Catnip's an Herb, Right? {Rainee, Open to 1 more}

[Nevin]

{Open to one or two other people}

Nevin set the last of the ceramic jugs back down into the windowsill, stretching out his shoulders to work out some of the kinks that had developed as he was working. He'd just finished up a fresh batch of herbal potions, and putting these last few into the sun to heat up was the last step for them. They'd be ready to go right away, but if they had the time to sit in the warm rays they'd be...mildly more effective and wouldn't taste anywhere near as bitter.

That done he headed back to his counter and started rearranging the items on the countertop. One of his customers, a mother who had come in looking for something to help her colicky infant, had suggested he get or make 'treat' pops for children. She had taken the potion that he had offered, but the suggestion of making 'candies' that were treated with honey that contained ingredients had sparked a fire in him, and he had done just that. Over the course of a week he had created three different new products, a 'hard' candy that was for a child over a certain age to suck on that would soothe a sore throat; a soft syrup that was for infants, babies and toddlers that contained a very mild sedative to help the child sleep; and finally, one item that was actually several: Hard candies that had been flavored with natural ingredients and honey, that contained a trace amount of mint and a numbing agent to make the kids mouth's feel funny and tingly. It was, in all honesty, not a medicine at all, but he had been highly amused when parents started giving their children a little pocket money to come in and get some. Right now he had one that was primarily flavored by the mint, one by the honey, and one that was actually flavored by some wild strawberries that he had found growing in the woods.

Setting up the displays for them hadn't taken much time at all, and the treats and 'candy' medicines were fairly easy to produce. The parents certainly were thankful of the sedative syrup – apparently a lot of small children had problems getting to sleep, and even some with older children were asking after it. It wasn't the way he'd initially imagined he'd be turning a profit here in town, but he had no qualms with expanding his products. In fact, sitting in a small glass display case on one end of the counter was where a small selection of medicines that had been designed with Kenku were sitting – just in case his friend came by once more.

Still, he couldn't just putter around all morning, he had to open the shop at some point in order to get the day going. He took a deep breath, taking in the silence once last time, then made his way to the front of the shop to unlock it and flip his sign around to open.

[Nekoprincess]

"Mommy! Why do we need to go shopping for potions? Can't we get something to eat instead?" Mylie whined loudly. Her little tail was twitching with impatience. Her lovely green eyes bright and shining, ever the little cat-girl ready to make mischief. Or to be bluntly honest, to eat any yummy treat she could find. Her little paws were tugging on the sleeve of her mother's shirt. The bright chocolate hue shiny, almost begging her mommy to change the errand she was running.

Rainee's soft white ears twitched irritably beneath the hood of her cloak. It was a lovely blue morning. The sun shining like a bright beacon overhead as mother and daughter pattered over the cobblestone streets. The older anthro's figure was relaxed, though their was slight tension in her posture from the way her daughter was begging for her needs to be met. As they passed quiet shops slowly opening their stores up for business. The cat mother took a deep breathe of the fragrant air. The was filled with the rich scents of herbs, of baked goods, and stew that were slowly being cooked and prepared. It made the slim kitty girl's stomach rumble, reminding the white tailed anthro that they had left Grace Manor without breakfast.

Pursing her lips, Rain looked at her eager little girl and said lightly "Honey, how about a deal? You let mommy run her errands and I"ll let you get whatever you want for breakfast, ok?"

Mylie's chocolate orbs lit up in delight, her tail wagging enthusiastically as she exclaimed "Sure mommy! I"ll take you up on your offer! Come on mommy! Lets go buy your potions!" the little troublemaker then tugged on her mother's sleeve vigorously, leading her down the street as she looked at the shop's various signs. Her eyes lit up when she saw what looked like sweets in the clear glass panes of one of the opening shops. Her tug grew more energetic as their was a plea to her voice as she whimpered "Candy! Look mommy candy! I want some please!" she pulled her mother closer to the shop, and stared intently at the sign. A squeal escaped from her as she murmured "It sells herbs too mommy! You can get your potions here! Can we please go in here?"

Rainee's walked over to carefully read the sign, a sigh escaped her lips as she answers "Alright darling, but be good! and no problems!" her face was stern after she said this, making sure her rambunctious daughter got her unsaid message.

Mylie meows softly, her tail still as she responds quietly "I"ll be a good girl mommy! Trust me!"

With a nod, the pair then made their way to the shop's door, opening it a bell jingled to let the shopkeeper know they had arrived. In a loud voice Rainee called "Hello? Are you open for business yet? I"m here to buy some healing potions if you have them! And," with a glance at her little girl she finished "My daughter is interested in the candies you are advertising in your window!"

[Nevin]

Nevin looked up from the text he was working on at the moment - this one was in a slightly more archaic variant of the language he was used to using, so it was taking some time to decipher the writings. His greeting froze on still lips as he processed the two.... individuals... who had entered his shop. Mental processes skidded to a halt as his eyes scanned the two newcomer's, at first thinking it was some kind of costume, but the way the appendages twitched and flared...

Cat-human hybrids. That's a thing. OK, no, sure, there are sentient birds walking around, so why not cat people, it only makes sense. Crimson, that's an entire category of medicines I can't make for people like this - that plant causes intense allergic reactions in felines, that one causes emetic distress.... Wait she said something about - Nevin's thoughts roared back into gear as he realized she had mentioned a child. His dark eyes scanned the shop, trying to figure out where the daughter was - and he spotted her, still and quiet beside her mother. The man smiled and studied her for a moment before pushing the tray of flavored candies to the fore.

"Indeed madam, I sell a variety of healing potions. Are you needing a general restorative, something to help with skin issues, an intestinal fortifier, or perhaps given the locals' main source of income, something that works on lungs? And for the little one - honey, mint, or strawberry?" Nevin was trying very hard at this point not to snatch yo his notepad and graphite to start writing down notes about these two. Cat-hybrids was an interesting concept - they would likely be more inclined to alchemical concoctions that had some kind of fish base - not something he worked with often, but he knew at least one medicine that called for fish eggs. And there were a couple of plants that had different effects on cats than on other animals - his eyes widened and he scanned the shop, trying to remember if he had any poultices or dry compounds that had been made with catnip.

[Nekoprincess]

Rainee inhaled the scents of the shop deeply, she could smell fresh herbs, various concoctions made from herbs and pure water and other elemental ingrediants. Her ears twitched methodically as she moved from potion to potion examining them intently. When she had left Grace Manor that morning her mind had been on buying restorative potions. The anthro knew that trouble would find her again at some point during her journey. She still needed to clean up up the bandits that still haunted her from her past and while her magic was potent, she still didn't have enough healing spells to suit her needs. Pursing her lips as she examined a light blue potion that had little herbs still floating in the clear glass bottle. She sniffed it and her ears twitched as a familiar scent came to her nostrils.

Her tail begin to twitch as her mind thought Catnip? Some potion in this shop contains catnip! I haven't had any in so long. The cat-mother knew she shouldn't even think about giving herself a little stress relief. But between taking care of her rambunctious kitten, keeping her and herself out of trouble, Rain felt that she deserved a little break.

"Mommy! I want my candy! Look it looks so pretty!" Mylie chimed out loudly, interrupting her mother's examination of the various mixture's in the shopkeeper's store.

the cat-girl's ears wiggled slightly, as she joined her daughter at the counter containing the candies. Examining them herself, the anthro could smell the freshness of the ingredients used to make the candies. Knowing they were safe, she asked her little one quietly "Which flavor do you want honey?"

Mylie giggled her small little tail wagged happily, as her ears were wiggling due to her excitement, in a happy voice she asked "Can I have the mint flavor mister?" she looked innocent enough to the shop-keep's eyes, but her nose was twitching as well from the mixture of aromas permeating the shop. The little kitten wanted to explore ever nook and cranny of the shop to see what she could find. But first, she wanted her sweet treat!

The petite cat-girl then went back to her examination of the clear blue potion with floating herbs, swimming around in the clear glass bottle. The scent grew stronger to her as she realized this was the mixture that kept calling to her. It had to contain catnip! A grin appeared beneath her cloak, as she gingerly picked the bottle up. Holding it carefully, she brought back to where her little girl was still waiting for her delectable treat. A smile was on the cat-mother's face as she placed the bottle gently on the counter. She then removed the hood of her cloak to reveal her gentle features on her face.

A warm, happy smile was gracing her lips as she said, a purr to her voice "I'd like to purchase this bottle please. It contains a special treat that I can smell, also to answer your question I would prefer restorative potions! Always handy to have in case you find yourself in trouble!" her silver eyes then fell on her daughter, who was starting to become restless while waiting for her candy. She could see the curiosity in her kitten's eyes as she sighed and whispered under her breathe "Mylie dear...you said you'd be good! No mischief ok?"

Mylie looked at her mother and meowed, a look was in her chocolate brown eyes, a look Rainee knew all too well. The little one begin to bounce from foot to foot as she said softly, but a note of impatience was in her young voice "I picked my candy flavor now mister! Can I have it please? My mommy will pay for everything! She's good at that!"

Rainee groaned, a sheepish grin replacing her warm smile as she said apologetically "Don't mind my daughter sir! She can be rambunctious sometimes...."

[Nevin]

Nevin chuckled, a far warmer sound than most of the people who knew him at this point would believe the alchemist capable of. He scooped up one of the month hard candies and placed it on the counter in front of the now energetic little girl. "There you are little one, one mint hard candy. Now it does have some honey in it for a little extra sweetness, as well as a special ingredient that will make your mouth feel weird for a little bit." His eyes shifted to her mother, pausing again as he took in her features, and he smiled politely. "An analgesic, it will make her mouth go slightly numb. Not enough to affect anything else,
but her mouth will feel tingly and strange for a while as she enjoys the treat. Now then, what potion is this."

Nevin's gaze flicked down to the bottle in Rainee's hand. He had almost said that that was not a healing option - but he knew, looking at it, exactly which potion it was. And it confirmed his curiosity - feline humanoids apparently did like catnip. That was one that he had only done a limited run of - and in fact kept in stock because one oddball client loved to come in and get a catnip treat for her veritable horde of pet cats. Last she'd told Nevin, she had thirty seven of the rat-catchers running around her home. He forced his expression back into a neutral, pleasant smile, and nodded, beginning to tally up the things she'd requested

"The ah, treat potion in your hands is certainly available. General restoratives, I currently have five in stock up here - three are potions that will increase your body's ability to heal on its own, two are salves that can be applied to wounds such as cuts in order to directly stimulate faster healing in that site." He finished writing down the totals and spun it around for her to examine. The salves were slightly more expensive than the general restoratives, while the potion she was holding in her hand and the candy the young girl now had were only a few coins each. "If you're interested I so have a much more potent restorative potion available, but that one is more expensive than the other products in the store." With a nod of his head he indicated the glass cabinet behind him, where a pair of vials were holding a red fluid that seemed to catch and reflect the light more vibrantly than most of the things in the shop did.

[Nekoprincess]

Mylie squealed with delight as she took the mint flavored hard candy from the countertop the shop-keep had placed the sweets on. Putting it into her mouth, she giggled as the sweet flavors of honey and mint swirled on her tongue. She felt the numbing effects of the candy take hold and meowed softly in surprise. Her voice sounded softer as she squealed "Mommy! My mouth feels funny! This candy is yummy, but it has a funny effect!" the little girl's tail wagged with happiness though at the candy's divine flavor. Her eyes were shiny as she squealed out "You make a yummy candy mister! But it has a silly effect! I can't feel my tongue!"

Rainee laughs as she pulls out a large coin purse, taking out the sum she needed to pay for her daughter's treat and her own indulgence, she smiles as she murmurs "Thank you for the info sir, and the explanation on your healing restorative, I'll take whatever you have left of each one along with this one!" she said holding up the shimmering catnip filled potion. Her eyes then fell on the glass case behind his visage. Her nose wrinkled as an interesting mixture of scents came to her keen nose. Her tail twitched as her mind begin to fill with thoughts What potions could he have behind that glass? Its red, it smells almost like blood. What kind of potion-maker is he?

Her soft silver orbs begin to study Nevin's appearance, he was tall, she guessed close to six feet, his hair was short and shined a bright crimson color, his eyes were dark, a glistening red the exact same color as the potion that glistened like beckoning secrets behind his glass case. He was clothed in a long sleeve shirt and black gloves, she couldn't see any other curious things about him except that she could see a bit of his flesh peeking from the top of his shirt. Her nose wriggled again though as the strong scent of plasma still hung in the air.

Her questions for the man would have to wait, for now she wanted to taste her little treat that she had gotten for herself. Placing the necessary payment on the counter for the shop-keep to scoop up. She then uncorked the cork protecting her potion and begin to happily drink from the bottle. The pleasure immediately hit her. She felt light, airy, all her worries, her fears, the thoughts of the dark path ahead of her immediately vanished under the sweet taste of earthy mint, catnip and other light delicious flavors that had been mixed into the potion she had just drunk down fast.

Her tail begin twitching fast, as she first went near her daughter and gave her a warm hug saying lightly "You can have another candy if you want honey. The funny taste is just a numbing sensation like the shop-keep said! It'll go away in time!" she then padded over to where the shop-keep was an asked in a sweet voice "What potions do you have hidden behind the glass case? They smell quite different from the other wares in your shop!" her ears were wiggling as the change in her demeanor was obvious as the cat-nip potion begin to take effect in the cat-mother's body.

[Nevin]

Nevin had an amused smile on his face as he watched the daughter bounce around, her tail wiggling about as she enjoyed the hard candy that she had chosen. Children were usually a lot more pure than their parents were, and he often liked dealing with them more. Watching the way she messed about with her tongue while she couldn't feel it was adorable. He bowed to her slightly when she complimented his candy, then went back to wiggling and twitching at the sugar rush. Then his attention was dragged away from the amusing spectacle to the fact that her mother was studying him, silver eyes flicking up and down his body before focusing behind his head on the glass cabinet.

Then she drank her potion after her nose twitched, and he watched as she shivered all along her body, tension visibly flowing out of her shoulders as she relaxed. He hadn't had time to tell her that that was meant to be sprinkled or sprayed around an area, not drunk. But he hadn't placed anything toxic into the mixture so he didn't think it would be detrimental - and then her eyes snapped open, a strange glimmer was shining in their silver depths. Nevin felt an ominous chill run down his back as a strange smile curved her lips. Her tail began moving quickly, and then she suddenly scooped up her daughter in an engulfing hug, before focusing her attention back on Nevin. The sweet voice that she used to ask a question did nothing to encourage him out of that niggling feeling of concern.

"I... they are specially crafted potions, madam. I'm an Alchemist, not an Herbalist. Those potions were crafted with mammalian parts, including, yes, blood." Ok. So she was able to smell the blood in his potions. That was fine - he had always, always claimed to be an Alchemist, not an Herbalist, and Alchemists were well known for using whatever they could get their hands on in their alchemy. There shouldn't be any reason for her to get suspicious of them, right? It's not like she could actually smell that they were almost entirely blood mixed with only a few herbs - they were in glass vials inside a locked case, surely not? Inwardly he was glad that his dangerous Essences were still locked up tight.

[Nekoprincess]

Rainee placed a finger against her lips, her face was thoughtful, her eyes squinted in concentration as she absorbed the shop-keep's words. Her tail was twitching as the potion's effects was flowing through her body. Her curiosity was high, she really wanted to know what was locked behind the glass case. Without bothering to ask, the cat-girl leap across the counter, her white soft tail banging against a small bottle causing it to crash to the floor with a resounding THUD. Not even noticing the bottle's demise, the anthro padded over to the locked case and begin to sniff it intently.

She could smell the plasma, strong, pungent lingering inside her nose, she could also smell the clean scent of the herbs mixed in with the blood. But it smelled extremely strange to her keen sense of smell. Her ears twitched rhythmically in tune with her hands touching the glass carefully. Her instincts were telling her something was up, that this shop-keep was hiding something. Her silver orbs then scanned his shop methodically, roaming over the various potions in their clean glass jars and bottles.

Meanwhile, her little girl was bouncing on the pads of her paws, the sugar rush was effecting her body making her much more hyper then normal. The fact that her mother was acting unusual, made little Mylie lose what little self control she had on her mischievous nature. Her little tail begin to wag like a metronome as she traipsed over to the tray of candies, her little chocolate eyes were soft almost shimmering as she made an extremely cute innocent face as she asked loudly "Can I have more candy mister? I want to try both the honey and strawberry! You make yummy, sweet treats!" Her paw then reached for one, almost as if she was expecting him to give her permission to take as many delectable goodies as she wished.

That niggling feeling, that their was more to the shop-keep was still coursing through her veins, since she was right next to him, she got close studying his face, his eyes his whole body. Her silver eyes narrowed to slits as she opened up her sense of smell to sniff him. His scent was human, but she could scent more, something darker deeper was coursing through his veins. Her nose twitched as she could swear that she smelled blood on him. Her examination returned to his face, her orbs still squinting as she thought He isn't injured? So why do I smell so much blood? Who is this man? What is going on here? This just seems like a simple potion shop, but why does the shop-keeper appear so strange?

She begin to circle around him energetically her hands reaching out to examine some small little bodies filled with bluish fluid. These just smelled like herbs, almost earthy like the forest she used to play in with her brother back before the bandits that had torched her village had made her life hell. She checked a lime green potion, this one smelled minty, almost as if it was used as a perfume to smell good. Seeing that her daughter was starting to act out, she paused in checking each potion to say lightly "Mylie, be good! Don't cause trouble!!" her voice was sing-song though, not strict like before, as she went back to exploration of trying to solve this mystery.

Seeing that her mother wasn't really scolding her, the little kitten just waited expectantly for the shop-keep to give her more candy, while her paws hovered out ready to reach for one, once she got permission.

[Nevin]

Nevin blinked once, twice, three times, his eyes going wide as he stared in shock at the woman who had just vaulted over his counter and was now sniffing at the display case. He shot a glance at the bottle that had been knocked off of his countertop - thankfully it was one of the sedative syrups so it wouldn't be a large hit to replace it but still what in the name of crimson was she doing?? He strode over sharply and interposed himself between the sniffing woman and the cabinet just as she turned away and began looking at the rest of the shop.

"Mada-MADAM. Madam this side of the counter is not for customers please get back on the other side!" His attention was jerked to the side when the little girl started bouncing in front of the candies and asked for another, and his eyes widened as she made a grabbing motion at them, clearly just barely restraining herself. "I thank you miss but MADAM! CEASE AND DESIST!" This was directed at the cat-woman who was now extremely close to him, her nose twitching rapidly as she sniffed at him, her eyes narrowed into tiny gaps where the silver was barely showing. He rapidly backpedaled, bumping into the wall as he started to blush a faint red. Before he could gather his thoughts and try to forcefully remove the woman from behind the counter she darted off to one side and began examining potions that he had here in the back - one an herbal tonic that was good for mild fever, another that was an experiment that he had not been intending anyone to see yet. Then the silver-eyed woman called over her shoulder at her daughter, which made the girl pause for a moment before keeping her paw ready to snag a candy.

"Ri-right. Mylie, you can have another one, the yellow one on your right is the honey, the pink colored one is one of the strawberry flavored ones." What Nevin missed in his disconcerted state was the fact that the doorbell had chimed as another guest had come in - and now he saw, from the corner of his eye, an elderly man and woman standing near the front, smiling widely at him. He gulped and started making grabbing motions at the woman, trying to get her out from behind the counter as he sent a nervous grin back at the front. "Ah, sorry, I'll be right with you - would you please get out from behind the counter there are people here!" This last part was directed at the woman he was trying desperately to get out from behind his counter. Hopefully the reminder that she was in a public place would bring her to her senses. He heard the old woman let out a gleeful cackle.

"No no, no need dearie, we'll come back for Rinaldo's medicine later. You have fun with your wife and little one! The ladies of the town will be so pleased to here that you actually are settled down, oh ho ho." Crimson's sake. It was Madam Maratin, a notorious gossip in town. Before he could correct her, the woman had dragged her husband back out of the shop. Nevin took a deep breath and redoubled his efforts on trying to catch the cat woman and get her out from behind his counter.

[Nekoprincess]

Mylie squealed with happy delight as her little paw reached for a yellow colored candy. Holding it carefully, she put it on top of her tongue and begin to suck on it. Feeling the sweet yummy honey begin to flood her senses, she meowed in happiness. Sucking on it still for a couple for minutes, she begin to feel the tingly, numbing effect happen and she giggled. Turning to look at the now flustered shop-keep who was chasing after her extremely hyper mother. Her tail wagged giddily as she chirped "Misterl! You make the best candies ever! You blend the flavors perfectly!" with her tail twitching nonstop, she turned to her mother and shouted "Mommy can I have a bag of his candies please?"

Rainee was smiling, her heart felt light as she nimbly dodged the shop-keeper's attempt to grab her so he could escort back to the proper side of the counter. Her silver eyes were shiny, she was having fun, letting herself loose from her strict manner she ran Mylie's and her life normally. With her tail swishing back and forth, she felt the end of her tail nip another bottle. This one just wobbled a bit and tipped on its side. She then ran against the other side of the cabinet, her eyes locked on the shop-keeper's as she asked curiously "You seem so nervous now? What is it your hiding? Is it because I asked about these potions here?" She put her hand on the shiny glass of the locked cabinet.

He really must have something to hide! He wouldn't be sweating bullets if there wasn't something he didn't want me to know! Her eyes then scanned over the shop-keep's lean body again, the scent of blood was still quite potent to the anthro's keen sense of smell. This caused her brain to go into overdrive to connect the dots of why the aroma of plasma was so strong. Even as the old couple entered the shop, and sure heard the elderly woman's musical voice tease the shop-keep about her being his wife and Mylie his child. A giggle escaped her lips as she says softly again "Tell me if you want me to go back to the regular store? What is behind these potions? Something smells funny about them and I really want to know what?"

Mylie now that her body was full of sugar begin to prance around the store looking for anything interesting. She found a pretty pink potion, that was floating with green herbs, it had a very sweet floral aroma. Her curiosity got the better of her as she asked excitedly "What is this potion mister? It smells pretty and looks lovely! Is it perfume?" her little paws went to grip the almost too big bottle. She looked comical as she carefully teetered over to the cash register and lightly placed it down for the shop-keep to look at. In a sweet, almost purr-like voice she chirped "Tell me! I want to know!"

The leaving of the elderly couple didn't even register to the mother-daughter pair, as the cat mother really wanted an explanation to the blood she was keenly smelling and the little one just wanted her questions answered in a way she could understand.