these wings on your back aren't a dream

[CELESTE G.M.]

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The sage tryouts would of course catch the shaman's attention. She still had intentions of going home if she could, but the possibility of her going home seemed to getting thinner and thinner, like watching sand slip between her paws. For now and the foreseeable future, it seemed like she was stuck with being a pirate. Temulin would rather contribute than sit around moping to herself.

The task was simple. Find three herbs, bring them back and explain their applications in a medical sense. It was something that the siamese was confident that she would be able to do... Anywhere but here. The rainforest as a place was unfamiliar to her, the geography was strange and unheard of. Simply put, her knowledge of tropical flora was lacking at best. She did hear of miracle cures coming from across the sea, but she'd never actually laid her own two eyes on them.

Maybe it was best to try and locate plants that she knew, considering the idea was to demonstrate her knowledge and not go over the time limit of two hours. One that particularly would be around would be ginger, hopefully. It was something that was a staple of traditional medicine and it liked the humid forests that the traders that visited the plains came from. Eastern traders were a favourite of hers when they came to interact, bringing colourful silks and fragrant herbs and spices.

There's a telltale flower that the siamese spots with a smile. Pink and tall, looking like a particularly vibrant pinecone. She digs up the roots of the plant, taking one good chunk and replanting the rest of it. She mutters a quick thanks to the Earth Mother for the gift, something that anyone would likely think insane, but it's respectful. And then she moves thinking of things that would grow in such a humid environment.

Cinnamon... Cinnamon trees. The cinnamon that was ground for consumption was removed from tree barks as far as she could remember. That would be no good, Temulin hadn't brought a knife with her into the jungle. There wasn't enough time to go and find a knife either, so something else would have to do. What else went in the teas... Oh! Lemon Balm!

She remembers how the bitter taste would needed to be covered up with honey or something else sweet. Perhaps some of the sugar that the traders had too, but sugar was used sparingly in her practices. Too much sugar was bad for anyone. Still, taking a few leaves off the small shrub was no great effort. Which left one more herb to go with... How long had she taken now?

There was no point guessing, she may as well be quick as possible. She tries to look to the sky for any clues on time but tracking the sun through the canopy proves difficult as expected. Still, there is something that catches her eye. A dangling fruit atop her head, a bright green unripe colour. She remembers something about that plant... Hadn't she seen one before?

She was certain that it had been brought before as a trader bragged about it. Something Anise... It's seeds were good for cooking and apparently helped with colds, if she remembered correctly. The only thing that she definitely remembered was it being mixed into an excellent stew when she kept as a guest for a trading tribe. The Kha were an strange tribe, interacting with the outside world as if it was nothing, as if it did not challenge centuries of traditions and practices.

Temulin enjoyed staying with them. If she ever did manage to return, she was certain that the tribesmen and women of the Kha would love to hear about the Typhoon, maybe discover the Island themselves one day. They would doubtless be happy to see her return, would they not? Hopefully. She would certainly have stories to share about the pirates.

With the herbs gathered, there's no reason to stay in the jungle and risk overlapping the time. She sees that Junji and another feline that she hasn't seen yet are present, already having presented their own herbs. It's curious that none of them seem to have found the same herbs, but perhaps that is testament to how diverse the fauna of the rainforest.

"This is ginger. It is good for aching bones and joints, circulation and nausea. I wouldn't recommend eating it like this, but it tastes very good cooked with meats and other herbs." She explains, silently noting that perhaps she should of thought of things other than food. That being said, sharing meals and stews were a way of bonding, and many a medicinal concoction had been hidden in a rich beef stew.

"Lemon Balm is another tea ingredient. It also helps with the blood and is good for colds, especially good for soothing sore throats with some honey. Honey and lemon balm tea make a good combination, although I'm unsure whether the Typhoon keeps honey bees." She places the leaves down with the ginger root in front of her, sounding relatively confident. That being said, she is simply talking about tea and common medicine. However, the ritual magic used in tandem is absent from her explanations.

"Finally, I believe this is Anise? It would need to dried first, and apart from being a wonderful spice for cooking - it is a good treatment for keeping healthy and colds. That being said, it will need to be dried for a good couple of months before usable." With everything explained and done, the siamese waits for anyone else considering to arrive.