Cont'd

"[Come. This way,]" Thistle urged.
> The ponies on the street were giving her strange looks. It took some effort for her to ignore them and a little more to focus on maintaining a pleasant, relaxed smile.
> Most nomads were okay about visiting Ponyville by now, but Saule had never been out of the camp and was watching their surroundings with wide, fearful eyes. Her shoulders were hunched and she kept trying to look in all directions at once.
> Of course there was nothing to fear, not among the gentle equines. Saule didn't know that and she was getting overwhelmed by the novel sights and sounds. Not to mention smells. It was all a lot more pleasant than any pony would experience walking through the nomad camp, but the woman wasn't used to it.
> "[You said this drink - this hot water - it will help with my mornings?]"
"[Yes. The- damn, how do you call her? The pony who has the sweet things place?]"
> For a moment Saule gave her a blank look, then she said, with only a slight accent: "Cake?"
"[Right! Cake. She said it helped her when she was with children.]"
> It was a small tea store run by one Jasmine Leaf who did a brisk trade in everyday flavors, but also had a selection of restorative, meditative, or otherwise helpful beverages for problems which were not serious enough to brave the Everfree forest and visit Zecora.
> The bell above the door gave an airy chime as Thistle pushed the door open. Its noise made Saule take a step back. "[What was that?]" she asked.
"[A bit of metal. It will let the owner pony know we are here.]"
> Her explanation didn't help. Luckily the confidence in her voice and her unworried gait as she went inside worked better than her assurances. Saule followed, inhaling deeply as the mixture of aromas hit her nose. It was a mishmash, albeit a pleasant one, and Thistle followed suit, opening her nostrils as wide as they would go. She closed her eyes to focus on the scent.
> Come to think of it, it had been far too long since she'd had a good tea. The summer was a bit warm for that, but perhaps it would be nice to brew a cup by the camp fire of an evening.
> "Hello! How may- uh, Mayor? Is that-" Jasmine began. When Thistle looked, the mare's eyes were fixed and unmoving on the tall woman. "That's one of them, right? The apemen!"
"No call to be rude, Jasmine. We're here to shop! Saule is female, by the way."
> It was lucky that the nomad woman still hadn't learned any of the language, or there would be trouble. The nomads didn't know about apes, but they tended to take anything they didn't understand as an insult.
> Saule, watching the salespony carefully, asked: "[What are you saying? Explain!]"
"[Nothing. She said we are welcome in her- in her trading hut.]"

>>43180864

> The woman kept her stare on the shopkeep for long moments, eyes narrowed and a slight twist to her lips, as if she was going to suddenly understand the language herself. Eventually she sighed and let it drop for the moment. Her gaze instead flicked around the well-stocked shelves of colorful jars and boxes.
> All the silence was making Jasmine uncomfortable, and she cleared her throat before speaking: "Well, how can I help you, Mayor? Your usual?"
"No- um, actually yes. Give me a small bag of your chamomile. Oh, and one of that passion fruit!"
> Having something to do was a great relief and Jasmine eagerly darted around her shop to locate the items. Saule watched the process wordlessly, although she glanced at the exit once or twice to make sure she could get out if something unexpected happened.
"[Relax,]" Thistle told her. "[I told you, ponies are completely safe. You don't have to worry.]"
> The woman didn't reply, and her posture didn't change, so Thistle merely rolled her eyes as she turned back to Jasmine.
"Also give me a bag of Ginger, and one- um, what was it. Peppermint? Something for nausea."
> Jasmine Leaf gave her a brief glance and a short, knowledgeable nod, then pushed a ladder so she could reach the appropriate jar. There were labels with strange pictograms, but it was still impressive how the shopkeep seemed to know instinctively where to locate each blend of tea.
> "Peppermint I only have tea bags. Will those be okay?" she asked, then added before Thistle could answer: "Come to think of it, I have ginger in tea bags, too, if you want those."
> Thistle leaned her head to one side in thought. Bags would probably be easier to use for the nomads.
"Yes, that's okay. Give me tea bags for both. Loose leaves for chamomile and passion fruit, please. Oh, and do you have a kettle? Iron for preference."
> "Mhm!" Jasmine said with a slight smile as she bagged the leaves and dropped them on the counter. Now that she was doing these familiar things her fear had completely evaporated. It helped that Saule wasn't really moving or saying anything. "I'll get one from the back, don't go anywhere!"
> She darted through the back door and Thistle used the moment to lean in and inhale the aroma of the chamomile, whose bag Jasmine had left opened.
> The scent nearly brought tears to her eyes. She'd need to get the tea set from her house, or better yet-
"[Saule. I think I want to sleep in my home from now on.]"
> It went to show just how unsettled the nomad was, because she didn't shoot the suggestion down immediately. Instead, she narrowed her eyes and asked: "[Can we trust you to come back? Will you run away?]"

>>43180865

"[About that. I don't think you can think of me as your slave anymore, Saule. I'm back home. I taught your people how to use bows, and I got you here, where you're safe. I got you food and a place to stay. I say that earns me my freedom!]"
> Toward the end of the little speech hear ears laid down and she turned to stare directly at Saule. Her hoof hit the floorboards for emphasis on the last word. There was even a touch of moisture in her eyes.
> "[We'll see. You can tell that to Salki and see what he says about it.]"
"[I will! Oh, and what's more, I'm taking Rangi with me!]"
> Saule's face hardened at the words, but she didn't say anything. She didn't like the Ruslan boy, but he belonged to her and she wasn't the type to let things go, not easily.
"[Fine. I'll talk to Salki about that, too!]"
> Perhaps their renewed relationship wasn't quite in the place she'd hoped just yet. Still, there was no cause to be mean or start a fight, so Thistle decided to change the topic.
"[Those are bags with plants. The owner pony is getting a metal thing - you will put water in it and place it near the fire until the water is almost boiling. Then you will put one of those bags in the water and wait until- until...]"
> She drew a blank trying to explain the concept of "five minutes".
"[You will count until three hundred. I will show you.]"
> The thing didn't need to be *that* precise, after all.
> Saule's sneer had vanished and she was listening attentively. Her hand went to her belly as she remembered why they were there. "[This will help with my sickness in the morning? It will not hurt my child?]"
"[No, it's perfectly safe. Even more than that, it'll be good for you.]"
> Thistle didn't have a scientific basis to claim that, but so far she'd seen that - aside from things like hay and grass on the one hand, and meat on the other - nomads and ponies could eat mostly the same things. It stood to reason that herbs would have similar effects on them.
> "[I will try. We will see.]"
> Jasmine was back by then and placed a pretty red teapot with pictures of flowers. It made a satisfying metal clank. Thistle thought it'd be a shame to ruin it with soot and ash, but didn't say anything. Those could always be wiped off, if Saule was so inclined.
> That the nomad liked the item was obvious. She was all but devouring the pot with her eyes, and even broke a tiny smile at the gaudy colors.
"Thank you! That will do nicely!"
> "Okay, Mayor!" Jasmine chirped happily. "Will there be anything else?"
"No, just those for me, and these for Saule."
> The shop pony looked through the selection, noticed that the chamomile bag was still open, and deftly tied it with a bit of string. Then her eyes went unfocused while she calculated the price. "That'll be forty-nine bits, please"

>>43180868

"Yes, certainly. Would you be so kind and send the bill to the Town Hall? I need to collect my latest pay and I'll make sure the money is sent to you. I- just got back..."
> Jasmine nodded quickly, closing her eyes as she smiled. "Of course, Mayor. Your word is good with me! You were gone? I heard something, but I didn't really understand it. You were in here just last week. Or was it two weeks ago?"
"It's a long story."
> "Oh. Okay then. Here you go! Anything else?"
> Thistle almost asked for a bag, since she hadn't thought to bring her saddlebags, but then remembered she'd asked Saule to come prepared.
"[Help me pick these up, please,]" she told the woman.
> She had an empty sack slung across her shoulder. She held it open while Thistle pushed the items inside. It wasn't very heavy, so Saule simple held the bag in one hand after they were done.
> "Mayor?" Jasmine said suddenly, staring at her wide-eyed.
"Yes?"
> "Ginger and peppermint. You said you wanted them for nausea?"
"Yes?"
> The pony blushed and her gaze slid away. Her ears flattened and she swallowed before going on: "Are you- Um, forgive me if this is too forward. Mayor, are you, um, *in that way*?"
> It took the mare a little bit to decode that, then her mouth fell open.
"What? No, no, nothing of the sort. Those are for her!"
> She jerked her head in Saule's direction, and Jasmine's gaze followed. "Oh. Um. Okay. You said she was female, right! Well - good luck with the baby!" That last came out in a squeak and the smile she showed them after was more than a little glassy.
> Her color made it difficult to see, but Thistle was sure Jasmine was blushing at he faux pas.
> "[What are you talking about? Why is the pony looking at me like that?]" Saule asked.
"[She said good luck with your child.]"
> "[How did-]"
> Thistle butted the woman in her shin to get her moving.
"[She is good with plants. She figured out what these were for. It's fine!]"
> Still, it reduced both hers and Jasmine's embarrassment to get out of the shop sooner, rather than later.
"[Come. I will tech you how to make this drink with hot water.]"
> The bell tinkled again as they left. They had what they'd come for and the interaction could have gone a whole lot worse. Perhaps Saule's unwillingness to learn the language was a good thing? In either case, Thistle breathed a sigh of relief as she led the way back in the direction of the camp.

>>43180869

Had some trouble with the muse - maybe it was the long break, but I couldn't get to writing. Did a little bit, but it's quite short. Sorry about that, travelling just takes it out of me and meetings more so. Travelling for meetings is *literal* murder.

Getting back into it, though, should be returning to my regular cadence.

Paste: https://ponepaste.org/11514

>>43180875
yay fresh green!