Posted 4 years ago on August 12, 2019 23:34
She pushed the bag up in her arms again to settle it more comfortably against her chest. There wasn’t too much in the bag: some chamomile, basil, a couple of frog hearts and some liquid moonlight. It still felt a bit awkward to hold as she moved her way through the street. People streamed around her, a couple of golems dotting the street as they walked down it. A merchant hawked his goods from his stall waving out the glowing crystals he swore were guaranteed to power anything they wanted for at least five years, while another shouted about the benefits of the micro-selector he had found, guaranteed to be able to gather all those tricky metaphysical things that a home cook potioneer might need.
The babble was actually soothing, as irritating as it was to feel herself jostled again and again as people brushed past her. At one point her brown hair had managed to get caught in someone’s vest and they’d held up traffic as they worked to untangle the thick unruly strands from the other woman’s vest. There was a reason she usually kept it up. Perhaps she shouldn’t have been in quite such a rush to get out the door. But she had been looking forward to taking the day to relax and soak in the quiet. She was finally going to get around to that color experiment she’d wanted to try.
Thankfully it only took a couple blocks before the traffic began to thin. People on bicycles could be seen squeezing past now, and a sentry nodded politely to her from his position in his steam walker, the mechanical armor hissing as it moved. She nodded back, hoping that he didn’t decide to stop her and ask to see her potioneers pass. It would take ages to dig out from the bottom of the bag. She really needed to stop just tossing everything in in one go. The last sentry had not been pleased at all when his request to see her pass had required her to dig through all her pockets. Though really, it’s not like she was stopped every time she went and got ingredients. And she had only forgotten that one time. She didn’t deserve a hundred dollar fine for that! Okay, maybe twice.
The stone walls were more of a dirty grey than anything as she went further, and as she turned into the residential area the cobblestone road and smooth walkway gave way to pebbles, then simple dirt. Scraggly patches of grass and weed grew near the edges of the houses, the wooden buildings kept surprisingly tidy. Occasionally a more wealthy one sprouted up, grand and stately with the brick and stone frame holding it up. Those were always older houses from before the district had grown more popular. They were nice to look at. Sometimes she’d slow down as she went by, looking at the grand arches and decorative ridges and frames, the decorated sills and almost delicate chimneys, and imagine what it would be like to live in such a grand place. Her favorite one had to be the house with the weeping willow in front, the old tree almost intertwining with the house. Magic had to be at work there, skillfully keeping the tree alive and preventing it from damaging the old brickwork.
The houses began to crowd a bit more, leaning in on each other and almost looking over the street grouchily. The screams of kids could be heard as she walked past a house strewn with wooden toys. She was glad she wasn’t their neighbor. Children were lovely, but she didn’t fancy having to deal with the noise. No, just leave her with her familiar (well not a proper familiar, more a pet she liked to fancy helped her) and she was content.
At last she passed the edges of the houses, the city ungracefully giving way to the countryside. The road got bumpier and there were spots where the road was still more mud than dirt from the last rainstorm. Fences lined the road and the occasional cow looked up from the pasture to watch her pass by warily. Cows were surprisingly timid beasts for their large size.
She paused at a glimpse of yellow and crossed over to get a good look. Was that cowslip? She adjusted the bag in her hold yet again, pushing her hair back. No, just a buttercup. Useful, but she already had plenty at home. She shook her head in disappointment and pushed back through the grass to the road. There was the occasional valuable find, but it wasn’t nearly as often as one might expect.
She turned off the road onto a tiny meandering path. A smile bloomed over her lips as she lingered over the bushes growing by the path, gently patting the small leaves. They were soft and smooth under her touch. Flowers could be seen, and a rabbit bolted from where it had been nibbling on a crocus. Hopefully the flower would survive. Rabbits would eat everything. There was a reason her vegetable garden was fenced up so well.
She looked up at the sagging wooden door set into a sunken stone house. It certainly didn’t look very welcoming from here. Pushing open the door though she felt the warmth of the house, her terrier Biscuit looking up and wagging her stump of a tail at her. She smiled as she finally dropped the bag of groceries and collapsed down into an old armchair that was comfortably warm and hugged itself around her frame. “Hey Biscuit. I’m home.” Biscuit barked happily and jumped up into her lap to lick her face. She laughed softly. “Love you too girl.” She petted the terrier and closed her eyes. Soon she’d get up and get to work on her potion. For now though, it was good to be home.
The babble was actually soothing, as irritating as it was to feel herself jostled again and again as people brushed past her. At one point her brown hair had managed to get caught in someone’s vest and they’d held up traffic as they worked to untangle the thick unruly strands from the other woman’s vest. There was a reason she usually kept it up. Perhaps she shouldn’t have been in quite such a rush to get out the door. But she had been looking forward to taking the day to relax and soak in the quiet. She was finally going to get around to that color experiment she’d wanted to try.
Thankfully it only took a couple blocks before the traffic began to thin. People on bicycles could be seen squeezing past now, and a sentry nodded politely to her from his position in his steam walker, the mechanical armor hissing as it moved. She nodded back, hoping that he didn’t decide to stop her and ask to see her potioneers pass. It would take ages to dig out from the bottom of the bag. She really needed to stop just tossing everything in in one go. The last sentry had not been pleased at all when his request to see her pass had required her to dig through all her pockets. Though really, it’s not like she was stopped every time she went and got ingredients. And she had only forgotten that one time. She didn’t deserve a hundred dollar fine for that! Okay, maybe twice.
The stone walls were more of a dirty grey than anything as she went further, and as she turned into the residential area the cobblestone road and smooth walkway gave way to pebbles, then simple dirt. Scraggly patches of grass and weed grew near the edges of the houses, the wooden buildings kept surprisingly tidy. Occasionally a more wealthy one sprouted up, grand and stately with the brick and stone frame holding it up. Those were always older houses from before the district had grown more popular. They were nice to look at. Sometimes she’d slow down as she went by, looking at the grand arches and decorative ridges and frames, the decorated sills and almost delicate chimneys, and imagine what it would be like to live in such a grand place. Her favorite one had to be the house with the weeping willow in front, the old tree almost intertwining with the house. Magic had to be at work there, skillfully keeping the tree alive and preventing it from damaging the old brickwork.
The houses began to crowd a bit more, leaning in on each other and almost looking over the street grouchily. The screams of kids could be heard as she walked past a house strewn with wooden toys. She was glad she wasn’t their neighbor. Children were lovely, but she didn’t fancy having to deal with the noise. No, just leave her with her familiar (well not a proper familiar, more a pet she liked to fancy helped her) and she was content.
At last she passed the edges of the houses, the city ungracefully giving way to the countryside. The road got bumpier and there were spots where the road was still more mud than dirt from the last rainstorm. Fences lined the road and the occasional cow looked up from the pasture to watch her pass by warily. Cows were surprisingly timid beasts for their large size.
She paused at a glimpse of yellow and crossed over to get a good look. Was that cowslip? She adjusted the bag in her hold yet again, pushing her hair back. No, just a buttercup. Useful, but she already had plenty at home. She shook her head in disappointment and pushed back through the grass to the road. There was the occasional valuable find, but it wasn’t nearly as often as one might expect.
She turned off the road onto a tiny meandering path. A smile bloomed over her lips as she lingered over the bushes growing by the path, gently patting the small leaves. They were soft and smooth under her touch. Flowers could be seen, and a rabbit bolted from where it had been nibbling on a crocus. Hopefully the flower would survive. Rabbits would eat everything. There was a reason her vegetable garden was fenced up so well.
She looked up at the sagging wooden door set into a sunken stone house. It certainly didn’t look very welcoming from here. Pushing open the door though she felt the warmth of the house, her terrier Biscuit looking up and wagging her stump of a tail at her. She smiled as she finally dropped the bag of groceries and collapsed down into an old armchair that was comfortably warm and hugged itself around her frame. “Hey Biscuit. I’m home.” Biscuit barked happily and jumped up into her lap to lick her face. She laughed softly. “Love you too girl.” She petted the terrier and closed her eyes. Soon she’d get up and get to work on her potion. For now though, it was good to be home.
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