34th of Spring 514AV
Dark eyes scanned the room in front of her. Judging from her previous classes, it wasn’t standing out much. The Pre-Valterrian design on the walls have been preserved and the desks sat in rows facing the front. It wasn’t a very large class at all, which Lani liked better. Students filed into the warm classroom behind her, anticipation in the atmosphere. It was only her third class, the first two had been an introduction lecture and a rundown on what they will be doing during the course. To Lani’s relief, the entire class wasn’t out in the wilderness. There would be instruction in a classroom and they they would go out and apply the skills, testing for their competency. There were a few other students that she saw in her other classes, most likely pursuing the same certificate. Lani let herself slump into her chair in the front of the classroom, the early morning sun that shined through the windows making her want to run back to her bed and sleep the rest of the day. The classroom was warm and with the gently babble of students waiting for their professor, Lani let her eyes fall closed. Her chest sunk into her drowsy mood and her jaw began to slack as she could ignore the babble of the class. All the noise seemed to go away and Lani briefly wondered if it was her or the class. Her thoughts didn’t linger on it though and soon she was in the trees in the Spires, climbing home to Quett and her family.
“Young lady!” A deep voice pulled her out of her peaceful slumber. It was close and though it wasn’t loud, it was intimidating. Lani’s black eyes flew open, not focusing on anything in particular for a second before landing on the stern face of her professor. “If you intend to sleep through this class, you can go home and do so. You’ve already given me your money, I could care less if you attend. Would you like to pay attention now?”
“Y-Yeah. Yes Sir. I’m paying attention.” Lani stuttered her words out, straightening her spine and running a hand through her bangs, sweeping them out of her face.
“Good.” The professor said, turning on his heels to head back to the front of the class. Lani noticed that he wasn’t dressed like the other professors in the University. He wore sturdy boots and leather pants, as if he was ready to go out into the wilds. It seemed fitting, knowing that this class was for wilderness survival, but it seemed odd in the classroom setting. “Now, I’m going to review some things with you today. In about half a chime, I will bring you to the woods and we will work for real. I want you to know the basic signs of what makes a plant poisonous, edible or useful in some other matter. Then I will go over some things that you will need from plants. Keep in mind that I am teaching you for a mountainous environment. You may not be able to use these skills out in the desert or in a swamp.” Lani leaned forward, picking up a charcoal stick, and her book. She wasn’t the best writer, which turned out to be a rather large problem for her in some of her classes. She couldn’t spell very well and she could barely write with a quill. Her saving grace might be that she could read far better than she could write. Lani posed her charcoal stick to take note of what he was saying, she didn’t know if she would be able to remember it all. “In this region, I can tell you right now that finding food is going to be tough. Most of the plant food you find will not taste very good and might not be nutritious. Some pointers to look for are mushrooms, wild onions and potatoes, berries, bark and roots. These will sustain you if you need it, but I would not recommend going into the wilds without at least some sort of sustenance with you, these skills I give you are for last resorts.” Lani paused, what in Dira’s name was sustenance? But before Lani could ask the professor had keep talking.
“Lets start with the pine tree. If all else fails, pine trees are rather resourceful for your survival needs.” The professor turned to his desk. On it was a medium sized log, the trunk of a pine tree. He placed it on the desk, small flecks of dirt and bark jumped from the chunk of wood, littering the desk. As the professor continued talking, he reviewed what they would be scavenging for and what they would be avoiding. Lani listened as intently as she could, writing down a note every once in a while to remember what she was looking for.
“Young lady!” A deep voice pulled her out of her peaceful slumber. It was close and though it wasn’t loud, it was intimidating. Lani’s black eyes flew open, not focusing on anything in particular for a second before landing on the stern face of her professor. “If you intend to sleep through this class, you can go home and do so. You’ve already given me your money, I could care less if you attend. Would you like to pay attention now?”
“Y-Yeah. Yes Sir. I’m paying attention.” Lani stuttered her words out, straightening her spine and running a hand through her bangs, sweeping them out of her face.
“Good.” The professor said, turning on his heels to head back to the front of the class. Lani noticed that he wasn’t dressed like the other professors in the University. He wore sturdy boots and leather pants, as if he was ready to go out into the wilds. It seemed fitting, knowing that this class was for wilderness survival, but it seemed odd in the classroom setting. “Now, I’m going to review some things with you today. In about half a chime, I will bring you to the woods and we will work for real. I want you to know the basic signs of what makes a plant poisonous, edible or useful in some other matter. Then I will go over some things that you will need from plants. Keep in mind that I am teaching you for a mountainous environment. You may not be able to use these skills out in the desert or in a swamp.” Lani leaned forward, picking up a charcoal stick, and her book. She wasn’t the best writer, which turned out to be a rather large problem for her in some of her classes. She couldn’t spell very well and she could barely write with a quill. Her saving grace might be that she could read far better than she could write. Lani posed her charcoal stick to take note of what he was saying, she didn’t know if she would be able to remember it all. “In this region, I can tell you right now that finding food is going to be tough. Most of the plant food you find will not taste very good and might not be nutritious. Some pointers to look for are mushrooms, wild onions and potatoes, berries, bark and roots. These will sustain you if you need it, but I would not recommend going into the wilds without at least some sort of sustenance with you, these skills I give you are for last resorts.” Lani paused, what in Dira’s name was sustenance? But before Lani could ask the professor had keep talking.
“Lets start with the pine tree. If all else fails, pine trees are rather resourceful for your survival needs.” The professor turned to his desk. On it was a medium sized log, the trunk of a pine tree. He placed it on the desk, small flecks of dirt and bark jumped from the chunk of wood, littering the desk. As the professor continued talking, he reviewed what they would be scavenging for and what they would be avoiding. Lani listened as intently as she could, writing down a note every once in a while to remember what she was looking for.
| NaJu Word Count: 851 |
PC/NPC Talking -- Common -- Kontinese -- Thoughts
