Silverlining (Sunshine x Mini Magi)

[Mini Magi]

It wasn't every day that the other doctors were of little help. Yul was well aware of the competition, in the city, and most of the time he just thought he was better than them, and left them to their own devices. They all were there to help people, after all. So he was quite surprised when one of those doctors send him a letter, to come into the city and look at someone. Yul didn't think of himself as some goodie two shoes hero, but wasted no time in preparing for the walk after reading through it. 

It took him about 40 minutes to arrive at the address in the letter. So? Well, if the doc was desperate enough to sent Yul of all people a letter, they were probably not going to be that picky. So Yul knocked on the door, and waited till someone opened. What they would see when they did open the door was a young man, probably in his twenties, slightly above average height, and somewhat pale complexion, carrying a bag with a red cross on it, and a letter in his other hand. "Yes, yes. I know. But someone told me you need a doctor, had already a few give up or be ridiculously expensive, so here I am. Maybe you even heard of a creepy fella living just out of town? Plot twist of the day: You might be looking at him~" He was used to the initial reaction by now, and at least it got him attention and focus. Who wouldn't want to know why someone looking like this was at their door after all?

 

[Sunshine]

Knock knock knock

…

Knock knock knock

“Urghhhh…”

When the knocking started, Palmyra was on her bed, hugging her pillow.

It wasn’t because she was a late sleeper, mind you. She had waken up early in the morning, drew herself some water from the communal well nearby, and cooked herself breakfast using the meat and vegetables she bought yesterday, before going back inside her soft, fluffy blankets.

The reason? This stupid ailment she was stuck with ever since a month ago.

She didn’t know where it came from. As an adventurer, she could’ve caught it from anywhere. But thanks to it, she was stuck with fever day and night, with every joint of her body hurting.

She had tried to go to the doctors and healers in the city but to no avail. None of them could cure her and the ones that supposedly could wouldn’t because she didn’t have enough gold to pay them.

At this point, she had given up entirely. All she could do was pray to the Goddess that her illness would go away on its own.

And so, when she heard the knocking, she wondered who could it be. Her landlady shouldn’t come to ask for rent until ten more days…

She opened the door with groggy eyes and a sickly look. She was still wearing her short green nightgown, reaching only to her upper thighs.

Only to find an unfamiliar, slightly creepy young man standing in front of her.

…Who is this?

He quickly told her that he was there because he heard from someone that she needed a doctor.

A creepy person living at the edge of town? Can’t say I’ve heard of him…

She looked at him up and down, eyeing him suspiciously.

“Someone sent you here?” She folded her arms under her small chest. “I do need a doctor…”

Well, if he tries anything, I can fight him off. He doesn’t look that strong.

“Come in then.” She backed off the door, inviting him to go in.

[Mini Magi]

Come to think of it, what was an elf doing on her own in this city? Not that he minded. Quite the contrary. But the explanation for that would probably have to wait for later. For now, despite her being sick, he'd enjoy the sight~ "And luckily, I am one. Doctor Yul B. Allwright. But feel free to call me Yul." Formality made things needlessly complicated, so why bother with that anyway? 

Yul watched as she moved, and while she seemed to hold herself up well, it didn't go past him that her balance was off. As if it was uncomfortable to move around for her. "Hey, before we sit down somewhere, how about you lie down somewhere?" Usually he would have put a joke or fun remark in, but this was somewhat alarming from the start. Not a good time for jokes. 

Once she got comfortable, Yul grabbed himself the next chair and sat down in front of her. His bag was put down carefully on the ground, and Yul began taking things out. "You probably heard these questions a lot by now, so in a nutshell: What's wrong with you in a medical sense? We're looking for symptoms that can go from something like coughing, all the way to hallucinations of the walls changing their color. And yes, it's surprisingly common, especially when trying out mushrooms a stranger gave you in an alley or at the docks. Wouldn't recommend those by the way." What? She was more comfortable, and he had to mix it up at least a little bit. All the normal questions probably sounded like noise to her by now.

[Sunshine]

“Very well, Doctor Yul,” the elf replied. “You can call me Palmyra.”

When he entered, he would find her rented house to be quite the agreeable abode despite its small size. Everything was kept all neat and tidy, even though she had suffered her illness for a whole month. There was a table in the middle of the room, a handwoven basket resting on top of it, filled with only a single apple she planned to eat for dinner. As for the bed (it was a single room house), it rested to the south, the opposite side of the kitchen. The blanket covering it was all over the place though (being the only thing that was untidy in the room) showing that she had just woken up from it. As for the privy, well, just like the other lower-class people in the city, they had to share a communal one. Just like the baths.

"Lie down?" She glanced to look at him. "I suppose I could."

She made her way to her bed though she chose to sit instead of laying her back on it. She felt it would be rude to do so immediately to a guest that had come from afar. Only after he insisted that she would lie down on it.

She watched with a curious look of him unpacking his tools from his bag.  It seemed that he brought with him some tools she hadn't recognized before from the other healers she had visited.

"My symptoms... there are three big ones – fever, aches, and general tiredness.” She spoke matter-of-factly, before adding in an exasperated tone, “I can’t do my work as an adventurer like this… it would be too risky. My movements would slow down too much…”

As she spoke, without her realizing, the hem of her gown had ridden up from the shifting of her thighs, revealing a tiny peek of her black panties to the doctor.

[Mini Magi]

Yul was ready to draw blood if needed, but judging by her symptoms, he might not need to. For now it sounded like a viral infection. So the syringe and flask went back into the bag. "You're smarter than others then." He did unpack and show her one little tool though. Slim, made of glass, with a temperature scale inside. "This is a thermometer. I won't bore you with the details, so just put this end in your mouth, and we'll know exactly how high your temperature is in about a minute." All the while, he tactfully ignored how her skirt wasn't in place and gave away a bit more than those incredibly inviting thighs. 

While they waited for the thermometer to do its thing, Yul had also taken out a stethoscope, and gave her chest end. "This is a tool to listen to very quiet sounds. In this case, your heartbeat. And I know it sounds like a hoax, but it does not work well through clothes. Neither do ears, as I'm sure you agree on. Think you can bear with it for a minute?" She was pretty. REALLY pretty. An elf too. Didn't take a genius to know just how many low class compliments and cat calls she probably had heard by now. "After that, you can play with this thing a little. Sounds fun?" She wouldn't be the first who was curious about these tools, probably not the last, and so far she seemed trustworthy. Also, too sick to try and run away with them. Plus, if he made her look down like that, odds were good she might notice her skirt. 

A few instructions, and a few more little questions later, Yul gave her the stethoscope as promised if she wanted to hear things herself, and took a moment to think about it. It seemed like a viral infection at first, but those don't last a month. A week or so tops. And it couldn't be because she was an elf. Despite aging slower than humans, their immune system functioned pretty much the same. So...? "You got a bacterial infection. You've probably been to some old ruins, right? Could be worse. You know how people seal dried up wells? That's because bacteria start breeding at the bottom, which use up all oxygen. If someone falls down, they suffocate before they know why it feels like they are drowning. Ruins tend to be a breeding ground for bacteria too, but only when certain conditions are met, which is rare. No wonder the other doctors had no idea. This means you'll need a type of medicine that kills bacteria, which is called Antibiotics. And some painkillers too." Yul searched through his back, curious if he had packed those. In his defense, this house visit bag was unused for quite some time. ...Buuuut jackpot! In some very small, corked up bottles, he had various pills. Each of the bottles had labels in front of them with complicated to pronounce names. Anyone not in the know would probably think they are code names of some sort so only he knew what they were. Not entirely wrong. "You can have both for 2 gold. Or just the Antibiotic for 1 gold and 50 silver." If she took the combo deal, that would roughly equate to a pay of a worker for one month. Not exactly cheap, but Yul wasn't taking pay for some white pills he could just mix up. The process of producing these was long and tedious. He was taking payment for his time. Usually people would have little trouble coughing up this amount, but she?

Edited August 23, 2022 by Mini Magi

[Sunshine]

A thermometer? She had never seen such a device before. Are we sure that it's safe, putting that thing inside somebody's mouth?

She didn't voice any complaints to the doctor however.  She did as she was told, trusting that he knew better than she did.

However, when he told him that he wanted to press that stethoscope thing to her chest, and that it had to go on her skin directly, she hesitated.

Of course she would. After all, that would mean going topless in front of him.

“Very well… if you insist…” She averted her gaze, blushing.

Her nightgown had no buttons on them. She had to take off the whole thing if she were to do as he said.

And so, she did. Sliding her nightgown off her head, she was now wearing nothing other than her black panties. She never wore a bra as her chest size was too small for it to be necessary.

And speaking about her panties, they were quite lewd in their appearance. Looking two sizes too small for her, they hugged her crotch naughtily, with her labia spilling out a little to the left and right.

Naturally, she covered her breasts with her hands as she placed the stethoscope on her heart. And when he finished, she quickly put her nightgown back on, forgoing his offer to play with his tool. To be frank, she was getting quite uncomfortable with the examination he was giving. And so she felt quite relieved when it ended and he gave her his analysis.

Followed by his price.

“Eh?” Her eyes widened. “That much?”

She lowered her sight, averting her gaze. “I-I can’t pay if it’s that much…”

[Mini Magi]

Just as he expected, so on the bright side: He was prepared for this case, grinning at her, he continued. "You're not the first to say that, so how about an arrangement?" Once he had her attention again, he continued. "Let me explain my situation first so you have a better picture. I look weird. Shocking, I know, but it makes getting an assistant needlessly difficult. You seem smart, you followed some simple orders so far, and you lack funds. So let's meet in the middle and have you work for me once you are back to full health." Truth be told, it came in really handy that she didn't have the money to pay him. Smart and patient folks were surprisingly rare, and he'd be dumb not to at least try and offer this deal now. 

"Your work would be mostly focussing on helping me make medicine. Grind up some herbs, operate a distillery, and go on errand trips every now and then. If it is something dangerous, I'll even come with you. An injured assistant can't assist so well after all. And as luck would have it-" he reached into his bag, having prepared something for just this occasion~ And after finding it, he held her a sheet of paper. "Here's the contract." Upon examining it further, it would turn out that there was no magic on it. It was simply a paper contract, which, according to its terms, would make her his assistant. She would provide work, while he would in turn provide anything reasonable for her base needs if needed, such as food and drink. But it also had a clause that this contract would be shown to the adventurer's guild, so that earnings from quests she might have time for, would go mostly towards paying off her debt, reducing earnings to basically pocket change. "It does have one drawback though. Food and drink cost me something, so it would increase your debt a little. My honest assumption: You'd be working for me for... 2, maybe 3 months. Aside from that, no catches. No hidden surprises."

[Sunshine]

“An arrangement?” She tilted her head.

She listened to what he had to propose intently, not missing every word he spoke. If he were to make her be indebted to him with an absurd interest rate, she would say no immediately! If you couldn’t pay your debts in this city, you’d be sold as a slave! And she’d rather die than to suffer that fate!

To her surprise, however, his offer was actually quite reasonable. She were to be his assistant and only until she recovered to full.

Only, she had to object.

“Your assistant?” She placed her hand on her chest. “Apologies. I am not really adept in the matter of medicines. I’m afraid I won’t be of much use to you, Sir Yul.”

But, it seemed that he insisted she would be able to do as he asked, to the point that he brought up a contract from his bag for her to sign.

Why does he have the contract pre-written?

Receiving the sheet of paper, the elf eyed it suspiciously before bringing it closer, reading it from top to bottom, not missing a single word.

And once again, to her surprise, she found nothing wrong in it. She agreed with siphoning the funds she’d get from her quests and of course, her food and drink would cost her. She was even surprised that he didn’t charge her for her lodgings. And of course, she didn’t find any hidden magic or invisible text either.

“Are you sure?” She looked at him in the eye. “Aren’t you being too generous?”

After he reassured her, she took a deep breath and signed the contract, her elegant, beautiful elvish handwriting adorning the contract in an instant.

[Mini Magi]

4 hours ago, Sunshine said:

“Your assistant?” She placed her hand on her chest. “Apologies. I am not really adept in the matter of medicines. I’m afraid I won’t be of much use to you, Sir Yul.”

A reasonable worry, but Yul pressed on. "I'm not expecting you to brew me elixirs. All you have to do is prepare ingredients for me. I'll handle the processing, and maybe occasionally, tell you to help me with that. Anything else, I'll teach you if I have to." Not too much, however. He was not eager to have competition on his level around. 

4 hours ago, Sunshine said:

“Are you sure?” She looked at him in the eye. “Aren’t you being too generous?”

Generosity had little to do with it. Of course he had one or two ulterior motives. But there was also something to consider most people did not. "Think of the bigger picture. Let's assume I got myself a slave as assistant instead, or put someone into ridiculous debt. Said assistant would most likely be unwilling to do what I tell them, which means I have to invest an absurd amount of time into training them. Someone who is in reasonable debt in comparison is a lot more motivated, works better, and doesn't feel the need to stab me in my sleep." That last one definitely had a different priority as the other reasons.

 

Once she signed the contract, Yul took it back, looked it over, and nodded. As far as business was concerned, they were done. Reaching for the medicine again, Yul handed her both little bottles with pills in them. "These antibiotics have to be taken every 8 hours. Or at least one in the morning when you wake up, one before you go to bed, and one in the middle of your day. And these painkillers, you can take 2 right now to make your day easier. But not more than 3 every 12 hours. Too much medicine is also not good for you. And yes, you can crush them into dust if you have trouble swallowing... heh." The thought he had was a lewd one, but who could blame him? He saw most of her body by now. Only one thing was left to take care of. "One more thing. Is this house yours, or do you just rent it? Because you might as well live at my place for a while. A roof over your head isn't included in the contract per se, but hey. Might as well save you the grueling walk to work every morning. Fair bit of warning though, I live a bit out of town." With everything important done, Yul began packing up his tools in an orderly fashion.

Edited August 23, 2022 by Mini Magi

[Sunshine]

“I’m not expecting you to brew me elixirs. All you have to do is prepare ingredients for me. I’ll handle the processing, and maybe occasionally, tell you to help me with that. Anything else, I’ll teach you if I have to.”

“Very well.” She bit her lip, still unsure. “If you say so.”

"Think of the bigger picture. Let's assume I got myself a slave as assistant instead, or put someone into ridiculous debt. Said assistant would most likely be unwilling to do what I tell them, which means I have to invest an absurd amount of time into training them. Someone who is in reasonable debt in comparison is a lot more motivated, works better, and doesn't feel the need to stab me in my sleep."

"I suppose you have a point," she replied, nodding. "And I assure you, I will do my tasks to the best of my abilities. " She placed her hand on her chest again, looking at him with the utmost seriousness. "This I swear as an elf and an adventurer."


Once their deal was finalized, he gave her the medicine she needed and the instructions on how to take them. She nodded vigorously, making sure to remember every word he said, missing the innuendo entirely in the process.

"I rented this house," she answered frankly. "If you would allow me to live with you, I would be most grateful. Walking in my current condition... like you said, it would be a grueling walk every morning and evening. And I don't mind in being out of town."

While he packed his tools, she rose up from her bed and made her way to the kitchen, using the water there to drink the drug he had just given.

“I’ll go to your place later. I still need to change my clothes and pack up my things here. Don’t worry. I think I can find your place just fine if I ask around.”

[Mini Magi]

"And ruin all the good work?" He asked mockingly. He got up, turned to her, and started following her to the kitchen, stopping at the door frame. "I'm gonna blame you being sick for not using your head right, but how do you think you'll make it to my place if you can just barely move around in your own home?" The gears in her head seemed to start to turn. Good~ He preferred it if it clicked on its own. "Here's the plan: You take all the time you need to recover. Going by experience, I'd say you'll be fine in 4 days, but let's add 3 more just to be sure every single annoying little hostile bacteria is as it should be: Dead. Read a book or two, practice magic, find a way to kill some time. I'll even come by again in two days, free of charge just to see if you're doing good. And after a week, I'll come around and pick you up. Sound good?" One last thing he had to give her. Nothing important at all, but still. Reaching into his bag one last time, he pulled out something on a small stick of wood, with its round end wrapped in paper. "The right answer earns you candy~" 

After leaving Palmyra to herself and her newly acquired lemon flavored lollipop, Yul went to the market, and back home. He was here already, after all, and had to prepare for long term company. A few days later, he came by as promised, and was pleased by the results, rewarding her with another lollipop. 

Yul on his own was already an odd character. So how odd could his home be? Well... She was free to judge that once they arrived there a week later. 

The whole area around his home was fenced off by large logs pointing upward. A classic wooden fence, with its tips being dangerously sharp. Climbing was an option of course, but with the fence being about 4 meters tall, it was easier said than done. "It's cozier inside, you'll see." Speaking of which, the inside had to be rather big considering how long the fence was. 

As for the way inside, there was a good old fashioned gate with a metal lock, and a few noteworthy things about it. The quickest thing to notice was a bell, with a sign reading Ring and wait 5 minutes. Could such a small bell be heard across the area? Upon closer examination, it turned out that there was some kind of spell on it. 
Next thing worth noting was a sign, reading Trespassers will be prostituted. No, you read that right. I have collars. "You'd be surprised how effective that warning is. Works on almost everyone."
There was also a small cut out at the gate itself, which seemed to open on the inside. "That's for when I arrive and people want to do business. Think of it as my humble store front." 

And with that all out of the way, Yul unlocked the gate, and pushed it open with his shoulder, giving away that it was actually quite heavy.

The inside was indeed a bit better, and organized with a 3x3 grid in mind.
At her right was a big field, taking up as much space as a 2x2 sized box, and was currently in use to grow produce, and herbs. 
To her left was a normal looking 2-story house, taking up a small square of 1x1. It also had a bell on it.
And lastly, there were some smaller buildings in the far back, 3 in total, and just as big as the house, and each had a bell. "Back there are my storage, laboratory, and... let's leave that last one as is for now. And I know it is all a lot to take in, but you can look around later. Let's get you to your room first." Sightseeing had to wait. 

Yul took her into the house, and the inside looked quite fine. The first floor was basically the living space, and combined both the living room and kitchen. Yul took her to the stairs in the back of the living room, and ended up in a hallway with 3 doors. "The one in the back is my room, the one in the left is what I call a proper bathroom, and this here is yours." Yul opened the last door for her, and let her explore the room that would be hers for a while. In his opinion, it was humble. But that was up to her to decide, because the mattress on her bed was ridiculously good. It had a little bounce to it, and was a bit harder than her previous one. He also put a dresser into that room, a mirror on one of its doors, and she'd see the field from the window. 

[Sunshine]

To her surprise, he stood up and stopped her right on her tracks, telling her to rest for the next week before coming to his house.

"Hmm?" She tilted her head. "Are you sure? Do you not wish for me to work for you straight away?”

Hearing his argument, she lowered her head. “I suppose you’re right… I’m in no condition to be your assistant right now…”

And so, it would not be until the next week that she would move in to his house. Before that, she would just rest here and drink his medicine, just like he instructed her to.

She didn't know why he gave her a lollipop though. She wasn't a child... But she went along with it anyway, licking it slowly once he was gone.

To her surprise, and joy, she immediately felt her condition improving just from a single day of her drinking his medicine. He wasn't a fraud like the other doctors. He really could cure her illness! And by the time the next week came, she was as fit as ever!

He came back a few days later to check on her condition. Pleased with what he saw, he gave her another lollipop. Once again, she could only take it without protesting.

When next week came, she was in the perfect condition for her to start working as his assistant, just like they had agreed. She packed up her things, wore her usual traveling attire, which was her green shirt and brown skirt, and departed with him to the other edge of the town.

ᅠ

So this is his place...

It's quite... hostile... for a lack of a better term... It's like he doesn't want anyone to come in...

He reassured her that it was cozier inside. Which might be true, for all she knew. But she would reserve her judgment once they stepped inside.

Still, his house was definitely a lot larger than hers. And, if she had to guess, he actually owned it instead of being a renter like her.

She followed her to the main gate where she quickly picked up on the sign that any trespassers would be prostituted. Wait, prostituted? That can't be right... Hold on, he has collars?

She glanced at him. To her horror, he admitted it was meant to sound that way.

"You... You can't be serious, can you?"

He then led her to a small cut on the gate, explaining to her that it was the place he used to sell his goods. "Here? Shouldn't you... you know, rent a proper shop?" she asked in disbelief.

Afterwards, he unlocked the gate and led her inside, pushing it open with his body. I guess the gate must be pretty heavy...

Inside, it was somewhat like she had imagined—a full and complete facility to make medicine, from growing the herbs all the way to processing and storing it. And yet she couldn't help but be impressed. He must be rich! To own this much land near the city...

At the main house, he quickly introduced the layout of the place before bringing her to where she would be staying.

And, once again to her surprise, it was a better arrangement than what she had in mind.

It's not that large but it's definitely cozy! And I can see outside as well from the window! This isn't like a servant's room at all!

She walked up to the bed and rested her bum on it. Immediately she could feel her cheeks sinking into the soft mattress.

T-this is amazing!

She stood back up and put her hand on her chest, staring at him with a serious look. "Thank you very much for your generosity, Sir Yul. I'll do my best as your assistant for as long as you require me to."

[Mini Magi]

Seems like he had his new assistant quite happy~ Good! "That's the spirit~ But, just call me Yul... Or Master if you feel particularly fancy." Latter was meant as a joke, but hey. She'd either get it, or he would get a huge ego boost. That was a win-win situation if he ever saw one. Crossing his arms, Yul leaned against the door frame as he continued. "Take your time to unpack and settle in. I'll go make us snacks in the meantime, and we'll get to what your job will mostly be about as soon as possible afterwards. Also, can you create water using magic by any chance? And if so, how much?" It could certainly make one part of the process a lot easier if so. 

[Sunshine]

"Master?" She tilted her head. I suppose I can call him that. I'm now his assistant after all.

"Water magic?" She replied to his question. "Yes, I can use water magic to create fresh water. Watch." Eyeing the room, she quickly found an empty glass sitting on the nearest table. Holding her hands near each other above it, she began to chant.

"O Lord of Water, grant me your blessing and strength!"

A small magic circle appeared between her legs, followed by an updraft of wind that flipped her skirt upwards, showing her lewd panties to him. Today she was wearing blue striped, as opposed to the black she wore last week.

Slowly, a ball of water formed between her hands, before dripping down into a small waterfall, filling the glass to the brim before she stopped the spell.

"There." She smiled, handing over the glass to him. "How did I do?"

[Mini Magi]

Yul watched with moderate interest as she performed since this was not the first time he saw magic... but it WAS the first time he caught a glimpse of her blue and white striped panties. Neat. Always could appreciate a girl with an eye for finer details. 

Once she was done, he chuckled. "Let's say it was very entertaining~" and went over to the glass to examine it closer. He held it to the window, closer to his face. His eyes seemed to shift for a moment, his irises becoming smaller... for a second at least. Satisfied, he turned to her. "If I seem a bit weird about water, take into consideration that every medicine worth selling starts with clean water. I have a distillery to make me clean water, but THIS?" He held the glass to her. "This could be bigger than you think. It's practically pure rain water. No minerals, no bacteria, no salts, literally nothing. If you can produce more of it, we could use the distillery to make alcohol instead. How much can you make per day? Try to measure in barrels." Granted, he had other work for her in mind, and magic tended to be tiring. Still, it wouldn't hurt to know her limits.

Edited September 9, 2022 by Mini Magi

[Sunshine]

His reaction to her magic took her by surprise. Pure water? She didn't understand what he meant. It was just water. It was what she would drink in her outings as an adventurer since drinkable water could be hard to find at times.

"W-well, if you ask me..." She paused, trying to think up an answer to his question. "I suppose if I try really hard, I could produce about ten full waterskins worth of water in a day..."

[Mini Magi]

A waterskin was roughly 1000ml as far as he knew. So... "10 liters, huh?" His excitement took a bit of a nosedive at that. Not that it wasn't good, and hey, it was still a quick and easy way to get water. Even if it wasn't by the barrel. If anything, he just had to re-think how to use this new resource. "Guess I'll keep using the distillery for water then. BUT, I'll keep you in mind for emergencies." If that was her absolute most, it would probably exhaust her quite a lot to make so much water on a daily basis. So yeah. Emergency use only. 

"Don't worry about it. Your main job is something else after all, remember?" With that in mind, he had to start with that in a bit. . "Take a few minutes to unpack your things, then come down. I'll make you a bottle with sweet tea, and then we'll go and introduce you to your actual job. Sound good?" After she confirmed, Yul went out of her room to give her some privacy, and prepare.

 

Once she was down, Yul had indeed prepared a bottle of tea for her. It rested on the table in the middle of the kitchen. But what was more important was the scent. There was the scent of something really really sweet in the air. Like cooked fruits or something. On the other end of the table was also a strange apparatus. A base with a crank, and a bottle beside it with a wide opening. "Ah there you are. And just in time too. Can you bring those over?" Yul was busy at the stove from which the sweet scent originated, and pointed to a good amount of trays. Each had shapes in them, like stars, clams, and fish. The material they were made from was soft, and there were about 10 trays of each shape around. 

[Sunshine]

"Y-yes... Unfortunately that's all I can do in a day..." She looked down, her fingers fiddling with the hem of her miniskirt. She was slightly ashamed by her lack of talent in magic, especially since she was an elf and all, who was supposed to be really talented at that kind of stuff. "Any more than that and I might faint from it, I'm afraid..."

Quote

"Don't worry about it. Your main job is something else after all, remember?" With that in mind, he had to start with that in a bit. . "Take a few minutes to unpack your things, then come down. I'll make you a bottle with sweet tea, and then we'll go and introduce you to your actual job. Sound good?"

"Yes." The elf nodded, placing a hand on her chest. "Thank you very much for your kindness, Master. I swear to you, by my pride as an adventurer, I will not disappoint you." 

She had decided to call him with that honorable title since he had been so good to him. Might as well start now.

Once he left, she quickly unpacked her things from her bag. The contents were mostly her personal effects—mainly her clothes and underwear. The only weapon she brought was the dagger she used for melee combat, which she would prefer not to get into. When she was far from the opponent, she would use her magic to conjure a bow and arrow instead. Far more practical than bringing the real deal.

She put her shirt, skirts, panties, and socks inside the wardrobe her new Master had provided. It was quite spacious and she barely filled half of it when she finished unpacking.

Finished, she unbuttoned her cape and hung it on the coat hanger in the corner of the room before making her way downstairs.

ᅠ

When she arrived, she was greeted by a curious sweet scent, almost to the point of sickening. Her eyes landed on the table in the middle of the kitchen, where there was indeed a bottle of tea, just like he promised. The smell can't be coming from it, can it?

Her gaze then switched to the unfamiliar apparatus at the other end of the table. Is that one of the tools he uses to make his medicines? I remember seeing something like that in an alchemy shop somewhere before...

Quote

"Ah there you are. And just in time too. Can you bring those over?"

"These?" She looked to where he pointed. There were trays on top of the table he pointed at and there were... things on them with all sorts of shapes.

Are those... cookie doughs?

She gave him a confused look before walking over and grabbing a tray, bringing it over to where he was.

"I suppose you want me to put them in there?" She glanced at the stove beside him. "I can do that much."

Now that she was this close to it, her nose wrinkled at the overwhelming sweet scent emanating from it. So the scent comes from there... Are cookie doughs supposed to smell like this?

Edited September 15, 2022 by Sunshine

[Mini Magi]

Once she was closer, the mystery of the scent revealed itself. He was cooking some kind of single colored substance in 3 small pots, stirring it up with a wooden, sturdy looking laddle. Red, yellow, and green, each smelling a bit different from the other. "Yup. Now pick one and put it together with one of its same kind. See how they have half a hole at the top? That's where this stuff has to go into." Once she tried, yeah. They indeed could be put together and stuck to each other when done so. "Ready when you are." 

Once she picked out a shape, Yul carefully poured the liquid into it, of course being very careful not to get any of this hot stuff on her hands. "Good. Now put that against the wall so it doesn't pour out." And that then repeated itself as many times as needed. Some time later, they were left with a good lineup of filled up shapes and 3 empty pots. "Usually I would wait until they have all cooled down, buuuuut..." Just in case, Yul took out a small notebook and started searching for something in it. "Nope... A bit too strong... That's more ice than cold... Ah this one. Can you cast this?" Yul turned it to her, and despite the small size, it had all the important information for a cold spell right there. Depending on the style of the caster: An incantation, runes, a spellcircle, even detailed moments when to focus mana where depending on each method. Granted, the spell was not a difficult one to begin with, but even a novice would be able to cast this cold air spell.

[Sunshine]

What are those?

She raised an eyebrow at the sight of the pots. She wasn't sure what they were. But judging from the smell, they were probably some sort of cookie filling?

She did as he instructed, picking out a shape for him to pour the liquid to. "I'm ready." She declared. She didn't flinch in the slightest, trusting him to not mess it up and pour the boiling filling on her hand.

Repeat that some number of times, and now every single dough was filled up. And the pots were empty as well. It's as if he measured it perfectly...

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"Usually I would wait until they have all cooled down, buuuuut..." Just in case, Yul took out a small notebook and started searching for something in it. "Nope... A bit too strong... That's more ice than cold... Ah this one. Can you cast this?" 

She squinted at said notebook.

"You... want me to cast this?" She looked at him. "Hmm..." She glanced at the notebook again. "Yes, I believe I can."

She put down the tray she was holding on the nearest table before taking the same stance she took before when she was about to cast her water spell.

"O Lord of Ice, grant thy servant the boon of stasis and tranquility!"

A small magic circle appeared between her legs, followed by an updraft of wind that flipped her skirt upwards, displaying her blue-striped panties to him once again. A swirling gust of cold appeared between her palms. Quickly, she directed it towards the cookie doughs.

[Mini Magi]

Yul was glad he stood a bit out of her field of view, because he was not sure how to explain where his eyes went for a second if she had asked about it. "Note to self: Try to not let her cast in public." There were things he would gladly share. Her... privacy, was not one of them. 

Her spell worked quite well too. That swirling gust cooled down the entire room, and definitely did so with the shaped trays too. Yul waited a few seconds, watching her condition as well, until he held a hand up. "Alright. That's enough. Now for the moment of truth." Once she stopped her spell, Yul grabbed one of the shapes and cracked it open, examined it, and... grinned. This was PERFECT. Oh but of course, explanations were in order, so he grabbed a bowl, and hit the bowl with the tray carefully, making clam shaped red candies pop out. That entire process was for making fruity and sweet, hard candy. What he had cooked up was in hindsight some kind of syrup. "Pretty good job if I may flatter myself. Curious what they are for?" While talking, he grabbed the next tray, and the next, and the next, emptying them one after another. He also added some white powder into the bowl and mixed it around by shaking it around a little. By the scent, it was definitely sugar. "While I don't struggle for money... I mean seriously, did you see this place? I'm good. But I don't wanna be caught off guard, so I'm always looking for one or another extra thing to sell people. And you'll never guess whom I'll sell these to." One all of them were out of the trays and in the bowl, Yul took them to the device mentioned earlier, unscrewed the big glass jar, poured all candies in there, and closed the jar again. "Want some by the way? Hold your hand here." The device had a little pipe and crank. One she held her hand to the pipe, he turned the crank, and a few pieces of multi-colored candies fell into her hand. The yellow ones were citric, probably lemons and oranges. The red one tasted like sweet berries. And the green ones were surprisingly not mint, but apples. "Done guessing? Sailors. And the best part: I'm sending YOU to sell them to the local harbormaster." Yup. He'd send her, the just hired help to be a saleswoman. Whenever it was genius or lunacy was up to her to decide if she felt like it. "But I'm not sending you in without a battle plan of course." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a sealed letter and held it to her. "Once he asks why he should buy these, open this up, and read it out. And now the 100 gummy points question: Can you guess why I don't go myself?"

[Sunshine]

The moment he told him to stop, she stopped. She didn't want to ruin his work after all.

She then watched with eagle eyes as he poured the tray into the bowl one by one. Only then she knew for sure what he was doing, which was making hard candies.

How odd... I wouldn't expect that from a healer... Maybe he just likes making them?

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Pretty good job if I may flatter myself. Curious what they are for?

"Yes, I am curious," she answered honestly. "Do you just like making them or are you planning to sell them? With this many of them, I don't believe the two of us could eat all of them, even if we want to..."

When he answered that he was planning the latter, her ears perked up in surprise.

"Really? You want to sell them? I thought you're a healer..." But just like he said, I suppose an extra income wouldn't hurt...

He then brought the now filled bowl to the device from before, pouring all its contents into the glass jar, before ordering her to place her hand at a certain part of the device.

Well, no harm in it, it seems...

Placing her hand to the pipe, she watched as he turned the crank.

*Plop*

Something soft landed on the palm of said hand.

Hmm?

*Plop* *plop*

She looked down and saw that candies were dropping out of the pipe.

Oh, it's a candy-making machine…

She brought the candies closer to her face, her eyes examining every detail.

Makes sense... The candies I saw from before weren't really ready to be sold in their current form. Now though, I reckon they can be sold for a pretty handsome price...

Let's have a taste, shall we?

She picked one with her other hand and put it inside her mouth.

*slurp*

*slurp* *slurp*

Her eyes jolted wide.

T-this is—!

This is delicious!

The perfect blend of bitterness and sweetness! And the hint of acidic taste makes it better than the sum of their parts!

Not only is he an excellent healer but he's also a top-class candy maker as well!

Greedily, she ate every single one of them, not realizing the fact that he was watching her. In fact, she gave him quite a show, as the way she licked those candies were… strangely sensual, to say the least.

When she finished, he revealed that she was to sell those candies to the sailors at the harbor.

"Eh?" She turned to face him, raising her eyebrows. "You want to sell these candies to sailors? I don't think that's a good idea… What kind of sailors would eat candies for starters…"

"But, if you say so, then I suppose I could try…" He was her employer after all. It was not her place to question his judgment.

She received the letter with care, storing it inside her skirt's pocket. It seemed that despite its length, it had a surprisingly roomy storage space.

"Why won't you go yourself? Well, maybe you're just not that good of a negotiator?"

Her answer was precise and blunt, owing to the sharp tongue she possessed. Unfortunately, it was a flaw that she had no plans to fix anytime soon.

[Mini Magi]

A bad negotiator? Him? "Bad guess. You lose 50 gummy points for that one. Especially considering I got YOU in a pretty good deal." That investment pretty much paid for itself already, giving him surprisingly lewd displays here and there. But moving on, he had to focus. "But no. The reason is that people are naturally on edge around me. And any kind of testosterone guided male seems to feel the need to challenge me. So for the sake of me not tearing through the entire harbor, I'm instead sending my from top to bottom, adorable little assistant. Good looks might be a minor factor when it comes to talking to people, but intimidating looks are definitely a bad one." Plus, she would have 100% of their attention once she used that letter. As far as he was concerned, he wasn't playing checkers, but underwater, upside down, 4D chess. This plan pretty much could not fail. And even if it would, the loss would be minimal.

Yul wend to the sink and washed his hands off the powdered sugar remains, then looked trough his pockets, and held his hand to her afterwards. "In case you get hungry or thirsty along the way." When putting her hand under his, he dropped a couple silver coins into her hand. Enough money for a little treat. As for drink, she had a bottle of sweet tea still on the table. Lastly, he went through his cupboards and pulled out an empty backpack, into which he carefully stuffed the candy dispenser. Carrying that thing with one's hands was really not impossible, but it was uncomfortable. With it now stowed away and ready to be transported, Yul turned to Palmyra. "Need anything else? If not, you should probably get going." 

[Sunshine]

A bad negotiator? Him? "Bad guess. You lose 50 gummy points for that one. Especially considering I got YOU in a pretty good deal." 

"Oh?" She tilted her head. "I was wrong?"

"But no. The reason is that people are naturally on edge around me. And any kind of testosterone guided male seems to feel the need to challenge me. So for the sake of me not tearing through the entire harbor, I'm instead sending my from top to bottom, adorable little assistant. Good looks might be a minor factor when it comes to talking to people, but intimidating looks are definitely a bad one." 

"People are naturally on edge around you, Master?" 

She thought back to the day when they first met.

And quickly decided that yes, he was right.

After receiving all she would need for her travels, including the machine he had used to make the candies, stored safely inside her bag, she departed.

ᅠ

The harbor was located at the northern edge of the city. It took her about an hour or so to walk there, as the city's streets were quite labyrinth-like, purposefully made so by the architects of ages past to confuse any invading armies that might occupy it. Not to mention the machine weighing her back. She had to ask around for directions as she had never been to the place before.

When she arrived, she was greeted by the sight of a bustling market. It was the third day of the week, meaning, it was time for the weekly fish bazaar. The place was filled to the brim with fish vendors yelling on their lungs to attract customers, something that her sensitive ears didn't really appreciate.

Not having any other choice, she entered the crowd.

So loud… it's giving me a headache… I wish I can just— Kyah!

A hand squeezed her butt from behind.

She jerked around. No one was there. Whoever the perpetrator was, he was already gone, blending himself inside the crowd.

Her gaze turned cold. Perverts. How she hated them. This wasn't the first time she got groped in the middle of a crowd like this.

She quickly checked her belongings, making sure nothing was missing in case it was also a thief. Good. Everything seems to be in order.

I should ask around. The harbormaster's office must be somewhere around here.