Forget {Varian x Reader}

-Chapter Twenty-Three- The Loneliest

She still had the (Y/n)rium necklace, too. It was the only thing that kept her going some days.

In the distance, Y/n saw the shape of a town begin to appear on the horizon. She had been here before, although she didn't remember its name. It did, however, have an apothecary. Perhaps she could acquire some new chemicals while she was here.

As she walked, Y/n's thoughts returned- as they often did- to Varian.

Specifically, the kiss.

Don't forget me, he had whispered. Y/n could still remember the smell of smoke, the way they had clung desperately to each other, the taste that lingered like a ghost on her lips whenever she thought too hard about him.

She missed him. Desperately.

He probably hated her now. After all, he was rotting in prison, suffering through who-knows-what while Y/n walked in circles in the woods with absolutely no plan for a prison break.

It was her fault that he was gone. She knew it. Maybe she should have stopped him- no, she should have tried harder, should have worked harder to help him. Even if they had still failed, she should have gone with him, should have stayed by his side.

She was so cowardly. How could she leave him?

Y/n took the (Y/n)rium necklace in her hand and ran her gloved fingers over its violet gemstone, wishing for all the world that Varian was here, and not the things he left behind.

─── ⋅ ∙ ∘ ☽ ༓ ☾ ∘ ⋅ ⋅ ───

The apothecary shop was a small, brick building, with stained glass windows and a deep green door. Y/n inhaled the smell as she put her hand on the doorknob- herbs, chemicals, and just a hint of smoke.

She pushed the door open, and a small bell above the doorframe rang, announcing her presence.

The shop was made up of one large room, covered floor to ceiling in bookshelves. One window shone down on the space, illuminating shelves overflowing with books, vials, ingredients, quills and ink.

Very few people were waiting inside. A man stood by a bookshelf, examining a vial of golden liquid. On the other side of the room, a very short woman with two lavender braids wearing a thick blue beanie and a bulky man with a thick red beard were speaking with a tall brunette who appeared to be the store clerk.

Y/n walked over to one of the overflowing shelves of faintly glowing vials, neatly labeled in a flowing cursive script.

She was looking for the materials to recreate her amber compound. She had a dozen spheres, originally- she had used four in the battle, and lost another two in the incident with the horse. That left her with six- not nearly enough for comfort.

Currently, she was looking for Obsidian Oak Sap. After the incident on the road, she was looking for a more temporary solution- something that could wear off after a few days. The Obsidian Oak used its sap as an adaptation to trap insects to its surface, and Y/n figured that it could wear off, unlike the chemicals she had previously used.

Unfortunately, the resource was quite rare, and she was having a hard time finding it on the shelf.

"Can I help you?"

Y/n turned to see the store clerk, a tall brunette woman in a dark green apron and hair pulled into a wildly messy bun. The woman with the purple hair and the bulky man seemed to have found what they needed, and were picking items from the shelves on the other side of the room where the clerk had left them.

"Yes, actually..." Y/n responded, glancing at the shelf. "Do you have any extract from an Obsidian Oak?"

The clerk let out a hmm sound. "Possibly... I'd need to check in the back. You wouldn't happen to have the compounds you'll be mixing it with, would you?"