PM to join [The South Woods] Mosses, Fungi and Trees [Phira]

[Deliath]

Deliath Telori 3rd Fall, 516 It was morning and there was a chill in the air, a chill that only really happened in fall. It was a pleasant chill, not too warm but there to tell you that the year was beginning to grow old. That winter was on its way. The eighth bell had just passed and Del had been awake since the seventh. She was dressed and had eaten a small meal and she was more than ready for the day ahead. It hadn't been long since she had met Phira and now she had invited the other girl to join her in the South Woods, so she could maybe teach her a little bit about herbs and fungus, show her which mushrooms were likely to be poisonous, and which herbs could be used in herbal remedies for various ailments. Sighing, she retrieved her backpack and threw four glazed clay jars, a cutting tool and a grinding tool into it, along with a few rations of food and a water skin that was half filled with water that was on the cusp of stagnating, but was still drinkable. She pulled her backpack on, and then grabbed her shovel, wedging it uncomfortably between the backpack and her back. It was the only way she could carry the tool while keeping her hands free. This way she knew that she would be able to tell if anyone had tried to steal it. "I should probably buy some gloves soon..." she mumbled to herself before she stepped out of her home and into the streets of Sunberth. The sun shone, giving a slight hint of warmth but the chill was still there, feeling it's way onto her chill and sending a slight shiver down her spine. It wasn't unpleasant though. Phira had agreed to meet her just at the edge of the South Woods, at the point nearest to the city, and so she walked briskly, putting one foot in front of the other at a fast yet even pace as she made her way through the streets to the edges of the city, and then kept walking. It wasn't too long until she found herself in front of some fairly bare trees and squishy ground underfoot. She liked the South Woods, even in the winter and Autumn. Although Fall and Winter weren't the most productive of times, she still might be in with a chance of finding some fungi or tree bark. Maybe some mosses too. Sighing, she glanced around, hoping that Phira would arrive up soon. ~

[Phira]

03 Fall 516

"Food, water, cloak, is there anything else I need?"[/b] she sang to herself. She wasn't sure what to bring with her for foraging or plant hunting. Would she be offended if she called it foraging? Probably not something to worry about now, but she should ask. She had to get going now. She grabbed her pack and quickly left towards the entrance to the woods. She had just met Del and found her to be very pleasant to be around. She was so nice and happy, and optimistic, she was so different from anyone else in Sunberth.

The smell and cool chill of autumn hit her senses right away. She hated autumn and winter, it was always cold, and the Syna didn't shine as brightly. Winter moons were pretty to look at though she supposed, but Leth was pretty to look at in any season. She hugged her cloak closer to her and headed out of the city towards the woods. The leaves were beginning to change colors and fall to the ground.
She soon sighted Del waiting for her. She approached carefully with a friendly smile, "I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long. I was at a loss of what to bring with me. Not that I have much to bring for this type of thing." she said with a little laugh.

She noticed that Del had brought a shovel with her. Where they going to do a lot of digging? "I hope you don't mind. I don't have a shovel, but I can climb trees if you want the high hanging fruit." she said hoping the consolation suited her. Now that she was out here and with Del she could feel the excitement grow. This may not be the most exciting thing in the world to some, but to her it was a new experience and it was a new possible path for her to march on.


[b]"So where are we looking and what are we looking for?”

[Deliath]

Deliath Telori ~ Deliath hadn't been waiting for too long when she saw a figure approaching and she couldn't help but smile. As the figure got closer she could tell for certain that it was her new friend, Phira. She was excited to spend the day with a friend that she could teach about the plants in the woods. "I've only just got here myself so there's no need to worry!" Del smiled widely before she heard Phira speak about how she didn't have a shovel but that she could climb and Del found herself chuckling slightly. "There's no need to worry about that! I just carry this everywhere as a precaution. Most of what we'll be getting is above ground and within reaching height!" "Well, since its autumn there's not really all that much in the way of flowers, but there should be a few mushrooms, mosses and trees that can be used, and I think there should be some late fruits somewhere. We'll just have to have a look around!" she smiled, adjusting her shoulders slightly so her backpack was more comfortable. "Just keep your eyes peeled for anything that isn't dead leaves, or shedding its leaves, and if you have any questions, just ask away." Deliath grinned before beginning to walk through the trees, her eyes carefully scanning around until she spotted a patch of green. It was a bunch of green leaves that were fairly toothy and deeply notched, all of which were hairless. "Phira, you see here. These are dandelion leaves. They're fairly useful and edible, nice in salads if they're young enough, but these ones may be a bit bitter. Still edible of course." as she spoke she bent down to the dandelions and pulled her backpack from her back, removing a clay jar from it. "You can make a tea or tincture from the leaves. It helps kidneys and digestion, so nothing of great importance but helpful for a healthier life. The roots are useful too! They help with your liver and can treat constipation." she smiled as she spoke, before reaching towards the plant and pulling off a few leaves from the top of the plant, placing them into her jar. "Would you like to try? Just gently take hold of the leaf nearest the stem, like this, and then pull. Always try to get the leaves at the top of the plant, otherwise the plant will lose too many leaves and risk dying." ~

[Phira]

03 Fall 516

Phira nodded feeling a little relieved that she didn't have to undress in order to change so she can climb to high heights. She wasn't sure what Del's stance was on nudity and she didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable. She looked up and around the immediate area for anything that didn't look like leaves, as Del listed all the things to look for, then she said 'it'. Oh dear. she thought. She didn't think that the happy blond had any idea what she was getting herself into when she said she could ask as many questions as she had. She knew it could get on people's nerves. It got on her parent's nerves, her sibling's nerves, her tribesman's nerves, and with someone who didn't know her or was related to her she would definitely get on their nerves.

"Ok. I should warn you though, I am known to ask a lot of questions. Just let me know when you want me to hush up." she let her new friend know that she could tell her to be quiet at any time. Heck she was used to her mother hitting her upside the head when she was getting on her mother's nerves.

They started walking more into the forest, her following behind. "So where are you from? she asked wanting to know where the happy blonde could have grown up. She looked human except her eyes...which could be anything really. She couldn't pin point it. There were a lot of races that she had yet to meet in person but she would love to meet them all...even if her tribesman would hate her for associating with some of them. Dhani and charoda were some of the more hated by her Queen-Goddess Myri thus by her people. She never stayed around her tribe long enough to adopt the hatred. Luckily for her too, she wanted to have an open mind. She supposed that was the upside of being so young and leaving home so soon.

She walked into the clearing, still looking around every which way, "Is anything really poisonous out here? I come out here all the time to hunt and I don't want to run into anything unfortunate." she asked and explained. She didn't need any rashes or something far worse because of a plant.

Del led her over to some dandelion plants. She had always seen these around, she didn't know that it was used for so many things. She even said she could eat them! Wow, I didn't know it was so useful. Though I don't understand a lot of that. What's a tincture? And why would someone's liver and kidneys be unhealthy? she asked and watched as her friend began plucking the leaves from the stem.

When Del asked if she wanted to try she was hesitant. She didn't want to mess it up and ruin the plant, but she wanted to at least try. She bent down and looked for the easiest leaf to pull. She grabbed one and began pulling it, only to have it accidentally rip in half. It's not as easy as it looks. she said and tried the plant next to it. She grabbed the base of the leaf and pulled making sure to get the whole leaf, albeit a bit roughed up. "Is this ok? Is it too wrinkly to use?" she asked handing over her semi-wilted leaf and her ripped in half leaf.

[Deliath]

Deliath Telori ~ Deliath couldn't help but smile as Phira mentioned that she asked a lot of questions. Questions were something that Deliath didn't mind. To her it meant that whoever was asking the questions was genuinely interested in the answers. "You can ask as many questions as you like! It's a sign of an inquisitive mind after all, and that's something that I enjoy seeing!" Del found herself grinning even wider before she heard Phira ask where she was from. "Well I was born and raised in Syliras by my mother. She was a Svefra so after a while she had to return to the sea and I was stubborn, so she left me with a few friends of hers. I moved here about five years ago. I never met my dad but apparently he was a Benshira. How about you?" she asked, looking at the other girl, curious about her origins. When the girls question came about poisonous plants she thought for a moment. "There isn't anything I can think of off the top of my head, but I'd avoid any plants that are very colourful. I doubt anything here would be enough to kill you, but some can have unpleasant side effects if you eat them." she explained before tilting her head. "If we come across anything dangerous, I'll point it out to you?" she offered before smiling again. She watched Phira as she processed the information and then asked a few more questions and Deliath thought about the best way to answer them. "Well, a tincture is a type of medicine that is made by dissolving something in an alcohol. Not the type of alcohol you'd drink though. It's medicinal alcohol you'd dissolve it in. And a lot of diseases target your internal organs, some of which target your liver and kidneys. Also, if you don't drink enough fluids it can harm them, as well as if you drink too much wine or ale, although that's after a long time so nothing you should need to worry about if you look after yourself." Deliath smiled at the girl and tilted her head. "I'm not sure if that made any sense there!" she found herself chuckling. She watched carefully as the other girl pulled a leaf away from the plant and couldn't help but smile slightly. The first one had torn and the other was wrinkled, but that was all something that would improve over time. "They're both fine. With dandelions it's not so important that you keep them pristine so these will both work absolutely perfectly!" she smiled at the girl before placing the two leaves into the jar with the one she'd picked. "Dandelions are the best to practice with, as they won't cause any damage to you if you get anything on your hands." she said calmly before standing up straight trying to see what was around before she frowned slightly. "As you can see, fall isn't the most fruitful time to harvest plants, but there are a few that can be useful. We'll have to see if there are any mosses or mushrooms at all!" she found herself smiling again as she looked up towards the canopy of leaves above them both. ~

[Phira]

03 Fall 516

Her friends smiles were infectious and she threw one her way with a chuckle, "I wish you were around when I was growing up. Not that I wasn't allowed to ask questions, it was just that they didn't appreciate the curiosity." she said. She couldn't help but be curious. As soon as she left, the svefra crew told her she '...was as curious as a cat.' She didn't know that cats in general were so curious that they developed that kind of reputation. But couldn't deny it made her feel better, she was a cat which meant she fit in somewhere at least.

"Syliras? I hear that is a grand city. You left there to come here? Not that I am not glad that you did." she said and listened to her talk more. A svefra and a Benshira? That was an...odd pair? Was that the word for it? Rare? It was a pair she would have never put together. "I knew you were a wonderful kind of different when I met you. Though I can't imagine what you would be doing in Sunberth, other than helping out the many who need help here. Don't you ever want to find your pod? Or go into the desert?" she asked.

She kicked away some leaves on the ground trying to see if she would find anything and looked at her friend, "I am from Black Rock. My mother arrived there, pregnant with me when she met her bondmate. I don't know who my real father is either. But her bondmate took on that role, so he is my father as much as any other guy would be." she said. She had a lot of time to think about such things. She was grateful that her father did take her in as one of his own because he didn't have to do that. He could have sold her into slavery as soon as she was born, but he didn't. So to her, he would always be her father, not just her mother's bondmate.

She was relieved to hear that there wasn't anything too concerning in the forest that would give her a rash. She came out here a lot to hunt, so knowing that she really didn't have to worry was nice. When she asked those questions about medicine she really didn't think that the answer would be so complicated. She listened and stayed in silence for a good few moments, thinking about all that information, "I understand your words, but not the knowledge." she laughed quoting a recurring client she had back in Zeltiva who spent half the night trying to explain the basics of physics to her. Still to this day she didn't understand how something could have an equal and opposite reaction. But she knew those words and could recite them if she needed, but she couldn't explain what they meant.

She smiled in pride when she was praised, she liked being told that she did something right. Or in this case that she didn't mess anything up. They picked the rest of the leaves and began looking for other things to harvest. "Then let us go. I am even more excited to see what we can find now." she said enthusiastically and looked up at the canopy with her. "If there were something that could be found up there, what would it be? Moss? Or fungus maybe?" she asked as a couple of squirrels scurried from tree branch to tree branch. She licked her lips, they were the best at this time of year. They were all fat and ready to hibernate, she would have to remember this spot for future hunting. Looking back at her friend, "My offer still stands if you need me to climb up to get something." she offered again and began walking around the tree and pulled her hand back when it ran across something sticky, "Would sap be of any use to you?" she asked.

[Deliath]

Deliath Telori ~ Deliath heard Phira mention that her curiosity wasn't appreciated when she was growing up and Deliath thought for a few minutes. When she had grown up, everyone had answered her questions quite happily and they had never seemed to dislike her asking the questions. She couldn't imagine growing up in an environment like Phira's. "I don't think I would have coped growing up without feeling comfortable asking as many questions as I did!" It was then that she heard Phira mention about hearing of how grand Syliras was and Deliath shrugged slightly. "I prefer here to Syliras. I mean, sure Syliras is prettier, and safer, and more organised, but if you're not a knight there's so much that you can't do. You can't even use the archives without being a Squire at least. Here there's so much more that I can do!" she smiled even wider as she spoke of Sunberth compared to Syliras. Syliras may have been we're she was raised, but Sunberth was where she thrived. "My pod? I've never really been all to thrilled about being stuck at sea for long periods of time, and I don't know how well I'd do in the desert. Originally I wanted to travel everywhere, but I got here and saw the opportunities and I ended up staying." she found herself chuckling slightly. Deliath listened carefully to Phira as she spoke of her origins, occasionally nodding as she watched the girl. "Sometimes it isn't necessary to have your birth father around. Oftentimes, the ones that take you on as their own despite having no obligation are the nicest ones." she mused out loud before trying to think of which place Black Rock was. "Black Rock? That's in Falyndar isn't it? You've travelled a long way? What made you choose Sunberth for now?" Deliath couldn't help but chuckle at the young woman's words. She'd never heard quite such phrasing though, but she wanted to make sure that she kept it in mind for conversations with others. Deliath was glad that Phira was so enthusiastic about everything, she enjoyed the company of people like the young woman, and she found herself watching the girl with a smile on her face. "In the canopy? Usually it's fruits up there, but sometimes there are a few mosses, if it's damp enough, same with fungus, although mosses and fungi are usually on the floor of the woods." Deliath explained looking up at the canopy to see if she could spot signs of anything. "It doesn't look like there is anything up there, other than squirrels and maybe a few insects." she mused, trying to see if there was anything she could ask Phira to get. Then she heard Phira mention sap and she turned to look at the girl. "Sap is always useful? Have you found some?" she asked, before stepping closer to inspect the other girls discovery. "Sap is usually good at cleaning wounds, and sticking them together, at least until you can get proper medical attention. It's good on burns too, and can get splinters out with it. You just put it on the splinter and leave it. It'll pull the wood out without causing any more damage." she grinned as she spoke, before thinking about collecting the sap. It's better to use it fresh, so we should move on. she thought before turning to Phira. "Unfortunately it's not something that we really collect, since it's better fresh, and I'm not sure how to store it. But it's something that's good to remember for when you're out here. There's a lot that is useful, just always steer clear of anything brightly coloured. They're usually the nasty things." she said, aware that she was repeating what she had said earlier. ~

[Phira]

03 Fall 516

Phira laughed when Del mentioned being uncomfortable. "It wasn't uncomfortable at all. It was just the way it was. Myrians don't typically like frivolousness. If I were asking questions about fighting or Queen Myri then it wouldn't have been a problem. Buut, I was asking questions about Dhanis and why fish are different colors." she said with a nostalgic sigh and a shrug of her shoulders, "What I can say is that it taught me a valuable lesson and that is 'Don't expect everyone appreciate questions. '" she said with a matter-of-fact tone. And that was a very good lesson to learn, especially for her line of work, and especially since she moved to Sunberth.

She listened to the blondes slight backstory. She thought about it. Svefra's love the sea, and benshiras were desert dwellers, to have both in one's blood had to be tough. Do they crave the sea or the desert? Apparently neither as Del's proven. She looked at Del with a playful smile, "Sunberth is the exact opposite of Syliras: Unsafe, not pretty, or organized in any way. Do I have a rebel on my hands?" she said with a laugh hopping over a rotting log. She calmed down and nodded, "I get it though. Sunberth may not be the prettiest or easiest place to live, but at least everyone is free...well every one except wizards. Which I don't really understand why. One person couldn't have possibly ruined it for the bunch. I mean just because one grape is spoiled doesn't mean you can't eat the rest of them...or that you don't grow any more grapes. Unless the reason the grape is spoiled is because of poison or something, then you would have to get rid of all the grapes just in case. But... she said and stopped herself with a unabashed smile, I am rambling at this point." she said and took a deep breath.

She nodded with a smile "It is! It is home to Goddess Dira. I hear all the time that no one will go near that place because of that, but I don't think it's all that bad. I mean the ghosts can get a little annoying, but it's a nice little island." she told her honest, very biased opinion. Not everyone could find peace and beauty in a place where death was not only very common, but accepted. She suppose she was lucky in that sense. She continued the conversation, "I was dropped off in Zeltiva, and stayed there for a couple of months. But I knew I wasn't supposed to be there. So I left with a caravan and found myself here, where, like you, I saw opportunity. Well more of an opportunity than in Zeltiva. But I left because I want to find what I'm here for. Maybe I'll never find it, but I can't look back and say I never tried." she confided. She never wanted to regret anything, and so far she hasn't...well maybe she regretted not have a real plan before leaving home, but she couldn't say that it was the worst mistake she's ever made.

Phira smiled when she heard everything about sap. Who knew that simple sap could do so many things. She loved learning about these things since she lived with very little money, and these free things could save her skin one day. She nodded and wiped the sap back on the tree and looked up "Ok let's see if there is anything that's up there worth it. If you are bashful about nudity then close your eyes for a second. I'll give you two taps to let you know I am changing back." she said and began undressing. Once all her clothes were off she changed into her leopard form.

It was easier to climb up high in this form and while she may not be able to grab anything up there, she could still look for anything worth it on that tree and the surrounding trees. She climbed high and kept an eye out for anything that stood out to her, because she really didn't know what she was looking for.

As she climbed higher she didn't see anything really except some acorns. Would that work? They were still green though, and she knew from experience that they tasted horrible when they were green. But she was learning so much about things that she always saw around, so maybe. She pawed at them to shake them down. Once she got as high as she could she looked around to see if she could spot anything, and when she didn't she began on her way down.

She hopped down gracefully and sat in front of Del, gave her two pats on her leg to let her know she was changing back. She dressed again, and looked over at Del, "I didn't see anything really. Just leaves and bugs, and more sap. And acorns; I shook those down. I hope none hit you." she said picking up the fallen nuts. "I have no idea if these are useful for anything though." she said.

OOCI wasn't sure if oak trees are in this forest. Feel free to tell me to change it.

[Deliath]

Deliath Telori ~ Deliath nodded as Phira explained about how things weren't uncomfortable but just how Myrian's were, and that the questions she had asked weren't what would be important to a Myrian. She still couldn't imagine living somewhere like that, especially since asking questions was how she'd learnt things. "A rebel? Oh I wouldn't word it quite like that. I just get bored easily when there's nothing new to learn. Or when it's too hard to find the chances to learning. Coming here made me learn so many new things in just adjusting to the place and how dishevelled it is." then she listened to Phira speaking about wizards and Del wondered about why magic was so looked down upon. She couldn't think of a valid reason as to why magic would be seen as something bad when it could be so helpful. It must have been caused by something a long time ago, back when the world wasn't so new maybe? Then she heard Phira begin speaking about her home and the ghosts and Goddess Dira and she was fascinated. "In all honesty, I've always thought it sounded like a fairly unnerving or maybe even a scary place. I've never really met a ghost and I don't know how I'd react to being in a place that's so notorious for ghosts! Is it true that there are ghost animals too?" She didn't doubt that it was nice, but the idea of living somewhere like that didn't seem pleasant to her. She did want to visit it at some point though, if she ever decided to travel more. "Zeltiva? I've always wanted to go to the university there! Learn to teach and learn more about medicine and herbalism, but it's so expensive to attend! I'd have to work until I was forty before I could afford to go there!" she exaggerated. "It doesn't sound like it would be a warm place. At least there's passion here." Then she heard Phira say she was going to look up higher and warned her to close her eyes if she was bashful of nudity. She was confused as to why Phira would be getting naked, but Deliath did close her eyes. Although she'd spent nights with prostitutes in the past, the idea of seeing a friend nude was something that she wasn't very comfortable with. She heard things happening and then heard something move. Something much larger than Phira and she found herself opening her eyes to see a predatory cat of some sort and things clicked together in her mind. Phira was a Kelvic! She hadn't asked Phira what she was and despite her mentioning her mother bonding with someone, and her eyes weren't usual for a human, she hadn't put things together. Smiling she closed her eyes again, until she felt Phira tap her on the leg and she opened her eyes to see the young woman again. "I never twigged that you were a Kelvic. Sorry, I'm a bit dense at times." she explained, grinning from ear to ear before she heard Phira speak, saying how she hadn't found anything other than leaves, bugs and acorns, and Deliath picked up an acorn, wondering how she'd avoided being hit by one. "I know they're edible, but I've never tried them before. Apart from that I can't think of anything to use them for, but we could go and check somewhere. Maybe the library will have something useful?" she stood, putting a few of the acorns into her bag. "I think we've got everything we can for today... What do you say we head back into Sunberth and see if we can find out what we can use these for? And then we can come back out her in a few weeks, so if there's any more mosses out?" she asked, tilting her head slightly as she looked at the girl. ~

Sorry for taking so long to respond. Uni got really over the top on work to do XD
Where would you like to go with this? Should we have them call into the library, or just end the thread here?