[Arrhizal Apothecary] I dare you to eat it. (Solo)

[Fela Meason]

. 57th Day of Summer, 511 AV Fela gripped the broom Kirwen had given her and attempted to sweep the shop floors all the while moaning and complaining much like her employer. Her expectation had been to be his apprentice. Not his, her thoughts trailed off trying to think of the word. Slave did not quite fit but maybe dog was a better word. She cast angry eyes backwards to see what the old troll was up to. Kirwen had his eyes cast down at the object in his hands. It was a strange gadget, two large stone wheels were attached to two smaller flat wooden wheels. A handle stuck out of the side of the device. When turned the wheels moved against each other and smashed anything pulled through them. Kirwen was currently using this device which looked like it would be better off in a dungeon on some poor innocent fruit. Beyond the wheels sat a bowl catching the flattened fruit and juices. Fela leaned the broom against the wall and walked up the Kirwen. She loved irritating him. She stuck a finger in the bowl and went to lick it off when Kirwen grabbed her hand and glared at her. Ya dumb animal. Don't eat that. These aren't cherries I'm grinding here. Fela flicked the substance off her hand and listened carefully to him as he spoke. Holding up two berries he explained. This, he held up a dark berry with a stem, is a cherry. This is known as wild cherry and is the one mostly used in pies. Something you are used to eating. He looked her up and down like a man checking his recently purchased meat. Fela reached out to try and snatch the berry to do just as he predicted when Kirwen smacked the cat on the back of the head. Are you even listening? Fela rubbed her head softly and nodded. Kirwen pinched the bridge of his nose and set down the fruit picking up another much brighter red berry. This is known as Bittersweet Nightshade. This. He shook the berry for emphasis. Will kill you dead if you eat enough of it. Do we have an understanding? Fela nodded again and waited for Kirwen to return to his work. As soon as his eyes were off her she stuck on tongue out and grabbed a cherry out of the bowl popping it into her mouth. She chewed and swallowed, the sweet taste of the berry wasn't anything like any cherry she had ever eaten before. It had a strange sour under flavor she could not pin point. Shrugging she returned to where she left her broom. I'll have to ask Kirwen where he harvested these later... Fela always seemed to have a problem with getting into things she should not have gotten into. Kirwen was always having to stop her from poisoning herself or some poor customer, Kathy Swalloosh still would not come near her after last weeks incident. The floor was done. A bead of sweat rolled down her forehead and down onto her chest ending between her breasts. Today was an unusually hot day for Alvadas. Despite the temperature it was snowing, a wall of white outside she had to battle through to get to work today. Kirwen walked up to Fela and took her broom instead handing her a piece of parchment with numbered instructions on it. Now, I know you can read so don't even pretend you can't to get out of this. I have a shipment coming in I have o go pick up. They won't let me send you instead. I don't know how long I will be gone and this order has to be done today. Think you can handle it without getting yourself killed? Fela snatched the paper out of his hand. I think I can handle this. She read through the list. The first instruction was a full set up notes concerning proper breathing technique and how to tell if you have stopped breathing. She glared at him. Get out of here Vagik. I've got work to do. Kirwen stomped away slamming the door behind him sending a few empty glass jars smashing into the ground. Fela sighed and grabbed the broom again. Might as well take care of this first.

[Fela Meason]

57th Day of Summer, 511 AV The list: Place hand on knob to door below counter Wrap fingers around knob Pull outwards towards yourself Stop before you hit your body Fela growled and skipped down the "instructions" to find what herbs she needed to pull out. She was making a simple tea out of dried rose, chamomile and ground cloves. The order was for one of the locals who suffered horrible headaches. This should be easy enough...Fela opened the cabinet and gazed inside. She was mistaken. This should be easy; however, it was going to take the act of a god to get this mess sorted out. Under the cabinet were a multitude of clear glass jars. Most had powered herbs and contained no labels save a few black streaks ranging from one line to six lines. Some had small circles etched into the glass, but that could have just been decoration. Fela had no idea what to make of any of it and she ran a hand through her short red hair in frustration. With a shrug of her shoulders she reached under and pulled out several large jars filled with brownish yellow herbs. Some powdered and others in a loose tea form. She pulled the top off one of the larger jars filled with loosely ground leaves and took a large sniff. The bitter pungent odor nearly knocked her flat. Fela quickly replaced the lid and put the jar on the counter off to the side. Nope, not chamomile. With a hesitant hand she reached forward and grabbed another jar, this one had three black lines on it and was also filled with loosely chopped leaves. It had all the appearance of the chamomile she had purchased at the bizarre, but than again so had the other jar. Much more careful this time from a distance Fela took a deep breath to scent the air. The light flowery scent drifted upwards. Fela smiled to herself. One down...she paused to say two to go but glanced at the cabinet again...And a million to go.

[Fela Meason]

57th Day of Summer, 511 AV She sat on the ground looking defeated. The cabinet was empty now and the counters were cluttered with jars, phials and boxes of dried herbs. None of which contained any writing to point her in the right direction. Clove had been easy enough to find and was now sitting off on the lonely side of the counter with the chamomile, yet rose petals had evaded her. Each jar had been a new assault on her senses, the smells she had encountered here today would haunt her for a very long time. She wondered how something so beautiful could smell so rancid. With a heavy sigh Fela lifted herself off the floor and glanced at her work. Could it be that Kirwen had not gathered any rose petals recently? She shook her head almost certain that was the case. She knew where some grew in a local garden but did not have nearly enough time to gather and dry them herself. Her customer would be there in a few bells time and she had to get this tea prepared before then. Fela pondered how she was going to get out of this mess as she stuffed the jars and boxes back under the counter top, seeing as nothing was labeled she paid no attention to where anything was placed. With her work finished she did a slow turn in the shop looking for anywhere where Kirwen may have stashed more herbs for her to search through. The room tilted and started spinning. Dizziness overcame here and her stomach started to roll along with the room. Fela braced herself against the wall and waited for everything to pass. She had become accustom to her scenery spinning in this city of illusions, but this was different. She could feel her breakfast threatening to evict itself from her body and tried to swallow it back. A moment later it dawned on her, the berry. She had accidentally grabbed the wrong berry when Kirwen had turned his back. Silently she cursed herself for her stupidity. She searched her brain for any information Kirwen had taught her in her time with him, anything at all that could help her. Images of her lying dead on the floor when Kirwen returned flashed in her mind. His face would not be creased with worry for her, but anger at her for messing up his shop. Oh how dare she inconvenience him with her death. Not if she could help it. Just as Fela started to work up a good hard anger towards her employer the dizziness passed. She still felt utterly sick to her stomach but the room had righted itself once more. She sighed with relief, it was silly to think that one little berry could kill her; however, the pain in her stomach would be a reminder for the next few bells why no matter how angry and disagreeable he may be she may want to listen to him a bit more often.

[Fela Meason]

57th Day of Summer, 511 AV Fela looked out the window to watch Syna's decent in the sky. She had to think of something soon. Closing her eyes and concentrating she tried to remember everything Salida had taught her about herbal properties. Sad to say it was not much. Fela was much better at recognizing plants, not working with them once gathered. She thought about roses. They were a simple flower used often in medicine. She tried to remember what they were for. A faded memory brought itself to the front of her brain. Fela had been sick, a fever had confined her to her bedroll and sleep had become impossible. Salida had applied cold rags to her head and given her a paste smeared on a hard piece of bread. She remembered the paste had been bitter, so very bitter. Fela's hazy memory recalled Salida telling her it was willow bark for her fever. She shook her head again, that memory only brought sadness but was not helpful here. Then she remembered more, the second item had been a tea to wash the awful tasting paste down with. A floral tea brewed over the fire. Rosehips. Fela smiled at the tenderness Salida had shown her that day all that time ago. The tea had helped her sleep and ease the pain. Fela sighed and blinked back tears, she had to stay focused. Ok, talk it out. Rose helps you sleep, Clove eases stomach problems and Chamomile relaxes your muscles. Well we don't have Rose so what else helps you sleep... Her mind was off again in a whirlwind of thought. Fela hopped up on the counter and lay with her head hanging off the side, this was her favorite thinking position. She closed her eyes. A chime or two passed when it hit her. She sat upright and pulled back open the cabinet. She spied the bottle she needed and hesitated. She could almost smell it from where she stood. She only needed a small amount of the herb for her purposes and hopefully the clove would cover up the scent, but her sensitive nose did not wish to be assaulted once more by the pungent odor of the Valerian root. Wrapping her fingers around the bottle she pulled it out and carefully pulled the top to confirm she had the correct herb. The wave of fumes confirmed it for her instantly. Gagging she quickly placed what she needed in the bowl and replaced the lid. Measuring out about four times as much Chamomile and twice as much clove she added it to the bowl and began mixing and grinding the herbs together. Once she was certain that the untrained eye could not tell the difference she quickly got her the cloth pouch made for the teas sold here and scooped it all together and tied it off. Fela smiled at herself. It would get the job done and no one would be the wiser.

[Fela Meason]

57th Day of Summer, 511 AV Fela offered a strained smile as Ms. Harbon left with her purchase, the moment the door closed she grabbed her stomach and doubled over. Never Never again would she eat anything that was not OBVIOUSLY what she thought it was. Bread and jerky for her all the way now. The rolls of nausea threw her body into spasms and she would be thankful for its passing. When the pain had faded enough for her to stand up right she went about cleaning the shop as best she could. In the many days she had been working there she had learned to sweep but to never try and organize. Her work done for the day Fela pulled up the only chair in the place and let her feet rest as she waited for either close or for Kirwen to return. Thankfully it did not take long. He soon breezed into the store and barked some questions at her in his calm bitter manner. Did you fill the order? She nodded. Did Ms. Harbon pick it up? She nodded again. Did she pay? Fela nodded and indicated the safe by his counter where she had placed the Mizas. Satisfied with her answers Kirwen put his cloak on the counter and went about doing the final checks on the shop before closing. Fela gave him a single finger waved and turned to exit out of the building when the door burst inward. Fela braced herself at who waltz in through the door: Ms. Harbon. One look at her and Fela knew she was a dead cat. Her face had broken out into hives, red and angry. Not nearly as angry as her face was at that moment. Fela opened her mouth to explain when Ms. Harbon beat her to it. Kirwen. I am so sorry to rush in on your like this but I need an ointment and now for this swelling. Puzzled Fela continued to listen. My gardener is trying to kill me I swear! She pushed past Fela and slammed some money down on the counter top. I came in today like everyday. Poured myself some of your tea I had purchased just this after noon and went to eat some of the sweet bean cake my gardener had left for me. She shook her head and let out a deafening moan. The sweetest cake I have ever eaten, but look at me? Can you believe it! She leaned in to whisper to Kirwen. He slipped Valerian root into my cake! Fela eyes bugged out of her head for only a moment, she quickly regained her composure and went about looking as innocent as possible. She was sure Kirwen noticed though given the knowing glances he was now casting her way. He knows I am allergic! The woman continued. Why you remember that last time I try that for my headaches? It was a disaster. The woman had finally calmed herself down and reached out for the jar Kirwen was now handing her and giving her instructions for. With a thankful and tearful goodbye Ms. Harbon was gone as soon as she came. Fela hunched her shoulders anticipating the tongue lashing she would soon receive when Kirwen did something she had never once heard him do before: he laughed. Maybe laughed was not the best word to use since it was more of a strangled sound, but it was not a sound of anger. Slowly Fela turned to look at him with a even more puzzled expression on her face. Good work ya animal. I can't stand that woman. With another chuckle he grabbed his cloak and went to open the door connecting the shop with his room. Don't forget to lock up and I'll see you in a few days.

[Fallacy]

XP Award! Name:Fela Meason XP Award: Cleaning- 3 Botany- 3 Philtering- 2 Herbalism- 2 Lore: Sweeping the shop Messing with Kirwen Wild Cherry Bittersweet Nightshade Following ‘instructions’ Identifying herbs and plants by smell Eating the wrong berry Poisoning yourself Remembering lessons leanred Felas favorite thinking position Rose for Sleep Cloves for stomach problems Chamomile for relaxing muscles Valerian Root for sleep Ms. Harbon is allergic to Valerian Root Notes: Yay for second and final job thread completed! Please at the end of the season do not forget to send me a PM with everything included in it I don’t want you to miss out on your money. Every Miza was well earned! Oh my gosh! You just keep on impressing me more and more with your stories. All your threads are such a wonder to read and I enjoyed this one just as much as your last job thread. Fantastic work! You had me laughing and it was just so great. I cannot wait to grade another thread from you. (You always make things interesting) Any questions or concerns about the rewards gained please send a PM