10th Zi’da Arc 717 - Dusk
The scent of peppermint and the mild aroma of several other herbs filled the small room Rose was occupying within the Olọravu Slosneppe. The modest chamber was used as something of a pharmacy, filled with dried herbs, tonics and tinctures that awaited later use. The redheaded physician was enjoying a little down time between patients and had settled into the wonderfully repetitive but pleasant work of breaking down herbs and blending them into simple remedies for common ailments. Warm sunlight drifted through the narrow window, leaving the room a little less chilled than it had been earlier. Rose smiled absently as she worked her mortar and pestle, grinding and pulverizing the fresh mint leaves that she had just stripped from a nearby plant. The mint itself would help soothe decongestion and inflammation but she was adding it more to cover the bitter taste of the feverfew she would be adding next. Feverfew could be irritating to the mouth if not administered with another herb to lessen the discomfort and cover the taste. Once she had a couple tablespoons of mint ground into a firm paste she added a large pinch of the aforementioned feverfew. Rose attacked the new contents in her mortar with fervor until it was reduced to a fine dust. Now came the best part, nimble fingers reached for a glass pot filled with a golden substance. Everyone knew honey always made things better. Quickly she spooned an overflowing heap into the bowl to sweeten the contents so they were bearable. She added a small splash of olive oil to turn the herbs and honey into a thinner mixture that could be dispensed from a container. Often, simple medicines like this were wonderful for treating a child or even an adult with a cold. However if the mixture was not sweetened or flavored with a pleasant herb like mint, some fussy patients wouldn't touch it. Rose dripped a finger in the mortar to get a sample of the contents, she took a quick investigative taste. At first the lovely sweetness of the honey and mint hit her taste buds, but they did only so much to cover the bitterness of the feverfew. Her lips pinched together with disgust as the sharp astringent flavor rolled over her tongue. Rose shook her head in disappointment, oh well at least she made an effort.
It was just as Rose began pouring the sticky green mixture into a small glass jar that one of the younger Sevir medicine women popped her head around the corner. “Pẹlẹv ies av kukuru kọv bäƙïn'cïkï äjọdun, dav dẹọdọ ke’u diuv.” (There is a man in room two, do what you can) She barked in Xanthea. “Tẹ tireaioang mwẹnẹndọ ke’ua bayyanannu ïtärä”(He only speaks your common tongue) she said while frowning slightly as she glanced at the tips of Rose’s fingers which were covered in the green sticky medicine. “Kalubale ke’ui ïsẹ!” (Clean yourself up!)
Rose snapped to attention when the medicine woman entered, listening intently as she was assigned a patient. “Hìtua dav!” (Will do!) she responded cheerfully. The medicine woman turned and left leaving Rose sticky and ill prepared for what was to come.