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 Posted: Sat Feb 26, 2011 6:50 pm
Vendors & Preachers
Where
Marketplace in Colwe, Shyregoad
Who
Beatrix Amaranthe, and Cassandra (in a matchbox) & Wickwright and Hopkin
(played by fairie lore & kotaline)
When
Late morning, nearing lunch.
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Posted: Sat Feb 26, 2011 7:30 pm
If there was one thing that she enjoyed more then anything else it was being out among the stalls in the marketplace, the scent of whatever putrid (but helpful herbs) and hearty meals were abound. It did not suit her much to be cooped in a stone fortress or even in any set of four hollow walls. Beatrix liked to be out in the fresh air, even if it was rather cold given her new geography. She much preferred the nice mild weather that she'd grown up with in The West, but that was such a long, long time ago...
Here she was wandering through the vendors, keeping an eye out for herbs she'd never seen or wanted to know more about. The sellers were the best source of reliable information there was, especially the old, wizened ones. Sometimes she felt like she was hearing her father's words, outlining the nature and effects of the plant in such vibrant and excruciating detail. There's a small burgundy notebook that occasionally appears in her hand and she scribbles information down, though from afar they probably look like ineligible scrawls.
She's currently holding some prickly and fuzzy monstrosity in her hand that looks like it might be the very plant that could just take over a forest no problem. It's fortunate she's wearing gloves or otherwise her hands would be a scratched up and red. The rest of her attire makes her a little out of place, though she is wearing a long robe with a fur hood so she does have some semblance of not entirely being a foreigner. She's wearing a long and modest dress that definitely looks to be of fine materials and something that might be seen on a high class lady back in Imisu. That is what clothing she packed, after all, and she's more or less refused to get anything new. And considering she's not really supposed to be out without Sloane (whenever her mind remembers that fact) it's best to look odd and out of place.
And not like Lady Sage Estratus.
Beatrix sits herself on the closest bench and just sits there, staring right at the fuzzy plant and occasionally cocks her head at it before she extracts that little notebook and begins to write anew.
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Posted: Sat Feb 26, 2011 9:40 pm
"Sage. Angelica. Hyssop. Rosemary. Yarrow."
The voice was barely audible, and was coming from the hood of an older man leaning over the herbs nearby. He was wandering slowly through the market, face so close to the goods that his nose almost touched them, and every few moments he would make a small affirmative noise, or sometimes shake his head, at which point the tinny little voicelike-noise would stop and hesitate before trying again. Before long, the man had ventured quite near Beatrix, looking at some of the very same monstrous herb she was holding. The soft, tinny voice was silent for a long time.
"...John's Wort?"
Negative. The voice was quiet for far longer before it hazarded another guess.
"Devil's Bristle?"
An affirmative noise this time, and the man straightened up only to find himself face to face with Beatrix. By the surprise on his face it was apparent that he hadn't noticed her and he coughed awkwardly. "Beg pardon, Lady," he said casually. "Just caught up in the herbs." The little voice was completely silent now, though the older man's hood seemed to be squirming, like something in there was trying to get a look at whoever the man was talking to. "Useful plant, Devil's Bristle. If you ever have trouble breathing, it clears the throat right up. Of course, you have to be careful to prepare properly, as when the spikes aren't softened through boiling it can present quite the problem. You don't often see it outside of Shyregoad though, which is a bit of a shame to someone from Imisus, such as myself. Terribly effective, it is, when you can come by it."
He was speaking a little loudly, as if he wasn't just addressing her, but a second person as well. His hood had stopped moving, whatever was in it was too busy paying attention to try to peek anymore.
"Wouldn't you agree, Lady?"
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Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 7:56 am
Beatrix did not immediately notice that there was someone hovering near her, because even if she notice another presence it would be doubtful that she would have paid much attention to it. Perhaps they were simply lingering, or whatever other reason people stood idly. Instead, when she wasn't scribbling at her notebook she was looking attentively at the plant. The quiet voice in the background didn't bother her either, because she could very well have attributed it to her consciousness. She could attribute a lot of anomalies to her current state.
Of course, when the man coughed he immediately got her attention, a bright smile on her face as she tilted the ungodly plant to the side so she could see him. "Oh, so am I." She replied, like his awkward idleness hadn't been construed as rudeness, but that she was excusing herself just as much. When he began to talk (loud as he was) she seemed entirely captivated by him, or at the very least his words. Unconsciously her hand was scribbling the words done, though once again it probably didn't seem to look entirely legible. Such was the pitfall of geniuses. Or madmen.
By the time he'd mentioned being from Imisus she'd all entirely brightened up. The wriggling figure in his hood make her quirk her eyebrow but once before she'd gone back to paying attention to him. She'd pocketed her notebook and placed a hand over her heart, looking up at him. "It's true, I have found that this province is rich in medicinal herbs. I, too have come from Imisus." Beatrix said with a nod, and gestured to the spot beside her so that he could sit.
"Why have you come so far, then?" She asked, eyebrows furrowed.
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Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 9:10 am
"Why have you?" Wickwright replied, and then relented, explaining, "I have business with an old friend."
The woman was strangely dressed enough, he figured, now that he had a good look at her. Both she and the Devil's Bristle she was holding stuck out like sore thumbs. She certainly dressed like a high class woman from Imisus, but Wickwright didn't often see that kind of woman out and about buying their own herbs. Didn't she have a servant to wait on her? Curiosity well and truly piqued, Wickwright set about to stick his nose where it didn't belong again.
"Is your servant around?" he asked, hazarding a guess that she had come with only a few, hence her presence in the marketplace. "May I lend a hand?"
Hopkin sat back in the hood with a hollow little sigh. It looked like he had to go into hiding again, and it wasn't that he particularly resented it, but rather, he had been enjoying learning about herbs. Instead, he tried to make the best of his situation and try to identify the woman. Peeking over and up at her, he figured that she was at least pretty to look at. She stood out, although he wasn't quite sure if it was in a way he liked or not. She seemed terribly peculiar!
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Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 9:22 am
Beatrix bit her lip momentarily at the question, as if wondering if she should answer it. Finally, she decided she would: "I'm here on business. Professional business, I mean." She explained, though omitted mentioning the Fellowship. She couldn't really remember much about the technicalities of not telling people, but she figured she'd just keep it simple.
Almost instantly at the mention of 'servant' did Beatrix straighten up, a bit of disapproval on her face. Not too much, since ladies weren't supposed to crinkle their faces unattractively. "I'm here by myself." She responded, eying him for a moment as if she was even considering whether she wanted him to help or not. "You may, if you wish."
What did that entail, then? Would he follow her about the market as she bought her herbs? And then what? Would he escort her back to the Fellowship? Beatrix was beginning to regret her decision already. "I'm out buying herbs to help alleviate a cold or flu. Preferably ones I can boil down to an extract."
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Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 10:17 am
"Cryptic," Wickwright noted cheerfully, but left well enough alone for now. He would have a chance to figure it out for sure, but right now he didn't want to seem too eager to interrogate her.
"Ladies shouldn't be in crowded markets by themselves," he said decisively, "And thus, I do wish to lend you my assistance," Best to be gallant rather than to say he was a nosy Jawbone Man looking for stories and she happened to catch his eye as peculiar. That never went over well. Following her, he listened to what she was looking for and wracked his brain. Wickwright's specialty wasn't herbs, it was storytelling, but Kirkaldy's contribution was plant related, and Wickwright had learned from him, as well as from experience what herbs did and didn't work. Living on the road meant he had to be good at figuring out medicines from what he had.
"Quince and vinegar perhaps? That's supposed to be quite good for fever. Of course, burning coltsfoot will produce a smoke excellent for ridding oneself of coughs as well, and that's a bit easier to find up north. Are you ill, Lady?" He tried to seem as concerned as possible. Maybe if he could find out why she was in the marketplace, they could transition to the business she was in Shyregoad for in the first place.
"Cucumber can bring down fever," a voice from Wickwright's hood recited diligently. Wickwright burst into a hasty coughing fit at the sound of it.
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Posted: Sun Feb 27, 2011 10:40 am
Beatrix merely gave a lazy smile at his comment and decided that would suffice. It was her own subtle sign that if he was going to push things then she wouldn't require his company. Truly, she didn't need anyone's.
Of course, the man in front of her didn't seem to think that. Beatrix pursed her lips anew and narrowed her eyes in dissatisfaction at the comment. "Ladies can do whatever they please." She responded pointedly, practically shoving the plant into his hands, seeing as he was so keen on helping her. By the time he'd began to enumerate helpful herbs her anger had dissipated, since she wasn't really able to hold one set of feelings very long, thankfully for the man.
Beatrix seemed to be mentally logging back the information, which was easy enough to soak in. "No, I am not sick, but there are a lot of people who are." She said with a nod and rose from her seat, about to wander back in the marketplace.
At least until she heard a quite curious voice (which she was still unsure about) and then a terrible coughing fit to follow, which immensely concerned her. She moved towards him, taking his hand. "Are you sick? Do you have a cold?" She asked expectantly, hoping for a favorable answer - which would beyond all logic be a yes.
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Posted: Mon Feb 28, 2011 6:15 am
Wickwright didn't comment. He was better at men than women, and was even worse at pushy, independent women. Still, he was determined to find out more about her, so he let her push the Devil's Bristle into his hands, careful not to let the spikes cut himself. "Suit yourself," he said mildly, and rose to his feet with her.
"Friends? Relatives? What dark times we live in. Just a fever, I hope?" She hadn't said she was looking for any of the herbs that were rumoured to help with the plague, but in this day and age it was impossible to hear someone talk of sick friends and not think of that notorious disease. "Me? Just a persistent cough, Truth." He tapped his jaw gratefully. It was true. He had been coughing far more frequently since Hopkin had emerged. "I came to the market looking for herbs to help." Also true. He came to the market looking for herbs to help teach Hopkin. The truth was that he'd never have to worry about the plague again though, at least not if the rumours about a Grimm being immune were true. He almost wished it wasn't so, thinking wistfully of the book Hopkin had been before. Things had been simpler when Hopkin was a book.
He pulled himself back to the present. "Of course, I'm not just looking for cough remedies. Best to stock up on herbs in general while I'm here, prepare myself for any little accidents, ahahah."
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Posted: Tue Mar 01, 2011 9:59 am
Under normal circumstances Beatrix would have long left the company of this man, and it was really only the substances flowing through her that would giving her a slight edge of tolerance for his antics. Instead all she did was purse her lips unsatisfactorily but said no more on that manner.
"No, just the people of Panymium. And yes, I do hope that all that ails them is a fever." She said solemnly, the words coming out like there was a sour taste in her mouth. Beatrix seemed mildly disappointed at the mention it was a permanent cough for whatever reason, but didn't seem to dwell on the issue too long. A persistent cough was something yet farther then her current grasp. In time, perhaps. Still, she seemed sympathetic to the fact he was ill.
Of course, the bitter humour didn't seem to lighten her mood but instead seemed to put a further damper on it. "I... Yes, it's good to be prepared for whatever comes your way." She said, beginning to slowly walk towards the market once more. "As far as myself, I'm here to familiarize myself with the more local remedies. I used to know them very well, all these various medical herbs, even the ones from foreign places, but it's been awhile. " She murmured, her eyes lazily looking over the various stalls, as if some of her energy had been sucked away.
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Posted: Wed Mar 02, 2011 3:13 pm
"A healer, then?" Wickwright hazarded. "Useful these days, I suppose." He listened to her elaborate, raising an eyebrow slightly. Strange that she'd be out of practice knowing remedies in times like these when surely she must need them most. He felt a story there, and he set himself to getting it out of her. Slowly. This woman didn't seem keen on talking.
"Rather rusty myself, I'm afraid. I used to know them quite well too, did some work for a man interested in such matters. My profession gives me cause to travel and work at a variety of different things, it's been years since I last seriously set myself to study medicines. Still, it's easy enough to get back on a horse once you've fallen from it. Why did you get out of practice?"
From Wickwright's hood, Hopkin was watching the woman, but something about her listless attitude seemed odd to him. She was pretty, but the way she moved and talked made her distinctly less so. There was something uncanny and worrying about it, something that was different from how Dragomir Meschke and Dorian Arelgren had acted drunk.
Strange. "Are you okay?" he piped up from Wickwright's hood.
Wickwright coughed again, partially to distract her and partially because so long as he was telling everyone he had a debilitating cough, he might as well play the part now. "Common Rue," he said in a further effort to distract her, "Useful."
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Posted: Thu Mar 03, 2011 3:47 pm
"No, I'm not." Beatrix said with an absolute tone, an almost sour expression flashing over her for a moment. She didn't seem to like that he'd assumed that she was a healer, and even worse at the comment that they were so useful at this day in age. As if she didn't know - it was like he was rubbing it in her face, though of course he couldn't possibly understand why she was having an adverse reaction.
In turn she seemed a little bit less interested in his own spiel because it seemed she was sinking into a sulking, bitter feeling. Rather then simply be put off and emotionally closed it seemed that she spiraled down - which was almost furthered by the term 'out of practice'. They were entirely a poor choice of words. "Life forces you into situations sometimes." She hissed, walking closer to the stalls.
He was quickly losing favor with her.
Fortunately, the cough did indeed distract her and was probably the only thing keeping her from lashing out. There was some pity to be had for the ailing. Beatrix picked up the aforementioned plant, looking at it attentively, and when she began to look sad and pensive. "I remember." It was a small tone, like a daughter answering a father.
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Posted: Sat Mar 05, 2011 7:06 pm
"To repel venomous bites, evil spirits, lust, and plague," a small voice noted dutifully from Wickwright's hood.
It appeared to be less than effective.
Wickwright flashed her a wan smile. She had been closing herself off before, but her tone was different now. He wasn't sure if it was a good thing, but it might mean that he had a chance to redeem himself, whatever he had been doing wrong. "Do you believe it really wards off venomous animals?" he asked her as they perused the herbs. "I've never been bitten by a snake after eating it, but you never know. Truth, I don't see many poisonous beasts to ward off."
There were always the Obscuvians, he thought wryly, but in that case he felt he would need more than an herb.
At the thought of the Obscuvians, Meschke floated into his mind unbidden. The boy had said he was moving to Shyregoad, and the state they had left him in had been calmer, but still shaky. He felt tempted to check up on him, especially since he seemed to be more amenable to talking after their trip together. Maybe he could find something out from him.
Wickwright shook his head, pulling himself back into the here and now. "And chicory if you're lonely," he noted with a dry chuckle.
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Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 1:58 pm
The voice, this foreign voice - Beatrix was finally becoming aware of its presence while before she had decided it had only been background noise at best. By the end of its phrase Beatrix seemed to look uncomfortable but nonetheless she didn't seem cross like she had been before.
"Probably not." She shook her head, inspecting the plant closely as he spoke. "But there are other poisonous creatures then simply the ones that slither. And I don't think this has ever helped." She said, voicing her own thoughts on the matter which were similar to his, though she was not thinking of Obscuvians. There were other cancerous and wretched people in the world other then them. People that she had encountered in her lifetime and had to deal with.
She put it down, looking to him. While her demeanor might have started out as upbeat was now dwindling to melancholy, as if being angry was too exhausting a task for her now. "I've tried. I've tried a lot of things." She said quietly, shaking her head once more. "But that doesn't matter much. All that matters is curing the Plague." If she could do that, then everything she had to bear through was worth it. Or at the very least she wouldn't mind so much, all the heartache she had to carry with her everywhere.
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Posted: Fri Mar 25, 2011 2:45 pm
Wickwright shook his head. "Plenty of poisons to look out for in this country," he agreed. "Still, if we want to believe an herb can protect us from them, we can always live in hope. Personally, I'd rather live in hope and get bitten than stay inside and collect dust. I've made it to my fifties, so far so good."
He raised an eyebrow. "A noble goal, to be certain, curing the plague," he commented lightly, fully aware of his own personal plague sitting in his hood. Though there was nary a pustule on him, he certainly felt the weight of his burden. "Difficult though, I imagine. Are you a Scientist?" He knew that they were trying to cure the plague, and it was difficult imagining someone who seemed devoted to finding the cure to pass up on membership. Wickwright had never really considered it himself. Though other members of the Society were in factions, and some had damningly left to convert to the Obscuvians, Wickwright was still a part of the Panymium working class. He was no great shakes at the new art of science, was totally unmagical, and had less than no interest in converting from his own religion to Obscuvos. The only thing that could possibly recommend him to a faction was his living plague, and he wasn't about to let anyone have more access to Hopkin than they needed to. Plague or not, the little bronze boy was still his contribution book, and had to be kept safe.
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