Drae was silent as the young Konti explained herself, nodding every now and then and looking at her sister intently. She enjoyed hearing the tales of her brethren, especially those that had been born outside of Mura.
As they continued Drae removed her light shoes, holding them in her hand. If Nira was wearing any footwear she would beckon her to follow suit. Soon there were treading through shallow waters, the hallways entirely covered. Aquatic vines crawled up the stones and Drae would pause on occasion to turn a flower towards her, checking the stems and leaves for any sign of decay or malnourishment. After a long pause she spoke. "Despite my mark, I have always preferred plants to people. Our sisters are kind and patient individuals, and I enjoy their company, but when I embark upon my travels for the Order it is to find new plants that can help me in my studies, not to interact and learn from others. I take pleasure in my work as a doctor, but not as much as I do tending to my flora. It is why Rak'keli shall never mark me again, yet my relationship with Bala and Makutsi flourishes like a flower after the spring rains." They approached a three leveled fork in the hallway and Drae led them to the right. The tunnel was straight for a while, then took a long curve, a light at the end suggesting a more open space.
"I always feel as if outsiders sometimes see Konti as all the same, beautiful women with magical powers bent on healing the sick, yet we can be as variant a the types of plants in a forest, some smooth and silky, others prickly and dry, just...perhaps fewer of those than other races." She smirked. "I am not concerned with your devotion to Rak'keli or it competing with the worship of another deity. Perhaps others would be, but that she has seen fit to bestow her first mark upon you, that is enough for our Order."
"If you were a shorter lived race applying for membership, I would allow you to use this time and include it toward eventually joining our ranks. As it stands, you are still a very young woman, Nira'lia, and it would seem an ambitious one as well, so I cannot allow you the same courtesy, especially if you are truly devoted to returning. What I can offer is half price for taking classes with us. It isn't much, but it will surely help with the learning process. Do you find these terms acceptable?" She waited for a response, and shortly after that the two Konti emerged into a large open expanse.
Her nature and mannerisms all would make sense to Nira as she explained herself in the halls, the way she seemed to relax in the presence of plants, her abrupt manner to even her own brethren, and it soon became clear the true extent of her devotion to her plants and maintaining the herbal section of the Opal Temple. The first room had a ceiling that reached at least 50 feet high, and was a massive pool. Where Nira and Drae entered the water was just as shallow as it had been throughout the other halls, but it was clear that the further you walked the deeper it got and a myriad of aquatic plant life was flourishing in the large pond the room created. A massive hole in the ceiling was provided in the ceiling for rain and sun, and in the wall were neatly inscribed tiles above the plants that gave their common and Kontinese names. A room to the left was also filled with water, but was for plants that flourished in salt water and had no need of sunlight. Konti swam in the pools tending or collecting parts of plants, but every room also contained narrow walks for entities that preferred not to swim.
After showing Nira the aquatic flora Drae led the prospective healer up a set of stairs into a large green house, curved panes interspersed between the branches of some massive plant that provided the support of the dome for the indoor garden. Here the plant names were more familiar to Nira, not being native inhabitants of Mura: Tumeric, Elderberries, Echinacea, Ginseng, Ginger, Acai Berries, and a myriad of other well and little known medicinal plants lined the walls. The room was hot, and attendants went around watering the plants and participating in much the same activities of the other rooms. Drae walked over to a small shrubbery, fingering some small under ripe berries, holding her palm beneath a handful of them she closed her eyes and summoned the power of her Gnosis, in an instant the blueberries had ripened and Drae picked them off, offering a few of the juicy fruit, ripened to perfection to the interviewee. "Now tell me, and don't worry, I won't be offended, do you see yourself spending time in the infirmary of the Opal Temple, or studying and herbalism while you're here? Which are you more proficient with?"
