Fresh looks at the ectoplasm and then down towards the bundle of spring-green slime that she had asked Basil to buy for her. It’s some goo from slimes, which are apparently common enemies just past the graveyard floors, down in the dungeon. Popping the corks off of both of the small bottles, she pours the contents together into a pot, watching as the two liquids separate. The surprisingly fatty ectoplasm floats on top and the dense, somewhat acidic goo sinks to the bottom. Picking up her grimoire and her ritual-knife, she flips through the pages, her hand instinctively going to the recipes section.

Looking over the damp, half-smeared page, she nods, satisfied and closes the grimoire again. Picking up the last ingredient, a still unburnt fern, she rips the wet plant apart, dropping coarse bits of it into the pot before she then stirs it with the ritual-knife, her athame. The concoction swirls, mixing together for a moment and she pulls her knife back out, tapping it against the rim to get the droplets off and watching as the small whirlpool in the pot slows. The different liquids already begin to separate again. Setting the knife down, she holds her hands out over the pot and closes her eyes, focusing her energy on her ability.

(Fresh) uses: [Witch-crafting: Purification Tincture] [Purification Tincture](Normal)

When applied to wet fabrics, any dirt, smears or grime is bound to the mixture and can be safely washed off. The mildly acidic properties of the mixture will turn any fabric a clean white.

Warning: Only for use on white-fabrics. Any dyes will be washed out as well!

☠ Poison ☠

If Drunk:

- 2% Chance of death

- Drains 40 HEALTH points

- Drains 20 SOUL points

- Causes {unknown} status

Normal

- No side effects -

250 mL

Value: ??

Smiling, she looks at the surprisingly fragrant mixture and carefully fills it into some special bottles that she had prepared beforehand. Unwieldy glass squares with labels, that she went out of her way to paint skulls on, just to be sure that people wouldn’t grab these by mistake. She ponders. They should probably keep these behind the counter, just in case. It's basically this world's equivalent of bleach; useful, but dangerous. Happy with the new product however, she begins filling the bottles, making a mental note to give some to Basil to bring back to the church.

Surely they would appreciate such an item and the more they did for the church, the more protection from the church they themselves would receive. Sure, they had the adventurers’ guild behind them, sort of and they had the merchants’ guild behind them, sort of and they even had the church behind them, sort of. But…

Fresh shakes her head, filling the next bottle.

‘Sort of’ isn’t good enough. They need them all behind them, entirely, if she ever wants the two of them to be safe. Really and truly safe. It’s still a good product, even for non-adventuring types, but this is more a strategic decision than a business one, in her eyes.

Finishing that, she yawns and looks out the window, towards the large, bright moon shining outside with a rusty orange shine. She tilts her head. “Orange…?”

Getting up, Fresh walks over to the window, pushing the shutters and the curtains aside, to look at the large, full, orange moon hanging low in the sky. “Huh?” Fresh grabs her grimoire, flipping through the damp pages until she reaches the section on moonwater again.

“Types of moonlight… During late summer, the moon can shift into a ‘hunter’s moon’, otherwise known as the ‘harvest-moon,” her finger scans along the page, smearing a line of wet ink. “During these phases it shines with a dull, orange light.”

She looks back up. It’s just the end of spring though?

An impatient finger taps the next line of the book and she looks back down towards it. “When the moon hangs particularly low, it may turn orange as well, despite being out of season. Though this is not a true hunter’s moon.” She nods, that makes sense. “The hunter’s moon offers a particularly potent spiritual con.. Conva… convalescence…” she tilts her head, not sure what that means. “- and is an optimal time for night-work for -” The next line is smeared out. “- Is when they hunt.”

She shrugs, not knowing what that means either. “Effects on moonwater: The light of the hunter’s moon imbues strong healing properties. Fake hunter’s moons offer similar, but weaker effects.”

Healing properties? She closes the book. “That sounds interesting.” Setting her stuff down, she runs outside to gather a pot and some water to make a new batch of moonwater.

[Fake Harvest-Moonwater](Unique)

Phase: Full

Medium: Water

Strength: 50%

Harvest-Moonwater has highly physically restorative and purifying properties and can be used in a variety of ways. From crafting to armor smithing to cooking, harvest-moonwater can be added to any recipe that needs water and will imbue its mystical properties.

Warning: Drinking unprocessed harvest-moonwater can lead to disastrous consequences if not of the same title as the witch. Please read section two on processing moonwater.

If drank:

+5% Stamina

+3% STAMINA Regeneration, every two minutes - 12 Hours

+ Removes draining spirits (50%)

Normal

- No side effects -

250 mL

Value: ???

Fresh smiles, looking at this new concoction. This might just be exactly what she needs. Plundering their pantry and searching through her grimoire, she finds the recipe that she’s been looking for and makes a note to buy the ingredients tomorrow, so that she can make stamina-potions. Satisfied, she sets to work, filling a bunch of new containers with more of the pseudo-moonwater.

Soon enough, the next day comes and the girl sleepily makes her way downstairs, greeting Jubilee, who is already getting things ready, as she overslept a little. Fresh apologizes, telling Jubilee about her having stayed up late and shows her the new cleaning product.

Jubilee inspects the bottle. “You’re making poison now? Are you stupid?”

“It’s not poison! It’s to clean clothes with!”

Jubilee turns the bottle around, showing the skull that she herself drew to her. Fresh crosses her arms. “It’s poisonous, but it’s not poison.”

“That doesn’t make any sense,” says Jubilee.

“I wanted to give it to Basil,” says Fresh.

Jubilee looks at her curiously. “You want to poison Basil? That’s pretty dramatic.”

“No! Jubileeeee~! You aren’t listening,” says Fresh. “It’s for white-clothes! You wash them with it and they become white again,” she says, pursing her lips.

“Huh…” says Jubilee, opening the item’s window to inspect it. “Yeah, actually, this could be good.” They nod, relenting. “White is an unfortunate color to wear while adventuring, but the church insists on it.” They think, looking at the bottle. “What did this cost?” Fresh goes over the details with Jubilee who nods, thinking. “Okay, we might be able to do something with this after all. For those materials… let’s do thirty-nine.”

“That’s a lot!” argues Fresh. The ingredients hadn’t cost even close to half that much.

“We’re trying to run a business here, not a charity,” snaps Jubilee.

“I wanted to make it so that the church will like us more,” argues Fresh. “That won’t work if we’re ripping them off, Jubilee,” she says, crossing her arms.

“Okay, then we’ll charge thirty-nine for normal people and twenty-nine for priests.”

Fresh opens an eye to look at Jubilee, considering it. She nods. “Okay! But I want to give Basil some for free.”

Jubilee rolls their eyes. “She’s not going to fall for you, no matter how much stuff you give her.”

“That’s not what I’m trying to do, Jubilee!” protests Fresh, clenching her fists. The door opens and they turn around to see Basil walking in, as if summoned. “Hi, Basil!” says Fresh, grabbing the bottle from Jubilee. “I made this for you!” she exclaims, holding it out towards Basil.

“Good morni -” Basil looks up to the bottle of white-liquid with a prominent skull drawn on it, facing towards her and then back up to the smiling girl. Fresh opens her eyes, feeling the awkward silence and she goes on to explain. “It’s not poison!”

After explaining, Basil carefully, but gratefully, takes the bottle, promising that she’ll try it out. “Maybe… you need to work on the label a little?” suggest the priestess.

Fresh looks at her then back down to the skull on the bottle. “You think so?” She sighs. “Jubilee doesn’t like it either.” Her shoulders droop and her head hangs low.

“Sure don’t,” says Jubilee dryly from back behind the counter.

A hand pats her on the back and she looks up in surprise. Basil goes on. “You can do it, you're very talented,” reassures the priestess with a nod, squeezing her shoulder once before turning to walk towards the counter to help get things ready for the day. Fresh tilts her head, realizing that this was the first time the priestess had touched her. It’s been over a week now, which isn’t a long time. But this has been a very turbulent time for the likely still grieving Basil as well, realizes Fresh. She looks back towards the skull, now sitting on the counter. Its laughing smile shines at her, as if it knows something that she doesn’t.

Fresh narrows her eyes, staring at the hollow face on the bottle that gazes back at her.

She doesn’t like it anymore either.