[Remedy]

Barlow Den, male, role played in human form.

It was in the early morning that Barlow arose from his creaky, quilt-covered bed inside the small log cabin he called home.  He yawned loudly, stretching his arms as far as they would go.  In the small room, he seemed like a giant; his outstretched fists easily hit the ceiling before he lowered them to his sides.  Groggily, he dressed as usual attire: a thick flannel shirt, worn bluejeans, tall wool socks, and beige suspenders.  After grabbing a bite to eat and brushing his teeth, he wrestled on his work boots and stepped outside.  Every day was a business day on his piece of land, and he was always prepared and eager to work.

[Sappheara]

The young Vesterka sat on the stool at the front counter of his shop, Mystic Emporium. He was lazily browsing the pages of an ancient leather bond book, which held spells of all sorts, he wasn’t looking for anything in particular, he was just bored. Today was a slow day for the emporium; no one came in, not even to look what he was selling. Surya was lost in thought until Guardian; his pet lizard ran past him on the counter, making a couple of pages of the book turn. This wasn’t the first time his pet interrupted his train of thought. Surya watched as Guardian tucked himself in between a pile of books and his cage. Taking no more hints from Guardian, he closed the heavy book with a sigh. The Vesterka looked around his large shop and notice he was running low on some supplies. He took the book off the counter and placed the ancient book on the shelf behind him. In the corner of his eye, he notice that Guardian was scratching at some piles of paper. Was this another hint that the lizard was giving him? With nothing else to do in the shop, Surya walked up to were Guardian sat and picked him up and place him on the left side of his shoulder. The Vesterka looked at the papers that Guardian was on and notice that it wasn’t just any pile papers but an advertisement of someone was selling herbs. The number on the ad was slightly larger than the rest of words without thinking twice, Surya picked up the receiver of his phone that sat next to the cash register. Maybe this guy could get him some herbs that he needed for his shop, it didn’t hurt to find out.

[Remedy]

Barlow had just walked outside when he noticed a doe and her fawn grazing together not twenty feet away. He froze and watched them, smiling gently. His hot breath could be seen in the air with each exhale. Such serenity was what he enjoyed most about living here, in seclusion; watching the wildlife always gave him a greater appreciation for the nature around him. Despite working as a lumberjack, Barlow was very eco­sensitive. For every tree he fell, he planted and nurtured a new one in his garden until it was big and strong enough to be replanted on its own in the forest.

The peaceful morning was interrupted by the ringing of his landline telephone. The sound echoed through the still air, drawing the attention of the doe and fawn. Unalarmed, they simply sauntered off a bit farther away and continued grazing. With a sigh, Barlow entered his cabin and picked the phone up off the hook. "Thank you for calling Barlow’s Den: this is Barlow," he began, his voice rumbling through the receiver. "How may I be of service this fine morning?"

[Sappheara]

The phone rang several times before a man with a thick voice answered the receiving line. Surya stood straight up before speaking to Barlow in a slightly higher voice. “Good morning, I found an ad in the paper that you would be willing to get some herbs and deliver them to your customers.” Surya looked around his shop and took mental note of what herbs he need for his shop. Before letting Barlow speak, he continued to talk slightly faster than before. “You see, I’m running low on some herbs and completely out of others. I can’t leave my shop and need someone to get them for me. You seem like the type that can do this for me.” The Vesterka walked over to his stool and took a sit before continuing. “I’m in need of several herbs, crejuli, hugrander, puce grass, gusseonise, wrevia spore, worm ginger and summer fennel. Would you be able to get those items for me? Don’t worry I can pay you in full.” Suyra bit his lower lip trying to figure out if he was missing anything.

(Sorry, it would have been better. I have a really bad headache today.)

{1.2}

[Remedy]

Barlow wasn't anticipating the hasty mouthful of words thrown at him, but he caught onto it nevertheless.  Quickly scribbling down the names of herbs this customer required, he finally replied into the phone, "Ahh, I will be happy to deliver them to you.  If you'd so kindly give your name and the address of your shop, I'll go pack 'em up and be right on my way!"  

His cheerful words bellowed through the phone, and he mentally berated himself for talking so loud.  It was a bad tendency of his; his deep baritone voice tended to carry farther than a normal pitch, and therefore he was always needing to remind himself to be a little quieter.  Out on his land, he often belted out various tunes and songs to keep rhythm while he worked.  And aside from these short conversations with his customers, he didn't talk to anyone much, thus further hindering his social capabilities.

((Haha, don't worry about a thing!  You don't have to apologize. :3))

[Sappheara]

Surya sigh with relief when Barlow agreed to bring the herbs to him. He didn’t just need them to restock his shop but needed them for a spell he was working on. He took Guardian off his shoulder and place him on top of the counter in front of him. It finally register that Barlow need the address to the shop to deliver the herbs. “Yes, yes, the address. It’s 201 Slututs Pathway, right off the edge of Tuun Mountains and in the town of Transmere.” Surya watched as Guardian ran to his favorite spot on the counter between the pile of books and his cage. He picked up the newspaper were he found the ad to see if there was an address on it but couldn’t find one. He just prayed the lumberjack could find his way to the shop. It wasn’t often he needed someone to deliver items to him, he usually did those things himself. Today was one of those rare times that he couldn’t leave the shop because he started something that he couldn’t take his eyes off it. “You do know how to get here without getting lost?” He didn’t know why he asked the question. The lumberjack should know his way around the wilderness.

{1.3}

[Remedy]

"Ah yes," Barlow was quick to assure the man on the other line, "I'm sure I'll have no problem finding my way.  See you soon!"  Hanging up the phone, Barlow took the hastily scribbled list of herbs and scrutinized it carefully.  Truthfully, he wasn't near as knowledgable about herbs as he was about trees, but thankfully he had a whole book to help him define and identify the miscellaneous plants he found on his land.  Pulling it from a nearby shelf, he returned to the great outdoors and headed straight for his herb garden.  The grazing doe and fawn seemed to have sauntered off back into the forest, leaving him alone and to his own devices.

Upon reaching his herb garden, he checked the list, then checked the tags posted by each plant, then checked the book, just to make sure the tag was correct.  He did this every time he tended to the garden, even though there was hardly ever a mistake.  "Better to be cautious than unprepared," he told himself.  About thirty or so minutes later, he had gathered the necessary herbs.  He liked to grow and cultivate multiple of the same plant, so instead of breaking off some amount, he can just bring his customers a small pot of their very own.  Sure, it may decrease some income since they'd no longer need to ask him for plants, but he felt like it was a nice thing to do.  Besides, most of his customers called about the furniture he crafted or for evergreen trees around Christmastime.  After assuring that he had no fire going in the cabin to be left unattended, he began his descent of the mountain with a tray of small potted plants in his arms.

[Sappheara]

When the line went dead, Surya pressed the power off button and placed the receiver on the counter in front of him. He looked up at the front door of his shop when a small gush of wind blow pass the front doors of the emporium. The charms that hung in front of the shop doors started dancing with the wind. The charms were supposed to help protect him if a brujeria was nearby. None of the other charms around his shop gave no sign that a brujeria was near the town, so he wasn’t worried. A slight melody came from the charms as if it were telling Surya a secret. That gave him the idea that he should check on his project he started a few hours ago. He knew that nothing was going to happen since he need some of the herbs that the lumberjack was bringing to him. Before getting up from his sit, he turned in the direction of Guardian. His little pet was already sleeping; he didn’t have to worry about his pet getting into his items while he was in the back. Surya got up from his stool and headed to the back making little noise so not to wake up Guardian. His pet seem to be a light sleeper, especially when he was in the shop. As he got to the back, Surya looked to his left were a small silver pot sat on top of brown oak wood table. He walked up to the pot and looked inside. The purple liquid sat unmoving until he pick it up. Suyra walked back to the front of the shop with the pot in his hands.

{1.4}

[Remedy]

To Barlow's surprise, his trek down the mountain roads didn't take him quite as long as he'd anticipated.  It could have been an even shorter voyage, he supposed, if he'd chosen to take a sled, but in this type of weather he much preferred walking.  Without sufficient snow coverage on the ground, he ran the risk of damaging the sled on rocks.  Besides, he was strong and harbored enough endurance to make it up and down the path in a timely manner.

As he approached the town of Transmere, he double checked the address scrawled on a piece of paper.  201 Slututs Pathway, it read.  It didn't take him long to find the particular road, as he'd been in this town a couple times before.  Upon finding the entrance to the quaint little herb emporium, he opened the front door and walked through, accidentally brushing his head on a few of the tinkering charms hanging above.  "Delivery!" he called out as he stepped across the threshold.

[Sappheara]

Surya looked up with surprise at the man that entered the emporium. The lumberjack was a lot larger than he was. Size didn’t matter, it was more of what the man brought was more important. “Yes, yes! Come on in. I hope you didn’t have too much trouble finding your way here.” Surya place the silver pot onto the counter in front of him. The light sound made Guardian wake up from his slumber and the lizard ran quickly to where the pot sat. The small lizard watch the lumberjack with suspicion. Guardian never seen someone like him enter the shop before and didn’t know what to make of the man. The man seemed friendly but that’s not always true, people can change on you in a heartbeat. The lizard curl up against the pot and watch the two interact with each other. Surya waked around the counter to his cash register, he opened it and pulled out the required money for the Barlow. “You can place the pots over here.” He pointed to the empty spot at the end of the counter. Surya looked at Barlow and continued to speak. “Have you been around these parts before? I’ve never seen someone of your size around.” He counted the money in his hands to make sure that he gave him the right amount.

{1.5}

[Remedy]

"Ah, it was no problem," Barlow was quick to assure his customer.  "What a lovely little shop you have here," he continued, taking in the view of all the various potted plants.  He didn't recognize any, though he could surely find all of them listed in that book back at his cabin.  His attention was redrawn to his customer when they spoke again.  Barlow was quick to follow directions, carrying the tray of potted herbs and setting them down on the counter.  He did his best not to knock any of the other pots over as he walked through the shop; it clearly wasn't organized by a man of his stature.

Barlow reacted to Surya's comment on his size with a loud, hearty laugh.  "Ah, I've been here maybe a few times.  Mostly for specific things like purchasing replacement tools that I've worn out, buyin' some books, makin' deliveries.  Never really noticed it before, but I guess now that you mention it I am rather bigger than most folks around here, eh?"  He was greatly amused by the notion, because it was honestly something that had never registered to him.  Though, he should've caught on in the past, when many children who came with their parents to pick out a Christmas tree remarked that he was a "big green giant."  The green, of course, referring to his favorite Christmas sweater, which nearly made him look like an unshaved hulk.

[Sappheara]

Surya smiled at Barlow’s comment and looked around the shop. “Ah, thank you. This shop has been in my family for five generation. The upkeep is quite easy.” He walked around the counter and handed Barlow the money he owed. “This should cover the cost of the herbs, my friend.” He stepped back afterwards and continued to speak. “Yeah, people around these parts tend to be more on the slimmer side. Apparently, we Koldovstvos don’t tend to have any muscle tones. We tend to be more skin and bones.” Surya laughed at that thought. He could image a well think well tone Koldovstvos running around. He pushed that thought aside and walked to where the pot of plants sat on his counter. “Have you ever been in a magic shop?” He picked up two of the seven pots. He examine both of the specimens. They were both magnificent, these were one of the best ones he seen in a long time.

(Unsure where to take this.)

{1.5}

[Remedy]

Barlow listened as Surya talked, admittedly only half interested in the words he spoke.  He still nodded and smiled as the conversation went on, of course, but the majority of his attention was focused on the shelves full of plants.  Each pot seemed to hold stranger and stranger specimens, and he wasn't quite sure what to make of it.  

It wasn't until he was asked a direct question that Barlow's attention snapped back to Surya.  "Ah, magic shop?  Don't you mean herb shop?" He questioned, somewhat confused.  "I didn't realize you sold any of those illusion sets here."  He vaguely remembered playing with some of those magic kits as a kid, using special tools to trick people with illusions.  It was fun for a short while before he lost interest.

((Well, you can always do some crazy magic and BLOW HIS MIND. o: Or something.  Barlow's so sheltered, bahaha.))

[Sappheara]

Surya was flabbergasted at what he heard from Barlow. Illusion? The koldovstvos didn’t play with magic trick boxes that were sold in kid stores, they used genuine magic. The magic the koldovstvos used wasn’t like what you would read in novels, objects wouldn’t appear when someone waved their hand or people disappearing with a thought. The magic that they used took a lot of hard work. It also required charms, potions and spells to make something happen. He walked around the counter with both pots in his hands. “Those magic trick you speak of isn't magic. Those are tricks that a professional tricksters uses to fool people that don’t pay attention to what the trickster is doing behind their backs.” As he got to the counter where the silver pot with a purple liquid in it. He placed the pots with the herbs next to it making Guardian get up from where he laid. “This my friend is genuine magic, magic that comes from the universe, nature. It's the very essences of life.” Surya looked at both herbs, he was going to show Barlow what real magic was.

He pulled three leaves off the worm ginger and five off the Hugrander. He placed the leaves next the silver pot turned around and grab three different size charms and the ancient leather bound book from the bookshelf. “This will show you what real magic is about.” He placed the other objects on the counter next to the leaves, opening the book to a page with a spell to summon a spiritual guide. Surya throw the leaves in the pot, he watched as the purple liquid slowly swallowed them. Next, he picked up a large blue charm with jagged edges, placing it in front of the pot; the next was a slightly smaller smooth around pink charm to the right and then the even smaller yellow square one to the left. “You're going to see what true magic is.” He gave Barlow a wicked grin. “Tuttadit printure geosyog plakill…” He chanted the words louder and louder with each sentences. The charms next the pot started to glow very brightly and the counter under them started to shake making the charms dance away from the pot. Purple smoke slowly escaped its way out of the silver metal. This lasted for about 10 minutes before everything suddenly stopped.

{2.1}

[Remedy]

Barlow was quite confused when Surya starting going off about "real magic."  Bewildered, he watched Surya begin to hustle about, collecting herbs and pots and charms and such.  The wicked grin cast toward him from the shop owner unnerved him quite a bit.  He briefly considered that maybe the shop owner wasn't quite right in the head, and attempted to direct the conversation elsewhere.  "Look, I'm sorry if I offen-" his words were cut off suddenly as Surya began to chant.  

And there, before his very eyes, he saw this unexplainable phenomenon unfold right before his eyes.  The behavior of such inanimate objects shocked him, and he stayed silent in his flabbergasted state until the movements stopped.  "I... what was that?" He was quite a mix of emotions at that moment; amazement, shock, wonder, interest, and a slight bit of fear.  If this magic was real after all, what would be the implications?  Might it be damaging or used for evil?  Did the government know about this kind of thing?

"I've never seen anything like that.  What did you do?" He was beginning to get over the initial shock of it all and moved now toward the realm of genuine curiosity.  Surely many questions would follow.