[The Grasslands] Plants are nifty (Kavala)

[Keipecha]

Timestamp: 89th Day of Spring, 511 AV. Location: The Grasslands, slightly east of Riverfall. Reason: Gathering plants (Herbalism skill), Riding practice (Both Horsemanship and Riding), Possibly some Wilderness Survival? Status: Private/Invite Only With the stirring of the sun, so to did the modest tent located outside Riverfall. An elegant hand lifted the canvas flap, and an obviously sleepy Chaktawe emerged. She had been busy over the past few days collecting food and had been neglecting one of her favourite past times, plants. Visiting the market not a few days past had provided her with all the things she’d need; most notably a few small glass jars, and a leather belt which she attached a few extra belt pouches too. The young woman took a deep breath of the fresh morning air, it was crisp, the promise of winter showing already. Disliking the cold, she set about relieving herself quickly, then ducked back through the flap of the tent and began preparing for the day. It was nice to have a simple routine and it served its purpose, allowing her time to wake fully before setting out. She was surprised her Kelvic companion had yet to wake, after her moving about the tent, lifting and packing jars, and generally making rousing noises. She had put together what she had dubbed her “Gathering Kit”; a sack which held a basic preservation kid, the belt she now wore, 2 glass jars complete with lids, and a small knife, one which she’d spotted at the market and thought perfect. She’d also purchased a tall basket, too small to hold large amounts of items, but perfect for a cat to curl up in. Gently she lifted the little cat up and deposited her in the travelling basket, gathering up her blanket which doubled as a cloak. She shook it out and wrapped it around her shoulders, then hooked some rope around the basket and tied it off. The Chaktawe strapped it over her shoulders, bending slowly to grab her kit and spun on the spot to give the tent a last looking over, before lifting the tent flap and stepping out. She set herself a healthy pace, her strides long and purposeful, face turned towards the east, strait into the grasslands.

[Kavala]

Kavala was out probably for the first time alone in a long while. Tasival had been left in Raiha's secure hands while Kavala took two of the bloodbanes out for a ride and to gather herbs. Kavala had slowly been getting their attention, winning their trust, and bonding with them only the way a horse and rider could bond. Today she had Hurricane and Venom with her, both dappled grey mares who were vicious fighters in terms of the horse world but rather mild when it came to comparing them to other bloodbanes. The horses were outfitted in Yvas and walking together though Kavala had no lead on the Venom who was accompanying them but not being ridden.

They crossed the woodlands into the grasslands, Kavala speaking softly to each mare, teaching them it seemed as she was riding along. Hurricane, who was by far the darker dapple of the two held yvas packs that had her collecting gear.
The other mare was just along to learn. The plus side of having bloodbanes along was that over the course of the Spring, she'd gotten to know them and won their trust meaning they'd likely help defend her if she ran into trouble.

In the distance, she could see a figure walking carrying a basket and heading east straight into the grasslands. It looked like a woman, which Kavala worried for since the grasslands weren't safe on foot nor alone. She nudged Hurricane into a canter and Venom picked up her pace to follow. The two mares moved as one as the Konti closed distance on the walking figure and nodded a greeting as she halted Hurricane and allowed Venom to circle curiously.

"Greetings. All alone out here? You know its not safe." The woman looked familiar, and Kavala tried to place her. "You're the woman from the beach, right?" She asked curiously, a mixture of concern on her face as well.

[Keipecha]

OOCSorry, I forgot to check Mizahar last night, so missed your post completely x.x Also, Jepka may join this thread later, I dont know, I'll have to badger her about it, she's behind in creating her character. Keipecha smiled, genuinely happy. Walking always made her happy, and the fact that she was walking with the intent of gathering doubled said happiness. She would stop occasionally to inspect a bit of grass, plucking it from the ground and running it along her tongue; having learnt of “dew” while travelling with Endrykas and still marvelled that there was such an easy way to wet the mouth. The wind picked up, or rather, it felt as though it did. After a moment she realised why, and slowly turned on the spot, the pores in her fingers tingling. On the horizon she could see two mounts approaching, gaining speed as they raced towards her. She stood still, watching, blinking her secondary eyelids so she could keep the two in her sight. As the two mounts grew closer, she noticed the lack of a second rider. She cocked her head to the side, the many beads clinking nosily. Exercising the horses, perhaps? It was the only logical reason she could think of to bring a second horse, as she had none in the city who she knew well and would seek her out. She raised her hand to cover the sun from her eyes and could then make out the ghostly hair that flew in the wind. She’d seen hair like that before, but it wasn’t until the woman closed the distance between them and spoke that she recognised her. She smiled up at the woman on the horse and responded in kind, her voice light, but showing obvious signs that it was not her first language. “Hail.” She waited until the woman stopped speaking and grinned once more, gesturing to the basket on her back “No, not alone. I have Jepka with me. She sleeps now, but will wake if needed.” At the advice that it was not safe, she pursed her lips, “I had heard talk, it is not greatly not safe, yes?” Her pursed lips curled back into the smile at the second question and she nodded, “I am. I do not like the water much, but fish are different. Jepka likes them, and it costs no Miza to eat if you catch one.” She glanced out into the plains for a moment and then returned her gaze to the woman with the dancing blue eyes, “I am Keipecha of the Tatsuwaat people and it is nice to meet you.” She was rather proud of how that sounded, and as it was one of the first lines she learnt in common, she had much time to practice it.

[Kavala]

Kavala smiled. "It's nice to meet you too, Keipecha. Where are you going?" Kavala said quietly, in clear Common though she had a pavi accent to her voice. "You should listen to the talk, Keipecha. The men of Riverfall are nice folks, but the predators out here on the grass are fierce. You most likely will get eaten on foot. If not by a glassbeak, but one of the lions or any sort of thing out here. Why don't you climb up on my spare mount. She's a bit nasty tempered, but it will do her good to have to carry a different rider other than me. I am taking them out for some exercise, but I don't mind giving you a ride somewhere. I thought I'd go collect some medicinal herbs while I was out here too. Having the bloodbanes along will help because they'll let us know if anything is around that will potentially hurt us." Kavala said, glancing at the basket Keipecha had.

"I think you can tie the basket to the mare's yvas and it will ride just fine. Who's Jepka?" Kavala asked, not know who or what Keipecha was talking about. The woman was strange, with her all dark eyes, and probably up from down south where Kavala knew such people lived. They rarely strayed north, however, and when one did come this far north, it was under unusual circumstances.

"So why are you traveling north of your homeland. I rarely see one of your tribesman here." She said thoughtfully, waiting for the woman to decide if she wanted to come for the ride or not.

The day was nice for it. It was neither too hot nor too cold, and the wind was gentle enough that it cooled any heat that did fill the grasslands. The horses, for all their nasty tempers, were behaving themselves, which told Kavala they really enjoyed getting out on these little runs.

[Keipecha]

The short Chaktawe frowned. She liked horses; they worked hard, honest as any man worth his weigh in water and provided meat if needed, she just didn’t like riding them. Her heavily lidded eyes danced over the horses, from the looks of them they where well cared for and fed, speaking bounds about their owner. She flexed her toes, comforted by the feel of solid ground under her feet and almost refused, but for the mention of herbs. She knew some, those that grew in The Burning Lands and had adapted to Cyphrus, but it would be much better if she had someone who actively knew what to look for! She peeled the basket off carefully, shifting the weigh till she held it in front of her, arms hugging the sides and supporting the bottom and with a smile said “I honour you’re offer of travel and accept it with thanks. I am also out to gather.” With careful slowness (partly because of the cargo of the basket and partly because it meant just a few second longer before she had to get on the horse) she secured the wicker container to the mare. Keipecha checked and re-checked the knots, then placed one webbed foot in the holster, took a deep breath and threw herself up into the saddle. It was awkward but swift and she hoped that the woman hadn’t noticed. Once settled, she reached into the basket and pulled forth a scruffy little cat, then draped it about her shoulders tenderly, giving the feline female a few head scratches. “This is Jepka, she is heart-kin.” The words were simple and obviously made more sense in Tawna, she wondered if the woman would want further explaining. It was always difficult to convey certain words or phrases into another language, but she was finding it easier as she practiced. Settling herself in the saddle, the Chaktawe rubbed a hand along the neck of the bloodbane, patting the solid muscle and trying to ease herself, as well as the somewhat antsy horse. This woman meant no ill intent and she knew this, but it didn’t stop the flash of something dancing through her big black eyes, the way her smiling and happy demeanour dropped for an instant, there was pain there, well hidden but evident. Keipecha blinked her second eyelids and looked out at the plains; the moment she looked back she was her normal smiling self again, the whole thing only lasting a few seconds. “Seeking to see Mizahar, I suppose. There is much I can learn.” Her seat on the back of the horse was stiff and odd, as if she knew the theory of how to ride, but hadn’t had much practice. She ran the reins through her hands for a bit, getting the feel of them once again, and then returned her gaze to Kavala, “Do you know much about herbs? I know some, I’ve always loved plants, but I don’t know many of Cyphrus. The ones I saw at the market looked much like those of Eyktol but the merchant said they were of Cyphrus. ” Her sentence trailed off abruptly and she brought a hand up to play with Jepka’s tail, awaiting the sky eyed woman’s reply.

[Stranger]

XP Award!

Keipecha:
Herbalism +1
Socialization +2
Riding + 1

Kavala:
Horsemanship +1
Riding +1
Socialization +2


Notes: Sorry to see it end so soon! Good writing in the little bit that was covered, though. Contact me if you feel I missed something.