"Hello Valeria," Pippa greeted me with a smile as she stepped in through the door.

"A pleasure to see you again as always Lady Philippa," I responded with a polite curtsey, then closed and barred the door behind her.

I helped her shed her woollen coat, then carefully hung it on one of the pegs we'd had installed by the door at the start of winter. I noticed my guest was carrying a small bundle in her hands as she made her way over to the sitting area, but I didn't comment. She placed the little package on the table then sat herself down.

"Can I get you some wine?" I offered. "Or if you don't mind a little wait I could prepare a warm drink?"

"You know I don't need anything warm Val, any more than you do," she replied with a smile. "A half glass of wine would be lovely though. The sweeter one, if you still have some of that? I brought us a little snack that should pair quite nicely with it."

I smiled back, "Of course!"

We had a dozen or so bottles behind the counter, different wines and liqueurs to suit the palette of our various customers. I selected the wine my guest wanted, then poured us both a half glass. And as I did so, I marvelled a little at this new turn my life had taken over the past couple months.

I honestly thought things couldn't get any better, after my magical transition and becoming Cathryn's apprentice. The relationship between Cat and myself was just as important to me, and I was grateful for it. And beyond that, seeing our little apothecary shop bloom from nothing into a successful business with an excellent reputation was like yet another dream come true, for both my sister and myself.

The thing I never would have imagined in a hundred years though, was that I'd actually develop a solid friendship with a noblewoman. Daughter of a count no less, and engaged to the man who would someday be mayor of the town.

Ever since that first social call she'd made a point of visiting me almost weekly. She'd drop in when I was about to close the shop, and stay for an hour or so while the two of us talked. Sometimes there'd be serious topics, sometimes silly. I'd bore her with stories of my life as an alchemist's apprentice, or rarely with stories from when I was assisting my father in his merchant trade. And she'd talk about details from her own experiences, either her new life as Lady Philippa or rarely she'd share some of her exploits as the Lord-Mayor's son.

We'd even started exchanging little gifts now and then. I'd prepare some little snacks for us to eat, or present her some small item I'd crafted in my spare time. Like last week I gave her a vial of floral perfume I'd made from some dried flowers Danielle had for sale at the market. And Pippa would do the same for me, like a couple weeks ago she gave me a pretty little embroidered violet flower I could wear on my dress or in my hair, or today she'd brought us some new treat to snack on.

"So what is it you've brought us?" I asked as I set the wine glasses on the table then sat down next to her.

Pippa smiled and carefully unravelled the little cloth package. Inside were two delicate-looking little tarts, filled with custard and topped with fresh strawberries.

"How'd you find fresh berries in the middle of winter?" I gasped. "Pippa these must have cost a fortune!"

My friend carefully placed one on the table before me then took the other for herself as she chided, "Now Val, we won't talk about price. As for where they came from, a merchant from the south came through with a supply of berries in his caravan, and I was able to secure a whole basket of them. Marc and Lord Bernard enjoyed most of them, and even Millie got to have a few. I saved the last for you and I. So let's enjoy them before anyone else finds out, ok?"

"Ok Pippa," I grinned.

The tart was absolutely delicious. It was sweet and creamy and the berries were crisp and juicy, while the pastry was buttery and flakey and melted in my mouth. I'd never had anything so wonderful before, not even when my parents were still around and the family was wealthy. Mom and dad might have enjoyed something like that, but it would have been for adults only.

Despite how amazing it tasted I did my best to eat it slowly, so I had more time to enjoy the taste. Even so, the tart was gone all too soon. So was Pippa's, so at least I didn't have to be embarrassed about gobbling mine up too quickly.

Afterwards the two of us sipped our sweet wine and I thanked her profusely for sharing such a rare treat with me. As usual she insisted it was her pleasure, and from there we settled into our usual exchange of gossip and stories until it was time for her to go.

I thanked her again for the wonderful snack, helped her into her winter coat, then the two of us exchanged a friendly hug before bidding each other a good day. I saw her out, then closed up and barred the door again. After tidying up the sitting area I made my way back to the workshop where I'd spend the rest of the afternoon with my sister.

Work had actually slowed down considerably once winter set in. The main reason being fresh supplies were either impossible to get, or they were excessively expensive. There were some dried herbs available, but even those were priced higher than usual. We did have some stock on hand, herbs we'd bought while they were still fresh and dried ourselves, but over the coldest months our focus mostly shifted away from brewing potions.

Instead Cat and I both spent more of our time on our studies, furthering our education. We also spent more time on cultivation, I was still trying to catch up to her level. One look at the books my sister had spread out on her workbench told me this was an education day, rather than a cultivation day.

As I took my seat I asked, "Is there anything specific you want me to work on today sis? Or should I just pick up from where I left off yesterday?"

There was no reply, and after a half minute I asked again, "Cat? What do you want me to look at this afternoon?"

"Hmm?" she seemed to only just realize I was there. "Oh sorry Val. How's Pippa? Did you two have a nice visit?"

"It was lovely, she brought some amazing custard tarts to snack on and I'm sorry I didn't save you a bite," I replied. Except I could tell something was off with Cat by the tone of her voice.

She was trying to cover it up and act normal, she probably hoped I wouldn't notice. Or maybe she hoped to distract me by asking about my friend. Either way it didn't work

"Now how about you tell me what's bothering you sis?" I asked. "Because I can tell something's up."

Cathryn grimaced, then sighed. She closed the books she'd been looking at then got to her feet, "C'mon upstairs. We need to talk, and I think this conversation is going to require some wine."

I frowned but followed her, "That doesn't sound good."

A couple minutes later we were sitting next to each other at our little table, wine in hand. I had a sip of my drink and asked, "So what's wrong Cat? You're worrying me."

She took a gulp of hers then sighed, "I've been studying all my notes and texts relating to the limited obedience potion combined with permanence. You asked me a while back about reversing it?"

"Yeah," I nodded. That was right after Pippa and I became friends, though I didn't tell Cat I was asking on the young lady's behalf. "I remember when you first told me about the obedience potion, you said you could reverse it later on."

My sister grimaced again, then her expression shifted to somewhere between sadness and guilt.

"Valeria I was mistaken," she finally confessed. "I thought I saw something in the texts about how that potion could be negated, but I was wrong."

For the next few seconds I wasn't sure how to respond to that, or how to feel about it. On the one hand I wasn't too worried about Cat having that control over me forever, I trusted her and we loved each other. But it was still a bit of a shock.

After a long pause Cathryn elaborated, "Almost everything I've found about removing the limited obedience spell talks about simply letting it expire, then all the effects will be gone and any active orders will end. Except once it's combined with permanence, it never expires. And the only thing I've read that even touches on ending it before it's expired say that it can be superseded with another limited obedience potion. Which is really just trading one master for another."

With that she launched into a bit of a lecture, pausing only for sips of wine now and then.

"The effects of some potions can be stacked while others can't," she explained. "For instance, if someone took a warmth potion, then took a second one, it wouldn't make them twice as warm or unbearably hot? The second potion would simply replace the first. And that's how we could nullify that potion with another? By making a very weak version of warmth, that would replace the original and the potion would effectively be negated."

"Transformation potions work differently," she continued. "Those effects don't get cancelled out by subsequent transformations, as we've seen with Lord Marcus and Lady Philippa. The first transformation stayed in place, the second potion simply added to the first. We could still cancel them out, but it would require a third transformation that was specifically designed to undo the effects of the other two."

She paused to make sure I was following her, so I nodded quietly.

"The limited obedience potion works a little differently," she sighed. "It's sort of in between the first two types I just described? What that means though is as I said, the only way to eliminate it is to replace it with a similar potion, that would make you obedient to someone else."

"I don't want that," I grimaced. "I trust you Cat, I wouldn't trust anyone else with that kind of power over me."

My sister gave me a sad smile, "Thanks Val. I don't think I deserve your trust though, considering how badly I've screwed this up."

Before I could respond she added, "I'm not going to give up though ok? Just because there's no solution in my texts doesn't mean it can't be done. I'll create something myself Valeria, I swear it. I've already got an idea how to do it? I'll modify the limited obedience, either to make a direct antidote, or so instead of turning control over to someone else it will basically treat you as your own master? That will nullify the effect and nobody will be in control of you but yourself. Ok?"

"Ok Cat," I smiled. "I'm sorry you ended up under all this stress because of me, especially when it's not even really for me? I mean, I don't mind you having that control over me."

My smile faded and I blushed as I admitted, "I was actually asking about it because of Pippa. She's got some concerns, and I kind of agree with them?"

I went on to explain the stuff my friend told me, about how she worried things could turn unpleasant if Marc or Millie decided to turn against her in the future. And how she couldn't completely trust Marc because he didn't love her, the way I trusted Cat because she loved me. Finally I told her how Pippa said she was hoping to be a free woman by the time of her wedding.

Cathryn drank some more wine as I talked, then when I was done she was quiet for a few moments before finally responding.

"Ok sis," she sighed. "I'm glad you're not unhappy about the obedience potion I gave you. I still feel awful that I screwed up and don't have a way to undo it like I promised, but knowing you're not upset helps a lot."

After another sip of wine she added, "And I can understand Lady Philippa's concerns. Until the wedding she still has the option of going back to Count Lambert, which means Marc doesn't get the dowry. I'd like to think the new Lord Marcus isn't that much of a creep, but if he is then as soon as the wedding's over he could turn on her and neither the count or the Lord-Mayor will lift a finger to help her."

"I didn't realize she was at risk like that," I grimaced.

My sister looked thoughtful for a few moments, then asked "Be honest with me Val. You and I both know who Pippa used to be. We know what she wanted to do, what she ordered me to do. And you know how she threatened us both if she didn't get her way. Do you really care what happens to her? Do you think maybe she deserves whatever happens, if Marc does become abusive towards her after she's trapped in marriage?"

I didn't even hesitate. I shook my head, "No sis, she doesn't deserve that. Nobody does. For one thing, I think she's more than learned her lesson. For another thing, I don't believe she is the same person she used to be, because learning that lesson helped her to grow and change. And finally, she's my friend. I care about her, and I'd hate for anything bad to happen to her."

Cat wrapped an arm around me and pulled me into a side-hug as we both remained seated at the table.

"You're a good girl Valeria, and a good friend to her," she stated. "Ok, I'm going to continue working on an antidote or a cure for the obedience potion. I can't promise I'll have something ready before her wedding though? I know it's still a couple months off, but this sort of thing really can't be rushed."

"Thanks Cat," I hugged her back. "Is there anything we can do in the meantime, to help her?"

She nodded, "Just one. If there's someone she'd trust having control over her more than Marc, she could take another of the limited obedience potions. Like I said earlier, it's replacing one master for another? But if there's someone else she trusts more than Marc then it's something to consider."

I thought that over for a bit then agreed, "Ok sis. Next time she visits I'll break the news to her, and let her know about that option. And thanks again? I really appreciate you looking into this for me. And for Pippa."

"You're welcome cutie," she replied. "Now what do you want to do for the rest of the afternoon? Study alchemy? Or try and push for another breakthrough in your cultivation?"

Naturally I picked cultivation, and we both pulled off our dresses as we headed for the bedroom together.

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