One week later.
Early morning, Ko woke in it, like always. The Rootless didn't use a rooster calls. Life here had its own rhythm.
He sat up from his mat in the guest-house a modest clay-and-timber frame. He tied back his hair with a strip of cloth. His sword leaned against the wall. He didn't take it when he went outside. The Hollow didn't feel like a place where steel was needed at dawn.
His mornings were the same. Water, stretch, a walk through the mist to remind himself he wasn't dreaming. Today, the path curved toward the garden.
He smelled it before he saw it, damp earth, bitter herbs, faint sweetness of mushrooms steaming in fog. Dew was already there, crouched low, hand resting against the rim of a clay pot. He looked up as Ko entered.
"Morning," Ko said softly.
A vibration hummed faintly in the fog. Dew's calm voice followed.
"Morning."
Ko still wasn't used to that. The man never moved his lips, never let sound pass. Just chakra vibration, like a voice borrowed from the Hollow itself.
Mira was further inside the garden, bent over a patch of small gray caps. Her burned neck caught the pale light. When she looked up, her eyes were bright. She raised her hand, signed quick and sharp.
::You're early.::
Ko signed back, slower than her, clumsy in the fingers. ::Couldn't sleep.::
Mira gave him one of her tiny smiles a twitch of the corner of her mouth then turned back to trimming mushrooms.
He walked closer, crouching beside her. The mushrooms she was cutting had caps like polished stone. They glistened with dew.
::"Fleetstep?":: Ko asked.
She nodded. Two fingers tapped her wrist, quick motion. ::Speed.::
Dew's false-voice vibrated behind them.
"Careful with those. Too much and you'll be fast enough to trip on your own shadow."
Ko exhaled, a short laugh. "Sounds like something Zassō would say."
"No," the voice said, with just the faintest curl of humor. "He'd eat three at once to prove a point."
Mira's shoulders shook in silent laughter.
For a while, they worked in companionable quiet. Ko fetched water, poured it into the clay grooves that carried flow through the garden. Mira plucked weeds from the Mistveil patch, setting them aside for the burn pile. Dew knelt like a stone, listening with eyes half-shut as if the soil itself spoke to him.
Ko carried water from the basin, poured it into the stone channels. Mira clipped herbs and sorted them by basket. Dew crouched, listening, his head tilted as if the soil whispered in a tongue only he knew.
When the first faint light cut through the mist, Mira touched his arm and signed again.
::Thank you.::
Ko tilted his head. "For what?"
She only smiled that small smile again, scars pulling faintly at her skin. Then she bent back to her work.
Dew's voice hummed once more, quiet enough it almost dissolved into the fog.
"She means. don't leave the garden empty. Even shadows need company."
Ko didn't answer. He only picked another bucket and stayed.
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( Apologies for the short chapter today. I'm feeling a bit tired and didn't have the creative energy to add more to the dialogue.
Here's the current list of mushrooms, herbs, weeds, and plants. I'll be adding more to it when I get more ideas)
The Rootless Garden (Herbarium of the Hollow)
Dew and Mira's garden is segregated in circles, like ripples:
(Edible / Daily Staple Mushrooms & Plants
These are safe, eaten daily by the Rootless and Chinoike for survival.)
Hearthcaps – Dull brown, thick-stemmed mushrooms. Nutty taste, high in protein, used like bread or meat substitute.
Cloudroot Tubers – Small, pale roots that steam fluffy when cooked. Sweet, filling, eaten with Hearthcaps.
Fogweed – Mild leafy green, grows low to the ground. Added to stews for bulk.
Sweetcap Mushrooms – Round golden caps, faint honey flavor. Popular with children.
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( Stimulants / Performance Enhancers
Boost speed, focus, or strength, but risky if misused.)
Fleetstep Mushrooms – Gray polished caps. Temporarily increase speed/reflexes, but cause dizziness if overused.
Thunderroot – Thin stalks with glowing blue nodules. Stimulant, keeps one awake for days. Dangerous in large doses (can cause heart failure).
Keenleaf – Sharp-edged herb with strong mint-like scent. Heightens alertness, chewed before patrols.
Hare's Drumcaps – Tiny round mushrooms that, when brewed into tea, sharpen reaction time. Often used in training.
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(Medicinal Mushrooms & Herbs
Used for treating wounds, fevers, or chakra exhaustion.)
Stonebell Mushrooms – Egg-dappled caps, squat clusters. Ground into paste for broken bones, speeds healing.
Mistleaf – Silver-edged fern fronds. Reduces fever and lowers swelling.
Bloodtongue Mushrooms – Red caps, bitter taste. Chewed or boiled to stop bleeding quickly.
Dewdrop Moss – Grows on shaded stones. Applied to burns and rashes for relief.
Veinsap Root – Long red-veined root, used in teas to replenish chakra fatigue.
Ashfern – Pale gray fern that, when dried, relieves cough and lung issues from smoke inhalation.
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(Hallucinogenic / Ritual Plants
Used in Rootless rituals, meditation.)
Glassveil Mushrooms – Translucent pale caps. Clear the mind, enhance meditation, but cause visions if overused.
Fogblossom Flowers – Small white blooms that release misty pollen. Burned in rituals to induce trance states.
Whisperweed – Tall, reedlike grass. When the wind blows through, it produces eerie flute-like tones. Used during ceremonies.
Nightcap Mushrooms – Deep violet caps, eaten to enter dream-visions. Risk of nightmares if unbalanced.
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(Toxic / Dangerous Growths
Handled only by Mira and Dew. Often segregated in clay pits.)
Ashrot Fungus – Black-spotted mushrooms, deadly if eaten. Used in poisons when mixed with alcohol.
Blisterweed – Small red-tinged weed. Burns skin on contact, used in warfare traps.
Gravecap – Tiny white mushroom that smells faintly sweet. Paralysis if ingested.
Sometimes smeared on kunai.
Hollowthorn Vines – Creeping plant with purple thorns. Causes numbness and hallucinations if it pricks the skin.
Murkspore Puffballs – Large black puffballs that explode with choking spores when touched. Kept sealed in clay jars.
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(Specialty / Hybrid Plants Unique
Crossbred or cultivated only here, adapted to the misty climate.)
Fogvine – A vine that draws water straight from mist. Used to irrigate gardens without buckets.
Spiritmoss – Pale glowing moss that grows on stones. Used to light paths at night without fire.
Driftcap Mushrooms – Pale, umbrella-like fungi that emit bioluminescent glow. Often used in Rootless lanterns.
Stillroot – Thick gnarled root. Brewed into tea, it calms nerves and stabilizes chakra flow.
Echofern – Fronds that curl inward when touched. Used by Dew to test soil vibrations.