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“Thirty grams of pixie powder… three chanterelles… and three griffin feathers?” Norton reads aloud from the invoice, sitting at the front counter of his shop. “A bit too specific to just be someone restocking their shelves. Sounds like an amateur is desperate for a truth serum.”
“A low grade one too.” Cheshire says as he floats around the upper shelves, searching for the griffin feathers among the barely organised mess. “With three chanterelles only the weakest of wills won’t be able to resist it. A smattering of webcaps would produce a better effect…”
Norton snorts. “If it doesn’t kill them first. You want me to tell the client?”
“Hey, it’s none of our business what they do with what we sell them.” Still holding the feathers, he backflips mid-air, floating upside down towards the middle shelf that was behind him. “They’re just going to have to learn the hard way.”
Norton looks back at the order and signs his name at the bottom. The letters sparkle, before glowing a dark red.
As the letters settle, Naib brings down all the items and settles them into the small cardboard box to Norton’s side.
With the objects safely nestled inside, Norton slides the box closer to himself and closes it up. Then, he places the invoice at the top, closes his eyes, and lets magic flow through his fingertips, onto the paper, and through the box.
Blue veins seem to slowly make their way down from the paper and along the sides of the package, glowing coldly and making the temperature around Norton drop slightly. The Cheshire Cat watches with his unchanging smile.
After a few moments, the glow dies down, and Norton opens his eyes. The blue veins which had at one point covered the whole box, slowly disappear, and the temperature of the room goes back to normal.
Norton removes his hand, and the small cardboard box looks absolutely normal where it stands on the table. Just a regular package one might find in the mail if it weren’t for the lack of address, postage notes, or any other distinctive features save for one piece of paper, stuck to the top.
No longer is the invoice visible, with it’s list of items, buyer name, and address.
Now, there is only one sentence on it, letting the receiver know everything they need, and confirming their transaction has been processed safely.
It reads in beautiful cursive font:
“May this package find you well, and may the stars light your way forward.
From: The Shop of Magic Item Keeper”
Norton takes a deep breath out.
“Cheshire?”
The Cheshire Cat is still in his humanoid form, lounging in midair as if he was lying on a sofa, one hand holding his head. He waves one paw in the air and the crisp crack of magic fills the room. The package in front of Norton shines momentarily before dispersing into blue particles. The particles reform into about six small, blue cats who all take off through the shop door, going straight through it with their incorporeal form.
Norton sighs. “That’s the last of the orders for today.”
“About time.” Norton watches as Cheshire’s entire body stretches out once, and then quickly shrinks in on itself, turning him into his cat form.
He floats down towards Norton and winds himself around his neck, a bit like a well-fitting scarf.
When he speaks in this form, his mouth does not move, but Norton can hear him loud and clear in his mind.
“Business has been picking up a lot lately, huh?”
Norton sighs again and leans back slightly in his chair.
“Yeah. The winter is nearly upon us, it seems. Everyone’s running low on stock.”
Cheshire licks Norton’s cheek once.
“We should go on an expedition next week, or we’re gonna run out too.”
“Yeah I know. But I’m worried the ghouls are going to come around next week.”
“They can be patient. Not like they’re in a hurry to get anywhere.”
“I suppose you’re right…”
A chime sounds from the door, and both Norton and Cheshire look up. The door itself doesn’t open, but a customer comes in nonetheless, passing through the hard wood as if it does not exist.
Emma Woods smiles and waves at Norton as she floats towards him, her feet just slightly above the ground.
“Mr. Campbell! Mr. Cheshire! A good day to you both!”
Norton can’t help but smile back at the ghost girl.
“Ah, Miss. Woods.” He stands to greet her, Cheshire still wrapped around his neck and purring at Miss. Woods in greeting. “To what do we owe this pleasure?”
“I’m looking for a bit of an odd item today, actually. I’m not sure if you’d have it in stock.”
“You’d be surprised at just how many things this man hoards.”
Cheshire’s voice reverberates through the entire store now, allowing even Miss. Woods to hear him speak.
“Shut up you.” Norton lightly flicks the cat’s forehead. The cat’s answering snicker seems to bounce off the shop walls. “Still, even if we do not have it in stock, I may be able to order it for you.”
“Yes, I know this, but it’s still a little…” Miss. Woods seems a bit pensive, but in the end she simply shakes her head, and asks Norton outright. “I was hoping you’d have some bark from the Tree of the Death.”
Ah. That’s why she was so hesitant.
She barely finishes her sentence before Cheshire bursts out laughing.
“Ahahaha! I must say, you are truly in luck madam to have come to our establishment!”
Miss. Wood’s ghostly eyes almost seem to light up with life.
“R-really!? You truly possess some!?”
For what feels like the umpteenth time today, Norton sighs.
“Yes I… we do indeed possess some. But I must warn you, the price for it is-”
Miss. Woods slams her hands on the table in front of Norton. If she was corporeal, Norton imagines the whole establishment may have shook.
“I’ll take all of it! Whatever the price!” She looks at Norton with unbridled joy. “Just name it, and it is yours!”
Norton can’t help but be a bit taken aback by her vigour. He almost wants to ask what she wants the blasted thing for, but as always it is none of his business.
Besides, he’s glad he’s finally got an excuse to get rid of it all.
“Alright.” He pats Cheshire’s head lightly. “Cheshire?”
The cat stretches once, before pushing itself off Norton’s neck and into the air, transforming into his humanoid form once again. “The third safe from the bottom on the left?”
“Yes. Do you remember the password?”
“As long as you remember it, I will too.”
“Please don’t use the bond for something like that.”
Cheshire grins at him before flying through the shelves towards the back of the store.
When you look at it from the outside the shop is very deceiving. It appears as a small, homely building in the middle of the woods. On the inside though, it is a vast space, with shelves and cabinets and displays that seem to go on for miles. Everything for alchemy and the magic arts that one could possibly ever need can be found here. No single creature, magical or otherwise, would ever be able to navigate it without being lost for possibly all eternity.
With the exception of Norton and his familiar, that is.
Within only a few minutes The Cheshire Cat comes back with a small, glass cube in his hand. Inside the cube, seemingly ordinary bark is encased. But if one were to look closer, they’d see the red menacing undertones, barely concealing the dark magic flowing within.
When Norton looks at it, however, all he feels is embarrassment.
Cheshire grins at him.
“Miss. Woods. May I enlighten you on the story of how our dear Magic Item Keeper managed to procure this-”
“No. No way! We promised we’d never talk about that again!” Norton can’t help the flush on his face as he stares accusingly at Cheshire.
So what if he’d been given the bark as an apology present after he’d accidentally become betrothed to a nymph because he misunderstood a custom within their forest?
Literally no one ever needs to know that.
Miss. Woods laughs.
“It’s quite alright, Mr. Cheshire. I’m just grateful I won’t have to go too out of the way to find it.” She places her hands slightly in front of her, and produces a purse, floating in mid air. “Now, for the payment…”
Norton names the price, one that makes even his stomach drop, but Miss. Woods doesn’t bat an eyelash at it. The coins float out of her purse and onto the table. Norton confirms it all, before gesturing to Cheshire, who promptly lets go of the small cube and lets it float over to Miss. Woods.
Once it is within her vicinity, it disappears along with the purse into the dimension where Norton imagines Woods keeps all the things she cannot hold with her incorporeal form. There’s a potion ghosts like her may drink to become corporeal for a little while, but most prefer their ghostly form with its ease of travel and no need for temperature regulation.
“I truly must thank you both! Oh, what a lucky day today truly has been!”
“It’s no trouble at all.” Norton insists as he sits at his desk again. “It is I who should be thanking you for your continued patronage, Miss. Woods. Do pass on our greetings to Dr. Dyer for me.”
“Of course!” She makes her way to the door. “Goodbye Mr. Campbell! Mr. Cheshire!”
The door does not open, but the chime sounds once again, and Norton and Cheshire are once again alone.
“I wonder what she needs that for.” This time, Cheshire does not wind around Norton’s neck again. He does not even change his form. He simply sits on Norton’s lap, and winds his arms around him. “Any piece of the Tree of Death is notoriously difficult to work with…”
“I think she’s trying to formulate a Mirror to the Past.” Norton winds one arm around Cheshire, and lets one wind through his familiar’s hair. “It’s pretty difficult, but if she has Dr. Dyer’s help I have high hopes for it.”
Cheshire hums, and the sound pleasantly resounds through Norton’s whole body. He lets his head drop onto Cheshire’s shoulder and breathes in his familiar scent.
“You’ve been quite tired lately. You shouldn’t push yourself so hard.”
Norton sighs. Again.
“I know, but just… the business with the ghouls, the coronation of the new king, that mysterious plague in the Resting Plaza… I don’t know, I can’t help but worry.”
Cheshire laughs lightly.
“You worry too much, my little witch. Half of those things aren’t even something you can do anything about. Let the “heroes of the land” deal with it. If they need support, they may come to us.” Cheshire nuzzles into his hair. It feels comforting. “You just worry about yourself and our little business.”
Norton hums but doesn’t answer.
They sit like that for a little while, nothing but the gentle sounds of the forest outside cutting through the silence.
Eventually, Cheshire gets both his hands cupping Norton’s face, and brings his head up so they’re looking directly at each other.
“Hey, Norton.”
Norton looks at him quizzically.
Cheshire smiles, oh so tenderly.
“Say my true name?”
There was a time Norton might’ve hesitated. Where saying something so revealing, so vulnerable, may have been too much for him.
For the both of them.
It’s not like that now.
He barely even thinks about it.
“Naib.”
A warm feeling floods through their bond. Naib leans into him, and Norton can feel contentment and happiness filling every crevice of his being.
Of their being.
Naib whispers into his neck.
“Again.”
And Norton holds onto him, just a little tighter.
“Naib.”
It’s such a simple, comforting thing now. The two of them, sharing energy. Sharing an unbreakable bond.
Norton feels every inch of Naib as if it was his own body, and Naib in turn feels every inch of Norton.
It’s so perfect.
And they wouldn’t have it any other way.
Cheshire kisses him once on the cheek, before turning back into his cat form, and taking his favourite place around Norton’s neck.
The door opens, and a chime sounds through the store.
Norton greets his customer with a happy, content smile.
“Welcome to The Shop of the Magic Item Keeper.”