Chapter Text
Valen did not consider herself out of shape or unfit by any human metrics, she took regular walks, she had a balanced diet and didn't eat between meals. Still it was hard to not feel at least a little unfit when her hiking partner was carrying half her supplies and her own while still not breaking a sweat, meanwhile the resident doctor was already starting to feel a little winded.
Hazel on the other hand was nothing but energy, despite standing half a head shorter and bearing a slighter frame than Valen that bordered on underweight her posture never faltered as she hiked past the thick foliage and uneven terrain, her orange shirt though unbuttoned and a little baggy never caught any branches or shrubs while Valen had to be constantly mindful of that. Sometimes the farmer girl would end up so far ahead that her shoulder length golden brown hair was the only indication that was still walking ahead.
Either Hazel was incredibly in shape or Valen was out of it, that couldn’t be the case either given how much the doctor exercised… Maybe she was just getting old. Now that was an unpleasant thought. Thankfully once noticed that Valen wasn’t keeping up as easily she consciously slowed down her walking.
“Juniper says the ingredient we're looking for should be just past this tree line,” Hazel said, stopping ahead so the doctor could catch up, a hand shading her eyes from the morning sunlight as she surveyed the open field past the next row of trees.
They’d woken up early for this hike, the clinic was open 24 hrs a day as a policy but seeing as she was the only one running it she’d told everyone in advance that she’d be gone most of the day so they paid for their medication on time. They traveled about 10 kilometres northwest of mistria before hiking the last seven through the forest, skipping past a flowing river, heading up a steep hill then down a narrow foot path and now they were a fair bit deep in the woods, even as someone who did their fair share of hiking as a teen with her father, the Mistrian wilderness was seldom a hospitable place to explore, yet that was what needed to be done if you had any intention of finding the rarest herbs.
Valen would open up the map in her journal, Juniper had learnt them an old topographical map that could cross referenced in case they got lost but deeper in they got the harder it felt to rely on this map for clear directions, as is Harper was content to lead the way all while humming an old Aldian lullaby that Valen couldn’t recall at this time.
“You think so? This map Juniper gave us is rather hard to read, I can make some it, but half is unreadable” Valen said as she scratched her chin and furrowed her brows as she came to a stop next to the farmer girl who smiled and took a glance at the map.
“Because of the witch speak?” she asked, free hand adjusting her one handed hold on the hilariously backpack she had strapped on. Valen shut the journal with a nod.
“That’s one part, but also I suspect this map is from over two centuries ago. The landmarks are not consistent with recent records”
With an irreverent hum Hazel would tap her cheek with a finger before responding. “Hmm, maybe Juniper is over 200 years old”
Valen felt the edge of her lips tug in amusement at her friend's words.
“If she discovered eternal youth it certainly wouldn’t shock me to know she’s been hoarding that knowledge”
"She does like her secrets. Has she always done this?” Hazel asked with a tilt of her head, her usually shut eyes half lidded to examine the doctor's countenance.
“Juni? I can count on both hands the number of times I've seen her withhold some miracle drug she's had on her shelf. In my opinion knowledge is only worth anything If you're using it to help people” Valen muttered with a huff, there were a lot of things Juniper did that frustrated her.
“... But you're still friends with her so she isn't all bad”
Valen nodded.
“She also gave us the hint we needed to continue work on the panacea... Quite the confounding lady, isn’t she, Hazel?”
The farmer girl would playfully prod Valens arm “Mhm, but not in a bad way”
Valen had known Juniper for about a year at this point and despite her many gripes they were probably something resembling friends at this point. Up until Hazel turned up a few months ago she was certainly the only person she could speak to about matters pertaining to botany.
Nudging Hazel in return Valen would glance over at her. “Well then, let’s keep on task then”
Hazel met her gaze, her grey eyes meeting Valen blue and lingering just long enough for both of them to feel a bit red red in the face and turn away.
“I’m gonna take a look then, make sure there aren’t any monsters around… You never know what's been lurking around ever since that earthquake” Hazel said as she opted to move on ahead without waiting for Valens response.
“There shouldn't be monsters in this area but be careful regardless, Hazel…” she said though the farmer was already out of ear shot. She took another moment to rub her cheek until she was certain she wasn’t flushed anymore before following.
By the time Valen caught up the farmer girl was already crouching over the flower beds with the oversized backpack still strapped, that was bad for her back but Valen kept that bit to herself.
“So what flower pattern are we looking for Valen?!”
Taking her bag out and sifted through its contents Valen promptly put on a pair of farming gloves as she replied. “Anything with a spotted pattern on the rim, also check the root for split ends; the soil that this panacea grows on tends to cause flower roots to split off slightly.”
“Gotcha, there are probably over 20 flower species in this field though, we’ve got a lot of work to do”
That was a conservative estimate as even Valen could tell, scanning this open field that was roughly 300 hundred yards in length, they would be here most of the day. Well no time to start like the present.
Unzipping Hazel's bag while the former was still crouched over peering at the flowers the girl jolted slightly in surprise, amusing as ever but Valen didn't miss a beat. She took out several mini white flags and pointed ends, then three buckets of milk paint.
Now that she was back in her element it was easy enough to start breaking down the task, arduous as it would probably be even for two people.
"Let's try to be efficient about this Hazel. We're going to split the field into two halves with quadrants, roughly equal. Take them in rows, once you've cleared out one section stick the flag at either end so we don't look over the same patch twice" Valen instructed with a professional demeanor as she loaded her bag with a few flags.
“Alrighty!” Hazel replied, chipper as ever.
“Make sure you overlap the edges of each row so don’t miss any smaller flowers”
“Does it make sense?”
“Great, you can start over here and begin at the other end and well at the middle”
“Unless one of us finds it first!”
“Your enthusiasm is appreciated”
They began their work in earnest that morning, Hazel wasn’t the best at work that required careful observation and a trained eye but she was certainly determined to give it her best try so Valen wasn’t disappointed.
It was certainly interesting seeing how her friend problem-solved, breaking things into manageable sections and then working up from there, whereas this farmer tended to just ‘wing it’. Always ready to just pick a random section where the flowers were dense and examine that. They’d probably be here all day if Hazel was the one organizing this task. She didn’t think her was lesser per say but she wanted to be viewed as more dependable by Valen.
Humming softly placed her bag aside aside and placed a few flags to section off the patch she was searching, it took about ten minutes in total to examine each flower and once that was down she’d take a brush and dip in the milk paint, drawing a X symbol to mark the section in front of the flag then moved to repeat the process in the next section. Ten minutes would pass and the morning sun was now beating down on the field, even with a chill breeze it was still a bit humid.
After about twenty minutes she was done with four quadrants, though she still had six sections to go before she’d reach the middle and all the field, unfortunately all the flowers here were straight by the roots with no spotty pattern to spy.
“Nothing yet, I wonder how Valen is doing?”
Shading her eyes she looked over to the other side to spy Valen drinking some water from her bottle, the heat was intense enough that she’d already opted to unbutton her top and was having to remove her top. Guess she wasn’t the only one fighting the heat. Light beads of sweat glistened lightly off her tanned skin in a manner that was almost sensual and Hazel felt her cheeks burn as she caught herself staring a little too much.
“Gosh, what’s up with me today? It’s hot today so of course she took off a layer or two…”
Hazel wasn’t typically prone to having inappropriate thoughts about Valen, even her beach attire was still relatively modest. Surely she wasn’t so perverted that a bit of perspiration was all it took to get her collar a bit hot.
“Get a grip already, she’s gonna think you’re a weirdo”
Attempting to distract herself Hazel glanced at the patch that Valen was examining, the milk paint was vibrant enough that even from the other side of the field she could still make out the X mark.
With a shake of her head and renewed determination Hazel began working on the next section of flowers one piece at a time. Ten minutes and two quadrants were done, then four, then six. Nothing.
She drew an X and moved onto the next section, farming already involved a lot though she usually wasn’t carefully flower picking when she got up to that work.
The minutes would soon blur together and it wasn’t until she felt a towel drape over her shoulders that she paused her work, glancing up she saw Valen standing over her with a water bottle in hand.
“Are you typically this focused when you’re farming? Your clothes are drenched” the doctor said with a frown.
“Drenched? Oh… I didn’t notice” Hazel said, noting that her hands and her jacket were covered in sweat now and exhaled. “Thought I’d power through and finish up my half sooner.
“It’s not a race, Hazel you could get a heat stroke. Let's have a look at you” Valen said with a sigh before placing the water bottle in her hands. Standing up slowly Hazel felt a light ache in her back and knees from the extensive kneeling she’d done.
She offered a smile she hoped was reassuring before downing half the bottle of water in one go, her joints hurt a bit, and her hands were slightly bruised at this point, then again that was expected she hadn’t realised just how tired she’d already felt.
Without asking Valen would take her hand and lead the younger woman back to the treeline where there was some shade for them to sit under, taking out the rainbow coloured picnic matt they'd packed Valen promptly spread it under the tree to maximise shading then motioning for Hazel to have a seat.
The gold haired farmer girl wiped her face down with the towel, then her arms and neck before hanging it over a tree branch to dry.
“How many layers do you have on, Hazel?” Valen asked bluntly as she sat on one side and leaned against an oak tree. The question gave her pause though she understood Valen was in her caretaker mode now
“Just my tanktop and underwear”
“Then you can lose the shirt
“Isn’t that going to be a bit awkward?”
“I understand it might be a little embarrassing for you but damp clothes can breed a lot of bacteria and can cause skin irritation, especially in this wilderness where there is still a lot of fungi we haven’t documented.“
Hazel would shift uncomfortably
“Relax, I’m doctor, I’ve seen almost the whole town in their underwear”
“Well…alright”. Undoing the buttons on her shirt she slipped it off; she only had an orange tank top to cover her torso and removing the shirt revealed a noticeably toned upper body that was covered in little cuts and nicks from farming and getting into scrap in the mines.
There was a pause in Valens motions briefly, her aquamarine eyes examined Hazel from top to bottom in a manner that felt a little too methodical. Hazel felt her cheeks heat up once again and she averted her gaze before taking a seat. “She’s just looking out for your physical health, calm down”
“Oh, you’re much healthier than you look actually” Valen said though it sounded more like an intrusive thought than anything Hazel was meant to hear. Clearing her throat and a hand over her mouth Valen rephrased “ Do you do any workouts before work, Hazel? Crunches, push ups, lifting. That sort of activity”
“Workouts? Not really, I do stretches and run laps around my plot at 5:30 mostly but last I worked out was a few years ago”
Valen looked curious, gaze lingering on the little cuts and minor scarring Hazel had. “I assumed you were an adventurer before moving to Mistria.
“I did join a guild for a year once” she tapped her chin thoughtfully, a bit of nostalgia washing over her. “It was fun but not really for me”
Judging by the look on Valens face she was interested in a longer explanation. Hazel smiled sheepishly. “I have always been a bit of a drifter actually. Spend a few days in one town, get some work done then move onto the next. I was already passing through Mistria when I found Adelines poster. Thought I’d just spend a week at most but the place grew on me… I guess you know the rest”
“I see, now I’m more than a little curious about your personal life before coming here, Hazel”
Hazel giggled lightly and raised her arms up disarmingly.
“It’s less interesting that it seems, trust me”, Her gaze shifted over to the field on Valens side and she opted to change the topic suddenly. “Uhm, how many sections did you cover, Valen?” she asked in a tone that sounded more bashful than she liked.
Valen accepted the topic change with a beat.
“About two sections, I hadn't tended to a garden in some time so I kept on having to take short breaks. You almost covered half your section in just an hour, which certainly explains why your produce is so high. I don’t know where you get all that stamina since you apparently don’t work out”
Hazel felt a mix of happiness and embarrassment wash over her, “Cardios all you need to raise your stamina. Also most of the cash crops I tend to only need a little bit of watering, so I don’t usually have to squat under the sun for an hour”
“You made more than a little progress in that hour”. A shrug was Hazel’s response as Valen reached into her bag and procured a packed lunch for both of them. “We’ll resume in an hour, hopefully the sun won’t be as overbearing by then.
Looking at the pack with interest Hazel felt her stomach groan slightly, hunger washed away her embarrassment and she smiled eagerly, “What did you make for us?”
“Sushi platter and vegetable soup, my favourite,” Valen proclaimed with a satisfied smile, all too happy to show off her cooking. “It’s important to strike a balance between healthy, filling and scrumptious. But considering how much exercise we’ve been doing there’s no harm in treating ourselves a little bit”
Hazel wasn’t the heaviest eater but farming tended to give you cravings, big cravings. “I haven’t had someone pack a lunch for me in years” the farmer girl mused aloud as she took some disposable utensils out of her large backpack and gladly accepted her portion.
“It is usually a parental task. Or something a spouse would do”
“Did your father used to pack these for you?” Hazel asked as she started on her vegetables first.
In response a nostalgic smile would grace Valens lips. “He did, when I was ten he’d take us out on long hikes to spots where he could forage for certain flora. I’d be so cranky about waking up early to go for a hike but after he’d take out the lunch boxes I’d get over it. ”
“He must have been a great doctor, explains why you’re so capable”
“He was very good though he didn’t always follow his own examples as far as his diet goes.”
“What about your mother?”
“She died in labour, I still have paintings of her though, and her diary that I read from time to time” Valen glanced over at Hazel after taking a bite from her sushi, slowly chewing and swallowing it. “What about you Hazel, what are your parents like?”
Hazel would play with her hair for a moment before answering, her finger curling around her bangs. “I don’t know. I never met either of them. I grew up alone”
Valen paused a look of worry washing over her face “Oh… I didn’t know, I’m sorry”. It was disconcerting to see and Hazel felt an instinctive urge to make her smile again. She reached out and placed a hand on Valens shoulder “You don’t have to apologise. As you can see I grew up just fine.”
“Still, I should not have assumed. Who raised you in that case?”
Hazel swallowed another bite
“I’ve had different teachers, I grew up in a small town near the eastern border of Aldia, if you didn’t have a guardian then you’d either attend a same sex boarding school until you were an adult or learn to do odd jobs, everyone had to have some type of job, real bootstrap sort of culture I guess… I went for the latter, learned enough to feed myself and once I was old enough I decided to start travelling around on my own”
There was a lot that was left unsaid but thankfully Valen didn’t push the topic, at least not while she was still processing this information.
“That’s really interesting, I can’t even visualise what sort of unique challenges growing up like that did to you. Or how you're so reserved despite it all… I won’t push you for details but you’ll need to tell me more about it later” the doctor clearly still trying to decide what to make of what she’d been told.
“I don’t mind, I have fun hanging out with you”. The farmer girl beamed, finding her usual energy
“I feel the same… We should probably finish eating before the sushi dries up though”
They shared a laugh and carried on with their lunch. Whether or not the panacea could be found that day become secondary to their growing bond that day, in hindsight that should have been more bothersome but Hazel couldn’t say she minded,