those who were minding their own business, but since Dessa hadn’t actually crossed paths with any of them, it took her a moment to realise that these two girls probably had. Her eyes widened as she took it he situation, and the way the woman crumpled and was clearly hurt. The sudden appearance of the child at her feet drew Dessa’s eyes from one to the other.
“Hurt how?” Dessa asked, looking for information on the type of wound as she slowly climbed down from the cart, keeping her hands easily visible. She didn’t have any weapons – it had never occurred to her that she could come to harm making the trek – but the woman and child wouldn’t know that. “Knife? Claw?” She could see the blood, so she figured there was something sharp involved in causing it to soak through clothing. There weren’t many feral animals around, but that didn’t mean there were none and certainly even the docile fauna could be rowdy when threatened.
Standing on the roadside, Dessa switched her gaze to the child, giving her a quick once over. Roughed up, dirty, but didn’t look to be hurt or bleeding, though she was covered in blood. Definitely the mother protecting her baby, then. Dessa offered a thin smile, trying to convoy warmth and reassurance in the expression, though her eyebrows were furrowed slightly with thought. “I don’t have much,” she said, loud enough to be heard clearly as she made her way to the back of the cart. “I sold most of it in the last town. I have some spare clothes. They might be a bit big, but they’ll do.” She rummaged around, finding a pair of clean pants and a shirt. Peering around the edge of the cart, she held them out to the child. “Take these, please.”
Turning back to the cart, she rummaged around some more and pulled up a bag. She didn’t have all her goods with her, but she did have her usual odds and ends on hand. She wasn’t a Healer by any means, and most of her knowledge came from plants and their properties, but she’d certainly try to help the woman. If nothing else, they were only a couple of days from Telgar now, and she could make sure the woman got the help she needed there, and the travel would be less harsh if she were to sit in the back of the cart!
“Hurt how?” Dessa asked, looking for information on the type of wound as she slowly climbed down from the cart, keeping her hands easily visible. She didn’t have any weapons – it had never occurred to her that she could come to harm making the trek – but the woman and child wouldn’t know that. “Knife? Claw?” She could see the blood, so she figured there was something sharp involved in causing it to soak through clothing. There weren’t many feral animals around, but that didn’t mean there were none and certainly even the docile fauna could be rowdy when threatened.
Standing on the roadside, Dessa switched her gaze to the child, giving her a quick once over. Roughed up, dirty, but didn’t look to be hurt or bleeding, though she was covered in blood. Definitely the mother protecting her baby, then. Dessa offered a thin smile, trying to convoy warmth and reassurance in the expression, though her eyebrows were furrowed slightly with thought. “I don’t have much,” she said, loud enough to be heard clearly as she made her way to the back of the cart. “I sold most of it in the last town. I have some spare clothes. They might be a bit big, but they’ll do.” She rummaged around, finding a pair of clean pants and a shirt. Peering around the edge of the cart, she held them out to the child. “Take these, please.”
Turning back to the cart, she rummaged around some more and pulled up a bag. She didn’t have all her goods with her, but she did have her usual odds and ends on hand. She wasn’t a Healer by any means, and most of her knowledge came from plants and their properties, but she’d certainly try to help the woman. If nothing else, they were only a couple of days from Telgar now, and she could make sure the woman got the help she needed there, and the travel would be less harsh if she were to sit in the back of the cart!