Is it wrong to fleece adventurers at the item shop?

I spend the rest of the day, or at least most of it, busying myself with the mana mill once more to make sure I have enough of the glittering magical dust it produces for the enchanter's chalk I will need.

The good thing is, that I don't have to leave the shop unattended in the meantime. I simply move the accursed torture instrument in the guise of a hand mill to the counter in the front room. That way I can produce more enchanting dust while still minding the shop.

The day is pretty quiet though. I only get one other customer before noon. This one is a little more special than any of the others who have dropped by so far, even considering that most of them are adventurers.

An elf. An actual elf! Unlike half elves like grandma or me, those are a pretty rare sight. Well, at least they are in most places, as they tend to keep to themselves a lot. Very few of them leave their communities to go on an adventure and explore the rest of the world.

The elf's gear doesn't seem to be anything special. Not at a first glance at least. Light but sturdy leathers and furs, two hand axes, which probably double as throwing weapons, worn at his belt and a larger axe he carries over one shoulder. It all is very practical and by the looks of it well maintained.

They might just be one of the fabled berserkers or maybe a shaman. Is he a man? I'm not sure. For all I know that elf could be a woman as well. It is extraordinarily hard for non elves to tell their men and women apart as they look alike so much. Their women tend to be as flat as their men and neither sport any body hair worth mentioning. Their facial features, which are almost always described as beautiful or at least pretty, are very similar as well.

The one thing I'm moderately certain of is that they probably are a forest elf, hailing from one of the communities that actually live in the Twilight Forest. None of the self proclaimed, civilized high elves would ever be caught wearing leathers and furs like that.

Belatedly I realize that I'm staring. I blush and lower my gaze.

They don't seem to mind although they seem a little distraught.

As they clear their throat I get my first real hint at the visitor's gender. By the sound of his voice I'm now pretty sure that he is a man.

“I'm sorry, but is Iwona not in?”

My face falls a little at the mention of my grandmother.

“Grandma is dead. It happened a little more than a week ago.”

Now his face falls as well.

“Oh, I'm sorry …”

His words trail off as he isn't quite sure what to say. The news of grandma's death doesn't leave him unfazed though. That much is obvious as he apparently has never learned to hide his emotions. Finally he finds his voice again.

“... how?”

He either isn't very good with emotions in general or just dealing with humans. It supposedly is something many elves struggle with after all.

I sigh, wipe my hands on the pants of my overall and motion for him to move over to the counter. I don't feel like talking with him while he is still standing in the doorway.

“I'm Valeria. Iwona was my grandmother. She was out collecting ingredients, mistletoe to be precise. It seems, a branch on one of the trees she climbed to collect them gave out under her. Supposedly she wasn't even that high up, but she landed badly.“

I sigh and for a moment there is another uncomfortable silence hanging in the room in between us. The elf looks crestfallen now. I point over my shoulder as I speak up again.

“Her grave is out in the back, just beyond the thicket she had for a garden… just, you know, in case you want to say your goodbyes.”

His face brightens up again, at least a little, at the suggestion and he nods.

“I'll do that. Thank you.”

He is about to turn around, when he abruptly stops to address me once more.

“Could you prepare some Stamina Potions for me, while I say my goodbyes? Two should do for now.”

He pauses briefly, his hand already halfway to the pouch that probably serves as his purse. Her sounds a little embarrassed as he continues.

“Is the price still eleven bronze Crowns each?”

That is one of the things about elves. Their perception of the passage of time can be very different from that of the shorter lived people. Supposedly it only matches ours, when they throw themselves into battle. Then only the moment mattered and not if you could possibly live for decades or millennia.

I resist the urge to shake my head to drive away those thoughts at the last moment. Instead I nod.

“Yes, the price is still the same. Two Stamina Potions make twenty two bronze Crowns in total.”

He nods, opens his purse and counts the coins onto the counter.

The idea that he could have bartered for a discount apparently never even crossed his mind. Just as well.

Before he can actually step back out to head around to the backyard I stop him once more.

“Take your time. I'll bring you the potions out back after closing up here.”

He has no objections and nods. The next moment he is already gone from the shop.

I follow him with my eyes for a moment as he walks past the windows on his way to the backyard before getting back to work myself.

I get the two potions he requested from the shelf, remove the wooden price tags and deposit them on the counter before heading to the door. I take a peek outside to make sure no one else is heading my way before closing it just as the sun is touching the horizon in the distance. The shutters of the windows are up next.

In the end I'm left with only the light provided by my recently enchanted candle lantern. That still is more than enough to enter this most recent sale into the ledger though. I take a moment to deposit the coins in the strong box below the counter as well. Then I leave the shop behind, carrying the lantern in on hand and clutching the potion bottles close to my chest with the other.

My elven customer is sitting in the grass besides grandma's grave. One of his hands is resting on the gravestone as he is quietly talking.

I keep my distance and sit down on the bench besides the back door for the time being. This seems to be a very emotional moment for him and I don't want to cut it short or disturb him in any other way.

Instead I wait, sitting there silently, listening although I can't really understand him. My grasp of the native language of the elves does not extend beyond some very simple formal greetings. It never seemed to be all that important after all.

By the time he finishes darkness has truly fallen and there are a few moths fluttering around the lantern I brought.

His eyes glow in the darkness, almost like a cat's, as he turns towards me. Grandma's eyes supposedly were like that as well. Mine not so much, especially now as I'm facing away from the light source causing the effect.

I pat the spot besides me on the rough, wooden bench, where I deposited the potions.

“Your potions.”

He nods, comes over and picks them up. He picks up the heavy two handed axe as well, which he dropped off here before actually visiting grandma's grave.

“Thank you, Valeria, granddaughter of Iwona.”

He could leave now, he has said his goodbyes to grandma after all and we have finished conducting our business as well. He doesn't though. Instead he extends his hand.

After some hesitation I take it and he shakes my hand. His grip is pretty firm but not in a painful way. It seems he is well aware of his own strength.

“I'm Nuutti of the Iivari family. I hope we will meet again, so we can get to know each other better.”

I'm a little dumbfounded but return the handshake anyway.

“I'd be glad to see you again, Nuutti of the Iivari family.”

He flashes me a beaming smile as we separate again.

“Now I shouldn't keep you though. I'm afraid I'm already running late myself.”

With these words he sketches a quick bow and disappears into the night.

I follow him with my eyes for a moment but quickly lose sight of him. In the end I get up as well and head back inside. My stomach rumbles as I close the door behind me and I groan. Of course, I was so busy with that accursed mana mill that I completely forgot to get anything to eat today.

Not hesitating in the slightest I grab my purse, open the door again and head back outside and down to the village square. The inn is catering to adventurers after all. It should still be open.