The Midori Road

Along the worn-out road walked a small, young woman. The lass, not even 4 and a half feet tall but still clearly in her mid 20s, moved quietly and slowly as she meandered down the path with a bag on her back. Occasionally she would look up to make sure she knew where to go but otherwise looked down at her bare feet. With a content look it was obvious she was heading for Quying, but for what was unknown.

As Kiara got closer, Pana looked up to her. Rather than seem friendly, however, Pana instinctively moved to the side of the road and looked away, as if trying to avoid confrontation. She stopped in her tracks, waiting for Kiara to pass while avoiding eye contact.

Pana looked up and smiled weakly, nodding a little.

"Yes, miss, if you keep going down this road you'll get to Kiyonai, miss." She replied. She did her best to avoid eye contact but every once in a while glanced up to Kiara before looking away.

She looked up in shock.

"...W-What?" She asked, bewildered. "Uh...Um, I'm heading to Quying, miss. I'm sorry, I-I didn't mean to cause trouble for you."

"N-No, it's just...no one's cared where I was going before, miss. I'm just a sl- I was just a s-"

Pana bit her lip and stopped herself from talking before trying again.

"I was just a worker, miss, no one cared to learn my business unless it related to their own."

"Well...I want to be a healer. I've always loved caring for people and helping others out..." She said, smiling a little

She shook her head.

"Not a priestess, no. I'm not allowed to use my- to use magic. I have great knowledge of what herbs can be used for medicine. I always felt better being outdoors so learning herbology was the most obvious conclusion, I guess." She giggled a little as she wiggled her toes in the dirt.

She flinched at the question before sighing. Taking a martial arts pose, widening her stance and moving her open palms slowly in the air, Pana began to glow a light golden hue as embers of light flickered around her. Continuing to move her hands, almost as if dancing slowly, the aura turned into ribbons that followed her hands and arced from her shoulder and sides. A beautiful aura overwhelmed her, small lights of light hovering around her. Eventually she put her arms down, finishing her dance, and slowly dying the glow down until it was gone entirely.

"Please don't tell anyone, miss..." She pleaded, clasping her hands together, "If anyone finds out I use magic to heal I'll be hanged!"

"It's gotten me into trouble too many times. I'm heading to Quying so I can leave this place for good....There's a continent far away from here where magic is fully accepted. Maybe there I would be able to become a healer for a small village."