Echoes of Invasion: Downtime in Dan’Tonk | Scene 8

“Welcome to my shop!” Zhafa greets the elves when they enter her apothecary shop. 

Heppa has no need for new alchemy supplies, but she has been pondering whether she can make a sauce from Lonfar’s recipe. That way, she could give Alric a jar of it, and he could use it whenever he wanted. Chances are slim that Damal will be making that rice dish any time soon, given the tension between him and Alric over her letters. Or maybe Damal will be making a lot of it in apology, she reflects. Heppa is growing more budget-conscious, given the day’s expenses so far and the lingering need to buy Lala a pot, so right upfront, she asks Zhafa about the prices of the ingredients in the list Lonfar gave her.

“May I know your name?” asks the shopkeeper, a young olive-skinned woman with straight black hair pulled into a ponytail. Following the introductions, she tells Heppa, “You have an account here.” Heppa is surprised to hear this. “It is already credited with twenty gold pieces. It is up to you whether you wish to spend them on spices or apothecary supplies.”

“An account?” Heppa murmurs again in confusion.

“Look at the letter again,” Tric says with a chuckle. “He couldn’t send you a present via Kilkk.”

Heppa blushes and is all smiles once again. She reads through the letter strip another time. “Oh, that’s so sweet!” She and Alric are definitely in a relationship, no question. Unless he gets mad that I meddled with his parents…

“I do not have an account set up for a Tric Manu, though,” Zhafa adds regretfully, but Tric assures her he can manage his own purchases once Heppa is done. 

Given the list of spices Heppa is interested in, Zhafa remarks on them being for a well-known rice dish in the neighborhood. Heppa engages her on the topic of transforming it to a standalone sauce. “What kind of suspension would you put these spices in? Just a rice water?” Listening to the elf excitedly ramble on with her ideas on different approaches, Zhafa gives up trying to get an answer in edgewise and simply pads the order with an extra scoop of each of the spices. It sounds like there will be a lot of experimenting going on. 

Zhafa also tops off Heppa’s alchemy supplies, replenishing some materials that were used in various hair gels and sunscreens. That wipes out the entire account. Heppa reflects happily that, once again, Alric has funded her alchemical work. He may not be an alchemist himself, but he is still contributing to the profession.

For his part, Tric inquires after the most potent clove incense available. On the surface, it will serve to patch things over with Lord Uchal, but he hopes to give the man a start when he actually sets the stick alight and inhales the overpowering scent. Tric also buys a small sampler pack of incense for himself. Twenty coins does not seem like a bad deal to him. He is sure he will be able to earn more before they see Alric again. And you never know when you might need a weird scent, he reflects. Zhafa hands Tric his incense sticks wrapped in waxed paper to protect them from the elements and contain their smell to a certain degree, though he can still catch a whiff when he brings it close to his nose. 

Heppa barely notices Tric’s transaction at all, still riding high on the fumes of Alric.