The Apprentice

Luxia hummed to herself as she surveyed the row of meticulously arranged jars on her window display shelf. They were her finest jars. The thickest, strongest glass, with lids made of gemstone; the perfect containers for all the wonderful potions she liked to put in them! Right now, she had two Blood Replenishers, a Dream Banisher, a Headache Reliever, and a Feel-Gooder lined up behind the window. These were among her most popular sales, although she couldn’t help wishing that people would request more exciting brews.

Like the Custard Potion. It makes everything you eat taste like custard, All For Just 5.99!

Regardless, the jars seemed to be doing well, so Luxia ambled into the back room to check on the herb supplies. And potatoes. She used potatoes in some of her brews, and if she left them too long, they had a bad habit of sprouting roots and taking over the cupboard.

Her hand was pulling open a drawer containing poison ivy cuttings when she heard a distant knock. A rough, grating noise, followed by the much gentler tinkling of the bell above her shop door. Somebody had come in!

How lovely. I haven’t had a customer yet today!

That was all it took for the ivy cuttings to leave her mind. Without hesitation, she hurried to the door to greet the new arrival. It was a lanky, red-haired, sour-faced young lady who clearly needed some happiness in her life. Luxia bestowed upon her a beaming smile in the hopes that it might help.

“Good morning, good morning! How can I help you today? We have Blood Replenishers, Headache Relievers, and some other frankly boring potions--”

“Uh... I’m just... browsing.”

People said this a lot. Nine times out of ten, they ended up becoming intrigued by something in the shop, and then out came the wallets. With this in mind, Luxia followed the girl around, keeping up an enthusiastic spiel meant to increase her interest.

“How about a Grass Nourisher? You’ll have healthy green lawns in no time at all! Or perhaps a Heat Seeker? Drink it down, and you’ll gain infrared vision for one whole hour! We also have a fine range of contraceptive brews if that is what you seek. Why, just the other day--”

“Hey, uh, no offence, but I'm not gonna buy any of this shit," the girl interrupted her.

Luxia pouted. “Well that’s just rude! You don’t walk into a witch’s shop without buying anything!” she exclaimed.

The girl’s eyes flickered towards the door. “I don’t even have any damned money. Used it all earlier, buying food.” She huffed out a sigh and rubbed her face. Her hand was big and had dirty fingernails. “Anyway, thanks. Bye."

“Now hold on just a moment.” For reasons she couldn’t quite name but were almost certainly involved with Fate, Luxia felt a great disinclination to let this person leave her shop. “You have no money? I can help with that.”

The girl was slowly edging back in the direction of the door. “The hell are you going on about?”

“Money! People do jobs to get money, don’t they? Usually they’re very dull, boring jobs that serve no purpose besides to feed the beast of capitalism, but working for a witch is not like that, oh no. It’s just filled with exciting tasks, like brewing potions and collecting rare herbs! What’s your name?”

Her rapid speech, if anything, just made the girl more nervous. She was almost standing in the threshold now, her hand groping behind her back for the doorknob. Luxia wondered if casting a spell to remotely lock the door would improve or worsen the situation. “Look, you’re great and all, but I literally can’t buy anything.”

“I’m not asking you to buy anything!” Luxia huffed. Is everyone so slow these days? “I want you to work for me. I am in need of a new apprentice. I will pay you fairly and you’ll learn all sorts of exciting new skills!”

The girl glanced around as if expecting to see someone other than herself lingering in the doorway. “You want to hire me?”

“Whyever not? Do you have a history of murdering shopkeepers?”

“No! But don’t you want me to do an interview or something?!”

“Oh, that’s just boring. There will be no interviews, and I can show you the ropes as we go along. What do you say, hmmm?" Luxia gave the girl her best winning smile.

The girl looked like she wasn’t sure what to say. She must be dumbstruck by the generosity of the offer. But within moments, a decision had solidified behind her eyes.

“...Yeah, alright. If this isn’t some kind of shitty joke... I guess I can work for you,” she said at last.

Luxia spread her arms wide. “Wonderful! We’ll start right away. But before we do anything else... My name is Luxia Paledawn, potion maker and spellcaster extraordinaire. Who are you?”

“Uh, Abigail. Abigail Finch… But call me Gail, will you?”

“Lovely, Abigail. Now let me show you around!”

“I’m gonna regret this, aren’t I...”