Hunting for Herbs (attn: Dianlinn)

The World outside the Grey Tower is a vast place.
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Alianora
"The Path of Daggers"
Posts: 997
Joined: May 2nd, 2016, 8:32 pm
PC: Liaran Sedai, Blue Ajah
SC: Amaranie Sedai, Indigo Ajah
TC: Kalyan Rihera, Yellow Ajah

Hunting for Herbs (attn: Dianlinn)

Post by Alianora » August 5th, 2020, 9:52 pm

Dedicated Kalyan
Sitting in the Yellow Ajah's herb garden, Kalyan frowned down at the leaf he'd just picked. It was a goosemint leaf, he knew from his studies, but it didn't look right. It was a lighter green than it should have been, and the ruffled edges of the leaf were turning brown. If it had been just the one leaf, Kalyan wouldn't have worried, but as he studied the rest of the goosemint plants, he saw that they all looked the same, and were wilting in the sunlight. Even more concerning to him was that he'd been practicing his Plantweaving on them earlier and though he knew enough now to be sure that his weaves were correct, it had done nothing to improve the health of the plants. The Dedicated shook his head and with the leaf still clutched in his hand, went inside to find one of the Yellows to help.

Approaching the first Yellow he recognized, a tall, black-haired man called Garol, Kalyan opened his hand to display the leaf and described what he'd seen. The Asha'man took the leaf from Kalyan's hand and held it out in front of him. After looking more closely at it, he said, "Well, that doesn't look good at all. You did well to bring this to our attention." Kalyan expected to be dismissed then, but instead the taller man said, "Why don't you come back out with me and we'll check on the rest of the goosemint?"

Kalyan followed the Asha'man out the door and back to where he'd been earlier. They both sat down on the grass, and Kalyan observed silently while the Asha'man plucked a few more of the leaves and dug one of the plants up by the roots. Once the plant was up, he could also see that there were fewer roots than he would have expected, and those few were thin and appeared fragile. Some broke as Garol Asha'man ran them through his fingers.

Eventually, the Yellow put the plant down. "This is a problem with goosemint sometimes," he explained. "We think it happens when the plants receive too much water, but nobody knows for sure. Unfortunately, Plantweaving doesn't help, and all we can do is dig them up and gather more. Do you remember where goosemint comes from, Dedicated?"

Kalyan did know, having been studying the plants in the herb garden and their uses since he'd started working on his Plantweaving there. "It grows mostly in the mountains. There may be some growing wild in the Mountains of Dhoom and the Spine of the World, but what we grow here is from the Mountains of Mist."

The Asha'man nodded. "Very good, Dedicated." he said. "I think it would be good for you to travel with me when I go to harvest more. Will you be able to leave the day after tomorrow?"

The thought of a trip outside the Tower for the first time since he'd arrived here had Kalyan beaming." He nodded in agreement and asked, "Should I dig up the rest of these plants?"

"If you have time for it, that would be very helpful," Garol Asha'man told him, and Kalyan found a shovel and got to work.

On the day they were to leave, Kalyan arrived at the Traveling grounds after rushing there at a near run. Garol Asha'man was not there yet, and neither were the accompanying Warder and Ji he'd been told to expect. Unable to stand still with his excitement, Kalyan paced back and forth across the small area while he waited for the others to appear.

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Lou
"The Fires of Heaven"
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Joined: July 15th, 2015, 3:32 am
PC: Tamora el'Galina (Aes Seadi)
SC: Talithia (Accepted)
TC: Dianlinn (Ji'val)
Location: Essex Coast, UK

Re: Hunting for Herbs (attn: Dianlinn)

Post by Lou » September 28th, 2020, 1:58 pm

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"Ji'Val Dianlinn, grab your gear and go to the travelling grounds. You are to escort Garol Asha'man, a Dedicated, and Saka Gaidin on a field trip."

Dianlinn looked up from the arm lock she held a fell Ji' in, and nodded her head to the Gaidin who had come to deliver the message. "Yes, Gaidin Malano. May you find water and shade." She realsed the the man she had been holding, watching as he rubbed his shoulders but nodded to her in respect that she had beaten him, before offering a bow to the Gaiding, and moving from the training area. The class had only just begun, and she would not need to wash (she missed sweat tents so much) so she only needed to collect her spears and be ready. She moved quickly, jogging to her rooms, and grabbing her thigh sheath for her arrows and quiver, and where she could store her two other spears. She added a cloak, her daggers, and made sure her growing hair was pulled back in a knot at the back of her head. SHe had been tempted to cut it again, but then she wasn't a Maiden any more, so what was the point?

She arrived at the Travelling grounds just at the same time as Saka Gaidin, a Kandori woman who had a scar that ran down from the left side of her forehead to the right cheek. It was mostly healed, but still visible as a pale pink and shiny line. Dianlinn wondered if she had asked it to be kept visible, a lesson to herself. It was what Dianlinn had done with any injury she had taken so far. They were all lessons where she had not fast enough.

"Finally. Right, we are to accompany those men in black over there. Be respectful, and stick close to the Dedicated. It should be safe enough, but you never know." The woman nodded her head, and Dinalinn watched as she eased her sword in her scabbard. It was a move she had seen many a sword user do before combat. Not that she would ever touch a sword, her honour could not take such a thing.

"I see you, Saka Gaidin, and I understand." Dinalinn moved towards the two figures in black and could not hide an amused smile at one of them that she recognised. Kalyan. SHe moved to his side and nodded her head respectfully to him. She was unsure if she should show that they were friends or not. She decided to stick to the formality that this mission was sure to require.

"It is a pleasure, Dedicated Kalyan Rihera. I am Ji'val Dinalinn, and I shall be your escort." There was mirth twinkling in her eyes, though she doubted that anyone except him would see it. No one usually did.
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Alianora
"The Path of Daggers"
Posts: 997
Joined: May 2nd, 2016, 8:32 pm
PC: Liaran Sedai, Blue Ajah
SC: Amaranie Sedai, Indigo Ajah
TC: Kalyan Rihera, Yellow Ajah

Re: Hunting for Herbs (attn: Dianlinn)

Post by Alianora » November 1st, 2020, 9:56 pm

Dedicated Kalyan
Kalyan didn't pace for long before Garol Asha'man showed up, carrying two small sacks. As he approached, the Dedicated forced himself to stop and wait. The Yellow took a place beside him and handed over one of the sacks. "You'd best be up for a long day of gathering, Dedicated," he said with a smile. "It would be a waste of time to Travel into the mountains just for one herb, so we're going to be replenishing our stocks as much as we can from that area."

Kalyan nodded. "I've been studying the plants that the Tower keeps in the herb gardens. I think I can identify most of their names now, and some of their uses, but not much about how they're prepared."

The Asha'man shrugged. "You'll learn that soon enough. For now, why don't you just focus on what we can find once we arrive?"

Any response Kalyan might have made was cut off by the arrival of two women, one clearly a Gaidin, and the other younger and in the uniform of a Ji. Since he was rarely in the Warder Yards, Kalyan was surprised to find that he recognized the younger woman. Dianlinn! He directed a bright smile at his friend as she walked towards him, but she did not respond. Instead, when she stood at his side, she introduced herself just as if they had not been friends for most of their years in the Tower.

Kalyan blinked at her, rather hurt to be treated like a stranger, and wondered if he'd offended her somehow. He thought about it, but he and Dianlinn didn't even get to see each other very often with their busy schedules, and he couldn't think of anything he might have done to deserve her cold greeting. He studied her face, shifting his feet nervously beneath him, and that was when he caught the glimmer of amusement in her light blue eyes.

He realized then that she wasn't upset with him, but was only behaving as a Ji on a mission rather than the friend he was much more used to seeing. He smiled at her and said, "A pleasure to meet you, Ji Dianlinn," and though he tried to sound as serious as she had, Kalyan's lips twitched with the effort it took to keep himself from laughing.

By the time Garol Asha'man turned to look back at them, Kalyan had managed, just barely, to successfully fight the impulse, though he didn't think he'd ever be able to pretend to be as emotionless as most of the Aes Sedai and Asha'man could. The Asha'man nodded at them and said, "Follow me," then walked towards the spot where an Aes Sedai had opened a gateway for them, trailed by the Gaidin.

The gateway opened to a forest, filled with trees, so dense that the sky was little more than glimpses of blue between their leaves. Kalyan moved towards it to step through, but was stopped by Garol Asha'man taking hold of his coat sleeve. "We let the Gaidin and the Ji through first," the Yellow explained patiently. "There should be no danger in this part of the Mountains of Mist, but it does no harm to be sure. One of them will let us know when it's safe for us to enter."

Embarrassed, Kalyan nodded and stared ahead of him at the silvery ring that hung in the air. He looked on in awe as the women stepped through it and were suddenly gone into the forest on the gateway's other side. Still watching, he waited for the Asha'man and himself to be allowed through, and once they were, he entered without hesitation and stopped not far away, staring at the mountainous forest surrounding them.

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Lou
"The Fires of Heaven"
Posts: 269
Joined: July 15th, 2015, 3:32 am
PC: Tamora el'Galina (Aes Seadi)
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TC: Dianlinn (Ji'val)
Location: Essex Coast, UK

Re: Hunting for Herbs (attn: Dianlinn)

Post by Lou » March 15th, 2021, 4:15 pm

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Dianlinn could see that Kalyan knew what she was doing, after a moment anyway, and she gave him the lightest of winks while she knew that neither the Gaidin and Asha'man were not looking at her. She could see that he was having trouble keeping from smiling, though she kept her face smooth as she normally did. She gave him a nod of greeting, a sign of respect to him, despite being on the same level he would be an Asha'man one day, so she needed to show him respect in more formal situations. And this was about as formal as it would get for a while.

She looked back to Saka Gaidin and followed the Asha'man and Kalyan, her stance tense, as she gripped one of her three spears in her hand, the other two sitting in a hip sheath. She had her bow and arrows on her back, and her knives at her waist. Some may say it was over kill, but she had been told to act as if she was on her own and she was there to protect. So she would protect and dress as much. They continued to talk towards the Travelling Grounds, and she stood by as the Asha'man created the Gateway to wherever they were going. It amazed her to watch, and she looked to Kalyan and wondered if he would be able to make such Gateways one day. He had said he did not wish to be a Healer in the Tower, but then that could have changed. Who knew what the future would bring.

Once the Gateway was fully formed, she got a nod from Saka Gaidin, and she made her way through. She had her spear in hand and her face wrapped for danger in case this was a dangerous area. She heard Saka land on the grass behind her, but she kept her eyes on the surrounding area. They were surrounded by forest one side, and rocky grass land on the other. Dianlinn could not see anything that could be seen as dangerous, and she looked back to Saka who nodded and the older woman looked back through the Gateway and gestured for the Asha'man and Dedicated to come through.

Unwrapping her face, she let her shoufa fall on her shoulders as she kept looking her side of the Gateway as she heard the Asha'man and Kalyan follow through. She kept looking at the grassland, the tree's making her feel a little uncomfortable to have at her back. They were large, looming, and dark under their branches. She had no idea how any Wetlander would be comfortable there, but then they did take trees for granted.
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Alianora
"The Path of Daggers"
Posts: 997
Joined: May 2nd, 2016, 8:32 pm
PC: Liaran Sedai, Blue Ajah
SC: Amaranie Sedai, Indigo Ajah
TC: Kalyan Rihera, Yellow Ajah

Re: Hunting for Herbs (attn: Dianlinn)

Post by Alianora » May 2nd, 2021, 1:31 am

Dedicated Kalyan
Wide-eyed, Kalyan studied the mountains before him, and he tilted his head back, attempting to see just how high they were. He could see the thickly clustered treetops with ease, but the peaks of the mountains disappeared above even the tallest of the trees. Sighing in disappointment, he looked ahead of him, further into the forest where rays of sunshine broke through the trees to provide a limited amount of light. As he did, Garol Asha'man joined him, gently tapping the Dedicated's shoulder.

"It's time we got started," he said, somehow managing to make it sound like nothing more than an idle observation. "So, if you wanted to find goosemint here, Kalyan, where would you begin to search?"

Kalyan frowned as he thought about it, trying to sort through all the information he'd learned while working in the herb garden. He knew he could answer the question, but it took him some time to remember it. With a nervous glance up at the Yellow, he said, "Well....it lives in mountains like these, and grows best in the shade, so I guess we need to be closer to the edge of the mountains to find any. It's not very tall, and sometimes it can be missed if it's near larger, more colorful plants."

The Asha'man smiled. "Keep studying, Kalyan, and one day you won't have to think about it, you'll just know." To the Dedicated, that day seemed far away, but he nodded anyways. The Yellow raised a hand, pointing towards the looming mountains. "Let's head that way...towards the mountains as you said."

The walk was short, and as they neared the mountains, Kalyan looked down, examining the leaves of the plants around them for the frilly edges that were distinctive to goosemint. Most of the leaves he noticed had straight edges instead, and more than a few were too dark in color to be what he was searching for.

"Let me know when you think you've found some, Kalyan," Garol Asha'man commented as they continued to move. Almost as soon as he spoke, the Dedicated caught sight of a plant that was a lighter shade of green than those around it. He stopped, bending his head over it to get a better look, and immediately saw the waviness of its leaves.

"I think this is it," Kalyan said. The Asha'man moved beside him to see the leaves for himself, then nodded. "If you look around us, Kalyan, you might notice that there's more than just this one goosemint plant here." Kalyan did, and could pick out several of the lighter green plants growing in the especially shady area where they stood.

"So...we harvest it now?" he asked. "I think we need the whole plant for goosemint...is that right?" Kalyan was fairly sure that was correct, but he'd read of plants whose roots were the only useful parts, herbs that could be grown from just a small cutting of the plant, still others that were best started from seeds...it was hard for him to be sure.

The Asha'man smiled at him and nodded. "Goosemint doesn't do well when it's cut. For it and a few others, it's easiest just to transport the whole plant, especially since it's so small." Rummaging around in the sack, Kalyan found a small shovel. He knelt down by the plant he'd first noticed and started to dig. Though his hands quickly grew tired from digging, and it was a little cold in this area with almost no sun, Kalyan was so pleased to be outside of the Tower and learning something that interested him that he wasn't bothered by any of it.

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