~ Jiaoqiu Pov
I found this lady strangely unique. Despite losing my vision, it's her voice that gave me light to the darkness, along with her soft hands to hold onto. How her aura radiates around us in pink blossoms; it was addicting to the point it felt so wrong yet so right. Constantly reminding myself she's my guide, that I have to welcome her and make her job as effortless as possible... but I just can't help it.
It has always been this peaceful around the house, especially the living room. I heard the whistle of the kettle, and her voice harmonizing in soft melodic hums. Y/N was making us tea, along with a few fresh pastries she baked with the aroma wafting through my nose. What does she look like when she's in the kitchen preparing a meal? I can hardly remember her figure nor her facial features. I could blame myself for not interacting with her in the past, but she rarely leaves their home, nor do I see her roaming around Yaoqing from time to time.
Her humming got closer and closer to me, then the sound of a metal tray clunking against the wooden coffee table. "You're done already? What did you make this time?" I asked, tilting my head to the side, my tail wagging.
"I made some cake rolls, just enough for the two of us." She replied to me, her tone was soft and soothing.
My ears twitched, hearing the sound of pouring tea. The cover of the couch rustled nearby where I was sitting, feeling the weight on my left side.
"Careful, this is hot okay?" I felt her delicate hands reach towards mine, guiding me to hold the tea saucer, then the other to the handle of the tea cup.
"Thank you, Y/N." I gave her a warm smile, taking small careful sips of my tea.
How close was she to me?
I faced my head in the direction where she was, sending her a soft smile. I can't tell if she's looking at me, but I would always assume she would, and imagine what she looks like. "Open your mouth for me, Jiaoqiu." She spoke, the smell of cake rolls nearing my nose.
I opened my mouth, inviting the cake roll, tasting the sweet and softness of the pastry as she fed the piece to me with a fork. "Mmm..." I hummed, chewing slowly.
"You're quite a baker..." I complimented, giving her a soft chuckle.
I heard her chuckle back, "Oh? I appreciate the compliment." She was giggling softly.
She continued to feed me as I took small sips of my tea, again and again... this was the feeling that was so addicting, just the two of us and her while wellbeing. I didn't even count the days she's been my guide, not even the sound of the clock clicking per second.
"Are you still into healing?"
My ears perked, my thoughts popping. Healing... I almost forgot about that, not to mention my goal to heal her sister now put on hold. "Why do you ask?"
"I was just wondering." She sighed. "I am impressed how you're able to cope with all this, just suddenly losing what you do everyday, like a puzzle piece gone missing." She spoke, the sound of her voice was tender.
I hummed at her words, realizing that my purpose as a healer now condemned because of my lost vision. If I could heal myself, I would continue- but how can a healer heal themselves?
My lips curled into a smile, a reassuring one for her. "Life is about losing something you value, no matter what you do things are bound to disappear. Not everything is permanent, you just have to go with it..." I took a sip of my tea slowly and carefully, then it hit me.
My mind started to raise some thoughts, what if she could continue it? Although the art of healing will differ from hers to mine, other than that she has no experience being a healer... or so at least that's what I think. The fact is in front of me already, she is showing me her competence as my guide, perhaps being a healer will do.
"I have an idea... you can help me continue it." I suggested, my tail wagging fast from side to side.
~ Y/N Pov
My eyes scanned for anything that could possibly portray that he was just fooling around, but I can't find anything from him but his determination and excitement.
The feeling of my heart pumped fast from anxiousness, my hands clenched onto the small plate where the cake rolls reside.
"I can't possibly be a healer, Jiaoqiu..." I giggled, "You're just kidding yourself. Right?" A chuckle escaped me, thinking it was just a mere joke.
-
"You have to be very careful when pouring the medication into the food to avoid the bitter taste." Jiaoqiu ordered in a stern way, while I was meticulously and carefully dabbing the small bottle of powdered medication out of the glass container. "Medicine is like salt, putting in too much is an overdose, giving less has no effect."
The place was full of plants and herbs, books organized in dewey decimal order, other tools, and a brewing stand on his desk. Aesthetically pleasing, yet so stressful when it comes to equipment I'm not so familiar with.
With trembling hands, I was able to dash the medication in the right amount as he said, stirring the spicy curry I was making while following his recipe. I can tell he memorized all his recipes.
"I thought you were a healer, not a cook..." I complained, looking at him only to be met with an irk.
"I am a healer, cooking is just my art of healing." Jiaoqiu explained, which made me stifle a giggle, which I assume he heard based on his heavy sigh.
"To become a healer you must obtain your own art and style. Take it from me, I value healing in the art of cooking. Simply put it this way, how will you make a child eat green peas?" He slowly used his fan, waiting for my answer.
"By... uhmm... hiding it? Fooling them perhaps?" I replied with a nervous sweat on my cheek.
"Exactly, you have to hide it using the taste of the food. Then the ignorant child eats it." He started firmly, putting his fan down his palm with a smile.
"That dish is done, you may turn it off."
I did what he instructed and turned off the stove, turning my whole body to face him.
"What are we going to do with this?" My eyes darted to the spicy curry he made, then back to him.
"I'll ask Moze to give it to your sister, the medication is strictly for her anyways." Jiaoqiu replied, tapping his fingers on the wooden desk. "Since we're already here, why don't you prepare the medications? Pestle the pills and store them in a small vial."
I scanned the whole work desk for the mortar and pestle, taking it including a few medication bottles placed on the work area. Placing one or two pills in the mortar, I picked up the pestle, then started grinding it... Until I felt warm hands on top of mine, followed by a tall body behind me, leaning close my ears making it twitch with his ticklish breaths.
I yelped, my body petrified as I stopped pestling the medicine. My hands loosed on the pestle, Jiaoqiu's hands held mine and tightened my grip, the other crawling to my right hand holding onto the mortar.
"Medicine is precious..." He spoke in whispers in my ear.
He began to guide my hand, creating a circular motion to grind the medicine into powder. My heart was beating fast, my cheeks burning, and knees buckling.
"...You should be wary not to leave lumps along the way." He whispered yet again, low and husky.
There was a lump in my throat that I couldn't swallow. I don't think I'm breathing anymore. He kept a gentle yet firm grip on my hand, motioning it in circles as the medicine slowly turned into powder. His breathing, I could hear it, the feeling of his heartbeat on my back in gentle beats, and his warm hands... My head was spinning with thoughts clouding up my mind.
Then, he lets go of my hand, placing his hand on my shoulder as a guide, then returning beside me. My eyes follow his movements.
"Be careful not to mix the medicine with the others, speaking based on experience." Jiaoqiu smiled at me, and I blushed.
Everything seemed to stop now. This feeling felt mellow, the aura that surrounded us in pink pastels. My heart couldn't stop pounding to the point it might leap out of my chest. I couldn't understand why he was being this close to me, I didn't want to read his signs wrong. My eyes darted down to my hands that held the mortar and pestle, seeing the powdered medication made me relapse on that momentary scene.
With a flushed face, I sighed. "I will..." then continued to grind the medication to its powdery form.
~
Forgive me for the crappy writing