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Red Ivy stood behind the counter inside his shop, tapping a hoof and idly eyeing the clock. It was very nearly closing time, the sun was beginning to set, and a mysterious customer he’d been waiting for had not yet arrived. Earlier that day, Red had received an enchanted letter which detailed a hefty order of herbs to be prepared and ready for pickup. The bottom of the letter was signed by Weeping Willow. Red had never heard of them before, but wasn’t one to turn down business. He got a small crate and carefully filled it with what was ordered, after which he set it aside near the counter, and went about the rest of the day as normal.

But the day was almost over, where was this guy? Suddenly, the loud chime of a bell rang through the shop, and Red whipped his head up to look at the door. Standing halfway in the entrance was a green unicorn, donning a black hood and a very long horn. His hair was long and messy, it looked as though he had tried cutting it himself and gave up. The unicorn stood still, scanning the shop with eerie yellow eyes. Red was weary for a moment of this suspicious looking stallion but remembered his manners. He cleared his throat and spoke up,
“O-oh, welcome!” He faltered a little as the unicorn’s eyes fell on him. “Uhhhh, would you happen to be Weeping Willow?”

The green unicorn stepped further into the shop, letting the door close behind him.

“Mm. Is my order ready?” Willow said, tersely. It was clear he wasn’t looking for a friendly conversation. Red nodded quickly and scrambled to get the crate, grabbing the straps between his teeth and setting it on the countertop.

“Yep, it’s all right here!” Red said, sounding more confident now. “Come take a quick look, make sure I didn’t miss anything?” He tapped at hoof against the crate in a friendly gesture.

Willow approached the counter, sharp eyes looking from Red down to the crate full of herbs and flowers. “You some sort of potion-maker?” Red asked, curious if the unicorn would be willing to talk to him. “I know what the effects of all the plants in my shop are, and it looked like you ordered a lot of ones used in brewing.” Willow didn’t answer, but he looked almost impressed by Red’s deduction. His gaze softened further as he looked through the crate, at first making sure everything was there, but then went on to admire how well taken care of the plants were, how healthy they looked. He gently raised a hoof to feel a leaf, and began to smile a little bit. Red looked on, finding himself starting to smile as well. It was a great feeling that he could make such a grumpy pony smile with his plants. As well, it was interesting to see that this mysterious unicorn seemed to have a soft spot for flora.

Willow seemed to suddenly realize what he was doing and clear his throat loudly, his face going back to a familiar scowl. His horn glowed bright with magic as he used it to pull a pouch of bits out from under his cloak. He hastily set the bits on the counter and picked up the crate, eager to leave.

“…Thanks.” Willow uttered as he turned and briskly walked out, the door shutting quickly behind him.

Red blinked, staring at the door for a few moments, before looking down at the pouch. He sifted through the bits, counting them carefully. As he counted, he thought about Willow and smiled, chuckling softly to himself.

“What a strange fellow.”

Upvotes at import: 25 | Stars at import: 14
Posted previously at: 2020-08-08T10:37:15 | Posted previously by: Mildgyth