[The Citrine Center] A Garden For Healers

[Alana Kaye]

3rd Day of Winter, 511AV It was not often that Alana had a great deal of time to herself. The entire day stretched before her, begging to be filled with interesting things. The Citrine Center was closed, since Haxo was not in. Of course, emergencies would be accepted, however Alana wasn’t expecting any. Their last emergency had been weeks ago; it appeared that Denval’s animals were good at keeping themselves out of trouble. She stared out of her window into the Center grounds. Aside from the building that housed the various animals they had under care, it was rather empty. Alana frowned. Surely they could use the space for something. She stood and turned to her small desk, upon which was her journal. It was full of scribbled notes on traditional techniques, interspersed with descriptions of herbs. She thumbed through it and then paused, a half-turned page still in her hand. Of course, herbs! The Center was always using herbs, pretty much on a daily basis. The space out the back was plenty big enough to grow some of their own. Alana sat down and then flipped to a blank page in her journal. Picking up a pen, she began to note down the herbs that they used the most: Aloe Chamomile Rosemary Ginger Mullien Dandelion Parsley Milk Thistle She stopped herself from adding too many; the number of herbs they used at the Center was rather large. Alana set her pen down and frowned at her list for a few moments before closing her journal.

[Alana Kaye]

Alana stood and scooped up her journal, shoving it in her coat pocket along with her pen and a tiny vial of ink. She proceeded down the stairs and out through the back of the Center. Though the skies were clear, the air was sharp with a chill. Winter truly was reaching out to them now. She scuffed at the ground with the toe of her shoe. It had yet to freeze, which was a good thing. Maybe she could start laying the foundations of her garden within the week? Of course, Alana was no expert. She had never gardened before in her life. But how hard can it be? Dig up some areas, plant the seeds, and then harvest them! A frown creased her brow. She was sure there was more to it than that, a lot more. She would have to find a book on it, if one existed. The Raster Market would be her best bet. Alana knelt on the ground for a moment, scribbling a reminder alongside her herb list. Rising again, she blew on the wet ink, encouraging it to dry before everything was returned to her pockets. She walked over to the area she had decided upon for her garden and stood by one of its imaginary borders. She examined the space, tilting her head like a curious hound as she did so. It would definitely be large enough. A smile wound over Alana’s mouth. She was excited for her new-found project. It seemed that it would be a learning curve and a long-term thing all wrapped into one.