4.07 – Business Plans

It was kind of hard to just go back to potion-making after being so thoroughly drained by Sabina’s milking session, especially with how unexpected the encounter had been, but Sabina’s efficient, unruffled nature helped Zoey get her thoughts in order. Zoey was genuinely astounded at how easily Sabina ignored what the two of them had done. Or what she had done to Zoey. It had been a pretty one-sided thing, not that Zoey was complaining.

Fortunately, Zoey’s curiosity helped her brush past things, too. Sabina’s milking of her lower half had been for a reason. Or, at least a practical one in addition to the less appropriate. There was merit to Zoey’s reasoning: that her class might bestow certain properties to her cum, making it a viable potion-base.

“If I had to guess,” Sabina said, prepping the small-form brewing station as Zoey studiously watched and took notes. “It would be especially suited to potions that provide carnal effects. We’ll first test it with the fairy dust. If it catalyzes, then that likely indicates our suspicions are true. Of course, we’ll need to compare it to other bases to be certain, but my previous attempts with your ingredients have been … stubborn. So an instant success would effectively be a confirmation.”

Sabina continued to meticulously arrange the ingredients and equipment, including the thick container of Zoey’s cum. The flask had more than enough liquid for a small batch of potions, and it laid to the side, along with the other reagents they’d be adding.

Zoey wouldn’t be leading this brew. She was still a beginner, and they would be working with valuable ingredients, this batch, not worthless ones like for the health potions earlier.

There was plenty to learn from spectating. Not every instance of her tutelage needed to be hands on. Plus, Zoey was looking forward to Sabina coaxing out a potion from the pink fairy dust. The shimmering material said it would give effects related to dreams. In what form? She couldn’t wait to find out. Something fun, her gut told her. Maybe fun and practical.

She attended to Sabina’s requests as they went about the process. She helped here and there, in small ways, passing equipment or preparing reagents. Sabina did all the real work. Zoey took notes when she could, and Sabina did the same. Ones much more detailed than Zoey’s own, identifying exactly the process she implemented. She was a scientist in the traditional sense, even if technology might not be as advanced here as back home.

A surprisingly intense forty-five minutes later, Sabina held up a vial of pink liquid, eying it. The cloudy liquid slowly resolved, turning a deeper and deeper pink by the second. Until finally, it settled.

[Potion of Expanded Consciousness] - Open the consumer’s mind to the dream world, allowing external influences to delve deep into one’s psyche.

“Oh, wow,” Zoey said. “What does that mean?”

“I’m not sure,” Sabina said, finishing her inspection and setting the vial into the prepared vial rack. She poured the rest of the batch into vials, talking as she did so. “And it’s less inappropriate than I expected.”

“Well. Maybe it doesn’t say it, but I bet the dreams would be … less than appropriate. Just a hunch.”

Sabina hummed in consideration.

“And it worked,” Zoey said, pointing out the obvious.

“Indeed. It seems your essence does, as predicted, make an ideal potion base. Curious. It’ll simplify further experiments. Though, I do wonder if more mundane potions will find it a habitable solution.”

“I wonder,” Zoey agreed.

“As to the potion itself. ‘External influences’. That concerns me.”

She’d had the same thought. “What sorts of influences? And who says they’ll be friendly?”

“Perhaps it’d be best to not take it.”

“Huh?” No, Zoey’s concern didn’t extend that far. “I still think it’s worth trying.”

“It’s an unusually vague description.”

Zoey shrugged. Maybe the carelessness wasn’t wholly wise, but there was no shot she was just going to not take it. Who knew how amazing the experience could turn out?

“What happens, happens,” Zoey said. It was maybe a too-blase attitude. “Some of the other items I’ve gotten are vague. Things haven’t turned out poorly, yet.”

“It’s yours to do with as you please,” Sabina said. “I’m simply who you hired to catalyze it. But do be careful.”

Right. Zoey had almost forgotten about that. She’d fallen into an easy companionship with Sabina that had almost made her forget their relationship was professional in origin. Or … mostly professional, and likely shifting toward something else. Clearly, Sabina’s milking session indicated some sort of morphing of their relationship. But in this regard, still professional.

It broached a topic Zoey had been chewing over.

“Hey,” Zoey said. “Do you, uh, mind if we talk business, actually?”

Sabina took the swerve in conversation in stride, as she did everything. “As we clean.” She gestured at the dirty equipment.

“Right.”

Zoey helped Sabina collect the various tools and dispose of expended regents to the appropriate receptacles. It was a monotonous process she was growing accustomed to. Even fantastic activities like alchemy came with plenty of mundane realities, cleaning and preparation being two obvious ones.

“So. Business.”

“Business.”

“Don’t take this the wrong way …” Zoey started, “but can I ask how you’re, well, making a living?”

A quirked eyebrow. “Well,” she said slowly. “I’m an alchemist by trade.”

Sarcasm wasn’t the most common thing coming from Sabina, so Zoey was amused. But also, at the same time, she internally winced. She was going to have to spell out what she meant, explicitly? “I mean, how are you—“

“I know what you mean,” Sabina said. “How I finance myself with so few customers.”

“Well … yeah.” Sabina had people come in to buy something here and there, but not nearly enough, it felt like, to maintain a store of this size. She didn’t know the exact financial circumstances of business ownership in the city of Treyhull, but she couldn’t imagine the scarce traffic Sabina got was normal. Or even tenable.

“I don’t deal with public clientele,” Sabina said. “I’m open to the public, yes, but I realized early on that I’m poorly suited to typical business ownership. It requires a certain level of …” she grappled for the right word.

Zoey bit down on the one that came to mind. ‘Affability’. She thought Sabina was wonderful, but she definitely wouldn’t call her anything but ‘aloof’. Not a salesman in any regard, that was clear.

“Showmanship,” Sabina settled on. It wasn’t what Zoey would have used, but she got the point. “So I operate with outside business. The Guild, of course, being the primary. They have high demand for bulk orders, which they offer me, because I provide consistent, high quality product.”

“Oh,” Zoey said. That made a ton of sense, actually. Because Sabina was staying afloat, and with how barren her actual storefront was, there had to have been a reason she hadn’t gone broke, yet. The answer made as much sense as any. “What do you make for them?”

“The typical. Health, stamina, mana. Occasionally specialty requests. They send me a list once a week. Beyond the Guild, I have other recurring obligations.” She paused, scrubbing away at a flask using a long, thin sponge attached to a firm metal wire. “I will admit the money is poor. Individual clients are certainly the more lucrative option. But haggling with customers … I can’t suffer it.” She glanced at Zoey, then turned back forward, seeming almost hesitant. “The whole process is irritating. And I’m not good at it, either.” She turned back forward and returned to scrubbing, a frown quirking the edges of her lips.

“Yeah,” Zoey said. “I get that. Dealing with people can be annoying.”

“Why do you ask?”

“Curious. And … other reasons, too.”

Sabina waited, a silent prompt.

“I was wondering if you wanted to try something out.”

“Selling your lewd potions,” Sabina guessed. “Going into business.”

Zoey started, then looked at Sabina and huffed. “Can you stop guessing everything I’m going to ask and do? It’s like you can read my mind.” It had been a recurring trend. “But yeah. A sex potion business.”

“There’s merit to the idea,” Sabina said. “Especially since it seems your shards follow a trend. While you might not get the same reagents each time, we should have a steady supply. A rotating availability might even be good for business. Scarcity.”

“Yeah. Though, how rare is it, exactly? Lewd potions.”

“Unheard of,” Sabina said. “To my knowledge. I’ve been meaning to discuss the topic with you, actually. I want to compose a paper to the Institute about my findings. We’re repeatedly discovering effects that are, frankly, completely novel. It would have my colleagues in a frenzy.”

“Oh. So it’s rare.”

“Novel, as I said.” She hummed in satisfaction. The concept clearly excited her—in Sabina’s way, at least, which didn’t come with the usual tells. But for her, she was practically vibrating. “You have a truly unique class.”

“And you want to write a paper about it.”

“I see the difficulty behind the request,” Sabina said. “It would draw an unfortunate amount of attention my—and your—way.”

“Which is a problem.” Rosalie, and Delta, had made it clear Zoey should be keeping her class under wraps. “I don’t want to have too many eyes turned my way.”

“I figured. So, it’s not an option?”

“I’m sorry. Probably not. At least for now.”

Sabina nodded, not put out. She’d gotten the response she’d expected. And Zoey wanted to let her do as she pleased—which apparently meant writing a paper on the recipes she was discovering—but for safety’s sake, she shouldn’t.

Even starting up a sex potion business would be less conspicuous that appropriate, maybe. But, it was several steps down from writing a paper to a research institute highlighting how amazing, and unique, Zoey’s class was. The typical consumer who’d be buying a sex potion likely wouldn’t realize how odd it was. Not as much as an alchemy organization, at least.

“Please, continue,” Sabina prompted. “Your idea.”

“Er, yeah.” She’d gone quiet as she chewed over the topics Sabina had brought up. “Well, there’s not much to say, it sounds like. If these potions are totally unique, and we have a surplus of reagents, why not monetize them?”

“And I would have a cut?”

“Sure. I don’t know the exact details, I guess, but we’re bouncing ideas around.”

“Who would handle sales? You?”

Probably not. Zoey didn’t have the time—nor desire—to be the saleswoman, either. Then again, wouldn’t such rare merchandise sell itself?

“Maybe we bring in a third party,” Zoey said. “Hire someone?”

“And I brew.”

“Yeah. I collect the materials, you brew.” And hopefully Zoey herself could help with that, eventually, but she knew she wasn’t at that stage in her career. “And we find a third person to handle marketing and sales. There’s money to be made.”

“I suspect there is, handled correctly.” Sabina consider the idea, scrubbing away at the dirtied alchemy equipment. “Let’s work out a few details.”