10 Ymiden 721 - Yggdrasil Citadel
Nestled within one of the many aromatic storerooms of the Healing’s Hall, Visna was rhythmically going through the motions of cutting up clean linen cloth for fresh bandages. It was a mindless task of repetition: layering the last strip over the cloth long enough to match its measurement and then cutting - over and over ad nauseum.
Although she, admittedly, would have preferred a more challenging task, she knew it was a necessary one as bandages were always in need. And, unlike the medicinal plants they grew within the neighbouring greenhouses and the various other medicinal items that they could source from nature, bandages could not be harvested. They had to be made.
She hummed without much thought to the tune, just something simple that matched the motions she made, and let her mind slip into a near trance-like state. Times like these when her focus was not fully needed, she found, were good for practicing how to clear and calm the mind. Going through meditative exercises in calm periods were easy but still beneficial: if one could not calm the mind in times of quiet, how could one ever do so in times of chaos?
Measure, cut, stack. Measure, cut, stack. Her mind drifted peacefully, allowing her mind’s eye to stir, tempting it to open. She focused on the scents that filled the room: the cedar from the pallets and store boxes nearby, the garlic braids that were hung at intervals, clove. However, Visna was not looking to slip into a deep meditative state, so she simply remained on this precipice and gently drew her mind back to her present task once it was time to set the bandages into a cedar container to be stored for future use.
She stacked this container on top of the other two she had filled and lifted them up as one, heading out and into a brightly lit hallway. The contrast between the two areas made her pause just long enough for her eyes to make the quick adjustment and then she proceeded onwards towards the nearest surgery room.
Peeking inside before she entered so as to ensure it wasn’t in use, she saw to putting the boxes of bandages in their respectful places, Aesir vestments sweeping against the floor and her slippers. The mundane monotony of her previous task had dulled her thoughts, leaving her feeling detached and nebulous, but this change in scenery and the sudden sharpness of her surroundings - the tangy remnants of citrus and burn of alcohol and stark, sterile nature of the room - seemed to jolt her back into herself. It was then and there she decided she did not need to stick to the same drudgery she had engaged in before; she could be just as useful elsewhere.
And so she made her exit and strode briskly in the direction of the nearest greenhouse.
But she would not make it to her destination, for halfway there a tremor seized the floor beneath her feet. It was not enough to cause her to lose her footing, but it was enough to disarm the young Namdalen Druid. She shot a hand out to the nearest wall to steady herself, brow knitting in profound confusion. A cacophony of shattering glass and a variety of thuds followed as items in nearby offices and rooms were shaken free from their perches only to fall victim to gravity. Shouts and yelps rose soon after - calls to fellows to ensure others safety, blurted cries of confusion and wonderment. Then another tremor struck, her surroundings trembling for what Visna felt was a full bit, leaving her equally befuddled by the experience.
Although she, admittedly, would have preferred a more challenging task, she knew it was a necessary one as bandages were always in need. And, unlike the medicinal plants they grew within the neighbouring greenhouses and the various other medicinal items that they could source from nature, bandages could not be harvested. They had to be made.
She hummed without much thought to the tune, just something simple that matched the motions she made, and let her mind slip into a near trance-like state. Times like these when her focus was not fully needed, she found, were good for practicing how to clear and calm the mind. Going through meditative exercises in calm periods were easy but still beneficial: if one could not calm the mind in times of quiet, how could one ever do so in times of chaos?
Measure, cut, stack. Measure, cut, stack. Her mind drifted peacefully, allowing her mind’s eye to stir, tempting it to open. She focused on the scents that filled the room: the cedar from the pallets and store boxes nearby, the garlic braids that were hung at intervals, clove. However, Visna was not looking to slip into a deep meditative state, so she simply remained on this precipice and gently drew her mind back to her present task once it was time to set the bandages into a cedar container to be stored for future use.
She stacked this container on top of the other two she had filled and lifted them up as one, heading out and into a brightly lit hallway. The contrast between the two areas made her pause just long enough for her eyes to make the quick adjustment and then she proceeded onwards towards the nearest surgery room.
Peeking inside before she entered so as to ensure it wasn’t in use, she saw to putting the boxes of bandages in their respectful places, Aesir vestments sweeping against the floor and her slippers. The mundane monotony of her previous task had dulled her thoughts, leaving her feeling detached and nebulous, but this change in scenery and the sudden sharpness of her surroundings - the tangy remnants of citrus and burn of alcohol and stark, sterile nature of the room - seemed to jolt her back into herself. It was then and there she decided she did not need to stick to the same drudgery she had engaged in before; she could be just as useful elsewhere.
And so she made her exit and strode briskly in the direction of the nearest greenhouse.
But she would not make it to her destination, for halfway there a tremor seized the floor beneath her feet. It was not enough to cause her to lose her footing, but it was enough to disarm the young Namdalen Druid. She shot a hand out to the nearest wall to steady herself, brow knitting in profound confusion. A cacophony of shattering glass and a variety of thuds followed as items in nearby offices and rooms were shaken free from their perches only to fall victim to gravity. Shouts and yelps rose soon after - calls to fellows to ensure others safety, blurted cries of confusion and wonderment. Then another tremor struck, her surroundings trembling for what Visna felt was a full bit, leaving her equally befuddled by the experience.
