Okara picks flowers to honor a goddess, though it is not what she expects.
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Home of the Konti people, this ivory city is built of native konti stone half in and half out of the sea. Its borders touch the Silverwood, and stretch upwards towards Silver Lake, home of the infamous konti vision water. [Lore]
Okara gently pressed open the door of the white stone building on the edge of the Silverwood with coin pouch in hand. Stepping through the doorway of the Painted Petal, she was unsurprised to find it busy with activity. With the Sun Festival soon approaching its employees were busy creating dazzling and intricate arrangements while customers buzzed around picking out plants and personal supplies. Okara walked carefully around the perimeter of the store, scanning the shelves for useful items and trying not to collide with any of her fellow Konti.
Okara’s full lips stretched into a smile as her green eyes rested on a display of picked over baskets. Several of the baskets had straw sticking out, knocked out of the even weave by searching hands. Okara moved them around gently until she found a basket that she liked and cradled it in her arms. Turning she noted a line in front of the counter and took her place at the back. Okara patiently waited, observing the item choices of her fellow store patrons.
Ten chimes passed until finally it was Okara’s turn to approach the frazzled but still smiling clerk behind the counter. She set the basket down and smiled at the Konti in front of her.
“Is this all? One gold miza and five silver mizas.” The clerk said quickly, already looking at the line behind Okara. Okara frowned, fifteen? That seemed a lot higher then she remembered the last time she had perused the Painted Petals wears.
“One gold and five silver? That seems a little high. When did the price change?” Okara asked with a polite smile.
“The upcoming festival has drastically increased demand. The weaver has had to rush to provide enough supplies and she deserves extra for the increased strain.” The clerk responded with an equal smile. Even when haggling the Konti women remained respectful and did not resort to petty bickering or heightened emotions.
“I’m not really sure I should have to pay extra for a rush job, that hardly sounds like the usual Painted Petal quality. Plus the handle has several straws out of place from so many hands touching it. I must insist on a more fair price.” Okara pointed at the handle which had three straw ends poking out from the weave. The clerk tapped her foot in thought and glanced at the ever lengthening line behind Okara.
“Very well. One gold and one silver. I will go no lower, if you won’t pay that then you will have to try weaving your own basket for flowers.” The clerk arched an eyebrow as she waited for Okara’s response.
“I can accept one gold and one silver. I appreciate your compromise and reason.” Okara counted out a gold miza coin and a silver one from the pouch at her side and set them on the counter for the clerk who was already waving at the next customer. LedgerFlower Basket -11 sm
Last edited by Okara on July 21st, 2016, 11:09 pm, edited 6 times in total.
Okara lifted her basket away, still feeling like she had paid more than she ought but pleased that the price was more reasonable. Even Konti businesses wanted to capitalize on profitable occasions it would seem. She looked longingly at the Silverwood behind the store, eager to begin searching for flowers appropriate for the festival. But she did not wish to carry around her coin purse all day and instead turned her hurried path towards home.
What felt like forever but was really fifteen chimes later she was opening the door of the small stone structure she called home and placed her coin pouch on the smooth white stone table in the middle of the humble cottage. She hesitated for a moment before picking up the slender knife she used for eating and placing it inside of the basket. She would need something to cleanly cut the flower stems but had forgotten to purchase a separate knife or set of shears for that purpose. She was far too eager to be started to waste more time shopping.
Another eternity later she was at the edge of the city and entering the Silverwood, flickers of blonde Konti women moving among the distant trees in her vision. Syna had only been above the eastern horizon for two or three bells but Okara was not the only one to get an early start. The slender Konti woman walked slowly with eager but deliberate steps, her eyes scanning the forest floor for hints of yellow or orange.
Even if she did not find many flowers she was happy to be out in the peaceful Silverwood. Green needled trees surrounded her and with each chime the sounds of the bubbling Konti city grew more distant. She smiled and gave a friendly nod whenever she crossed paths with a multi-generational Konti family or individual woman. She giggled to see the small Konti girls eagerly urging their mothers and grandmothers on to find the most spectacular blooms.
The further inland she walked the fewer Konti she came across. She had spotted a drooping daisy or two but the ones she had seen were missing several petals and she passed them over like the preceding foragers likely had as well. After a bell of steady travel the smile had started to fade from her lips and her eyes were growing weary with searching. She had not anticipated foraging for flowers to take so long and had brought no food for a picnic lunch.
Another half bell passed before a flicker of bright yellow entered Okara’s vision. In excitement her pace quickened and she hurried toward the yellow splotch in a clearing between several trees. The splotch grew until Okara could identify the patch as marigolds with two rings of brilliantly colored petals swaying in the breeze upon their slender stems. The Konti woman knelt down gently beside the flowers. She paid no attention to the dirt collecting on the knees of her loose trousers as her green eyes drank in the delicious saffron hues of the petals.
Okara set her woven basket down beside the patch of flowers and grabbed the small knife she had brought. She grasped the stem of one flower and quickly cut it with her knife roughly twelve inches below the petals. Trimming the leaves off the stem, Okara tucked this first flower behind her ear, a victory prize. She cut the stems of four more marigolds and laid them neatly in her basket. Around a dozen flowers remained but she determined that five was enough. She wished to leave some for the Konti that came behind her. Okara placed her knife back in the basket and grasped the handle before standing up to continue her flower foraging foray.
Okara continued her meandering path, choosing random spaces between trees to turn towards and investigate. A few chimes later she spotted another yellow splash in the corner of her vision and turned towards it. This time she found a happy clearing in which a few lovely daisies were dotted. Most of the daisies were white petaled but three were a delicate buttery yellow. Okara knelt gently to cut the stem of each of the three yellow daisies and decided to leave the leaves on these. She recalled the flower arrangements she had seen before and remembered that they often had green foliage included to frame the arrangement. The dark green daisy leaves might make a nice arrangement border.
She held them up in a bundle for inspection, examining the long slender yellow petals and the bright yellow center that reminded her of the peel of exotic lemons. Placing them softly in her woven basket beside the marigolds Okara admired the hues of yellow next to each other and stood to take another look around. Spying a hint of light yellow among the green to her left she grinned and walked toward it excitedly.
This time her yellow treasure revealed itself to be bunches of tall, delicate columbine flowers. The airy yellow of its petals was so light they seemed almost white compared to the brilliant hues of the daisies and marigolds in her basket. Okara cut six of the beautiful flower stems and laid them gently in the basket, trying to prop them up against the side so the delicate flowers would not be crushed. Columbines had a beautiful center ring of petals that formed a trumpet around its small center and a second ring of petals that stuck straight out from the base of the inner petal trumpet. They were difficult to place without damaging the petals of the second ring.
Okara stood and stretched her back, then examined her basket of flowers with pleasure. After her earlier difficulty in finding any suitable flowers of the correct color the three varieties in her possession seemed magnificently successful. She imagined that she must have wandered far enough away from where others had already gathered flowers since she had found all three so quickly after each other. She judged that two or two and a half bells had passed since she entered the Silverwood and she was ready to begin the trip home.
Okara picked up her basket and turned. Then turned again. Then a third time.Which way had she come from? Which way was Mura? In her excitement of finding flowers she had ceased tracking which way she had traveled and all she could see in every direction was tall, silent trees of green. Perhaps Syna could help! Okara knew that Syna rose in the east and fell in the west. Mura lay along the western shore of Konti Isle so using Syna to place herself should be easy.
Okara shaded her eyes to look up at the sun and grimaced. Syna was high in the sky, almost directly overhead. Glancing down towards the base of the trees she noticed they only had small shadows, indicating that Syna was near her zenith. Okara had little experience exploring the island alone and could not tell if Syna was more east or west so high in the sky. A sinking feeling formed in the pit of her stomach and hints of panic began tease at her thoughts.
A slender webbed hand reached up to scratch her head as Okara’s brows knit together with concern. Perhaps she should just start in a direction and walk. Konti Isle was an island after all and not an enormous one, she would reach the coast eventually and be able to follow it back to Mura. It might take a day or two but that wasn’t the Valterrian all over again. Okara knew that was a rather stupid and desperate thought. She couldn’t be more than three bells walk from Mura and she would feel foolish to let that walk turn into a multi day stumble through the forest.
She needed to calm herself down and think rationally about the best course of action. Being lost was a terribly uncomfortable feeling. Okara lowered herself onto the ground beside her flower basket and folded her legs one over the other. She placed her hands in her lap and closed her eyes as she exhaled a long breath. She remembered trying to clear her thoughts on the ocean floor and that sense of emptiness. She imagined her breath was the waves on the breath. An inhale drew them onto the land and an exhale pushed them back out. She tried to concentrate on her breath as waves and not the worry gnawing at her mind and gut.
Inhale deeply through the nose, and exhale deeply. Inhale deeply, and exhale. Waves rolling onto the sandy beach and rolling back to join the vast ocean. She tried to push the worry away again and again but it only returned each time. The more she tried to ignore it the more it knotted her stomach. Inhale, exhale, inhale, exhale. Now frustration began to join the worry.
Alright. I’m worried. I feel that. Ignoring it isn’t doing any good. I accept that I’m worried, but it will be okay. I just can’t let the worry overwhelm my reason. With those thoughts Okara acknowledged her worry and let herself feel it instead of trying to push it away. Acknowledging the emotion made dealing with it easier and feel like it was okay. Her knotted stomach eased slightly and she resumed her pattern of breathing. With each inhale and exhale her mind began to quiet, she could not empty it of all thought but she was able to calm it enough to feel comfortable developing a plan of action.
Opening her eyes slowly, Okara blinked a few times and sighed deeply. She removed the wilting marigold from behind her ear and inspected it thoughtfully. Decisions were now needed. One option was to stay where she was, and hope another Konti sensed or foresaw her predicament and sent someone out to help her. Though she would feel foolish if someone had to waste their time finding a grown Konti lost a few bells from the city. She had already decided against choosing a random direction and hoping for the best.
As her green eyes drifted across the yellow petals they came to rest on her hand. Her hand with the mark of Rak’keli flowing up her forearm. Rak’keli! If she was in residence at the Opal Temple Okara should be able to tell which direction that lay. Her lips instantly split into a huge grin, already planning the many prayers she would send up to her goddess.
Okara closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, clearing her mind of any thought but that of the beloved and compassionate Rak’keli. The sensation that came to her of the goddess was distant and foreign. She did not hold residence in the Opal Temple that afternoon. With disappointment Okara opened her eyes and sighed. That about seemed her luck today. She ought to have visited one of the islands many fortune teller’s so that she had known to expect an unlucky day. She vowed to consult one before any foray into the Silverwood depths again.
She had gotten herself into this ridiculous situation, she could rely on only herself to get out of it. Syna was still too high to use as a compass, and the tall trees obscured her vision of any major landmarks. Letting her gaze scroll across the clearing in which she sat, she noticed the gentle rise of a small hill fifty yards to her right. Perhaps the top of the hill might reveal useful information about the horizon.
Okara slowly stood and tossed the wilting marigold into the woven basket which she left on the ground as she strolled towards the hill. At least the basket would mark the direction she had taken since apparently she wasn’t capable of doing that herself. Rak’keli’s grace, she was so frustrated her thoughts had turned towards sarcasm. She walked slowly up the hill, running around willy nilly in the forest was what had gotten her into this predicament in the first place so she intended on only moving very deliberately until she was back in Mura.
A few chimes later and she stood at the top of the hill. It was higher than it had initially seemed but still had hidden itself neatly within the trees. Placing her hands on her hips Okara scanned the horizon around her. Trees, trees, trees. But wait! A glimmer of yellow above the tip of a tree. A yellow glimmer in the sky? That could only be the brilliantly radiating gemstone atop the Silver Watchtower. Located within the city itself, it was the landmark that would guide her home.
Okara noted the direction of the glimmer in relation to her flower basket and with a relieved smile walked down to retrieve it. The yellow glittering light was masked by the tall trees again but Okara kept her eyes focused in its direction as she grasped the woven basket’s rough straw handle firmly.
Her legs moved with a steady rhythm through the forest and her mind was concerned only with the Watchtower’s glittery radiance. Each time she caught a glimpse of the bright yellow gemstone between breaks in the treeline her heart quickened and she had to fight herself from breaking into a run. A twisted ankle or skinned knee from a fall was the last thing she desired now that she finally had the way home.
A bell passed. Okara’s stomach growled but she refused to acknowledge her hunger. She certainly would not stop now and besides, she had not thought to bring any food with her. Another vow for her future forays into the Silverwood depths. As she trudged she began to forget the worry that had gnawed at her and started to plan her next trip into the Silverwood. She would come back, with better preparation, and learn to walk the forest in comfort and skill.
Another bell passed. Okara’s thighs had begun to ache with exertion but she refused to slow down. Her tongue felt thick and dry in her mouth and her thoughts turned to the refreshing, cool waters of Silver Lake. She could likely use her Rak’keli’s mark to ease her tired muscles but she knew she deserved the aches and forced herself to deal with them. She felt assured that she would be home soon. She was close enough that Watchtower towered over the horizon, no tree in the Silverwood was tall enough to cloud its distinct radiance and structure at this distance.
The rhythm of her legs felt hypnotic and her mind emptied as she thought only of each scaly foot rising and falling upon the ground. Priskil’s radiant gemstone filled her vision. The worry and fear she had experienced before was wiped away and she felt almost peaceful despite the ache building in her thighs. Right, left, right, left. Her legs pumped steadily and her mind drifted meditatively.
When she finally burst through the tree and the watery city of Mura spread out before her the hypnotic and meditative trance was broken and she felt some hint of surprise to have actually arrived back home. But before her steps could turn towards the white stone building where she slept or even the delicious looking lake where she might quench her desire for moisture, she had a debt of gratitude to repay.
Okara wove her way expertly through the city, the Silver Watchtower growing larger and larger until she stood near the base staring up at the radiant gem crowning the complex and mysterious structure. She wondered at it, curious at its original purpose and intention. Regardless of what it might have once been, it had served as her beacon home and she owed Priskil thanks. Okara approached the enigmatic building until she knelt at stone base and placed her basket beside her.
She gathered the wilting flowers together, arranging them so each of the three species were not bunched together but rather near one of the other species. She had difficulty holding the flowers in one hand and moving them around with the other, frequently dropping one and needing to regather them into a bundle so they did not scatter across her lap. She arranged them until she was satisfied with the ordering in her hand. It was shabby at best but she was tired and had little experience working with flowers. She frowned, she needed to bind them together in some way. Looking in her basket she had only the rumpled marigold she had tucked behind her ear earlier left. It would have to do. Holding up the marigold with her free hand she bit the stem off near the flower, grimacing at the bitter juice on her tongue. With some fumbling she managed to tie the stem around the middle of the arrangement and laid it against the Watchtower. She laid the mangled marigold head back in the basket and clasped her hands together, eyes closed.
Lady Priskil, thank you for your shining brilliance, may it radiate into eternity and beyond. You have guided me to my home and away from my worry and peril. You gave me a steady light to follow and I am thankful for your presence. I wish you luck, health, and good fortunes. May Syna’s brightness always shine down upon your brilliance. Closing her prayer, Okara opened her eyes and rose, grasping the basket once again.
She turned away from the Watchtower and began her trip through the stone Mura streets towards home. As she passed the edge of the Opal Temple grounds, Okara tucked the remaining marigold head into the white iron fence that surrounded the Temple park. Do not think I have forgotten you so easily, beloved Rak’keli, had you been home I know you would have guided me back. I am thankful for all you have given me. Okara stood still as she prayed silently, then she forced her legs to set into motion once more, eager to return to the comforts of home.
You've been so busy grading other threads, I thought it high time you got some of your own done.
Okara is such a sweetheart, and I love her relationship with the Gods. I'd like to see her go farther into the divine in the future. Developing her faith would be a fun thing for me to read, I think. I like reading your threads in general because they flow. Your word choice is very accurate for Okara's mood, and it helps me really get lost in it. Overall, well done.
Don't forget to edit your request to reflect its graded status. If you have any questions or feel I forgot something, please contact either me or a local ST.
"The sea always filled her with longing, though for what she was never sure." - Cornelia Funke
by Okara on June 10th, 2016, 11:52 pm 
