Elixer of Feelings

Episode 1

"Good morning Underdark! What a fine spring Monday we have ahead of us. Today in the news, Queen Sophia is set to sign the international trading act...," I'm not inclined to listen to him yet again today. I reach over and shut off the alarm that gets a little too much abuse for doing its job effectively.I don't regret my decision to make my alarm the news. On the one hand, I get to tell all the posh shop owners that I'm keeping up with the current events, which I only listen to for the seconds it takes to wake me. Honestly, who can stand to listen to that mess? Ever since the last war with the demons ended, and they brought about 'world peace,' things have been crazier than ever.Sure, things were a little calmer on the battlefront. All the soldiers of our different nations got to come home to their families, but with no common enemy to fight, they all just turned on each other. Again. Like seriously people, you just finished a whole war shoulder to shoulder, and the first thing you do when it's over revert back to your petty squabbles.Ugh, let me get out of this bed. As if to say he agrees, Mikey comes in the doorway tongue out and tail wagging. He gives me a good morning bark and his little shuffle of - come on Mom, time for my walk."Good morning to you too, Mikey. Give Mommy a second."I get a bark and runs off—more than likely to his bowl in the kitchen. Okay, now I really have to get up. I roll out of bed and stretch to get the blood flowing, after which I cozy into my favorite flower-printed robe and make my way to the kitchen.In the kitchen, I get my steaming cup from under the coffee maker, a visit to the fridge for the creamer, two seconds of a quick stir, and I was grabbing the leash for Mikey. He is such a good boy, waiting for me patiently to finish putting together my caffeine fix. Well, I think he is patiently waiting. I really need some nature friends who can commune with animals and find out what he's really thinking.Bark!"Okay, dear, here I come." I respond—no need for a translation on that one. Mikey comes to my hand to make it easier to latch his hook, and off we went. Walking out into the morning air, it's warm and moist. The daytime lights haven't been turned on yet, so the only light to go by is the bio luminescent wildlife that has barely started to wake. That's okay, Me and Mikey don't have any trouble seeing in the dark. Nor do most Dark Elves, guess that's why we live underground. We take our usual stroll around the block, and all seems quiet in the neighborhood. We reach the park with the other dog owners, the usual spot for Mikey and me to meet up with our friends. Here is where I could get the latest in news and gossip, and Mikey could play with his pals. Amanda and Marcus were already here. Amanda looks all kinds of snug in her hoodie, hiding her pleasantly plumpness. She made sure to leave the hood down as she would never miss an opportunity to show off her short white hair or the gorgeous purple skin that made me jealous. I look down at my charcoal skin and wish it was more like hers.Marcus, on the other hand, had no issues showing off his cop bod. Rocking a tight gym shirt and basketball shorts, he showed off his charcoal skin. With yellow eyes and dyed brown hair, it's no wonder he was married early. Though he was a traditional Drow, he had no problems mating with a Dark elf woman. Or as they like to call us, surfacers.Dark Elves and Drow are the same race. The difference between us being, Drows are more battle-hardened and conquest happy. Whereas the Dark Elves as we like to make our distinction are more civil and with the times."Sup Girly," Amanda waves adding a little hip action and a snap at the end. "Good morning, Lisa and Mikey," Marcus says after a puff of the little more than tobacco he was smoking."Morning guys, what's new?" I say, detaching Mikey to let him get to his good mornings with his pals Ruford and Pauline."Well, the Robbins are fighting again. Think the Mrs. came home late again. Don't think Will is taking it too well.""That's what he gets. He knew the risk of dating a Drow woman. I tried to warn him, but he doesn't listen to anyone. Thinks he can tame a Drow woman. He would have had better luck training a cat to play fetch.""I feel for him, though," Amanda says, putting her hand to her heart. I swear this girl makes everything more dramatic, good or bad."I have to agree with Amanda, though the risk was there, is love not worth the risk?" I say, then take a long sip of perfection."Surely it is, but one must mind your wits. If you are to jump into bed with a spider, do not fret when you are bitten," Marcus replies."So we are not to feel bad for someone who followed their heart and was hurt? That's awfully mean, Marcus." I say now more into the conversation. "Do you feel bad about Andre's bum luck?" Marcus strikes back with a smile and a quick puff. How dare he? I won't let him know that he made a good point. "That is different?" I say, taking a sip to distract me from thinking about my high school crush turned close friend."How so, luv? Did he not disregard your advice and lie down with a snake of his own? After numerous attempts to save his heart from pain, he still disregarded your feelings, chasing after the woman that fancies a good time? Though he did not chase the spider as our dear friend William, he indeed did lie down with one that was dangerous in its own right.""Marcus, let off of her," Amanda says, coming to my side with a flurry of playful punches to his arm."I got this," I say as she comes back to my side. "Andre is different because his heartache was doubled by it happening while away at war.""If you feed the monster, my dear, it will forever stay at your side. Giving reasons will only allow those people to validate themselves. And I am quite certain that neither will learn their lesson any time soon. Meredith will go out to a pub, come back and apologize. William will take her back into his loving arms. She will promise to never hurt him again, and we will be back here talking about this again with another mishap of dear Meredith in no time at all." He states then blows a long stream of smoke out to show he's satisfied with his point. "Wow, never knew that you were that cynical Marcus," Amanda says, teetering on sounding sad."Call it as you may, I'm only being realistic. People rarely change, my dears. Best learn it early." He says, flicking the butt of his hand-rolled and blowing the last little smoke into the morning air."Hey Marcus, isn't weed and littering both illegal? Racking up quite a few crimes this early in the morning for a cop." Amanda quips."Queen's arse, you're annoying, Mandy." He lets out a giggle and runs his fingers through his hair. "What happens if they catch you smoking again?" I inquire. He rolls his eyes. "The same as last. They will give me quite the tongue lashing and send me on my merry way." He breathes as if he was revisiting the memory."So you are a dirty cop. I knew it," Amanda points her finger at him mockingly while doing her little bubbly dance. Only made cuter by her short and chubby physique."Quite luv, a dirty cop who found over seven hundred thousand dollars in dirty money and turned it all in.""That was just a bribe. Probably your competitor's stash.""By the Queen's tit, you need to stop watching all of those crime shows.""I think she may be on to something, you seem real dodgy right now," I join in the teasing."You've learn't my secret. Shall you blackmail me now? I'll just stop coming to this park in the morning and have your pups sad for missing their best mate." He says with a calculating tone."You wouldn't dare bring the babies into this. That's going too far." Amanda makes an angry face at him."I'm a drug dealer, remember? Cold and ruthless," He whistles to call Ruford, "Good chat girls, but I must be off. I'll see you guys around. Oh Lisa, could you put aside some of that Midnight Lullaby for me?""Well, I'll have it when you stop by. Don't forget my extra fee for keeping your secret." I smile at him."Sure luv, ta ta for now," He says now that Ruford is at his side, then they start to head home."You know, I know he's our friend and everything, but Marcus can be a bit of a...," Amanda starts up, but I cut her short."Yeah, that's Marcus, though. Hey, I'm going to get going too. This muggy air has the shower calling me. Besides, I have a couple of orders that I need to get done before we open." I say, patting my leg to get Mikey to come to me."Okay, Girly, don't forget that I'm also coming by to grab a few things as well. Are we still on for drinks tonight?""Of course, why would you ask?""Because you always get dodgy when Andre is brought up." She furrows her brow and twist in a smirk to say 'Duh.'"That's crazy, I do not." I try to take a sip of coffee. Forgetting I drank the last of it about four sips ago. "Yeah, okay. Text you later, Girly.""Okay, Mandy, byeee," I say with extra sass, and e's on it like always, she returns one to me, then turns to watch Pauline run around the trees. With a few come on boys and pats, Mikey is back at my side, leashed up and ready to go home and get in his bed. That sounds like life right now.With seven o'clock creeping up, some of the morning lights were coming on, an addition that helped welcome some of our none Dark Elf residents. I don't mind them so much. The more people in the Underdark, the more potential customers for me. It did make it a little harder to sleep in on the weekends.Now that I'm out of range of the crew, I start to think. Do I get dodgy when Andre comes up? Sure, he's a touchy subject and all, but I think I'm handling it well. I mean, sure, he was my life in high school. We did everything together, and no matter how hard I tried, I could not pull him away from Ashley Sutherland. I don't know what I was expecting? He was the star wide receiver of our football team, and she was Cheer Captain. It's like every one of those high school love stories. Or is it that supposed to be the quarterback? Whatever.I know it is a sore spot for me. I haven't loved anyone like I loved Andre. Even my college boyfriend was more or less a placeholder, so I didn't look like the dorky alchemist girl that couldn't get a boyfriend.Well, life goes on, and I am walking into the back door of my house. I unlatch Mikey, toss my cup in the not yet ready to start dishwasher, and make my way to the shower. When I'm having a bad morning, that always seems to cheer me up. Especially when I know precisely which potion to use when I get there. The good news about having my own alchemy shop was that I could try all types of combinations of scents before releasing them to the public. Still, with me practicing cosmetic alchemy, I was not in the cash cow of the alchemy business. The surface races had given us technology that could replace a lot of what I sold, but I only made it by due to people not trusting the science as much as magic. In some cases, I could see it. Magic was a renewable and clean source of energy, unlike much of the things they made now. I wasn't entirely against it, though. I think on my cell and computer and remember how bad it would be without it and trying to use shaman magic to communicate. Though I loved some new technology, most of the Underdark did too, which made things worse for business. Why by potions when you can buy cheaper oils and sprays. I still have some loyal customers and middle-class people that still prefer magic. So I was doing okay. For now. I should save my worries for another time. I go to my room and find something that will make me feel better. I haven't worn a dress in a while. Maybe I should wear this yellow strapless dress with the green vine patterns going down the side. When I wore it the first time, I got a lot of compliments. Sure, why not?After grabbing my bath essentials, I make my way to the bathroom to see Mikey has already taken to his bed and back asleep. Enjoy it, buddy, some of us have work. I am careful not to wake him, though. I make in the bathroom and lay my clothes on the rack that I have near the shower and towel over the shower's wall. I grab my favorite shower potion and pour it in the tub, then start the water. It puffs into its cloud of multicolored smoke, and my entire bathroom is filled with the smell of berry fusion.The only downside to doing this is I don't have all the time I want in the shower. I do still have to get down to the shop. Easier said than done once I strip down and get into the hot water. The steam and water are working their magic to melt my stress away.I do my best to not stay in the shower for too long. I glance in the mirror and love the way my natural hair looks with my curvy body. I am about a size fourteen, and it shows in all the right places. I run my fingers through my white hair, make sure I didn't damage it. It took me a long time to get it the way I like it—no use in resetting progress. Once clean, dried, clothed, and essentials applied, I head out. With a quick toss to the laundry bin, I was ready to grab my keys, purse, and slip on my shoes and take on the day... Doing another little self-check to make sure I have my phone, I walk outside and face the day.Well, I wasn't quite ready for this.Standing on the porch, I am stopped dead in my tracks as Andre is leaning against his luxury pearlescent sedan in a clean, no doubt tailor-made, cream, and black suit. Adorned with all manner of accessories that make me feel shameful, most notably his watch and earrings. All that fell short to how sexy his smile is.I'm not a materialistic girl, but a well-dressed man always gets to me. Even more so when that well-dressed man is an onyx colored, clean-cut, hard as steel abs, ex-crush of mine. Let's not get me started on the smooth-talking part. Let me gather myself and get to my car as quick as possible."Hello, Bunny. You look perfect today." That voice reaches out and grabs me by a little more than my heart and pulls me towards him. I will resist."Hey Andre, I was just about to head to the shop," I say, starting a nervous shuffle to my car."Bunny, if you want me to go, just say so. Because you can't be lying to me. You know that I know your ritual for Monday is to get breakfast at the Corner Cafe, the breakfast special with bacon, cheese on your eggs, and lemonade to drink."He pauses to wait for me to say anything. I can't. "Well, I guess it was nice seeing you," He says and starts to open his door. Damn him for knowing me so well. I bet this is a part of his tricks. He's just trying to get me alone with him. Well, I won't fall for it this time."Andre, wait." You stupid little girl. "I'm sorry I've been distant. I just thought you needed time is all," What the hell am I saying? Why am I apologizing to him?"Time away from you? Why would I do that?" confusion creeps on his face. Oh no, he's walking over here. Quick, run, Lisa! "If there is anyone I need to be around right now, it's you," he says, quickly closing the gap, and I can't breathe or move. By the Queen, why can't I move? "Bunny, I know now that I should have listened to you all these years, and it sucks that I had to realize that this way. If that has you feeling uncomfortable around me, I'll give you your space. But I need you to tell me that you don't want me around," He is within arm's reach of me now. I can't help but notice how good he smells. Queen's wraith, why does he have to be so sexy. "Bunny, I missed you while I was away, and having to face my foolishness head-on has made me miss you even more. You don't have to say anything. Your silence says it all." Why are his hands moving towards me? Why am I not stopping him? Why is he pulling me in?He pulls me in for what has to be the longest hug in all my life, or maybe it feels like it. I just got lost in the feel of his muscles wrapping me up and the smell of his cologne. His lips press against my forehead, and he lets me go. For the first time since seeing him, my body listens to my command, and don't grab on to him and pull him back."See you around, Bunny," He says, then heads back to his car.