"Alchemy and skin care products?" Emily read on a sign on the house Elira had led her to.
"Yes. That's my shop." Elira replied as she opened the door. "I'm an alchemist specialized in skin care, though I have more standard potions too."
"What do you mean by skin care?" Emily asked as she entered the shop. It wasn't something she expected in a world that looked like the Middle Ages.
Elira smiled. "Are you interested? I have everything to give you a perfect skin! I have potions that remove your body hair, that soften your skin, that remove blemishes, or even..."
"Wait!" Emily interrupted her. "I... I don't have money to pay for any of these right now."
"Don't worry about it." She said, still smiling. "It's your reward for helping me find Lyla. You can choose any of them and I'll give it to you for free!"
"No... Really, I can't... It's too much!" Emily tried to refuse. She didn't want a perfect skin! She liked her normal, kind of hairy, masculine looking skin!
"Come on, don't be shy. It's the least I can do!"
Emily was about to refuse once more when Karyn interrupted her. "Wait! She said she had more standard potions too, you can ask for one of those."
"You said you had standard potions too?" Emily echoed her friend.
"Well, yes! I have the standard health potions, antidote and other medicines, but you can buy them anywhere. I'm the only one selling my skin care products."
Emily's eyes lighted up. "Then can I just have a health potion, please?"
Elira frowned a little. "Are you sure? They're pretty cheap compared to the rest. It feels like a waste."
"Yes, I'm sure!" Emily said without hesitation.
Elira stayed silent a moment and Emily became worried she'd refuse. "Fine, I'll give you a health potion. Lyla?" She finally asked her daughter who was silently watching them. "Can you get me a health potion from the basement?" Emily was relieved as she saw the girl run toward the back door, but Elira wasn't done talking. "But I'll feel bad if you only take this for what you've done, so I insist on giving you this too." She took a clear potion from a shelf and handed it to her. It looked like water, but the label showed it was not.
"Elira's hair removal potion?" Emily read. "No, I can't..."
"I'm sorry, but all sales are final." Elira interrupted her while grinning as the potion was automatically moved to her inventory. "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll like it! You only have to rub it on your body, and all the hair will fall down and not grow back for two weeks. Do not however, rub it on your head or you will become bald for two weeks. Also do not drink it! It will only make you sick if you do."
Emily sighed, but was a little relieved as she didn't have to use the hair removal potion immediately. She could just leave it in her inventory and never touch it again, and the health potion would be useful at least. "I guess you leave me no choice." She said with a forced smile.
"Here you go, lady Emily." Lyla had come back during the explanation and was handing her a small red potion. Emily took it, and it disappeared into his inventory too.
"Thank you Lyla." She said with a more natural smile.
"And... Hum..." Lyla suddenly handed her a small doll. "This is Elizabeth..."
"Is this for me?" Emily asked and Lyla nodded.
"I played with her a lot before, but mommy bought me Nina, and now Elizabeth is lonely, so I thought I could give her to you..."
"This is so cute!" Emily heard Karyn say but didn't pay her any attention. A part of her didn't want to accept the doll, but she didn't want to make Lyla sad.
"Is that okay?" Emily asked Elira, who simply nodded, and she returned her attention to Lyla. "Then I'll take good care of her."
Lyla gave her a big smile as Elizabeth disappeared in Emily's inventory. "Thank you, lady Emily!"
Emily smiled back, but inwardly, she wanted to leave before she got any more reward. "Well, I guess I'll go, now."
"Don't hesitate to come back if you want more skin care product!" Elira said while Lyla looked a little sad, but tried not to show it.
"Yeah... Sure." Emily said while walking away, not intending to buy any more. "Goodbye, then."
"Goodbye, come back soon." Said Lyla as Emily walked through the door with one last wave.
