Waga' sas

**Waga'sas** (wa-ga sass), otherwise know as **Frip** or **Frip Fruit** to younger Naktians, is a round, medium-sized aquatic fruit found only a few feet underwater in areas along the southern coast of Nakti.

The plant is made up mostly of green seaweed like leaves, and a single stem, both of which reach to the surface of the water. The fruit growing on top of the stem sports many hard, reddish-pink outer bracts, which help to protect and support the soft, sweet inner pulp of the fruit.

Fully grown, the entire Waga' sas plant can reach upwards of 17 feet, meeting the water level to be able to take in oxygen, and sunlight through the water. Over time, the Waga' sas has adapted to have the bulb (located under the fruit) seal and detach, as to allow the seeds located in the center to float further towards the beach if it was planted too deep to get sufficient sunlight or oxygen.

## Farming

Waga' sas seeds are smooth and tear drop shaped. Upon being placed in the sand, the seed will release roots deep into the ground after 2 days, and germinate after only 6. Using energy stored in the seed, it grows fairly quickly, at rates upwards of about 1 foot every 3 weeks.

It will continue to grow until it reaches the surface, in which it can finally start using oxygen previously gathered by the leaves, and sunlight now received to develop a fruit instead of trying to reach the surface.

After 2 weeks upon reaching the surface (total time is approx 1 year, give or take a few weeks) it will develop seeds, giving the seeds energy they will use to grow to reach the surface in the future. Farmers on boats will come to harvest at this point in time.

However, if it fails to reach the surface in time, the remaining energy will be spent to make a small fruit, filled with only a couple seeds (without the pulp), of which the last bit of energy are put into. The stem rots away from the bulb, leaving gas trapped inside both the fruit and the bulb, allowing it to float further up to the beach to try to replant themselves.

Farmers may want to check over the crops once they have reached the surface, as it is common for birds and bugs alike to try to eat into the fruit, and ruin it.

## Local Usage

Waga' sas is a very popular plant for villages on bodies of water to farm, as the fruit is high in sugar and vitamin content, making it an expensive and easily traded item. A long storage time also allows it to be able to be kept for long periods of time, which enables it to be traded farther than other fruits. Trade price and demand depends on the purity and cleanliness of the water it was grown in; the cleaner the water is, the sweeter the fruit. Sweetness can be told by taste, or by the color of the inside; the clearer red, the better it will be to eat.

Mainly the uses are culinary. Though the outside bracts are tough and bitter, they are edible when steeped with boiling water to make a tart but fruity tea, good for waking up. The stem and leaves are edible too, but it is unusual to pick, as they are high in salt content, and it also destroys the crop. In order to eat it, the salt must first be boiled away, and then it must be dried.

During this process, purified salt forms, and may be saved to cure other foods. Commonly, the leaves are used to wrap other foods in, as it becomes tough, and the stems may be roasted or boiled again. Many countries mainly use the inside pulp for many purposes; in some areas it is dissolved with a liquid of choice to make a sweet drink to pair with a ceremony, or in other places it may be used as a sweetener for dishes. However, because of its nutritious qualities and its jelly like consistency, it is also commonly fed to infants who may have been abandoned or orphaned with no ill effect.

## Medicinal Usage

Unlike most plants on Nakti, Waga' sas does not have many medicinal uses. Though not independent to this fruit, because the pulp is vitamin rich, it will help rehabilitate those who are suffering from any sort of vitamin deficiency. Also, sugar extracted from the pulp in pure form can be put on wounds to help the healing process quicken (Extracts moisture, and consequentially, bacteria, from the wound into the bandage).