1. Lissy #2
Really, truly, all I want to do is make beautiful dresses and that is it. So, unless a warrior wants a dress, my path never crosses theirs.
Except now…
Now, staring at him, I wonder if my grammy is right and I should have paid more attention. Because I wasn't prepared for how handsome he is.
His dark, coarse hair is cropped close to his head but still has the appearance of being a little unkempt – a feature I find somewhat distracting in a nice way.
The tips of his green pointed ears stick out through the light mess.
The muscles of his arms bulge as he crosses them in front of his chest, pushing that 120-thread-count linen tunic to its limits.
He manages to look both refined and barbaric at the same time, a juxtaposition that I hadn't known was possible until now.
And I am more intrigued than ever.
Why is he here in a spell shop in Starling Vale?
"Lissy!" a familiar voice exclaims, and we both turn our attention to the counter, where Noemi steps out from behind the curtain that separates the front of her spell shop from the back. "What are you doing here?"
"Hi, Noemi." I smile at her and take another step back from the orc. "I'm just here to pick up some spells for my shop."
She grins and nods. "You go through those so quickly. Luckily, I have more in the back." She gestures with her thumb behind her. "Just let me finish up with Lord Oakenshade, and I'll be right with you."
Lord Oakenshade? Oh, she means the giant orc that I'm standing next to. I never would have thought he'd like having "Lord" in front of his surname.
He frowns, like he's not used to it either.
And that's when I notice that Noemi is carrying a velvet-lined tray full of tiny vials with different colors, each containing a different potion.
For the orc?
I look over and raise an eyebrow at him. What kind of a spell would he be looking for?
He doesn't turn my way. Instead, he stalks forward to the counter as Noemi carefully sets the tray down on the glass.
"Which one is it?" His voice is gruff with impatience as he rakes his gaze over the findings.
"I brought them all out," she says slowly, thoughtfully. He glances up at her, a question in his gaze. She shrugs. "Because I'm not quite sure what you want. You want a potion that makes someone fall out of love, correct?"
"Yes, but…" He scratches the back of his neck with a massive hand nearly as big as my whole head, and I realize that he's unsure of himself at this moment. It doesn't look like he feels this way very often. "I don't want it to break her heart."
I open my mouth to ask, "Whose heart?" but Noemi shoots me a furtive look to keep quiet.
Right, client confidentiality. Maybe I need to step out while this transaction is taking place.
Except I'm rooted to my spot because I want to see what he says next.
"Well," she says at length, "that's the problem with falling out of love.
It's going to break a heart or two, because most of these will cause anger or indifference or something, which will trigger the falling out of love – but that effect is not permanent, and she will feel her heart break after that. "
He's silent for a long moment. "Isn't there a way to… I don't know… cause her to want to be friends? Or maybe a spell for him? Just… anything so they're not in love anymore."
He's not talking about a relationship he's in, I realize. This is about someone else.
"If your goal is to avoid a broken heart for her," Noemi explains, "then anything you give him is going to break her heart immediately. And anything you give her will wear off, and she will feel the effects at some point."
"How long?"
Noemi blinks. "Pardon?"
"How long until the effect wears off?"
She hesitates. "Depends. The longest lasts about a month. Then it breaks, and she feels everything it kept from her."
He combs a hand through that thick crop of coarse hair. "Why is nothing permanent?" he asks, frustration etched into his stance.
I have to give Noemi credit, because she doesn't back down while looking up at an orc warrior.
"Because it's against the Codex of Witches," she says calmly.
"Any spell that manipulates emotions must not be permanent in nature.
I could lose my license for disobeying that.
And any other reputable witch you visit would tell you the same thing.
If you respect this woman whose heart you're trying to change, then you would stick with a reputable witch like myself. "
Noemi keeps permanent spells of other kinds in the back, reserved for clients she trusts.
Preservation charms. Boundary wards. Protections meant to last. Nothing that tampers with a person’s heart.
The fact that she's not offering these up to him tells me that he's definitely not a regular customer.
So where did he come from?
He's silent for a long moment, his jaw tightening as he considers his options. "Fine," he says. "Which one is the one that lasts for a month?"
It takes her a long beat before she holds up a stoppered vial with glowing blue liquid in it. He gingerly takes it from her and holds it up to the light, as if inspecting it. Finally, he sighs before palming it and putting it into his breast pocket.
"How much?"
"Twenty gold pieces."
My eyes widen, because I know that most of Noemi's potions are less than three gold pieces. Twenty is a markup that's almost unheard of.
Meanwhile, his eyes narrow, like he doubts it as well, but he says nothing as he digs into his crossbody bag and pulls out a pouch. He tosses it onto the counter, and I nearly gasp at the coins inside. Noemi's eyes widen in surprise as well, but she stands her ground.
"Keep the change," he growls as he stalks past me. He stops and whirls on me, a snarl on his lips. "What are you looking at?"
Our eyes meet, and for a crazed moment, I just want to reach out and touch him, like the fire inside him needs to be quenched and soothed. Because I feel like this isn't him. Instead, I clench my fist and put it behind me, where he can't see my fingernails biting into the palm of my hand.
When I don't answer, he grunts, throws the door open, and storms out.
I fight my wince as the door slams behind him, rattling on its hinges. For a moment, neither Noemi nor I move, like we're expecting him to barge back in. I wouldn't doubt it at this point.
Finally, Noemi lets out a long breath that ends with a disbelieving chuckle. "Oh, my gods!" She puts a palm to her forehead as she staggers to the side. "Did you see him? I thought he was going to tear your head off!"
I stare at her like she's just burst fairy wings. "Wait, you…"
She starts laughing, hard, leaning heavily on the counter of her store. "I was so terrified, Lissy!"
My irritation is immediately replaced by anger. "Why the hell did you charge him twenty pieces, then? You know that was two pieces, three max!"
"You didn't see how big of an ass he was, coming in here, Lissy." She palms the counter with both hands and takes a deep breath, her laughter dissolving. "Demanding an anti-love potion like that."
"Yes, but…"
Noemi rolls her eyes as she leans over, disappearing behind the counter for a moment. "He was probably using it to force the woman he has the hots for to fall out of love and hopefully fall for him."
But if that were the case, then why wouldn't he just go for a love potion? Not to mention, I have the sense that it's someone he's close to – like he's looking out for her in his own way.
Misguided, but perhaps well-intended, especially with how conflicted he looked at the end.
I don't get the chance to dwell on it, because Noemi straightens up with another velvet-lined tray of vials. I recognize every one of them, as I use them almost daily.
"Okay," she says, giving me a knowing smirk. "Which one of these dressmaking potions brings you here today, Lissy?"