Dorian’s face held no expression as he walked down the sleepy residential street alone. The sun had long set by now, and he knew most shops would be closed at this hour. Still, he felt it was worth returning to the medicinal store he had visited earlier in the off-chance the owner may be working late. If not, he would have to delay his delivery another day.
“I should have gone straight there after buying the oil,” he muttered to himself. “I doubt they’re going to hire me again after this. That means I’ll have lost another–”
His sentence was cut short and his visible eye narrowed.
Another set of footsteps was echoing off the rows of houses beside him. They were quick and deliberate; and, although they were still a good distance away, they were rapidly approaching.
He debated turning from the road in the hope the person behind him would pass him by, but he opted to gradually increase his pace to see if the footsteps would follow.
Unfortunately, they did.
His heart pounding in his chest, Dorian dug his heel in the ground and abruptly spun around.
Mioko skidded to a halt a few feet away, his arms spreading wide beneath his blue cloak to check his balance.
Dorian, at once, exhaled. “...You?”
“Hi,” Mioko replied. “I just wanted to make sure you get what you need.”
His lips pressed tightly together for a moment. “I’ve already told you: I don’t need help.”
“I know,” Mioko glanced at the ground, “but the medicine store will be closed by now. You know that.”
“And so, you’ve come to bring me to your ‘source’ for the lavender oil?”
“If you’d like me to,” he wrung his hands between the cloak and his back.
Dorian sighed sharply, rolled his eye, and turned around. “All right; fine.” He gestured ahead of them. “Lead the way.”
A light smile lit up Mioko’s freckled face, and he fell into step on Dorian’s left–where his visible eye could have him in his peripheral vision.
As the moonlight peeked out from the clouds overhead, the two young men continued toward the center of town with only the scuffing of their shoes and sandals along the cobblestones filling the space between them. Dorian had no desire for small talk–especially not with someone so keen on inserting himself into his business. Mioko knew by Dorian’s tone and posture he was not in the mood to talk, and he tried to keep his wandering thoughts to himself.
This did not last for long.
“Are you Kalgaran?” Mioko looked at Dorian’s blue hair curiously.
Surprised by the question, Dorian shot him a quick glance before directing his attention back to the road ahead. “Yes,” he answered simply.
At once, the Weivan’s tan eyes lit up. “I knew it! I’ve never met a Kalgaran before.”
“We don’t usually leave Kalgara.”
“So, why are you here?”
Without thinking, Dorian again glanced at Mioko. With an exasperated puff of air through his nose, he again turned away. “I’d like to not answer that question.”
Mioko, at last, also looked back to the road. “Okay.” He said just as lightheartedly as the rest of the conversation had been.
Dorian gave him a mildly curious glance from the corner of his eye, and, thankfully for him, the rest of their trek continued in silence. They passed through one section of Royal Road before crossing a narrow foot-bridge over a canal of flowing water and leaving the bustle far behind. They continued until they reached a second bridge that led to a row of stone-bricked houses covered with vines, and they approached a small gate leading to the second home in the lot. The flickering of the oil lantern on the street cast its glow upon them both as they came to a stop beneath it.
“Mioko, this is someone’s house,” the shorter man glanced at him.
“It is,” he smiled.
With that, he stepped through the gate, up three stone steps, and rapped his knuckles upon the wooden door.
An inaudible voice followed, and soon, with a warm glow behind her, a woman emerged with gray hair pulled back in a bun, long ears on the sides of her head, and a floral dress wrapped around her broad frame.
“Mioko!” She immediately wrapped her arms around him. “You certainly choose the oddest hours to come visit!”
“Sorry, Aunt Sue; I’m helping a friend right now,” his voice was muffled against her shoulder as he weakly gestured behind him.
The woman leaned to one side to see around the tall Weivan.
Dorian, still beside the gate, sheepishly held up a hand. “Ah–hello, ma’am.”
Sue’s smile could have rivalled Mioko’s. “Oh!” She hurried down the steps and met Dorian with grasping hands and cooing words. “I am so glad to see Mioko making friends! I’m Susanna Hildersley–Mioko’s aunt.”
“Dorian Swift,” he replied as if unsure.
“Well met! Now, please–come in! I’ve just put a kettle on!”
Unsure of how else to respond to her hospitality, Dorian simply allowed himself to be whisked inside her home. He was met with the warmth of a deep fireplace and a ceramic kettle hanging from a hook above the coals. A modest kitchen was nestled beside the fireplace, and what little he could see of the sitting room beyond appeared even cozier. Long wooden beams spanned the ceiling across both rooms, and well-worn wooden planks covered the floor.
Sue went straight into the kitchen to start pulling out a container of herbs and tea leaves. “A chamomile blend should be lovely at this time of night,” she said mostly to herself.
Mioko glanced at Dorian, who was still somewhat taken aback by the whole situation. “We can’t stay too long,” he took a small step forward. “Mostly, Dorian is needing some lavender oil.”
“I will gladly purchase it from you,” Dorian interjected before the Weivan woman could answer.
Sue, however, beamed another smile and waved him off. “Not to worry, young man, I have plenty!”
“But…”
“A friend of Mioko will always receive what he needs.”
Dorian chewed on his lip and watched Sue set down the tea, cross the kitchen, and disappear behind a beaded curtain at the far end. He jumped when Mioko’s face leaned into his line of sight.
“Come see!” He said excitedly.
Dorian, again, had no choice but to follow. Slipping through the beaded curtain, he passed through a small wash room before exiting the back of the home with Mioko and Sue. He was instantly met with the yellow, diffused glow of a modest greenhouse at the far end of the small backyard.
Once he stepped inside, he found himself unable to take another step. His wide eye simply scanned the rows of shelves that lined the room–absolutely filled with plants, herbs, bottles, and jars of every kind. Tall vines stretched from generous pots on the floor and spread over the ceiling; jars of oils and salves glistened in the lamplight; bundles of drying flowers hung from the rafters, and healthy sprigs of lavender grew from a collection of pots below. The air was heavy and smelled as much like a greenhouse as it did a beautiful spring garden, and the foggy glass that surrounded them would have let in a dazzling amount of daylight if it wasn’t past sundown.
“You… you’re a potioneer?” Dorian could hardly speak from amazement.
“I prefer to call myself an ‘herbalist,’” Sue smiled as she reappeared from behind a small shelf near the back of the room. In her hands was a flask of amber-colored liquid. “How much do you need?”
“Oh–just,” his fingers formed the top and bottom dimensions of the flask he once had, “a small flask is plenty. I may have some spare bottles–if they aren’t all broken.”
Sue again waved her hand before Dorian could sling his backpack to his front to look inside. “No worries, dear; I have plenty of flasks too.” With that, she uncorked two small flasks and filled them each with the amber oil.
The smell of the lavender saturated the room in the process, and the young man closed his eye as he breathed it in. “That’s the purest lavender oil I’ve ever smelled,” he muttered.
“Aunt Sue grows the best lavender in town,” Mioko offered proudly as he rocked on his feet.
The woman, however, only smiled and shook her head as she carried over the two flasks. “I am simply passionate about what I grow. I may have never had human children, but I have raised many hearty herbs in my time.”
The hint of a smile tugged at Dorian’s lips as he accepted the flasks. “I need to repay you somehow.”
“You’re a friend of Mioko’s,” she smiled. “That’s all the payment I need.”
His smile faded somewhat shamefully, eying the contented young man beside him. “I could stand to be better.”
With that, the three returned to the house to the sound of the kettle whistling loudly. Sue quickly scuffled across the room to the fireplace and used a nearby rag to remove the kettle from the coals. “Are you sure I can’t interest you boys in some tea before you leave?” She glanced at them as she carried the kettle to a ceramic plate on the counter.
“No, thank you; I need to finish my delivery.” Dorian lifted one of the two small flasks.
“Dorian is a potioneer,” Mioko commented.
“Ah! Then, perhaps I’ll see you again.”
A grin tugged at Dorian’s lips. “Perhaps–but I will insist on paying you next time.”
“We’ll see,” the Weivan woman smiled wide and followed the two young men to the door. As Dorian started down the stone steps, she turned to her nephew and laid a hand on his shoulder. “Will you be staying here tonight, Mioko?”
“No; I’ll be heading on a journey with our other friends in the morning.”
“Oh!” She once again seemed surprised. “Where to?”
“Montrose–then into the mountains to find a dracleon!”
Sue’s chuckle was as much nervous as it was dismissive. “Well, come back in one piece, all right?” She fingered the yellow crystal around his neck before laying it gently upon his chest with a light pat of her hand. She then leaned around him to again find Dorian lingering near her gate. “Keep an eye on him, will you? He can get a little… distracted.”
Mioko cocked an eyebrow and frowned, but he made no attempt to correct her.
Dorian simply smirked as he nodded his head. “Thank you, Ms. Hildersley.”
“You are always welcome, Mr. Swift!”
The gate was closed with a small creak, and the two young men heard Sue’s door close lightly behind them.
The smirk narrowed on Dorian’s face. “You didn’t tell me your source was your aunt.”
“You didn’t ask,” Mioko replied matter-of-factly.
He huffed a short laugh. “Fair enough. Well, I do appreciate the help,” he paused, “even if I didn’t think I needed it.”
The Weivan shrugged with a light smile.
“I’ll see you around, then,” the Kalgaran took one step toward the street.
“Are you coming with us to Montrose in the morning?” Mioko took a step closer, eyeing the staff strapped to Dorian’s back as the young man pulled his backpack to his front to store the vials of oil inside.
“I wasn’t planning on it,” he glanced at him.
“Oh.” Despite the shortness of the word, the disappointment within Mioko’s voice was more than apparent.
Dorian frowned and slung his bag to his back. “Look; you’ve been very kind, and I appreciate that you already consider me a friend–considering–but, I really don’t want to get involved in this whole curse-breaking thing. I have enough to do to keep myself afloat these days.”
Mioko again closed the gap Dorian attempted to make by taking another step. “You wouldn’t want to see Prince Ignarathos? You wouldn’t want to see the sword of legend?”
Dorian half-smiled. “No.”
The Weivan’s brows furrowed. “But… the adventure–and the discovery–and helping someone in need–”
“No,” he repeated more firmly, “but I do wish you and the others well on your journey.” Dorian gave a short bow and turned around completely this time. As he started away, he was prepared to hear Mioko’s sandaled feet following after him. When he didn’t, he bit his lip and continued walking away in silence.
Mioko remained at his aunt’s gate, watching Dorian disappear over the stone foot bridge at the end of the road. Once he had allowed for ample distance between them, he sighed lightly, crossed the bridge, and started back to Ben’s house at a leisurely pace.
The moon’s light ebbed between the rolling clouds, leaving only the flickering lanterns overhead to light much of the way. He wandered slowly through the empty streets for quite some time, and he only came to a stop when he caught sight of a black cat darting into a shadowy alley. He curiously tried to look after where it had run, but he lost its trail in the darkness.
“Hm,” he hummed aloud, lingering at the edge of the alley. The moonlight peeked out long enough to light up an overgrown patch of weeds springing up between the broken cobblestone. As the light faded back into shadow, he shrugged and turned back to the road.
A strike to the side of his neck dropped him to his knees as his vision blacked out.
A furred, humanoid creature seemed to rise from the shadows themselves, and it took a wide stance over the currently incapacitated sorcerer. Delicate fingers emerged from the deep black fur, flipping away the corners of his cloak as they searched his fallen frame for valuables. Then, they paused and hovered over the faintly glowing yellow crystal around his neck.
The fur faded from the creature’s face, revealing the features of a pale-skinned young woman from among the dark black hair. Her rosy lips tugged into a smile, revealing a pointed canine tooth.
She gave a heavy tug on the crystal in an attempt to break the chain, but this only caused the man to groan as his eyes flickered back into consciousness.
Within a dizzying blur of sound and shapes, Mioko could just barely make out a feminine face hovering over him.
“Stop!!”
The woman’s silver eyes darted up, glinting in the lamp light, as a blue-haired young man rushed at her with a staff in hand.
She released the gemstone and immediately leapt into the shadows, returning to her catlike form just as Dorian swung the staff in a wide circle. He clipped the cat’s back leg, producing a sharp yowl before a flurry of feathers shot up from the alley and disappeared beyond the rooftops.
“An Amorfian!” Dorian growled through his teeth, his posture still lowered in defense.
Mioko huffed a groan and limply tossed his hand against his chest. When his fingers did not immediately find his crystal, he gasped and scrambled to a seated position–where he felt the crystal slip behind his back into his shirt collar. He reached around his neck to grasp it within his fingers, and, at once, released a long sigh that closed his eyes and slumped his entire form.
“She nearly took that,” Dorian’s voice came, reminding the Weivan he was not alone.
“Dorian,” his tan eyes blinked open as he dropped the crystal back upon his chest. “Oh–thank you–I–I don’t know what–”
“Don’t worry about it,” he crouched and reached out his hand.
He bit his lip and took it, and he accepted the stocky young man’s strength to pull him back to his feet. A short wave of dizziness sent him staggering into a nearby wall, and he meekly glanced at Dorian.
Chewing his lip, Dorian again extended his hand.
“Come on; we’ll go to Ben’s together.”
-----
I am *actually* working on the Tale of Ace Gallagher Book 1 (!!) and a lot has been changing along the way. It's kind of fun because it's similar enough that I know where it's going, but it's different enough that I'm writing a lot of new content to get there. This is one of those scenes.
In the original story, Dorian and Mioko go to a library to research the Sword of Ignarathos, but now that Ace is well versed in the lore (the new opening chapter) and they get the rest of the story from Ben about Tier, they don't need to do that. But in an effort to make their meeting and teaming up more realistic, Dorian actually has no desire to team up at first. He's there because Ace breaks an expensive potion ingredient when he runs into him (lol) and once Ace pays up, he leaves. Mioko, however, has other plans for him 😁
Speaking of Mioko, I was surprised to find him so much more... carefree at this point in the story, lol. He's always been pretty chill and content overall, but knowing how much things in later stories affect him, I guess I forgot he starts off pretty happy-go-lucky.
Dorian is a bit more crass and dismissive than I remember him starting off as, but obviously he ends up fitting right in among the rest of them (and now, maybe thanks more to Mioko). After all, they literally just met hours before this 😅
Also Raeya making her striking entrance... 😆 Still not sure if I want to go the more realistic route of her not having clothes if she's been shifting forms or just have "otherwise unexplainable don't pay attention to this aspect" clothing when she's in human form... still on realistic right now so we'll see, heh.
