this is really the seasonal that last one was a prank

*Kiriko* · 04-28-2023, 02:54 AM

let's stick together just a little bit longer

Kiriko has been considering the things already growing within the garden. Sedna seemed to have it all under control for the common and not so common things. All the wonderful, useful things that the bastard koi could think of, they were all here already. It’s enough to make her feel almost like she’s coming up short. What else was there for her to tend to when it came to the healing? Sure there were the small things, the day to day things, but it left her feeling a bit like she wasn’t pulling her weight on the healer’s chores and duties. Fall had come in Auster, and it would be winter soon.

It’s now that she considers more traditional medicine. Things that didn’t seem to be as common to the population here, but they would use widely at home. With her thoughts turning to the direction of the things in the royal storerooms back in Nihon, she tried to picture them. Tried to picture them, tried to push the sadness from her chest. Kiriko’s heart squeezed. The thought of the storerooms, and how she’d hidden within them during the revo– no. Think back farther than that, think back before things went sour. Reach back in her mind and pull forward the sights, the sounds, the scents… right. She can see the drawers of herbs now, the containers of seeds, the way they were handled and organized. Kiriko can see them in her mind’s eye, with their tidy labels.

Her first thought is of black cardamom, something she can see and smell. It’s a balm to her senses, even if it’s not real. There’s the citrus scents of bitter orange and mikan orange, and Kiriko can see them too. Wait… bitter orange. The koi wolf thinks to herself for a long moment, considering. It hasn’t been such a long time since the very scent of bitter orange has come upon her. Somewhere here, somewhere within Auster, she’d smelled the fruit. It was growing from a tree around here somewhere, she just had to find it.

She sets out to find it, determined now. Kiriko would track down the oranges and at least harvest enough seeds to return with. Maybe there would even be saplings that were already producing fruit that could be dug up and taken home, re planted in the garden within the bamboo, or maybe near the bay. This would be a contribution of her own. Kiriko wants to feel useful in all of this, even if that’s hard. She sighed as she walked, occasionally stopping to scent the autumn breeze around her head.

It’s on the edge of the woods that separate the Swallet Ring from the brimstone beyond that she finds it. Kiriko had set out for the tree, and the trees she did find. Bitter oranges hung heavily, low from branches above her head. There were a dozen or so of them, a small copse, but she’d found them all the same. Head high and proud of herself that she’d managed to track them down, the girl gazed upon the branches, and then at the ground.

Around her feet, there had to be a dozen of the round, plump oranges. Many were overripe, many more squashed or half squashed. They’d been scavenged by whatever omnivores wanted to give them a try, but there should still be seeds among the flesh. Carefully, the koi gathered them up in her paws and began to pick away the squishy bits of skin and pulp. Her nose wrinkled– it was an unpleasant task, if she’d ever encountered one. Terribly unpleasant, but it was for a good cause. The smell of overripe fruit burning somewhere in the back of her throat, Kiriko managed to liberate two seeds from the first orange. While not the best haul, it was better than nothing.

Onto the second, a bust. Then a third. Three whole seeds prized from as many squishy oranges. Was there a better way? Maybe. Kiriko’s attention turned back to the bitter oranges still hanging in pristine shape from the trees. She considered for a long moment, making a face as she did. Furrowing her brows for a long moment before an idea struck. Nosing around on the ground for a moment, she found a decently sized rock. She lifted it easily, but it had a nice weight to it. Yes, this would do well.

Stepping back from the oranges she hoped to hit, the koi wolf gathered her strength and threw the stone. Though she’d put some effort into the throw, Kiriko managed to miss– not by a lot, but by enough. Grumbling to herself, she tracked down the stone and tried once more. Another throw, another miss. Scowling, Kiriko wasn’t going to give up just yet. One more hard throw, and while this one doesn’t quite hit the oranges, it hits the branch beside them. The impact was enough to shake loose three plump, round oranges. They softly crashed to the ground where she could collect them, rather pleased with her work.

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