Preparing for an Expedition (Jygust 30:mTT OPEN)

[Mikail]

Mikail broke the leaves open and smelled them, and a rich aroma filled his head. She really knows her stuff, but then again, she probably only knows the herbs around here. Taking this fish out of water would compromise her abilities and then it would only be taking her away from her home without cause. Mikail pulled his dagger out of his sleeve and handed it to her, not even realizing the conspicuous nature of where he'd been keeping it.

"I don't know if you can tell from my accent, but I'm not from here. In fact, I'm from T'aquar." He looked down when he said that, since she was a human, he expected negative reactions to his origin. "My job is to keep our soldiers' bellies full and hearts beating, and so I need a good supply of herbs in case things get hairy. Also, I like to try new alchemical recipes, and so it's nice to have stuff to tinker with. From the smell of it, basil will be more useful for the cooking bit."

[Ashari]

Diana smirked as he pulled the knife from his sleeve, but she didn't push the issue by commenting. Instead, she wrapped nimble fingers around the hilt and made short work of cutting the stalks of the basil, though she did so carefully, while leaving several fingerwidths of height at the base. Here, she pointed. "Can't take it all or it won't grow," she cautioned. "If you have another knife it could go a bit quicker with us both doing it." Diana suggested.

Long braids dangled on either side of the young woman's face, and covered her ears quite well, making it difficult to discern from that mark alone what race she was. Her face was squared and angular, though pleasant, and gave off the general sign of being human. As he mentioned Taquar she nodded. "I've heard it was once quite beautiful... before the wars," she said. "I've never been, though."

As far as the conversation concerning basil was concerned, she nodded. "Yes, it's mostly for cooking. You can use it raw, that's when it's strong. You can hang most any of these to dry them... if you're going away on this caravan for a while you could leave more than half of this hung and drying in where-ever it is you store things, so long as you can keep the mice out," she suggested, and then looked over the herbs.

"Hrmm... but then you also want things for healing, right?"

[Mikail]

Mikail noticed her face as he revealed his blade. I suppose a hidden dagger is offensive to even one who calls herself a pirate. How kind of her to reserve judgment on me though. He watched her hands as she cut the basil. "I only have the one blade, sorry."

As she started commenting on T'aquar his almost forgotten sorrow was slightly rekindled. "Beautiful... There aren't enough words in the Human language to describe how beautiful T'aquar used to be. I don't know what the motive of most of these soldiers is, but mine is clear. On day, I'm going to help restore T'aquar. I hope that my brother and I can use our trading company as a launching pad for the T'aquar economy. I don't know though." His head hung a little bit and his voice shook slightly. "There are so many that are blatantly ignorant of our plight. Let any man who calls the T'aquar Adhiels heathens and villains be instantly slain. That's a world I want to live in. The words the Dominicans use describe their god depict a great figure. If only they could even come close to following the example they preach..." Mikail held his tongue, as he couldn't remember if his brother worshiped Dominicus or not. "It's not fair. How can they think we're evil? We've been nothing but good to the world around us..."

As she spoke of how to prepare the basil he made mental notes, but only nodded in response. He had been ignoring the pain of these memories so that he could learn to live in King's Court, and so he would do tomorrow. It took hours of meditation sometimes to block out the pain, but he had no choice. He breathed deep, and obstinately calmed himself, and his face instantly straightened and his composure returned; his voice returned to normal. He had to fight the emotions that were struggling to break through the surface of his mind. "Healing is my secondary job, but in my eyes, it is the most important. I've already got a pretty good means of poisoning, so that's not my top priority. It's not lethal, but it'll knock someone out for a good few marks, even a tide if they get a good amount. More than a day if it enters their blood. I don't yet know of the side effects of that route of administration though."

[Ashari]

"Well... lucky for you I'd say because this garden has all sorts of things in it," Diana said while running her fingers amidst the tangle to pull out a thatch of weeds and grass, exposing one or another type of herb from the rows. "This is Lavender." She pointed to a small shrub with gray, downy, linear leaves with blue to violet flowers, growing in compact spikes. "It relaxes muscle spasms, soothes digestion, and lowers fever." She harvestest quite a bit of it. "Put it in hot water like tea," she recommended. "Carpenter's Square," more cuttings. This time she drew from acutely heart shaped leaves growing in the shade taller herbs. "Use this the same way... makes you go if you know what I mean." Constipation was a common problem for travellers living on harsh breads and potatoes. Next she went to those very taller plants that shaded the prior. "Coneflower - echinacae," she, surprisingly, knew both it's names. It was a hairily square stemmed plant with spikes atop of which there were distinctive flowers featuring some fifteen, spreading, dull-purple rays and a conical disk made up of numerous purple and tubular florets. The pollin was bright yellow in the center of each floret, and bees buzzed over their surface, as well as many sleeping bees.

"Helps with infections and colds," she continued. "But you need to use the roots, so here.. you hold this," Diana handed him the knife. "And cut that." Her instruction was minimal, and included jutting her chin in the direction of a deep green hairy plant with a rough stem about a single foot high. The leaves were numerous and the bases were about a hand's length long, while the upper leaves were only a few finger widths high. The flowers are small, arranged closely on slender, terminal spike. "Right at the base," she added while pulling the cone flower from the ground to expose yellowish roots from which it's medicinal properties flowed.

[Mikail]

Mikail watched her, stunned at her knowledge of herblore. I wonder whose garden this is... I wouldn't want to be stealing from someone, but if it really is inconsequential I suppose there's nothing wrong with it. He picked up some leaves of the lavender and carpenter's square and smelled them, and then pulled out three bags, writing the words on the bags. He put a root and the two leaves in each bag, taking careful note of what they looked like. "I can't thank you enough for this. Is there anything else I should know? Whose garden is this by the way?" As he pulled out another bag he measured out a pile of the basil leaves and put them inside.

[Ashari]

"Well, for starters, you could take that knife and help me out," she reiterated, pointing more obviously toward the plant she'd instructed him to cut but had yet to name, which caused her to pause in the midst of what she was doing. Diana had a flare for the dramatics, something she'd had in her from the time she was a youth and carried the nick name of Wildcat. Her fierce independance fell in well with the pirating lifestyle, and though she realized she was doing her best to earn the money he'd afford her, she also had patience that would stretch only so far. "I'm not sure whose garden, but with how it looks it hadn't been used in atleast a yahren if not more. I'd say whoever ran this shop was a pagan - ousted by our Dominican friends," there was a biting incindiary tone to her voice, as if she understood his dislike of the Oneists and wished to flare it up, though she didn't settle on the topic. Instead, she gave a deep sigh and shrugged.

Mikail's saving graces were his natural innocence, curiosity and attention to the details she was getting across to him. For some alchemical tutor he would be a fantastic apprentice - which she saw in him while returning to her other work of de-grounding the echinacea plants to get at their tuberous yellow roots. For that, Diana continued her work, plus, it was sort of nice to have something to do in the city before heading out to one of the local pubs.

"So, where is your caravan headed, anyway?" She asked, though she continued to concentrate on her herb analasis to decide which plants would suit him and his crew best.

[Mikail]

"As you wish," Mikail said, somewhat confused. He took the knife back from her as instructed and began cutting. He winced when she said pagan, for he knew it had become a derogatory term for anyone that doesn't worship the mad god. He also winced partly because he imagined what fate they suffered for being pious to whatever faithful religion they belonged to. As he cut he watched her work and thought of what she'd be doing if he hadn't spoken to her. She could have been arrested this very afternoon. It's amazing how much one's world can change after two words are overheard. Mikail also began to imagine how much this very scene would alter his future, and what would have happened had he stayed on the main street. He never would have learned of basil or any of these things, and the sad plight of the owners of this shop would just be another shack out of business.. He was starting to grow fond of this girl, as he never really spoke to people outside his immediate alliances. He was sad that they'd never speak again after this. Maybe it'd be best to keep the conversation impersonal from now on. "We're going to Brie first, and then to Pax, and then back to the capital city."

[Ashari]

"Pax? Really? My brother is living in Pax," she continued her work. "If.. if I wrote something would you give it to him? I'd like to send him a note so that he doesn't worry after me, if you wouldn't mind carrying it and delivering it.. that is," Diana took on her own hopeful sort of expression then.

[Mikail]

Mikail lightened up again. I may never see my friend again, but I may do her service, and prove my gratitude for the favor. He felt sort of pathetic, feeling as though he'd miss a stranger, but also felt proud that he was actually talking to somebody himself, as opposed to behind his more socially inclined (and interested) brother. He was actually engaging with somebody, as opposed to simply gauging them. "I would be happy to deliver it. May I ask his name?"

[Ashari]

"His name is Ulder," she said with a smile, already thinking of her handsome and heroic brother. "But, oh! You can't tell him how we met, I mean.. If you talk to him, you can't be like 'Oh, she was peddling drugs in the Avenue of Trade' I'd be horribly embarassed... He worries after me, the way a brother ought to," Diana said. She'd lost two brothers in the past few months - to the very god that Mikail dispised. His War had cost her dearly, and was likely to soon cost her her father.

"May I borrow a piece of parchment?" She asked, and picked up his discarded quill. "This is a beautiful quill," she said while running calloused fingers over it's smooth texture.

"This is great.. I thought I might have to pay lots of money to send him something, you are a good man, Mikail. I thank you - really." The young woman knelt down and set to work on her short letter. "I shall recommend you to my brother. Perhaps he will be able to reward you for your kindness."

Dearest Brother,

I hope you are well. I've travelled far already - though I still dream of seeing the Citadel as you did, for I should be so lucky as to meet someone like Elaine is for you. I'm well. Do not worry after me, but know that I've spoken to father as I've just come back to King's Court. He is still in the prison, but is taken care of. There is a healer who shares his cell, and he's kept him safe. I don't know when they might release him, but I will stay in the city. I think I might be able to help him.

The young man who carries this letter is dear - kind and trustable as well as trusting. Favor him and he will do well by you should you need him. His name is Mikail and he's helped me as well as carried this letter to you.

Give mother and the rest my affections.

Be well, Brother,
Much love
Wildcat

PS: You and Elaine better not be having babies! And if you are, there better be a baby Diana by the time I see you again. -DS

"Ulder Synkaaros," she said once she'd penned the note, folded it and scribed his name on the top. "Keep it close to your heart," she handed it over to him with her body flooded with appreciation for Mikail and his kindness.

OOC: You are now in possession of this note. You may want to add it to your compendium so it doesn't get lost!

[Mikail]

Mikail handed her a piece of parchment and waited quietly as she wrote her message. After she handed it to him, he did not even think about reading the letter, but instead put it in one of the empty beakers that lay in one of the tight-stitched pockets in his jerkin (stitched for the very task of securing his smaller bottles; the larger ones he kept in his small bag he wore over his shoulder). "I will deliver your letter, Diana," he said, pulling the scarf down to his neck. "No one will read it, and no one will even know it's with us. When we arrive in Pax, I will give it to him personally. You have my word."

He wasn't sure why he had decided to help her so decisively, but it was most likely because she got him to crawl outside his own mind for once, and for that he was grateful.

[Ashari]

"Thank you, again. Maybe when you return I'll see you - maybe he'll have sent you something back for me!" That thought rather excited the young woman. It was always quite a big deal to recieve letters, even more so packages. "I'll be staying somewhere close-by, probably. Maybe the Dragon's Den.. that's a nice place," she smiled.

"I think all these herbs should do you well," Diana said helping him get everything tidied up. "I hope your adventures go well, sir Mikail," she put out her hand again for him to shake, but this time in parting rather than farewell.

She had a mind to spend some of this money he'd given her. Diana's stomach was empty and she was quite thirsty - both things which lured her away and perhaps to a pub for the afternoon. Maybe I can just get something on the way in the market... She thought to herself, already dreaming up the foodstuffs she'd be eagerly filling her belly with.

[Mikail]

"You're very welcome. On my return I will be sure to find you and bid you his words." Mikail was very repelled by the atmosphere of the Dragon's Den, but it was the popular choice over the Laughing King (though since the caravan made the Laughing King's Tavern their headquarters, business there had gone up quite nicely). He put all of the herbs in his bag, sorting them into respective pouches. I'll be up late playing around with these.

Mikail shook her hand and gave her a bow. He put his scarf back over his face and made his way through the Avenue of Trade, to eventually find Sando and get a status report on his herbs.

[Ashari]

SKILLS:
Sando
Language [human]: +**
Persuade: +*
NEW SKILL! Resolve: basic

Mikail
Streetwise: +*
Cooking: +*
Conversation: +**
NEW SKILL! Herbal Lore [King`s Court]: basic +*

ITEMS:
Sando:
Herb list & money

Mikail
Letter for Ulder Synkaaros from his sister, Diana Synkaaros
Free Herbs! (Basil, lavendar, echinacea & chamomile)