Elias

"You!"
by Neev


Elias grew up in the slums of a large city, never holding respect for his parents. His mother stayed at home to raise his seven sisters (Elias was the only boy), though really they did most of the work. His father was a performer, dressing in fine clothing and gowns to entertain royalty yet only bringing home barely enough money to live on.

So it was that Elias took after his mother's mother, Seraphina. Stories, often dismissive and full of rolling eyes and comments about the hassle of travel were still enough for Elias to glean what he wanted to hear. She was a traveler, roaming the land, just her, her family, and a carriage to sleep in and full of wares to sell. Money flowed easily through her claws and living a simple life allowed her to keep it. She dressed in fine silks and clothes not because the nobles had sponsored them, but because she had earned them with her clever use of herbs gathered from the countryside, mixed into wondrous potions, and sold to those who needed them most and curing anything she came across.

So like his father, Elias donned the fine clothing of the higher class (though if one looked closely, it was cheaply made, and his choices gaudy), and began to mix potions like his grandmother. He had a talent for it but not the same love for people and the land as she did. He found himself cutting more and more corners, reveling in the treasure he made each time. His wealth grew easily as did his skills in performance, and he found he could sell folks a bottle of dirt for thousands, plus the cost of the bottle, if he just said the right things about it. But due to his unsavory practices, many fell only more sick, others died, and Elias could never be close to people for long lest they discover his secrets. Now he sits atop a pile of treasure, with nothing and no one to spend it on.

Perhaps it was karma, or perhaps it was just bad luck, but Elias one day fell gravely ill. As the symptoms get worse, the best he can do is try to mix potions to try and manage them, but even his own elixirs leave side effects; the years of dishonesty suddenly beginning to bare their weight as he tries to not think of the undue suffering he caused.

During his travels he met his current wife, Amiria, a discerning doctor with no patience for his near-constant nonsense. Still, he's found himself to be a hopeless romantic, and just silly enough to make her smile.

by Ookamiotoko

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