68th of Fall 512 AV
Work today was much like every day here at the Sanctuary. However most if not all the women were missing. He couldn’t find any of them…Gianne was gone as was Rhy, Iris and Kavala…Had they all gone into town to spend time together? That would be a good bonding experience for them. And especially good for Iris. Serrif had taken it on himself to try and get as much work done as possible during this time though. There were always things to be done no matter how small. So, that being set to he had things to do. He cleared his mind and then set to work. Every task mattered even in the smallest amount.
He would set to doing the more distasteful work first. It would be the making of nightsoil. Something Kavala had indeed instructed him on doing. This soil was central in maintaining the gardens. Without it there was no real way to make the plants above grow. The soil here wasn’t perfect for such things and he knew this just by all the work he had done to prepare the garden bets themselves. The soil was somewhat sandy and unforgiving. Not meant for the growing of plants. They would need a richer soil for this, and nightsoil was the ticket for rich lush gardens. Yes this would be what they needed.
He went down into the waste handling area and put a bandanna over his mouth. It really didn’t help all that much but it took off some of the edge of the waste. He took the buckets from the chutes and emptied them into the soil bins. Once added he then put in some more of the yard trimmings and such from the above area in as well. There was a ratio here that needed to be kept. Otherwise the piles would begin to smell horrid. And he didn’t want that happening here. He continued to add the waste to the piles then with a pitchfork he turned the piles carefully as to miz up all the soil. It was warm here, exactly as it needed to be. And he could tell that the soil was being cured just by the deep dark color it was turning.
Carefully he stirred each pile in turn. Making sure to fully mix it up so they could get the most out of it. It was important to completely turn the piles form what Kavala had told him. And in a few weeks they would have fresh soil to add to the above gardens. Which was good because the garden needed the nutrients; as it always did. After this he set the pitchfork aside; all the tools used here stayed here for sanitation reasons. He made his way and once he got to the within he set on doing the next thing on his mental list.
Next was the making of some medicine and the likes. Medicine was always needed here in the sanctuary. Although he would want to take stockpile of what was available in the clinic before he made anything. So with a mental nod he headed for the clinic. Once there he checked the stores…Vial by vial he counted everything that was there. SO in reality there was no need for him to make medicine, because between Elem and him they had made everything faster than it had been used in the last few days. Which was good; that meant in the event of an emergency they would have everything they needed incase things came down on them…which it sometimes seemed to do quite quickly.
So, the necessities were done, that left…what exactly? He had wanted to spend his time in the lab where he was comfortable; where he usually spent his afternoons if he wasn’t out on some random hunting adventure with Gianne and Rhy…So…what? He pondered as he walked to the lab, not knowing really what he was going to do with himself now. There were plenty of possibilities for him. Plenty of them but nothing really seemed all that attractive to him right now. He had some projects that could use wrapping up. He had started a few pieces of perfume a day or so ago…maybe it was two days now? He would have to check to make sure.
Maybe this perfumery could become a hobby of his. He did seem to enjoy the serenity that the smooth scents brought to him. And it helped him manage his philtering skills and sometimes use it for interesting effects. Yes, he would do perfumery some today, but what exactly would he end up making? Hid mind had been set on making something for Gianne, the woman did seem to love cinnamon. Rhy claimed she always smelled like it. And when it came to matters of the smell he did trust Rhy more than anyone; that girl could smell almost anything, which was why she was so handy to have around when it came down to tracking.
He opened his personal notes and went to where he had copied down notes about perfumery. The perfume he wanted to create would be…strong; hot almost. Smelling like vivid fresh cinnamon. Yes, hot; that was a good way to envision it. The perfume would radiate the smell from Gianne’s skin. But would he compliment it with something? No, he wasn’t that confident in his skills yet. In a way he was still a practitioner, learning the ropes of this craft one by one. Almost like he was back in the Opal Temple learning medicine all over again; only this time there was no teacher but written word. The cinnamon he was going to use sat in vials, the dried park capped off ready to be used. One day he would have to make her a cinnamon and vanilla perfume…but today she would have to settle for something a little more simple.
The cinnamon was brought down and laid out on the table still in the vial. He looked over his notes carefully to make sure he was going in the right direction.
Yes spicy and bright was what he was looking for. Bright alluring warm tones. Just like Gianne was to him. She seemed to be getting a little more feral and connected to Rhy since they rescued her from the charred earth that day. But Rhy had explained away his fears. Even if he did fear that he would eventually have to compete with the girl for Gianne’s affection. He didn’t like to think about that possibility though. It bothered him some because he respected Rhy. Even if some saw her nature as purely animalistic he saw her attachment as something that she couldn’t help. Heck Serrif wanted to be attached to the same woman. Shaking those thoughts Serrif perused through his notes to find the section about how to make this perfume.
That could be a little bit of an issue; the girls were supposed to return back here today sometime. Maybe he would be able to present it to her tomorrow? Mentally he kicked himself a little for not thinking about this a little earlier. His plans for the present may be a little ruined but for the future everything looked to be going ok. He could give it to her tomorrow to use. So for now he would have to experiment a little and find some essential oils that he could use to base the perfume in. Wait…did he even have any essential oils? No…not that he could think of…another wrench in his plan. It did seem like this entire plan had fallen through even before he had begun to start any of it. Well he wasn’t about to go into town and risk running into Gianne…no not today. The girls were having so much fun and they needed time to bond together.
So, what to do now…His mind turned around as if waiting for some moment to come…but it didn’t. No if he wanted the oil base he would either have to create it or buy it. And being that he lacked the knowledge on how to make these oils he would be out of luck today. Well…that was unfortunate for him. So he shrugged it off still a little frustrated and placed the vial on the shelf with the rest of the ingredients. One day he would have enough knowledge to do whatever he wanted…however one day was not to-day. As he lifted his arm to place the vial back he got a whiff of himself. And he smelt putrid…
He cringed some deciding that a bath was in his immediate future if he wanted to be presentable to the girls at all when they got back. Grabbing some spare clothing from his room he went to the bathing area and sunk into the deep waters…his mind clearing…the frustration melting off of his body as he sat there watching the candlelight flicker side to side. Even time itself melted away; not really mattering anymore to him. This always seemed to happen while he was here in the water. Something about the darkness and the gentle water eased his mind. Ones he learned how to make those oils he could make some bathing oil…possibly. Yes, that would make this more enjoyable.
Time melted away and he remained there eyes closed worrying really about nothing at all. He had done his part today.
He would set to doing the more distasteful work first. It would be the making of nightsoil. Something Kavala had indeed instructed him on doing. This soil was central in maintaining the gardens. Without it there was no real way to make the plants above grow. The soil here wasn’t perfect for such things and he knew this just by all the work he had done to prepare the garden bets themselves. The soil was somewhat sandy and unforgiving. Not meant for the growing of plants. They would need a richer soil for this, and nightsoil was the ticket for rich lush gardens. Yes this would be what they needed.
He went down into the waste handling area and put a bandanna over his mouth. It really didn’t help all that much but it took off some of the edge of the waste. He took the buckets from the chutes and emptied them into the soil bins. Once added he then put in some more of the yard trimmings and such from the above area in as well. There was a ratio here that needed to be kept. Otherwise the piles would begin to smell horrid. And he didn’t want that happening here. He continued to add the waste to the piles then with a pitchfork he turned the piles carefully as to miz up all the soil. It was warm here, exactly as it needed to be. And he could tell that the soil was being cured just by the deep dark color it was turning.
Carefully he stirred each pile in turn. Making sure to fully mix it up so they could get the most out of it. It was important to completely turn the piles form what Kavala had told him. And in a few weeks they would have fresh soil to add to the above gardens. Which was good because the garden needed the nutrients; as it always did. After this he set the pitchfork aside; all the tools used here stayed here for sanitation reasons. He made his way and once he got to the within he set on doing the next thing on his mental list.
Next was the making of some medicine and the likes. Medicine was always needed here in the sanctuary. Although he would want to take stockpile of what was available in the clinic before he made anything. So with a mental nod he headed for the clinic. Once there he checked the stores…Vial by vial he counted everything that was there. SO in reality there was no need for him to make medicine, because between Elem and him they had made everything faster than it had been used in the last few days. Which was good; that meant in the event of an emergency they would have everything they needed incase things came down on them…which it sometimes seemed to do quite quickly.
So, the necessities were done, that left…what exactly? He had wanted to spend his time in the lab where he was comfortable; where he usually spent his afternoons if he wasn’t out on some random hunting adventure with Gianne and Rhy…So…what? He pondered as he walked to the lab, not knowing really what he was going to do with himself now. There were plenty of possibilities for him. Plenty of them but nothing really seemed all that attractive to him right now. He had some projects that could use wrapping up. He had started a few pieces of perfume a day or so ago…maybe it was two days now? He would have to check to make sure.
Maybe this perfumery could become a hobby of his. He did seem to enjoy the serenity that the smooth scents brought to him. And it helped him manage his philtering skills and sometimes use it for interesting effects. Yes, he would do perfumery some today, but what exactly would he end up making? Hid mind had been set on making something for Gianne, the woman did seem to love cinnamon. Rhy claimed she always smelled like it. And when it came to matters of the smell he did trust Rhy more than anyone; that girl could smell almost anything, which was why she was so handy to have around when it came down to tracking.
He opened his personal notes and went to where he had copied down notes about perfumery. The perfume he wanted to create would be…strong; hot almost. Smelling like vivid fresh cinnamon. Yes, hot; that was a good way to envision it. The perfume would radiate the smell from Gianne’s skin. But would he compliment it with something? No, he wasn’t that confident in his skills yet. In a way he was still a practitioner, learning the ropes of this craft one by one. Almost like he was back in the Opal Temple learning medicine all over again; only this time there was no teacher but written word. The cinnamon he was going to use sat in vials, the dried park capped off ready to be used. One day he would have to make her a cinnamon and vanilla perfume…but today she would have to settle for something a little more simple.
The cinnamon was brought down and laid out on the table still in the vial. He looked over his notes carefully to make sure he was going in the right direction.
There are several different ways to make perfumes. There are essential oil perfumes, water-based perfumes and alcohol-based perfumes. All of them are simple, but each "base" (oil, water or alcohol) will completely change the scent and makeup of the perfume, even if using the same flowers or scents. Essential oils have deep, smooth tones; water-based perfumes have light, airy tones; and alcohol-based scents have spicy, bright tones.
Yes spicy and bright was what he was looking for. Bright alluring warm tones. Just like Gianne was to him. She seemed to be getting a little more feral and connected to Rhy since they rescued her from the charred earth that day. But Rhy had explained away his fears. Even if he did fear that he would eventually have to compete with the girl for Gianne’s affection. He didn’t like to think about that possibility though. It bothered him some because he respected Rhy. Even if some saw her nature as purely animalistic he saw her attachment as something that she couldn’t help. Heck Serrif wanted to be attached to the same woman. Shaking those thoughts Serrif perused through his notes to find the section about how to make this perfume.
For alcohol-based perfumes, choose any essential oils that are appealing to you. Experiment with what scents you like. In a bowl, mix 2 cups of water, 3 tbsp. of high proof alcohol preferably clear and two or three favorite essential oils. Try combining five drops of a citrus oil (such as red grapefruit) with four drops of a flower oil (such as lavander) for an energizing, sweet-scented perfume. Once all the ingredients are mixed, pour the perfume into a glass jar or bottle and let it sit for 12 to 24 hours. Like the other perfume-making methods, keep in a cool, dark place for a longer shelf life.
That could be a little bit of an issue; the girls were supposed to return back here today sometime. Maybe he would be able to present it to her tomorrow? Mentally he kicked himself a little for not thinking about this a little earlier. His plans for the present may be a little ruined but for the future everything looked to be going ok. He could give it to her tomorrow to use. So for now he would have to experiment a little and find some essential oils that he could use to base the perfume in. Wait…did he even have any essential oils? No…not that he could think of…another wrench in his plan. It did seem like this entire plan had fallen through even before he had begun to start any of it. Well he wasn’t about to go into town and risk running into Gianne…no not today. The girls were having so much fun and they needed time to bond together.
So, what to do now…His mind turned around as if waiting for some moment to come…but it didn’t. No if he wanted the oil base he would either have to create it or buy it. And being that he lacked the knowledge on how to make these oils he would be out of luck today. Well…that was unfortunate for him. So he shrugged it off still a little frustrated and placed the vial on the shelf with the rest of the ingredients. One day he would have enough knowledge to do whatever he wanted…however one day was not to-day. As he lifted his arm to place the vial back he got a whiff of himself. And he smelt putrid…
He cringed some deciding that a bath was in his immediate future if he wanted to be presentable to the girls at all when they got back. Grabbing some spare clothing from his room he went to the bathing area and sunk into the deep waters…his mind clearing…the frustration melting off of his body as he sat there watching the candlelight flicker side to side. Even time itself melted away; not really mattering anymore to him. This always seemed to happen while he was here in the water. Something about the darkness and the gentle water eased his mind. Ones he learned how to make those oils he could make some bathing oil…possibly. Yes, that would make this more enjoyable.
Time melted away and he remained there eyes closed worrying really about nothing at all. He had done his part today.
