Chapter Four

The door slammed behind her, and for a moment everything around her was pitch black. With her hand resting on her short sword, she called out into the darkness.

"Is there an owner or clerk working here?" her voice rang through the building, but it was met with silence. A soft chime sound echoed nearby, and the sound of curtains dragging drew her attention upward. Black curtains were being pulled apart by an odd mechanism, sunlight shining down through stained colored glass of various colors, spraying the light over shelves of potions and plants. Rayne walked forward, maintaining the hold on her sword when the sound of feet softly padding the wooden floor drew closer to her. A snap from behind her caused her to spin around, torched suddenly being lit around the room, spreading light to every corner. Rayne stood on guard, but she was taken aback by the figure before her. A woman with light purple skin and tribal tattoos stood before her. Her long, luscious black hair swayed around her freely, her silver eyes sparkling in the light. Her crop top shirt barely containing her bust, and her pants looked like they were going to burst at the seams. Aside from the lack of clothes, and sneak up, what caught Rayne's attention the most was the ram-like horns on the woman's head.

"You're a..."

"I'm Vixen! It's a pleasure to meet you!" her high pitched, peppy voice interrupted, putting out her hand for a shake as she smiled a toothy smile, her fangs visible in the torch light. Rayne cautiously shook her hand. Vixen stepped back, looking Rayne over quickly, "I might have some beautification available for you, but I don't think that would really be necessary since you're good looking already..." she walked around Rayne, studying her.

"No, wait. I'm actually here for..."

"Oh! I just invented this amazing perfume! It smells exactly like lavender, but the effect I put on it causes whoever near you to be charmed for a short time." Vixen continued, walking over to the sunlit shelf. Rayne stepped to the side as a tail trailed behind Vixen. The woman's overwhelming personality swarmed Rayne, and made it a little difficult to keep up.

Vixen lifted up a small, round glass bottle that had a dragon's claw for a cap and pointed it at Rayne.

"No!" she cried out, but Vixen had pressed down on the cap, a spray of purple fume kissed Rayne's body before dissolving into a light that settled into her clothes before disappearing.

"There! Now the next person you talk to, aside from myself, would be swayed by your presence." she giggled, and Rayne rubbed her temples. She had to play this differently if she wanted to get what she wanted.

"You know... You're right. It does smell... lovely." Rayne said, turning left and right, the smell of lavender swirling around her as she turned. Vixen giggled more.

"Yay! I knew you'd like it! Take it, it's on the house for being my first customer today!" she walked over, opening one of Rayne's pouches and places the perfume inside. Rayne stood still, letting her invade her space before smiling at her.

"I am... honored, but unfortunately I have to make this visit short. I have a long and excruciating trip ahead of me, and I am need of some health potions." she said as Vixen took a step back, her tail wagging with excitement.

"Sure, of course! I have different sizes. The larger the size, the better effects it has, but it is more costly." Vixen warned, leading Rayne to a counter that had trinkets displayed in a glass cabinet behind it. Now that Vixen calmed down slightly, Rayne was able to take notice of her tattoos better, and the sight surprised her. Aside from the generic tribal she has seen in her travels, she noticed what looked like a clawed paw on her neck, but there was an image of a road leading into a sunset sitting within the palm. Vixen glances at Rayne and smiled sadly at her.

"I had a very dark past that led me to do terrible things," she said, a hint of darkness in her eyes, but she shook her head as she brought up a tray of potions, "but I was given a second chance, so I made good use of it. Sadly though, not many people believe it." she smiled, and pushed the tray towards Rayne, walking her through the selection of health potions.

After a few minutes and settling her transaction, Rayne was preparing to leave when she turned back to Vixen who was putting everything away.

"As long as you are happy with where you are now, who cares what others think, but maybe adding some color on the outside might welcome more customers." she gestured, and Vixen stared at her for a moment before laughing.

"You're the first person to ever say that to me, thanks! Be sure to come back, I'll discount you for your loyal patronage." Vixen said, waving as Rayne left her behind.

Gideon stood at attention with their horses when Rayne finally exited the shop. As she approached him, the scent of lavender wafted into his senses, and he paused. Rayne let out a sigh, feeling exhausted from the short exchange with Vixen.

"Alright, we just need our rations for the trip and we're set. Ryder?" she asked as he stared at her. She leaned in a bit closer and noticed his eyes dilated a bit, "Well shit, it looks like that crap actually worked." she grumbled, and he cleared his throat, blush tainting his cheeks as she closed in.

"She sprayed you, didn't she?" he asked, and she nodded. He groaned, running his fingers through his hair, "What does that perfume do?"

"It has a charm effect on the person I interact with next, which unfortunately, is you." she crossed her arms, and he pointed toward the market with the stalls.

"In that case, go on ahead and get everything. I set myself up while I waited for you. At least this way, you can't fully charm me." he said, keeping his eyes away from her. She shrugged at him, taking her reins.

"I could care less if you're charmed or not, you're not my type anyways." she said, walking past him. The scent drifted around him for a moment until the wind carried it away. He rubbed the bridge of his nose, squeezing his eyes shut.

"I could care less of what your type is." he grumbled and made his way toward the north-west gate, but the light shade of blush wouldn't leave his face.

The sun sat high in the sky when Rayne rejoined Gideon at the gate. He was examining the map as she approached him.

"We'll take the roads towards a small town north of here. Then from there we'll make our way through the forest. I don't know how long that will take though." he scratched his chin, and Rayne took the map from him, rolling it up and puts it away.

"We don't need that. It'll take a day to reach the forest. Depending on who we bump into, it'll be a few days travel in the forest alone." she said, and Gideon's eyes widened.

"A few days?" he groaned, and she scowled at him.

"Stop acting like a child already. The elves are brilliant people, you should learn from them while we're there." she said, and mounted her horse. He let out a heavy sigh before mounting his horse.

"I just want this over with so I can return to my regular life." he said, and Rayne snapped her reins, sending her horse into a gallop, Gideon in tow.