2017-04-20: Visit Your Local Pharmacy
- Log: Visit Your Local Pharmacy
- Cast: Jacqueline Barber, Josephine Lovelace
- Where: Adlehyde - Town Center
- Date: April 20th 2017
- Summary: Josie drops by a pharmacy to pick up something important. As it happens, Jacqueline is the owner.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
'Jay's Curatives and Curios' was located alongside a road that branched off of Adlehyde's main street. It was a quaint little shop - in more ways than one.
The one that would be immediately noticeable was the sign. It was painted with an assortment of bright colors that could almost be called 'gaudy'. It trapped the eye, making it difficult to look away even if you wanted to.
The inside, however, was different. Except for the potion display on the west wall - arranged by color and effect with the wall behind each row painted to match - everything carried a worn and aged look, though arranged neatly to make moving about the shop easier.
This was deliberate, of course - what kind of Drifter would trust a shop that looked far too clean, or closed them in like the mazes they often found themselves wandering through? Jacqueline found that Drifters were her best customers - everyone needed supplies for the road.
Potions were her specialty, of course, but one could find a bit of everything if they looked hard enough. There was even a shelf full of books for sale nestled away in one of the corners.
At the time, Jacqueline was busy rearranging items on the shelves. She was always finding new, and in her opinion better, ways to sort things, and today was no different. Despite this, though, the store still proudly displayed that it was open for business.
"Hmm...The lantern oil should probably go here...wouldn't want anyone to mistake it for a potion..." She muttered, moving the bottle to a point on the east side of the store.
That was an idea, though. A potion that doubled as lantern oil. Her repellant was flammable, but the smell when you burned it would be way too awful.
Well, those were things to think about later!
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
That sure is a sign. Shading her eyes against the noonday glare, Josie stares up at it. She can't say she disapproves of course -- catching the eye is the name of the mercantile game, and in a city this big, a store's got to use any advantage it can get.
Just like everything else in life, really.
This is definitely the place that was mentioned.
Pushing open the door, she steps inside, squinting briefly at the change in lighting. For a moment, she's framed in the doorway, a silhouette of a tall woman with a bird perched on her shoulder.
There is a very pregnant, possibly ominous silence that extends outwards into the otherwise empty apothecary.
Then, "Oh! Whoops! Are you closed? I didn't see a sign in the door," Josie explains, gesturing with her left hand.
Then there's another stretch of silence. "--Hey, don't I know you? Jay, wasn't it? Is this your place, then?"
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
The sound of a door opening catches Jacqueline's attention. She pauses and glances towards the door, offering the potential customer her customary smile.
"Ah, did I forget to put the sign out today?" She asks, setting down the product she was moving.
The fact that she knew her, though, causes Jacqueline to frown and think back.
It isn't long before Jacqueline's face lights up and she lets out a gasp of recognition.
"Oh, yes! And you're...Miss Lovelace, right?" She says, turning to face her properly.
"But yes, this is my store! Can I help you with anything?" She asks. Judging from the fact that she came here without know it was hers, Jacqueline had to assume she came here for a reason.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
Oh! They are open. Good thing, or Josie'd have to slink off to another store.
It was just the one time -- following the mole-related incident at the fairgrounds and very shortly thereafter, when they'd take Sue and her... pet out to get something to eat. But Josie didn't get to be an archaeologist by forgotting names and faces /that/ easily.
"Please, call me Josie!" she mock-protests, going so far as to grimace, if a particularly hammy actor were to grimace on cue. It quickly fades out, replaced swiftly by Josie's more usual easy smile. "It's been a little while, hasn't it? How have you been?"
There's yet another brief pause before Josephine, glancing back at the door, "And don't worry too much about the sign! It didn't stop me, did it?" Josie explains, her smile shading almost into sheepish as she shrugs.
She takes all of two steps forward before stopping, glancing around the place. Good, they're alone. "Actually, if you could... I need some burn ointment. Not for a sunburn, or anything like that, but the other kind."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Ah, right. Now that she mentioned it, Jacqueline remembered that from when they had met. She nods in acknowledgment.
"Well, it's good to see you again, Josie! I've been doing well. Business has been a little slow, but...that's fine with me, honestly. It makes me feel better about leaving things to my apprentice and going off on an adventure for a few days." Jacqueline replied with a smile and a slight shrug.
"How about you? How've you been?" She asks...and then Josie mentions the burn ointment. Ah. So like that, then? Jacqueline knew the feeling - she'd had her fair share of fire-based troubles.
"I've got just the thing. Hold on a second." She says, raising a finger.
She then turns and walks over to the counter in back. Jacqueline ducks behind it for a second, and after some rummaging comes up with a jar filled with a pale-blue substance.
"This should suit your needs, I think!" She says, bringing it over to Josie for her to look at it.
"It's a general-purpose ointment, but it can handle burns as well." She explains. That was the beauty of working a little bit of sorcery into your goods.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
"Nothing wrong with slow as long as it's steady, right?" she opines, flashing a brief white-toothed grin. "See? I'm always right. It's better to take it easy in life." She pauses, as if considering this. "Well, sometimes!"
Josephine gestures towards herself. "Me? I've been doing well enough. I should sign up for an expedition again soon, but for now, I'm just rattling around Adlehyde, I suppose," she says with a shrug and an easy smile. "--Oh, good. I was hoping you might have some. I've almost run out again," again? "and I was actually thinking about getting some honey or something if it came to it, but..." Again, she gestures vaguely, spinning the fingertips of her left hand through the air. "Less messy this way."
Ambling over to the counter as Jay rummages, she leans slightly against it for a moment, gazing at the bottles lining the walls. Josie only straightens once Jay produces the jar.
Picking up the jar, Josie squints at it as she gently tilts it this way and that in the air. "I think so, too," she declares, setting it back down. "How much is it?" She should have more than enough for this, even if Jay charges double the going rate.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline chuckles. Josie had a point. She liked it when she could take it easy. And if business was slow, it meant that people weren't out getting hurt or sick - or expecting to, at the very least. That was another good point.
"Good, good. Like you said - sometimes it's better to take it easy. I hope you've been enjoying Adlehyde, at least!" Jacqueline says, resting a hand against the counter.
Jacqueline was from here, after all, so she preferred it when people had a good experience...and it also tended to make them more favorable towards the shops, too.
"Well, do what you gotta do, right? Fortunately, that's why I'm here." She comments with a shrug.
"As for the price, that'll be..." Jacqueline then lists off what seemed to be a reasonable price. She tried to keep her wares affordable, both for herself and those who bought them.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
"Oh, I have! You know, it'd been months since I was last at a decently-sized town. I don't mind being on my lonesome, of course, but it's really a breath of fresh air being in a city like this." She had even been lucky enough to arrive while the festival was on.
"Are you from around here, by the way?" Josie asks, by way of making conversation.
"Oh, that much? Sounds perfect." Thus ensues a bit of rummaging as Josie searches for her wallet (or what passes as a wallet). The requisite amount of Gella clink out from her hand onto the counter a moment later. "I'll let you know how it works, okay? If it's good, then you'll definitely earn yourself a repeat customer." Josie even winks.
Once she's paid up, Josephine tucks the jar safely away. "So... while I'm here, have you heard about anything interesting? Like I said, I think I'll want to pick up some work soon. If you know of any leads, I'd appreciate it!"
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"That's right. I was born and raised here, then left for a while to start my own business on the road. And since I was doing well enough, I figured I'd come back and get a physical location up and running." Jacqueline explains with a nostalgic smile.
She makes her way behind the counter once more, taking a seat and counting up the gella before nodding in satisfaction.
"I'm looking forward to it." She says with a chuckle. Repeat customers were always welcome, particularly if they were as friendly as Josie.
Work, huh? Jacqueline frowned, considering the possibilities.
"Well, I can't say that I have. Things have been pretty quiet lately." She replies with a shrug.
"If you're looking for something easy to get yourself back on your feet and make a quick buck at the same time, there's always the Berry Cave, up near Surf. People like me are always needing berries from there. Just...watch out for the poisonous ones." She adds that last with bit with a shudder. It seems she'd had some bad experiences.
"I'd recommend avoiding the Sult Ruins, though. I went with some folks a while back. We got partway through, only to find that one of the mechanisms had broken, keeping us from going any further." She comments, then thinks a bit and corrects herself. "...But then again, maybe you'd be able to find a passage we didn't? There are always things like that." She shrugs.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
"Oh good, maybe I'll hit you up about any local hidden gems. I've been here a while, but no one knows a town better than the natives," Josie says, punctuating the statement with a firm nod.
"Hey, if this is even half as good as it looks, you've already got a repeat customer at this price. You know one of places off in the northwest section of town charges about ten Gella more? And it's only okay."
Penelope, up until now, has been roosting quietly on Josie's shoulder. Only now does she stir, to begin to carefuly and painstakingly clean the feathers on one wing. Perhaps she's figured that they'll be here a while longer and she might as well get the grooming out of the way...?
"The Berry Cave, huh...?" Josie cups her chin with her left hand. "I hadn't thought about that. That makes sense, and it's not too far out of the way, either..." A little lopsidedly, she smiles at Jay. "Bad experience, huh? I'll keep that in mind."
"Actually, we had some success out in Sult, but when I went there I'd been with a couple folks who had experience with the place. That probably makes a difference. In either case, it's a little out of my way right now on top of that, so..."
That smile of hers turns a little chagrined, as she leans against the counter. "Your trip out to Sult sort of sounds like my expeditions into the Ruins of Memory. Two times, now..." Still, she shrugs (if lopsidedly). "Well, one of these days! Like they say, try try again."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"Well, if you haven't been yet, I'd recommend visiting the Starfall Saloon. The clientele can be kinda...rowdy, sometimes, but the food is the best you'll find for miles." Jacqueline says with a smile, leaning back in her chair. She neglected to mention that she was personally acquainted with the people who ran it, but she didn't want to sound too much like she was advertising for them.
At the mention of the quality, Jacqueline chuckles. "Well, I do my best. I use most of the stuff I sell myself, so I have to make sure it's the best it can be." She says with a chuckle and a resolute nod.
Her attention is drawn away from Josie for a moment as the pigeon on her shoulder begins to stir.
She didn't recall seeing a bird with her before. Had she been elsewhere...? She seemed too calm at the moment to be a recent addition.
"Right. So, you can tell the bad ones from the good ones by heating them up, right? But, uh...they have a tendency to explode when you do that. And then the rest of them go too, 'cause why not? So, uh...wouldn't recommend fire there." She says, a bit sheepishly.
Ah, Josie'd been to Sult too? It sounded like she'd had better luck. They'd brought along someone who was familiar, too, but it was possible things had changed since then.
"That's right! The only way to fail is to give up entirely. A loss is just a new learning experience...sometimes a painful one, but still!" She agrees.
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
"Oh, I've been, a few times! They have good drinks, too. A little rowdy's just the icing on the cake for a Drifter like me, anyway~" That wink was totally unnecessary, but it's still happening anyway. "Maybe I'll kick back there sometime soon if I have some success on the job?" Even 'impulsive' has its limits -- and Josie still needs to keep the innkeeper from breathing down her neck.
Though to be honest, she had dimly sort of hoped to be moving on at this point but...
Well, what happens, happens.
Jay's attention shifts and Josie can sort of figure where it's gone to. "Oh right, I don't think you met Penelope before? She had sort of, ah..." Josie pauses, before a sly smile creeps its way onto her lips. "Flown the coop? Anyway, I raised her from a hatchling, so we go way back."
Cocking her head to the right as she listens, Josie's gaze is nothing short of intent. "...So, exploding berries?" Her smile takes on a rueful cast. "Right, sounds like that's best avoided. Well, I don't tend to play with fire, so I should be fine, there. Still, I appreciate the warning." Especially if she can pass it on to anyone who does mess around with fire.
"Precisely! Besides, even when we fail, we can learn something. Heh heh, guess we're on the same wavelength, huh?" Josie flashes Jay another bright grin before pushing herself away from the counter. This disrupts Penelope, who is mid-preen and briefly flashes what looks remarkably similar to a human glare before settling down again.
"Anyway, I hate to cut and run, but I've got a few other errands waiting. See you around sometime, okay?" Pausing a moment, as if in thought, Josie snaps her gloved fingers. "How about we hit up the tavern sometime? But maybe after that successful expedition I'm going to have, first."
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
Jacqueline chuckles at Josie's joke. "Nothing better than having a friend to keep you company on the road." She comments. Even if it was a pigeon.
Jacqueline stands up at this point, and nods as Josie acknowledges her advice. Good, good. The less berry explosions incidents, the better.
"Sounds like it. Always good to meet another like-minded individual." She says with a smile and a nod. Her attention shifts back to Penelope for a moment, but is soon returned to Josie.
Jacqueline considers her offer for a moment and then nods.
"I know how that is. But yeah, that'd be great. I'll be wishing you luck, then! And, of course, expecting stories of your glorious victory." She says, half-jokingly. Sometimes, a little luck could be more powerful than any potion - but she wouldn't go around telling anyone that!
<Pose Tracker> Josephine Lovelace has posed.
"Don't I know it... Especially when you're traveling on your lonesome, like me. It's always best to travel with a friend, you know."
She'll just have to let whoever she does an expedition with about the exploding berries issue.
"It's not easy to keep a positive attitude in this world! Still, it's better than the alternative, at least in my opinion." Josie shrugs, as if to say 'but what can you do'.
"Thanks! I really appreciate the well-wishing~" Josie cheers. "I'll let you know how it goes, either way -- I figure I can either drink to my success or drown my sorrows." She reaches up briefly to stroke Penelope along the side of her head. "Anyway, thank you and take care, Jay!" With that -- and the requisite swish of the longcoat -- Josie turns away, waving a hand as she heads for the door.
<Pose Tracker> Jacqueline Barber has posed.
"Well, either way, I'm looking forward to it. Farewell out there, Josie! And you too of course, Penelope." Jacqueline replies with a chuckle. She returns Josie's wave with one of her own, then returns to her seat behind the counter.
Maybe she ought to do some more adventuring of her own.
Well, she could think about that later. For now, she had her shop to tend to.