Season

[Chamomile]

It was at that comment that Laurel sighed, her eyes drifting lazily towards her two monsters. There were plenty of good things for a young elf woman in a growing village, especially one with Laurel's talents. Her skills in alchemy went towards the sick, her knowledge in aromatherapy to heal the wounded souls, her passion for tea was shared with a villager who needed peace, and her family's flares to celebrate the end of summer. But even a growing village had its downfalls in things Laurel enjoyed but could not provide. Books were one of those few things.

"No, I do miss reading, and would love the excuse to pick up a book again." Then Laurel shrugged, and reached down to pick up her umbrella where it had been discarded on the ground during the conversation. "But if the village isn't in need of books, then I suppose I'll do without a new read for a while..." No, books were not of the utmost importance to Kamille right now. A blooming village had no need for books, especially when half of the villagers were farmers, or those who inherited the family trade. Very few scholars came to the village, so there was no need. Besides, scholars brought their own books along. If only Laurel had room for all her encyclopedias and tomes in the move from home...

"My uses for the herbs range on the day's schedule..." What a terrible answer to provide, but it was the truth. When she wasn't working at the tea shop, she was preparing for the apothecary, and vice versa. "I was trained as a medic, so I know how to use alchemy to create medicine and other sorts of concoctions..." This was a more thorough answer. Ash was deserving of it at this point. Despite being human, he provided adequate conversation. "But I also run the tea shop back in town, so I use the herbs and grasses for that as well." It was a busy schedule, but Laurel prefered to be busy. With little time in a day to spare, she could concentrate on furthering her skills, and be relieved of idle chit chat with unplesant strangers.

[Nether]

"Tea shop, you say? I might have to come and check it out one of these days." "One of these days" being "As soon as I'm sure I can eat every day even if I sneak in a couple extra expenses", but she had no need to know that.. even Ash had his pride; a weird sort of pride that let him speak of some extremely embarrassing moments he lived without the tiniest hint of shame, all for the sake of a good laugh.. but a pride that didn't let him mention something that could have led others to believe he was in need for help. He had been helped enough already, now it was time to get his ass in gear and do something. Hence, the axing. "A medic as well? Then I guess I'll use your expertise right away.. what do you suggest for the cold I'm going to catch in a couple of days if I don't fix the holes in my roof? Apart from a skilled carpenter, I mean." He smiled a playful smile. Sure he was joking again, wasn't he? As the last thing, he went back to the first topic, apparently having tackled her speech in inverse order, probably leaving the part that interested him the most for last "You have books, then? Is there any way I can bribe you into allowing me to sneak a read? I'll freely admit I'm kind of missing written paper." "Missing" was actually the understatement of the week: "withdrawal" would have been a better term for it; by now, he didn't even really care about the subject, anything worked as long as he got the language. Of course, he wasn't actually sure he'd have actual time for reading any time soon, his schedule for the next few days was, to put it mildly, extremely busy. But still.. a whole winter with nothing to read wasn't a prospect that made him happy. Profile Skills Inventory Monsters Hearts Seals

[Chamomile]

The thought of potential business put a smile on Laurel's face, and a glimmer of hope in her vibrant eyes. Even though Laurel thought Winter would bring more business than any other season, the Orcs were doing a good job at killing those hopes.

"We would love to have you." she said, donning her business tone. It was a habit, but a good one for an elf like Laurel Fluorite. When being a businesswoman, she couldn't be prejudiced after all.

"A cold?" her voice shifting back to its usual, snippy tone. But, being a medic was her job as well, so she placed a finger on her chin and thought. Skimming through all the memorized ailments, and possible cures, Laurel pinpointed a specific one or two that might help a simple winter cold. "Well, depending on the strength of the cold, a crude medicine could be made from a combination of red grasses, or leeks and green grass. Both would only lessen the symptoms though." The inner medic in Laurel didn't notice the fact that Ash's question might have merely been a joke.

"Well I own a few..." Laurel moved her hand back to clutch the shaft of her umbrella. Why she even bothered to bring it along today was beyond her. The woman supposed it might have been just in case the snow started to fall, but snow was harmless compared to rain. Simply a reflex from the previous season then. "Mostly books any medic, or witch doctor might own. Recipes for natural cures, aromatherapy, alchemic theory." Most of Laurel's books were for work, as was to be expected. Very little other than her job filled her head to begin with. "But I may have a few novels hidden away in there. They may need to be dusted off though." But what could Laurel ask for in return if the man was interested in reading her books. Surely she wouldn't let a human touch them otherwise, even if he was a scholar. If there was something worthwhile to get out of it though...

"Well if you hadn't already guessed I require many herbs, grasses, and flowers for both of my lines of work." A half wicked grin spread across her face in that moment, as Laurel applauded her genius idea. "But I work almost every waking hour of the day, and have very little time to collect any. Perhaps if you could, as you finish your own preparations for winter, help me gather some, I would lend you my books, and some of the town's currency as well. It's the least I could do in exchange." The least she could do, but the highest she would offer. In truth, it was the least Ash could do for her, but she didn't dare to ask anything more. That would be too cruel, even for Laurel.

[Nether]

What Ash's brain actually had elaborated from what she told him about plants and medicine actually was "You probably won't brew a poison if you mix red herbs, or leeks and green herbs: you should try it". Lucky him, he had just planted leeks in the small garden behind home.. with some luck, he'd be able to try his hand at it sometimes soon.. it couldn't go worse than logging, could it? "Red herbs? I don't think you mentioned them. They grow in this season?" He wasn't particularly interested in the novels: his life had held more than enough excitement in the past times to last for a while without reading about more.. but the rest seemed interesting. Maybe he could even manage to copy some. He'd need paper, though.. and ink, and something to bind the books. Perhaps some supplies could be scavenged from the local wilderness: ink was relatively easy to make at home, as far as he knew, but for some of the rest, he'd probably need to trade. Assuming trade was a viable option, of course. "Does this place actually have commercial routes to other cities? Or our only neighbors are the orcs?" A completely out of the blue question for someone who wasn't following his same line of thought, and apparently he noticed it as well "..nevermind, it's not important right now. Of course I accept the offer, gracious lady.. I'm at your service." All bets were off as to what his real thoughts about the "gracious lady" actually were, but his interest in the books was genuine, and he didn't dislike her as a business partner. "Do you mind if I tag along for this afternoon, though? It might help your collection if I don't end up lost in the woods on the first day of it." [Alchemy +1, and it's probably a good break for: towards Laurel: Haughty Elven Herbalist.] Profile Skills Inventory Monsters Hearts Seals

[Chamomile]

Laurel shook her head at Ash's question. A piece of advice was useless if he couldn't even obtain the ingredients, right? Well, even if red grass, or even green grass didn't grow in this season, there were places that mimicked the seasons they did thrive in.

"Red grasses usually grow in summer, but deeper in the forest there is a stretch ruled by wolves that also serves as an Ignis nest. The climate is warm enough for them to grow, so even at the edge of that Charcoal Glade, you might be able to find red grasses." No one ever said gathering herbs was easy. There was a reason Laurel had little spare time for it; monsters always liked to show up when you were hunting for a single sprig of grass. "The green grass can be found in the Jade Moss Cavern. It's much less dangerous there." That piece of information might be more useful to the man. Laurel didn't want to send a potential helper or customer into wolf infested territory, especially since he didn't seem like much of a hunter. If he could provide himself the leeks, a quick medicine could be brewed with little expense.

"Other than the occasional merchant, there aren't any known villages nearby. But, the merchants rarely bring more than a few weapons and seeds..." This was something that disappointed Laurel as well. With little access to other villages and cities, it was ten times more difficult to get her job done. There was only so much money she could put into a fund for sending mail to her family, let alone importing anything the village didn't have.

As Laurel was lost in her own thoughts, the man asked a question, and a distasteful one at that. It shocked Laurel, and so she stared at Ash for a moment with wide eyes, but gave up with a sigh. He'd be no use to her if she was too wicked.

"Yes, you may." Laurel motioned to her two apple shaped monsters. Immediately, they stopped playing and wobbled over to her side. Taking a half step behind her, Laurel turned but looked over her shoulder at Ash. She wouldn't announce that she was leaving, but she hoped he'd get the picture.

[Nether]

This girl was.. really, really complicated to read. He couldn't quite understand if she was annoyed at him in particular, at something he said or at the world in general. Still, she continued to talk, even going out of her way with advice, so maybe it was just a lovely trait of character of hers. Maybe all elves were actually like that? Truth be told, he had not met many in person. Still, she didn't look to be the type that sugar coated things, so if she said it was okay to follow.. it probably was. Maybe. As she turned, he recovered his axe, shooting the tree a harsh "I'll be back" gaze. Having secured the tool at his belt, he reached for his staff: the more time he spent away from home, the more it was turning from "arcane instrument of magic" to "multi-purpose long stick". Hopefully it wouldn't break with all the poking and prodding it was being used for, he wouldn't know where to start to actually repair it. Before the elf had the chance to distance him too much, he dashed back to her, moving past the pomme-pommes and stopping at her side, a few steps away. Now the only problem was to keep the atmosphere from freezing him.. and he wasn't referring to the cool winter air. "It's a bit of a shame." He continued, thinking as he walked. "Commerce is the lifeblood of any city. It will have to increase, if the village is to flourish." Ash was finding himself conflicted.. he didn't know if to keep talking to the place as "your village", or if it was already "our village". In doubt, he tried to stay neutral on the matter. "But I guess you didn't have the time to set up proper routes when you moved here. They mentioned an emergency that triggered the exodus. Was it more orcs?" Profile Skills Inventory Monsters Hearts Seals

[Chamomile]

Soon after drifting away, Laurel heard the human man catch up to her. She didn't bother looking back at him; her ears were working just fine, and the umbrella was in the way. And, of course, he continued talking. Surely her own silence was enough of a hint? The elf woman said he could come along, not talk the whole way. With a sigh, she replied in as polite a tone as she could muster.

"Yes, it is a shame, but I hope to have some help in building up the village." Then he continued to go on about the village's move. For a moment, Laurel stopped walking, surprised that he didn't know at least from rumors. Her wide eyes would have been hidden from her umbrella, so Laurel brushed it off and kept moving.

"Well I am not from the village, but I've heard enough around town." It was truely a tragic story, one that stirred even Laurel's cold heart. Maybe that was the reason she was so dedicated to helping this village flourish. "The old village used to lie far beyond the mountains, out of the reach of these troublesome Orcs. From what I've been told, the village was raided by an army from the Sechs Republic, due to its location and abundant natural resources." The Norad Frontier, Laurel Fluorite's own homeland, was far enough from the millitary nation that she had never faced it's wrath. From the rumors of the older villagers, it sounded like the army was completely ruthless, and they even caused a few of the initial deaths during the move. "Greedy barbarians, all of them..." she muttered under her breath, seething at the thought of such a selfish bunch of people.

[Nether]

"Sechk.." Ash almost choked himself on the word, ending up with a coughing fit as he tried to eat it back before it was fully out of his lips. The scholar in him wanted to correct the girl, making her notice that it was actually an empire, not a republic, but some smarter part of him warned him that it would have been a better idea to just shut up and stay noncommitted. "Yes. I heard of them. I heard of.. their tactics." The bare minimum to end the topic, he hoped, but his voice trembled, words sounding forced out of his throat. Following that, he stopped talking altogether, emotions and memories swirling wildly in his minds. He hoped she wouldn't press the issue. To distract himself from the conversation, he shook his head, suddenly focusing all his attention on the search for plants. "..that?" He was pointing at a small, perfectly white sprout, starkly contrasting with the carpet of fallen leaves that was still left from the passed autumn. On the snowy background more typical of winter, it would have been all but invisible. Profile Skills Inventory Monsters Hearts Seals

[Chamomile]

Was this man alright? He seemed talkative one moment, and reclusive the next. Not to mention he sounded like he was having a coughing fit. Too bad Laurel hadn't brought any cough drops or syrup along. She usually carried some sort of medicine with her, just in case. Due to her lack of supplies, she merely acted as nothing happened, not even turning to see if Ash was alright.

Ash statement was rather... short. A little too short for someone like him. But, Laurel didn't press the matter further. Anyone who heard about the military nation's tactics would probably wish to keep quiet. They were none too plesant.

Stopping, to look in the direction Ash pointed, Laurel took a quick look at the sprig of white grass. She refused to allow herself a smile, but almost couldn't help it when her two monster companions went over to the white grass and began fighting over who would bring it to their owner. Em, being the more violent Pomme-Pomme, won in the end, and plucked the grass to bring over to Laurel.

"Yes, thank you." she said to both Em and Ash for pointing it out. Placing the sprig of grass in her sachel, Laurel continued walking. This time she tried to keep her eyes on the ground. Talk of the village seemed to distract her sharp eye.

[Nether]

Apparently, the distraction worked.. or the elf didn't really care to investigate his weird reaction. Whatever the reason was, Ash was glad for it. For several long moments, he allowed himself to be completely lost in his thoughts, staring at but not seeing the two pomme-pommes wobble around, competing around to see who would make their mistress the happiest. It would have been kind of heartwarming, had he actually been noticing the scene. He followed Laurel as she explored the forest for herbs, no longer at her side but a few steps behind, on the left. As he let his gaze wander to the sky, he noticed the white clouds slowly drifting around in the sky. "How much longer do you think we have until the first snows?" He had, after all, a roof to repair before then. Profile Skills Inventory Monsters Hearts Seals

[Chamomile]

"Hmm..." Laurel mused, thinking about Ash's question. When would the first snowfall come? Laurel took a deep breath, feeling the chill air run down her throat. Merely from the feel and crisp taste of the air, the elf could tell that first frost was not far off.

Before she could think about it further, she noticed Em and Topaz running towards here with two more pieces of white grass. When Laurel wasn't paying attention, these two sure made up for it. They were lovely company anyway. Stuffing the grass into her sachel, Laurel concentrated on the question again: when would the snow come?

Looking up to the sky, she did see clouds, though none quite thick enough for snow yet. Closing her eyes for the briefest of moments, she could feel the spirits, and the rune energy in the earth and sky. Higher concentration of water spirits meant stronger winter weather. Yes, frost would come soon, and a slight snow would follow soon after.

"I would expect a soft snowfall later tonight, but nothing drastic until the end of the week. Perhaps..." There was a reason Laurel was an herbalist, and not one who predicted the weather. Her statement was merely a guess after all.

[Nether]

Ash followed Laurel's gaze upwards, trying to see the same things his companion did, but to little avail: his magical talent was the result of hours spent sweating on books, not of natural affinity to the elements of the world. A sky was a sky, and a cloud was a cloud. Sure, he knew the patterns spirits tended to follow, but couldn't feel them dancing in the air. He had always wondered what it was like, but there was really nothing he could do about it. Taking a mental notice to brush up his metereology studies, he waited for her to finish the analysis, trusting the results. Not that he had any way of proving them wrong if he wanted to, of course. When he answered, he simply nodded, moving along and following as she started walking again. His eyes fixed on the ground, he opened his mouth to speak again, then closed it soon. She.. wasn't exactly giving him many hooks for casual conversation, so it was probably better to be silent. He'd be there if she felt like initiating a chat. Profile Skills Inventory Monsters Hearts Seals

[Chamomile]

As Laurel continued walking in the silence, her monster companions skittered about in the snow, leaving uneven trails of footprints as they searched through the snow. Within the course of at least ten minutes, the apple shapped creatures only managed to find two more sprigs of grass. It seemed it was too early in the season to find much more.

With a sigh, Laurel took the grasses from her monsters, and stuffed them in the pouch with the rest. It would be enough for the time being. Laurel doubted she would get so much business that she'd need excessive amounts of white grass right off the bat. And, alchemical recipes that required white grass where sparce, so she didn't need to worry about lacking materials and ingredients.

Then she remembered the man trailing behind her. Whether she liked him or not, it would have been beneath even Laurel to leave him stranded in the forest, especially since he was new to the village. And, he was some help, and gave conversation when needed, even if he was human. With her back to Ash, Laurel raised her eyebrows and took a deep breath.

"I don't believe we'll be finding much more grass in this area today," she began, letting Ash know what she already deduced. "I plan on going back to the village soon. Will you be needing an escort?" That was simply Laurel's way of asking if he still wanted her company on the way back to the village.