Retirement Plans - Ch.2 - Doing Business (Patreon)

It was about one in the afternoon when I finally reached the small town. I hadn't seen that much of it yet, but what I had seen told me it was a pretty place, and looked like it had a friendly atmosphere. I was fairly confident if not for the pandemic the streets would have been a lot more crowded at this time of year.

Tourist towns like this had to be hurting. I really hoped things would turn around soon and life could finally get back to normal sooner rather than later.

As I drove slowly up the main street I thought about finding somewhere for lunch, but quickly dismissed that idea. I was too excited. And I could definitely afford to skip a meal now and then. Anyways I had a big breakfast before I left the condo this morning, and it's not like the drive was that strenuous. It took me a little over two hours to get here, and I drove in relative comfort. My SUV was top of the line and less than a year old.

I'd never been here before but I'd done all my research well in advance. I spotted the seedy little bar and the tattoo parlour next to it, and I knew my destination was right around the corner. 

I had to drive around the block to reach the nearest parking lot, but five minutes later the car was parked and I was on my way.

That's where the journey shifted from relaxing air-conditioned luxury to peak discomfort. I had my mask on of course, but I really was badly out of shape. It was less than four hundred meters from the car to the shop's door, and by the time I got there I was wheezing slightly and my lower back was just starting to develop a dull ache. A slight sheen of perspiration clung to my forehead and I felt a tell-tale drip run down the back of my neck as I reached for the door handle.

Fortunately the shop interior was air-conditioned, but that was offset by the strong scent of incense. I stood just inside the door and tried not to pant too obviously as I caught my breath and got used to the smell of patchouli.

My eyes swept over the interior, but I wasn't looking at the products. I spotted the attractive young blonde standing behind the counter, and curled up next to her on a purple cushion was her small black cat. 

The woman looked about twenty years old and was around my height of five-foot-eight. She wore a black dress and a silver pentacle necklace. She also had a name-tag on, identifying her as Selene. Oddly she wasn't wearing a mask, she had to the the first retail employee I'd seen in months who wasn't properly masked up. They didn't have plexiglass sheets around the cash register either. It was almost like they were ignoring all the latest health protocols.

As if she read my mind, the blonde smiled to me "You can take that mask off if you like. We wouldn't be much of a magic shop if we couldn't handle a little virus after all."

I slipped the mask off with relief and stuffed it in my pants pocket. "Thanks. I've got a touch of asthma and breathing can be hard enough as it is, without having to go through the mask."

She gave me a sympathetic look then introduced herself, "My name is Selene. And you must be Mr. Lloyd?"

That caught me off-guard, and I wondered if she really was reading my mind somehow.

Selene must have noticed the look of surprise on my face, she smiled slightly "You called yesterday to confirm we'd be open, did you not?"

"Oh of course," I smiled to her as I relaxed. "Yes, that's me."

I moved to the counter and commented, "That's a lovely cat. May I pet her?"

Selene replied, "You'll have to ask her."

The cat had opened her eyes and was watching me. I held my hand out near her face and she sniffed a few times. She seemed relaxed with my presence so I rubbed her forehead and behind her ears, which the cat accepted without complaint.

"She likes you," Selene commented. 

I smiled, "I have a couple cats at home. I have a way with them, I think. I'm usually more comfortable with cats than people, to be honest."

The tall blonde smiled as well, then asked "What brings you all the way here in the middle of the pandemic?"

Her question helped me focus on the reason I was here, and I forced myself to stop fawning over the cute little cat. I took a deep breath then in a confident voice I stated, "I'm here to purchase one of your spells. Novum Principio I believe is the name? It'll allow me to regain my youth?"

Selene raised an eyebrow, she looked impressed. "Well you've certainly done your homework."

I smiled, "I do like to be prepared. I understand the spell will allow me to make myself as young as I'd like? I'm aiming for twenty-four. That's when I was in the best health of my life. I'd just graduated university, I'd been active through my school years. Things didn't really fall apart health-wise till after that, once I got into the habit of spending sixteen hours a day sitting at a computer and didn't have teammates reminding me to get out to practice or out to competitions."

The tall attractive blonde frowned slightly, "Ah. There may be a bit of a misunderstanding there I'm afraid. Novum Principio will let you make yourself younger, but it doesn't actually turn back time on your body. Any illnesses or injuries you've acquired aren't going to be undone or cured. I'm afraid the heart disease and asthma you've picked up aren't going to be magically purged from your body just by making yourself younger."

My smile fell from my face and I got a slightly sick feeling in my substantial gut. 

"Oh..." I suspected I already knew the answer as I asked, "I suppose it won't fix the weight then either?"

Selene shook her head slightly, "I'm afraid not. It just changes your age."

I took a deep breath then let out a deep sigh, before I jumped on the next possibility. "You have other spells though right? Um, Perfecta Sanitas, that's another one I've heard about. That would take care of the health issues?"

"Oh it will indeed," she agreed. "You could cast that one at the full moon next week, then next month you could use Novum Principio to select your desired age. There would be the small matter of paying for two spells, but I think we could perhaps come to some arrangement."

I wasn't so concerned about the cost, I was confident what I had to offer should cover her price. What upset me was the delay. I'd already waited so long for this. Having to wait one more month to get what I wanted shouldn't have been that much of an issue, but I couldn't help myself. I was impatient. After all this time, after all the other unexpected delays, I just wanted to get it over with and get on with enjoying my new life. If I had to wait another month, the summer would be half over. I wanted to be out there enjoying myself as quickly as possible.

"I couldn't cast them both at once?" I asked her. "There's no way to combine them?"

Selene shook her head, "Unfortunately not. The magic doesn't work that way."

Before I could respond, she seemed to get an idea as she gave me a thoughtful look. "Actually you know, I do have another spell in stock that may well achieve what you're looking for. It's something I put together for another customer a year or two ago. It was a bit of a one-off, but the customer was so happy with the outcome that I decided to make up another copy of it, just in case."

"What is it?" I asked. I tried to keep the hope and excitement out of my tone, but I did a poor job. Surely she could tell I was eager. "What does it do?"

"It's essentially a marriage of two of my standard wares," she explained. "It's a blend of Novum Principio and Verum Viam. That is, it gives you the youth of Novum Principio but blended with the advantages of setting you on your true path. And setting you on your true path includes fixing anything that's wrong with your body."

"And I could cast it next week? I wouldn't have to wait for a month to get the rest of the results?"

Selene nodded, "That's right Mr. Lloyd. It's the combined effects but in a single spell, so you can use it at the full moon next Wednesday night."

"Sold!" I stated. My smile was back, and my heart was racing slightly. I was eager and excited. I already knew my true calling was music. I bought that piano right after I bought the condo. I'd loved music all my life, but until now I never had as much time to devote to it as I wanted. Having magic that would fix my age, my health, and give me a boost into my retirement plan sounded almost too good to be true.

The tall blonde gave me a patient smile, "Now let's not get ahead of ourselves. We still have to discuss the matter of cost."

I was prepared for that too of course. "I've got five decades experience with software development, networking, security, pretty much anything computer-related. You've probably got code I worked on in your point-of-sale terminal, to process card payments and communicate with the banks. Take it all if you want, I'm done with computers."

She didn't seem surprised by my offer, or my willingness to part with the skills that got me where I was today. Instead she seemed to be staring at me, or maybe through me. It actually gave me a chill the way she was looking at me.

Then she smiled, "To be honest I don't really want your computer talents. That industry changes so rapidly, experience isn't nearly as valuable as potential. And at your age, potential is something you've mostly used up."

That made me falter. I'd been so sure my computer skills would be valuable enough to buy me whatever magic I wanted, I hadn't even considered they wouldn't be accepted.

Before I had a chance to try and bargain or negotiate, Selene stated "Your computer talents are only part of the picture. You've also been a very successful at running a business, and that knowledge doesn't go stale anywhere near as quickly as computer skills."

I had to think about that. I'd never considered my knack for business as a big deal, it was always secondary to my programming. In retrospect though, it had been fairly important. Coding was where I earned money, but my talent for business is what put me in a position to make the most of my coding work. Without that I might have been a great programmer, but probably working for someone else rather than growing my own successful enterprise business.

However, I was done with that as much as I was done with the programming. I'd sold the business, I was out. I didn't need to do it again. Or if I did at some point in the future, I could probably learn how to do it again. I figured it out once, I could do it again if I needed to.

I spent about three or four minutes carefully considering the situation before I finally turned my attention back to the young proprietor and nodded, "All right, it's a deal. My business knowledge, for this custom spell that'll give me my youth and my health."

Selene corrected me, "It will give you your youth and set you on your true path, which includes fixing anything wrong with your body."

"Right," I nodded. "That's the one. It's a deal."

I watched as she ducked down behind the counter, and after a few moments she produced a thick binder full of numerous photocopied contract sheets. She also had a large manilla envelope, and a fancy-looking pen.

It took her a half minute to find a blank contract page, and I gave it a quick read-through. Everything appeared to be in order, so I followed her directions and signed the contract with my own blood. 

"All right," she smiled to me. "There you are Mr. Lloyd, it's been a pleasure doing business. Do read the directions carefully before you begin, pay close attention to the cautions and warnings, and you'll be fine on Wednesday night."

I accepted the envelope and thanked her, then I bid both her and the cat a good afternoon. 

I was all smiles and excitement as I exited her shop and made my way back to the parking lot. Even without my mask I was wheezing by the time I settled into the plush leather seat. I got the car started and the air conditioner going, and took a few moments to catch my breath again.

Despite the wheezing, I still had a smile on my face. Just six more days of this, and I'd be young and healthy again. I'd cast the spell at midnight on Wednesday, and Thursday morning I'd wake up a new man. I couldn't wait.