For many years the world of Osmadin found itself under the tyranny of an evil King of Demons. Their army, many races of demons, and defectors from the resistance held the world under their thumb. Before long any hope for peace seemed like it was out of reach, until one day, the King of Demons disappeared. And it was discovered that the demons they employed were mostly dominated by a magical effect the king employed. Soon after life returned to normal for the citizens. And now they struggle to navigate the day to day trials of life, and hope to rebuild what was lost during the times of war.

However, our story begins on a much smaller scale.

It begins with a pink haired woman, who is at her wits end with her roommate/coworker.

"Araaaaaaminnnn!" She yelled out, banging on the door to his room. The sun had already risen well into the sky, and yet the demon had not awoken from his slumber. This was a nearly daily occurrence at this point. The door Tyra was currently banging on beginning to show signs of warping from her daily abuse she gave it.

"Kaaaaaaaaaahhhhh" The heavy snores of Aramin were loud enough to almost overpower the sound of Tyra’s door strikes.

"Damn it, Aramin! Enough!" She took out a key. Something she promised him she wouldn't use. "You've lost your locked door privileges!" She rammed the key into the lock and in one swift motion, turned the key and bust through the door.

Sure enough the demon was still asleep, how he was able to remain in his slumber after all the noise was beyond Tyra.

She stomped over to his bed, nearly tripping over the piles of random items and trash he left on his rooms floor. "Get!" She gripped his blanket. "UP!" She tore the blanket from him. Luckily for Tyra’s precious eyes the demon did not sleep in the nude. That being said his current attire wasn't that flattering either. A dirty tank-top and boxers.

Even still, Aramin refused to wake up. His open mouth allowing drool to seep into his pillow. Tyra clenched her jaw, trying to regain her composure. She took a deep breath, letting the air escape slowly from her lungs. "There has to be a way to wake this moron up..."

And like that, a brilliant idea popped into her head. She was the owner of an apothecary shop, there were plenty of things she could use to get him up. She walked out of his room, taking a sharp right to behind her store's counter. Where her brewing items were kept.

"Perfect." She said with a grin forming at the corners of her mouth. She prepped the liquid in a metallic container. The amount she filled it with was a bit on the heavy side, causing her to rock side to side as she rounded the corner back into Aramin's room.

"Rise and shine!" She yelled, splashing the liquid all onto Aramin. "GAH!" Aramin let out, bolting up from his sleeping position. "What the hell Tyra!?" He barked at her, his clothes and bed soaked. He smelled what she had thrown. "I can't smell it... It has no smell... What is this?"

Tyra let out a chuckle. "It's water dumb dumb. Now get cleaned up and get out to the floor. We open in five minutes." Tyra turned on her heel and exited the room. Splashing the demon with water definitely put her in a better mood.

Aramin on the other hand, was a tad sour.

~ Some time later ~

Tyra manned the counter while Aramin roamed the store floor, making sure everything was presentable. He moved around like a lethargic person, taking little care to not bump into things.

"Hey, if you know what's good for you, you'll be more careful with my merchandise." Tyra said, her eyes sharpening at Aramin. He waved her off. "Yeah yeah yeah." He said in a dull tone, straightening his posture.

He normally enjoyed his job, even if he wasn't any good at it. But after the stunt Tyra pulled this morning it's left him feeling bitter. And he hated feeling this way, he was extremely grateful to Tyra for housing him and feeding him. So it frustrated him that his emotions refused to let it go. It was his fault for not getting up on time for so long.

He took steps towards the counter, Tyra looking away from the store entrance, her eyes meeting Aramin's.

"I'm sorry." He said simply but sincerely.

Tyra raised an eyebrow. "Sorry for what?" She wasn't just going to let him say sorry and be done with it.

He clenched his fists, his eye twitching. He found it taxing to apologize like this. But he pushed through. "I'm sorry for always waking up late... and forcing you to pick up my slack." He said the last part almost under his breath. That being said, the apology seemed to be enough for her.

However, Tyra was a bit more vindictive than Aramin was. So while she would accept his apology, she wasn't going to let it go any time soon. "Right, apology accepted. Now try working on actually getting up on time. Okay? Okay." She clasped her hands together and gave him a sickeningly sweet smile. Aramin knew that smile all too well. It meant "clean up your act or pack your bags." She had kicked him out for a few days in the past so he knew that it wasn't an empty threat.

"U- Understood!" He said obediently, turning around to tend to his duties.

More time passed and not a single customer had come by yet. A common occurrence ever since a few months ago.

Aramin was bored out of his mind, and although she tried to remain professional, Tyra too was feeling quite bored herself.

"Come oooooonnnnnn..." Aramin groaned. "Wheeeeerrrre aaaaaarrrre theeeeee customeeeeerrrsss?" He continued to whine, slumping against a shelf.

"Would you cut that out?" She snapped at him. "I don't want my merchandise getting damaged, stop leaning on the shelf."

Aramin begrudgingly complied.

Tyra was anxiously tapping her foot on the floor. With so few customers coming into her store as of late she was beginning to run low on funds.

She really thought this would be easier. She was always nice to those that came in, and she even gave discounts when needed. So, why? Why does no one want her products?

She sighed to herself, it wasn't something worth dwelling on right now. She needed to put on a brave face. If she was looking anxious then there's no way Aramin could hold up either.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

She needed something to do though. Something to take her mind off of things. Tyra scanned the room, her eyes falling on a few empty spots on her shelves.

Among the few things she's sold recently, potions of healing have been the most popular. And right now she had none remaining. Her eyes fell on Aramin.

"Hey, man the register, I'm going to go brew some inventory." She said, grabbing some ingredients from under the counter and exiting the register area.

"Sure thing boss." He said with a sigh. "Not like anyone's gonna walk in..." His unenthused comment didn't go unnoticed by Tyra.

"Just make sure to be nice if anyone comes in." She thought back to the one other time she had let Aramin man the register. It... hadn't gone well, and she soon had a complaint from the town's mayor soon thereafter.

He waved her off. "Mhm."

"I won't be long, so don't worry." She said, quickly making her way into a side room.

Aramin himself stood at attention. Though he wasn't too optimistic about being behind the counter again, he did want to do a good job should someone come in. If he does well enough then Tyra might give him some more freedom in his day to day.

He pumped his fist, that got him focused. He was going to do his absolute best, and blow Tyra away with his customer service skills.

ring ding

Like it was on cue, a woman, most likely in her thirties walked in.

Aramin wasn't too well versed when it came to reading someone, but this woman read like an open book. High class dress and fur, dolled up with makeup, and a scowl being her faces natural position.

Her eyes met Aramin's, and a smile broke through her crabby exterior. However, this smile felt patronizing more than anything to Aramin, but that didn't bother him.

"Hello ma'am, welcome to "The Witches' Cauldron" is there something specific you're looking for?" Aramin asked, his smile beaming.

"My oh my, how quaint. It isn't every day you see a demon working an honest job." She said, a laugh being held back.

This was a normal response. And one Aramin was used to. If he let every comment like this bother him then he probably wouldn't be alive right now.

"It's actually a lot more rewarding than I expected, I don't know why more demons don't do this." Aramin played along, but it felt like someone was pressing a dagger into his stomach.

The woman let out an obnoxious laugh, taking out her fan and wagging it at her face.

This was fine for Aramin. If it was just insults towards him he could handle it.

"You're much more fun than that woman." She said, still chuckling to herself.

Aramin's ears perked up at that statement. "I'm sorry, I'm not sure what you mean."

"Oh, I came in here a few months ago, and that woman gave me the most unprofessional customer service I've ever experienced." The woman's face becoming a bit redder as she recounted her tale.

"Tyra?" He said not really noticing that he had said her name out loud.

"Yes yes! That's the woman. Ugh! She had a smile on her face, but I could tell that she was talking down to me." She crossed her arms. "When you're in the circles I'm in, you pick up these sorts of skills to read someone."

Below the counter, Aramin balled his fists. "By the way, was there something I could help you with." Aramin's sweetness was gone, and a more robotic tone took its place.

She looked a bit disappointed to be cut off of her tirade. "That there." She pointed above Aramin's head and to the top of the shelf. "I had come in here and that item caught my eye, however that woman refused to sell it to me."

Aramin looked up and saw a small box. Standing on his toes he reached up and grabbed it. Inside there was a magnificent wand. The condition was perfect, as if time itself did not affect it.

Tyra hadn't mentioned this to him. But, just holding it gave off the impression that the wand was of great importance.

He was about to call for Tyra to see if the item was for sale when. "Yes, that right there. Can you believe that I was shooed out of here for wanting to purchase this?" The woman chimed in.

Aramin looked to the woman. "Honestly, how could she hope to run a store, which might I add, is very pedestrian, without selling her products?" The woman clicked her tongue a few times. "Some people just have no common sense. If she doesn't get it together then this place will go under in no time."

He was trying, he was really trying. "These comments don't matter..." He thought to himself. "But she's not even here to defend herself."

"So, how much for it? My daughter is learning magic and she loves the color pink." She gave him a forced smile.

"Such a shallow reason..." He thought to himself, but he swallowed his pride and put the wand on a scale. The enchantment, weighed the value of an item, comparing it to other items that have been weighed with the same enchantment. All he had to do was wait for the result, and collect the money.

"You know what, you've been such a good company that I think I'll put a good word about your shop to my inner circles." She said, with that same smile on her face.

Aramin was a bit relieved, even if she was just blowing smoke, that could help their business tremendously.

"I normally don't go back on what I've said prior, but I think I'll make an exception this time. After all, more must come see you, the demon working customer service." She laughed to herself.

Aramin hadn't heard her second comment, but the first one rung in his head. "What had she meant by that?" Then it clicked. The woman had come in a few months ago, and said she was unable to purchase the wand. Soon after that their store had seen much less business.

Aramin gritted his teeth. "Of all the petty..." He said, his breath shaky.

"Pardon?" The woman said, her tone immediately souring.

Tyra did not disclose to him if they were under any financial distress. That didn't stop him from noticing the amount of stress she was under. And of course he was no fool. With how much they were paying to the mayor to keep this place open, and with the lack of customers. It didn't take much to put two and two together.

He could handle nasty comments. He could handle rude customers. He could handle so much. But this. This had tipped him over the edge.

~Meanwhile~

Tyra was quite happy with her work. The potions she had just made were her best yet. "I might just be able to charge a bit more for these." She chuckled under her breath.

She placed seals over the top of the cork to keep someone from using the item incase they were stolen.

"Alright, now to get back to-"

"GET OUT!!!" Her words were stopped by a shout that she could have sworn had shaken the store.

She swiftly bolted out of her brewing room and saw Aramin at the entrance to her store. He was huffing, and beads of sweat lined his forehead.

"Aramin!" She called to him in a stern tone.

He whipped his head around to her, and the look in his eyes caused her to falter, he had never looked at her like that the entire time he's lived here.

[https://imgur.com/a/K0j2fbs][https://i.imgur.io/vjOSmIM_d.webp?maxwidth=640&shape=thumb&fidelity=medium]

But that look only lasted a mere moment before his face returned to normal.

"Ah- Tyra, i- it's not what it looks like. I- I didn't mean to do it. I lost control..." He struggled to get his words out.

Tyra, still taken aback by what she had just seen had let her eyes wander. Eventually they landed on her scale. There she saw the wand, suddenly everything became clear.

She walked to Aramin who was still stuttering out an apology. She placed her hands on his shoulders.

"Aramin, it's okay." She said in a genuinely caring way, throwing Aramin for a loop.

"H-Huh? It is?" He said, confused.

She nodded her head. "Take a look at this." She guided Aramin behind the counter, pointing to the scale.

He was shocked to see the amount. 5 gold coins, just a mere 5 gold coins. The amount that a the most basic of wands go for.

She picked it up and gently held it with her fingers. "There's nothing really special about this... At least to anyone that's not me."

"Why is it special to you then?" He asked, unsure if he should pry.

Tyra let a vulnerable smile form, her eyes becoming sad. "It was given to me by someone that meant a lot to me. But that was a long time ago... This wand, is all I have to remember them by." She said, placing the wand back in its box.

"There's only one person that's ever tried to buy it. So when I saw that it was out, I figured that she was back." Tyra sighed. "I would have preferred to handle it myself, but... Thanks, Aramin." Her smile turned happy as she looked up at him.

Aramin let out a nervous laugh. "It's actually more intimidating when you give me a genuine smile like that. It looks unnatural."

Her smile faded quickly. "Aaaand the moment's gone." She sighed. "You really couldn't have just kept your mouth shut?" She rested her elbows on the counter.

"S- Sorry. I didn't me-"

"Just get back to work." She said plainly.

"R- Right." Aramin said with an awkward laugh, as he went back to his duties.

Tyra stayed there for a while, watching him.

"Can't say that things aren't interesting with you here..." She thought to herself.

"Just wish I didn't have to keep you here..." She said under her breath.

The rest of the day came to a close like it always does. And just like always, the two turned in for the night.