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One Hell Of A Drug (Blink)

Started by Eckhart_Von_Musel, July 02, 2017, 02:28:55 PM

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Eckhart_Von_Musel

Lady Fleetwood's Apothecary And Bottle Shop

Taza Faah looked up at the sign thoughtfully. "Well, this is as good a place to start as any." she thought as she stepped through the door and into the shop. "Whoever makes that potion must buy the reagents somewhere."

The potion in question had been on Taza's radar for quite a while now. It's origins were a mystery, and it's availability on the markets was extremely limited. Taza initially assumed it was nothing more than a rumor, and only believed in it's existence when she herself was given a small bottle by her boss with the instructions "Find out where this comes from so we can get more."

Normally Hildegarde would just have Taza reverse-engineer the tonic, but this time was different. There was an ingredient that neither of the two girls could identify, and attempts to recreate the potion without it had failed. Naturally this intrigued them both, so they spared no expense trying to solve the mystery. It had taken a few months, but they had finally tracked down the manufacturer to La'Marri. Taza had decided to leave her protege Randal behind for this trip, giving him the ever-important job of running her flower shop while she was away. "It's about time I tested him, see if everything I've taught him so far has stuck. Besides, I doubt I'll need him for this, it's just diplomacy."

Upon entering Lady Fleetwood's shop, Taza was immediately taken aback by just how many bottles were on display. "Why would anybody need this?" she thought as she held up a glass vial shaped like a corkscrew. "What purpose could it possibly serve?"

"Why hello there young lady! Can I help you find anything?"
an elderly woman called out from the back of the shop.

"Oh, no thank you ma'am." Taza said with a small bow. "I'm just browsing today."

Looking a bit disgruntled, the woman muttered something under her breath and walked into the backroom. Taza bit her lower lip. "Well, that went well. I suppose I'd better buy something before I leave." With that in mind, she went to the shelves in the back of the shop and pretended to pour over the dried ginger.

Blink

It was a day just like any other as Izayah led his horse down the street. All morning he had been running for his parents, picking up things here and there for them. His next stop was Lady Fleetwood's Shop for some bottles. His mother had always appreciated the local businesses and so she usually kept them in mind when manufacturing her own product. It was her way of giving back to the community in a sense.

After pushing open the door the ever-present bell rang at his presence. Immediately Izayah began looking for Thelma knowing she would already have the bottles crated and ready to go. I mean it was Tuesday after all. He didn't even pay any mind to the other patrons of the shop as he walked through other than politely smiling at each one. Upon reaching the counter Izayah leaned forwards, trying to see if he could see Thelma in the backroom.

"Thelma! I'm here to pick up the usual!"

From the backroom, Mrs. Fleetwood's voice rang out. "Oh, Izayah! Just one moment and I will get it for you!" You see, Thelma Fleetwood had known Izayah since he was but a baby and so didn't even need to see his face to know who was calling for her.

"If you need any help just let me know!" he yelled back as he stepped away from the counter. It was only a few minutes before Lady Fleetwood emerged with a large crate of special made bottles in tow before setting them down on the counter.
"How are your mother and father dear? I haven't seen them in what feels like ages."

"They're both just really busy. It's spring so mom is busy planting and with all the new foot traffic in town dad has been picking up extra shifts. So today you just get me." Izayah smiled as he spoke about his parents.

"And your sister? How is she?"

"Probably off somewhere with her nose stuck in a book." His smile subtly faded at the mention of his twin. It wasn't that he didn't love his sister because he did, but Izayah also felt compared to her he was always the one drawing the short end of the stick. Everything was a competition with her and of course, his parent's couldn't possibly send her out to pick these things up. God forbid anything pull her from her studies.


Eckhart_Von_Musel

It had been about fifteen minutes since she had entered the shop, and Lady Fleetwood had begun shooting Taza dirty looks. "This is getting ridiculous." Taza thought as she picked up a jar of allspice and smelled it. "Window shopping isn't a crime-and even if it was, I'm not exactly a moral, law abiding person. I'd totally break a window shopping law."

As Taza silently chuckled to herself, another patron entered the shop. He was young, perhaps only a few years older than Randal was. Taza didn't pay him much mind until she saw what he was purchasing. "That's it- that's the bottle that I was given. That boy knows something, probably."

Taza weighed her options, of which there were two. The first one was to follow the boy to wherever he brought the bottles, which would make her look like a creep is she was noticed- and she didn't want that. The second was to strike up a conversation with the child, and hope his mother hadn't taught him not to speak to strangers. Deciding the second option would be easier, Taza approached Lady Fleetwood with an exited look on her face. "Excuse me, but I found what I was looking for!"

Surprised by the woman interrupting her, but happy to finally get her out of her shop, Lady Fleetwood smiled at Taza. "Oh? And what might that be?"

Taza grinned and pointed at the bottles. "Those! The stamina potions I make would look perfect in them!"

"C'mon kid, take the bait."

Blink

Raising a brow Izayah listened as the woman cut in on their conversation. He had noticed her when he walked in but never really paid much attention until now. Apparently, she was interested in the bottles that Izayah was buying.

Placing a hand on the back of his head he turned towards her nervously. "Sorry lady but Lady Fleetwood makes these special for my mom. I'm buying them all right now." He shot her a cheesy smile after that.

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Taza gave the boy a small frown. "Special, huh?" she said as she picked up one of the bottles and examined it. "They look normal to- ah, now I see it."

The inside of the bottle was coated in a film of some sort, making the look glass a bit foggy. Taza took her Magigoggles out of her bag and put them on. "Yes... yes. There's a magical preservative inside the bottle, right? To keep an ingredient with a short shelf life fresh longer?" Taza gave the boy an impressed look. "That's clever! Your mom must be very advanced!"


Blink

Izayah was taken aback when the woman quickly realized what was so special about the bottles. Clearly, she knew just as much if not more about herbs and whatnot than he had anticipated.

"Actually yes! My mom uses horehound in one of her tonics and it doesn't preserve well on long trips." This, of course, was a partial lie. Yes, horehound didn't sit well over time but the coating was also to aid in 'other' things.

Lady Fleetwood's eyes then shifted to Izayah as if he had said something he shouldn't have. Of course, he picked up on it and quickly turned his gaze on the crate sitting in front of him. "Don't talk to strangers Izayah! If anyone ever found out our secret we would be on a first class carriage back to Essyrn."His mother's warning now playing in his mind.

Reaching into his pocket Izayah pulled out the coin due and handed it to Thelma. His hands then grasped the crate as he hoisted it off the counter. "Well, I best get going now. Nice meeting you lady." Nervously he smiled as he began making his way out the door.

Once outside Izayah began strapping the crate to his horse, standing on his toes as he tried to get the placement secure enough to keep it from rattling too much.

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Taza frowned. "Crap, looks like I spooked him." she thought. "His mother is almost certainly the manufacturer, but it'll be very hard to come up with a convincing excuse to approach him again without looking suspicious...

Taza suddenly realized that the bottle she'd picked up was still in her hand. "Oh, that's very convenient." she thought with a smile. Rushing out of the shop with a concerned expression on her face, she called out to the boy. "Wait! You forgot your bottle!"

Blink

"You and your big mouth Izayah... thankfully you got out of there before you said too much." Already Izayah was preparing for the scolding he would receive from his mother after telling her this. He had to of course, if not for his families safety. It seemed lately Izayah more than any of them had put their entire operation at risk too many times.

But then he could hear the strange woman's voice calling out from behind him. "Shit"

Tugging on the straps one last time Izayah then turned back around, his hand going to the back of his head again as he smiled at the woman. "Oh, thanks so much. I really am such a doof sometimes..."

"Stop talking and go home!" he told himself, yet there he stood still stupidly smiling at the woman.

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Taxa smiled back at the boy, and handed him the bottle. "I know that smile." she realized. "It's the same look Randal gives me when I catch him doing something he's not supposed to do. This is definitely the right person."

"Oh, it's perfectly fine, we all make mistakes sometimes." Taza scratched the back of her head excitedly. "Oh yeah, I suppose I should introduce myself- my name is Taza." she said with a small, curt bow. "I'm new in town, just got here yesterday!"

Blink

As Taza spoke Izayah continued to stand there with a smile, secretly punishing himself for opening his big mouth in the first place. "Just go away lady"

"Well welcome to La'Marri! Nice to meet you Taza" Izayah then politely bowed. He wouldn't have given his own name if Thelma hadn't already yelled it inside when he greeted her. "I'm Izayah"

After that Izayah turned back to his horse, hoisting himself up on the saddle and grabbing the reins. "I really must get going. You can keep the bottle if you like, I really don't feel like unstrapping and opening that crate right now."

With the click of his tongue, Izayah then ushered the horse forwards, waving over his shoulder as he began his departure.

Eckhart_Von_Musel

"It was nice meeting you Izayah! Thank you for the bottle!" Taza called out to the boy as he rode off. Turning her back to the child, she smirked. "Yeah, that bottle will definitely come in handy." she thought as she began to walk back to the inn she was staying at. Upon stepping inside her room, Taza took a small chemistry set out of her bag and set it on her bedside table. "Lets see what the bottle is actually meant to preserve."

Smashing the bottle, Taza took a shard of glass with the preservative on it and studied it before dropping it on a small metal plate. Putting on her magigoggles, she got to work studying how it reacted to different chemicals.

After about an hour, Taza had discovered something. "Whatever this is meant to preserve originates from an animal, not a plant. If the makers of the potion- Izayah's mother, and possibly Izayah himself- want to stay hidden, then it's likely a contraband material they're using." Confused, Taza sat down on her bed and let out a sigh. "Then why are you in La'Marri and not Zantaric?" she said out loud.

"It's no matter. Taza decided. I'll just have to find the mother and strike up a conversation. I'm sure I'll run into her eventually as long as I frequent the right places- everybody needs to shop for groceries after all."

With that in mind, Taza decided to take a nap.

Blink

Two days later Izayah was out again, doing rounds for his parents as usual. However, on this day he was meeting his mother first at his father's tavern. Dismounting his horse he tied the steed to a post and walked inside.

A few minutes passed before both Izayah and his mother, Nevayah, emerged from behind the doors. It was clear the two were in deep conversation about something as they walked side by side.

"But mmooommm, I was the last one who cleaned out the barn! It's Emia's turn!" Izayah was clearly agitated.

"I don't care who the last one was. Your father asked you to do it and so you will do it." Nevayah then shot her son a glare that would put fear in even the largest man's soul.

Immediately Izayah shrunk, turning his head before rolling his eyes. "Fine"

Nevayah then reached out and patted her son's head. "That's my boy..." she laughed.

After that, the two then walked over to the caravan that often passed through La'Marri. On a typical day, Nevayah would be selling them her tonics except for this week she was simply picking up a few items she asked for before they left.

"Horehound seeds are so hard to get your hands on here." Nevayah was studying a handful of seeds wrapped in a bit of parchment. "Thank you so much for getting them for me! I will be sure to have another shipment for you next week." Nevayah then shook the hand of Maximus, the man responsible for the entire operation being a success.

Meanwhile, Izayah stood back, scanning the various carts for anything that may peak his own interests.

Eckhart_Von_Musel

It had been two days, and so far Taza had seen no sign of the boy or his mother. She'd lurked around the market stalls, all of the local bars and taverns, and the library, but it was to no avail. "These people sure know how to disappear." Taza thought. "I wonder if me finding them the first time wasn't some sort of fluke."

Today, Taza had decided to check a small caravan that was passing through La'Marri to sell their wares. "The goods from out of town may lure them out of hiding" she figured. As she walked past the carriages, a voice caught her ear.

"Horehound seeds are so hard to get your hands on here."

Taza quickly glanced over to where she heard the voice, and saw a woman who looked to be about her age making a purchase from one of the merchants. Izayah was standing nearby, seemingly keeping watch. Taza continued walking. "I can't approach them out of the blue- it'd look suspicious. No, I need to think of an organic way to do this."

The answer came to here when she saw one of the merchants was selling large crates of thyme- large enough that Taza would be unable to see where she was going if she tried to carry it. "Perfect, that will do." Purchasing a crate, she lifted it and walked in the direction she had seen Izayah standing.

The boy didn't seem to have moved from his spot, as Taza ended up walking straight into somebody. "Ouch!" she cried as she fell over, dropping the crate of herbs. "Ah, I'm really sorry about that!"

Blink

Just when he set his sights on a beautifully crafted sheath something knocked Izayah off his feet. It was an elderly woman, who was knocked over by some lady with a crate. "Hey!" he shouted, turning on his foot just in time to catch Mrs. Whitack before she hit the ground. Thank goodness he had been working on balance with Keefe otherwise he surely would have been squished under the old woman.

Making sure Mrs. Whitack was okay first Izayah then stormed over to the woman who had dropped the crate. "You really need to pa-" he stopped mid-sentence realizing it was the same weird lady he had met the other day. "You!" he yelled, stepping back while pointing at her.

By this time Nevayah had been alerted to the racket and stormed over to her son who was being rather rude to a foreigner. "Izayah!" she yelled, causing the poor boy's skin to flush white the moment his name left her lips. "That is not how you talk to strangers!" Taking another step towards her son she flicked him on the forehead before bending down to help pick up the contents of the crate.

"Sorry" Izayah whispered as he also bent down to help Taza pick up the herbs.

"I am so sorry about my son. He tends to get a little hot headed sometimes." While Nevayah spoke with the utmost respect and kindness towards the woman she did manage to shoot her son a glare that caused him to flinch.

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Taza smiled inwardly as she heard Izaya yelp. "That's it. Just as planned." She looked up when he approached her, a look of shock on her face. "I-Izayah?" she stammered.

"Izayah! That is not how you talk to strangers!"

Izayah's mother, who had seemingly just begun paying attention now, began to chastise the boy. She bent down to help Taza pick up the herbs she had dropped.

"I am so sorry about my son. He tends to get a little hot headed sometimes."

"No, no, it's my fault." Taza replied as she began picking the thyme off the ground. "I shouldn't have bought so much that I couldn't see where I was going." She gave Izayah an apologetic look. "I guess this the second time, huh? We have to stop running into each other like this."

"I'll let him introduce me- that'd be the polite thing for him to do."

Blink

Already Izayah was suspicious, but then again he was raised to be that way. Even Nashya felt a pang of something in her chest when the woman stated this wasn't the first time.

"I ran into her at Lady Fleetwood's... she was wanting to buy some bottles like ours." Izayah's eyes flicked towards his mom hoping she would make this crazy woman finally go away. Unfortunately... she did just the opposite.

"Oh? Thelma has such lovely inventory!"

Izayah internally facepalmed at his mother's response. Was it not her who drilled it into his head for years that they had to be extra careful. Yet here she was, blabbing away like a bafoon while he stood back and watched.

Taking a step towards his mother Izayah tapped her on the shoulder. "I'm just going to go and talk to dad for a few while you two..." Izayah paused as he eyed Taza. "... talk."

Nevayah paid no mind to how Izayah was acting and instead reached a hand out for her to shake. "My name is Nevayah... I'm guessing by all the herbs you just dropped and your interest in such fine glassware that you make tonics as well."

Eckhart_Von_Musel

Nevayah wasn't nearly as cautious as her son, and she had soon outstretched her arm to shake Taza's hand. The drug dealer beamed and gripped the woman's hand tightly. "Yes! I do!" she said enthusiastically. "I mostly make stamina potions, but I dabble in healing potions too."

Letting go of Nevayah's hand, Taza took a step back and gave the woman a small bow. "My name is Taza- Taza Faah. I just moved here a few days ago." She picked up he crate of herbs once more, trying her best to hold it in a way that allowed her to see what was in front of her. "The rest of my family will be arriving in town in about two weeks, but I came ahead of time to get things ready for them. It's nice knowing there are other alchemists here my age, back where I'm from I was the only one."

Giving up on the crate for the time being and setting it back down, Taza scratched the back of her head. "Your son seems very sweet- he actually reminds me of my own. Are you teaching him the trade as well?"

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