"Hey, welcome back!" The apothecary cheerfully greeted you from behind the counter. "The love potion is still distilling, why don't you have some tea while it finishes?"
The apothecary was a pretty woman, and many said she was crafty. You were told that, for the right price, she could fix up just about anything. And after getting your heart broken too many times, you finally caved and ordered a love potion.
While you sipped your tea, the apothecary started closing up shop for the day and chatting. "I'll never ask a client why they need something like this, but you're a real cutie. And I enjoyed our chat when you placed the order. This feels... wasted on you."
She topped your tea off from the teapot and started wiping down her counter. As she worked you couldn't help but admire her beauty. "Want to hear a trade secret? These things" she gestured at the shelves behind the counter, "most of them barely work. Sure, my treatmentsfor illnesses are legitimate. But potions that affect confidence? All a placebo effect." "Her voice was so soft, a little entrancing." A potion to make you more attentive at work or school? Just a tad of herbal caffeine."
She moved closer, her earthy scent warming you from within. With the setting sunlight coming through her window she was stunning, and you found you were listening to her words with rapt attention. Everything else was fuzzy by comparison. "Even a love potion", she continued, "is meant to be administered on a date. Sure, you could slip it to someone unwilling, and it might work once. But do you think happens when it wears off? No, something like that would never work long-term."
She went to pour more tea for you, your cup completely empty. When had you finished it? "What I would do", she mused, "if I wanted to ensnare a pretty thing like you, would be something more subtle. A tincture, with a nondescript flavor, that could be added to an everyday drink like coffee. I'd grow my own herbs, to make sure my supply was never low. And every few days when the hypnotic effect wore off, I would simply re-administer it! Soon, that person would be so conditioned... escape would be impossible."
Inches separated you now. Her soft hand on your face. "You don't need that love potion anymore." Her hand nodded your head gently, and her words slipped in. "You don't need anyone else." Once again, your head was nodded for you. More easily this time. "You only need me. Say it." As soon as that truth escaped your lips she pulled you into a kiss. Nothing else existed at that moment. "You're coming home with me", she said. You nodded emphatically, it's all you could do. With a sly grin she added, "I might just keep you forever!"
