Mabel had opened all the windows in the house hoping for a breeze on this boiling hot day. It refused to come as often as it should have and soon she had stripped down to a silky nightgown to do the laundry outside.
Aiden, the crazy loon, was still hiding in his heavy cloak setting out a large pot filled with an orange liquid. Mabel had tried to take the cloak from him, afraid he would overheat himself, but he absolutely refused to. It was pissing her off how hot he looked. And no not that way.
“It is SO HOT in there!” Mabel shouted as dramatically as she could as she brought a basket of wet clothes to hang. She noticed Aiden blushing, “What?” his blush got deeper and she realized it was because of her nightgown. It wasn’t particularly revealing but it did cling to her curves. She grinned, sensing an opportunity to tease him and set the basket down, “Are you uncomfortable with this?” She lifted the skirt, not even past her knee until she could see he was about to fall apart.
He looked away, well tried to, “Isn’t it a little...revealing?” It wasn’t.
She barked with laughter, “You should see me at my old job in Selén. This is a nun’s gown compared to that.” She realized he never knew what she did back then and it confused him, “I was a dancer by the way.”
“Really? Where?”
“Oh, this place called the ‘Crimson Flower’. I was just a background dancer for shows.”
Aiden knew that place from a few orders for intimacy potions. From what he knew, that club was run by a coven and they definitely did more than dance. Part of him wondered if dancing was the only service she provided. He couldn’t get the image of her working there out of his head. And he wasn’t sure if he minded it or not?
“I just worked there for a season, to make extra money while my dad was sick. And I just danced. I didn’t do any hanky-panky the others did.” That made him relieved...a little.
He decided to change the subject, “Hey, um, since it’s hot out today, I thought I’d teach you how to make a day star potion.”
“Cool,” she hung the last of the laundry out to dry and joined him at the table. She examined the herbs and spices he laid next to the pot. She knew some names and Aiden filled in the rest. He had her put in the ingredients one by one while he explained the process to her. She followed the directions well and once everything was mixed into the pot they let it sit in the sunlight for a few hours. Mabel decides to make some starberry lemonade for the both of them so they sit on the grass while they wait, “So, what does this potion do exactly?”
“It keeps the user warm. It’s usually used during the winter for the weaker fae or hikers.”
“So...that’s why it’s left in the sun? So the brew can trap the heat.” He nodded, “So, I guess the opposite would be the moon?”
“Only during Winter. So, they are really expensive.”
“I’m guessing you don’t have any to spare do you?” He laughed and shook his head, “Damn.” She stares at the clouds for a moment and thinks of something to talk about, “Have you ever thought of opening a shop?”
He chewed down on a starberry, “For what?”
“To sell potions!” He leaned back and made a face, “What?”
“I don’t think I have the looks for that.”
She grunted and pulled on his cloak, “What if you didn’t have to worry about that?”
He thought for a moment and nodded, “Yeah, I would like to open a shop in town if that were the case. Why are you asking?”
“You know that old woman that runs the spice shop?” Aiden nodded, “She fell, really bad, recently and she’s going to be moving in with her sister. Her house was up for sale when I stopped by and I thought it would be a nice place to set up shop… hypothetically, of course.”
He nudged her playfully, “Hypothetically...What would you set up a shop for?”
“A weapons shop.” She answered immediately, “My dad had planned to open one up before he died. And I would help with designs and sales.”
“That’s sweet.” He continued to talk to her about their dream shop. By the end of the day they imagined setting up a tiny little shop in town that would sell all sorts of potions and enchanted weapons for the townspeople and travelers. Mabel lay in her bed that night and thought about how happy Aiden was just thinking about the shop. He looked like a little kid who just found out dragons existed. I wonder if there is a spell that could disguise him. At least for a moment.
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