The path to the garden is easy enough to find, what with Medeia's assistant - Klavdiya - directing any guests attending the herb primer through the Sanctuary. Medeia awaits arrivals in the center of the garden, amid the seating arranged there, with a small table holding a few samples of plants. A cart to the side has some refreshments available. It's a perfect day to have a lesson outdoors, a few clouds and a cool breeze keep the heat of the sun from being overbearing.

In a long stride and swish of the flowing panels of seasilk from the sleeveless overcoat he's wearing, Cirroch enters the Garden. Other than his own entrance there's little fanfare as the mini bosses (guards) following him take to a seat almost immediately, both eager to learn more. Cirroch smiles a little as Dado and Esben settle in for the class, turning to Medeia with his right hand to his heart. "Lady Medeia Eswynd. We look forward to what you have to teach us today."

"Welcome!" Medeia looks pleased to see the trio, giving a partial curtsy to Cirroch in return of his greeting. "I'm glad you decided to come back! Today I'll be sharing information on nettles - sometimes called stinging nettles, oats, and comfrey." She gives the guards a nod and a smile before gesturing to the cart. "Please help yourself, I'll be ready in just a few moments."

The recognition to take and help themselves has both Dado and Esben climbing up from their spots on the ground to see what is available, then bickering as if small children. "...No. Stop trying to eat that!" Esben slaps his brothers hand away from the comfrey, offering the oats instead. "You can eat this one, though I don't think the Lady Eswynd meant for us to eat her teaching tools..." Dado looks hurt and grabs at the nettles, quickly chewing on a stem with a smile before sitting back down.

Cirroch has just settled into a seat, then is pinching the bridge of his nose as his guards argue over what can be eaten or not. Looking back to Medeia with a /see, you're not the only one with guards that can be extra./ "Dado! Esben! Sit your arses down and stop trying to eat everything. People will start to think we don't feed you enough." Both the guards quickly snap to attention when Cirroch barks at them. Dado already sitting starts to point this out as Esben looks at him and shakes his head furiously, "Yes Marquis." Then taking a seat next to his brother and stealing the nettle stem from him, pinching a leaf off to chew on his own.

Medeia looks over a few notes, checking to make sure she has everythi- "Oh, I wouldn't... eat that." The last few words are said with quiet resignation as the guards chomp on the nettle. Her lips press thin, giving Cirroch a motion, one finger held up to indicate she needs a moment. The lady walks back into the building a returns several minutes later with cups of something murky. By then, Dado and Esben are likely complaining quite a bit about their mouths itching and burning. "Here, you'll each want to drink this. Slowly. Let it sit in your mouth a moment before swallowing each sip." That done, and a few more guests having filed in and quietly taken seats, Medeia steps to the front of the group with a warm smile. "I'd like to thank the Sanna guards for helping to illustrate a valuable lesson about nettles - they cannot be eaten uncooked off the stem."

Sure enough both Dado and Esben are scratching their tongues at their teeth and making faces as they try to spit the remaining leaf out from their mouths. Cirroch continues to smile and leans over to his gaurds with a quiet word for them both. They both look a little embarrassed and take the offered drink immediately, gulping at it, not paying attention to the instructions that Medeia clearly laid out for them.

Cirroch shakes his head and with a sigh, before speaking to Medeia "We'll be looking for that recipe so that they can FOLLOW DIRECTIONS properly later." Both guards look to their Marquis with a /we're drinking the funny liquid/ response. Cirroch stares back at them and they stop immediately.

"Nettles, if prepared properly, can help with reducing swelling," Medeia says as she pulls on a pair of thin leather gloves and picks up the plant. "The leaves are covered in little barbs that cause a rather unpleasant reaction if eaten or handled without care. Freezing, boiling, or otherwise changing the plant from its raw state prevents that from happening." She steps forward to carry the plant around so the guests can take a look and know how to identify it. "It can be used as a tea, added to soups, prepared as an ointment to apply to the skin... There are a variety of ways to add nettles to your meals. Any questions so far?"

Esben looks like he has a question and looks to Cirroch first, who gives a nod and a smile to the man. With his tongue still numb and tingling, "Ow dwoes it changes? Aren't plawnts that are edibles spose to be edible ats anwys state?" Dado starts to snicker at his brothers speech, then tries to ask a similar question realizing that he also has a numb tongue and just gives up before getting far, "Ow dowes?... fwuck. My tongue..." Esben looks at Dado with a glare that is harsher than the one the Marquis shot at both of them earlier. "Apowlogies Lady Eswynd. Mine browother is still learwning city mannwers."

"That's a great question!" Medeia doesn't tease the men, but her expression lights up. "I'm not able to say for certain, sadly. I imagine it is something like with... meat? You can eat it uncooked, but it will often make you sick if you do. Fish and other seafoods are similar! The application of heat - or cold - does /something/ to the plant which makes the barbs all over not cause that itching and burning feeling you feel. It could be that it causes the barbs to fall off? Or softens them, somehow, so they can't jab?" There isn't really a way to explain denatured chemicals in Arxian terms. The apology has her laughing. "Please, no apology needed."

Esben looks quite happy with himself, even sitting up a little taller still leaning forwards to try to learn more. Though Medeia's explanation and excitement for his question has him lightly hitting Dado in the chest while grinning, "Swee. I'm smawrt." Dado rolls his eyes muttering, "Juwst wait for the freewze games... I'll show you smawrts..."

Cirrcoh looks like he's going to have some words with the guards later, though looks back to Medeia. "You said it could be made as an ointment. For what?"

One side of Medeia's mouth rises in a half smile, amused at the antics of the brother-guards. "Ah," She turns to face Cirroch after setting the nettles back on the small table, answering as she peels off the gloves, "Bruising, wound healing, joint pain and swelling, broken bones... The plant seems to be good for reducing pain and swelling, slowing bleeding, and promoting the body's natural skin repair." She then adds, "As a tea, or otherwise ingested, it can reduce bloating and stomach discomfort, and sniffles."

Cirroch nods to the answer. "That would be something very helpful to have even in a kitchen with these two around." He stares at Dado and Esben's antics for a moment. " Where does the plant typically grow?"

"It's actually a pretty widely available plant, throughout Arvum," Medeia begins to explain, taking a step toward one of the nearby beds of plants and indicating the soil. "It is usually found near water, or near fields that are carefully tended so that the crops have plenty of water. Along rivers and creeks and such." The soil she is pointing at is dark and moist. "It is more prevalent in cooler regions."

"Ah. Very interesting." Cirroch smiles to Medeia, looking over at his guards for a moment. They seem quite content in the information thus far, slowly sipping at the liquid that they were given now.

Medeia bows her head, sparing a small smile for the two sipping their medicinal cocktail. "If there are no other questions about nettles? I'll move on to oats." She pauses, giving a chance for those last questions before picking up a bowl which has oats as one might expect to see them before turning them into porridge and a bundle of the stalks tied neatly with twine. It's handed to Cirroch to inspect with the instruction to pass it along for others.

Cirroch holds the oats stalk and is about to hand it over to Esben and Dado when he thinks of a better direction for the stalk to go. Running his hand over the stalk and pulling one stem out of the bundle. The bundle is handed off in one direction and the single stem is handed over to Esben and Dado, then in his Dad voice. "If I see the two of you hitting each other with this, I'll send you outside for the rest of the lecture."

"You're all likely familiar with oats as something you eat, and may have even been given an oat bath as children," Medeia begins, watching as the single stem is handed off by Cirroch in one direction while the rest continues its journey to other guests. "What many probably don't know is that the oats we eat are actually the seeds of the oat plant!" The lady looks pleased sharing that piece of information, adding, "There are uses for the rest, but that will have to come in a different lesson. Oats are filling and can be prepared many ways for eating - by humans and animals alike. When not kept whole or crushed for porridge, the oat can be milled into a flour for breads and similar baked items. It is believed that people who eat oats regularly are healthier, stronger, and sleep better."

Esben takes the single oat stem and looks a little hurt that they didn't get the full stalk, though true to why Cirroch only gave them the one Esben turns to Dado and immediately starts to tickle his brothers face with it. Adding in, "Oh, we play with oat stalks all the time. Don't we Dado? You like this don't you?" Cirroch reaches over and takes the oat stem back from Esben, and with a single glare, Esben nods then stands to step back to the door. Still in distance to hear the lecture though no longer close enough to bother his brother. Cirroch turns back to Medeia handing the stem back to her. "They grew up in the farmlands of the march, both quite strong, though," he looks back to Esben, "Sometimes not quite all here. Great guards and warriors though." He adds quickly at the end as he can see Dado taunting Esben from his seat, a quick back hand to Dado to knock it off. Even with your guards, once a parent, always parenting.

Medeia stifles a snorting laugh. Ahem. "Should put them through training exercises with the Eswynd crews. Could be interesting." She shrugs, then, returning to the subject of oats. "We don't have nettles on Eswynd Rock, but we do have oats. Lots! In good years, the extra become a stout beer. But, they're good for more than just eating and keeping livestock fed." The bowl and stalks are returned to her and she puts them on the table. "Topically, they're wonderful for treating all sorts of skin rashes, soothing itch, and clearing up blemishes."

Cirroch looks between the brothers, "I don't know what type of sailors they'd make. Put these two into the mountains and they'll run circles around most. Best scalers and rim walkers we've got." Both Dado and Esben perk up when their Marquis compliments them upon their skills in the mountains. Cirroch nods about the information for oats, "I know that Oscar, our chef, enjoys using oats in nearly everything."

For a moment, Medeia appears lost in thought. "Skills might transfer... Could do the rigging!" She shrugs, letting that idea settle to the background. "I would believe that the use of oats as a staple part of the diet in Eswynd and Sanna may account for how big, strong, and resilient they all seem to be... Are there any further questions about oats? I could probably talk a lot more about them, but I don't want to bore anyone."

Cirroch shakes his head. "Please continue, this has been very interesting thus far."

Medeia grins. "Alright, so-" Her words cut off as Klavdiya comes through, handing her a message. The lady sighs after reading it and puts on an apologetic smile. "It seems comfrey will have to wait for the next lesson, as well. My deepest apologies. I am needed back at home." She quietly gives a few instructions to her assistant before addressing the group once more. "Thank you all again for coming, I hope the information was valuable and leads to further learning!"