"Good afternoon, Ms. Wischtara!" The elvish maiden greeted her with a slight Scottish accent as she looked up from her leather bound book.
Saphrin smiled as she waved at her, "Please, Mairey! Call me Moria."
Mairey chuckled, "Ay, lass!"
The inside of the shop was very large compared to the outside. The shop had walls made of walnut wood and shelves made of mahogany. The counter top that Mairey stood behind was made from white and grey marble. The shelves behind the elvish woman were filled with books and bottles of brightly colored potions in soft-edged bottles that were closed with big corks on top. The shelves also contained various colored gems, some of which glowed. Moonflower vines were hung near the shelves as decorations, some of which had flowers on them. The wooden ceiling contained a large skylight while the shop's front wall had a large panel of stained glass. The panel portrayed an image of Gaia holding the earth in her palm.
Saphrin walked up to the marble counter, "I see you haven't changed one bit. You don't look a day over a hundred."
Mairey swung one of her braids behind her aquamarine top. Her smooth, soft skin was a dark honey color which contrasted her bright pink hair and abnormally large, lilac purple eyes. Her pointy ears, only a couple inches long, were fairly small for an elf. She was very small in comparison to Moria, the top of her head barely reaching her chest.
"Why thank you, lass!" Mairey looked up at her, "Feels like just yesterday you were a wee lass coming here with your pa."
Saphrin looked down and chuckled, "Oh yeah? I feel like I haven't been here in forever."
Mairey sighed, "Sure feels like that. So how's school been?"
"Not too bad. Exams have been kicking my ass but Lemar is helping me study for them."
"Lemar?" Mairey raised an eyebrow, "You mean, your lil' boyfriend?" She smirked as she rested her chin in her palm while her elbow was on the counter.
Saphrin rolled her eyes, "He's not my boyfriend, Mairey."
"Oh really? So him getting you flowers and always offering to buy you new gear is just a symbol of friendship?"
Saphrin looked at Mairey in confusion before she gasped, "He has a crush on me!"
"So are the feelings mutual?"
Saphrin looked down thought for a moment, "I mean, I do like him but only as a friend. Besides," she looked at Mairey, "Dad says I'm too young to be dating."
"Well," Mairey began, "In my many decades of experience, I can tell you that men like him usually don't give women like us a chance. They want themselves a woman who is seen and not heard, does not speak unless spoken to, knows her place and will never get in her man's way."
"But Lemar doesn't seem like that kind of man." Saphrin protested.
Mairey shook her head, "He might not seem like it now, but in due time he might. People change after all. So whatever you do, be careful."
Saphrin nodded slightly and frowned, "I guess only time will tell." She looked around the shop for a moment before speaking again, "Speaking of change, how's your brother?"
"Neibhar is doing great!" Said Mairey, "I'm not sure if you've heard but he inherited the shop after pa passed away."
"Oh dear!" Said Saphrin, "I'm sorry for your loss but weren't you supposed to inherit this place?"
Mairey frowned, "Thank you, lass. Pa was planning to meet with his lawyer to add me to his will but he suddenly passed a week before their appointment."
"I thought Neibhar wasn't interested in running the shop."
"Oh he isn't," Mairey sighed, "We were discussing possibly handing it over to me since I care more about this place than he does but his wife wants to change this shop into a bookstore."
"A bookstore?" Asked Saphrin, "Why's that?"
"Well you know how Jikara doesn't like elves? Apparently, she also despises any form of magic since she thinks it's all evil witchcraft even though she's never set foot here."
"That's terrible!" Said Saphrin, "Hopefully he'll give the shop to his sister rather than his wife."
"About that," Mairey put her face in her hands, "Jikara is threatening to leave him if he doesn't give her the shop. Neibhar is convinced that giving into her ridiculous demands is the only way they can salvage their relationship."
"So she's holding their marriage hostage and the ransom is making Jikara the owner?" Asked Saphrin.
Mairey looked up and nodded, "Apparently so."
"Oh dear," Saphrin said softly.
Mairey sighed sharply as she straightened her posture, "Would you like some tea?"
"Sure." Saphrin nodded.
Mairey opened the small door on the side on the counter to let Saphrin in. The lass stepped behind the counter as Mairey walked towards the backdoor, motioning her to follow. The two women entered the employee lounge, located far behind the counter.
The lounge was dim and lit with small blue crystals embedded into the ceiling and walls. There was a moss green sofa that contained a few patches of yellow fabric sewn onto it. In front of the sofa was a small wooden coffee table that had many scratches on the top. Adjacent to the sofa was a small kitchenette which contained a pale yellow countertop, a small white fridge, a handful of wooden cabinets with a small pantry, metallic sink and a dirty white stove with an oven. Across from the sink and oven was a long, raised counter top that was a faded yellow color. The other side of the counter had tall, metal barstools with chipped black paint on the legs. The kitchenette was the only thing in the lounge that was not lit by the crystals. Instead, it was lit by a couple of hanging light bulbs which had turf green lamp shades on them. The dull yellow light from the bulbs made the kitchenette look older and dirtier than it already seemed.
"Take a seat anywhere," said Mairey as she walked into the kitchenette, "What kinda tea can I get you? I got earl grey, green tea, cinnamon chai, and," she paused as she read the back of the box, "Blueberry and pomegranate herbal tea."
Saphrin set her bag down on the couch and sat on one of the barstools at the counter.
"Earl grey is fine with me." She said politely.
Mairey took out a porcelain teapot from one of the cabinets and filled it with water from the sink before setting it on the stove with the flame on high heat. She then took out a tea bag from one of the tea boxes and placed it into the pot before closing the top with the lid. She then took out a little teacup from the same cabinet along with a saucer and little spoon before setting them on the counter in front of Saphrin.
Moria noticed a grey envelope on the counter which was already opened. The envelope had a fancy emblem stamped on the front.
"So any plans for the future? Or, you know, backup plans in case this place goes down." Saphrin asked.
Mairey smiled, "I'm glad you asked!" She grabbed the envelope and pulled out the letter before handing it to Saphrin, "I got accepted into Heishter, a prestigious university for female wizards."
Saphrin held the letter and quickly skimmed through it before looking up at her, "That's great! I'm so proud of you, Mairey!"
"Thank you, lass!" Mairey stood on her tippy toes and Saphrin leaned over as the two women hugged each other.
Once they let go, Saphrin sat back down in her seat and continued reading the letter. Mairey walked over to the stove and turned it off. She grabbed the teapot with a thick cloth and slowly walked over to Saphrin. She carefully poured the fragrant, brown liquid into the teacup before setting the pot down on a cloth table mat.
"Would you like some cream and sugar?" Mairey asked with a smile.
"No thank you." Saphrin responded without looking up from the letter.
"Is everything alright? You seem very invested in that letter."
Saphrin looked up at Mairey, "Something about this place doesn't feel right. I mean," she laid the letter down on the counter and pointed to a bolded sentence written in all caps, "It says no men allowed."
"Yeah and what of it?" Mairey looked at her confused.
"Well you know how Jikara still calls you by your past name? Aren't you worried that they might be just like her?"
Mairey looked down and sighed, "I really hope not. It was really hard to find a school that was willing to teach magic to a half elf. Neither the human schools nor the elvish schools would accept me. It was also difficult to find a school that would teach magic to a woman. I really hope the people at this academy don't view me as an impostor simply because of my physicality."
Saphrin frowned, "Oh I'm so sorry I brought that up. I didn't mean to upset you."
Mairey looked up at her and shook her head, "It's not your fault, lass."
Saphrin put her hand on her shoulder, "Well whatever happens, I hope you stay safe."
The elvish woman smiled, "Thank you, lass."