Kexin could not rest, not when the world had been turned upside down. This was her job, tending to the wolves of Tianlong, and she was woefully underprepared now. It felt like a moral failing of sorts, to not have every single herb and poultice for every single possible ailment within arm's length, ready for her to grab.

The more logical side of her was at war with this misplaced guilt - how was she to be prepared when she was thrown into this world alongside everyone else? But that inner voice was louder:

You should have planned. Should have prepared. Should have known.

Should have.

Should have.

Should have.

But there was nothing to do about the past, so Kexin took it upon herself to plan for the future. This, of course, had caused several sleepless nights so far, and the constant movement had her leg acting up and exacerbated that limp - which, if it were anyone else, Kexin would have forced them to rest, but she was nothing if not a hypocrite.

It was during one of her short travels to search for herbs that she heard another familiar voice - one that sent a surge of affection and despair both through her. This was no place for the royal children, and yet, she could not help but be overjoyed to lay eyes on the gentler of Shenlei's girls.

"Princess Lian," she greeted, tone far warmer than it was with most. Blue eyes scanned the yearling over critically, seeking out injuries or oddities. "Are you well? Did you just wake here?" The girl might be confused, in that case. Was Kexin the first face she'd seen?

Lian was not always as forthwith about her ailments as Kexin would like - none of them were, the whole family, but she supposed that stubbornness was part of why she enjoyed their company so much. Unfortunately, that also meant that Kexin could not trust words alone, but nothing seemed amiss, and so she would let it go.

For now.

"You'll tell me if anything changes." It wasn't a request. Now was not the time to hide injuries or illness - not when things were so new and rocky.

A soft huff of something akin to laughter escaped her. "The Emperor found me right away, as well. It seems almost divinely orchestrated, doesn't it?" Kexin would never admit to it, but she was hardly a religious wolf. Still, the events of late had been enough to make her question that, if even in some small amount.

Her eyes softened in turn, affection evident in her expression and tone. "And I, you, Princess." A hint of teasing slipped into her voice, then: "Though I do wish it hadn't been in a swamp of all places. The sooner we leave, the better, in my opinion." Her muzzle wrinkled. "I could do without the mud between my toes."

---

---

The smile she got in return was a weak one, but Kexin was pleased with the answer. Keeping all of them in good health was not an option at this point in time - where small things like colds or scrapes were easy to deal with back in their previous home, there was more danger here in the vast multitudes of unknowns the place held, as well as Kexin's lack of support from other healers and lack of access to her perfectly-organized stock of medicines.

Her ears perked at the girl's next words. "Yes, of course," she said, dipping her head. "I was just wondering why, I suppose. You know how we healers try to find a reason for everything," jested the woman after, tail swishing behind her. Kexin's personal beliefs were completely irrelevant in this situation, and speaking of them would only cause problems. Whether or not Kexin had faith like the others had no bearing on her loyalty or dedication, after all. The Emperor, his family, and their people were always Kexin's top priorities.

It was very like Lian to find beauty even in a place like this, but it did made Kexin look around with new eyes. They viewed the world differently, Kexin supposed. The healer was often too practical to think much on the aesthetics of a place, but now that she was looking about, she supposed the Princess was right.

"You view the world differently than I do," she told her thoughtfully. "I'll admit, I think this is the first time since arriving here I've thought to appreciate how this place looks." She inhaled slowly through her nose and let out a breath. "It isn't as beautiful as home, no, but it does have its own appeal, I suppose."

Kexin looked back at the girl, tilting her head to the side. "I wonder what kind of people used to live amongst these ruins." For clearly there had to have been someone, before. Structures like this didn't appear out of nowhere, and it was interesting to think about who might've been here before them. She wondered if the Princess had any ideas, or if this kind of imagining was even interesting to her.