Private Tales Light After Dark

[Gerrard]

"Chemia, if you like," he laughed. "Cooking is just a way of mixing substances. It's studied at the college and when you add magic it's known as alchemy. Someone did once create magical cakes at the college. The fallout was...spectacular."

Gerrard had been a much more lighthearted youth back then. He had not been the perpetrator but a fellow conspirator who had avoided the after effects of the treats. That was back before he had found his calling. Even then he had been driven, but the world was different when you were a noble's first born who had gained entry to the College of Elbion. Anything had seemed possible.

"Would you like a cake?" he asked, letting her walk at her own pace. He had always known he was meant for better things. It had been instilled from a very young age. It was difficult to see this through her eyes, where the village had been the limits of her aspirations.

 

[Audreyn]

She pursed her lips, then without explanation shook her head no. She had already eaten and they had to be pricey. No, she would feel better if the money for it was placed into the pillow instead. He was right to think his purse was safe with her. He could leave her to it in a crowded market full of hues of blues and he'd get it back at the end of the night not a copper short.

Some might see that as damage done from poverty, but in truth it took a solid mind and strong will not to lose oneself to frivolities. Well, mostly. She absentmindedly fingered the brooch as they pushed towards the end of the food stalls littering this street. She turned to him with a question on her tongue, a sly glance taken at his state of being before she asked, "So what happens to people like us here? Are they burned, or is it like... where you're from. Is everywhere like you're from? Cause growing up I thought the whole world was like us but clearly that was wrong."

Which was mildly disorienting to put it lightly.

 

[Gerrard]

"I'm not actually the most travelled," he admitted. "It varies a lot. Because this town sits where several well traveled routes intersect they get many different people coming through. If your livliehood depends on trading with mages, dwarves, elves, maybe even the odd orc, you can't really afford to be aggressively opposed to other ways of living."

As they approached the market proper he cast his gaze around. He was looking for somewhere that might sell travelling gear. In hindsight they should have gone to the stables to enquire about a pack horse first but his wasn't at his sharpest still.

"Elbion is a larger city that's quite welcoming of different perspectives. To an extent. Vel'Anir is deeply distrustful of any non-humans."

 

[Audreyn]

"So I could light up a fire ball right here and now and no one would care," she concluded.

"Weird."

But before he could comment on that any further, a spark of vibrant blue caught the corner of her eye as she was gasping and tearing towards it. This was going to turn into an unhealthy obsession with the color and she didn't care. Two fresh sets of clothing later and a bag of wool underthings pinned tight under her arms, she leaned back in satisfaction against a wagon and watched the crowd spin and churn. The sound of Gerrard purchasing the last of the traveling gear buzzed in the back of her attention, a sense of wonderment overtaking her at the swath of colors and sounds.

Much louder than the woods, she concluded, fascinated by the contrast. She could have never fathomed this.

She reached out and took the supplies from Gerrard when he approached with them, content to shoulder them on herself. "How are you feeling?" The question was light and thoughtless, though her gaze slide a little too quizzically over her his side. At least she was trying to preserve his pride.

 

[Gerrard]

"Well, yes and no. They allow people to carry swords, but if you started waving one around people might not look kindly upon it."

Gerrard was actually taking an interest at her reaction to their new surroundings. It wasn't often that he bothered to pay attention to what someone else was experiencing.

"Ill be fine to go and look around the apothecary," he declared. "But it might be best if I headed back afterwards. There's a stable at the east gate, could you ask if they have any pack horses for sale? Don't worry about the price for now; I will head over first thing tomorrow."

 

[Audreyn]

Audreyn nodded, half paying attention as she watched a group of kids not too much younger than her play with some sticks and a ball. Her expression slowly dropped without her noticing, thoughts slipping where she had been trying not to go.

"...Okay," she croaked, clearing her throat and looking away. "Yeah." She looked to him, forcing a smile. "Sure thing. Lesgo then. 'pothicary ... which way?" She rocked back on her heels, waiting for direction.

 

[Gerrard]

The apothecary wasn't a dark and foreboding place. At least this one wasn't. Gerrard had been forced to go to some dingy back-alley places when he had been evicted from the college. Only the door had been daunting. Heavy metal bars within the wooden door were there to safeguard the expensive contents of the vials, boxes and jars around the room at night.

"Careful," he murmured, leaving her to peruse as he headed for the locked cabinets. That was where the items he needed would be.

Despite being bright and airy the contents of the jars were still rather gruesome in some places. Whole skins from reptiles were on display as well as several full skeletons of small mammals. There were clear fluids and powders of all colours. No one emerged to serve them.

 

[Audreyn]

Audreyn crept around in contained horror, each step and breath taken as if one wrong movement would set it all off and curse them in an instant.

"Are you sure we're allowed in here?" She whispered, holding up her skirt as it brushed across the foot of an assembled skeleton. She squeaked and darted back from it, bumping lightly into a bookshelf and turning only to squeak again.

"Why would anyone want stuff like this?" She asked, despite the obvious. She scattered away from a jar of preserved toads, going right into Gerrards's side. Perhaps too clingy, really, but her gaze remained locked on the preserved human skull, the empty holes of its eyes boring into her.

 

[Gerrard]

"If I want to put together a scrying spell, for example, I'll need tincture of hermion and..."

"Ground jiar flaxon," a feminine voice finished. "Which is in short supply right now."

Gerrard looked up in surprise as a women in a white apron emerged from the back room. There were just enough lines to suggest she was in her thirties.

"Where is Draxton?" Gerrard asked.

"Caught by bandits on the Briar Road. Sorry, did you know him well?"

"No," Gerrard replied quite easily. "But you do have those?" he asked. It was slightly sad news but he didn't have time to mourn for shopkeepers whose names he barely remembered.

The woman moved for the cabinet, fishing keys out of her apron.

"Anything you want to know about?" Gerrard asked, mildly amused by her unease.

 

[Audreyn]

Audreyn gaped at the woman as she entered, her eyes keen as scanned her up and down for warts or perhaps a toad.

She didn't look like a witch. Then again, neither did Gerrard. Or herself for that matter. Where other witches alright like him too, or was that just a Gerrard thing? You know, she had never made it a point to ask before, so her next question felt entirely possible and not out of place.

"DoyouthinkshekilledDraxton?" She asked under her breath, pushing a little tighter into his side before the physical impractically of it had her rocking back.

 

[Gerrard]

"I was thinking of the ingredients," he chuckled. "No, I don't think so. There is no evidence to suggest so and thus we avoid conjecture."

He had learned long ago that it was best to keep the theoretical to yourself until there was proof. The older professors at the college could be quite harsh towards radical thinking.

"Its twenty seven a scruple for the flaxon," the apothecary declared. "Twelve for a dram of the tincture."

"How much!?" Gerrard asked incredulously. "For that I could ride..."

"The next closest place with it in stock is likely the docks at Gendist or Vel'anir itself. I can do twenty five to encourage your returning custom?"

The pair locked gazes for a splitsecond. Her will, it seemed, was equal to Gerrard's.

"Two of each please," he almost growled.

She offered a sweet smile and headed to the scales. They were beautiful things fashioned of bronze. Trade Corp weights had intricate logos etched into each cylinder.

"Then again maybe she did," he murmured softly to Audreyn.

 

[Audreyn]

Audreyn chortled conspiratorially, eyeing up the woman one last time before eyeing the skeleton in turn.

Welp, she found Draxton.

She kept that to herself, slowly relaxing out of Gerrard's side as her initial fears over being hexed and cursed proved unwarranted. "The place doesn't look like a place to buy witches stuff," she commented, almost miffed by her own misconceptions. She dared to skim the shelves now, and as that confidence grew she poked and tapped curiously. At the end of her surveillance she came back to his side looking quite pleased with herself.

"I want my own apothecary set. For wounds. And stuff," she declared.

 

[Gerrard]

The apothecary was working meticulously on weighing out Gerrard's request. At each stage she looked up to ensure he was content with the measures. She stopped and looked over at Audreyn at the new request.

"I could prepare a medical bag if you could come back later today?" she offered. "Sitches, salves, dressings, essence of hemshore for pain."

 

[Audreyn]

"A gold more if you show me how to use it!" Audreyn declared back, still... horrendously off about the value of a coin.

 

[Gerrard]

"She means a silver..." Gerrard added very quickly.

The apothecary looked from one to the other and then decided the sale was more important.

"I'll draw up a list of ingredients and a bag for around eight silvers. It will depend on what I put together. We can negotiate later. Two more silver for a basic half an hour on what the ingredients do."

Gerrard gave Audreyn a subtle nod that this was acceptable to him.

 

[Audreyn]

Audreyn gave a much more enthusiastic, decisive nod, entirely pleased with herself in that moment. The idea had come to her out of no where, but she immediately felt a great sense of relief at the prospect of it. Now, Next time someone got hurt around her, she wouldn't be helpless. She could do something. So was so thrilled, she didn't even think about the cost.

Her arms snaked around Gerrard's and squeezed, an excited squee escaping her. "Thank you thank you thank you! Do you got a blister? Cause I can deal with it later. Sore stomach? Head ache? I gotchu."

 

[Gerrard]

It was a strange turn of events that had led them here. He had gone investigating a magical disturbance. In truth only his annoyance at the peasant's ignorance had led him to intervene.

He couldn't help but smile at her excitement. He placed his hand over the top of hers.

"I told you that magic can be used to heal, didn't I?"

 

[Audreyn]

She blinked, realizing in that moment that he had at taught her that, back on their first real day on the road. That, along with a bunch of other stuff that near exploded her head. Thinking was heavy work.

"Then... why didn't you heal yourself? On the road," she asked bluntly, befuddled.

 

[Gerrard]

"I don't know the magic," he explained with a shrug. "We could find someone who could perhaps teach you a few spells?"

"I have..." the apothecary started.

"Maybe after she has learned," Gerrard headed off that line of sales.

 

[Audreyn]

Audreyn glanced at the woman curiously but did not question further when Gerrard shut it down. A wealth of questions was already bubbling up inside of her, like what kinda eyeball was in that jar behind her and did Draxton agree to become a skeleton in his own store before his demise.

These all would be saved for later, Audreyn reaching out to take the supplies from the woman as she came over with them.

"That'll be 94 sickles now, thanks."

Audreyn watched him count it out, curious for a glance inside his coin pouch. How safe were they exactly? Should they start pinching soon? The second guessing set in.

"Areyousureaboutthebag?" She asked, strained.

 

[Gerrard]

Gerrard made a mental note of the cost. They weren't reagents he often needed, but he knew the typical relative prices of ingredients. It gave him a notion of where the apothecary sat compared to other establishments in the region. He could check on the price of ground jiar flaxon in Vel'anir and see if she had been inflating her prices.

"Hmm? Yes I'm sure," he replied. It wasn't said in testy manner, but he didn't waste much time over his reply either.

He took a deep breath as they walked away from the counter. Behind them the apothecary handled her weights with deferential care. She had struck Gerrard as someone who cared about their reputation.

"I think I might get some rest now," he declared. "You know which way the South Wall is?"

 

[Audreyn]

Audreyn hitched up the many packages in her hands, squinting up at the cloudy sky.

"Um."

It was near noon, meaning it was just after or just before, and the thickest bit of light was coming from... that side so...

"That way?" She hazard a guess. Surprisingly, she was right. "I'll come back with you first, get this all out of the way." And nom some bread. She tried to grab at his apothecary stuff too, though now it was bordering on ridiculous.

 

[Gerrard]

"I can carry this," he protested, not wanting her to become entirely overburdened. "That's south. Stables are at the east gate, that way, if you want to enquire about another horse. It can wait until tomorrow."

His wound was healing well, but the skin was tight. It felt as if it was being stretched out with each step.

It wasn't far back to the inn. Despite her opinion it wasn't a particularly large town. He turned towards the man cleaning mugs behind the bar.

"Could I trouble you for a carafe of wine in my room please?" That would help him find some rest for a while

 

[Audreyn]

Audreyn released the load across the tavern floor in, already use to how someone else would come wisk it away for her. She rubbed at her arms and back, gesturing at the barman as well. "Bread too please! Wrapped up." She would have servant boys carry her things but no, lunch she wouldn't dream of buying from a vendor.

Those were expensive!

She grinned, pleased by the plans already unfurling through her mind. She rocked back on her toes. "It's okay, I don't mind. I'll go do that first. The North wall is the safe wall, right?"

 

[Gerrard]

"Entirely safe from everything but nepotism," Gerrard replied.

The bartender chuckled at that, but he had a suspicion that Audreyn might not have understood the joke. Nor possibly the word.

"The richest of the town live there. Power tends to be kept in the family." The guards of the town tended to linger around those streets despite really being required elsewhere. They knew who paid the bills.

His eyes followed the tray of wine that was already being carried up the stairs ahead of him. He slowly peeled his gaze back to Audreyn. "Anything worries you, anything at all, just head straight here."