Blast from the Past

It was a quiet, cloudy afternoon at the Star Dawn Apothecary and Tea shop. There was about three customers looking around the Apothecary section while a couple was enjoying some Boba Tea in the Cafe section of the shop.

What appeared to be an eighteen-year-old girl was restocking the incense shelf with some fresh new incense they just received earlier that day, listening to the music playing through her headphones. This was Laareeh and she wasn't your typical eighteen-year-old girl that she appeared to be. On the outside, she appeared to be your typical human girl wearing a loosely flowing black dress with golden moon and star accents with her blond hair in two cute messy space buns. What wasn't seen was the pair of white ears hidden beneath the messy buns or the tail that was carefully hidden beneath the long train of her dress, nor did they know that she had the ability to see and manipulate aura.

"Laareeh, deary can you come here please?"

"Yea, I will be right there Mr. Danver." She called back to the Elder Gentleman who owned Star Dawn Apothecary and Tea. She finished putting the last couple of boxes on the shelves before turning and heading to the front. "What can I do for you?"

"Ah yes, perhaps my assistant Laareeh can help you with your request. She is quite knowledgeable on many herbs and is working on an apprenticeship as an herbalist."

Laareeh could hear Mr. Danver speaking to someone as she rounded the corner. Mr. Danver was a short, elderly gentleman who was blind in his left eye and required a walker to help him get around most places. He lost most of his white hair due to his age, but he was one of the sweetest souls that Laareeh had the pleasure of encountering. The guy that Mr. Danver was speaking with had his back to her, but he was a tall, well-built man with dark brown, shaggy hair. There was something familiar about him, but Laareeh couldn't quite place what it was.

"There she is," Mr. Danver said, gesturing to Laareeh as she came around the side of the younger male and behind the counter to face the mystery man.

As she came around the counter, she looked up to the male that was now standing in front of her. It took a moment, but she finally realized why he seemed familiar. The hairs on the back of her neck and along her arms was now standing on ends as the pair looked toward each other, recognition lite in both of their eyes. Laareeh reached up and pulled the headphones off her ears, bringing them to rest around her neck while smiling as politely as she could muster.

"What can I do for you sir?" Laareeh asked, tucking in a stray whisp of hair that was adding to her growing annoyance.

"Um...I need a healing salve...for my grandmother. Do you think you have something like that?" The male hesitantly asked as soon as he got over his mild shock.

"What sort of healing salve do you need? Is it for a burn? A cut? Or is it for something else?" Laareeh questioned, needing to know what it was needing for.

"Oh, um.... she has a cut on her hand." The male finally managed to say.

"Alright, let me see what I have in the back." Laareeh quickly said before she turned on her heels to head behind the curtain that separated stock from the front of the shop.

'Shit! It's Rowol! What is he doing here?' Laareeh was silently freaking out to herself as she fumbled with the containers on the shelves. Her hands where shaking as she pulled container after container off the shelves and read the labels on them. After a few moments, she discovered that she had absolutely no salves for cuts. She had only a few for burns, and very little for dry, itchy skin. 'Time to face the music,'

"Unfortunately, it seems like I am all out of healing salve. I can have some made later today if you want to come back," Laareeh offered despite not really wanting to offer it, but it was good business for Mr. Danver.

"Thanks, but I kind of need it as soon as possible," Rowol said, scratching the back of his neck. "Is there a way...you know?"

"I am afraid I cannot do anything else at the moment," Laareeh said, knowing exactly what Rowol was asking of her without actually saying it.

Laareeh watched as a look of annoyance crossed his face. His amber eyes darkened a bit, and he leaned forward as he placed his hand on the counter. She blinked once or twice before she felt an unexplained pressure pressing against her own aura. Her smiled slipped into a scowl as she pushed back against his aura with her own.

"You will help me," He tried, his tone turning more commanding. This only made Laareeh's scowl deepen that much more.

"How about you go kick rocks instead." Laareeh whispered softly, leaning forward with one hand on her hip and the other on the counter. "You know that tone doesn't work with me. You either take the help I offer, or you can go back to whatever cave you crawled out of,"

Hearing her words, Rowol growled. His top lip pulled up enough to reveal a single sharp canine threateningly. He really wasn't used to anyone telling him no, especially previous members of his own pack. Laareeh had always been different though. She had ignored commands given to her, argued back with Alphas, and did her own thing however she wanted. It infuriated him, and it didn't seem to have changed over the years of her absence.

"Fine!" Rowol said in annoyance, not having really much option at this point. Not here, and not now anyway. "I'll be back later for it. How much will it cost?"

"It will cost twenty-three dollars and eighty-seven cents. You can pay now, or later. It's up to you," Laareeh said, watching as Rowol pulled out a wallet from his back pocket and roughly placing a twenty- and five-dollar bill down on the table, despite her outstretched hand. "You're lucky there are humans here,"

"Sure, like you can do anything," Rowol said with a smirk on his lips as he watched her snatch up the money from the countertop.

Laareeh didn't respond to his taunts, instead she punched in the numbers at the register. She put the cash in and extracted his change, holding it out to him. As he held his hand out, she dropped the money right in his hand avoiding any physical contact with him.

"I'll have it ready at closing," She said with a tight-lipped smile. "You can pick it up then."

"Thanks," Rowol said as he shoved the cash back into his wallet and changed into the pocket. "I'll be back then,"

Laareeh watched Rowol turn and walk out. Once he was out of the building, she let out a heavy sigh of relief. He was gone. An invisible weight lighted off of her shoulders just then. He didn't seem to have changed in the slightest bit. She let out a heavy sigh before she put her headphones back on and stepped into the back to make the salve before his return.