sixthiterationlogs | Poison Is a Woman's Weapon

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Poison Is a Woman's Weapon

WHO: Lucrezia
WHERE: The Inn
WHEN: 7/15
OPEN TO: All
WARNINGS: None

Despite her misgivings, she had ventured into the woods, keeping close to the path. There were a number of plants she recognized, many that knew there were uses for but couldn't quite remember. There had been a book in the Vatican that mentioned herbs and plants, as well as their medicinal uses, but she hadn't had the chance to study it or begin her own experiments, as she wished. But now...now there was time, even without the book.

Spreading out the leaves, roots and berries over one of the tables, she sniffed and inspected the plants studiously. There had been a few pieces of paper in the schoolhouse. Using a bit of charred wood, she sketched the plants to the best of her abilities. It was messy work, but she would at least have a record of what she collected.

A few were easy to guess, aloe, lavender, rosemary, but so many others were a mystery to her. But they were beautiful and delicate, entrancing her in her work. Someone took the seat across from her, stirring her from her thoughts as her blue eyes shot up in surprise. "Oh! Forgive me, I didn't see you."

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She grinned at Sansa, brushing a lock of her gold hair from her face, leaving a smear of soot across her brow. Her project was not going as easily as she hoped, but there was at least a simple design of the plants she had found, if only to act as a basic record. Until she managed to find better charcoal, she would be forced to stomach her crude designs.

Her eyes flew across Sansa's work, admiring her work and tiny stitches. She was a talented seamstress, a sign of her good upbringing. "A pocket on the front?" She wasn't certain about the design of it. While she didn't want to criticize her friend's ideas, it didn't create a pretty picture in her mind. "Wouldn't it draw the eye too much? Why not tucked within the folds?"

She lightly fingered the fabric. It was rough and coarse, clearly meant for those that focused on difficult labor. "Is it for your brother?" She glanced down at the paper, a grimace at her poor work. "I was trying to sketch the plants I found as a record for what is in the woods, but I am no real artist."

Sansa tracked the movement of Zia's fingers and her lips part as she started to tell her about the black mark but stopped while her friend continued to speak. Distracted briefly, she glanced down at the shirt that she was making as she shrugged a little. "I wish that I could make it more fashionable but that isn't the purpose of it. With fabric being scarce, I don't want to waste any of it on little details."

And she sounded truly pained over the idea but she was trying to be sensible rather than fashionable. There was a chance that it was a foolish idea but she thought maybe her aunt would like it. Or perhaps her father.

But now she found herself frowning at the fabric, chewing at her bottom lip as she started to think that maybe it was a stupid idea. She wasn't so far gone on it yet that she couldn't undo it all and start anew. Glancing up to the blonde, she smiled gently and leaned forward to look at the book. "I think you're doing well. Perhaps you could take a small part of the different plants and press them between the pages?"

She saw her error on the face of her friend and reached out to grab hold of Sansa's hand. "Forgive me. It's a very clever idea and I think it will be lovely when it's finished. I know not everyone has baskets or means to carry back the foraged plants. Don't let me ruin it for you."

Lucrezia turned the drawing in her hand, looking down at it with obvious disapproval. "Perhaps. I wanted to practice my sketching as well. I was given basic lessons, but not enough to be a true artist. There isn't much I can do to help. Keeping records seemed like the best idea." But she wasn't sure. Somehow, she still felt slothful.

It was something that she could try to improve on later, for now, another idea struck her. She pulled out another piece of paper, leaning closer to Sansa. "Could I sketch you perhaps? So long as you don't mind my lack of skill? You have such pretty features. You should have someone capture your likeness."

Sansa paused as the other woman reached out to stop her from changing the shirt she had been working on. "No, you're right, it's probably a silly idea. It would be better to just make them into bags for people to use. That would be a more useful idea."

Wetting her lips, she looked down at the shirt as she considered what she had already done and how she could adjust it to her new plan. It wouldn't be nearly so hard as she first imagined but it would still take some time. "I think it's a good idea. If you have a rough sketch of the plant along with notes, it would still be helpful for people to use. I would use it."

She stopped with a look of surprise then. "You want to sketch me? Truly?"

"No, I don't think so at all. I think it is very clever." She said quickly, hoping to chase away Sansa's doubt. "Please, don't listen to me. A bag might be lost while I pocket won't be. At least finish what you are creating and let your brother decide?"

It was kind of her to compliment her rough sketches, all the while struggling with the garment she had been working on. It wasn't something Lucrezia could allow. "I would use your shirt as well...if I were to go further into the forest."

Lucrezia nodded, "Of course. You have such lovely features. I am passing in artistic merit, but I might be able to at least sketch a bit of a likeness. Only as long as you promise not to be offended by my flaws." She toyed with the charred wood in her hand. "I would need charcoal, otherwise I will smudge the portrait."

"Okay." Sansa conceded with an easy smile, relaxing her shoulders when Zia convinced her to continue the shirt and to let one of her brothers decide. Maybe if they didn't want it, she would use it while she was out with her aunt in the forest. "It'll be nice to see if it would work or not."

Then she looked surprised at the idea that her new friend might want to wear the shirt. "Are you sure? I could make you a far more comfortable one or even one with better pockets hidden in folds? Maybe a dress?"

"If there are any flaws with the drawing, it would be my own and not yours." She replied with a kind smile before nodding. "But yes, you may go ahead and sketch me. I would like to see it after."

"I imagine that your brothers would be grateful for it." Or anyone else that gathered vegetation in the forest. The more she considered it, the more she recognized how clever an idea it was. Her pampered sense of style and luxury had gotten the better of her. Now she felt nothing but shame for having made Sansa doubt her idea. Gently, she reached out and place her hand on Sansa's arm, giving her a sweet smile.

"A dress? Yes, I think I should like that very much." She despised the scrubs and would wear the same gown for a week rather than go back to what she arrived in. "My fabric won't last for much longer, but I have enough for another dress."

She giggled, "Not at all. You are beautiful. The only flaw comes from my lack of charcoal." As well as her amateur status as an artist. "I should have paid better attention during my lessons."

But Sansa didn't seem to hold Lucrezia's original reaction against her because she would have likely reacted the same just a few months before. She had been used to luxury and style as well, especially when it came to the clothes she would make but life in the village has changed that. She has learned to appreciate functionality over design though there are days when she wishes she could go back to designing clothes to impress.

"I have a lot of fabric left over too." Which is the truth since she had received quite a bit over the holidays when everyone had mysteriously gotten a pile of gifts from everyone else. "Perhaps you could come over and pick out the fabric you would like? I also have quite a bit of makeup that I haven't touched yet."

Feeling a bit of warmth creep into her cheeks, she ducks her head briefly with a small smile before glancing up again. "You could look at this time as being a chance to hone your skills all by yourself. I'm sure with a bit of practice, you would find improvement in your drawing."

"Thank you." Her smile is brilliant as she considered the different gowns she could make. However impractical the designs were, she was comfortable in them. Beauty still mattered more to her than practicality. Perhaps it shouldn't be such a priority, but it seemed impossible to relinquish. Sansa at least seemed to understand.

"I imagine the makeup is different than the powders and vermilion that I would normally use." She had fair skin, something that was prized, which meant that she didn't need very much. "Would you show me how to use it?"

She certainly hoped so. There wasn't a need for artists in the village, as survival mattered more. It didn't matter though. She needed something for herself and this would keep her optimistic in the face of being away from her family. "I only hope the Observers will be kind and give me charcoal and parchment. This charcoal wood is crude."

Glancing up at Sansa, she smiled. "With how beautiful you are, you must have an admirer in the village?"

"I still don't know how to use all of it but I'm sure that we could figure it out between the two of us." Sansa smiled kindly again, thinking about the different things that were in the box that had arrived with the makeup. She hadn't touched most of the items yet, so she was more than willing to share.

"That would be nice. Maybe they would give you quite a bit to keep you occupied for awhile." She thought about the things she had been given by the Observers, her favorite being Akira who was nearly her constant companion these days.

Then Lucrezia asked about an admirer which caused Sansa to blush as she ducked her head a little. "Yes, though he is more than an admirer."

"We might have to test it on each other, paint each other as if we were canvases." She had a habit of letting her romanticism take control and the thought of enhancing Sansa's beauty appealed to that part of her.

"I worry that I am not occupied enough." She frowned as her thumb smudged what was meant to be Sansa's cheekbone. "So many others hunt or gather or raise animals, but I don't know how to do any of that. I had thought to learn more about plants and medicine, but is that enough to earn my keep?"

She grinned, setting down her pad of paper as she leaned forward. "Who is he? Is he your lover?"

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Poison Is a Woman's Weapon

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