Festive Bartering [Solo]
Posted: Fri May 31, 2024 1:08 pm
81 Frost, Year 123
[Closed - Solo]
Knowing that Hilana was taking Athalia out to the Frost Festival, Vasilei had come up with the idea that the young woman could also take a few Featherlight satchels full of goods and see what she could sell and trade for out there. It wasn't a bad idea, really, what with the size of their maternal clan and the fact that it was the largest concentration of Vastian nomads at any given time. He had considered coming himself, but someone needed to mind the shop, and considering his niece was due to go into labour at any given moment; he wanted to stay close by in the capital. But perhaps he would join them later.
With Athalia still resting, Hilana set up the open-fronted tent, more of a lean-to, really, and installed herself on the market row. What she had was all kinds of solutions from home, from teas and ointments and elixirs, to honey and mead. She had a list of things that her boss wanted her to acquire in turn, because while it was easy enough to send Hilana far out into the reaches of the Expanse to find something, if it was already on hand... they could support their people who found those goods and were willing to barter for them. They might not make it all the way north where Solunarium proper was, but this was as good a compromise as any.
There would be some getting up late to return to their little makeshift stalls, considering how long the festivities had gone into during the night, but with Hilana and her tendency to thrive on very little sleep no matter how active she had been the previous day, she was one of the first ones with an open stall. And this would give her opportunities to get ahead of others that might want business, and the early bird got the worm, didn't it?
...Even if the second mouse got the cheese.
She had set up the fold-out table and shelves, and had started to empty out the featherlight satchels. With wares like these, she didn't want them on the sand, even if she could have spread things out better - it wouldn't look good, and this way, she could arrange as she wanted to. Everything was organized by what she considered the category; namely, what it was for. Remedies and treatments for sun sickness, dehydration, fever, infection, rheumatism, arthritis, and one of Hilana's specialties, antivenin. That one she had brought quite a bit of, having been religiously collecting from her assortment of cobras and vipers that were native to here. The more exotic species she didn't bother bringing out here; it was decidedly unlikely that the nomads would run into them. There was space for teas, each of the packets labelled and the Sweet Remedies stamp on them. She even had something a little different, and that was dried herbs and spices for seasoning meats, stews, and soups. Vasilei had looked at her like she had grown another head, but trusted her instincts in that regard.
He, too, came from nomadic stock, though he'd settled in the capital city after learning from Hilana's great-aunt Eliana. She might be right that people might want something new and different, even if it was just a treat or a special event. If it created demand, then demand meant business.
She came around the table and inspected it from the onlooker's point of view, making some more adjustments to make it a little more aesthetically pleasing and to make sure it was easy to look at before hanging up a wind chime that Lia had made of multi-coloured glass with tubes of metal, cord, and beads. It helped catch the morning sunlight, casting a dazzling kaleidoscope of colours around the table and the tent. The wind chimed, and Hilana could imagine some little sprite enjoying it. She returned to sit behind the table again, making herself comfortable with a little sack of dates and some naans. Breakfast hadn't quite been ready when she'd gone to set up the tent, and someone might bring by something hot from the pot if it happened, but she also did not mind - this was good, and they were delicious.
"Salve," she greeted the first of the potential clients with a bright smile. "If you have any questions, ask away. Is there anything in particular you're looking for?"
"My sister is having a hard time with carrying," the woman said after a little bit. "She's been sicker this time than her last, she can barely get up." She wasn't pleased to admit that, the young woman could tell from listening to her and watching the way her eyes moved and refused to meet the herbalist's. But she knew how things were out here - depending on the relationship the woman had with her husband, babies were everything. And admitting she was having trouble that had her sidelined may well have made her seem weak and a failure.
"How far along is she, would you say?" Hilana was thoughtful. Her tone was kind, at least, and she did seem concerned.
"About four months now, maybe five," she explained, looking over the supplies that Hilana had brought with her. "I've been looking after her last son, he's barely a year old."
Ahhhh. "Quite soon," she nodded slowly. "Well, that doesn't help. Was her last pregnancy harder than usual?"
"No, not after the first three months." She indicated a packet. "Would this help?"
"Ginger and peppermint," Hilana looked it over. "It would. Good for nausea and sour stomach. Is she able to keep anything down?" A shake of the woman's head told her no, and so the herbalist picked another packet. "This one, too, then. Red raspberry leaf and nettle. If she's not eating, then she's not getting the nutrients that she and the baby need to grow and stay strong. There's enough for four in each packet, so a good spoonful with hot water, once a day. Steep it right after the water boils for five to ten minutes. Ten is better, if she is as sick as you say. I can come by and talk with her later on tonight, too, if it would help," she offered.
"That would be helpful. Our herbalist has been having problems with her and a lack of supplies. Some of the usual plants have not recovered well from the endless light. Do you strain the herbs out?" the woman accepted the packet from Hilana and looked it over. One had a red label, the other had green. "Must she drink it hot?"
"I believe it. I have seen the same when I'm travelling through," she nodded grimly. Solunarium had kept its magical capabilities, yes, but at great environmental and ecological cost. The damage was still being dealt with, and they would need a lot more time and a lot of effort to work on its recovery. Perhaps she could put a word in with the Sentinels to make arrangements to help with that, or enlist some that could. "Yes, it would not taste very good otherwise. And hot is good, but it need not be boiling hot when she drinks it." Hilana agreed. "You can put a bit of honey or agave in it if it makes it easier for her to drink. Prickly pear syrup likely wouldn't taste good with it."
"I will take them," the woman nodded, fishing some coins from a pouch to pay. "I am Nadia of the Janii. Are you a midwife? What is your name?" she wanted to know as Hilana accepted the coins and gave her her change.
"My name is Hilana. Matsi Chenzira Hilana. My mother was from the Yusafiras clan. I am a herbalist and a doctor, but I have delivered a few children. Whereabouts are you camping?" she wanted to know.
"We are over there, on the southeast side of where the bonfire is held. You should not have a hard time finding us," Nadia smiled at her. "Thank you for this, Hilana. May the Founders smile upon you."
"In light or shadow, go in grace," Hilana returned, smiling at her, inclining her head and shoulders. She may have been Equestrian in the cities, but out here? They were nomads, and no one was higher than anyone else. If she could help in some way, then she was glad to do so. At some point, the shoe might be on the other foot, and who knew how that might land? It might very well have been that the fact that she lost her mother in childbirth with her little brother made her determined and somewhat sensitive to this issue, but every woman deserved the best care possible.
Every birth was vital. Every life was wanted out here. There was strength in numbers, and each child born could one day help their family and their clan. Who knew? Perhaps Nadia's niece or nephew might become a warrior-mage that protected their clan when they were grown. The pages of the story were blank, and waiting to be written.
The day progressed, and Lia came to check on her and sit with her for a bit after breakfast - she did bring her a bowl of stewed beans, which Hilana appreciated, and they could talk quietly in between customers. It always did surprise her the amount of knowledge that Hilana had taken in from so many different teachers over the years, and out here, she was truly in her element. Even if she couldn't do her custom blends like she might have at Sweet Remedies... there was no shortage of custom concoctions to be put together.
[Closed - Solo]
Knowing that Hilana was taking Athalia out to the Frost Festival, Vasilei had come up with the idea that the young woman could also take a few Featherlight satchels full of goods and see what she could sell and trade for out there. It wasn't a bad idea, really, what with the size of their maternal clan and the fact that it was the largest concentration of Vastian nomads at any given time. He had considered coming himself, but someone needed to mind the shop, and considering his niece was due to go into labour at any given moment; he wanted to stay close by in the capital. But perhaps he would join them later.
With Athalia still resting, Hilana set up the open-fronted tent, more of a lean-to, really, and installed herself on the market row. What she had was all kinds of solutions from home, from teas and ointments and elixirs, to honey and mead. She had a list of things that her boss wanted her to acquire in turn, because while it was easy enough to send Hilana far out into the reaches of the Expanse to find something, if it was already on hand... they could support their people who found those goods and were willing to barter for them. They might not make it all the way north where Solunarium proper was, but this was as good a compromise as any.
There would be some getting up late to return to their little makeshift stalls, considering how long the festivities had gone into during the night, but with Hilana and her tendency to thrive on very little sleep no matter how active she had been the previous day, she was one of the first ones with an open stall. And this would give her opportunities to get ahead of others that might want business, and the early bird got the worm, didn't it?
...Even if the second mouse got the cheese.
She had set up the fold-out table and shelves, and had started to empty out the featherlight satchels. With wares like these, she didn't want them on the sand, even if she could have spread things out better - it wouldn't look good, and this way, she could arrange as she wanted to. Everything was organized by what she considered the category; namely, what it was for. Remedies and treatments for sun sickness, dehydration, fever, infection, rheumatism, arthritis, and one of Hilana's specialties, antivenin. That one she had brought quite a bit of, having been religiously collecting from her assortment of cobras and vipers that were native to here. The more exotic species she didn't bother bringing out here; it was decidedly unlikely that the nomads would run into them. There was space for teas, each of the packets labelled and the Sweet Remedies stamp on them. She even had something a little different, and that was dried herbs and spices for seasoning meats, stews, and soups. Vasilei had looked at her like she had grown another head, but trusted her instincts in that regard.
He, too, came from nomadic stock, though he'd settled in the capital city after learning from Hilana's great-aunt Eliana. She might be right that people might want something new and different, even if it was just a treat or a special event. If it created demand, then demand meant business.
She came around the table and inspected it from the onlooker's point of view, making some more adjustments to make it a little more aesthetically pleasing and to make sure it was easy to look at before hanging up a wind chime that Lia had made of multi-coloured glass with tubes of metal, cord, and beads. It helped catch the morning sunlight, casting a dazzling kaleidoscope of colours around the table and the tent. The wind chimed, and Hilana could imagine some little sprite enjoying it. She returned to sit behind the table again, making herself comfortable with a little sack of dates and some naans. Breakfast hadn't quite been ready when she'd gone to set up the tent, and someone might bring by something hot from the pot if it happened, but she also did not mind - this was good, and they were delicious.
"Salve," she greeted the first of the potential clients with a bright smile. "If you have any questions, ask away. Is there anything in particular you're looking for?"
"My sister is having a hard time with carrying," the woman said after a little bit. "She's been sicker this time than her last, she can barely get up." She wasn't pleased to admit that, the young woman could tell from listening to her and watching the way her eyes moved and refused to meet the herbalist's. But she knew how things were out here - depending on the relationship the woman had with her husband, babies were everything. And admitting she was having trouble that had her sidelined may well have made her seem weak and a failure.
"How far along is she, would you say?" Hilana was thoughtful. Her tone was kind, at least, and she did seem concerned.
"About four months now, maybe five," she explained, looking over the supplies that Hilana had brought with her. "I've been looking after her last son, he's barely a year old."
Ahhhh. "Quite soon," she nodded slowly. "Well, that doesn't help. Was her last pregnancy harder than usual?"
"No, not after the first three months." She indicated a packet. "Would this help?"
"Ginger and peppermint," Hilana looked it over. "It would. Good for nausea and sour stomach. Is she able to keep anything down?" A shake of the woman's head told her no, and so the herbalist picked another packet. "This one, too, then. Red raspberry leaf and nettle. If she's not eating, then she's not getting the nutrients that she and the baby need to grow and stay strong. There's enough for four in each packet, so a good spoonful with hot water, once a day. Steep it right after the water boils for five to ten minutes. Ten is better, if she is as sick as you say. I can come by and talk with her later on tonight, too, if it would help," she offered.
"That would be helpful. Our herbalist has been having problems with her and a lack of supplies. Some of the usual plants have not recovered well from the endless light. Do you strain the herbs out?" the woman accepted the packet from Hilana and looked it over. One had a red label, the other had green. "Must she drink it hot?"
"I believe it. I have seen the same when I'm travelling through," she nodded grimly. Solunarium had kept its magical capabilities, yes, but at great environmental and ecological cost. The damage was still being dealt with, and they would need a lot more time and a lot of effort to work on its recovery. Perhaps she could put a word in with the Sentinels to make arrangements to help with that, or enlist some that could. "Yes, it would not taste very good otherwise. And hot is good, but it need not be boiling hot when she drinks it." Hilana agreed. "You can put a bit of honey or agave in it if it makes it easier for her to drink. Prickly pear syrup likely wouldn't taste good with it."
"I will take them," the woman nodded, fishing some coins from a pouch to pay. "I am Nadia of the Janii. Are you a midwife? What is your name?" she wanted to know as Hilana accepted the coins and gave her her change.
"My name is Hilana. Matsi Chenzira Hilana. My mother was from the Yusafiras clan. I am a herbalist and a doctor, but I have delivered a few children. Whereabouts are you camping?" she wanted to know.
"We are over there, on the southeast side of where the bonfire is held. You should not have a hard time finding us," Nadia smiled at her. "Thank you for this, Hilana. May the Founders smile upon you."
"In light or shadow, go in grace," Hilana returned, smiling at her, inclining her head and shoulders. She may have been Equestrian in the cities, but out here? They were nomads, and no one was higher than anyone else. If she could help in some way, then she was glad to do so. At some point, the shoe might be on the other foot, and who knew how that might land? It might very well have been that the fact that she lost her mother in childbirth with her little brother made her determined and somewhat sensitive to this issue, but every woman deserved the best care possible.
Every birth was vital. Every life was wanted out here. There was strength in numbers, and each child born could one day help their family and their clan. Who knew? Perhaps Nadia's niece or nephew might become a warrior-mage that protected their clan when they were grown. The pages of the story were blank, and waiting to be written.
The day progressed, and Lia came to check on her and sit with her for a bit after breakfast - she did bring her a bowl of stewed beans, which Hilana appreciated, and they could talk quietly in between customers. It always did surprise her the amount of knowledge that Hilana had taken in from so many different teachers over the years, and out here, she was truly in her element. Even if she couldn't do her custom blends like she might have at Sweet Remedies... there was no shortage of custom concoctions to be put together.
