28 - A Chance Meeting

“Mmm… alright, the stock’s looking good.”

I’d become so accustomed to making reheated solid soup I could perfectly season it by taste alone. The heat from the fire warmed the kitchen, a small escape from the blizzard outside raging for the past few weeks.

I underestimated mother nature.

Winter this year was particularly harsh; snowstorms constantly batter my window, the non-stop rattling making it difficult for me to get a good night’s rest. It was a good thing I’d over-prepared; the whims of the highlands only allowed me three days of respite from the storm thus far.

Only my second winter, and it was looking increasingly dangerously perilous outside. While I’d made sure to reinforce the house with plenty of support and insulation, I was beginning to worry it might not hold up over the next two months.

There were times I had to leave the house, like when I had to search for Woolie’s friends lost in the relentless hail of ice and snow. Even with my new winter clothing, I felt the frost on my skin chilling my entire body, every exhale clear and visible as frosty vapor.

While Woolie frequently kept me company last winter, this time he felt obligated to stay with his pack, who spent most of their time huddling in the barn waiting for the worst of the storm to pass.

Amazingly, Granhilda’s plant was perfectly fine. I don’t know what kind of crazy genetic evolution it’d gone through to reach such levels of resilience, but nothing fazed it, not even the buffeting storm. In fact, I’m pretty sure it’ll continue to grow on its own even if I ignored it.

I put on my winter clothing, my entire body covered complete with my hand-knitted shawl and scarf. Even if it’s just to deliver food to the barn next door, visibility was low it’d turn perilous if I wasn’t careful, and one small slip could spell disaster.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

As I packed up the hot stove full of soup, I heard a series of knocks on the door.

“Woolie? Is that you? I’ve got your stew and poppolia here, I’m just about to go over!”

Bam! Bam! Bam!

“Alright, calm down Woolie. What’s the matter? Did something happen?”

The series of knocks grew more frantic, odd considering Woolie was always patient. Thinking something may have happened, I hastened to the door and opened it, instantly receiving a rush of freezing air in my face.

“Oh geez…! It’s really not letting up huh, Woolie? Your meal’s almost ready, just let me pack it up and…”

Woolie wasn’t standing at my doorstep. What greeted me instead were three humans-

WHAM!!

I slammed the door so hard in their faces the hinges rattled, sending clumps of snow onto the ground.

… The heck…?

I slowly opened the door once more, peeking out from behind-

“Please, help us!”

“Whaaa?!”

Two freezing, gloved hands grasped my own, shivering so hard it was a wonder they managed to hold on to anything at all.

I was at a loss for words. Humans sudden arrived at my doorstep, and in this weather? Why? Why would there be humans scaling the highlands during winter?

My eyes landed on the person holding my hand; a girl equipped from head to toe with what appeared to be regular winter clothing, her auburn hair hidden beneath a thick layer of scarves. Clearly, these travelers have underestimated the insane weather up here; one male and two female travelers, their faces pale as sheets of paper and knees knocking uncontrollably.

“Please, it’s an emergency! One of us… Edel…!”

“E-ehh…?”

I had absolutely no idea what they were saying. Judging from their frantic behavior… maybe they’re hallucinating? I’m surprised they haven’t succumbed to hypothermia yet, but considering they made it all the way up here, perhaps-

“Please!”

The girl’s desperate eyes told me a different story. That expression didn’t appear to be one of self-preservation, but rather…

My gaze fell onto the man behind dressed in inadequate winter gear over what appeared to be leather armor, his arm draping a thick piece of cloth over the second girl in his arms dressed in robes, her bespectacled face pale as a ghost’s. The labored breathing showed a dire need for medical aid, but I hesitated.

I had no idea who these people were. In the first place, I’m not trained as a doctor. I don’t know what’s wrong with that girl; at most I could only offer some warmth and shelter form the snowstorm, I wouldn’t be able to cure her-

The man raised the piece of cloth to reveal a deep, purple gash on the girl’s stomach, with pus leaking out of the wound.

Goddammit… I can cure that.

I sighed. It’ll be fine, these people don’t seem to be in the condition to attempt anything. Moreover, leaving the girl to die simply didn’t sit well with my conscience.

“Come in, quickly. Uhh…”

I beckoned them inside with a series of rapid hand waves, signaling for them to hurry. They must have heaved the biggest sigh of relief in their lives when I allowed them into my home, frantically nodding and saying words I didn’t understand, but I knew enough context to know they were saying ‘thank you’.

As the man closed the door behind him, the injured girl was placed on the floor, her glasses fogged up so much they might as well have been frozen too. I parted her dark hair and removed her glasses, the pained expression on her face clearly a sign of the poison that’d gotten me more times than I’d like.

“Umm… err…”

Thump, thump, thump.

I was jumpy, stepping hard on the wooden floorboards while looking around for anything that could help make her more comfortable…

That’s it!

I grabbed the excessive amount of wool from my bedside and tossed them onto the ground beside the injured girl, gesturing for them to rest her on top.

That should relieve her a little… next, where’s my antidote…

I rummaged through the pile of crates in the corner, cursing myself for not labeling them when I had the chance to.

“Do you think she’ll make it, Estelle?”

“Ooh… I don’t know, Mars… Edel’s not looking good at all…!”

I didn’t know what they were saying, but the girl’s sobbing told me all I needed to know.

I have to hurry.

I grabbed the entire crate and my water bottle, tossing then onto the ground. Pulling up the injured girl’s robes revealed the nasty wound, much worse than anything I’d seen before.

I don’t even know if the antidote would work at this stage…

Amidst the heavy breathing, the other two discussed among themselves in rapid speech, their fluency in no way helping me understand key details that might allow me to better diagnose the situation. One thing I did know, though…

“If the pus is still leaking, it musn’t have been too long since she’s been poisoned… As long as it hasn’t spread to her vital organs, there’s still a chance.”

I threw open the lid and was relieved to find a few satchels atop the plentiful herbs. Good thing I was too lazy to store them elsewhere.

I immediately popped one opened and poured the contents into the bottle, shaking it and taking a swig, gulping down the bitter mixture. I then stuffed several of the raw, antidotal herbs into my mouth, chewing until they turned into a bitter paste.

I tossed the bottle full of antidote to the girl.

“Woah!”

“Feed dat to-”

I frowned. This language barrier is going to be an issue…

I motioned for her to drink from the bottle-

“Drink!”

Puff out my cheeks-

“Hold in mouth!”

Point to her mouth-

“Feed!”

“E-ehh?!”

Alright!

I took the girl’s blushing face to mean she understood my intent. No time to waste, on to the next task…

I applied as much antidotal paste on the wound as possible, chewed up more herbs, steeled myself for what’s to come-

I knew next to nothing about removing poison from someone’s body. While taking the antidote I made was proven to work, I didn’t know for sure how effective it’d be against such a large wound.

Sucking out the poison should work, right?

It had to. They do it in movies all the time, and everyone knows directors try to make everything as realistic as possible, right?

Here goes!

I pressed my lips against the remaining gap in the wound and sucked as hard as I could.

BLEEARGHH!!

I almost threw up immediately, but I held off until I sucked up a substantial amount of tainted blood, retching and spitting out the mixture onto the ground.

“UWEHH!! Cough-!”

“Are you alright?!”

What the heck?! All those movies I watched said nothing about how disgusting this is!

“What’s she doing? Is she trying to suck out the poison?”

“What is she, from the first era?! That’ll only make things worse!”

“But what if it helps? We don’t know what those thorns were; this girl lives around these parts, she should know better than us!”

“I’m telling you, the whole ‘sucking out the poison’ thing doesn’t work! Why do you think no one does it anymore?!”

Here I am throwing up blood with tears in my eyes, and these two are arguing about who knows what.

I pushed the bottle of antidote back into the girl’s hand.

“Feed…! Now…!”

My persistence finally got the girl to feed the antidote mouth-to-mouth. I prepared myself for another round of sucking poison, but just thinking about it made my throw up for real.

Good thing I had the sense to immunize myself before attempting…!

Thankfully, there wasn’t a need for me to go for round two. By the time I steeled myself to go again, the injured girl’s breathing slowed, gradually regaining a steady rhythm. The wound no longer leaked pus, a sure sign she’ll recover.

“Look, Mars! It actually worked!”

“It’s those herbs… What a potent antidote.”

As relief showed on the faces of my visitors, I took it as a sign that everything turned out well, and leaned against the wall to rest.

“Umm… feed more.”

I gestured for them to repeat the antidote administration process again. After seeing its potent effects once, the girl didn’t hesitate this time.

Oh, the wound.

I retrieved my hand-made bandages and unrolled it, but the man pointed to himself, suggesting he’d do it in my stead.

I watched as the two tended to their injured comrade. It was a strange sight to see, particularly for me. As someone who’d only ever seen one other person for almost an entire year, as someone who was bedridden for most of their previous existence, seeing these people desperately trying to save their friend gave rise in me a mix of emotions that I couldn’t really explain.

It didn’t feel real, seeing people acting like people.

*

“Umm…”

“Truly, thank you for your assistance.”

The two conscious visitors bowed in gratitude, a gesture understood universally by all. While I couldn’t communicate with these people, I’d seen enough to know these people aren’t ruffians. Still, I felt a little uneasy from Granhilda’s words…

I cleared my throat, thinking of the phrases Granhilda taught me before she left, “I come in peace.”

“Oh? You hear that, Mars? She speaks our language!”

“I don’t understand Saintword.”

“Oh. Bummer, but-”

“Where’s the bathroom?”

“Umm…” the girl started, turning to her friend.

“Please don’t kill me.”

“This is going nowhere, Estelle…” the man sighed.

As I thought, set phrases won’t do me any good in this situation. In that case…

“Where… you from?”

I shrugged with my arms raised, then pointed to them, then imitated a person walking with my index and middle finger.

The two cocked their heads to the side, confused.

Of course it wouldn’t work. Let’s see… oh!

“Forr… heiven…?” I babbled.

The two suddenly tensed up, turning their gaze at each other slowly towards me.

Wrong one?

“Rass… taluu?”

The two turned to each other again, their expressions softening.

“You… Rastal?” The man pointed to me.

I shook my head.

“Forehaven?” The girl asked.

I shook my head again.

Surprised, the girl began speaking to her companion. “Is she a wild child?”

“Hmm… living out here under these conditions? A highlander, perhaps…?”

The two nodded to each other before turning their attention back to me. I took the initiative and pointed to them.

“Ras… talu…? Forr… heiven…?”

“Rastal.”

Phew…

I heaved a sigh of relief. Since I knew next to nothing about this world, I only had Granhilda’s word to go off of. Not hearing ‘Forehaven’ was probably the best scenario for me.

I crawled over and extended a hand, wondering if the tradition also existed in this world-

“Ooh!”

Imagine my surprise when the girl did the same, shaking my hand like you would greet someone back on Earth. Possibly a culture passed down by otherworlders of the past?

“Mars, what should we do now? I don’t think Edel’s gonna wake up for some time.”

“We can’t move her, the blizzard isn’t letting up. We’ll have to intrude on this girl’s home… any way we can convey that?”

“Let’s see…”

The girl waved at me to get my attention. She pointed to herself, then down towards the ground, then touched the tip of her index finger with her thumb to form the universal ‘okay’ symbol.

They want to stay? Of course, there’s no way they can leave with the state of their friend.

I gave them a double thumbs up.

“Look at that, Mars! I think she’s good!”

“Amazing, seems she has a sense for social cues despite the language barrier.”

As the two thanked me again with wild gestures, I heard a series of taps on the door. The two visitors turned to the door, the man even reaching for the sword on his waist, but I recognized that knocking anywhere.

“Woolie?”

I threw open the door to reveal a shivering Woolie, the tears streaking down his face freezing right before my eyes in real time.

“Behh!”

“Oh! I’m sorry Woolie, I’ve got your lunch here! I’ll be right over, wait for me at the barn, will you?”

Seemingly uninterested in our new guests, Woolie scampered off, eager to avoid as much of the pelting snow as possible.

“Was that a moffa?”

“They really are everywhere, huh.”

As I hastily picked up the meal basket and made for the door, I heard a shout from behind.

“Hey! Where are you going in this weather? It’s dangerous!”

“Mars, go with her!”

I could infer their intention from the panicked and worried faces. I smiled and pulled a thumbs up once again, closing the door behind me as I left.

It didn’t even take five minutes, but by the time I delivered Woolie’s food and returned, I spotted the two outside looking around frantically while shivering in the wind.

I walked up to them, flashing an ‘okay’ sign.

“B-b-b-brrr…”

“A-aren’t you c-c-cold…?”

“S-she’s not even w-wearing f-f-full winter gear… must be a h-highlander…!”

“Y-you’re right… Essssstelle…”

How long are you two going to stand here in the blizzard?

I pushed them back into the house, brushing off the snow piled on my shoulders and head.

“Ahh, this warmth is our savior, literally.”

“I don’t think we’d have survived had we not stumbled into this girl’s home. Without Edelweiss’s magic we’d never have made the trek in the first place.”

While the two discussed among themselves, I was busy thinking about hospitality.

I should pull out all the stops for dinner tonight… Use my supply of meat, maybe some of those apples… oh! I’ll make more broth too… that’ll really enhance the flavor.

“… What do you think she’s doing over there?”

“I dunno, looks like she’s real happy thinking about something.”

“Oh, right!”

I’d completely forgotten to introduce myself. But how should I do it?

“Umm!” I call to them for attention.

I pointed to myself, “Riko… Ricolette!”

“Ricoletta…?”

“Riko! Ricolette!”

“Your name’s Riko Ricolette?” The girl tilted her head, confused. “Quite strange to have the same first and last name, not to mention having a second name at all- Yeek! Why’re you poking me, Mars?”

“She means her name’s Ricolette, but you can call her Riko. You know, like how you call Edelweiss Edel.”

“Oh!” The girl pointed to herself once more. “Stelle, Estelle!” Then she pointed to the sleeping girl in the bed of wool, “Edelweiss, Edel!”

“Mars.”

Estelle and I turned to the man expectantly.

“… Mars.”

Mars, Estelle and Edelweiss.

My first true meeting with inhabitants of this world. How exciting…!

I have so many questions, but the language barrier…

Once again, I silently cursed god- or rather, the goddess for her carelessness. Things would’ve been so much easier if I could properly communicate with my guests.

No matter, I’ll simply have to make do like I have with everything else in life.

I mimicked a bowl and spoon with my hands, shoveling air into my mouth.

“Food, yes?”

Estelle and Mars nodded with smiles on their faces, getting to their feet to help me out with dinner preparations.

Alright, time to pull out all the stops!

*

“Mars, do you think Riko’s all alone out here?”

“I want to say I doubt it, but it’s looking like that’s the case.”

“See that picture on the wall? That must be her mother, right? Maybe she’s just out for the time being?”

“In this blizzard? No chance, even for a highlander. Either it’s an emergency, or she’s not here anymore. Ricolette doesn’t seem to be worried or anything, so I’m guessing it’s the latter.”

“We don’t know much about highlanders, though. We didn’t even know they spoke their own language until today; for all you know they might be completely immune to the cold.”

“How would you explain all this insulation? The winter clothes?”

“I mean, the thought of Riko living up here by herself all this time is… sad.”

I wonder if they’re discussing plans for their expedition? Wish I could join in their conversation.

I silently prepared dinner while Mars and Estelle looked around the house. I didn’t have anything private I wanted to hide, so I didn’t particularly mind.

Now that Edelweiss’s wound had been patched up, all that’s left was to wait for her to wake up. I let her sleep on my bed for the time being, but if these three were planning to shelter here from the blizzard, I’m going to have to figure out some kind of sleeping arrangement; this house was simply too cramped for four people.

“Estelle, look. It’s ‘Allstoria for Allstorians’… brings back memories, doesn’t it?”

“Hmm? Why’s Riko have such a heavy textbook of she can’t speak the language?”

“No, see here? It’s an alphabet guide. I’m guessing her mother had been teaching her, but whatever happened happened, and Ricolette was left with no one to teach her anything more.”

“You might be right… do you think we’d be able to do that instead? I want to repay Riko somehow.”

“Our academic Edelweiss’ll probably be up to it.”

“Oh, look here, Mars! It’s some sort of picture book? These plants have quite a lot of detail put into them. And these faces… smiling, frowning, angry… maybe they depict whether something is safe or dangerous to consume? Cute…”

“Hey, this thorn looks real familiar… isn’t that the thing that cut up Edelweiss?”

“You’re right! And the face depicting it- yeap, crossed out eyes with a tongue sticking out, the source of all our troubles…”

“Very resourceful. I can see why she’s managed to survive out here, despite being so young.”

They seem interested in my compendium. I wonder if they came up here looking for herbs? Or maybe they’re explorers.

By the time I’d finished preparing dinner, the small house was filled with the aroma of roasted pork. When I showed them my solidified soup stock, Mars and Estelle grimaced at the black, rock-hard thing in their hands. Once I dropped a few into hot water and allowed it to dissolve into broth, their expressions changed from disgust to curiosity.

“My god, Estelle. This small child’s a better cook than you’ll ever be.”

“I know, right?”

“…”

With the short daylight of winter, it was sundown by the time I’d finished cooking. Though the storm continued to rage on, we were safe in the comfort of my home. I laid out a steaming pot of stew with various herbs and mushrooms onto the kitchen table, and just in time too.

“Hnngh…”

Edelweiss strained her eyes, revealing the yellow topaz irises for the first time since they arrived.

“Edel! Are you alright?” Estelle rushed over to her friend’s side, grasping her hand.

“Can’t see anything… I think I’ve gone blind, Stelle.”

“You’re not wearing your glasses, silly. Here you go-”

“Ah, an unfamiliar ceiling… and a pleasant aroma.”

Edelweiss sat upright with great effort, wincing as she did.

“Edel! Take it easy, you were on death’s door just a few hours ago.”

“Kuh… Oh yes, I remember… We were attacked from behind, and I cut myself on those thorns when I fell…”

“You just tripped on a root.”

“Good job taking out those monsters, Stelle…”

“There were no monsters, you’re just making excuses for your clumsiness again.”

“And then I succumbed to my injuries and fell unconscious… must have been a poisoned arrow.”

“Actually, those thorns you fell on were poisonous, but we managed to detoxify you-”

“And then you guys managed to carry me all the way to this mountain cottage… truly a testament to our teamwork.”

“Stop ignoring me.”

Whatever those two were discussing, I could see Edelweiss’s face contort into a mixture of pain and guilt.

Maybe she feels responsible for their mishap?

“… I’m sorry. Because of my carelessness, you two had to climb the mountain without my magic to keep warm…”

“It’s alright, everything turned out fine in the end. We’ll get through this, we still got the entire winter ahead of us.”

“… So we’re trapped up here, huh?”

“I’m afraid so. The weather up here’s too volatile; even if we wait for the blizzard to end, another might hit us while traveling down the mountain. It’s safer for us to wait it out. Right, Mars?”

“Chomp- Yeap-”

“You started without us?!”

“Sorry, smells too good- slurp-”

“The nerve! And I’m supposed to be the glutton!”

Supporting Edelweiss with one arm, Estelle joined us at the kitchen table.

“Where are we, anyway? Why is there a pot of food, and who is this child? Is this a winter mirage…?”

“Ah, this here’s Riko- Ricolette. She saved your life; we’re currently taking shelter in her home.”

“Is that so…?” Edelweiss turned to me and bowed. “You have my thanks, miss Ricolette.”

I tilted my head to one side.

“Riko doesn’t speak Saintword, Edel. We’ve been communicating with gestures.”

“Oh? This is quite the conundrum we’ve found ourselves in, haven’t we?”

“That’s right, so eat up and regain your strength, you need all the nutrition you can get to recover from your injury.”

“My word, this was all prepared by Ricolette, wasn’t it?”

“Yeap! She’s quite amazing, isn’t she?”

“This child’s a better cook than you’ll ever be, Stelle.”

“…”

There was much chattering and laughter in the air. For awhile, I simply sat in my chair, staring at the scene before me. There weren’t enough seats, so Mars and Estelle stood around the table.

Their friend had only just awoken, narrowly escaping death. There was a storm outside that prevented them from leaving. Their one saving grace—me—couldn’t communicate with them.

Yet, they managed to have a merry time. Then there were cheers, possibly at our miraculous encounter. There appeared to be some teasing; by the way they were gesturing at the spread on the table and Estelle’s pouting, I’d imagine it was something to do with her being a lousy cook.

My lips quivered, I felt my eyes beginning to water.

Ah, what a homely feeling this is.

Instead of breaking into tears, my mouth instead curled into a wide smile as I wiped my eyes with my sleeve. I joined in, and although I ate the same food I always had, somehow everything tasted better than usual.

Outside was a perilous snowstorm; one careless mistake could spell the end. Beyond that were mountains as far as the eye could see, civilization scattered across the land, oceans as wide as continents, unexplored lands containing unknown dangers.

Such a vast world outside this tiny little cabin in the middle of nowhere, illuminated by the warm glow of candlelight. Inside this little haven of mine, I was comfortable, I was happy.

I was fine, and I could smile in earnest alongside my newfound acquaintances.