A bell chimed pleasantly as I stepped inside the doorway. The cool, dry air of the apothecary was a refreshing respite from the miserable humidity just outside.
The cramped little shop was full of shelves packed with all sorts of reagents and bottles, with some other ingredients and tools in baskets strewn here and there. The counter was tucked away in the back of the shop; behind it, there was a doorway obscured by a thin white curtain.
"Finx?" I called out, readjusting the bundle in my arms and moving toward the counter. There was no answer, so I laid out the package of herbs on the worn wood counter.
"Finx!" I yelled this time, loud enough to hopefully be heard out in the garden he had back there, or wherever else he'd gone off to. My fingers tapped against the counter as I looked around for the alchemist, or anything to occupy myself while I waited. The place was always a bit of a mess, which seemed strange for a professional shop like his, but... Well, that's just the way he was. A bit absent-minded, Finx was always scatter-brained when it came to organization, yet brilliant when it came to potion-craft.
In fact, he'd probably lost track of time and forgot that the store was supposed to even be open. I knew he had to be somewhere back there because his living area was in the back and it wasn't unheard of for him to forget something, and—
The curtain swished, and out walked the little goblin alchemist. "Oh, I apologize!" Finx cried as soon as he saw me, rushing up to the counter with an apologetic look in his golden-yellow eyes. "I was... uh, harvesting some ingredients in the garden..."
I flashed him a warm smile. "You know I can't stay mad at you," I said with a teasing wink, chuckling when he blushed and turned his head in embarrassment.
Finx was somewhat of an oddity among his kind—at least as far as male goblins went. Most of them didn't give a care for their appearance and looked a lot like what you'd think of when imagining the word goblin: a little, ugly green man with tusks and stout, bulky bodies covered with thick, rough skin that's riddled with warts and all sorts of disfiguring lumps and bumps.
Not Finx, though.
Finx Fiddlespiddle was very small for a male goblin, with a feminine shape and very smooth green skin, which had a lovely tinge of pink that accentuated the slight muscles that were hidden away on his slender figure. He had a lithe, delicate look to him and didn't seem to have a hair on his body—which only served to highlight his cute face and pointy, soft-looking ears.
His face was round and cherubic, with full pink lips and large eyes. All in all, it was no surprise that he was often mistaken for a female at first glance.
"I've brought you more reagents from that odd grotto I showed you a little while back," I continued. "You were interested in them, weren't you? Those flowers you wanted—"
"The kemrune orchid!" Finx said, excitedly grabbing up the package. He peeked inside, nodding appreciatively as he did. "Oh, and you've even used a preservation spell on them—this is wonderful... I might even be able to propagate a few! Oh... Thank you!" He beamed at me with a sweet smile as he clutched the bundle close to his chest. "I'll be right back! Just let me store these away!" he said excitedly. Finx turned and scampered back to the backroom. "Feel free to make yourself at home," he called out, and then the curtain swished back into place and he was gone again.
While I waited, I heard the bell above the door ring once more, signaling another customer's arrival.
I turned, and standing just inside the shop was a man who had the typical muscular build and impressive figure of a minotaur, with brown fur that covered most of his body. I had to wonder what a minotaur needed at an apothecary shop? It wasn't any of my business, though.
I turned back toward the counter and continued my search for something to occupy myself while I waited on Finx.
My fingers found a smooth glass beaker that sat atop the counter, and as I idly inspected the small vessel, I couldn't help but feel eyes on my back. I ignored the feeling at first, but after a moment it seemed to be more insistent, and I turned to find the minotaur was still staring.
"Is something wrong, sir?" I asked with a smile, meeting his dark gaze as I turned to face him fully. His face was unreadable as our eyes locked for a long moment.
I raised a curious brow at the intense scrutiny and waited for a reply, but I never received one.
After a few tense seconds, the minotaur turned, grumbling something inaudible, and looked at some of the items on the shelves instead. I watched for a few minutes before I gave up trying to figure out what had been going on and went back to perusing the apothecary's shop.
I heard footsteps from the back room again, and Finx stepped through the curtain. "Sorry for making you wait—Oh! Hello, sir," he said as soon as he spotted the customer.
I nodded and stepped aside so I could watch what he did—to be honest, I was supremely curious to discover just what a minotaur wanted from a place like this. It wasn't something you saw every day, you know.
"Hello, Finx." The minotaur nodded with a polite greeting. "Do you happen to have any more of those...potions...that I had requested?" The minotaur lowered his voice as he asked his question. He gave a pointed glance in my direction.
I looked over to Finx, who nodded and opened a drawer. "I've set aside four bottles—two more than you asked for." He grinned, sliding a little box over the counter to the bull man. "I take it things are going well, then?"
I cocked my head to the side, confused for a moment. My curiosity spiked, though, when the minotaur flushed, which showed as a reddening of the skin around the edge of his bovine nose. It was fascinating, since I hadn't known minotaurs blushed like that...
He cleared his throat, glancing to the side. "Yes," the customer replied in a quiet voice. "Yes, it's going well. My wife quite enjoys it. As a matter of fact, I think she's happier than she's ever been, so please thank whomever is supplying the materials." He glanced down at Finx for a moment, then placed some coins onto the counter.
"My supplier is right over there, as it so happens," Finx replied, smiling over at me and then back to the minotaur. He pointed toward me and nodded. "But I will pass the word on, all the same." He gave a short bow and handed over the small package of potions to the bull-like male. "Will that be all for today, then?" he asked with a pleasant, warm smile.
The customer looked surprised, his ears pricking a bit and his eyes widening. He nodded to Finx, and gave me an awkward, hesitant wave, before turning around and hurrying from the store.
In his haste to leave, the minotaur bumped into a shelf as he left and the little apothecary shop rattled with the impact.
The next thing I knew, I heard the sound of a rolling bottle—before I could even turn around to catch whatever it was, the vial landed on my head with a hard smack. I winced in pain and hissed softly as I felt cool, oily liquid start to drip down my face and onto the floor.
"Are you okay?" Finx asked with a worried expression. He rushed over and took my hand in his, looking up with concern in his eyes.
"Yeah, I'm alright, no worries," I told him, flashing him a hopefully reassuring smile.
He knelt down and picked up the now-empty bottle, his eyes widening slightly. "W-We'd better go wash you off."
I didn't even have time to protest before I found myself being dragged through the curtain and into the back room of the little shop. It was a bit messy, like the shop had been, but there was an order to the chaos. It wasn't hard to see where Finx's living quarters ended and his workspace began.
Finx sat me down on his little bed. "Sorry... You're too big for the chairs I've got."
I didn't get much of a chance to take a look at the rest of the space—Finx's main room, which served as the kitchen, dining area, bedroom, and whatever else—before he gently pulled my head down to get at my face.
His cool fingers probed the area where the bottle had struck, and he mumbled softly as he examined it.
"...Looks like your skin's absorbed most of it already..." he murmured in a low voice, mostly to himself. I heard him rustling around for something before he dabbed a damp rag against my face with a light touch.
"What was in that vial, anyway?"