Burn the Witch

Fun at Work

Alex and I were working on potions while the workstation was flooded with various smells and smoke. We had to fully open the sunroof just to provide proper ventilation. The smell would have been better if it wasn't mixed with a hundred others. Now, everything smelled like s**t and I tried my hardest not to gag and vomit all over the floor.

Alex wasn't joking when he said that he was not going to go easy on me. The day after he asked me to prepare, he immediately put me on a trial by fire. I made potion after potion, only this time, I'm under close supervision. The good thing about that was it was less likely for me to cause another disaster. The bad thing was all my mistakes were accounted for, and my butt was already crying and asking for time out since three days ago.

I carefully measured the Blue Sorrel and poured it into a beaker. Today, we were making a philter of compulsion. It's a potion that could make effective disguises. According to Alex, good camouflage did not only rely on outward appearance. You must also convince the people around you of what you wanted to portray, and that's where the compulsion enters the picture.

It was also one of his best-selling products. As to why people would need a lot of those, I had no idea.

Once I'm satisfied with the measurement, I put the Blue Sorrel in a wooden pot and placed it on heat. I was just adjusting the fire when Alex put a hand on my shoulder to stop me.

"In what part do you think you made a mistake?" He asked me.

I huffed, my butt silently crying already. The spankings were sexy and hot at first, but it only got annoying as time went by. Maybe if it's accompanied by orgasms, I wouldn't mind it that much...

Alex cleared his throat, yanking me again to the present. Damn, my raging libido.

"Uh... the measurement?" I replied though I was fairly confident that I got it right before heating the plant.

"Wrong. Try again."

I huffed and looked at the assortment of ingredients, feeling clueless. When after a few minutes and I still had no idea what I did wrong, I looked up at Alex and bargained.

"Make it 2.5 and I'll clean the whole shop," I said to him.

Alex chuckled and shook his head. "Is my punishment getting boring for you? We can try a new one, something that involves ropes and paddles."

Yes, please.

Wait, no. Do not agree. I repeat, do not agree!

Alex did not wait for my answer. Instead, he turned off the fire and dumped the contents of the pot in the trash bin that we always kept near us. f**k knows how many failed potions I made that went there.

"You do not put an ingredient on fire, then adjust the heat afterward. That will heavily affect the outcome of the potion. You'd rather adjust the heat first, and only once it's set right will you place the ingredient," he explained.

That made sense. I know these things were extremely sensitive. A change or adjustment, however minuscule, would be detrimental. If only I put that knowledge into proper use minutes ago, I wouldn't have another punishment.

I sighed and faced my fate.

"Alright, noted. Now, should I bend over and show you my ass?" I said, irritation lacing my voice.

Alex smirked at me, but he didn't move.

"No. I have another thing in mind," he said, then he grabbed another cauldron and set it in place. He also got another batch of ingredients for the philter of compulsion and divided those in two.

"We will both make the same potion at once, then whatever we made, the other will drink it," he said.

My brows almost hit my hairline.

"Isn't that unfair to you? You can make this with your eyes closed, while I can't even heat it properly. You're more likely to drink a defective potion."

"Perhaps. Perhaps not. The goal is to teach you accountability. As potion makers, it's not us who will be consuming what we made. If our potions are faulty, we are liable for damages to our clients. You will have to make potions with the highest standards to prevent that."

Great, no pressure at all.

"What happens when you sold a defective potion?"

Alex shrugged. "I don't know. I never sold one."

I rolled my eyes at him. Truly mister perfect. With that said, Alex and I both started making the philter.

***

Several minutes later, Alex and I stood face to face, each one holding a small cup with swirling dark blue liquid. Both potions looked identical, and I felt quite proud of myself for what I made. I'm pretty excited as well with the outcome.

I just hope Alex wouldn't kick my ass out once he saw what I did.

"Bottoms up," Alex said and together, we drank our potions.

There was a slight tingling feeling that coursed through my body, but other than that, I feel normal. I looked at my arms and clothes as well, but they look the same.

Alex, though...

I burst out laughing once I saw the change. Alex's hair grew slightly longer, and it was styled with two braided pigtails. The hairstyle wasn't too bad. It almost had a touch of Viking spirit in it. He has simple outdoor clothes made of cotton and leather, and the main showpiece was the red cloak draped around his shoulders with its hood up. Alex was now holding a wicker basket like what he usually brought every morning, but they were now filled with baked cookies and other pastries.

"Grandpa, what cute hair you have!"

I cackled again, extremely delighted that my potion worked. Alex turned around and looked at the small mirror we placed on the table before we drank the potions. He frowned, then faced me and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm so glad you find this amusing," he said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

I giggled again and said, "Grandpa, what bad manners you have!"

Alex just shook his head. "If you are done laughing, maybe you can look at yourself now," he said, then he picked up the mirror and turned it towards me.

My jaw hit the floor.

In the mirror, I could see myself wearing red lingerie. The bra was made of lace and almost see-through, and the underwear has an intentional hole in its crotch. It was sexy. Way too sexy and inappropriate.

I raised my arms and I could still see the sleeves of my blouse. How?

Alex took pity on my confused face and explained what he did.

"No one else can see the outfit except if they look through a mirror, or if they were me," he said with a smirk.

"Remove it! I can't go back to my apartment like this!"

"And here I thought you were playing hard to get."

I rolled my eyes at Alex. "You know what I mean!"

Ignoring my outburst, he continued, "Also, the philter of compulsion usually has a 12-hour effective period. I suggest you get comfortable with your look for a while."

Alex didn't even finish his sentence before I was chucking various herbs and plants at him. I didn't know what he could see, but it was probably a flower-wielding woman in lingerie running around in his shop. In no time, the workstation became a battlefield, ingredients littered the ground.

***

A revelation that I had with our impromptu potion war was that Alex was a sore loser. He made me clean up the mess and arrange all the bottles scattered around. I was sweeping the floor when I heard his despondent sigh. I turned around and saw him looking at the storage cabinets placed on the sides of the room while he was still in his red riding hood get up.

"Oh, Grandpa! What made you sad?" I asked him.

"Don't start."

I snickered at him and continued sweeping.

"We will have to replenish our materials soon," Alex suddenly said.

"How do you get those anyway? Do you have a supplier or something?"

Alex closed the door and started cleaning up the spilled liquid on the table. I'm pretty sure we broke a lot of work safety rules just now.

"I could, but if I want to get the highest quality possible, I have to gather them myself."

"Can I come with you? I'll help."

Alex stopped what he was doing and looked at me, his eyebrow raised. "Gathering materials is not a walk in the park."

A waved my hand back and forth. "Yes, yes. I know. Just treat it as fieldwork and team-building activity. Two hands are better than one."

"You mean heads."

"I said what I said."

Alex huffed and hauled the trash out of the workstation. His biceps bulged from the strain, and I got my exclusive arm show just for myself. I tried to discreetly wipe any drool from my face.

"Alright, mark your calendar, then. We're going hunting at the end of the month," Alex said, closing the door upon leaving.

Wait, hunting?