Chapter Text
It was an early Monday September morning a few weeks into the university's fall term when Kylo entered his physics classroom to find his students happily conversing. Unusual. Such an early class meant half asleep students slouched in their seats until his booming voice jolted them upright.
"What has you in such a good mood today?" He asked the front row as he walked by, not feeling nearly as chipper on this dreary day.
"It's the new cafe near campus!" One girl exclaimed. "The Witch's Cauldron?"
"Witch's Brew!" Her friend interrupted.
"Right! Witch's Brew! But there is a cauldron."
Kylo raised an eyebrow at that.
"They have the best coffee," a boy chimed in from the next table. "I don't know what they do to it, but it really wakes you up!"
"Must be the cauldron," the first girl nodded to her. "Like magic!"
Magic. Kylo paused at that. Could it be? No... He needed to check out this place himself, but he didn't want to run into his students. It was always an awkward encounter seeing them off campus. Their jubilant waving did not match his brooding professor demeanor.
And so Kylo waited until the end of the day, dusk. Witch's Brew was located on the side of campus just where the rolling hills began at the base of the Triple Horn Mountains. A winding path lined with real candle lit lanterns wound the way up the hill to a quaint little hut. Kylo tucked this information away in his mental file. Only a witch or wizard would dare to use candles. In the hands of a mere mortal, these lanterns would be a fire hazard not to mention the hassel of lighting each one without the aid of a wand. Lanterns were popular in Cloud City, named for the snow covered mountains completely surrounding the valley that made the city feel as if it were floating in clouds, but those lanterns were all battery powered or connected to the city's electrical system.
A bell jingled as Kylo pushed open the hut's door. The very first thing he noticed was the soothing scent of mint and vanilla, causing him to sigh out a heavy weight of worries. Looking around, his eyes landed on drying herbs hanging from the ceiling and to the left the cauldron his students mentioned, a fire roaring beneath it in the large hearth. He made his way between the scattered tables and walked up to the counter in the back, wanting to speak with the owner.
Toadstools, frog warts essence, dragon tree bark... These were just some of the items in jars along the shelves behind the counter. Potion ingredients. Out in the open for any curious eyes to see.
"Welcome to Witch's Brew!" A woman with unnaturally reddish brown hair in a long green dress greeted. "Can I get you anything?"
"The owner," Kylo requested.
Her beautiful smile impossibly widened. "That's me!"
Kylo decided to jump right into the most pressing matter. "How is any of this legal?" His eyes wandered to the broom in the corner sweeping the floor, to the bubbling cauldron over the fire, then back to this intriguing woman in front of him who was now summoning a black kettle with her wand. "Surely the authorities would have shut you down by now for–"
Her lilting laugh interrupted him. "For what exactly?" She guided the kettle to pour steaming water into a small teapot. "You see what you want to see, Mister..."
"Ren. Professor Ren. I teach at–"
"Hmmm, no. I don't think that's your name." She eyed him, calculating gaze sharp, allowing the lid of the teapot to fall with a clank.
"Excuse me?"
"I'm Rey, by the way. That's my real name."
"Rey what?" Kylo crossed his arms.
"Why do you need my full real name?"
"For my report."
"You're not going to report me for anything, Professor Ren. You wear a mask just as easily as my shop. Magical types will see this place as it is while everyone else thinks it's simply a bunch of hocus pocus and that's if they even notice."
"Rey! Do you have anymore of those jelly beans? Oh–" The kid next to Kylo jumped. "Sorry, Professor."
So much for not running into students. At least this one wasn't one of his, but Kylo had something of a harsh reputation on campus that made him easily recognizable. The magically inclined feared his name, but the others knew nothing of his past and feared him only for his challenging classes. Kylo cleared his throat. "It's alright."
Rey disappeared quickly into the back and escaped the awkward silence, returning with a jar of colorful jelly beans labeled "beanstalk beans."
"Those jars are too high up for me," she explained as she scooped some beans into a pouch. "But I like to display the wares."
"You could get a ladder!" The student suggested. "And glide around like Belle in a bookshop!"
Rey laughed as she took his money, counting out the change and shoving closed the old register drawer with a clang. "And fall and break my leg? Whatever would you do for jelly beans then?"
The kid took his change and candy. "Yeah, you're probably right. See ya!"
Rey waved goodbye, watching him leave, when her eyes lit up. "Rose! What can I get for you?"
Kylo turned to the newest customer, eyes widening. "Miss Tico?!"
Rose Tico was a grad student and T.A. for his colleague in the science department Amilyn Holdo, a chemistry professor and a favorite with the students.
"Professor Ren!" Rose grinned up at him, one of the few unafraid of him. "I never expected to see you in such a quirky establishment."
Kylo frowned, raising an offended eyebrow at her accurate assessment.
"Rey makes an excellent vanilla tea," Rose continued unfazed. "You should try some to loosen up! And..." she leaned over the counter towards Rey, lowering her voice, "maybe add some shrivelfig. This guy needs it."
"Hey!" He scoffed. "I heard that!"
Rose jumped back. "It's just a tasty sweetener! Not that I'm worried about your tastebuds or–"
"I know what shrivelfigs are, Miss Tico."
A plant whose purple fruit was juiced for both euphoria and shrinking potion ingredients. Was she suggesting he needed to shrink or become less grumpy? Both were possibilities.
Rey blushed. "You are very... tall."
"Rey!" Rose hissed.
Rey just shrugged, completely unaware of the brewing tension. Or maybe she was. "So what did you need today, Rose? Because I doubt you came here with the intention of ordering Professor... Ren... my special blend of euphoria tea."
"Right! I need two snake fangs, please. This is an emergency."
Rey flicked her wand at a jar high up almost near the ceiling, directing it to the counter with a soft thud. "These should be used sparingly." She commented as she used a pair of tongs to remove two snake fangs from the jar. "Maybe ask for a smaller assignment load so you can sleep." She placed them in a paper package and traded it with Rose's coins.
"I know, I know," Rose mumbled. "But it's not like a wide eye potion would keep my eyes permanently stuck open. I'm just... awake... a lot."
Kylo cringed, feeling bad for the overworked grad student. "I could talk to Amilyn. Maybe–"
"Thanks," Rose cut him off, "but no. I need to do well in this program. Outperform the others. Lucky for me," she gave her bag a little shake, "there's a potion for that! Bye, Rey. Bye, Professor!"
Kylo watched her heft her bag that was almost bigger than her on her shoulder as she left before turning back to this fine establishment's fine owner. "So... euphoria tea." He tilted his head, watching her carefully preparing a tea tray. "Do I have that to thank for my students' good mood every morning?"
"Ah, you do want that tea!" Rey beamed up at him as if he hadn't threatened to report her moments ago, picking up her tray and coming around the counter. "Follow me."
"Uh..." Kylo jumped, easily catching up to her quick paced walk to the seating in front of the hearth. "I just heard about this cafe from my students and had to see for myself. I don't need any tea." See if any laws regarding the use of magic were being broken... not that he was invested in magical interests or anything, but Witch's Brew's list of infractions continued to grow.
"Sit." Rey nudged him onto the plush, deep purple sofa. The minty scent from the cauldron was stronger here. A comforting sweetness the complimented the soft crackling of the firewood and bubbling of the cauldron. "This is on the house." She handed him a teacup. "Rose said you needed it and I think she's right."
"No, uh..." Kylo abruptly stood up. "I have nothing to do with magic anymore." He really didn't. Coming here was a mistake. Leave this place and any potential danger to the professionals. But danger to himself of the non-magical public? He couldn't say.
Rey didn't look up, too busy using her wand to guide the teapot to pour tea into two cups. "Does that have anything to do with the scar on your face? Or why you go by Kylo Ren instead of your name?" She looked up at him now. "Sit."
Kylo found himself listening to her request and sat back down, unable to resist. "I can see why my students love it here. You're hard to say no to."
Rey passed him a teacup and leaned close. Up close in the light of the fire, her hair seemed to glow more red. "That cauldron there?" She nodded towards it. "I brew weakend potions throughout the day and add various herbs and spices to enhance the scent. It's evening, so that's a slumber potion. It's meant to relax anyone who comes in this time of day."
She continued to babble on as Kylo zoned out, telling him about her various potions. "Rose helped me because my recipes needed tweaking and she's a natural. My specialty is charms. What's yours?"
"Um." Kylo stared over the rim of his teacup to the dancing flames of the fire. "Dark magic."
"Dark magic?" Rey gasped. "Like defensive spells? Oh, you must've fought against Snoke in the–"
"No," Kylo cut her off, finally sipping his tea. "With him. I fought with him." The words spilled out almost as if they had a mind of their own so he snapped his jaw shut to prevent himself from revealing anymore secrets.
Rey slumped next to him, unusually quiet. "Then how are you here? Most of Snoke's allies are in prison or dead unless they had changed sides or had someone speak on their behalf. Oh!" She perked up. "Were you a double agent?"
"I don't know." Kylo set his empty teacup on the low dark wooden table in front of them. "I don't remember much, only that when it was over I vowed to stay away from magic and put my past behind me. I'm strictly a man of science now." Agitatedly working his mouth, he turned to look at her. "You brewing a truth serum?" This was more than he had ever revealed to a stranger, but there was something different about Rey.
"Psssh! Of course not." She dismissively waved a hand before taking a sip of tea. "I already told you that's a slumber potion and a weak one at that."
The twinkle in her eye made Kylo uneasy, uneasy in that it felt way too familiar. A familiarity that threatened to draw him in. It made his heart ache for something, but he didn't come here for that. "Thank you for your time." He stood. "But I need to go now."
"I look forward to your next visit!" Rey called out, a smile evident in her voice.
There was not going to be a next time, Kylo told himself as he left the warmth of the fire and company behind, but of course that was a lie because Kylo found himself drawn to Witch's Brew everyday at the same time for the next month. The sun set earlier and earlier and it became a darkened evening in no time, made even cozier by the fire in the hearth. Or maybe it was Rey, who sat much closer to him now during their daily chats, daily chats that had him feeling more and more like Ben Solo.