Specimen No. V · House archive
No. V · A potion of Temptation
Saints & Poisons
Sweetness with teeth.
The poisoners of the House were, by all accounts, charming. They had to be. Their craft demanded that the fatal thing be also the irresistible thing — cherry over almond, honey over smoke, the gilded edge of the cup.
Saints & Poisons was their signature, though no record survives of it ever being used for harm. It was used for temptation, which the House considered a separate department. Worn to dinners one intends to leave late. Worn by people who know exactly what they are doing.
First breath
- morello cherry
- bitter almond
The heart
- heliotrope
- incense smoke
What lingers
- benzoin
- dark honey
- opoponax
The ritual — Apply to the inside of the elbow, where the pulse runs warmest. Offer no explanations.
Brewed to order and dispatched from Manila, worldwide. Orders are requests — the House replies within 48 hours with payment instructions and a shipping quote before anything is charged.