glacial_queen: (Peeking Thru Foliage)
glacial_queen ([personal profile] glacial_queen) wrote in [community profile] fandomhighdorms2010-09-08 02:16 pm

Magic Reserves, The Preserve, Wednesday Afternoon

"Thanks for coming," Karla said, once everyone had assembled and had a chance to grab something to eat and drink if they were so inclined. "So, those of us who were on the island a few weeks ago remember that great chunks of the island went missing before we were able to set everything aright--including most of the town and all of the restaurants. We were lucky that it didn't last long enough for there to be a food shortage--" in part because the cafeteria had remained, even if people would argue whether the cafeteria had anything that counted as edible in it "--but the point is there could have been. Considering most of us can be described as two-legged locusts, that would have been a serious problem."

"There are any number of reasons why we might get cut off from our usual supplies: an invasion, a trip that doesn't goes as planned, a bout of Fandom weird, whatever. But there are ways we can prepare without wringing our hands and bemoaning our fates: specifically, we can learn some basic skills to let us live off the land if such a thing ever happens. Hunting, gathering, knowledge of edible, medicinal and magical plants are all useful bits of knowledge to have and might serve to keep you and your friends alive should something unexpected happen."

It took Dolf a few seconds to realise the attention was now on him. It hadn't been more than a few weeks since the last time he'd had to speak before a large audience like this, and while they were vastly different people... he scraped his throat. "Hi, I'm Dolf," he started, "I'm here to lead Support Services from now on. Uh," and now that that was out of the way, he did feel a hint of nerves. Not so much because he didn't know where to go with this, but because he hadn't been here for all of these invasions, and he wasn't sure yet what to prepare for.

"...Like Karla said, it can be very important to know what you can eat," he segued, at last. "Some might already know what is good and what is not. Some might not. Meat is also important, so is hunting. If you are under attack, or have to come up with food yourself every day--" he struggled against the English language a little. "--it is important to know these things." He leaned down and picked some leaves off the ground. "This, you can eat, if you smash it enough," he said. "Other things can make tea. There is lots in the forest to be found if you're really hungry. Not just meat, but the plants. It takes work to recognize sometimes, but it's there."

He closed his mouth, exhausted with the language, but then opened it again to point at a few random plants around them. "Edible. Poison. Uh--" He blushed. "...don't try that."

Only then did he send a questioning look in someone else's direction. He'd completely forgotten about his nerves, and now he wondered if he'd said too much.

Tara didn't think he'd said too much, but it felt like time to step in. "And, um -- people who do magic can find supplies here, too." She knelt to pick a flower. "This one is in most protection spells. The bark of that tree helps find lost objects. And the red berries on that bush over there make a good base for love spells. Not that I think people should do love spells."

Karla shook her head at Tara's last comment and stepped forward again. "Yeah. Definitely avoid the love spells. But, no matter why you might find yourself out in a place like this, it's filled with things you can use to keep yourself fed, healthy, and stocked up on spells. So, today, we're going on a scavenger hunt in the Preserve. We've got some lists of common plants, herbs, and fungi that can be found in most similar areas. See what you can gather and harvest and bring it back to compare."

[Hold on for OCD up! Co-written with the wonderful [livejournal.com profile] life_inshadow, [livejournal.com profile] swordsandsoccer, and [livejournal.com profile] trigons_child.]

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[identity profile] nothornlessrose.livejournal.com 2010-09-08 06:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Cassidy was definitely there and she was sipping a cup of tea as she listened to the leaders speak. This would be an excellent chance to add to her or herbs and get some new ones, too.

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[identity profile] swordsandsoccer.livejournal.com 2010-09-08 06:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Dolf actually looked pretty excited to be here, although it was tempered by the thought of those invasions - whatever they were, and what they would mean.

Still, it felt better to do this when lives weren't actively on the line. At the same time, he wondered if he shouldn't be doing something more.

Re: OOC

[identity profile] nothornlessrose.livejournal.com 2010-09-08 06:53 pm (UTC)(link)
As long as I can have the lavender?

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[identity profile] swordsandsoccer.livejournal.com 2010-09-08 06:58 pm (UTC)(link)
"Yes, please," Dolf said, a smile blossoming onto his face without any trouble at all. He reached for it. "You know a lot about herbs?" he asked, nodding at her. He felt strangely energized.
life_inshadow: ([neu] you think you know...)

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[personal profile] life_inshadow 2010-09-08 07:07 pm (UTC)(link)
Tara nibbled on a cookie as she contemplated the scavenger hunt list.

Re: Scavenger Hunt!

[identity profile] nothornlessrose.livejournal.com 2010-09-08 07:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Cassidy may have taken a copy of each list. Plants were her first love, so of course she was interested in not only refilling her own supply from home, but experimenting with some of the plants from this world. The descriptions of some of them sounded like they could add an interesting flavor to teas and meats.
life_inshadow: (Default)

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[personal profile] life_inshadow 2010-09-08 07:09 pm (UTC)(link)
Tara wandered over to Karla. "I think there's some wild mint over in that patch," she offered quietly.

In truth, she wanted to talk to Karla about her confrontation with Zatanna in class the day before. She was certain she must have missed somethingl it felt wrong to hold Zatanna-at-school so responsible for what the other Zatanna had done.

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[identity profile] swordsandsoccer.livejournal.com 2010-09-08 07:10 pm (UTC)(link)
He wasn't sure what stillroom meant, but it was incidental enough a word that Dolf chose not to ask, and to look it up in his dictionary later. "I was, for a while," he said, after a slight pause. "I was stuck somewhere without apothecaries for a while." He dearly hoped that was the same in English. "So..." he held up a leaf. "Had to."
brat_inslayage: (I Might've Just Done Something Dumb (TKi)

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[personal profile] brat_inslayage 2010-09-08 07:16 pm (UTC)(link)
Kennedy was, per usual, hanging around, but... she figured she'd sit this one out.

Okay, so she usually sat it out. Today was just (thanks in part to the whole possible-poison aspect) a more definitive sitting-out than usual, and she'd just be riiiiiiiiiiight over here leaning against this tree, thanks.
onlymistaken: (lonely/sad - outsider)

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[personal profile] onlymistaken 2010-09-08 08:02 pm (UTC)(link)
Cally, now that she knew this group existed, was here, curious to see how much crossover there was between it and the fighters, and sipping at a cup of one of the herbal teas, trying to decide if she preferred it to the decidedly stronger coffee served at the other meeting.
onlymistaken: (snark - seriously?)

Re: OOC

[personal profile] onlymistaken 2010-09-08 08:04 pm (UTC)(link)
The cilantro, it is allllll yours.

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[identity profile] didntchewgrass.livejournal.com 2010-09-08 08:08 pm (UTC)(link)
Elphaba actually found the snacks of the day quite refreshing. They were more of the sort she was used to in Munchkinland.

She was still a little nervous, worried that she'd be asked why she was here, or worse if anyone was to ask if she was magical. She knew the ruse would only hold up so long.
life_inshadow: ([neu] by starlight - text)

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[personal profile] life_inshadow 2010-09-08 08:09 pm (UTC)(link)
Tara also picked the leaves, dropping them slowly into her basket and taking care to pick out stray blades of grass and clover.

"Sure, that'd be fun. I'd like tea," she answered. "We can have cookies, even."

Purchased cookies. As for tea -- even Karla could make tea.

Re: Talk About Your Skills and Knowledge

[identity profile] showmetheproof.livejournal.com 2010-09-08 08:26 pm (UTC)(link)
"Most of the ones I know about are poisonous," Scully said, and started sketching on the notepad she'd brought along. "Amanita, or death cap, and Psylocibe, which are hallucinogenic. I don't know if either would grow here," it was Fandom, anything could happen. "If they do, leave them alone. (http://www.mycolog.com/chapter22.htm)" She paused and then added another picture of a yellow, sickly mushroom. "Or this one. (http://x-files.wikia.com/wiki/Field_Trip) Deadly. Hallucinogenic. The spores can knock you out. And then the fungus eats your flesh. It's mostly found in caves, though."

Scully knew all sorts of fun ways to die.

Re: Arrive and Mingle

[identity profile] showmetheproof.livejournal.com 2010-09-08 08:32 pm (UTC)(link)
Scully had a notepad and an aluminum water bottle full of coffee. Possibly she was developing a habit, there. She looked around for people she was becoming familiar with from classes.
trigons_child: (Pretty)

Re: Talk to the Leaders

[personal profile] trigons_child 2010-09-08 08:40 pm (UTC)(link)
Raven was there and listening with interest. She had some knowledge of herbcraft, but it was not nearly as vast as some of her friends'.

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