Oh, True Apothecary [Hunter]

[ABIGAIL JAMES]

It was a warm late afternoon in the early summer and Abby was sweating in the heat. Her dark brown hair was frizzing, slung in a loose braid down her neck and ending at her shoulder blades. She had on a wide-brimmed hat to shade her face as she dug in the ground, weeding her garden carefully and making sure there were no pests in it. The flowers were coming along nicely, particularly her roses, but she wasn't concerned about her flowers. She was concerned about her herbs and vegetables. They were the most important things in her garden. Her business thrived on the herbs, and her body thrived on the fresh vegetables in her garden. Why buy vegetables from the market when she could grow them herself, bigger and better and completely organic? It saved some of the little money she made, and all of her extra money went to getting a small greenhouse for the winter. She knew her parents would offer their greenhouse, but she wanted her own for convenience sake, and she couldn't ask them to help her more than they already did.

With a sigh she sat back and wiped her brow, kneeling in the shade of her tomatoes. She could probably make some good money selling some of her vegetables at the Farmer's Market in town, if she planted some more. It was enough to maintain her little plot of land as it was, though, with her work as an apothecary and art teacher at the high school, so she didn't know if she wanted to take on a bigger garden. She had often dreamed of being a stay at home mother when she got older, tending a big garden and making potions and drying herbs day in and day out. Taking care of the babies would be nice too. She wanted a lot of them, and she hoped she'd be able to have them someday. The thought alone now made her smile as she watched a butterfly land on a flower near her head. What a lovely early summer day this was.

With the weeding done, she stood to grab the hose and sprinkle her plants with water before heading inside to shower. Well, maybe less on the rosemary; it was in the shade and she didn't want to drown the poor plant. Her gloves were covered with dirt, but she just brushed them on the thighs of her dirt-covered shorts. She didn't mind getting down and dirty in her garden. It came with the territory. She grabbed the hose and stood, holding the handle and spraying a light mist across her plants when a figure walking toward her caught her eye. Those large brown doe eyes of hers turned to the young man walking her way, and she gave a wide smile. She wasn't entirely sure why he was there, but even so, he was cute enough to deserve a smile before finding out his purpose for being there. "Hi there!" she greeted cheerfully, letting her hand release the nozzle of the hose. "Can I help you?" The back of her wrist brushed against her brow again, her cheeks flushed with the heat of the day.

[HUNTER BLACKTHORNE]

"Errand boy," Hunter scoffed under his breath and shook his head at the thought. He didn't mind picking up a few things but when there was a shopping list full of shit for him to pick up he felt like he was nothing more than an errand boy. Sure, Harley gave him free drugs but that didn't mean he didn't have things to do! He was sort of seeing Hadley now and he would've liked to call her up and make some plans to meet up, but he was going to be busy all day picking up stuff for one of his closest friends. Not only was he going to someone's house to pick up some stuff but he had to hit up a book store and then grab some money that was owed to the girl. "All I ever am is a damn errand boy."

He had written the address down on the palm of his hand but because of how hot it was his hands had gotten sweaty and most of the ink was now smudged. "Great." He muttered and let out a sigh. He had to walk up and down the row of houses before he noticed that one of them happened to have nicer and more beautiful plants in the yard. It was a dead giveaway and he gave a smug little grin feeling accomplished even though he hadn't actually done anything other than find the right house.

When Hunter went up to the house and found the lady with the hose he just quietly walked up and waited until he was noticed before he said anything. He didn't want to look like an idiot trying to get someone's attention.

"Hi there!"

Someone's friendly, he thought to himself and forced himself to grin back as if it were the polite thing to do. "Uh, hey. I'm told there's a shop out of somebody's house? And I'm guessing that somebody is you." His eyes landed on the vegetation and even he had to admit that they looked good. Almost like they were just waiting to be plucked up and eaten right out of the ground. What did these Geomancers do, shoot their plants up with steroids?!

He reached into his pocket and dug out a crumbled up moist piece of paper. It was too damn hot out to be wearing black jeans today. Clearly he didn't get the memo it was going to be so warm, since his clothes were dark (as usual). He managed to ditch the hoodie today however, and was simply wearing an old The Cure band tee that had a few holes in it to show just how worn out it was. Hunter leaned forward and attempted to smooth out the piece of paper with the shopping list by pressing it against his leg. It got a few wrinkles out but not many.

When he was done trying to make the paper look better he held it out for the woman to take. "You have all these things? I don't know what the hell half of them are." He told her and gave a snort. Not only was he an errand boy but he was an idiot too, apparently. Thanks, Harley.

[ABIGAIL JAMES]

The smile the guy gave her seemed forced, but Abby continued to smile back. If he was here to buy stuff, she wasn't about to be rude! And the more she looked at that cute, boyish face, the more persuaded she was to be nice. "Uh, hey. I'm told there's a shop out of somebody's house? And I'm guessing that somebody is you." She gave a wider smile and nodded. "Yeah, that's me," she replied with an easy laugh. She put her hose down, and door off her gloves, tossing them on the ground. Nobody would steal her raggedy gloves, and she was going to come back anyway. Her hands were a little sweaty, so she wiped them on her coral pink tank top while the guy fished in his pockets.

He was smoothing a piece of paper on his leg and she brushed some fly-away hairs from her face as he did so. Her hair hated her, honestly. When he handed her the paper, she took it with a smile and looked it over. "You have all these things? I don't know what the hell half of them are." She gave a soft giggle and let her eyes wander over the paper. This was definitely handwriting she recognized. Her eyes came back up to him, the light of recognition in her eyes. "Oh, so you must be Harley's friend! She's been getting stuff from me for a long time. Come on in, I'll get this stuff for you," she said pleasantly, motioning with her head for him to follow.

When she opened her front door, her dopey little all black kitten was waiting at the door, as usual, and he gave a pathetic little meow to say he missed her. "Hi Ham," she greeted, bending down to scratch his head as she passed him. Her eyes came back up to the stranger, smiling. "I hope you don't mind cats," she commented, moving through the decent sized, if not small living and eating area to get to her kitchen. "He'll probably follow you regardless and rub against your legs, but pay him no mind if you're not a fan. He might give up eventually." She threw an amused smile over her shoulder as she entered her good-sized kitchen.

There were herbs, bottles, and twine everywhere. Some bundles of herbs hung drying in the window and there was a potion brewing on the stove. It smelled like roses and lavender and it filled the tiny house with a warm, natural scent. She didn't mention that it was a love potion, but if he was a Geomancer he might know from the smell. She was experimenting with a love potion whose effect were more short term than the potions she normally made. As it stood, the potion would work for two weeks, but she was trying to reduce it to a few days. Some people just wanted a little weekend romance.

Abby pulled her hat off and threw it on the counter, smoothing her hair out with a sigh. It was so much cooler inside her house. She began grabbing bottles to fill with the things Harley asked for from the jars on her counter when she realized she hadn't even properly introduced herself. "Oh, I'm sorry!" she said suddenly, turning to him with a small shake of her head and a wide smile. "I didn't even introduce myself! I'm Abby." She extended her hand out to him with her bright smile. "And your name?" When he told her, she released his hand with a friendly nod and then moved back to her jars and bottles. "Are you a Geomancer, too?" Her tone was friendly and curious, but not demanding. It didn't even occur to her that he might be a perfectly normal human who had no idea what Harley was. She figured if Harley had sent him to get things from her, he knew what she was and she trusted him. Harley was cautious by nature.

[HUNTER BLACKTHORNE]

"I didn't even introduce myself! I'm Abby."

Hunter had followed the girl inside of the house. Some people probably thought it was weird running a business right out of your house but he didn't. Then again, if he ran a business out of his house he wouldn't allow strangers in without someone to vouch for them. Although that was pretty much what Harley was doing with Hunter. When she asked him what his name was he wasn't even looking at her. He was busy looking at the jars and different things she had hanging by the windows and whatnot. All those different plants and herbs and he didn't know what half of them were. He didn't care what they were anyway.

"Hunter." He said but still didn't look at her but he did reach his hand out and shake hers since he wasn't a complete douchebag. He was more interested in a jar filled with some kind of purple plant and wondered if it could be smoked. Harley had a knack for using different herbs and making them smokeable, and Hunter was definitely wishing he had some on him right now.

"Are you a Geomancer, too?"

Hunter gave the girl a weird look as if she were accusing him of something that he didn't do and then shook his head. "What? No." It was almost like he was offended by the question that she asked him. Did he look like a damn hippie Geomancer? Then again she didn't really look the hippie type either, but he definitely considered Harley to be a hippie. But she was a bad ass hippie.

Soon he realized that he was in her home and he was being an ass and rolled his eyes at himself and turned his attention to her, this time giving her more of his attention so as not to seem like he was intentionally ignoring her. "Sorry, it's just I sort of hate being an errand boy. Especially when its hot outside." He glanced over his shoulder towards the door where he knew the hot sun would be waiting for him. He liked Oregon because it was always raining and cold. But today it was as if the weather was against him.

"I have different magic than you guys do." And just like that he lifted his hand and snapped his fingers causing a spark to emit and then with a flash the spark turned into a small flickering flame that seemed to both be attached to his finger tips and floating at the same time. Because she was a witch he knew he could just show her right off the bat. Not that he was quiet about his abilities. He used them in public but he just made sure that nobody was watching when he did.

[ABIGAIL JAMES]

Abby was a little peeved that Hunter was paying to everything in her kitchen but her, but she just ignored it for the most part, still working around her kitchen with a smile. But his answer to her question made her want to deck him in his pretty little face. "What? No." Her eyes snapped to him, glaring at him. Did he have to say it with such disgust? It's not like she chose to be a Geomancer! And she preferred to be one! It was such a peaceful, lucrative existence. Didn't he know that Harley was one too? She was about to give the son of a bitch a piece of her mind, when he rolled his eyes as if irritated. Her eyes narrowed. What the hell had she done to him?!

"Sorry, it's just I sort of hate being an errand boy. Especially when it's hot outside."

Abby calmed a little, considering if she should just kick him out or let him stay. After a pregnant pause, she went back to what she was doing, shooting him one last dirty look. "Well, I didn't make you the errand boy," she grumbled, jarring a few more ingredients for Harley. The quicker she finished this, the quicker she could get this guy out of her kitchen. It was a damn shame. He was so cute. Why'd he have to be an ass? And where was her lavender? She was sure she didn't use it all on her love potion. Her head turned this way and that looking for it.

"I have different magic than you guys do."

Her eyes came back up to him as he spoke and she watched as the fire sparked from his fingertips. So he was an Elementalist. The trick amused her and she found herself not quite so mad at him. Quickly she stepped towards him, holding his gaze and she blew out the fire at his fingertips. A small smile came to her lips as she looked up at him. "That doesn't mean you get to be an asshole," she said softly. She then moved past him to search the counter nearby, finding the lavender on the counter near him. Her eyes turned back to him. "So if you don't like being the errand boy, how did Harley rope you in?" she asked, just trying to make conversation. A smile spread across her face, playful in nature. "Did she blackmail you?"

[HUNTER BLACKTHORNE]

"That doesn't mean you get to be an asshole," He couldn't help himself and he had to laugh at what she said. He knew he could be a jerk sometimes especially when he was in a bad mood and he didn't even realize he was doing it. "Sorry," he apologized and side stepped so that he would be out of her way as she collected the things that he needed to take back to Harley. He thought it was funny when she had blown out the flame he'd made but just showing her that seemed to change the mood for the better between them.

"So if you don't like being the errand boy, how did Harley rope you in?" He always ran errands for Harley and most of the time it was fine. But damn was it hot out! He just didn't want to be running around in this heat, why couldn't it be cold and rainy like it usually was? And he always had an easy time keeping himself warm but cooling off was a whole other story. "Did she blackmail you?"

"No, uh actually I run these errands and she lets me test out her concoctions." He liked being the test dummy for her drugs. One time she'd mixed something that had a lime taste but smelled like dog shit and he broke out in hives and then blacked out. That was probably one of the worst things he'd ever taken. "Gives me discounts and stuff. We're buddies so I do little favors and I get favors in return, you know what I mean?"

He kept looking around at the different things that she had. "Isn't it weird letting strangers in your house? I mean what if someone comes in here all tweaked out of their mind? You're not afraid someone is going to hold you up?" He looked back at her and realized she looked really frail. He was a scrawny kid himself but she looked as if you could snap her in half like a toothpick she was so thin. But he had to admit she had a pretty face. It made her look sweet.

[ABIGAIL JAMES]

"No, uh actually I run these errands and she lets me test out her concoctions. Gives me discounts and stuff. We're buddies so I do little favors and I get favors in return, you know what I mean?" So Hunter was a druggie. Abby supposed she could have guessed with him telling her that much information, but she didn't like to judge people before she got to know them better. Not that she cared. Harley had her drugs and Abby had her potions. They helped each other out if a spell required more than one person's energy, so she had helped her put together some drug and spell cocktails before. Some of them were duds, but most of them came out okay, according to Harley. Abby hardly ever did drugs, and the hardest drug she had ever indulged in was marijuana. Then again, her and Harley had done some pretty awesome stuff with marijuana in the past...At Hunter's question, she nodded with a little bit of a knowing smile. "Yeah, I know what you mean," she said, turning her eyes to him.

She reached under her sink and grabbed a bag to put all the jars in for Hunter to take back to Harley. "Isn't it weird letting strangers in your house? I mean what if someone comes in here all tweaked out of their mind? You're not afraid someone is going to hold you up?" Abby laughed, looking at Hunter. "I'm not in the same business as Harley," she reminded. "Not that I care what she does for a living. Money is money and you've gotta do what makes you happy. But I'm not entirely sure what anybody would hold me up for. I sell herbs, plants, fruits and vegetables, and potions. Sometimes even art. But I don't have much worth stealing. My home is open to visitors, but if they ever did come here causing trouble, they can be sure I'll bind them out of my house so hard, they wouldn't even be able to put a finger through the doorway." She smiled playfully at Hunter, pointing her finger at him. "You're lucky I would let you in my house again with your attitude." She laughed, letting him know it was a joke. Abby didn't like to hold grudges; they were a waste of energy.

"But sometimes I have my friend Lafayette come over if I think there's any chance that someone might start trouble. He's brawny and lives right up the street, so it works out well for me. So don't think you can come in here and try to snatch anything from me," she warned in a teasing manner. She went to the cupboard and pulled out two glasses and set them on the counter before going to her refrigerator. Reaching in, she pulled out a pitcher of iced lavender tea and poured them both a glass. She knew it was hot outside and Hunter might appreciate something to cool off with before he left. She could be nice to him now that he wasn't being an ass and he was still cute. "I help Harley with her concoctions on occasion," she told him as she handed him a glass and sipped from her own. "This one time we made this drug that smelled awful but it was supposed to taste like lime. I heard it made one guy break out in hives and pass out. I felt bad when I heard that...it obviously wasn't one of our better creations." She gave a soft laugh before sipping her tea. Harley might have told her who the poor bastard was that suffered through that experiment, but she couldn't remember the name if she had.