Potion Crafting 101

'Alright little Priscilla, ready to master the art of potion making?' Kat pumped her fist into the air, nearly touching the low apartment ceiling.

'Hell yeah!!' Cried Priscilla trying to match her energy.

'So your request was a love potion, one that could influence someone to have romantic feelings for you?'

Priscilla nodded her head frantically.

'Very well. Though there are typically some guidelines around the type of potions I am allowed to sell, this is a teaching moment so those rules don't apply. You are quite a lucky one.' Kat winked at her, trying to project her youthful appearance.

She began scurrying around the office space that had been tucked away between two bedrooms, it was no larger than a bathroom and completely cramped with hundreds of bizarre objects and ingredients. A large boiling cauldron filled with water sat in the centre of everything, and a little table with wheels that held up vials and round glass bottles was placed adjacent to the cauldron.

'Here we are! Hold this for me.' A small pouch flew into Priscilla's arms, one peak was all it took for warm vomit to swirl up her throat.

'How are we meant to make love potions with human ears??'

'They are human ears?! My god, I am so sorry. I thought they were pig ears.' She snatched the bag away from Priscilla and handed her the correct one, this time curiosity would not get the better of her.

Lucia leaned against the door frame, amused by her old and new friend working together, it reminded her a little of the old times when her party used to go ingredient hunting in the fog.

'Alright, I have everything here for us my dear. So there are about six ingredients in total, but it matters how you stir it and the order in which you throw them in. We don't want an explosion.' Kat began throwing the first ingredient into the pot. 'This is the essential first ingredient for every single potion you will make. It is known as a chai packet.'

'Why would that be the most important? Isn't chai just tea?'

'Well, it's the most important because you don't want your potion to taste horrible. People have opted out of their lives because they knew their healing potions tasted horrendous, so don't be a fool and allow yourself to learn this now.' From her thin cardigan, Kat whipped out an impossibly large stick that stirred the pot anti-clockwise. 

'So I am guessing your stirring now is different than stirring that you will be doing in the next ingredient.'

'Correct! Bonus points for you my dear.' She continued stirring gently before pulling out a second ingredient, a handful of sunflower seeds.

Priscilla's face descended into a disappointed shock, that the first two items were nothing impressive. 'So why the seeds? Planning to start a farm?' 

'Sunflowers are among the fastest growing flowers, I don't need to explain how flowers play a role in romance, but their seeds speed up the process at which the potion's effect kicks in.' With one hand she stirred rigorously in zigzag patterns hitting against the side of the cauldron, while the other created notes for Priscilla to use once they left.

Several roses jumped into the boiling cauldron, this time Priscilla decided there was no point in asking a question. It was obvious why roses were essential. Her stirring began to spiral from the edge of the pot until ending up in the very centre.

'Come here quickly Priscilla.' Kat waved her hand. A swift move and a strand of hair ripped directly out of her scalp followed by a slap across Kat's face. 'Okay, I deserved that.'

'Let me guess. This one is so that the person touched by the potion falls in love with me and not someone else.'

'Ding ding ding. We have a winner!!' Kat began allowing the liquid to rest, the circling liquid began swirling slower before coming to a stop.

Next, a handful of pig ears splashed into the large black pot, a little bit of the burning liquid tainting Priscilla's skin and making her recoil back into Lucia. 'If you really wanted to have me you didn't have to resort to a love potion.' Lucia's eyes narrowed like a fox stalking its meal. 'Believe me, I know that you freak.' She pushed herself away fast enough to catch a glimpse of Kat's swirling style, however it was closer to smashing against the base of the cauldron with the large stick.

'I am sure you would be very convincing at an amusement park, all of these exaggerated movements.' 

'I used to work at one a long time ago, well it was more like a circus, but it was quite exciting... except for the demons that held us captive for several years.'

'And finally, last but not least, a drop of saliva!'

'Yours or mine?'

'Yours.'

Priscilla walked over toward the cauldron, building up a reservoir of spit in the pit of her mouth before letting it all drool into the cauldron. A large flash erupted in the room, pink heart-shaped clouds filling every empty space in the apartment.

'Congradulations Priscilla! You have crafted your first potion!'