Ch. 8: Gin and Tonic

• Gin
• Tonic water
• Lime slice

            Kihyun took IM home with him after the potatoes were finished. Kihyun… seemed like he didn’t know whether to be happy or distraught. Wonho looked a bit resigned.  By the time the two left, there was so much haze I thought I was going to choke.

            “I need a drink,” I said after they walked out.

            “Not yet you don’t,” Wonho replied. “I need you to run an errand for me.”

            I gave him my best glare. The last time he’d given me errands, I had to deliver a charm to a woman in Treme on my bicycle. When I came back, we already had another customer and I was dying.

            “Don’t give me that. It won’t be nearly as far as last time,” he assured me.

            “I’ll be the judge of that,” I said. He laughed.

            “I need you to bring this lavender-sage candle to a house on St. Charles.”

            I took the candle and the address and went for the bike. The bike was, in fact, a pastel-blue cruiser.  When he first started having me do deliveries, Wonho asked if I had a motorcycle license. I asked him if he was completely insane.  Even riding a normal bicycle was taking your life into your own hands in New Orleans.  We compromised on the blue bicycle.

            As I came to the house, I wondered who would ever want to live there. The roof was covered in moss, and the cobwebs in the windows were thick enough to act like curtains. The house gave off this aura, too.  Like something wanted me to leave.

            I knocked on the front door. The feeling of discomfort grew as I waited for someone to answer. Just as I was going to knock again, a young woman answered the door.

            “You must have come from Wonho,” she said. “Come in; I just made some tea.”

            I took the candle out of my carrying bag. “Actually, I should get back to the shop.  I have your candle here though.”

            “I insist. I’m sure Wonho can survive without you for a bit,” she said.

            My eyes widened when I entered the house. While the outside was foreboding, the inside welcomed you in like a French Quarter cafe. The entryway was warm and cozy, lit by yellow bulbs.  The air smelled like sandalwood and beignets and strong coffee.

            “Your home smells amazing,” I said.

            “Thank you,” she replied. “We don’t get many visitors, but I like to have it comfortable anyway.”

            “Do we have a visitor?” another woman said from the top of the staircase before she rushed down.

            “He’s Wonho’s new helper,” the first woman replied. “I was going to offer him some tea.”

            We went out to the back patio, where there were five other women sipping tea out of china cups.

            “Welcome to our coven,” said the woman who answered the door. “My name is Jiu.  These are my sisters.”

            “It’s… good to meet you,” I said. Internally I was screaming, Coven? They’re witches? I sat down anyway.

            “He brought the candle,” Jiu told the others. “He also wasn’t deterred by our wards.”

Another girl poured some tea for me while Jiu took the candle.

            “Be careful with Wonho,” the girl from the stairs said. “His heart is in the right place, but sometimes he can be really tricky.”

            I nodded and sipped my tea. The flavor reminded me of gin, slightly floral but with a strange medicinal aftertaste. They continued to talk as I continued to drink.

            “I should probably head back,” I said when I finished. “I rode my bike here, and need to get it back before dark.”

            “I’ll walk you out,” Jiu said.

            When we got to the front door, she gave me two objects.

            “This is Wonho’s payment,” she said, referring to the first object. I couldn’t tell what it was.

            “And this.” She handed me a wrap of sage leaves with peppermint. “Is for you, for being so sweet to us. It should repel evil spirits.”

            “Th-thank you,” I said. I headed back as she nodded. The old house wasn’t nearly as frightening now.