forum The Apothecary, the Fairy, and the Elite (Closed)

Started December 28, 2022 by @emilyevewrites group

tune

Lavendar choked on her own blood as the cold metal opened the inside of her throat. This wasn't exactly how she wanted to end her life, who would give the letters she wrote to her family… and trusted colleagues? She slowly sank to the ground, her vision blurred and deaf to everything around her, the woman in front of her would be the last thing she saw…
________

Her eyes blinked open, expecting to see a very bright light or something of sorts. Only to see a woman fixing the wound on her neck. Lavi opened her mouth only to say, "Dammit, you won't even let a girl die in peace?" She weakly lifted her hand to touch her neck only to find that it was sealed shut and restored to the state it was in before.

After hearing the woman's remark and questions, she sighed annoyedly, "Well, let me at least re-adjust my mind first." Lavendar blinked again, then saw who the woman was. Frick.

She rolled her eyes, this behavior far from herself, "Fine, the Elite are-" The memories rushed back, "Damn the Elite. They're the reason I tried to kill both of us. It's the Organization of the Elite Sorcerers and- wait, why do you want to know anyway? Did you heal me, just to interrogate me even more?"

She stood up, a bit unbalanced, and grabbed some dried herbs hanging from the ceiling. "By the way, aren't you hurt? Shouldn't you be on the couch?" She asked, organizing her mind and still moderately pissed at Farah. Lavendar grabbed her mortar and pestle, set it on the countertop, and started to crush the dried herbs.

Farah arched her eyebrows. "Does such a thing exist?" she asked, glancing at Lavendar's fingers brushing over her throat. "Careful, it's still sensitive," the fairy warned. And then she noted the change in emotions once Lavendar recognized her. Lovely. I saved her life, and she hates me all over again.

She was listening intently until Lavendar cut herself off and questioned Farah's motives. Dammit. "Of course not!" she protested, frowning at Lavendar's assumption of her actions. "I healed you because you thought taking your own life was a viable option." Her expression turned firm and serious. "It's not."

As Lavendar stood, Farah did as well. Then she remembered her ankle. A cry of pain escaped her, and she leaned heavily on the countertop to be able to stand. "Yes, I'm still hurt," she remarked, her breathing becoming labored. "But I need answers out of you. What the hell did you do to me? What kind of magic was that? It was designed to kill, yes? You thought I would be dead. How am I not?"

Lavendar kept crushing the herbs, "Look, could you give the questions a rest?" She ignored Farah's cry of pain, something she would never do with anyone in her right mind. "Just sit down, you need to," she motioned to the chairs by the counter, across from her.

"Look, I-" she quickly shook her head and brushed a tuft of her curly hair away from her face; and resumed crushing the herbs. She wasn't herself, but that was the last thing she thought about. Lavendar added in another herb into the mortar and crushed it, trying to relax her mind as she did so.

(Also, I keep on making furniture appear out nowhere, sorry about that. (-_-"))

(It's all good 😂)

Farah glared at Lavendar as she, yet again, didn't answer any of the fairy's questions. However, she moved around the counter and sat, relieved to have the pressure off of her bad ankle. "No, I can't. I need to know what kind of magic that was. And I still what to know who exactly the Elite are and why you are in service of them."

Her eyes studied Lavendar's expression and the way she ground down the herbs in her mortar. Not that Farah had known her long before, but there seemed to be something off about her. There seemed to be a new layer of her emotional guard. She was very standoffish. "Lavendar," Farah began cautiously. "Are you well?"

Lavendar kept pounding the herbs, not even looking at Farah. Already ticked off, she placed her pestle into the mortar, a bit too hard. She looked at Farah, dead straight into her eyes, "Why?" Her self-control was held on by a thread, "Why do you want to know? As far as the Elite concerns you, you should have been dead by now."

She did not take her glaring eyes of off the girl, "When I put that cloth on your face, I should have taken that opportunity. Hell, I should have let you bleed to death outside." After finishing her sentence, she lowered her gaze and resumed her work.

Still very serious, Lavendar chuckled lightly as she heard Farah ask another question, "That's an interesting question to ask someone who just attempted suicide."

She set the mortar aside, grabbed a knife and an apple, and started to peel it. Not because she wanted to eat it, but she needed something, anything, to calm down. And also, to avoid talking to the woman in front of her.

Farah lifted her chin slightly as the pestle was aggressively brought down. She didn't flinch from meeting Lavendar's gaze. Her own dark brown eyes locked on the woman's hazel ones with striking intensity. "And that is exactly why it concerns me," she retorted, almost incredulous that Lavendar couldn't understand her side. Or even try to. "Why would a group of people I've never heard of and never met want me dead? What reason is there?"

The woman's glare and sharp words didn't deter Farah's expression, but she felt herself wince internally. She had been so wounded that it would've been so easy to kill her then. She was weak and vulnerable… but Lavendar had saved her instead. There was more here.

But at Lavendar's chuckle, Farah did wince visibly. "Sorry… maybe not the best way to put that." She eyed the knife in the woman's hands skeptically. "Could we maybe just talk? Settle ourselves and calm down for a moment. I promise I won't ask any more questions."

Lavendar worked on the apple until it was fully peeled, after that, she sliced it. "It's alright, I'll have to answer your questions… eventually."

She grabbed a plate and placed the neatly sliced apple on it. After she did that, Lavi grabbed a chair from the side where Farah was sitting and moved it to her side of the counter. Taking a deep breath, she sat down and moved the plate towards the lady in front of her. "Want some? I'm not hungry," she offered nonchalantly.

The young apothecary then rested her head on her hands, barely looking at Farah, "How are the stiches? I'm surprised you didn't rip them when you got up."

Farah offered a wry smile. "You will. But for the time being… may I simply just get to know you? Tell me about yourself. What you do. Who you are. And… I will do the same." It had been so long since she'd openly told someone about herself, including the deepest reaches of her past. But if Lavendar would be willing to be vulnerable, Farah would find the strength in herself to do the same.

The fairy eyed the apple slices and took one between her fingers. She brought it to her lips, but she didn't eat it yet. "I think you should eat," she remarked simply. "Even if you aren't hungry." Farah noted how the woman wouldn't look at her, and her demeanor softened.

"The stitches are alright," she replied quietly. "I'm just as surprised as you are. You did a find job. Are you a healer?" Her head tilted slightly as the question passed her lips. She was sorry that they had gotten off on the wrong foot, but now they were on what appeared to be even footing. Lavendar had saved Farah's life, and Farah had saved Lavendar's.

Lavendar only listened to the woman. At her request, she slowly reached for an apple slice and casually stuffed it into her mouth. Lavi grabbed another one, she tried not to eat them all at once, she wanted to… badly almost.

She softly answered Farah's question, "Well, sort of. I'm an apothecary and an herbalist. I own a shop downtown with my two friends Baxter and Mason. Yeah, they're a cute couple. I do know some emergency techniques, though."

She put another apple in her mouth. "So," she lightly felt her neck again where Farah had fixed it. She couldn't feel any stiches on it, it was perfectly sealed shut, "How'd you fix this so quickly? You also did a good job." she admitted humbly.

Farah bit into her apple slice as she listened to Lavendar explain more about herself. "Well that much is clear or I would not be sitting here right now. Thank you for saving my life… even if you did cast whatever spell that was on me. I'm very grateful for your aid."

The fairy felt the woman's hunger and popped the rest of the apple slice she was holding into her mouth. "Please don't starve yourself on my behalf. If you're hungry, you should eat." She then flushed lightly at the compliment. "Fire magic," she answered. "Sealing a wound with moxibustion. I'm… I'm a mind fairy. I possess multiple kinds of fairy magic. It's how I can feel your hunger now and, presumably, how I fended off your magic."

Lavi smiled weakly as Farah thanked her, "No problem, just… doing my job." She grabbed a whole apple and took a bite from it, "Yeah, I just didn't want to look like a ravenous beast in front of a guest." She thought her hunger was only stress, but once she bit into the fruit, she knew she needed to eat more.

She listened closely to the woman talk, "Wow, a mind fairy? That's… that…" she sighed, "that must be nice to be born with magic, that you can control and not have to sign some stupid contract to learn magic and ruin your life in return."

A hard lump formed in her throat has she tried to choke back tears and talk at the same time. "It must be nice to use magic without having to join some cult and murder people for six years-" She buried her face in her arms and wept softly. What's the use of hiding it anymore? She thought as she cried, bitterly.

Farah smiled, and a tiny bit of humor appeared in her expression. "No, please. Don't let me keep you from eating your fill if you're hungry." She selected another small slice to eat for herself.

She was about to respond with a bit more detail about her fairy abilities, but suddenly, Lavendar's words concerned her. "What in the Otherworld are you talking about?" she asked gently. Her eyes widened as the woman continued. A cult? Was she referring to the Elite? What else could she possibly have been referring to? Six years – was that how long she was indebted to these cultists? She had to murder people? So was that why she had attempted to murder Farah? For the Elite? No wonder she'd wanted to take her own life. Farah likely would've been in the same mental headspace if she was forced into murdering innocent people.

"Lavendar," she murmured softly, reaching across the counter and brushing her fingers against Lavendar's arm. Her eyes turned silver-blue, and at once, calming emotions flowed from the fairy into the apothecary woman. "I'm so sorry. Is there any way I can help you?"

Lavendar softly shook her head, "I… honestly don't know." She shuddered as she felt a calming aura enter into her, she looked up into the woman's silver-blue eyes. "You- you don't need to waste your magic on me. I don't deserve it, not after what I did." If Mason and Baxter were there, they would usually smother her in a hug, if they knew.

"Is it okay if-" she paused, Wouldn't that be too much? What if she doesn't like hugging people? What if…

Lavendar looked down, trying to avoid any awkward staring. "I never wanted to kill you, honestly, I never did. I'm- I'm really sorry…"

(Oh no… XD)

Farah inhaled slowly. "You're not a waste," she replied simply. "No matter what you've done. I promise. I've made decisions… followed orders… done things I can't take back. So have you. So has everyone. No offense, but you're not that special. And nobody's perfect."

The words she spoke were words that Farah herself had been needing to hear. She would still not rather talk about the circumstances that had led her to end up in Lavendar's garden. Not yet. And while the mind fairy found herself wanting to know the end of Lavendar's request, Farah didn't press.

"I know," she replied simply, her gaze soft. "It's forgiven."

Lavendar could only look up and smile at the fairy in front of her. "Th- Thanks." She said breathlessly.

Suddenly, three sharp knocks were heard at the door. A masculine voice called out from outside the cottage, "Hortus? Celosia Hortus? Are you home?"

Startled, Lavendar quickly got up, "Oh sh*t, it's my tutor. I forgot he was going to come over today." She frantically brushed off the skirt of her dress, "Here, stay here. Don't move." Lavi ordered Farah before running to the door, visibly shaking.

Her hand could barely turn the handle as the opened the door, "Professor Sanguis! I meant to tell you. I don't think I can attend this session today."

A stern pale face met her at the door. The Professor's naturally scarlet eyes peered out through his round glasses and studied Lavendar's face, "Celosia Hortus, I cannot allow you to miss yet another session. You have not attended the last two sessions, and I am certain you know it is unacceptable to not attend them.

"Yes, Sanguis." Lavi attempted to keep a serious face.

Professor Sanguis suddenly lifted an eyebrow, then lifted one finger as if realizing something. "Wait, I sense something… magic."

The young lady laughed nervously, "Oh, that? I was just practicing, that's all."

"Hortus," the Professor's red eyes narrowed, and his already soft voice darkened, "I know the difference between Elitist magic and foreign magic, and this…" His nose twitched, "This is foreign."

He paused briefly, lifted his hand and silently entered the room, removing his hood, but leaving his black cloak on. Lavendar knew better than to stop him from entering, especially if his hand was lifted. She could only watch in terror as the Professor's carefully scanned the room with his powerfully refined senses, only found in high Elitists.

The Professor opened his pale hand, a blood red flame emanating from his palm. He gazed into the flame, secretly summoning any magic-doer in her home. "Veni foras, consellosus," he whispered into the flame.

(This is kinda how the Professor's face looks, btw.)

(I also just realized this is the first time I've ever brought a male character into an RP on notebook, lol.)

Farah kindly returned the smile. "Of course," she murmured, speaking just as gently as she'd been before. She parted her lips to say something else when the knocks came and Lavendar shot to her feet.

"Tutor?" she asked, but the other woman was already out of the room. The fairy slowly got to her feet and crept to the edge of the room. Farah snuck a quick peek and felt chills rush down her spine as she saw the professor's pale face and scarlet red eyes. She quickly ducked back and prayed the conversation would be over soon.

But as the pair continued talking, the direction of their conversation only worried Farah more. He knew she was here. Her magic had given her away. He could sense it just as she could sense the arrival of his magic when he stepped into the house. His magic was foreign to her… Elitist magic, he'd called it. The fairy stiffened.

Farah suddenly felt his magic as he called to it. It wrapped around her, nearly suffocating her as it compelled her to stumble her way into the living room. Her spilled soup from earlier was still on the floor, but Farah paid it no mind. She was regaining herself, attempting to at least, and narrowed her eyes at Sanguis. She wanted to speak but found no words to say.

Professor Sanguis grinned maliciously at Farah as she stumbled into the room, "Ah, tis a young… mind fairy, I presume."

He quickly scanned her, then gazed into her eyes. Retaining his steady gaze on the fairy, he talked to Lavendar, "Celosia, tell me the truth, do not lie to me…" The Professor turned to his student, "She is a victim, is she not?"

Lavi started to stammer inaudibly, however, Sanguis turned to Farah before the student could answer, "What is your name and where are you from, young lady?"

Farah's lip curled, and she narrowed her eyes while her fingers curled into fists. "And tis an old, arrogant prick, I presume," she spat back. A flicker of weakness showed on her face as she put too much weight on her still-healing ankle, but it was quickly gone.

"Why should I tell you?" she demanded. "You've kept my friend enslaved to your wicked duties, against her will. I owe you nothing, and neither does she."

Amused, Sanguis lifted an eyebrow and chuckled at the fairy's take on his words, "Yes, a young mind fairy who still needs to learn her manners." He muttered.

"Now, young lady. I'm afraid that you still have not learned how to respond to a magician in higher rank; when you are asked a question, you answer." Sanguis tightly curled the fingers of his lifted hand into fist, lifting her a few inches from the ground and choking her.

His eyes glistened, he had stopped physically aging at thirty-six years old, however he had been practicing with the Elite for almost eighty years. "Do not make me force this out of you, so, I ask you again, what is your name and where are you from, young lady?" The Professor asked between clenched teeth.

Farah’s eyes narrowed furiously. She was practically trembling with anger as Sanguis told her off. Her lips parted to speak, but before she could, the fairy felt the wicked magic wrap around her again, simultaneously raising her up and suffocating her.

Her eyes widened, and she gasped for breath that wouldn’t come. “F-Fa-” she sputtered out, but with the invisible force still choking her, she couldn’t say more than the first syllable of her name.

"Yes, keep going…" Sanguis said, unclenching his fist, dropping Farah and letting her breathe.