Username: SilhouetteStation
Kalon Name: Maisie
Gender: female
Prompt Response:
There were many potion brewery's in the different towns and cities, and many of them sold similar products. Love potions; potions to induce sleep, or keep the drinker awake; invisibility potions; potions of stamina, strength, and clarity; all of the bigger, more extreme potions with a larger market. Some places sold ingredients, some did custom brews, while some simply just sold potions. There were, of course, a few underground markets where the trade wasn't entirely legal. Very hush-hush.
Maisie's produce was a little different from all that.
She was only a child, yes, but it was soon clear that she was a rather gifted potion-maker. She continually came top of the class, and despite her age, had the skill to brew entirely new potions. Her potions teacher was the one who really encouraged her to get out there and use her gift to make a name for herself*. A few merchants tried to hire her into their brewery's, but she politely declined. Instead, her older sister helped her to establish her own small business. While she managed stock and marketing, Maisie could focus on crafting her concoctions.
The difference between what she produced and what others did was simple; she didn't focus on the big things. Why make an invisibility potion, when every other potion-maker was doing that too? Why limit herself to potions that had drastic results, like everyone else was selling? Not to mention they could be incredibly pricey. No, she decided; she would focus on the little things.
She began making potions for little problems; the mundane things in life that no one had thought to try and remedy. She made a potion to heal paper cuts, and within weeks was sold out due to all the business from scribes and poets. The next brew could cure hiccups, which appealed to a much wider audience, and this was also sold out in a short amount of time. Her third potion was another simple one; a few drops, and your nose sniffles would be temporarily cured. She knew how annoying a sniffly nose could be, as did many others, and this one became a bestseller. For those with sinus issues, it seemed too good to be true.
The more business she got, the more she expanded in her potion making. Within a year, she'd made a bountiful amount of helpful brews. Temporary warmth for a cold winter's day, a dipping potion so that your thread never missed the eye of the needle, liquids that emitted a relaxing fragrance and calmed the people who smelt it. Even one that, when added to a lantern, would let it glow without need for a flame so that you could read safely under the covers at night.
She sold them individually, but also made potion bundles, which people seemed to enjoy. A set of four, buyers choice, delivered in a cute wicker basket and all tied together with a sheer ribbon. It meant that they could help out the town by hiring staff to deliver these, and therefore help them out financially.
Through all of this hectic atmosphere and busy workloads, Maisie much preferred to stay away from the big crowds, instead spending most of her time in the back room where she brewed. It was quiet here, and warm; she could make her potions in peace, being sure that they were done right.
There came a time when her thoughts began to wander to a new kind of potion; one that would be a little trickier to make, but one that could be worth a try. She got her sister to order the ingredients she thought she would need, and got to work.
It was, by far, a game of trial and error.
There were explosions. Pungent smells and smokes. Watery liquid, and dark gunk. A lot of writing, and rewriting, and angry scribbling, and writing again. Late nights and skipped meals, tired eyes and many sighs. It was an incredibly hard thing to do, make a new potion, and especially of this kind. While all of her other creations helped with physical things, this one was meant for feelings.
She wanted something more than a cure for a bad case of sniffles. She wanted something that could help people on the inside. She was determined to get it right, and it was her determination that saw her be successful.
Sunseed for a pleasant, warm sensation. A hint of bargon root, for stamina and strength. Pink windgrass and rose petals, commonly used in love potions. Aloe vera, both gel and stem, which was a healing plant. Among the same floral family was ninsk, an ingredient less commonly found but, once the flowers juices had been extracted, worked wonders on anxiety. A few drops were often given to soldiers before battle, and it was shown to improve their focus and performance. For the liquid base she added gently warmed spring water and, a bit unexpected, chamomile tea for calm.
Everything was added together, brought to a boil, and then left to simmer for about an hour. From there the fire is put out and the mixture was left to cool. Once it was safe to touch, any ingredient bits leftover were strained out, and the resulting peachy liquid was the potion she'd been trying to perfect for so long.
It was a potion of inner strength.
Of confidence.
Something that could soothe the hurt of scalding words, and deliver a sense of confidence and assurance in ones self.
Something to take when you were feeling overwhelmed, or under pressure, or when you felt like giving up.
It was a hug, a thumbs up, and a gentle kick up the backside all in one.
And the special thing about this potion was that, unlike some others, it wasn't an artificial feeling to help you out. It wasn't fake. It brought out inner strength that the taker already had, but perhaps needed to be rediscovered. The feeling of self love and confidence - the overwhelming feeling that yes, I can do this wasn't made up - all of it was real. And all it took was a few little drops.
Knowing that this potion - this little bottle of magical liquid, that she'd crafted herself - was helping people...it made her feel amazing. Almost indescribable. It was a feeling she hoped would never go away, and that inspired her to want to create more.
It was exactly the kind of thing she'd needed while making the potion, but it was also exactly the kind of thing she'd felt once she'd achieved it.
*I've also tried out for Celestine's readoption, and am including their character concept in here as I'd have them in the same au. hope that's okay ;w;