Paper sheets and a small bundle of five pen quills in hand, Jack began walking down the street toward the apothecary the vested man had mentioned.
The papers were yellowish, rough, and only slightly flexible.
Looking around he spotted two fully armored guards on foot patrolling the street.
He glanced up at the sky. A large dark cloud was slowly creeping toward the sun.
At least the sun is still normal.
Now in front of the place he began to analyze it.
The apothecary was a small two-story building, the bottom floor slightly narrower than the one above. It had a bay window with multiple panes that let the sunlight fall across two vintage armchairs padded with fabric, their backs to either side of the window. The wood of both the window frame and the chairs was high quality, polished to a faint shine.
Jack looked through the glass from outside. The interior was dim beyond the lit area near the window. He could make out bundles of herbs, seeds, roots and flowers, some hanging, some arranged in jars.
This is without a doubt the place.
The door was dark wood, polished like everything else, with a small window guarded by ornamental metalwork in the shape of the two moons. The handle was ornamented metal as well.
Jack pressed the handle and pushed the door open.
DING!
It also has a bell.
The smell inside was a mix of dried flowers, herbs, honey, and a faint trace of alcohol.
His eyes adjusted to the dim interior. A counter ran across the middle of the room like a half wall, separating the entrance from the back. Behind it, deep in the shadow, was a working area he could not fully make out yet.
A very melodious woman's voice came from behind the counter, just out of view. "Shoes off!"
Jack stopped. "I don't have socks on. Do you mind me walking barefoot?"
Slightly annoyed, with a tinge of confusion she responded "Eh? I don't care, just, agh. Don't bring your dust in. Wait on the chairs until I'm done."
He took his sandals off and walked to the chair on the left, settling into the warm cushion.
Comfort. How much I missed you.
With the papers and pens resting on his lap he took the chance to look properly at the shop.
Behind the counter he could see mortars, a small distillery, and other pieces of chemistry equipment he could not name. Further back, high quality ingredients were arranged on shelving, scales sat beside sealed jars holding leaves that seemed to faintly glow with something. Several small metal boxes were stacked nearby.
On the customer side of the counter things were more familiar. Dark liquid soaps and solid grayish bars. Perfumes in tiny bottles. Beeswax candles. And on the counter itself, something that made Jack pause.
A small basket. Written on it:
"Candy Sticks — Two Flora Each"
There's candy! And it's cheap!
He let out a grin before the voice came again from behind the counter.
"What do you want?"
Jack took a small pause, remembering what the paper shop man had told him to say when he left.
"Common writing ink. I was referred here by the paper shop."
A brief silence. "Just one moment." The sound of a small cabinet opening, then the clink of a few bottles.
She stepped into view from the right side behind the counter. Black hair, blue eyes, clear pale skin. She wore a plain, high-quality black dress with lace hand coverings that left her hands exposed. She set a small to medium-sized bottle of black ink on the counter.
"That will be thirteen flora."
He told me it was twelve..
Jack looked at the ink bottle and caught the faint trace of her perfume. His breathing went slightly uneven. When their eyes met he moved his gaze immediately to the candy basket. It felt as if she could see straight through him.
Something's not right..
His every instinct told him not to look her in the eyes.
"I'll also take two of those candy sticks."
She responded in a bored voice. "Seventeen."
"Right.. one moment." He set the papers and quills on the counter and reached into his pocket, counting out seventeen coins one by one.
She let out a small impatient exhale watching him count.
"Anything else?" Jack felt the pressure to leave.
"No, this is all."
"Alright, have a nice day." She said in a direct tone.
"Right, you too.." He said awkwardly, picking up the two candy sticks.
He gathered his paper, pens and ink and walked quickly back to the door, put his sandals on, and stepped outside.
He took a deep breath and let it out.
The sun was now fully behind the dark clouds. The street had grown noticeably dimmer.
What was that!?
. . .
Back inside the shop, the black-haired woman opened a compartment just below the counter and swept the coins he had counted into it.
Her lips curled into a smile, then into a quiet chuckle.
She walked back behind the counter where the small distillery and chemistry equipment waited alongside rows of ingredients and liquids. She picked up one of the containers holding a blue liquid, and looked at it.
This works even better than I expected!
DING!
Did he come back?