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 Posted: Tue Dec 08, 2015 6:20 am
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Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2016 12:41 pm
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Practice Makes Perfect
Sathe tapped her fingers against the table, her mind funnelling through things at a million miles an hour. She was supposed to have this ready for the family next door by the end of the day, but it just wasn’t coming together. She sighed in frustration and knocked the sludgy vial of failure over. It immediately slid out of the vial and onto the table, leaving a puddle of unsuccessful potion in its wake.
She just wasn’t able to do it. This had been the fourth try today. The little boy next door had a breathing condition and she was supposed to be making a potion to help him out, make things a little easier in his life. The elders called it asthma, and there was no cure, but Sathe had been foolish enough to raise her voice. She could be helpful. Even if it wasn’t a cure, it could be something, maybe just a little bit of medicine to help control the attacks, bring him back down to his normal breathing when he was having a fit. But now she was beginning to wonder if she should have said anything at all.
There wasn’t anything around like Sathe had proposed, but she had been sure that there had to be a way. She grabbed a rag off of the hanger near the table and wiped up the remains of her latest attempt. It left a dark black stain on the wood, she shouldn’t have knocked it over she grumbled to herself. Well… she had to try again.
She wiped out the vial, cleaning up any trace of the previous ingredients, it wouldn’t do to have it contaminated and fail again just for being careless. She set the rag to the side and turned to her notes once more. Obviously magic will help a bit with the final stage of the process, but first she would need to pour over what she had learned and to get together her ingredients again. She mumbled to herself as she went, trying to think over anything she could change. Well obviously the black sludge she had concocted had too much siil root, if the smell was any indication. She crossed out parts of her notes and scribbled in new ideas. She would get it, she could feel it. Each try brought her a little bit closer, she just wasn’t sure if it was close enough to finish when she was needed.
She grabbed all of her little bits of roots and extracts and started once more, she crushed up some root with a pestle, sprinkled just a bit of extract, mixed with water… and then came the magic. There was only so much the ingredients could do, but with a little wiggle of her hands and some concentration, she could feel the composition of the potion change. The vial was warm in her hands, glowing slightly before settling down. She cocked her head to the side, had it worked this time? It didn’t turn black, that was always a good sign. And there was a slightly sweet aroma with a hint of mint. That was also good. She turned to her notes, trying to figure out if there was something the was missing before smiling. Well… that was that then. She popped a stopper on the top of the vial and grabbed her bag from the seat next to her. It was time to deliver the product then.
(Word Count: 575) |
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Posted: Thu Aug 18, 2016 1:35 pm
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Moving Out
The sun was just rising in the sky and Sathe was already awake, there was just too much to look forward to. She hadn’t really slept to tell the truth, she just tossed and turned and stared out of the window waiting for the morning to come. Today was the day.
Today was the day she moved out.
It was finally her time. She stretched in her bed and nearly jumped out. Her parents had urged her to not rush it, she could stay for as long as she wanted, but really, she was ready. And what better place to stay in than Aminah’s old house? It was small and built for one. It was perfect… well… with a little renovation. Sathe couldn’t ignore that it had nearly burned down all those years ago. There was a little fixing up to do, but even that had cleaned up pretty quickly. In no time at all Sathe had all of her furniture cleaned up and moved around to suit her style. All she was waiting on was for this day. Today she was to move her personal things. All the stuff she had crammed in dressers and drawers in her little bedroom was about to be able to be stuffed and crammed into her little house.
She brushed her hair and threw it up into a heavy bun and pulled on her old loose clothes, packing wasn’t meant to be done while looking pretty. She pulled up her long sleeves and just started to pull things out of her closet one by one. She wasn’t going to take everything, that was for sure. Some of this would be given away, to those who would use it and appreciate it more than she did. She sorted her clothes and by the time she was finished she was leaving a good portion of it behind. She would have to see about getting some new additions after she was settled. Something to celebrate life as an adult on her own.
She beamed at the suitcases packed. She was almost ready, just had to grab one more thing. She hopped down the stairs and ran into her work room. Her parents had been nice enough to let her keep all of her potions things in there, as well as her clay studio. The throwing wheel and most of her things had already been moved to the new house, ready and waiting for her arrival, but she needed to grab Tin. Her little fish had been through a lot with her already and he was getting old, but he would love it in the new house. He could have all the sunlight and a spot right next to the kitchen. She had already picked it all out. She bounded back up the stairs and grabbed her case. It was time to go. She grinned in delight. She felt like she was starting something new and it was bound to be an adventure.
(Word Count: 496) |
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Posted: Tue Nov 29, 2016 4:44 pm
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Moving On
(Growth Solo)
[Sathe finally reaches Sauti only to have to face that Gaddok is really gone and she needs to be able to grieve and move on with her own life.]
The long, long trip to Sauti had filled Sathe’s stomach with many emotions, one large portion of that being dread. She didn’t know if she really wanted the answer, it might be too much to bear. But it was something she needed to know, something she needed to hear from Gaddok himself. Should she move on, did she need to start her life on her own and come up with different plans? She had been so focused on what she thought was going to be her future, she thought she knew what was going to happen.
A life with Gaddok.
That was what was supposed to happen. She had been in love, and she had been loved. She imagined a life in which she lived in Sauti, or even the version where Gaddok moved in with her and they lived in Tale. A life with children. Many many children, running around the house, their bare feet pattering all over the place while they grew old and loved each other eternally.
But then the war in Oba had happened, and they were separated. Gaddok had fought, and Sathe had treated those who fought in the healing tents. She hoped for the best, prayed for the best and that Gaddok would return to her. But to this day she hadn’t seen him since. She had no idea whether he was still alive, whether he just found out he felt differently and didn’t want to start a life with her. She had to know, but she wasn’t sure she was prepared to hear the answer. When no letter had come after all that time waiting, she still held out hope. Because even if he wanted nothing to do with her anymore, he would at least still be alive. She couldn’t imagine a world where he was not breathing. She didn’t want to. She would rather hear from him directly and be rejected, her emotions crushed, than to have to hear the other news that might be waiting for her. She didn’t know exactly where Gaddok made his home. She knew it was Sauti, knew it was Iory even, but she had never been herself. It sounded like a daunting idea to have to hunt someone down, chase them just for a rejection, but she simply couldn’t live her life without the finality of the truth.
She had woken up that morning in a Sauti inn, not too far off in the village of Tind, and as she packed her bags she continued to dwell on what would be waiting for her. It only took her half a day’s journey to make the remaining trek to Iory, and the small village was bustling with the early afternoon markets and the sound of work being done and the high pitched squalls of the sailscales that Iory was known for. Her bare feet were already sore from the trek, but she could feel the earth under her toes and to her, it gave her a sense of being grounded. She wanted to be as steady as she could when she finally had to deal with whatever life would throw at her. She approached the first person she found, a small market woman selling beads. ”Ma’am. I’m sorry to bother, but do you know of a man named Gaddok?” She asked, the plea almost apparent in her voice.
The woman shook her head, her face a mix of confusion and sadness, almost like she could tell Sathe was hurting, but couldn’t for the life of her figure out why. ”No miss, I only just moved here about a year ago. I’ve not heard that name before.” Sathe left the woman and kept her head turning, trying to figure out who would know, who would have been here long enough to know.
She tried a few more people, all asking the same question and all receiving the same answer. The last man she approached, a younger man with a heavy cart moving through the roads, offered some very helpful advice. ”I don’t know anyone with that name, but why don’t you ask the inn? They’ve been set up here… well, probably longer than either of us has been alive.” Sathe thanked the man profusely and nearly jogged the way he was pointing.
The people of the inn, an elderly woman and a younger man that could be her son, were cleaning the front room, Sathe thought it had to be a lucky break, she wouldn’t even have to go searching or calling out for someone in the multistory inn. ”Ma’am, I’m sorry to intrude, but I’m really hoping you can help me. Do you know of a man named Gaddok and where I could find him?” The woman was holding a broom, and she stopped sweeping long enough to prop herself up by its handle and give Sathe a long, thoughtful look. ”Well it must be years now since I’ve heard of him, but yes, I know of a Gaddok. Youthful lad, mixed with leaf, long hair and a sword.” Sathe lit up with the description. ”Yes! That’s him! Do you know which one is his house here?”
The woman seemed to shift, like she wasn’t wanting to give Sathe a bad answer, but didn’t have any other news to give her. ”I’m sorry dear… he… well he never came back from the Great War.”
She heard the words, and they sunk in, but she wasn’t prepared for the shifting of the world under her feet. ”Oh… you’re… well you’re sure?” She sounded small to herself. ”I’m sorry for taking up your time, thank you very much for your help.” The woman offered her condolences, tried to offer her something, Sathe wasn’t able to pay attention to the conversation and longer. She left the inn as politely as she could and promptly left Iory. She didn’t care if she would be traveling through the night, or that her feet would blister, she just wanted to be home. She wanted to be away from Iory.
She found the answer she was so desperate to have, but she wasn’t prepared for how her body wasn’t ready for the answer. She felt the tears come to her eyes, and she wiped them away. It had been years, she should have known. She should have been able to handle this. She knew now that it would take time for these feeling to pass, but at least she knew that she could move on with her life and she was no longer waiting for a letter that would never come.
(Word Count: 1,115) |
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Posted: Thu Apr 13, 2017 12:35 pm
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Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2017 10:14 am
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Someone New
It was still dark out, Sathe had been home for quite a while after her time at the bar. She thought back to earlier in the night when she had just stopped in for a drink before going home and she ran into Rham. She felt her heart speed up just a bit at the thought of the wind man, and she couldn't help but feel guilty. She knew she had decided - quite a while ago actually - that she would stop waiting for Gaddok, that she would move on and continue with her life now that she had been to Sauti and found closure, or at least as much closure as she could find. But still she didn't know what to do with her developing feelings.
Rham was sweet, she could tell from their conversations that he was probably a good man. And while he was a little upfront about all sorts of things, it was a genuine gesture. She thought to him brushing her hair out of her face for her, something she wasn't even sure he gave much thought to and it brought the feeling of goose bumps to her arms. And he was going to be visiting later that week, something she was excited for and dreading all at the same time. It would be nice to see him again, but the more familiar she was with Rham the more she would have to accept that Gaddok wasn't a part of her life anymore. She would have to make room for someone else.
She reached her bedroom, pulling on her night clothes and pulling back the covers to her bed. She would have to sleep on her feelings, give it time, get used to the idea that she could have a crush again, she might have moved on. She might want to know more about Rham. He was cute after all. And while that wasn't what was important, she knew she would have to come out of her comfort zone in order to push herself into something new.
(Word Count: 341) |
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Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2017 10:15 am
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Posted: Fri Apr 21, 2017 12:23 pm
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The Letter
It wasn't long after Rham had come to visit her at her home that she awoke one morning to a knocking at her door. She was still groggy, still wiping the sleep from her eyes as she trudged to the front door. She couldn't help but wonder who it was that would be knocking so early in the day for her, but as she opened the door she was greeted with nothing. There wasn't anyone there. She looked both ways, trying to see if there was someone walking away from her home, but they must have already been out of view. She had been slow to answer.
She shrugged her shoulders and was about to close the door when something brown caught her eye. Down on the floor outside of her door was a dark brown envelope. She picked it up, but it had no author's stamp, no return on the front, nothing to mark who it could have been from. She brought it inside, her eyes showing their curiosity. But after peeling open the envelope and unfolding the parchment inside she felt her insides violently flip. She couldn't believe what she was reading and she could feel the words bearing down on her like a heavy weight on her shoulders.
"Dearest Sathe,
I returned to a place familiar to us both in hopes of reconnecting with you after dealing with a troubling family matter. Unfortunately, it would seem as though my absence has brought about some misconceptions; I was never felled in battle. I am alive and well, working for my father to achieve his dreams of evolving his trading company. It wasn't a life I wanted for either of us, hence my distance, but the work was deemed necessary to provide a life for us. I anticipate these words fall on deaf ears and certainly do not excuse my shortcomings; the main take away here is that I am alive and I wish you all the love and fulfillment in life that I wanted to give you.
Find happiness in all you do, love.
Sincerely,
Gaddok Dragol"
(Word Count: 348 tbc) |
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