Awake (I)

Hong Luo blearily woke up, staring at the ceiling in a daze. 

Normally she'd have gotten up, cleansed her face, grabbed a few pieces of fruit, then crashed at her desk to fall back asleep. Then the chill from the window would wake her up, keeping her from doing as she pleased. Which would then push her into just staring into the sky again. Thinking about nothing.

But there was no fruit and there was no desk. The entire environment was not what she was used to and she had to lay there for a while, recollecting her thoughts, and trying to remember where she was. 

Pat-pat, came a sensation on her stomach, throwing her into a dazing loop that twirled her eyes back and forth. She turns her head and comes face to face with amber eyes and dark as night hair.

And that was when it hit her with her eyes opening wide in realization, then squinting with her inward sigh. 'Right, I'm still stuck in this dream.'

Flipping her mood like a light switch, "good morning," she faked a brilliant smile, a hoarse whistle in her tone. He turns over her palm and writes good morning back to her.

She then proceeded to grasp his hand and check his pulse. After a few moments she nods. "Good," she felt relieved, "that pesky venom hasn't spread and is still calm. With how much there is, I was concerned a vicious spirit may have developed." 

'So that's what it was, I had felt something painful and hot but when I woke up, it was gone,' he wrote out.

"Oh?" She paused to think, "That does sound about right. Perhaps the timely intervention stopped it? Regardless," she sighed and patted his hand, "it's good news. But- there is always bad news. Unfortunately for you, if you hate doctors, you'll have to endure for you will have to stay under care for quite some time. The full removal may take up to four years. The recovery up to six, and that is after all the venom has been flushed out. And that's not counting hidden problems that the venom may have covered up. If lucky, a total of six to ten years, if unlucky, your time with me will have to reach 15 to 20 years."

He didn't write anything back and just blankly stared at her.

A laughing smile curls her lips. Letting go of his hand she reaches out to tussle his hair, treating him like one of her disgruntled kids, and comforts him. "Don't worry, I won't have you stay cooped up the whole time. We'll go on walks, eat lots of food, check out the sights, and possibly even make some friends along the way. Ten to twenty years will be over before you know it, especially for someone as strong as you. Those years will go by in a flash."

Again he just stares blankly. He neither responded nor acted out any emotions. But then his head tilts and his eyes move.

"Hey Tiv what are you doing? Patients are to remain in bed!"

Startled out of her motherly aura, Hong Luo instinctually pulled her patient to her, and tried to glance past the leafy partition. A series of footsteps, rushed and stumbling were making their way over. A large shadow races into her peripheral.

A gray hand touched the partition. A head of wild hair and eyes the color of blood glared down, but then jolted after meeting gray eyes full of harsh judgment. 

"Xiao Luo~, look who's finally awake! Tired of being a bed goblin you silly squirrel?" Those red eyes turned gray almost instantly. A teasing smile on his face, a naughty hand reached out only to be knocked aside.

"I'm not a squirrel Grand Uncle Tiv. But you most certainly are seeing as you aren't listening and deciding to be mischievous. —–But no longer it seems." Her eyes left her confused uncle to fall to Marvena who finally appeared, grabbing hold of Tiv's collar like a general ready to toss him over her shoulder.

"Ah! Marvena mercy, mercy, mercy! Ow, my poor head! Ow, my poor neck! Ow, my poor back! Ow my poor heart!!! Mar-veeee-naaaa!" Poor uncle Tiv was mercilessly pulled back to his section and shoved back into his bed.

Faintly Hong Luo could hear the silent threat ebbing in that soft tone, "If you move one more time, I'll give you something real to whine about. Understood? ——–Good."

The man peeked up from Hong Luo's embrace and tapped her on the shoulder. She just patted him on the back in a coaxing manner, still treating him like one of her kids, that motherly aura all a blaze as she said, "don't worry, grand uncle Tiv may seem scary but he's just a paper tiger, and even less than that in front of Marvena. I swear, even after all this time, he probably still hasn't confessed to her."

The man blankly looked to her face, then to her neck, back to her face, then seemingly gave up, putting his hand back down. 

At this moment Marvena returned and separated the beds, freeing Sir Ash from Hong Luo's embrace. Whether or not the man was grateful, she could not tell. With such a wooden face, being able to discern even the tiniest of emotions would be a huge task. Even with her son as an example, a child who was severely taciturn, she could not grasp a single emotion from this dull man. 

Luckily that was not her job, and so she paid him no mind. Instead she focused more on the irritating little girl who had everyone buddled in anxiety for the past few days.

Supposedly young Hong had felt said feelings, recoiling back slightly with her eyes moving anywhere but on her. Marvena merely adjusted her bifocals and got to work.

Thanks to Marvena's chatter as she follows through with her check up, Hong Luo was able to understand what had happened. And to be honest, she felt a tad bit embarrassed. Comatosed and feverish, she had been out cold for four days, her fever broke late into the second day, and today being the morning of the fifth day, she finally woke up. Grandpa Temit and Granny Rasha were her doctors and had been taking care of her this whole time. 

Marvena fully emphasized this, pushing even harder on the fact that everyone was worried and kept visiting her to see how she was doing. Never had the medicine tent been so rowdy! People just wouldn't stop poking their noises in with innocent faces but hearts full of gossip.

She also pointed out that her two busy bodies, Mo Meifeng and Mo Yin, have taken the trees above the tent as their own and are refusing to budge. That would be okay seeing as how they aren't causing problems, but that was the thing. Them hanging around a tent for healing purposes was the problem!

After saying that Marvena followed through with another set of complaints. It seems she had all of this prepared, she was waiting just for this moment, ready to dish out a cold plate of suffering onto Hong Luo who didn't know how to take better care of herself.

She complained about how those two beasts, without supervision, had become the ultimate menace to tribe and village. Several areas had to be rebuilt, a new body of water had been formed, and even a mountain had been turned into a ravine!

With all that as the foundation, Marvena slowly snuck in with a coaxing voice, that sweet motherly tone, and tried convincing Hong Luo to stay and watch those two. An excuse to stop her from leaving again. A hope that she would not return to that place that nearly killed her.

Yes, Marvena did all of that scolding and complaining simply to build up her case, to prevent Hong Luo from being in danger again. Just like the rest of the tribe, she had watched her grow up. She and her son had even played together once upon a time. As her aunty Marvena, she liked to call her, how could she not fight the good fight to keep her healthy and safe?

Which Hong Luo understood, Aunty Marvena's actions admittedly caused her to chuckle and nod her head, saying she had no plans to go anywhere, soothing down the hairs of her worried village aunty.

"I understand Aunty, you don't need to worry, okay?" Hong Luo smiled but then grimaced when her head was bopped.

"And how many times have I heard that young lady? Alright, you stay put, don't-move. I'll be back with the doctors momentarily. Understood?" Marvena hardened her voice, glaring sharply at Hong Luo.

Only when she nodded did she soften and turn around. "You as well. If you move from that bed, just like Tiv I'll have you tied down with nary a hair's breadth to move!"

And just like that, Marvena solemnly walked away.