[PRP Jahaur] Grocery List [Takoda & Alassiel]

[Tasinei]

There never was a way of getting out of chores, Alassiel’s mother dutifully made a list of them each night, and left the list somewhere you were sure to find it. Most of the time, they were easy things such as cleaning her own clothing, gathering things they might need, helping the little ones with something. It was never anything that took up much time, or energy.

Today was no different, her mother had left a note that told Alassiel she was going to be taking care of tonight's dinner, thus she needed to go out and gather a few things . In some cases such as these, Alassiel didn’t mind doing the chore. It got her out of the house away from training for a bit, and would allow her to serve whatever she wanted to eat that night. This was one of the few chores she welcomed with open arms, so out she went that morning with a smile on her face.

With a large list of ingredients she’d prepared that morning, Alassiel set off in the wee hours of the mornin with ehr canvas bag when the produce were fresh and began her search. She had about four different dishes to prepare for the evening, thankfully she’d get help from the younglings when it came time to start preparing everything. Her first stop was by the water to see if she could catch some fish, Alassiel had brought a hook tied to a string and she was going to try and set something up by the water.  

[jayoku]

There was a lighter step in his walk today, perhaps it was because the sun was filtering in through the canopy and dappling along the ground. The light breeze that promised a light rain in the evening. Taking a deep breath he shifted the satchel on his shoulder and peered down at the forest floor scanning for any obvious signs of plan life he could gather for trade.

The morning's hunt through the bush had proved fruitful and now he had been heading on his way to water, after all though he didn't typically spend a lot of time there there were some fruit tree's in the area as well a few water biased plants he could use. Stepping lightly from the branch he was in, the only reason why he didn't just flail and plummet to the ground was due to growing up in these trees.

How many times had he fallen as a kid? Enough times...to recall the laugh of his fathers voice when Takoda would manage to haphazardly catch himself before hitting the ground, the worried expression his mother would have at his countless bloody scratches and then the lecture she would give his dad about watching him better.

Lost in thought it only occurred to him to look where he was going when his foot didn't land on a predicted branch. Being wrenched out of your thoughts and having to hurried back peddle to prevent falling, though as he caught himself he felt his body freeze. He had heard a sound and after a moment he realized he wasn't alone.

There was sounds in the water. Beyond the bubbling of water movement it was...different. Cautiously he peered out of the trees, pushing a branch aside as he noticed the young shifter girl fishing. He felt relief and timidly came down out of the tree.

Takoda had seen her before on his trips to get supplies but had never spoken to her directly before. He was aware she had a large family though he couldn't put any names to faces.

"Ah..nice day for fishing."

An awkward way to start.  

[Tasinei]

Alassiel was still setting up her branch with the hooks when someone appeared making her jump back and splash into the water. Seeing it was another shifter boy, she relaxed and nodded once glancing up at the sky to judge the weather. “Yes it is.” Getting out of the water, she took a seat beside her fishing pole and glanced back at him. “If you’re here to fish too there’s plenty of space for both of us.” She pointed to the space beside her. “I'm picking up plants too for a diner. “ Though to be honest she felt a little awkward going into the water now that someone else was around. “Im Alassiel by the way.” If she remembered correctly, she’d seen him around the village a few times though she’d never actually spoken to him before meeting him here today.  

[jayoku]

Takoda felt back causing her to start in such a manner, after all he did it often enough he could understand that it is a trifle embarrassing. Looking abashed he ran a hand through his hair and then slowly climbed down to join the other shifter.

"Ah...well I am not very good at fishing." He explained watching as she seemed to be quite the expert at tying those hooks to the strings, she must have quite agile and nimble fingers. Shifting his satchel on his shoulder he gave her a small lopsided grin.

"I actually came to see if I could find any edible water plants, but...if you don't mind I could..watch you fish? I mean...see how you do it. Its been years since I've tried fishing...maybe I could learn something."  

[Tasinei]

“That’s too bad; fish is always good for you.” Most, if not everyone in her family knew how to fish. He family elders usually used spears and such to fish things that were bigger, but Alassiel wasn’t at that point yet so she was stuck with a hook. “This isn’t exactly the best way of fishing mind you, but since my family doesn’t exactly want me walking around with a spear with not much training well... I get a hook and string.” Teaching him would be easy enough, she was just setting one up right now. “As you can see here, there’s a hook attached to the end of the string with some bait and I throw that into the pond.” To demonstrate she threw it into the middle of the pond and watched it sink to the bottom. “I attach it to the branch so that when a fish starts biting the stick moves and I know to start pulling gently.” It was all about coaxing the fish towards her until she could get in the water and grab it, if the fish scared away then she was going to end up pulling on the string hard and the cord would leave red marks on her hands.

“And that’s it really.” Alassiel chuckled, wiping her hands together. “Well while we wait we could always try finding some edible things together.” She gave a quick glance towards her canvas bag that was starting to fill with all sorts of things, fish and the plants were the only things she was missing now before she could return home. “What do you know about the plants?” Granted Alassiel didn’t know anything about them except what she’d been taught to eat by family, otherwise if she wanted to surprise and bring something else home she could not.  

[jayoku]

Takoda watched her with quiet eagerness, after all it would be handy to know how to catch fish he could always use more protein in his diet. Listening to her speak and then move to thread the hook and then attach it to a branch he had to wonder what she was using as bait.

Scooting closer but not...too close as he didn't want to invade her personal space. "Ah...so you have to haul it in by hand?" Takoda asked looking at her hands noting the roughness to them that wasn't due to neglect but rather over use. It was like how he could never get the dirt completely out from under his nails. It showed dedication and hard work, both qualities that were admirable.

When the attention was turned to him he balked as if having the spot light turned on him wasn't something he was use to.

"Ah well yes we could, there are some water cress plants you can eat, and some tubers under the water as well. " Takoda explained looking away and quickly scanning the shore bank and wading ankle deep in bent over to move some of the tall grass to reveal a stockier plant that had smaller leaves.

Gently as if hoping he wouldn't disturb the rest of the foliage. With nimble fingers he plucked a few roots but not enough to kill the plant and then turning showed them to Alassiel.
"See? If you take only a few from each plant the plant will survive and eventually regrow those missing roots."  

[Tasinei]

Alassiel nodded once to confirm, she was concentrating on gently moving the hook. “Until I am apt with a spear that is. Most, if not all of my family use spears, except the younger kids of course. So we learn other ways to catch fish.” She’d been shown all of them, but was good at none. It seemed she was the only one whose fate was just not with fishing, it didn’t bother her as much as it did her parents and older siblings. In any case, Alassiel knew she would find her own path, fishing or not, someday she just needed some time on her own to discover it.

Well that was certainly more plants than she’d thought she’d find! Good thing Takoda was around, his knowledge of plants seem to be far larger than her own. “So you like plants? You seem very good at this.” Making sure her fishing lines were okay, Alassiel followed behind Takoda watching quietly. “I don’t think I’d be as good as you at this...” She said quietly, but she tried anyway. She tried to mimic what she’d seen Takoda do but was struggling with the technique, in the end she ripped out the whole plant from the ground and stared at it with a solemn face. “You seem way better at this than me.”  

[jayoku]

Takoda only gave a quiet laugh at her comment, everyone seemed to be amazed by his knowledge of the forest, but it came to him as second nature now. After all he had been living alone for awhile and it was either ...starve or forage. He preferred to stay alive.

Looking over as she was looking in disbelief she had managed to rip the entire plant out of the water, he smiled at her. It was a patient gentle smile, and patience was one of his best attributes.

"It's not too hard once you get familiar with them," He reassured her as he placed the roots in his satchel before he moved over to help Alassiel. First he took the plant and carefully returned it into the water. With a little lucky the poor thing would be able to re-root itself. Once down he moved over to the girl and bending over he took her hand and guided them down into the shallow water.

"See if you can find the joint of the root you can break it off there. It isn't a main root, so it won't kill the plant." Takoda explained as he then began showing her where the main root was, described it to her so she would be able to figure it out on her own. Once done he removed his hands and moved back to the shore to remove his roots to lay it on the bank.

"Well you are much better with hooks than I ever could be." Takoda stated looking down at the hooks she had assembled it was impressive. "I think my best chance would be to trade in the market for fish." Uttering a soft laugh he turned to face the girl again.  

[Tasinei]

Maybe if she did practice, but there was also practicing with her spears and such. “You’re going to have to teach me so more.” She gave a soft laugh, learning how to do this would be a good skill if she ever got lost and needed another food source. She watched him carefully put the plant back into the water, she too hoped it wouldn’t be dying because of ehr actions. When Takoda took her hand, Alassiel let him guide her listening to what he was teaching her, but she could not help but blush at the closeness. It was not something she was used, and something she certainly hadn’t expected from a stranger either. In the end, she just took a breath and soaked up as much knowledge as she could from him.

Alassiel chuckled. “Well, I’m sure I’ll be catching more fish than I need. I can give you some if you help me with the plants. Fair exchange.” She gave him a smile, before turning to one of the hooks that was moving, gently she tugged the fish back to her making sure it wasn’t struggling. “Fishing isn’t exactly what I want to do like the rest of my family though.” Alassiel admitted quietly, Takoda was probably the first person she was saying this to out loud. “My family just is really into the whole fishing thing. I just feel like it’s not totally what life has in store for me.” She sighed loudly and when the fish came near where they were, she made sure the stick was fashioned so it wasn’t moving and went to get the fish with her hands. After a few attempts, Alassiel finally brought the fish to the bank. “That easy.” She smiled again and chuckled.  

[jayoku]

Takoda only caught the briefest amounts of her blushing before he realized that perhaps what he had done was something he should of asked before just getting so close. A mild blush spread across his own face, and swallowing he ran a hand through his hair, smoothing it down before he focused on what she was doing. To have such talent as hunting....gathering was easy when you knew what you were looking for. Hunting was a level of difficulty he didn't think he would ever be good at.

"That is very kind of you," He murmured watching as she brought a fish in and he wondered how long she would spend gathering in such a fashion. Mostly Takoda ate fruits and vegetables, sometimes eggs when they were available and fish. He ate very little meat and it showed, his body was lean and not well muscled.

"Would it not be easier to trap them?" He inquired looking at the river and trying to think madly of the things his father had done in the past. It wasn't to say he had never fished, but his head been so young at the time he only helped with the most basic of things...like now.

"Like with a net?" Takoda continued though nets were expensive, as you had to have just the right fiberous plants to do it, then you had to make the weave big enough the water could flow through and small enough the fish couldn't escape...not to mention mending and taking care of one of those would be a lot of work. He had only seen on shifter before casting a net, the edges were weighted down with stones to trap the fish to the bottom of the river.  

[Tasinei]

“I always take care of my own.” Alassiel said quietly, no one was left behind. This was a lesson she’d learned young when her grandmother had died. However right now, these were not thought she wanted to share right now as she did enjoy Takoda’s presence. “Plus, we’ll probably be able to get you more fish here than with an exchange.” She’d met a few fraudulent people while watching her mother exchanging items that she really needed, but the large family was far too in need of items to be able to bargain properly. These were the downsides of a large family, everything was shared and everyone contributed to the whole.

Alassiel nodded at his observation of the net. “It would be easier yes if the water isn’t too deep, my family has a few nets that the adults use. The younger kids use hooks like me, and we also use spears for the underwater fishing.” There weren’t only fish to eat in the water, other things that would not get caught in nets or hooked lived in the water too, and her family specialized in this kind of fishing. “I’m just learning how to spear fish, but at some point I’ll probably be able to go underwater fishing and get some other stuff.” Another hook began to move and Alassiel moved to it quickly to grab the line. “Why don’t you try? I’ll help you out, you just need to gently pull on the line to sort of prompt the fish your way. Pull too hard and they pull back and you can hurt your hands, I’ll spear it once we get it closer!”  

[jayoku]

Takoda wondered what fishing underwater would be like, difficult was his first conclusion. Though he turned his attention back to the girl shifter, she was kind, very kind. He was often teased because of his fear's of insects, luckily he had yet to see one of them thus far, it would be embarrassing if he was suddenly scream and flee back into the tree's without any warning...

"It sounds difficult, how do you see underwater?" He inquired curious now about how fishing while underwater would work. Takoda had swam before...and opening his eyes underwater made the world look fuzzy and out of focus.

Suddenly the line was moving and he was asked to give it a shot. Nervously he felt out of his element as he went to get the line, luckily he had all the patience in the world and perhaps he was...pulling the line in a bit too slowly...but she was right, by doing it slow the fish offered little resistance as it didn't know it was caught. He felt a pang of guilt though, that poor fish was going to end up killed, though he knew his stomach would appreciate the protein.

"Is this a good pace?" Takoda asked quietly as if the fish would overhear him and flee.  

[Tasinei]

“It is rather difficult, everything is fuzzy and your eyes start to burn after a little while. You get used to the fuzziness though, and there are always plant remedies for the burning sensation in the eyes.” Alassiel would always remember the first time her younger siblings had dared her to to keep her eyes open underwater a long time, she’d gone back crying to her mother who’d put some milky stuff into her eyes to ease the pain. “I don’t suggest opening your eyes underwater though,” she chuckled. "When there isn’t much wind, and the water is as clear as it can get, that usually helps too. No dirt flying all over the place.”

Alassiel started pulling on the line first, giving Takoda a good pace before leaving his side to grab her spear and slowly make her way into the water. She waited poised, maybe a little too long because she left he was pulling a little too slow, but she could wait. “You’re doing fine.” She murmured back, eyes on the ground as she waited for the fish, when it appeared, in one quick motion she had it speared and was bringing it back to shore with a large smile on her face. “See, not too hard!” She was going to need two more fish and the rest should would give to Takoda and his family. “How many are you in your family?” If he had a smaller family, he wouldn’t need as much fish.  

[jayoku]

Takoda watched her as she stood poised spear ready in hand, she was the perfect image of what shifter's were like. Strong, patient and adaptable. Looking back to the line in his hand he pondered on how this method of fishing must be a lot harder if there was just yourself. Would you have to let go of the line and hope that the fish didn't dart away? Or did you tie the line up somewhere just in case of that?

He watched in awe are her precision and managed to speared to fish first try.
"That was amazing!" Takoda stated a little child like, but his tone was honest and his face showed it. He pondered about the plant that must be used to help with the eyes and flipping through his already full mind he managed to figure out the plant and he hadn't known it was that useful for such things. He knew it was typically used to help with dry eyes but he didn't realize it could help in this manner as well.

Unfortunately his face fell as she asked about his own family, right though he knew of people in the town and the general list of people in each family though that was no means that he knew EVERYONE he had to remind himself that not everyone had the time like he did to study people and their families. Other people were busy providing food and other needs for their families. While Takoda...was alone.

"Ah..." The shifter began trying to erase the look of pain off his face, after all it had been awhile since his parents deaths. "Just me." He finished offering a small smile as if this information was no big deal.  

[Tasinei]

Alassiel jumped a little in surprise at this enthusiasm, she chuckled nervously and her smiled showed this as she began blushing again. “Ah it’s nothing.” She said quickly. “Just a lot of practice.” In fact she’d spent much of her time training with the spear so it helped her fishing quite a bit. Alassiel didn’t think it was all that impressive, but then again she found his ability with plants to be amazing. “I’m sure you could get this good too with a bit of practice.” She threw the line back into the water again and tied it back to her branch, her other lines hadn’t bitten yet so Alassiel settled down beside Takoda.

If Alassiel had know this information before she would have avoided the subject. “I’m sorry.” She murmured, she winced herself feeling stupid for having asked about a sensitive subject. No wonder he was so skinny, always taking care of yourself and learning how to do so must have been hard. “Well, you’re always welcomed to swing by my place and eat with us. We’re a big family, real big, but we always feed others too.” Alassiel was sure her family wouldn’t mind at all having Takoda with them.