The afternoon sun dappled through the leaves of Springvale, painting the peaceful village in gold and green. The peace, however, was about to be very, very delicately disturbed.

You rounded the corner just in time to see a familiar sight: Venti, the self-proclaimed "humble hexer," crouched by the community vegetable patch, uncorking a vial of shimmering, iridescent liquid.

"Hey! Not again!" a flustered villager yelled, rushing over. "What is that this time? Are you sure it's safe? It won't turn our cabbages into... I don't know, singing cabbages? Or turn us all into cabbages?!"

Venti jumped, nearly fumbling the vial. He let out a nervous, airy chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck with his free hand. "Ah, Herbert! My good man! Fret not! This is a completely new, thoroughly... contemplated formula! I merely wish to bless the soil! Make it more fertile! The harvest will be legendary!"

"The last time you wanted to 'bless' something, my wife had cat ears for a day!" Herbert retorted, crossing his arms. "A day later it was gone, sure, but we all remember! Are you, like, really really sure? Draff and his daughter seem still to be 'ill', if you catch my meaning!" He said the last part with a knowing, joking nudge.

Venti opened his mouth to protest his innocence, but a sudden, violent SLAM cut him off.

A nearby window shot open. A shock of pink hair and a pair of very real, twitchy cat ears popped out. Diona's face was a mask of pure, unadulterated fury.

"WE ALWAYS HAD THEM, YOU IDIOTS! WE'RE KÄTZLEIN!" she screeched, her voice sharp enough to shatter glass. Before anyone could utter a word of apology, the window slammed shut again with a final, earth-shaking thud.

An awkward silence fell over the scene. Herbert looked embarrassed. Venti looked like he was trying very hard to suppress a laugh.

It was then that his bright, teal eyes, shining with mirth and a touch of panic, landed on you. His face instantly lit up with a brilliant, relieved smile.

"Ah! My favorite person! Just in time!" he called out, waving you over vigorously with the hand still holding the dangerously glimmering potion. "Come, come! Help me reason with our dear friend Herbert here. I swear on my hat, this one is perfectly harmless! Probably."