Chapter Text
To say that Ajal was completely and utterly prepared for her apprenticeship would be quite incorrect. It was not a partnership born out of mutual desire for learning and work you see, but rather a mother pleading with a friend to take her child under her wing. After all, not only was it unsightly for a woman nearing her twenty second summer to still be living with her parents, with no husband in sight, it was also extremely uncomfortably tiring at the pure passion that Ajal gave toward alchemy.
When it became clear that her desire to open her own apothecary would not ebb, Ajals father had proclaimed, “You can learn the art well enough. But you won’t learn it here.”
And thus, Ajal was sent on her merry way from Arenthia to the disgruntled hands of her mother's old friend Claudette, albeit with a few bumps in the road.
Initially she had been excited, but having your caravan captured does diminish one’s mood considerably. Not at all to mention how unprepared she was for the fierceness of Claudette, who took her business very seriously and tolerated no shenanigans on Ajal’s part.
But still, Ajal would think to herself every day, it’s a learning experience, and sometimes learning experiences are difficult.
She repeated this to herself as she massaged her fingers, calluses that had never been present before a month ago aching a bit, her nails were down to the quick to prevent snagging. The pads of her fingers were lightly stained in a mix of green and smelled faintly of something akin to mint.
At first, Ajal was convinced that Claudette would be a relentless task-master, with no interest in actively teaching. It turned out however, that she needn’t have fretted. Claudette was stern, yes, but she also showed a great deal of patience. It was slow going, but Ajal was optimistic. It had started off shakily, of course, as most apprenticeships do.
The first time Ajal had tried to create a resist shock poultice, she’d placed in the wings of a blue butterfly rather than a blue dartwing, and had to explain to an unamused Claudette that- no she hadn’t meant to create the most foul smelling substance in all of Nirn which also happened to be impossible to remove from the smocks. And how was she to know that a mix up of a small insect would cause this anyway?
It had been a little over a month in her working here and she was modestly proud of her ability to make quality stamina and health potions with no supervision. Her skills in poisons were improving as well, though she still felt uncomfortable whenever she had to look through the large book for a particular recipe in the ‘death droughts’ section.
Claudette showed an increasing sign of confidence in Ajal’s abilities as both a blooming alchemist and as an apprentice, as she began to leave the shop front to her while she went back to work on more complex concoctions and experiments. Claudette was currently neck deep in research on invisibility potions, and she was looking for a way to make them without the side effects of nausea and massive headaches.
It was on one of these days, as the sun had just passed over the walls of the city, cloaking it in shadow, that Ajal was up front, having just checked the stock, and now grinding Hawk beak into coarse grounds that she was shocked into wakefulness by a polite cough.
Jumping from her work station with a small yelp, Ajal looked up to see a man, who had clearly been patiently waiting for her attention, smirking softly down at her.
“Oh I’m so sorry! I was, um, distracted.” Ajal said quickly, not wanting to come off as rude, and eternally gratefully that Claudette hadn’t seen her blunder. The man nodded calmly.
“It’s no worry. I’d been enjoying watching you work. You seemed very intent.” His voice was surprisingly melodic and light, almost breathy. It seemed to wisp through Ajal’s hair and into the floorboards.
His confession to watching her work had her momentarily immobile in sudden bewildered embarrassment. She caught herself.
“Right, well, what can I help you with sir?” Ajal asked, trying her best to fall back into the role of competent shop-assistant. The man smiled.
“I’m here to pick up an order that was placed some time ago. It was under the name V.” Ajal was puzzled for a moment.
“Vee? Or do you mean, just...the letter?”
The man’s smile turned indulgent, like he was answering the question of a slow child. Ajal felt herself grow flustered under the stare, feeling oddly shameful.
“Just V.”
Ajal nodded, and pulled out the leather bound book used to keep track of orders, flipping through and finding a ‘V’. Sure enough the singular letter was there, with a list of the requested items.
V
- 2 bushels of harrada
- 10 spiddal sticks
- 2 small vials of peony seeds
Ajal looked at the list for a moment, and wondered what kind of potion could possibly need these ingredients. Then she felt stupid, because it obviously wasn’t for potions, but rather poisons. Feeling slightly apprehensive, she flashed a smile at the man and went about gathering the things.
The ingredients had thankfully already been set aside beneath the counter at some point, thanks most likely to Claudette’s foresight, and so Ajal shuffled them out and listed off the total price.
As the man, V, pulled out his purse and began the cursory action of counting his coins, Ajal took a moment to investigate.
V had a regal aura about him, solidified by the loose pony-tail and almost severe quality of his face. He seemed older, but didn’t look at all bad for it, as his pale complexion showed a powerful face, lines around his lips from where he’d been smiling, and crinkles around his eyes from where he’d been laughing. There was a certain softness in his face that didn’t match his eyes, which were sharp and intelligent, with mahogany eyes that almost looked red when the light hit them. Ajal could admit, that all things considered he was a fairly attractive man.
It was during her consideration of his physical form that he caught her eyes with his, a playful smirk on his face, which allowed for just a flash of whiteness beneath the lip.
Ajal looked away, feeling heat rise on her face.
“I believe that is the appropriate amount.” The man Ajal had dubbed as V said, gesturing towards the coins that he had stacked neatly. As Ajal quickly counted them, he began putting his purchased items away, into a satchel that Ajal hadn’t noticed until now.
“Right, yes, this is perfect! Um...is there anything else that you need help with?” Ajal inquired, noting the growing darkness outside, realizing that it was near closing, and she might have to tell the V to leave soon.
“Actually, yes.” V perked up, reaching into the pocket of his jerkin for a folded piece of parchment.
“If you could acquire these items for me, preferably by the end of the month, I would be most grateful. Either myself, or a young woman will pick them up.”
Ajal didn’t get time to even glance at the writing on the parchment as the man turned and began to saunter out.
“Thank you for your help Ajal, have a lovely evening.”
Ajal stared at the door as it swung shut, taking the mysterious man from view. Shaking herself from the odd desire to peek out the window and see the man walking away, Ajal began tidying and preparing for closing. No one else came by, and finally she bolted the door and wandered up to the loft where her shared quarters with Claudette were. The woman in question wasn’t in her bed, likely still working, so Ajal changed and settled down for sleep. Fleetingly she wondered how the man knew her name.