Testing time

[melodymagic]

Melody had called Maddy the next morning, after meeting Theresa in the coffee shop, and asked her if she was working that day. She really wanted to try the potion, and it had a half life of thirty six hours before it started losing its potency. She'd been checking the colour and giving the bottle the shake it needed every so often to prevent the ingredients from separating.

When Maddy said she was working the late shift Melody was glad, and asked her to meet her for an early lunch, as Melody was working that afternoon and evening at a function in the Skylark. She hurried along the sidewalk, turning into the plaza and glancing up at the clock displayed in the centre of the outdoor dining area. She was a little late and she scanned the area, looking for Maddy. A series of small cafes and restaurants clustered around the area, making the most of the lunchtime trade from the businesses located all around.

Comments

Re: Testing time

[melodymagic]

"It isn't made for its taste," Melody pointed out, grinning, as she took the vial back and retrieved the stopper from where it had landed on the table. As she slipped it back into her back she looked at Maddy.

"Hey, he might have brought us lunch!" she suggested, indicating the paper bag Brian had collected and reached out to grab it. "Something special for us?" she added.

Re: Testing time

[brian_campo]

“If you like rancid cheese,” he said. “I got it for my boss.” Brian tucked the sandwich bag in his lap and wrestled Mel’s hand aside. “Why are you being so rude?” He smiled at Maddy, who had very little ability to offend him. She showed her ass so often it lost its potency.

“I just don’t like you keeping secrets from me,” she said, chewing on her cuticle.

Brian’s mouth twisted into a smirk. “Yeah right, like you don’t keep things from me. I know you slept with Joey, by the way.” He let go of Melody and accepted the water as it arrived on the table.

“I did not!” Maddy shrieked, then rounded on Melody. “Joey’s our drummer and my roommate. I did not have sex with him. I made out with him. Once. He smells like pizza.” She scoffed but her cheeks had turned red, not over Joey but because she was thinking of Valerie and that secret. He was right, she was being a hypocrite, but it was hard to back down once she got going. “Okay, fine!” Her hands flailed. “I’ve got a secret, too. I’m the one Valerie was talking to that day, when you had that argument.” She gave him a pointed look.

Brian’s mouth opened. “Are you s… fuck you, Mads!” He thought back to the night at the Dive when Maddy had hit on Valerie right in front of him and it all made sense. “God, I am an idiot.” He drank his water because he didn’t know what else to do. Knowing this didn’t change anything, it just made him feel out of the loop, which he supposed was how Maddy felt two minutes ago.

He guessed that made them even.

He reached over and slapped the back of Maddy's head.

"Ow!"

Awkward silence fell over the duo.

Re: Testing time

[melodymagic]

"Well, awkwaaaard," Melody mused out loud, blinking when she heard herself say it and not just think it.

"Uh, sorry, didn't mean for that to come out," she said, and looked from one to the other. It didn't take any major brainiac to figure out that this was some major revelationary stuff taking place in front of her, and in a way she was glad the attention had been diverted from what they were here originally to do, because she was pretty sure what she was now hearing was something that would have made her turn beet red and run away earlier - that Brian was somehow involved with a girl called Valerie, who was talking to Maddy in a way that was really upsetting Brian.

Or something like that. She had to wonder if the potion was making her brain hurt, or the conversation going on in front of her.

"Who's Valerie?" she asked before she had a chance to stop herself.

Re: Testing time

[brian_campo]

“A girl we both know,” Maddy said, saving Brian from having to come up with a fitting label, which she wasn’t sure he could do. The pair had left the Funhouse hand-in-hand not too long ago, so they weren’t estranged anymore, but the rest of it was probably a work in progress. “Brian’s seeing her. Things between them are complicated.”

“Not really,” he said, turning his glass in a wet circle. “We’re together. Sometimes we’re with other people, too.”

Maddy raised her eyebrows.

He shrugged. He had not tested any of these new boundaries and he doubted Valerie had, either, because she had promised to tell him when and if that came up. He trusted that she would, and he’d been so ecstatic after their night together that he didn’t feel like questioning anything. He just felt relief because they were okay with each other.

“So Melody, what’s the confidence thing for?” He sipped his water.

Re: Testing time

[melodymagic]

"Oh," was all Melody said when it was confirmed Brian was seeing someone. Again she waited for the rush of colour to her face as she recalled how she had kissed him, and swallowed, then realised the colour wasn't happening, and breathed a silent sigh of relief. Especially when he said the whole thing about being with others.

"So I don't have to worry about watching my back, in case she hears about ... before?" she blurted out, again the whole 'out loud' thing catching her a little by surprise.

"And the potion was a test, I've been trying to make it for ages, and finally yesterday I managed to get it right, so I had to test it, and I'm not prepared to make anything for someone else to test if I'm not prepared to try it myself," was the best she could come up with right then, mainly because it was basically the truth. Though she was pretty sure there were going to be potions she made to order that she wouldn't be trying out.

"I just wasn't expecting to try the whole vial at once," she added with an arched eyebrow in Brian's direction.

Re: Testing time

[maddy_ricks]

Brian shook his head when asked about Valerie being pissed. It wasn’t premeditated, anyway; it’d be hard to blame Melody for her actions when she was choking on magic juice.

“Hey, next time you’re doing magic in an uncontrolled environment, maybe you should use a dropper,” he countered. “Just a suggestion.” He smiled at her.

Maddy perked up. “Do they have to be good potions, or could you give someone temporary Eczema or diarrhea? There’s this guy who comes into the coffee shop that I’d love to screw with. He stuck a piece of gum in the tip jar. Already chewed.”

Re: Testing time

[melodymagic]

"Because that would look so much less obvious, sitting here with my head back and a dropper over my mouth!" Melody laughed shaking her head, then looking at Maddy and screwing up her face.

"Ewww, seriously? Already chewed? Dammit, you just need to add laxative to his next cuppa java, because that? Is gross!" She grinned as she thought of something. "Or, there's this bush, and the branches have that sort of 'medicinal' use, and it's supposed to be almost instant, so I could give you a twig and you can stir his coffee with it!"

Re: Testing time

[maddy_ricks]

Maddy’s lips pursed. “Impressive.” it was clear she approved of this ‘twig’ idea.

Brian was stuck on the previous thing. “Couldn’t you add the drops to your drink?” he asked, swirling the glass of water at her.

Maddy sighed. “It probably futzes with the magical properties or else she would’ve thought of it, right Mel?” She looked to her friend for confirmation.

Re: Testing time

[melodymagic]

Melody nodded, looking at Brian. "Yeah, it takes enough to get the thing right, and timing is everything too. It's only good for thirty six hours, and then it starts to degrade and lose its potency, and possibly do other stuff. I've been trying to get this right for about three months and this was about the bazillionth batch I'd made, but this time I didn't get interrupted, and all the ingredients were fresh, so I managed to get it the right colour and now I know it's possible!"

She looked at him, head to one side as she studied him for a long moment.

"You feeling anything different?" she asked, wondering if the few drops he managed to get from the vial had any affect on him.

Re: Testing time

[brian_campo]

He shrugged. "I dunno. Maybe." He squinted into the sunlight; he was in a good mood, that was all he could say at the moment.

Maddy reached across and plucked him. "What Brian means to say is that he's got an exceptionally high tolerance for substances. Isn't that right, Bri?"

He sighed and pushed back his chair. "That's my cue. I gotta get to work anyway." He fished two dollars from his wallet and gave them to Maddy to cover his water. Standing there, he pressed play on his walkman and adjusted the headphones. "Later Mads." He circled behind Melody's chair and squeezed her shoulders like the first time. "Later hot lips," he mumbled in her ear.

Re: Testing time

[melodymagic]

This time Mel did feel a little heat rising, but it was nothing to do with embarrassment, and all to do with his hand on her shoulder. It seemed to trigger the memory of the kiss, and how good that felt and she ducked her head a little before clearing her throat and calling out, "catch you 'round," over her shoulder at him. She gave him a smile and wink, before enjoying watching his ass as he walked away from them.

Once he was gone she turned to Maddy. "Okay, now you spill, what's the goss on whatever it was that happened there, with this Valerie? And what were you two talking about that ended up with them fighting?"

Re: Testing time

[maddy_ricks]

Madeleine cracked up and started laughing, letting her head loll back in her merriment. “You’ve got a thing for Brian. Whew…” She helped herself to the last of his water, since her Coke had spilled and she was still thirsty. “If it helps, I’ve seen him naked. It was an accident but it was totally worth it.”

She fanned herself and sobered. It was necessary to think through her explanation; she didn’t want to seem evasive, but some of those details were personal and not really her business.

“Eh, Valerie wants to sew her oats, try to figure out who she is. You know. Totally normal college stuff. She’s a nice girl. She spilled the beans to me and I told her that Brian’s a besotted romantic with big gaga moon eyes and he wouldn’t be down with an open relationship, she was gonna break his heart, blah blah blah. They ended up having an argument and breaking up. Now I guess they’re back together, except apparently I was wrong.”

She scratched her head and settled her glasses higher on her nose.