Laby Inbox

[magusrobin]

Chise's Laby Inbox

Please feel free to leave a text, video, or audio message! (And please let her know who is calling, she's new to phones)

UN:Robin

Comments

(sounds good!) text->action

[magusrobin]

See you soon then!

[When Eilonwy approached Chise's cottage, the redhead was - for once - not outside. As a polite knock was answered with a friendly "come in!", Eilonwy would be greeted with the sight of Chise's generally sparse living. A table was set up with several bowls - all containing various spices, dried flowers and fruit, and a few smaller offerings of oil -, a stack of fabric squares, and some needle and thread. Chise turned around, wiping her hands on her apron and greeting her friend with a smile.]

"Eilonwy! How was the walk over?"

perma-action!

[waterfawn]

[Eilonwy stepped inside and looked around before she returned Chise's smile.] "Hello Chise, it was nice enough. I ran a little but it was good exercise." [She looked to the bowls and approached the nearest] "Oh! You've quite a lot of ingredients!"

[magusrobin]

“Of course. There are many combinations that can be made for potpourri… and I wasn’t entirely sure what scents you would prefer, so I wanted to get a variety.” [Moving towards the small kitchen nearby.] “But before that, would you like anything to drink or eat? The process does take some time, so it would be good if we had snacks.”

[waterfawn]

"That's very kind- I actually prefer forest scents but also some flowers." [Eilonwy nodded] "Both sound good. Tea if you have it, but I'm fine with whatever you want to make for snacks."

[magusrobin]

[Chise took note of that with a hum.] “I think i have some pine shavings here somewhere…”

[Perusing the different bowls, reorganizing them a bit so they were sorted more into scent categories rather than at random.]

“I do have some, though I’m afraid it might not be as warm as you might be used to.” [Chise still didn’t know whether to trust the wish system here yet, so no modern appliances.] “I did pick some fresh berries recently, if you would like to try some?”

[She disappeared into the kitchen for a brief moment, bringing out a kettle filled with a mildly bitter scent and another bowl of said berries.]

[waterfawn]

"That's fine, I can drink it at almost any temperature." [Eilonwy watched as Chise vanished into the kitchen and looked towards the bowls with a smile.] "I'd like that, yes- thank you." [She walked over to the table and would wait until Chise sat before making herself comfortable.]

[magusrobin]

[Chise gladly brought the bowls over, pouring a cup of tea for both herself and Eilonwy before sitting. The chairs were situated at the same table as the potpourri supplies, but with enough room to relax and work at the same time.]

“Before we start… how has your knitting been going? I know you were working on a few projects last time we spoke.”


[Pleasant conversation never hurt, and she wanted to catch up with her friend a bit before she got into describing the process.]

[waterfawn]

"Thank you." [Eilonwy took her cup and a had a drink before she answered.]

"I haven't been doing it as much, so I'm a little behind- but the next bunch of cotton cloths are almost finished. I just need to do the finishing borders and then wash them so they'll stretch out. Likewise how have you been? This must have taken a while to find everything!"

[Pleasant conversation was always welcomed.]

[magusrobin]

“You are still making progress. It is meant to be a relaxing hobby as well…” [She gave Eilonwy an encouraging smile.]

“Ah, it didn’t take as long as you might think.” [Well, there had been the process of figuring out where best to obtain everything, since different materials were involved.] “I’m used to gathering these sorts of supplies from back home, so after I figured out where, the how was much more enjoyable.”

[waterfawn]

"That's true, I guess I'm thinking more of Llyr and Prydain."

[Eilonwy returned the smile, glad for the encouragement.]

"Oh, then it's like when I pick fruit or flowers." [She had another drink of her tea and laughed a little.] "I'm glad it didn't take as long. Shorter tasks have their place along with longer ones, I think."

[magusrobin]

“That’s true. If we focused on one or the other too much, then you would either end up exhausted or with no time at all.”

[She mused with a smile, taking a sip of her own tea. Her gaze drifted back to the potpourri ingredients.]

“A mix of both is better, for balance.”

[waterfawn]

[Some more tea was had as she looked at the different bowls.]

"Much like potpourri. Unless you just wanted one scent, but then it wouldn't be potpourri, I think."

[magusrobin]

“Right.” [She nodded, pleased.] “While mixing the scents is beneficial for effect, it’s also just dependent on what you like.”

[Giving Eilonwy a smile as she took another sip.] “Want to learn how it works?”

[waterfawn]

"Of course, whenever you're ready!"

[Eilonwy forced herself not to hurry and finish her tea. It was as nice as doing other things with Chise, and she really didn't want to rush it. The bowls weren't going anywhere.]

Not me Googling “how to make potpourri” XD

[magusrobin]

[They could, of course, have tea while they worked. That was why Chise had brought the kettle out to the table, so that they could still enjoy refreshments while learning something new.]

[She moved the ingredients closer to where they were, making sure to leave space for mixing and also placed an empty bowl in front of each of them.]

Technically, you can work on the fabric casings while the mixture settles. That’s what I do if I am working on a larger batch, so that when the mixture is set, I can transfer it to the satchels rather quickly. For now, we’ll focus on the mixture.

[Among the bowls were also measuring cups and some containing small spoons. Chise grabbed a cup of the pine and a half cup of lavender, placing each into her empty bowl and mixing it.]

Depending on how strong you want a scent, you can vary how much of each ingredient you use. It’s a good rule to generally have at least two cups of ingredients total, depending on how large the satchel you are going to put it in. Likewise, if you put something that has a faint scent, like certain petals, you can include more of that.

[Once the mix was thoroughly combined, she slid over a few of the bowls containing liquids and spoons.]

Next you want to add an oil. This ferments the majority of the underlying scent, aside from the dry materials you choose. You don’t need too much unless you want a stronger scent.

[Placing about two teaspoons scattered throughout the dry mix, she then grabbed another bowl full of dry powder.]

This is Orris root. You want to grind it into a fine powder, like this, before you use it, but it helps to seal the scent. After all… you put the mixture into an airtight container to let it infuse for a few weeks, if you aren’t wanting an immediate use. Though if you do the latter, it will have less of a long-lasting effect, so I do recommend sealing it and letting it sit for at least a few days. I tend to seal them in empty jars we have laying around

[She gave Eilonwy an encouraging smile.]

Any questions so far? It’s pretty simple one you figure out what combinations you like.

[waterfawn]

(ooc- me just breaking the algorithm googling stuff for rp XD)

[Eilonwy listened, studying some of the bowls and repeating bits of the information softly to herself, to help file it away in her memory.] Not.. entirely? It's surprising it can keep for a few weeks, but that does make sense. What if you accidentally put too much of an ingredient in? Can you.. [She trailed off and had a drink of her tea] I guess, could you erase back to before that? Or would you have to find a new combination?

OOC - SAME XD Google be so confused

[magusrobin]

Hmm…

[Chise took her own sip of tea while she thought.]

I guess if you put too much in, it would just mean the scent is overwhelming. Dry ingredients might be easier to remove, but once you mix the oils, there isn’t much you can do aside from add something else to balance it out.

[Smiling in encouragement.]

That’s why I always think it’s best to experiment. And use smaller quantities starting out - that way, you can always add more.

ooc- apologies this is so late!

[waterfawn]

[Eilonwy looked to the ingredients and had another drink of her tea.] Right-- it would be awkward if you ended up with a batch that you weren't as fond of. I've had that happen with some recipes, but the food still needed to be eaten.

[She was applying the same "don't waste things if you don't have to" logic to this. As she sat her cup down, she reached for one of the bottles of oil and picked it up gingerly to read the label.] Bergamot?

(No worries! ^_^ Also if this is wrong, i had to Google what Bergamot is XD)

[magusrobin]

[Chise agreed with a nod.] That’s why it’s important to experiment with different scents. You might find something you previously didn’t know you would like, or you might find ones to stay away from. That also is important for gifting - someone else might like one that you aren’t fond of.

[Watching what Eilonwy chose.] It’s a subtle oil. Somewhat citrus-y, though there’s a stronger hint of bitter under it too. It can be a good way to balance out the more floral or nature-based scents of the dried ingredients.

(it's rp not a job you're good!)

[waterfawn]

[Eilonwy turned the bottle left and right a few times as she studied it while Chise explained.] Oh! I like citrus well enough. [She sat it down gently and had more of her tea, then remarked-] Speaking of gifts, this does look like it would be a very thoughtful gift for someone. Not as easy as I'd pictured, but sometimes gifts aren't easy. [Another drink before she added simply] I think those are the most fun types to give, if I'm being fully honest.

[magusrobin]

Exactly. It shows the time you put into it as you thought of them. [She took a brief sip of tea.] You can also learn a lot about someone that way.

[A light blush dusted her cheeks.] My first Christmas with Elias… he gave me a stuffed bear. Which was confusing at first… but then he told me he actually made it which… I hadn’t expected. He didn’t seem the type. But it sounded like he put a lot of effort into it. …I wasn’t expecting to receive anything at all, so it was special. [Plus the bear ate her excess magic as she slept, but… that was an added bonus. Proof of how much he had thought about her while making it.]

apologies again!

[waterfawn]

By what they give you, or the amount of work they do, or..?

[Eilonwy had some more tea and listened, her eyes lighting up a little.] Oh, that was very kind of him. I've never made toys, but some of them look very time consuming. [Board games, not as much, but any kind of dolls, even the rougher ones she was used to seeing looked like they could take weeks if not longer to make.] Some of them are also very detailed, actually! I've seen dresses made- [She frees her hands long enough to make a shape roughly on par with a fashion doll's height] To this scale, which has been surprising.

[magusrobin]

One or the other… or maybe both? I honestly can’t say. Just… it teaches you things you didn’t know before.

[She certainly wouldn’t have thought Elias would have had the patience to make a stuffed bear from scratch. The likelihood that some sort of magic existed to help with the creation seemed much more feasible, so the fact that he had created the bear for her by traditional means? It meant more. Even so, she would have been fine with the other method too.]

[Chise blinked in mild surprise at Eilwony’s explanation.]

That small? I wonder how they do that…? I guess it must be the measurements or something… but I think that would almost be more complicated than a full sized garment. I should ask Sylky when I get back…

[waterfawn]

I can't either, to be just as honest.

[Eilonwy laughed a little and had some more tea. There was sort of the same idea around books in Prydain. The printing press had made creating them much easier, but hand copied ones were sometimes more valued. It was probably the same with clothing, and Eilonwy thought to her sewing machine for a moment before she came back to the conversation.]

Personally, I wouldn't be surprised if they asked the fair folk to help. The stitches must be very tiny! Is Sylky a friend?

[magusrobin]

[Chise wouldn’t discount getting the fae to help with such small stitch work.]

I wonder what they would need to exchange for their help. Though there are some fae that enjoy housework, so maybe it’s that kind of relation.

[She nodded softly.]

Sylky is a Neighbor that lives with us. I don’t know much about her, and she doesn’t talk much, but she takes care of us. She’s been kind to me.