Common Interests

Writers: Halyonix, Yvonne
Date Posted: 24th June 2026

Characters: Jisalle, Maeryld
Description: Maeryld makes a friend at the Healer Hall.
Location: Healer Hall
Date: month 1, day 15 of Turn 13
Notes: Mentioned: Laithan

It had taken her a bit longer to get settled in, if she was being honest. Maeryld was a strong believer in everything in its place and a place for everything and thus, had taken some extra time making sure that her new quarters matched that belief. Now that it was all unpacked, she felt...relief. Like she had been holding a breath for far too long.

Master Laithan had told her to speak with the head gardener Jisalle. Another woman! Oh, this was wonderful! Maeryld had expected to come to the Hall and spend her studies surrounded by men resenting her feminine presence but so far that had not been the case! If anything, meeting journeywoman Isoria and learning that the head gardener was also a woman gave her hope that she too would succeed.

The greenhouses were very easy to spot. But the head gardener was not. Maeryld craned her head over the rows of raised beds, trying to find the other woman without knowing who she was looking for, until she finally gave into just raising her voice and calling, "Master Jisalle?"

A slender woman with reddish hair stood up suddenly from between a pair of tables. They locked eyes and the woman - presumably the gardener - smiled. "Just Jisalle. And you are...?"

"Maeryld," she instinctively answered. And then, she straightened proudly. "_Apprentice_ Maeryld. Master Laithan said that I was to meet with you. I'm new to the Hall and my background is in herbalism. I'm to work with you to further that."

"Oh!" Jisalle's eyebrows rose when she heard 'apprentice' but she smiled when she heard 'herbalism.' She pulled off her gloves and held her hand out in greeting. "That's wonderful! Welcome. I-- ah, where are you from?"

Emanating her excitement in her smile, Maeryld took the hand in a tight squeeze. "Thank you! I'm so very excited to be here. I'm from Coral Bay. Have you heard of it?"

"I have! On maps. Oh-- come with me, let's have tea!" Jisalle gestured for Maeryld to follow her as she headed off down the long, glassed in greenhouse toward the entrance at the back. "The plants can wait. Honestly, I'm so excited to have another herbalist here. Most of the other Healers know plants, but not always how to grow them. And the apprentices... well, they're learning! As they should be. But you're also an apprentice?"

Tea! Tea sounded lovely! And an invitation to tea sounded like an invitation to friendship, which excited Maeryld equally. "I am," she answered proudly. "My grandmother and mother taught me everything they knew about the plants that grew in our territory. I already know how to make salves and tinctures but I wanted to learn _more_. You must understand, right? There is so much that we _don't_ know!"

"So much," Jisalle said, ushering Maeryld ahead of her into the main building. "The kitchens are this way, follow me. I know a lot about gardens _here_, and it has certainly been a challenge learning to grow in a greenhouse. Master Laithan actually poached me from the Hold; the head gardener he hired ended up quitting before he'd begun and the Master needed someone in a pinch, so here I am! And here we are." Jisalle stepped through a plain oaken door into a large, bright kitchen. She nodded to the cooks as she headed toward a large pantry, where she flung open the door to reveal a small room lined with neat jars. "What sort of tea do you like? I think we have _everything_!"

They indeed did! Or, at least far more tea than Maeryld was used to having access to. Delight shone in her dark eyes. "Oh, is there a mint variety? That's always refreshing." She made a mental note to return to the kitchens at a later point and befriend the cooks. Having a friend that was a cook was always a good idea! Maeryld would not pass up the chance to taste test the latest fare or get first access to a dessert.

"Good for the stomach," Jisalle said with a wink. She pulled a couple of jars down from the shelves and helped herself to a teapot. "So. Tell me more. What is Coral Bay like? Why did you decide to apprentice at-- ah..." she hesitated, glancing at the cooks. "Well, you look about my age...? Is that too nosy? I'm sorry."

Mint was good for the stomach indeed and Maeryld was even more glad that she had chosen it the moment Jisalle asked the damning question that seemed to follow Maeryld around incessantly right now. She pulled herself together with a little straightening of her shoulders. "I am. Well, I'm in my forties. Mother of three. Soon to be a grandmother I suppose." That hurt to say. With the way she had left, who knew if she would ever seen her grandchildren.

Mist appeared in her dark eyes. Her voice quavered even as she proudly said, "I have always wanted to be more than just a mother. Why let men have all of the craft? A woman can be just as good a healer as a man. We were _made_ to be healers, what with the way we nurture our children. We already know what it's like to heal broken hearts and busted knees. Why not let us practice professionally?"

**She's right.** Maeryld's speech made Jisalle think wistfully of her own choices - the lost opportunities, the grief and the bright, overwhelming love that had somehow brought her here. "Your children must be very proud of you for coming here."

Blinking rapidly so that tears would not fall, Maeryld looked away. "They...I don't think they are," she admitted in a scared voice. Oh, she needed to not show how much that hurt! She needed to be strong! She needed to be confident! And yet, here was another woman her age -- hopefully another mother too -- who perhaps she could befriend!

She cleared her throat. "My husband told me that if I was to pursue this, then we would be divorced. And even though our youngest is old enough to apprentice and doesn't need me to mother him anymore, my husb -- ex-husband wasted no time in crying abandonment of our children." She exhaled softly. "So, I'm here. Finally. And if that was the cost, then..." Hopefully it had been worth it.

Jisalle reached across the scarred tabletop to squeeze Maeryld's hand. "That must have been so hard."

The tears broke their dam, closing Maeryld's throat. She nodded vigorously as she tried to compose herself by sheer willpower. And when that didn't work, she angrily dashed away the tears. She could not be weak! She had _dreamed_ of this for so long! She wouldn't cry like a child for getting her dreams. "It was. Oh, it was. But...our was not a truly happy marriage, let's be honest. It was for the kids. And how that they don't need me, I'm free, aren't I? I should be happy for that."

Jisalle held her hand a moment longer, then handed her a steaming cup of tea. "To the Red Star and back with 'should's. I hate that word. You're going to feel however you're going to feel about it, but I will say that I think you're awfully brave."

Maeryld wiped away her tears after taking the cup. "Thank you," she said in a watery voice. She didn't feel brave at all but maybe that's what bravery really was. Who knew. She was just trying to chase her childhood dream. "Thank you," she repeated again, sturdier this time. "Oh, I didn't mean to just start crying like that. How embarrassing. But thank you for listening. I appreciate it."

"Any time. And this is all a big change. Faranth knows I cried a few times when I made the move to Amber Hills Hold, and again when I had to leave it to come all the way up the road to the Healer Hall."

"You moved here too?" Maeryld asked with genuine curiosity in her tone as she continued to compose herself.

Jisalle nodded. "I came to Amber Hills to be with my sister after my husband died, and I've only been at the Healer Hall for four months or so. Five? I can't remember."

"Oh! So you're still relatively new! Well, I suppose everyone is, just about. Since the Hall hasn't been open for long." A pause, then a quieter question of, "Do you like it here?"

"It was hard at first. And... I have a lot to learn as head gardener. But for all that I do like it here." She paused. "I love it. And I promise that you will too."

Jisalle's answer obviously buoyed Maeryld's watery mood. "I hope so. Oh, I do. I can't wait for classes to start. I treated myself to some lovely styluses before leaving. Just a gift to myself in preparation, you know. And some notebooks. Perhaps we can share notes!"

"I'd love to." Jisalle paused. "Although I'm not really a student. I actually teach gardening to the apprentices, but if you're a herbalist already I think I might be learning more from you about the tropical plants than I'm able to teach."

"I know nothing about Amber Hills plants though," Maeryld pointed out. "We can share notes there!"

Jisalle melted into a grin. "I'd love to." Asking Maeryld felt so much safer than asking advice from the Senior Journeymen or Masters, most of whom she'd come to learn had sketchy knowledge at best. Maeryld felt... safer. More like a friend. "Let me know when you're next free for dinner. We can go over to the Hold together and I can tour you around!"

That watery smile turned into one now of relieved delight. Maybe all of the troubles Maeryld had encountered getting here were going to be worth it, especially if she was going to have a friend like this!

Last updated on the July 1st 2026

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Common Interests