Growing Solid Roots

[Rosemary McIntyre]

Rosemary had chewed on her lip the whole ride into town, and her knuckles were white where she was clenching the strap of her bag too tightly. She'd brought along a bag full of samples of her herbs and her tea blend recipe book, hoping that perhaps showing that she knew what she was doing would make this a more convincing proposition.

It wasn't that she thought Pandora would send her away rudely, but she wanted desperately for this to be a portion of her escape route. Right now, all her income from her position as a lady in waiting went straight to her parents, and none of it to her. She had to get money from them to buy her dresses, even. If she could start this as a side business, somewhat, and if she could do it without her father being aware, she would have a source of income she could use to start saving up to get herself moving towards that quiet cottage in the woods that she so dreamed of.

The only problem was that it required flinging herself miles outside of her comfort zone and into a blind area where she had no idea what she was doing. She would just have to hope that she would have a soft landing.

She took a deep breath as she hesitated outside the Moon Flower. She could do this. It would be alright.

She opened the door and entered the warmth and herbal smell of the shop, which immediately soothed some of her nerves. This was a good place to be. She turned her smile to the young woman behind the counter and waved softly.

"Hello, Lady Pandora. Do you have a moment? I've got something important I'd like to talk to you about."


Pandora Valis

[Pandora Valis]

Pandora was humming away, mixing away peacefully as the fire crackled in the fireplace. The shop was filled with a soothing herbal scent and also the lingering smell of freshly brewed coffee. She would continue to work, the small woman sitting behind her counter as she took a little taste of the mixture and frowned at it before adding a little more to it again.

When the door opened though, she would give a warm smile, "Of course I do come in!" she told her brightly. She knew Rosemary of course and so she was curious to see what she had on her mind and a visit was always welcome to her in general.

"Would you like some coffee? I just brewed some and have plenty left," Pandora would offer her as she would go and get another cup for her just in case she would like to join her in some coffee this afternoon. The shop owner though was very curious as to what she needed her for and so she would move aside her task to be able to give her attention to her.

[Rosemary McIntyre]

Rosemary shook her head rapidly. "Oh dear, no thank you. I'm afraid even a strong cup of tea is more caffeine than is good for me. It makes me dreadfully shaky." She smiled ruefully. "It does smell lovely, though." she added as if that might soften the blow of rejecting coffee.

She did step forward though and set her bag on the counter before withdrawing several small tins, along with her big recipe book and garden journal. The massive tome was filled with several different types of paper, some pages wider than others, corners folded, pages marked with leaves, and gave off a distinct smell of soil and damp woodchips.

"So, I'm sure you know that gardening is a hobby of mine, but ah, I'm not sure I've been clear quite how passionate I am about it. And, um, seeing as you make use of herbs and things here, I thought, perhaps, I might be able to become one of your suppliers. I brought samples of my current plants, but I can grow anything you like as long as I can get cuttings or seeds. A-and, um, I don't mean to sound boastful, but I really do mean anything." She forced herself to stand up straighter. "I'm confident I can actually grow anything you need."

She slid the tins toward Pandora, then tapped each one in turn. "I brought valerian, yarrow, feverfew, mugwort, and St. John's wort." She paused and tapped the book last. "I also blend herbal and fruit teas, if you'd be interested in carrying those. This has all my recipes, so you can see if there are any you like."

[Pandora Valis]

Oh! That sounded like Pandora as well but she didn't overly care at how hyper she got, it was just part of her own strange charm but she would give a nod, "That's alright, I do have teas that are without caffeine if you'd like to avoid the shakes," she would tell her- it wasn't something she personally liked but other people did.

Watching her come to the counter, she would move stuff out of the way and it didn't take her long to catch the smells of herbs coming from her bag as she unpacked everything and spoke. Her attention was given in both aspects of what she was saying and her picking up the tins and sniffing them. They all smelt great, she had a green thumb for sure.

Pandora was quiet for a moment as she looked these over, picking up the valerian and opening it to sniff it and pick up a leaf. She was checking it and the little smile on her face should say that she was impressed with the stock in front of her. "I don't think I've met another besides myself that I've been immediately impressed with the herbal stock brought in. Other suppliers, I end up with bruised leaves at best and then dead at worst," she told her as she closed it and went to another and looked at it. There was no order to how she looked but she was loving it.

"How often do you harvest and do you have a greenhouse?" she inquired curiously before she looked at the book and with permission, she would pick it up to take a look. "You are talented...you know most of these combinations have some form of health benefits right? Either for the heart or kidneys- even the liver and this tea I often do a different version for those who are older to help keep their mind sharp," she told her with a smile. There was nothing but praise in her tone as she placed the book down and pulled out her own worn leather-bound book. It was heavy and thick and the leather no longer looked new, in fact, it looked almost thirty years old. She would also pull out a map as well and place that on the book. "How much are you wanting to charge for your herbs?" she would inquire. If that alone didn't say she was interested, it was about to get even more abundantly clear soon.

[Rosemary McIntyre]

Rosemary relaxed slightly when Pandora said she was happy with the samples she'd brought. That was a good sign, right? The barrage of questions, however, pushed her in the opposite direction. Immediately she was standing ramrod straight like a soldier at attention, with her hands clasped behind her back. It reminded her of when her father would test them, making sure that their governess had been teaching them all they should know.

"I can harvest however often you need; my plants are healthy and large, and they grow rapidly. I do indeed have a greenhouse, all these were grown there. As for the teas, I use my own blend of valerian, chamomile, and catnip for sleep. As for the others, I don't get to use them as often myself, although I like to keep them on hand."

She watched with curiosity as Pandora brought out her well-worn ledger and a map. What did that have to do with anything?

The question pulled her attention back to her friend's eager face. "Well, I should probably have an answer for that, but frankly, I'm willing to accept whatever price you feel is fair. I have all my immediate needs met and no intention of cheating a friend, so it needn't be extravagant." She broke eye contact, looking down at her muddy boots. "My hope is to begin saving...something of an emergency fund, you could say."

[Pandora Valis]

Pandora would listen to her intently, nodding as she spoke, a little smile on her face as she listened to her words. She knew what she was talking about and had a good set up even, that was good to know!

She would then hold out the map to her that had a spot of ruins circled, "Right there is where I normally gather most of my herbs that I don't buy, they are in a makeshift greenhouse out there because the soil has been cultivated for sometime from myself and my mother to be highly fertile and healthy. I'm showing and giving this to you so that if you'd like, you can take the plants and soil from that area to help with your plants," she told her.

Oh, she had no idea and that made her heart ache a little for her. She would then pull out a slip of paper and then started to write out prices then, tapping her pen against her lower lip some as she figured the prices for her then, "The more medicinal the herb and the higher quality the higher price you can set on them per ounce," she would inform her as she then crouched down and pulled out a key and would open up her till for the day.

"I understand and there is no shame in that, all of this will go to you and I am going to do this," she would tell her as she pulled out a coin purse and counted out fifty gold pieces and would close the bag and lock up the little chest and then hold it out for her, "For what you brought in today and if you could do weekly deliveries of various herbs that you have, I will give you a percentage of those profits I make as well as paying for the herbs you provide," she told her with a smile at that. Pandora truly did make a fair amount with her shop, so this wouldn't hurt her and would help give Rosemary a bit of a nest egg to have.