Elixirs and Echoes of Honor

Pyrrha followed Kali down to the barn where Kali brought two horses in from pasture, one a red roan and one a chestnut. "Do you think you could handle the tack?" Kali asked. "The sooner we can get out, the sooner we can get out to town. You really need some new boots for yourself and new tack for Nendia, right?" Pyrrha nodded. "I don't think I can salvage Nendia's tack at this point..." It had just been left alone far too long. And the ankle booties she had on made her feel naked. All pegasus knights wore knee-high boots from the moment they were accepted into the Sisterhood. Even for formal events. she really had nothing to wear. She wore the dress uniform of the Sisterhood which included the knee-high boots. It was just everyday wear for her. She wasn't used to anything less than her Shins being covered except for when she slept and bathed basically. "But yes, I can handle the tack." "Follow me then." Kali smiled and led her back to the tack room. Nendia's tack lay in a heap on the floor but she ignored it for right now. She tacked up The chestnut, then jogged back to get Nendia's tack. She needed to bring her mount along so she could get her feet back on track and provide the leather Smith with a reference on how to build Pegasus tack. It required special construction and wasn't something that one saw everyday. She put Nendia's saddle on loosely enough that it wouldn't bother her, but tight enough it wouldn't fall off. She slung the reins over her shoulder before she mounted the chestnut. Kali adjusted the stirrups for her, then they headed out. As they started down the way, people waved to Kali and greeted her. However, They sent wary glances toward Pyrrha. She understood, but it really hurt. She would probably never quite be welcome here One could easily hide and blend into large cities like Elentharis, the capitol, but in smaller towns like Hazelmere, she stuck out like a sore thumb. Her clothes looked local, but her bright red hair definitely made her stand out. Nendia wasn't helping anything either. Outside of the Sisterhood, it wasn't like they were common. Even among Heshia's followers, pegasi were pretty rare. Only a few herds of domestic stock Where the Knights sourced their mounts from. Oftentimes, though, new pegasi were called in by Heshia themselves and were then bonded to a new rider. Kali nudged the red roan off toward a shop and Pyrrha followed suit. "This is Zerath Ashstrap's shop. The Moonhide Atelier. He's the best leathersmith for miles around. People come here from even across the boarder for his goods. If anyone can make you new tack, it's him." Kati smiled. "Why don't you grab Nendia's saddle and we can go in?" Pyrrha nodded and dismounted, wishing she had kept her old boots now. He might have been able to make her an identical or nearly identical pair… But she had been so dead set of divesting herself of those things that she hadn't thought about it. Oh well. She picked up Nendia's saddle and followed Kali into the shop. The scent of leather hit Pyrrha like a brick wall. It wasn't often she went into a leathersmith's shop, but she was all too familiar with the smell of leather. A man with large upper arms greeted them. He looked at Pyrrha, then Kali and smiled. "Kali! long time, no see! Who's the Lass with you?" "This is Pyrrha, an expat from Elentharis. She needs some goods from you." Kali motioned for Pyrrha to step forward and speak. She felt incredibly put on the spot, but there wasn't a whole lot she could do about it. She knew she would have to speak to the shop owners but it didn't make it any easier to have to talk to so many people again after being alone and in the Wilds for so long. She really wasn't happy about this, but it was what she needed to do. Um, I need new Pegasus tack and some custom boots... I'm used to knee-high boots, not ankle booties." she looked down at her feet. She felt scandalous for not having the bottom part of her legs covered. Pegasus knights wore full- body covering clothing even in the tropical South part of Illyria. Thankfully, if a knight was raped in her off hours and had been wearing less, she wasn't blamed. In that case, her purity and vows weren't broken as nobody asked to be raped. Sadly, the same couldn't be said about consensual encounters… "Pegasus tack? That's a very rare order. Only ever had a few Pegasus Knights passing through the area get it on an emergency. Are you a knight? Don't you guys travel in groups of three to seven?" Pyrrha looked down, her eyes welling with tears. "Okay, no more questions, Lass. But do you need reins, a saddle, or both?" "Both." She placed the decrepit saddle and reins on the counter, blinking back tears. Very few people would know how to make a pegasus saddle on demand. She hoped it was in good enough shape that he'd be able to use it as a guide. "I know it's in bad shape. but can you use it?" she didn't doubt his skill, but military pegasus tack was niche thing, only available in some major urban areas of Illyria. Elen than is was the Southern capital where most major decisions were made and where the crown sat, though Vcrdalyn was a major military outpost. Verdalyh did have some administrative components to it and it was a major home to the Sisterhood. Illyria stretched from the temperate north to the tropical south, so having two capitals was to its advantage. "Yeah, I'll definitely need a guide. This has obviously seen better days, but I can still use it to replicate what you need. "About the boots, though... You look thin. I make all boots to size for the person... If you start putting on weight, you'll need to have them made again... I think lace-up boots would do you better until you're at a more steady weight. What do you think?" Pyrrha blinked but gave a small nod. "All right then." Her current booties were ill fitting, but so were all the clothes. She was glad that he didn't seem the type to want to scam people out of money. If he were, he would absolutely not be suggesting lace-up boots for her. She really wanted knee-high boots again, but the ankle booties would have to do until Zerath finished the lace ups. "Well, let me measure ya then I'll go get started on the boots. The pegasus tack will take a couple weeks to finish because of the complexity of the job. but the boots should only take about a week. That'll be my priority. Sound good?" "How much?" Kali had given her the gold coins. so it would hopefully be able to be covered… "Three silvers." Pyrrha nodded and took out one of the gold coins then gave it to him. He blinked but gave her seven silvers in exchange. She felt so bad using Kali's precious golden coins, but there wasn't much she could do about it. The woman had insisted that she use the golds to cover the expenses... Unfortunately, all other money had dried up months ago and she couldn't pay Kali back. She felt like such a burden with needing so much, but she had literally nothing.. Zerath had her come behind the counter and he measured her legs and feet. It felt strange to have somebody touching her like this again. It'd been too long since she'd had anything measured or even examined. She wasn't against it by any means; it just felt strange. She'd been bereft of human contact so long that she sincerely forgot what it was like to be touched by another person. "All right, lass, I got what I need. Feel free to go about your day." Pyrrha nodded. "All right." With that done, they left Zerath's shop and Kali smiled at her. "That wasn't too bad, how was it?" Pyrrha sighed. "Better than I've been treated in the past half year or so." She could understand why people were so wary of her, but it didn't make it hurt any less. All she wanted was a stable life like anybody else. But she was treated like a criminal when she simply was looking for food and shelter. She was so hungry all the time until the past several days. She was so hungry that it frankly hurt and she hated it. Why was it too much to ask to be allowed even stale bread..? "Anyway, why don't we go to Jorran’s shop, the Stag's Button? She'll treat you well too." Kali smiled warmly at Pyrrha. Pyrrha gave a small nod and mounted again. Nendia was completely naked and without tack now which looked strange to Pyrrha. She was too used to Nendia being tacked almost all hours of the day while they wandered the countryside. Thankfully, Nendia didn't need reins or anything like that to follow Pyrrha. Pegasi were far more intelligent than most horse, barring Everwild ones. It was just so strange to see the blue dun coat and wings without anything covering them… They arrived at another shop about ten minutes later. They dismounted and entered. A woman around Kali sage stood behind the counter and smiled widely. "Kali, so good to see you!" she glanced at Pyrrha. "Who's the girl?" "My family's ward. Pyrrha. Blake brought her home after Hestia told her to. Please be kind to her; she's been through too much." Kati looked at Pyrrha. "Pyrrha, this is Jorran, the town's main tailor." "So what do you need, honey?" Jorran asked. "I need a cloak most immediately since it's still cold out, but a whole wardrobe, really... Warm-weather clothes and cold-weather clothes… I got some stuff from the sanctuary of second Blessings, but it doesn't all fit quite right…” Pyrrha looked down. "And I'm not healthy weight right now a tall either. I'll need my clothes to also fit down the road when I've put on more weight…” Jorran rested her cheek in her hand. "That's definitely a tall order but I can do it. Batan entire wardrobe will take quite some time. A single cloak will take a few days but that can be my focus for now. Do you know your healthy measurements?" Pyrrha nodded and ratted them off. "Judging by your attire, you prefer pants to dresses." Pyrrha nodded. "I was a pegasus knight; dresses weren't practical for field work and riding: she knew some noble ladies were taught sidesaddle but pegasi weren't able to do that due to their wings. It would be painful to a pegasus to have something like a saddle and a person's full body weight on their wings like that. She couldn't imagine how cruel it would be to do that to a pegasus. They were such intelligent, sensitive animals and cruelty like that was an affront to Heshia… Even if she turned her back on the gods. She knew Keshia would be angry if anybody treated a pegasus in such a way. Jorran looked at her. eyes wide but she didn't ask for anything. All she did was nod. "All right then. You look awful thin ,though, hon. Did you need anything special?" Pyrrha hesitated before nodding. "I need clothes that can fit me now and as I put weight on. Can you do that?" "Do you know your healthy measurements?" Pyrrha nodded and recounted her measurements. Despite it being so long, she could still remember them. "I'll at least need to take your waist measurement at current, though; that way I know the smallest to make the adjustable waistband." Pyrrha allowed for ran to do that. "That'll be four silvers." Pyrrha reluctantly turned over the coins and left with Kali. "Well, we got your clothes being made now. Hopefully they'll be done soon." Kali said. Pyrrha frowned. "I'm not sure I'll remember to pick the stuff up or not… I'm having a lot of trouble with my memory." She wasn't sure she'd remember to pickup the tack and the clothes. She wanted—and needed—both sets of things so badly. but there wasn't much should do if she forgot about them. All she wanted was to have her life in order again, bat the memory issue would haunt her until she paton more weight and got proper nutrition again. Or, at least, she hoped she would be able to. “We have lucidroot tonic. We don't make or sell it alot to younger people, but you clearly need it. Normally its our older customers that need it and it's not the cheapest thing." Pyrrha frowned. "Before you say anything, we'll gladly supply it to you. It only takes a few drops a day to be effective. Yes, we will miss out on profits to an extent, but it's far from our most sold elixir. We only sell small vials once every so often. Hopefully you won't need it after a few months, but for now, I'll give it to you with breakfast. It's a little bitter, but mixed into warm milk, you won't notice it. Once we get back, I'll give You some, okay?" Pyrrha nodded. "Okay. Did we have anywhere else to go?" She was sincerely struggling to remember what all they had planned for this morning. She had a feeling she was missing something, but it was like reaching for water. She really did need that tonic to help her stay on track. "We were going to the Sanctum to talk to Kaelin about Nendia's hooves." "Right..." How could she have forgotten about that? She was so starved of nutrition that she legitimately couldn't remember much if it was short term. The lucidroot tonic was going to be invaluable to making sure she could operate day today. She really was trying but it was hard when she really couldn't grasp things like she used to. Let's go, then." Kati smiled at her and Pyrrha nodded as they got on their horses. It still felt wrong to ride any Mount that wasn't Nendia, but she did need to watch out for Nendia's health too. Both of them were well under the weight they should have been at. Nendia really shouldn't have been supporting a rider which was why Pyrrha had chosen to walk more than ride at this point. They headed toward the sanctum and Pyrrha couldn't ignore the crawling in her skin. She wanted nothing to do with the gods anymore but there wasn't much she could do about it. She really just wanted to live her life with out any sort of influence from the gods or demigods any longer. But no, Rhyza and so taro had interfered in her life by sending animals to her. She really wished that wasn't the case, but she really didn't have a choice in the matter. Why. oh why. couldn't the gods leave her alone to just live her life? Hestia had already betrayed her... How could she trust them to not repeat that? They arrived at the Sanctum awhile later and Kali showed her where to put her horse. She followed the woman to a building that truly blended into several trees.It was no doubt dedicated to Larrick with the sheer amount of nature around. She really had no idea where they were going.Itdid almost feel blasphemous to be setting foot in a temple when she detested the gods so much. Larrick had done nothing to harm her but she still wanted nothing to do with him. She saw no reason to be devout to any deity when her own patron had outright abandoned her. Kali wandered around the Sanctum for a while until she found a young man. "Kaelin! We're in need of your hoof trimming supplies." The man blinked. "Eh? But I just took care of war horses a few weeks ago-they should be good for now." Kali looked at Pyrrha then motioned her forward. "My pegasus... I need to take care of her feet. I know how to do it myself; I just need the tools. I'll borrow them then return them." She hoped Kaelin wouldn't deny her; Nendia desperately needed trimming and reshaping. She wasn't sure exactly how bad it was, but considering it hadn't been done in around half a year, it had to be bad. She felt awful for neglecting Nendia, but there just wasn't much she could do about it. at least not until now. "It'd probably just be easier for me to do it." he said. "Sisterhood pegasi won't tolerate the touch of a man without good reason." This would fall under 'good reason' but Nendia hadn't tolerated any man's touch since she'd come under Pyrrha's hand. She could probably tell Nendia to stand for him, but the Pegasus wouldn't like that one bit. Pyrrha really, really didn't want to force Nendia to do something she would be uncomfortable with. And she understood all of the little quirks that came with her Mount's hooves in away nobody else could. She'd been with Nendia for years and understood her in away nobody else could. "You look about ready to keel over. Couldn't you tell her to stand for me? Hard to believe you were in the Sisterhood with how you look..." Kaelin scratched his cheek and Pyrrha couldn't help but glare. She was in the Sisterhood! “I gave up everything to conform to their wants and rules! You have no idea what it was like to be in such a strict order! It was my everything! Unless you know what it's like, don't you dare say you think I wasn't in it!" She couldn't stop the outburst. She was tired of people treating her like she was nothing after having been cast out. She did understand, but she was sick of it. "I came here to help take care of my mount, not be judged like a worthless piece of trash!" The color from Kaelin's face drained. "I'm sorry. you're right; you want help with something important, not be judged. I'll get my tools and meet you where mounts are." Pyrrha let out a sigh of relief and relaxed. All she wanted was to be treated equitably. Why was that too much to ask for? She had done nothing wrong but was being punished by the universe for some reason. She had been a good knight and given it her everything…and her reward was this. To be ostracised and treated like a criminal through no fault of her own "All right." Pyrrha nodded and followed Kali through the Sanctum. Anxiety and guilt crept into her mind. "Kali, wast being unfair to him? It sounds like you know him pretty well and I just met him..." She felt awful. She wasn't usually one to take her feelings out on others like that. She had just finally hit her breaking point for being treated like a criminal when she had committed no crime. Some other sisters had made it seemed like she broke the Wind's Covenant, but she hadn't strayed in the slightest. All she wanted was fair treatment, but only Kali and her family seemed willing to give it to her. "Everyone has a breaking point. Was it entirely fair to Kaelin? No, But after seeing how Zerath and Jorran treated you, I don't blame you. Based on your reactions, it's not the first time it's happened to you on your journey." Pyrrha shook her head. "I've been treated with suspicion and distrust the whole time. Your family are the first kindness I've had since I left. Even buying supplies when I had money, I was treated poorly. Even the people at the Sanctuary of second Blessings regarded me with distrust." She could understand to some degree as she was a stranger, a Wanderer, but it didn't make it any easier for her to cope with. These smaller, outlying communities definitely had to stick together to survive. Merchants were welcome, but she was a lone figure with only her Pegasus and a spear. She was an unknown and, thus, a threat. She could understand but it was so frustrating. "I can hardly blame you then. No, it wasn't fair to Kaelin, but his comment was out of line as well. Everyone has a breaking point and you finally reached yours. You can apologise if you want to, but that's up to you. It was also a good lesson to him to think before he speaks first. People often forget they're dealing with somebody that also has thoughts and feelings and that their words have an impact. Yours had an impact on him, and he'll hopefully remember that lesson for some time to come. As a Diviner, he really should have better control of his tongue. Same with those at the Sanctuary of Second Blessings." Kali sighed. "I'm so sorry you've had to go through all of this… Hopefully things will get better while you're here in Hazelmere." They arrived back to where their mounts were and Nendia softly nick end at Pyrrha. Pyrrha went over and patted her neck. "It won't be much longer; I promise." Nendia was still painfully thin but it would be nice to see her hooves be in a good state soon enough. They were overgrown and Pyrrha could only imagine how much pain she had to be in. The ground in the winter and full hadn't done much to help wear her hooves down so yeah… Kaelin came up to them a little while later with farrier tools. Pyrrha took them and began the long task of trimming Nendia's hoof. She had forgotten how physical a task hoof trimming was and found herself growing exhausted. but she pushed through it until she finished. She felt extremely lightheaded by time she finished and leaned against Nendia. She went to return the tool to Kaelin but he shook his head. "I have multiple sets of tools, so borrow those as long as you need to. She's clearly going to need constant touch ups with how bad her hooves were. Did you need anything else from me?" "Kali said you could help with a feeding regimen for her." "Yeah, I can. Though I need to examine her first." Pyrrha looked at Nendia who snorted but gave a nod. Kaelin examined her fora while and then listed out feed to give to her. That should help her start to put on more weight overtime and perk up her energy as well. But her flight muscles have definitely atrophied quite a bit. You'll want to start gently exercising her with short flights." He looked at Nendia. "You can do five to ten minute sessions on your own and slowly build from there. But don't push yourself too much at first, okay?" Nendia nodded again. "Okay. No rider flights for a while. For now, short flights around the pasture, lots of grazing, and good grain." "Thank you." Pyrrha managed a small smile, then looked at Kali. “Can you remember all of that?" She didn't have any confidence in her ability to retain the feed combination even until they returned to the house. Kali nodded. "I'll write itonthefeedboad when we get back. Our running is done so let's get you back to get some rest. I can see how exhausting the hoof trimming was for you." Pyrrha nodded, her head still light. She really needed to rest. With everything done, Kali and Pyrrha mounted again and started back.