1 Searing, Year 122
[Closed, Solo]
[Out of season thread approved by Rune]
[Continuation of Part II]
“Stop that!” He shouted at her, as Hilana ignored him and pulled the offending bridle off. With the pain no longer in his mouth, the gelding came to a stop. The girl made a crooning sound, rubbing his nose as the horse’s sides heaved. Poor dear, this one. Some people were really just too stupid to be entrusted with animals, and clearly, this was one of them. She inserted the bit again, securing the bridle once more. “…Thank you,” he admitted grudgingly.
She nodded to him, and headed off down the streets. She had the address, now she just had to find it. But Port Vasta she had been to often enough, even if she had primarily been keeping her head down and watching and listening as part of the convoy, unloading and moving materials and goods. Good work, but hard work, but the fact she had been able to do it with her friends was what had been important to her. Another turn, and she found her destination: Sweet Remedies. It was a taller building, if not as broad as some, with large windows and dozens upon dozens of plants in pots that were visible from the street. She moved her camel out of the way of the thoroughfare and into the more shaded alley, easing out of the saddle and sliding down, landing nearly in the sands on her feet. She looked up at the gargantuan beast, coming around him to rub his jaw before pressing a kiss to his nose. He blew at her and inhaled her scent in turn, and she stroked the hair of his muzzle before securing his decorated lead to the post and going in.
A quaint brass bell announced her entry, and Hilana glanced up at it, stepping in anyway. The floral and herbal scents enveloped her, and she breathed in, looking around. So many jars and plants, and as she looked up there were many more drying from racks on the ceiling. Labeled packets lined aisles to her left, tables around her and further up had both a space for working and for other displays. Her dark eyes lit up. It wasn’t perhaps as fancy as some magical emporium, but for Hilana… it was perfect. It delighted her, all of her, and a tall Vastii emerged from around the back. “Salve, good morning,” he greeted her. She didn’t have the look of someone of status, but Vasilei could correct himself later if it turned out to be the case. “How may I help you? Do you see anything you like?”
“All of it,” Hilana smiled up at him, approaching him and stopping a respectful distance away before inclining her head and bowing slightly. “My name is Matsi Chenzira Hilana,” she told him, straightening and retrieving a letter from her bag and offering it to him. Tiaz poked his head out of the gap as she shifted her rucksack back into place. “My great-aunt Eliana said that you would be expecting me,” she added as the man opened the seal and started reading it, looking her over, one eyebrow raised.
He folded the note, tucking it away into a pocket. “It was mentioned, yes,” he nodded, looking at her up and down and cupping his chin with a few fingers. “So tell me. What would you use to treat an infected wound? Plants only, honey doesn’t count,” he added wryly. “That is too easy. List for me five options.”
“Garlic, echinacea, prickly rose, clove, and summerdew,” Hilana ticked them off on her fingers, her thumb touching each in turn of the same hand. “Mountain star-thistle, if you can get it,” she added. That one was harder than most; considering it was often in the territory of wild Wyverns. But nothing healed like it.
“Name for me three poisonous plants that will kill you within a day of eating them,” He asked her next, apparently satisfied with the first batch of answers. His face, however, gave nothing away.
“Oleander, white snakeroot, the deadly nightshade,” she answered, as Tiaz moved along her shoulders, releasing himself from the bag. His forked tongue flicked, and he began to situate his muscled length in the lowered hood of her cloak, his head resting on her collarbone as he tasted the air of the new surroundings.
“Does he always come with you?” Vasilei asked her, then, indicating the snake.
“If you’ve no problem with it,” Hilana admitted. “If you would rather he not come, I can leave him in my apartment. But he is well-behaved, he doesn’t strike at people, and he’s beautiful,” she stroked the python’s scaled jaw. She was quite proud of him, that much was clear. Vasilei looked him over. He hadn’t seen just how long he was, but he could guess.
“They’re well-received here, and he doesn’t look to be venomous,” the man decided. “Give it a trial run, I suppose…”
“You mean…?” The girl looked excited, starting to rise up on her toes, rocking back to her heels.
“One more thing,” he raised his hand, waiting for her to become still again. It took a breath, but she did stop. “What plant is edible as a berry and as a young leaf, but becomes toxic once the leaves start to wilt?” He tossed the trick question casually at her.
She considered for a moment, eying him almost suspiciously. “Raspberry,” Hilana said finally. “The berries can be eaten. The young leaves can be eaten or made into tea. But once wilt sets in, they are toxic.”
After a long moment of them looking at each other, that almost stern look became a relaxed smile. “You can start tomorrow morning,” he told her. “I open at eight, but I want you to come earlier so that you can start getting acquainted with everything and I can show you around. Be here no later than seven.” Early, but not so difficult when you had a reason, after all. And what reason was better than advancing her training under a new mentor? “I don’t suppose you have experience with bees?”
“Does stealing honey from wild hives count?” Hilana asked wryly, widening her eyes to make herself look innocent. Vasilei chuckled.
“How often did you get stung?” He asked her, amused.
“Often enough,” she admitted. “Until I learned to hum for them.”
“You’ll learn more here. I have a lot of hives, as you can see,” he indicated the wall with the jars and pots of honey on the shelves. “Eliana mentioned that you have a good hand with snakes - you’ve not got any venomous snakes in that bag of yours?”
“Not yet,” Hilana admitted. “I wanted to get settled first before I got them, but I do plan on acquiring some. I love snakes, and the venom can be used for antivenin.”
“—Antivenin,” Vasilei said at the same time as she did. “We are on the same page, it seems. I look forward to tomorrow,” he inclined his head to her, and Hilana bowed to him in turn.
“Thank you very much. I’ll not disappoint you,” she told him as she straightened.
“Let’s not make promises you can’t keep, hmm?” He deadpanned before chuckling. “Did you come with your family’s convoy?” he asked her. She nodded in the affirmative. “I assume you’ll be seeing them before they leave? Let me write a note to your great-aunt, and have them deliver it to her. You can have a look around in the meantime,” Vasilei waved his hand around the brightly-lit shoppe. Hilana nodded once again, and when he went into the back, she started to browse. Tiaz remained in her hood, though she could feel his soft, dry scales against the back of her neck. There was order and disorder all at once in here; she found his method of organization different from when she had been under Eliana’s tutelage. But that wasn’t on her to criticize or remark upon: it was on her to learn it.
After a few minutes, he came back out, holding a folded piece of paper that had been sealed with wax, much like Eliana’s had been. She heard his footsteps and looked up, coming back over to him to take it. “Thank you very much, sir,” she told him, inclining her head. “I’ll make sure they get this where it needs to go.”
“Vasilei,” he waved a hand at her, correcting her. There wasn’t much point in calling him ‘sir’, as he wasn’t one of the Patricians. “Go on, otherwise I’m going to put you to work now,” his lips quirking to form a grin, and Hilana grinned back as she put the note in her rucksack, turning to go.
“Have a good day, Vasilei. I will see you tomorrow morning,” she assured him, the brass bell announcing the door’s opening to signal her departure. She left Tiaz in her hood, rather than tucking him back away in the bag he had rode in for most of the journey. The python was used to her movements, and he apparently wanted to investigate some of this newness, too. Hilana was used to him, too, and she could feel from his positioning that he would not fall - Founders forbid - as she retrieved Hayima’el’s lead from the post, climbing it just as she had the first one, balancing easily on the wood that had been worn smooth from a combination of usage, wind, and sun, before climbing back into the saddle. She clicked her tongue and nudged him with her heels, and he backed up before they headed back towards where she was more familiar, the shipping and receiving areas closer to the banks of the river. While a great deal of goods came by barge, the camels were still used by her father’s family. One couldn’t take a barge out to the far reaches of the Expanse, could they?
[Part IV]
[Closed, Solo]
[Out of season thread approved by Rune]
[Continuation of Part II]
“Stop that!” He shouted at her, as Hilana ignored him and pulled the offending bridle off. With the pain no longer in his mouth, the gelding came to a stop. The girl made a crooning sound, rubbing his nose as the horse’s sides heaved. Poor dear, this one. Some people were really just too stupid to be entrusted with animals, and clearly, this was one of them. She inserted the bit again, securing the bridle once more. “…Thank you,” he admitted grudgingly.
She nodded to him, and headed off down the streets. She had the address, now she just had to find it. But Port Vasta she had been to often enough, even if she had primarily been keeping her head down and watching and listening as part of the convoy, unloading and moving materials and goods. Good work, but hard work, but the fact she had been able to do it with her friends was what had been important to her. Another turn, and she found her destination: Sweet Remedies. It was a taller building, if not as broad as some, with large windows and dozens upon dozens of plants in pots that were visible from the street. She moved her camel out of the way of the thoroughfare and into the more shaded alley, easing out of the saddle and sliding down, landing nearly in the sands on her feet. She looked up at the gargantuan beast, coming around him to rub his jaw before pressing a kiss to his nose. He blew at her and inhaled her scent in turn, and she stroked the hair of his muzzle before securing his decorated lead to the post and going in.
A quaint brass bell announced her entry, and Hilana glanced up at it, stepping in anyway. The floral and herbal scents enveloped her, and she breathed in, looking around. So many jars and plants, and as she looked up there were many more drying from racks on the ceiling. Labeled packets lined aisles to her left, tables around her and further up had both a space for working and for other displays. Her dark eyes lit up. It wasn’t perhaps as fancy as some magical emporium, but for Hilana… it was perfect. It delighted her, all of her, and a tall Vastii emerged from around the back. “Salve, good morning,” he greeted her. She didn’t have the look of someone of status, but Vasilei could correct himself later if it turned out to be the case. “How may I help you? Do you see anything you like?”
“All of it,” Hilana smiled up at him, approaching him and stopping a respectful distance away before inclining her head and bowing slightly. “My name is Matsi Chenzira Hilana,” she told him, straightening and retrieving a letter from her bag and offering it to him. Tiaz poked his head out of the gap as she shifted her rucksack back into place. “My great-aunt Eliana said that you would be expecting me,” she added as the man opened the seal and started reading it, looking her over, one eyebrow raised.
► Show Spoiler
He folded the note, tucking it away into a pocket. “It was mentioned, yes,” he nodded, looking at her up and down and cupping his chin with a few fingers. “So tell me. What would you use to treat an infected wound? Plants only, honey doesn’t count,” he added wryly. “That is too easy. List for me five options.”
“Garlic, echinacea, prickly rose, clove, and summerdew,” Hilana ticked them off on her fingers, her thumb touching each in turn of the same hand. “Mountain star-thistle, if you can get it,” she added. That one was harder than most; considering it was often in the territory of wild Wyverns. But nothing healed like it.
“Name for me three poisonous plants that will kill you within a day of eating them,” He asked her next, apparently satisfied with the first batch of answers. His face, however, gave nothing away.
“Oleander, white snakeroot, the deadly nightshade,” she answered, as Tiaz moved along her shoulders, releasing himself from the bag. His forked tongue flicked, and he began to situate his muscled length in the lowered hood of her cloak, his head resting on her collarbone as he tasted the air of the new surroundings.
“Does he always come with you?” Vasilei asked her, then, indicating the snake.
“If you’ve no problem with it,” Hilana admitted. “If you would rather he not come, I can leave him in my apartment. But he is well-behaved, he doesn’t strike at people, and he’s beautiful,” she stroked the python’s scaled jaw. She was quite proud of him, that much was clear. Vasilei looked him over. He hadn’t seen just how long he was, but he could guess.
“They’re well-received here, and he doesn’t look to be venomous,” the man decided. “Give it a trial run, I suppose…”
“You mean…?” The girl looked excited, starting to rise up on her toes, rocking back to her heels.
“One more thing,” he raised his hand, waiting for her to become still again. It took a breath, but she did stop. “What plant is edible as a berry and as a young leaf, but becomes toxic once the leaves start to wilt?” He tossed the trick question casually at her.
She considered for a moment, eying him almost suspiciously. “Raspberry,” Hilana said finally. “The berries can be eaten. The young leaves can be eaten or made into tea. But once wilt sets in, they are toxic.”
After a long moment of them looking at each other, that almost stern look became a relaxed smile. “You can start tomorrow morning,” he told her. “I open at eight, but I want you to come earlier so that you can start getting acquainted with everything and I can show you around. Be here no later than seven.” Early, but not so difficult when you had a reason, after all. And what reason was better than advancing her training under a new mentor? “I don’t suppose you have experience with bees?”
“Does stealing honey from wild hives count?” Hilana asked wryly, widening her eyes to make herself look innocent. Vasilei chuckled.
“How often did you get stung?” He asked her, amused.
“Often enough,” she admitted. “Until I learned to hum for them.”
“You’ll learn more here. I have a lot of hives, as you can see,” he indicated the wall with the jars and pots of honey on the shelves. “Eliana mentioned that you have a good hand with snakes - you’ve not got any venomous snakes in that bag of yours?”
“Not yet,” Hilana admitted. “I wanted to get settled first before I got them, but I do plan on acquiring some. I love snakes, and the venom can be used for antivenin.”
“—Antivenin,” Vasilei said at the same time as she did. “We are on the same page, it seems. I look forward to tomorrow,” he inclined his head to her, and Hilana bowed to him in turn.
“Thank you very much. I’ll not disappoint you,” she told him as she straightened.
“Let’s not make promises you can’t keep, hmm?” He deadpanned before chuckling. “Did you come with your family’s convoy?” he asked her. She nodded in the affirmative. “I assume you’ll be seeing them before they leave? Let me write a note to your great-aunt, and have them deliver it to her. You can have a look around in the meantime,” Vasilei waved his hand around the brightly-lit shoppe. Hilana nodded once again, and when he went into the back, she started to browse. Tiaz remained in her hood, though she could feel his soft, dry scales against the back of her neck. There was order and disorder all at once in here; she found his method of organization different from when she had been under Eliana’s tutelage. But that wasn’t on her to criticize or remark upon: it was on her to learn it.
After a few minutes, he came back out, holding a folded piece of paper that had been sealed with wax, much like Eliana’s had been. She heard his footsteps and looked up, coming back over to him to take it. “Thank you very much, sir,” she told him, inclining her head. “I’ll make sure they get this where it needs to go.”
“Vasilei,” he waved a hand at her, correcting her. There wasn’t much point in calling him ‘sir’, as he wasn’t one of the Patricians. “Go on, otherwise I’m going to put you to work now,” his lips quirking to form a grin, and Hilana grinned back as she put the note in her rucksack, turning to go.
“Have a good day, Vasilei. I will see you tomorrow morning,” she assured him, the brass bell announcing the door’s opening to signal her departure. She left Tiaz in her hood, rather than tucking him back away in the bag he had rode in for most of the journey. The python was used to her movements, and he apparently wanted to investigate some of this newness, too. Hilana was used to him, too, and she could feel from his positioning that he would not fall - Founders forbid - as she retrieved Hayima’el’s lead from the post, climbing it just as she had the first one, balancing easily on the wood that had been worn smooth from a combination of usage, wind, and sun, before climbing back into the saddle. She clicked her tongue and nudged him with her heels, and he backed up before they headed back towards where she was more familiar, the shipping and receiving areas closer to the banks of the river. While a great deal of goods came by barge, the camels were still used by her father’s family. One couldn’t take a barge out to the far reaches of the Expanse, could they?
[Part IV]
