Although, as she held Lily, she couldn't help but wonder if maybe she should ask for some money, if only so she could see if she could get one of the craftswomen who Jenn brought back with her that last time Jenn had been there, just so she could see about getting something for Lily to have that would connect Embris to her.
Though, as she thought about it, she wondered if maybe she should plan ahead and get things for Nymis to train with to be a warrior as she got older. As just talking to Feon showed that she was interested in that, and Feon's words seemed to have ignited a spark in Nymis, making Embris wonder if maybe she should get her youngest sister something that would help her move in that direction.
After all, if she didn't need the money for herself, then maybe she could use some of that to help the rest of her family out.
A knock at her door, made Embris frown. From all the time she'd been here, the only time anyone had knocked had either been other children looking to play with Nymis or Rephis, which hadn't happened since the plague had appeared, or when someone had need of Embirs. Neither option seemed likely, seeing as how Embris was still 'recovering' from the plague and she hadn't been able to hear the children playing outside like they used to.
Feon quickly answered the door before Embris could say anything, which merely made her annoyed, but she couldn't blame Feon for that. Not that Embris would have forbidden that action, it was more that she'd have at least been the one to answer it, even if she was still 'recovering' as Amelia put it.
Though, her annoyance was quickly replaced with surprise as she saws Tchisa standing outside her door. Whenever anyone had come to call her for some errand or duty or whatever, it had typically been Cithis or Haln and never someone like Tchisa. Which merely made her wonder if this was really something along the same lines or if this was something else altogether.
"Is something wrong?" Embris asked, sitting up, careful not to dislodge Lily, who looked at Tchisa with big, curious eyes.
"Not exactly, but I had an interesting conversation with your friends about helping Amelia out with caring for those who were still actually recovering from the plague," Tchisa said as she entered the small building.
"Okay, and why did you come to me about that? Last time I spoke with Amelia, I was one of those still 'recvoering'."
"I'll deal with that, but I was thinking that you could at least be an assistant to your brother, I think his name is Cinder. Though, I'll have others helping him as well if you're up for it."
Suddenly all negative emotions vanished from Embris as she heard those words. She wasn't sure if there was going to be a catch to this, but anything that let her get out of this bed and actually do something more than wait for time to pass by was something that she was fully in favor of.
"As long as Amelia doesn't object, I'll do anything you want me to do," Embris said, drawing a worried look from Lily. Embris wasn't sure why the girl looked at her like that, but she put a hand on her head, hoping to at least comfort her, even though she was at a loss for why she reacted like she did.
"Oh, so Amelia has more authority then I do?" Tchisa asked as she arched an eyebrow.
Embris wasn't sure if Tchisa was joking or if she was serious, but it gave her a sinking feeling in her stomach. She hadn't meant what she'd said in quite that way even though she could understand how it could be taken that way.
"Um, not at all, ma'am," Embris said, carefully standing up, lifting Lily in her arms as she did so, since it seemed the best way to handle her presence, even if it meant that she couldn't salute Tchisa like she wanted to right then.
"Relax, I was just joking. When it come to matters of the plague, anyone who can cure it will be given all the authority they want as long as it doesn't present a threat to anyone here," Tchisa said, making a calming gesture with her hand.
Embris nodded, hoping that Amelia wouldn't object to her helping Cinder out. Even though part of her was certain that the moment she started to help that Amelia would appear out of nowhere and demand to know why she was out of bed and doing something without her express permission.
"Anyway, I spoke to Amelia about it and got her to allow those who have recovered from the plague, at least in part, to help Cinder out doing light tasks that either of them had been doing. So long as you follow their directions, don't get in their way, and don't push yourself too much, you'll be allowed to help them out rather than staying in bed until Amelia sees fit to allow you to resume your usual duties," Tchisa continued, glancing around Embris' home, making Embris feel a little self-conscious.
Even though there wasn't anything to clean up or straighten out, Embris felt like her home was an embarrassment that she couldn't do anything about right then. Why she felt like that, she couldn't say. Just that it felt like she should be looking at improving her home so it was actually presentable for others to visit, regardless of how she'd never even thought about anything like that before this moment.
"I can do that," Embris said, pushing those thoughts out of her mind. It certainly wasn't the time for her to ruminate over what problems she had about her living quarters. What she needed to focus on was the fact that she was about to be able to get out of this prison.
Tchisa nodded, turning towards the door. "Then meet me at the central building. Amelia will be there to make sure that those who I've selected are well enough to actually help out. Though, a few volunteers from those who haven't caught the plague will also be there. Nor will everyone be from the Silverthorns. So, keep in mind that I won't have authority over everyone there. If you have problems with anyone, you'll be needing to talk to Zirisia. Although, if there is a problem with one of the Silverthorns, then you come to me, but Zirisia will be the one who will be at the head of this project."
Calling it a 'project' made Embris have her doubts about the whole thing, but she supposed that maybe that's just how Tchisa looked at it. Besides, that wasn't the important part. What was important was the fact that she was going to be able to do something more than just lay around all day with absolutely nothing to really do.
As Tchisa left, Embris gently set Lily down on the ground, and knelt down so she was eye level with the girl. "You can come with me if you want, but I'm going to be going out to do some work. I won't be able to have you with me if you get in the way but otherwise you can join me with whatever I get tasked with."
Lily nodded, making Embris wonder just how much the girl understood, even if she didn't talk. Part of it felt a little unnerving, even though she knew that the girl wasn't any threat to her or her family. Besides, she was confident that the girl was just wanting to be with her. Which meant that she might not understand as much as Embris thought she did, just enough to know that Embris wasn't going to stay there right then.
Although, she supposed that it was possible that she was reading too much into that single nod. Especially with the nervous energy she was suddenly feeling. After all, just because she was able to go to the central building to attend this gathering, Amelia could very well decide that Embris wasn't 'recovered enough' to actually participate in this project.
"Would you like some help getting there?" Feon asked, though one look at her expression told Embris all she needed to know about the question asked. Feon was merely teasing her, as if she wouldn't be able to make it on her own. Something that Embris was certain she'd be able to manage without any help at all.
"Well, if you want to keep me company, I'm sure you can show up as a volunteer as well. After all, I'm sure you'd be happy to be of use as well," Embris replied as sweetly as she could, enjoying the look that Feon got when she realized the implications of her being present would be.
"That's okay. I'll keep an eye on Nymis and Rephis. I'm sure they'd like someone to play with, even if there's not much to do in here."
Embris shook her head. The only reason they'd been staying inside the small building that served as Embris' home was the fact that she'd been there and unable to leave herself. If she hadn't been stuck in there, she was certain that they'd have gone off on their own to play outside. Besides, she could see how bored they were there, even if they didn't actually say anything about it.
"Well you can leave the building you know," Embris replied in a teasing tone as she paused at the door. "I'm sure even you were only staying in here because I was stuck 'recovering' and couldn't go out myself. Though while I appreciated the company, it's not something that you still need to do if I'm not here, is it?"
Feon looked like she wasn't sure how to respond, which Embris thought was fair. After all, she doubted that Feon had realized that Embris had seen through her the entire time considering how she hadn't brought up the subject like she had in the past when they were still in their old village.
So, Embris left them behind. Lily kept up with her as she walked along the path that lead to the road that had been created to make travel to the central building. If Tchisa was heading to the central building from here, she had already gotten so far ahead that Embris couldn't make her out at this point, but she didn't worry about that. Since if Tchisa had others that she needed to visit first, Embris wouldn't expect to see her anyway.
While it appeared a good distance, Embris was confident that she'd be able to walk it, since she had done that since even before she'd become one of the guards for the Blue Rose's stand-ins. Besides, she was confident in how well she'd recovered, so she didn't give it a second thought as she started walking with Lily matching her pace, despite being so much shorter.
However, what Embris hadn't expected was how quickly she got tired. She considered taking a break but quickly pushed that thought out of her mind. If she took a break, she might as well admit that she wasn't as recovered as Amelia thought she was, which meant she'd need to be back in her bed with absolutely nothing to do.
Embris ignored the worried look that Lily gave her as she found it increasingly difficult to put one foot in front of the other. She wasn't going to let this simple walk deter her from what she knew she needed to do. Besides, it wasn't like she'd had to overcome other difficulties before and she hardly considered this that difficult, despite the sweat she could feel spreading all over her body from the effort.
"Mama" Lily asked quietly, tugging on Embris' arm.
Embris glanced back at her home and could tell that even if she wanted to, it wouldn't make any difference since she had already gotten halfway. Maybe if she hadn't gotten so far she'd have actually considered going back. Yet, since she'd already reached the halfway point, she might as well continue on, no matter how difficult it got.
"I'll be okay," Embris assured Lily, patting the girl on the head. Even though she could see that Lily didn't like her doing that.
As Lily brushed Embris' hand off her head, Embris couldn't help but find the girl's reaction rather endearing. Even though she'd seen Ralph do the same thing without Lily reacting this way, she couldn't help but feel more of a connection with the girl at this point than she had up to now.
"We're only halfway there," Embris said, taking another step towards the building. Although, she wasn't sure if she was saying that more for her own benefit than she was for Lily. All she could say was that she wasn't going to be deterred by a little hardship if it meant that she wouldn't be stuck in that bed when she wasn't even tired.
_
Ralph was surprised to see Embris show up covered in sweat. Somehow it made him like her more, even though he couldn't exactly say in what way. Just that he could see how tenacious she was.
Although, he couldn't help but notice Lily seemed rather worried about Embris, making Ralph decide to walk over to see what might be the problem, as he doubted that Lily would get like that without reason.
Besides, they were still waiting on Tchisa to show up and he had a feeling that she was taking her own time getting everyone she wanted to, to make their pitch to Amelia about having those who were recovering help her and Cinder in small ways.
"Holding up okay?" he asked as he approached Embris.
Lily looked at Ralph briefly before returning her attention to Embris, clearly more concerned about her than she was at Ralph's appearance.
"Yeah, I'm just fine," Embris said her breathing labored as she struggled to catch her breath.
"You know, I think this might be a different strain than any I've heard about before," Ralph remarked, mostly to himself as something suddenly occurred to him. He recalled in the past when Amelia was treating patients with the plague that they didn't get so fatigued this long after they'd been healed, nor had Embris really had the plague long enough for her to have lost her strength in the first place.
"What're you talking about?" Embris asked looking at Ralph strangely, her forehead covered in sweat.
Ralph shook his head as he glanced towards Amelia who was standing across the room, looking rather impatient. "Nothing really," he said.
If what he suspected was true, then Amelia was keeping it under wraps either to keep from a panic from erupting, even though most seemed like they were in the same state as Embris was or there was something else going on that she hadn't shared what that was. If she knew, that is.
Embris didn't say anything in response, just sat on the ground, leaning against the wall. "Well, let me know when its time to do something, okay?"
Ralph glanced at Embirs but his attention was taken away when Lily suddenly collapsed. Ralph felt a surge of panic as her small body collapsed to the ground, as if she was exhausted herself. He wasn't sure what the problem was, just that she was unconscious already.
"Amelia!" he called out, drawing everyone's attention from around the room, which he couldn't care about right then. Even though he wouldn't have minded being the center of attention before, he couldn't help but feel that it wasn't the same when it happened because he needed someone to check on Lily.
How he could have come to care for the girl so much without him realizing it was something that he could consider later. Right now figuring out why Lily had collapsed had his attention more than minor concerns like that.
While he didn't think that it took Amelia to get over there quickly, it still felt like it took her longer than it should have. As if each second had become an hour. Why it felt like that, Ralph couldn't be sure. Just that he could feel his heart pounding in his heart, almost painfully.
When Amelia knelt by Lily and checked her vitals, he wished he thought that it meant that everything would be okay, but right then he worried that whatever had happened would be beyond Amelia's ability to do something about. He wasn't sure why he thought like that, just that he couldn't help himself.
"You know, both of you look like the perfect picture of worried parents," Amelia remarked as she glanced away from Lily for a moment, startling Ralph.
He glanced at Embris, only now realizing how close she was to him as she leaned over Lily, worry etched across her face through the sweat that still trickled down her, making Ralph wonder just how determined she was to get here when she looked like she had been close to collapsing from sheer exhaustion.
"What's wrong with her?" Ralph asked, pushing those thoughts out of his mind. He felt like he shouldn't focus on anything but Lily right then. "She just collapsed and it didn't look like she'd been tired or anything up to that point."
"Well, I can't say for sure, but I think she's caught the spotted plague," Amelia said, turning to look at Ralph, a smirk on her face that made Ralph wonder if he was going to like the reason she was looking at him like that. Especially considering he couldn't remember Amelia ever looking at him like that. Even before they came out on this expedition.
"Is that all it is?" Embris asked before Ralph could think of anything to say. "Is there something else that could have caused that?"
"Don't worry, the spotted plague isn't something to worry about anymore, remember?" Ralph said, taking hold of Embris' hand as he looked at her worrying over Lily.
"Wow, I wish I had a camera," Amelia remarked. "Charlie would love to see this. I'm sure of it."
Ralph glanced at Amelia, then back at where he was holding Embris' hand. He wasn't sure why he was doing that, just that it somehow felt right. Enough so that he turned to look at Amelia without taking his hand away from Embris'.
"Uh, shouldn't you be focusing on not, um, making fun of your, um patients or something?" Ralph said, feeling uneasy about how intently Amelia was watching him and Embris.
"Don't worry about that," Amelia assured him. "You're not my patient and I don't think Embris is well enough to even register everything I'm saying so it's not like she'll be affected by what I say."
Ralph wanted to say more, but his mind wasn't being so cooperative. Though as he started to pull his hand away from Embris', he felt her hand close tight on his, refusing to let it go.