Chapter Text
A young student wizard dropped a handful of small crystals into a thick golden-orange liquid. A moment passed. Then another. And just as she was about to write the experiment off, it exploded with a loud crack and flash of light.
“Delayed and extreme reaction. Noted,” she said, cleaning up and starting to set up the next experiment, “Ah damn, that was the last of my tansy. I’ll need to head down to the apothecary.” She glanced at the clock standing in the corner and sucked a breath through her teeth. “Well that’s no good. Professor Jensen is going to kill me if I don’t get this turned in on time. Her ‘down to the second’ policy will be the end of me I fucking swear.”
The wizard swapped her lab coat for a battered red leather jacket, and started down the many flights of stairs of Laberinto University of Magic. When she emerged into the bright afternoon sun, her glasses’ enchantment activated, turning the half moons dark. She hurried downtown, but immediately took a wrong turn towards the clock tower instead. The red jacket weaved through crowds, rushed up stairs, and navigated side streets with undue confidence. She ended up on the wrong side of the river before finally asking for directions.
After writing down the directions to the apothecary, she muttered to herself, “That’s it. Next chance I get, I’m getting a map of this goddamn maze of a city. Sense of direction does me no good if I don’t know what the directions are.” She all but stormed off in the proper direction, the leather of her jacket sticking to her skin with sweat.
The silver bell over the door of Solanaceae Apothecary rung as she entered. “I’ll be with you in a moment!” called someone from the back, a head of curly hair just barely visible stooped over some plant pots with grow lights over them. Most of the building was moderately well lit, warm like daylight. The shelves were lined with all manner of dried herbs, herbal medicines, and protective charms to be sold. She browsed the aisles, half looking for what she needed, half assessing the place. Tansy would be behind the counter, but there should at least be some sunscreen. On the way over her neck and face had burned pretty badly. The wizard had underestimated just how powerful the sun could be further south.