I have basically spent a total of over a week and 2 days in this place now and I only have another one week to spare as I do not know the approximate time the duchess well be at the orphanage, all I know is that it was the middle of the 5th month. Now is the 4th at it's 3rd week so I better be careful at keeping track of time. Otherwise, I'll miss my chance and another hassle may commence.
My older sisters does not like the idea of me spending time with an old man alone in his hut and they tried to lecture me of its dangers but I sneak out anyways. I get where they are coming from but what's more important is for me to obtain this knowledge and potion that'll cost me a lifetime rather than the advises of whores. I have basically become his apprentice at this point, since he can't do much of the teaching, he does a lot of lecturing and ordering me around instead. Most of the stuff he tried to teach me about aren't even related to eye potions but rather chemistry itself. I told him I know a few self-taught concoctions and he basically focused on that, which irritates me.
"Now give me 5 pulps of night shades", he ordered as he was stirring the cauldron while I only stared at him.
"It's been a few days, think you can teach me that magic trick"
"Ha! Impatient brat", he laughed while I roll my eyes.
"Don't you roll your eyes at me, young lady. I've told you about how the potion works already"
"Then why are we not testing it"
"Because we do not have the ingredients for it"
"A sham, I say. You've never performed it before", I raged suspiciously as I crossed my arms.
"In fact I have, many times. Back when I was a lad and stealing jewelries from a local markets. I had a distinctive eye color but then and when I put on that potion, they never even guessed it really was me", he bragged while I got the ingredient he needed.
I tapped his arm and handed it to him.
"Thank you--*cough!*"
He kept coughing for a solid while as I looked out the tiny window above his bed overlooking the manor since I heard horses. The whole place is being lit so there must be a lot of costumers tonight.
'I better get back before it gets too dark'
"My books…they are the only memory I have of this world…take them when I'm gone", the quack suddenly spoke in a melancholic tone while still continuing his work.
"Without a doubt, I know I am not your only student"
"Yes, yes. I have given my other pupils some of my work as well but you, however, is by far the best one yet", he twirled his index around the air and the window in front of me closed.
"You're gonna catch a cold again, fear not I will send you back myself", he assured me.
As we continued on our work quietly, we could hear the party from the manor getting louder and louder.
"The others only thought of me as a quack like everyone else does while you…well, you still think of me as a quack but you heed my teachings well and do not insult them"
'I'm pretty sure, I just did'
"Are you scared of being forgotten?"
"No, but you are the last person I am spending my final days with. I can only live one life, I thought I could help you with as much as I could", he smiled and pat my hair.
"Now, come along. We need to make more medicine for your sisters", he said as he took the basket and lamp outside while opening the door for me.
I put on my hood and followed him out in the cold. I get sick easily because of the weather but he heals me anyway, contrary to what the ladies believe that it wasn't his specialty. I was wary of him at first, after all no matter how much of a quack he is, he is still a wizard but after a while of observing him I learned that he is by far the kindest man I have come across with in this life. If he had been travelling and discovered Lupa, I'm sure he would've helped her.
He only appeared for a mere few sentences in the story but I had fun exploring his lore as an insignificant background character. In books, they are mere ink written by the command of the authors (the oracles) but as a person, he is very much living like the rest of us. I tend to get this sort of fascination with the characters I spent with, after all I have only ever learned of them to be something intangible. I viewed them as pages nothing more and nothing less, I forget that I am now in that book as well and therefore living as one of them. I get to know the characters I heavily criticized and paid no mind to.
Being at peace for the moment and not constantly tense with anticipation for danger is a new feeling I have yet to cope with here. And dealing with my brewing patience.
"Do these potions apply to Spi En as well?", I asked curiously since she is rumored to be infertile after all.
"In a way it does. She may be infertile but that doesn't mean she can't have false pregnancies. Her infertility is simply that her womb cannot host a living being and it'll just bleed out of her so it is best to prescribe her like the rest", I paused and turned to look at him.
"How long have you been here?"
"Not long enough for me to have saved them". Judging by the course of the story, although not a perfect estimate but they must have been here since they were young teens. They all look foreign, the madame had practically raised them.
"What are you a saint?", I scoffed and plucked more dried herbs.
"Nope. Just an old man whose got nothing left to lose"
"How about losing that formula so I can finally change my eye color", I rolled my eyes.
"Tsk. Such a sour brat, this is why I never wanted children", he shook his head heavily judging me.
"You'll figure it out when you get the ingredients yourself. You're such a smart kid aren't you? Now come and scratch my back for me, it's itching like crazy", he gestured to his back and sat down.
"Just shower yourself with boiling water, that's more effective"
….
By the time I finished with my last lesson of the day, it was already close to midnight. I do not usually go back this late but since there are costumers, the old quack found it inappropriate to send me there while they were still having a 'party'. He allowed me dinner as well, even though he sucks at cooking and I mostly did the job.
"There, thank the madame for the foods for me, well ya?", the old quack bid goodbye after sending me to the backyard of the manor.
I thought they had finished entertaining the guests since it sounded peaceful from the outside but the moment I got in, it turns out they were as loud sounds of yelling and screaming with blaring crashing sounds echoing around the place but this time it wasn't from sex.
"You sneaky bitch!", a drunken man yelled as he was pulling unto a courtesan's arm tightly and shoved her away.
*CRASH!*
"You dare to steal money from me?! Huh!", crying but not facing the man as she tried to keep a straight face was none else than Spi En who now has a small wound on her leg and a messy appearance. So she had fought with one of the customers.
*CRASH!* There the man was, he's throwing whatever he can find which reminded me of my father.
"Dear Customer--Sir, please calm down!", The other ladies and the madame have been trying to call him out as best they could but there was no getting through a drunk man's skull. The other male parties were only standing by and watching the argument from their rooms, some not even paying attention to anything else but their 'activity'.
"You think you can get away with everything just because yer pretty? You good for nothing whore!"
*SMACK!*
"SIR!"
"Oh my god!", the ladies exclaimed and those who weren't busy with their customers rushed to Spi En's side. It was but a quick second but it relived my fear of men at that moment when I realized that he had smacked her head with glass.
"That is enough out of you!", the madame pushed the man away.
"Guards! Take this rude scum away from my manor!", the madame ordered profusely as she stood her ground.
"She's bleeding!", Juna panicked.
It's a normal occurrence around here for the women to be disrespected but never to this extent, probably the worst recent case after that suicide from one of the ladies a few months back or so I heard. The man didn't seem like backing down from the argument anytime soon but Spi En was gushing rivers with her tears so the male helpers had to escort him out while the ladies rushed for Spi En's aid.
"Spi En, what has gotten into you!"
"You could have been killed!", the ladies and the madame nagged worriedly as they rushed to stop the bleeding.
"I-I was just trying to get some spare"
"Are you even alright?"
"Do you want to leave that badly?", one of the girls berated her to try and calm her down.
"As much as I value this place and its people, I hate it here! This is a home but it's no less than a prison cell and a pig pin", Spi En bursted out.
A moment of silent passed with a mixture of angered and worried responses coming from the others while they let her break down but the more they looked at her and their own bruised up bodies, they began to sympathize with her as they felt disgusted with themselves and holding back tears. All the while trying to comfort each other.
They couldn't really do much after the incident. The others still had to go back to work and act like nothing happened for the sake of courtesy for the other customers. Spi En was allowed rest by the madame and so she was left alone after treating her wound.
I went on to reviewing my lessons but then she called me out of my room and asked if she could stay with me. I didn't answer, she just welcomed herself into my chamber and started her embroidery as I continued on with my own chore. Sometimes I think this girl has a split personality. How she just turned to rampage and cried her heart out minutes ago to calmly sewing with that fake smile of hers now that she's with me. I heard from the madame that whenever she is in the presence of children, she feels the most calm so I guess that's Spi En's mechanism for comfort.
Her once flawless skin now covered with bruises from kiss marks, her wounded leg and bandages wrapped on her head. Her smile looked even the more disturbing with the chipped bruise on her lip and her bruising teary right eye. I observed how she gently turns the fabric in her delicate fingers and saw that the design she's making was quite extravagant but I can tell from all the unusual pattern she's using that she is not coping well.
"Do you wish to escape?", I had the sudden urge to ask her because I disliked how her gloomy atmosphere is disrupting my quite.
A moment of silence passed where she stared at me and a soft giggle escape her throat.
"You saw that didn't you?".She turned silent again and sighed before looking down at her work.
"Yes, I do"
"Want me to get you out of here?", Spi En turned to me with the most delighted face as if I had made the funniest joke and laughed.
"Oh, what can a child do for someone like me?", she insulted herself.
"Plenty of favor"
"I appreciate the offer little one, but please do not mind me and my lapses. Your presence is more than enough to console me"
Hmm. Such a big, big world, but such small mind. She doesn't even try to think of grandeur.