Open -- Every rose has it's thorn

[marilaine]

WHO: Marilaine and OTA
WHAT: Catchall
WHEN: Throughout August
WHERE: Skyold/ Sending Crystal
NOTES: Nothing expected? Will update if it become relevant.

I.The garden
Marilaine looked around the enclosed space of the garden, surveying the well-tended courtyard with an air of satisfaction. The people tending to it had done good work here, and the plants looked healthy, even well loved. She was here to make sure that this continued. Standing with her hands on her hips, a rare smile appeared on her scarred face. Unfortunately, Marilaine was unaware that she was blocking one of the entrances into the covered walkway that surrounded the garden. There are options to go around her of course: going the long way around to the next opening, scaling the low wall (it's only hip high at most). . . Or you could ask her to move.

II.Hot springs
Hot water was a luxury to someone who spent countless days out in the wilderness. Having enough hot water to be submerged in was a luxury that Marilaine attributed only to the wealthy who could afford wood to spare for such, or had the servants to cart hot water to a bath. It was with a sense of glee and reckless abandon that she stripped down, divesting herself of her travel-worn clothes. Kicking them off to one side, she all but pranced in place before testing the waters with a toe.

“Magnifique!”

III.Healing Tents
Marilaine wasn't a healer. Or more to the point, she wasn't one of the Spirit Healers or surgeons that frequented the tents. What little creation magic she did possess was her personal secret used on no one but herself. Marilaine however, was a skilled gardener and passably good at basic alchemy. She had with her a selection of healing plants, tinctures, medicament and poultices and was going from tent to tent offering them up to the healers within and occasionally a patient if it is something she actually can diagnose and has on hand (mostly things for fevers or low to moderate pain).


IV.Around Skyhold
Marilaine isn't just restricted to Skyhold proper. More than once she can be found trekking out over the surrounding areas looking for local herbs. Sometimes she comes back with nothing but a few dirt smears across her brow. Other times, she brings back small cuttings of wildflowers or elfroot. And once she was carrying a flower that looked suspiciously like Crystal Grace. Where does she go? Well, that is something she does her best to keep her little secret.


V.Sending crystal
[The voice that speaks has a decidedly Orlesian sound to it. To rifters familiar with earth, it sounds like someone speaking with a French accent.]

Inquisition, I am certain this request has been made before, but I wish to ask it again. If in your travels you come across any useful plants or seeds that you send them back to Skyhold. I assure you, I will make good use of them. I wish to ensure Skyhold's garden remains healthy and our supplies well stocked. I will take any and all herbs listed in The Botanical Compendium. If you are unfamiliar with the plants but still wish to help, you may stop by the garden, and I will show you anything you need to know. Just ask for Marilaine.

VI.Wildcard
If any of the above prompts doesn't work for you, feel free to pm me or contact me at burningbrightly for a custom starter or feel free to make your own! I am very flexible.

I am a huge nerd who loves prose, but will match brackets, no problem.

Comments

[inuko]

None of the titles sounded familiar. He didn't find himself overly surprised, though he turned the words over in his mind just to familiarise with the terms. His attention was diverted away from strange titles for indications of rank that he didn't personally care about by her bringing up his curiosity from before.

"I was. There's a number of them growing here already?" He glanced around, moving to stand beside her and allow for people to more easily pass by. "Is there a great deal grown here that's more domesticated than wild?"

[marilaine]

"It seems there are some plants grown here both native to the mountains such as your wildflowers and the like, and several brought here for cultivation and study." She gestured to some of the wildflowers growing in small clustered groups around the garden, appearing pretty much anywhere where there wasn't much foot traffic. "I can show you a few such as Elfroot and Spindle Weed which will be the most common upon your travels. You needn't stop for every elfroot, or you may not get anywhere. Think more of if you come across any while at camp or exploring an area once you get there." She glanced at him, then shrugged, "That is assuming you leave Skyhold."

She didn't know if he would be inclined to leave this place. She was not about to judge him if he did or if he did not. It didn't bother her that he was a rifter because of he at least was making himself useful and was trying to learn things of their world.

[inuko]

"My wildflowers?" His lips twitched up into a smile, amused. He wouldn't claim much of anything in the woods that he wasn't supposed to spend time in back home, let alone here. Still, he knew what she meant. He moved forward to crouch down and get a proper look at the nearest cluster of wildflowers, listening to Marilaine as she continued speaking.

"I don't think staying in Skyhold the whole time is going to be helping much." Looking back up at her over his shoulder, the fingers of his hands resting light against the dirt, he frowned. "Elfroot and Spindle Weed when camping or setting up base, then." Dusting his hands off against each other, he pushed back up to his feet. "Any particular way to store them to keep them most effective? What are either one of them used for, most commonly?"

If he thought of it as an exercise to take back to his friends, he could keep himself focused and thinking about plants. Neither one sounded particularly like poison, so he had hopes for that much, at least. Otherwise he'd be building a novel in his head for Hamaji he wasn't sure he'd want to actually share. (Though he would anyway. He knows that much about himself, and her sway over him. Standing up to Hamaji was something he wasn't sure many people could do when she wanted to have her way with things.)

[marilaine]

Slightly Chagrined, Marilaine shifted her attention to him, grimacing slightly "Forgive me, I see you as a human and not a rifter and as such, I sometimes forget you are not a native of this world."

Clearing her throat to hide her embarrassment, decided to move the conversation along, "Indeed, you will never have a chance to live if you remain here. Although I have duties as a gardener, even I will be leaving this place from time to time if the Inquisition needs my services elsewhere, or I sense there is a place where I might do some good. As for the plants, treat them as fresh cut flowers, small bundles, hanging upside down to keep vitality. Elfroot grows under trees, open fields. Pretty much anywhere, not that I think on it. It is a cure all and used in healing potions and spindleweed is used in resistance potions and also in a healing potion as well. As you can see, both are quite useful. Spindleweed likes water and will always grow near some. You also might find Blood Lotus as well; it is a dark purple and dark red flower, but please leave that alone as can be dangerous to harvest."

[inuko]

"I am both, after all. You're not wrong." For all human carried different connotations here. His mind still tries to equate it to what person might better stand in when race took on different meaning here than back home.

Lotus has him turning his head, fingers falling away from their gentle touches of opened petals on the wildflowers. He's mildly surprised that it's one word he can equate to flowers from home. "This Blood Lotus grows in or near the water as well?"

Meanwhile, guess who wasn't considering how one might hang plants to carry when traveling? Shino. It's absolutely Shino.