Salves, Striders, and Strangers

by **Ermir Deepstride** on February 1st, 2016, 12:29 am

10th Bell of the 73rd Day in the Winter Season of 515 AV

Ermir wandered into Garthos Supply, dressed in his usual riding attire, which left no part of his torso to the imagination. His scars and burns were openly visible as he began to peruse the tent's stock of meats. He frowned in a bit of worry, he knew meats wouldn't be enough, but it's all he had the coin for. He stood there in thought for a good while, seemingly staring, quite insanely, at the salted pork.

His mind raced through the possibilities of what he could do. Racing was out of the question, there wasn't one on that day. He'd have to resort to foraging, but he knew he'd have to get some help. He kept looking around the tent, trying to distract his thoughts so that he might gain a bit of insight into the conundrum he was having.

by **Amunet** on February 1st, 2016, 1:01 am

“Bart, she is getting too far along to lift all that. “ The little red head sighed and put a comforting hand. “I know you think it makes the baby stronger but there comes a time in a pregnancy that a woman needs to rest more or else there will be problems with the delivery. You want a healthy baby right?” The man sullenly nodded. “Alright then, lay off before you drive her nuts. “

“My son will be in the watch. Have to start early?” He thought some nonsense he got of a training program that started in the womb. He stroked his beard in thought. Bart was a huge thick burly and hairy man.

“What if the baby is a girl?” She countered the man as she desperately tried not to laugh as the mournful expression came over his face. “Bart, look you have all the time in the world to train your son. Lets give him time to enter the world first and greet syna and zulrav in due time. “ A soft chuckle escaped as the healer came from around the back to the front of Garthos supply.

“Garthos, you get in anymore small bottles, the amber ones.” The girl asked with a wistful hopeful lilt.

He shook his head. “Hard to get in the winter. The cold is breaking them before they get here. “ He spread his big hands and shrugged.

She took in a deep breath and nodded. “Let me know when you get them in and save me some?”

Amunet’s hair went down to her hips. Her five foot four inch fame was diminutive and about as big around as a man’s pinky. Her leather pants hugged her small curves as the reddish shirt peaked around the wool top she had to keep warm. The edge of the wool top would escape to slide off of her shoulder as she leaned on the counter. “Anything interesting?”

“Ami, not in the winter. You know that. “ He said patting her hand. Amunet was known as the healer but her family was the Shimmerstones who had perished during the pirate raid. The Shimmerstones were known for their carving, leather embossing and stone etching so the girl was known to the merchants. The girl had birthed a number of babies around the Pavilions. She also had headed up the fall foraging expedition of the women that provided them with the stores for winter. The pirate raid had saw some of that had been taken but some had returned when a pirate ship made the mistake of coming back. No one knew why. No one cared.

“well guess I can see about getting some of those late turnips out south. I think some are still in the ground. Be sweeter too.” She said as she pushed away from the counter.

by **Ermir Deepstride** on February 1st, 2016, 1:32 am

Ermir frowned as he heard the conversation about turnips, and quickly gathered up some salted pork to buy. He approached the counter and gave the redheaded girl a quick tap on the shoulder, "My apologies, I overheard you speaking about turnips, I wanted to ask if you might be able to help me." He nodded his head to the pound of salted beef in his hands, "I need to gather some vegetables and fruits, though I do not have the skill to do so alone. Would you consider accompanying me? You could gather the turnips you want, and help me learn more about vegetables and fruits."

by **Amunet** on February 2nd, 2016, 2:02 am

The diminutive woman turned around to look up into the eyes of a hunter. He was frowning or hiding something it was hard to say. The man would be looking into light sky blue eyes. They can lighten even further like Zulrav’s lightning coursing across the sky. The gold sunbursts in the center would seem the shimmer an actual goldish color or it was a trick of the light but they were piercing as they held the man’s gaze. They softened as the girl smiled.

“I suppose one more set of eyes wouldn’t hurt. I just hope all the rain didn’t put them to rot. “ The girl gave a friendly wave to the store’s owners and strode out towards her mare.

The red hair she had went down her back like a blood red waterfall. As it hit the sunlight it leaped into blaze as the sun streaked various reds lent it a fiery variegation in color that it seemed alive. She looked over her shoulder. She moved towards he strider mare which stood a full sixteen hands which was tall for a mare. Her hands patted the side of the neck as her ears pricked up at the company she brought with her. A sleek half grown hunting cat rose from her feet to inspect the tag along also.

“Leia be nice. “ She warned. The cat had grown temperamental lately and she put it off to teething or growing pains. The silkena hound was wagging her tail as she had a friendly temperament. “This is Camile.” Her hand lightly ruffled the dog’s delicate seeming light gold head.

The healer grabbed hold of the yvas and did a sideways sort of acrobatic jump and pull to get on the tall mare. It was a well-practiced mounting method. Her mare was ready to go in but moments. “Its about an hour north west. Ready to ride?” The girl wasted little time.

by **Ermir Deepstride** on February 2nd, 2016, 3:44 am

Ermir blinked and quickly paid for his meat before following the rather astounding girl. His grey eyes lit up as she introduced her companions, giving each one a little nod as he put the meat into his yvas pack. He gave a short whistle and his hunting dog sauntered over, wagging her tail like a pup, "This is Amun."

He swung himself up onto the back of Embarr, giving the large Strider a quick pat on his flanks, "And this is Embarr." Amun gave a short bark at the sight of the silkena and the hunting cat, seemingly happy to have company. He nodded to the redheaded rider, his silvering hair swinging behind him slightly, "Of course, after you."

by **Amunet** on February 6th, 2016, 2:01 am

She gave the man’s dog a look as she seemed nice enough. Camile’s long tail wagged at the other dog in greeting. Amunet squeezed a knee then the heel as the mare made the turn to head out towards the open expanse of grass. Her dog and cat took up flanking positions as it didn’t take them long to be at a run headed north northwest. The hunting hound and hunting cat kept pace with their owner fairly well.

In easy strides as it was not necessary to go at a full gallop, the ride took them around a long section of head high brush and grasses to come out into an open field surrounded by this brush and grass combination. The pocket of lesser what used to be green was various shades of yellow, brown and pale dieing green that was hit by the winter freezes. This did not deter the healer as her practiced eye scoped out the field.

She leaned forward slightly to nudge the mare forward at a walk as she scanned the ground carefully. Her cat and dog was already sniffing around the area as they were very used to their owner’s antics. At some point she the mare came to a stop from the purposeful search and the little red head sung her leg around and was on the ground in short order. She went into the yvas bag and pulled out two mesh bags and would hand one to Ermir.

The herbalist walked towards a section of wilted thick bodied leaves as she went pushed the dead parts away to reveal the green underneath. She squatted down and got a hand firmly at the base of this plant and pulled up very firmly. The ground groaned and cracked as the rich earth gave way to reveal the white and pinky red bottoms of a turnip. “These should be on the sweet side by now with as much frost as they have gotten. “ The girl said from her bent over position. Her head turned towards the man with a serious expression. “Avoid the area that dips a bit in the wallows as they might be rotten as water stands in the wallows. “ The girl instructed as she went to the next plant.

by **Ermir Deepstride** on February 15th, 2016, 8:35 am

He took the bag and nodded at the beautiful girl's instructions, for some reason her eyes and hair were so very mesmerising. He knelt down and pulled a turnip out of the ground. It looked okay, a little more of it was red than Amunet's, but he was content with it. It certainly looked like it was quite delicious.

He awkwardly tried to start a conversation while they picked turnips, "If you don't mind my asking, what do you do? From the snippet of conversation I heard earlier, it seemed like you might be a potions maker, or a healer."

by **Amunet** on February 20th, 2016, 5:03 pm

The girl looked from one turnip to another as she skipped every third or fourth turnip on purpose. She was careful what she foraged as the girl honored Caiyha and Rak’keli both in being mindful of the balance. The older turnips would have a sharp taste but would be healthy. There were ways of mitigating the sharp taste with a couple of tricks. One trick is to get sweet carrots. The frost would have sweetened those up nicely. Once their bags bulged with a few turnips she stood up and looked around looking for the leaf shape of the top edge of what would indicate a carrot patch.

The red headed woman would just as suddenly start towards a direction towards an impossibly spidery mesh of dried foliage that had woven together in the seasons. The girl made a bee line towards this impossible mesh. She stood straight up as if she suddenly heard his question which as assuredly and probably asked chimes ago. “Oh.. I .. yes I work for the River Flower as a Healer and a Doctor. Herbs and philters kind of go with the territory.” She laughed a little at her own absent mindedness or single mindedness or both? She shrugged and started to move the spidery foliage out of the way to get to the soil and to the large carrots that jutted from the soil below all the dried foliage. “There is our prize. “

As she turned the right side would be caught by the sunlight as the shimmer of an opalescent graceful and elegant design of a winged serpent in swirling sigils. It went from her temple to her chin and the body of it decorated her delicate cheek in a shimmering dust of opal as if crushed pearls had been swirled around with a paint brush upon that cheek. The girl smiled at the man as those light sky blue eyes had a dusting of gold upon them that shimmered of its own. “Come on, these carrots will be great in a stew with the turnips. “ The smile was still there as she beckoned him forward to look at the large carrots still in the ground.

by **Ssezzkero** on June 28th, 2016, 2:06 am

EMIR

SKILLS

LORES

AMUNET

SKILLS

LORES

Closed Salves, Striders, and Strangers