Aiden was a little surprised at how normal the clinic looked. It was not too dissimilar to the room he had met Mr Samson in at the beginning of the week except it seemed warmer. There were windows so you could see the outside but with an obvious tint that meant no one could see you from the outside. There were toys for kids in the corner and a couple of potted plants with beautifully blooming flowers. 

Further in was a reception desk and several doors labelled as examination rooms, petering off just before a darker corridor that led further into the building. 

“Welcome to the clinic and offices of the tiny but tenacious Curse-be-gone the only curse breaking agency that specialises in breaking curses for humans and also the only one who seems to bother running a drop-in clinic around here.” 

Eve spun in a little circle to indicate the whole room. There was a look of satisfaction about her there that Aiden felt jealous of. This was her home, maybe not the place she spent all her time at but the place she had truly come from. 

“I’ll introduce you to my co-workers. You’re still under my supervision but if they ask for your help today you need to listen to what they say too, kid.” 

She marched ahead not stopping at one of the little offices but heading into a more spacious room that turned out to be a little kitchenette connected to an area with a couple of sofas and a low-slung table covered in ring marks from a multitude of mugs. 

“Hey Damien, this is Aiden who I was telling you about. Do you know where Julia is?” She asked after pushing Aiden into the eyeline of a man who could almost match Mr Samson in height though he was very clearly a Sorcerer. Not because you could tell a Sorcerer from the general witch community just by looking but more the fact that he was currently making a cup of tea, organising a pile of notes and managing to shake Aiden’s hand in a friendly greeting at the same time. Witches just didn’t waste that much power on something so trivial. They just wouldn’t even if they had ten times as much power stocked as Eve did. 

“Hey there Aiden. Eve hasn’t scared you off with her sour attitude yet? You probably would have been better off with me as a supervisor.” Damien gave off a vibe of that nice older cousin you only ever met at large family gatherings. Aiden had to resist nodding in agreement with Damien’s statement. 

 “I mean look at that little youngling she can’t provide a great wealth of experience like me.” 

“Don’t try and swing that past me. I may be grumpy but at least I do house calls.” Eve stuck her tongue out at the giant as she grabbed a couple of mugs down from a cupboard. “This guy has only been on the job four years so don’t let him trick you with his older and wiser shtick, kid.”  

Damien raised his hands in defeat at the same time as the kettle floated across to Eve knocking hopefully at the mugs in her hands. 

“Am I missing a party in here?” An older woman stepped in her voice tinged with a slight accent that gave her a slightly mystical air. 

“No just Eve introducing her pupil Aiden to better people, Julia my darling.” Damien smiled making a sweep to kiss Julia’s hand. She accepted gracefully giving a small curtsy. 

“Hey Julia. Got any words of advice for Aiden seeing as Damien has already chucked his in.” 

“If you wish my little mouse. Then I shall grace him with my wisdom.” 

Julia was similar in Aiden’s mind to the lady who lived at the end of the road with fifteen cats but if she had gotten a business degree first. Her clothing was a mixture of bright exuberant patterns. Her shoes were a mess of contradictions, polished so shiny with years of care so that you could see the tiny marks of the brush on the patent leather but so over worn that there were holes at the tips through which you could see her big toes covered in orange socks. Preciseness and disregard rolled into one person.  

“You be very careful young man, listen to her she knows a lot of tricks but don’t take the shouting too much to heart. She does it to show her care.” Julia whispered to him so the others couldn’t hear before wafting gently past leaving behind the faint scent of a flowery perfume as she made for a cup of tea as well. 

“Come on Aiden enough fun introductions it’s time for the paperwork.” Eve motioned to him handing him a mug full of tea, her own one cupped in her hand as they made their way into one of the examination rooms with a computer set up at the back facing the door. 

“You see our boss is a bit old fashioned. She doesn’t enjoy computers so we have to store our patient files by hand for her even if the rest of us use the computer system to keep track of things. So, what you’re going to be doing is cross checking all the information we have on the computer here with the paperwork here. It’ll probably take you the rest of the week to get close to finishing.” 

Eve sat him down at a desk with only about twenty patient forms sitting there. He rifled through them with an air of satisfaction, she was underestimating him. He could get this done quickly enough. No problem. It was when she plumped down two heavy boxes filled to the brim and walked off to get two more boxes that he began to realise he had underestimated how much paperwork a drop-in clinic would accumulate. 

“Time to get to work.” Eve smiled happily plumping down one last box.