Rhythm followed the lynx to the ship, having sent her grandchild’s companions off to tell the young ones where she was headed. Right into the belly of the beast so to speak, telling Theory about her adventure when she returned home would hopefully loosen her granddaughter's worries further. The old woman might have been impressed at the ship were she able to see its entirety, even when she had been blessed with sight she couldn’t remember making her way this far north.

Easily she came to a halt, though Natha wouldn’t leave her alone in the pack lands until Drifa appeared. Rhythm was no threat to Winterfell. ”Drifa?” She asked curiously, eager to reunite with the kind woman. Maybe she would make it home with some extra goodies as well, Drifa had a sharp mind, this meeting would be fruitful she had no doubt.

Drífa worked about in her stores, eyes scanning the shelves as she sought out the ingredients she was looking for. Sitting not far off was Lúta, a young woman she'd met while she'd been out gathering. An aspiring healer herself the two agreed on a trade and now Drífa sought out the anise seed for their trade. But where had she stashed it? In the background she could hear Halla chattering along with Ragna. The two macaques were deeply engrossed in their own language.

Her eyes spied the jar and she grinned. "Here we go!" She pulled it out. "One jar of anise see for one ginseng root." It was a plant she hadn't really seen in the north but she knew of its great healing properties so it was an easy trade for her to agree to. It was then she heard a familiar voice. Smiling Drífa got to her paws and went to meet Rhythm.

"Rhythm! How are you? It is good to see you again. I was just doing some herb trading with Lúta here. We were about to go out and do some crafting while we have such nice weather. Would you like to join us?"

Lúta sat patiently as the older woman went through her collection. She was secretly jealous of the large collection of herbs all stored so neatly on the shelves. She still only had her deer hide bundle and a few stores of items here and there but eventually she'd settle. Drífa soon found the anise seed and offered it to Lúta who took it in exchange for the ginseng root. It was hard to let it go but she'd managed to gather two and one would do for her for now. A voice called out and Drífa greeted an older woman named Rhythm. Well, what a surprise! She kept quiet as Drífa spoke before speaking herself. "Hello there, it's nice to meet you again! I hope you've been well."

The old woman wasn’t left to wonder if Drifa was home for very long, she heard her name called out as Drifa appeared to greet her. Rhythm felt her own silver marked lips pull back into a grin as her attention was directed to the companion her acquaintance had at her side. A woman named Luta, and the two of them were on their way to do a bit of concocting.

”Seems I chose the right day for a walk about.” The old woman chuckled as she returned her attention to the other young woman who offered her own greeting. ”Ah, Luta! What a pleasant surprise. You’re both doing well I assume?” She remembered meeting up with the pleasant woman at the springs not so very long ago. ”I hope you ladies don’t mind I join you.” Surely she could find a bit of mud or clay to work on. She’d had an idea to make a game to teach and play her grandchildren.

Drífa smiled and spoke. "Not at all, please do!" She moved aside so that Rhythm could walk in and get more comfortable. There were a number of skins on the floor and Drífa moved to rest on a reindeer skin as she moved around a few supplies. The company did her heart good and of course the trading with the young stranger only served to strengthen Winterfell's stores.

"If you need anything I'm happy to trade and share supplies. I do have some wood gathered if someone wants to get a fire going."

Lúta was pleased to be able to craft with the two older women. It would give her an opportunity to ask questions if any arose. At the moment though she wanted to do something with the anise seeds she'd traded for. Ragna had joined her and aided her in opening the jar to the wonderful fragrance of anise seed. "Ah, I love this smell. I've heard anise is good for coughs. Do either of you know of other herbs that are good for coughs?" With winter around the corner she expected to be more vulnerable to respiratory infection. She wanted to get a good store put together.

Lúta reached into her bundle and pulled out a small vial. At the moment it was empty but with the acquired seeds and some wine from Ragna she hoped to make some Anisette. She carefully set the bottle down on an even surface and eyed it for a moment as she debated how many of the seeds to put into the bottle. She did want to save some to make tea out of if needed.

Rhythm didn’t hesitate to take Drifa’s invitation and let herself in, the old woman moved about awkwardly by feel, finding a comfortable spot to lower herself. She couldn’t deny how much she enjoyed making her return to Abaven and getting to know her young descendants. However, she had taken quite a liking to both women that she found herself with now. Thinking about problems that did not have to do with her was a welcome relief.

”Oh, I’d be happy to make a fire for you.” She may have been blind, but making a fire was one challenging task that she found herself enjoying. Rhythm allowed herself to be guided towards the provided wood and supplies as Luta got comfortable and spoke about her herbs. Rhythm began to arrange tiny pieces of wood and light materials. ”That is quite a lovely scent.” She commented softly as the woman asked about other plants to be used. ”They’re a little hard to find, but lemon juice in hot water mixed with honey.” Though it wasn’t exactly a cultivated herb, if she could find some lemons Rhythm couldn’t reccomend a better remedy.

Drífa smiled and lead Rhythm to the wood supplies. The elder woman wasted no time in getting started and Drífa moved to join her. She carefully took a few smaller pieces of wood and followed Rhythm's lead for getting a fire built. She did bar softly to her companion Halla who dug out some flint and a piece of metal for Rhythm to use later if she wished.

Her ears perked up at the younger woman's question about herbs that were good for coughs. "Oh, that sounds lovely Rhythm. Makes me wish I had some lemons here. Tea from the comfrey root is also a good standby. Not as tasty but it will do the trick."

Lúta had to work carefully using her fangs to accomplish what she wished. She carefully took the bundle of anise seed and folded the hide it was wrapped in before taking it in her teeth as she usually did to create a makeshift funnel. She then carefully tilted her head to dump a few seeds in as she listened politely to the older woman. She tipped her head again to add a few more before carefully setting the bundle down.

"I've never heard of a lemon before. What does it look like and where do you usually find them?" She'd heard of comfrey before but had mostly used the leaves for digestive trouble. And of course she was familiar with honey but the word 'lemon' was new to her.

Rhythm was assisted by DRifa in the efforts to make the fire, and her primate companion was there to provide the necessary tools to actually get the fire lit. She smiled in its general direction as she grasped for the tools and got to work striking them together. By feel the fire eventually sparked to life. Rhythm grinned at her accomplishment as she turned to Luta as she questioned what a lemon was.

”It’s a type of fruit. It has an oily rind and a sour juice filled flesh inside. I’ve only seen them in the regions that don’t freeze.” The reason for their rarity, they could not grow in cold climates. ”Lets see… If I remember correctly they’re a bright yellow oblong shape.” She tapped her chin thoughtfully, hoping if she was wrong that Drifa would correct her.

Drífa resisted the urge to giggle at the younger woman's question about what a lemon was. It was a reasonable question for one so young but she still found it rather amusing. Drífa found herself wondering how well the juice would freeze. Perhaps she should try to freeze some this winter as the fresh fruits would only keep for so long and the north was a frigid place not meant for lemons. She did have her little greenhouse but there was only so much it would do. It was meant to extend the growing season for a little bit, not to house non-native plants through the harsh northern winters.

Lúta set aside the jar of soon-to-be anisette and pulled out some dried herbs. She'd been running low on tisane mixes, particularly of her favorite one which was chamomile and lavender. It had a lovely smell and was so warm and calming she went through it faster than she meant to, especially as the weather grew cooler. She smiled as Rhythm got a fire going, maybe they could all have some tea.

Lúta pulled out another bowl to make her tisane and listened as Rhythm explained what a lemon was. "It sounds really pretty, where do you find lemons? Oh, and if you two don't mind I'd be happy to make us some tea. Anything in particular suit your fancy?" She reached in her bundle and pulled out a few more bowls that they could put the tea in.

Drifa was quiet as the two of them worked together to build up a tiny bed for the fire. As much preparation was put into making a proper home for flame as was making the flame itself. For all the destruction fire could wreak when it was small, it was fragile. Like many things she supposed. Carefully the flames were brought to life and Rhythm sat back with satisfaction as it blossomed into a warm centerpiece. She was grateful to have picked up such a skill, as long as it was properly maintained fire was a great asset.

”It grows on trees, I would look for places where winter doesn’t touch the landscape.” She offered, uncertain off the top of her head where she might find a lemon these days. ”If I’m not mistaken they ripen around the winter solstice. Tea sounds lovely, how about something minty?” At this point it would be much better to warm up before returning to Abaven. Hopefully Feather told the grandkids where she was.