Potions

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael had hovered outside of Grey's shop, unsure if he really did want to go and see Gray or if he just wanted to dump the potions in a drain somewhere and head home already. He took a tight grip on Elouai's leash, readjusted his bag on his shoulder, then stepped into the store. He fully intended to keep a tight hold on the leash and to make his visit short.

[Greyson "Grey" Sebastien]

Grey had enough security around his shop that he'd been aware of someone hovering outside. When the door opened, he was at the front counter, ostentatiously eying this month's runic crossword puzzle in the Quibbler. He looked up the moment the door opened, though, a subtle sign that he hadn't been reading at all.

He recognized Michael immediately, though his gaze was distracted by a black pup on a short leash. His usual practice was no pets, a necessity in a shop filled with fragile items, but Michael had proved himself nothing if not responsible over the years since they had met.

"Good afternoon," Grey said, drawing his gaze back up to Michael's. "If you had waited much longer you would have been out of luck," he said. "I close at dusk." It wasn't quite that late yet, but it was fast approaching.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael nodded, then glanced around before his eyes hovered on Elouai, who was straining at her leash. "Is it okay to have her, or do I need to tie her outside?" he asked, pausing just in front of the door. Elouai would be fine outside for the short time he thought he would be inside. He readjusted his hands at the leash and at the strap to his bag, then blinked a few times to try to get himself to be a little more aware. He couldn't believe that no one would notice the redness in his eyes and the dark smudges beneath his eyes from his recent lack of sleep, though he hoped that other things had gone unnoticed.

[Greyson "Grey" Sebastien]

Grey did notice, once Michael was close enough to see. He didn't directly comment, though. Not yet. He still observed Michael, but focused on the conversation at hand first. "As long as you can control her, I have no objections," he said. It didn't appear that Michael would have any trouble with that. "What can I help you with?" he asked. If it was sleeping potion, Grey would have questions before even considering agreeing to a sale.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael only started toward the counter when he was sure Grey didn't mind Elouai, even then he made sure to keep a tight hold on her leash as he approached. "I just want to know if you'll take these potions back," he said, pulling the bag from his shoulder and setting it on the counter. Glass clinked lightly inside as the bag moved and then again when they met the countertop. He didn't want to do anything else, just get rid of the temptation of the potions.

[Greyson "Grey" Sebastien]

Grey eyed the flasks a moment before looking back up at Michael. "If you're hoping for a return, I'll have to disappoint you," he said. "I didn't make these potions." Still, he picked up a near-empty vial of sunshine-yellow potion and eyed it. "May I ask where you got these?" Grey reserved his suspicions and looked back to Michael. Something had happened, and Grey would tread carefully until he knew what.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

I didn't make these potions. Michael's lips parted and he shook his head as his eyes dropped to the bottles. "They're Dare's," he answered softly. Where had Dare been getting them? If he wasn't getting them from Grey, then Michael could only assume that everything was much worse than he thought, and he had already admitted to himself that it was bad. "I took them away yesterday."

[Greyson "Grey" Sebastien]

That answered several questions, though it opened up a host of new ones. "Where is he now?" he asked Michael. If Michael had taken them, and only a day prior, then it was heavily implied that Dare still wanted them. Grey couldn't be certain of when he had sold the first vials to the young man without checking his records, but with the amount of potions spread out on the counter, there had obviously been a problem.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

"At home," Michael answered, still amazed that he hadn't known that Dare hadn't been getting them from Grey. Where else would he have gotten them, and how could Michael not have known? "A friend is watching after him." When had Michael lost control? When had the relationship changed so much that they couldn't even talk about Dare seeing Markise anymore? He hung the loop of the leash around his wrist and fiddled with his ring.

[Greyson "Grey" Sebastien]

"And you, Michael?" Grey asked after a moment. "How are you faring?" Who is watching after you? Michael looked worn and nervous, and Grey felt partially responsible for the role he had played in whatever drama was working itself through. He had no reason to feel regret for having sold those first two vials of potion; he had seen for himself how troubled Dare was. Even so, he was beginning to wish that he had taken a more active role in discouraging the young man from continuing to take the potions.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael shrugged and looked down at his hands. "I've been through worse, I'll be okay." It made be a long time coming, but he would be fine eventually. He had the feeling he wasn't going to be getting out of the shop any time soon, and it seemed Elouai had decided on the same thing, since she had given up her attempt to get away from the leash and opted to lay down instead at Michael's feet.

[Greyson "Grey" Sebastien]

"When one has survived hell on earth, one has ever after been through worse." Grey looked at Michael pointedly. "Would you care to fill me in on anything? I'm afraid I know nothing other than Dare's reasons for beginning the potions and my own reasons for refusing to continue selling them to him." Michael had talked to Grey about extremely private things before, and he wasn't about to let the young man leave without the same support that Grey had given before. It reminded him that he was useful here.

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

Michael leaned on his elbows on the counter, the cloth loop of the leash slipping down over his arm to his elbow. He shrugged his cloak behind his shoulders and stared down at his hands, where he still played with the ring on one finger. "He's been on the potions since November. I tried to talk to him about it and he just got mad every time. Last night he yelled at me for taking them away, but he didn't need to be taking them anymore!" as he finished, he looked up at Grey for some kind of reassurance that he had done the right thing.

[Greyson "Grey" Sebastien]

"He most definitely didn't," Grey affirmed. "I refused to sell him either of the potions I had originally given him, on the grounds that they were not meant as treatment in and of themselves. They were meant as an aid to immediate needs and nothing more. There are four potions here, Michael." Six flasks and one vial, but only four potions. "It wasn't getting better."

[Michael Blackwood-Hardt]

"I know," Michael said, looking down again. "I know there's a problem, I don't need to be told again." He already knew he had messed up, and he also knew that it was putting horrible strain on the relationship, strain that he couldn't honestly see an end to any time soon. He rubbed his face and moved his hands into his hair to rest at the sides of his head. "It was kind of hard to ignore once he started yelling and digging through the living room."