its so messy but brain went brrr
Jesse really didn't know what they were getting into when they took the job at Pandora's Apothecary. besides the customers blurting out the grossest of medical issues that they really didn't want to know completely unprompted, there was having to know an impossible amount of information about a seemingly endless array of herbs, chemicals, and magic potions. of course, they also carried poisons, as in small doses they can be used to treat issues.
Jesse has long since given up trying to figure out some of the customers, especially the ones who seemed sketchy. just fill what they need, ring them up, and send them out the door with that fake cheery customer service smile. just don't read the police reports and deny ever seeing anything if they came knocking. but there was one, who had become a sort of infamous regular, that had them both intrigued and deeply concerned.
the first time he had come in had been with someone else. Jesse was immediately alert as humans were not a common sight in the hidden city. his kappa friend haggled annoyingly about uranium (no they did not carry that, go find a crystal shop jerkwad). the human wandered around the shop, eyeing different plants both dried and potted. they hadn't ended up buying anything then, but Jesse didn't miss the human lingering a little too long around the poisonous plants.
a few days later he came in by himself, he poked around a bit again before coming up to the counter and pointing out a potted plant with brilliant pink flowers used as the display. "uh, how much of those can I get?" he asked a little sheepishly.
Jesse blinked at him before launching into one of their scripted replies about how the shop sales worked. he left after having purchased their largest offered size, a half pound bag of the dried flowers. Jesse knew better than to ask, things involving those flowers never ended well and to be honest they were a little nervous about even having them for sale. but the store owner insisted that the deceivingly pretty petals were helpful in alchemy.
when he returned about a week later for another bag was the start of Jesse's cat-killing curiosity. a little went a long way with using those things, so how many enemies did this guy need to kill? or perhaps, they reminded themself as he left with an impossibly sweet thank you wave, he was just a young alchemist apprentice? they knew better to ask, or maybe it was the mystery that helped boost their boring rotation of yokai coming in to ask for the newest fad "heathy" herb or tell them their medical problems.
it became a routine, every Wednesday they'd make sure to pre-bag up 8ozs of the majorly deadly if ingested flowers and tie it up with the dumb little ribbon the shop used. he'd come in around lunch and pay, and sometimes they would catch him in a little chat. he seemed nice enough and Jesse got little sprinkled flashes of what his life was like. uranium wanting kappa asshole was his uncle, technically, and one of four of them. he liked hockey, grew up in some war torn country he didn't give the name of, his name was Casey Junior, and his favorite color was torquoise.
nearly six months later, and he missed a week. Jesse has jumped up every time the little bell on the shop door jingled, and the later it got in the day the more worried they got. Casey Junior had only ever come outside the hour of noon twice before and he had always apologized as if it was a crime to keep them waiting with his regular order. when closing time came, Jesse stared down his usual bag of toxic pink flowers with a nauseated feeling. had something happened to him? he was sweeter than sugar but Jesse could tell he was no stranger to violence. but what could they do? they weren't exactly friends and didn't know any of his either, none of his kappa "uncles" had shown up with him again. Jesse had no way of contacting him, trying to ask for someone's number was always awkward and everyone always took it like they were trying to flirt with them.
it hung over them for the rest of the week, through the weekend, and right up until mid-morning of the next Wednesday. they had paused mid-scoop of the dried flowers to have an internal debate. the half pound from before that Casey Junior hadn't picked up had gone to a severe looking goat yokai that made Jesse all kinds of nervous. would he come today? they didn't want to not have it ready for him, but we're unsure if they were jumping the gun to assume he wouldn't show again. Jesse nearly dropped the scoop at the sound of the door bell jingling and they rushed to the counter to greet the customer.
it was none other than Casey Junior himself. Jesse couldn't stop the grin from splitting their face, "you're here!" he was ever apologetic, but Jesse just shook their head and moved back to the scales, "hush hush, you're early so I wasn't finished making your bag up."
he entertained them with the story of what had prevented him from coming for his routine pickup. something with never having experienced snow before. Casey Junior paid in exact change, and bounced on the balls of his feet as Jesse handed him the bag. continuing his tale of constructing an elaborate snow block base for what seemed like the most intense game of capture the flag with snowballs. with their back turned to tidy up the scale Jesse didn't see him casually open the bag and turned just in time to to witness Casey shove an entire handful of the dried flowers into his mouth.
the scale weights scattered on the floor, the sound completely drowned out by the shriek that ripped its way out of Jesse's throat. lurching forward, they grabbed the front of Casey's shirt with both hands and yanked him nearly clean over the counter. "spit those out right now! are you insane?"
Casey dropped the bag, hands flying to where Jesse held his shirt and then did... something for sure. Jesse didn't really know what he did, there was a lot of sudden movement and then they were on the floor on the other side of the counter gasping for breath as a horrified Casey hovered over them. "sorry, I'm sorry! it's a reflex. are you okay?"
"are you?" Jesse wheezed, "have you been eating those? how are you not dead? a handful of flowers will kill a full grown yokai in 15 minutes."
Casey looked extremely sheepish, "ah well, I've... built up immunity?"
Jesse sat up and eyed him, "you're serious."
Casey nodded and Jesse could only gape at him as he helped them stand and picked up the bag of dried poisonous flowers that were apparently a little treat for him. it had luckily just landed on the counter and not spilled. "I kinda grew up eating them in small doses as a snack. I didn't even know they were poisonous until I came here." he shrugged, cinching the bag shut, "I eat them like chips."
"you're a maniac, Casey Junior."
discoholicmusic
gamechangershow
stormborns
