story_myrrh_1_1

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Rhodes Island Ursus Outpost

*Yawn*... Morning meeting after hitting the hay at four last night? Gimme a break...

Why don't you look tired at all, Sussurro?

We were taught at school to put on a proper appearance at work, so—

So you had three cups of espresso first thing in the morning. Not exactly a healthy lifestyle, Operator Sussurro.

Ahem. Now that Hibiscus is here, let's start the meeting.

Wait, before that we need to introduce our newest colleague. Come on in, Operator Myrrh.

G-Good morning. I'm Myrrh, and I've just been made an operator. You can also call me by my real name, Adelaide.

She's been assigned to us after completing her internship. Operator Myrrh, meet Operator Gavial.

Good morning, Miss Gavial.

Just call me Gavial.

Glad to have you onboard. We can always use more medics. Can't even remember the last time I got a good night's sleep.

We're doing what we can to recruit more. Just try not to scare away the rookies before they even get settled in.

I-I'm ready for it. Dr. Kal'tsit told me that the job of a medic is really tough.

Good to hear you've gotten advance warning. Things are really hectic around here.

That's Operator Sussurro next to Gavial. She'll be your supervisor.

G-Good morning, Miss Sussurro. I look forward to working with you.

Right. Just so you know, us operators don't really call each other 'Miss'. And don't worry, we'll ease you in gradually.

I-I'll do my best. Please let me know whenever I'm doing something wrong.

Seriously, we're just thankful to have you here to take on some of the workload.

Ahem. Then shall we get to today's schedule?

The refugees' conditions are all under control on my end. If all goes well, we should be able to release some of them by next month.

What about you, Hibiscus?

Most of the patients are fine, except for one.

Who's that?

Mrs. Luba.

Ah...

Ah...

Is she doing badly?

Her condition isn't all that bad, but she's been refusing treatment.

Wait. She's sick, but doesn't want to get treated?

She's a superstitious one. When she first came, she told me not to waste my time because her village shaman told her she wouldn't live past seventy.

Seems a little dodgy...

She believes every word of it, though, even seeing everyday events as signs that the end is near.

She practically fled when she saw Kuro outside last Friday.

Apparently, seeing a black Originium slug is an omen that death approaches.

So that's why she was crying all day. Wouldn't even take her meals.

(Whisper) Maybe...

*Sigh*...

It's just a tough situation all around.

Excuse me, Sussurro? May I try talking to her?

Are you sure? It takes more than medical expertise to work with a patient like her. You need communication skills too.

There are many superstitious people where I'm from, and I've picked up a few tricks to deal with them.

Are you sure about this?

Why not let her have a go? Not like we've got any better ideas.

Hm...

P-Please. I want to do this.

Very well then, give it a shot. Gavial, could you bring up Mrs. Luba's patient history for her?

Thank you, Gavial.

Are we sure about this, Sussurro? I still think we should think it through.

Gavial's right though, we don't have any other ideas.

Be sure to report back if you encounter any trouble with her. We'll do what we can to support you.

Thank you. I'll do my best.

Welp, then follow me, Myrrh.

Was there anything else you wanted to say, Hibiscus?

Er, well, I'm still a little worried. Dr. Kal'tsit told me about some of her... quirks.

Such as?

Let's just say that she has some superstitions of her own.

Rhodes Island Field Hospital

Mrs. Luba should be here...

Enough! Take it away! I don't need it.

Excuse me, what's going on in there? She sounded angry.

Ah, you must be the new doctor.

I spilled a jar of salt. Apparently that's a taboo in Ursus, like it's really unlucky for them, so she's fuming mad.

Maybe you should come back later, let her get it out of her system.

Don't worry, I'm just here to say hi.

I said I don't need it! What are y— Oh.

Good morning, Mrs. Luba.

And who are you?

My name is Myrrh, and I'm your new doctor. I'll be working with you to treat your symptoms—

Get out, girl, and take your medicine with you! Stop wasting your time on me and let me go in peace!

Well, Mrs. Luba, I, er, didn't bring any medicine today.

Then what are you here for? Trying to talk me out of my 'superstitions' again?

No, not at all. I've never been very good at talking.

Then, what? You here to gawk?

Well, I, er, brought something for you. It's a lucky charm from home that I've been carrying for years. My clan chief told me that it brings good luck to whoever wears it.

(Takes the charm from her neck and gives it to the old woman)

Sorry if it's a little worn.

A little thing like this... Well, thank you anyway.

It's gotten me out of trouble so many times over the years.

I didn't think you young folk believed in these things anymore. Everyone's always on about 'science' and 'evidence' and that only backwards, uneducated folk like me still believe this stuff.

People always tell me that I'm superstitious too. I always go into a room with my left foot first, and the first thing I do when I move to a new place is set up some fowlbeast feathers.

I'm a little afraid to even talk about these things with my peers. Many of them graduated from med school, and they just sneer at this stuff.

They're too young to believe in fate. When you get to my age, you realize that some things that are just out of the hands of us mortals.

When I was little, a fortune teller said I was fated for hardship for the rest of my life.

I didn't believe it back then, but look at me now.

My village got caught up in a Catastrophe, my only daughter's dead from it, and now I'm sick in my old age. I'm not long for this world.

Oh, Mika... How could you leave your mother all alone like this?

(Takes the old woman's hands) Mrs. Luba...

What is it? Bored with my griping?

No, not at all. I want to know more. Tell me about your daughter. Considering how well you've aged, your daughter must have been truly beautiful.

And here you said you weren't any good at talking.

Right, my Mika was the jewel of the village. Her golden hair was like silk, so smooth and shiny.

Oh, my poor girl... life means nothing without her.

Everything tastes so bland these days. And each day is just about making it to the next one.

Would you like some sour apple pie?

Where's this coming from? What is it anyway?

It's a new item on the canteen menu. The tangy flavor really works up the appetite.

I'm not hungry. Just stay and chat with me for a bit.

Go on then, I'm listening.

Mika always loved apples. Not the sweet ones, but the sour ones.

I could never handle anything too sour. It makes my teeth curl.

My Mika always had such great teeth...

The air outside smells so fresh after last night's snow, doesn't it?

Stopping by so early? Don't you have work to do?

Don't worry, my schedule isn't that packed.

You doctors always seem so busy. Didn't think you'd have time to listen to me babble.

Hehe, would you rather I didn't come then?

Girl...

To be honest, it's good to see you.

I feel the same way. I couldn't stop thinking about you.

Why? What do you see in a washed-up old woman like me?

You're about my grandma's age, and you even look a little alike. Seeing you reminds me of her.

If I had a granddaughter, she'd be about your age now.

You must've really loved your grandma then.

Yes. She taught me everything I know about wild forest herbs, and how to use them for medicine.

She also taught me how to find my way, so I'm never lost no matter where I go.

Do you miss home?

Very much.

Me too... but I won't see it again. And I won't ever see my Mika either.

Don't cry, Mrs. Luba. She'll come back to you, someday.

What are you on about? How can somebody who's dead come back to me?!

Please, don't get angry. It's just what we say in my clan.

We believe that the spirit of the woods guides the dead to the Great Green, where they become one with nature.

Whenever someone in my clan dies, we gather by the river and send down a little boat holding a candle, in order to light the way back for them.

Even if what you said is true, and Mika really came back... what would she become?

I don't know. Maybe the stars and the wind in the sky, or the snow and the rain on a lake.

Or the grass under our feet, soft and lovely...

But the land's so big. How could I find her?

We... we can't find them ourselves. We can only wait for them to find us.

That's why our chief leads the guiding dance at funerals, so that those who are gone can find their way back and reunite with us.

Girl...

Do you... know the dance? Can you dance for her? For Mika?

I want to see her. No matter what she's become.

Alright.

Myrrh did not know how bad her dancing was.

Her steps were slow and out of sync with her arms. Even a farmer tilling the fields would look more elegant and coordinated.

Her movements were clumsy and comical, like a baby fowlbeast flailing in the snow.

But Luba did not laugh. As Myrrh made circles in the snow, waving her arms, a cold morning wind brushed against the hair on Luba's brow.

She closed her eyes and felt the air rush past her cheek. Something warm filled her eyes.

Girl...

(Falls) T-The world's spinning... I'm spinning...

Mrs. Luba? W-What is it?

Let's go back. I'm in the mood for some sour apple pie.

One month later...

There you are, Adelaide. Good to see you one last time before I leave.

Your symptoms are under control, and should remain stable for the foreseeable future. As long as you watch your diet and take the suppressant regularly.

Thank you so much for doing all this for an old sack of bones like me.

I'm just doing my job. Oh, before I forget... here, I got you a sour apple pie to eat on the way.

Aw, aren't you just a sweetheart? You remember my favorite.

I'll see you off then.

Sure thing, love.

Before I came here, I was all outta hope. I would just sit on my bed all day, wishing to kick the bucket already.

Until I met you.

Now I can feel Mika by my side all the time. I see her whenever I look at the mountains, the trees, the flowers, the grass, the rain, the snow...

I want to see more, to keep seeing her.

And to do that, I've gotta keep on living.

I'm sure she'd be happy. Take care, Mrs. Luba. I'm not sure how often we can see each other again...

Come now, pull yourself together.

Myrrh smiles and takes the old woman's hand. The two of them walk quietly over the snow.

Only when they have arrived at the village gate does the old woman hesitantly begin to speak.

Adelaide... let me ask you something. Answer me honestly.

All that stuff you told me... is it really true?

Mrs. Luba...

I mean, do you believe it? Be honest.

I don't know.

When I was little, the chief would brew me medicine whenever I was sick. And I always got better soon after taking it.

I used to think it was so amazing.

But when I came to the landship, I began to study its composition, to learn medicine in a systematic matter.

That's when I found that it was just a common herbal drink, with no special effects.

So I put away my research on it, and turned to studying other medicines.

But I still find myself making it whenever I get sick, simply out of habit.

And not just when I'm sick - I do it when an experiment didn't go well, or when I can't sleep, or when I scrape my knee after a fall.

Why do you keep drinking it, even though you know it has no effect?

I'm not sure why... sorry.

Why... why, indeed?

Is it all true, Harmonia? Does this dance really bring the dead back to our side? Does the Great Green really exist?

Adelaide... I can't answer that question, because I don't know either.

Why do you join the chief in the guiding dance then, if you don't know sure?

Because I hope that it's true, and that someday we'll reunite with the ones who have left us.

That's why I dance.

This land has too many troubles and hardships. The helpless must learn to help themselves, and the lost must learn to find their own answers.

That's why we place our hopes on the ethereal, on the supernatural.

That's why we have superstitions.

But, Harmonia...

I suppose it becomes true if you believe in it.

Never mind. Who cares if it's true or not, at my age?

There isn't much I can give you, but take this necklace that my man left me.

No, I can't accept that.

Just take it. It's nothing valuable.

I appreciate it, but the Medical Department has rules against accepting gifts from patients.

It'll bring you good luck. Take it, girl, and take care.

As she watches Mrs. Luba leave, Adelaide rubs her eyes and recalls sitting by Harmonia, gazing at the river in the distance.

That night, the canopy was bathed in the silver light of the twin moons, shining through the gaps in the leaves.

The night wind carried the wailing of the clanspeople as they pushed floating candles into the river one after another.

Their light brightened the night sky, forming a band of radiance embracing the people gathered on the bank.