Poison 101 (Orin & Sylvette)

Devi revisits Soothing Waters to learn more about herbs and poisons where she meets with Orin again and a new face, Sylvette.

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This shining population center is considered the jewel of The Sylira Region. Home of the vast majority of Mizahar's population, Syliras is nestled in a quiet, sprawling valley on the shores of the Suvan Sea. [Lore]

Poison 101 (Orin & Sylvette)

Postby Orin Fenix on June 2nd, 2015, 7:23 pm

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Orin was so embarrassed that he let his tongue become sharper than it probably should have been. ”Well you’d be mistaken, in this case, since I definitely was not intentionally flirting.” Orin fixed Sylvette with his gaze and pointedly raised his eyebrows. Hopefully she'd take the hint and drop the subject. Even if Devi was being remarkably good natured about these comments, they were bothering Orin. And Sylvette should know better than to act in this way. Even if she hadn't been brought up in the same way as Orin had this was common sense. And, at the very least, Orin would thought Sylvette should have been able to sense his discomfort through the bond they shared. Although it was definitely sporadic in what it did and didn't let through. Orin was still discovering what exactly being bonded entailed. The link they shared could and did carry information, thoughts, and feelings but it fluctuated wildly and was there one tick and gone the next. Orin didn't know if that was normal or who he could ask about it. It was all still too new and bewildering. However, even though Devi’s hands were kind and gentle against Orin’s injured skin and the woman was beautiful, Orin didn’t want to give her the impression that he was interested. Not that she wouldn’t be wonderful in a relationship, and perhaps she’d even be good for Orin, but this was neither the time nor the place for that.

Orin nodded in reply to Devi’s inquiry about his trips to the woods. Calling them foraging runs was a bit too optimistic. Orin was well aware that they were mostly Rondo’s attempts to get Orin to fail at his job. The man was insufferable and had hated Orin with a passion ever since The Rearing Stallion opened. The feeling was mutual now, after Orin had spent a long time trying to keep his head down. Eventually Orin realized that he and the older cook would never get along. Orin took a perverse pleasure in succeeding at the increasingly ridiculous demands Rondo placed on Orin. One day, I’ll show that man he was wrong to mess with me. Still, it was quite likely that Orin would be able to snag a few herbs when he was outside the city. ”I’ll keep an eye out. When are they in bloom, excactly?” Orin didn’t know much about herbs, it was true, but at least he knew that some of them were active year round and others could only be harvested only once a year and sometimes just once every two years. He committed the tidbit to memory about Vyfox being more potent fresh than dried. Mostly that was true of cooking herbs, but there were a few that actually had to be preserved and prepared specially before they could be used.

Orin watched curiously as Devi retrieved a few plants from a jar. Devi seemed totally in her element. Orin was having trouble retaining everything she was explaining to him so he used a mental trick that he’d picked up for studying recipes or working on a particularly difficult dish. It was an incredibly focused state, where Orin ignored the rest of the world in order to better follow what was going on in front of him. Sure enough, even if it was just a change in thinking Orin found Devi’s words soaking into him as his awareness of his surroundings faded. Belltor’s leaves prevented scarring and it’s flowers and seeds apparently helped colds. Orin watched fascinated as Devi quickly and efficiently ground the leaves into a paste for his arm. She seemed as proficient with the mortar and pestle as Orin was with any of his kitchen equipment. Orin memorized the differences between the flowers and leaves of the plant that Devi called acson. He couldn’t resist a quick quip although he wasn’t sure how appropriate it was. ”Well, have you tried mixing acson with anything to sweeten it?” It was an honest question, but mostly Orin didn’t want Devi to feel that he wasn’t paying attention when the opposite was true. She moved on from plants to Orin’s treatment. The cleaning was self-evident and when Devi assured Orin that she’d teach him how to rebandaged himself and reapply the poultice Orin was relieved. He trusted Devi to know her craft. She seemed to have finished talking, although she seemed preoccupied with something or other Orin had said. He’d babbled on so much that he had no idea what it could be. Then, finally she spoke up again.

Orin bowed his head. Devi's story hit a bit too close to home. While obviously their circumstances weren't the same they had remarkable similarities. ”She sounds like a lovely woman.” Orin didn't know if Devi would appreciate sympathy or understanding but Orin felt compelled to offer it regardless. He doubted she'd abandon him, since she was still treating his wounds. At worst, he'd lose her friendship and since they were barely acquainted Orin couldn't exactly see that as much of a loss. Orin finally managed to choke out some words past the lump in his throat. "You know, I have this carving knife." Orin could picture it in his mind's eye, its handle worn with age and its blade sharp and true. "It belonged to my mother, who I never met. And it's going to sound silly, out loud. But sometimes when I use it I feel like she's there with me, cooking the meal. And since I don't even have the memory of her, I cling to that thought that somehow her spirit survived in the things she left behind." Orin turned his head away and dashed the back of his free hand angrily against his eyes. He refused to cry. "And that knife is all that's left of her." In fact it was basically all that was left of Orin's past. The rest had gone up in flames, his father's drunkenness finally destroying Orin's physical home as he'd already shattered Orin's mental refuge. As always Orin felt a dull and deep anger stir at the thought of his father and squashed it quickly. Emotions were too burdensome so Orin did his best to ignore that he had them. It was easier that way.

Changing the subject to poisons was very welcome. Orin shrugged his shoulders to indicate that he really didn’t know where to start. ”Well, are there any you know of that resemble either medicinal or cooking plants? I mean, I wouldn’t want to confuse something safe with something unsafe.” Orin ran his right hand through his hair unconsciously as he thought. If Devi couldn’t think of anything that fit that description, Orin figured he’d start with the basics. ”Well, are there any poisons that are particularly common in Syliras? Starting local seems to make more sense.” As Orin spoke he gradually became more and more away of a feeling of dread pooling in the pit of his stomach. It took him a while to realize that it seemed to be coming from an external source, or rather, the small bundle in his brain that Orin was coming to associate with Sylvette. Turning his head to look at his bondmate Orin was shocked to see her practically cowering. ”Sylvette, don’t be afraid! You’re perfectly safe here.” Forgetting his own pain in the face of Sylvette’s, Orin twisted so he could fully face her. ”Are you, are you alright? Come on, please tell me what’s wrong.” Orin didn’t think she’d been injured too badly in the fight and he hadn’t noticed the fear until after they’d arrived in Soothing Waters. But there was nothing here that should be frightening to her.
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Poison 101 (Orin & Sylvette)

Postby Devi on August 30th, 2015, 1:18 pm

Devi couldn’t help but pause in her motions as Orin spoke about his own family. She watched his eyes and recognised the pain there and the determination. He turned away from her but she could see it in the set of his shoulders. It dragged familiar feelings from the depths of her own memories and she turned her eyes back to her hands, forcing them to work again slowly as Orin continued. Her lips quirked in the ghost of a bittersweet smile.

When people knew of a family history like that they tended to either sympathise or use it in cruelty. Either way, that person rarely actually understood those feelings. It was difficult to find a person who actually understood them. To understand that as terrible as past events could be, they didn’t always drag you down and reduce you to less than a person. They could be the very thing that drives what you do, that make you into who you are. They could fuel your desire to live more than anything else, even when they hurt as much as they did. When she spoke her voice was soft.

“I don’t think it’s silly.”

They stood in silence for a few moments, each lost in their own memories, before Orin spoke again changing the subject. He asked about poisons and how to recognise them. She thought a moment whilst she finished mixing the poultice. She moved closer to Orin and released the cloth against the injury from his grip.

“Well considering we’ve been talking about Vyfox I suppose it would be handy to know about plants that look like it.”

Her fingers carefully packed the poultice into the wound. It was still slightly warm and should have slowly been soothing and numbing the pain.

“There is a plant called Hemlock which has clusters of tiny white flowers very similar to Vyfox.”

She nodded towards her journal, unable to retrieve it with the herby mixture currently sticking to her fingers.

“I have a drawing I can show you in my journal later if you like. The main difference is in the leaves. Hemlock leaves are a different shape to Vyfox, the edges more jagged. Vyfox leaves are as small as the flowers, clustering together so that from afar they appear as one big leaf rather than lots of tiny ones. The stems of Hemlock plants also develop purple spots when they’ve matured.”

Her lips quirked at the thought of the adventure that had brought Orin and Sylvette to see her in the first place.

“If you do happen to get into more trouble and find yourself in need of a more subtle weapon then it would be worth knowing that a strong dose of Hemlock can cause a man’s lungs to fail. You would doubtless need to make it taste much nicer though. Still, best to avoid it when cooking for people you actually like. Vyfox actually smells quite nice – that and the leaves should help you tell them apart.”

As Orin was taking this all in she noticed his expression change and he turned towards Sylvette, concerned. Devi had finished with the poultice and it would stick in place by itself for the time being so she let him go and busied herself washing her hands of the herbs, eyeing the stack of bandages nearby which she would need for the final dressing.
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Poison 101 (Orin & Sylvette)

Postby Orin Fenix on September 6th, 2015, 12:30 am

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[googlefont=KhulaFive words. Just five words. Softly spoken and unassuming. But they made a world of difference. Orin’s breath caught in his throat, and the salt of his tears stung his eyes. I will not cry. There was a reason Orin tried not to think, not to dwell on the past, not to get lost in his memory. He threw himself into his work and into the present, trying to take in as much as he could of the world in the hopes that the bad would get shoved away. So he smiled for his few friends and kept his head down otherwise. He put up a brave front for the world and kept his darkness buried deep. In fact, Devi was one of the few people who didn’t know Orin growing up that now knew at least some of his history. Finally, he let air enter his lungs again in a shuddering inhalation. On the exhale, he tried to imagine purging the lingering remnants of memory lane from himself. He didn’t get rid of all the sadness in his soul but at least he’d be able to face Devi without making a complete fool of himself.

Thinking of the doctor, Orin turned to study her as her steady hands continued to bind up his wound. The corner of his mouth quirked in the ghost of a smile, gone quickly. It was funny how they’d both responded to the tragedies of their lives. He and Devi both seemed to have thrown themselves into their respective careers. And while on the surface their work had nothing in common, what fascinated him was that mostly it was both for the benefit of others. She healed the body and while it was a silly thought, Orin liked to believe that somehow his food could touch hearts and minds, and bring people together. Even if he wasn’t accomplishing that goal right now, one day that was his dream. An absurd hope, maybe, but then again, Orin wasn’t exactly known for his intelligence. And he had this gut feeling that somehow that was the way he should make his mark in the world. As if, to make up for his lack of family growing up he should create community in the only way he knew how.

Still, such musings weren’t exactly comfortable or easy, and Orin was extremely glad when they moved on to a subject he’d always been fascinated by. Since he was often sent out on foraging expeditions, usually against his will, although lately spending time outside the kitchen was turning into a much needed release, he was really trying to deepen his knowledge of the edible and dangerous plants and animals of Syliras. Glancing at the white flower, he nodded. ”Confusing Vyfox and hemlock is very bad, got it.” He took special care to memorize the differences between the two, and the size and shape of the leaves apparently the major way to tell them apart. It wasn’t much, and when Devi revealed that she had a drawing, he perked up. ”That might be for the best, assuming you’re comfortable sharing. Maybe it’s just my inexperience speaking here, but there really doesn’t seem to be many ways to tell them apart.” However, knowing how special, even sacred the journal was to Devi, Orin would totally understand her wanting to keep it to herself. He did have one question though, and figured the more information on this subject, the better. ”You said the stem gets purple spots when it’s mature, but is the plant still dangerous when it’s growing?” That seemed like an important clarification.

Orin laughed when Devi suggested using poison as a weapon. ”Just to be clear, I’m trying to learn about this to avoid poisoning people.” His words were light seeing as he thought Devi’s comment had mostly been in jest. It was good that there was one more indication of which plant was Vyfox and which was hemlock. Orin prided himself on having a pretty good sense of smell. ”And if it’s all the same to you, I think I’ll skip the whole making myself a more effective combatant. Somehow it seems too much like asking for trouble to find me, preparing for it, that is.” Orin laughed, as he realized that the only times Devi had interacted with him he’d been injured or in peril. ”For the record, I usually lead a pretty uneventful life. Life-threatening situations are outside the norm.” Studying her carefully, Orin added one more comment more quietly, not sure how she would take it. ”Although I imagine that you don’t often interact with people when they’re at their best.” Considering her profession, she likely came into contact with the sick and hurt more often than the healthy and happy. Remembering her at Sayana’s New Year’s Party, though, Orin realized that if that was true, it wasn’t by choice. She’d seemed perfectly happy in the company of others, unlike Orin himself.

Of course that thought reminded him of something very important. ”Before I forget, since I’m sure you have work to do beyond patching my sorry self up and that means I’ll be out of your hair soon enough, I’m having a surprise party for Sayana on her birthday. It’s the 55th at the Fifteenth Bell, at The Rearing Stallion. Do you know it?” Just because it was the center of Orin’s world didn’t mean that everyone in Syliras knew it, even if it was one of the most well renowned taverns in the city. ”I’m sure it would mean a lot to her, and, and to me, if you came.” He blushed slightly, not sure why he asked. Maybe it was because if it was true that he would be going soon, he wanted the conversation between the two of them to continue. However, he realized that she might feel pressured by his spur of the moment invitation. ”Definitely not mandatory, I mean, we’d love to have you but if you’re busy that day or something…” He let himself trail off again. This was generally why he avoided talking to others because no matter how well it was going, he’d inevitably mess it up. And this was no exception. No doubt she was only thinking of him as an awkward acquaintance now, and not a friend.

Looking to distract himself, Orin looked for Sylvette, but the Kelvic was nowhere to be seen. He frowned, suddenly concerned for her. She’d been agitated and Orin had ignored it in light of his own pain. Internally, he was kicking himself. He didn’t even know if she had sustained injuries in their battle. He closed his eyes and tried to center on his bond with her, but the flaky connection wasn’t telling him anything and he sighed. He was still figuring out what, exactly, their relationship meant and what he felt for her scared him with the depths of the emotion.[/googlefont]
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Poison 101 (Orin & Sylvette)

Postby Devi on September 6th, 2015, 7:11 pm

With clean hands once more Devi picked up her journal and began flicking through the pages, looking for the entry on Hemlock that her mother had illustrated. She looked up briefly to see that Sylvette had snuck out of the room during their exchange. She saw lines of concern etched across Orin’s face, his lips pursed in either annoyance or frustration, she couldn’t tell. She found the page she needed and set it on the table next to where he was standing, wandering back to the stack of bandages and beginning to measure out the amount she would need.

“I suppose most people aren’t at their best when they come to see me. It’s... interesting though. People react to sickness and injury in different ways. If nothing else, I think people are more exposed, one way or another, when they’re in pain.”

She returned to his side, cut bandages in hand and tilted her head slightly as she thought about that some more.

“You’d be surprised how honest people are, even without intending to be. Not everyone takes kindly to being in that situation. Still, it gives you a thick skin and a wonderful sense of humour.”

Some of her patients had made it abundantly clear just what they thought of her ‘wonderful sense of humour’ which, ironically, only served to amuse her even more. She shook her head of the thoughts and instead prepared the bandage to wrap around Orin’s arm.

“Now watch me whilst I do this.”

Her hands wrapped the bandage firmly across the wound, going slowly so that Orin could catch the right motions. She left a layer of thicker material directly across the herb-packed injury, securing it with the bandage as she did so.

“You want it firm but not so tight that it’s going to cut off your circulation. When the gauze is soaked through you’ll want to remove these and wash out the wound with clean water. I’ll leave you with some extra gauze and bandages so you can reapply them yourself, though you know where I am if you need help. This should start closing a lot easier once the poultice has drawn out the right fluids.”

She continued in silence a moment, concentrating until she was completely finished. Her fingers secured the last end with a small flourish and she turned a satisfied gaze onto her companion.

“And to answer your question, of course I’ll come to the surprise party. Sayana will love it and no doubt you’ll fill the place with mouthwatering dishes just to top it all off.”

She picked up her journal and showed the page to him, including her mother’s annotated diagram of the Hemlock leaves she had been describing earlier.

“This is what I meant about the leaves. They’re much sharper. Vyfox leaves are round and smooth. The younger plants are still poisonous so don’t rely completely on the purple spots but the leaves and the smell will give you plenty of warning.”

Once she was certain he had had time to absorb the image she gave him an encouraging smile, a small pile of bandages and a gentle nudge towards the door.

“Go find her. My charming personality aside, not everyone is keen on doctors. Or blood. Either way I’d say if she was uncomfortable enough to sneak out then she needs a little reassurance.”

She turned back to her stool by the raised bench against the wall and turned back to studying her journal, calling over her shoulder as she did so.

“You know where I am if you need me. Don’t be a stranger Orin.”
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Poison 101 (Orin & Sylvette)

Postby Sayana on November 29th, 2015, 4:09 pm

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Don't forget to edit/delete your grade request. If there's anything I may have missed, please PM me and I'll be happy to look into it.


 
Devi
Skills
  • Research: 2
  • Herbalism: 4
  • Poison: 3
  • Socialization: 4
  • Observation: 3
  • Investigation: 2
  • Teaching: 4
  • Storytelling: 2
  • Planning: 1
  • Medicine: 3
  • Interrogation: 2
  • Flirting: 1
  • Negotiation: 1
  • Philosophy: 2
Lores
  • Herbalism: Identifying Delaviv
  • Phantom's Shell: Identification in patients
  • Phantom's Shell: Poison that causes pain, made from seaweed ashes
  • Watching a kelvic shift
  • Sylvette: Orin's Bondmate
  • Kriital: Giant vulture-like bird
  • Flirting: A gentle tease
  • Belltor: Identification
  • Belltor: Good for colds and coughs, reduces scarring
  • Acson: Good for animal poisons and snakebites, induces vomiting
  • Acson: Identification, looks similar to Belltor
  • Sharing mother's death with someone
  • Hemlock: Strong dose can cause lungs to fail
  • Hemlock: Identification, looks similar to Vyfox
Comments
Note: Please keep in mind that at Novice level Poisons, Devi can only know 3 families of poisons as mentioned the Poison lore. So you'll want to choose carefully, although I'm not sure if Hemlock falls neatly into one of the specified families. Phantom's Shell would probably fall under "aquatic".


 
Orin
Skills
  • Storytelling: 4
  • Subterfuge: 1
  • Socialization: 5
  • Flirting: 2
  • Persuasion: 1
  • Endurance: 4
  • Interrogation: 4
  • Herbalism: 3
  • Teaching: 1
  • Medicine: 2
  • Poison: 2
  • Philosophy: 1
  • Planning: 1
  • Organization: 1
Lores
  • Vyfox: Identification and properties
  • Devi's Mother: Herbalist who died giving birth to Devi
  • Flirting: Offering a flower
  • Belltor: Identification
  • Belltor: Good for colds and coughs, reduces scarring
  • Acson: Good for animal poisons and snakebites, induces vomiting
  • Acson: Identification
  • Telling off a bondmate for teasing


 
Sylvette
Skills
  • XP
Lores
  • Lore:
Comments
If you return to Mizahar, please update your seasonal expenses accordingly and PM me. Then I'll happily award you grades.

Comments: What a lovely read. I enjoyed seeing how Orin and Devi connected to each other with similar pasts.


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