All that glitters is not gold (solo)

[Lyam]

Winter 86, 511av I'd been living in Zeltiva for few days now and as I'd just registered in the university for the next trimester, I was not about to quit the city before a long time. I had now to organize myself to be able to live decently for the upcoming month. I already had got a place in the student dormitory but it was not enough; I had to feed myself and to find some better clothes. But this time, despite my already tighter budget, I could not steal what I needed. If I was to remain in the city, I would have to respect its rule. So here I was, walking slowly through the huge city, looking for any job I could do. I was a bit desperate at the moment, because of the numerous last rejections. I was really in a kind of Catch-22 situation: I had never worked before - I couldn't talk about the time I was a mercenary, boss usually didn't like that - so I had no experience of working. And that was what the two last men wanted me to have. But how could you have experience of former jobs to get your first job? I was growling about that when suddenly a piece of paper that was glued on a wall caught my attention: Looking for an apprentice herbalist. Come and ask for Nadya. Herbalism? It sounded good. I knocked at the door of the house where the paper was and waited. Soon a tiny girl came to open. "Hello" she said with suspision "What dyou want?" I smiled to appear more sympatic and answer: "Hello. I'm looking for Nadya. Is she here?" "Honey, who is there?" replied another voice in the house. "Think he's coming for the job mom!" I was astonished the girl guessed so quickly. Under her mum's order, she let me enter. "She's busy now, but you could wait here." she explained me, designing me a chair. I sat whithout complaining and looked all around me. I was in a kind of kitchen or living room, it was difficult to say. The furniture was simple and rustic but quite nice. It should be a home worth living in. "What's your name?" asked the knee-tall girl with no more suspision. "Lyam" "I see. What dyou know about herbalism?" This kid was definitely very surprising. "Er... This is the art of mixing plants to... cure?" She thought very seriously about my answer during few second before she nodded: "Yes, not bad" She opened her mouth again but her mother came and saved me from an other question. She hold my hand: "Hello. I'm Nadya. I'm sorry for your wait, but I should finish some preparation before coming" "There is no problem" I said "So, is that true? You're interested in herbalism?" "I am" "Great, any former experience?" I looked my feet. "Never" "Wonderful!" she exclaimed. Then, seeing my astonished face "If you had already learned something with another herbalist, it could have been a problem for me, because all of us do not practice the same way. So, as you know nothing yet, it will be easier." "Easier... You mean er... I'm hired?" "Oh yes you are! I desesperatly need an apprentice. I propose you to begin with a period of three month. I'll teach you on-the-spot, it will depend on what we'll need. You'll be paid of course, but your lone will depend on our sells and on your efficiency. Unfortunately, I can't offer you a room, there's no more place here." "That's not a problem, I sleep in the dormitory of the university" I replied. "Great then. May I see you tomorow?" I was surprised it came so fast. "Er, of course" "Alright! See you then" She quited the room without a single glimps. Her daughter lead me to the front door before I came back to my mind. "Bye!" The door shut noisily and I was back to the jammed with people streets. I couldn't believe it: I had finaly found a job.

[Lyam]

Winter 87, 511 av I woke up very early this morning, unable to sleep longer. I was both excited and worried and the stress left me a lump in my throat, so that I didn’t eat anything. It was only the sunrise when I went out of the dormitory to meet Nadya in her house. Going along the empty streets took me only few minutes and I was soon knocking at her door. She opened with a gentle smile: “Hello Lyam. I was waiting for you” She didn’t let me enter but closed the door behind us. She wore an awful green cloak that protected her from the rainy weather and a basket full of flasks and plants was hanging on her right arm. “Let me hold this” I said gently. “Oh no you don’t!” She answered quickly. “This is my all week work. I don’t want you to let it fall the second you would have held it.” I didn’t reply, astonished. We went through some streets I didn’t recognize and finally arrived in front of a tiny shop a label designed as Nadya’s garden. I found it quite ridiculous but remained pokerfaced. “Here we are” she said while she opened the front door and the shutters. “From now you could meet me there in the sunrise.” I swallowed; the sunrise? It would be more difficult than I’d expected. But I didn’t complain. She invited me to enter the little shop, where hundreds of bottles, plants and else were waiting on wood shelves. There were no desk and no price labels and nothing but the front placard designed this room as a shop. She smiled when she saw I was gazing at the place. “This is where we meet the customers” she explained. “The little bell you see up there will warn you when someone is coming. But the main time, you’ll be there with me.” She opened the opposite door with pride. Curious, I walked into the new room and felt my heart stop beating. This was not an ordinary room at all. This was a real lab, something huge and clear, the perfect contrary of the shop itself. There were vials everywhere, warming over fires or completely frozen, mixing plants and water and many other things I could not guess. “Amazing, isn’t it?” I remained silent because nothing could express what I was feeling. She seemed to understand very well. Until this moment, I was not sure that I had done the good choice. I knew nothing about herbalism and well, plants were just… plants. But now I could see all this alchemy around me, my natural curiosity was growing. Nadya began with explaining me the use of each tools and it was soon the middle of the morning when she finished. Then she was trying to explain me what was the difference between two flowers that looked perfectly the same to me when the first client arrived. “Go on!” she ordered me “I’m busy” and indeed she was burning the two flowers over a caldron. So I went to the shop, where an old lady was waiting. “Hello, may I help you?” I improvised. She peered at me with rudeness. “Where is Nadya?” she asked abruptly “Er… she’s preparing some potions right now… She asked me to take care of you. I’m her apprentice.” “You don’t look like an herbalist” she blurted out. Fortunately Nadya came at this moment. “Miss Greton, what a surprise! Have you already finished your treatment?” She was smiling too much to be really happy to see this awful grandma. “It doesn’t work!” she souted “Did you take it every morning and evening?” Nadya replied gently Miss Greton didn’t answered and left the shop without thanking. “Is she…” I began “Don’t worry” she reassured me “she’s been a bit mad since her husband death” “I see” We went back to the lab and I looked her doing her job the remaining hours before lunch. I’d learned a lot this morning and tried not to forget a single detail. “You’ve worked well Lyam” she said “I hope you’ll be that fast tomorrow when I’ll teach you how to press out flowers nectar. But for now it’s enough you can go.” I was so surprised I thought I misunderstood. “Sorry?” “You’re free, and you’ll be free every afternoon if you work well in the morning. I asked you to come in the sunrise, not to go in the sunset!” she smiled A smile crossed my face when I thanked her. “Thank you Lyam.” She replied “Without you I would be overwhelmed. But one more thing I could tell you now: write everything you remember in a daybook or similar, it could help you more than you expect.” I nodded and turned on my heels, suddenly disappointed: how could I write things if I had not a single notion in reading or writing?

[Lyam]

Winter 88, 511 av I came back to the shop at the sunrise the next morning, as she had asked me. She was already in, preparing a potion with some plants I didn’t recognize. “Hi Lyam!” she said without looking around “Come, come closer. I wanna show you something.” I did what she wanted and staid beside her. She was dipping an ugly grey flower in a strange green mixture that did not seem very yummy. But suddenly, as she took it out of the potion, the flower drew itself up and began to shine. It was no more grey like a rock but instead covered with a deep and beautiful red. I was really impressed. “How did you…?” I tried to ask. “There is a potion made with very rare plants that is able to cure almost any kind of wounds or injuries, if they are only muscles or skins to heal. It revitalizes cells in fact. So if you cut yourself, even deeply, you would only have to dip your finger into this and you’ll be fine. But of course, we use it for much more important wounds like blade injuries or fire wounds. And as you can guess it, it’s very very expansive, because of its rareness of course, but also because it’s very difficult to mix it. I’ve never done it well despite all my experience.” “But you’ve just done it” I replied She laughed before answering “Oh no! This is not exactly the same here. I did not use the two rare plants needed, but two substitutes. So my potion only works for plants. It enables me to cut flowers in the summer and to use them in the winter as if they would have been cut the day before. It’s very convenient!” She laughed again when she saw my astonished face. “One day, I’ll learn you all of that” she promised “but now, it’s time for you to work.” I nodded and followed her instruction the all morning. Sometimes I felt like I was understanding what my hands were doing but the main time I simply didn’t. But I “learned well” that was what she said and she seemed to be proud of me. When the lunch-time came, I was able to mix the anti-cough cure on my own; from finding the right plants in the huge lab to press out their nectar to mix them in the right order. Well it was the only thing I could do, and it was one of the most basic things in herbalism, but there was a beginning to all great careers, right? “Well done Lyam, you can go” Nadya said when I brough her back the potion. I was near the front door when she called me back. “Have you already begun your daybook?” I came back with a little smile and avowed I didn’t. “Doesn’t matter for once” she said “cause I’ve something for you!” She went at the very back of the lab, where a little library was standing. She took a book from it and gave it to me. “Here is my former apprentice’s daybook. He didn’t want to take it when he left. So now… I guess it’s yours.” I thanked her and opened the daybook as if to read one or two things. The glyphs on the page seemed to be nice written but there were completely unintelligible to me. Soon, I remarked that only seven pages were covered with formula and plants names. “Yes” Nadya answered to my silent question “he’d not been here very long. It’s up to you to complete this daybook now!” I smiled again and took my leave. As I walked in the street, I couldn’t prevent myself from peering in the book with fascination. I didn’t understand a single word, but it didn’t matter. I would find a solution and soon a new knowledge would be accessible to me.