Copyright J.B. Norman
Kat pulls back from the cauldron of bubbling purple liquid. In hindsight, just reaching right down to the bottom may not have been the smartest thing to do. But she did drop her wallet into it…
“Gah!” she cries. “I can’t feel my hand! Scarlet, help!”
“Well, Kitty-Kat,” she notes, “you did just reach into a vat of Potion of Numbing.”
“I dropped my wallet!” Kat protest. “And why do you even have that?”
“It’s medicine, Kitty-Kat. And you’re not supposed to just reach right to the bottom of the vat. It’s usually mixed with other things so it’s not as potent,” Scarlet says.
Kat rolls her eyes.
“Yeah, yeah. How do we fix my hand?”
“You’ll be fine Kitty-Kat,” Scarlet assures her. “It’s not permanent. Usually.”
The colour drains from Kat’s face.
“Usually?”
“There are documented cases of certain people demonstrating hypersensitivity to the Potion of Numbing and being permanently affected by it.”
“You’re kidding,” Kat gasps.
“Well, it does seem to mostly happen to Goblins, so you probably don’t have anything to worry out.”
“I. Can’t. Feel. My. Hand,” Kat protests, accusingly flopping her limp hand at Scarlet.
“I mean long-term, Kitty-Kat,” Scarlet notes. “Come here. Let me have a look.”
Using her good hand, Kat lays her numbed hand in Scarlet’s.
“Hmm,” Scarlet says thoughtfully. “Well, the good news is that this batch of Potion of Numbing clearly works.”
“Scarlet!” Kat cries.
Scarlet starts poking at prodding at Kat’s hand.
“Feel that?” she asks. “Or that? What about this?”
“No,” Kat answers. “Scarlet. Fix my hand!”
“These things take time, Kitty-Kat,” Scarlet answers.
“You said it might be permanent!” Kat protests.
“It’s a potion, Kitty-Kat,” Scarlet says. “You can’t just turn it on and off. You need to wait for its effects to wear off.”
“And how long will that take?” Kat asks.
“Like I said, it could be permanent,” Scarlet notes.
“Scarlet!”
“Could, but probably won’t. We’ve been over this, Kitty-Kat,” Scarlet says. “But the effects of the Potion of Numbing usually last a few hours. But I might be able to whip up something to get you back to normal quicker than that.”
“Just do it, Scarlet,” Kat says desperately. “I need both my hands. How am I supposed to shoot my bow with just one hand?”
“Don’t worry, Kitty-Kat,” Scarlet says. “Well, let’s get you out of here.”
Scarlet grins.
“We’ll get that hand fixed right up. And keep you away from any vats of potion you may feel compelled to just stick your hand right into.”
Her grin widens.
“So, what lesson did we learn today, Kitty-Kat?” Scarlet asks. “That perhaps it’s not a good idea to just reach into vats of unidentified magical substances, maybe? Or that you need to be more careful when it comes to tying your wallet to your belt?”
Kat glowers at Scarlet.
“Oh, Kitty-Kat,” Scarlet says with a grin. “What are we going to do with you?”
“If I could feel my hand, I’d smack you right now,” Kat says.
How about a hand for Scarlet Mendez, ladies and gentleman?
Video via Tenor.
But, seriously, I’ve really got to hand it to her. She really helped out Kat there.
She’s a good hand.
…I’ll stop now.
Scarlet makes her fist appearance in The Valley of Appraisal. The Valley of Appraisal is available on Amazon and Smashwords & affiliated retailers:
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