Blood Bargain

Two: In Which There is a Bargain

"Two years ago, a man named Benjamin Mathers was murdered in the woods outside town," Ellie said slowly. She walked towards the kitchen, where she'd preemptively placed a copper kettle on the stove to heat. Steam poured out the spout, and she grabbed it before it could start to whistle, putting it to the side as she grabbed mugs from the shelves.

"You're a witch. Use that Other blood and ask his ghost," Kaz said, rolling his eyes as if that should be obvious. "Don't make me do your dirty work for you."

"First of all, not all witches have the Sight, but thanks for assuming," she grumbled. "Second of all, I do have it. I've been talking to ghosts since I learned to talk. You really think I didn't try that right off?"

"And?"

"Killer came from behind, according to the Sheriff. He couldn't have seen," she said softly, eyes suddenly glued on the brick floor. "Besides, he's a little... Ghosts with sudden deaths, they don't... they don't move on easy. Talkin' to 'em about their passin' moments is hard, to say the least." Shaking her head like she could shake off the memories, Ellie grabbed a few herb jars from the shelf on the wall and a little cloth bag, putting pinches of dried plants inside.

"What are you doing?"

"Making tea. I make tea when I'm nervous. You want some?" she asked. When Ellie glanced over, she saw him in a position that looked defensive, like he was ready to bolt at the first sign of any magic. "Trust me, I'm not gonna use magic on a non-consenting, non-hostile subject. I don't care if you're a human or a witch or someone else, that's all the same to me."

Kaz's shoulders relaxed a little at that, but he hesitated, squinting at the little cloth bag in her hand. Ellie just snorted, undoing the drawstring to let him peek inside. He took it from her and peered into it like something might jump out from it and bite him.

"It's chamomile and calendula, with a little valerian to help me sleep. It won't poison you. I can even add some peppermint if ya want a stronger taste."

He sniffed at the bag cautiously before handing it back to her with a nod. "Yes. Tea sounds... nice."

"Have a seat." She gestured to the two empty chairs beside the kitchen table. Kaz slowly perched on the edge of one of the wooden chairs, still obviously tense and suspicious, though Ellie couldn't figure out why. As far as she was concerned, he had the upper hand here, and not by a small margin.

"Can't say anyone's offered me refreshments while hashing out a bargain before," he muttered, watching as Ellie poured water into the mugs, dipping a little cloth bag in each one. "It's more common they try to bind me in a summoning circle until things have been set."

"Well, that seems rude to do to somebody ya want help from," she said firmly. "I refuse to let anyone say I'm a bad host. Even to demons."

She sat one of the two steaming mugs down in front of him, wondering if he'd be suspicious. He did sniff at the brew again, but he seemed perfectly willing to sip on it once it cooled. She hadn't lied— there was nothing dangerous in there, but his paranoia rang alarm bells. Not for herself, of course. She simply wondered what happened in the past to make him so careful.

There would be time to ask that later, though.

"Now, back to business," Ellie said, taking a seat at the table beside Kaz. "I need your help finding a murderer. I'm not equipped to do this all on my own. It's not a one-woman job no way, no how, but it's especially not a one-woman job for me. There's barely anybody in town who will even talk to me about it."

"Prejudiced against witches?"

"Somewhat, yeah. They like my medicine, though, so I don't think it would be so bad if they didn't think I killed Ben myself."