[Job Thread] You've Got Something Under Your Nose Part 2

[Ialari Pythone]

16th Day of Winter in the Year 517----Continued From Here

As it was her first experiment with making the particular type of balm with a specific purpose in mind, Ialari decided against adding any extra aromatic ingredients. With the coconut cream and oil separated and cooling, she heated up another pot of water. While waiting for the pot to boil, she began cutting up some of the beeswax she bought at the Mercantile into smaller chunks for easier melting. The smell of coconut oil was already pleasant but as she cut the wax, she noticed how good it smelled as well. Of course, other ingredients could make the scent even better and more varied, the current process was more of an experiment than anything else and she didn’t want to take the chance of pushing her luck and potentially ruining the final product as well as wasting large amounts of material by mistake. Making other fragrant oils for adding to her various creations would come later.

Ialari wasn’t exactly sure how much of the wax she should use or how much coconut oil to mix with it which meant she would need to make a few small test batches to get just the right consistency she was looking for. Mixing the two ingredients and coming up with a final working product was just the part of it all. Her plan was to make the balm and somehow incorporate it with a vial of narnvayt oil so that it both could be quickly administered to someone who had ingested some form of poison. By smearing the balm under the person’s nose, it would make swallowing the oil a bit easier. Since every second counted when it came to getting the person to vomit up the poison, the whole thing had to be quick and easy.

Placing a small glass dish of slivered beeswax into the pot shallowly filled with hot water, she also poured a little bit of her coconut oil into a small beaker which in turn she poured into the dish with the wax. As the wax began to melt, she used a small metal spoon from her philtering kit to stir the mixture. It didn’t take very long for the wax to fully melt and mix with the oil. Ialari’s notes on philtering from her time at the Silver Tower mentioned, with little detail, that the mix would have to cool and that too much of either the wax or the oil would give it an inconsistent texture. Unfortunately, she didn’t note the exact ratio and she couldn’t remember either.

[Ialari Pythone]

It took a few moments for the mixture to cool but when it did, Ialari used her finger to feel the texture. It was still a little soft and a bit mushy. Ok, that must mean there’s too much oil. So…I guess a little bit more wax would help. Trimming away a bit more wax, she put it in the dish and let it melt. Throughout the process, she paused from time to time to take notes in her journal on what was working and what wasn’t, including measurements of the amount of oil used as well as how much wax to melt. Thanks to the new philtering kit she’d picked up at the Mercantile, the measuring tools were invaluable. The beakers all had little lines etched into the glass to indicate amounts and there was even a tiny scale for measuring small weights. When the added wax had melted and mixed, she pulled another spoonful out to cool. Again, after it had cooled, she texted it with her finger and found that it was a bit too firm. Muttering to herself with a bit of frustration, she realized that she’d now used too much wax.

It took a bit more trial and error as Ialari tested different amounts of oil and wax, the whole while playing around with the measuring tools. Eventually she discovered that a five to one ratio of oil to wax produced just the right consistency in the final product to allow it to be spreadable. The scent was also a pleasant mix of coconut and beeswax, which while not enough to overpower the smell of the narnvayt oil, it would, when placed under the nose, help. Keeping the bowl of test mixture melted over a reduced hearth fire, she moved on to how she would have it accompany the vials of narnvayt oil.

Picking up one of the vials of narvayt oil, she looked at it while pondering how to proceed. The vial had a small glass stopper that she’d sealed with a bit of wax from her kit. To open, a slight turn and pull would break the seal allowing the vial’s contents to be accessed. Ialari wanted to somehow keep the balm and the vial of oil together without having the oil itself come in contact with the balm thus ruining it. As she looked over the vial, she realized that aside from crafting a new vial from scratch to fit her needs, she wouldn’t be able to make the two fit in any stable format. Her shoulders dropping at the realization, her disheartening was only temporary.

[Ialari Pythone]

“At least I still have the balm if nothing else.” She grumbled to herself. A thought then occurred to her. Even if she couldn’t functionally combine the balm and the vial of oil, she could still make a small, easily carried container for the balm with the balm itself being used for any number of things. It could be used in the way she had planned with rubbing under one’s nose to mask the smell of the narnvayt oil but it could also be used to sooth various issues with skin. In her journal, she began sketching different ideas for a container. It had to be small but not so small as to not be able to hold a useable amount of balm. It had to be strong so that, when carried, it could resist breaking open. Eventually she came up with a working image of what she wanted. She could use a small stone, big enough to fit in the palm of the hand. By splitting it in half, she could scoop out a small bit of it to form a basin to hold the balm. The other half could be shaped to have a shallow lip that fit into the basin just enough to keep the two halves of the stone together. A small grove around the outside of the stone could allow for a strip of cloth to be wrapped around the stone to help keep it closed.

Stepping outside and making a short trip around the settlement, Ialari gathered a number of different sized, shaped and colored stones. Returning to her ranchero, she laid her collection out on the table and began sorting through them. They were mostly common stones that could be found pretty much anywhere around Syka. Her plan, at least for the time being, was to simply make something functional to hold the balm. In the future she could work toward something fancier.

The first stone she picked up was a light gray and roundish. It was small enough to fit in the palm of her hand yet big enough that she couldn’t close her fist all the way around it. Holding it in her left hand, she used her metallic right one to shape the stone toward being rounder, much like a ball. She shaved away bits of it and smoothed out other imperfects until the stone was more or less round. Then, placing it on the table and holding it in place with her left hand, She pressed her finger lengthwise down the center of the stone, creating two halves. Setting one half aside, she took the other one and with the tip of her finger, began scooping out a basin. Ialari scooped, smoothed and pressed the stone until an adequate sized depression dominated the center of the stone half. Next, she used her hand to flatten one part of the outside of the stone so that it could sit on a surface flat.

[Ialari Pythone]

Moving on to the other half of the stone, Ialari used her metallic thumb to trim away at the flat side of the stone in order to create a small lip in the center. Stopping occasionally to fit the two halves together to gage the right measurements, she trimmed the stone until the half with the lip fit shallowly yet firmly into the half with the basin. When the two fit well, she kept the two halves together as she used her metallic finger to create a small groove all the way around the outside of the stone. It was the width of her little finger and rather shallow. Taking a small strip of cloth, she wrapped it around the stone while setting it in the groove. Bringing the too ends of the strip together, she tied it.

As she held up the final product, she noted that it looked basically like a mostly rounded stone with a flat side with a strip of cloth tied around it. It was simple yet unique and functional. Untying the cloth and opening the now stone container, she used her hand to smooth out some more imperfections and trim off any excess debris that may affect the fit of the two halves. Scooping the still warm test mixture of the balm into the container, she let it cool. When the balm firmed up, Ialari looked at the final product and gleamed. It was simple, not the prettiest thing to look at but it was small, portable and secure and the balm would stay cool within the stone so as to not get too soft in the heat of the jungle and its surroundings. Practical, functional and the decorative side could come later.

Ialari began sorting through the other collected stones to find just the right sizes to accommodate the type of shaping she would need to do. In total, she chose four stones in addition to the one she’d already used. One by one she proceeded to cut, shape and form the stones into the containers that would hold the balm. Each stone was different in color with a couple being darker gray, one a lighter gray and the last one a light orange-red color. She chose to add a few minor details to each one to make them more unique from one another. She etched a few simple designs into the outside of each container to add some aesthetics. When the containers were finished, she began mixing up a larger batch of the balm and put some in each of the stone containers. When she was left with five finished stones containing balm, Ialari took some time to clean up the work area and put her equipment away. Having started in late morning, it was now well into midday.

[Ialari Pythone]

After enjoying a cup of coconut milk and some bits of jerky along with a banana, Ialari placed the containers of balm in her belt pouch. She then carefully placed the vials of narnvayt oil in her backpack along with the two intact, mature narnvayt plants. Finally, Ialari left for Uta’s Place first before going to the Panacea.

It was a short walk through the settlement to Uta’s. Taking a moment to once again appreciate the unique yet simple architecture of Uta’s home, Ialari walked up to the door, tapped at it and awaited permission to enter. Although most of the inhabitants of Syka were open and welcoming to most who would enter their homes, Ialari didn’t like entering without permission. It was a habit and symbol of respect that she chose not to challenge.

When Uta called from inside to welcome Ialari, she entered. Uta was busy at her desk trimming a small plant that resembled a miniature tree.

“Welcome back, Ialari. Good to see you again.” Uta greeted casually.

Ialari smiled. “Thank you, Uta. It’s nice to see you too. I’ve found the narnvayt and grabbed a couple extra plants for you.” Ialari sat her backpack down and pulled out each of the plants; their rootballs wrapped in moist cloth.

Uta stepped from behind her desk and walked over to Ialari to take each plant with a gracious smile. “They do smell foul, don’t they.” She said more than asked. “You brought me two of them, excellent. Hopefully I can get them to thrive this time. Thank you again, Ialari. What do I owe you for them?”

Ialari shook her head. “Consider them a gift. I would however like to help out however I can in regards to any of the more foul, toxic or otherwise poisonous plants we have around here. I am rather knowledgeable about poisons derived from roots so…”

Uta nodded. “I’m sure I can come up with some things you could do for me. For now, I am still interested in those jellyfish at Jellyfish Lake. If you bring me some of them, I’ll show you why they are so useful.”

Ialari picked up her backpack. “Of course, I’ll make a trip there soon.” Ialari then said her farewell and made her way over to the Panacea a short distance away.

Arriving at the open aired Panacea, Ialari found Jansen in the lab cleaning some tools. When she entered, the Akalak looked up from what he was doing and said, “Good day, Ialari. Feeling sick or is this just a social call.”

Ialari chuckled slightly and sat her pack on a small table nearby. One by one she pulled out the stone containers of balm and sat the on the table. She then pulled out the vials of narnvayt oil.
“I thought you could use these.” She motioned to the vials. “This is narnvayt oil. If someone consumes something poisonous, this oil when swallowed will force them to vomit whatever foul thing they ate.”

Jansen grinned and said, “I was running low on this exact kind of thing. Thank you. What about the rocks though?”

Ialari picked on up and untied the strip of cloth holding it closed. She opened it and showed Jansen the balm. “A bit of coconut balm I threw together and the stones I shaped myself. They will help keep the balm cool and firm and protected.” She handed the stone to Jansen.

Turning the container around in his hand and looking at the two halves, he also smelled and even tasted a bit of the balm. “Not bad. It could use some other oils for a more varied scent, but overall not bad. I like the containers too. Functional and unique.”

“Thank you. I’m planning on experimenting with some different scents for the future and will likely delve into shaping more unique and colorful containers not just for balm but for other things as well.” Ialari slung her backpack over her shoulder and said her goodbye to Jansen before taking her leave and going back home. It’d been a rather productive day but she was feeling the need for some rest.

[Ialari Pythone]

Thread Grade

Planning: 1
Drawing: 1
Cooking: 2
Sculpting: 4
Philtering: 5

Lore: Cooking: Melting Beeswax.
Lore: Cooking: Blending coconut oil with beeswax.
Lore: Philtering: Testing the texture of a wax/oil mix by touch.
Lore: Philtering: Trial and Error measurements of substances to be blended.
Lore: Philtering: Use of philtering equipment to combine substances.
Lore: Philtering/Medicine: The ratio of oil to wax to produce balm is 5 to 1.
Lore: Philtering: Recording measurements and progress of a project in a journal
Lore: Medicine: Coconut oil balm can help combat terrible smells when rubbed under the nose.
Lore: Sculpting: Sculpting a piece of stone with the isurian arm to make a balm container.

5 shaped stone containers of coconut balm (Given to Jansen)