The sedative had given Rivin a sense of security. The plant kept her calm, feeling as if she had earned her stability. The voice and claw of the beast had been quieted. There were no more episodes… but she wasn’t foolish enough to think herself cured. She was part of her. Part of Rivin’s core… and getting rid of her wouldn’t be so easy. But Rivin was trying to manage it. She didn’t want to be a liability to Gil, nor did she want to risk Calico Jack. The idea of hurting him, or one of Gilgamesh’s youngest litter made her feel sick. She wasn’t against the idea of fighting, no, far from it. She wanted to choose her battles. And hopefully be prepared to deal with the consequences. That was why she was working so hard to be a healer, wasn’t it? To not only tear into enemies but be ready to fix the damage after?
She had taken a trip to the North, hoping to check for some herbs in the forests past the Armada now that Spring had come. She wore her wraps, carried her dagger, and moved with purpose. It was only a matter of time before the Raiders began to plan their next raid… and they would need plenty of herbs to replace those that had turned over the winter months from Sakana’s stores. Her ears perked forward, green gaze scanning the horizon as the crumbling structure of the wall came into view. Ah good, she was making progress. If she kept this up she would be back home before long, and maybe she could convince Jack to take that trip back to the beach she had been wanting to do. If the Raiders were going home, she wanted to spend time with him there before everyone else was settled.
Her gaze shifted to her paws. Jack… Her whole reason for staying with the Raiders. For trying to be more than whatever thing her father saw, to be bigger than herself… her heart fluttered in her chest at the thought of him. The raid he had led, she had won both of her fights. Had she been trying extra hard to show off for him? To make him look better? Sure, of course she had. He had been the only one outside her brothers to care, to be there for her. He… he had saved her life. Figuratively and literally. If it wasn’t for him, she’d be under the waves right now, her bones collecting algae. She owed her life to him. And Gil too, really… The man had helped get her on a better path too. Probably more of a dad than Ignis had been… she had a lot of respect for him too. It was… strange the way things were going.
But… there was a part of her that missed how things used to be, too. Before Sparrow had given up leadership. Simpler times when she was a kid with her brothers on the beach. A sigh passed her lips. Why did growing up have to be so damn complicated?
"Speech," 'Thought.'
