57 Ash, Year 123
[Closed - Solo]
As early as it was, they were making good time on Hayima'el. The two Vastii and the big piebald bull camel were secure under the Mask of Midnight's Mother, their presence hidden from onlookers, and Lia had all but gone to sleep in the well-padded wooden saddle under the colourful sunshade. She had had a lovely cup of hot tea earlier that had just about put her out and back to the Land of Nod, and mercifully, Hilana was quiet as she rode. She knew where she was going - she had spotted the giant Hedera Ardenta earlier in the season, and it was just a matter of waiting for it to bloom. And in a desert like this, where just about every dune looked like another if you weren't familiar, and you didn't know how to navigate in such a barren, empty expanse... you were like as not to get lost and almost certainly killed.
Hilana had the baskets and lined bags on Hayima'el ready for this harvest. This was going to be unpleasant if she was careless; she could not afford to be sloppy. If she was, she would would be paying dearly for it. She might have liked Raithen along for this trip; his wings and kinetics would have made this go much more smoothly, but Hilana was not afraid of hard work. Never had been, never would be. As it was, she had Elementalism, she had her gloves, and she was well-practiced with cutting into the monstrous succulent. Lia had just wanted to come for the ride, and to make sure that Hilana didn't injure herself with it.
The big camel ate the miles steadily, and Hilana adjusted their course with her feet. The reins were loosely draped over the front bar of the saddle, and her arms rested on it as she looked on. She didn't need a map for where they were, not here. This was her home, this was her home turf, and there was nothing here that she was unfamiliar with. The hedera ardenta was a relatively common plant in the Atraxian Expanse, but it was tricky to work with and that was a lesson she had learned the hard way before. But it was one way to toughen yourself up, especially those who were interested in things like torture found the spines to be very useful indeed. Too many of those was a brutal way to go. She checked over her shoulder to make sure that Lia was still okay, and as she was, she just remained quiet. Inasmuch as she liked to make noise, there was something beautiful about the sandy magnificence that was around them. The world wasn't silence - there was the sounds of the birds, of the wind, as the sand whispered as it moved. The wind would dance its patterns upon the dunes, mesmerizing, ornate, and perfect in the way that all of nature was.
In the distance, Hilana could see her prize. Right on time, too. She had remembered where it was, after all, and with the sun high in the sky, the shade of the saddle attachment served them well. Lia was starting to stir, and jolted a little bit as she woke up. "It's alright. We're almost there," she assured her sister, one hand reaching back to touch her older sister's calf. Lia straightened a bit and settled.
"How long have I been asleep?" she wanted to know, bringing a hand up to wipe at her eyes.
"A few hours," Hilana admitted, not minding as she guided her camel towards the giant succulent.
"That's the one?" Lia looked around her sister's shoulder at it, aghast. It was enormous.
"That's the one," she repeated cheerfully. "It will be fine. That's why we have Elementalism, no?" Hilana had a grin. Lia did not like that smile - when she had that expression, trouble or something dangerous was coming, and they were usually one and the same.
"So what is the plan for this thing?" Athalia studied it as Hilana drew them up to it. "That's awfully high up. You can't climb it, it's covered in spines."
"No, but I can make a staircase out of earth for it," she pointed out. "Or, at least, a platform. It's a ways up, true, and Raithen would have been great to have along for this, but on the other hand... he wouldn't know what he's cutting, I don't think, and we'd probably just damage more of the hedera than I want to harvest from it." Though he could have held her while she cut, but she would have also have been nervous about having him so close to something so dangerous. But she dismounted from Hayima'el, grabbing her supplies. Gloves needed to go on. Cutting knives. Baskets. Waxed cloth linings so that it wouldn't get everywhere.
"How high are you going?" Lia wanted to know as she remained on the camel, looking up at the monstrous plant. Hilana took a scarf from her saddlebags, holding it between her teeth while she folded up her skirts by half-length to bring them to above her knees before taking the scarf and tying it around her hips. That had the action of making sure the fabric wouldn't get blown into the plant by the wind, as playful as it tended to be.
"All the way. I am getting all three fruits." Hilana was matter of fact. Normally, normally... she wouldn't have taken all three. The rule of sustainable foraging meant taking only one-third, if that, and leaving the bulk of it behind. But this was different. She could take the fruit, get the seeds out of it, and get them rinsed and germinated. Once they sprouted, she could take them and plant them, tend to them, and hopefully be able to put together enough to produce a continuous harvest. This sort of thing was valuable; but the average person had no idea what the hell they were doing with it.
Which made all kinds of opportunities for those that did. Those with a lot of money would pay top dollar for this sort of thing. The fruits were rare, because more often than not, birds and insects got to them before people did. They weren't really grown as a crop, though Hilana didn't understand why, what with the value of the ardenta oil and the Atraxian amber, both of which had their uses. Still, it benefited her and her bank account to be one of the ones who knew how to use it. Hilana focused on the earth now that she had everything she wanted with her, and began to Influence it, hardening the sand she stood on to produce a rocky platform, and began to draw sand in so that she could be boosted up appropriately on a sturdy, safe level so that she could put the fruit in the baskets, first and foremost. Those were the prize before she took pieces of the succulent in order to get the chunks of flesh that would have plenty of sap for her to work with.
It was slow going, and she was glad she had tied her skirts up - it would have been a right awful mess to try to get the spiny sap out of the fabric, and chances were she would have had to cut the ruined fabric and use the rest for bandages. But one by one, each fruit was carefully cut down into a lined basket, careful so that she didn't bruise it, and then she could study and assess the plant. She could recognize from the growth plates and patterns of the beast what parts would be best to trim to help encourage the overall health of the plant - some pieces were better off being harvested because they were old, and that would allow fresh flesh to grow rather than trying to sustain the older parts that were providing less and less to the plant as time went by. She could see that those pieces had quite a thick abundance of the sap, and that was what she wanted in the first place.
"Hilana, be careful, please," Lia urged her, frowning. She was certainly prepared to help her sister if the platform she was on wavered even slightly. A fall into that might not be fatal, but as tough as Hilana was, as sturdy as she was... that would be enough suffering to make one wish for death.
"I got it," she assured her. "I'm just going to take a few more pieces, and then we're done here and we can go back." She was true to her word - careful cutting on an angle helped the pieces go right into the lined baskets, and once her baskets were full and each had a piece, Hilana was satisfied - the giant plant had been trimmed evenly, so that there was no one side that was lopsided or at risk of damage if a bad storm came through. It would continue to thrive, and next year, it would have more fruit. She'd just have to make sure to get there first.
Lia helped her collapse and spread the sandy platform, and watched as Hilana brought the baskets over to Hayima'el. They would be covered with more of the waxed cloth to keep the sand and bugs out, and the baskets were secured to the camel's saddle before she boosted herself back into position. "We're done. Let's go home." she smiled at her as she peeled her gloves off. "Let's go, Hayima'el."
[Closed - Solo]
As early as it was, they were making good time on Hayima'el. The two Vastii and the big piebald bull camel were secure under the Mask of Midnight's Mother, their presence hidden from onlookers, and Lia had all but gone to sleep in the well-padded wooden saddle under the colourful sunshade. She had had a lovely cup of hot tea earlier that had just about put her out and back to the Land of Nod, and mercifully, Hilana was quiet as she rode. She knew where she was going - she had spotted the giant Hedera Ardenta earlier in the season, and it was just a matter of waiting for it to bloom. And in a desert like this, where just about every dune looked like another if you weren't familiar, and you didn't know how to navigate in such a barren, empty expanse... you were like as not to get lost and almost certainly killed.
Hilana had the baskets and lined bags on Hayima'el ready for this harvest. This was going to be unpleasant if she was careless; she could not afford to be sloppy. If she was, she would would be paying dearly for it. She might have liked Raithen along for this trip; his wings and kinetics would have made this go much more smoothly, but Hilana was not afraid of hard work. Never had been, never would be. As it was, she had Elementalism, she had her gloves, and she was well-practiced with cutting into the monstrous succulent. Lia had just wanted to come for the ride, and to make sure that Hilana didn't injure herself with it.
The big camel ate the miles steadily, and Hilana adjusted their course with her feet. The reins were loosely draped over the front bar of the saddle, and her arms rested on it as she looked on. She didn't need a map for where they were, not here. This was her home, this was her home turf, and there was nothing here that she was unfamiliar with. The hedera ardenta was a relatively common plant in the Atraxian Expanse, but it was tricky to work with and that was a lesson she had learned the hard way before. But it was one way to toughen yourself up, especially those who were interested in things like torture found the spines to be very useful indeed. Too many of those was a brutal way to go. She checked over her shoulder to make sure that Lia was still okay, and as she was, she just remained quiet. Inasmuch as she liked to make noise, there was something beautiful about the sandy magnificence that was around them. The world wasn't silence - there was the sounds of the birds, of the wind, as the sand whispered as it moved. The wind would dance its patterns upon the dunes, mesmerizing, ornate, and perfect in the way that all of nature was.
In the distance, Hilana could see her prize. Right on time, too. She had remembered where it was, after all, and with the sun high in the sky, the shade of the saddle attachment served them well. Lia was starting to stir, and jolted a little bit as she woke up. "It's alright. We're almost there," she assured her sister, one hand reaching back to touch her older sister's calf. Lia straightened a bit and settled.
"How long have I been asleep?" she wanted to know, bringing a hand up to wipe at her eyes.
"A few hours," Hilana admitted, not minding as she guided her camel towards the giant succulent.
"That's the one?" Lia looked around her sister's shoulder at it, aghast. It was enormous.
"That's the one," she repeated cheerfully. "It will be fine. That's why we have Elementalism, no?" Hilana had a grin. Lia did not like that smile - when she had that expression, trouble or something dangerous was coming, and they were usually one and the same.
"So what is the plan for this thing?" Athalia studied it as Hilana drew them up to it. "That's awfully high up. You can't climb it, it's covered in spines."
"No, but I can make a staircase out of earth for it," she pointed out. "Or, at least, a platform. It's a ways up, true, and Raithen would have been great to have along for this, but on the other hand... he wouldn't know what he's cutting, I don't think, and we'd probably just damage more of the hedera than I want to harvest from it." Though he could have held her while she cut, but she would have also have been nervous about having him so close to something so dangerous. But she dismounted from Hayima'el, grabbing her supplies. Gloves needed to go on. Cutting knives. Baskets. Waxed cloth linings so that it wouldn't get everywhere.
"How high are you going?" Lia wanted to know as she remained on the camel, looking up at the monstrous plant. Hilana took a scarf from her saddlebags, holding it between her teeth while she folded up her skirts by half-length to bring them to above her knees before taking the scarf and tying it around her hips. That had the action of making sure the fabric wouldn't get blown into the plant by the wind, as playful as it tended to be.
"All the way. I am getting all three fruits." Hilana was matter of fact. Normally, normally... she wouldn't have taken all three. The rule of sustainable foraging meant taking only one-third, if that, and leaving the bulk of it behind. But this was different. She could take the fruit, get the seeds out of it, and get them rinsed and germinated. Once they sprouted, she could take them and plant them, tend to them, and hopefully be able to put together enough to produce a continuous harvest. This sort of thing was valuable; but the average person had no idea what the hell they were doing with it.
Which made all kinds of opportunities for those that did. Those with a lot of money would pay top dollar for this sort of thing. The fruits were rare, because more often than not, birds and insects got to them before people did. They weren't really grown as a crop, though Hilana didn't understand why, what with the value of the ardenta oil and the Atraxian amber, both of which had their uses. Still, it benefited her and her bank account to be one of the ones who knew how to use it. Hilana focused on the earth now that she had everything she wanted with her, and began to Influence it, hardening the sand she stood on to produce a rocky platform, and began to draw sand in so that she could be boosted up appropriately on a sturdy, safe level so that she could put the fruit in the baskets, first and foremost. Those were the prize before she took pieces of the succulent in order to get the chunks of flesh that would have plenty of sap for her to work with.
It was slow going, and she was glad she had tied her skirts up - it would have been a right awful mess to try to get the spiny sap out of the fabric, and chances were she would have had to cut the ruined fabric and use the rest for bandages. But one by one, each fruit was carefully cut down into a lined basket, careful so that she didn't bruise it, and then she could study and assess the plant. She could recognize from the growth plates and patterns of the beast what parts would be best to trim to help encourage the overall health of the plant - some pieces were better off being harvested because they were old, and that would allow fresh flesh to grow rather than trying to sustain the older parts that were providing less and less to the plant as time went by. She could see that those pieces had quite a thick abundance of the sap, and that was what she wanted in the first place.
"Hilana, be careful, please," Lia urged her, frowning. She was certainly prepared to help her sister if the platform she was on wavered even slightly. A fall into that might not be fatal, but as tough as Hilana was, as sturdy as she was... that would be enough suffering to make one wish for death.
"I got it," she assured her. "I'm just going to take a few more pieces, and then we're done here and we can go back." She was true to her word - careful cutting on an angle helped the pieces go right into the lined baskets, and once her baskets were full and each had a piece, Hilana was satisfied - the giant plant had been trimmed evenly, so that there was no one side that was lopsided or at risk of damage if a bad storm came through. It would continue to thrive, and next year, it would have more fruit. She'd just have to make sure to get there first.
Lia helped her collapse and spread the sandy platform, and watched as Hilana brought the baskets over to Hayima'el. They would be covered with more of the waxed cloth to keep the sand and bugs out, and the baskets were secured to the camel's saddle before she boosted herself back into position. "We're done. Let's go home." she smiled at her as she peeled her gloves off. "Let's go, Hayima'el."
