the exhausted glaze in willow's eyes leaves at once when she fully gets over her surprise and takes stock of the situation. the deerling that pops out of its ball is weak and worrisome enough, but she's more worried about the flush on the poor girl's cheeks. 

elisabet steps aside as willow skirts around the counter. she tugs off her gloves and tosses them, then shrugs out of her coat. the layered flannel she has underneath is warm enough. 

"we'll get him right as rain, but first - you look like you were just fished out of the river. take my coat and i can hang yours to dry."

not wanting to pressure her, she sets her coat on a flower stand and steps behind her. the quaint hand-painted sign clatters as it's flipped around. elisabet doesn't quite understand time, but knows the little flip means they're closed, so she goes about checking the vases to make sure they have enough water.

she tucks one of her many stray locks behind her ear and says, "we'll have to take him out back to my greenhouse, but it's nice and warm in there."

Eris Halla

☉

willow's short herself - standing at a proud 5'2" - but her coat still hangs dumbly long on the girl. it doesn't matter though. when they make the short trek through the snow to the greenhouse, they'll be able to pull off some of their layers anyway. the flower shop sits at a comfortable temperature, but the greenhouse is warm enough to sweat. 

fun electric bill she has during these months. the solar panels on her roof help though.

elisabet opens the door for them and cocks her head curiously at the ailed deerling. willow lets eris pass and then scoops up the pokemon in her arms, cradling it under its chest and back end. it panics momentarily but she shushes gently and draws the door closed behind her with her foot. 

her land stretches out before them - tauros with weighted blankets over their backs eye them from their circular pen. her mudsdales poke their heads out from their stable stalls, snorting cold clouds into the air when they spy her. 

"just follow the sand on the ground so you don't slip," she says. the mixture of snow and fallarbor's ever-present soot can make the fields quite slippery. paths of sand tell a story of the order of her chores, branching towards the greenhouse and to her shed, the stable, the pen, and then some curious hexagonal structures far to the edge of the field, near the tree-line.

"so tell me about your deerling. what does he usually eat and is he eating normally?"

Eris Halla

☉

"i used to do it alone," she says with a breathless laugh. though she's small and the deerling is heavy, working on the farm for most of her adult life has given her enough strength in her arms and her back that she doesn't feel a thing. more than dropping the deerling, she's worried about slipping on the snow. or the girl slipping on the snow. 

"you make time for things like this. it's a lot, but i love it, so it's not really a lot, you know? still, i could use a few more hands."

she laughs as the girl and her luxray play together. when they reach the greenhouse doors, she works it open with her hip and pushes in with her shoulder. when inside, she puts down the deerling and holds out a hand to it. 

"don't go anywhere," she orders it gently. the place is brimming with plants - plants on the walls, flowering over the ground, hanging from rods strung up on the ceiling. a few rows of boxes with freshly watered dirt house her ailing patients; they're in various stages in recovery, but most of them are alert when willow enters.

a turtwig sleeping by one of the heaters stands and stretches. he rattles his way over and curiously inspects the deerling.

"your luxray can come in. just mind him around the pokemon nearer the back. oh, and those were my bee boxes. the bees are dormant now, but they make honey in the warmer months."

with gideon watching the deerling and ensuring it doesn't wander off, she goes to her cluttered workbench to grab a few tools.

"i'm willow, by the way."

Eris Halla

☉

"what a pretty name, eris," she says while she moves down to a row of plotted plant pokemon. they perk up when she approaches. a roselia steps neatly out of the soil and gives herself a shake, curtseying to the girl and her luxray. willow rolls her eyes and crouches down beside her gossifleur. 

"may i, edel?" she asks the little flower. it totters from side to side and exposes the large yellow petals atop its head, going still so willow can neatly swab off some of the pollen off its stamen. satisfied, she gives him a little tickle in thanks and stands up. 

will grabs a mortar and pestle, a few other herbs, and sits down cross-legged next to the deerling. she pats beside her and smiles warmly at eris. 

"there's another girl who works for me and she's lovely as can be, but she's still in school so she's only part-time." she starts grinding the ingredients together. gideon still stands, dutifully keeping an eye on the deerling (and though his services are moot, she appreciates it). "and my...boruta comes around to help out when he can. anyway, here. gossifleur pollen has healing properties. it'll help soothe any aches he has right now.

"but getting a deerling to swap coats takes time. i might have to keep him here for a bit. would you be okay with that?"

Eris Halla

☉

concern dapples her features. she reminds herself, before she can say anything rash, that this is absolutely not her kid and she has enough problems on her plate already. she can't dive down a rabbit hole and go after whatever deadbeat parents are letting her wander around in the snow. 

maybe a middle ground then. 

"well, how about we make a deal? you come and help me when you can and i won't charge you for lucky's treatment."

she mashes some berries into the mixture and then sits cross-legged beside the deerling. its nose twitches and she holds it out gently, clucking softly. "i promise i'll take the very best care of him for you. i can even teach you how to do it if this happens again."

Eris Halla

☉

"whatever you want to learn," willow says and then quickly adds, "except maybe we work up to the tauros. they're not very nice, those two." the last thing she wants is to see the girl seriously injured because of buckwheat or cowslip's bad attitudes. 

"you'll probably want to wear things you don't mind getting dirty. sturdy boots help too. the ground can get kinda muddy when it rains." or when the snow melts, like they're expecting in a couple of weeks. 

"gossifleur pollen has healing properties," she explains. "i'm mashing it with a couple of other herbs that help settle a stomach since you said he's been having trouble eating. the blueberries are for taste." still, they're not enough to get the stubborn mule to take it. he keeps looking anxiously from willow to eris. 

she smiles and holds the bowl out to the girl. "go on and feed it to him. he trusts you more."

Eris Halla

☉