It was early morning. The weather didn’t look like it was going to improve from the light rain. On the contrary, it looked like there was going to be a prober downpour. Vivian had been awake for an hour helping her mum. There was always so much to do, before the bakery was open. Not only baking and cleaning, but making sure there was enough of everything.

Vivian was glad she didn’t need to do the cleaning. Her mum had discovered she was out of vanilla and that’s why Vivian was now walking through the Old Rose to a shop called Shook’s Apothecary. It was the most certain place to get any herbs and spices. All though vanilla was quite expensive, it was used in so little amounts while baking, that is was affordable to buy. It usually paid itself off as the taste of vanilla flavored cakes was favored by many who could afford it.

There weren’t too much people on the streets because of the early hour, but soon it was going to be busy like it usually was. Vivian felt comfortable when there was a crowd around her, but it felt safer to walk with out being afraid of being robbed or bumping into people. And if she would bump into trouble anyway, she did have a long pair of legs to do the running for her. While walking she was thinking also going to harbor later that day, not really caring about the weather. She wasn’t made of sugar like some people seem to be.

With these thoughts on her mind, she finally reached her destination. Slowly she walked to the door, knocking and then trying to open the Apothecary door. Sometimes the Old Man was already wake this time of the hour, but if he wasn’t she knew where she needed to go next. Near the harbor there was wholesale, where you could get almost anything whatever the time was. But it was never sure how much it would cost and how good the stuff was.

The door opened with a quiet creek and on its other side stood Old Man Shook. He blinked out at Vivian blearily, "Yer up fair early, young missy." He was old enough that even women of a more mature age never took offense to the nickname. When one got to be Shook's age, well...everyone was young.

A hint of suspicion had crept into his voice. He hadn't come to live that long by being stupid, after all.

"What can I do ye for?" Blue eyes looked out under heavy thick brows.

Vivian made one step behind her, when the door suddenly opened. She looked at the Old Man Shook with a none saying expression at first, but through her eyes you could tell she felt realifed, that somebody answered the door.


"Bread and cakes don't bake themselves, unfortunately." Vivian said in a polite voice. She was eager to enter the shop for two reasons - rain had started to become stronger and for Vivian the apothecary was like a place from the books. There was so many different kind of things in the shop, yet she could feel, that everything really important was hidden.


"Mum needs some vanilla. But as she's busy bakin, she sent me." Vivian explained quickly.
"May I come in? It's getting pretty wet out here." She then asked refering to the weather.

Shook stared at Vivian for a moment and then stepped aside to let her in. He closed the door carefully behind her and sniffed.

"This storm'll blow over, don't you mind."

There were several candles already lit, as if the old man had just gotten up himself, and was in the process of lighting them.

"Me bones hurt when th'big 'uns come into the harbor. I been livin' here since I was naught but a lad." He walked to sit behind his table and pointed a gnarled finger towards the vanilla, "You'll find what you want o'er there. Be careful not to knock nothin' over."

Shook rubbed his right hand with his left, keeping his eyes on the young girl. "An' ye'd best watch your back. Taint safe in th' harbor for youngins."

"Thank you", Vivian said, when she walked in to the apothecary. Eventhough it didn't show, she felt a little uneasy, yet excited as well. Her eyes moved quickly from object to object, but there was no greed in her eyes. Just curiosity. Vivian let the Old Mans sentence about weather go by her, as it didn't seem enough important to comment.



"Mum says willows bark helps for the pain. As a tee or an ointment. She does that a lot when me pap is in town." Vivian said just for a casual talk. It was so common that old people talked about their ilnesses at the bakery. Her mum wasn't an expert, but a wise woman knows always a couple of herbs that helps with all sorts of things.



Vivian nodded and moved towards the pot the man was pointing at. She lifted the lid and first smelled the sweet aroma of the vanilla. Even better than any candy or sweet. And a lot heathier! She took one of her two bags hanging from her belt and opened it to put the amount she wanted to the bag. While she was busy measuring the vanilla, she listened carefully what Shook was saying. She didn't lift even her eyes from the pot as she answered to the Old Man.
"Me feets are fast and I do know my way in harbor. You just need to now where to run. Plus, I usually can stay out of trouble. I'm smarten enough for that."
Then she turned taking her little bag to the table for the Old Man Shook to see.
"How much is it?" Vivian asked, while she was tieing open her another bag from the belt. It jingled quietly as the coins inside moved. She raised her sight to stare straightly at the old mans eyes.

"Ahhh so I been told." Shook said with a low friendly chuckle. "But ye get t'be a certain age what nothink works t'cure yer aches'n pains." Shook took the sampling of vanilla and weighed it with his thin hands in a practiced manner. Up close Vivian could see the deep crevices around his face, and how his skin seemed to hang off of his skeleton. The only thing youthful and very much alive about it him were his eyes, which were as brilliantly blue and unclouded as the day he'd been born.

"Hmm that'll be five tallies, missy." He said gruffly.

The entrance to the shop slammed open and Old Man Shook jumped and then glared at the two people who now occupied the doorway.

"Sorry, Shakes." The younger man said with a careless smile. He was dressed in rags, like most people in the harbor, and was an average height with shrewd brown eyes. Right now, he was dripping water onto the floor, and shaking out a large brimmed hat. "Got yerself a customer?"

"My name, young Jasper, is not 'Shakes'." Shook said in an irritated voice. "Introduce yourself. And be polite."

Jasper put a hand over his heart and bowed low to Vivian, still grinning teasingly and obviously only doing this to mock his employer. "Jasper Potts, at yer service. Poisons, potions, an' any other sorta word tha' ends in 'ion' is what you'll find here. An' my fine silent companion 'ere is Parrot."

The man he was pointing to looked nothing like a Parrot. He was a huge hulking man with a forgettable face, sandy blond hair, and very skinny legs. Besides his gigantic size his only true memorable feature were the various tattoos that ran up and down his arms. These two men were obviously of the shadier sort. Jasper put his hat back on, although it was still dripping.

"Are ye here t'inquire 'bout th'job openin'?" Jasper asked, leering as he looked at her.

Vivians eyes studied the old mans face and she kept thinking, how frustrating it must be to be stuck in an old body, when your mind and soul were still very much alive. "That's why most people grow bitter the older they get", Vivian thought. Then she nodded as Shook told her the price.

"As I thought..." Vivian said and started to dig from the little bag those five tallies. But before she could reach even one, the door opened.
Over her shoulder, she gave a sigh to see who had entered the apothecary. Automatically her one hand had moved closer to the dagger on the belt, but that move was hardly noticeable for anyone.

Closely Vivian studied the two man and moved a little to see them better. Her face didn't betray any emotions, when the old shop keeper and the younger man talked. It was obvious that the man, who know introduced himself as Jasper, thought he was a funny guy. Well, at least that was Vivians impression about him.



"Poison doesn't end with an 'ion', you know?" Vivian said with her usual only-telling-the-facts voice, where there was a hint of sarcasm. She turned then to Shook and started to dig her bag again. Quickly the five tallies came out from the bag and were placed on the table.
"And no. I'm here just for vanilla", she then answered Jasper, without bothering to even turn. As she pushed the coins to Shook to count, she took with left hand the other little bag from the table.

((Just as a quick note, whenever you want to denote your character's thoughts use the italics tool instead of quotes-- that way people wont confuse it with actual speaking. To make italics, you can either click the button on the top or type out [ i ] without the spaces and end it with [ / i ] . So that sentence would have looked like this: without the spaces and end with. Thanks!))

"It don't?" Jasper asked, amazed. "Well Good Lady strike me down! I weren't ne'er very good at me schoolin', young miss. P'raps ye might want t'teach me a thing or two." He suggested lewdly, wiggling his eyebrows. Vivian was a very pretty girl. This probably happened to her a lot.

Shook rolled his eyes and began to count the coins. "Thank ye, good miss. Come again. Ignore the two luggers by th'door. They en't too bright."

((Ouh, sorry about that. Old habit from pevious place I roleplayed. I'll have to remember that. But yeah, I know how to use html coding system, so it's no problem that way. It was pain in the ass to learn at first, but after years, I have seen it comes handy all the time. ))

Vivian sighed silently and rolled her eyes. When she saw Old Shook doing the same a little smirk appeared on her face only for the Old Man to see.
He seems to be used to that.

"I doubt I could teach you anything that would stick permanently. And even if I could, I have no time to school anyone", Vivian said, not bothering to turn to see Jaspers reaction to her words. Quickly she took the two little bags on the table and tied them back to her belt.
"I'll come if my mum runs out of anything else. And thanks for the tip. I shall try to do that." Vivian said the last two sentences so quietly, that the two men behind her had no chance to hear her.

"Good bye, Mister Shook." She gave the Old Man Shook a little nod and then turned around. Walking towards the to men, Viv stoped infront of them.
"Parrot, Jasper." She said, giving both men a little nod. "Good bye to you also." While passing Jasper, Vivian carelessly pushed the mans large brimmed hat out of her way, causing it to drop infront of the mans eyes.

The apothecarys door was still open and you could see how outside was raining quit heavily. Vivian sighed. She didn't like the idea of becoming soking wet. But there was no choice, as it seemed. Viv raised her jackets collar to make sure no water could get in from there. Also she closed the front side of the jacket, what se had opened to get the little bags.
If the vanilla gets wet, mums going to be furious...

Jasper pushed his hat up and whistled delightedly. "What a woman, eh Shaky?"

Shook rolled his eyes and went back to work, praying to the gods that the girl would get back home safely. It had been a long time since he'd bothered. It was hard to believe in Gods when you lived in Old Rose.