Lucy's meeting with her client for the first time! You'll be introduced to her alter-ego, Remi Webb.

This piece is also going to be moving to the mature category. References towards a 'miracle plant' (cannabis) are made in this chapter, and will be made in future ones.


The sun was high in the sky as the Celestial mage reached the property. Royal Tree Productions was a rather large gray building, no markings on the outside to help identify it. Lucy stood outside for quite some time, some butterflies forming in her stomach.

Now wasn't the time to get anxious.

After she left the guild hall that morning, she went straight back to her apartment. Cancer arrived and did a complete redo on her hair, even changing the color slightly. While not quite a brunette color, it was enough of a distinction that Lucy hardly recognized herself. The Celestial Mage decided to also buy colored contacts and a pair of glasses earlier in the week.

"Wow baby! You look totally different." The Crab smiled at his handiwork. His friend asked for a totally new do. Cancer decided to shave towards the bottom of her hair, giving her a stylish undercut that was also designed. He kept the theme going up the left side of her hair, cutting into the side about a quarter of an inch, giving her a small design there also. Feeling as though he outdid himself, Cancer began clapping proudly.

"Oh my gosh…" Lucy's jaw slack with utter shock. Who knew just changing a couple of simple things about your appearance could do so much. "Cancer, I don't know what to say.. It looks absolutely amazing!"

"No need to say anything, baby."

This is the right address. The young mage looked down at the paper. This place was off the beaten path. Nearly a mile of forest separates it from the rest of the city. Lucy had to ask for directions the moment she arrived. Several of the townspeople had no idea what she was referring to. The Celestial mage was lucky to run into one person that knew. After entering a small cafe, she asked the person behind the counter. However, they didn't seem too happy that it was there.

"Is there a problem with their facility being here?"

"It's not a place of business, it's a drug cartel! That damned place has been nothing but a nuisance to our town." The older gentleman rolled his eyes as he grumbled. "Ever since they've moved in, crime in our little city has tripled!"

"What kind of crime?" Lucy asked curiously. The young blonde needed to know what she was getting herself into. It was unlikely that everything the older man said was true. However, she also shouldn't discredit his account, considering he lives here.

"Mainly thefts." He sighed. "Several people have reported things stolen to the police. However, it doesn't seem like the problem is getting any better."

"I'm sorry to hear about that.."

Maybe I've bitten off more than I can chew.. Lucy took a deep breath and tried to push those negative thoughts out of her mind.

A strange smell was permeating the air around the building. She was unable to get the skunky odor out of her nostrils.

The Celestial Mage entered the numbers into the keypad. Thankfully, it was given to her once she accepted the mission. There was a beeping sound, followed by a loud click. Lucy quickly opened the door, realizing it was heavier than she once thought.

A small waiting area was on the other side. The walls were an off white color, matching the rest of the furniture. The carpet was a bright green, shocking Lucy. A petite woman with short, black hair was sitting behind a desk. She popped her head over the computer in surprise.

"Can I help you, ma'am?"

"Yes." Lucy grinned. "I have a meeting with Jestine? I'm here a little early."

"What's the name?" The young woman raised a brow.

The Celestial mage froze, the name she came up with was gone in the wind. Faced with this potential problem, she tries to make one on the fly. "Uh..It's L-"

"Hey!" A girl with fiery red hair came through, a bright smile on her face. "You're the one here all the way from Magnolia!" She reached her hand out, taking an energetic tone. "Thank you so much for meeting with me. My name's Jestine."

Without missing a beat the woman turned on her heel, gesturing for Lucy to follow her.

The young mage was extremely thankful for the interruption. She quickly got in step with Jestine, walking next to her.

"I have so much to discuss with you!" She continued talking. "How was your trip?" Using a key card she pulled out, Justine opens the wooden door to her office. She offers the young woman a seat before she takes her own.

"It was good." The Celestial mage gave a bright smile, sitting down. "Pretty uneventful."

Once the red headed woman got herself situated, she looked towards Lucy. "I want to thank you again for helping us with this. What's your 'name'?"

The Celestial mage noticed the loose air quotes that she made. "It's Remi." The young woman said confidently. "Remi Webb. What exactly has been going on, ma'am?"

"We've been having thefts of our equipment." Jestine sighed deeply. "There have been problems before with missing products, and we just alerted the local authorities. It's been over a month since the last time that's occurred. However, our storage closet began missing things. Because of this, the company wanted to go a different route to finding the solution."

"How often does this happen? And what product were they stealing?" Remi questioned.

Jestine was hesitant to say. "We've had a string of bad hires, unfortunately they were the ones behind it. Once they were let go, the problem would stop."

The young woman noticed that she left out details about the product. "Jestine, I need you to be honest with me. What kind of research is done here? And what product is being taken?"

The red head looked at Remi with a guarded face. "We research a special medication. One that is grown naturally and comes straight from a plant. These flowers can be used to aid people with terminal illnesses." Jestine watched the young woman's face, seeing she was still curious about what she was talking about. Many people are so against it's research, she's used to people running out the door. "In the height of our funding, we were making different products with the plant. We were extracting the main components, allowing it to be used in a concentrated form."

"This sounds very interesting.." Remi said curiously. "What happened to your funding?"

"A lot of the equipment is expensive. The process, and time that it would take to produce the product wasn't worth the money we were putting into it." Jestine mentioned with a sad smile. "Not only that, there are a lot of people against the research of this plant, mainly because of its psychoactive properties. Our donors are few and far between. We had to switch to different methods of getting the work done. Our day to day operations are mostly funded by the products we sell."

"Who do you sell these products to? How do they get them?"

Jestine leaned back in her chair. "We sell to local medical suppliers, patients, and licensed distributors across Fiore. There aren't many, but we're the only ones that supply everyone!."

"You mentioned earlier, some of the equipment was getting stolen?"

Jestine nodded. "We bought top of the line processing units. It was creating a wonderful product. The one drawback was the amount of money it took to create a pristine concentrate. After we began experimenting with simpler methods, the equipment was stored in a closet. It took us several months to realize that it was disappearing piece by piece."

Rising a brow, the young woman contemplated her next words. "Does anyone have access to that closet?"

"There is a key card lock on the outside. All Managers, and the Processing crew have access. The Production crew does not.

Nodding, Remi smiled. "What exactly would you like me to do? It's easy to come in here and find out who did this. However, I feel as if there's something you're not telling me."

Jestine's eyes widened as she leaned back in shock. The red headed woman couldn't believe this wizard could see right through her. This 'Remi' girl was the real deal. "You're right, and I'm sorry about that. There's always rumors going around the facility. I have an idea of who may be behind the thefts. However, I kind of wanted you to form your own opinion, instead of being clouded by my judgment."

"I like the way you think." Remi grinned. "However, I would like to know a little bit about each of your employees. If I could take a look at their files, It'd be very helpful."

Agreeing to her request, the manager pulled out a portable plastic filing box. "Here should be everything you need. I placed red tags on specific employees of interest. I actually had you come a couple of days early. The main reason was so you could look at these. Secondly, it was to show you where you'll be staying."

Jestine grinned happily. "There's also some paperwork in a bright green folder that I would like to fill out. As we said, all of your expenses will be paid for." She ruffled through her desk for a few moments, pulling out an envelope.

"Here is the company card, your hotel information and room key, along with your manager key card. You will have an allocated spending limit each week, If you ever need more, please let me know. I can easily move it up the chain of command. However, I believe the compensation will be adequate."

"Do you have any other questions?" The red headed woman asked finally.

"Can I take a look around?" Remi was extremely curious to find out what exactly was going on in this building.

"Of course!" Placing the envelope on top of the filing box, Jestine pointed behind her. "We'll just need to get changed." The manager stood and reached into a nearby box, tossing a coverall sealed in plastic, along with a pair of black cloth booties to go over her shoes.

"Wow, you really want to be sanitary." The Celestial Mage's eyes widened.

"It helps everyone really." Jestine chuckled. "The plant can be very sticky and will just permeate everything you own. It makes it easier on employees laundry, as well as keeping human contact to a zero." Putting on a similar outfit, the young red head pulled out her key card, walking towards a metal door on the right.

On the other side, a handful of people were dressed in the same white coverall. They had on black gloves, and black booties covering their shoes. There were green plants in their hands like nothing the Celestial Mage had ever seen.

Some of the workers had pruning scissors in their hands, trimming back leaves on the plants, while others were taking the flowers off the stems. Remi noticed a double door next to the workers, along with several rows of shelving. All of their products were categorized in bins, making them easy to find.

"This is the production area." Jestine began. "Here they'll trim and package finished products. Once they're done here, they'll be sold to patients who have the correct paperwork."

"Do you ever have issues with products getting into the wrong hands?"

Jestine was hesitant in her answer. "Unfortunately, we aren't responsible for what happens after it leaves our hands."

The Celestial mage raised a brow. "So there's no guarantee that it's making it to the people it needs to help?"

"We take every precaution possible to ensure our product isn't leaving this facility and going into the wrong hands." The redhead assured her. "Everything on our end is on the up and up, even when it comes to the waste management of the product."

"If everything is on the up and up, then why am I here?" Remi was confused as to why the woman was avoiding the topic.

Jestine looked around to make sure no one was in the vicinity. "I take it someone's talked to you from town."

"I had one conversation with an older gentleman." The Celestial Mage raised a brow. "He mentioned thefts around town, and something about a 'drug cartel'?"

The redhead rolled her eyes. "This isn't anything like that. However, the people who took the equipment are more than likely creating something of their own. That's what's been getting around town."

"How can you be sure?"

Jestine gave her a serious look. "Our products are completely solventless and natural. Unless someone is allergic to it, they won't be harmed by it. The people I've seen around town with this 'Drip' stuff, it looks like their faces are sinking in. I don't know what it's made out of, but it can't be healthy. It doesn't come from our facility."

Continuing on their walk, there were several metal shelves, holding their packaging and other random things. The duo went down a hallway that led to a door. Behind it was a large room with several tables around. A couple of ovens stood in the corner, along with a press of some kind. There were shelves with ingredients on both sides. As Remi got a closer look, she noticed the left side of the room was holding kitchen items, while the other side was holding powdered acids, along with other chemicals.

"This is our experiment room." Jestine smiled. "Our girl, Melody, is out today. Normally she's kicking out all kinds of different processed products for the patients to try. Here, she'll extract the important components using the heat press. Afterwards, she can do just about anything her mind chooses to. Melody's created foods, lotions, candies, and even spices! She's truly amazing."

"Is there a reason she's out of work today?" Remi asked curiously.

The red headed woman nodded. "She had another appointment with the doctors. I'm hoping this one will be able to help her. The poor girl is starting to worry me."

Continuing on the tour, Jestine walked out of the same door. They backtracked for a moment, taking a turn. They walked down about twenty stairs before they reached the bottom. The manager opened the door using her key card, revealing a sea of green behind it.

On the other side of the doors, there were plants as far as the eye could see. This room seemed to never end. As Jestine took her around, she noticed a couple of workers within the plants.

"This is where the magic happens." The redhead grinned happily. "We grow the plants from seed, using only natural ingredients for their food." Towards the end of the large room, there were several doors. Jestine pointed towards them. "In the two doors on the left, we keep the drying flowers. This allows them to cure, and be less sticky for the production crew. Next is the extraction room that was turned into a storage closet."

"Whaddup J?!" A loud voice came from inside the plants. As Remi looked towards Jestine, she noticed the cringe that took over her features. A taller skinny man walked up to them. "Who's the fresh meat?"

"Dico, this is Remi." Jestine looked at the taller man warily. "She's going to be starting here after the weekend is over. I wanted to give her a tour before she got started."

"You don't normally show people around.." He raised a brow.

"Well, I-" Jestine began.

"I begged." Remi grinned happily, interrupting her. "I've been intrigued by their research for quite some time. My grandfather used their products, and it made his final moments so peaceful."

"Well, welcome to the team." Dico extended his hand, which the Celestial Mage shook pleasantly. The moment their palms connected, Remi was met with a jolt of electricity and an uneasy feeling in her stomach.

He's going to be someone I need to keep a close eye on.