Morning all and welcome to the Fifteen Minute Novel. Here I take the start of a story idea and work on it for fifteen minutes a day. I started with an old writing prompt that interested me, cleaned it up a bit to fit the basic outline of the story I want to write and then set aside fifteen minutes each week day to see it grow. Each morning’s writing starts with the last sentence of the day before. And so now we have the story of Kasca…
Day 114: There was an over abundance of product that seemed strange to her.
There was an over abundance of product that seemed strange to her. At first Kasca wasn’t certain what to make of it. She knew that the markets in Deva didn’t have as many items simply because the Overlord claimed a large amount of their goods and took them to the Central Zone. In addition since magic was not openly practiced under his law even non magical healers came under suspicion of the authorities. As a result many of the items were gathered in short forays into the woods. It did let her seek out the best ingredients for her remedies, but the amount was limited based on how much time she could slip away from the village.
Here someone else collected items and she merely had to choose the ones where the quality met her standards. Given the amount of them, the cost was also less than she expected. She would still use the items she could grow behind the apothecary when she could, but for now this was an acceptable, if odd feeling, alternative.
It was also odd to be referred to as Mistress Healer by the stall owners. That they knew what she was she supposed shouldn’t be that pig of a surprise given the items she was purchasing. She tried to tell herself that it was just different here.
As she wandered and collected her items, Kasca kept her ears perked up for signs of anyone else being referred to as a healer. She didn’t hear the term used.
‘They could come at a different time or send their apprentices.’ Unlike Deva there were multiple markets scattered throughout the city. ‘They could visit other markets.’
Kasca decided that if she wasn’t too tired at the end of the day, she would use her scrying bowl to seek out the locations of other healers. ‘It wouldn’t be too bad of an idea to meet them and see if there is any association in town.’
She knew there wasn’t a guild system as there was in other kingdoms, but healers did tend to gather and trade news and other information. Becoming a part of that wouldn’t be a bad idea.
When she finished ordering supplies, Kasca ordered items for her own larder, to be delivered to the apothecary. To her delight she also found a stall selling ready filled mattresses. She was able to order one for delivery as well. She added a few other small items she thought would help make the small apartment less bare as well.
By the time she was through, Kasca felt she had secured the staples and turned her attention to the second hand clothing shops. These were in actual shop buildings located at the edge of the market. She entered the first one and while those inside were polite, no one paid her much attention.
She decided hat purchasing complete outfits might draw more attention, so she moved between the stores, purchasing one item here and another there. She studied the women moving about and tailored her clothing to the strata of society she thought she blended with.
The stores were an interesting experience for her. Like the market stalls, there was a lot of variety here. Kasca wondered if as the disease moved through town those who inherited items took the inherited clothing here.
‘Seems a logical course,’ she decided, reminding herself to cleanse every item of contaminants both before and after sending them out to be laundered. The different clothing was also a revelation as even the lower nobility seemed to have sold off garments.
