Closed Trouble Brewing

[Callum Duffy]

Callum had no reason to be anxious, but these days he didn't seem to need one. Waking up was enough to make him jittery. The interminable grind of work wasn't helping. He'd enjoyed it once. Ha! Remember that? Remember waking up and feeling excited? Times had changed. All that persisted now was dread. He'd thought about persuading Mason to let him handle more of the paperwork, but he didn't want to give his boss a reason to think he was shirking responsibilities. Which he was. He hated his job, but he couldn't afford to lose it. The price to pay was much too high.

He had come to the farm to be discreet. Not that he thought anybody really cared what he was buying at the apothecary, but you couldn't be too careful. Rumours travelled quickly in small towns.

He knocked on the door.

 

[Lou Prindeou]

Lou might have let Lou and her husband live at the farm house, but he still worked the farm. It was all he had ever known, he couldn't just walk away from it. He'd been working that day, when his alarm chimed to let him know someone was at the door to the small office he'd built. Lou stood from where he'd been weeding. quickly brushing the dirt off on his pants before apparating to the office. He stepped up to the door and opened it, smiling at the man. "Hello! Do come in," He said in his most profession voice, stepping aside to let the man enter. Lou had some supplies stocked in the office, trying to be more of a businessman. He wouldn't admit that he practiced his professional voice in the mirror, and he hoped Erik hadn't caught him yet.

 

[Callum Duffy]

Callum stepped into the man's house, pulling a scrap of paper from his pocket as he did so. "I brought a list," he said, "in case you forgot what I needed." Included on the list was a whole asphodel plant, two dozen sprigs of lavender, a handful of peppermint, a hundred grams of stewed mandrake, some valerian flowers, and enough wormwood to raise suspicion. The whole list was enough to raise the suspicion of anyone who'd brewed a few memory potions or a simple sleeping draught, but you didn't have to be a potion-maker to see the dark circles under his eyes and hazard a guess at what he was preparing to brew. "If there's anything you haven't got, it's fine, don't worry. I'll just take the rest."

 

[Lou Prindeou]

Lou took the list from the man, glancing at it and smiling. "Oh, of course. Mr. Duffy, yes?" He questioned, moving to grab a prepackaged box by the counter. "We have everything you requested right here," He picked the box up and set it on the counter. "We've also thrown in a complimentary sleep potion from our house potioneer," He offered, smiling to the man. "You should get rest before attempting to brew a potion like this. The price is still the one we agreed upon when you made your order." He explained easily. He was finding it was a lot easier to be professional than personal with people.

 

[Callum Duffy]

"Yeah," said Callum. He'd forgotten to introduce himself. Merlin, was he about to find out he'd forgotten to bring his money, too? No - there it was, in his inner pocket. His hand froze mid-way in. What? How dare the man presume to know he was having trouble sleeping? All right, if someone was buying flour, eggs, and butter, it was reasonable to assume they were making a cake, Callum would admit that much; but there was no need to embarrass him by bringing it up. "Thanks." He pulled out his wallet, then stared into it blankly for several seconds. "Sorry. How much did we agree?"

 

[Lou Prindeou]

Lou raised a brow, leaning on the counter. "You paid for it upfront last week." He offered gently. "Are you alright to get back?" He asked, eyeing out the window at the incoming storm. "I've got a couch in the office if you want to catch a breather before heading back, or a guest room at the house." He offered. He'd gotten a door installed in the back that opened up into the hall back at his home for easy travel.

 

[Callum Duffy]

“Oh.” Did Callum really? He cast his mind back over the last week, picking through the take-outs and the long nightly walks, and at last arrived at the memory he was looking for. Yes. He had paid upfront. "Of course. No, I'm fine, thanks." Putting away his wallet, he added, "Nice farm. My aunt owned a farm. In Ireland. Burned down, but... Wasn't as nice as this, anyway." Yeah - this was why he didn't make polite conversation.

 

[Lou Prindeou]

Lou nodded, he hadn't been sure the other man would accept the offer anyway. "That's a shame," He offered sincerely. "Is your aunt alright?" Lou inquired, concern clear on his face. "Perhaps, if you won't stay, you'll let me apparate you home?" He offered to the man. "It's dangerous to try to travel if you're too tired." He fretted, studying the other man. "Please?"

 

[Callum Duffy]

"I mean, she's dead now, but it wasn't the fire that got her," Callum said, wishing he'd never brought her up at all. For some reason, Mr. Prindeou was all concern, both with regards to his family and his ability to get home. "Sure, OK. Fine." Really, he wanted to tell him to mind his own damned business, and that he was perfectly capable of getting home by himself, thank you very much, but his options for purchasing ingredients were already limited and he didn't much feel like having to grovel. "Just to Obsidian Harbour, then. The outskirts."

 

[Lou Prindeou]

Lou almost regretted asking. He was horrible at this being social thing. He was relieved, however, when the man accepted his offer. Lou stepped in, smiling shyly and offering out his hand. "Alright, to the Harbour then, that's easy enough." He agreed. "Do you have everything?" He asked, summoning over and pocketing his wand. His tutoring with Erik was really paying off; Lou was finding he was a natural for non verbal spells. At least, simpler ones, anyway.