Your friend in the dark
Kiyo’s auds twitched as she heard the man settle down into a laying position, likely taking a much needed load off of his compensating limbs. Shinobi were beings made for war and fighting and the woman had been no stranger to the loss of limbs. She’d done and seen it all, from performing the amputations herself, to quelling blood loss and beginning the healing process. She also knew how the extra strain could cause early onset arthritis and further joint pain. The Ghostly Goddess made a mental note to ask him if he was experiencing any of those symptoms, and to have him stop by her stores in Ashen for treatment if he was.
She listened to him speak, quiet in her menstruations. He confirmed he wasn’t from Boreas, but even more curiously, he admitted he didn’t have much recent memory to begin with. He seemed to be suffering from retrograde amnesia, seeing as he was able to remember coming to Boreas and then what was happening to him recently, but not much in between. She knew that had to be a hard pill to swallow. When wolves got to their age, their memories were really all they had. 6 or 7 wasn’t old, but it wasn’t young, either, and to lose all of what you’d experienced...it probably felt like any hard work he’d put in until that point had been all for naught.
He finished, a sudden bashfulness in his voice as he offered to help her. Her gentle smile remained as, as she finished wrapping and began to turn to reply, her mouth open, the mushroom in her paws...jiggled? It felt as if it were alive, trying to escape her, and she let out another little noise of surprise, the mushroom dropping to the ground. This time, perhaps because it was firmly wrapped, it retained it’s glow. She gave it a startled look, watching to see if it would wriggle away, but it remained in place. Had she just imagined it?
She picked it up again and placed it in her bag, a self-deprecating chuckle escaping her jaws. “My apologies, I think the weather is fraying my nerves,” she said, clearing her throat. “I suppose you’ve heard it already, but I am sorry for your misfortune. I wouldn’t wish your circumstances on anyone, especially one who seems as kind and gentlemanly as you. Thank you for telling me what’s on your mind, don’t feel the need to stop. Keeping your feelings and thoughts bottled up will only be detrimental to your healing,” she instructed, though there was no chiding in her voice. Rather, she spoke as if she were speaking to an old friend, her voice airy and comfortable. She shouldered her pack once more and stood on all fours, “You’re welcome to help me search if you would like. I’d like to get samples of other species of fungi to see if they’re reacting similarly or differently to the events,” whether he stayed or went, she had no qualms, though it would surely be a waste of good company.