Business Partners by Blood
Celestara's lower market buzzed with laughter, wind chimes, and haggling voices.Magic lights floated over dozens of stalls, each offering something weird, dangerous, or both.
At the end of the street stood a small glass shop with a flickering sign that read:
Valentine Brothers' Potions & Miracles.Guaranteed results. Side effects negotiable.
Daniel leaned on the counter, tossing a coin in one hand. "I told you, brother. You handle the brilliance, I handle the business."
Lumiel adjusted the placement of glowing bottles on the shelf. "Translation: you take ninety percent."
Daniel smirked. "Ninety percent of the paperwork. I'm generous like that."
Behind them, a shelf pulsed faintly with red and green light — the Verdant Script at work, keeping the potions fresh and alive. Each bottle hummed softly with emotion: joy, clarity, courage, even one labeled Hangover Redemption.
The Customer Boom
Ayaka stood by the doorway with Kuroha draped lazily over her shoulders, acting as the unofficial shop bouncer.
"You'd think no one in this city has ever seen self-brewing alcohol," she said."They haven't," Lumiel replied. "Most of them haven't survived it either."
A pair of Celestara guards came in, grinning like they'd just discovered religion.
"We'll take two Whiskeys of Elation and one Courage Brew, please."
Daniel handled the sale smoothly, counting coins like a priest reading scripture. "Thank you, gentlemen. Remember to sign the liability waiver."
Ayaka snorted. "You're really making people sign that?"
Daniel smiled. "My dear, happiness is dangerous. We take no responsibility for spontaneous dancing, marriage proposals, or enlightenment."
The New Customer
The bell above the door chimed again.This time, the air shifted — subtle, like the smell before rain.A girl stepped inside.
She looked about their age — dark silver hair that shimmered faintly with moonlight, eyes the color of dusk.Her clothes were simple, travel-worn, but her presence pulled the room's rhythm toward her.
Lumiel glanced up from his cauldron, instantly forgetting what he'd been mixing.
She smiled slightly. "I heard the Valentine brothers sell emotions in bottles."
Daniel leaned forward, ever the salesman. "Not emotions, my lady — experiences."
Her gaze slid past him to Lumiel. "And you're the one who makes them?"
He nodded, voice quiet. "Guilty as charged."
"I'm Liora," she said. "Apothecary from the Outer Isles. I'd like to learn how you make feelings tangible."
Ayaka raised an eyebrow. "A competitor, huh?"
"A researcher," Liora corrected politely. "I want to understand what your elixirs remember."
Lumiel blinked. "What they… remember?"
"Everything created by emotion carries memory. Your potions hum like they've felt joy themselves."
She smiled again, faintly. "And I'd like to know why."
Alchemy Demonstration
To test her theory, Lumiel poured a few drops of Whiskey of Elation into a flask of starlit water.The surface rippled, reflecting images — laughter, festivals, Ayaka dancing poorly in the background.
Liora's eyes lit up. "See? Memories embedded in emotion. This isn't alchemy, it's… soul synthesis."
Daniel whistled. "Congratulations, Lumiel. You accidentally created therapy."
Ayaka smirked. "And competition."
Liora ignored them both, completely fascinated."You don't command the Code, do you?" she said softly. "You listen to it."
Lumiel met her gaze. "Maybe that's the difference between magic and meaning."
A Shared Understanding
The two worked together through the afternoon, experimenting — one listening to the hum of potions, the other translating what the Code whispered.Each time their hands brushed, the liquid responded — glowing brighter, harmonizing between crimson and silver.
Daniel watched from behind the counter. "She's either his soulmate or an expensive distraction."
Kuroha purred. "Why not both?"
Closing Scene
When night fell, Liora lingered by the doorway.
"Your elixirs… they don't just heal or energize. They teach the drinker what happiness feels like.""That's the idea," Lumiel said, smiling faintly."Then I'd like to study with you. Maybe… help refine them."
Daniel coughed dramatically. "Internship? Or something more personal?"
She blushed, pretending not to hear.Lumiel looked down, then met her eyes again. "You're welcome to stay. Just don't expect the Code to obey you."
She smiled. "I wouldn't dream of it."
As she left, the bottles along the wall glowed softly — as if the shop itself approved.
Kuroha stretched, yawning. "Congratulations, Lumiel. You've invented capitalism, companionship, and probably trouble."
Lumiel leaned on the counter, watching the last flicker of silver in the air where she'd stood.
"Yeah," he said quietly. "But for once… trouble feels like something worth keeping."