Solo The Pretty Pest

[Khara]

30th of Spring, 516AV

As Khara walked the small paths that connected her home to that of Ms. Solla, she looked upward at the patchy clouds that remained. The day prior had brought rain that had been miserable to work in. It hadn't been a proper downpour, just a light drenching that seemed to seep into your bones and made everything feel colder. At least it's not snowing, she reminded herself with a small smile as she tugged her katinu tighter around herself.

It still felt strange to leave for work without a pack full of supplies and her weapon, but Khara supposed there was some level of comfort to be taken from that as well. She was free to go about her duties without constantly wondering if a bear would stumble into her path or a zynx would pounce unsuspectingly. It may not have been the most exciting or glamorous job, but Khara had taken an instant liking to Ms. Solla and apparently the woman had felt the same about the younger Inarta girl. Her knowledge of plants was practically nothing aside from what they looked like when a deer had been nibbling at them, but she had felt drawn to this, as if something deep inside her needed to discover new things. It was either that or some outside force was guiding her towards it and that sort of attention, Khara had decided, was far beyond the likes of her.

Her soft knock at Solla's door was answered almost as soon as her hand had connected with the wood and Khara was ushered inside, the warmth of the cooking fire making a stark contrast with the cool morning air outside.

"Good morning, Khara. You're a bit early, you know. Dawn rest just ended," Solla greeted her with a warm smile before she returned to her table.

"Oh, I am sorry..." the rest of the apology died on Khara's lips as Solla's smile broadened and the woman shook her head. The Inartan still hadn't quite gotten used to Lhavit's periods of rest. In Wind Reach she had always gotten up with Syna's first light and struck out as soon as possible and worked until the day was through. Night meant rest there, here in Lhavit, things were certainly different.

Khara moved quickly throughout the house in a routine that had become a bit typical. A soft cloth that hung next to the fireplace was picked up, the kettle that was warming over the fire was removed, and the hot water was poured into Solla's waiting tea cup, already filled with herbs of various kinds. Khara wasn't quite sure what all was brewing, but she knew it tasted divine from her first meeting with the overseer of the Estates.

Two small flowers sat on the table where usually there was empty space, a delicate blue one with a yellow center and the other a rather robust pink ball.

"Ah, I see you have spotted today's lesson," Solla chimed in as she picked up the cup of tea off the table. Khara's gaze shifted to the woman, eager eyes encouraging her to continue.
"Today I will be having you tending to my personal garden, as well as a few others that belong to the rental homes. The pink flower you see there belongs to the bulboru plant. It's a very handy little medicinal herb and it grows in quite a few of the gardens throughout Lhavit. The roots are good for healers and they only bloom during the spring time so they should be very easy for you to spot."

Khara picked up the blossom as Solla spoke and spun the stem lightly between her fingertips to get a better overall look at the pale pink puff ball. She didn't think it was all that pretty, to be honest. The color was nice, but the shape was hardly fascinating. Though, as a more useful than decorative plant, Khara could still see the value of cultivating them around the city.

She placed the bulboru flower back on the table and picked up the blue one. The small yellow center reminded her of seeing Syna on a clear day and brought a smile to her lips. "And this one?" Khara inquired.

"That is a jasao blossom," Solla explained. "While pretty, they are nothing more than a weed, and a rather aggressive one at that. They've been growing among the bulboru, choking them and stealing the nutrients. They also are in full bloom right now so again, the plants should be easily distinguishable. What I want you to do today is starting with my garden and moving to the nearby rentals, remove the unwanted jasao plants, taking care to not harm the bulboru."

The older woman took a sip of her tea and eyed the Inarta girl intently but kindly. "Any questions?"

Khara shook her head before remembering the more polite way of responding. "I do not think so."

Solla nodded in return, "Good. Remember to get the jasao plants all the way out, include the roots or they will grow right back. As an aside, the blossoms are quite pretty as I'm sure you've noticed. They also last for quite a while once plucked. If you bring me a bunch of them when you are finished, I will show you something that the locals do with them. They aren't entirely worthless, I suppose."

Khara nodded again in understanding and headed towards the door, the jasao blossom still between her fingers.

"Oh! Khara," Ms. Solla called back to her and the Inarta girl quickly spun on her heel. "You can borrow that small pouch by the door to collect the jasao in, if you like."

The Inarta quickly gathered up the small leather bag and slung the strap over her shoulder. "Thank you, Ms. Solla," she answered back, a grateful and meekness present that was probably entirely unnecessary but Khara couldn't help but feel.

One last deep breath of the warm air inside the house was taken before she opened the door and headed back out into the cold mountain morning.

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"

[Khara]

As soon as Khara entered Ms. Solla's garden she caught sight of the bulboru blossoms. They, like the rest of the garden, were neatly arranged. Not in anything so simple as just rows, but set alongside other plants with their own blooms whose colors looked - at least to Khara's unsophisticated eye - to compliment one another perfectly. Reds sat alongside pinks and purples, their intermingled green leaves making the flowers stand out all the more. When she had nerve to actually begin planning her own proper garden near the home that Ms. Solla allowed her to stay at, Khara knew she'd be asking for advice. She doubted she would achieve anything as impressive as what the manager of the Estates had created, but she would certainly try.

Everything was so well tended, nothing seemed out of place, and Khara was beginning to have any doubts of finding even the hint of the blue jasao flowers that would speak of the weed's encroachment into these pristine flower beds. She approached where the nearest patch of bulboru was, taking great care in her small steps to not plant a foot anywhere unwanted. The young Inarta's eyes scanned along the pink and green slowly, carefully, until she finally spotted the unwanted guest.

Khara hadn't been sure why she thought this task would be easy, but it had sounded fairly straight forward. What she hadn't expected was due to Ms. Solla's meticulous nature with her garden, the jasao plants weren't nearly as well developed as those they were stealing from. Instead they were hidden down among the bulboru, tucked under leaves or nestled just close enough that one may not see them upon first glance. The first culprit she spotted only had a single flower that had just barely begun to open - an easy miss if she had been careless.

Despite the chill in the air, Khara decided the work would be done best without her gloves on, and so kept them tucked away in her Katinu. While plucking a weed didn't seem like something that needed to be explained more than Ms. Solla had, Khara did wish she had been given more information if not just a tip on how was best to remove the whole plant - roots and all - in one go. She could try and very carefully dig around the weed and remove it that way, she supposed, but that would certainly create more of a mess than she wanted.

The earth used for the garden was soft, though. Far from the hard packed and icy ground that she was used to in the rocky peaks of Mt. Skyinarta. It vaguely reminded her of one of the underground gardens that she had worked at a time or two as a Yasi. Plants hadn't been all that interesting to her then - funny how times changed.

Well, best to learn by actually doing then; Khara knew she was overthinking the entire thing. With nimble fingers she reached carefully among the bolboru plants and took hold of the offending jasao's stalk and gave a gentle tug. The tiny plant resisted at first but quickly gave way, coming free from the ground without too much effort.

Well, this should be easy, Khara thought to herself with a slight smile.

The plant itself was looked at and despite not having been instructed to, Khara felt that it was best to try and brush off as much extra dirt from the roots as she could - better to put it back where it belonged rather than toss it aside. Sadly, the barely-flower was hardly worth putting in the pouch she had borrowed and so the entire thing was side aside - the start of a pile that Khara planned to later take to where she knew mulch and compost were made; more processes she was sure to learn later on.

"Nari" | "Common" | "Pavi"