Private Tales A Love Potion for “a Friend”

[Elle Selena]

Elle had never used this much magic before in one sitting, even with the moon. She had misinterpreted the regular power of the moon for the aid of her Patron, and so had driven herself to the point of total exhaustion. It would be hours before she would come to, finally, her muscles aching and her vision still somewhat blurry.

"I.. Luella?"

Elle shook her head. Had she dreamed the whole thing? If it was a bad dream, at least it was over, but the thought of that disheartened her, as she had been growing somewhat fond of her new companion. She shut her eyes again, for a moment, mumbling "Luella" again, feeling like she could barely stay awake with the exhaustion, to even do so much as get out of her chair...

 

[Zaire]

While Elle had been passed out, Luella had placed the basket on a table and had then began to try and figure out how one might get clean. She was covered in the ooey-gooey entrails of the giant spiders. Her hair was a matted mess and she smelled of gore. Yet, at the same time, she couldn’t feel comfortable rummaging through someone’s belongs as they were knocked out. Luella had learned proper manners, and she’d adhere to them.

Should she leave? The thought did go through her mind, but it didn’t last long. After all, how would Elle fare when she woke up? Would she wake up? Also, she needed that love potion still. And so, Luella did the only thing she could do: find a seat, sit down, and wait. And she did, thinking over many things, keeping her mind busy. Her failed fight with a fae who basically represented war occupied a lot of time, as did thinking about how she could add more resistance to her work out regimen, getting in more protein, and—

‘Oh, you’re up,” Luella said, standing up from her spot and coming over to Elle, kneeling down before her and placing a cool hand over her forehead. “How are you feeling?” They were both a mess, and Luella wrinkled her nose. They both smelled rather stinky, who knew spider guts could cause such a smell.

Elle Selena

 

[Elle Selena]

Elle regained consciousness a little bit again as Luella placed her hand on her forehead. Elle mumbled something, then opened her eyes to see Luella was very close to her. Yet, this didn't bother her, as it might with someone else. In fact, Elle was very comforted by her presence, and felt much more at ease knowing Luella was there for her while she was in this groggy state.

She was still weak, but she looked up at Luella.

"You smell preposterous," she said. "I can make your potion now, if you like..."

Elle leaned her head onto Luella for a moment, knowing her armor was still disgusting with the gore of the battle with the spiders--a fact which Elle was still only half certain actually happened--but she didn't mind so much. It was nice to just have someone there, someone who wasn't hostile or a complete stranger. Someone she could trust other than herself.

"Luella... I really overdid it out there." Elle clung to Luella now, clearly tired but still conscious, staring vacantly into the other side of the room.

She would be sad to see her go once she had made the potion...

 

[Zaire]

Luella’s face was rather serious for a moment, until Elle accused her of smelling like crap wrapped in more crap. There was a pause and then a wolffish grin, a set of white teeth that glinted from the firelight. “I can say the same for you, witch,” she teased, her grin being rather brief as her features went back to their usual ire. She was rather surprised for someone like Elle to be so comfortable with the carnage that had seeped through her clothing, and without much thought if it was possible enough, decided to say what was on her mind. Which she did usually, but for some reason her voice came out a bit softer.

“We both need a bath. The potion can wait for now. Where do you usually bathe? Surely not a cauldron filled with lizard scales, newt tongues, and warthog bristles.” Without much thought, she stood up from her spot, gently moving Elle back as she stared past her. Once more she picked her up in a bridal carry. “Lead the way.” She said gently, completely understanding that at the end of the day, while Elle may have been a witch with some impressive moon abilities, her body was much softer than Luella’s, and it needed extra care.

Elle Selena

 

[Elle Selena]

The moment hadn't lasted quite long enough when Lue suddenly picked Elle up, taking the semi-delirious witch by surprise. However, Elle would only struggle against her for a moment, that same sense of security returning.

Oh, right, she asked questions, Elle thought.

"I suppose we do both need a bath. The bath is in the other room, and there is a cauldron--with no lizard scales-- which you can fill with water. There's place for a fire underneath the bath to keep it warm. I do like my baths warm--I won't have it any other way. I insist you draw it for me and then allow me to bathe in peace."

Luella's arms were those of a warrior's and Elle felt comfortable in them, a type of comfort she'd never felt from another person. Her weakness only added to that comfort--Luella could pretty much do whatever she wanted to at this point and Elle would be unable to really resist her in any way, barring intervention by the her Patron.

"I must say--your hands are quite strong. That must be useful for wielding that massive letter opener you carry around. But don't get used to carrying me around! I'm quite independent, just feeling... a little drowsy right now. But it does feel nice being carried around."

She paused for a moment.

"I get to use the bath first. Consider it part of the payment for the potion. Carrying me around is a bonus."

Yes, Luella had saved her life. No, Elle didn't see anything wrong with not offering basic hospitality to someone who had quite literally saved her life.

Luella Balsinde

 

[Zaire]

Luella carried Elle to the room she mentioned and couldn’t stop the massive eye roll that nearly had her lavender eyes seeing her brain for the first time ever. She had figured that Elle was rather honest with her words in general, and yet, she hadn’t labeled her as one who was demanding. Just like a cat who meowed for attention and would then proceed to nip your hand after it had had it’s fill.

“I’m sorry, I thought your title was Witch Selena, not Princess Selena,” she retorted lightly, setting her down as she went to fill the bath and light the fire. She snorted at the fact that she had referred to her custom-made claymore as an “massive letter opener” and had to look her down with a pale brow raise in curiosity. “You do realize that that ‘letter opener’ is worth your life, your child’s life, and their child’s life ten times over, right?” Luella breathed, using her elemental alignment for air to further feed the flames, hopefully getting the water warmer faster.

“And considering I saved your life and considering the rules of hospitality, don’t I get to bathe first?” Luella added, turning back around to face Elle. She placed her hands on his wide hips, as if to have Elle tell her she was wrong. “This is plenty big enough for the both of us, we can share this. And in return, I’ll wash the royal highness’s hair. You can barely move.” Luella stated, walking back over to her. She first removed her shoes, placing them neatly to the side. She felt bad for the laundry day Elle was about to have.

Elle Selena

 

[Elle Selena]

~~~~

The moment of silence between Luella and Elle grew precariously long as Elle stirred her cauldron gently, the ingredients beginning to warm and mix. It was a strange circumstance; Elle had never encountered these types of feelings before. Frustration, attraction, and a strange longing mixing together like the contents of her cauldron, roiling to a boil and spilling out furiously as heated words...

I don't want you to go. I want you to stay, she pleaded to herself. I want to find some way for you to stay...

But there was nothing for it. She'd already let loose on Luella in one of her most uncontrolled rants to date. And she couldn't just apologize for it. But as these thoughts began to consume her, Luella came back into the room. Elle gave her a longing glance, her cheeks tinged with red embarrassment once again. She felt suddenly very small, especially compared to the duanann; her height didn't help.

“Will it take long?”

Elle said nothing just long enough that it might have seemed like she ignored Luella's question at first. Finally, she replied.

"Yes, it will take at least the rest of tonight, so you'd better get comfortable."

She paused.

"I'm joking. It should be done in about 10 minutes or so. Then you... can take the potion, and leave." The words seemed to have trouble leaving her lips.

“You weren’t boring."

Elle's cheeks turned very red at this; it wasn't something she could hide except by remaining silent at the comment. What could she say? Oh, Luella, you completely blew my mind for my first time, but that bite hurt and I wasn't expecting it, so you need to leave even though all I want is for you to kiss me again, like I'm a blubbering fool lovesick for the first girl who gave me any attention at all? They were alone; it would be so easy to fall into her arms again. But there was nothing for it since Elle couldn't control herself. Even if it was Luella's fault in the first place.

 

[Zaire]

The night hadn’t ended the way the duanann had expected, even with the relief of the weight of her claymore against her back, she felt that twinge of discomfort. As a warrior she was rather used to putting her emotions to the very back of her conscious mind. Even know, she could feel herself doing it now, focusing on the goal and believing her rather dogmatic mantras. And yet, that hum of tension deep within her stomach prevented her from going numb and hyper focus. She sat down at Elle’s table, after all, she was told it would take the rest of the night. However that didn’t seem to be the case after all, the corners of Luella’s mouth twitching up as Elle seemed to be returning to that wonderful sassy disposition that had caught the fae’s attention in the first place.

“Won’t you look at me?” Luella implored the witch who seemed dead set on keeping her back to her. Luella was actually quite tempted to turn her around, force her into gazing up at her face. However, she refrained from doing such a thing. She has been shown that her impulses weren’t always eagerly regarded. “I understand you’re upset,” Luella added, and then sighed. The thought of Elle being upset over one little bite that drew only the smallest amount of blood did make Luella feel quite sullen. Just a little bit of blood. One bite. A hard nip on the thigh. Was that really something to fuss about? “I’ve never been a very gentle lover, not since…” Luella trailed off, remembering her humiliation in the night court and frowned. No, that didn’t apply to Elle, she didn’t need to know about that. “I suppose what’s natural to me wouldn’t be for you.” There. The closest thing to an apology that Luella could muster.

“And I’m not just saying that because I’m worried about you putting poison in my potion,” Luella said absently. Strangely, she trusted Elle enough to not assume she’d ruin the potion for Luella. She seemed to have too much integrity for something such as that. Although, even if Elle had placed mushrooms that could poison a cow three times over, Luella wouldn’t have really complained. Either way, the job of getting Urube off her back would be done.

Elle Selena

 

[Elle Selena]

“Won’t you look at me?” ... “I understand you’re upset...”

Elle froze; she was almost scared to do what the fae was suggesting to her again. Yet how could she not? She knew in her heart that Luella hadn't meant to hurt her, and while Elle had a rapier wit, she wasn't spiteful. She turned and looked at the fae, remarking that she was still a mess from the fighting. They could be doing laundry right now, if she hadn't ruined things, tidying up their gore-stained clothes together. Maybe Luella would have stayed the night just so they could do that--the thought of someone else sleeping in her bed was very appealing. She suddenly realized just how much Luella made her hate being alone.

“I suppose what’s natural to me wouldn’t be for you.”

"I... I know it isn't. Maybe such things are normal for the Fae. It just took me by surprise, is all," she said. "I was feeling so good that the pain.. I don't know. It didn't feel right. Not when... not when I..."

She couldn't bring herself to say it. Not when I and you and the bath and the warm water are making me feel like this is how things should always be, and that I can't ever be alone again after that. Yet you're probably going to leave...

She let the comment about poisoning go; she knew it was a tongue-in-cheek statement and not to get offended by it even if she was still feeling sensitive about it all. The prevailing feeling she had now was how cold she felt, in a way she hadn't before, and she felt almost magnetized to Luella's arms, so much so that her arm twitched briefly to reach for her, but Elle resisted at the last second.

Finally, Elle turned back around, too embarrassed to continue looking at her. The potion would be done in a moment, and she'd bottle it up for Luella, and hand it to her... She braced herself for the coming goodbye.

 

[Zaire]

Luella tilted her head as Elle spoke, listening to her and doing her best to understand that mix of apprehension and the hesitation to explain further. In truth, Luella didn’t quite understand exactly what Elle was alluding towards, perhaps in her past she would have been able to decipher it all, but now… well, now she took everything at face value. Perhaps that had been where this had all started? That maybe Luella had taken too many steps too fast and misread things about Elle. Well, they were strangers after all.

“So you don’t enjoy being bitten.” Luella’s voice was calm, even a bit comforting, but her eyes didn’t quite match her words. At the same time, Luella respected consent, especially when there had been times when hers had been taken far, far away from her. She mulled it over, weighing these two options she didn’t speak aloud, and settled on a shrug. She could disregard that fetish of hers, for Elle at least. Humans were far more sensitive, physically and emotionally it seemed, compared to fae.

“Fine, no more marking you as mine. Would that be better for her highness?” Playful, and a reference to the conversation before things got heated in the bathtub. Regardless of the teasing, this was a compromise, and one that Luella would honor. After all, she had to admit that this wasn’t how she saw the night ending. And in truth, there was something telling her to take the potion and go. Elle’s outburst had made her think time was up, for tonight at least. “I do mean it though,” Luella murmured, looking up at the ceiling bringing a hand up to her mouth, index tracing over her lips in thought. “I won’t bite you again.”

Elle Selena

 

[Elle Selena]

"I..." she started to respond, slowly. "It's not about... I mean, the biting... It's complicated, Lue."

She teared up a little bit as she gathered the finished potion into a few vials for Luella to use. She didn't know if such a formula would work on a Fae, magical beings that they are, but they were powerful aphrodisiacs for humans and Elle was just doing her best to honor the request this stunning stranger had placed. She gingerly handed the potions to Luella.

"I... um... Don't suppose I could convince you to stay?" she pleaded. She knew it was a desperate attempt to try to sort out whatever was going on, and even though it seemed as though Luella was apologizing for what had happened, she also couldn't shake this tension that had come between them. But maybe it was just Elle. "The potion needs to be administered in its entirety to work properly... a partial dose may not produce the, ehm, desired effects. Sometimes there are side effects, especially if the recipient is allergic to any of the ingredients, which sometimes happens with mushrooms..."

She gave Luella one last, pleading look, but didn't say more about how she was feeling. She was far too shameful to be so overt about what she really wanted. In spite of her snarky attitude and general cheekiness, in this moment Elle was about as vulnerable as she could be.

 

[Zaire]

Luella took the potions, her large hands holding the vials easily as she looked over Elle, quite perturbed over her words. Not because of the side effects, no she couldn’t give two cwn annwn craps about Urube having the shits or even feeling sick and unable to sleep. Whatever side effects there could be, he could deal with it. And right now, Luella needed to deal with the witch in front of her who had seemed to lose all the sass from when they have first met. There was a slight frown, placing the vials securely into her little pouch that was underneath her tunic.

“You said the bite upset you because it hurt.” Luella said, her voice neutral. She wasn’t trying to use wordplay against Elle, it would be an unfair challenge if that were he case. She also wasn’t trying to condemn Elle for changing her words or trying to express her feelings. Luella may not have been the most inward person but even she could see that Elle was struggling with something.

“I shouldn’t stay, dawn will come soon. I have things to do.” Luella said gently, and then tilted her head a bit. “Like practicing my impressive sword skills? Your dagger is still in the bathroom… do you know how to use it? If not, I can show you sometime when I’m back.” A compromise. She wouldn’t stay tonight but a promise that she would indeed return to see Elle. “Although before I leave I’d like to understand the whole issue you have with the bite. If it’s not because it hurt then why? Because i was gentle and then stopped being gentle? Was the shift too soon?” Luella inquired.

Elle Selena

 

[Elle Selena]

Elle was confused and hurt by Luella's next few questions. She was leaving, yet she wanted to know what Elle thought about the bite. Why? Was this some cruel form of torture Fae used to prey on their victims? Elle could only imagine, but she was too far in at this point, so she figured she would feed the creature anyway, despite her gut reaction being to become increasingly sarcastic.

"What's the matter with dawn, are you some kind of vampire?"

Okay, never mind.

"It's hard to fully explain--not that you'd get it anyway, I guess--but I'm a very lonely person, so when someone comes into my home, I like things to be a very particular way, and you went past an invisible boundary that I suppose you had no way of knowing about, but I am nonetheless offended and at this point I'm afraid there's little you can do about it. I guess that just makes me a particularly witchy... witch."

She folded her arms, growing impatient the more she regained her composure. Maybe she needed some alone time after all. She wasn't sure. It was too many emotions all at once that she wasn't used to feeling, and relationships really weren't something she knew how to navigate at all. She felt like she was just stepping on glass and eggshells, over and over again, and she wanted it to be over, or go back to something that made sense.

"So... maybe you should just go..." she said, choking up a little.

 

[Zaire]

Luella scowled at the vampire comment, even if it was a joke. After all, being compared to something that she found to be rather unbecoming regardless of it being part of Elle’s sass. Perhaps it was even because that she felt her kindness was not being met with the response she felt was appropriate, and although that was quite arrogant to think such a thing, she still partially felt that way.

“I have things to do,” she said tersely in regards to why she wanted to leave. And it seemed like Elle wanted her to leave as well. Well, so be it. Luella couldn’t find it within her to play games with a witch she didn’t know. Did they have some momentary enjoyment in the bath? Yes. But Luella couldn’t be bothered by something like that when as a fae it was easy to get such a thing as that. She shook her head, confused by whatever Elle was trying to get at and sighed as she finally decided that it was indeed time for her to go. The melodrama was starting to make her itch.

“If you like being alone then I’ll respect your wishes,” she said with a shrug, patting the pouch secured on her hip and looking at Elle with a raised brow in confusion as to why it seemed like the witch was about to cry again. “And whatever invisible boundary you for whatever offense I’ve committed… well, perhaps it’s my millennias of being alive talking, it’s quite childish. Thank you for the potion. If it doesn’t work I’ll be back.” Luella dipped her head, a polite gesture and then proceeded to walk out of Elle’s home, without pause or looking back.

Elle Selena

 

[Elle Selena]

Elle was seething at this point, though she tried her best not to show it. Maybe Luella would go away, and things would return back to the way they were. The... insufferably lonely way things were before. A thought crossed Elle's mind of the painful choice of the situation: was it better to be lonely in comfort, or be friends with someone like Luella? Were they even friends to begin with, or had she just been used by the Fae for sexual entertainment? She didn't know, but before she could voice those thoughts, Luella was already out the door, leaving Elle speechless the entire moment she left.

Then, the tears came. Hard, and without warning, Elle started sobbing and fell to her knees in the middle of her living room in her cottage. She was furious, yet she couldn't help but feel that maybe there was someone who could have understood her loneliness, but that person just ran out because she had been sensitive.

I would take as many bites as you wanted if you just came back, she found herself thinking.

But there was nothing for it now. She was gone, and Elle was alone again, the little witch of the wood with no friends, no family, and no future.