Even though her current standing gave her little weight when it came to the politics of Salsola, Salvia was the first-daughter of its Queen. She was the first pupil of the Thistle King. Every part of her was groomed and trained for the rules and the realm in which she resided, and as such, she judged the quality of a member’s character with the same sharp-attention she used when studying prey animals. Liliya was wise enough to know her place, but that did not mean she was soft. Salvia could see pride in her step and hear it in her voice—she liked the woman, she decided then, and would make a point to echo this to her Lords in passing.
Like her uncle, smooth compliments were taken with pride. Salvia’s eyes half-lidded at being told what she already knew, glad others recognized her skill. It was not surprising, of course. She was a very smart girl, even if she had a rather awful temper.
This was why, as the Russian explained about the boat, that Salvia grasped the concept quickly. She could not have constructed one, but she saw the shape in her mind and understood that it was not something done by amateurs. A short nod was given at the mention of the purpose, well aware her mother had her eyes set on the island. Tlanti had mentioned the mushrooms growing there to her before, though Salvia had no desire to investigate herself.
Bright eyes turned to the building, and Salvia finally dismounted from the horse. She used her father’s tack, and the loose reins were long enough for her to guide the mare behind her as she went. Sniffing at the wood, she quickly identified the “rot” smell; it was a wet, unpleasant thing that was sickly-sweet and flowery (at least, in her mind; Salvia’s knowledge of plants was very limited). With fast, cat-like steps, she began scouring the nearby buildings and sniffing the air as she went—when she found an area that lacked the stink of mold, she advanced. It was a small building; likely a shed of some kind. A tree had managed to shield it from the worst of the rain, though it was likely the humans themselves had done further work to aid this; while it had since been stripped by time, some sort of treatment had been applied to the wood to keep it safe from insects.
“Would this be enough?” Salvia asked, looking back towards her companion.
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