Antioch rounded the corner, finishing his walk back to the store, finding a crowd, full of many familiar faces, lining the street, blocking the entrance in. He continued his way up, nearing the edge, trying to figure out a way through.
As he was thinking, someone at the edge turned around, facing Antioch, before they called, "Oh, Antioch, I am grateful to see you! Everyone, make way, for this is who we have been waiting for this whole time!"
As the message rang around the street, others turned to face him, seeing his white coat and name, inscribed next to the title, alchemist, before stepping aside, letting him pass through to the front. At the door, Antioch turned and waved at everyone, calling out, "Thank you, I am working hard today to help as many people as possible, I hope I can't get to every last one of you, I will see you all again quite soon!"
Cheers came from parts of the crowd, as Antioch opened and passed through, back into his store, walking into a rush of others making their exit. He was pushed to the side, half of the patients leaving without anything in hand.
Antioch walked to Ghale, rushing back and forth getting different items ready for their many patients, tapping them on the shoulder.
"Has everything been okay so far?" Antioch asked, wondering what could be making Ghale act so frantically.
Ghale looked over to him, a stressful look adorned on her face, softening as she realized who she was looking at, "It has been absolute insanity here so far, I am so relieved that you are back. We have already gone through half of the creams you made this morning, I don't know if they will make it through the day."
"We are doing everything we can, you especially, holding over everything while I tried to help us, so thank you My supplier had been picked through by the time I went back, so what we have is everything. All that we can do is try and ration things out between any patient we get the rest of the day," spoke Antioch in a calming manner, as smoothly as he could.
Ghale nodded, understanding what they must do. They both grabbed jars of cream, as well as empty jars, scooping out mounds of cream into the new ones. Each new container was labeled on the lid with its name and use with an ink-tipped reed, one of Antioch's own. They brought the creams back together, placing them back on the shelf, back to 100 jars, each half-full.
Ghale looked over, her stomach growling after a stressful day, "I am going to eat my meal, call out if you need me for anything."
Antioch nodded, turning back towards the front where crowds of people were entering and leaving every minute, bringing forth a face of help, one that those coming in would seek to help in this time of need.
Over the next few hours, Antioch worked to help any that needed it, showing many how to use different creams and solutions for many different ways, most coming for the burn cream. He showed them how to put it on, how often they should use it, what to watch out for in the burns, everything they could possibly need. After each patient, he awaited even a shred of acknowledgement of him as a person, but he found that as everyone walked away with a 'thank you', he never received a question of how he was, how he was holding up these days, only superficial nonsense.
Between patients, Antioch took time to eat the remainders of what he brought for breakfast, anything that could keep him feeling well. By the time the day wound down, Antioch was a tired wreck, his eyes drooping and smile far gone.
He looked around, seeing many others cleaning up the front, putting away jars and other materials, ones used to make other remedies. Each was tucked away into their respective section, the alchemy store looking spotless by the time they were done. Ghale walked up, no worse for wear than Antioch, saying one thing, "See you tomorrow, Antioch, Ghale out." She walked away, no energy in her step, grabbing her bag on the way, leaving the shop.
As the door opened, Antioch saw the sunset, shadows dancing over the door before it closed behind her. He had a few different things that he had to do before he could leave. He walked back to the storage shelves, eyeing down each section full of materials. He noted any that displayed any sign of shortage, seeing the empty kurdta berry spot, sighing. In the future, he could not let Rohan buy up his supply and stave his people of what they need; he had to be on top of things.
He massaged his forehead, switching to rubbing his chin as he thought about everything he finished today, wondering if there was anything he could do to improve his and everyone else's experiences for tomorrow. As he was thinking, he remembered about his home, of the damage caused by the beast, the one he hated, the busy day whisking any thoughts of it away. He had to board up his home in preparation for tonight.
After he grabbed the boards, he took off his white coat, hanging it on the wall next to Ghale's, both splaying the symbol of alchemy. He thought more about if this work right now was really worth it, worth putting everything he had, while he himself had so much to work on. He dismissed the thought, he signed up to provide help in times of need, this was one of those, he was needed, despite the fact no one acknowledged that he was. He started towards the door, reaching up and turning the knob.
When he opened the door to outside, he saw the last rays of sunlight passing below the horizon, darkness starting to take hold over the town. No stores would be open at the time, so he wouldn't be able to buy any material to fix the holes throughout the lower floor of his home. Looking around the store, he saw some extra wooden boards bought to fix the store up, so he picked them up, planning to use them tonight.
As he left and closed up for the night, the streets were barren, no noise wafting throughout. The town was lifeless, a shell of its former glory.
The door closed behind him, echoing throughout the streets. As he started moving forward, he scanned the sky, checking for any rising smoke or fires. To the right, small plumes of smoke with a touch of flame billowed from the center of town, distinct and vibrant against the dark night sky.
Antioch saw these things, quickening his pace back towards his home, cutting back through the market. At the entrance, shops, colorful umbrellas, and tarps were pulled down, exposing the market to moonlight. Areas full of vibrancy and bustling activity were now absent, full of the quiet hum of scorches across town.
Passing Sadanha's stall, Antioch looked inside, seeing only empty boxes, usual for him as he took his stock home, combing through and removing any expiring goods and adding fresh ones from his reserves. He continued past, walking beneath the closed umbrellas, staying close to the side, away from excess exposure. He would need to keep on going, anything to reach home safely. The night was still young, anything could happen.