Chapter 8 FriendshipSomething Like It #3
Azrion’s smile faltered. “I, uh…was top of my class. A magical prodigy, they said, and most likely to succeed. At the risk of sounding a bit pompous, they were right.” He snapped the fingers of his free hand, and a purple flicker of smoke spun itself into a flower which he plucked out of the air and handed to her.
When Kat took it, it dissolved into smoke again.
“And I…well, I made a mistake,” he finally admitted. “I thought I would throw the worst at you right away by taking you to the Naevas sisters’ shop, and the overwhelming exposure would force you out of that nervous carapace, but I was wrong. Please forgive me, Kat. I am sorry.”
“Oh, it’s okay,” she said quickly because it had to be okay, didn’t it? Everything did.
“Our next stop will be quite a bit calmer. In fact, we can take a break inside, if you’d like.”
Kat lifted her head just as Azrion guided her to another shop.
Though the inside of this one was stuffed full of things with lower lighting and so much to look at, it was indeed soothing.
There were plenty of shelves full of jars and dark corners to hide in.
Frankly, any place where she wasn’t rushed and hugged was a relief, absolution from wickedness and a chance at escaping the hells.
A dark purple tendril hung down by the door, and Kat followed the vine to a potted plant. She had the strange urge to pet that tendril, but then it gave her a wave. That wasn’t something plants did, so Kat did something she wasn’t wont to do either and pressed herself against Azrion with a gasp.
“This one won’t touch unless you try something nefarious,” Azrion said, brows waggling in her direction, and Kat’s stomach dropped.
She certainly wasn’t thinking of ransacking this place.
Especially not when a pale green demon wearing glasses and a welcoming grin stood just behind the counter—he looked much too nice to steal from.
“Az, I have your pigments.” The shop owner ducked behind the counter, but his voice still filled the apothecary. “At least, I think I do. Thought they were right here anyway.”
Azrion hesitated, though Kat felt it more than saw it in the tightening of his arm. When had she grabbed onto him again?
“Pigments?” she asked.
“Kizros has the best paint in the city, among so many other things, as you can see.” He gestured to the overfilled shelves. “Actually, I just had a thought. Katarina, would you like to visit with…”
“Aofe?” the green demon popped up again, his smile so wide his fangs were exposed.
“Yes. One of your compatriots from Ankerick.”
“Oh, we’re not exactly…” Kat knew another human worked at the apothecary—Brioni had shared details about all the women—but she didn’t really know this one.
Aofe was apparently brilliant, though. She’d been in Heck for but a few weeks, and she’d already concocted several tinctures for the humans including one for Kat’s headaches and a broader contraceptive for all of them, though Brioni’s name for it was a little more suggestive.
Kat had been wondering, though, how any of them knew the contraceptive worked.
“She’s in the greenhouse, can’t miss it down the path,” said the green demon, and Kat took a second appraisal of him.
Aofe lived here, and from the looks of it, it was just the two of them.
He seemed rather harmless, one of the sweeter-looking demons to be honest, but Brioni had made more than one saucy suggestion about demons and their… primal instincts.
Kat realized she’d been staring then, and looked away to see— “Sunshine?”
“Right. Can’t miss it because of the…yeah, sunshine through the open door. Just, uh, shout if you need us.” The demon’s voice fell away as she walked toward the familiar glow, feet taking her without thinking.
Kat rarely spent time in the sun back in Ankerick.
Even if her “work” didn’t require the cover of night, she was an indoor creature through and through, and that was mostly how she liked it.
The lack of a sun in Heck hadn’t bothered her, but seeing it again sparked something in her chest. It wasn’t like the yellow lanterns in the infirmary or the tea shop, but she knew there was still magic at play, and she had to see.
Heck was a colorful place, but the greenhouse she entered into was spectacular under its magical sun.
She’d never been lucky enough to see the fine gardens she and Kaly sneaked through all lit up, but this was even better, she knew.
It had to be. The vibrant leaves of hanging vines and the bright rinds of fruits near bursting were all just so beautiful.
“Kat, right?”
Kat had almost stood straight, but the strange voice reminded her she wasn’t alone, and she hunched over, searching for the source. A woman—another human—with blue hair sat at a table covered in parchment. It looked like important work, so Kat tried to muster an apologetic smile for her intrusion.
“I’d offer a tour, but I’m not sure I’d make it very far today.
” The woman who had to be Aofe gestured to a pair of crutches leaning against the table, and Kat hurried over, hoping she wouldn’t get up on her account, but then stopped abruptly when she saw the giant fluffy creature pressed to Aofe’s side.
Dogs were, in Kat’s experience, not friends.
They were often used for guarding things, and when you broke into their homes, you really had to expect snarling and biting.
This wasn’t much different: Kat was somewhere she didn’t belong, and even if the silvery-white creature had way too many eyes, it also probably had an instinct to protect its human and home.
But Aofe said that the creature was named Attie, and Kat realized she’d never known a single dog’s name before.
Attie. Nothing named Attie would hurt her, right?
Not when it let its tongue hang out like that and stayed completely silent as Kat made her way to the table.
She’s sort of the same color as Azrion’s hair.
Looks soft too. Maybe there’s some relation.
“Your sister is Kalypso?” Aofe asked, and it was polite enough, but Kat’s stomach tightened as she sat.
I should be visiting with her, Kat thought even as she traded clipped words with Aofe. But who knows if I’m allowed. And I still need to figure out exactly how to use that coin to get her to stay.
Aofe changed the subject, but it went right to embroidery, and Kat’s stomach did a second flip.
She’d taken so many liberties with the other women’s clothing, but she couldn’t help herself.
Hemming and modifying the garments didn’t feel like enough, she wanted to give them something that might remind them of their homes, but it had probably been a step too far. “Sorry. I won’t do any more—”
Aofe cut her off with a natural kindness, going on to describe exactly what she loved about her new clothes in a voice that was filled with gratitude and maybe even a little awe. Conversation came easier then, even as Aofe’s compliment burned in Kat’s cheeks.
It wasn’t that Kat didn’t trust Brioni, she just knew that her fellow post worker seemed to love everyone, and in Kat’s experience, not everyone was so worthy of such praise.
Aofe, however, lived up to Bri’s acclaim.
She was intelligent and soft-spoken, and she even asked for assistance on her compendium project.
Kat’s first instinct was to say no—she knew she would fuck up whatever good thing Aofe had already created—but then Aofe showed her how her hands were cramping. Kat didn’t consider herself an artist, but she enjoyed sketching what she planned to embroider, so she tentatively agreed.
They fell into a companionable silence as they worked alongside one another, and Kat let herself sink into the feeling of enjoying someone’s company under the magical sunshine.
This was why Azrion had encouraged her to come back here, and maybe it was a little embarrassing to be accommodated like that, but Kat couldn’t deny that the choice had been right.
Maybe it wasn’t so bad being looked out for a little.