Chapter Text
The bell above your shop door doesn’t ring so much as twitch, a nervous little jolt of sound, like it’s trying not to be noticed.
You glance up from the bundle of dried herbs in your hands, already knowing something is wrong.
The shop was closed today and you weren't even supposed to be here but you had decided to come in to do inventory.
Footsteps. Too fast. Too uneven.
Then the door bursts open.
Three figures stumble inside in a rush of breath and fabric and panic. The blue tiefling woman yelps as she nearly knocks over a display of glass vials, the goblin girl grasps a flask in her shaky hands as she keeps looking between you and the door, and the third, a lavender tiefling man with ruby red eyes turns just enough for you to see the fear flash in his eyes for a second before he masks it.
“Please” he starts.
You raise a hand.
They stop.
You watch as the three intruders to your shop tense up.
Outside, heavy boots thunder against stone. Shouted orders. Metal clinking. Close.
Very close.
Your gaze flicks over the three of them in a single, efficient sweep. Two tieflings and a goblin. That explains the shouting. The city guard has never been subtle about what they think of “nonconforming blood.”
You sigh, already setting the herbs aside.
“Don’t move,” you say calmly.
You pick an old magic tome and flick through the pages and begin to quickly recite the short passage.
The shop changes.
It’s subtle. A shift in the air. The scent of lavender and ash deepens, thickens. You murmur something under your breath, fingers tracing a sigil that dissolves as quickly as it forms.
The shelves behind the counter slide, not visibly, not quite but space rearranges itself just enough. The corner behind the hanging charms deepens into shadow that wasn’t there before.
“Back there,” you pull a heavy satin curtain to the side and motion the intruders into the shadow.
They all hesitate.
Boots stop right outside your door.
You tilt your head. “If you’d like to be arrested instead, by all means, keep standing there.”
That does it.
They move. Quick, quiet, pressing into the space you’ve made. The lavender man stumbles slightly, your hand darts out without thinking, steadying him for half a second.
Warm.
He freezes at the contact. You do too, just briefly.
Then you pull away.
“Stay quiet,” you murmur.
The bell twitches again. You make it look like you were just busy behind the counter.
This time, the door opens without hesitation.
Three guards push in, armored and rigid, their presence immediately souring the air.
“You,” one of them says, already looking around like the place offends him. “Three suspects came this way. Not exactly your kind of customer, I’d imagine.”
You stand tall against the counter, expression neutral, meeting the guards gaze and you remain unflinching now the only thing standing between the city guards and your surprise guests.
“I get all sorts,” you reply lightly. “It’s a shop.”
His lip curls. “Don’t play clever. We’re looking for” he gestures vaguely, “things. Ones that are not welcome in this district.”
Behind you, the hidden space is silent. You can't hear it but you can feel it, three heartbeats, uneven, racing but contained.
You hum, as you were thinking, trying to recall some menial memory.
“Ah right” you say after a moment. “You just missed them, then.”
All three guards stiffen. “Where?”
You point lazily toward the far end of the street. “Ran past not long ago. Caused quite a scene, actually. Headed toward the river gate.”
It’s a lie. Not even a particularly careful one.
But your voice doesn’t waver and you continue to stand tall.
The lead guard studies you, suspicion narrowing his eyes. “And you didn’t think to stop them?”
You meet his gaze, lazily and unbothered. “Do I look like I’m in the business of chasing down armed strangers?”
A pause.
You can see the three guards now eyeing you up and down. Not necessarily a lie, you're small in height for a human, often referred to as soft and dainty. You look as if a strong gust of wind could knock you down, not someone who could confront dangerous 'criminals' and be left alive.
Although you were well versed in magic and could flatten the town with a flick of your wrist if you so desired it.
But the guards didn't need to know that specific piece of information.
Then one of the others mutters, “River gate’s a dead end this time of day.”
“Unless they’re trying to slip through before curfew,” you add mildly. “Or swim.”
That seems to settle it.
With a grunt, the lead guard turns. “Move. We’re wasting time.”
They leave as abruptly as they arrived. Boots fading. Voices trailing off down the street.
The door slams.
Silence returns.
You wait a beat. Two.
Then you flick your fingers.
The shop exhales.
You exhale with it.
Space settles back into place. The shadowed corner loosens, and the three figures reappear as if they’d always been there.
For a moment, none of you speak.
“You just...” the Goblin girl starts. “That was..."
“Reckless?” you offer with a slight smirk
“Incredible!"
The blue tiefling shrieks in delights and grabs you into a hug, twirling you around in pure joy, you can't help but join in with her infectious laughter.
"My name is Jester! What you did was so cool! Even the traveler, my God, a super cool God, was so impressed with your magic!"
You couldn't help but laugh at the pure speed and volume in which Jester spoke, and before you had a chance to say anything, Jester continues on with her introductions by grasping your hands in hers.
"Like I said, I'm Jester! The grumpy little Goblin is Nott the Brave! She gets very shaky when she doesn't get booze..."
"Hey!" Nott shouts in protest
"but" Jester continues unfased, "she is very sneaky and great fighter! And this" Jester turns towards the man with the piercing red eyes and gestures towards him.
He steps forward and gracefully takes your hand and presses a small kiss into the back of it.
"Well, I better thank our saviour properly. Hello, my name is Mollymauk Tealeaf and it is truly a pleasure to make your acquaintance and might I just say love, that was some very impressive magic."
Molly is watching you.
Not with panic now. Not even relief.
Something quieter.
Something… searching.
“You didn’t even hesitate,” he says softer.
You shrug with a slight smirk on your face, moving back to your herbs like nothing happened, and trying not to let the dazzling man infront of you see the blush that is threating to creep up to your cheeks. “Guards don’t scare me. Ignorance doesn’t impress me. And I don’t like people being hunted through the street.”
You turn back and look at the three, "This is my shop, you're safe here."
A faint huff of incredulous laughter comes from Nott and Jester aws at your bravery, but your attention stays on Molly.
He steps a little closer.
“You don’t know what we are,” he says, teasingly but you know he's trying to astertain your character. "We could have been thieves or murderers, mercenaries sent here for your head."
You glance up. “I know enough."
A beat.
“And that doesn’t bother you?”
You tilt your head, studying him properly now, the tension in their shoulders, the way he favors one leg, the flicker of something guarded behind his eyes, behind the banter.
“If it did,” you say, “you’d be outside right now.”
That lands.
He exhales, something in all of them loosening just slightly.
“Then… thank you,” Molly says and this might be the first thing he actually means and isn't hiding behind his disharming smile.
Simple words. But there’s weight behind them.
You nod once, then gesture toward a chair tucked beside the counter. “Sit. You’re bleeding on my floor.”
He blinks, then glances down, as if only just realizing.
"All right.”
Jester lets Nott climb onto her back as Molly sits into the chair,
"We should find the others, Molly stay here and we'll bring them back here! The wizard will love this shop! Take care of our friend stranger!! BYE BYE"
You shake your head at the chaos, not even sure as to what to say to the swirl of chaotic energy that just left the shop. You can't help but worry.
"Is she always like that?" you ask " How does she even know it's safe now? There could be more guards and the two of them just ran out the front door!"
"Hah, she doesn't" Molly laughs as he shakes his head, " I don't think she ever puts much thought into anything before she does it and as for Nott, that bundle of shaky nerves will not settle until she gets a drink, or three."
As Molly moves to sit, a little unsteady, you gather a cloth and a small jar from the shelf.
When you kneel in front of him, he suddenly goes very still.
“Relax,” you murmur, trying to be comforting. “If I wanted to hurt you, I had easier chances.”
A faint smile graces his face and it only highlights his ruby eyes and sharp features.
“Fair.”
Your fingers are gentle as you clean the wound. Close enough now, you can feel it again, that warmth, that strange, steady pull. Not magic exactly. Something… adjacent.
You can feel Molly's gaze watching you intently.
“You do this often love?” he asks teasingly.
“Hide fugitives?” you reply. “Only on particularly boring afternoons.”
That earns a real laugh this time, soft, surprised.
The sound lingers between you.
Outside, the city carries on like nothing happened.
Inside, the air feels different.
Not tense.
Not anymore.
Just… charged.
You tie off the bandage and lean back slightly. “There. You’ll live.”
“Good,” he says, eyes still on yours. “I was starting to think I owed you more time than that.”
You raise a brow. “Owed me?”
He tilts his head, mirroring you from earlier.
“Maybe, I’d like to stay a little longer anyway.”
Molly stands, a bit more steady on his injured leg.
"What do you say love? It'll will take a while for my rowdy companions make their way back here. Perhaps I could begin to repay your kindness with a reading"
You watch as Molly takes a deck of cards from his coat and effortly shuffles it in the air, never once letting his gaze leave yours.
The shop is small.
The world outside is not particularly kind.
But for the moment, neither of those things seem like a problem.
For a moment, nothing else matters.
For a moment, you and Molly are in your own world.
And you don’t tell him to leave.