The Mint House
Albion has no shortage of herbalists, and both ingredients and finished concoctions are big business. For the traditionalist, however, there is perhaps no better place to go than the Mint House at Old Lakefront. The home of Journeyman Mint Cresting Larkslane and his wife, Master Bonfire Embers Larkslane, is also a store selling fresh ingredients, dried and preserved imports, and a wide selection of concoctions from soup and seasoning mixes to herbal medicines. Neighbors know that there is more on offer than is on the shelves, if there is need.
On market days, their most popular wares are piled into a small cart for Bonnie to take up to the Forums to sell there.
Design
The shop is in a traditional old house, which has been well-maintained but nonetheless shows its age. Beside the front door is a cat-shaped House Guardian to the left, and a large mint plant to the right, under a sign reading only "Herbs & Spices."
Inside, the full first floor has been given over to the shop, with the exception of a cramped kitchen. The narrow staircase is open; they trust their neighbors not to sneak a peek at their living quarters upstairs.
Denizens
The pair are both quite short, especially for fauns, with pronged antlers. They dress well but conservatively, everything home-made by the couple's only daughter, who now lives on her own a ways closer to the east end.
Though very skilled at his trade, Mint has never advanced past Journeyman in the Herbalists Guild, in part because he emigrated when already an adult and so joined the guild relatively late, but more because he has always clashed with guild authorities and standards, preferring to do things his own way. Bonfire Embers ("Bonnie" to friends and neighbors) is a bit more socially adept, though she has deep admiration for Mints stubbornness--and can match it when something is truly important to her.
Both are very generous with their neighbors, warm and welcoming and always willing to help. Mint provides Greenreading for any births, and for a small fee any other time. However, outsiders must pay a much higher price, and will find the pair quite crotchety. Human herbalists will usually only set foot in the Mint House if they can't get what they need anywhere else--and even then, most would rather wait and pick it up from Bonnie on a market day.
Contents & Furnishings
There are shelves and tables covered with jars and baskets, and customers are welcome to have a seat in the living room for a little tea. More importantly, they will often have a long chat there with Mint or Bonnie to be sure that they're getting exactly what they need. All of the furniture is old and a bit worn, but impeccably clean. The table in the living room has a mis-matched leg where one of the originals splintered, but the surface is a beautifully inlaid forest scene, probably the most costly thing the couple own after only Mint's Greenreading dice.
Their supply of ingredients includes herbs, peppers, and spices grown in their own garden or their neighbors', imports from Deeproots Elidian. Finished concoctions lean towards the culinary and health supplements, but also include cures for common ailments, sleep aids, and potions to ease pregnancy. Between the two well-experienced herbalists, plenty of other things can be whipped up on request.
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