Smell was the first step to making something and this one smelled absolutely divine. Even if it tasted bad, which Zinnia couldn’t quite tell from her first, she was proud that at least it didn’t smell terrible. At least she and Millie could agree on that. She grinned at her cousin then as she took a sip and Zin mimicked her; it didn’t taste awful, as she didn’t feel the immediate need to spit it out and make the black tea she’d taken out as a backup, and her face twisted, unsure how she actually felt about it.

“It is, isn’t it?” Odd. Millie had a point there. She’d have to alter it and try again.

The mallow blossoms' flavor came through first, and it was almost overpowering enough that it made her lips pucker; luckily the cornflower petals swooped in just in time, chasing away the sourness and allowing the sweetness to explode. Zinnia made a mental note to add less mallow blossom next time, and maybe add in a hint of fairy lilies to balance out how quickly the sourness had taken over.

Zin sipped it again. “It’s growing on me. Already have some notes on how I want to change it. I’ll owl you some, if you’d like? See if you like it any better.” Millie was going to be her unofficial taste tester until she got it right. In return she’d read Black Beauty for her.

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