Sciel (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
cache_coeur) wrote in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
etraya2026-01-17 07:03 pm
cache_coeur) wrote in etraya2026-01-17 07:03 pm
Video | un: ScielCandide
[Here’s Sciel, recording herself. She’s out in the wilderness, wisps of hair caught on the breeze, scarf loose around her neck, face a little flushed from the cold air. She laughs under her breath, holding the camera out at arm’s length; she’s sitting on the hood of a vintage off-road vehicle.]
Salut, mes amies! [A little wave. She speaks with a mild, pragmatic cheer:] In a week, we will be visiting Mesa, where we will be getting samples. Miserable business when you have to cut and run, but we’ll save whatever we can. And with that in mind… I wanted to go over a few very important things in handling plants, both for your safety, and for the survival of the specimens.
[She holds up a hand, raising one finger.]
One… gloves and long sleeves! Many plants secrete oily compounds that can start an allergic reaction. The smoother and shinier the leaves, the more likely you’re looking at something toxic. If you happen to touch something by accident, scrub your exposed skin with soap and water. Don’t scratch or put your fingers in your eyes or mouth, unless you want to risk a very bad time.
[There’s a dull thud of boots on metal as she shimmies across the hood of the vehicle, and she slides down to the ground. Chattering as she goes, and a second finger goes up:]
Two! If you must eat something, test each part against your skin first for a reaction. Roots, stem, leaves and flowers, test all of them separately. If you have no reaction, cook it and rub it on your lip. If there still isn't a reaction, you can try a very small bite. If you’re still fine after a few hours, you’re at much smaller risk than if you did no testing at all.
And with that said, you’ll need to know how to take samples…
[Sciel looks away from the camera for a moment as she focuses on grabbing some things from… somewhere, then she’s tromping across the fields, into a wooded area. She takes a moment to set the camera up where her worksite is visible. It’s a tree with peeling bark and bare branches, the best the winter can offer, but it’ll do.]
Now, I assume we’re not collecting samples in the dead of winter, so you’ll have to imagine I’m doing this with something fresher than a wintering tree… but the principles are the same! Listen carefully:
[This is followed by a candid but thorough explanation of how to take plant cuttings with a sharp knife. Her voice is warm, she makes jokes here or there, but it’s mostly to the point, delivered with the cadence of someone very used to teaching.
By the end, she has several cuttings of different parts of the tree, with notes for habitat descriptions, descriptions of the plant itself, its phenological state, miscellaneous observations –– the notebook she shows off is full of near-illegible chicken scratch, but she can read it, and that’s what matters.
And then she’s done! She smiles at the camera and gives a little gesture with her knife – ta.]
And don’t be a stranger! If you have any questions while you’re out there… I'm Sciel, and you can send me a message any time.
Salut, mes amies! [A little wave. She speaks with a mild, pragmatic cheer:] In a week, we will be visiting Mesa, where we will be getting samples. Miserable business when you have to cut and run, but we’ll save whatever we can. And with that in mind… I wanted to go over a few very important things in handling plants, both for your safety, and for the survival of the specimens.
[She holds up a hand, raising one finger.]
One… gloves and long sleeves! Many plants secrete oily compounds that can start an allergic reaction. The smoother and shinier the leaves, the more likely you’re looking at something toxic. If you happen to touch something by accident, scrub your exposed skin with soap and water. Don’t scratch or put your fingers in your eyes or mouth, unless you want to risk a very bad time.
[There’s a dull thud of boots on metal as she shimmies across the hood of the vehicle, and she slides down to the ground. Chattering as she goes, and a second finger goes up:]
Two! If you must eat something, test each part against your skin first for a reaction. Roots, stem, leaves and flowers, test all of them separately. If you have no reaction, cook it and rub it on your lip. If there still isn't a reaction, you can try a very small bite. If you’re still fine after a few hours, you’re at much smaller risk than if you did no testing at all.
And with that said, you’ll need to know how to take samples…
[Sciel looks away from the camera for a moment as she focuses on grabbing some things from… somewhere, then she’s tromping across the fields, into a wooded area. She takes a moment to set the camera up where her worksite is visible. It’s a tree with peeling bark and bare branches, the best the winter can offer, but it’ll do.]
Now, I assume we’re not collecting samples in the dead of winter, so you’ll have to imagine I’m doing this with something fresher than a wintering tree… but the principles are the same! Listen carefully:
[This is followed by a candid but thorough explanation of how to take plant cuttings with a sharp knife. Her voice is warm, she makes jokes here or there, but it’s mostly to the point, delivered with the cadence of someone very used to teaching.
By the end, she has several cuttings of different parts of the tree, with notes for habitat descriptions, descriptions of the plant itself, its phenological state, miscellaneous observations –– the notebook she shows off is full of near-illegible chicken scratch, but she can read it, and that’s what matters.
And then she’s done! She smiles at the camera and gives a little gesture with her knife – ta.]
And don’t be a stranger! If you have any questions while you’re out there… I'm Sciel, and you can send me a message any time.
video, un: superman2
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I've had three. I was a farmer and a schoolteacher before that.
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[Someone will definitely eat something they shouldn't, though. It always happens.]
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I hope so too. With a few weeks to prepare, I hope everyone is packing well enough that we don't have to do much foraging, but it really just takes one mishap to leave us without any gear at all.
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What do you make of the whole no-light thing Aurora mentioned? Seems...ominous.
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un;valentine (voice)
[ Although it is Vincent's hope they go into the field with enough provisions to keep them from resorting to eating any plants or wildlife. ]
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[ Aerith can probably tell if any plant is actually poisonous. ]
If organized correctly, we should not have to rely upon food in the field.
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voice — un:emberflit;
I would be interested in a better view of your notes. I have been looking for flora with particular qualities and I am curious if you have come across any that might be what I am seeking.
voice
If you can read them, you're more than welcome to flip through! [She knows it drives more scholarly people nuts, but it is what it is.] Just let me know when and where.
In the meantime... describe what you're looking for, I might have some ideas.
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[ Viktor makes a noncommittal noise, somewhat amused. ]
A psychoactive chemical, β-carboline to be specific. One from the Papaveraceae family would be preferable.
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I’ll let you win this time. I can write properly, I’m just lazy.
[As for the psychoactives… colour her intrigued, but not at all judgmental.]
I don’t know a chemical by that name, but it sounds like you’re looking for opium, or something like it. Are you?
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[Expeditions, openness to sex outdoors, the works.]
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but also!! KNOWING AND SEEING, sciel. KNOWING AND SEEING
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you decide
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this is good information, thanks babe. also i hate this mission
one of us has got to have fun
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wilderness
tents
darkness
no
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a nice bathtub too if we can arrange
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Standalone, claw footed, or will a simple tub do?
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ill TRY to survive but make no promises
Un: TerribleTinkerer | Text
Text
video; un: cc
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Video; UN: Oleander
... think I'll stick to the tastin' stuff if people need someone to do that.
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Not a popular task, so I’m glad we have a least one person who lives on that particular edge. What draws you to that task?
video; un: derolo
Thank you for the reminder of proper procedure. It's been some time since I've had the opportunity to gather specimens.
[And it's been a long time since she's had the need or desire to worry herself about poison.
Her instinct of self-preservation and any consideration for her own life has only recently begun to flutter back to life.]no subject
But she’s still upbeat when she replies, as there’s no need to saddle any young stranger with that. She’s curious, smiling as she treks back across the ground, and opens the car door to shuck her tool bag back in.]
You’re most welcome. What kind of specimen gathering did you do before?
cw: talk of murder, blood, and abandonment in narration
[It came with being the youngest daughter of the noble ruling house of Whitestone, but Cassandra had always loved learning. So she’d soaked it all in like a sponge and wanted to learn more. Granted, her mother had ALSO made sure she could pick any lock that might exist and could move quickly and silently. Her education had been a great, varied thing. And she'd loved it.]
I spent a lot of time in the gardens and forests around [She can’t use the word ‘home’, because Whitestone hasn’t been her home for a long time. Prison, yes. Hell, also yes. But home? Home died for her the moment the Briarwoods murdered her parents and Percy left her behind to bleed out in the snow.] Whitestone. And as much time in the library.
video, un: vigilante (if this is too late you can ignore it)