by Lady Arwen » Nov 01, 2019 11:51 pm
The Herbalist's Conundrum
“Eleri, are you planning on staying at the shop tonight?” Zainab asked me, her face appearing over my shoulder. I looked up at her, straining to see without a light. She snickered.
“You got too caught up in your books again, and forgot it gets dark when the sun goes down, didn’t you?”
“Oh, hush, Zainab,” I grumbled, standing up and turning on the light. “I just need to index a couple things before we head home, ok?”
“Fine, fine, don’t mind me, I’ll just take your book and sit on it, just in case you are inclined to peek at the next chapter.”
I shook my head, but said nothing as she settled, on my book, in the seat I had so recently vacated. The single lamp by the register illuminated the shop surprisingly well, and make the dusky outdoor light vanish in contrast. I stepped out onto the stoop to catch the last colors of the fading sunset. A few people hurried down the streets; they all had homes they were intent on reaching, I was sure. Zainab and I had much less of a journey to make, as our apartment was directly above the shop, accessible by a set of stairs hidden in the back. I knocked the doorstop inside and pulled the door to, locking both the deadbolt and the little useless chain. For some reason it made me feel safer having it there; plus Zainab had trouble undoing it if she wanted out, which always amused me.
The shop itself was small and rather well packed, with no space wasted. Indeed, while most of our customers raved about the “aesthetic”, we kept herb bundles handing from the ceiling simply because there was nowhere else to put them. I often considered moving, especially on the occasions where I rammed into a table, but it had a rather spacious workroom behind it that was nearly impossible to find elsewhere. We used this mainly for compounding and processing, which is the backbone of the entire operation, but every now and then after a particularly bustling morning, Zainab would nap on one of the tables. She always pretends it is cozy, but I’ve yet to see the value of sleep on hard flat surfaces, especially when one’s own bed is merely up a flight of stairs. Then again, Zainab could get comfortable anywhere, and in almost any position, as was currently proven by the fact that she had one foot resting on the arm of my chair, the other on the back, and her was head lolling off the front as she inspected (and chewed) her nails. She needed a pedicure again.
“You’re gonna fall off and hit your head,” I observed.
“Oh Eleri of little faith,” she grinned at me, “no I won’t.”
I tapped her nose. She crinkled it up and rubbed her face.
“Are you done yet?” she asked.
“What? No, I still have to file the paperwork from today’s clients.”
“But…who’s going to feeeeeeed meeeeeee?”
“Oh, lay off, lazybones.”
She watched me quietly, then straightened up and sat like a proper member of society.
“You know, we need to discuss how much time you are spending on the shop,” she said. I froze for a moment, then looked at her. She was quite serious, staring back at me with large, unblinking eyes.
“We need the shop, Zai-Zai,” I said finally. “It’s a lot of work, but it’s worthwhile.”
“It’s become more important to you than me.”
“Not true.”
“What, I give you my time, my work, my fellowship, my love, and you pour all of your effort into the shop?”
“The shop has only been running for a few years. It’s barely breaking even, despite the work we do here. It needs all my—our—energies.”
“Eleri, darling, it’s rather simple, you see--”
“What do you want?” I asked.
“You to pay attention to me, of course.”
“Seriously?”
“All the time.”
“Seriously? Lay off it, Zai.”
I reached for my book. She slapped my hand away.
“I am serious, Eleri. This is getting out of hand. You have time for the shop, for your books, for a dozen different things, and you aren’t paying any attention to me. I should come first in your life, not all that other stuff. Use your magic power, and sort this out.”
I closed my eyes and felt for a moment. It is a lot easier to see the truth in a need when you aren’t the one involved.
“I can try to do better Zai, I really will,” I finally said. “But you have to try to let me focus when I need to, and to stop…getting underfoot all the time.”
“Rude!”
“I know, but that’s what’s happening, and you’re tripping me up so I can’t finish things. But if you can let me get things done during the day, so I don’t have to do them at night, we can have shop-free evenings.”
She considered.
“No reading during the day, then,” she said curtly. “You could have had all this put away earlier, if you didn’t have your nose in a book.”
“Then I need to have time to read in the evenings.”
“I’ll accept cuddling with books.”
“And maybe some light reading when it’s slow.”
Zainab’s eyes narrowed for a moment, then she yawned.
“Fine, fine. But no more late dinners.”
“Well, start upstairs, and let’s get it going.”
Zainab slid off the chair and started up, only to stop on the third step and look back at me through the slats.
“Are you coming?”
“Yes, yes, I’m coming,” I said, shoving the last papers in their folder and turning out the light. I paused.
“Now I can’t see anything.”
“Oh, come, the stairs are right over here.”
I followed Zainab’s voice to the stairs, bumping into her when I started up.
“Owwwwwwww,” she grumbled. “I’m right here, ya doofus.”
“Well, keep moving so we both can get what we want,” I said.
A few seconds later, I heard her soft footfalls on the landing. We walked into the apartment together. I switched on the light. Zainab stretched, then thumped her head against me.
“I know, I know, food,” I said. She smiled with her eyes.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
“Hi.”
“I’m hungry, Ele.”
“Of course you are.” I pushed her aside, pulled some food out of the cabinet, and dumped it in her bowl. She thumped her head against me again as I put it down, then settled in to eat. I got my own food, and we both ate in the kitchen, occasionally stopping to watch each other. I dumped my dish in the sink, ignoring the fact that I would have to wash it later, and settled on the couch. I patted my lap, and Zai joined me. I played with her toe beans, inspecting her nails when they came out. I did need to trim them. I scratched under her chin, then ran my hand down her back.
“Ugh, you’re getting fur all over me,” I grumbled.
Zai just closed her eyes and purred.