Placeholder For Better or Worse

Kiva works hard on her craft.

(This is a thread from Mizahar's fantasy role play forums. Why don't you register today? This message is not shown when you are logged in. Come roleplay with us, it's fun!)

The Citadel of the Dead Queen, Black Rock is the island off of the eastern coast of Falyndar. Mythic and mysterious, few know what truly inhabits it. [Lore]

For Better or Worse

Postby Kiva on May 28th, 2015, 6:48 pm

    Image

    Placeholder


    39th of Spring, 515 A.V

    A shuffle of papers that grew in volume. Increasing frustration. Where? Where was it? A book tossed to the floor, more shuffling. A curse, followed by a command from the other room. 'Be still, Kiva! ' She sighed. Defeated, Kiva felt overwhelmed in the mess, finding the confining area and her klutziness a combination that often led in something broken or lost. Kiva did as she was told, propping herself up against the nearest table, eyeing the piles of scrolls and clay pots in front of her. In moments, Tokia was weaving her way to the front, and her expression immediately told Kiva that her rearranging of items would now be considered "making a mess".

    "Tokia -"

    "Be still." Tokia repeated, holding up a hand. "You grew up in the jungle, yes? Did you not have any awareness? Look, Kiva. Look, with your eyes." The woman held up two fingers, moving them in front of her and then to the side. "Myri have mercy, you need to pay attention. Move your body. Learn from it." A sigh. "Where is your study?"

    Kiva remained quiet, trying to buy time as she allowed her eyes to wander around the room. Tokia caught her glances and her gaze narrowed dangerously. Then she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and began walking the window. A few momentary looks and then the shopekeeper's hand snatched up a jar that sat near the sill. Kiva had no recollection of putting the container there.

    Tokia opened the jar and held it out to the younger Myrian. "Tell me what you know."

    Kiva made a face, taking the jar. Slowly, she lifted the lid of the clay jar and held it up. Immediately a strong, cooling scent assaulted her sense. Kiva was taken back, but continued to breathe. The smell was strong, but reminded her of a cool breeze. Something tangy?

    Tokia gave an encouraging nod, and Kiva reached into the container. In it was a feeling of regular leaves, but when she pulled one out, Kiva couldn't help but smile, "What is this?"

    Tokia grinned, "Tell me what you know."

    "This is a plant. It's scent is very strong and refreshing. It feels rough, but it has no color."

    "It has a color. Green."

    Kiva did a double take, not believing the woman. "I do not see green..." Kiva squinted, held up the plant to the sunlight filtering through the windows. Maybe a faint coloring? Kiva shook her head, her eyes apparently refusing to work. No... This plant was transparent.

    Tokia crossed her arms, "This is called Wraith Mint. From my understanding, you can only get it on this island -- Black Rock. This is easy enough to identify... when you can find it. A little hard to see sometimes." she chuckled, "It's got many uses. It... Why aren't you writing this down? I'm teaching."

    Oops.

    Another scramble to locate items. It took a moment, but Kiva located a sheet of paper and a piece of charcoal. Tokia muttered about Mook needing to teach the girl better penmanship with a quill, but let it alone. She continued, with Kiva struggling to keep up.

    Her hand raced across the page, writing furiously. Her handwriting was sloppy from disuse, but it worked well enough. The Myrian script stared back at her, but Kiva had no time to worry about what it looked like. Tokia was too busy rattling off the properties of the herb.


    Wraith Mint...

    • Black Rock only
    • Green?
    • Looks colorless, smells strongly of mint. Soothing.
    • Uses: Cures ache (Head, stomach, back), sedative, calms insect bites, soothes itchiness (lice), diarrhea, and bad breath. More uses possible?


-Kiva
Last edited by Kiva on June 30th, 2015, 1:09 am, edited 2 times in total.
ImageImage
User avatar
Kiva
Player
 
Posts: 264
Words: 225555
Joined roleplay: February 24th, 2015, 7:34 pm
Race: Myrian
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Plotnotes
Medals: 1
Donor (1)

For Better or Worse

Postby Kiva on May 31st, 2015, 3:13 am

    Image
    "So, do you understand? Wraith Mint, same properties as regular mint. I'm starting with this so you can learn both. I'll teach you to dry the leaves and things later. Now, do you know what makes this special?"

    Kiva shook her head, rolling the charcoal between her fingers as she thought, "No."

    "Wraith mint is good for the ghosts. It calms them. You should take some of this if you leave on your own for your safety. Sometimes you'll find the leaves scattered on the floor for a bit of freshening."

    Kiva nodded, lifting the plant to her nose once more for smell. She looked over her notes briefly, speaking up, "You said this plant was green? I still do not see it."

    Tokia 'ah'ed, and smiled, "It glows green on a full moon, when it's properties are strongest. I'll probably send you out sometime to go fetch some. Now, over here, is a task I have for you."

    The shopkeeper moved through the crowded space to a table that had a space cleared and set up. "This," She pointed to a dried bluish green moss, "is Kinnick. Very rare, from the Konti Isles. We can thank our pretty little visitors for this. I want you to chop this up, and then grind it as fine as you can. I have a salve cooking in the back. When you're finished, call my name."

    Another nod, and as Tokia left, she paused, "Kiva, do watch where you're going. Grow some grace, girl." And then the apprentice botanist was alone. Immediately, Kiva wasted no time in getting started. She took the moss in her hand and rubbed it between her fingers. It was relatively dense... Thick.

    The texture was as expected - mossy, although dried and not quite as spongy. It had a bit of a waxy feeling, like it wanted to be slimy, but couldn't. With her dominant hand, she began to write out the mosses name for memorization, misspelling it in the process.


    Kinik

    • Blue & Green
    • Thick texture
    • Konti Isles (???)
    • Uses:


'I have no idea what this does,' Kiva realized, glancing towards the door. She briefly contemplated calling Tokia back to the front, but her orders had been clear. She was to call her when she was done. A small sigh left her lips and she lifted the plant to her nose. It was earthy. No particular scent to distinguish it, but she wrote down another bulletin: Smells like... moss.

Kiva scanned her notes, trying to find another quality she could note, but gave up. She wasn't sure what she was looking for. Note taking was still a new habit she was trying to form, and she wasn't quite good at it. Her handwriting was sloppy, indeed. Hardly legible to some standards.

Once she had completed her new list, Kiva took the nearby knife in her hand, and positioned the moss in her other. Carefully, she began to cut. Lifting the knife up, and lowering it, pushing it forward. She did it again and the moss gave way under the blade. She continued her cutting until all the moss was chopped and then wiped her hands together. She laid down the knife.

Beside her was a mortar and pestle, and Kiva poured the plant into the bowl, dusting the remains free with her fingertips.
-Kiva
ImageImage
User avatar
Kiva
Player
 
Posts: 264
Words: 225555
Joined roleplay: February 24th, 2015, 7:34 pm
Race: Myrian
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Plotnotes
Medals: 1
Donor (1)

For Better or Worse

Postby Kiva on June 25th, 2015, 3:54 am

    Image
    Holding the pestle was odd, since it felt rather tiny in her hands. After a few minor rearrangements, Kiva began to press the stone instrument downward and began twisting and turning. She pushed down a little too hard, and the bowl shifted, threatening to shoot across the table. Eyes widening, Kiva grabbed the mortar just in time and held it in place, holding her breath. The sound of the bowl scrapping against the table, caused a silence to follow in the back. Tokia had been moving around, but no longer. Kiva stayed quiet, listening and tenderly continued her task. A few tense moments passed and the other room filled with the sounds of activity again.

    That woman had the sense of an owl.

    In a weird way, it reminded her of home. Of her parents. Tokia had the strength and intensity of her mother, but the patience and value for knowledge like her father. For so long, she was unaware of their connection, of the truth. So many times her mother tore her away from Dro, from her lessons. Kiva just believed she resented the man's teachings and how it took away from her physical training.

    The pestle continued to crush the kinnick, heavy with Kiva's thoughts.

    How did she not see it? Her mother's anger, Dro's long side way glances at Rakia... His fatherly affections towards herself. They were lovers, but something kept them apart. When her mother was pregnant, Dro never proved himself as a worthy father. Did he try? Kiva knew he was capable, but... why? Her mother had been hurt, and in all right, could have prevented him from seeing her. Was he ashamed to be tied together as family?

    'No.'

    A soft pain pulsed in her palm. Kiva broke free from her thought and looked down. The kinnick was fine and grounded, and she held the pestle in a death grip that made her hand hurt. She loosened her fingers and felt relief wash through her muscles. It was surprising she didn't' break the tool.

    'Enough of these dark thoughts'

    "I am finished!" She called out suddenly, still flexing her hand and pushing her notes to the side. She attempted to push the finely ground kinnick into a nice pile in the center of the pestle, but when Tokia arrived, she gave her a look telling her to stop it.

    A brief glance at her work and an approval nod, "Thank you. I'll take that. Now I want you to go... You're taking notes?"

    Kiva's eyes followed her employers and she shrugged, "Just a little."

    Tokia burst into a grin, "Good. I like your passion. We might make a botanist of you yet, little cat. You'll lose them that way, though. We need to get you a book of some sort. I'm sure Mook has one he'll give you, especially if its for your craft. Go ask. I'll finish up here."


    -Kiva
ImageImage
User avatar
Kiva
Player
 
Posts: 264
Words: 225555
Joined roleplay: February 24th, 2015, 7:34 pm
Race: Myrian
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Plotnotes
Medals: 1
Donor (1)

For Better or Worse

Postby Kiva on June 30th, 2015, 1:06 am

    Image
    In the back, a large ape was hunched over a stack of books, with a flurry of numbers swirling on the page. In front of him was an abacus that looked comically small in comparison. Mook, the Jamoura in question, grunted in greeting when Kiva walked into the room.

    "Mook, do you..." Still not used to talking to 'monkeys', Kiva had to remind herself that not only was Mook an ape, but intelligent and capable of understanding her, "Do you happen to have a book I could borrow?" He seemed unfazed by her hesitation.

    Mook looked up, slightly interested while his quill raced across the page, "On what topic?"

    "Oh, no, I mean, a blank book. Something I can write in."

    "A journal." Mook stopped, twisting to look at the shelf behind him. Many different titles, some in different languages, were lined up. Scrolls were also carefully ordered. Warm eyes scanned the inventory and he pulled out a brown leather bound book that looked worn. "Does Tokia need it?"

    "No, I was going to use it for my studies." Kiva clarified, reaching out to take the journal.

    Mook held the journal tightly before letting it go, "You will not be borrowing this then. Here, take it. But I would like for you to show me your notes when you are out doing fieldwork. Has Tokia requested anything recently?"

    "Not yet. She's just teaching me some flora. About kinnick and wraith mint."

    Mook looked up, smiling, "Ah. Both are useful. Kinnick is quite rare, from the Konti Isles."

    Tokia had said the same thing, Kiva noticed, and she finally asked, "Where is the Konti Isles? What are Konti? I know they are in town, but..." 'They all seem like savages to me.' Kiva thought, refraining her racist impulse. She searched for the words, "I haven't seen them yet. What do they look like?"

    The Jamoura gave her a level stare, "I appreciate your thirst from knowledge. It is what separates you from the others. I do not know many of your kin, let alone those so curious about everything. Come, look."

    Again he searched his shelves, this time procuring a scroll and unrolling it gently. On it was a bunch of shapes and dots with names written next to them. It was a map. His large, padded finger tapped the page, "This is where we are, Black Rock."

    Kiva's dark eyes washed over the page. There was so much. "Where is Taloba?" She instantly asked, guessing it's location.

    "Here." He pointed to another point on the map. A little north west from his first tap. Kiva grinned in response. That was her home. Or... Her smile faltered. It was her home. A rush of homesickness made her weak and she cleared her throat in an attempt to push the thoughts away.

    As if he sensed this, Mook patted her on the shoulder, and continued his teaching, "This is where I, and my people are from. We are called the Jamoura, and we are from The Spires in Taldera."

    "That is so far away."

    "Likely why you have not met my kind prior to working here. I'm afraid I am the only one like me on this island. As far as I can tell."

    'What more is out there...?' Kiva wondered, looking at the distance on the map. Never in her life would she have expected something like Mook to be real. Yet, here he was. Teaching her, of all things!

    "Are there more... races out there?"

    This caused Mook to give a hearty laugh, "If only you knew! So many people and languages. Much more than just Myrians and Dhani. More than even Svefra and Konti. Have you heard of the Akalaks? Or the Symenestra? The Chaktawe?"

    Kiva tried not to look surprised. She had not heard of any of these, and to see the map... They were all over, and in this moment, she felt smaller than she ever had before. All this land... All these people... Why had Myri not lead them to victory over them? Why were the Myrians subjected to just one area... when all of this could be theirs...

    Perhaps it was too much. Or maybe Myri didn't want it. Kiva did not know.

    The ape continued, "The Konti are even farther than my homeland. They come from this island, right here."

    'The Konti Isles'

    "The Konti are a race of only women, who you can distinguish from the scales on their skin, and light features. They are beautiful to most humans, and very peaceful. I'd imagine it is a vastly different culture from your own."

    Kiva felt the ape watching her as she absorbed the information. She had more questions, so many more, but held her tongue. She needed to think on all of this... To pray. Kiva gripped her new journal and nodded in thanks.

    "I have spent too much time here. I should probably start my work again."

    "Stay with me until Tokia calls you. I could use some help organizing my books. He retrieved a pile that had been under the table, "Do you think you could put these into categories? Tokia might like to keep her part of the shop a mess, but I need order." he began to roll up the map and return it to its place on the shelf, "Maybe afterwards, I can help you with that awful penmanship of yours. No need to muddle that book up with charcoal scratching."

    Kiva didn't know what to say. So she replied the only way she knew how, "Okay."
    -Kiva
ImageImage
User avatar
Kiva
Player
 
Posts: 264
Words: 225555
Joined roleplay: February 24th, 2015, 7:34 pm
Race: Myrian
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Scrapbook
Plotnotes
Medals: 1
Donor (1)

For Better or Worse

Postby Pulren Marsh on July 9th, 2015, 3:30 pm

Image
A Grade is Coming
Your Wave
A very informative job thread for Kiva. Keep at it!

 
Kiva
XP
  • Organization 2
  • Herbalism 3
  • Observation 2
  • Writing 2
  • Botany 2
  • Geography 1
Lores
  • Tokia: Stern but Knowledgeable
  • Mook: A Generous Jamoura
  • Location: Konti Isles
  • Location: The Spires
  • Location: Taldera
  • Konti: All female and scaly
  • Herbalism: Using the Senses to Identify
  • Herbalism: Using a Mortar and Pestle
  • Kinnick: Blue Green Moss from the Konti Isles
  • Wraith Mint: Found only on Black Rock
  • Wraith Mint: Herbal Remedies
  • Wraith Mint: Calms Ghosts
  • Wraith Mint: Transparent; Glows Green on a Full Moon
Miscellaneous
  • One Common Blank Book



All in all, a well paced thread. Considering Black Rock's chief export is paper and Tokia's shop employs you, I will award you the journal. Be cautious about future threads and be sure that you purchase items and mark them in your ledger.

Until next time,




Pulren Marsh
Image


Image
User avatar
Pulren Marsh
Your favorite Uncle
 
Posts: 768
Words: 503518
Joined roleplay: March 22nd, 2014, 3:33 am
Location: Syka
Race: Human
Character sheet
Storyteller secrets
Plotnotes
Medals: 1
Overlored (1)


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 0 guests