9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRyrznQnJUO
The Doctor was found stirring a large cauldron with a ladle in his right hand. His left hand trembled with the effort of channeling Vitalis from his fingertips into the mixture. Issen quickly took hold of the ladle from him and continued to stir, with a hastened pace.
"Good heavens, thank you Issen." He then projected both his hands towards the mixture, imbuing with decreased strain. "This ought to be the last batch for the day. How long until we open?" "One hour, Doc." "One hour should be plenty of time for you to get everything sorted and ready to go, Issen. " Dr. Lande gestured towards the sheer number of full cauldrons next to stacks of empty elixir vessels. "Just make sure to label the vessels clearly and arrange them in the display case neatly." "All of these? Doc..." "Bear with me son. Business was marvellous yesterday. You saw how stock flew. Expect a good bonus this month. You work well son." Issen sighed, "That's one way to motivate someone..." he thought.
The Doctor exhausted his reserves and took a quick sip from a miniscule elixir vial he had attached to his belt. "That should do it. Stir for another minute then you can get to filling the vessels. I'll leave the rest up to you."
Issen had worked for Dr. Lande for as long as he had been visiting Dr. Varr, and he held both of them in great regard. The feeling was mutual, as both Dr. Lande and Dr. Varr had a deep respect for Issen.
Dr. Lande entered from an adjacent room into the front-facing one. "10 minutes left until—" At that moment, Issen just removed his bib. He had completely restocked the storefront in under an hour. "Quite the dexterous one, aren't you?" He reached past Issen's grey-streaked black hair and pinched one of his sharp-pointed ears . "Agh! Anything for that bonus." They chuckled.
As soon as Issen flipped the sign from 'closed' to 'open', he tried to dash to the counter in the hopes that he would be able to outmatch the customers for the day, but as soon as he turned to face it, there was already a queue waiting for him. "Guess I'll never beat any of you, will I?" The customers laughed.
The day was relatively successful compared to the previous day. There was still stock left over for the next day, which allowed the Doctor to catch a break. "Issen, it's almost closing time." "On it Doc." Once business with the last customer concluded, Issen went on to flip the sign the other way, signalling the end of the business day. As he turned around he was met with the sound of jangling coins from the sack Dr. Lande placed on the counter. This surprised Issen, the month had only just begun. He found the sack to be heavier than usual, and there wasn't a silver coin this time around.
All of it was in gold. "Woah! Doc, are you sure about this?!" "Don't be silly, son. You worked really hard. You didn't crumble under pressure. People like you are a real rarity. Worth your weight in gold, if you will," the Doctor chuckled and gave a wink. Issen gave him a firm, solid handshake. "Thank you Dr. Lande. This really means a lot." "Don't sweat it, son. Have a good night." "You too, Doc."
The coins that jangled in his pouch weren't just a monetary bonus. It meant much more to him than that. He has received bonuses and similar gestures like these before, and each time he has, he's felt a renewed, strengthened bond of trust. The ties that bind him are what Issen treasures most.
9Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡW5uJUo60I9
