Brewing Love and Casting Lies

Chapter 9

It had been another week since Maverick had shown up and tried to take Virgil, making this Virgil's fourth week here. Maverick hadn't come back, hadn't even tried. But any progress Virgil had made with letting his guard down slightly had been lost. He was once again easily startled and customers couldn't approach him from behind anymore. He had already had to excuse himself twice because an anxiety or panic attack had come to him without warning and it wasn't one of those that you could hide very easily.

Janus had also become more nervous and a bit jumpy. It was a behavior that his friends had not seen from him in years, and it worried them. His face was nearly healed now, which he was thankful for. The injury and stitches irritated his scales and it was hard not to scratch at them. Fortunately though, besides getting a little nervous and jumpiness when people snuck up on him or something came to close to his face there wasn't much more of a reaction from him. But it still didn't help that he was extremely stressed at the moment.

His 'competitor' had closed for a few weeks for remodeling meaning he was getting an overflow of customers coming to him for spells and potions and such. Don't misunderstand, he loved that he was getting more business, even if the rush was only temporary, but it was tiring. He had spent all day trapped in his office brewing potion after potion or casting spell after spell on a person. He hadn't even gotten to eat lunch yet and it was nearly three in the afternoon. Janus didn't know whether to sympathize for Virgil or envy him, he got to be out with the customers and doing the easy work like checking people out, showing them where to find something, or telling them that they were currently sold out of something.

Which was happening a lot, unfortunately. Janus had already had to make three batches of a cooking enhancement potion, two batches of gardening potions, and five for his supply of sleeping potions. All of which he'd had extra boxes of stored in the back mind you. Janus wondered how his competitors managed to handle the demands of their customers so well, he was already greatly struggling to do so. But then again he was getting nearly double the number of customers he normally got.

A knock at the door made him look up from the book and cauldron in front of him. Virgil is standing behind the closed door sheepishly. He keeps taking quick glances between the door and the front of the shop, Janus questions the action for a moment before clearing his throat, "Come in" he said. Virgil's eyes shoot back to the door and he opens it, taking a small step in, just big enough so he's technically in the room but small enough so he could still see the front of the store. "Virgil is everything alright," Janus asked as he carefully let a few drops of dragon spit drop into the cauldron.

Virgil looks back at him, "Uhm, I don't know. There's someone looking for you."

"Do they have an appointment?" Virgil shook his head, "Tell them I'm busy"

"They said it's important, and they said y-you were probably gonna want to see them" Janus looked up at Virgil again, "They looked serious, they're wearing a suit," Virgil added after a moment.

Janus nodded, taking a look down at the book in front of him before nodding, "I'll be out in five minutes," he said, Virgil nodded before leaving the room, the door clicking shut behind him as he walked back to the front of the store. 

Janus sighed as he finished putting in the ingredients and cast a spell over the cauldron so the liquid inside would begin to heat without an actual flame being created. It was better than putting the oversized pot over the kitchen stove, even if it did take longer. He nervously began to put the book and ingredients away, carefully filing each of them into their appropriate shelf or drawer. 

Who was it that Virgil said was waiting for him? Virgil said they claimed it was important but if that was the case why would they come to him? And why hadn't they just set up an appointment? It wasn't one of his friends, if it had been they would've just walked right in. Janus didn't know many other people besides his four friends, and those that he did know he didn't have the type of relationship where they would come to him in an emergency.