An Divine Emissary (Private w/ Babygabrial)

[Shirayuki]

In an faraway, distant land, there knew not lest for war. Once, perhaps, the gods had kept in watch over this land, providing their divine protection upon the land as peace flourished amongst the people.

But those days have long since passed.

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

An young shrine maiden sighed as she cleaned the shrine, her black hair tied back, as per traditions.

Kiyomi Sasaki, that was her name. Once, she had others like her to keep her company, but who knows where the other Mikos have went? Perhaps they've been killed by conflicting warriors, or abandoned their own gods and beliefs- under the state of this world, she did not judge them for it, and yet, she remains hopeful. Various ceremonial tools and other bells have been left unused, collecting dust, as patronages were few and far between. The Torii gates symbolizing nothing else.

She stepped out of the building, draped in the institutional white and red clothing that all like her wear. The sky, while cloudy, shimmered with an touch of light as the sun refracted through it's gaps. She breathed in, and breathed out. The air was warm, though, the wind brought an light chill.

"Mistress! Anybody there?" That perked her ears up, as she opened her eyes. An urgent voice shouted, an figure approaching in the distant, seemingly carrying someone.

At least, this day was going to be much different from the rest.

[Babygabrial]

The figure was a monk of the nearby monetary. They indeed were carrying something. Someone more accurately. He lays down what looks like a young girl. Her garbs too dirtied and torn to see much of, there appears to be dust and ash on the poor dear. Her raven black hair covering her face even. The worst thing though is the cuts along her arm and back. "I had found her laying in the woods when I went to inspect something. The nearest was too far away, I prayed to the gods that your shrine would be able to take this young lady and help her recover. The monk had stated. "There is no indication where she has come from, or how long he has been lost. It was good I had found her. Had a samurai found her, then there is no telling...." The monk lays the girl down before the chanting a quick prayer for her.

[Shirayuki]

She quickly rushed over, observing the unconscious young girl. She turned towards the monk and nodded, “Thank you, I’ll take it from here.”

Kiyomi thought about what she needed to do here. Of course, she’d first have to clean up this girl, then at the very least, deal with those wounds of hers. There should be some medicinal herbs she has left over that should be able to staunch the bleeding… it seems like she’s been running away from something - though it wouldn’t be an surprise if her village was already slaughtered.

Something felt… off, however. She couldn’t describe it, but the girl emitted some sort of ethereal energy that she wasn’t able to pinpoint. She dismissed it now, of course, for there were more pressing matters at hand. Opening one of the many now-unused rooms of the shrine, she laid the child down on an Tatami mat, and began scrounging for materials within the shrine. With so few travellers around now, she knew there would still be ample stock of almost anything.

[Babygabrial]

The child's eyes slowly opens, and they groan in pain. They tried to say something, but the words just won't come out. So much pain, no telling what discomfort they're going through. Actually, it became clear part of the discomfort. If looking down, a puddle begins to form under the child. They seem to have wet themselves. Likely due to all of the injuries.

[Shirayuki]

She returns back to the room, holding a woven basket, filled with various herbs and medicine she’d found from the other parts of the shrine. Setting down the basket, she immediately noticed the lingering smell of urine and the puddle the kid had created, though, she has far more pressing matters on her hand, and she’ll deal with it after this.

Noticing her eyes being open, scared, Kiyomi gently placed an hand on her forehead, comforting her. “Shh, I’ll deal with everything… it might hurt a little at the start, but you’ll stay strong, okay?”. Occurrences like this, while uncommon, did happen time and time again. The cuts are all too familiar to her at this point. With a wet cloth, already previously soaked in herbs, she gently cleaned and dabbed at the wounds of the girl, before applying a wound dressing over the larger wounds, no doubt caused by the blade.

The rest of the medicine will have to be ingested while she’s awake, of course. She’d thought about acupunctures, but she didn’t have the skill to do it. She turned her attention to the child’s tattered clothes, and figured she’ll have to find an alternative piece of clothing for her to wear. She stood up, and began to turn to leave the room again, looking for some larger amounts water to clean her up.

[Babygabrial]

The child whimpers before letting out a little sigh as the wet cloth cleans them. The bandages and herbal ointments sting which makes the little one whimper and cringe more. However, it is far better then the cuts on them. Undoubtedly cuts from a katana. Thankfully, no vital area had been hit, but the wound could have been infected had te child not been found. It's adhornat, but it was not too uncommon to see such things. Wars between vilages, clans, samurai, and lords create a dark cloud that looms over the nation.

[Shirayuki]

Kiyomi returned with additional materials, as well as a small Kimono - left behind by some traveller - for the girl to wear. Of course, it is only when she started to take off her urine-stained clothes that she realised the child wasn’t a girl… but with how he looked, he passed off as one anyways. She continued cleaning up the child, before attempting to dress her up.


(Actually, should he be diapered up immediately? I’d assume it was an one time thing, until he has another accident)

[Babygabrial]

The child looks up at the woman as she clears and dresses him up. His body relaxes when he feels the women dress him up in the garbs donated for young girls. There could be a story to these clothes. In times like this, everything has a story. The child sniffles and sheds tears as he looks up at the woman. Pretty green eyes. Almost like hunters of the north. The tears made them glisten and sparkle. It was a look of request. The whimpers that escaped his lips indicated a need. A need of comfort and tender care.

[Shirayuki]

Kiyomi allowed herself a small, comforting smile. As she was done, she quickly drew him into a tight embrace, noticing the small beads of tears that had started to form. “There, there… I know it’s been tough. You’ve done well…”. It is unfortunate that so many young souls have been subject to such as cruel fate indeed, and there are more children that haven’t been as fortunate as the one in her arms now.

“What’s your name, little boy? Or rather, do you have one? I want to know… what happened, if that’s not too much to bear.”

[Babygabrial]

The boy soon settles to a sniffle. The pain too much to speak, but there is something else. A hurt in his eyes. There is something deeper here, and though he wants to, the child cannot tell her until he is recovered. Though he will answer to her calling him child and such, she must address him properly somehow. Even just temporary, he will need a name. For now, he rests in the miko's arms. Feeling more comfort then he could ever need in this moment.