Magical brew created from coffee mixed with water, ground, and boiled to form a liquid with the power to give energy.
Regina loved the concept of coffee and enjoyed studying different ways to enhance the flavor. Cinnamon or Lavender crushed and mixed with honey, simple sugar, or the milk from an aged cow, many combinations with so many to try.
She took a deep breath, tapping a glass vial filled with a flowery concoction, "This reminds me of Char, I'm glad she gifted me that basket. It proved to be helpful in more ways than one." She stated aloud, taking a suckle flower from the basket and biting some of the sweet insides.
Its taste resembled a crushed candy straight from the morning forest, bathed in dew and tainted with a bit of pollen.
"Sweet", she mumbled, throwing the rest of the flower into a mortar and crushing it up with the pestle before adding it to her boiling liquid.
As the plant remained mixed into the rose-colored potion, she decided it was best to turn down the heat and check the oven.
Within the oven lay a nearly fully-baked cake, decorated with plums and discarded petals. The smell it emitted wasn't too sweet, and it had a rather deconstructed crescent shape.
A rather unusual style that Regina was trying out, and she wasn't sure if the shape would affect the taste, but she was rather eager to find out.
She shut the oven door, putting a finger on her chin, she knew it would need something, but wasn't sure what.
More Sugar?
More Plums?
More Sugar and Plums?
What would spice up a plum cake with a light taste to it, give it a pop of color, and the right flavor at the same time?
BANG! BANG! BANG!
A heavy knock hit the door, and she raised a brow, folding her arms. "Didn't I have the closed sign on my door?"
BANG! BANG! BANG!
The knocking continued, making Regina sigh, "Fine! Just give me a second, please!"
She quickly turned everything off before reaching for the door handle. "Please open the door this instant; it's an emergency!"
"How dire is it to interfere with my knowledge of baking?" She mumbled, swinging the door open with wide eyes. "Y-you're bleeding!" Her eyes looked down at the villager's arm as they shoved past her and stumbled into her home.
"What took you so damn long, aren't you suppose to be like a doctor!? Why aren't you open all the time!?!"
She blinked back, turning to her cabinet and rushing over to grab some supplies. The villager was slightly enraged.
"Hey, Girl, do you not hear me talking to you?! Why was your door locked during this time of the season? Do you not care about the village at all?"
"Were you scratched or bitten?"
"Did you not hear anything I just said?!"
She shook her head and looked back at the villager's arm, noticing there was a cloth wrapped around it, soaked yet cutting off circulation to other parts of the body.
"Listen, I will answer all of your questions after we get you taken care of. Did the creature that attacked you bite or scratch you?!"
"Why does it matter!?!"
"Because it will let me know the severity of the situation, and your life depends on it."
They opened their mouth to protest but then stopped to think for a second, exhaling before speaking again, "Both."
"Scratched and Bitten? My goodness…" She covered her mouth as the villagers' brows went up, and this made them tap their feet quite quickly and elevate their breath.
"Is that bad? Am I dying?!"
Regina took a syringe out of the cabinet and rushed over to the patient. They flinched. "Is that going to sting?"
"Look into my eyes, it's going to be okay, alright?"
"Oka-Agh!" She stabbed them in the middle of their arm, drew blood, and stepped away to thump the glass.
"Damn it! I thought you said it was going to be okay!?"
"I never said it wouldn't hurt, but with a quick examination and possibly an antidote, you'll be fine. Also, of course, I'll need to patch up that wound and remove the cloth so you don't lose your arm, but other than that, yes, just alright."
She placed the vial in a container of water, squeezing out an electric radiation from her palm before placing a lid on it.
"Coffee?"
"Coffee?! Now, why the hell would I want coffee?! Will it cure me!?"
"Not in the slightest, but I've been experimenting with flavors, and I'm sure this one will be to your liking."
"How do you know?"
"Just an educated assumption, you seem like you like something sweet but not overpowering, am I right, or do you fancy tea?"
"I don't care for either right now, can we please just hurry this up? My gosh my damn arm feels like it's going to fucking fall off."
She tilted her head to the side, "No need for excess language, I'll just make a pot for myself, and in the meantime, please remove your cloth for me. It will make my job easier in regards to assessing the damage done."
The patient began removing the cloth, shaking slightly from the pain, and revealed a huge bite mark and scratches on the side.
Regina took a bottle of alcohol and a clean cloth to the patient and pressed on some glasses, along with pulling up a chair.
"Now, this will hurt, extremely so it's best to hold onto something, like the counter or your own hands, but not onto me. I'm operating, so it will just prevent the process from getting done properly."
"What?"
"Hold tight", she popped the cork off and poured the alcohol onto the wound, and the patient screamed, yet Regina was unfazed, watching the liquid bubble on the flesh before she poured something else on it for the pain. After it fizzled out, she wrapped the arm in the cloth and tied it tight before remembering she forgot something.
"Oh snap, I forgot to put the coffee on."