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[Sylvan Sherwood]

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She awoke when the cool of dusk touched her skin. With some dread, Sylvan realized she was sunburned to a terrible degree. Pale-skinned by nature, the recent years of living in the snowy mountains of Malas had done nothing to change her pallor. Getting to her feet, the pain began to creep over her body. It may have been the sunburn, or it could have been the sudden postural change, but for a few moments Sylvan felt the world go grey; she was grateful when the dizziness passed. She returned to the cottage long enough to tug a robe out of her satchel; she peeled off the brief cover-up that had been her wardrobe of late, and set about to find a healer. Certainly, a healer in this region would know how to treat her condition--or at least she hoped. Muttering quietly to herself of her own stupidity, resulting in this self-inflicted pain, she roamed the quiet alleys and was grateful for the night.

[Sylvan Sherwood]

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The healer she found was more than happy to provide Sylvan with a costly ointment for her sunburn. However, two days of suffering the pain and blisters and eruptions led her to think that the treatment was not effective. Perhaps it was time to consider a 'plan b'.

But there was a problem with a 'plan b'. It seemed there were two obvious answers. She could return to Umbra and hope to see Merrique; she knew gypsy remedies were often effective and simple in their homespun way. The other alternative was to face Zach and have to admit what she viewed as stupidity to him. Either way, there were potential problems. Simply put, she was not quite ready to return to the city. Dealing with the other details made it that much more daunting to consider. With a sigh she lay back on the bed and decided not to decide. Yet.

[Sylvan Sherwood]

---

It turned out that 'plan b' rather created itself. Hearing the sound of a suppressed cough, Sylvan sat up from her light sleep to find Zachary's friend standing in the doorway of her rented cottage. He informed her that he had something for her, courtesy of Zach, and handed her a glass jar. Brief conversation ensued, and Sylvan was more or less told to return home where she was wanted and needed. It took all the effort she could muster to remain calm and not shout out angrily that this was a great time for people to express such sentiments. After all, feeling such things were really alien to her.

Sylvan thanked him for the delivery, and he left. Gingerly she removed the lid from the jar and took a sniff. It wasn't so bad, she thought. However, she'd seen the concoctions Zachary's family was capable of producing and for a few moments was quite reluctant to apply the gel-like treatment. But discomfort won this battle, and she set about applying it to all areas she could reach.

Within moments, her cracked and blistered skin felt cooler and bearable. Into the quiet evening, she murmured aloud words of gratitude to the healer she'd come to trust. Shortly after, she was once again dozing. She dreamed of pleasant things, and without knowing so, she smiled in her sleep.

[Sylvan Sherwood]

---

After a short but restive sleep, Sylvan awoke and realized immediately that her skin no longer burned with the painful heat. What a pleasing turn of events, she thought.

Then she rose and discarded the cover-up she'd been wearing and donned her hooded robe. It was time to take the advice she'd been given and return to her home and duties and, admittedly, what family she had. There was one stop she figured she would make, to offer her thanks to the one who delivered her messages and the ointment which had offered such relief. After that she figured she would try to find Zach and thank him for herself.

She tossed some money on the bed despite having prepaid in town for use of the cottage, and stepped out into the evening.

A wry smile crossed her lips as she flipped through her runebook.

Sanctum Viatas, she murmured.