• Solo • Reflection

[Levinia]

15 of Cylus, 716

The cold didn’t seem to bother Levinia as it did other people. Perhaps it was because she was born during the coldest Arc? Either way she made her way through the streets of Andaris on her way back home. The street noises were nothing to her, only the pleasant melody of city life and an orchestra of her own personal revere. Although it seemed that she was walking with her eyes shut and paying no attention, Levinia was alert and wary. The street of such a busy city were nothing to scoff at. She could easily fall prey to any number of dangers and she was very much aware of all of them.

The lithe little human woman passed a familiar beggar and dropped a few coins and a hunk of bread in his bowl. The man thanked her profusely and by name. Everyone in her neighborhood knew the white haired human girl and those that did not were soon to know her. She drew looks of admiration from the noblemen, lust from the common man and looks of desperate desire from those way beneath her.

Levinia usually kept her head covered as she tried to hide the one feature that made her stand out from all the other human women in the city. Her hair which was the color of clouds, fresh snow and anything that could bring to mind purity and perhaps the oppurtunity to soil such pristine. A cold wind, however, maliciously threw back her cowl and revealed her to the world causing eyes to turn her way. She gasped at the unexpected revelation and quickly covered herself up.

Her blue eyes flickered left and right quickly but saw no immediate threat; so she quickly continued her path. She only relaxed until she reached her building and her small but comfortable room. Levinia rushed in, closed the door and locked it securely. She then took the time to lean against the door and take a deep breath. She was glad that she had made it safely back home once again.

As always, Biscuit was there to greet her. The white cat jumped off the bed and began to meow up at her, his smooth feline body rubbing against Levinia skirt. “Hello, Biscuit.” She responded to the warm welcome but her eyes went to the dying fire in the fireplace. It would need to be stoked and wood added but for now she bent down and picked up her furry friend to hug him lovingly. The cat protested for a moment, as felines often did, but then submitted to the attention with a warm purr. His owner knew that her beloved pet could only take so much so she set him back down on the stone floor.

With a smile, Levinia set her basket down on the table and turned to attend to the fire. She threw a couple of logs into the pit and stoked it until it was steady enough to engulf the added fuel. Soon the fire was going strong and warming her small little apartment. Her cat rolled on the battered rug in front of the fire and took in its warmth as Levinia took off her coat and put it away. She took in a deep breath and shut her eyes as she relished being in her home. Even without her large family around Levinia felt both secure and safe. The loneliness of it didn’t even phase her because for the moment she was just herself.

[Levinia]

With a sigh, Levinia shrugged off her coat and neatly put it away before inspecting her home a little closely. The fire seemed to wash the little room not only in warmth but in a yellowish glow and in shadows. Her white feline was still basking in the warmth of the fire, his eyes were narrowed as he flicked his tail lazily. It wouldn’t be long before he’d fall asleep and leave his mistress off to do whatever humans did. So with her quick inspection and everything seeming to be in place, Levinia got to work on the reason why she was out in the streets in the first place.

She reached her basket and took out the ingredients she could find. Being that it was winter there wasn’t really anything fresh. Herbs were either dried or infused with oil to preserve them longer. Taking the less of two evils, she had decided to go with the dried version. Although for the potion she was going to try, fresh would have been better. Still, dry was better than nothing and she had not expected to need to make this particular potion. If she had she would have made it during spring when the herbs were all fresh and in bloom.

The shut window rattled slightly, possibly with wind or perhaps a large cart was making its way across the street beneath her. Levinia reached over and closed the curtains then lit the candle for light. She then proceeded to gently place her collected herbs on the table and put away her market basket. When she returned to the table she found Biscuit sniffing the dried herbs and pawing them. “Hey, stop that!” Levinia admonished the cat who gave her a withering look from his dual colored eyes. “There is no nip in there, so shoo, go back to your spot.” She pointed but of course cats are not to be moved if they do not want to be moved.

Instead, Biscuit sat down and began to clean his paw as his tail wrapped around his hind legs. It was his way of saying, ‘I’ll move when I’m good and ready, human.’ Levinia sighed and ignored the cat for now since there was plenty of room to work on the table. “Well just don’t get any funny ideas, Biscuit.” She wagged a finger at him but he only narrowed his eyes at her in a disinterested way. “You remember last time you ate an herb you shouldn’t have.” He meowed in response, yes, he remembered and he wasn’t stupid to repeat that. Still, sometimes the things she brought home smelled so good.

Having settled the argument with the cat, Levinia got to work and retrieved the mortar and pestle from their proper place. This particular potion would be a simple one, and one of the very first she had been taught. She had to keep it simple, first of all to make sure it was perfect and second, because she just didn’t have the resources to make anything complex. The reason she wanted it perfect was because she was going to introduce it to a local Master Apothecary who was looking for an apprentice. If Levinia impressed him then perhaps she would become his apprentice. Perhaps.

[Levinia]

The first thing Levinia did was to set a pot of water to boil. She was left alone to do this since Biscuit had already seen her do this many times and wasn’t very interested in it. His own water dish had been refreshed and that was just fine with him. He meowed quietly as his mistress returned to the table as if it say, ‘see, I did not touch a thing.’ Levinia smiled warmly at him and began to inspect the herbs set before her.

Her fingers delicately picked up the herb called Lady’s Mantle and placed it in the mortar. She did the same with the Linden, Calendula, Red Clover and Burdock. Measuring by sight, she made sure that her potion would contain half of the Lady’s Mantle and half Linden. The rest would require a quarter of each. She had made this particular potion all the time so the measurements were not hard for her to achieve correctly.

The next in her ingredients was raspberry and this was difficult to find fresh during winter. Levinia, however, had a plan for that. Since this was a potion she made often she had preserved the raspberry into a syrupy goo that would keep all winter long and made the potion sweeter. It was really more of a tea than a potion but when bottled and infused it could be drunk like a potion.

First, though, she cut each herb and tossed the right amount into the mortar then put the extra away safely. She then got to work with the pestle but since they were dry herbs it did not take long for her to get the consistency that she needed. Levinia made sure she didn’t pulverise the herbs because she needed to strain them and if they became too dusty they would cloud the liquid.

She used a spoon to scoop up the mixture as she took a look at it. It all seemed fine and it looked like her water was already boiling. “I really should invest in an iron teapot.” She told Biscuit who did not respond, he was already dozing off, his eyes narrowed into slits as his tail flickered slowly. Levinia walked over to the fireplace and moved the pot from the fire. It had been handing from the iron rod and she only had to swivel the rod arm to move it aside to a distance that would keep it from boiling away but warm enough.

“Well this is ready.” She announced, though Biscuit could care less, still he kept his eyes on her watching her every move. Levinia then took out her porcelain teapot and the strainer. She’d need to put in the mixture she had just prepared but there was still one thing missing. “Rose petals.” She sighed, wishing once again, that it wasn’t winter and that all her ingredients would be fresh. Rose petals had to be fresh, that was one ingredient that wouldn’t taste the same dry. Now what was she going to do?