Healing A Mother's Wounds

Subject: Re: Healing A Mother's Wounds Wed Aug 27, 2014 10:00 pm

Shi-Hao Ni Kaihua	The young heiress was only thinking about tea, herself - nothing alcoholic. Shi-Hao had made up her mind to go down to the kitchens herself, to give Isi a little time alone, should she want it, to relax. They'd have time to hang out later, if necessary, but she didn't think that the other girl would want to stop until she had to, because of her mother's condition. "You're right," Shi-Hao nodded, however, about practicing just now, "But in that case, maybe lessons should also wait until after, yes?" Her friend's lack of confidence was no big deal, to her, and she was there to help her, after all. If she could learn the processes first, that would be a feat in and of itself, in Shi-Hao's opinion. Still, it was up to Isi, this time. Heading for the door, she smiled over her shoulder and mentioned that she'd be right back, before making her way down to the kitchen to rustle up some tea and cakes, or sandwiches, or something.
Mood: Calm Condition: Good	Link: Character Sheet

Subject: Re: Healing A Mother's Wounds Thu Aug 28, 2014 2:26 am

Isikiro Sherazi Anazalrok	Isi was fine with the lack of alcohol. Tea would do just fine (she was used to water, usually not even able to afford tea before Shi-Hao had found her). Being the hard ad dedicated worker that she was, it was hard for Isi to ask for a break the way she had just done, and so Isi might see it as progress to break her out of the obsessive workaholic mindset that Iskiro was still in. "True..." she nodded in agreement, "mama's gotta come first..." she knew that and didn't even need to tell herself that. She just accepted it and would worry about her lack of charisma (be it in writing or speaking) later. Her life had been fixed, and now it was time to fix Kyla's. If her father had been alive still... she would have done the same for him. Of course, Isi would jsut be sitting in the chair when Shi-Hao got back from rustling up something to eat or drink, just tapping her foot calmly. She had a mixture of feelings, many of them quite good ones.
Mood: Happy Condition: Content	Link: Isi

Subject: Re: Healing A Mother's Wounds Thu Aug 28, 2014 2:31 am

Shi-Hao Ni Kaihua	It wouldn't take her long, of course, and thus Shi-Hao was soon gently nudging the door open with her foot, carrying a tray in both hands. "I brought some tea and some cakes," She mentioned softly, slowly approaching the desk, "And some finger sandwiches, if you didn't feel like something sweet - sometimes I don't, when I'm working." Perhaps it was knowing Isi's background, but the young heiress tried to be comforting and calm around her, as best she could. Her friend seemed to bring out her... not kindness, but the sweet nature hidden several layers down. Shi-Hao enjoyed helping people, but Isi was special in that she was helped directly and emotionally - she had become Shi-Hao's friend, after all.
Mood: Calm Condition: Good	Link: Character Sheet

Subject: Re: Healing A Mother's Wounds Thu Aug 28, 2014 4:14 am

Isikiro Sherazi Anazalrok	Isikiro nodded. "thank'ee..." she muttered gratefully, "Ah... usually never ate too much, really... Ah wuz jus' used t'goin' hungry... let mah siblin's go at it firs 'r wutnot..." she forgot if she had told Shi-Hao this, but it was another example of the extreme sacrifice that Isikiro had undergone for the same of her beloved family. She had lost her parents--one of them to actual death, and the other to debilitation that left the poor woman cursing her very existence... even to this day when things were better. Mama hadn't improved her attitude much other than that she was willing to eat more now. She realized that this might need to be admitted. "She ain't changed a whole lot... mah mom, Ah mean..." Isi explained as she ate a few pieces of food and slipped at the tea. "She's still kinda cursin' herself f'er bein' alahv... That's part'o wut Ah can't stand seein'..." While she didn't usually wear it in public, Isikiro did in fact have on her father's wedding ring at the moment. Normally she carried it with her in her purse, but at Shi-Hao's estate, she felt fine with wearing it. "Ah jus don't git it..." she sighed, "Th'kids are all eatin' 'n happy now... they 'kin even go back t'school..." another thing Isi had kind of had to shirk. She could read and write, but her education was equivalent to about that of an 8th grader. That had been about the time the mining accident had occurred after all. Isi had been 14. Her brothers never really knew their father. "But Ah'm jus ramblin'..." she sighed again softly, "But that's whah Ah wanna help her git better... Ah can't stand seein' her waste away lahk this..."
Mood: Thinking Condition: Content	Link: Isi

Subject: Re: Healing A Mother's Wounds Fri Aug 29, 2014 2:11 am

Shi-Hao Ni Kaihua	"It's a big, sudden change," Shi-Hao murmured, sipping at her own tea as she listened to her friend vent a bit, "I mean... up until a few weeks ago, you were in the barest poverty, and now, suddenly, there's all of this. Right?" She'd gestured at the space around them, when she said 'all of this', to just generally mean the atmosphere of being well off for a change. "Besides that... you lost your father at the same time of your mother's accident, right?" She asked gently, "Do you think... that maybe your mother relives that moment, often?" Not that Shi-Hao could boast any real knowledge of psychology, but it seemed to make sense, to her. Kyla lost her husband, became an invalid and doomed her eldest daughter to a life of suffering while the younger children withered away - all on the same day.
Mood: Calm Condition: Good	Link: Character Sheet

Subject: Re: Healing A Mother's Wounds Fri Aug 29, 2014 3:58 am

Isikiro Sherazi Anazalrok	"well ya..." she nodded, "tha' c'mpletely turned m'lahf upsahd-down... f'er th'better obviously..." she knew what Shi-Hao meant, and took no offense at it. She had been in the worst of poverty, and she knew it. Not that she was one for self-pity, but her life had rather sucked before just recently. "Am mean... sum'tahms Ah still can't believe this is real... sum'tahms Ah think Ah'm gonna wake up in mah bed back in m'shitty ol' shack 'n re'lahz Ah'm gunna get whipped f'er being late 'r sumthin'... but no... it's real..." She actually gasped at Shi-Hao's theory. It had never dawned upon her like that before, mostly because she had been a victim of it herself until just recently. "Bah..." she trembled, "Bah th'gods... y'er raht!" She stopped to think. Really... that fateful mining accident had been the center of all of their suffering. It was what claimed her father's life, and destroyed Kyla and Isikiro's lives in the process by disabling one and enslaving the other. "Tha... tha's horrible..." she sat down again, her eyes watering. "N she's gotta remahnd herself... ever' day when she looks down at'r feet 'n re'lahzes she can't walk... T'know that it's th'same reason... 'N th'same day 'papa died..." she trailed off, closing her eyes, forcing water out of the corners and down her cheeks. "Ah... Ah never re'lahzed..." she shuddered. "...she's gotta relive it... ev'ry day..."
Mood: Heartbroken Condition: Understanding	Link: Isi

Subject: Re: Healing A Mother's Wounds Fri Aug 29, 2014 1:11 pm

Shi-Hao Ni Kaihua	Though the young heiress had expected as much, and had known that this process was going to be painful and emotional from the very beginning, it still broke her heart when Isi began crying over her mother's pain. Slipping off the edge of the desk, where she had perched with her tea, Shi-Hao wrapped her arms around her friend, trying to comfort her. "You'll make it right," She promised in a whisper, stroking Isi's curls, "I'll help you, and you'll make it better..." There was no bringing back Kyla's husband, of course, but by improving her state of being, perhaps the mother would finally move on, for the sake of her children.
Mood: Concerned Condition: Good	Link: Character Sheet

Subject: Re: Healing A Mother's Wounds Fri Aug 29, 2014 8:19 pm

Isikiro Sherazi Anazalrok	Isi's crying was fairly soft, and so she didn't bawl out loud. Still... the fact that she had never realized just how harsh this must have been for her mother... Shi-Hao's words were reassuring, although also a staunch reminder of just how important this was. She feared that if she failed... if she messed up even slightly... it could very well destroy what little of her mother she had left. There were times... even nowadays, when Isi would wake up to a large thump on the ground; when Kyla's wheelchair would slip and she'd be flat on the ground. Not to say her other siblings couldn't help lift momma back up, but Isi was the only one strong enough to prop her back up or carry her to the chair properly. Surely events like that could not do well for one's self-esteem, and Isikiro was fairly convinced that Kyla's self-esteem had hit rock bottom and then started digging. "Ah... Ah know..." she nodded, trusting her, "Jus' that even if y'bandage a wound... it still kinda hurts till it fully heals... y'know?" that was her best shot at an analogy. She was almost proud of that one.
Mood: Heartbroken Condition: Understanding	Link: Isi

Subject: Re: Healing A Mother's Wounds Fri Aug 29, 2014 9:19 pm

Shi-Hao Ni Kaihua	"For both of your sakes, I really wish that this was just ripping off a bandaid, Isi..." Shi-Hao whispered against her friend's curls, still holding her, "I really do... but I'm here now, and I'll be here the whole time, okay? Everything will be okay. If your mother needs it, we can get her more help once she's healed..." The young heiress had never really sought out such connections before, but there must be dozens of psychological experts at the Ba Sing Se University, so finding someone there to help couldn't be too hard. Or, at least, Shi-Hao wasn't used to having things be too hard to find, if it was business. Matters of the heart were harder, admittedly.
Mood: Concerned Condition: Good	Link: Character Sheet

Subject: Re: Healing A Mother's Wounds Sat Aug 30, 2014 12:30 am

Isikiro Sherazi Anazalrok	Isi sighed. "Ah know..." she agreed, "it hurts m'too... 'sepcially when she sometahmz trah'z t'get up on 'er own without leanin' on sumthin'... she trahz t'move herself to 'er wheelchair..." Isi closed her eyes. "...she duzn't make it half th'tahm, 'n then she curses up a storm and cries..." it was a pitiful thing for Isi to see, since she was usually the one to have to help her up--her mother lying on the ground in a helpless heap, unable to do so much as pull herself off the ground. she collected herself and sighed though. "Ah... A jus' really hope we 'kin make things raht... Kyla doesn't really trust no one else but you 'n me... so Ah'd obviously hafta be there... jus'..." she sighed. "kin y'be there f'er... 'fer me?" she asked in the humblest of whispers, "Ah... I kin help m'momma... but seein' her in such... such a wrecked state durin' th'healin'... Ah maht need a shoulder't'crah on too..." She hugged Shi-Hao softly, thankfully not bawling all over her friend's dress.
Mood: Heartbroken;Humble Condition: Humble	Link: Isi

Subject: Re: Healing A Mother's Wounds Sat Aug 30, 2014 1:25 am

Shi-Hao Ni Kaihua	Shi-Hao frankly wouldn't have given a damn if Isi had cried all over her dress; she was far more important than the fabric it was made of, and besides that, sometimes everyone needed to be able to vent their emotions. The young heiress hadn't known quite how bad things were, for her friend's mother, and hearing was just like a little twist of the knife in her heart. She was a major softie for Isi and her family. "Of course I'll be there," She promised, still gently stroking the younger woman's curls soothingly, "I wouldn't make either of you go through that alone..." It had already been part of her expectations, unless Isi had made it clear that it was 'family only' during the healing. Then, of course, she would have done her best to respect that and waited patiently.
Mood: Concerned Condition: Good	Link: Character Sheet

Subject: Re: Healing A Mother's Wounds Sat Aug 30, 2014 3:57 am

Isikiro Sherazi Anazalrok	okay, so part of it was maybe wanting to not wet Shi-Hao's dress, but another major part of it was that this was one of the few places that Isikiro Sherazi Anazalrok had some pride... she didn't want to flat-out cry... and especially wouldn't in front of her family. She was their rock (no pun intended), their protector... the one they looked to. "Ah think y'could stick 'round..." she nodded softly. "but oth'rwahz Aye... Ah'd really lahk that... thanks 'gain..." she whispered, "fer... fer ever'thin... Ah know y'told me not t'gush... but y'... y'er th'reason Ah 'n mah fam'ly 'kin live..." that they could live well... that they could live free... of course Isi would want this for her mother as well.
Mood: Heartbroken;Humble Condition: Humble	Link: Isi

Subject: Re: Healing A Mother's Wounds Sat Aug 30, 2014 2:14 pm

Shi-Hao Ni Kaihua	"You are that reason just as much as I am," the young heiress pointed out, wordlessly invoking the way Isi had cared for them, and worked herself to the bone for them, and gone to that meeting for a little desert city... all for her family. Sure, Shi-Hao had offered this chance for them, but it was really her friend who was doing the work to make it possible. After a few more minutes, Shi-Hao carefully pulled back. "Do you want to keep going?" She asked softly, motioning to the larger stack of files, "Or would you like to take a bit of a longer break, for now?"
Mood: Concerned Condition: Good	Link: Character Sheet

Subject: Re: Healing A Mother's Wounds Sat Aug 30, 2014 7:49 pm

Isikiro Sherazi Anazalrok	Isi nodded slowly. Not that she was arrogant or boastful about it, but she was very aware that she was the one carrying the rest of her family on her shoulders. She never complained about that job, per se, as much as just complaining about how bad off she had been since she could not do anything about it. That was another of Isi's virtues... she was not the complaining type if she felt she could do something about it. "well..." she began softly, "how much more've th'plannin' phase d'we gotta do?" she asked, "Th'more Ah kin do sooner... th'better, after all..." though Shi-Hao might have to tell her to take a break now and again, since Isikiro was notorious for overworking herself a lot. Having never had much time to think about herself, she was mostly just thinking about how healing her mother sooner would definitely be better.
Mood: Humble Condition: Humble	Link: Isi

Subject: Re: Healing A Mother's Wounds Sat Aug 30, 2014 11:36 pm

Shi-Hao Ni Kaihua	Shi-Hao was no stranger to overworking oneself, and so she knew the signs. She wouldn't let Isi get to that point, because it was then (she knew) that mistakes and oversights were made, which hurt the project in the long run. A few extra hours or even days could be sacrificed, to make sure that everything went right the first time. "We still need to choose a healer specialist," Shi-Hao reminded her, looking things over, "And a general live-in assistant for your home, while the ongoing healing is progressing." Those were the two things that might get finished today, if they moved quickly enough. "We did choose two physical healing therapists to interview, thus far." The young heiress hadn't even brought up facilities, or the lists of medical supplies that would be needed, or the modifications that would have to be made to the little cottage, to make Kyla comfortable. That would all come in time. For now, first things first.
Mood: Concerned Condition: Good	Link: Character Sheet

Subject: Re: Healing A Mother's Wounds Sun Aug 31, 2014 4:15 am

Isikiro Sherazi Anazalrok	Isi was very familiar with it as well obviously, but unlike Shi-Hao, didn't know when to stop herself. She had literally been overworked for the last several years, and so she had simply just hardened up and accepted it. A comforting touch from her best friend to tell her to relax or to take a break might be met with a few weak protests before Isi submitted, realizing that Shi-Hao was right. Isi nodded. "ya... tha'makes sense..." she paused, as she scanned the papers again. her reading was a little slow, but she could read... she was just not very eloquent at it and was no speed-reader. "How 'bout this'un?" she held up a sheet about an older woman... probably close to Kyla's own age, if not a little older. "says she's a mother've 7... 'n a master healer... maybe she could help in both cases?" she did seem very much like a caring matriarch given her description. her face seemed eerily calm though. "Well... Ah'd at least wanna interview'er. Hopefully she's not really as creepy as she looks... 'cuz oth'rwahz sh'maht jus' be perf'ict." Otherwise, to Isi at least, the woman seemed promising. If she had raised 7 children then she had to be a fairly family-focused woman. Hopefully this "Zurok Takamatzu" could be of some use... Isi didn't want to spend too much time trying to find someone, after all.
Mood: Humble Condition: Humble	Link: Isi

[OOC--feel free to discuss this in chat with me if you'd like...]

Subject: Re: Healing A Mother's Wounds Sun Aug 31, 2014 5:01 pm

Shi-Hao Ni Kaihua	"Do you want to look through the rest, at all?" The young heiress asked, taking the folder to look at this Zurok woman. Any of the people listed here would be perfectly suited for the work, of course, and it was more Isi's decision of which she thought would be a good fit for her mother, than anything else. "I could read the rest aloud to you, if you wanted, and we can narrow the stack down. Or we could just send a message to Mrs. Takamatzu." Either way, it really was entirely up to her friend. Shi-Hao wouldn't step on her toes and try to make the decision herself. As she had mentioned, any of these people could do the job, and do it well. The Ni Kaihua estates liked having relations with such skilled people, whenever possible.
Mood: Interested Condition: Working	Link: Character Sheet

Subject: Re: Healing A Mother's Wounds Sun Aug 31, 2014 10:34 pm

Isikiro Sherazi Anazalrok	"well..." she nodded, "Ah guess jus' t'be fair..." not that she didn't care about the others... just that she found a promising candidate, and there weren't very many other sheets left anyways. "Lemme hear more 'bout Zurok Takamatzu though..." she asked, and Shi-Hao kindly obliged. After a moment, the coal miner did decide that she would trust this Zurok woman. And if not... well... "Ah hope we 'kin trust her..." she indicated, "cuz if not, Ah ain't afraid to beat th'tar outta her." And in truth, in a fight of physical strength, Isikiro could probably literally tear the petite little Zurok in half. In a battle with bending involved... well there were rumors that Zurok was a powerful bloodbender no less... but that wouldn't have stopped Isi from trying. Hopefully it wouldn't come to that. "who else we needa fahnd?" she asked as well, wondering how many more people they would need to get involved.
Mood: Humble Condition: Humble	Link: Isi

Subject: Re: Healing A Mother's Wounds Mon Sep 01, 2014 2:29 am

Shi-Hao Ni Kaihua	Rather than asking Isi again if she was sure that she didn't want to interview more candidates, Shi-Hao simply nodded her agreement, setting Zurok's file aside while packing the rest away. "I'll send her out a similar request," the young heiress told her friend reassuringly, "So we should hopefully get to meet her, soon." Then, she glanced at the small clock that sat on her desk, trying to decide if they should stop for the day, or to keep going. "We can try to finish the last stack," She offered, leaving the decision up to Isi once again, "Or we could start fresh, tomorrow. Which would you prefer?" Shi-Hao had a feeling that she knew which it would be.
Mood: Unsure Condition: Working	Link: Character Sheet

Subject: Re: Healing A Mother's Wounds Mon Sep 01, 2014 3:28 am

Isikiro Sherazi Anazalrok	"Alraht," she nodded with a smile. "Ah look forward to it too..." Since she was just alone with Shi-Hao, Isikiro wore her father's wedding ring, and for a moment, she glanced at it, as if thinking about something contemplatively. "y'hear that, papa? I'm gonna help make momma better. I dunno how long it'll take... but I'm not gonna stop till she's back on her own two feet and out of her wheelchair. I know you'd be crying just as much as I do when I see her struggling to get up off the floor when she falls... and I'm gonna stop that. I just wish that you could see us now..." (Isikiro didn't "think" in her accent after all.) "Kin..." she began, cautiously, not wanting to get a lecture about working too hard. Those weren't degrading, per se... but she always felt a little bit guilty when she had to be told to lighten her workload. "...kin we trah t'finish th'last stack?" She hoped that it wasn't too much to ask...
Mood: Humble Condition: Contemplative	Link: Isi

Subject: Re: Healing A Mother's Wounds Mon Sep 01, 2014 3:01 pm

Shi-Hao Ni Kaihua	"Of course," Shi-Hao replied easily, having been the one to suggest such a thing. This stack was quite large, but she figured that they could do it, should she read them aloud - it went a bit faster that way, it seemed. She did notice that Isi seemed to have a moment of thought, either introspective or soul-searching, or whatnot, and so she waited until the other girl was ready. It would likely take them another hour or so, to finish. By then, the young heiress would definitely insist on calling it a night, once they were done choosing their applicant interviews. Not only was she tired, but she could tell that Isi didn't need this much stress throughout her entire day.
Mood: Good Condition: Working	Link: Character Sheet

Subject: Re: Healing A Mother's Wounds Mon Sep 01, 2014 3:41 pm

Isikiro Sherazi Anazalrok	Isikiro's little introspective moment was not necessarily private, but if Shi-Hao didn't ask, she wouldn't say anything. She was quietly thankful that Shi-Hao waited for her to have it though, and whispered a soft "thank'ee" after it was over. Otherwise, she listened to each one attentively. This was not just choosing a suitable candidate--this was choosing someone worthy of being there for her mother in what could be the most vulnerable time in that woman's life. No... she had made a promise--a promise to fix everything. This promise was actually much older than a few moments ago when she had stared at her father's wedding ring. She had made that promise the day after her father was killed and her mother incapacitated. She promised that she would save their family... that she would pull them out of the hell they were in. She felt... only partially satisfied at this point. She couldn't fully feel satisfied till her mother was back on her feet. But... soon an hour passed and Shi-Hao was ready to call it a night. "Ah... thanks f'er helpin' me with this..." she said softly, "this really means th'world t'me..."
Mood: Humble Condition: Grateful	Link: Isi

Subject: Re: Healing A Mother's Wounds Mon Sep 01, 2014 11:30 pm

Shi-Hao Ni Kaihua	Smiling, the young heiress gave a nod, both humble and accepting. "I know it does, Isi..." She assured her friend, giving her another hug, "I promise, I'll do my best to help you work everything out, the whole way." She, too, had made the promise before today, but this was the first time she'd really spelled it out, aloud. Shi-Hao really wanted to succeed in this venture, for the sake of the entire little family she'd "taken in", so to speak. "We'll finish this up tomorrow," She told Isi with another smile, "But, for now... dinner and then bedtime for us both, right?" Though her friend would, of course, return to her home with her family, and Shi-Hao would dine on her own, as she always did. Not that there was anything wrong with either circumstance.
Mood: Good Condition: Done Working	Link: Character Sheet

Subject: Re: Healing A Mother's Wounds Tue Sep 02, 2014 1:08 am

Isikiro Sherazi Anazalrok	Isikiro nodded understandingly. "Ah know... Ah know you will..." she wasn't going to launch into a long-winded rant about how if there were more people like her who were willing to give a little to help a genuinely needy and hard-working family get to their feet, that the world would be a better place, but she was definitely genuinely grateful for the motion, since it had probably literally saved their lives: it was the reason her siblings and mother hadn't starved, and the reason she wasn't working the mines anymore. "'raht," she nodded, "thank'eegain, Shi..." she gave her friend another hug, lifting her off the ground in a grateful squeeze. Isikiro definitely had some good upper-body strength. That was for sure. "Ah hope y'have a good evenin'..." she smiled as she headed out, "n Ah'm glad y'er mah friend..." After the last goodbyes (for the night) were said, Isi returned home quietly. All was silent in the Anazalrok household for the moment, and for one fleeting instant... Isikiro was at peace.
Mood: Humble Condition: Grateful	Link: Isi

Subject: Re: Healing A Mother's Wounds Tue Sep 02, 2014 2:28 am

Shi-Hao Ni Kaihua	The next morning, Shi-Hao sent out the completed summons requests as soon as she received her breakfast. They weren't all done, of course, but at least the two for the physical therapist and the one for Zurok were finished. After eating some fruit and yogurt, the young heiress rose, dressed, and made her way to her office, knowing that Isi would be along bright and early to finish their incomplete task from yesterday. There were only a few more personnel files to read through, for finding a domestic assistant, however, so that wouldn't likely take too long. Next, Shi-Hao figured that they could either tour facilities, where the healing could take place, or else start making plans to modify the cottage, when necessary.
Mood: Good Condition: Working	Link: Character Sheet

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