It didn't take much effort to find her way back to the medical den. The check-up with Aunt Ikigai hadn't been so bad, but there hadn't been much freedom in it. Mariah wanted to explore. She wanted to investigate the contents- the sources of the earthy scents. What she had come to understand as various answers to very specific problems. That was the part that caught her intrigue, and she had made the decision that she would return alone so she could explore without an audience.

After the trip there, and she was finally faced with the entrance to the infirmary, she stalled. In a silent moment of debate, she peered inside- quieting her breath in an effort to listen for any faint indication that the space was occupied. After a few moments of ringing silence, she decided that she was alone and it was safe to enter. Mariah took the first few cautious steps into the threshold. It was a good-sized space, with many points of interest. However, her attention immediately went to the furs that Momma had asked her and her brother to wait on for their exam- though, it didn't linger for long.

Strolling further into the den, she headed straight for some of the dried herbs that had been left out. Perhaps they were leftovers from the last patient treated that didn't quite get put back up. She didn't quite know what she was looking at, or what their purpose was. But that didn't stop her from memorizing every minute detail about them. The name and purpose could come later.

Alias Island was an abundant bounty of herbs! It was one of the greatest reasons why Irilyth appreciated the lands Manea had chosen for their home so much. Anything they could ever need grew either on the island or just off it on the mainland, and those rarer herbs that didn't flourish up north were only a short trade away with their allies in the south. As a healer, this place was a veritable paradise of untapped resources. Irilyth was returning to the medical den with a bundle of said resources clutched in her mouth, the practiced healer carrying an assortment of medicinal herbs she had foraged from the pine woods of the island back to dry and store for the coming winter. Elysium was in no means hurting for resources, but given how harsh and unforgiving some of the northern winters had been, it was better to be safe than sorry.

Approaching the den, Iri was immediately struck by the fresh scent lingering by the mouth of the cave. Even with the herbs held in her mouth, the smell of fresh puppy was a distinct and recognizable smell. One of Manea's children must have been by. With a bit of growing concern, the tiny golden lady stepped into the den and spotted the unexpected visitor investigating a pile of herbs she'd laid out to dry earlier in the day. The shadow and fire coat was distinctly reminiscent of her sire's, and Irilyth knew all at once which pup this was. "Hello, Mariah," she greeted the child with dulcet tones, eyes scrunching as she smiled around the bundle of herbs. "Don't worry, those ones won't hurt you. I keep all the dangerous ones well out of reach of puppy paws."

Irilyth brought the fresh herbs over to the stone she used for drying them, setting them down upon the smooth surface and beginning to spread them out and sort through them with practiced and nimble paws. "Is it time for another checkup already?" she teased the small girl, casting a playful smirk to the littlest Mendacium. Did her mother know she was down here? Alastor most certainly didn't know, or she would have been flayed alive for being near the Elysian princess.

"Irilyth"

Just as she had shifted her gaze to find something else of interest, she heard the approaching sound of footsteps. Mariah's silver gaze panned toward the entrance, just in time to see the cream-and-white frame of a dainty woman come into view. Her head cocked as the first impression entered her mind. She was easily the smallest wolf she had ever seen. Except for herself and her brother of course ... but they were young. She wondered what this fae's excuse was. Perhaps she should have had the remorse of someone who had been caught in a place they weren't supposed to be ... but she felt no shame or guilt. The scarlet-shadowed girl stood there a moment, blinking, as her pack mate greeted her by name. Mariah wasn't sure how she felt that her identity was already known. She felt that it left her at some sort of a disadvantage. "Who are you?" She shot back immediately, her attention unwavering as she awaited her response.

However, when Irilyth indicated that the pile of herbs she had been investigating were safe, her ears flicked back a moment. Danger wasn't a concern. She had assumed that they had recently been used on someone (even if that wasn't the case) which is why they had not been put up yet. That meant they would have been used to help someone ... but she wouldn't press this woman on it. She was sure that her statement had been meant with positive intentions.

Irilyth's flash of movement returned her focus. Hueless orbs traced her path to a stone that she began distributing the plant matter she had carried in. Out of curiosity, Mariah quietly crossed the den to join the cream fae to get a better view of the task being conducted. But her interest was immediately curbed for the moment as the healer made a question out of casual amusement. She could not allow the implication of another checkup to pass by uncorrected. "No, that's not why I'm here." Mariah responded sharply. While several of the adults had seemed to be paying extra attention to her and her brother's development, she hadn't an inkling of doubt that anything was perfectly fine. Another checkup was unnecessary.

After another breath, Mariah glanced back to the freshly picked herbs- they appeared to be a different selection as to what had already been left out. "What do these do?" She asked intently, craving the purpose of why they had been collected.

Irilyth almost giggled when Mariah fixed her with a curious, almost suspicious gaze upon her appearance. Ah, the innocence of pups was so endearing...! Just like her mother, Mariah showed no fearlessness for being caught with her paw stuck in the proverbial cookie jar, acting as if she belonged everywhere and owned everything. Not far from the truth, being a princess of the Mendacium family, but not quite a truth either. The child asked who she was and Irilyth did giggle this time, a soft and lyrical chuckle. It was very possible that Mariah had simply not noticed her living in the same cave as her family, especially since Iri kept mostly to her own space when she wasn't out doing her work. "My name is Irilyth. I'm a good friend of your mother's," she introduced herself. "You may notice me in your home from time to time. I live there with you too." Manea hadn't yet introduced her properly to her newest children, so she didn't blame Mariah for not knowing who she was. They would all be getting very well acquainted over time anyway.

As the golden blonde fae went about her work, she soon noticed the tiny scarlet puppy appearing beside her long legs, watching with curious argent eyes as she set about the herbs to begin drying for preserving. Mariah's abrupt and adamant response regarding not needing another checkup brought a delighted laugh from Iri, who smiled brightly down at the girl. "Very well, then I promise I won't go poking and prodding at you," she teased her back. Manea's newest children did seem to be quite the dour type. Perhaps they had a little too much of their father in them. Oh well... Mariah asked the plants the healer was currently going about preserving did. Irilyth glanced between the plants and the puppy, surprised and delighted by Mariah's interest in the science of medicine. "This one," Irilyth began by pointing to the bundle of small white flowers, "is called Meadowsweet. And this one," Her paw moved to the bright red plants next, "is called Valerian Root. Meadowsweet is very useful as a basic painkiller and helps pick you up when you get a case of the sniffles. Valerian root is useful for headaches and wolves who have trouble sleeping. It's also very handy for faes once they reach maturity." As happy as she was to answer the young girl's questions, she wasn't about to explain heat seasons and cramps to the child. Her mother could have that conversation with her when she became a yearling.

Irilyth pointed over to the dried lavender buds Mariah had been inspecting when she'd come in. "The purple plant is called lavender. It's very useful to help wolves relax and sleep. I use the lavender and valerian root when I make your father's special medicine." Irilyth took a moment to finish laying out the last of her freshly gathered herbs before she fixed her entire attention back on the youngest of the Mendacium royal family, tilting her head curiously. "Are you interested in learning more about different plants and medicines, Mariah?" It had been ages since Irilyth had a proper student of medicine. None of Manea's other children had shown any desire to learn botany or pharmaceuticals. Would Mariah become the first?

"Irilyth"

OOC | Hi. Hello. You'll have to forgive me. I did not realize Irilyth shared the same living space as Mariah and her family. Don't mind the sudden 'aha' recognition as I recon her into a more canonically correct frame of mind. We'll just call it puppy brain ^^;

When Irilyth suggested that she was around quite often, and reminded her that she had lived in the large cave system along with her and her family, recognition dawned on the Mendacium girl. There were always pleasant exchanges, sweet words, and casual displays of affection on the occasional passing. But beyond that, she still wasn't familiar with very many outside her parents and Malico. Her expression relaxed, as she connected the dots, and offered a nod in acknowledgment. However, at her refusal of another checkup, the older woman seemed to have found humor. It brought her a pang of annoyance, as she wasn't trying to be funny even though it was interpreted as such. She was quite serious, in fact. Regardless, Irilyth seemed to reassure her that it wasn't necessary. Of course, Mariah didn't think the majority of them were necessary. But she wouldn't gratify it with another response, as she was sure that she had made her stance perfectly clear.

When prompted on the uses of the herbs, it seemed that she had found common ground. Mariah acknowledged the Meadowsweet as Irilyth pointed it out, committing its name to memory. It had a very distinct look about it. Relatively large white clusters that almost looked ... fuzzy in nature. But before she had time to ask for an elaboration, the healer was already introducing the next specimen. Valerian Root. It had a similar texture, but smaller and a more vibrant color. After the introduction, Irilyth rolled immediately into an explanation of their use, which Mariah found fascinating. A thought entered her mind, what would be the effect if the Valerian Root was taken by someone who didn't have trouble sleeping? Would they be extra sleepy? She would either ask later or figure it out for herself.

With the identity given of the Lavender- she returned her attention to it. So far, out of what she had seen, and what she had been introduced to, it was by far her favorite. Mariah recognized that in its dried state, it was likely not as vibrant in color as it had been when it was alive. However, the indication of purple was there, and it reminded her of her mother. It felt soothing when she had inhaled its scent. But that simply fell into line with the explanation she was given as to what it was used for. The part mentioned to her about her father's medication didn't actually catch her attention as she was too busy absorbed in her own thoughts or perhaps she would have asked for a more informative explanation.

The movement of Irilyth finishing her task brought her back to the surface. At the inquiry as to where her interests lie, she was quick to answer. "Yes, very interested." The girl responded- her next question coming quickly in order to clear her mind. "If someone was bleeding, how would you start to repair it? Like a cut, I mean." Mariah's mind wandered back to when Manea's small cut on her paw. It was small and non-concerning, but she couldn't help but think of how it would have been handled differently had it been a more major injury.