THE MOMENT
Lupe was ready to relax. It was Halloween and almost everyone else was out enjoying the final day of the event and she was looking forward to having the hot tub to herself. She made her way through the empty hallways enjoying the solitude.
Her team was given an entire wing of a large hotel for the school year, and it was nice knowing that no one else was allowed on their side. Even then, the rest of the hotel was mostly quiet. The hotel catered to monsters and on that particular evening, most of the monsters were out scaring up a storm. And, there were also festivities for the few guests that stayed behind on the other side of the hotel far away from her. All in all, it was a great night to let her guard down and not worry about her responsibilities.
She caught a disturbing scent as she navigated the carpeted maze. Lupe had a great sense of smell and she was able to pick out a few different components. It smelled like rotten eggs, and chocolate with just a hint of chlorine. She didn't know what to make of it and assumed it was Halloween-related as she continued on her way. Although, the smell grew stronger as she neared the exit to the hot tub.
"This is gonna be bad...," Lupe sighed to herself as she finally reached the door. She didn't know what the odor was, but it was obviously coming from the patio on the other side. She knew at once her night was ruined; but, she pushed the door open to take a look anyway.
"DAMNIT TODD! WHAT THE HELL!!??" It seemed not everyone on her team had gone out to the event. Todd stood with a wooden paddle stirring the contents of the hot tub. It was bubbling golden liquid. But, he was startled by the yelling and dropped the handle into the liquid.
"Awww, dang," he sighed and started rolling up his sleeves as he turned to answer Lupe.
"What the hell what?" he asked. Her raised voice didn't bother him too much, most of the team was used to it by now.
"What are you doing?!" she asked. Todd tilted his head at her, then made an effort to look at the hot tub before turning back to her.
"Yeah, I guess it's not that obvious. I'm making a stock of potions for the team," he shrugged. "It's not soup, don't worry," he added as he knelt against the side of the tub and reached in for the paddle.
"That's NOT what I'm worried about!" she replied. Lupe was annoyed at having to suddenly be the responsible one again on her night off. She didn't know too much about the Todd's Class; but, she knew the basics that potions were made in cauldrons. "HOW do you get a cauldron mixed up with a hot tub?!" she asked. Todd chuckled as he shook off the recovered paddle.
"I don't know. How DO you get a cauldron mixed up with a hot tub?" Todd asked with a smile.
"IT'S NOT A JOKE!" Lupe snapped; but, she shook her head to try and recover. Then, she spoke with a slightly calmer voice. "I'm asking you. How DID YOU get a cauldron mixed up with a hot tub? That's not a cauldron!" Again, Todd tilted his head at her. And, for the first time since the school year started, she felt bad about yelling at him. Despite raising her voice several times a day every day, this time he looked genuinely hurt for a moment before he recovered.
"Oh wow. You think I'm that stupid?" he asked. Then, he shrugged it off. "Sorry, I guess I should've asked if anyone was planning to use the hot tub tonight. I just thought everyone was gone. I'll get it out of your way," he nodded as he made two separate motions with each hand. His left hand twirled the paddle around once and it disappeared into his inventory while he flicked his right wrist up to summon his Slate. Then, he began navigating through the menus.
"I'm sorry...," Lupe apologized. "I know you're not stupid, I was mad. But, seriously. Why are you using the hot tub?"
"I only have one cauldron, so I was trying to double up production for tonight since I thought no one was here," Todd answered. "The ingredients mix the same in any large heated container, cauldrons are just kind of the standardized version."
After a few presses, he abandoned the crafting in progress and the golden liquid shimmered before disappearing completely. Then, a few more presses refilled the tub with clean, bubbling hot water.
"All good," he nodded, notably without his usual warm smile. "Enjoy it," he said as he started heading toward the door back inside.
"Wait, I'm really sorry...," Lupe said. "Did you lose any ingredients?"
"Nothing I can't restock," Todd nodded.
"I'll help you!" Lupe offered. "We can go right now if you want."
"Thanks, but it's not a big deal. And, I can't leave tonight, I've still got something going in the cauldron," he said. He tried to force a smile; but, she was perceptive enough to see the effort.
"What are you making? What kind of potions?" she asked. It was partially a guilty attempt at showing interest; but, she was also curious about what he was making so she could gather the ingredients herself.
"I was just experimenting with ingredients," Todd shrugged. It was technically true, even if he was using a recipe. "It wasn't doing what I wanted it to do anyway, those ingredients were already wasted."
"Oh. What about your other one in the cauldron?" she asked. "What's that?"
"Soup for dinner when everyone comes back," Todd answered as he continued making his way to the door.
"What kind!?" Lupe asked with sincere interest. Todd was a great cook and she usually liked everything he made. But, he kept moving and opened the door.
"It's just chicken soup, nothing special," he shook his head and continued inside. "But, I gotta get back and check on it. I need to make sure I didn't accidentally mix up the cauldron with a toilet."