It was hard to miss the rumours in a pack like the Armada, even if you did sequester yourself like a hermit on the fringes of the territory. Apparently after all the bullshit with Seer dragging back burnt corpses and telling the kids it was their mother and brother people were surprised when one of them ended up eating her feelings, it was a miracle the rest had kept their shit together at all, maybe they had a psychopath gene that stopped them from feeling feelings?

Trauma was trauma and if that was how the girl had chosen to deal with it, well, shit, it was relatable, and if Sedna had ever adjusted to the flavour of cooked meat, she probably would have done the same long ago, except, she preferred to hunt for her meals and eat them fresh. It was probably the only thing keeping her in the (admittedly, still already quite round) shape she was.

She had also heard the girl might be interested in learning about healing, and so, she had sent her ibis to round the child up (really she was a young woman now). As she waited, Otis with his little satchel, she considered where the best place to go might be. Maybe, she would even be better off just staying here and showing her some of the dried herbs she had saved? But that would hardly be any fun. Maybe they were best off heading to the mangroves to look for water plants and fungus? The moving water meant the water there would never quite freeze at least. Yes, that was where they would go.

When they girl finally arrived, Sedna arched an eyebrow and snorted. The rumour mill was, as usual, a useless source of information. “Dunno what all th’ fuss is about, yer fine, still got growin’ ter do.” She offered the girl a smile. “Feel up fer a trip ter th’ mangroves? I hear yer might be interested in learnin’ some healin?”

“Speech”

we wear red so they don’t see us bleed

Ophie knew she had to put her best foot forward, come when called and make efforts to be more present. But the days were cold and dark, the nights even worse, making it difficult to muster the will to clamber out of bed. Through some miracle she managed and trundled along, doing her best to arrive in a timely manner. She knew turning up late was never a good look but she hoped Sedna was appreciate her efforts all the same, after all she never looked at her with...judgement in her eyes. Not like the rest, who were just eager to write it off as an Ophie problem. A burden she needed to handle alone, like it was dirty laundry to acknowledge otherwise.

Huffing and puffing, Ophie did her best to hide just how out of breath she was. Recognising Sedna's comment for what it was, her muddy tail wagged, clumps of caked dirt all around. Even now she was as dirty as ever, hadn't bathed in weeks.

"Oh yeah! I wanna try, feel like I'd be better at it than hunting." Plants couldn't flee after all. "But um... I heard it's dangerous out right now. Blue lights and stuff. Weird lines in the sky."

Which was to say she was scared of what was out there. Even with Sedna by her side it seemed risky, like they ought to play it safe.