Making medicine was a meditative process for Castti.

She had gone through the motions more times than she could ever hope to count. Even if she could remember all that had happened to her, she likely wouldn't have been able to say for certain how many tinctures and concoctions she had brewed over the years. It hardly mattered to her. As long as she was able to help people, the finer points were hardly unimportant. She knew what needed to be done, and she would commit to it however she needed to.

Castti was familiarizing herself with the herb garden just off the manor once again, trying to commit all of the locations of the plants to memory. Perhaps she was trying to spark something in the back of her mind that would remind her of what she had lost. Castti couldn't say for certain. She was feeling confident that she was not an awful monster after her conversation with Temenos the previous night, and Castti wanted to ride the high for as long as she could. Right now, that meant dedicating herself to learning the herb garden's schematics and then hoping she would be able to recall why she had made the choices she had in laying it out. She had been partially responsible for its construction, after all, and surely there was some memory in the back of her head somewhere that would give her the details behind it.

That was the hope if nothing else, though Castti had found remarkably little luck with it so far. As long as she couldn't recall what she had once done though, Castti supposed she could at least fill her time with something else. She could help Rosa by brewing her next batch of medicine, and if she had time, she could see if anyone needed her help elsewhere in town. Rosa required consistent care, but Castti could still spare a bit of time to aid the others in Winterbloom if they needed her. The more she was able to dedicate herself to assisting others, the better Castti knew she was going to feel.

"This garden is magnificent..."

Castti hadn't even realized she was no longer alone until after she heard Hikari's voice from the doorway of the greenhouse. She looked up to find him standing in between a few of the plants with a smile. He leaned over to a small set of roses and then inhaled deeply, savoring the kiss of pollen against his senses. "You helped to build this, didn't you?"

"Supposedly, I did," Castti confirmed, picking up another herb and dropping it into her bowl so she could blend it with the other ingredients she needed. "I cannot say I remember what I did to help create this garden, but as long as it has been benefitting the people of Winterbloom, I have nothing to complain about." Hikari smiled, walking to another set of plants to examine a few more flowers. Castti giggled under her breath. "You seem quite excited about it."

"I am," Hikari confirmed. "My homeland is a desert, if you recall. Gardens are rare there—especially ones so fair and lush with flowers." Hikari's experience with plants had always been limited because of his homeland. Plants needed water in order to thrive, and most of the water available in Hinoeuma was dedicated to the needs of the humans and animals. Beyond that, water was limited even among the people who called the desert home, and it had been the starting point of multiple wars between different clans. Why would anyone use their water on plants when they did not know if they would have enough of it to keep themselves alive after just a few days of war?

"This garden isn't just for show," Castti told Hikari. Unlike him, she had extensive experience with plants, and if he was interested, she was more than happy to tell him everything she knew. "Every single plant, flower, and vine here has a purpose. Each possesses a beneficial property that can be used to save lives." Castti wandered over to stand beside Hikari where he was admiring the white petals of a snowdrop. Her notebook in her bag seemed heavier than it should have been all of a sudden, threatening to send her crashing into an early grave through the ground of the garden. "Pleasing to the eye they are, and filled with sweet kindness too."

Castti had yet to figure out the purpose behind the flower resting in her bag. She knew of the medical purpose for snowdrops in concoctions: they were helpful when managing certain symptoms related to blood flow and blood loss. None of that knowledge told Castti why she had one tucked between the pages of her treatment log though, and she was starting to fear she would never truly understand.

Hikari did not notice Castti's uncertainty, instead continuing to smile down at the flowers in the dirt before him. "One day, I would love to plant a garden like this for my friends in Ku." The unspoken promise behind his words brought a smile to Castti's face. Such a thing would only be possible in a Ku that was no longer at war with its neighbors. A garden could only thrive when war had been destroyed once and for all and when water was shared freely with those who needed it. Hikari had framed his dream up to that point as a matter of finding his friends, but at the end of the day, it was always meant to lead to peace for his homeland. He wanted to save those who could not save themselves, and it all started with just a few acts of kindness.

Castti smiled, brushing her fingers against the petals of the snowdrop poised before her. "Your heart is as kind as any plant here." Her eyes began to glaze over the longer she watched the snowdrop, and it almost felt like she was waiting for it to whisper something to her. If the snowdrop in her bag was the carrier of a secret she did not yet understand, then Castti wanted to prompt this one to share all she could not bring herself to know. It was foolish to expect so much of a plant, and yet, she couldn't seem to resist. She may have been afraid to know, but she needed to understand regardless, and the flower only served as a reminder of what she had lost against her will.

Castti was not certain if Hikari moved next because he had noticed the sudden lack of focus in her eyes. Perhaps he was trying to find a suitable distraction for her when she began to detach herself from reality, or perhaps he simply wished to satisfy his own curiosity. Regardless, the effect was the same, and he turned to Castti with determination burning in his eyes. "Can you show me all of the plants here?" Hikari asked. "I want to know what they all do. There are only so many plants that grow in the desert, and none of them are anything like this. You must know their purposes if you helped to plant them here, so... Can you tell me about them?"

Castti blinked her way back to awareness. If the snowdrop was not going to reveal its secrets to her, then she supposed she had no reason to refuse him. Perhaps walking him through everything she had put in the greenhouse would help to spark something in her forgotten past too. Either way, Castti was hardly going to refuse someone who was so curious about her work. She loved talking about it, but it seemed like she never had the chance she wanted to discuss it nowadays. "It would be my pleasure," Castti agreed. "Perhaps I can even show you how to make a basic medicine or two."

Hikari's face lit up instantly, and he nodded eagerly. "I would greatly enjoy that." His gaze slipped in the direction of his blade, and something sad swept through his eyes. "All my life, I have only ever known how to fight and harm others... It was what I was taught to do. There are very few healers in Ku since combat was always seen as considerably more valuable. I... I don't want to spend the rest of my days locked in war though. I want to be able to help those who need me most, and that means knowing how to heal their bodies and their hearts."

"You are going to make for a fine leader once all is said and done, Hikari," Castti smiled. "I am certain of it... For now, how about we look through the medicines I have on hand? I believe there are a few easy recipes that will be helpful for you and the rest of our companions tomorrow. I may not be able to join you on your mission to help Throné fight against Father, but I would like to offer you all with a little something in case you end up in trouble."

Hikari nodded once again, and Castti gladly began to guide him through the garden. She pointed out the most helpful plants to him, and Hikari nodded along, clearly taking notes in the back of his mind. If he had a notepad with him, Castti was almost certain he would have been logging details there too just for the sake of getting a little bit closer to being able to help others. His dedication to the cause was sweet, and Castti was surer than ever before that he would make for a fine ruler of Ku once all was said and done. Hikari had already proven himself far kinder than most people who had held the position in the past, but Castti was glad to see him so eager to help others all the same.

Once Castti had shown Hikari the most important plants in the garden, they got to work on preparing a few medicines for the next day. Castti was hoping all of them would prove to be useless and that the travelers would win in their battle against Father without any issues, but she already knew better than to think it would be that easy. Hope and realism were two entirely separate matters, and Castti did not want to neglect one in favor of the other. If she could not accompany her friends on their next quest, then the least she could do was give them the best chance of coming back to her in one piece. She would be able to heal their wounds when they returned, but if they needed help in the meantime, then she would give it.

Castti wished she was able to join them, but she knew this was the best choice all the same. The others could handle themselves, and Castti trusted them to give it their all. She would do what she could for them while also supporting Rosa and the rest of the people in Winterbloom. Her presence could have only endangered their mission because of the ire she had earned from Plukk, Mikk, and Makk the previous day, so Castti would wish them well from afar. She and Hikari would make as many tinctures as they could ahead of time, and everything would end the way it was meant to.

Working on the medicines helped Castti's mental state even beyond just her concern for Throné's mission to fight against Father. It pulled her out of the darkness of worrying about the past, something she hadn't realized she needed until after Hikari arrived. Perhaps she could stand to rely on the rest of her friends a little bit more. Castti hardly wanted to worry them, and she used that to justify how often she pulled away when she was concerned about something, but she knew she felt better when she gave herself the chance to open up. Maybe the rest of them felt the same way.

Regardless, Castti was happy to stay there in the garden with Hikari for as long as he desired. It was helpful for the both of them, and that was all Castti could really ask for at the moment.

~~~~~

When Osvald first told his colleagues that he would be having a child many years ago, they had been surprised.

It wasn't that they thought outright that he would be a poor father. In fact, many of them had congratulated him through their sideways smile. Still, they were shocked to hear Osvald of all people was going to be starting a family with his wife. He cared about Rita a lot, but having a wife and having a child were two entirely separate matters. Osvald was strong in matters of research and reason, but when it came to his emotions, he had always struggled a little bit... Or perhaps a lot. Osvald had frowned when others told him they were surprised he was interested in having a child, but in a way, a piece of him understood it as well. He knew he was not the ideal image of a parent they had in mind, and he probably never would be. Osvald was always going to see the world in a unique, unorthodox way, and trying to change that was as good as pointless in his mind. He didn't want to change it either, not when his mind had given him so many unique opportunities that others never would have been granted because they were not in his head. He was different, but that did not mean he was entirely out of touch with the world and what it asked of him.

Osvald had been over the moon when Rita told him she was pregnant, and he dedicated himself to being the best father he could be. He had already done everything he could to take care of Rita as a husband, but having a child was indeed a separate matter. If Osvald's child was to grow up happy and healthy, then Osvald was going to have to step up. He knew other men may have been content to leave their wives to take care of their children while they wandered the world alone, but Osvald was not one of them. He was going to do everything he could to act in the name of his family, and that meant stepping up to assist Rita with their daughter whenever he was home.

Osvald adored Elena. He didn't know if he would ever feel more overwhelming happiness than he had the first moment he saw her. Osvald was hardly prone to tears, but he hadn't been able to stop himself from crying when he reached his hand out toward his daughter for the first time. From that moment forward, Osvald vowed to do anything and everything in his power to help Elena through the hardships of the world. He would defend her and give her the brightest future possible, and anyone who tried to get in his way would suffer the consequences.

Osvald had yet to exact his revenge on Harvey for harming Elena, but he thought about it each and every day. Osvald hated that he had failed his daughter, and he didn't know what he was supposed to do to heal a wound that had torn him apart in so many fundamental ways. Osvald had almost given up on it, and he didn't want to see any children after what he had failed to accomplish for Elena. Watching girls playing with each other in any of the towns the travelers passed through always felt bittersweet, and Osvald could only wonder how Elena would act if she was given the same chance had she not been sent beyond the grave far before her time.

In some ways, Melia reminded Osvald of Elena. He couldn't say for certain why though. Perhaps it was simply because the two of them would have been around the same age if Elena had still been alive. Osvald almost feared he couldn't trust his heart to tell him the two of them had something in common. For all he knew, he was misreading the situation and would never truly know how far off he was from the truth of what Elena would have been like had she survived long enough to meet Melia. Osvald couldn't say for certain. All he really knew was that Melia was a girl who should have had a lot in common with his own daughter, and beyond that, Melia was about to lose the only family she had left.

Osvald had no idea how he was meant to go about approaching her. How could he walk up to her and talk about such a sensitive subject when he was nothing but one of Castti's friends to her? Osvald wasn't the best at starting up emotional conversations either, and this... This was one of the hardest conversations he could have ever wanted to start. What was he meant to do? What was anyone meant to do aside from Castti, Rosa, or Lily?

"Are you gonna check on Melia?"

Partitio's voice pulled Osvald out of his hesitation, and the scholar turned to find both Partitio and Ochette approaching him from behind. "We were hopin' to talk to her too," Partito explained. "It feels wrong to just stand back here and not do anythin' when she's goin' through so much, so... We wanted to somethin' to help her out."

"It can be really hard to not have any family at that age," Ochette agreed. "I never had the chance to know my parents since they passed on when I was younger than Melia is now. I know it's hard, and I want to do what I can to help her through it. I'm not going to leave her on her own if I can help it!"

"I lost my Ma when I was younger than she is now too," Partitio added. "She passed from an illness too, and... Watchin' her deteriorate was one of the hardest parts of my life. After we lost her, Pops and I moved to Oresrush and started our lives over. I guess it was 'cause he couldn't stand to be in the same place he had lost her for any longer."

Osvald felt his frown deepen through his beard. He had been so caught up in his own silent grief that he had forgotten this was a common feeling among the rest of his traveling company. It seemed like all of them had lost someone they held dear at some point or another whether it was a family member or somebody else they loved. Osvald was unused to having anyone to relate to on the subject after all of his years spent in Frigit, but he wasn't on Frigit anymore. If there was ever a time for him to break free of the past to focus on conversation with others, he supposed it was now.

"Let's go see if we can talk to her," Ochette declared. Neither she nor Partitio had given Osvald the chance to confirm if he truly was planning to go and speak with Melia or not. They didn't see much of a point; it was obvious what he was thinking about given the crease of his brow and the frown on his lips. "If she doesn't want to talk, then that's okay. We'll just have to go and see what she needs!"

Osvald nodded, and he followed Ochette and Partitio through the manor toward Melia's room. She was sitting at her desk and penning something out, seemingly writing in a journal. The door was cracked just enough for Osvald to be able to see her in the gap between the wood and the wall. Elena had always loved reading and writing too. She had picked it up quickly despite her young age, and it seemed the same was true of Melia as well. If Elena had still been there, perhaps she and Melia could have been friends... But Osvald would never know the truth now. All he could do was mourn what would never be, and he was certain he would carry that pain for the rest of his days.

Ochette knocked on the doorframe, and Melia looked up from her writing. "Hey!" Ochette greeted, and Melia stared at the trio in shock, clearly not having expected Castti's friends to come and see her without their companion. "I hope we're not barging in on anything here."

Melia shook her head and rose from her seat. Her legs were so short that they still dangled off the edge a little bit, and the desk had clearly been fashioned for someone much taller. That didn't stop her from doing what she knew she wanted to though just as it had never stopped Elena all those years ago. "Of course not," Melia responded. She was far more refined than any eleven-year-old girl had the right to be, and Osvald doubted he would ever understand how he felt about it fully. "You're Castti's friends, so you're my friends too. Is there something you need?"

"We just wanted to check in with you and see how you were holdin' up," Partitio answered, and Melia's eyes widened a tiny bit more. "I know things have been tough for you lately, and... Since we're plannin' on stickin' around in town for a little while, we wanted to try and help you through it. I know we won't be able to make it all better overnight or anythin', but if you need anythin', all you have to do is ask."

Melia opened the door to her room as wide as she could, inviting Ochette, Partitio, and Osvald to come inside. "I appreciate the offer," she replied. There were such great burdens on her shoulders already. She was still so small, but she had to think about the wellbeing of an entire town. The world had never slowed down for her, and she had stopped expecting it to ages ago. "I'm doing everything I can to help everyone. I know there's still a lot that needs to be done, and I--"

"We're not talking about the town," Osvald cut in when something uncomfortable in his chest grew to be too much for him to bear. "We're here to talk about you." He could have perhaps phrased that a bit more tactfully, but Osvald couldn't seem to find the words for it. His throat was threatening to close up on him and restrict air from entering his lungs, but he refused to cry in front of her. That was not a burden any girl her age should have to bear, especially when she was carrying so much as it was.

Before Melia had the chance to ask for more elaboration, Partitio jumped in to fill the silence. "Losin' a parent like this isn't easy for anyone, especially a kid as young as you," Partitio explained. "We all know what it's like, and we... We wanna do anythin' we can to make it a little bit easier."

Osvald nodded. He hadn't said anything on the subject to the rest of the travelers, but Partitio was right when he said all three of them had lost a parent at some point in the past. Osvald's parents had passed shorty after Elena was born within the span of a few months. That had only strengthened Osvald's resolve to be there for his daughter however he could be. If his extended family would not be there to support Elena, then the least he could do was try to fill that gap... Not that it had done much when she died all those years ago. Osvald had done his part, but it hadn't been enough. Even if he had failed before though, he didn't want to fail when Melia needed a bit of extra help too. 

Melia stared up at the rest of the group in surprise for a few seconds before she redirected her attention to the floor. "I've been trying to not think about it," she admitted softly. "I don't want my mother to have to worry about me. She's going through enough as it is. I can only imagine how scared she is knowing what..." She shook her head, fighting off her tears to the best of her ability and only halfway succeeding as she had originally intended. "I don't want to make her life harder than it needs to be. She's got enough to deal with."

"You don't need to worry about worrying any of us though. We want to be able to help you," Ochette assured her. "We're going to be here for as long as Castti is, so if you want to turn to us to get anything extra in the way of help, you can! We're going to make sure this transition is as easy for you as possible!"

"It's alright to grieve for what's gonna happen. I know how rough it can be," Partitio told her. "I lost my Ma when I was a few years younger than you are now, and I felt the same way. I didn't wanna have to worry her when she was dealin' with so much, but... Kids shouldn't have to carry all this around on their own. No one should. So if there's anythin' we can do to help you, all you've gotta do is ask."

Tears began to spring to life in Melia's eyes, but she bit down on her bottom lip in an effort to keep them from falling. The last thing she wanted was to show weakness when the rest of the world had been going so far to applaud her for being strong, but she wouldn't be able to keep herself held together forever. One way or another, she was going to lose her grip. She was still so young, and her mother's death was bound to taint her memories of her upcoming birthday forever. It was a lot for anyone to deal with, but when it came to a girl so young... Osvald could only imagine just how much weight this was pressing upon her heart. 

"I don't want anyone to have to worry about me when there's so much they need to worry about as it is," Melia murmured. "Mother is going through a lot, and Lily is worried about her too. I need to be strong for them. If I'm going to take over Winterbloom, then I need to find a way to hold on. I need to be alright. I'm almost twelve, and that means I'm almost grown up."

"Do you wanna hear a secret?" Partitio asked, and Melia nodded slowly, entirely unsure of where this was going. "It doesn't feel like anyone is ever really grown up. We think we are when we hit a certain point, but... We never stop growin'. We never stop changin' either. There are a bunch of adults who wish they could still feel like kids. It's not a bad thing to need the support of others. I'd argue that it's a good thing if you can ask for their help."

"You won't have to handle Winterbloom alone," Osvald reminded her. "I'm certain there will be others who will help you with managing the affairs of the town even once your mother has passed. I doubt Lily will want to leave you on your own after you have already lost your mother to such tragic circumstances."

Melia nodded slowly, drawing in a careful breath and releasing it through trembling lips. "I knew Mother was going to die even before Castti came back," she confessed. "It was obvious. Everyone was trying to keep me from seeing it, but I knew the truth. I just... I want to be able to help. I'm doing what I can, but it never feels like enough when I know how this is going to end."

"If you're supporting your mother, then you're already doing more than enough," Osvald assured her. "You've been helping her with her medicine, and that's more than most people in town have been doing. I think you're selling yourself short."

"And you don't need to worry about doing everything by yourself! No one is an island," Ochette chimed in. "So if you need our help managing things around here or getting ready for when you take over Winterbloom, then all you have to do is ask! We might not know everything about leading a town full of people, but that's not going to stop us from doing our part to try and tell you what we can!"

Melia rubbed at her eyes with the heels of her hands. "Castti has really nice friends," she remarked. She took in another breath, trying to seem composed but ultimately falling short in the face of such overwhelming kindness. This time, she couldn't hold her tears back at all, and she rushed toward Osvald before throwing her arms around him. Osvald remained frozen for a moment before he returned the embrace, hoping he could still offer a bit of warmth through the ice he felt had come to cover his skin since he was sent to Frigit. "I don't know what I'm going to do when all of this is over, and I... I'm scared."

"We'll do everythin' we can to help you," Partitio promised. "We might not be able to stay here in Winterbloom forever, but that's not gonna stop us from pitchin' in however we can. Just say the word, and we'll be right there."

Melia nodded from where she was pressed against Osvald's chest. She was far too short to reach his shoulder to perch her head over the top of it, and Osvald sank into a crouch to give her a bit more comfortable access to him in their hug. "Could we stay together for a while?" Melia asked softly, and Osvald wondered just how long she had been bottling all of this up. How long had she been trying to seem strong when she felt like she was going to fall apart? 

The answer was ultimately unimportant though, and Osvald nodded. "For as long as you need."

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This chapter is so sweet. I'm going to explode about it. 

I had the idea in my head of a scene with Osvald, Partitio, and Ochette going to see Melia for quite some time, and I'm glad I was able to squeeze it in before we got to the next part of the story. It would have felt wrong to leave Melia's grief unaddressed given everything going on. I really like how the scene turned out, and I must admit that it pulled on even my heartstrings. 

That wraps up the main chunk of Castti's chapter here in Winterbloom, but we've obviously still got a bit of it to cover. We'll be coming back for it later over the course of the rest of the Winterbloom arc though, so next up, it's time for Throné to take center stage. Hoo boy. This one is going to be fun. 

So next time, we'll charge into Throné's chapter two in Winterbloom for better or for worse. Until then, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Comments and kudos are always appreciated. Have a wonderful day, everyone!

-Digital