"No no no no..." muttered Simion rapidly as Doctor Swartzlander slowly and meticulously measured out small quantities of a fine white powder into small vials. "I require each dose to be at least double the normal strength" he directed as he continued to browse through the latest shipment with great interest. The man was dressed in a somewhat fine getup, his clothes relatively new and of high quality.
Doctor Swartzlander looked up briefly as he often did, a momentary hesitant look displayed across his wrinkled features before he followed the instructions of his employer without a word, measuring out more of the mixture with a practised precision. Simion picked up a small metal tin and examined its label, smirking as he saw that it was honey flavoured gum which contained cocaine before he slipped it into his pocket with a contented sigh seeing that an entire crate of the stuff had been delivered.
He'd never had such access to so many different types of medications, elixirs and general breakthroughs in science - let alone being the owner of an entire store full of them. He continued to search through and pocket the occasional item of interest as he waited for the good doctor to finish his work, several more minutes passing before the doctor cleared his throat and held out a small leather case which now contained ten vials of Simion's personal mixture. Turning his attention back to the Doctor he nodded his thanks as he took them and slipped them inside of his jacket, but not before removing one of the vials and examining it closely.
"Remember" began the doctor in his thick accent "No more than one dose every four hours, and do not mix this with anything else." As he finished speaking he removed his thick glasses and rubbed his bagged eyes before moving over to the window and gazing out into the street of the town, Simion moving to stand beside the man as they watched several townspeople going about their business. The street was mostly composed of dry sand carried numerous foot, hoof and wagon prints, showing that it was a fairly busy part of the town. The buildings were contracted from mostly wood, though several of the more important buildings were brick and stone and looked much more secure.
"Yes yes" said the younger man somewhat dismissively as they both watched a wagon pulling up to the post office, a pair of workmen rushing out and beginning to unload its contents. Still holding the vial absently Simion made his way behind the counter of the store, pausing briefly to remove the small stopper and swallow its contents in one quick gulp. Placing the now empty vial onto the counter he smiled as he almost instantly felt the familiar 'rush' as he turned and knelt next to the heavy duty safe, taking a few moments to unlock it with the combination. He stood and opened the register, his eyes gazing for a few moments at the generous amount of coins and notes before he quickly transferred them across to the safe, but not before taking several of the notes and adding them to his own wallet. Closing the safe he placed ten dollars into Doctor Swartzlander's hand, the physician slipping it away in a moment as he nodded his thanks, mumbling something about how well the business had been doing, not that the younger man was particularly listening anymore.
Simion made his way back across the store, turning the sign from displaying 'open' to 'closed' before he said his goodbyes to the Doctor for the day and walking out into the heat of the evening. His head starting to swim he gazed up into the sky, the final rays of the sun streaking across his vision as he made his way towards main street. As he emerged onto main street he paused to steady himself against a horse that was hitched outside of the saloon, the horse a pitch black stallion that ignored him completely as he suddenly felt more shaky than he had realised.
As he stood trying to gather himself his attention was drawn to a man who left the tavern quickly and began running through the town, passing Simion and moving like he had a purpose. As the influence of the drugs continued to grow he took a deep breath and decided that he would need to sit somewhere and fast. Had his mind been functioning quickly he perhaps would have spared a few moments thoughts on why the man may have left the saloon, or perhaps noticed the tense atmosphere as soon as he wandered in. The saloon was a truly charming place, filled with booze and women like any fine establishment should be, his gaze shifting around the working girls and other patrons as he soon found himself at the bar. He failed to detect the air of tension or the fact that anything was happening really, instead he focused on making his way through the moderate crowd without bumping into anyone.
To his right was a quite intoxicated young man, his face showing both his inebriation and also something that Simion thought was either sadness or guilt as he stared into his glass with a deep look of melancholy on his face. Turning his attention to the very attractive woman behind the bar Simion watched as she spoke with a questionable looking individual who seemed to be wearing skull for a mask, causing Simion's to stare for a few moments before he shook his head slightly and sat himself onto one of the few remaining bar stools, almost irritated that the man's bizarre appearance had drawn his attention away from the woman . As he waited he continued to gaze around at the other patrons, noting a man wearing what seemed to be a somewhat oriental jacket and hat who was also at the bar. Lastly he turned where he was sat and swept his eyes over the numerous young women that were flitting around the saloon and speaking with the patrons, simply enjoying their enticing eveningwear as he idly stared around the place. He had been into the saloon once several months ago, though he now hardly remembered the encounter.
A few moments later he took out a small battered pouch of tobacco and began to roll together a very haphazard cigarette, his fingers seemingly not wanting to follow his instructions as he struggled to complete the relatively simple task, now focusing his entire attention on it, looking up only breifly as the man who had left the saloon barged back in and made his way directly towards the barmaid before whispering something to her.
