Phoenix shook her head, and clicked her tongue, and reached out her hand to touch Eliza's upper arm. She could tell by her body language she'd offended her, the woman had backed up, she'd not had a good reaction to her joke, and she was bringing her things in front of her solar plexus, a sure sign of being uncomfortable. That was the last thing she wanted to do. Flopping from assuring to offending was not an effective way to bring someone to a good point psychologically. "Don't be grateful until I've done something," she said, walking to the large bookshelf filled with jars of plant material, and gesturing for Eliza to follow. "I haven't done anything yet."
She asked the question she should have asked when Eliza had first arrived, "How are you feeling? I have some tea for you, that I made up as an iron supplement. It's pretty tasty." She took a large, picnic size peanut butter jar, so wide she had to hold it with two hands, off of the shelf. It was filled with dark green, light green, and bits of light and dark oranges. "This is chickweed, nettle, apricot, and orange peel. It is one of the highest combinations of iron available other than a legume or meat. Drink five cups a day, and if you have anemia, this will clear it up within two weeks."
She'd done some research since meeting Eliza, and had several other avenues she could go down, if she considered just the hair loss as a symptom. But any healer worth their salt, or so said all of the herbal books and magazines she's garnered over the years, did not look at the symptoms, but what might be underlying the symptoms. It was the underlying cause that was to be addressed, not the symptom itself. Stress, a common underlying cause of many, many things was never far from Phoenix's thoughts. If it was stress that was causing Eliza's hair loss, then despite the impressively brave face she was putting on, she was not dealing with her mutation on a psychological level...Not a good sign for survival. Her thoughts strayed to Eliza's living situation, and possible causes of stress, but pushed it away.
She gestured for Eliza to follow her back to the stairs, saying, "I will make you up a cup now!"
Eliza felt like she was being chastised like a little girl even as she was comforted by Phoenix's warm touch. Though she claimed not to have done anything for her yet, Eliza knew it not to be true. By simply meeting her and inviting the mutant to her home, Phoenix had changed the ferret-woman's world. It was not as painful as her last introduction to a series of truths beyond her previous comprehension. Still finding out that her new existence was much broader than she had been lead to believe was monumental. Especially if there was a possibility that she would be living in it much longer than originally anticipated.
She thought about lying and saying that she felt fine. A typical and polite response that she had given a hundred times in her life. But she felt that this was not a situation that called for high society manners. She was trusting Phoenix with her health, she owed her honest answers. "I am feeling a bit tired after walking most of the morning." She smiled as the healer expounded on the mixture she had for Eliza, and was touched by the sentiment even though she had already taken her own measures to increase her iron levels.
The prospect of having to drink five cups a day was daunting, she rarely had more than a cup of coco a day, and that during cold weather. She prefered her drinks well chilled. Still, given yesterday's debacle, a bit of a boast couldn't hurt.
She followed the bouncing woman, who seemed be attempting to lift her mood by sheer force of will. And not doing a bad job at it. The prospect of sitting down and continuing their conversation, regardless of the direction it took, was a pleasant one and she smiled at it. "I'd love to have a cup." Eliza said as she trailed along after the healer.
Phoenix lead them back to the stairs, noting Eliza's symptom. A list of possibilities ran through her head: depending on how far away her home was, she might just be tired from the walk itself; if she had anemia, then that would make any kind of prolonged activity tiring, and climbing up the stairs, while no longer tired for her, was for a long time before her legs had gotten used to; if she had been pregnant for going on months, she was approaching her second trimester, which Phoenix remembered being utterly exhausting before the nesting instinct of the third trimester set in.
They approached the fifth floor, and as they got to the landing, Phoenix said, with the same drama as she had the floor below, "The living-floor!" Indeed, this floor showed much more signs of civilized life than the fourth, the entire floorplan was one sort of living space or another. Near the opening of the landing, there were five free-standing rooms, looking like a long rectangle made of plywood. It stood away from the cinderblock wall that had the stairs on the other side to make a kind of hallway, which was obviously used as a utility area. As one entered the floor, a quick look to the left showed a washer, dryer, and various cleaning sundries. To the immediate right at the landing was an open door that revealed the toilet, and a small workman's shower.
The rest of the floor was open space. cordoned off into sections much like the floor below, simply because it had different furniture in it than the previous section. Looking straight, there was a living-room, with a couch, large comfy chairs, and a television set. Beyond that was a complete kitchen, with a large, industrial sink, oven/stove, fridge, countertops, and cabinets. An old formica table with peeling chrome legs and a set of 4 matching chairs completed the picture. At the far end of the room, past the rectangle of plywood, which was punctuated with five doors, indicating rooms, was a space that was obviously a workout space. A set of homemade uneven bars, a pommel horse, a balance beam, and a hardwood floor all took up their own places in the 'room'.
"You will have to excuse the mess," Phoenix gestured to the plant matter on the floor in between the living room and the kitchen. "I was working when you arrived."
Eliza chuckled at the older woman's dramatic flare. This floor had all the amenities one might expect in any home plus quite a bit more. It looked comfortable and very well lived in, but in an inviting way. Closing her eyes she could practically feel the sense of life and the energy of the family flowing all around. It was place where love abounded and did more to put her at ease than any of Phoenix's verbal assurances. Taking a deep breath she felt some of her tension ease away.
The ferret looked around again and for some reason was not surprised to see the gym area. The Hamatos had the dojo and it made sense to her that any group that had to hide away during the day might need a space to work off some excess energy. The equipment was much closer to that of a gymnastics studio than the fight training Splinter had set-up. She had no personal experience with most of it but had watched enough Olympic competition broadcasts to recognize them for what they were.
The bathroom and utility area were humble but functional. The other doors in the constructed hall were closed but easy enough to determine that they were bedrooms. She smiled and waved a hand to dismiss the healer's apology at the mess. "Trust me, I've seen far worse." She smiled at the remembrance of her own days when unexpected company would stop by after a rough week and she would be hard pressed to find more than two matching glasses in the entire house. She walked into the home, head turning this way that, admiring the small touches the personalized the large space. The cabinet's handles were mismatched in an eclectic way and some of the pieces seemed to have the same flare to them as she had seen in the woodshop downstairs. Randomly a vase or small figurine could be found on a flat surface and canvases were hung on columns and walls alike. Coffee and side tables had small stacks of books on them, each with ribbons or slips of cardboard marking the reader's current place.
"It's a lovely home." She said without looking back as she made her way to the couch. "I hope you don't mind if I take a seat while you brew. My feet are killing me." She turned to receive the Phoenix's permission and smiled. Eliza slipped her backpack off and placed it on the floor next to the seat she intended to take pilling her other accessories on top. She sat and had readjust her balance momentarily when she happened to land in a spot where the cushions had conformed to a body larger than her own and the springs were not as firm as she had expected. "Oops. hehe." she snickered under her breath at her own lack of grace. She grabbed a throw pillow, noting that the edging was worn and in need of some mending before stuffing it behind her back to bolster her posture.
She would bring with her kit with her next time so she could match the thread color for the repair and would keep an eye out for anything else in need of her sewing skills. Not that she believed the family didn't possess the ability to see to such things themselves, but that she was already keeping a tally of ways to help and repay the kindness being shown to her. Using her dexterity with fabric, needle and thread would be simple for her. From their initial encounter a week ago she already knew that any gestures she made would have to be subtle or presented in such a way that Phoenix could not refuse them.
Comfortably situated she returned her attention to her host as she bustled about the kitchen preparing refreshment. "I hope I'm not keeping you from anything too important." She gestured with an open palm to indicate the plants the Phoenix had been working on before Eliza arrived. "After our drinks I could help you if you like. Though that's only if I wouldn't slow you down. Otherwise I could just keep you company. I'm not in any hurry today." She smiled knowing that she was under no time constraints, relishing in the sense of freedom it gave her. "I'm all yours till you're ready to kick me out." Eliza crinkled her eyes and wiggled her ears to accompany her jovial tone.