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Two days encompassed the cumulation of the rest of the week's efforts. Gathering herbs and minerals by hand, keeping an eye on the market board for the best prices on the rarer ingredients (as well as hurried trips down to whatever retainer would sell them a handful of missing items on their list at the last minute), and taking the time to recharge both by moon and sunlight, Pyxis had been engrossed in the whole process of crafting potions for seasoned adventurers for years now. Even with stiff competition, the Au Ra made enough profit to continue letting what had once been a passion project into a full time job.
The passion thankfully never left when the gil steadied out, and with enough savings even missing a week or two here and there didn't stress the purple haired figure as much as it would have done at the beginning. Rain or shine, sweltering heat or blistering colds, if Pyxis was well then their stall would be situated at the market place every weekend. After all, then her regulars would all have to go somewhere else or be without for the week and they couldn't risk losing them - not for their gil, even though that was always a bonus.
"First to arrive an' last to leave, as always," a deep voice resonates with a few of the potions set out on the table, and Pyxis straightens up from hunching over a crate they were decanting straight away. Unable to hide their flushed cheeks, even if diffused by the mixed constellations of freckles and pale white scales that otherwise covered them, the reaction elicits a warm chuckle that makes their tail a danger to the merchandise behind. "A few o' permanent stalls could learn a thing or two from you, Felixhaven."
"M-Master Aldynn, you're here earlier and stay later than I do!" A stammered storm of words to bat off the compliments as usual, the market's organiser keeping a firm smirk on his lips even as his eyes softened.
"Aye, 'nd with how rowdy the weekend patrons get you're lucky someone's around t'keep watch over 'em all," Raubahn sighs, shoulders shrugging at the end of his overdramatization of how thick the crowds got during the weekend selling period. "Oh, before I forget-"
"Next month's stall fees, right?" Pyxis interrupts, ducking back down under the tablecloth to rummage through the lockbox of coins, pulling out a small sack of gil to cover the expenses and setting it down on an empty spot she hadn't yet filled with stock. "I double counted it this morning, but if I'm short please just let me know!"
"You say that every month too, and you're never a coin short nor over," the Highlander muses as the pouch is soon swallowed by his grasp, shifting somewhere close to his chest for safekeeping. "But actually, that wasn't what I was goin' to ask of you. What I have my eyes on is a bottle of my own, if you please."
Pyxis couldn't keep their lips together as the man made a simple request. Something she would hear multiple times over the next few hours, as well as into the next day. But this was the first time he had ever wished to purchase something from them. Maybe their emotions were running too high, delirious from running on too little sleep, but the gesture felt grander in the depths of their chest than it aught to have.
"O-Of course! Pick anything you want, it's on the house!" Stepping back from the table and flitting between boxes to try and pick out whatever it is that he called for before it could leave his lips so they didn't take up too much of his time.
"Ah now, that would be playing favourites," Raubahn chuckled, a large hand gracefully hovering over a few of the glass vials already on display and plucking out an amber vial from amongst them to hold it up in the sprawling light of the early morning sunshine. "This'n do nicely. I wish you all the best on your weekend, Pyxis."
By the time the Au Ra registers the shift in name, that he's already taken one of their vitality potions, and that he hadn't paid for it despite his contradictory words, the tall figure had already made their way a few stalls down to converse with another early attendee.
"And you're sure that he said your name?" One of Pyxis' early morning regulars raised her eyebrows, hand cupped over half of their face to assist in covering up the gossip from the slowly building crowds. Valerie couldn't help but giggle and wriggle in place as the other simply melted into a shy nod, shaking their shoulders in an attempt not to knock into any of the fragile merchandise that surrounded the pair. "Pyx that's so cute! What did you say in return? A really soft 'And to you as well, Raubahn'?" The sunshine of an Elezen tries to mimic the potion seller's quiet demeanour, but the excitement behind it won out over all.
"N-No, nothing like that... Well, in reality, it was nothing at all..." Pyxis sighs heavily before replacing the despondence that still lingered in their mind with a bright smile to wrap up another customer's transaction at the other before sliding back to face the disappointment that couldn't be masked by even the most well-meaning smile of comfort. "He was already gone by the time I realised, and I wasn't going to shout anything across the marketplace that early!"
"Have you finished gossiping with my wife yet, Pyxis?" A rhythmic tap of a steel toed boot against the crunch of gravel underfoot sets the beat of the Miqo'te's silver tail as it whipped behind him, not a care if it hit anyone who dared to come near the simmering storm that had already forged a far-past-impatient expression in his brow.
"Ye- I mean, we're not- I mean-" They couldn't deny that they weren't gossiping, especially after Rilo'sae was used to his visit to the stall taking longer than other customers had to deal with, but to admit it so openly was still embarrassing.
"We're all done now, Ri, don't worry," Valerie takes over, squeezing the seller's shoulder one last time before taking their place on the other side of the display, rummaging through their purse to pull out the funds they always set aside for their always discounted (for fear of invoking Rilo'sae's wrath, which one time had already been more than they had ever wanted to experience it) order. "We'll be back at the end of the day to pick it up, so we can talk more then! See you later, Pyx!"
A whirlwind of sunshine and storms blew through their stall once again as the pair disappeared hand-in-hand into the thickening crowds, and they could breathe a little easier. It was good to get some of the lingering anxieties that had made her lose track of simple additions they could do without a second thought most of the time off their chest, and the second wind was soon set in their sails.
"Need a hand?"
The few vials left on the main display shuddered as Pyxis bumped their head on the underside of the table, rising up above it even quicker to make sure nothing had spilled but finding a pair of gloved hands already steadying a few of the potions that had threatened to topple over. The tall Viera couldn't blend into a crowd even if they tried, not that they cared enough to try, yet could move quietly enough even with the disadvantageous pauldrons that Pyxis had never seen them without to spook her every time.
"T-Thank you, Alexandrite," Pyxis breathes a shaky laugh of relief as none of the little stock they had for the first day had been damaged by their clumsiness, watching as they start moving like-coloured bottles together with the ever present unreadable expression.
"No worries. Need a few of these for next week," the midnight-blue haired woman states, already reaching over for where they knew the boxes were located and starting to package their own order. Pyxis had learned a long time ago it was much easier to go with the flow and not interfere, only adding up the total with each potion that she tucked away to be ready to hand it over once the transaction would come to a close. There's a pause in the quiet rustling as ice blue eyes scan the sparse offerings, a wrinkle of confusion twitching at their jaw when whatever she's looking for doesn't show up.
"I've got a few more down here if you need!" The Au Ra reaches back down to the box they had been nose deep in moments ago, plucking two - wait, no there were three empty spots in the crate left - three of the red bottles out and settling them into last remaining spots of the customer's checkout area. "And with that it will be-"
"Here." The exact change sits in neat stacks on the tablecloth between them, and Pyxis doesn't need to count to know that it's accurate. A swift, simple, easy transaction: the same as always. "You're a lot brighter this evening." A comment like that, however, was a derivative.
"O-oh? How so?" Pyxis blinks up at Alexandrite, lavender ringed irises widening as they watch a smile blossom over the stoic features.
"Dunno. Something good must have happened. Hope you keep hold of whatever made you that way." Lifting up her haul under one arm and offering a swift, lazy salute of departure, Alexandrite leaves the flustered shop-keep in her shadow without a secondary glance back. Another happy customer, in one sense or the other it seemed.