Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Calm (Markets) Before the Potential Storm

Posted by Lieutenant Commander Sharah Fayth (Chief Star Fleet Medical Officer) in Calm (Markets) Before the Potential Storm

Posted by Captain Eela Dasca (Lt. Governor) in Calm (Markets) Before the Potential Storm

(snip)

His eyes lit up as she gazed at Eela and she gave him a nod. “Ahh, yes! What are you looking to use them for exactly?”

Eela smiled. “Watercolours. I’m looking for mineral, clay and oxide pigments and I’m going to make my own plant pigments, but I’d like to avoid synthetics. And I want everything to be from Oed, if possible. Just a project I’m working on.”

He held up a finger. “Hold on just a moment and I’ll show you a few of what I’ve used.” Argont moved into the back of his stall and crouched, digging through a few bags. He returned and set a few jars on the table. “Now, the lovely bit about all the mining we have, and the crater itself, is that we have a great source for those kinds of pigments and we can get crushed waste rock in some cases and make use of the remnants of the mining process.”

“Thus, leading to less waste,” Eela said with a nod. She liked that. She picked up a jar labelled dark yellow ochre. “Do you have a particular source you prefer?”

“There are a couple. One does pigments for arts and crafts but they only have a few that are Oed-sourced. But if you want a predominantly local provider, I have a contact with one of the mining companies that buys waste rock and helps me source small amounts. I can’t imagine you’d need more than what he can get.”

“That sounds ideal.”
Argont grinned. “I’ll get him to contact you and you two can take it from there.”
She beamed at him. “Thank you. Do you have a source for indigo and other colour-fast plant dyes?” She was excited to experiment with found dye sources but having a few solid colours at her disposal would be good.
“Actually, I can do you one better.” Argont moved back into his stash of supplies and brought out a tiny jar of a dark blue powder and slid it towards her. “Try that and see if it works for you. It’s not an actual indigo, but I stumbled upon a plant that had a similar colour in one of the gardens here and I worked out a deal with the head landscaper.”

She picked up the jar and studied it. There was a very slight purple hue to it, but it was hard to tell the exact colour until it was bound and mixed with water. “How much?”

Argont shook his head and waved his hand. “It’s a free sample. It might not work the way you expect, so try it out and if you like it, I’ll put touch with the landscaper and you’re on you own after that.”

Eela chuckled. “Okay! Thank you. I’m looking forward to trying it. And it was great meeting you, Argont.” She tapped the jar before she set it into her bag gently. “I feel like a kid who just got told they could go out to play after their chores were all done.”

~Eela

Sharah laughed, “Well that’s good. We should all let our child selves out to play sometimes.”

It was a strange thought, but one that resonated with Eela. Her child-self. In many ways that part of her was tied deeply to Halii, and her parents. Perhaps that was why she had veered (in part) so far from her cultural practices. Interesting. It was something to explore later.

Argont stopped her. “Dr Fayth, do you think you could take something to Jal’na,” he paused and his eyes darted around. He cleared his throat and dropped his voice to a whisper. “Ahem, have to watch out for those House Duroc folks. Get in a real tizzy when I don’t call her Lady, though she seems to find it tedious.”

Sharah nodded and sighed. Her words carried a heavy weight of personal understanding, “They greatly respect her, but it is hard, when your friends treat you differently when they think things have changed.”

Argint stood up, “Yes well, she is still my friend. But I made this new yarn, and I thought she might like it. I made several mini skiens as samples. Would you take it to her? I thought I would see her today, but alas, I have not.”

Sharah took the small bundle and put it in her bag. “I’m happy to. I am sure she will love it.” Sharah waved as they moved on.

Sharah

“Have a great day,” Eela said to Argont before she fell in step with Sharah. “I feel for Jal’na. It’s a big transition and it will take time. But hopefully she’ll find her stride.” That resistance to a title was something Eela understood. It was a process of growth that someone had to go through before they found, if not ease with the reality, but acceptance. And everyone’s journey looked different.

~Eela

Sharah only nodded, lost in thought. It wasn’t her place to speak of secrets that were not her own. Speaking from personal observation though, was okay, wasn’t it? “Jal’na is a capable leader, and woe for the person who does not do as they should.” Jal’na knew her way, but it was a matter of other people putting their ideas on her. More than that though it was the expectations of a society, ingrained from childhood, that Jal’na never fit in with, that hounded Jal’na. Sharah understood that struggle. She knew if Jal’na could hold onto the peace she had found for herself she would be fine. Sharah knew that was a hard battle to over come.

“Jal’na is capable and adaptable. Lord Duroc loves her deeply and she him. They will have a happy and animated life together. Do you think the pigments will work for you? What about gourds or citrus fruits with thick peels? Would those work?” Sharah pointed to a couple of stalls a bit further down.

Sharah