Packing Up

[Naiya]

Summer 3rd 516AV

Naiya welcomed the woman as she peered inside, her hands shaping a polite greeting and an invitation. The woman nodded politely, her dark hair an inky pile of braids atop her head.

"Do you have paneer?" The woman was polite, her inquiry a type she heard often. Naiya only wished the concern was warranted.

"Yes, plenty." Naiya pulled a jar from the shelf, opening it so the woman could see the cheese inside. She looked satisfied with the jar, so Naiya set it aside for her. "Did you want anything else?"

The woman considered her question for a moment, clearly thinking about something. "Do you have milk for a child? A wuepo?" Naiya nodded, positive, two kinds, "Goat or zibri?".

Again the woman deliberated, leaving Naiya to watch half formed signs dance across her fingers and shadow over her posture. She reminded herself to smile, even if only softly, while the woman thought.

"Both, please." The woman finally decided. Naiya nodded, her hands shaping an inquiry to what amount she wanted. Brown eyes flashed with still more thought, her hands frozen in the air only a moment before numbers began to flash across her fingers.

She was counting, a good sign. "Perhaps a gallon, of goat, and half as much zibri." Naiya didn't have any jars that large filled, but she nodded anyway. "What other cheese do you have?" The woman asked, clearly seeking something specific.

Naiya considered her words for a moment, trying to think of how best to help. She moved to get the milk, popping open a cask to fill a gallon jug.

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Naiya space Pavi | Common | Tukant
other space Pavi | Common | Tukant

[Naiya]

Naiya's hands were full with her task, buying her time to think while she poured milk. Moments too late she remembered that the woman might have brought her own jars, but a searching look made it clear that the woman lacked both jars and a horse that might be carrying them.

She continued to pour until the jug was just full, the lid fitting tightly closed over top. She set that aside, carefully lifting the cask back to the shelf with her zibri product. Hands empty, she no longer had time to stall. If the woman sought paneer, she was likely making a curry or stew. A cheese spread might compliment bread if she was serving some.

"I have soft cheese", spiced and plain, "to spread over bread or vegetables." offering, space The latter was room for consideration, for a polite declining of the offered product. There were other, more complex signs that would communicate that more clearly to the Drykas, but her family at home would have missed the meaning. Her signing had become more simple, direct and clear as her family learned pavi.

She left the woman to think as she fetched the cask of goat milk. This one, according to the top, was now a day old. It was still good for drinking, but it wouldn't be for much longer. Pardon, interruption of thought "This milk is" older, day "if you don't plan to use it up today or tomorrow, it will spoil." She took a moment to gauge the woman's posture for her initial response, then continued "Of course, I have fresher milk, but you only get an additional day of storage."

Her words gave the woman, who had clearly been about to protest the older milk, pause. She was considering now rather than objecting outright. "I will likely use it before then, I suppose...." fine, will take. Naiya nodded, trying not to seem smug as she poured the milk into the jar. Her mind flicked back to the searching look of the woman, seeking something more to accompany the meal she planned to make.

"An unsweetened yogurt might suit you nicely, I have some out to sample if you'd like to taste it." If the woman was indeed making curry, or perhaps something else spicy that the paneer would help balance out, the tart fresh yogurt would be a welcome addition for the same reason as the cheese.

Her eyes fell to the woman as she inquired and delight quickly overtook her form as the woman nodded excitedly. Naiya sealed up the milk, placing the cask back onto the shelf, and closed the woman's now full jar.

Both newly full vessels joined the paneer on the table, and Naiya smiled warmly as she turned to her collection of samples.

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Naiya space Pavi | Common | Tukant
other space Pavi | Common | Tukant

[Naiya]

"I wasn't sure you would have yogurt!"Happy, excitement "When I make spicy foods, the little ones don't always enjoy the heat. If I use yogurt to make a sauce, they fair a bit better." The woman explained, as she watched Naiya break a piece of bread and dip it into the yogurt. Naiya offered the woman the bread but her hands signaled preparation.

"This yogurt has mint in it already, I must have switched my samples today and forgotten." Apology The woman took the offered bread anyway, popping the morsel into her mouth.

"Mmm," good, "This will work. I usually just put cucumber and garlic, sometimes with sorrel for tartness. I think the mint will be fine, if..." different. Naiya nodded, hands shaping an offer for plain yogurt. Negative, is good she gestured in turn at the flavored yogurt.

How much, inquiry. Naiya asked simply, shaping the words with the appropriate inflection of care. She fetched the yogurt, awaiting a measurement.

"Small," can return, more "Just a pint." Again Naiya nodded, filling a pint jar with the flavored yogurt. "That's it for me today." The woman informed her, the shaping of her body turning towards closing of business.

Naiya moved to a scrap paper detailing sales and prices, her hands carefully shaping the letters of common on her paper. The sharpened coal shook in her inexperienced grasp, extra slow so as not to make a mistake. The round shapes were hardest as she noted the sale of two whole milks, a jar of paneer, and a pint of yogurt. Beside that she talied the coin it would cost, counting the silver miza on her fingers, and marking a lline for every ten. Next she added the cost of the jars, counting coppers on her fingers as well, finding it was merely ten total.

"Total is two gold, and a single silver, because of the cost of the jars." Future, bring jar, is less. The woman looked surprised, but nodded in clear understanding. The woman passed her the coins, and Naiya thanked her, and bid her fair well as she gathered her food to leave.

"Let me know how the food turns out!" Naiya called after her as she departed.

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Naiya space Pavi | Common | Tukant
other space Pavi | Common | Tukant

[Naiya]

Business was less remarkable through the rest of the day, Naiya spent most of the time creating product. Her hand still shook as she scraped cream from sitting barrels of milk, and grew tired pumping the long arm of her churn. Still, these were tasks she could do without hindrance from her belly, growing slowly into prominence.

She labored over the cask, scooping one careful layer at a time, trying to remove as much cream from the cask without pulling the milk that would soften her butter. When she had finished to the best of her ability, she poured the bowl of cream into the wooden barrel of the churn, adding the clawed shaped foot of the pole and finally the lid. She moved the grip and began, up, down, turn. Up, down, turn. She tried to make the movement continuous, the twisting would better mix the cream, but she was clumsy at the task yet.

When the butter had solidified, she removed the lid, scraped up the butter, and placed it in a jar, marking the ceramic lid with her chalk. She added water to the churn, but left it to sit as she began other tasks.

The city would be moving soon, and they would need time to pack. She wanted to take the oldest milk to the pavilion, let it be used for their meals. There was paneer that needed using too, and a single pint of sweet yogurt. All could be used or drunk in the day before their journey, the rest would hold until they reached a new resting ground.

She made a pile by the door of the things that would go, easier to put them where she would not forget. Next she checked again the product she had left, making sure it would hold, watching for signs of spoilage. She began to unpack the shelves, stacking the numerous jar and containers into the crates they had come in, sorting them by type. Cheese in one, yogurt in the next, and so on until the shelves were clear. These she set in the doorway as well.

The shelves broke down fairly simply, each shelf could be tilted and then slid out of the locking position on the frame, leaving Naiya with a pile of wood on the ground that didn't really resemble shelves at all. The table collapsed in a similar way, she only had to heft the larger wooden tabletop, a task that was more difficult now that she was afraid to rest the wood on her stomach.

Still she managed, settling the table onto the floor before someone coughed softly behind her.

She turned quickly, but without fear, as the sound was one that conveyed hesitance rather than ill will. The man looked apologetic, seemingly because she was breaking down the shop.

"Please, come in, I have wares to sell if you are looking to buy." She smiled at him, welcoming in the shaping of her hands.

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Naiya space Pavi | Common | Tukant
other space Pavi | Common | Tukant

[Naiya]

He nodded, he was looking for something in particular. Naiya led him back to her supplies, scattered a bit between the jars and the casks, but still readily available.

He seemed to peek over and about things, but was clearly unsure of her offerings. She pointed him to a section and he looked surprised but peered more closely. "Those there are cheese, soft, for spreading over bread or crackers." She watched his reaction, curious, perhaps but not so much that she thought it was the product he sought.

He signed an inquiry as to the flavor of the cheese, however, so she went on to explain. She pulled one jar out, gesturing to the section. "These are sweet, with fruits or honey or fragrant herbs." She pointed them out again, gesturing that he was welcome to peek at what she had.

He sifted through the cheeses there, looking at the clear ones, sometimes opening a lid to catch a waft of the aroma, hoping to discern the flavor. Naiya couldn't help but feel kindly towards him. He cared to know what he would purchase.

He lifted one and his face turned sour, disgust flitting across his posture, gone in an instant before Naiya could even begin to figure out what had caused it.

"This one is not sweet," he spoke with the echo of a laugh in his voice, "I thought the green bits might be lavender, or perhaps... Oh! I don't know. Certainly not onion." He laughed again, and Naiya's face became relieved.

"It may have gotten mixed in," lighthearted apology "But that does lead me to mention that there are also many savory cheese flavors, and a number that are just plain." She pointed out the savory ones, clearly already known, and then the plain jars on the end.

He sorted through them, growing ever more comfortable by all appearances. Naiya left him to dig a bit while she went back to packing. Her hands dancing ahead of her, tidying, securing pavilion flaps, untying herbs that dried in the rafters.

She formed piles, ready to be moved from one place to the next. Had she been alone, she would have taken them to the wagon, but it was impolite to do so while the man was here, so she simply readied things instead.

"Missus?" He called softly, unsure of her name Naiya realized, having forgotten to introduce herself, she approached, and he held up a canister. "I'd like this one, please, but I was wondering also, do you have cream?"

Naiya nodded, happy to help, and she shifted a carton of jars and dug out a pint of cream. "I've got cream here, did you need more than this?" He shook his head, so she smiled and offered him the new jar. "I realized I've forgotten my manners, I'm Naiya Dawnwhisper, owner of the shop." She gave him what was sure to be a dazzling smile, filled with the pride her heart held for her little business.

"Pleasure to meet you, Ma'am, I'm Likan Wintercall." His smile was birght across his cheeks. "I'm pleased to have found your little shop, I haven't seen it before, doesn't your Ankal have you registered?". She shook her head, her smile becoming tinted with sadness.

"I'm ankal apparent for my pavilion, and I don't have the skill or the money to tie this place to the web. Not yet anyway... I'm hoping to learn, but it's a bit of a rough entry." She brightened up, her face lighting with pride once more, "I've got a wuepa on the way too, makes it hard to step outside immediate necessity."

"Of course, I understand necessity, and I understand how rough it can be on a woman without a husband," His voice dropped, becoming soft and sorrowful, "My sister lost her husband to a Zith, she hasn't really gotten back on her feet yet... Is your husband.." He let the words drift off, ande Naiya grimaced at the pain that rose in her chest at the thought of Shahar never coming back. She shook her head, waiting for the tightness in her throat to loosen.

"Kidnapped," She answered, showing him the mark of Cheva still high on her neck, "He's alive, though, and making his way back as quickly as he can." She spoke with conviction and her hands followed the strength of her belief. He seemed to take her at her word, but there was still weight in their conversation.

"I'm glad." His simple words were kind, and Naiya's smile returned. She gestured lightly at his collected food, and he gave her a surprised grin, "That's right, what do I owe you?"

Naiya counted up the total, and gave him a soft discount, "If you return, bring back the jars, and I'll refill them for the same price." He grinned and paid her with a nod of pleasure.

Halfway out the door, he stopped, turning back to look at the pavilion she was in the process of packing up.

"You planning on taking this down all by yourself?" He inquired and she nodded, gesturing to the piles and tent.

"All but the pavilion proper, I'm gonna have to wait for my sister to return home for the evening before we tackle the tent." He nodded slowly, casting his eyes about the place.

"Perhaps you'd let me lend the extra hands? I've got some practice breaking down a pavilion." He worded the offer gently, his posture clearly one of genuine offering.

Touched, Naiya nodded, happy to accept his offer. "That would be wonderful." He grinned and settled his food into his pack on his strider outside. Together they carried her supplies to the wagon, and stowed the pavilion as well. His grin was genuine, and she believed him when he said he would return.

Perhaps she had an ally in the knidhearted man.

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Naiya space Pavi | Common | Tukant
other space Pavi | Common | Tukant

[Rufio]

　　　
　　
　　
　　
　　
　　
　　
　　
　　

g r a d e s

xp

Rhetoric +2
Organization +2
Planning +1
Intelligence +1
Persuasion +2
Observation +1
Mathematics +2
Drawing +2
Cooking +2
Bodybuilding +2
Cleaning +1
Flirting +1

lores

Cooking: Paneer cheese pairs with curry and stew
Cooking: Pairing bland or sweet flavors to balance spice
Cooking: Shelf life of Milk
Cooking: Add cucumber, garlic & sorrel to flavour yoghurt
Cooking: Scraping cream from milk
Cooking: Churning cream to make butter
Cooking: Signs of food spoilage
Rhetoric: Taking to a task to stall for thinking time
Persuasion: Offering pros of a product before the customer refuses it
Persuasion: Offering samples delights a customer
Drawing: Using Tally marks
Organization: Sorting by type
Likan Wintercall: Ankal apparent
Likan Wintercall: Sister's husband killed by Zith
Likan Wintercall: A kindhearted man


lores

- 1 gallon jug
- Half gallon jar
- 3 16oz jars

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