"Well, I was wondering if you had any strength potions, and maybe fire resistance too."
"Of course! Let me have a look over here," Shelby placed the lizard tails on the counter before she looked for the potions Joey had requested. "How many of each do you need?"
"Three of each should be enough," Joey mused.
Shelby carefully handed him six bottles. "There you go!"
"You are amazing, thank you Shelby!" Joey grinned. "Now, let's see... Hm, would six diamonds be enough for this transaction?"
"More than enough, actually." For some, six diamonds would seem an unfair prize for the services Shelby provided, but for the witch diamonds had little value. There were materials much resilient and valuable out there which were far more useful to her than diamonds.
"Splendid!" Joey's eyes traveled from the bottle with the lizard tails to the giant cauldron that was brewing on the back of the Evermoore, steam reaching higher than the highest mangrove in the swamp. "What exactly are you brewing, Shelby?" He inquired, pointing at the lizard tails. "Will only a few of those be enough for whatever it is that you need them?"
"Oh, no no. I'm not using the big cauldron for that one actually. The big cauldron is for mass production of my commercialized potions," Shelby explained. "This is more of a side project, so I'm using one of my old cauldrons."
"I see." Joey hummed. "And what, pray tell, is it that it needs lizard tails?" He asked, slightly disgusted at the prospect of having to drink lizard tails. Shelby laughed.
"Oh, it's a simple love potion really," she responded. "But I'm not planning on giving this to anyone!" She quickly added, red dusting the tips of her ears. "This is simply for practice. I might give some to Tortoise for funsies, but no human experiments!"
Joey furrowed his brows. "But Shelby, how will you know that you have brewed the potion correctly if you don't try it?"
"Ah, but you see, love potions have a very characteristic aroma for each person! If the smell is distinct and clear, then the potion has been prepared properly. If not, something went wrong along the way and it's not to be consumed..." Shelby explained. "Would you like to come and see? You can confirm whether I brewed it correctly or not!"
Joey's eyes shone with anticipation. "I'd love to! Lead the way, Miss Witch!"
"Right over here!" Shelby led Joey through her garden and back to her house where she had set up her cauldron. Tortoise croaked and jumped from the shelf he had been hiding prior but they paid him little mind. They headed straight for the old, rusty cauldron that was trembling above the fire, filled with a slime-looking kind of liquid. If Joey didn't know any better, he would have thought it was some kind of poison.
Shelby opened the jar and dropped two lizard tails in the brewing potion. She grabbed a ladle and stirred three times clockwise and two times the other way around. The potion slowly took a more reddish texture. Joey observed carefully the whole time.
"I think it's done!" Shelby announced. "Now tell me, can you smell anything? You don't have to tell me what it is, I just need to know that there is a smell."
Joey leaned towards the cauldron and inhaled. "Mhm... Yes."
"Is it a clear, distinctive smell?"
"I think so."
"Good, good..." Shelby leaned next to him and took a sharp breath. A mixture of lily of the valley and iron filled her nostrils. It was a confusing mixture and yet it reminded her of a very certain someone...
It reminded her of Katherine.
Shelby leaned back, awkwardly lowering her hat to the side to hide her blush. One thing was for sure, though; the potion was a success.
Amatorium
Start from the beginning
