Pretty Things & Evil Deeds

@ katahdin

A small smile came along her face as Elliot smiled at her and thanked her. It was clear that he was grateful for the fact that she was deciding to trust him...She wouldn't have done it if it wasn't him but Azana still felt a little uneasy about it. Though that thought was quickly out of her mind once Elliot had held onto her head and pressed a kiss against the top of her head. Her eyes went wide and little goosebumps ran down her neck but before she could really react, Elliot was running out of her store.

It was only once Elliot was out of the store that Azana was able to really evaluate what had just happened. He had come in like lightening and basically left just as quickly. Though as she thought about it, her eyebrows furrowed together and a frown grew on her face. He didn't have enough money to pay for the ghost root he needed. It was one of her more expensive items...but it wasn't like Gucci expensive. A little sigh left her lips. He should have had that much money on him, even if it was a little tight...

When Elliot came back into the shop, Azana came out from the back of the store and into the main area. She was quiet as he set the money down and spoke. Though her frown deepened as he mentioned not coming around regularly or at all. Azana had been hoping that she was just over reaching and he just didn't have cash on him but it was seeming that she was correct.

"Don't go," Azana blurted out as he mentioned leaving. "I mean, could you stay? I made dinner." She let out a bit of an awkward sigh. "What I am trying to say is that I would like to talk to you about something and to convince you to agree, I made pasta if you are interested."

@ BearGirl

Elliot has been buttoning up his coat as he neared the door when she surprised him by asking him to stay, blinking in surprise as he turned to look at her. "Are you sure..? I don't want to impose, really. You've already done more than enough for me today, I don't want to take advantage of your kindnesses." He explained, although when his stomach let out a loud growl as he thought about dinner, he had the sense to blush sheepishly and nod.

"Alright, I suppose I can stay.. Do you need help with anything?" He asked as he moved back toward the counter, waiting for her to lead the way to wherever it was dinner was waiting for them.

@ katahdin

Azana visibly relaxed once Elliot had agreed to stay. She had been a little nervous that he would turn down her offer. Not that it would hurt her as much as him, even though he didn't know that yet. But that was beside the point. Azana wanted to help him and she needed Elliot to hear her out first. "Everything is all done, I'll bring you upstairs." She smiled softly at him before turning and heading into the back room, grabbing the money Elliot had set on the counter as she did so.

The back room of the store considered of two areas, the stockpile of ingredients she had and a, quite large, area where Azana treated the plants and did her magic. There was also a door that leads out to the backyard, the window of it revealing the beginnings of a rather large greenhouse. Though Azana ignored all of this and went to the door off to the side. She unlocked it and revealed a flight of stairs, that once up it, brought them to her home.

The table was already set and the food was in the middle of it. Azana sat down at the table and motioned for Elliot to do the same before she started serving herself. "I hope I made enough, I hard your stomach growl downstairs." She teased lightly.

@ BearGirl

Elliot followed her through the back room and up the stairs, although he was definitely curious about the room where she clearly took care of her plants and practiced magic, but he didn't want to be nosy, so he didn't linger or ask questions as he followed her upstairs to her home. He smiled as she led him inside, thanking her as he took his seat at the table, looking around the cozy space curiously. It was certainly nicer than his home, but it fit her personality well, and he was glad that she liked him well enough to invite him in, even if she was pitying him.

"Thank you again.. you really didn't have to let me up." He said, blushing faintly at her teasing, making sure to serve himself a small amount, since he didn't want to be rude and take too much. "I skipped lunch today.. It's a bad habit I should get rid of." He smiled, although in truth he'd skipped lunch the past few days, dinner too.

@ katahdin

"You're welcome and I wanted to." Azana told him as she pushed the bowl of past closer to him after seeing how much he had on his plate. Even she ate more than that. Though she wasn't going to force him to eat if he didn't want to. She took a few bites before starting to speak. "Anyways, I wanted to talk to you about the shop...and your possible involvement in it."

She set her fork down for a moment and moved her hands into her lap. Azana's hands fiddled nervously. It was hard to say why she was the nervous one. Azana glanced off for a moment to collect her thoughts about it before looking back at him and continuing. "I had two thoughts when it came to you, actually. And I was wondering if you would be interested in possibly working here. I know your magic wouldn't exactly fit with some of the work I have to do for the plants but I could use help with the front, the customers, and inventory... I had also thought if you were interested, that you could sell some of your potions here."

@ BearGirl

Elliot gave a little nod, forcing himself to eat slowly so as not to seem like he was starving, not wanting her to pity him anymore than she already did. He looked up in surprise though as she said that she wanted to talk to him about the shop, setting his fork down as he sat back in his seat, looking at her with a little frown.

He hated how nervous she was, offering her a weak smile as he smoothed out his shirt. "Miss Azana, you don't have to.. Look, I know that you're nervous, hell, I wouldn't want me in my house either if I were you. And you don't have to offer me a job, or take pity on me. I'm just having a bad month, it happens, and I'll be fine in no time. My sales dropped while your shop was closed when it changed hands, so I had to dip into my savings a bit, but things are looking up, and I'll be fine soon enough." He tried to give her his best reassuring smile, although he was clearly just trying to convince himself. "Don't worry about me, Miss Azana. Thank you for the offer, though. I appreciate your kindness."

@ katahdin

"Why wouldn't I want you in my house?" Azana asked as she turned her head for a moment. She then let out a small sigh and shook her head at Elliot. "I am nervous because I don't know what to say. But you were the one who said that you wouldn't come back at all." Azana pointed out to him before continuing on.

"None of that is the point of what I am trying to say. Honestly, I need the help around the shop. It's been really hectic here and I can't run it by myself anymore. I thought that you might need the money after what you said today, and quite honestly, I don't love the idea of bringing a stranger to work here. However, I feel like I trust you so I thought I would offer you the job. Kinda a kill two birds with one stone situation. If you aren't interested, that is fine but my offer stands until the end of the week." Azana glanced down at her plate for a moment before she picked up her fork and started to eat again. "It is up to you."

@ BearGirl

Elliot smiled sheepishly at her, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. "I... You know what kind of magic I practice. Just because you didn't yell and scream and kick me out of your shop, doesn't mean that you feel comfortable having me around.. And I don't blame you, honestly. I'm used to it, at this point." He gave her a reassuring look, although it'd never be easy when someone judged him based on his magic alone.

He fell silent though as she went on to explain her offer again, falling silent as he looked down at his plate. He was silent for a long time while he considered it, before giving a little not of his head. "Thank you.. I... Thank you." He murmured softly, not really having the words to express his gratitude fully.

@ katahdin

A sigh left Azana and she gave him a little shake of her head. "You know how I feel about your magic. I was very honest and I won't lie. It does make me a little uneasy. But I understand that I know next to nothing about it. Nor do I believe that any craft is evil. But I believe that I have said that I am not uncomfortable with you because of it. I feel very comfortable having you around actally, but I admit that if you started casting and bones started following you around, I would be uneased." She teased lightly, trying to lighten up the situation. "Besides, I believe you still owe me a day to teach me about your magic."

Once Elliot started thanking her, Azana started to relax completely. Although he hadn't accepted it yet, it was definitely a good sign. "Is that a yes then?"

@ BearGirl

Elliot cracked a small smile at the mention of her being uneasy about bones following him around, shaking his head a bit. "I doubt you'll like my dog very much, then." He teased, shoveling another spoonful of pasta into his mouth, nodding a little when she mentioned teaching her about his magic. "Of course, I'd be happy to show you sometime."

He swallowed his mouthful of pasta when she asked if he was agreeing to her offer, giving a sheepish nod. "Yes... I really appreciate it, Miss Azana.. I don't know much about caring and prepping herbs outside of what I do for my own magic, but I can reach high shelves, and am happy to just sit at the cash register all day ringing up orders, if you'd rather spend your time helping them with specific herbs.. Of course, I guess you're my boss now, so I'll go wherever you tell me to."

@ katahdin

At Elliot's little joke, Azana laughed and gave him a little nod. "Do you actually have a job or were you just joking around?" She asked him, curiosity seeping into her voice. At the mention of showing her some of his magic, Azana nodded again. "You'll have to tell me when would be good for you then. I'm normally free after store hours."

"There is plenty of work to be done outside of magic, though you probably will be spending a lot of time ringing up customers." Azana told him honestly. "If you need to think on it, that's fine, but do you have an idea on when you would like to start?"

@ BearGirl

Elliot chuckled, shaking his head. "No, just joking.. Most living things don't like me, and I try my best not to bother them." He explained with a little shrug, taking another few bites of food before nodding when she suggested a time that he could show her his magic. "That would work.. Maybe in a few weeks? It'll take me a bit to come up with something impressive, and then also scrounge up the ingredients I'll need. I'm sure I could come up with something now, but it wouldn't be very impressive."

He nodded as he ate while she explained the various tasks he would likely be doing while working for her, glad to be able to help her and also earn a bit of money. "No, I'm happy to take the job. Thrilled. I can start as soon as you need me. I don't really have any extra potions or extra things to sell at the moment, but once I can afford to make them I'll let you know, and if you allowed it I could put a few on a shelf or something. It's your store though, I don't want to assume, and I don't want to drive any of your customers away just because I'm a necromancer."

@ katahdin

"That sounds good to me," Azana said warmly. She didn't want to pressure Elliot into showing her anything before he was ready. Besides, she thought she might need to prepare herself mentally to see some necromancer magic. Not that she thought it was evil but she had heard some rumors about how gruesome it could be. "Just let me know when you are ready to show me something." With that, Azana finished up her food before picking up her plate and bringing it to the sink.

"How about you start tomorrow then?" Azana responded as she sat down across from him. "It shouldn't be as busy as it was today so I'll have some time to train you. Plus then you can watch over the shop while I am in the back since some items need to be restocked. As for you selling some potions, I can give you a shelf. Though we'll have to talk about what you put up there. I don't want people re-animating their pets because they bought it at my store." She teased gently.

@ BearGirl

Elliot nodded with a little smile, finishing up his food before standing to follow her to the sink. He was still hungry, but it felt rude to sit and eat seconds after she'd already put her plate away, and he knew he ought to be fine for another day after a meal like this. "Thank you again for dinner, Azana. I appreciate it." He smiled at her as he sat back down, nodding when she asked him to start tomorrow.

"Of course. I can be in bright and early, or brighter and earlier if you need me." He promised, nodding a bit when she mentioned that he would get some training tomorrow and that he'd be able to watch the shop while she spent some time out back. "I'm not going to put anything up for sale without your approval, of course.. Although, I have made a lot of reanimation potions for stressed parents who forgot to feed their children's goldfish." He grinned teasingly, even though he was serious.

@ katahdin

"Well a reanimated fish doesn't sound nearly as bad as a dog or cat." Azana told him, a smile on her lips. She was sure that there were potions that Elliot could sell that wouldn't be horrifying to see in the shop. After all, Azana was aware of how people felt about his craft. She wanted to help but didn't want to upset customers. As long as she was careful about what potions they sold, it might actually be good for business... so good that she might sell some of her own as well. But that was for another day.

"And it was no problem at all. I wanted to talk and I had assumed that you didn't get a chance to eat while you were working." She said as she turned back to him. "And I won't need you in until 10. The shop doesn't open until 11am anyways. Better to be open later in the day than earlier."

@ BearGirl

Elliot chuckled a little as she said reanimated fish didn't sound as bad, shaking his head. "It's not a basic reanimation potion that just revives the thing but lets the animal keep decomposing, like a zombie. I take the extra care to add herbs that will keep it from decomposing.. I basically bring the entire thing back to life, so it's not nearly as bad as it would seem." He assured her, offering her a little smile. He understood she didn't want him selling anything crazy, and he didn't want to scare off her clients just because she gave him a chance.

Elliot gave a little nod as she said dinner was nothing, shrugging a bit as he smiled over at her. "I still appreciate it, though. I should get going, though. I'll be sure to be here tomorrow right on time."

@ katahdin

-Skipping to the next day-

There was a lot to do before the store opened for the day. In truth, after the last few days she has had in terms of sales, there was a lot that she was running out or out of. Mostly due to the fact that Azana had not had any time to work on the herbs and plants. But now that Elliot was starting, she was hoping that he could handle the front without her relatively quickly, or in the least that it would be a quieter day. Which what Azana should be getting any day now. Surely it couldn't be busy everyday.

When she heard a knock on the front of the shop, Azana was quick to head to the door to open it. "Oh, good you are here." Azana said as she stepped aside to allow Elliot in. "I know that you already know the layout of the store pretty well but I'll show you around the front and the back area. And then I'll need to show you how to use the till." Azana then stopped speaking for a moment and gave him a sheepish smile.
"Sorry, maybe I should start by saying good morning before chucking you in the water."

@ Sweet.Persephone

Elliot was incredibly grateful that Arielle had offered him this job, and didn't want to be late. He woke up before his alarm even went off, and had arrived at the shop about ten minutes earlier than he was supposed to, smiling sheepishly at her as she came to the door and opened it. "I'm sorry if I'm too early, I didn't want to be late." He explained as he followed her in, taking off his jacket as he smiled at her, shaking his head a bit as she apologized.

"It's fine, Arielle. You're busy, have a lot on your plate. Just let me know what I need to do." He smiled, chuckling a bit. "Good morning to you too, though."

@ katahdin

Arielle gave a soft hum in response and a nod as Elliot mentioned that she was busy. It was true, but she didn't think it was a good enough excuse to forget her manners. Though she did turn, knowing that she should get started with the tour before it was too late. "I think you are pretty familiar with the front area." She said before leading him towards the back.

Once Elliot was through the door, she continued. "To the right is my working station. Where I do my spells and all of the things with the plants. Like drying, getting roots, essences and etc. You won't be interacting with this area much but do be careful if you're in it. You'll never know what might be happening, I wouldn't want a spell backfiring on you." Azana then turned to the inventory section. It was well organized, for the most part. Everything was in bags and jars and labeled properly on the shelves. Though there was quite of large table and cart of items that were in the process of being contained and labeled. "This is the inventory." She then pointed out the closet. "Anything extra goes in there and that has all of our non-plant supply. So jars, labels, signs etc. You'll get familiar with this area but I'll be keeping you upfront today so don't worry about this too much."

@ Sweet.Persephone

"I have spent quite a bit of time out here." Elliot smiled as she led him through the front of the store toward the back, holding onto his coat and making sure not to accidentally bump into anything. He nodded as she led him through the back and explained what the different areas were, nodding again as she warned him to be careful. "I won't go through your stuff, promise." He gave her a little smile, nodding again as she explained the inventory station and that he'd be out front today.

"Alright.. is there a spot I should put my jacket? I saw a coatrack by the door to the back but didn't want to assume.. And I've used a cash register before so I should be all set with ringing people up, but I'm sure something will go wrong and I'll have to bother you at one point or another, but I'll try not to be too annoying on my first day." He chuckled, running his fingers through his hair nervously.