A Tale of a Toasted Woodcrafter
Dragonsfall Weyr
Amber Hills Hold
Vintner Hall
Hidden Meadows
Dolphin Cove Weyr
Dolphin Hall
Emerald Falls Hold
Harper Hall
Green Valley Hold
Leeward Lagoon Hold
Barrier Lake Weyrhold
Sunstone Seahold
Citrus Bay Hold
Elsewhere on Pern
NPC Weyr (NPC)
River Bluff Weyr
Seacraft Hall
Writers: Eimi, Jelena
Date Posted: 10th January 2012
Characters: Parme, Antol (NPC)
Description: Antol seeks out Parme for help with his burns.
Location: Sunstone Seahold
Date: month 5, day 25 of Turn 6
Even blinking was painful. Antol had known he should have worn some
kind of protection as he helped erect the stage for the Hold's
inaugural festivities, but being that he did most of his work indoors,
he hadn't expected the sun would burn quite so strongly down on him.
Before he knew it, his face, shoulders, arms and back were all a deep
pink that quickly turned a nasty red. His wife had sweetly dabbed
cool clothes on him that night to try to ease his discomfort enough to
get a bit of sleep, but every move was uncomfortable and even now,
wearing a shirt was near agony.
Well, there was only one thing to be done. "Madam Parme?" he said by
way of greeting as he ducked into her cot. "Are you free a moment?"
Parme was behind a table, writing down a copy of a recipe for her
daughters to use in their lesson for that afternoon when she heard
someone coming in to the cot. She looked up with a kind smile and put
the hide aside. "Antol, lad, do come in. Of course I have a moment,"
she greeted the young crafter warmly, as a golden brown feline looked
up from his sunspot and tiptoed over to the visitor.
By reflex the carpenter began to reach down to give Barley a friendly
pet, but quickly was reminded of why exactly he had come and thought
better of it. "I need your help, Parme, like never before."
Observing Antol, Parma quickly gathered what was wrong from the bright
red colouring of his skin and his impaired movement. "Oh lad, got
yourself some awful burns, did you?" she asked, getting up instantly
to gather her supplies. "Can you sit? I'll make you a nice strong
salve to help with those burns." Barley, meanwhile, seemed to be a bit
disappointed at the lack of attention and mewed piteously at the
visitor.
Antol sat carefully down, reaching down his fingers towards the
feline, but that was the best he could do. "My face isn't the half of
it. It's my shoulders and back that are really killing me."
"Hmm, should've worn some protection, eh?" Parme couldn't help but
remark as she pulled out some ingredients and settled herself back at
the table to grind the lavender. "But just there? No burns on your
legs?" At least the lad had had the sense to wear long pants, Parme
thought to herself as she gave one of Barley's toys a shove with her
foot, to send the feline chasing after it. "Leave the poor man alone,
Barley," she warned him.
"No, it was hot so we took off our shirts, but I never take off my
pants in public if I can help it," the journeyman said with a smile.
Again, he winced as the movement proved painful. "I swear I'll think
twice before doing that again."
"Yeah, well, people tend to forget shorts aren't that protective
either. When you burn your shins, now that hurts!" The woman sat down
at the table again and started to crush the herbs with her mortar and
pestle, while Barley decided his toy was way more pleasant company
than the visitor who wasn't paying enough attention to him. "And you
say that now, but try to remember how much it hurts next time you're
out in the burning sun." She smiled pleasantly at the man, to take the
sting out of her reprimand.
However it was not the sting of her words that bothered him, but
rather the stinging of his skin at that moment. "How long is this
burn going to last, anyway? I don't know that I've _ever_ had one
this bad!" Antol wasn't sure how much more of this he could take.
"Well, usually, it starts to peel in about a week, after that it
should disappear pretty quickly," Parme replied with sympathy in her
voice. "Everyone is different, however, it might take your skin less
or more time to heal. Just drink a lot of water, don't expose the skin
to sunlight again and use my cream. It'll cool the burns and help your
skin heal faster."
A whole sharding week? His face fell as far as it comfortably could,
which wasn't far at all, but his eyes conveyed his disappointment.
"Well, I will certainly remember this lesson when it's all said and
done." And he knew already he would have to do something extra
special for his wife if she was going to forgive him for all the
trouble he was going to cause her. He spoke his thoughts aloud to the
herbalist and then sought her advice. "What do you think a grumpy,
whiny, miserable man can do to make it all up to his good wife?"
Parme chuckled softly, pleased to hear that Antol even thought of such
a thing. "Tell her how you feel about it, that you're sorry," she said
gently. "That is all us ladies want most of the time anyway. Spoil her
a little as soon as you feel better and she'll love you for it." A
slightly melancholic expression washed over the woman's face for a
moment, as she remembered the days her dear Elmash had spoiled her
after a fight he'd caused. Turns may have passed, but that did not
make her miss him any less.
Atol's face was rather thoughtful himself. "She could use a bit of
spoiling. I swear she hasn't stood still more than a moment since
Atella was born." She was a fantastic mother, and he certainly
couldn't complain that she wasn't taking care of their home and him,
but it certainly wasn't like it once was.
"Let me give you a golden tip, Antol," Parme said with a grin. "A
woman can always use a bit more spoiling. Especially if she's running
around taking care of young children." She looked at Antol with
approval. "But you're a good husband, Antol, I'm sure she knows she is
lucky to have you."
The journeyman might have blushed, but it was hard to tell with his
face like a redfruit. He did chuckle a bit bashfully. "Will you do
me a favor and tell her that in a few days?"
"I will, dear," Parme said with a smile. "Now go and treat that
redfruit skin of yours, alright? Repeat as much as you think is
necessary and come back if you run out, I'll make sure to have a batch
ready."
"All right, what shall I give you for it?" he asked, taking the jar
from her hand.
"Well," Parme said, looking thoughtfully for a moment. "I was planning
on coming your way with an order of a few new mixing bowls. Perhaps
two bowls for now and when you need more of the cream, you can make me
two more?"
Thank Faranth he had a few in store. He might need to break out a
couple more. "I'll send one of the apprentices down with those bowls.
Medium size all right?"
"That would be perfect," Parme said with a pleased smile. "I hope your
discomfort eases up soon. If you have any concerns, don't hesitate to
come back and I will help out gladly." With that she got up to show
Antol to the door.
Last updated on the January 15th 2012