Three's Not a Crowd | gxgxg | ONC 2023

Chapter 8| White tulips and old enemies

Anya cursed herself as she paced the living room, chewing on her nails. She had been watching Youtube for the past two hours, trying to get her thoughts to settle down but they didn't.

Mirza didn't say anything as she had walked out the other day, to either of them. Kaynath's words stung a little and she didn't know why.

Were they dating? Did Mirza casually forget to mention that because she was too busy?

She traced Mirza's conversations back to when she first mentioned the haircut girl and estimated that it had been quite some time. A few months, give or take, at the very least. She needed some air or something to blow up. Pursing her lips, she made a quick decision and walked out.

To the mushroom house it was. At least that would occupy her thoughts a little more. It was a Sunday and there wasn't her best friend to hang out with because she was mad and there wasn't Kaynath to annoy as the shop remained closed.

Sighing a little, she stepped in the cool moss, and looked at the vials of toxins. Deadly nightshade, which was her fastest and most expensive selling product, was one of the best gifts she had received from a relative in the States. The bright, shiny black berries could lure anyone and that was the very effect of it. A single dosage could cause confusions, hallucinations and even death. A giggle bubbled out of her at the thought.

World domination! Or at least that was what her client said, when they had come to collect some portion of it. She was careful not to sell more than 100 mL to any client but what they did with it was none of her business when she just wanted some extra cash.

Mutual enemies.

Five consecutive knocks sounded at her door and she waited a heartbeat before opening the door. A person in printed overalls stood before her, gazing at her lawn with intensity before snapping their eyes back to her.

"Your daisies are drying up. And hello, again."

"Well, summer is insane this year, isn't it? Come in," she held the door open and looked at the square clock on her wall. Fifteen minutes and not a second more was her policy.

"The same deadly nightshade please. A bottle of 100 mL."

"Be right back," she smiled and left to search for one behind the shelves. She needed to pack more bottles but she was also running out of glass vials and mini bottles and needed to buy extra. Humming to herself, she pulled out her freshest bottle where she had handpicked the leaves herself. She charged extra for the berries.

This was probably the only reason she actually made an effort to interact with people she might have hated— contacts were always great. Her family may not have given two shits about her but her extended family always had a calculative look in their eyes and gave her contacts when they saw her mushroom house.

Not that she would ever let her parents in this. They just assumed that their daughter needed her space to read and grow her powers without affecting others.

"Here you go," she set the vial on the table and motioned for Zel to pick it up. They stood up with hands in their pockets, bending down, brown eyes narrowing at it and then straightened back up and placed a generous wad of cash on the table, waiting for Anya to count it.

Anya counted it once, then twice and then nodded as she packed the vials wrapped in bubble wrap before securing it in a vintage brown package and signed her name on it.

"I'm not one for aesthetics," Zel muttered under their breath.

"Yeah, but it feels soft and sweet," Anya piped back, matching her gaze with theirs.