Witches' Brew

"I hate to be your joykill, but finish your coffee first, hon." Laverna said, as soon as she smelled the faint whiff of unfinished cappuccino, a barista's second-worst nightmare. She wanted Délise's hand off her back when she was setting up the cauldron and the bunsen burner.

"They say no eating in the labs and for good reason. Fill up so that you can have your play later." She winked a little less subtly.

She struck a match and got the gas going for the flame. The fire arose, its form bright and warm in colour. She turned the attachment and the flame turned blue and transparent. The potion would be made on the floor of the kitchen, but Laverna provided plush seat cushion covers so they'd both be more comfortable.

"The basis of an aging potion is to induce certain hormones to send out messages responsible for the process of maturing. In any circumstance, this sort of reaction is something that happens naturally over time." Well, puberty came and went for Laverna. It looked like Délise had finished doing all her growing up too, but she couldn't be too sure. Kids sure grew up fast these days. When she was eighteen her body was only half the size of Délise's. When you had an older brother and sister in a middle-class country family, she wasn't exactly fed all that much.

"A good aging potion would result in the victim, I mean, the target, experiencing no ill effects. A poorly made aging potion will often cause overactive sebaceous glands, excessive hair growth, mood swings and pain in certain body parts. This is where the dragon's blood comes in."

She retrieved her vial, the liquid almost black in colour. She opened the vial up carefully. It was only about 200 mls or so, an extremely small amount. She used just over a third for this particular potion.

"The dragon's blood is a good carrier for potent ingredients. It acts as a vehicle so that the active ingredients of the potion don't separate when the final pill form is ingested. Do you follow?"

((Just making random crap up argh))

"Other animal blood is a popular carrier. Since we're dealing with complex hormonal fluctuations it's best to play it safe and use something high-quality. For a love potion, its goal is to alter dopamine and norepinephrine activity, so almost any animal blood would do, but preferably from a mammalian source. I know some people swear on blood from a cow's tongue to make a successful love potion, but I think that's all... Well. Superstition."

Funny to hear that from somebody making ancient potions. Though Laverna seemed incredible well-versed in this to the point of being methodic about it. One's initial picture of potion-making was perhaps three old hags chucking in herbs and 'a dash of this' and 'a bit of that' to some vile green bubbling mixture. This felt more like magical chemistry.

"Magic has come a long way since the dark ages, you know. Unfortunately, traditionalists still exist and believe in those old tales."

She watched Délise wash the mug briefly. She almost felt bad for just leaving her espresso-stained glass near the sink, as with a few other plates for brief snacks while grading papers.

"The gel membrane is just gelatin, hon. Like any other pill out there. Pill form has its advantages for correct dosage, which is important for this particular potion. You can, of course bake with it, but this ain't the greatest tasting thing in the world. Also, the particular person I have in mind for this potion... Doesn't think with their brain."

She let out a low giggle, stirring the dragons blood slightly. Délise then asked if other reptilian blood could be used.

"For this particular one we're making, yes. The more acidic is generally better, but be careful what you pick out. Horned lizard's blood is perhaps too acidic for the job. Blood of a sea serpent or a crocodile would probably do just fine. Measure out two grams of the Banshee hair and throw it in."

The scales and the basket of ingredients were already set up.

Upon hearing Délise's apt answer, she looked at the younger succubus with a knowing gaze.

"I like you. We have the same type of goals in mind." Laverna grinned.

That's probably how they became fast friends in the first place. Laverna wasn't going to hang out with Miss Wallflower, What-Up-I-Have-Social-Anxiety and Please-Don't-Look-At-Me. Or rather, she never seemed to gravitate towards those kinds of people unless she was very hard-pressed at a boring cocktail party.

"I'd say about 1/8th of a teaspoon should do it. It's not hard to overfill a small gel capsule. If you want, we can just package it in a jar, if you really want to bake with it. I suggest... A dark chocolate cake to hide bitterness. I know a good recipe for them." She gave a wink. Laverna did seem to be the baking aficionado. There was a double-tier cupcake carrier near the stovetop and a bundt pan. The capsules filled up quickly, and they ended up with thirty in total.

"Though, what good potion isn't tested before use?" Her eyelids lowered and a small, devilish smile formed on Laverna's face.

She was thinking of a different test subject before using it in the field.

She just knew it.

Of course the girl wasn't human. Laverna couldn't feel the pull of Délise's enthralment; she didn't know if she genuinely liked her or if there was just something about her. There was something more.

When Délise transformed, Laverna didn't seem surprised at all. She smiled triumphantly, and took off her glasses.

"I knew it. I just knew it."

Laverna tore off her white button-up shirt, revealing a lacy, black bra and a harness that was hidden beneath her professional attire all along. At first it might seem like Laverna was submitting to Délise, but a pair of large leathery black wings, with gold tipped spurs appeared, almost knocking hanging pots and pans in the kitchen. Gold horns formed and spiralled outward. A devil's tail flicked provocatively from her pencil skirt. From sexy cute she went to demon royalty.

She grasped Délise by the waist and dipped her like in a tango (she was taking classes), but instead she laid her to the floor, their faces close. Laverna's body was warm and soft. A hungry smile formed on her plump lips.

"In Hell, they call me Laverna the Lascivious."

She leaned in, her lips brushing against Délise's earlobe. Her voice was a soft and sultry coo.

"How about that chocolate cake?"