Solo Stocking Up

[Asterope]

9th/Spring/518 AV

Aster stood with her hands on her hips, staring at the various items scattered across the desk in front of her. Her hair was piled atop her head, her sleeves rolled up to the elbows as she chewed on her lower lip and stared with a furrowed brow. She'd gone shopping earlier for a few things and had ended up lugging much more than she'd planned back to the Cubacious Inn.

She'd meant to get some things to make a balm for Navi's paw pads, which were so dry they were starting to split; then she'd realized she had no medicine of any sort in her personal stock, so she'd picked up a few herbs. That, of course, necessitated various different bottles, bowls, and jars; all of which now sat in a disarray on her desk.

Aster blew a breath out; no need to get overwhelmed. She should start by taking inventory. After some peering at the shelf on the wall, she located her book and quill. Plucking them up, she tore a blank page from the book, dipping the quill in the small vial of ink sitting on the shelf. Bracing the page on the book, her gaze swept over her purchases as she began to write them down.

She wrote quickly, simply scribbling; she didn't plan on keeping the list, it was just for her own sake at the moment.

-Mortar & pestle
-Connal (2 ounces dried flowers)
-Jile (20 berries)
-Belltor (2 ounces dried flowers)
-Vyfox (1 comb of flowers)
-Krolar bark (2 sheets)
-Mint (1 ounce)
-Lemon balm (1 ounce)
-Rose (x2)
-Jar (8 ounces, x5)
-Tin bowl (16 ounces, x2)
-Cup (8 ounces)
-Snuff box (x2)
-Beeswax (1/2 pound)
-Candles (x3)
-Grapeseed oil (1/2 gallon)
-Safflower oil (1.5 gallons)
-Firegloves
-Spoon
-Cloth (1/2 yard cut into various squares)

Placing the book and paper to the side, Aster rolled her shoulder and stretched her neck before diving into the mess in front of her. She moved all of the various bundles of herbs from the desk to the bed for the moment; she'd had the foresight to let Navi out to roam the city so she didn't have to worry about the mutt being underfoot and stirring up trouble.

Pushing the various jars and bottles to the side, Aster lit one of the candles. She hoped it was hot enough for her purposes; the only hearth she really had access to was downstairs, and she didn't want to take up room in the sitting area with her work.

Grabbing her eating knife off of the shelf, Aster cut off a chunk of beeswax about the size of her palm before moving the block to the bed with the herbs. She dropped it into one of the metal bowls she had, and sitting down, held it over the flame of the candle.

The thin flame licked at the bottom of the bowl, and Aster propped her elbow on the table, making sure to keep her arm away from the flame. It didn't take long for the beeswax to begin to melt. As she moved to set the bowl aside, she was glad she'd taken the advice of the vendor who had sold her the various pieces of glassware; he'd advised her to buy a pair of firegloves if she was going to be working with heat.

While the cost had seemed a bit pricey, Aster had eventually caved; and while she was handling the bowl just fine, she couldn't set the hot metal onto the wooden surface unless she wanted to scorch it. Snagging one of the gloves with her free hand, she placed the bowl on top of it.

Ledger :

Philtering tools & herbs: -23 GM, 2 SM, 2 CM

[Asterope]

Her original plan had just been to use beeswax, but after some consideration, she realized that would just end with her owning a wickless candle; a balm had to be solid, but able to melt, so she'd picked up some oil to add in as well, hoping it would give her the desired results.

Aster plucked the jar of grapeseed oil from where it sat, then hesitated. She'd never actually crafted her own medicine, let alone a balm; she had no idea how much to use of what, assuming it did work. "Here goes," she murmured, trickling some of the oil into the bowl. She mixed the two with a spoon before standing and moving to her bed to grab one of the roses she'd bought and a few leaves of mint.

While the balm was meant for Navi, she figured it would be good for her own skin as well. Her hands, in particular her fingertips, often got dry from how often she washed them, and the warm weather had left her lips parched as well.

Tearing the mint leaves, Aster dropped them into the mortar along with a few scraps of rose petals until she deemed it an enjoyable combination of the two scents; predominantly floral, with a faint hint of fresh mint. She ground the leaves and petals, adding a few drops of oil to them as she went. When she was satisfied with the results, she turned and emptied them into the bowl of beeswax and oil.

The mixture was beginning to harden slightly, so she held it over the candle again, giving it a few quick stirs to spread the mint and rose petals more evenly throughout. That done, she set it aside to cool completely. She hoped the consistency would be alright, but if not, she supposed she could always add either more beeswax or oil.

With that mixture cooling, Aster turned to contemplate the herbs laying strewn across her bed. The room was beginning to smell of herbs and mint, and the oil added a subtle, sweet smell to the air. It wasn't unpleasant, but Aster could easily see it becoming headache-inducing; she took a moment to stand and open the window, letting in the warm, fresh spring air.

Aster walked to the bed to sort through her purchases, humming absently under her breath. The tune was that of the nursery rhyme she'd remembered some time ago, and she murmured the words under her breath as she picked up the bundle of connal flowers, her voice slightly out of tune with lack of focus.

The bundle was placed on the shelf, since the flowers were simply used to make a tea; as was the remaining mint, rose, and lemonbalm. The jile berries she dropped into a small cup and set on the shelf. She would likely need to soak the herbs in oil to keep them longer, but that could be done later.

Picking up the belltor, Asterope returned to her seat, blowing out the candle for the moment. The herbs she'd picked up were mostly for aid in healing wounds; but as a tincture, belltor was also good for keeping colds at bay, so certainly it couldn't hurt to have some of that around.

[Asterope]

Tinctures seemed simple enough to make; as far as she knew, one simply soaked the herb in spirits. Though for how long, she had no idea. She would have to ask Irene the next time she was at the Mercy; until then, she figured it couldn't hurt to get started. She'd snagged a small bottle of spirits from work some time back in case she ever needed to clean a wound on her or Navi; it took some rummaging, but she managed to finally find it in the chest at the foot of her bed.

Taking one of the jars, she took half of the belltor flowers and ground them up with the mortar and pestle; she wasn't overly thorough about it, more focused on just breaking them up rather than really grinding them. Dumping the flowers into the jar, Aster paused for a moment before adding the remaining mint leaves that she hadn't ground up earlier. Mint was soothing, and if anything it would improve the taste of the tincture.

With that done, she uncapped the bottle of spirits and poured it into the jar; she had just enough to fill it to the brim with less than a glass-full remaining in the bottle. Screwing the lid on as tightly as she could, Aster gave the jar a few firm shakes before it was placed on the shelf to sit for...well, however long it needed to.

The rest of the belltor would be made into a poultice. Normally to make a poultice, Aster would have simply added water; but she wanted the mixture to keep. With that in mind, she pulled the bottle of safflower oil closer. Belltor was best used hot, so as Aster ground the flowers, she came up with the idea to make the paste much thicker than she normally would. That way, when she needed to use it, she could thin and heat it by adding hot water.

The ground belltor flowers were dumped into its own jar, mixed with a dribble of oil; just enough to make it into what one could loosely consider a paste. Giving the jar a small shake to confirm the consistency, Aster sealed it and placed it on the shelf.

The krolar bark and vyfox was next. The bark was good for numbing pain and helping to heal, while the vyfox would help stop bleeding; in combination, the two would be ideal for small to moderate wounds. Aster broke one of the sheets of thin bark with her fingers, dropping it into the mortar and beginning to grind it with the pestle.

It took longer to grind the bark, as she was trying to turn it to as fine a powder as she could; she settled into a rhythm, turning and pressing her wrist. Eventually, she was satisfied with the consistency. Shaking her wrist out, as it was beginning to feel slightly sore, Aster broke up the second sheet of bark and began the process again.

It seemed to go slightly quicker the second time, and the vyfox flowers by contrast took no time at all. The mortar was nearly full by then, so she grabbed the second bowl she'd bought and carefully dumped the powder into it. She drained the last of the spirits into the powder, which was barely enough to wet the mixture. The main liquid would be safflower oil, which she began to mix with the dust in the metal bowl, using the pestle to do so.

She added small bits of oil slowly as she mixed until she had a paste. Satisfied with the consistency, she plucked another empty jar off of the table and scraped the poultice into it. It just barely filled half the jar; Aster sealed it as tightly as she could before setting it beside the jar of would-be tincture and the belltor poultice. She was beginning to run out of room on her shelf.

[Asterope]

With that done, she finally turned back to the bowl of oil and beeswax. The mixture had hardened, and it smelled lovely; but upon giving it a small poke, Aster was met with the impression of simply touching a lump of wax. "More oil, then," She murmured to herself.

Relighting the candle, she held the bowl above the flame, waiting for the mixture to melt again. Once it did, she poured in some more oil, and set it to the side once more. While she waited, she busied herself by grabbing the mint and lemonbalm off of the shelf. Aster simple broke them up with her fingers, dropping each into their own jar and filling them with safflower oil before sealing them and returning them to their shelves.

She had no idea what else she would use them for, so they were better to sit and macerate in the oil; it would last much longer than the dried plants simply sitting on her shelf. Checking on the wax and oil mixture, Aster felt a small pang of frustration to realize this time that there was too much oil in the mixture.

It took another round of melting it and adding in some more beeswax for it to reach a consistency that Aster deemed acceptable. It was perhaps slightly too hard, but she could scrape some out and massage it into her skin, so it would do. She'd bought two snuffboxes specifically to hold the balm as they were the perfect size, so using her eating knife, she scrape the herb-infused balm into the two boxes.

There was a small amount left over, so Aster rubbed it into her hands, shaking off the small bits of mint and rose petals. Her skin felt softer than it had in ages, and her hands smelled delightful as well. Satisfied, she closed the boxes and set them aside, blowing out the candle.

Glancing out the open window, Aster was surprised to realize how late it was; she'd been working most of the afternoon, and the sun hung low in the sky. Standing, she stretched, rising up on her toes and lacing her fingers, pushing her palms towards the ceiling. She rolled the stiffness out of her shoulders, wrists, and neck before beginning to clean up.

The dirty glassware and bowls were set aside to be washed at a later date, the scraps of the rose that she hadn't used dropped in one of them to be thrown away when she had a chance. The candles were lined up neatly on the desk, the firegloves and cloth tucked into the chest along with the remaining block of beeswax. All of the jars she'd bought were now filled with some substance or another and lined up on her shelf; Aster put one of the snuffboxes filled with balm alongside them, pocketing the other one.

She was surprisingly tired, especially for her divine form, so she sat herself on the windowsill to breathe in the fresh air. She could still catch some of Syna's light from where she was, so she tipped her head back and let her eyes fall shut, enjoying the warmth on her face.

Aster sat still like that for a long time; how long exactly, she didn't know. She breathed in and out deeply, focusing on the feeling of the warm sunlight soaking into her skin and the breeze drifting around her, lifting stray wisps of her hair gently. Her mind settled into a comfortably blank state, only focused on her immediate surroundings.

She was interrupted by a loud bark from below her. Cracking open one golden eye, she felt a smile play over her lips as she peered down. Sure enough, Navi was standing below the window, looking up at her and wagging her tail.

[Asterope]

Upon realizing Aster had noticed her, Navi gave another bark and bounded out of sight; likely for the front door. Feeling marginally refreshed, Aster stood from the windowsill and went downstairs to let Navi in. The large dog barreled past her, bounding up the stairs and into the room.

Asterope followed at a more leisurely pace, shutting the door behind her. "Good timing, you," She told Navi, who was sniffing around the room curiously. She snuffed at the table, her wet nose twitching, and her tongue lapped out to lick a stray rose petal off of the desk.

Aster let out a soft laugh as Navi promptly spit the petal out, shaking her head. She crouched, taking the snuffbox out of her pocket. "Come here." Navi trotted over, sitting in front of Aster, mouth hanging open and tongue lolling out happily, her fluffy tail sweeping back and forth across the floor.

"Paw." Aster held out a hand. Navi cocked her head, staring back at the Eth, who sighed. "I figured that was expecting too much." Opening the box, she leaned down to grab a large furry paw, which Navi let her take. She scraped some of the balm out, Navi's nose twitching once more.

The dog tugged at her paw as Aster smeared the substance over her rough, dry paw pads, but the herbalist held it firmly as she rubbed the balm in until there were no chunks left. Navi sniffed at her paw, tongue flicking out, then snorted and shook her head. She looked vaguely disgusted, and scrambled to her feet when Aster reached for her other front paw.

With some coaxing, and lots of playing and petting in between, Aster managed to get all four of the dog's paws coated. "There. That should make you feel better." She stood from the floor, brushing the skirt of her dress off, dropping the snuffbox onto the table. She wasn't worried about Navi stealing it, with how disgusted she'd been at the taste of it.

Glancing out the window, Aster realized it was almost dark. She should probably go and find somewhere to eat, as she knew she would be hungry when she changed forms, but she didn't feel like it. She'd deal with it later, if it became an issue.

Instead, she crawled into bed; she'd had a fairly productive day. Navi leaped up to join her, flopping down onto Aster and driving the breath out of her. "Watch it," She grumbled playfully at Navi, poking the mutt's cheek.

She stroked her hand over Navi's massive furry head, scratching behind her silky, floppy ears. The dog yawned, settling her muzzle comfortably onto Aster's side. That was how Leth found them when he rose and took reign of the sky, and it wasn't long after until the two of them fell asleep, still bathed in the scent of mint and roses.

[Asterope]

The Sun Has Risen

And so have your grades!

Asterope

 

Skills

✧Writing +1
✧Philtering +4
✧Planning +2
✧Herbalism +3
✧Singing +1
✧Medicine +2
✧Organization +2
✧Meditation +1
✧Animal handling +1
✧Logic +2

 

Lores

✧Philtering: Firegloves are useful
✧Philtering: Making a balm from beeswax and oil
✧Philtering: Using mint and rose for scent
✧Philtering: Soaking herbs in spirits to make a tincture
✧Maceration: Soaking herbs in oil to keep them longer
✧Philtering: Trial and error

 

Misc.

✧+Mortar & pestle
✧+Cup (8 oz) with jile berries (20)
✧+Rose
✧+Tin bowls (16 oz, x2)
✧+Beeswax (1/2 lb)
✧+Candles (x3)
✧+Grapeseed oil (1/2 gallon)
✧+Firegloves
✧+Spoon
✧+Cloth (1/2 yard, cut in squares)
✧+Belltor tincture (8 oz)
✧+Belltor paste (1 oz)
✧+Krolar & vyfox poultice (4 oz)
✧+Lemon balm maceration (8 oz)
✧+Mint maceration (8 oz)
✧+Snuffbox with scented balm (x2)

Thank you for your patience! As always, please edit or delete your request in the grading queue; and if you have any questions or concerns about your grades, please don't hesitate to get in touch with me!