A Petal's Fall

Using the last of her strength, Ephemeria fished out her keys and unlocked the entrance to her store, tugging the door open and pocketing back the key into her saddlebag. She walked into the shop and dropped the tall stack of packages trailing along with her, releasing a hefty sigh. It turned out even plants could begin to weigh one down if in significant quantities. Her near-panting breath supported that fact. I should take a breather But... rest will come soon enough. Her rhythm had been set for the finishing touches as the day neared its conclusion, and at her current pace; the following weeks should be a comfortable breeze before the inevitable slowing down of business for a well-earned winter's reprieve. A long inhale, a strained grunt, and up went the stack once more as she scampered towards the storage section of the shop with a burst of energy. The final trots were stumbles and nearly led to the entire tower of items falling over if not for her tight magical grip keeping them stable. No number of aches or pains could hope to mess her up here. Plus, having to pick up all eighteen of them would take more effort. Next on the list: Sorting Which sounded like a whole lot of trouble at first, except the task primarily consisted of setting aside each wrapped translucent package of plants with the appropriate box. Plants on the left, a box with prepared details of their where-to and contents to the right. Each pair made up a parcel to be sent out at the start of the week. One of her many small systems of order. She pointed at every one of them for a tally, squinting her eyes to fight against the blur of adrenaline while still catching her breath. All accounted for would be… eight sets! Another count of eight in reverse order to be sure. Perfect. Wait, she did bring all of the packages, right? Ephemeria paced back and forth while performing a retally of the numbers. Seventeen, one less than the count she distinctly recalled checking with thorough caution. The idea of having messed up and letting one slip along the way was terrifying. She galloped off towards the entrance for a brief moment, then paused and returned to her previous spot. Another one to be safe. And sped away once more before cycling back yet again. A third time to be absolute Her thorough search paid off as it revealed a tiny package that had been obscured by the larger ones above. Of course, Ephee remembered that a client did want a sample of a specific plant along with the regular bulk request. She let out a relieved sigh. The last thing she ever wanted to experience was having to explain how she managed to lose part of an order through nothing more than basic carelessness due to the negligence of wanting to get it all done in a single trip, regardless of how friendly the clients often were. The following course of action after sorting was… well, all she planned for the day had been accomplished. Rest was the remaining goalpost. She paced towards the counter and leaned on the wooden surface, catching up on the now heaving breaths as she finally spent a minute assessing herself from the rather concerning amount of exertion she pushed herself through. Ephemeria's biggest flaw was always running on full throttle, forgetting hydration and food a lot more than she lets on. Only recently has she been trying to keep up a water regime. She realised how light her head felt, along with how much lighter it became in the coming seconds as the adrenaline wore off. Realised how much her legs had been shaking for a while, and her breaths remained as heavy after over a minute of pure idle. Realised her entire front left limb was coated in soreness too. The muscles hadn’t made a full recovery since a recent injury. No way I'll make it home in this condition It was time for an unconventional approach. The lights flicked off, and she struggled over behind the counter, where she pulled out a well-hidden small mattress to lay on while she leaned against the wall. Given it was approaching dusk, the shop may as well appear closed to even the most curious of folks. Minutes passed and her breaths were still intense with a prominent heartbeat knocking through her chest, though the feeling of lightness managed to subside thanks to her lowered position. Her feeble self-examination concluded with a case of overexertion. Sure, her mother may have been a proper healer by comparison but she could do a few things of her own to take care of herself! Once her body felt like it could handle the lightest of activities. Ephee attempted to stand up and… succeeded. Alright, everything feels okay… ish. Time to *** Ephemeria never experienced vivid dreams, and nothing stayed long enough for her to recount just a tiny detail. Too restless to stay in a calm limbo. Yet, the momentary flash always left her with a relevant sensation with the potential contents. Waking up straight to the feeling of anxiousness. Her head jolted up to scan her surroundings. Through the dim light, she recognised that this was not her home. It was alarming enough that she forced her body up; despite an overwhelming sluggish and stiff protest from her limbs. Ephee fired up a hasty spell to illuminate the area with a sheen of yellow. Any other scene would have had her panicking, except it was her shop as she left it. Confusion set in. It'd be a lie to say she didn't have the smarts to put two-and-two together right away. Still, her mind had to process the situation. Thankfully, her jaw made it out fine, and the fact she could move around should be a moderately good sign. Was all of this really worth the struggle? Probably not, but any less commitment and there might not be a reason to be making an effort. This was her one flower that bloomed. She had to give it her all. With a sigh, she glanced over to the clock. Eleven on the dot, up to the very second. An hour to make it home seemed reasonable. It'll give her the freedom to walk at her own pace, well, the actual path was less than ten minutes at worst. It might not be the first incident, but likely won't be the last. Ephemeria exited the store and made her way home with the guidance of the moon, pushing through the shakiness and discomfort. Where she lacked in strength, heart needed to prevail.