She had left the safety of her tree house after numerous villagers below had gone missing into the eerie green night. “I’ll find them I promise.” She took the hand of a weeping tribal woman whose husband had been abducted after going up north. Things had gone on for far too long at this point. It wasn’t long after that she got word her mother was out in the desert for a project of some sort. Though her source did not say.

It was a quick tree walk trip up to the Highlands and from there she walked the desert making sure to clear the way of mummies as she went. Eventually, she found her mother’s energy in an outpost named Aestas. “Do you want to explain what’s going on or are you just going to leave me on a branch here?”

Angela perked up from the man she was working on as she pulled out his heart that she had been attending to. “Now Daphne you know better than to interrupt me when…” She lunged into the man’s chest cavity and pulled out a scarab. “When I’m doing the doctor thing.” She mused as she crushed the scarab, threw it, placed the heart back in with a little magic, and the magic jumped back up to life. “Oh, please you big baby it wasn’t that bad.” She sealed his wound up and came out with her daughter. “It’s pretty bad Daphne.”

“A man from my village went missing… you wouldn’t happen to have him would you?”

“Tribal man? I may… If he is probably here… or he got turned into a mummy. Either way, give me time and I will find him for you. I know how much that village means to you… They practically worship you.” Angela shrugged a bit and put her hand on the shoulder of her daughter. “Everything will be alright. Beneath that strong exterior you have… I know you are scared.”

“I’m scared of losing everything again Mother… That is true.” Daphne shook her head. “Put me to work… I’ll help out until this is over.” Daphne was put to work gathering medical supplies around the outpost for her mother and bringing them back to her. It was a simple task but a meaningful one.

"'Go one a vacation,' they said. 'You deserve it,' they said. 'Enjoy yourself,' they said…" With the release of the tail, an arrow flew through the crowded landscape, cracking the mana crystal lodged inside before bursting out into a dome of electricity. "No one ever said this vacation would involve mummies!" And they were not pleased with his existence within the desert… Well, they did not like anyone who was not in bandages. It was more of a case of them swarming him that he cared about. The dagger he had was not all that well quipped to handle such numbers, and they were far too close for him to really aim with his bow, causing him to use his crystal arrows to attack an area instead of individuals. And when they got themselves back together, standing back upright, Qadim could not stop himself from cursing under his breath in orc before slamming his hand in the sandy ground, summoning vines to entangle a collection to make it easier to run through.

Luckily, amidst the chaos was an outpost, decorated with charms that denied the undead with occasional travelers bursting forth with a bang to distract and open the pathway to allow them through. Not many used it as a way in. Qadim was being one of the not many.

It did not take him long to collapse to the floor. He was drained of stamina, covered in wounds, and low on arrows. At the very least, he could wait on a medic to hend to his wounds.

It didn’t take long for the goddess to find him and plop him in one of the tents. Once back out the goddess found her daughter. “Daphne there is a man in one of the tents that needs attending… and I have to attend to a swarm of scarabs coming this way. You know how much I hate scarabs.” Angela said as she rolled up her sleeves.

“Yes, Mother…” She wiped some sweat from her forehead as she grabbed a healer’s kit and entered the tent. When she lifted her gold eyes up and saw who it was on the bed she immediately dropped the kit. “QADIM?! What are you doing in such a dangerous place right now?” She still owed him greatly for helping her forest out and once she was done being in shock she picked up the kit.

“You are in really rough shape.” She put the kit down by him and shook him to make sure he was alright. “Qadim? You need to wake up.” Took a cloth, damp with crisp water and applied it to his head before working on his wounds. A blush crossed her cheeks as she lightly undressed him and applied salve where she needed to. This was the most awkward situation she had been in… well in a while. “I’m so sorry Qadim.”

He didn't think he actually passed out from all his injuries. He thought he was simply catching his breath. Oh, would the tribe get a good laugh out of this one: a great orc warrior passing out from his wounds. He would love to see them try doing the same. See how well they would handle an infinite number of reviving foes. After all, everyone had their limits.

He had not noticed himself being adjusted and moved into one of the medical tents as he rested to regain himself. In fact, he hardly noticed a thing until he could faintly hear the scream of his name and the sudden sound of collateral that followed afterwards. He could easily hear the voice barking at him as it moved closer, slowly getting more attuned with a female voice… a bit recognizable, actually. He could feel the hands working on his body, moving his clothes to access any open wounds to mend them, all the while she spoke to him, her voice was very concerning about everything that had occurred.

"What are you apologizing about?" he found himself asking, still keeping his eyes closed as she worked. "Its not your fault we were flooded by those things, right?"

“Actually, I wasn’t flooded at all… Qadim,” Daphne let an innocent sounding voice slip out as she tended to his wounds. In some places, she packed in the wounds with a good salve and she frowned a bit. “I am just so sorry to see you so hurt after you helped me. My mother said that I would know you but I didn’t realize that it would be you. I know so many people from the Rainforest.” She finished bandaging him and pulled the blanket up on his naked form.

“Also, the salve might sting so I don’t recommend trying to move too much or you might get it back into places it shouldn’t be… You’ll get used to the stinging at first but if you move it might make it sting again.” She was stumbling over her words as she blushed and got up from her seat by the cot. “Gods, you must need water Qadim… and food.” She was panicking now as she ran out of the tent.

It wasn’t long before she brought back a pail of water on her arm, a ladle, and some stew. “Here… I’ll even help you if you want.” She put the stew down on the side table and put the pail of water on the floor. She held up his head gently and put a ladle full of water to his lips. “Drink it slow ok? Don’t want to choke on the stuff.”

He could feel her medical work take action as the salves fought off anything that would infect him. However, being allied to open wounds also meant that the areas stung and burned more or less depending on the size of the gash. Still, he could not help but laugh at her comment about him getting hurt. "Well, I am not dead, right? For many with orc blood, scars made by these wounds are tales told around a pit fire. They tell of the hardships… and how we survived them. Which has the other part of my blood calling us reckless fools!" He made a bit of a bolstered laugh before stopping, feeling a wave of pain in his side, telling him to calm down.

Qadim used the time that Daphne gave him to catch his breath and cursing under it before she made a return with food and drink. "Smells good," he commented as she got things set up, "though nothing like what you served that night." As she held him up, he accepted the offering of watering and took it slow, feeling it refreshing to his mouth. "Now that helps wash out the sand from my mouth," he chuckled before pushing himself up, opening his eyes to see Daphne once more.

Daphne smiled at him and shook her head. “No, you are not dead but I would rather you not hurt. I’m familiar with how orcs are. I’ve treated many orcs in my time as guardian of the forest.” She smirked a bit at him and chuckled. “You should calm down before you rip more than you can deal with.” She gently rubbed his stomach and while it felt odd to her she remembered their time together in Laeto. They had been a good team and this was the least she could do for him.

Once she came back she took a moment and her mind went somewhere else. “If someone had heard you just now they would think many dirty things,” she chuckled a bit as she blushed and shook her head. “Forgive me I’m just trying to lighten the mood. Remind me to cook you real food so you can recover faster. I don’t do that for all my patients but you can be my favorite one this time.”

She put the ladle back into the bucket after she finished helping him drink and sat on the bed by his side. Helping him sit up she made him take the movement nice and easy. She tried to soothe any pain he had from the movement with her soft healing magics. It was a warm feeling that left her fingertips to flirt with his wounds that made it so relaxing. That took the pain away.

“I should fetch you some clothes. I’m afraid yours were in tatters and I had to remove them,” the blush was still firm on her face as she spoke to him. “I’m sure my mother could get you something you like though she could be busy for a while. So unless I want an eye full of you… You are staying in bed and resting.” She chuckled once more and brought the soup over from the side table for him. “I’m taking it you don’t need me to feed you now.”

The healing magic worked wonders in aiding the pain the tried to surge from moving himself. Maybe because of how big the wounds were, because even pushing himself up sent waves of pain through his waist, though they were dulled down quite quickly with Daphne's hands working their magic. It was like getting a simple massage to merely relax the customer, though the one giving could always make the experience more enjoyable.

"This time?" he chuckled as she worked her magic on dealing with the pain. "Guess I can't ask the one last time on what benefits come from being your favorite, now can I?" Pain or not, it would not stop him from giving her a huge, toothy grin before she spoke up again, watching her getting ready to get up.

After all, from all that, what he wore was no good, and she had to take them off… Meaning her comment on getting en eye full was a bit of a lie. If he was sitting there naked because of her, she must have already caught a good look. The orc side of him grinned as he took the bowl of soup in one hand while the other took a hold upon the edge of the blanket that hid his belt line from view, lifting up just a little bit before boldly stating, "You sure you don't want another view?" followed up by a quick chuckle as he dropped it back down to take the spoon and begin eating.

“Are you flirting with me?” She chuckled at him and shook her head. She thought she was joking but there was a possibility he actually was.

It was already too late by the time she saw his grin and a blush crossed her face. “Don’t you dare say it Qadim.” It was too late and he was already pulling up the blanket and motioning to her. Orcs… they were so bold. Out of a reaction of shock mostly she put the bowl of soup, luckily warm now, into his face. “I KNEW IT YOU ARE FLIRTING WITH ME!”

But after a moment her action registered and she lowered the bowl. “Now… I have to give you a bath.” She blushed more and looked away. “Shouldn’t have been such a pervert.” There was a smile on her face as she laughed at him. “You are honestly one of the most straightforward Orcs I’ve ever come across… even if you are only half.” She booped his nose and made a face. “Alright, let's get your chest and face all cleaned up. I’ll make you real food this time since I put the last one in your face.”

She got a wash bowl and cloth as she began to rub it all down him clearing the food. “I want to thank you again for helping me with the mushrooms.” She leaned over him and started to clean his hair. She wasn’t really as shy as she made herself out to be so it didn’t cross her mind her chest was right in his face as she did so. “What are you doing in the desert anyway?” She looked down at him and backed up just a bit so he could breathe. There was no point in freaking out this time, it had been her fault.

“So I will make you whatever you want… Just name it and that is what you’ll have for dinner.”

He deserved to get bathed in the stew. He could feel his elf side shaking his head at his orc half while he felt chucks of meat and veggies roll down his chest and the soup-like portion getting mangled in his hair. Still, it was cute seeing her get so embarrassed over a simple joke. Again, today, her cheeks were plastered red from the embarrassment as she decided to resolve the incident by washing him herself,  though was bold enough to joke about him being a pervert. "Ah, forgive me for taking advantage of such a perfect opportunity for a terrible joke," he chuckled.

Still, Qadim being the most straightforward orc? By Dalanesca's name he sure as hell was not! Many of them were raiders, so if they wanted your crap, they took it by force! Then again, their social skills were completely down the drain for most that didn't live in Mo'Mey.

As for halling him a perfect, Daphne did not shine any better considering she placed his head between her breasts as she went through his hair. Hell, he may as well be able to hear her heart beat if it wasn't for the noise coming from outside. Still, he at least kept his mouth shut (this time) until she finished up and gave him space after asking a question. "The guild I work for said I should take some time off. Step away from the greens of the woods and explore other lands. Said there were unique landscapes here. Nothing in their advertisement suggest a horde of the undead!"

It seemed he could take advantage of being a favorite  right away. Now, while the opportunity to make another perverted comment was in the air, he felt like this one was not as well suited, his elf side telling him it would be way too direct and forceful. Possibly to scare her off. "How about a chop, then?" he asked her. "And be sure to make two. It gets boring eating alone."