Apothecary Open

[Mayquiri]

Why was it always so cold this time of year?  He knew he had no right to ask, but he still felt compelled to.  This was the time of year when his body always became cold on the inside as well as the outside.  He would cough and sneeze, and sometimes wouldn’t be able to speak for the dryness and soreness in his throat.  His herbs were always able to alleviate his illness, but they were never able to prevent its coming.  This was also when his business was at its best and worst.  People came for remedies to illness caused by cold, but they were deterred by his own illness.

The other problem was he often ran out of many things over the winter months.  Come spring, Arjan would be down to a few salves and elixirs, mostly for serious diseases and allergies.  

Either way, the fire had gone out in his small hut, and he needed to rekindle it or freeze.  He believed that his god wouldn’t appreciate it if he gave up on his own life and succumbed to Talons realm so readily because of a little chill and stiffness though.  With a faint groan, the frail young man lifted himself out of the small cot and stumbled over to the stove, frowning slightly.  He was running low on wood, that wasn’t a good thing.  He’d have to go out and gather some more before the day was to far in.

Oh well, he did have enough for now at least, and once the fire was burning merrily again, Arjan stumbled over to the door after struggling to place a cap over the over-sized helmet of hair on his head.  

Time to open shop.  There was a nice layer of frost on the ground in front of the shop, as well as on the wooden peg that was used to hang a small, hand carved and painted sign proclaiming the good sold at the shop.  Arjan remembered he had paid a goodly amount of gold for that sign, and yet he only had the carvers word it said plant-healer, or something to that effect.  It must have been right though, everyone who came in the shop knew what he sold, so it was worth the coin.

[Kysis]

Short strides were not always a bad thing, especially in the winter when it kept her moving that much quicker.  Alia was not the tallest thing in the world, far from it, but at least she could move fast in short spurts.  The guard with her appeared flustered, walking as she half-jogged.  He was paid to follow her about, so he had no right to complain, Alia shooting the man a glare the first time he opened his mouth too.  It was either shut up and get paid, or get fired, and he knew it.

Alia was surprised to see the market moving already.  It was still early, a lot of places not open.... and then she saw the sign she was looking for.  Alia had asked a few people if there was any medicine man or anything of the sort for a while.  They told her to go pray.  If that had worked, she would not have been asking, of course, but she hardly snapped at the people.  They were only trying to help (or at least that was what they told themselves).

The young woman was excited to see it was open, this Apothecary.  In fact, she clapped her velvet gloved hands together with glee, only to find herself coughing again.  Alia would not have felt so miserable if her guard showed an ounce of sympathy, but that was not happening either, so she recovered as she could, continuing on her way to the door.

Though Alia did not consider herself dressed up, she was wearing a nice dress, platinum curls cascading over cloaked shoulders.  There was some gloss on her thin lips, a little pink added to her cheeks.  It was a false color, considering her pallor, but one that Alia felt neccisary.  She hated the odd looks and the sympathy she often received.  She hated how people skirted away from her because of her wretched cough.  Did they not understand that this was an ailment that did not pass itself from person to person?  Alia would not get anyone else sick (though often she really wanted to, seeing how the other nobles treated her).

A hand rose, delicate and small to knock on the door.  When her guard had to suppress a chuckle, she turned to glare at him again, just about ready to dismiss him.  He went right to attention, though, Alia turning haughtily back to the door, opening and peaking her little head in, "Hello?"  It was painfully obvious that she was not from around here, and Alia could do nothing at all to hide it.

[Mayquiri]

A customer already?  That was certainly unexpected.  Arjan was convinced that today wouldn’t bring anybody until later.  Winters usually never brought anyone aside from servants of cruel masters until noon-ish.  Wrapping his old cloak around his own thin body, Arjan turned away from the stove and boiling water.  “It’s open, come on in and warm up.  S’colder then a monkey with brass balls.” He called, sniffling slightly afterward.

When he saw who it was though, he sputtered slightly and paled (if that was even possible at the moment) before backing away.  Such vulgar talk was fine for commoners like himself and other merchants, but this woman wasn’t a commoner.  She was pale and sickly, that much was obvious, but she wore clothes that were far from ordinary.  Velvet gloves, beautiful dress.  No, this woman was a noble.  

“I’m sorry miss.  I didn’t see your dress.” He apologized immediately, especially after seeing the large ape of a guard she carried along with her.  With his small body, that guard could break him like a piece of kindling, and then take all his wears.

“What can I get ye La-miss?” He asked then as he poured himself a cup from the pot on the stove.  From the smell of it, it was an herbal tea, some mint, and a few other herbs that Arjan had found helped to stimulate awareness and healing.

[Kysis]

Alia just smiled at his appologies.  His crude words made good work of making sure she was wide awake, that was for sure.  She would have thanked him for it had the guard not been there... but he was already shifting restlessly in his armor, daring to even clear his throat trying to get Alia to hurry up.  The nerve!  But there was that kind smile for the apothecary, which did not move from her lips as she approached a little.

"I... I was wondering if you could help me."

It sounded foolish and dumb, in all reality.  Alia mentally scolded herself for that pause of tone, the weakness displayed in her voice.  She wanted to be a strong noblewoman, that much could be seen in her eyes, but the rest of her was rather girl-like, doll-like.  Taking a deep breath, Alia was forced to pull a cloth to cover her mouth, that slightest cough taking her over.  She dabbed lightly at the red which had sudden tainted her lips, smile back immediately after.

"I\'ve had this cough for years, and no matter who I\'ve sought out, if just won\'t go away...  Have you heard of this before?"

Alia herself did not know what ailment she carried.  All she knew was that breathing was hard and overexertion brought her horribly painful cought up.  She had always been thin to a fault, not the product of malnutrition.  Alia ate a lot for a woman, especially one of her size.  She was also shorter than the rest of her family, this cough and all it entailed having been a tormentor since youth.  Alia wanted to know if this man even had a clue.  If he did... Adora bless him, but until then, she\'d keep as tight-lipped as ever.

[Mayquiri]

To him it didn’t sound foolish.  There were usually only two reasons a person came to his shop.  The first was help with healing, the second was help with death.  There was rarely any other reason, and those who came for love, or lust were usually shown the door in short order.

“I migh’ be able to help ye.” He replied as he looked around, hearing the cough.  That didn’t sound healthy at all.  It sounded almost like how Arjan himself sounded if he left his own cough untreated over the winter months.

“Would you like a cup of tea?” He asked suddenly, looking over at her curiously.  “It would help warm you, and help soothe your throat a bit from that cough.  I’m afraid I dun’t have any nice cups though.” He said softly as he gestured to the pot of almost boiling water on the small woodstove, then to his own cup of steaming tea.

“As for that cough, you’ll haveta tell me a bit more then you’ve had it for a while.  Do you know what makes it worse, what season you feel it most, what you think might cause it, and any other symptoms you might have.”

[Kysis]

"Well, if you think the tea will help..."  Alia did not mind if the cup was not as nice as she was used to, but anything to help her ailment would do, big or little.  She saw the pot boiling, sniffed in a slight way to mask her taking a smell.  She was greatful that the man was willing to help, as helpless as her case seemed (at least to the others who had tried).  Hopefully he would not end up being another person to say \'pray\' as the only way.

"My symptoms... My cough gets worse with activity."  Alia paused, trying to force back a cough.  It worked, that scratchiness receeding for the moment, "I\'ve had it since I was a child.  It is worse in the warm months."

A normal cold came during the cold season, as its name suggested.  It was that last fact which baffled the most people, but it made sense to Alia.  In the winter, she could be bundled up and comfortable.  More layers could be added to clothing with ease.  In the summer, there was only so much that could come off before indecency would be achieved, which Alia refused to do, so that heat had a bad and stressful effect on her.  Alia hated the warm seasons the most.

"I haven\'t an idea as to why I have this--" a small cough came, Alia gulping away the rest of it.  She hated looking weak, but her illness just proved it, "this cough.  I would not be here otherwise."

[Mayquiri]

When she gave her agreement that she had wanted the tea, Arjan nodded quickly and grabbed another small cup from behind the small desk/table that served as a counter.  Carefully, for fear of spilling and scalding himself, Arjan poured a small cup and handed it over to her as he listened to the symptoms.

“I see.  Well, obviously you should restrict activity if you can.  But you knew that.  An iffn it’s then summer, it might be the stuff in the air.  Y’know, when the flowers bloom, they let out this stuff in the air so more flowers can be made, that might be makin your cough worse.  How is that tea feeling on yer throat?” He asked as he turned away and start looking over certain unmarked vials of herbs and the like.

“Though iffn it is worse in the warm months, there’s not much I can do now.  We can give ye something to soothe your throat, and mebbe calm the coughing urge, but until summer, we can’t really see what works and what doesn’t.”  Arjan murmered, half to himself, half to the woman as he pulled things out of the jars and sniffed, smiling faintly to himself.  Yes, that would help.  Wild Cherry Bark and Lobeila, either should do the trick on their own, but better to give what he had now versus the poor thing coming back angry that her remedies didn’t help.

[Kysis]

The warmth of the cups in her gloved hands was enjoyable, Alia taking a moment just to savor the aroma and the feeling.  But, deciding to wait too long would be rather rude, Alia took a lady-like sip.  It tasted good, which was a great bonus if it helped.  The liquid felt warm all the way down, heating up her throat but... for a moment the itchiness was gone.  Alia could still feel the lurking presence of another cough wishing to come up, but this one was deeper, in her chest.  It made her worry.

"It does help some.  Thanks..."

Alia pressed the back of her hand to her lips, stiffling the noise as she cleared her throat.  It was painful, as the tissue was raw, but another sip took her mind off it.  Why hadn\'t anyone suggested tea before?  Or mentioned the blooming of plants for that matter?  The medicine people of Kreos must have been complete idiots, now that she thought of it, and it was frustrating to know that she had let a strangely painted and garbed man shake a chicken foot at her for nothing.

But that momentary relaxation of her throat brought forth the realization of a pain that had been ignored before, masked over.  A tormented throat such as hers would remain the forefront of thought, and she had not noticed.... a soft cough came up anyway, and she felt it beneath her ribcage.  It was bothersome, but she decided not to bring it up.

"Thank you very much.  I believe I will return in the warmer months for a... checkup?"  All the while Alia motioned with her free hand, the guard pulling a dainty bag of coins from the concealment of his armor.  Alia thought it a funny sight, thus why she made her guard carry her coin.  That, and she trusted him.  The guards might not respect her, but they feared her brother, so they had to play by her rules, "Good sir, how much will this cost?"  It was not a question posed because of money issues.  Alia knew she had more than enough coin to cover whatever his asking price.  It was merely a question so she knew how much coin to hand him, what type too.  No matter what (as long as the price was not too terribly high) she planned on putting in a little extra.  This man had been the most helpful person she had met yet.

[Mayquiri]

Aila was right too, many of the so-called healers were rather stupid.  They invented dangerous, insane treatments for simple problems because they couldn’t see that the earth gave all that was needed to remain healthy.  As far as Arjan cared, country healing, fresh air, fresh food and plants were the best way to fight off sickness.

Pulling down a small box, Arjan grabbed at several jars and plucked certain dried herbs from them.  He placed them all together carefully, then mixed and closed the box.  “Here’s your tea miss, and if you’ll give me a moment, I’ll get something else that I think will help.” He muttered as he ran into the backroom where he kept his bed as well as certain, more potent remedies.  “If the tea doesn’t help and the cough makes yer chest to heavy, rub this on it.  It’s peppermint, and ginsing, and a few other little things.  It should help ye breathe easier.  But it does have a tendacy to irritate sensitive skin, so you might want to use that spairingly.” He said as he handed over the box, as well as a small jar with a sluggish liquid inside.

When he saw the coin bag, Arjan’s eyes were immeaditly drawn to it.  He didn’t like to look greedy, but he was in a business, and he did expect money, or some other form of compensation for his services.  “Well, the tea’s nothing fancy, just some thigns found common around here, to, four coppers for that, but that salve, well, that’s  two silvers, because those ingredients are rarer and stronger.  If they don’t work for you, come back and I’ll find something else, alright?  What I gave ye is pretty common stuff, not very weak, but not as strong as some of the other things I have.” Arjan said, after pondering a little bit on the price.  

Intentionally, the young man upped the price on the salve a bit, expecting the woman to argue and haggle.  It was really only a silver piece and three coppers, but once again, he expected her to argue.

[Kysis]

"Alright, then."  Alia handed back her tea-cup as she took the box, handing it to her guard as he handed her the purse.  She opened it, pulling out three silvers and offering them with a smile.  She was being generous, which a lot of nobles refused to do, but Alia was not one of them.  The girl understood what it was to struggle, even if it was in a different way than most commoners.  Her illness took away much of the life her money might have given, so...  She wanted to share what she did have.

"Thank you, very much.  I hope this helps you as much as you have helped me."

Alia was being sincere.  All she wanted was to be healthy, and what the man wanted was to make a living.  It was the cycle of things, and it worked.  In fact, Alia was in a rather good mood at the moment, seeing as her coughs were weak and they did not irritate her throat so much.  It was just her chest, which he mentioned something for, so she would give it a try.  Alia was not sure if she had sensitive skin.  She was pale, but that did not neccisarily mean sensitive, did it?  Well, Alia planned on finding out, and soon.  Even if the salve did not work, she would come back for more advice.  This man seemed to know what he was talking about.

[Mayquiri]

Arjan\'s eyes widened slightly when she didn\'t argue at all, but instead gave him more hten he had asked.  Since when did nobles, or any person for that matter, do such a thing?  Swallowing slightly as his tongue darted out to wet his horribly chapped lips, Arjan took the money, feeling a little guilty, but not guilty enough to refuse.

"Oh trust me, miss, it\'ll help me greatly." He replied, nodding his head.  And it would too.  He could either invest in a new cloak or shoes, as his were beginning to wear thin, or he could eat like a king for a good while on what was given him.

"I do hope it helps ye though miss.  If ye have any more troubles, my name\'s Arjan, don\'t be afraid to come and visit me yerself, or if that cough gets to much worse, send someone.  i wouldn\'t like to see you makin yourself worse just to see me."

[Kysis]

"I would come back to thank you, too."

Alia smiled as the guard headed through the door, holding it open for her.  The young woman did not want to leave yet, did not want to go.  She puzzeled over it for a few moments before forcing a smile and nodding her head.  There was a slight bounce to her steps as she went out, not enough to cause the trouble of breathing, but enough to make her curls frolick a little, and show that she had some joy from finding a possible aid to her health.

Pausing in the door, Alia waved and nodded, then headed out, the guard rudely slamming the door.  Alia really hoped she helped as much as the apothecary might have helped her.

[Mayquiri]

As he heard this, Arjan smiled again, his lips cracking slightly at the action and how bowed his head slightly.  The young man was unused to showing fealty to nobility, and it showed in his actions, but he was at least respectful and wasn’t intentionally crude to the poor woman.  Arjan followed the two to the door and was about to wish her a farewell when the guard slammed it in his face, making his eyes water with surprise at nearly getting his nose smashed in.

Sighing faintly, Arjan turned away from the door again and returned to his tea.  That girl was so nice, much nicer then most nobles he saw.  And she looked so ill too.  Hopefully Talon would grant her a few more months, or even years upon this world.  But then again, as ill as she appeared, Arjan knew he must have looked equally dreadful to her, for in the winter months, his tan waned to a sickly whiteish pallor.  

Oh well, no use worry on the subject.  Now all he needed to do was sit down, get some breakfast in his belly, and wait for the next costumer.