Extra: Potion girl 1 - Up, Down, Up, Down

Rindr frowned at the well-fastened stall cover. She was certain that she had forgotten to fasten it properly, making sure to get up early so she would be the one assigned to the task of setting the stall up. If the others found out, they would tell master Nefja, and she would have to endure another lecture about thoroughness from the stern woman.

Sighing, she did her best to shrug off the feeling of having been cheated of her sleep. Her father’s words came to her, unbidden: “Don’t curse the bad when there is good to be had”, he had often admonished her.

The thought had tears forming in her eyes, and she quickly bent down to remove the fastening pins, using the work to distract herself from the grief. After removing the cover and fastening the wooden roof onto the ridges made for it, she headed back into the store, feeling more composed.

It was not enough to fool master Nefja though. The hook-nosed woman was setting up behind the desk and her usually stern face softened as the younger woman passed by. Thankfully she let Rindr pass through to the back room without comment. Rindr closed the door to the back room with a sigh. Her master was much too perceptive sometimes.

She shook her head to clear the moss and started heading down to the dining room, this was no time to stand around. The small dining room was mostly empty due to her early rising, with only a few workers idly chatting over breakfast at one end of the long table. After grabbing a bowl of porridge from the serving table she set herself down on the other end of the table.

She ate mechanically, her thoughts turned to the letter that had came last week with the caravans. Her mother’s blotted and shaky handwriting explaining that Rindr’s father had fallen ill. Only one more day, then she would join the weekly merchant caravan to the northern territories.

She was shaken out of her brooding as a loud voice rang out right beside her. “Hey, you possessed or something? Heyheyhey, Rindr!”

Rindr turned her head to glare at the girl who had interrupted her but recoiled as their noses touched. Her angry rebuke stuttered to a halt and she felt her cheeks heat, “Otama! you… you…” She managed before letting out an angry growl in frustration.

Otama was one of the other apprentices under master Nefja, and despite the blonde’s unruly nature, Rindr had found herself enjoying the other girl’s company. It was refreshing how the other girl had no time for formalities, disposing of them whenever she could. Rindr liked how she didn’t have to watch her words around Otama, she had learned early on that it was basically impossible to diminish Otama’s exuberant energy. Her round face was not particularly pretty, but the curls of her blonde hair framed it perfectly. And the way she managed to make the modest apprentice robes accentuate her figure… Rindr felt her cheeks grow even warmer and she stopped that train of thought ruthlessly.

The other girl smirked, “Oh my! We haven’t even danced yet.” she said with mock outrage, pitching her voice to imitate the way nobles talked, earning a punch to the shoulder from Rindr.

Before Rindr could come up with a retort, another person joined them, sitting down across from her. His name was Leif, and he too was an apprentice of Nefja. His round face was framed by long dark hair which blended well with the dark stubbly beard along his jaw. They both shared a similar passion for potion making and alchemy and often found themselves stuck in discussion for hours, to their energetic friend’s dismay.

“Hmm, your face is almost redder than Rindrs though,” He said mildly, expression disinterested.

The two girls’ eyes went wide, locking onto each other before hastily looking away.

Leif’s muffled chuckle broke the silence, which drew the attention of the two girls and suddenly the boy found himself pinned down by twin glares.

“Hmm, say, Rindr, what was the name of that girl now again?” Otama prompted, mimicking the dark-haired boy’s calm manner of speech.

“Hmm, yes, that brown-haired girl, with the fiery eyes. Maybe we should ask Leif here? They seem to be intimately familiar, after all,” Rindr continued the assault.

Leifs cheeks joined in on the blushing and he quickly turned his gaze down to his bowl and started shoveling oatmeal into his mouth as if his life depended on it. “You two should finish breakfast, we’ll be late for today’s lecture,” he managed between the spoonfuls.

This statement successfully managed to distract the two girls, sending Otama scurrying for a bowl for herself and Rindr to start shoveling oatmeal herself. They all finished breakfast and hurried off towards the room where they usually got lectures by Master Augur, Nefja’s husband.

“I wonder what today’s lecture is going to be about?” Otama asked the other two excitedly, “I hope its about strength potions!”

“Hmm, I would like to know about proper dilution, I still don’t get why it’s necessary to use barley in the process…” Leif countered.

Rindr was about to add her opinion as she entered the lecture room but her train of thought stopped at the sight of the blackboard. There were some very detailed drawings of human anatomy depicted, highlighting certain parts of both the male and female variety.

Master Augur was standing next to the blackboard with his hand behind his back, his glasses magnifying his eyes as they studied the three younglings as they entered. His dark beard did not quite manage to hide his amused smile at their reactions to the blackboard.

“I see you three have deigned to arrive at the lecture on time for once. Good, we have much to go through today,” He turned and used his pointing stick to gesture to another section of the blackboard, containing the lecture notes, “As you are now all adults - congratulations again, Otama - you are all ready to learn about the human reproductive system, how we can affect it, and why you might want to. Today’s lecture will be about aphrodisiacs, contraceptives, and other related alchemical effects.”

The three youths felt their cheeks burn once again as they sat themselves down and prepared for a long and relentless lecture by their master.