I have no idea what I'm doing.

[Oswin Raulins]

Winter 6th, 513 “Perhaps I’ll see you on the Sharai tomorrow,” a patient had said, back at the Catholicon yesterday morning. She was inspecting the fresh bandage wrapped around her forearm while Oswin washed her hands in the basin, staining the water lightly red. The patient received a sideward glance tinted with friendly confusion that could have been taken for curiosity. Their eyes met, and the patient smiled. Oswin’s silence must have sounded like an unasked question. She clarified. “Tomorrow is the first Garden Day.” “Oh,” Oswin noised. Right. Winter had started, hadn’t it? Oswin had heard something to the effect of the last of the harvest and reconstruction following last year’s calamities. She had been distracted by the regular influx of resulting patients, but it had all been there in the small talk. It wasn’t as if Oswin had been absent for the storm or later, the earthquakes, but she had the remarkable ability to effectively forget the past and focus only on the present. It always caught her by surprise when others could not. “Will you be there?” The tone of the question was unusually insistent. It sounded more like a request than in inquiry, prompting the physician to turn her head and find her patient’s eyes again. The gall. If the intent was to rouse civil guilt in Oswin, it was somehow effective. What did Oswin owe to Lhavit? Except her livelihood, her sense of peace and security, the feeling of contentment, her acceptance by the community, the abolition of social castes, the acknowledgement of her existence… much more than the city-state of her birth had given her. Oh, void it. The patient had uttered four bleeding words. Oswin was far too buried in her own head if such an innocent question had provoked so many thoughts. Perhaps she should attempt to get involved in Winter’s events this year. She’d been in Lhavit long enough to feel at least the shallowest sense of patriotism. Right? Gods, her head was a mess of excuses. She was overthinking and overrationalizing. She needed a drink. Or conversation. Or some physical exercise. Something. A Garden Day or two would do her well. Yes, that sounded valid enough. She smiled amiably at the patient., which seemed appropriate. “Can’t stay cooped up forever.” And there it was. Her word was her contract. Now, if she didn’t show up, she’d be a liar. And the patient looked so pleased. ---------- “Can’t stay cooped up forever,” Oswin told herself again, mimicking her own voice with no small amount of resentment. Just beyond the bridge from the Shinyama Peak, Oswin stood at the foot of the Sharai at half past the 7th bell. The tiers of the peak rose before her expectantly, filled with the colorful shapes of Lhavitians already skittering about the pastures carved into rock by mortal hands. While many of the fields were mostly or partially hewn, many of the fruiting trees and orchards were still producing their late-year wares. The morning fog was still spilling over from the chasms of the aptly named Misty Peaks, settling in all of the corners and crannies that weren’t disturbed by a moving person. Usually on gray mornings like this, Lhavit was uncharacteristically colorless. The sun was not brightly reflected in the skyglass as per usual, but then the Sharai did not have much skyglass. It was the agricultural epicenter of the city, so much of the color came from earthen tones, Okomo, and the Lhavitian’s decidedly garish fashion choices. It was a funny bit of irony that this particular part of the city, which Oswin usually had no proper reason to visit, was more lively and vibrant than the rest of it at the moment. Then, here was Oswin, dressed in black. She was Ravokian, she liked black. Draped in a black woolen cloak, in a black woolen cap, she looked and felt like an undertaker. That was not uncommon, but she had not anticipated these crowds, and now she stood out worse than ever. It was only half a bell since dawn rest, had all these people gathered here in such a short time? Mind blowing, how it affected the attitudes of citizens when their patron deity was only loved, and not feared. This, these commoners volunteering to help their community and contribute to trade with the famine-cursed Wind Reach, was the world Rhysol had protected his precious city from. Oswin allowed herself a private laugh. My, was she ever becoming a bleeding heart. If she went back to Ravok now, she’d be taken for a foreigner and eaten alive without a doubt. And look, it was beginning to snow. Oswin, unaware that her dark form was now accumulating a powder covering, reached out with a brown, gloved hand and caught a wispy snowflake. Right, this stuff again. “Oh,” she noised (as she often did), when the snowflake gradually melted into the linen. “There you are! Miss Raulins!” “Hm?” Oswin looked up, pulled forcefully out of her reverie. Pity, it had been stalling her so effectively. It was the patient she had treated yesterday. Oswin looked for the bandage on her arm, but it was covered by a bright blue sleeve. “Oh, it’s you. You’ve not fallen again, I hope.” “Not yet,” she smiled. Her name was Rietta, Oswin recalled. She was up in her years, a mother’s look to the lines in her face, but still young enough to be vivacious and enthusiastic. Likely a new grandmother, Oswin thought, but she had never asked. “Are you meeting anyone here?” “Not to my knowledge.” Oswin lowered her hand and returned it to the hidden confines of her cloak. “I haven’t the slightest idea where to begin. I thought I would stand here and look thoughtful until someone ordered me to do something. It’s been an effective tactic in the past.” Rietta laughed. She was pretty when she laughed. For a moment, Oswin could imagine her twenty years younger, melting hearts with that laugh. Definitely a mother. “Come with me then, we need help sorting through the yatani bushels. Can’t have enough hands. I’m so glad you’re here.” “You are?” Rietta laughed again but Oswin wasn’t entirely sure why. It hardly seemed to matter. Rietta led the physician past the pavilions and to the far corner of one of the pastures, where several barrels had been set out and a half dozen Lhavitians were already sorting fruit in each one. Oswin quickly scanned each face but didn’t recognize a one. Not surprising. Her friends were either few or quickly lost due to her reclusive nature and difficulty keeping lunch appointments and the like. Rietta situated Oswin in front of two of the barrels. One was full of freshly harvested yatani, while the other was mostly empty except for some very unappetizing mush at the bottom. Funny, how frustrated one could become when although she was skilled at closing up wounds, diagnosing diseases, and resetting broken limbs, she had not the faintest idea of what to do when given a task that looked simple but was completely foreign to her. Unlike before, Reitta did not sense Oswin’s unasked question. This time she had been distracted by some young nearby person who appeared to need help, though the physician could not begin to ascertain with what. She watched Rietta correct the stranger’s methods, explaining how the fruit needed to endure several weeks of being locked up in crates or something while it was transported to Wind Reach. “And what am I doing?” Oswin chimed in when there was half an opening between them, her pride taking the brunt of a hit as she admitted her incompetence. Rietta smiled at her, alarmingly kind. “You’ll be sorting the yatani. Some of them are overripe or bruised, and some were stunted and never ripened enough. Drop the bad ones here.” She indicated the mush barrel. “And the good ones there.” The barrel next to the young person earlier. “But be careful not to bruise the good ones.” “Alright.” Not alright. Oswin was an amateur. It was not safe to trust amateurs. People died at the hands of amateurs in her line of work. These fruit were positively doomed. “I’ll return to check on you. I have to check on the vineyard. Good luck!” “Thank you.” Please don’t go. Well, that was that. Oswin picked up the yatani from the top of the barrel, turning it over and inspecting it for discoloration. It was orange. Plump. Uniform in shape. Five points, like any star fruit. This was… good? Right? “Can’t stay cooped up forever,” Oswin mocked herself as she placed the fruit in the “good” barrel.

[Jenni Twilight]

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OOCJust a note - the garden days start on the 6th, rather than the 5th ^-^

Jenni glanced out the window of her room in the Twilight tower, and spotted... snow. Yes, there was a faint sprinkling of snow slowly falling from the sky. She liked snow, however annoying it became when it started piling up. But… it meant that it would be cold. She wore her usual outfit, with simple white breeches, and a green sleeveless top. Though it was useful for warm weather… she needed to add an extra layer or two for the snow. She picked up her scarf – she was foregoing the usual silver necklace today – and wrapped that around her neck, pulling it tight so it would keep her warm outside. Though she didn’t have much of a fashion taste, she thought the light blue of that went quite well with her top… as well as the dark blue cloak she was adding on top. Wrapping herself in this, she went to rub Crook’s head in a form of a goodbye. She mused about whether his fur, or that inside her cloak, was warmer… and decided not to decide.

After some edging from various parts of her family, she’d decided to help in Lhavit’s recovery from the tremors. Though, personally, she thought she’d done enough heading into that cave… apparently everyone needed to volunteer at least some of their time to help the city rebuild as a whole. So… she’d decided to come to one of the garden days, and help with the Winter harvest. That was the least she could do, right? Though she was generally an indoor person, it would be good to get out, and enjoy the Winter snow, if only for a bit. Musingly, she considered taking Crook along… but decided against it. He’d simply be a nuisance, and get into all the plants she was supposed to be helping… though she had no idea how she was supposed to help the plants in the first place. She didn’t know the first thing about plants… The Twilight wondered if any of her writing materials were made from plants… then gave up. Plants were out of her range… which was mostly why she was trying things today.

The morpher set off through the snow, hood kept protectively over her head to keep the snow from getting in her hair. While her hands started to chill, she wished off to the side that she owned a pair of gloves, or mittens… but physical exercise, whatever she did, would help… right? That was the logic, at least. As she passed by some vendors, she spotted one selling nice woolen mittens… it was tempting to head right over there and purchase a pair, but… she couldn’t work with mittens. She’d owned a pair once, but the wool had shredded and ripped on any prickly surface that was possible. Oh, and she’d spilled ink all over them. That was probably the biggest culprit for her not buying another pair. But… maybe on her way back. She smiled at the thought, wiggling her fingers slightly in an attempt to warm them up.

Finally, she reached the farm areas, where the Garden Days were apparently arranged. She was greeted by a pleasant woman, with a bright smile on her face. “Good morning! I assume you’re here to help us?” the woman asked happily, taking a few quick steps to approach Jenni. “Yes,” she replied, glad that this would be sorted out for her. Though she would have been fine searching for work on her own, this always made things much simpler. “Excellent! Now, I have another volunteer sorting out yatani bushels. All you need to do is pick out the ones that aren’t bruised or damaged, and put them in the ‘good’ bin. Squishy ones, or ones that don’t look good to eat… go in the other barrel. ” Without another word, the woman shooed the Twilight over in the direction of another woman, this one shorter than the Seeker herself, who was indeed inspecting various yatani fruit.

“Good morning” the morpher greeted her new co-worker… volunteer… in a pleasant voice, taking the other side of the collection of barrels. One of the three was mostly full, the second had unappetizing star fruit… and the last looked positively edible. Trying something out for herself, Jenni plucked a fruit from the first bin, and gave it a good look. It looked nice at first, but… once she’d looked at the entire thing… there was a massive brown part at the back that she didn’t want to touch. She wouldn’t have eaten it on any normal day, even considering her higher than usual standard of living. Frowning slightly at the plant, she dropped it lightly into the mush bin. This didn’t seem so hard… as she wasn’t dealing with anything exactly… living. “I’m Jenni Twilight. Might I know your name?” She introduced herself in the midst of staring at another fruit, glancing up to smile at her companion. She had been feeling a little… friendly that day, and though she would be perfectly happy with silence, it would be nice to know the name of the person she was working with.

Common - Nari/Crook - NPC - Writing - Reading

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[Oswin Raulins]

“Good morning.” The greeting was warm enough. Civil, chipper, shallow, ordinary. A precursor to small talk. Oswin lifted her head from her task and caught eyes with young girl dressed in blue and green. The colors went well with her light hair, eyes, and complexion. Not a motif Oswin could ever pull off. Evidently the girl was sent here to share the task with the Ravokian. She smiled briefly and gave a polite nod in return, but otherwise said nothing. Was she not moving fast enough with the yatani, she wondered? By now, Oswin had pocketed her thin linen gloves. They were meant as a first layer of protection from the cold, and nothing more. Ambitiously she had donned them on her way out, thinking that it might protect her delicate hands from the pricks of thorns and the like, if there were any to be had. This task, however, was decidedly wet, and although the sweet scent of yatani juice was far from the worst of odors, juice was prone to rot and she would prefer not to throw out a pair of gloves because they had begun to grow mold. She plucked up another fruit, hefting its weight in her palm and inspecting all sides for uniform color. Yellow. Five points. Good… shape, she supposed. Gods, this was dull. Did people actually do this for a living? Wait! But was that discoloration on the bottom side! Shock! Dismay! Excitement! But… alas, ‘twas only dirt, easily rubbed away with a few passes of her thumb. The fruit was placed halfheartedly in the “good” barrel. Allander and Oswin used to find bodies in the alleys and prod them with sticks. They watched their father beaten the floor by Ebonstryfe. This, sorting fruit, was more traumatizing in its sheer mundanity. Rhysol, let someone get a splinter. Oswin was more than prepared to rise into action and fulfill her proper role as a physician. The girl made another attempt to spark a conversation by giving her name. Jenni Twilight. Twilight? What a peculiar name. Oh shyke. “Oswin.” She lifted her head again, taking a second look at the girl. Jenni was a member of one of Lhavit’s famous and influential families. The Twilights, proprietors of the so-named Twilight Tower. Of course Oswin had heard of them, and approximated their social standing and reputation to be much like the noble houses of Ravok. Meeting one of them could make or break one’s entire livelihood, but surely that wasn’t the case here in Lhavit. Oswin wasn’t sure what this meant. “Raulins. Good morning. Hello. Sorry, yes. That’s my name.” Noticing her hands were empty, Oswin leaned forward and plucked up another fruit. This one was brown all over. She discarded it quickly in the mush barrel, but it left a sticky residue on her fingers. Horrifying. “You’re one of the Twilights, are you? The Twilights, I expect.” Oswin glanced over her shoulder, looking for the trademark spire of the Sartu Peak, but the mixture of snow and fog was much too thick. “Good to see you here amongst the little folk. In your position I doubt I’d ever leave my crystal tower. It seems like a good place to brood and contemplate the state of the world. I would be very good at that, I’d wager, if I were rich.”

[Jenni Twilight]

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Jenni was just glancing over another of the fruit when the woman introduced herself as Oswin Raulins... though it was a slightly awkward reply. She dropped the fruit in the 'good' bin, mentally wincing as the sticky juice on her fingers made this a little harder than usual. She simply nodded in reply, seeing no reason to bother formulating an answer, examining the next star fruit. This one also seemed in good condition, and was moved into the next barrel.

Oswin began speaking again, yes... talking about her family. "Yes" she replied to the first question, her tone holding a little bit of the tiredness that came around whenever that was asked. Yes she was a Twilight, yes from one of the towers. However, the next statement was a little... confusing, and vaguely disturbing. It was put as if the Day of Discord had yet to occur, and those from the Towers were still above the rest of Lhavit. Her lips curled into a frown as the woman commented that it was good that she was here... with the 'little folk'. The Twilight took a few moments after Oswin had finished speaking, before answering.

It was vaguely true. She did spend a lot of time between the Bharani Library, and in the Tower... though the statement made it seem like she was above everyone in doing so. It was more like she wasn't entirely the most sociable person. A number of other Twilights were often out there, honing their skills and helping the general population with their morphing. The 'rich' comment brought up a wince. They weren't as rich as before, though the Twilights did donate a lot of their money to charity. Still... the statement sounded wrong.

"Well..." she hesitated, unsure how to answer something like this. "I do leave my 'crystal tower', as you put it... I work as a Novitate Seeker in the Bharani library." She didn't mention the richness... though she did make a sizeable income, and nearly 100 mizas profit went into her pocket at the end of the season, she didn't consider herself that. But she lived an excellent life, and couldn't complain either way. "But as a Lhavitan, I guess it's my duty to help out the city. It's not like I'm technically above anyone, despite my family."

The latter statement was sort of untrue. She did think of herself above some people... though it had nothing to do with her family. She looked up to those with intelligence, and down on those without. She knew sometimes it was due to upbringing, but still... she could never resist feeling superior to someone when they showed a particularly stupid streak. It wasn't exactly a nice trait... but she'd given up getting rid of it. Intelligence meant everything to her, and those without it... well, they were kind of below. She didn't know what to think of this woman yet... she'd have to see.

Common - Nari/Crook - NPC - Writing - Reading

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[Oswin Raulins]

“Ah.” Oswin might have struck offense with the statement about the tower. There wasn’t any fruit being thrown at her face yet, however, so she managed to not feel discouraged. Conversation was not her strong point, but socializing was the entire point of showing up here at all. A sound concept in theory, but in practice… tedious. “Truly you’re more virtuous than I am, in that case. I grew up in the service of others, so I feel my debt to society has been paid in advance. A selfish outlook to be sure.” The statement was finished with a good-natured smirk, revealing the modesty hidden in her words. Another fruit was plucked from the barrel and summarily inspected. At this point, they were all beginning to look the same. The barrels were nearly empty now, and Oswin was beginning to glance up and search for Rietta, hoping she was somehow instinctively know that the physician would need to be given a new task. Agriculture was far beyond Oswin’s minor knowledge of various minutiae, as it was not a common trade among Ravokians; in fact it didn’t exist at all within the city proper. Sure, there were gardens, but they were for helpful herbs, culinary spices, and hobbyist flowerbeds. Oswin had some rudimentary knowledge of those plants (emphasis on rudimentary, as she did not know much more beyond “plants need water”), and she had hoped to learn a bit more about botany in general in coming today. Didn’t appear that was going to happen. She was stuck looking at fruit and making small talk instead. Conversation and education - if Oswin had chosen one goal to accomplish today, it wouldn’t have been the former. But here she was, and gods be damned if they thought she wouldn’t make the best of it. “Where I come from, the privileged don’t lend much thought to civic duty. ‘Tis refreshing that you do. I do enjoy the warmth of Lhavitian culture.” Oswin turned the fruit over in her hand, plucking off the dried husk of a stray leaf that must have come from the plant the fruit was plucked from. “‘Course, I make it sound like I’ve just arrived. I’m hardly new, I’ve just never had the honor of meeting any members of the high families, and now look at me. I’m eager to praise the city in front of you so that I may win your esteem.” Oswin laughed in spite of herself. “Old habits die hard.” It was still difficult not to think of Lhavit as belonging to the Twilights, Dawns, Dusks, and Anchorite Hayani. The caste system in place in Lhavit was much more familiar and closer to Ravok’s when Oswin had first adopted the Diamond of Kalea as her home. There was even a Voice of the Stars to speak on behalf of Zintila, much like Rhysol’s Voice in Sylira. The Ethaefalen proprietors had since retaken control of the city and restored balance, true to their nature. Supposedly, that was how Lhavit was before the pair had left off on some great quest. Things had returned to "normal" since their return. Oswin, however, who arrived while the two were still gone, had latched onto the familiar aspects of Lhavit because they made the most sense to her. Although the correction to the city’s social and political structure had been done some years ago now, the physician found herself slow to adapt to it. “Forgive my candidness. I am only trying desperately to distract you from seeing that I have positively no idea what I’m doing. I don’t think I have the hands for this sort of work.” Oswin held up one hand as evidence, showing the pruning of the skin that had occurred after being coated in so much yatani juice.

[Jenni Twilight]

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Though Jenni had been slightly irritated by the woman's comments, she listened to the explanation politely. It seemed that Oswin was used to such a concept, mentioning something about 'where she came from'. So her companion wasn't a Lhavitan, though from further explanation it was admitted that the woman had been in Lhavit for quite some time. If she had to make a wild guess... the Twilight would say a few years, give or take some. The place described sounded similar to Lhavit in her childhood... where the rich practically ran the city, her family included. Though Oswin was obviously used to such a situation, in her opinion this was better... much better. She didn't care that the Twilights were drowning in Kina and slaves... it hadn't really been a happy time for her anyways.

"If you don't mind me asking... but where are you from?"[color] She wasn't familiar with too many cities, except perhaps Wind Reach... though only a little. She was completely up to learning new cultures, however, and was excited to see what else this new type of city held... and what Oswin could tell her. By then, the picking and glancing at fruit had become an almost automatic task... pick up the star fruit, check if it was good, drop it in the right bin. Her fingers grew stickier and stickier... and even more annoying. However, she mostly ignored and forgot about it until the woman brought it up.

When Jenni spotted her companion's fingers, she glanced at her own and winced. They did not look pretty, and though she wasn't much of a stickler for appearances... this would take a bit to fix up. And she wouldn't be allowed - wouldn't let herself - touch any books until they were cleaned off. The juice would stain and ruin the pages, bring beetles and bugs and mice and... well, there was a reason you didn't eat near expensive books... though she was guilty of doing just that on a number of occasions. However, some of the books in the Bharani library were much more than expensive... a lot were one-of-a-kind, holding incredibly valuable information in pages that felt like sand.

[color=#550055]"Ugh" she grumbled under her breath, wiggling her fingers and cringing at the sticky feeling. She sighed quietly to herself and reached down to find the next yatani fruit... and saw nothing. Their first barrel was empty, with all the fruit sorted and removed. The morpher sighed to herself in relief, glad to be out of such a sticky (and kind of boring) task. Just as she glanced up, looking for someone to direct her to... wherever she could help... she spotted the first woman again.

"You're finished! Excellent! Now, if you delicate ladies are up to it..." Jenni scowled mentally at the comment. She didn't like being called 'delicate', though she couldn't really argue against it. She wasn't strong or fit, and couldn't resist much in terms of... well, anything. "There are some boxes that need carrying. Over there... to that cart." The woman pointed to both locations, and the Twilight nearly groaned. But the boxes were so big, and it was so far she almost whined, but kept it to herself. Instead she turned to her companion and gave a resigned smile, asking "Shall we, then?"

Common - Nari/Crook - NPC - Writing - Reading

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[Jenni Twilight]

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Jenni frowned in disappointment as Oswin denied the offer, apparently with something-or-other to do. She couldn’t be blamed: it was volunteer work after all. Still, the company had been relatively interesting. She watched the woman make her way away from the gardens, then shook her own head and remembered the job to do. Carry things. Lovely. She wasn’t particularly strong, with a body more adept for sitting and thinking than physical work. Sorting fruit had been fine, though she felt as if the sticky substance would never leave her fingers.

The Twilight walked in the boxes’ direction, glancing at her hands and wondering if they would permanently stick to the crates because of the juice. But… that was illogical. If anything, it would make carrying easier… right? Or maybe not. She wouldn’t be sure until she tried. From a closer distance, they didn’t seem too large, which in turn meant not overly heavy… but the contents would also decide that. What if inside was something incredibly heavy? She might not be able to lift them. Again, there was no way to know until she tried.

She found one that was easy to grab, and wrapped her arms fully around it, lifting the box with a grunt. It was heavy… but not as heavy as she’d expected it to be. Still, to arms used to only carrying stacks of books and Crook… it was something. Slowly, she wandered her way to the place she’d been directed to set them, feeling more tired by the chime. Her fingers were hurting now… how did people stand this kind of work! It was exhausting! Still, it wasn’t too far, and she was able to set her load down with a relieved sigh.

Before she turned to gather the next one, something crossed her mind. What was in the crates? They weren’t nailed shut, or anything… Curious, the morpher turned on her heel again and carefully lifted the lid, to see what lay inside. The only thing that lined the walls was… air. Pure and simple air. They were completely empty, devoid of anything that was actually to be transported. They were probably going to be filled up, and then moved away. However… for all that weight… she hadn’t actually been carrying anything. She suddenly felt very awkward at her lack of strength, and glanced around to check if anyone was watching. Nothing.

Sighing again with a tiny bit of relief, and some stress, Jenni felt her cheeks redden from embarrassment. Though as she’d just noticed before, no one was in the nearby vicinity… she ducked her head to hide it. If only to practice. In any social or formal event, emotions were meant to be controlled. As much as she’d rather stay in solitude, sometimes a gathering or two couldn’t hurt. In fact, they could occasionally be considered interesting… as long as you found the right people to talk to. Those that simply gossiped were… painful.

Leaving the crate where it was, the Twilight turned to carry the rest of her load over.

Common - Nari/Crook - NPC - Writing - Reading

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[Catastrophe]

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Jenni Twilight :

Skills

• Observation: 3 XP
• Socialization: 3 XP
• Organization: 1 XP

Lores

• The Family Name: One of Humility or Embarrassment?
• Superiority: Seeking such above the Arrogant
• Organizing Fruit: A Messy but Necessary Task
• Oswin: A Stranger with a Quizzical Mouth
• Boxes of Air: They're Heavier than they Look!

Loot

• N/A

Oswin :

If you return and have updated your ledger, please private message me so that I may give you your grade!

Notes :

This was an inventive thread you guys! It was a shame it didn't take off. Either way, Jenni, I made sure to give you your grades. If anything doesn't fit, don't be afraid to send me a private message with the issues!