“Can you read the steps to me?” Ollie asked.
“Sure can. ‘Step one: fill the cauldron three-quarters full with water, turn the burner on to 250 degrees, and set the pot on top.’”
Red had mentioned changing some things in the instructions, and he could only assume adding an actual temperature was one of them, as it hadn’t been that specific in the book.
Grabbing the pot and the two-eye burner, he set the latter on the counter and plugged it in, turning the heat dial for one side on, before quickly filling the pot and setting it on top. “Okay, next.”
“‘Step two: make sure your gloves are on, then grab the bleeding heart blossoms, manchineel leaves,chamaelirium luteumroot, and areca nuts. Chop them up and grind them all together into a fine paste using the mortar and pestle, before setting aside.’”
“I see why Tabitha included a knife and cutting board. I would be hesitant to use my own for actual food after this. I should have thought about that when I first read and wrote down the instructions.”
“I’m glad at least someone thought about it. Accidentally poisoning yourself would be a bad end to your first potion.”
Ollie giggled. “It really would.”
Carefully unsealing the four bags, he chopped each one up as finely as he could before dumping them into the mortar. The grinding took a bit of time. He wasn’t sure if that was just how long it took, or if he was lacking arm and hand strength, but he did eventually manage to form a paste. By the time he was done, the water in the cauldron was already boiling.
“I am volunteering you to grind the next potion I make,” Ollie said with a tired huff, as he set the mortar aside on the counter near the burner, and stretched and rubbed at his arms.
Having switched back and forth each time the arm he’d been using got tired, they now both hurt. Rowden forcing him to be ambidextrous may sometimes come in handy, but it didn’t feel like it at the moment. Then again, two slightly sore arms were better than one very sore arm.
Noble chuckled. “Tired, Baby?”
“My arms are. Next step.”
“Final step, for now: ‘when the water is boiling, carefully dump the powders and liquids into the cauldron, stir for three minutes, before scraping in the paste, and stirring for five more. Then let it boil.’ It says it needs to boil for twelve hours.”
“Ah, well, it's not like I really had time to use it today anyway. I have an appointment later. Luckily, if I saw correctly, the burner has a twelve-hour automatic shut-off timer.”
“An appointment?”
“Yes, for an appraisal,” he said, as he gathered the powders and liquids and brought them over to the counter.
After adding them all into the bubbling cauldron, he set a three-minute timer on his phone and began stirring it with a large, slightly bent metal spoon he’d originally intended to throw away. It would now be his potion-making spoon.
“Can I go with you?” Noble asked, as he pushed up from the table and gathered the things that needed washing, taking them to the sink and starting to do just that.
“Is this about you trying to be my bodyguard?” he asked, just as the first timer went off.
After carefully scraping the paste into the cauldron, he placed the dirty mortar into the sink, and set a new five-minute timer before beginning to stir again.
Noble remained silent for a long moment, as he continued to wash, before clucking his tongue and finally saying, “Yes…? Maybe? Who exactly are you meeting?”
Ollie smiled sheepishly at the man, as he admitted, “Raymond Deluca.”
Noble’s hands stilled in the water, and he slowly looked over at him with narrowed eyes, before growling, “Ollie, you can’t be serious?! Do you?—”
“I know! But like, I’ve worked with him before, and he’s not…well, I wouldn’t say he’s a good guy, but he’s always been nice to me. I will say it’s best not to lie to him, as he is really good atknowing when you are, and will point it out. Though, the lying thing may just be a me problem, since I’m so bad at it.”
“Ollie…” The man closed his eyes briefly, sighing heavily before opening them again and asking, “What time is the appointment?”
“Um, six o’clock?” he stated as his second timer went off. After quickly setting the shut-off timer on the burner to twelve hours, he put his dirty spoon in the sink.
Grabbing a Ziplock bag from a drawer, he moved to the table and quickly gathered up the now-empty bags and vials that had held the herbs, powders, and liquids, before tossing them into the baggie and throwing them away. Tugging off his gloves, he tossed them as well.
Noble shut off the water once he had finished washing his spoon, setting it with the rest of the things on the drying rack, before turning to him as he tugged a disinfecting wipe from the container sitting on the counter and went to wipe down the table. “Why so late?”
Ollie washed his hands to rid them of the powdery feeling the gloves left behind before answering. “He prefers late appointments. Speaking of, I should probably call to let him know I won’t be alone.”
