Rowan stood on a rather small balcony that was the only real luxury her small home offered. A one room flat that overlooked a rather rare garden was where she now called home. The gentle breeze, that always blew from the movement of the Giant Golem where the city of Hoja Mesto rested, ruffled her long chocolate hair. She had found this city wandering on the coast, she had trailed it for days, trying to find where the moving city had put its roots. Rowan had heard rumors of it all the way in Wyllmochvar in the mages college, a city that roamed an entire continent. It was filled with strange people who sought safety behind it's naturally defensive base seeing as the Golem had arms and teeth. It was a haven for those who fled war and was home to a garden full of rare plants, which was why she was here.

Rowan had been told there was a garden here on Hoja Mesto that grew rare plants, including those that healed mortal wounds. She had also heard that those who knew most about those herbs lived here that was why she was here. It had now been months since she had been reborn in flames, it had been months since she had turned into her phoenix form. It seemed as if the ability was gone, she could no longer soar above the trees nor so much as heal a scraped knee. Today she had set up a meeting with the local herbologist in hopes of becoming an aprentice. Rowan knew that if she could not heal in her own way she must find another. All those years that she spent locked up healing one man could have saved hundreds of lives. She would make up for that somehow, even if she was to spend a lifetime learning how to heal the way humans did.

She turned her back to the balcony and walked the space of the room in seconds. It was a tiny one roomed flat with a straw matress on the floor. Her few belongings sat in a pack next to the bed. Despite it's simpleness Rowan loved it. A place to call her own that had a view of the world. She was no longer confined in someones cellar, forced in a cage and kept in the dark. She could light all the candles she wanted and the balcony gave her the freedom when she felt trapped indoors. With a turn of her wrist Rowan opened the door to the busy street before her. She made her way down one switchback to the alchemists home only a block below hers. Butterflies flittered in her belly as she approached the door. She had no background in healing, no expertise, why would someone accept her to an apprenticeship? With a sigh she knew that all she had was her determination, that would be what got her into this. She adjusted her tunic, squared her shoulders and knocked solidly on the wooden door.

Coran stood at the counter in his modest herb shop and let out a sigh. Business hadn't been very good lately and the lack of money was becoming a huge issue. He lacked the personal skills of the other alchemists in the city and rarely had any repeat customers. The current stock of herbs and potions was quite good, but without a solid customer base he wasn't going to be in business much longer. He stepped out from behind the counter and took a short walk around the shop. His shop was modest, but well stocked. There were only a couple small windows at the front, but because of the closeness of the surrounding buildings, most of the light from the sun was blocked out. The main source of light came from three large potted plants. These plants were rare and he had traveled across the ocean to the Moritius swamp and brought them back as seedlings. The pods growing on the small plants gave off a warm light, and with three of them in the shop, the light was sufficient. The pleasant memory of his time as a young apprentice made him smile and he touched one of the glowing pods and appreciated the light.

Coran wandered around the shop aimlessly, reading the labels on the small pots and jars. He took great care to keep his stock organized and easy to find when requested. He absently counted the values of items and imagined how he would spend the money when he sold each individual item. He was only an third level alchemist and had yet to take an apprentice. The local guild of alchemists were stingy with their promotions and there were only a few first level and grand level alchemists, and they were all very old and had been practicing their art for decades. Coran knew the next step to advancement would be to discover or invent something completely new. Something new… He had no idea where to start with making a discovery like that. He had no money to travel and he had already familiarized himself completely with every single plant that grew in this city, and if he left the city he knew he would get left behind as it moved around the continent. He was stuck in life and had nowhere to go. He was pondering this predicament when a knock sounded on the front door. He jumped with surprise as it pulled him back to the present. He took a moment to straighten himself and walked to the door. The door opened with a long creak and he was shocked to see a beautiful, young woman standing on his front step. This was odd because the majority of his customers were the older citizens looking for sleeping potions or something to ease the pains of old age. "Welcome…" he started talking but trailed off. He was shy around pretty women and had yet to enter into a serious relationship with one. He felt a little awkward looking at her, but then realized that she was probably here to buy something. He gestured into the shop and tried to regain some bit of professionalism. "I'm glad you have come, feel free to look around and let me know if you need anything."

  Pyzis smiled at the man who answered the door, he seemed to stumble on his words for a moment before inviting her in. AS sh stepped through the entryway her nose was overwhelemed with the scent of many different herbs. She could pick out the basics like lavender and frankincense, but most others blended together into on epleasant, but pungeant smell. She looked around at the dozens of shelves filled to the brim with containers of all shapes, sizes and materials. Each one was labeled in small neat handwriting, none of them faded or misplaced. It looked to her as if the owner was extremely organized. Bunches of dried plants, many of which Pyzis couldn't name, hung in rows from the low roof. Pyzis was positively giddy with excitement. This was why she had tracked down this roving city, in this one moment she knew she was where she needed to be.

  "Pardon me, I'm Pyzis," she said as she turned to the man before her He was of average height and build with brown hair that was a little unkempt. His eyes were beautiful bright blue and did not betray a single emotion. He was handsom, but plain in a way she couldn't put her finger on.

  "I live on the next street up and my home overlooks your garden. I must confess I spend a lot of time admiring your plants, they are beautiful. Are you the owner of the shop? Are you an Alchemist?" she mused. He seemed a little young to be a shop owner, but things in this city were different than anything she had ever seen. Since it picked up strays and refugees from all over the continent it was a huge mixture of cultures and people. It could be perfectly normal for someone as young as this man to be a skilled Alchemist from wherever it was he came from. 

  Pyzis wandered around the little shop, touching the wooden boxes and glass vials holding potions for many things. She looked at the herbs hanging and tried to determine the difference between each. It seemed that the man here was alone, if he didn't have an apprentice she had a much better chance of becoming one. Also if she even just worked in the shop she was sure she could gain at least some knowledge that she wished. She noticed a row of books along the shelf behind the counter. Her fingers yearned to leaf through the pages. Pyzis had always been a fast learning. She had always tried to better herself by reading, but being locked up for forty years meant all she had to look at was scrolls in foreign ancient languages that she couldn't read. It would be nice to stretch her mind agian. To feel the taxing of overworking a muscle that couldn't even get sore. She was thrilled at the thought. 

As the young woman wandered around the shop, Coran stood back and watched her. She seemed mesmerized by the variety of plants and herbs that he kept in stock. Most of them were mundane, common plants but he had a fair number of rarer varieties. During his Apprenticeship he had traveled quite a bit with Grand Master Yorell and the majority of the plants they had harvested were now bottled and labeled and sitting on one of the many shelves in the shop. Most of the items in his shop were of limited quantity, since replenishing the supply would require more travel. The plants that Pyzis had mentioned were in his outdoor garden but those were all the most common of plants. They were the basic ingredients for the most basic of concoctions. "Kind of", he finally replied, probably too long after her initial question. "I mean, yes, I am an alchemist. Well, mostly. More of an herbalist than alchemist, but, yes." He realized after he had spoken that his words were confused and disjointed and probably would only add the the confusion of the interactions. He took a step back and returned to behind the counter to try and regain his composure. He really did not have much experience talking to attractive women, and they never came into his shop. He spent almost all of his free time reading one of the many books in his vast collection, or tending to his plants. 
After a few moments of wandering, the young woman, Pyzis, came closer to the main counter. Coran noticed her eyes going to the shelves behind him to some of the massive tomes he kept on the shelf behind him. These were his main resource for his herbalism. If someone came in to the shop looking for a cure to an unfamiliar malady he could look it up in one of these books and figure out which plants would help best. He had read all of them many times and he could identify most plants by sight and had their uses practically memorized. Even though he knew them so well, he still liked to pull down the books and flip through them to impress his customers, and the time spend finding a certain passage kept the talking to a minimum.
Feeling a bit calmer now, Coran asked Pyzis "Is there anything in particular you are looking for?" He looked closely at her and she seemed perfectly healthy. He assumed she must be here on an errand for someone else. "I have a good selection of healing salves and poultices, or a nice herb tea that would help aching muscles." "If I don't have what you are looking for, I have a good source to obtain almost anything you would need." He could tell that he was beginning to ramble again without giving her a chance to speak. He held his breath and closed his eyes for a brief moment, and then waited for her reply.

Pyzis realized she had begun to stare as she looked around the shop. She turned back to the man and looked him over once more, his dark hair was messy, but it suited him. His eyes were intelligent, and she could see he was clearly uncomfortable to be speaking to her right now though she had no idea why. He had said he was an Alchemist but didn't seem overly sure of himself. Pyzis was just happy to meet finally the person she had been waiting looking for, and it was a good thing that he was closer in age to her than she expected. He was more handsome than she had first thought. If he had made himself an Alchemist as young as he was then he must be amazing at his art. There weren't many healers she knew that were not already old and gray. 

"I'm not looking for a potion of any kind I have no ailments that is cured through things such as this, but I thank you for asking. I'm here to ask if there is an apprenticeship available. I want to learn to tell what type of plant I'm seeing, dried or fresh. I want to get to heal and help people with all sorts of problems most especially those who are dying. I won't expect payment; I sell paintings on the side for my rent money." she babbled. It had been a while since she had had a conversation with anyone lasting more than a few words in passing. After being locked up for so long Pyzis found herself speaking more than others felt comfortable with, but when all you had was silence for forty years, a voice is like water to a man dying of thirst. If she ended up as his apprentice she would have to get used to hearing other people speak again. Also, she would have to reaccustom herself to touching and being touched. Perhaps this man could help her after all; maybe there was something to help her forget the pain she went through while being held captive. She was still having a hard time if someone touched her when she wasn't expecting it. 

She curtseyed to him and pulled her long hair over her right shoulder to play with it nervously as she awaited his reply. What she wanted to do was walk through his garden. She knew it wasn't grand, but he kept things alive. This man's touch made things grown, it healed injured people and comforted those in pain. That was what she wanted to do, and Pyzis knew she looked at him with admiring eyes. When she was a Phoenix, she could heal anyone instantly, so long as she could cry. People like this man spent years learning and never actually stop as medicine changed quickly. 

"I'm a quick learner and like to read as much as I can, I will help run the shop and clean as needed," she offered when he still hadn't answered her. She was afraid for the first time that he might turn her down. Honestly, she had no hands on experience with healing; he would be taking a risk with her. 

An apprentice? Coran had frequently thought about taking an apprentice but so far this woman was the first to ask. Also, he had no idea where to start in training someone. He himself had started his apprenticeship at a very young age and could remember hours upon hours of studying books and watching Yorell harvest his plants. "Apprentice?" he asked Pyzis. "You… want to" be my apprentice? Honestly, you are the first person to want that from me." He looked at her again a bit closer. She looked to be close to the same age as him, but she presented herself as somebody much older and more experienced. Her yellow eyes showed him much about her. He could see pain, experience, and hope in her eyes. "I don't really think I need much help around the shop. You are actually the first customer I've had in over a week, not much happens here. But as far as training, I could use a little assistance in harvesting and storing some of my plants. Also, if you want I can let you read these books but you might find them incredibly dull." He walked around to the front of the counter to stand next to her. "I was just about to harvest some of the pods from my ghostlight plants." He gestured to the small potted plants that provided most of the light for the small shop. He walked over to the closest one and held one of the pods in the palm of his hand. It was small enough that he could wrap his fingers around it and shut out most of the light, but bright enough that a single pod could illuminate a small area. The few dozen pods on the three plants spread around the shop was enough for comfortable lighting. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out a small pair of garden shears. Very carefully he cut the pod from the small plant and handed it to Pyzis. After separating the pod from the plant, the light dimmed slightly and began to give off warmth. "This is a very rare plant that I brought here from the swamps of Moritius. I have yet to determine all the uses for it. After removing the pod from the plant, it will be completely dried out in a couple of hours. After drying, the pod will be ground into a fine powder and can be a potent additive to any healing potion, salve, or poultice." He handed her a small basket and appreciatively watched as she carefully placed the pod in the bottom. He cut two more pods from this plant and then walked over and cut a few pods from the other plants in the shop. Each time, he handed the pods to Pyzis and she placed them carefully in the basket. After the harvesting was done, he found a lid for the basket and sealed the pods inside. After placing the full basket on a small table behind the counter her turned to his new apprentice, "Those should be ready for grinding in a few hours." He gave her a smile and he realized that he had never actually given her his name. Had it been too long and it would make the situation awkward again if he now introduced himself? 'oh, by the way, my name is Coran and I'm socially incompetent?'  No, he wouldn't do that. He turned towards the shelf full of large books. He grabbed the book that had been his first acquisition as a young apprentice and opened the cover. Inside was a small inscription that he had written 'Property of Coran' and the date he had begun his apprenticeship. "Here" he said to her. "This is the book I received on my first day of apprenticeship. It has most of the common plants and their uses. It can be an extremely useful tool as you learn." Coran gestured to a chair in the corner with a small table beside it. "If you would like, there is a seat over there and you can begin your study. If you have any questions, I would be more than happy to answer them for you."

Pyzis smiled when he hesitated after saying her as if she as a woman was the most unlikely of persons to want an apprenticeship with him. Indeed, she was aware that she didn't look like the average apprentice. Firstly she was much older; secondly she did not look like the mousy haired bookish girls who frequently chose such professions. Her richly colored hair with natural golden highlights fell at her hips, which boasted of curves most women would die for. She was surprised when he accepted her offer and began to walk around and teach her about his most prized plants. She reverently held each bud that he placed in her hand, this was the beginning of her dreams. She would be able to make up for the time she lost while she was held captive. Pyzis would learn to heal people just as she had before her time with the Alchemist.

"So what is the distinctive quality of these particular plants? How am I to distinguish them from others that look like them?" she asked, eager to know everything she could. She knew that telling one plant from another meant looking at things as tiny as the veins in the leaves, or the little ridges along the outside edge. Some looked the same unless you could smell them. 

"I'd like to thank you for this opportunity, to be honest, I thought it would be much more complicated than just asking for an apprenticeship," admitted Pyzis. She had thought she would have to petition every Alchemist in the City before she would find one that would let her learn.

After they finished collecting the pods, the man, whom Pyzis realized she still didn't know his name, handed her a book. As soon as it was in her hands she opened it and saw that it had his name written inside. Coran was to be the man she spent the next few years with, the man who would teach her how to reach her goals. She leaned one hip against the front counter and flipped open the book to the very beginning and began to read right there. It was true that it was an essential book, but Pyzis was ready to learn anything that she could, and one must always begin at the bottom.

She looked up from the book after she read a few pages and realized she was placing herself in the middle of his livelyhood and probably bothering him. "Coran? Is there a back room or would you like me to go study in the garden? I don't want to stand in your shop and inntterupt your business." Pyzis offered. It would be hours before he would be showing her more about the Ghostlight pods they had collected. She didn't want to waste any time if she could be learning from a book while she was waiting for the alloted time to pass. It was probably uncomfortable for Coran, who didn't seem to be used to company, to have her standing in his shop while she read. The least she could do was give him an out. 

Time passed slowly. Coran sat on the small stool that he kept behind the counter as he counted the minutes since he had shown Pyzis to the small sitting area in his garden. She had wanted to read and study without distractions and he didn't know her well enough to object. She obviously felt like she would be in the way he didn't mind a little solitude to collect his thoughts.

Coran lifted the straw lid on the small basket containing the ghostlight pods. The light from the pods was now very dim and when he ran his finger over one a small amount of powder came off onto his finger. They were ready. After the lid was replaced he dug a mortar and pestle out of the small cabinet under the main counter. He also retrieved a small notebook from one of the lower shelves behind him and open it to the page that he had written all the information about the ghostlight plants. Seeing that everything was ready he walked out to the garden to summon Pyzis.

The sun was nearing the horizon but there was still plenty of sunlight in his garden. His garden was small but full of life. There were plants of all shapes and colors. He had a varied collection of the most common herbs and a smaller collection of rare plants. There were a few plants that would only grow in warmer months and would need to be taken inside during the cold times and given special care. In the far corner of the garden there was a small building without windows. Inside were special mushrooms that would only grow in the dark and if exposed to sunlight would shrivel and lose all potency. The mushrooms were so sensitive to light, the building could only be opened at night, when there was no moonlight or starlight, which was fairly rare. It was a good thing that they required very little care to grow.

In another corner of the garden, in the shade of a large oak tree was a small sitting area with a comfortable arm chair and a small table. Pyzis sat in the chair immersed in the herbology book that Coran had given to her earlier. He hesitated a moment, not wanting to interrupt. He stood in the doorway from the shop to the garden and stared at her. She really was beautiful and he could not believe that she had come to him and asked to be his apprentice. Surely she should be more at home elsewhere. Where did beautiful women go to spend their time? He tried to think of an occupation that would suit such a woman but he really couldn't think of any. Odd. Anyway…

He finally decided that he had stared for long enough and approached Pyzis. She looked up at him as he came nearer. "The pods are ready, if you want, I can show you how to prepare them." 

They walked back into the shop and Coran led Pyzis around to the back of the counter and gestured towards the small basket containing the pods. "Take one out with these," and handed her a small set of tongs. "Excessive finger oils can diminish the potency."
He nodded as she took one of the pods and scooted the mortar and pestle closer to her. "One at a time, grind them into a fine powder. They will crush and fall apart easily, not like a rock pod," and chuckled a little bit to himself. He watched as she gingerly ground the small pod into a small pile of gently glowing powder. "As you can see, the pod dried quickly and still glows a little bit. This is completely normal and it will glow for months. If the powder ever stops glowing then it has lost all potency and is completely useless. We will need to harvest more pods every three to four months to keep our supply current. This will be one of your regular tasks." He reached into another small cabinet under the counter and pulled out a wooden box containing small glass bottles. The bottles were wide at the bottom and narrow at the top and were sealed with thin corks. He also pulled out a small funnel and showed her how to pour the powder into the bottle without losing any. He pressed the cork into the top, and using a nearby candle sealed it shut with yellow wax. Pulling small labels out of another small cabinet he wrote in neat handwriting and affixed the label to the small bottle. He held it up and showed Pyzis exactly what the finished product should look like. "I know it might be a little strange, but I have a very specific way in which I do things. For now, I would like you to follow my example and do things exactly the way I do. Later on if you think you have a better, more efficient way to do things I will listen to suggestions, but until you gain more experience please do it my way." He gestured to the basket of ghostlight pods again. "You did very well grinding the pod, so now do it all." He smiled at her as she began working. If she can keep her focus and work hard, she would make a very good apprentice, and someday make a very good alchemist.

Pyzis was shown the little outdoor sitting area in the garden out the back of the shop. She settled down in the armchair and allowed herself a moment to look out at the backyard from this new view. Above and to her left was the balcony she usually sat at, her small flat that boasted of nothing other than what she was experiencing first hand now. The herbs around her gave off a heady aroma; Pyzis took in a deep breath enjoying the way the smells mixed. The green was almost overwhelming; the garden teemed with the color. A few blossoms sprouted up from vines, dotting the monotone with bright colors of white, red, and yellow. She could hear birds singing and the shuffle of people in the streets out front of the small shop. Here she was finally accepted into the apprenticeship she wanted, and hope filled her. With the thought she realized she had spent too much time enjoying her surroundings and hadn't read anything.

With a smile on her face, Pyzis immersed herself within the pages of the basic herbology book. It started with a chapter on care when handling plants one was unfamiliar with, and she found herself lost in the information. She absorbed it and committed every tiny detail to memory no matter how droll it was. This was a new chance, and she knew she would not squander it.

A time later, Pyzis Coran approached her informing her that the pods were dry enough to crush. She stood and stretched in the afternoon sunlight after having sat in the same position for a few hours now. Eagerly she strode into the small shop and listened as Coran explained what it was she would do with the now dry pods. She carefully continued her task and nodded as he told the way he wanted it done. Pyzis had no problem obeying everything that Coran said since she knew she had a very limited experience with such things. Later she would have plenty of opportunities to experiment. 

As she crushed the pods, the silence pressed on her ears, and she could feel her chest tighten. The dim light of the Ghostlight plants and the smells of herbs took her back in the tiny room she was forced into for forty years. Accompanied with the quiet Pyzis couldn't bear it anymore. 

"Coran, how did you become an Alchemist at such a young age," she blurted out. Pyzis wasn't in the position to be asking personal questions, but she couldn't handle being indoors, in silence, and not expect a panic attack to happen. "I mean it's impressive to see someone like you as accomplished as you are. I think since we will be working together we may as well get to know each other."

Pyzis bottled the next crushed pod, carefully using the funnel to make sure every speck made it into the bottle. She used the wax from the candle to seal it and felt strange writing on the label. Everything in the neat shop had the same tidy handwriting. It wasn't as if hers was poor, but it was different, and it seemed to disrupt the order. She would have to get used to it as this was to be her life now. 

The moment that Coran had been dreading came while Pyzis was processing the ghostlight pods. She began asking personal questions. Coran didn't normally allow people to get close to him. Aside from Grand Master Yorell, he hadn't really had any friends. Sure, there had been a number of acquaintances but he had never fully opened himself to any of them. "I started my apprenticeship as a young boy, I'm pretty sure I was eight at the time, possibly nine." He thought back to his first day standing in Yorell's shop alongside his father as he was peddled off to the wizened alchemist. He hadn't wanted to leave his home and mother but father had insisted that he was old enough to find his own way. Yorell had been a kindly man and had taken Coran in without much objection. 

Coran shook away the memory before it could distract him too much. Pyzis was just as distracting though. Sometimes when he looked closely at her she almost seemed to be glowing, much like the ghostlight powder she was carefully pouring into the small glass bottle. "Im sure that if you keep at it for another ten years you will probably be much farther along and more experienced than I am right now." He gave her an encouraging smile. "You have steady hands and a strong desire, these will take you far. I can show you plants and tell you all about them, but without nimble fingers an herbalist is nothing." After a brief pause, Coran pointed to a map tacked to one of the walls. "Eventually we will need to travel and seek out some of the rarer plants in the wild, not everything can grow in a pot." He walked over to the map and pointed at the blue spot on the map labeled Jasumin Lake. "For example, there is a rare flower, called the neverbloom flower, that only grows on the east side of the lake. This flower is a excellent additive to mana potions." He couldn't help but get excited when he talked about finding and harvesting plants that few people had heard of and even fewer had seen. "How do you feel about travelling and seeing the world? Travel is a crucial part of what we do, but unfortunately I haven't been able to do much lately."

He stared at the map for a couple minutes then walked back to Pyzis just as she was sealing the cork on the last bottle of ghostlight powder. He watched as she neatly wrote and affixed the label to the bottle and placed it next to the others in a neat line. Yes, she would make an excellent apprentice. He gathered the bottles and showed Pyzis the spot that he had prepared for them on one of the shelves on the far end of the shop. There was an open space next between the vials of milkwood sap and canisters of clingvine buds. He wrote another small label and attached it to the front of the wooden shelf. Easy to find was easy to sell.