breeze

Hahaha, there's grass growing from your head now!

Oh? How about you join in with me? Hupsie-daisy!

Aha! A moustache!

Achoo! Ah—ah—achoo! *whimper*... You got all the leafy stuff stuck in my nose, Grace. It's itchy.

Pff! Watch your snot—you've got snot coming out!

Nnn...

Hahahahahahahahahahaha!!

Alright, I'm done picking on you. Anyhow, what have you been doing down here?

I couldn't find more mossoats up above, so I went to see if there were any underground, so I could pick even more.

And then I wasn't careful and I fell!

Are you hurt?

I landed on my butt a little hard, but everything else is okay.

Phew. Thank goodness for that.

Weren't you supposed to be listening to me? I never told you to come anywhere like this, did I?

But I only have enough for one pot, and it's not that much. Besides, if we went harvesting tomorrow and it was too late, wouldn't they all be wasted?

You still have to mind your own safety, though.

Mm-hm... I left my basket up above, so it's alright!

I saw it just now. Which is why I left my basket there too.

Next to mine?

Yep, all snuggly.

Hehehe, that's really nice.

It's raining now. Here, put this on you. Don't catch a cold now.

This leaf is huge!

I picked it just before. Wear it on your head, put your horns through these two holes, and that'll block the rain.

My ears are chilly. I feel a little bad.

Don't you take it off. The rain'll love to give you a cold if it soaks you. If you get ill too, who's going to care for your mum and dad?

That's right, I'm our provider now! I have to make sure Mama and Papa are well-fed!

Hmm?

Grace, aren't you gonna put on a leaf?

You wear yours for now.

I've actually barely ever gotten rain-soaked. Feels a little unlike anything else.

How come—how come you never got wet in the rain before?

Maybe Victoria doesn't get that much rain, actually?

Rain's a very common sight in Victoria, to be clear, but it's true—I've never been able to shower in it.

Especially like now. Nothing between me and the final rains of autumn, pattering on my head...

Then I'm even stronger than you are! When it's raining, I fetch laundry outside all the time, and do farm work.

Rain is pretty much like when the village headman got mad at me. He went, Rita, pbphth, whatbth is phthe meaning of thisph thbphruckus—!

Hahahaha! Oh, that headman. Just like a spit sprinkler when worked up.

But he can't sprinkle anymore now...

He'd just gotten too old. Too tired, too.

I saw it. That day I secretly followed you, and saw you carrying him out on your back, and you were really struggling to take him so far away, and then soon after you put him down, he just...

Just floated away like ash, like when we burn wood...

Will my Mama and Papa become like that too?

It's been two weeks already since the distress team left. Given they're following my map, they should've found a nearby town by now.

Besides, I've picked so much medicine today, and you've picked plenty of food too. Your mum and dad will be just fine!

Right! I've worked really hard! Mama and Papa are gonna be better for sure!

By the way, Grace, why don't you let anyone else help you pick medicine?

Mm... you know, everyone's in the same boat as your family. They can't eat their fill now, so securing food is more or less top priority for them all.

That's why nobody has a hand to lend, see.

The rain's getting stronger, it looks like. Your mum and dad will be worried about you. Head on back first, okay? I can find the rest of the herbs we need by myself.

Mm-hm! I need to bring back everything I picked. I bet Mama and Papa are just as hungry.

Can you still tell the way back?

Of course I can!

Then I'll lift you up out of here. Careful, now.

Hnph!

I'm out!

Grace, grab my hand now, I'll pull you up!

Hahaha, I'm miles heavier than you are! I can climb out by myself! Don't worry about me, hurry back and check in on your mum and dad!

Alright~

Don't run too fast! Watch your step!

Alriiight—

Hm... and now we worry about what I'm doing.

I just saw the herbs I needed on the cliff over there.

The rain's not going to make this tunnel hard for me, but am I still going to make it up that cliff?

Yowch, I must've gashed that ankle when I fell down. The wound's fairly big. Need something to stop the bleeding first.

But I'm not going to win at any gymnastics once I'm bound up. That makes the cliff even harder.

*hiss*! God, my ankle hurts... I'm feeling a little dizzy too. Have I gotten fatigued lately?

Rita's mum's in terrible shape. Her dad's suffered external wounds, and I gave first-aid treatment, but it's still at risk of infection.

The nobles couldn't have possibly missed refugees entering their estate, so why are they so unconcerned... not even just to deport them... why haven't they shown up?

The refugees long since ran out of pharmaceuticals, and now all they have is plant remedies for simple treatment. I need to pick more. I need to be able to help more!

I hope to heaven we can last until the distress team comes back with someone. I hope to heaven...

Ah, I can't get bogged down in this. If I let the rain get any worse, that cliff'll only be harder! I need to hurry and pick what I need! I'll bandage myself after I'm back down!

Victorian northwest border region, refugee camp

Fever medicine for the Hanses. This much should do the trick...

Toothache painkillers for Peter, but the pain is all it kills... these few herbals might not be quite enough.

Bug repellant... ugh, why am I missing something! Hunger must've shook it out of my mind. I'll go back outside to search later... it's already dark now, and the rain's not dying down...

Huh? Why's someone at the entrance to my room?

Miss Arizona!

Miss Arizona!!!!

I'm coming! I'm right here!

Miss Arizona, where on Terra were you?! Some—Someone's gotten extremely sick, out of nowhere!

What?!

(It can't be another case like the village headman, can it?)

Where? Show me to them!

Here. Right in here.

This room is...?

Rita's family's?!

Rita? Are you doing alright?

No reaction... palms severely scalded, contusions on arms, swelling on the back of the head. Nnn... and a slight fever. She was so well before, too.

When did you find her like this?

Just now, about twenty minutes ago.

What did you come to Rita's for?

Uh...

Her parents are in the treatment area. It was her all alone here, making dinner for her mother and father. What were you doing here?

I... I... She didn't come picking with us today, that's why! So I just came to see if something was wrong!

Liar! She said the harvest group wouldn't share anything with her! She hasn't gone with them for several days now!

If you truly cared about that, you would've come much earlier, not just now!

Where's the food she picked today? Why isn't it in this room? Did you break in here and steal her food?

I'm just trying to help my family survive too! There's not much food anywhere left at all!

I didn't know... she'd resist so hard... I didn't know... and now she's in this state...