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I

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❝ Hai hai hai Siwmae! ❞

Patience is a virtue, yet one Elly did not have. Already feeling the onset of agitation creeping up her neck, she stifled it with a forced smile as a greeting to the lone stranger who wandered into the quaint apothecary she knew both as work and home, known as the Scarlet Orchard, or Scarlet’s Orchard, she didn’t really know nor care which it was.

She hates dealing with customers or people in general; finding the idea of talking to them a chore, and one she holds in great disdain. Alas, the old geezer was out galivanting God knows where and, to her chagrin, put her in charge of running things. Her role was usually tending to the gardens or brewing in the still room, at least preparing them, since the remnants of her last attempts left a fine dusting of soot that still resists any attempts to clean it off the walls.

Truthfully, Elly preferred being tasked with delivery as it gave her an excuse to get away from the often-suffocating doting of her father. Well, Veld wasn’t her real father, but he had taken her into his care, and it was far better than living on the streets of Lucidor. The countryside of Llul has a certain charm that she fell in love with; it bordered the territory of both the Cad Goddeu of Wyddel as well as the outskirts of Luria, divided by the River Éices and the Etteilla Strait. So, they were never left wanting clients whilst also being remote enough to be out of the way of any stray marauder or plunderer. But not far enough, she lamented, for the all too familiar interruptions that came with the spring thaw.

Seldom customers visit, so she spent time wiling away the hours intensively restocking and rearranging the shelves of elixirs, philtres, tinctures, and potions. She couldn’t do much else as most of the raw materials needed for the backlog of orders had been prepared earlier, and until Veld returned, she was left to do as she pleased.

This morning, however, was busy; between the odd customer picking up orders and late deliveries, Elly was already feeling fatigued, but one particular customer had been perusing every corner of the shop, and she hadn’t much time to notice or deal with them until the shop was now empty save for them. In fact, she may have overlooked them entirely if it wasn’t for them quietly humming a tune, one she found familiar.

❛ Hurry an’ piss off, ya’ haliwyr. ❜ Elly bit her tongue, almost letting that slip until she reminded herself. Gingerly standing near the counter within the archway that led deeper inside the cottage, the clutter of glass shifted as she let down the crate of empty bottles she planned to take back until her morning was ruined.

Elly groaned, brushing unkept locks of dirty pink over her shoulder and fastened the spruce flat-cap she wore. Glancing down, she shrugged and patted the likewise apron she lazily thrown on earlier whilst tending to the garden; evident by rolled sleeves and dirt staining the once-white tunic. If one were to ignore the smears of dirt on her face, the stifling mix of scents permeating from her would have masked the fact that she hadn’t bathed in a while.

❝ Um – Hello? ❞ She approached the customer and reached over, shifting one of the vials he had looked over a moment prior to where it belonged. Making sure they noticed her this time, with a sharper tone, as her guest was clearly ignoring her whilst they perused the medicines. ❛ Or jus’ fuckin’ ignore me. ❜

❝ Cn’I – Can I help ya’ with anythin’? ❞

Her so-called best customer-service voice was saturated with an almost sarcastic tact her strong brogue and slightly pitched stutter hid well. It worked on most people, but her terrible poker face often gave away the poorly hidden contempt, and her blunt attitude compensated for her size.

❝ Hm?! ❞ The stranger turned to face her, surprised at the girl who greeted him. His eyes caught her off guard, like hers; they had the same jaded haze of one who had come from a hard life, but they were filled with a melancholy she could barely pinpoint beneath the cataracts, making them an odd shade of grey.

❝ My apologies, child. I did not sense you behind me. ❞

Elly blanched visibly as she felt the hairs on her neck stand on end. It was brief, but she saw something inexplicable that filled her with a bone-deep fear. It was no spectre or apparition, and she would refuse to describe it if one may ask. She shut her eyes and breathed sharply, tensing herself in an attempt to stop the trembling. ❛ Don’t look at me. It’s not real. It’s not real. It’s not real. ❜ It wasn’t – she knew it wasn’t, but nevertheless, it still terrified her.

❝ Is something the matter? ❞ He raised a brow with both curiosity and concern as he observed the color drain from her face. ❝ Have you taken ill, girl? ❞

❝ No. ❞ Elly shook her head; she knew it was her mind playing tricks on her again. ❝ Jus’ – Tired. ❞

Once she was calm, she opened her eyes and breathed a sigh of relief, but dared not meet his gaze. It was hard to tell his age; she knows how stress can affect one’s appearance, and for the most part, his face was unreadable, so telling what he was thinking wasn’t something Elly could parse out.

❝ I see. Well, I did not mean to scare you. ❞ His formal tone and honest chuckle eased her. His accent was strange, a foreigner, and certainly one she hadn’t heard before.

He stunk of chemicals and an odd mix of blood and herbs, perhaps a surgeon of sorts? But his outfit reminded her of a priest, wearing the typical clergyman’s attire of a simple russet cassock and biretta over a head of mildly long, greying black hair; a dark mahogany, careworn face bordered by neatly groomed mutton chops. In one hand, he held a cane, though it didn’t appear to be anything more than a set piece, much like the glasses tucked in his collar.

Taking off his hat, he bowed politely with a kind smile. ❝ I am Reverend Eoin Theodor Arbatel. Father of the Monastery in Cadwaladr. ❞

Eoin held out his gloved hand but retracted once he noticed the dark sunken rings around the girl’s eyes. The gaunt telltale of well-hidden dotted scars on her right arm and, oddly, her left shoulder. He did not speak on it; even if the look on his face was enough for her to tell what he was thinking anyway. He did, however, take notice of her prosthetic left arm, which she tried to hide behind her; it was an uncommon sight, especially in a place such as this, and especially on a girl such as her.

Elly’s face soured, already familiar with the sort of judgmental looks. It didn’t affect her as much as it used to; but she wouldn’t hesitate to lash out at others for it. She had a strong disdain for the religious types, but he didn’t appear to be among the more fanatical themata of his ilk; he did, however, share the same look of disgust as them.

❝ Are your parents around by any chance? ❞

❝ Jus’ me – Jus’ me. ❞ Elly replied and quickly repeated herself, clearly uncomfortable with social interactions. Her cadence was peculiar, disjointed, trailing off, and it was evident she rarely spoke in full sentences.

Returning the bow, she did not meet his gaze, nor wore the forced smile she had a moment prior. Her eyes seemed to dart around furtively. This time she spoke slowly, albeit with visible strain. ❝ Veld's out. Running errands. ❞

❝ Do you know when Veld will be back? ❞ He added with a raised brow in curiosity. Turning his gaze that now scanned the room as his hands leisurely held his cane out before him. ❝ I have an urgent matter I must discuss with him. ❞

❝ No fuckin’ clue. He’s – out. ❞

She shrugged; even if she knew, she wouldn’t tell him. But truth be told, she really had no idea; Veld wasn’t the sort of person to plan things and sometimes disappeared for days or weeks. ❝ Fuck knows where. ❞

❝ That is no language for a young lady. ❞ A brief flash of anger passes through him, yet he discards it. ❝ And you should speak properly. It is impolite to speak so casually to your elders. ❞

❝ No. ❞ Elly stared at him blankly. Not that she could, nor wanted to.

❝ I take it you must be Elly, then? ❞ Eoin stifled a chuckle.

Her expression changed again to mild unease when he spoke her name; once more to one recognition when he mentioned Cadwaladr. If she remembered correctly, the local Monastery was run by a smaller, more local denomination that took reverence for the Prophetess Amberlina rather than the idolatry of the central church of Luria. Far from local; in fact, it was in an entirely different region, at least a good three-day trip. Moreover, the ongoing civil war in Wyddel would make such a trip highly dangerous, if not outright suicidal, if one were careless.

❝ Maybe. ❞

Elly replied curtly, and wearily, as she often did around strangers. Still unsure as to how he would have known her since they never met, at least as far as she could knew. She briefly lived at the Monastery, but it had been years ago, and she would have remembered meeting such a striking person as he. Whether from the faint paranoia a moment prior, or something else entirely, put her on edge. ❝ Nonya’ business, corris. ❞

❝ Excuse me? ❞ Eoin raised a brow; it seemed Elly had spoken that thought aloud.

❝ Yer’ scused’. ❞ Elly quipped with an almost mocking half-smile.

❝ A sharp tongue. ❞ His face hardened, clearly showing he was unimpressed. ❝ I should scrub it with soap. ❞

❝ Do it then. ❞ Now she was clearly trying to push his buttons, and by his expressions, it was working effectively.

❝ I see you are still an ill-mannered brat. ❞ By his body language, she could tell he was considering reprimanding her but discarded the idea as they weren’t in the Monastery, and she wasn’t one of the children he was charged with raising.

Elly flinched and instinctively took a step back; she was all bark and no bite. She was intimate with such things and had no intention of being reminded. She shot him a brief glare and made it clear she wouldn’t hesitate to fight back; she was no stranger to violence. ❛ Jus' try it, slebog. ❜

❝ Impudent, but admirable. ❞

Eoin spoke through gritted teeth, tapping his cane as he was considering such a thing. Deciding not to take the bait, he let out an amused chuckle. He took notice of her reaction and considered it to be punishment enough, or at least a good warning.

❝ Alas, it is not my place to discipline. ❞

❝ What – D’ya’ want? ❞ Elly frowned; the anger in her voice was palpable. Even if he stepped off; she was clearly ready to throw down and fight.

❝ Ah, yes. I am here to request an urgent consignment for the Monastery. Could you please give this to Veld when he returns? ❞

Eoin rummaged around the small bag on his hip, which she had only noticed just now. It wasn’t all he had; a small medic kit hung on his other hip, right next to a sheathed dagger. He pulled out what appeared to be a rather long laundry list in the form of a neatly rolled parchment and held it out to her. He was hesitant to hand it to her, but she snatched it from his hands the moment that thought crossed his mind.

❝ Kay’ ❞

Elly took the roll of parchment from him and examined it but hesitated to open it on account of the wax seal showing the Guild’s official emblem, as well as the mark of Hywel, the capital of Talhaearn, and the entire nation of Wyddel. It was clearly more than a typical request for supplies, and she knew better than to open such things, at least, not when the priest was around; she knew Veld wouldn’t particularly care either way.

❝ I c’n check – stock n’tha’ meantime. ❞ She passed it between her hands a few times, inspecting it from every angle. She didn’t mention that she couldn’t read and often relied on visuals to remember such things. ❝ I can check. Check what’s missin’ ❞

❝ Thank you. Be sure to tell him this is urgent, and to let us know if he cannot obtain the supplies, so we may look elsewhere. ❞ Eoin nodded, bowing once more before placing his hat on his head and turning on his heel to leave.

❝ Yes. ❞ Elly returned the bow, albeit hesitantly. ❝ Yer’ – welcome. ❞

❝ I am curious. ❞ Eoin paused; scratching his beard as if deep in thought. ❝ How is it that I could not sense your presence just now? My eyes may fail me, but I like to think my other senses more than make up for it. ❞

❝ Dunno? ❞ Elly didn’t quite understand the question; she had some idea of what he was talking about; but never really thought about it herself. ❝ Why? ❞

❝ Interesting. ❞ He added; she could tell he wanted to say something but decided not to dwell on it. ❝ No matter. It is not important. ❞

❝ Ok? ❞ To say she was confused would be an understatement.

❝ Well. I must be off then. Please send word when the supplies are ready. I can have one of our supplicants collect them, unless we can arrange delivery, which would work better for us. ❞

❝ Will do. ❞ Elly nodded, already making her way back to the counter. ❝ Hyl –Hywlfawr . ❞

❝ One more thing. ❞ He added; his tone shifted to a more serious note. ❝ Have you been to Alcofribas as of late? ❞

❝ No? ❞ The question caught her off guard; it would have been an odd question to ask if she hadn’t. It wasn’t any of his business to begin with. ❝ Why? ❞

❝ Lady Isobel mentioned she saw you there a few days ago and wanted to let you know she will drop by once she is able. ❞ Eoin smiled warmly with a hearty chuckle.

❝ Wait – Iris is back? ❞ Elly snapped back around to catch Eoin waving at her as he stepped out of the apothecary, but rather than walking away, he tapped his cane on the ground as his whole body seemed to fade away as if stepping into a dense fog, leaving the young girl as confused as she was surprised. Yet the smile she wore was genuine.

❝ Hywlfawr, little Wren. ❞

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