Solo Shake Things Up

[Naiya]

Spring 19th 516 AV

The burning in her chest worsened as she leaned over to pick up the stool and the pail, reminding her of her recent news. She strained for a moment, battling the wave of emotion that her pregnancy brought to the fore of her mind. She had work to do, and it wasn't going to wait until she was through moping.

She battled back the burning in her chest, rising back to standing helping a great deal. She gathered her grooming tools, carrying all three things out into the herd. A number of animals were happy to join her, the mid morning milking something they looked forward to. Smala was the first to make her way to Naiya, presenting herself before the woman with a sense of finality.

Naiya couldn't help but to laugh as she began to check the cow over for ticks, scrapes, or other issues. There seemed to be none, just hair, and a lot of it was caked with mud. No surprise with the rain and heat, they likely were taking a number of mud baths. Luckily the rain cleaned a lot away.

The tarp that reached from the pavilion to the wagon presented cover from the weather, the pitter patter of misting rain soothing as she set to work grooming the cow. She started with a wide comb, loosening clumps of mud and unwinding tangles.

They hair was wet, so when she pulled hair from the comb she put it into new bags, ones that she would take inside so she could hang the hair to dry before adding it to the others.

Once she had combed all the loose hair from her back, Naiya took spare cloth to dry her back side and udders, she didn't want water from her hair dripping into the milk. Once she was done she pulled her pail, scooting her stool into place. A bucket added to her kit was full of water and a clean cloth, she used it to clean the teats before she started milking.

The first squirt of milk went into the mud, it was not good for drinking, but the rest went into the pail. Or at least she aimed it for the pail. Her hands were still clumsy, the ring of her fingers closing downwards, but not always with the aim she needed. Still it was better than pulling, and she got most of her squeezes to go at least mostly into the pail.

She worked her way through the cattle, filling her pail eight times, pouring the full pail into casks to be dealt with. She went to the first cask she had filled, the one that had been sitting the longest. She brought chalk, using it to mark the cask.

She was careful, her writing legible likely only to her as she formed the shapes of the numbers that marked the day. Pavi had no letters, so she turned to common to mark what she intended. She letters were shaky, her hand struggling with unfamiliar tasks. 'Cream'' it said, eventually, a reminder to skim the top of the barrel for the cream to take to the shop later.

The next was marked again, 'whole', the letters unclear but good enough, she would sell this as milk. The two other casks would need more work, one to be cheese, the other yogurt.

[Naiya]

A simply crafted drying rack was strung near the fire, low enough to feel the warmth, but no where near close enough to touch even the highest flame. She draped the segments of wool across the ropes, carefully arranging the hair so that it didn't overlap too much in any one place.

Once she was sure the hair would stay in place to dry, she returned to the matter at hand. She needed to get her doors open, and she needed to make butter and cheese. Luckily, both of those things could happen in the shop.

She returned to the casks, four of them filled today, and four from the previous day. She had bought casks because she was sure she could carry them, even completely full. She stacked two of them together, squatting down low so that she could lift them with the strength of her legs rather than her back. She struggled a moment beneath the weight, her legs straining, but she managed to lift them, and once she was up, she could move fairly easily.

She moved across the distance between the two pavilions quickly. Ducking inside the pavilion and squatting once more to place the casks down, careful not to drop them. She didn't open the front up yet, she had a few more trips to make first. When she had loaded all the casks, she grabbed the basket of cheesemaking gear and the fresh herbs that they had gathered, moving with them towards the shop.

She placed the things on the table inside, opening flaps and vents in the tent and removing the cloth from her sample jars. She removed the lids, checking each jar for spoilage. When she was sure they were all fine, she moved to the front of the pavilion. Rolling back the flaps was a task best suited for two people, but she managed by rolling the middle and tying it, before neatening the sides and tying them too.

A woman passed by as she was finishing up, and Naiya gave a smile and a greeting trying to entice the woman without forcing her into the shop by simply being welcoming. It didn't work, but the thought was there.

She pulled a work table up beside the fire pit, adding kindling to the center before shaving the flint into the pile and striking it into a blaze. She quickly added a clump of dried dung to burn waiting until flames licked happily at the fuel before breaking it into evenly burning coals.

She let the fire settle while she moved about the shop, it was big, and empty, but hopefully soon it would fill up. She dragged the sample table to the front of the pavilion, an attraction to catch the eye of people passing by. It was something other shops did, and it seemed to work fairly well.

Her workspace was just behind the table, carefully placed so that she would be able to see anyone who might peer inside looking for help. She had strung a string of bread from the rafters, easily broken off and spread with cheese or butter, it hung like a decoration behind the front flaps of the pavilion.

She hovered there for a few chimes, waiting for a customer to come inside, offering smiles and greetings to anyone who walked by.

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Naiya space Pavi | Common | Tukant
other space Pavi | Common | Tukant