text: \ A pink-haired girl covered head-to-toe in unusual jewelry pitter-pattered into an apothecary in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and certainly turned some heads. Onlookers stared disconcertedly as she mumbled to herself nervously, pacing back and forth. An employee walked up to her and asked, “Can I help you, miss?” Suddenly, the pink-haired girl looked up at the employee tearfully and replied anxiously, “Excuse me! Where can I find some horseradish root, thistle, and elderflowers? My friend is very sick and I need to make some medicine quickly!” “Uhh.. You know we have actual medicine for that, right?” “No! No! This has to be made with these specific herbs!” The pink-haired girl shook her head and clasped her hands together fearfully. “Okay, okay. I’ll go see if I can find some out back,” the employee gave a sigh and put his hands up, gesturing for the girl to wait where she was. He pressed his fingers to the bridge of his nose and began digging for the herbs the girl asked for. Then, his female coworker came up from behind him and as she helped him she whispered, “What a psycho. She’s probably another one of those occult-obsessed freaks...” “Maybe, maybe not. But psycho or not, she is a customer. This’ll probably make for an interesting bar story,” the male employee chuckled. When the male employee returned to give the herbs to the pink-haired girl, she immediately cheered up. “Thank you so much! You have no idea how much this will help!” she chirped as she walked over to the cash register with her bag of strange herbs. “You’re welcome, Miss. Have a nice day, and.... hope your friend feels better.” \ “I’m back!” The pink-haired girl rushed into the apartment living room with her bag of herbs, where an older woman with long black hair sat, tending to an injured man, bleeding from his stomach. “I've got the herbs you asked for!” she panted heavily. The older black-haired woman chuckled, “That’s a good little apprentice. Now hand them to me and go get the black cauldron.” “Right away, Ma'am!” the pink-haired girl saluted happily. “Go!” the black-haired woman scolded, sending her apprentice sprinting to the kitchen in fright. The injured man began to mumble in his feeble state, but the words were incoherent. “Ssshh... Take it easy. It would be best if you didn’t move for a while. Or talk... By sunrise, you’ll be good as new.” The black-haired woman began to trace a magic circle onto the man’s stomach with the man’s own blood, and then it began to glow red. The glowing red began to disperse all over the man’s body. The pink-haired apprentice stared mouth agape, at the spectacle from behind the kitchen wall. She brought over the black cauldron and the now cut-up herbs inside. “Perfect. Now we just need to let it brew.” When the healing potion was ready, the woman loosened the man’s lips so he could drink it. He started to mumble and groan. The potion was working its magic. The blood from his wound started sewing into itself until it disappeared completely. Soon enough, the injured man slipped into a much more peaceful sleep. “Wow... he’s really out like a light,” said the pink-haired girl. “See, *that’s* healing magic. Some day, I’ll teach you more. My apprentice.