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Post by Carrow on Jan 5, 2010 10:42:31 GMT -5
Sara Dirachus had made certain to wrap up warm on this chilly January day, especially so as she had come down with a cold. It had been snowing in some parts of Cosnair over the weekend, and unfortunately Sara had needed to be out a lot over that period of time. She'd been exposed to the elements quite a lot lately, and had woken up the previous day with a bad head cold. She'd tried various remedies that day, to little success. The squirrel felt only marginally better today.
She had also been slightly disappointed, as she'd been due to start work at the local clinic the day before. Its current proprietor, Jiras Forleus, had told her, a little over two weeks ago, that he would be stepping down. As it happened, Sara was in a good position to take over that post, and she'd agreed to the hedgehog's proposal. He wasn't quite finished just yet, though. Jiras had made his own decision that he was going to stay on for at least a week to ease the bushy-tailed rodent into her new occupation. Sara was of course grateful for this, as she had been quite nervous about the prospect.
Jiras had been surprised not to see the squirrel present on Monday, and had reasoned that she had a very good reason for not attending. In fact, the hedgehog was of the impression that a combination of nerves and the chill had prevented her from making an appearance at his clinic - something that was not all that far from the truth. Coupled with a slow business day - again, he assumed, because of difficulties with the weather, the clinic had closed at 1pm. The 26-year-old squirrel made sure to take care of herself on the way over to the clinic, though her journey wasn't all that long.
However, there were some rather perilous-looking patches of ice about, and even on that small trip, she had quite a few near-misses, her natural nimble-pawedness the sole thing saving her from a fall and possible injury.
Despite all of this, Sara reached the entrance to the clinic eventually. The rodent stood and knocked, wondering if her hedgehog friend was around, and trembling slightly, though this had more to do with her nerves than anything else.
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Post by Carrow on Jan 5, 2010 13:24:59 GMT -5
After a moment, the door creaked open, and Sara found herself looking into the hedgehog's blue eyes. They were a lot brighter than they had been when she'd first encountered him a couple of weeks past, which seemed to indicate to her that the elderly creature was in a much less trouble frame of mind. Sara smiled at him.
"Good morning!," Jiras said cheerfully, his eyes twinkling as he regarded the rodent. "Something tells me you're being extra-careful, what with this weather. If you don't mind me asking, what held you up yesterday?," he asked, rubbing his paws. My, my, that wind would chill a creature to their very core!, he thought. How she's managing, even with that lot in, is a mystery to me.
"Now, I'm sure you have your own theories, Jiras," the squirrel replied, "as I was far too busy over the weekend to keep you up to speed with what was going on, and as it happened, what stopped me turning up yesterday was quite last-minute: woke up yesterday morning with a hell of a cold," she told him. "May I come in?"
"Ah, I thought it might have been something like that. Hope you didn't have too much difficulty getting over here," the hedgehog commented, smiling, "and yes, please do come in. You're nervous I suppose. Well, there's no need to be, as I'm sure a creature with your experience will take to this like an otter to water!"
Sara chuckled at this turn of phrase as she entered. It was a medium-sized room that greeted her bright green eyes. The main desk was over to her left, along with the majority of medicines and remedies contained within the clinic. "I shouldn't wonder, there ought to be a number of creatures paying a visit today, what with the glorious weather we're having. That's not sarcasm, by the way, Jiras. I really do like winter, despite all its perils."
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Post by Carrow on Jan 5, 2010 18:04:54 GMT -5
"I see," Jiras replied, coughing slightly and swishing his stubby tail. "I'm hoping that you'll enjoy your time here in Cosnair. It must be a very difficult time for you at the moment, but I'll be here to help you should you need it," was his kind offer.
"Well, I have to admit I've been struggling to get to grips with city life," Sara replied, "but I'm doing my best to settle in." She was about to say more, when a rather timid knock sounded outside. "Ah, it would appear my first customer's here," the squirrel said brightly as she padded over to the door to answer it.
Looking up into her face was a young field mouse, with brown fur and eyes - eyes that suggested the little creature had been weeping. "Good day to you, young mouse," she said kindly. "Come on in... don't be shy..." Her voice was soft, encouraging, and the young creature hobbled in, glad at least to be out of the cold.
"W-wait... who are you?," the youngster asked in a high-pitched voice. "Is mister Forlaeus not here?" "Oh, he is here, but, well... long story short, I'm in charge here now," his fellow rodent responded. "The name's Sara Dirachus. Have you hurt your footpaw? I noticed you're finding it a tad difficult to walk." "Er, yes, marm," was his quiet response. "Sprained my ankle in fact. My mum should be along any moment now... she had to send me ahead."
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Post by Carrow on Jan 6, 2010 7:11:36 GMT -5
And sure enough, the trio were soon joined by a tall and slim mouse in her early thirties. She smiled as she removed her hat which she had of course been wearing to offer some extra protection from the cold. "Good morning, mister Forlaeus. Who's your assistant?," she asked.
"Assistant? Oh, no, this is the new proprietor here: a young squirrel by the name of Sara Dirachus." The rodent vet smiled slightly. She would be getting these kinds of questions asked all day, no doubt, but she didn't mind in the slighest. After all, very few creatures knew of the changeover.
"How did your son come to injure himself?," she asked. "Oh, Teres was being careful as could be when he was playing in the snow yesterday," the mouse responded, "but of course, you never know where there might be a patch of ice lurking. Went over on his ankle and sprained it, so he did."
"I see," Sara replied. "Well, luckily this is only a minor injury, and easily treated. What I do is take a small piece of material," she said, tearing off a strip as she did so, "dip it in ice-cold water" - she caught the pained look that entered Teres' brown eyes, and smiled - "don't worry, you'll get over the shock! Now, I do this, then bind it gently around the ankle area."
The squirrel lifted the young mouse up, and applied it to his injury. The smaller rodent hissed slightly in pain as the treatment was applied. "I would advise you to keep doing the same thing at home. Change the bandage every few hours, and you'll see that the cold helps to prevent swelling. Make sure he gets plenty of rest, as that will help the ankle return to normal."
"Alright," the slender mouse replied, "he should be right as rain in a few days then, I expect. Thanks for your help, Ms. Dirachus!" The two creatures left, Jiras smiling in their wake. "Like I said, otter to water. Very well done, Sara!"
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Post by Carrow on Jan 6, 2010 10:01:25 GMT -5
The next few hours passed in much the same way, with the relative new. Sara was quite surprised at the amount of young creatures who were visiting her, but then the squirrel had always been fond of the little ones, so it was quite an enjoyable morning for her. She was glad to be doing what she loved once again. Jiras, for his part, lent a paw whenever he could. Nor did Sara mind his assistance, having always believed that, as they said, many paws make light work.
Having nipped out for something to eat around 12:30pm, the old hedgehog returned, his hunger satisfied, as lunch hour rolled around. Sara left Jiras in charge while she went to eat something. Truth be told, the rodent was famished: not one second of her time on the job had been wasted, and of course, a creature who's been working solidly for nearly four hours always has a good appetite.
She returned about an hour later, ready to face the rest of her day. Settling back in very quickly, Sara was soon back at work. However, things would take quite an interesting turn not long after she'd resumed her work.
The small bells attached to the front door chimed softly as it opened, and a squirrel who looked to be around the same age as she did stepped inside. His blue eyes seemed quite distant, and there were large bags underneath them, denoting a very tired creature indeed. This was Sciurus Whirlpaw. The former hypnotist (he was now resigned to thinking of himself as such, having not had many opportunities to offer his services to the good beasts of Cosnair over the last while) had recovered from his little fainting spell at Augustine Capet's trial, but he had been shattered by the strain the last few weeks had put on him. He hadn't slept in more than a week, hence why he was here.
"Oh, hello!," Sciurus said as brightly as he could manage when he spotted Sara. "Are you new here? I heard Jiras had been having a hard time of it..." "He's been coping well enough," Sara replied, well aware that the hedgehog was nearby, "but he's decided to paw his position over to me. I moved in here a few weeks ago." "I haven't had much time for noticing new faces of late," Sciurus admitted, swishing his rather impressive tail, "as I've been involved in, erm, quite important things." "What would these important things be?," the vet asked now, her interest piqued. "Surely you don't mean Augustine's trial?" "Aye, that's the one," the exhausted squirrel responded, "and I have to admit that it's worn me out. I've been having no luck trying to sleep for nearly two weeks now. Might you have anything that would help a creature get some shut-eye?" "I certainly would." Sara reached into one of the medicine cupboards and withdrew a herbal mixture. "I can swear by this, you know. Very effective for those who can't sleep easily. There's a good amount in here, and you should take this for at least a week, sir. If you're as out-of-sorts as you say, it'll take that length for your body clock to right itself again. Fourteen livres, please."
Sciurus withdrew his wallet, and then pawed the required fee over to Sara. He couldn't get thoughts of how pretty the kind creature was out of his mind.
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Post by Carrow on Jan 6, 2010 13:18:55 GMT -5
"Thank you," Sara replied, smiling as she pocketed the fee. In return, she handed the bottled mixture over to him. "I'd take that as soon as possible, as looking at the state of you, I wouldn't be surprised if you blacked out here and now!," she commented with a dry chuckle. "Oh, I'd manage to keep going somehow," Sciurus answered her, a twinkle in his eye. The rodent's white-tipped tail whipped to and fro rapidly, a sure sign of his contentment. "Nice doing business with you, miss," he replied kindly. "Oh, by the way, I don't believe I caught your name...? Mine's Sciurus Whirlpaw, and I must say that it's nice to see a fellow squirrel, and to talk with them, again. I've been very busy indeed over the last few months, but I must say you seem a very nice and sociable creature."
"Why, thank you, Sciurus!," the vet exclaimed, smiling warmly at him. "My name's Saraitha Dirachus, though I'm known as Sara by most creatures. Quite pleased to meet you, mister Whirlpaw. Curious name you've got!" She smiled at him, evidently in quite a jovial mood. It's related to a birthmark I have," he responded. "It's not my original name either. I was known by our family name, Brushtail, when I was young..." Sciurus trailed off. A painful memory had revealed itself to him again, and he paled a little before recovering his composure. Best not to think of that now, he thought. "...but, in fact, 'Whirlpaw' was a nickname I earned, which has stuck. Right, I'd best be off, then, Sara. Might be back here sooner than planned, of course, for a creature never knows what might happen to their health. I will make an effort to come see you again, however. I'll help you find your paws here in Cosnair. I've not been here a year myself, but I'd like to help you get to grips with living here."
Sara smiled at the squirrel's kind offer. "I'll have to take you up on that. I get the feeling that you're even more friendly when you're not dead on your paws." Another chuckle from the vet. "Alright. Take care."
Sciurus left, and Sara returned to her work. Both rodents were thinking the same thing: that the other was very much their kind of creature. Sciurus had never thought of himself as the kind of squirrel that another might want as a mate, wondering if he was meant to find romance in his life. Sara had never considered the possibility much up 'til now, but now she was seriously thinking of it.
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Post by Carrow on Jan 7, 2010 8:11:11 GMT -5
Sciurus returned home with quite a spring in his step. He loved to help other creatures out, and would do his best to ensure that Sara settled in in Cosnair. The former hypnotist had quite clearly fallen under the charming creature's spell. Sciurus had the run of the house for the moment; Otto was due back later in the week, and the rodent had kept the house in good nick while the otter had been away. For now, though, he could only think of rest, and moments after he got inside, Sciurus was sleeping deeply in his room thanks to the herbal mixture.
Sara'd had to admit she'd been feeling a little drained around mid-afternoon, but the meeting with Sciurus had ensured she returned to her tasks with renewed vigour. He seemed a little shy despite it all, she thought, but a very agreeable kind of squirrel nonetheless. She'd landed on her footpaws here, it seemed. Sara had already made good friends, and she was back doing what she liked best: tending to others. She spent the remainder of the afternoon doing just that. She'd been doing it for years, and was lucky in that she loved her job. Her kind and gentle nature had endeared her to many back home, and for all the tension and unrest in the capital, its citizens seemed to be getting on with their lives just fine. She liked to see that: resilience in the face of danger.
The squirrel vet finished her shift at 5:30pm, and picked up a few things at the local market before heading back to the inn. She was quite satisfied with the day she'd had, and was quite hopeful for the future. It seemed that a creature of great importance had entered her life today, and she somehow felt as though, no matter what happened between the pair, whether they would simply remain good friends, or took a step up to a romantic relationship, their lives were now entwined... for better or worse.
END
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