Having acknowledged the unnecessary disrobing with a rare dispy of awkwardness, Freya swiftly regained a sembnce of her usual composed demeanor. The raw, visceral sensations that had momentarily overwhelmed her receded, repced by the ancient pragmatism that had guided her existence for centuries. With her immediate hunger satiated, at least for the moment, her thoughts turned to the second part of Myra’s audacious proposition.

  "Very well," Freya said, her voice regaining its smooth, resonant quality. She leaned back in her velvet chair, her crimson eyes studying Myra with renewed intensity. "My immediate hunger is… abated. For now. You offered an exchange, child. Blood for knowledge. You have fulfilled your part of the initial offering. Now, tell me, specifically, what knowledge it is you seek? My experiences span centuries, encompass the rise and fall of empires, the whispers of forgotten lore. Be precise in your inquiries. My time, even in this endless existence, is not to be squandered on frivolous curiosities."

  She gestured with a slender, elegant hand towards the dusty confines of her antique shop, the shadows within seeming to deepen at her command. "This pce holds echoes of countless lives, fragments of histories unknown to your modern world. I have witnessed things you can scarcely imagine. But my memories are vast and intricate. You must provide a focus, a starting point, if you wish to glean anything of value."

  Freya’s tone was a clear indication that the transaction had begun in earnest. The awkwardness of the preceding moment was swept aside by the gravity of the exchange. She was no longer simply a creature driven by hunger; she was a repository of ancient wisdom, and she expected Myra to approach this exchange with the respect and seriousness it deserved. The initial dance of offering and acceptance had concluded, and now the true purpose of Myra's presence in her shadowed domain was about to be revealed. The air crackled with anticipation, the unspoken question hanging heavy between them: what secrets did Myra truly seek to unlock from the depths of Freya’s immortal memory?

  Myra nodded, taking a steadying breath. The initial awkwardness with Freya seemed to have passed, repced by a focused determination. "My grandmother's research," she began, "touched on many things, but her primary interest, and now mine, lies in the healing arts. Specifically, the properties of herbs, the old ways of mending and soothing ailments that have been forgotten or dismissed by modern medicine. She believed the nd itself held cures for many afflictions, remedies known to those who lived closer to nature, and perhaps even to beings who have walked this earth for a very long time."

  Her emerald eyes met Freya’s, earnest and hopeful. "I want to learn about these herbs, Mistress Freya. Which ones hold true healing power, how they should be prepared and used, what ailments they can truly alleviate. My goal is to help people in my vilge, people who don't have access to expensive treatments. My grandmother believed that the knowledge was out there, waiting to be rediscovered."

  A flicker of something unreadable crossed Freya's features. For a moment, a genuine, almost dismissive tone entered her voice. "Herbs? Child, you seek practicalities of the mortal coil. My concerns have long transcended such fleeting ailments. I have witnessed pgues that wiped out entire poputions, diseases that modern science has yet to even conceive. The nuances of individual herbs… that is not a knowledge I have actively cultivated or retained over these many centuries."

  Myra’s expression fell, a visible wave of surprise and disappointment washing over her face. "Oh," she murmured, her shoulders slumping slightly. "I... I thought... given your connection to the past..."

  A subtle smile pyed on Freya’s lips, a hint of amusement dancing in her crimson eyes. "Did you truly believe, little mortal, that my existence revolved around brewing potions and poultices?" she chuckled softly. "No, child, that was a jest. While the intricacies of each individual leaf may not be my primary focus, I have observed the patterns of life and death, the ebb and flow of health and illness for longer than your entire lineage has existed. I have seen remedies rise and fall in favor, witnessed the effectiveness of certain natural cures across centuries, even if I do not recall the precise Latin nomencture of each pnt."

  She leaned forward slightly, her gaze becoming more intense, more personal. "However," Freya continued, her tone shifting again, losing the pyful edge, "if we are to engage in this…transaction, I find myself disinclined to a purely clinical exchange. Your blood was… surprisingly potent, Myra. It stirred something within me, a flicker of… connection that I had not anticipated. If I am to share the knowledge gleaned from my long existence, I desire more than just a repeated offering of your life force."