Herbs 'till Dusk, Secrets 'till Dawn

I R I S Purposely, she arrived just as the sun was setting, when the customers seeking remedies would have stopped trickling into the shop and those who would seek information were still scarce. Yes, Iris was intruding on Ray's free time. Still, she wasn't there just for fun. A new player on the information market was an object of interest, and since they didn't move in the same circles it appeared that the only way for Iris to sate her curiosity was a visit to the herbalist's shop. As soon as she opened the door she was struck by the air inside, weighed by the smell of new and familiar plants, melded together. Iris observed the shelves, the bottles, the baubles, the dust. The place looked so much bigger in her memory. Then, she looked around for the shop owner. Ray