Dye Making

[Rei'sari]

93 Ashan, 706


Ari'sora woke with a jolt as a harsh voice called her name in annoyance. Her mother didn't like her in the best of times, and if she was using that tone, then this was far from the "best of times." Knowing that the harsh words would be accompanied by a sharp blow if she didn't move quickly enough, Ari'sora hastily got dressed before scrambling into the kitchen. Her sister, Mi'zuri was already in the kitchen preparing breakfast.

"Yes, mother?" Ari'sora asked carefully in heavily accented Xanthea.

It was one of the few phrases she knew how to say in her mother's native tongue. But her mother was very proud of her Sev'ryn heritage; so much so that hearing the language that was written and spoken mostly in Desnind was sometimes enough to stave off the worst of her mood if she was merely annoyed at something rather than truly angry. Her efforts seemed to pay off since her mother's hard expression softened slightly into a more neutral one.

"We have work to do this trial. Our master wants you to learn to be more useful around the house, so he ordered me to teach you how to make dyes since I was going to be doing it anyway."

Our master...Ren'zar. Her master, and my guardian, but for all the difference it makes, he might as well be my master, too. Ari'sora grumbled to herself.

Ari'sora's stomach rumbled in protest against starting the trial without getting something to eat first, but she knew better than to say anything. Drawing attention to how hungry she was would only earn the the punishment of no meals for a few arcs. She was allowed to eat when she had earned it, and not before. If she was lucky, helping her mother make the dyes would be worth a small meal when they were done. Mi'zuri gave her a sympathetic look as she began dishing up the food she had just cooked, but she didn't say anything in Ari'sora's defense. Both girls knew that anything Mi'zuri might say would only make matters worse.


"Speech"

[Rei'sari]

Once her mother and sister had finished eating, Ari'sora took care of their dishes. While she was doing this, her mother got several pots out along with some salt and vinegar.

"So. The first thing that you need to know is that dyes are made out of roots, nuts, and flowers."

Ari'sora frowned in confusion. She had understood the first part of what her mother had said easily enough, but then she had finished her sentence in Xanthea. Her mother waited impatiently for a response for several trills before she realized what she had done. Then she swore angrily. At least Ari'sora thought she must be swearing. But it was in a language that she knew even less of than she understood Xanthea; Lorien. Lorien was the spoken language of the Avriel...her father's people. It was spoken primarily in Athart, and her mother had picked up what she knew of the language during her time there. Her mother didn't speak it often since if there was one person that she hated even more than Ari'sora and Ren'zar, it was Ari'sora's Avriel father. Speaking Lorien reminded her of her father, so she usually avoided it unless she was swearing at something. Once she had calmed down, her mother repeated herself, this time in a language that Ari'sora understood. But she did take the time to tell her what the Xanthean words meant, and chided her for not understanding them.

"I have heard that they can be made out of other things as well, like some kinds of shells. But I do not know whether that is true or not. Before I go any further, do you know anything about dyes already? I don't want to waste my time explaining something you already know if you've read a book about some of this stuff."

Ari'sora nodded, knowing full well that her mother hated to waste time on "unnecessary things," and that her having to do so was a sure way for her to get punished.

"I know the process for making the dye itself." Ari'sora said diffidently.

Her mother waved a hand impatiently, gesturing for her to continue.

"You start by chopping the plant material into small pieces and placing it into a pot. The proper measurements are two parts water to one part plant material. So if you have a cup worth of plants, you need two cups of water. You bring it to a boil, then let it simmer for about a break. Then you strain it. Once that is done, you can add your fabric to be dyed."

"So you do know something, at least."

There was no good answer to this, so Ari'sora said nothing.

"Before a fabric can by dyed, it must first be treated by a mordant. Mordants, or color fixatives are substances that combine with a dye or stain and fix it to the material that is being dyed or stained. In essence, treating a fabric with a mordant is what allows it to be properly dyed in the first place. Since you already know the process of making the dyes themselves, we will focus on making mordants this trial."

Ari'sora nodded to show that she understood her mother's decision.



"Speech"

[Rei'sari]

Ari'sora's mother walked over to the counter where she had set the pots, and the ingredients. She inspected each of the pots with a critical eye. Then she replaced the smallest three with larger ones. When she was done with that, she inspected the salt and vinegar. Ari'sora thought she was checking to see how fresh they were, but she couldn't be certain.

"So. You need to treat fabrics with a mordant before you can dye them. The tricky part is knowing which one to use because there are a number of different kinds. There are salt fixatives, and plant fixatives. Then you also have your mordants made out of things like cream of tartar, iron, tin, alum, and chrome. For now, we will focus on the salt fixatives and plant fixatives. They are the easiest ones to make, and they are usually the ones that you will be dealing with. Salt fixatives are used with dyes that are made out of berries. Plant fixatives on the other hand, are used with dyes that are made out of, well...plants. As for the others, maybe you can learn more about them in one of your silly books that Ren'zar indulges you with."

Ari'sora nodded to show that she understood. As she did so, she tried to commit what she had learned about the different kinds of mordants to memory. She wanted to write the information down, but she knew better than to give in to her desire. Even the slightest delay on her part would anger her mother. And an angry mother was something to be avoided if at all possible. As it was, her mother scowled at her, making her flinch, and question herself silently as to what she might have said or done to have caused her mother's annoyance.

"Well? Which one did you want to make first?" the older woman asked impatiently.

Ari'sora didn't even consider pointing out that she didn't know how to make either one. At best, such a comment would be seen as talking back to her mother, and would earn her a quick blow as well as costing her a trial's worth of food. At worst, it would be a beating, and three trials of no food. And if her mother was really angered by what would be seen as defiance on her part, her guardian would be the one to give her the beating...or possibly a second beating after her mother gave her one.

Ari'sora hesitated as she thought about her mother's question. She wasn't used to being given choices like this, and in her experience, when she was given a choice, it didn't matter what she chose. No matter what it was, it was the wrong choice, and as such, was worthy of punishment. Even so, the question required an answer. Not answering it wasn't a viable option any more than admitting her ignorance of how to make the color fixatives was.

"The..."

Ari'sora's mouth went dry with anxiety, and she had to pause for a few trills to gather her nerve before continuing.

"The...salt fixative...?"

Her mother's scowl of annoyance turned into a glare.

"Is that a question, or an answer to my question?" she snapped angrily.

"An answer. I think I want to start with making the salt fixative." Ari'sora said more firmly.

"You're too stupid to think. But have it your way. Dare I assume that you can at least figure out that salt would be one of the ingredients in a salt fixative?"

Ari'sora nodded, not daring to say anything else. When her mother's glare deepened, Ari'sora hurried over to where the salt was, and picked up the measuring cup hesitantly. Her mother sighed.

"Why can't you ever learn anything useful in those books of yours? Then I wouldn't have to wast my time like this!"

Her mother sighed.

"To make a salt fixative, you need to combine eight cups of cold water. Once you have the salt measured, you can go get the water from our well. The well is deep enough that the water will be cool enough even at this time of arc."

Ari'sora hurried to obey her mother. When she had finished making the salt fixative, her mother directed her to make several more batches of it.

"Do you think you can make more on your own now if you need to?"

Ari'sora nodded.

"Good. Then we can move on to the plant fixative. The recipe for that is just as simple as the one for the salt fixative, so even someone as stupid as you should be able to manage it. All you have to do is combine four parts cold water with one part vinegar. Each part should be equal, of course."

Once again, Ari'sora nodded to show that she understood. Using the rest of the pots, she made several batches of the plant fixative under her mother's careful eye. When her mother was satisfied that she knew what she was doing, she cleared her throat to get Ari'sora's attention.

"That should be enough for now. If you think you are done practicing, we can move on to the next step."

There was only one right answer to that question that wasn't a question, of course. And Ari'sora was quick to give her mother the answer she wanted to hear.

"Yes, ma'am. I'm ready to move on to the next step."





"Speech"

[Bolt]

This was a pleasant tone shift from your torture thread. I like how you were able to weave in her unfortunate circumstances into the thread so that I could learn more about Ari’sora (and more about making dyes than I ever thought I'd need to know). It’s too bad her mom is so hard on her, she’s trying her best!

Rewards:
XP: 10
Loot: N/A
Injuries: N/A
Renown: 0

Knowledge:

Skill Knowledges

Chemistry: dyes can be made out of roots, nuts, and flowers
Chemistry: mordants, or color fixatives are substances that combine with a dye or stain and fix it to a material
Chemistry: types of color fixatives include salt fixatives, plant fixatives, and mordants made out of cream of tartar, iron, tin, alum or chrome
Chemistry: salt fixatives are made by combining half a cup of salt with eight cups of cold water; they are used with dyes made out of berries
Chemistry: plant fixatives are made by combining four parts cold water with one part vinegar with all "parts" being equal so that if a part is a cup, then one cup vinegar would be mixed with four cups of cold water; they are used with dyes made out of plants
Textile Production: fabrics must be treated with a mordant, or color fixative before they can be dyed

Non Skill Knowledges

Language: Xanthea
Xanthea: language of the Sev'ryn people
Xanthea: spoken and written in Desnind
Xanthea: roots, nuts, and flowers
Xanthea: "Yes, mother."

Language: Lorien
Lorien: spoken language of the Avriel
Lorien: spoken primarily in Athart
Lorien: swears

NPC: Mi'aris
Mi'aris: a Sev'ryn
Mi'aris: mother
Mi'aris: doesn't like Ari'sora
Mi'aris: is very proud of her heritage

Mi'aris: a slave
Mi'aris: doesn't like wasting her time

NPC: Mi'zuri
Mi'zuri: sister

NPC: Ren'zar
Ren'zar: Ari'sora's guardian
Ren'zar: Mi'aris's master
Ren'zar: wants Ari'sora to be useful to him

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