Warmth

warmth

Jack shouldn't be here.

Oswald knew he would try to stop them from taking Lacie away...and he knew it would end in failure...

How was he supposed to answer that question? He didn't want to tell Jack that Lacie wouldn't be okay, but he also didn't want to lie.

Trying to figure out what to say, he continued to clean the wound. Thankfully, it wasn't too deep. Jack got lucky they didn't do worse. Noticing him flinch he tried to be more gentle.

Once he was finished applying the antiseptics, he glanced over at Jack's face and that's when he saw that he was crying. Usually he didn't think much of it when Jack cried, but this time was different...this time he actually understood the reason behind his tears.

He lifted his hand up to gently wipe his tears away. This felt odd...he didn't generally touch Jack...didn't generally touch anyone.

"I can't promise that things will be alright..." It wasn't the most comforting thing to say, but it was the truth.

[ wounded ]

[ crying ] + [ wounded ]

non-verbal angst prompts | @gloomy-glen

"We won't lose her, right?" Jack asks while sitting on the bed, but he is not looking at Oswald. He is staring into the empty air in front of him. The abandonment, he couldn't accept it. He would not let them take Lacie away. Before he notices, a tear rolls down his cheek.

He flinches as Oswald wipes the cotton swab against his upper arm, bringing him back to reality. Did Oswald see? His tears? Jack makes no move to wipe them away. Oswald is still calm as ever, even now. Jack couldn't tell what he was thinking.

The wound where the sword had struck was not deep, and the bleeding has stopped already. They struck him when he hindered them from escorting Lacie. He'd tried to hold onto her arm. She'd turned and...

'It's fine, Jack.'

She'd smiled at him. The wound still hurt, especially with Oswald applying antiseptics against the open gash. But he didn't care much--

Idk how serious you were about tea suggestions, but I took it very seriously...

Black tea

Taste - malty, smoky, brisk, earthy, spiced, nutty, ect.

Benefits -

Heart health: Black tea contains flavonoids and theaflavins, which can help lower blood cholesterol and reduce the risk of heart disease.

Blood pressure: Drinking black tea long-term can improve blood pressure.

Diabetes: Black tea can improve insulin status and decrease blood glucose.

Weight loss: Black tea polyphenols can suppress the digestion and absorption of complex sugar and lipid, which can help inhibit obesity.

Cancer prevention: Black tea polyphenols can perform chemoprotective action against hormone-dependent breast tumors.

Mental alertness: Black tea can help improve mental alertness.

Energy: An 8-ounce glass of black tea has about 47 milligrams of caffeine, which can help provide a stimulant for more energy.Mood: Black tea can promote the release of dopamine and serotonin, which can enhance mood.

Steep time - 3-5 minutes

Chamomile tea

Taste - hint of apple and light honey-like sweetness

Benefits -

Sleep: Chamomile tea can help with insomnia, nightmares, and other sleep problems

Anxiety: Chamomile tea can help calm nerves and reduce anxiety

Digestion: Chamomile tea can help with indigestion, diarrhea, flatulence, nausea, vomiting, and motion sickness

Inflammation: Chamomile tea can help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress

Menstrual discomfort: Chamomile tea can help reduce menstrual discomfort

Blood sugar: Chamomile tea can help lower blood sugar in people with diabetes

Heart health: Chamomile tea can help with cholesterol management and blood pressure

Skin conditions: Chamomile tea can help treat skin conditions

Steep time - 3-5 minutes (you can do longer but I don't recommend it)

Peppermint tea

Taste - Minty and mildly sweet

Benefits -

Digestion: Peppermint tea can help with bloating, diarrhea, constipation, and other stomach and pelvic discomforts. It can also improve digestion by increasing bile in the stomach, reducing constipation, and reducing stomach acidity.

Weight loss: Peppermint tea can help control eating, suppress appetite, and burn calories.ImmunityPeppermint tea's antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties can inhibit food-borne toxins and impurities, enhancing the strength of the immune system.

Bad breath: Peppermint tea's natural anti-bacterial properties can kill germs that are stuck in your teeth or mouth, which can lead to halitosis.

Menstrual cramps: Peppermint tea's anti-inflammatory properties can help ease menstrual pain by reducing abdominal pain associated with menstrual cramps.

Energy: Peppermint tea can help increase alertness, focus, and energy.

Steep time - 5-10 minutes

Oolong tea

Taste - flavor can range from floral to grassy, and sweet to toasty

Benefits -

Weight loss: Oolong tea can help boost metabolism and burn fat, which may lead to weight loss. One study found that drinking 300 ml of oolong tea four times a day for six weeks helped overweight and obese adults lose more than 2 lbs.

Improved skin: Oolong tea contains antioxidants that can help protect skin cells from damage and reduce signs of aging, such as wrinkles and age spots.

Lower cholesterol: Oolong tea can help reduce cholesterol levels and promote heart health.

Reduced stress: Oolong tea contains compounds that can help calm the mind and reduce cortisol levels, a hormone associated with stress.

Improved brain activity: Oolong tea contains L-theanine, an amino acid that can improve brain activity and sleep quality.

Longer-lasting energy: L-theanine can also inhibit the release of caffeine, resulting in a smoother, longer-lasting energy boost.

Healthy hair: Oolong tea's antioxidants can prevent hair loss and make hair thicker and shinier.

Healthy nutrients: Oolong tea contains healthy nutrients like calcium, magnesium, potassium, manganese, niacin, and sodium.

Steep time - 2-3 minutes for green oolong and 3-5 minutes for dark oolong

White tea

Taste - lightly floral, honey, fruity, and silky with peach, apricot, ect.

Benefits -

Heart health: White tea contains polyphenols that help relax blood vessels, which can prevent cholesterol oxidation and improve heart health.

Dental health: Antioxidants in white tea can reduce plaque growth and the amount of bacteria in your mouth, which can help prevent cavities and gum disease.

Antioxidants: White tea has the highest antioxidants of any tea, which can help prevent cell damage from free radicals.Weight lossWhite tea can help boost metabolism, reduce calorie absorption, and increase energy levels, which can help you maintain a healthy weight.

Inflammation: White tea's polyphenols can prevent inflammation in dermal fibroblast cells, which help the skin recover after injuries.

Skin health: White tea's antioxidants can help damaged skin recover quickly, and protect it from ultraviolet light.

Steep time - 1-2 minutes or 2-3 minutes

English breakfast tea

Taste - malty, bitter, and mildly sweet

Benefits -

Heart health: The flavonoids in English breakfast tea can lower blood pressure and cholesterol, and reduce the risk of coronary heart disease.

Antioxidants: English breakfast tea contains antioxidants that can help protect healthy cells and fight cancer-causing cells.

Diabetes: The polyphenols in English breakfast tea can improve insulin sensitivity and regulate blood sugar levels, which may lower the risk of type 2 diabetes.

Gut health: English breakfast tea can fight bacteria and other microorganisms that can cause improper digestion.

Weight loss: When combined with a balanced diet and exercise, black tea can help speed up metabolism, which may contribute to weight loss.

Concentration: English breakfast tea contains L-theanine, an amino acid that can improve alertness and help nerve cells relax.

Steep time - 3-5 minutes

*Benefits info was copied and pasted from Google and additional info and pictures were gotten from various sources*

There are many other types of teas, but that's all I'm going to list.

Here's two links for more in depth information:

Link one

Link two

If you would be so kind as to give me tea suggestions, that would be wonderful.

That was good...at least he knew what he was doing. He thought at first Jack was planning to just wing it...which would've ended in a mess.

"Miss Canthine....is she a friend of yours?" He couldn't remember if Jack had mentioned her before...Jack liked to interact with various different people, and it was hard to keep up with everyone. Perhaps she was a new friend of his?

continued from this ask | @gloomy-glen

"For the compost!" Jack answers like it's the most obvious answer. Well, he actually planned to make marmalade out of these at first, but seeing as most are rotten, and he'd already picked them up...

"There are some good ones that can be used for marmalade." He says, although there were not many. Maybe they would go and climb the tree to get some of the fresher ones??

"Or candles." He smiles. Many of the women were chattering about the nice fruit-smelling candles nowadays. He could try to make some.

I should really work on my drafts....

Low empathy and apathetic folks are cool and aren't bad people for not caring about things in the same way as others. I can't stress enough how much someone can't force themselves to care emotionally/deeply about things if their brain isn't making that connection. You can maybe think your way into rationalizing why you should "care" or otherwise do the right thing but if you don't feel it that's not your fault.

If you can only care about things intellectually or from a distance, or frankly not at all, that's ok.

It's your actions that matter. Not the internal factors you don't have control over.