Mallside 9: Waaagh!

[Gullara]

[Erin's Emporium]

If the woman chooses to go inside, she won't find Dorota there, however, but instead a young woman with dark skin, curly hair, and, curiously, a pair of small horns. Syela leans against the counter, looking really bored to be working the front today. There are sooo many things she'd rather be doing right now. Oh well.

[Artemis97]

[Erin's Emporium]

The woman enters the store and briefly glances around before settling on the shopkeep, Syela. Her eyes go a bit wide as she notices the horns on the young woman's head, but after a brief moment, she gathers herself and asks "Excuse me, I was told I could find an alchemist here who may be able to help me. My daughter has fallen ill with a strange disease. I need a cure, quickly." Though she kept herself under control, there was a tinge of desperation in her voice.

[Gullara]

[Erin's Emporium]

"Uh, Dorota's a bit bu-" Syela stops when she sees how desperate the woman looks. "You know what, let me just go get her. Just, hold on one sec." With that she will hurry off toward Dorota's lab.

"Dorota?" She says as soon as she steps inside. "There's some woman up front looking for you. Something about a sick kid."

[Morty]

[Erin's Emporium]

"Must be pretty serious if she's going directly to me," Dorota says, looking up from what looks like a large patch of particularly ripe mould in a glass tube. "Well, this particular test needs to sit here for a while, anyway. I can see what it's about."

After following Syela to the front of the store, Dorota stops in her tracks when she sees the woman. Is that... can't be. Not now.

The customer will see a slim young woman dressed in a long white labcoat. Her hair is long, blonde and slightly ruffled, as if it was kept bound up for a while. She's wearing glasses and her eyes are bright green. There's a ring on her left hand. All in all, she looks just like the teenager who left her home years ago, but older.

Syela might notice some striking resemblance between the two women now that they're facing each other. It's obscured by very different life paths, but there. The eye colour, the hair, the line of their faces. Dorota is more stupefied than her apprentice has ever seen her - normally calm, composed and haughty, she's now struggling for something to say. She narrows her eyes and forces herself into calmness. It might be just a coincidence, so she needs to avoid blowing up at an unfortunate random woman.

"...hello. I'm Dorota Sergéon, and I'm told you need my help with a medicine. May I ask your name, ma'am?"

[Artemis97]

[Erin's Emporium]

Shock and surprise came over the women when she sees Dorota. There was no mistaking her.

"You very well know my name, Dorota." There was pain and confusion in her words. "Or do you not recognize your own mother?"

[Gullara]

[Erin's Emporium]

Syela's eyes go wide. Ohhh... This is... awkward. Syela may not know the history Dorota has with her mother, but the tone this meeting is already taking is telling. She simply moved back slightly and stays quiet for now.

[Morty]

[Erin's Emporium]

Dorota sighs and rests her forehead on her hands for a moment.

"Of course I recognized you," she says. "I just..." she almost says "Hoped I was wrong", but something makes her change it to: "...how could I expect you, of all people, to come here? You and father had made it very clear that when I left with Master Svatopluk, it was for good." She looks her mother straight in the eyes. "Syela said something about a sick child. Did one of my sisters fall ill? Or one of their children?"

[Artemis97]

[Erin's Emporium]

"It's your sister, Wanda." She explains, her voice becoming increasingly frantic. "Something's eating her up inside, something unnatural. She's wasting away. The medicine we've got is barely helping her. I didn't know where else to turn. I thought an Alchemist could help. But it's you! You'll help your sister, of course." In her mind, Dorota could do nothing less.

[Morty]

[Erin's Emporium]

It must be pretty serious if the alchemists back home couldn't help. For the briefest time, Dorota considers saying "no". She doesn't owe her family a damn thing. But then...

"I will. You married her off to that creepy old textile merchant, didn't you? She's been through enough already. She deserves that from someone who got luckier," she says, failing to keep bitterness from her tone. "It's a good thing I got away after all, isn't it? Who'd have thought."

[Artemis97]

[Erin's Emporium]

Garzyna takes a deep breath, stopping herself from yelling at her daughter, but it doesn't stop the comment. "Yes, it's a good thing we were kind enough to allow you to take that apprenticeship."

[Recaiden]

[Wish Kiosk]

One of those stalls that sells overpriced knick-knacks, appearing and vanishing from day to day. Along with selling little good luck charms and fortune-telling tools, this one purports to grant wishes. And perhaps they're willing to use inaccurate weights on the scales that judge what can be wished for. Perhaps its all magic tricks and it's a huge scam. It remains to be seen.

A long-necked, horned girl who otherwise looks like a standard teenage mall employee is sitting on a three legged stool, smiling cheerily at passersby.

[Morty]

[Erin's Emporium]

"And it only took a fat bag of silver for father to agree, and for you to meekly go along with it," Dorota says, before getting a grip on herself. "Regardless... I'll do my best, for Wanda's sake, but I'm going to need a precise description of the symptoms, and the progress of the disease."

[Artemis97]

[Erin's Emporium]

Garzyna does her best to describe her daughter's symptoms as accurately as possible to Dorota. She's nervous and has to go back to recall things a few times, but a clear picture is eventually made out.

[Morty]

[Erin's Emporium]

Dorota listens, and takes some notes. Her focus on her craft temporarily replaces her deep-seated resentment.

"It... sounds like some sort of supernatural parasite," she says with concern. "It won't be easy. But I'll do my best."

[Artemis97]

[Erin's Emporium]

"A Parasite?" Her mother echoes, a tremble of fear in her voice.

[Morty]

[Erin's Emporium]

"I can't see what else might have caused that. Some... small creature must have invaded her body," Dorota says, shifting her mental gears to explain it in a simple manner. "So I'll need to prepare something that will expel it safely. I should be able to do it with the right materials."

She wonders. Would her mother be equally concerned if it was her on death's door? Or does she reserve that for those of her daughters who obediently went along with her husband's wishes?

[Artemis97]

[Erin's Emporium]

"Is there anything I can do to help?" Garzyna asks, "Anything to make the process faster?" She was worried Wanda didn't have much time.

[Morty]

[Erin's Emporium]

"I..." Dorota hesitates. She was going to ask if her mother has any money put aside for this purpose. This is going to be a time-consuming project, and she has her own work. But asking for money when her sister's life is at stake just feels wrong. "...don't think so. I'll work as fast as I can and my other projects allow." She pauses, then adds, with visible reluctance: "I'll keep you updated on my progress. Where are you staying?"

[Artemis97]

[Erin's Emporium]

"I'm staying at the Temperance Teahouse. Funny little foreign place, but it was recommended as being quiet and safe." she explains.

[Morty]

[Erin's Emporium]

Dorota pauses. This is awkward. She likes the Temperance Teahouse, and visits it with Crissy every now and then. Running into her mother there is something she'd rather avoid... hopefully she'll get back home once the cure is finished.

"I know of it. I go there with my wife sometimes." Might as well get that out of the way as soon as possible. "I'll find you there as soon as I have any progress."

[Artemis97]

[Erin's Emporium]

Garzyna blinks. Did she just say... "Your wife?"

[Morty]

[Erin's Emporium]

"Yes, mother dear, I'm a married woman now," Dorota says, looking at Garzyna above her glasses and smiling slightly. Her mother's confusion amuses her. "To another woman. If that's confusing to you, just imagine what it felt like on my side."

[Artemis97]

[Erin's Emporium]

Panic spread across her mother's face as she searched for words. "What... Wh...How... How will you have children?!" She finally settled on.

[Gullara]

[Erin's Emporium]

This has gotten incredibly awkward incredibly fast. Rather than be caught up in this conflict, Syela has already got a head start on inching out of the room.

[Morty]

[Erin's Emporium]

"We have no plans to have any," Dorota says. She considers babies to be horrible, smelly and noisy creatures, and Crissy hasn't insisted on changing that yet. "I've never thought of myself as cut out for motherhood, you know." There's Sizewell, of course. Dorota and Crissy's golem, for whom they have fairly maternal feelings. But Dorota's not quite petty enough to dump that on her mother's head just yet.

[Artemis97]

'[Erin's Emporium]

"You'll change your mind some day, I'm sure of it. And then where will you be?" Garzyna decides.

[Morty]

[Erin's Emporium]

"If that happens, which isn't likely, we can always adopt," Dorota responds. Another thing she decides to spare Garzyna is an explanation about all the medical and magical ways they could have children otherwise. "Thankfully, around here no one's going to tell us we must have children."

[Artemis97]

[Erin's Emporium]

Garzyna sputters, "Well... then... you're lucky to live here."

[Morty]

[Erin's Emporium]

"Indeed I am, mother," Dorota says, nodding. "I've made a good life for myself here."

[Artemis97]

[Erin's Emporium]

"That's... good." Garzyna sighs. "I'm glad." she admits.