Lucky Lettuce

finally. how many years has it been. at least it's april

"Goodness, that trip really did a number on me."

Anybody who takes a multi-mile trek that they've already preemptively deemed their final walk in advance of dropping dead on the floor is likely to also be the sort of person that sits down, the following evening, and declares with a generous sprinkling of litotes that these are just the day's devoirs. Another one passed by, and the gig goes on.

Minoth felt a strange, twilit sorrow at Mireille's groaning declaration. The idea that people can grow from young bucks sponging up the world's experiences to stooped antlers, repositories of wisdom and gnarl, so set in their ways and means both that they cannot even entertain the thought of returning to the place from whence they'd sprung, all those years ago...

Made his own worries about Blade aging, an impossible concept applied solely to him, seem ridiculously far-fetched.

"Anything I can do for you?" he asked, because it was his wont to be as helpful as feasible to those he liked, and as inaccessible as plausible to those he didn't.

Mireille grinned. "You can check up on that armoire to see if Teo's left the joints I stashed. I haven't used them in a long while, but...well. We'll just see what we'll see."

Schooling his eyebrows back to neutrality, Minoth did as asked and reached behind a basket of crumpled paper (far heavier than stationery alone, though; he realized later that this had been Teo's own stash of Mireille's smallest works) to find a pouch stuffed full of roughly cylindrical shapes.

To Minoth's considerable surprise, the contents smelled alarmingly familiar. Not just "I camped out with mercenaries who lit up, once or twice, months ago", but "better check the side of your neck to see if you've been sweating off your cologne".

"For medicinal purposes, I gather," he pronounced, handing off the pouch.

Mireille nodded, but rolled her eyes. "It will be now. Anything else that comes of it, I intend to sleep it off."

Not exactly a calming scent, by Minoth's taste, but still...familiar.

"You, ah...import this stuff?" Imported, but the question was valid.

"Oh, no, no. Too expensive. Gormott has all the good drugs, though, you're right. Now, if you're into Red Pollen Orbs, which I'm not and have never been, you can get a better deal. Depending upon which Nopon you know, and what you've got."

From monster granny to middleman meemaw. Again, Minoth kept his jaw tight, lest it hang.

"Glossy Chamomile is soothing because it's hydrating and can be used as a sedative. But it's nothing like Prism Poppies - far, far too often confused with Propeller Poppy, though those can be an effective ward against unwanted advances."

Because of course Mireille would know about that. She removed her hat and set it on the table, pulling a card of matches from the sweatband.

"Clarity Moss and Confusion Ivy behave as they sound. Memento Bark has a more...ironical title. Though I haven't met anyone who'll try to sell it to elderly ladies like me under false pretenses. Not yet, anyway. And then Puzzletree Wood is for if you're just feeling a little...creative."

Something was still missing... Minoth watched as Mireille struck a match, lost the rest of the pack to shaky hands, and lit up the first blunt with a sigh.

"Not going to try, are you?"

"Well, I-"

She fixed him with a hard look. "You know they use Curious Rotting Leaves to make your perfume."

Blanching, Minoth took a joint of his own, and was about to bend down to retrieve a match when Mireille stood, apparently testing her joints, and lit his with her own.

"Just going to watch us?"

Now Teo entered, shaking his head.

"Tell me, Mireille, did you ever get lucky from Lucky Lettuce?"

"Well, I'm a potter, so, you know," Mireille allowed a natural pause as she shuffled back to her seat at the low table, "I know about pot."

- Gormott has all the good drugs
- very expensive to import and don't have it stashed
- Clarity Moss, Confusion Ivy, Memento Bark, Puzzletree Wood
- they gave Teo Glossy Chamomile which is somewhat soothing
- not interested in Red Pollen Orbs from the Nopon
- need Curious Rotting Leaves for Exquisite Perfume
- "Did you ever get lucky from Lucky Lettuce?"
- she's a potter, so she knows about pot