Ushiruin was at the Matorian market for a look see. He knew that his sister was lurking somewhere, they were not supposed to go to markets alone after all, especially as a youngling but the people that took his sister Elaxi were not around anymore, if they were the family would have come down on them like the snapping of a snaptrotter’s jaws. They would be irrefutably dead should they show their faces here again. This he knew deep down in his bones, particularly the ones in his ear and his chest. He wasn’t going to go into why he felt it in those particular areas of his body. He figured he may have gotten a bit of mysticism from his talented grandma, his wildness he got from both of his parents.
Glancing around at the mouth of an alley, knowing Kechi was out there. He decided to play a bit of a gang, you know just a bit of hide and seek. He scurried down the alley, checking back over his shoulder for his scary sister. She was a bit of a hellion, probably got it from his Dad. He would be a hellion too one day he was sure. His Father’s blood ran thick in them. Though quite a few of them looked almost more like uncle Tethys than not. That probably drove his Father crazy. Kechi was rather good at that, but she was also his precious daughter too so she could get away with murder, himself so far not so much, maybe when he was a prentice?
He followed the narrow walls and cobble stones before back tracking a bit, he had blown past a small nondescript shop with a little bottle on the sign out front. Might be a good hiding spot from his sis. He slowly opened the door, a little bell jingled.
“Hello?” He inquired curiously. They had to be open the door was open. So curious!
“Come in.” A throaty woman’s voice emerged from the gloom. Not a lot of natural light came in through the alley, casting everything in a bit of murk and mystery.
“Can I help you find anything?” The voice continued noncorporeal until a shadow seemed to form next to him into a stooped Matorian woman with green crystals and purple eyes. A hybried then? With a lightning he guessed. She had a very small frame, a roundish body and was stooping at the back. She looked way older than her voice hinted at. He wished he had cousin Ultear with him. He would be able to get a proper bead on this lady but himself well he wasn’t all that wise to the ways of the wide world yonder yet.
“I er well, no?” He answered albeit not very convincingly. “I just popped in, What is it you sell?” He asked, while peering at all the jars, it looked like an apothecary shop but..lacking most of the apothecary healing things, just wall to wall bottles and the occasional jar with a few fancy urns sprinkled throughout.
“I sell potions my boy, is it not obvious. These are all rare, though potions here usually are to begin with.” She ran a hand over the bottles. “It is my special talent, all are temporary but most effective.” The bottles were obviously her pride and joy.
“Potions? Like magic in a bottle then?” This was so fascinating. “How do they work?”
“Well lad, some you drink and some you sprinkle over yourself or the target of the spell.”
“Color me intrigued, what do you have in stock?”
“Potions to temporarily change your hair color, crystal color or indeed skin color, a few to cure some ailments temporarily until a proper cure can be found, those are quite popular for things like migraines. A few very expensive gender bender potions, be a girl for 12 hours or vice versa and gain a new perspective on life and a temporary ageing potion. The last two can be used together sure but its two drastic changes so it could be a bit upsetting for the person.”
Ushiruin furrowed his brow. He checked the price on the bottles and swallowed. It would be all of his savings from selling those snaptrotter hatchlings that he and his father had trained himself, but there would always be other clutches and he wasn’t really wanting for anything else so why not? “I’ll take the aging potion and the gender bending potion, you are sure they are temporary?”
“Yes they should wear off within twelve to eighteen hours. Nothing I have on display is permanent.”
Well that was intriguing, He handed over the coins and she wrapped the bottles up in paper. “They are not exactly common things after all.” She said.
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