Small Acts of Kindness and Cooking

[Okara]

Summer 63, 518 Okara knelt on the sandy beach facing the ocean, the noon time sun high overhead. A gentle breeze ruffled her loose, blonde hair around her shoulders. Her gaze looked out at the ocean then her green eyes drifted down to the sand, and then to her hands wrapped gently around her knees. She focused the opalescent scales covering the backs of her hands before softly closing her eyes. ”Lady Priskil, I am grateful for the hope you give me. I have hope for the day, I have hope for this settlement, I have hope for life. Allow me to be worthy enough to be embraced by the light of your grace.” Okara quietly intoned, letting her prayer float away on the breeze. As her prayer finished, a small stone statue of a woman beside her began to animate and come to life. Okara opened her eyes and looked down upon the Priskil idol she had taken to calling Mini P and smiled. The little statue patted her thigh reassuringly. ”Hey there, Mini. Its another hot day in the jungle.” Okara said pleasantly. She slowly raised herself from her knees and stood, sweeping the sand from her pant legs. The Konti bent down briefly and picked up the stone statue gently. ”Yes, another day. And this day, you have a visitor.” came the small voice of the idol, and Mini P pointed down the beach. Okara turned to look where it indicated and saw the settlement’s potter, Nesra, carrying a package and walking up the beach towards her. Okara raised her hand to wave at the woman and Nesra waved back. She hadn’t seen Nesra in a while, first having met her as a patient at the Panacea when she came in ill with food poisoning. ”Hey Okara!” Nesra called as she drew within speaking distance. Okara smiled at her, nestling Mini P in the crook of her elbow. The statue had gone still, though Okara knew it was still observing and would speak if she chose to reveal the truth of its being to Nesra. ”I was dropping off some pots at the Mercantile and Juli said this package had arrived for you. She was going to wait until you passed by but I’ve been at my wheel most of the morning and really needed to stretch my legs so I offered to bring it up here. I hope you don’t mind, I haven’t opened it.” Nesra said and presented the package to Okara. It was a lumpy shape wrapped in brown paper and twine. Okara set Mini P carefully down in the sand and accepted the offered package. She carefully untied the twine and unfolded the rough, brown paper to reveal a backpack of worn, brown leather with an envelope pinned to it. Okara turned the backpack over a few times, studying it, before unpinning the envelope. On the envelope was written, My darling daughter, this package arrived for you shortly after you left Mura. It took some time to find a Svefra pod that was traveling near Syka and could transport this to you. I hope this finds you well. ~ Mom. Okara smiled happily, the note was short but it warmed her heart immensely to see her mother’s handwriting. Turning the envelope over, she unfolded the top flap and withdrew the letter it held. Okara, You do not know me, and frankly you never will. Your father, my son, Takari re Naphu has died from a long illness. On his death bed he requested that something be left to you that you may have some memory of him. His wealth and business will be given to his two legitimate children who are deserving of it. To you, the illegitimate mistake of my son’s youth, I send the backpack he used when he traveled Mizahar and met the woman with whom he begot you. The backpack is magical and will hold an unlimited number of things so long as they can fit through the opening. When you wish to retrieve what you have put on there, you must concentrate on the item and it will come to your hand. This is all the inheritance you will ever receive, do not attempt to come to Ahnatep and grub for further. - Sashara re Naphu (This letter has been dictated to and translated from High Arumenic by Safre the Scribe) Word Count: 733

[Okara]

Okara bit her tongue hard as she finished writing the letter. She felt a little anger at this impudent old woman, she refused to think of her as grandmother, who looked down so harshly on Okara’s birth. But mostly she felt sadness. She had always wondered if she might meet her father some day and now that question was answered for her. ”I’m going to step into waves to cool off for a moment.” Nesra said softly, noticing the emotions shifting across Okara’s face. Okara nodded numbly as Nesra stepped away to stand in the cool waters. ”What’s wrong?” Mini P’s voice sounded distant from down by Okara’s feet. Okara picked her up and let her view the letter. ”Mother always said his family never approved of us. I guess they’ve got some strict ideas about lineages and such down in the desert. It was never that way among the Konti, it’s just so strange to be hated by someone for no real reason at all.” Okara said, swallowing back the tremor of emotion that fought to creep into her voice. ”Some people don’t need a reason. Or at least a reason that makes sense to others. The best way to combat hatred is to do something kind for someone else. Show yourself that you aren’t like her, that you didn’t inherit such antiquated notions of family.” Mini P said encouragingly, a soft radiance collecting around the statue. Okara nodded thoughtfully, considering the idol’s suggestion. She ought to do something nice for others. She gave people plenty of help at the Panacea, but that was a skill she was paid for. Many of the people around the settlement had offered her assistance or learning without really getting anything back. Perhaps it was time she offered to do something of the same and show that she was willing to be as helpful as everyone else. By the time Nesra came back from the waves Okara was waiting for her with a pleasant smile. She was holding the backpack in her arms lightly. ”Everything alright, then?” Nesra asked cautiously. ”Oh yes, just a letter from a family member. I inherited this backpack. Apparently its special, it can hold unlimited stuff. I’m a little nervous to try it out though.” Okara said, still smiling. ”Why not try shoving that statue in?” asked Nesra, pointing to Mini P resting lightly against Okara’s leg. Okara felt a little pinch on her ankle as she shook her head. ”I don’t think so. I really like this statue and I’d hate for it to get sucked in somewhere and never come back out.” Okara explained, realizing her explanation was a little lame. Nesra shrugged in acceptance. ”Oh wait, I have this! Toss this in there and see what happens.” Nesra said and fished a small red ball of her pocket. ”I like to roll it in my hands sometimes, loosens up my fingers when they get tight from potting.” Okara accepted the red ball and dropped it into the top of the backpack. She looked inside and all she could see was the silk lining of the backpack, the red ball having disappeared. Okara made a mental picture of the red ball as she stuck her hand inside and suddenly felt the small object against her finger tips. She grasped it and pulled it out of the pack. ”Well that was neat. That’s a very handy inheritance you have there.” Nesra said, peering inside the bag as Okara dropped the ball in again. She reached her hand in and retrieved the ball. Okara repeated the task a few more times just to make sure she understood the mechanics of the backpacks abilities. Eventually she handed the ball back to Nesra. ”Well I’m glad I was able to get you your package, that was interesting to see. I better get back to work, I’ve got some more pots to throw.” Nesra said as she turned to leave. ”Hold up, I will walk back with you. I think I’m going to go to the community kitchens and see if anybody wants a hand cooking their lunch. I just received some rather generous so I feel like being generous in return.” Okara explained, reasoning to herself that it wasn’t quite a lie. The backpack was rather generous of a gift after having never heard or had any form of contact with her paternal family in her whole life. Word Count: 738

[Okara]

”Sure, sounds nice! Maybe you can cook something for me.” Nesra smiled. ”Just give me a second, I want to grab some avocados from a tree a bit back in the jungle.” Okara said and Nesra nodded. The potter walked towards the tide line to keep her legs cool while Okara tucked the letter and Mini P securely into her tent before transferring her kukri and healing kit from her regular backpack to her new magical one. She made her way carefully into the jungle foliage and moved towards where she knew the avocado tree grew. She was getting comfortable navigating her small property but she still stepped carefully. Comfortable didn’t make her immune to slippery rocks or hidden roots. The jungle floor was a minefield of accidents just waiting to happen. Okara traveled through the property quickly but carefully. She found the tree and plucked a few ripe avocados that she quickly dropped into her backpack where they disappeared. She wondered if they would be bruised when she took them back out. It would be an interesting experiment. She decided to stop at the lemon and mango trees on her property as well and once she had plucked a few fruit from each she returned to the beach where Nesra awaited her. The two walked quietly beside each other down the beach for a few chimes before Nesra broke the silence. ”So if you received an inheritance someone must have died. I’m sorry to hear that.” Nesra said softly. Okara could detect some hesitation in her voice. She smiled at the woman reassuringly. ”My father actually. I’m not pleased about it but I never really knew the man so I’m not really broken up either.” Okara explained firmly. Her emotions on the matter were complicated but she wasn’t going to spill all of that to Nesra or to anyone really, not until she had a chance to think it over for herself. She wasn’t even really sure how she would exactly label the emotions that washed over her. ”Still, I’m sorry. You seemed upset about it.” Nesra stated. She had sat it flatly, Okara knew she could respond or choose to let silence fall. She had no intention of crying on the potter’s shoulder but Nesra was offering her a chance to speak if she wished. ”Yes, I was. I am. It’s all complicated I suppose. My father was an Eypharian from a well to do family I guess and they were rather unhappy when he got a Konti woman they had never met who wasn’t from their society pregnant. I’m told there was a lot of pressure so he went back to Ahnatep to make a good marriage and my mom went back to Mura.” Okara explained slowly, having to remember it herself as it was all information her mother had told her bit by bit as she grew. She had pieced the story together herself over time. Her mother didn’t seemed bothered by it by the time Okara was learning of it but she didn’t exactly seem thrilled to dwell on those memories either. ”I grew up around a wonderful family so I’ve never really felt any loss from not knowing my father but reading the letter about his death stirred up some stuff.” ”Well, at least you had your family on Mura. Family can be difficult.” Nesra said flatly, in a way that hinted at experiences of her own but clearly told Okara she shouldn’t ask further. Okara respected her tone and silence fell comfortably between the two. Eventually Nesra pointed out a mature fruiting pineapple plant among the jungle tree line. Okara examined the strange ground plant before retrieving her kukri and cutting the fruit away from plant. It was a heavy fruit with a spiky top and she weighed it carefully in her hands before slipping it into the backpack. Word Count: 646

[Okara]

When Nesra and Okara arrived at the community kitchens it was almost empty, only Rainmere sitting at a table and munching on a slice of papaya. Rainmere waved and Okara set her backpack down on one of the counters. She thought of each fruit and withdrew all that she had foraged. She checked for each fruit in the backpack several times just to make sure she had grabbed it all, she didn’t want to accidentally leave some behind and cause her backpack to smell like rot when she had just gotten it. ”How’s it going Rainmere? Did you have lunch already?” Okara asked pleasantly. ”Sort of. I was going to make some flatbread but I don’t think that stove has been used for a day or two because there is a little mouse nest in the corner. I didn’t want to disrupt if there was a little family in there so I decided to just have some fruit.” Rainmere explained and gestured to the domed stove for flatbread. Okara peered into the domed stove and sure enough a little nest of grasses and twigs had been built in the corner. ”Well that’s no good. We had better get it out or someone might not notice and end up cooking a mouse when they fired it up.” Okara said and Nesra nodded in agreement. Okara found a nice stick laying on the ground not far from the kitchens and returned to poke gently at the nest. She began scraping away pieces of grass until a small black mouse scurried out of the nest to the opposite corner of the domed stove. Okara patiently continued to scrape away at the nest, breaking it apart to see if any little mouse babies were housed inside. Luckily the nest seemed to be empty and she swept the material out of the stove. The little mouse remained backed into the corner, it’s beady eyes examining the large creatures that destroyed its home and its tiny nose frantically wiggling to take in their scent. Okara gently poke the end of the stick at it, not trying to hurt it but rather shepherd it out of the stove. The mouse refused to do as she wished and ran to cower in the opposite corner where its nest had been. Okara grimaced and followed it with the stick but it continued to run back and forth between the corners. Okara withdrew the stick and turned it over, this time sticking the thicker end towards the black mouse, pushing her arm further into the stove. She tapped the mouse gently with the end of the stick. To her shock, the mouse scurried onto and along the stick until it reached her arm where it continued scurrying. Okara jumped back with a squeal and shook her body crazily as the black mouse ran up her arm and across her shoulder, beneath her hair. She lifted her hair up and Nesra stepped forward to swipe away the mouse which jumped onto a nearby table and scurried swiftly away. Okara stood in shock for a moment, breathing deeply while the three women all looked at each other before bursting into laughter and giggles. The laughter continued for several chimes until they had slowly quieted, clutching their aching sides. ”Well I’m glad I waited until someone else got here to deal with that. I’m glad it wasn’t me.” Rainmere said, continuing to chuckle as she wiped tears from her eyes. Nesra nodded firmly while Okara rolled her eyes. ”I came to be nice and do some cooking for everyone but now I’m thinking I’ve done my duty for Syka today!” Okara joked. Word Count: 609

[Okara]

”Who’s doing some cooking?” a masculine voice intoned and the three women turned to see Buraga approach them. ”I am. I’d be happy to cook your lunch for you today.” Okara said with a grin while Rainmere and Nesra rolled their eyes. ”Oh? What’s the cause of this unexpected generosity?” Buraga asked with a lifted eyebrow. ”Well I’ve been here for a while now and everyone has been so helpful to me when they didn’t need to be that I just wanted to return the favor.” Okara explained. ”Well I’ve got some fresh crab meat here if you know something good to do with that, I was just going to fry it and eat it.” Buraga said, holding out a bowl of raw crab meat. ”I can definitely do something interesting with that. I’ve got lots of experience cooking with seafood back on Mura and I’ve been loving experimenting with these new tropical fruits.” Okara enthused as she accepted the bowl. ”You’ve got quite a lot of meat there Buraga, you should probably be kind and share that with Nesra and me.” Rainmere teased the big man and winked. Buraga sighed and held up his hands in defeat. He and Nesra joined Rainmere at the table to chat while Okara cooked. Okara used the nearby store of wood to build a fire beneath one of the stoves and turned to chop her ingredients while she waited for the stove to heat up. She decided to make a hearty salad out of the crab and fruit. She ran a knife vertically around an avocado and popped the halves away from the stone pit. She sliced the meat inside the two half shells vertically and horizontally then ran the knife around the outside to pop the avocado squares into a bowl. She repeated the process with a second avocado. She peeled two mangos and cut chunks away from the pit and dropped them in the bowl with the avocado. She turned to the pineapple, hesitated a moment and then ran a large knife down the sides to shave off the outer rind to reveal the yellow fruit beneath. She cut sliced strips away from the core and diced it, popping a piece in her mouth to get a feel for the flavor. Nodding to herself that it would fit the flavor profile of her salad well, she dumped the chunks into the bowl with the mango and avocado. Okara turned to the stovetop and held her hand a few inches over the top, pleased with the heat emanating from it. She placed a pan on top of the stove and while it heated she broke up the crab meat with a knife into smaller chunks. She poured the crab meat onto the hot pan and watched it carefully, stirring to move the meat around and ensure it cooked evenly. The delicate shellfish cooked quickly, and she hurriedly took the pan off the heat when it was done, careful not to overcook it. She set the pan aside to cool and found a small clean bowl and a bottle of olive oil. She poured some into the bowl then sliced open an lime and squeezed half into the oil. She approached the beautiful herb and vegetable garden that the community grew and maintained and pulled off a small handful of cilantro and a few pieces of chives. She chopped them finely and sprinkled them into the olive oil and lime juice. Using a whisk, she stirred the mixture thoroughly then poured it over the bowl of fruit. Next she poured the cooked crab meat and stirred until the meat and fruit were mixed and finely coated in the simple dressing. She divided the salad out into three individual-sized bowls. Grabbing some forks, she carried the bowls to the waiting group and set one in front of each of them. Nesra, Rainmere, and Buraga each tucked into the lunch and murmured their approval and appreciation between bites. Okara beamed with happiness then turned to let them eat in peace while she cleaned up the kitchen space she had used. Her arms were deep in hot, sudsy water when she heard footsteps and turned to see a bemused Juli holding a plate with a raw fish fillet on it. ”Juli! I’m cooking everybody’s food for them this afternoon. Just give me a minute to finish washing these dishes then I’ll start on yours! I discovered what pineapple is today, how about a skewer of marinated fish, pineapple, and onions?” Okara called enthusiastically. She felt happiness and pride bubbling up inside her, cooking was such a relaxing passion for her. Mini P had been right, of course, doing something nice for others had made her feel better about the hatred her grandmother had spewed at Okara in her letter. She wasn’t like them. She was Konti, through and through. That was her family and who she was, the distant desert city and its people had no claim on her or her emotions. Word Count: 836 Total Word Count: 3562

[Okara]

Okara

Observation 3
Investigation 1
Socialization 4
Foraging 1
Cooking 1

Prayer: Praying to Priskil in Gratitude for Hope
Nesra Arlean: Has a Past she Doesn’t Talk About
Foraging: Pineapple, Appearance and Harvesting
Cooking Recipe: Tropical Fruit and Crab Salad
Being Kind to Counter Hatred

Rewards/Penalties/Notes

Inventory: (+) Backpack of Voiding
Self grade, yay!

Please edit your post in your grade request to reflect that it has been graded. PM me with any questions.