Potion

“I can’t believe my brother is sleeping with Princess Aisha,” Kai said emotionlessly into his hand which covered half his face.

Poppy nodded and thought of ways to offer her condolences, but came up with nothing that would come off naturally. She wasn’t exactly the best person to comfort someone, especially when that someone was worrying over something as important as their birthright being in jeopardy.

If Prince Rainn were indeed to marry the princess of a foreign nation, it would greatly increase his favor with the citizens of both Gorryth and Zordine. This was a possibility Kai certainly did not wish to deal with, as his father already held enough ammunition against him as it was.

“With things like this continuing to stack against me, I’ll inevitably fall sooner or later,” Kai mumbled to himself, face still in his hands. They were positioned on the sofa in the sitting room, Colette having left a short while ago. She would have stayed to chat with Poppy forever, which was no exaggeration, but Kai eventually got her to leave.

Poppy had enjoyed Colette’s company, which wasn’t too surprising since she also enjoyed spending time with her in mouse form. After spending more time together, Poppy realized she looked a bit similar to her mouse form too. The color of her hair was exactly the same shade as Oak’s.

Poppy had tried to stop mentally calling Colette’s mouse form Oak, but she was still having difficulty adjusting. She first needed to firmly wrap her mind around the whole thing, which was difficult for someone as naturally stubborn and firmly rooted as Poppy. She just couldn’t help it.

Finally, she decided sleeping on it tonight would help solve the issue. Nothing like sleeping for the night really cemented an idea in one’s head. It was how Poppy grasped some of the more difficult outcomes in her life so far.

“You’re going to be just fine,” Poppy said as firmly as she could. “From what I’ve seen, your brother doesn’t seem to be nearly as interesting as you. Most of what he did for three days straight was study. Making out with Princess Aisha had been a curveball.”

Kai snorted. “Is this your weird way of trying to make me feel better?”

Her face heated. “Maybe.”

He turned his head and looked at her. “I appreciate you trying. It’s rather adorable.”

She pressed her lips together as she blushed harder. “That’s not what I was going for.”

“Really?” he leaned closer. “Because it seems to me lately that you’re trying all the time. What am I supposed to do if you start making me feel special?”

“Get over it.”

He laughed out loud. “My heart! It’s in such pain and turmoil; what shall I ever do?”

Poppy’s lips were twitching, yet she was trying her hardest to frown at the prince. “Whatever,” she said flippantly and turned to slide off the sofa.

“Where are you going?”

“Somewhere not here.”

“Ouch. Seriously, you’ll mortally wound me with all these sassy remarks. I don’t think I’ll last much longer!”

Poppy made a foul gesture over her shoulder and heard the prince cackling as she retreated into the bathchamber.

She’d been spending some time here brewing a potion as of late; it was easier to do so above tiles in case of spillage. Potions really were such a mess to clean up.

The vnuembr was almost complete--it just needed a few finishing touches. She’d already combined the bulk of the ingredients and had let it sit exposed to air for exactly forty-three hours. Now all she needed to do was mix in the remaining pinch of dog fur she had remaining. Why the potion required dog fur at multiple different stages throughout the process, Poppy could not dream of answering.

She’d mixed the contents in a shot glass and it had since turned multiple different colors. It was currently a deep purple shade, and it didn’t look too appetizing.

Poppy’s supplies were all set on a rag which included her mixing utensil, a miniature spoon she had no idea what Kai possibly used for, and the remnants of her ingredients. There was also a small shard of dull glass she held between her face and the potion when adding more reactive elements. The potion never exploded per-say, but it had certainly popped and sizzled at times.

Poppy added the pinch of dog fur and it sunk into the potion unnaturally fast, as if being swallowed. The thick liquid bubbled and spurted. Poppy dropped low and held up the glass in front of her face, but nothing else happened. She waited a solid thirty seconds before standing again.

The potion had changed from an overbearing lilac color to a more tangy shade of lime. Poppy frowned at the potion and shook her head. Magic truly didn’t make any sense. Purple and yellow were opposites on the color wheel.

The logic behind the changing of colors was the least of Poppy’s concerns however. The question was whether this concoction was safe to drink or not. She grimaced at the liquid and how bubbles still slowly rose to the top and hesitantly burst, despite there being no heat or other cause. It looked downright menacing, to be quite frank.

Just what was she about to subject herself to?

Poppy heard a distant knock on the front door. Her ears perked and she waited for Kai to answer it. It was most likely a messenger sent to tell him he was needed somewhere or other. It wouldn’t be the first time he was called away during one of his days off.

The door clicked open and there was talking between two people, although Poppy couldn’t precisely hear what was being said. She set down her piece of glass and approached the bathchamber door with open ears.

Kai was upset, this was clear by his tone. Poppy waited for the other person to speak, but the prince continued to go on. Something about… Princess Aisha?

Poppy leaned as close to the doorway as possible without actually being visible from the sitting room. “You can’t just sleep with anyone, you know,” Kai sighed. “You of all people should know how things work around here. Aren’t you worried about what the public might think? What if they expect her to stay here?”

“The public doesn’t know a thing about the two of us,” Rainn argued.

“Obviously not if I am already aware of your relationship,” his elder brother pointed out.

Several seconds passed. A sigh. “You’re right about that, although I have no idea how anyone saw us. I make sure to be aware of my surroundings on every occasion.”

Poppy felt a pang in her stomach. The only reason Kai knew was because she had been spying on Prince Rainn and Princess Aisha. Kai was bluffing in saying he heard through other sources. Both to keep her and his unique way of spying safe.

“Well then, how about you, brother?” Rainn said slyly. “Are there any women in your life nowadays? It appears to me the well has run dry, unless you tell me otherwise--”

“Cut it out,” Kai demanded.

Poppy forcibly held her jaw shut so as to not laugh out loud. This was some brotherly bonding she hadn’t realized she needed to hear.

“How about we play a few rounds? Maybe have a drink or two?” Rainn suggested. “I’ll admit I wanted to snoop around a bit today, but I also wanted to see how you were doing. Let’s catch up!”

“Hey, wait a second,” Kai said. The anxiety was barely noticeable in his voice but Poppy was just able to pick up on it. “Now’s not really a good time. How about we meet up later tonight?”

“But you always have the good ale!” his younger brother protested. “I know you’re hiding it somewhere.”

“Then how about we bring it back to your place?” Kai smoothly suggested. “You have the better cards, after all.”

“That is true. But lucky for you, I thought to bring them with me!”

Poppy silently hit her head against the doorframe. This brother was not to be deterred tonight. It seemed Poppy would be spending the night in the bathchamber.

But what about when Rainn needed to come in here? Where would she hide? Poppy glanced about herself. There weren’t very many spots to hide. She could crawl under the clawfoot tub, she supposed, but even that was a bit out in the open. Not to mention, she had no wishes to be in the same room as someone using the chamber pot.

The best idea would be for Kai to use the bathchamber first and then to sneak her out and into the bedroom in his pocket. She crossed her fingers that he would think of this before his brother decided he needed some relief.

“I’m going to use the bathchamber, but feel free to look through the fridge,” Kai said casually.

“Alright,” his brother replied chipperly.

Poppy backed up from the doorway so as to not be stepped on. A sharp popping sound came from behind her.

“What was that?” Rainn asked.

Poppy pivoted and blanched at the potion. It was bubbling and popping crazily. Loudly.

She wracked her memory for any information on this. Did the recipe mention a settling period after the potion was complete? No matter how much Poppy tried to remember, she simply couldn’t picture it. She surely hadn’t made it wrong, had she?

“Is there someone in there?”

Poppy stared at the doorway. Footsteps were approaching and she was running out of time. What if Kai didn’t stop his brother from entering?

She glanced at the potion which had settled down just as quickly as it had bubbled up. Something so erratic and untrustworthy surely shouldn’t be drunk…

Another bubble abruptly rose and popped.

“Kai, step aside,” Rainn said impatiently, his voice very close now. “If you have a girl waiting in there, I’ll leave. It’s rude to hide her, you know.”

That’s it! Poppy thought, although she wasn’t delighted by the idea.

“Of course I don’t have a girl in there,” Kai deadpanned.

“I don’t believe you. If there’s no one in there, then it shouldn’t hurt to look, right?”

A pause. “Fine.”

The door opened and Rainn peered inside. Poppy gave him a small wave from where she leant against the wall and his eyes widened into dinner plates. He quickly slammed the door shut.

“What’s wrong?” Kai exclaimed.

“You filthy liar! There’s a girl in there. At least give her something to wear for saints’ sake!”

The door opened again and Kai looked inside, his gaze cast downward as if sweeping the floor for where Poppy would normally be. The moment his eyes caught on her feet and slowly climbed up her body she felt goosebumps cover her flesh.

They locked eyes and the prince’s face turned beet red. “I apologize,” he muttered before softly shutting the door behind him. Hushed arguing began outside.

Poppy deflated and sunk to the floor. She’d drunk three mouthfuls of that vile stuff and the effects had been near immediate. She’d never felt pain like that before in her life. The drinker was only supposed to take a sip at a time in order to ease the pain of growing, but she had lacked the time necessary for such a thing. She was pretty sure some of the stuff got into her nose, too.

In her hurry, she’d been forced to tip forward into the shot glass. Hopefully she’d gotten the lime-green stuff off her face before they saw her. She lightly smacked her own head. They’d both been too distracted by her nakedness to notice anything else, of course. At least Rainn didn’t even glance at the potion and other materials.

Poppy felt woozy, both from growing so quickly and from the shock of being seen in her birthday suit. She supposed she should feel more embarrassed, but she was mostly satisfied with how well the potion had worked.

She smirked a little. Her first potion had been a success.

A small knock sounded at the door. “Poppy?

Kai.

She cringed and stood up, grabbing the wall for support when she wobbled. Being this large was a bit discombobulating.

“Here. I’m handing you a set of clothes,” he said.

The door cracked open just wide enough for him to reach the clothes in and around. Poppy awkwardly took them. “Thanks.”

Kai didn’t say anything as he retracted his hand, but Poppy could imagine he jerked his head. As if realizing she couldn’t see this, the prince finally forced out, “It’s no problem.”

She shook her head with a faint smile and slid the long-sleeve shirt over her head, followed by the soft pants she pulled up her legs. Both articles of clothing were entirely too large, and they had the same spicy and somewhat floral scent to them as Kai did.

Poppy hugged herself in the oversized clothes and observed herself in the mirror. Being able to look into the mirror this easily was something foreign in itself. She always used bits of repurposed, reflective glass.

A tear suddenly slipped down Poppy’s cheek and into the basin. This took her aback as she watched her eyes fill with water and spill over. Her entire face scrunched up in an ugly way and she had to laugh through the tears.

“Poppy?” Kai called from the other side of the door.

She leaned over the sink and looked down, her hair spilling around her vision. “Just a minute.” Her voice broke and Kai must have heard it because the door cracked open just then.

“What’s wrong?” he said, slowly opening the door as if afraid of her not yet being clothed. “Are you in pain?” Anxiety soaked his voice.

“I’m fine,” Poppy said. Urged it to be made true. In all honesty, she had no idea why she was crying, and she certainly had no idea why the damn tears wouldn’t stop. She sniffled and another tear fell, this one catching in the long strands of her hair. “Go away.”

Kai did the exact opposite and came closer. She felt his presence more than heard it, his body heat was just behind her. His hesitation was minute, but slowly he set his hands at her elbows. She could feel his heat through her shirt.

“Turn around. Look at me, Poppy.”

She squeezed her eyes shut. “I don’t want to. This isn’t--” She sniffled. “Just go away. Please.”

“I won’t.” He gently pulled at her elbows as if she were porcelain--as if she were still mere inches tall.

Poppy didn’t have the strength to fight him. He let him turn her around, but she refused to look up. She desperately needed a tissue before he’d be looking at her face. Still, it was comforting for him to pull her against him and let her stay like that for a while.

Kai’s arms carefully wrapped around her, as if he'd never read the instructions and was unsure of the technical rules. With his arms settled around her, Poppy was stiff, but after a while she slowly melted into him

She shuddered and he rubbed small circles on her back, his chin resting just above her head. It was all just so warm.