As everyone was heading back into the house, Myra pulled Sharna aside to speak privately with her. Myra was radiating tension and Sharna felt alarmed, “Sharna, I just need to check that you don’t have a problem with the Catkin?”
Sharna looked blankly at Myra, puzzling at what she could have possibly said or done that would have given this impression, “no, why are you asking me that?”
Myra’s shoulders relaxed and she looked relieved, “Marjorie was concerned. Beau dropped in this morning to pick up something for his mother and told Marjorie that he had startled you and then you ran off. I wanted to check in with you because we value Beau, and the Catkin already have enough drama without finding more in our household.”
Sharna’s mind was racing left and right as she stared at Marjorie with bewilderment that gradually turned into understanding and then embarrassment. “No, no! I didn’t know he was a Catkin, I was in my nightie, I didn’t know who he was, he was in a cloak, I didn’t even realise..” She was stuttering in her earnestness and could feel her face had grown hot.
Beau must be the stranger from this morning, someone had mentioned a cleaner called Beau, and it appeared he was a Catkin. She hadn’t seen the ears or tail that were the visible characteristics of their race because he had been wearing a cloak. Catkin were looked down upon by many as not being human, in particular those who were jealous of the race’s naturally strong magical power. She felt even more embarrassed by her behaviour and the way it had been misinterpreted.
“Okay, good.” Myra looked relieved, “I find that kind of racism extremely distasteful.”
“My uncle,” said Sharna, suddenly remembering, “I had forgotten.. My grandmother used to have Catkin amongst her staff. My uncle treated them so poorly every time he would see them. My grandmother tried to keep them apart, and blocked him from her house for a time but he started raising discontent in our community. Eventually it became unsafe for them and they begged her to find them positions elsewhere.. I was just startled at seeing a man in the house when I was on my way to the shower this morning. I hope that I didn’t offend him, or Marjorie.”
“Beau only thought you were self-conscious, that’s what he told Marjorie but she jumped to conclusions. She is particularly sensitive to these issues because she doesn’t have any magic ability herself, and while in some ways it is easier for her because she doesn’t immediately stand out like a Catkin, there are definitely people that believe that only those that can use magic have any worth.”
“I’m so sorry,” said Sharna earnestly, “I didn’t know about Marjorie either, I seemed to have stepped into something.. I’m sorry. I’ll apologise to both of them for my lack of sensitivity.”
Myra sighed and rubbed her forehead, “it’s not your fault, we should have told you, about both of them. I’ll talk to Marjorie. Sometimes I find it very confusing to know the correct way to act.”
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Sharna understood Myra’s point but regretted that her privilege and lack of knowledge had hurt people.
“Are people in this neighbourhood difficult?”
“Not at all,” said Myra, face clearing, “we have a wide variety of races and abilities here because of our large herbalism community. There are many non-magical skills that complement herbalism, Marjorie’s cooking is extremely highly valued. While most of her work is done for us, she often takes commissions on the side and uses our kitchen here as her base, as the one at her home is too small. Also, because the Catkin have an affinity for cleansing magics, they are in high demand for removing toxins from some crops, and also recognising and clearing away any alchemical accidents which can be fatal for others.”
“Wow, what a great use of their affinity,” Sharna said thoughtfully. “Also, I’ve been wanting to ask about the herbalists, do people sell their herbs or are they only traded or used by the growers?”
“There’s a weekly market where the growers sell directly, but the local general store sells them with a slight markup the rest of the time. Do you have an interest in herbalism? It doesn’t tend to have much to do with image-manifestation.” Myra was curious.
“Yes, I’ve had a strong interest in the magical and medicinal properties of herbs since I was little, I’m just not much of a gardener so was hoping to purchase what I need,” Sharna said wryly. “I’m thinking about using some for my extra specialisation, but I’m still thinking about it.”
Myra nodded, “I think it’s a good idea if you watch us all first to see how we use ours and see if you feel that yours will be a good fit. I have an interesting project I’m working on so I’d love it if you would come and watch me first, and then you can take the next few days to trail everyone else too.”
“What are you working on at the moment?”
Myra’s smile broadened, “it’s something I’m very excited by, a little different to what I’ve done before, I’m converting someone’s mother’s wedding dress to a mother of the bride outfit for her daughter’s wedding.”
Sharna was touched by Myra’s enthusiasm, “I’d love to see it.”
Myra led her to the room where she had done her assessment yesterday. It looked different now, they had obviously cleared the space in preparation for her and now she imagined it was back to its usual appearance. It was clear that this space was set up for Myra and Anna, there was a large drawing table set up to take advantage of the window, covered with scrolls and maps, and a mannequin now stood in the centre of the room with a wheely chair and small table close by. The table was cluttered with a sewing basket and various haberdashery.
The dress on the mannequin was mostly lace with a high collar and long sleeves, with little pearl buttons. It was beautifully made, but while Sharna guessed that it had originally been white, it was now a heterogenous yellowy colour, faded more in some areas, and with some brown age spots.
“The client is one of our local nobility,” said Myra archly. “She is a duchess but she’s also my dear friend from school. She had originally hoped that her daughter would like to wear the dress to get married in but Laynie had other ideas.”
“You’ll be changing the colour?” Sharna asked, stroking one of the sleeves.
“Yes, Deidre wants it to be navy, which is obviously very straightforward, but she also wants some of the embroidery to be picked out in gold. Also I will be shortening the hem and sleeves slightly, and narrowing the skirt before I colour it to make it look less bridal.”
Sharna could picture the changes and nodded.
“Would you like to help me?”
Sharna whipped her head round to look at Myra with surprise. “I couldn’t possibly, this is such a special project for you!”
“After seeing what you achieved yesterday, and watching the value you place on fabrics, I would be grateful for the help. I want this to be the best that I can make it and I think that you can help me with that.”
Sharna smiled and looked back at the dress, “Thanks Myra, I would love to help.”