Neria arrived at the apothecary twenty minutes earlier than Oras had requested.
He noticed.
Naturally.
He was at the back of the shop, standing before a table where he had left a long wooden box open. When Neria entered, still adjusting the strap of her bag on her shoulder, Oras looked first at her, then at the clock on the wall, and finally back at the box.
"Twenty minutes."
Neria stopped.
"Early."
"I can count."
"You complained when I arrived twelve minutes late."
"Arriving too early is a waste of time too."
She narrowed her eyes.
"You're a very difficult person to please."
"That's why I still have an apothecary."
Neria placed her bag near the wall and approached. A thick cloth covered something inside the box, and the scent escaping from it was too faint to identify immediately. Earthy. A little sweet. Something bitter underneath.
"Is this it?"
"It is."
"Where did it come from?"
