>>45840966
"Papa! I'm home!"

Hm? Something's different about the house today. It's cold, and dark, and quiet, and doesn't smell of smoke.

"Papa?"

Strange. He's not answering. Why could that be? He's always busy in the workshop but it's all quiet!

"Paaa-paaa!"

Nothing. Nothing but dead silence. That is, until I turn the corner to the workshop and hear the loud bang of the front door being slammed shut, followed by a more audible click as the lock is turned.

"There is no Papa." A strange voice echoes through the house, somehow. "No escape."

"Papa?" I only barely manage to push out a whisper. My legs are definitely ready to run, though!

>Try the window in the living room, it's closest!
>Run for my room, plenty of hiding places there!
>Hide in the kitchen, then make a break for the front door.

>Nadja's Seniors:
>Mistress' current opinion: 15/100
>Lily's current opinion: 05/100
>Camille's current opinion: 10/100

>Seal: 95/100

>Nadja's Witchy Skills:
> Herbalism: Fledgling
> Penmanship: Uninitiated
> Infusion: Uninitiated

> Twitter: https://twitter.com/FriendQM
> 4plebs (RIP .moe): http://archive.4plebs.org/tg/search/subject/Witch%20Apprentice%20Quest/order/asc/
> Suptg archive: http://suptg.thisisnotatrueending.com/archive.html?tags=Witch%20apprentice%20quest
> Nadja's Notebook: http://pastebin.com/k9cMVURJ (updated 03-10-2015)

>The 'Additional Pages' section of the notebook is open to you as players to add your notes about anything in the quest that you feel is worth noting. Weird things, notes about characters, anything. My hope is that this will help the notebook to serve not just as a witchy "cookbook" but also as a means for you to communicate to each other and to me what you sense to be important.
>If you want something added to the notebook, just say so here in the thread! Try to make the note as visible to me as possible, and to the extent that you're able try to use Nadja's voice as you perceive it. If you don't feel confident, just write something and I'll edit it before adding it to the notebook!

>>45840980
>Run for my room, plenty of hiding places there!

>>45840980
>Run for my room, plenty of hiding places there!

>Hide in the kitchen, then make a break for the front door.

Get knife.

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3 anons, huh? I guess that's to be expected when I haven't put up a thread in almost a month. Hopefully the rest will show up later!

For now, hiding under the bed seems like the way to go.

>>45841157
Anon, knives can't open doors!

>>45841320
Three anons is better than no anons; don't be so ungrateful

>>45841320
>Anon, knives can't open doors!
It's for stabby. Scared and frightened stabby. Stabbies.

>>45841320
What? Knives can totally open doors. Just like credit cards.

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>>45841443
Certainly! On the topic of gratitude, you just reminded me. I wrote up a little something to fill the waiting time, so I guess now is the right time to post it.

Please stand by.

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>>45841320
>>45841478
And I'll put my name back on too. I forgot that as I switched device, it seems.

-

---- Cinnamon ----

"Solveig!" I cry out as I swing open the door to her cabin. "Hey Solveig!"

Despite my voice still being rasp from the ridiculous climb up the mountain side - Mara's tits, who in their right mind decides to live in a place like this? - the answer from within the study is instantaneous.

"How many times do I have to tell you to stop using my first name? It's completely inappropriate to have my apprentice address me like that!" Her deep sigh carries audibly from within the next door room. "At least call me MISS Solveig if you absolutely cannot use my proper name..."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. Listen, did you hear the news? Miss Raven has a new apprentice!"

Solveig does not remove her eyes from the oversized book in her lap, merely nodding vaguely to acknowledge my existence. "I suppose that means you are no longer the youngest witch in the world."

"Ha, ha, very funny."

"Wait, how do you even know she's younger than me?"

Continuing her act of ignoring me, she nonchalantly licks the tip of her finger before turning to the next page of the colossal book. "Because Raven informed me several days ago, as is proper procedure upon taking on an apprentice."

"You knew? Why didn't you tell me?"

Solveig finally deigns to give me a brief glance before changing the subject.

"She tells me the girl is the most lovely and respectful girl she has ever encountered. She practically has to force the little sweetie to use her name?"

"What's your point?"

"My point, dear apprentice, is that if I could trust you not to disregard your duties and run off to go harass the newest member of the family, I would have been more likely to share this particular information with you."

".."

"Your assignments for the day are on the table, and as usual if you have any doubts, ask before doing."

Slave driver.

>>45841503
New friend!

>>45841503
She sounds nice!

>>45840980
My room has plenty of hiding places! She'll never find me there, like my closet! No wait, she'd hear the sound of the door shutting...

Maybe behind the door? No, that's something a three-year old would try!

Perhaps simple is best. Under the bed, works everytime! Mostly.

A few moments later, I've slipped into my room and under my bed, and I'm fairly certain I did it without being heard! Now, the next part is patience...

"You can hide as much as you want..." The voice taunts, as the heavy thud of her boots impacting with the floor reverberates through the house. And... they're definitely coming closer.

"Trouble is, little Nadja..." Oh no! She's in my room! "You have something I want."

She stops, dead center in the room. I can clearly see her boots from here. Does she know? She might just be bluffing. All I can really do now is hold my breath.

"And I-" Within a single moment, she has reached her arm under my bed and caught me by the shoulder, quickly and brutally dragging me out into the open.

>1/2

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>>45842332
"- always get what I want!" She squeals gleefully as she points her sword at me dramatically.

"Sis!" I greet her, unable to keep up the charade for any longer. "I missed you!"

Finally, she drops the game too, tossing her sword to the side and helping me back on my feet. "Missed you too, squeaky! I expect you've been good and took good care of Papa while I was away?"

"Of course!" I reply with a cheer. I'm always good!

"That's good." She says as a wicked smile grows on her lips. "I wasn't just playing, though. You do have something I want..."

"Oh no!" I half scream, half laugh.

"Cuddle War!" Sis cries as she leaps at me, knocking me to the bed.

-

The next morning, Sis sleeps in as usual, while Papa only looks like he wishes he could do so too. Apparently Sis came home just in time to see him leave with some strange woman who dragged him out of the workshop insisting that he help her out with some smith-y stuff at her house, but it was all the way out in the forest so he was home really late!

I offer to make breakfast for him before leaving, but it doesn't seem to lift his mood much at all. He doesn't even ask about how my visit to the castle went. I decide to just wait until tonight to tell him, maybe he'll be less tired then.

As I step out of the house, I'm greeted by yet another beautiful late summer morning, the warmth of the sun falling gently on my skin and the birds and people of the market slowly beginning to wake. The only question is, what to do first today?

>Head straight for Mistress' house, get to learning!
>To Amalia's house, see how she's feeling after yesterday's incident!
>Actually, Amalia might still be at the church? I should look there!
>Somewhere else. (Write-in!)

>>45842362
>Head straight for Mistress' house, get to learning!
We can't slack off!

>>45842362
>To Amalia's house, see how she's feeling after yesterday's incident!

>>45842362
>To Amalia's house, see how she's feeling after yesterday's incident!
Mistress will totally forgive her for being worried about Amalia.

>>45842362
>To Amalia's house, see how she's feeling after yesterday's incident!

>>45842362
>Head straight for Mistress' house, get to learning!

>>45842362
>>Head straight for Mistress' house, get to learning!

>>45842362
>>Head straight for Mistress' house, get to learning!
Gotta get better at being a witch

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>>45842747
I'll take this tie-breaker before someone else sneaks in here to tie up the vote again!

Witch time.

>>45842780
Can we look in her closet for a hat?

>>45842780
Which time?

>>45842362
>>Head straight for Mistress' house, get to learning!

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>>45842362
I kind of feel like I should go see Amalia, make sure she's alright after what happened yesterday. It was such a shock, finding out Kerstin had a witch hiding in the church! And that she's Mistress' daughter too! I'm a little worried about why she was keeping that a secret from me, but I guess I should trust Kerstin. She's smarter than I am! And Cami- Sparrow said that Amalia would be perfectly fine, and I can definitely trust Mistress' daughter too!

I wonder if I should tell Mistress about this? For now, I should probably worry about that when I get there.

Making my way down and out of town, I notice with some comfort that the guards are back in town. Whatever they were hunting yesterday, they must have caught it. Maybe later today I can ask them about that.

The trip through the woods is thankfully uneventful. I wouldn't want to be late and leave Mistress waiting. I climb the steps up to the front door and, as I raise my hand to knock on the door, am greeted by Mistress' voice calling from inside. "It's open!"

But... you're supposed to knock before entering? Should I still... No, that would probably be stupid, right? I can just walk in, she just gave me permission. So it's okay.

Right?

My thoughts are interrupted as the door is swung open from within, revealing Mistress with a partly amused, partly perplexed expression as her gaze shifts between my still raised fist and my eyes. "Sorry sweetie, but that's a little extreme for me."

"Huh?"

"Just come inside." She says, a strange smile on her face.

>1/2

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>>45843575
"I've prepared a set of tasks for you to complete as my apprentice. Continuing your lessons in Herbalism, of course. I dug out some of the more basic recipes for you, you should be able to whip up either of them. I'll observe your progress, but only intervene if you're doing something horribly wrong. You'll learn by doing. Understood?"

"Uhm, I guess? It sounds hard, though!"

"Apprentices are expected to fail frequently and spectacularly." She states flatly.

I don't want to fail, though...

The papers on the table each contain a single potion recipe. They don't take up more than one page, so I guess maybe they really aren't too hard? Maybe it's just like cooking. These recipes though, all these potions seem so... inappropriate? I guess I have to choose one, though.

>Liar's Potion. Apparently, when someone drinks it they become unable to say the truth?
>Maiden's Potion. when a girl drinks it, she can't become pregnant, it says?
>Glutton's Potion. This one just says it helps with digestion trouble?

>>45843595
>Maiden's Potion. when a girl drinks it, she can't become pregnant, it says.
I'm not sure how girls get pregnant in the first place though...

>>45843595
>>Glutton's Potion. This one just says it helps with digestion trouble?
This one can help Papa

>>45843595
>>Maiden's Potion. when a girl drinks it, she can't become pregnant, it says?

How DO they even become pregnant in the first place?

>>45843595
>Glutton's Potion. This one just says it helps with digestion trouble?

>>45843595
>Maiden's Potion. when a girl drinks it, she can't become pregnant, it says?

>>45843595
>Glutton's Potion. This one just says it helps with digestion trouble?

>>45843595
>>Glutton's Potion. This one just says it helps with digestion trouble?

>>45843595
>Liar's Potion. Apparently, when someone drinks it they become unable to say the truth?
This one sounds quite fun. A little mischief never hurt anyone to badly, after all....

>>45843595
>Lair potion

How cute would it be to see her say mean things and be unable to apologize

>>45843595
>Liar's Potion. Apparently, when someone drinks it they become unable to say the truth?

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Huh. Did not expect this many votes for the Maiden's Potion. That said, looks like the biggest vote goes to fixing stomach issues. There's definitely a market for that!

>>45843860
Liar4lyfe!

>>45843860
I just thought the how do girls even become pregnant joke was cute.

>>45843907
I vote for asking Mistress regardless of which potion we make.

>>45843860
>There's definitely a market for that!
I'd say "not getting pregnant until you want to" is a way bigger market.

>>45843961
That wouldn't really be something Nadja would think of, though.

>>45843961
I kind of doubt that, actually.

>>45843860
>>45843955
>>45843907
Ill second asking in confusion

>>45844016
Rome made an effective contraceptive plant extinct, actually.

>>45844135
That doesn't necessarily mean that it's a way bigger market.

>>45844190
>arguing over the market sizes of two intro level potions when our character doesn't even understand both of them
It's supposed to be fun, guys

>>45844190
>~50% of the adult population is likely to want it most of the time
>versus a situational medicine

>>45844498
The profit margins and predicted demand are important to understand before you enter any business venture.

>>45844521
It's probably far less than 50% of the adult population at any given time, although even that would be a very clear minority of people overall.

>>45844651
It's still a massively larger market. Contraceptives need to be taken regularly when in use, the digestion one is as needed and the other's a fun use.

"I guess I'll go with this one." I announce, picking out the recipe for the Glutton's Potion. "It seems like it could help people."

Mistress nods indifferently. She said they were easy, so they probably all bore her. She's probably used to make potions that uh, give you super strength or something huge like that!

"You should already know where the cauldron and ingredients are by now, so give it a good read and get started."

Alright, let's look at this...

-- Glutton's Potion --

Effect:
- Relieving of digestive issues.

Ingredients (1 small vial):
- 5 large specimens of Wormroot
- 7 dried leaves from the Widow's Tears flower.
- 10 cups of water
- 1 cup of sugar (optional)

Preparation:
1. Thoroughly grind the wormroot with mortar and pestle until it is reduced to a powdery substance.
2. Heat the water to boiling, then thoroughly stir in the powdered Wormroot.
3. Add the leaves. Optionally roll the leaves in sugar before adding, to cover up the bitter taste.
4. Boil and stir the mixture until it turns aquamarine.
5. Fill a single vial using only the surface layer of the mixture. Discard the remains.

>1/2

>>45844924
Well... that doesn't sound too bad? Though, there is definitely one issue.

"Uhm, Mistress? Do you, uhm..."

"Do you have a stepladder?"

This cauldron is way too big! I can only just peek over it!

Mistress lets out a soft laugh - does she seem more cheerful than usual? - before wandering off. A few moments later she returns with a ladder almost as tall as me. Which is to say, it looks tiny in her hands! "This should do. It's the same one my previous apprentices used as children. Though they were a little taller than you.."

Oh, that reminds me! I have a lot of stuff to talk to her about!

>"Speaking of former apprentices..." (Talk about meeting Sparrow)
>"I went to the castle and..." (Talk about meeting with the young Baroness and being offered a job)
>"I was wondering about that other potion..." (Ask about how girls get pregnant)
>Work in silence.

>No, you don't get to pick all three!

>>45844945
>"I went to the castle and..." (Talk about meeting with the young Baroness and being offered a job)

>>45844945
>"Speaking of former apprentices..." (Talk about meeting Sparrow)
She was really nice! Except when she hurt Amelia that was bad!

>>45844945
>"I went to the castle and..." (Talk about meeting with the young Baroness and being offered a job)

>>45844945
>"I was wondering about that other potion..." (Ask about how girls get pregnant)
I mean, it's right there...I gotta vote for it.

>>45844945
>"I was wondering about that other potion..." (Ask about how girls get pregnant)

>>45844945
>>"I went to the castle and..." (Talk about meeting with the young Baroness and being offered a job)

>>45845109
>>45845021
>>45844985
You guys are boring.

>>45844858
It's still not necessarily a larger market, let alone massively so, depending on how regularly the contraceptive in question needs to be taken, how much use for them there happens to be at the time, as well as how much the digestion one is needed.

>>45844945
>"I was wondering about that other potion..." (Ask about how girls get pregnant)

>>45844945
>>"I went to the castle and..." (Talk about meeting with the young Baroness and being offered a job)

>>45844945
>"I was wondering about that other potion..." (Ask about how girls get pregnant)

>>45844945
>"I went to the castle and..." (Talk about meeting with the young Baroness and being offered a job)

>>45844945
>"I was wondering about that other potion..." (Ask about how girls get pregnant)

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Looks like talking business wins by one vote. But don't worry, curious anons, you can probably ask Mistress some other time.

>>45845197
Hate to butt into your discussion, but all I originally meant to suggest was that one could make a living off of it, if need be. The actual size of the market doesn't really matter, since nobody has the witch hours to gather ingredients for and produce enough of either (remember, no sharing the knowledge with outsiders, so you gotta do everything yourself!) to keep anything more than a small, very local community supplied.

And not a single witch so far has been interested in being reduced to a mere potion dispenser, meaning that services like this are always in demand, convenient for when any witches finding themselves in a tight spot financially.

>>45844945
>>"I was wondering about that other potion..." (Ask about how girls get pregnant)

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Or not?

Fuck this noise, I'll just write both. Damn greedy anons forcing me to put in actual effort.

>>45844945
>"I was wondering about that other potion..." (Ask about how girls get pregnant)

>>45845452
You know you love us!

>>45845452
I like funnies, thanks for writing!

>>45845452
Love you too Friendo.

>>45845452
Honestly, this seems like the only way we'll learn about the birds and the bees.

I'm convinced that if we ask Papa, he'd pull a Goku and reveil that he doesn't know either.

I fully believe that our Mom got pregnant with us and sis by feeding Papa a roofie.

>>45844559
But we're a little girl, anon. What do we know about markets, profit margins, and demand?

>>45846015
That's the important things question anon, how do we know all that?

>>45844945
>"I was wondering about that other potion..." (Ask about how girls get pregnant)

>>45846052
We don't.

>>45846323
A true mystery indeed...

>>45844945
"Uhm Mistress, I was wondering.." I begin as I pick out the ingredients from her long lines of shelves. I only know less than a handful of these, but they are all labelled and ordered alphabetically, so it's not really a problem.

"About that other potion, the uhm, Maiden's Potion?"

"Yes, what of it?"

"Well it's just, it says it prevents girls from getting pregnant..." Having checked the list twice, I move on to the first step of preparation. Grinding! This one looks like it might take a while.

"But how do girls even get pregnant in the first place?"

"Ah, well you see, what happens is- Nadja, how old are you?"

"I'm twelve, Mistress, almost thirteen!"

"You're twelve." She repeats the words slowly. "And Nobody taught you this?"

How am I supposed to fit FIVE of these into one mortar? Maybe I should just do one at a time, that seems more efficient. "No?"

Mistress lets out a deep, frustrated sigh. "It all makes sense now..."

"Huh?"

"Nothing." She snaps, quickly changing the subject. "Look, when a man and a woman..."

...

"But if boys make girls pregnant... I hugged Klemens the other day, so I'm pregnant now?"

"What? No! That's not what I said at all!"

...

"I don't get it. Girls can hug girls too, so why is it different with boys?"

" told you, it's got nothing to do with hugging! I never even used that word!"

...

"Now, did you understand that?"

"Uhm... It's something about special hugs?"

Mistress groans loudly at my answer. Am I still getting wrong? "I suppose that's close enough. Now, can we please move on to a different subject?"

"Oh right, there was something else I wanted to ask!" At least I finished grinding these roots. I hope this gets faster with practice because it took a long while!

>1/2

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>>45846549
"So yesterday I went to the castle and met the Baroness there! She's funny, even though she's much younger than me she talks just like a grown-up! A tiny grown-up with cute dresses!"

"So I was actually supposed to talk to her about a job for Papa, but I kinda accidentally told her I was your apprentice, and then she offered me a job!"

Her cheerful attitude long gone, Mistress instead rises to her feet with a stern expression on her face. "Involving?"

"Well uhm, she didn't say. She just asked if she could contact me in the future about jobs and I said I had to ask you."

Mistress grunts in annoyance as she sits back down. "As long as you do not break your oaths, you are free to apply my teachings however you feel is right."

"So it's okay?"

"However, if I were you, I would reserve the right to refuse any assignment that goes against your conscience."

"Huh? My conscience?" She seemed like a very nice person, she wouldn't ask me to do anything bad!

"Of course. You are a witch, not a court jester. Anything and everything a witch does, she should do because she believes it is right and for no other reason." Even through the bubbling of the now boiling contents of the cauldron, I can clearly hear the shift in tone in Mistress' voice. She sounds so... sad.

"But to answer your question, yes, you are free to accept this job. If anything, it may prove a good test for you."

"Now, let's see how your work turned out!"

>Please roll d100 to determine successfulness!

Rolled 37 (1d100)

>>45846582
>That pic

Rolled 60 (1d100)

>>45846582

Rolled 3 (1d100)

>>45846582

>>45846582

Rolled 3 (1d100)

>>45846582

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>>45846669
Best of three! Not a particularly successful attempt if I'm honest, but good enough for a first try!

And with that, I am going to call a slightly early end to the thread since I am struggling hard to actually stay awake. I am hoping to run the next thread next weekend, since I already know I'll be busy the weekend after than one and would prefer not to go a month with no thread again.

So I hope you enjoyed this thread, and hopefully I'll see you next weekend!

>>45846842
Thanks for running Friend. See you next week.

>>45846842
Alright, thanks for running!

>>45846842
gnight!

>>45846842
Thanks for running.

Rolled 20 (1d100)

>>45846582