Once upon a time, Owen's mother enjoyed hearing him stipulate about what he had learned in their lectures—or rather, she made him recite it continuously, vigorously and then clapped when he got it correctly and mastered it to the word.
That was what one experienced when one's parents were a scholarly bunch of folks.
It was actually just a vague memory in Owen's mind. He couldn't remember or recall if it happened at night or day. If it was the study room, or when his mother tucked him to bed. If there was only one thing he could remember, it was the bask of warmth when she smiled at him.
This was a ridiculous thing to have a vague recollection over.
If somebody asked him about the different houses of magic and their recent development in their era compared to a hundred years ago, he could recite it and focus on the notable points and summarize it well.
And yet he almost forgot the details of her face.
There were paintings, but it still pained his grandparents to see those, so he himself didn't let it bother him.
"Are you going to give these flowers to Alchemist Mossblossom?" Tobias asked. The man eyed his satchel in Owen's hands and frowned. But it was safer that the satchel was with Owen than with himself.
He tilted his head and asked. "Why?"
Owen's answer made the young man turn wildly to him. "Why? She's the freaking Alchemist—"
"I'm going to be an Alchemist too." Owen Liddell shrugged. "If she wants to get her hands on these, then she can pay me in gold."
"Oi, I took you there—"
"I'll pay you three pieces of silver if you stay silent," Owen said.
Tobias clamped his mouth shut, paused, and then glared at him. "Are you serious—"
"I keep my word." Owen rolled his eyes and even dug his hand into his pocket to pay for the man. If he had known that money would have solved the problem, then he should have brought it out sooner.
Tobias bit on one of the silver coins and then pocketed it.
Owen made a face, but continued on their way back to the village. How much was the Alchemist paying this guy if three silver was enough to garner his silence?
Probably money wasn't too big of an issue here when one's resources were naturally available in their immediate surroundings. They didn't have a large-scale farm, and neither did they have a river filled to the brim with fish or was at a seaport, but it seemed to be enough to live on.
.
.
.
"Are you going to be an Alchemist or a Witch?" Tobias asked with a snort.
Owen Liddell was not in a laboratory, but in the kitchen. Since the Innkeeper had already finished cooking their lunch, he borrowed it to do some brewing first. He ignored the guy and instead paid attention to the little girl peeking behind her older brother.
"Witch boy? Bubbling cauldron? You have a glass bowl for a head!"
He smiled and shook his head. "No, Nire. Not a Witch. I'm simply heating water to dilute the effects of the petals—"
"You're making tea."
Owen shot a glare at the other guy, but then sighed. "Very well then. Let us say that I am making tea to test how strong a single petal is. It's important to isolate and track the individual effects of each ingredient in order to know how they might react when mixed."
The little child's eyes glazed over at Owen's explanation, and she instead tugged her brother's shirt. "Can Nire, drink some? The flowers are like stars!"
"Nire, do you know the story of the Sleepy Princess?" Owen cleared his throat.
Finally, this was enough to capture her attention. Nire's eyes gleamed like the very stars she wanted and asked, "Princess?"
Owen stifled a chuckle and nodded. "Yes, yes. She was a beautiful Princess who ended up falling asleep after a Faerie's garden cursed her to an eternal sleep."
"Eternal sleep?" the child tilted her head. "How long is that?"
"The Princess ended up sleeping during her sixth birthday, then her seventh, eight, nine—and then she was finally sixteen years old and still in her bed. She missed a lot of her years and the chance to spend time with her family because she was asleep."
"Oh, no!"
"Yes, and do you know why that happened to her?"
"Because of the evil Faerie?"
"Well, you see… there was this flower." Owen carefully lifted one of the untouched flowers on the table, careful not to shake off some pollen.
Nire stared hard at the flower in his hand. "Bad flower?"
He chuckled and shook his head.
"Not this exact one, per se, but when the Princess had been exploring the forests where her kingdom resided—she stumbled upon a garden, or rather an orchard of this Faerie."
"Why would a Faerie have her garden in Human lands?" Tobias grumbled.
Owen ignored the man and continued to explain to the bespectacled child. "When she uprooted a beautiful flower that had not fully blossomed, what she didn't realize was that it was the kind of flower that put Giants to sleep. She placed it in her bedroom to decorate it, but when the night came and the flower blossomed—it put the Princess to eternal sleep."
"And that's why kids shouldn't go to the forests?" Tobias raised a brow.
"It's more why one should be wary of unknown flora and fauna, but I suppose that works too. Generally."
"So Nire can't drink the flower tea?"
"Nope." Owen shook his head.
"Then who's going to drink the—" Tobias stopped and stared at Owen. "You're going to pay me for this, aren't you?"
"Oh, I had been hoping you'd volunteer for free, but it seems like you've read my mind." Owen grinned and finally poured a hot, steaming cup. He looked at the drink in front of him and it was a beautiful pale shade of yellow. It was as if someone had melted the stars and poured it in a cup.
While he should have probably drunk this on his own—the Skill he had intensified a Drinker's System. It meant a small sip of this starry drink was enough to knock him right out immediately.
He offered it to Tobias. "Here's your drink, enjoy."
—-—-
Author's Note: Making promises is a recipe for a disaster. If you happen to be reading this on May 17, 2021. Then you have my genuine thanks for bearing with this Author's schedule.
I have three other books I'm focusing on, but I'm actually hoping that this book becomes a hit. Or rather, can be enjoyed by many. It has elements naturally inspired from things like DnD, School for Good and Evil, Wandering Inn and other fantastical contexts.
While this *will* contain a story about a Potion Bar as the title dictates, and you may have seen 'One-Shots' scenario about it which I'll pepper in. I hope Owen Liddell's story as he assumes the role of the Bartender in the future will be a one filled with interest to whoever is meant to find and enjoy it~ Probably NOT meant for everyone. This is a character-driven and character-centered story.