[PRP] Check-up! (Gerda x Mittere)

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Gerda hadn't been keeping up with her duties as a Healer as well as usual. Carrying the cubs within her drained her energy. She took frequent breaks, resting whenever possible. She wouldn't lose this cubs. She couldn't lose these cubs.

All of this meant that Gerda hadn't been in attendance when the pink lioness had been brought in and tended to initially. She had been told of the stranger, but she hadn't been able to check in on her for some time. Gerda regretted it. She was sickly herself, but she took her responsibilities seriously. Today at last she would meet the new lioness and check up on her.

"Hello," Gerda called out as she entered the den, her soft voice raised only slightly. "Mittere? I'm Gerda, a Healer."  

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The pink lioness had been dozing. Her healing body still required more rest than she thought was proper, but she didn't yet have the strength to push its needs aside as she normally would. Blue eyes slitted open as an unknown voice resounded around the small den.

It was a nice change of pace from Nawiri all the time, but wounded or not, Mittere didn't trust anybody until she'd had time to take stock of them and their intentions. Just because she'd agreed to the necessity of remaining in the Kitwana'antara didn't mean she would automatically trust any pride member she met. That was an easy way to get killed.

Not that she really needed one of those with the damn disease the majority of the pride's lions carried.

So it was that Mittere stayed silent as Gerda entered the den, but kept her eyes fastened on the dark-furred stranger and letting the other know she was being watched. As the brown lioness came into view, her eyes widened slightly as she noted that the supposed Healer was heavily pregnant. That was...unexpected. And intriguing.  

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Silence. Well, she hadn't called too loudly. The pink lioness might be sleeping. Or ... a little worried now, the dark lioness edged closer. She had heard that the stranger was recovering, hopefully nothing had gone awry.

"Mittere?" She asked again, squinting into the den. The pink lioness came into view. Resting, apparently, but her eyes were opened. Gerda was relieved.

Strange that the pink lioness hadn't spoken to her. Maybe she was just shy. Understandable. From what Gerda had heard, the strange lioness had been in bad shape when she'd been brought in, and it must have been quite a shock to learn of her new ... situation. The dark lioness smiled gently as she approached her new patient, waddling slightly with her heavy belly. "How are you feeling?"  

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The pink lioness observed as the stranger came closer, apparently determined to check up on her in truth. Well, that made her claim to be a Healer carry more weight. But the more she saw of the other lioness the more she was certain that Gerda truly was a civilian of some kind if not actually a Healer.

She appeared to be...friendly. Friendliness was a sign of naivete and thus of weakness. But...if Mittere was going to learn whether or not she could trust this brown lioness, she would have to allow Gerda to stay for some time and carry on some sort of conversation with her. What she would prefer to do was resume her mental analysis of what she could expect of the pride's defenses, but obviously that was going to have to wait. Perhaps Gerda would drop some information to help her when she resumed that train of thought.

"Like I've crossed the threshold of life and death and decided to live," the pink lioness finally answered the direct question. Her continued infirmity rankled even now and she eagerly awaited the day she could stand on her own four feet once more.  

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Gerda blinked, taken aback by the strange lioness's response. Her smile faltered slightly. She had heard a lot of things from a lot of patients, but nothing quite like that. Well, Mittere was an outsider to the pride. Maybe strangers had different ways of speaking. Gerda, having never been beyond the boundaries of the pride's lands, wouldn't know.

Gerda's smile returned. Strange though Mittere might be, she didn't want to make the newcomer feel uncomfortable. "That's ... good," she said, her soft voice encouraging. "Very good. I'm sorry I wasn't able to meet you sooner." She was sorry! Gerda was fascinated by strangers, particularly strangers who had grown up outside the pride.

Perhaps she and Mittere would be friends, and Mittere would tell her all about the lands she would never see.

"Have you felt any aches, any chills?" Gerda asked cautiously. Surely Mittere had been warned before, but it was her job to ask. An unpleasant job.  

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Mittere had to wonder if the brown lioness was just that stupid, or if she was genuinely that optimistic and cheerful, to ignore a reply that could be construed as an insult or some sort of depressing joke. It was an attitude that the pink lioness had never really encountered before and so, of course, she was highly suspicious of it.

And she was sorry she hadn't been able to meet her sooner? Cynically the pink lioness wondered how long it would take her to make Gerda want to eat those words. It wasn't that she took pride in how...blunt...she could be, but she knew she made a rotten patient.

If the first statement wasn't a question and therefore not requiring Mittere to make a response, the second was and did. Honestly, what did the brown lioness think? That Nawiri wouldn't have explained the disease? That the grey lioness might have forgotten to detail its symptoms? Or did she think the failing lay within Mittere herself, that she was unable to remember a tactical briefing?

"No I haven't felt any symptoms of your puling plague," the pink lioness spat. "If I had I would have mentioned it already." She didn't like people assuming that she didn't remember information she'd been given. A warrior who did that would soon find themselves dead.  

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Hmm. Gerda's enthusiasm for Mittere's strangeness was beginning to fade. Maybe the pink lioness wasn't just foreign after all. Maybe she was just rude.

The dark lioness wasn't much for conflict and fighting. The closest she had ever come was in trading veiled insults and barbs with Eppie, a lioness she truly loathed. Gerda didn't hold any ill will towards this stranger. In fact, she felt badly for her, though she thought Mittere would probably react badly to pity.

Anger in response to finding out about the plague seemed reasonable. Gerda was rarely angry, but she had seen many who were furious about their illness. Not even thinking that the pink lioness might be dangerous (no one had ever physically threatened Gerda, here in the heart of the pridelands), the dark lioness sat beside the pink lioness. "I'm sorry," she said softly, the cheerfulness gone from her tone. "I pray you never feel symptoms. I just had to check. They are minor at first."  

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Narrowed blue eyes kept a careful watch on the brown lioness. Perhaps she wasn't quite the total idiot she'd seemed...but Mittere still had no proof that the other knew much of anything that pertained to the real world. Gerda's sympathy stung like a tick beneath her fur and Mittere had to make a conscious effort to keep from growling. Given the lack of commone sense she'd been seeing from the other lioness, Gerda probably had no idea that she was putting salt on the open wound. Attacking her would do no good, and the pink lioness could already feel her body protesting the strain of her tension, particularly in her abused joints.

Another mental note of what might or might not be the first symptom of the plague. But after what had already passed there was no way in hell Mittere was going to let Gerda know about it. Hell, she didn't even trust Nawiri enough to let the grey lioness know!

The other's words did shed the tiniest bit of light on the one part of life in the Kitwana'antara where Gerda's experience far outweighed Mittere. The brown lioness had likely lived here, with full knowledge and experience of the disease. There was pain, old pain, in her voice, the sort that Mittere had heard in the voices of old soldiers when they spoke of the battles that had broken them. Interesting, she thought, to find it here in a civilian. That similarity afforded Gerda the first touch of respect from the pink lioness.

She hadn't been asked another direct question, but somehow the stark statement demanded a response. "I'm sure," Mittere replied grudgingly to Gerda's heartfelt offering.  

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Gerda had no idea that Mittere was thinking nasty thoughts about her. She herself had nasty thoughts on occasion, but they were reserved for the lioness she believed was ruining her life. The dark lioness had her flaws but she had a kind and forgiving nature, and it never even occurred to her that someone she had just met would be sitting there thinking her a fool.

At least Mittere's aggression seemed to have died down. Gerda felt a little brighter, although she took care not to show it. She knew from experience that miserable, angry people could not often be jollied out of their unhappiness.

Now Gerda didn't really know what to say. She didn't want to go on and talking about the plague, but she wasn't sure how to make sure the lioness was well without offending her further. "There's meat, if you're hungry," she offered carefully. Gerda would have to drag it in to the weakened pink lioness, but she didn't want to say that - the lioness seemed touchy at any mention of weakness.  

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Mittere watched the other lioness perk up again and sighed inwardly. What was she, some sort of brainless chit who bowed meekly to the will of any personality more powerful than her own? The pink lioness had no use at all for that sort...though they were good at following orders such as "GET OFF THE BATTLEFIELD." They usually found a big strong male - oftentimes one of her warriors - to protect them and give them all the orders they wanted.

She wondered if Gerda was really one of them, or if she was just so quiet and passive most of the time that she seemed like one without actually being. But the brown lioness was speaking again and once more Mittere forced her mind to stop wandering and pay attention.

It really wasn't necessary. Gerda was asking if she was hungry and before the pink lioness had a chance to formulate any kind of answer her stomach butted in. Blue eyes blazed downwards for a moment and she snorted a sigh. "Looks like I'm hungry," she told the other lioness dryly.  

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Gerda nodded silently, smiling at the pink lioness. She turned and padded outside. It was a good thing that the lioness was hungry, good indeed. Of course, even if she did have the plague, it was too early for her to stop eating ... wasn't it? Gerda shook her head, impatient with herself. Ever since becoming pregnant she had worried too much. She had to get back into the proper mindframe and treat things more ... clinically.

The dark lioness had left the hunk of zebra just outside the den in case her patient was asleep. She picked it up and hauled it inside now, setting it down before the pink lioness.

Mittere might prefer it if she left, but Gerda lingered in the den. She wanted to watch the pink lioness for a moment to make sure she actually took some food. "It's good that you're hungry," she remarked. "The hungrier you are the faster you heal." Her quiet voice had gained a more business-like tone.  

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The blue eyes widened in satisfaction at the sight of the zebra haunch. She had no doubt that she could finish it down to the bone marrow the way she felt right now. She understood full well that her body needed the meat in order to heal and become healthy - even moreso after the deprivation she'd put it through.

"Thanks," the pink lioness commented as Gerda set down the meat in front of her and backed away again. She dove right into the meal, though a keen listener might have heard her mutter something about "feeding the beast" through a mouthful of meat.

It seemed to take no time at all for Mittere to reduce her meal to bones, one of which she idly gnawed to get at the marrow inside as she refocused her attention on the other lioness. Gerda had lingered, and she wondered if the reason was on the side of her being a Healer or her being curious. The pink lioness found her "guest" very difficult to read - Gerda's wasn't a personality type she'd ever spent much time with before. Normally she'd verbally abuse the other until she left, but Mittere avoided this route for several reasons. One, she needed more information to determine if Gerda was to be trusted or not. Two, she didn't know much about who else was in this pride at the moment. And three...she was stuck in the Kitwana'antara for the rest of her life. She couldn't just alienate someone because she was unimpressed by them.  

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Good, good. Mittere was a healthy eater, obviously. Gerda was pleased. It seemed that the pink lioness was recovering well from her ordeal. For what she'd been through (and Gerda wasn't entirely clear on what exactly that had been) Mittere seemed to be doing well. It was a pleasant change to be seeing to a patient that was getting well. Perhaps Mittere wouldn't contract the plague at all.

Now that she had assured herself that Mittere was eating, Gerda supposed she could go on her way. She felt rather reluctant to just leave, though. Maybe the pink lioness was bored and in need of some company. Ordinarily Gerda would have tried to hurry, but she was taking it easy now that she was with cubs. A little delay would be fine.

"Have you seen much of the pride, yet?" Gerda asked mildly. "I hope you're not bored."  

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Mittere gnawed on the bone as she considered Gerda's question, biting down a bit harder than necessary as she turned her head backwards to eye her body. Her pink hide bore many thick and ropey scars that were still in the process of healing, but she was no longer gaunt with deprivation. Another savage bite and the bone broke open, revealing the marrow inside. The pink lioness considered it for a moment before returning her attention to the brown lioness.

"It's difficult to see much of anything when you're unable to walk without assistance," Mittere replied acidly. The pink lioness proceeded to lick the bone clean, though perhaps with more force than was strictly necessary. It had only been a few days since she'd first woken up here in the Kitwana'antara - there was no way in hell she could have recovered enough to leave the den for more than the necessary...and she was humiliated to require the help of two others just to do that. No, she hadn't seen much of anything in the pride.

As for bored...well, that was a no-brainer. She'd gotten tired of the den she was in long ago and there was no helping that. The pink lioness crunched the empty bone into shards but didn't say anything more of her thoughts to Gerda.  

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Bored or not, obviously the pink lioness wasn't thrilled with Gerda's company. She didn't seem eager to speak to Gerda at all. The healer was disappointed. She didn't have many friends, and she'd hoped ... well, nevermind. Perhaps Mittere would regale her with tales of the outside world another day, when she was feeling better and not cooped up inside.

"If you don't need anything more, I'll be about my rounds," Gerda said softly, still watching the pink lioness. Mittere was recovering, there should be no danger in leaving her for now. She smiled slightly. "I'd be happy to show you around when you're feeling better ... or when I'm feeling better. I'm not much good at assisting right now." The dark lioness glanced down at her rounded belly.