Interview at the Sanctuary.

by **Tia'aria** on February 23rd, 2013, 10:23 am

Late Winter, 512 AV

It wasn't often that Aria made her way out of the city, even less often now that there was plague among the Drykas. Winters in the Sea of Grass were cold and potentially fatal, and losing the safety of Riverfall for half a bell or so used to equate to a death sentence, at least in her head. But one didn't get places in this world by staying cooped up at home, trying to make a living but too afraid to go out and make the choice to put themselves forward.

She was coming out for a job interview, herself.

The Sanctuary was known well in Riverfall, even considered prestigious to some people. Aria had never been there personally, nor did she know anybody that worked there as far as she knew. She had heard it hired uncommonly, thus the appeal for some people. It must have been a great place to work if they didn't need to fill many positions. There had been rumours in the Pearl House that morning at breakfast that the owner of the Sanctuary, a sister named Kavala, was hiring staff. There had been interest among the pale women. Many had great love of animals and felt their skills would not go to waste. They had left earlier in groups, but Aria chose to come alone. She had to convince herself she would suit the Sanctuary. Even if she didn't have much skills with animals but for her cat and some knowledge about how not to peeve a horse, she had realised she could be useful for other things, if even a groom. Maybe they needed a cook. Aria liked to cook.

She was musing as she walked. It was snowing, but quiet, the only real sound being that of her boots crushing the snow. Perfect weather for thinking. It came as a surprise then when she found herself coming up to Sanctuary in what felt like no time at all.

She stopped to look at the place, narrowing her teal eyes from the attack of the big fluffy snowflakes and taking in the appearance. The first impression was that it sure looked very practical, homey (at least to her), and welcoming. She had no gift for animals beyond what she knew of cats and horses, but she could practically feel them, just out of sight.

With a hurry in her step, Aria took the path into the main entrance of Sanctuary, now actually worried that all the available positions had been taken up. She hoped Kavala would recognise her, even though they'd seen eachother only once. Aria had a hard time forgetting people, so she hoped the other Konti wouldn't have. It might even her odds against the other Konti that wanted in, the Konti that were better at her.

She came to what she assumed was the main office and entered, bringing in some snow, and looked around to get her bearings, really not sure if this was the office or not.

"I'm here for possible employment," she announced.

by **Kavala** on February 26th, 2013, 8:55 pm

The Sanctuary of Winter 512 was far different than the Sanctuary of Winter 511. Too much had changed. There were still iron gates wrought with horses and grass depicting Kavala's roots - the Drykas and the Sea of Grass. But gone were the open pastures and rolling buildings. Instead a twenty foot wall encased the acreage, imposing but ensuring the safety of the animals and people inside. It looked intimidating save for the fact that the gates were thrown wide open and people were coming and going. A wagon was parked in the first courtyard that opened onto stables on either side. The driver and several grooms appeared to be making a delivery of feed and several people were helping to unload it.

The workers glanced at the Tia'aria, but beings that she was a konti the woman was allowed to walk deeper into The Sanctuary. She'd have to traverse pathways around barns and or cross the sand arena before she got to the clinic doors. The Clinic was obviously a clinic, for the walls were clearly marked with Rak'keli's symbol and interwoven with animals in a stone motiff.

The entrance spilled into a waiting room which opened into exam rooms and what looked like a hallway leading other places. When Kavala heard the door, she leaned out of one of the rooms and smiled, seeing the other Konti. She raised an eyebrow, heard Tia'aria's comment, and nodded. In her hands were a cloth covered with blood.

"Well come this way then. I could use a hand." Kavala said, beckoning Tia'aria to come join her. If Tia'ria did so, the woman would traverse a small hallway and slip into an exam room that had been cleared out. A large dog sprawled on the floor delivering puppies. Kavala immediately handed one to Tia'aria wrapped in a warm towel. "She's having at least ten, if not more. This one was just born. Rub it all over, dry it off well, and keep rubbing it to stimulate its circulation." Kavala said, bending to check the Imperial Watcher's progress and vitals.

"So tell me..." She said, in between stroking the mother dogs head, checking the progress at her tail, and then glancing at the box of already wiggling puppies beside her... "What sort of work your looking for?" Kavala said, grinning and whispering words of encouragement to the mother dog at the same time talking to Tia.

by **Tia'aria** on March 3rd, 2013, 6:03 pm

Tia'aria followed the Konti to have spoken to her, accompanying her into a room, and staring in shock at what was waiting for her. A dog, a large dog, giving birth that lay upon the floor. Now she understood the reason Kavala held a bloodstained blanket.

She accepted the newborn pup easily, cradling it gently in her hands and rubbing it as Kavala asked, doing so in circular motions to stimulate the flow of blood and rubbing away the grit left over from its birth. When she looked at the blind puppy, it didn't appear much like the dog that gave birth to it, but maybe it would grow to be one of those beasts as well. She smiled as she took care of the pup.

"I'm doing this right, aren't I?" She asked. She didn't want to distract Kavala from taking care of the mother, but she did like to learn and wanted to do what she was doing correctly. She wouldn't have ever thought she'd be given an opportunity to learn something while appealing for employment. It kind of thrilled her.

After a few more moments of rubbing and drying, she heard Kavala's question and grinned. "I'm looking for work like this: helping animals and taking care of them. I also would love to work in your kitchens as a cook and help the people that way and as an extra hand around the place. If you need anything done, I'll get right on to it."

When she thought she had done what she could for the pup, she asked the other woman, just to make sure. She'd not cared for newborn animals before and this was all new to her. If Kavala offered another pup, or asked her to do something else for the mother she'd do it.

She decided to ask some questions of her own, out of genuine curiosity and interest. If she was going to get a job here, best to know what she could when she started.

"Do birthings come often here?" She asked, placing the puppy she had held into the box with its siblings. "What kind of animals do you keep?" She gave Kavala a smile as she spoke. She really didn't want yo come off as nosy with her questions or overstepping her boundaries.

by **Kavala** on April 15th, 2013, 6:23 am

Kavala smiled approvingly. "You're doing great. Just rub gently, like your getting a shine on a fine glass with a good cloth and then set the puppy aside and pick up another. She's going to pass two more fairly quickly." Kavala said, setting aside her own charge after it started squalling and flailing once she got its blood circulating and it rubbed almost dry. There was a pile of towels beside where they were birthing the dogs, so she discarded her wet bloody one for a fresh towel and took the next pup born. The bitch, it seemed, was taking a break to clean up one of the pups on her own, but Kavala was not convinced she was entirely done birthing. She could still see contractions and how the dog labored despite her rest. "We're saving her a ton of work just by helping, plus its keeping her calm. Normally they don't have this many pups, but this year has been odd. It think the animals instinctively knew that the djed storm killed a great many creatures and they are all singlehandedly trying to repopulate Cyphrus." The healer said with a grin.

She was calm even though the dog yelped again, stretched out, ignoring the puppy she was working on suddenly, and began to push again. The Imperial Watcher was huge, and even though the puppies were small that she birthed, they were still a good double handful. The dog herself was black, but the pups issuing forth were harlequin, black and whites all mixed together, with a couple solid black as well. "Her name is Incense. Her mate was black, but I'm breeding for Harlequins - the mix of black and whites." Kavala said. "She's an Imperial watcher. We have four females that will give birth this year, so that will be about forty puppies. We will probably keep one or two females though. The rest will be sold. We also have Ghost Dogs, Deerstalkers, and Silkenas. I'm going to discontinue the Deerstalker program this year because the Imperial Watchers and the Silkenas are the breeds I really enjoy. The Ghost dogs are nice too and make great pets. So that's all our dogs. We have over a hundred horses too... off and on most ours but sometimes boarders too. And then there's a mews with various kinds of raptors in it. We have chickens, cows, sheep, and goats as well as a few pigs too. There's lots of work around here. But then again if you want to be a chef, there's lots of protein available as well. We grow cows, pigs, and chickens for food. Goats for the milk and cheese. Chickens give us eggs... you know the rest. We also have extensive gardens as well so there's always fresh produce except in the winter. So along with animal care, healer services, there's always gardening, cooking, and food preservation. Do you know anything about canning? If not, you'll have to learn if you hire on here. We preserve plants for food and medicine both, so I can always use extra hands in the clinic and kitchen both." Kavala said, then bent down to sooth the Imperial Watcher and check her vitals.

The mother dog was doing well, so Kavala didn't fuss with her overmuch. She just placed the eigth puppy in the already clean pile and kept stroking the big dogs head as she birthed her liter.

"We only breed them once a year. And only the finest are sold. We also sterilize the animals we sell so that we don't breed competition. If they want our bloodlines, they come to us." Kavala said thoughtfully. This also kept the dog population down in and around Riverfall since she often rounded up strays and did the same to them.

"So we could use a cook, helper, preserver, and animal assistant. But tell me more about yourself. What brought you to Riverfall... I assume you are from Mura? And what made you come looking here for work?" Kavala asked curiously, speaking in Common though it was obvious that it was not her first language. Her Kontinese was terrible, truth be told, so she steered away from their racial tongue.

by **Tia'aria** on April 16th, 2013, 7:43 am

Tia'aria smiled as she finished up with the puppy once it began to squall, placing it amongst it's siblings with tender care and reaching for the next one. Her towel was discarded for a clean towel, placed with Kavala's and the other used towels, and her hands moved mechanically to rub life into the dog while removing the blood and other fluids. Even sightless and wrinkled like this, the puppies were adorable, if strange looking. Clearly they would be awkward on their paws until they grew into them a bit more.

She chuckled with Kavala's comment about the animals seeming to want to repopulate the Sea singlehandedly. She didn't know how far the storm had decimated the different species native to the area, but she would put her mizas on Kavala being right. It was amusing to think of though.

"She is a beautiful dog," she said gently, continuing her ministrations on the puppy in her hands. She didn't know much about dog breeds for lack of being around them as she grew up. She lived with cats, for whatever reason, so dogs weren't always the best choice for a family pet. An excited glimmer came to her eyes at the mention of all the different animals the Sanctuary kept. If she got the position, she wouldn't be short of things to do or animals to prepare for food.

"I've not had any teachings about canning, but I would like to learn. What I was taught didn't include preservation, sadly, other than salting and drying meats, but that doesn't take care of the produce. It would be good knowledge to have." She nodded. What Kavala listed as possible jobs she could give a hand with around the place sounded reasonable. She would get her fair share of experience with all aspects of the facility, it seemed, which she knew would benefit her in the future.

She finished with her current puppy and retrieved another as it had finished being birthed, smiling at it's wriggling and beginning to clean it again after discarding the towel for another clean one.

"If possible, I would like to give a hand where I can with whomever calls for the assistance. I may not know much, but I'd be willing to learn."

She was content to help Kavala with the birthing process as the bitch lay there panting, but her confusion began to grow when the other Konti began to speak to her in Common. A sinking feeling fell to the pit of her stomach as she identified some of the few words she knew in the language to affirm what she thought. She didn't speak Common fluently, ro even passably, at all. Something inside her cringed at the thought of losing her chances over something like this and she resolved, then and there, that she would need to learn it by the end of the season.

She smiled apologetically at Kavala as she attempted to reply, her tongue twisting over unfamiliar sounds as her mouth garbled the noises further. She had heard that it was unusual for somebody to not know the Common tongue basically at least but didn't regret her choices. Nowhere in her lineage did she know she had a human ancestor unless it was the sire of her mother, but Akalak and Konti were both in her blood and those were the reason she decided to forgo Common for Kontinese and Tukant.

"I sorry do not talk good this speak." She tried not to cringe too much at her own failure. "Speak Konti or Akalak want to learn speak common."

She would have to wait for the question to come in another language and she hated to make her hostess have to adjust for her. It wasn't right and propriety kicked her for it. All the while, she averted her eyes and focused on cleaning the puppy like a chastised child.

by **Kavala** on April 16th, 2013, 3:18 pm

Her Kontinese was barely passable so Kavala switched to Tukant. In the years she'd lived in Riverfall, it fall outweighed her ability to speak Kontinese, which she'd never really had a reason to learn but had picked up a smattering of on her brief visit to Mura.

"Sorry. I'm sure we can find a common language in here. I've never spent any time on Mura other than a season or two for medical training so my Kontinese is horrible. I can speak Pavi quite well and Tukant too. But around here, Common tends to get things done." Kavala said, looking thoughtful.

"Well, I don't know anything about food preservation either, but I was going to learn this fall as part of my job here. I'll either hire someone to come in and teach us or we can get a book and learn what we can from that. Last year the spring djed storms destroyed most of the gardens and our crops, but this year I have high hopes. We can also buy fruit to store from the orchards so that will be a good task for all of us to work at. One doesn't can alone, I do not think. So it would be you, myself, and my niece Cadra unless anyone else wants to learn. Otherwise, if you are willing to cook, clean, be a medical assistant, part time babysitter, and all around handiwoman, I can give you a job for 5 GM a day. That would include a room here... which I can show you once we get done here... " the konti said.

All the while Kavala kept checking on the bitch, counting heads, and rubbing puppies. She started a pot boiling on the counter that was sitting over a small pot bellied stove in the clinic, and added herbs to it which turned a foul color the water in which they boiled.

"And as your knowledge and expertise increase, I'll up your pay accordingly. I know most cooks start out at 1-3 GM a day, but I want my people happy here while they are here. And the rooms are worth even more, so you can count your salary actually around 8-10 if you think about the room and board included. I'd try to sell you on the great food, but I haven't tasted your cooking yet and well since you have to cook for yourself and everyone else, its not fair to say that 'prepaired meals' is a perk." Kavala said with a smile.

When the medical mixture on the pot bellied stove finally came to a boil, Kavala pulled it off to let it cool a bit. She strained it, then put it back in the pot to reduce. Then, leaving the room briefly, she brought back a basket of bloody meat cubes and dumped them in the water. The mixture looked like stew meat seeped in tea. But she gave the whole thing a stir and let it begin to cook. It boiled down rapidly, and the meat softened to almost a mush which she put in a separate food bowl to cool. It smelled a great deal better, almost like stew, as she did so, keeping an eye on the dog as she finally passed her placenta and the rest of the afterbirth.

Once that happened, Kavala set about cleaning up the dog the best she could, washing her backside and placing all the puppies back over on the mother, so they could begin to nurse.

"Ten... not a bad number. And all healthy. We only have roughly fifteen more welpings to go this season... plus foaling. It's going to be a busy time!" Kavala added... then sat the food down for the dog. Incense sat up straighter, sniffed, and began devouring the food. Kavala watched quietly. When the dog was done, she decided it was time they let the mother and her new puppies rest.

"Ready for a tour?" She asked in Tukant.

by **Tia'aria** on April 22nd, 2013, 2:25 am

Tia'aria smiled again as Kavala began speaking Tukant, relieved that there was at least something they could mutually understand.

"I've not been to Mura myself. I speak it for my mother, who came here from Mura, and for that I am Konti. I don't get much practise, I admit, but I do enjoy the sound." She smiled apologetically and finished up with her current puppy. The little movements the tiny animal made were endearing to her. She placed the puppy aside.

She nodded at the information about canning and was excited at the prospect of learning to can herself and with two other women. It would be easier that way, she thought, with two others to work along with and discover things together, although she had no idea who Cadra was. She would likely soon learn, she thought, if Cadra was Kavala's niece. She expected another Konti and would look forward to the meeting.

"I am more than willing! I would love to learn how to preserve food and do any of the work around here that people need help with." She said, her excitement showing in her voice. She swallowed, trying to maintain control over her eagerness, and nodded.

Tia was interested in the medicinal brew upon the stove, for that was what she figured it was at the sight of the herbs being dumped into it, and the smell. If one thing didn't smell attractive, it was medicine. It must have been for the dog, but it's purpose evaded Tia's thoughts. Was it the bitch regain her strength and energy? She asked about it, giving it a great deal of attention out of personal curiousity more than anything. Perhaps she'd learn how to make something like it one day.

She returned to finish up with the last puppy as her hostess checked on the bitch and the mixture, cleaning the puppy up diligently. This one was wriggling a great deal more when she eventually placed it amongst it's kin with a gentle pat on its head, just as the bitch passed her placenta and afterbirth.

She chuckled at the news of how many more whelpings there would be, amused at the thought of that many puppies, and looked forward to helping with the deliveries. She decided she liked it, helping with birthings.

"Yes, I'd love for a tour," she said gently, smiling at the bitch and her brood as they left. She hadn't expected to be boarded in Sanctuary, so the thought of leaving the Pearl House to work here, which would take a considerable amount of time off of travelling back and forth to and from Riverfall, was a great benefit.

by **Kavala** on May 26th, 2013, 7:08 pm

OOC: I'm going to refer you to these blueprints on the tour.

Since they were in the clinic, Kavala went ahead and started out the tour on the surface. She showed Tia the clinic, where the patients slept, then wandered off to the barns and arena. Once there, she took Tia to see the cow barn, where the pigs were, and the mews and chicken house. There were stakes in the ground for where the cattery was going to go, and a few smaller changes were made to pathways and walkways in and around The Sanctuary.

Once the above ground tour was done, Kavala took her into the cliff and showed Tia how nice an underground fortress could be. From there, they went through the common room, the kitchen, and saw all the living quarters and suites. They even visited the Sea Cave and the sloping ramp that lead to the beach beneath The Sanctuary. Kavala explained how the plumbing worked and how all the refuse from the midden pits and chutes were reused and turned into soil via composting. She was overall proud of the gilded walls done with carefully inlaid stone all created by reimancy. The tunnels leading down were reflected of someone diving down into the sea, showing a slow decent into the depths of the ocean. Each corridor had a different them, some jungle some forest, all the stone inlaid mosaic style.

Kavala, when they got to the guest rooms, let her pick one for her own. There were many many to chose from, due to the fact some of The Sanctuary workers had left and moved back to larger cities or had wandered to complete training elsewhere to more round out their education AND due to the fact that Kavala had expanded. After all, Kavala only usually dealt with animals and kelvics, and most people wanted humans to heal.

When they were done, Kavala carefully asked. "Well, what do you think?" Leaving the floor wide open for Tia to comment or ask questions.

by **Tia'aria** on July 12th, 2013, 3:47 pm

Hey thereKeeping with what I did to Mike, here is your reply. Enjoy

.

Tia'aria allowed her hostess, and newfound employer, take the lead for this tour, gladly falling behind her and expressing every bit of interest she was feeling as they walked the grounds, the polite Konti woman giving her descriptions and names for the various buildings.

The clinic was obviously intended more for the treatment of animals rather than people, something Tia found more interesting than the clinic in Riverfall that catered only to human patients. She liked animals, found Sanctuary great for its service of them.

She went through with Kavala, thrilled at seeing the size and breadth of the compound. It kept so much. Bee hives in strange containers, a mews for birds, barns for horses and cattle and pigs, and a house for the hens. The area was also scenic, showing areas where there would be the gardens in the future to provide her ingredients and the doctors herbs for medicinal remedies. She saw the kitchen provided for patients and temporary boarders and looked forward to testing it out.

Then, they went underground, and Tia was able to appreciate the mastery of whoever had carved into the rock and soil to create the expansive fortress that spread far enough to open to the beach, which she appreciated more than she appreciated most of the other things. She was a very Konti kind of woman and loved the sea immensely.

The room she picked when Kavala showed her them wasn't special for any reason, she appreciated the layout. It reminded her of her room in her mother's house, nice and orderly and clearly unused. The lack of other people living in Sanctuary was something for Tia to ponder, because it seemed there might have been more at one point, but she understood they had moved on. There were many places she would have to explore further, from the Within Library, the Sacred Circle, and the entirety of the above-ground area where the animals would stay. She was excited to get started and it was embodied in the restless way she shifted her hands that could be misconstrued as her nerves. She was nervous but it was more excitement and anticipation than anything else.

"Frankly, I think this is all fantastic! I can't imagine the amount of dedication and perserverence that went into building such a place out of nothing." She did remember, after all, that there had once not been a Sanctuary only less than five years before. It had come far in such a short time. "I think I am still awed by it, actually."

by **Rosela** on March 1st, 2015, 3:19 am

E
E

Congratulations! You've Been Awarded:

Kavala :

Tia'aria :

Notes :

If you have any questions or concerns about what was awarded, don't hesitate to PM me. When you're finished, please edit or delete your grade request from the grading queue.
E
E

Closed Interview at the Sanctuary.