Bloody Fury and Alchemy

Blood Fury and Alchemy

[Closed to Nevin.]


~~~

A bright fedora with a green ribbon covered a teenager's head. Her brown pants, dark green shirt, and ebony jacket modestly hung over a sturdy and strong body. For someone so young, the half-human carried a powerful physical might. In a rough hand, she held a small card between her fingers. It had the shop information of an alchemist named Nevin Aimaparapoiitis.

Hopefully, he could help her get to the bottom of a dire mystery she spent almost two years on.

Her left hand fell onto a bronze nob. All fingers but one grasped the nob. The other was horrifically mangled from a bad experience long past, dead and devoid of blood. With her remaining four didgets, she turned the nob.

She opened the door. As she stepped inside, she observed her surroundings. Herbal Magick was a small, humble shop. The lab had neatly organized, narrow shelves with a diversity of potions and medications. The many colors of the liquid potions were truly the greatest of mysteries one could crack indoors. The woman was more prone to exploring the outdoors and adventuring in the dangerous wilds. However, her work as a starting alchemist interested her just as much. Labs like these felt surprisingly warm and home.

Setting neatly on the counter in pleasant glass jars, there was a selection of candies. The teenager's sweet tooth drew her to the array of honey treats and hard candies. She was never too old for candy. The floorboards moaned as she stepped across the floor, observing them all. For a moment, her mouth curved into a smile over the fantasy of eating all of them! Yet, the much more serious and urgent need that brought her here caused her grin to fall. She stuffed the card she was holding into a jacket pocket, then reached for the fedora.

She pulled the hat off, her flame colored hair slightly ruffled from wearing it. Her eyes were a darker shade of green, somewhat unnatural for the average person if they were observed incredibly close. Her more narrow forehead was the most obvious pointer towards her neanderthal DNA.

She reached up and tapped the bell on the wooden counter. She opened her mouth and nervously called. "Hello? Is anyone here?"

Nevin rolled back the sleeves on his plain white shirt as he wiped some of the stinging sweat out of his eyes. He had been bent over this solution for nearly forty minutes, carefully making sure that it simmered down properly, and no uneven lumps were left in the mixture. The proximity to the flame beneath the small brass bowl had him sweating fiercely. But - the potion was done. With smooth, practiced motions he carefully lifted the bowl from the flame,
and poured the bubbling green brew into a small clay jug. A cork stopper in the top to keep it in, and he was good to go -

And just in time it seemed, as the small bell that he had strung up into his workshop chimed, indicating someone had come into the shop. The redhead brushed strands of hair out of his face and sighed, shaking his head ruefully. "Well. Back to the other side of business." He put out the flame and set the pot into the small sink, running water over it to keep it from drying up with some of the solution still in the bowl. That done, he headed over to his ladder, and set the clay jug on the small pulley system, then climbed up the ladder. He hadn't shut the trapdoor into his basement, thankfully, or it might have taken him longer to get out of there - as it was, he hurried to pull the new medicine up without spilling it.

For a moment, he hesitated at the door, wondering if he should roll back down his sleeves - but no, he was done hiding his nature here, the villagers didn't mind. A few gave the strange mash of red lines that ran across his skin a second glance,
but so far none had ever really seemed upset by it. Certainly, none of them had stopped visiting. So, he kept the sleeves pushed back, though he did dry one of his hands off on his dark brown trousers as he cradled the clay jug in the crook of his other arm. Then he pushed open the door, letting a smile fall onto his face. He had finally gotten to the point where his smiles seemed natural, crinkling the corners of his eyes properly, which he felt glad of.

"Yes, hello, sorry about that -" He paused and ran a quick eye over his guest, "Miss. I was down in my workshop, apologies for the wait." He lifted the wooden bar on one end of the counter and slipped out from the back, heading over to one of the shelves. He set his burden down next to several near identical clay jugs, and rearranged them slightly, until he stepped back and huffed, then shrugged. "It'll do." Then he spun on his heel and smiled at the girl, dipping into a shallow bow.

"Nevin, proprietor of Herbal Magick. What can I do for you today?"

He was another redhead, appearing to be near-human. His unusually dark eyes, alongside the glowing red veins in his arms, seemed to point towards some kind of distinct kind of heritage. Whether it be a genetically varrying human tree, or another species all together, she did not know.

As he bowed and introduced himself, she smiled. The smile was genuine and tender. It came from a heart of gold, someone who was a kinder, more sensitive soul. She held her fedora between her hands, the headgear hanging over her lap.

"It's nice to meet you. I'm Felicity Rhyolite, and I was wondering... I need help."

Her head lowered, the smile faded as she gazed upon the oak floor. She fell into a state of solemn seriousness. "Um... I've recently started to work as an alchemist, and for a specific reason. Even my mentors cannot unravel it, I'm trying to find someone who can."

She lifted her fedora, placing it on the counter as she explained her situation. "Two years ago, I was injected with an untested, unpredictable serum. It was meant to give me powers, make me stronger." She looked back up to Nevin with a smirk, "And it worked."

She made the motion of a blade slicing the air with a flat hand, "Every time I bleed I get stronger." This was where the smile faded. She clenched her hand as her eyes became shadowed, "But I also get angrier. I go insane if I'm hit enough."

She stepped forward, leaning against the counter as she looked down again. "It has caused me to fight friend and foe alike. It's out of control. I'm out of control!"

Anger ever so briefly cracked through her voice, her fist tightly clenched in her confliction. As quickly as it came though, it also left. Desperate, she looked back up again, making her plea to the more experienced alchemist.

"And after all the research we made, I know almost nothing about it! I need to! I need to understand... control it... Please?"

She fell silent, turning her eyes towards the candies. Her cheeks turned red as she asked one final favor, "And I'd like to buy ten of those honey sticks, please."

Nevin raised one eyebrow as the girl - Felicity - explained her situation. It sounded like - well, like she had been a victim of someone trying to work on a serum to increase physical strength. He didn't know why the experiment seemed to have stuck with her though - that was unusual, most medicines ran through in the course of a few days at most. He rubbed his chin in thought as he slowly walked around her, examining her as she tracked his movements with her eyes. Finally he came to a stop in front of her, and ran one hand across the messy ponytail on the back of his head as he stared at her before speaking.

"I - well, I am dreadfully sorry to hear that you were the victim of such an unethical experiment. I can see why you're seeking help, and I will do my best to help you. It.. well. To be honest, this is a rather interesting challenge, and one that you say you need help with, and I'm not one to turn away those in need. So then." Nevin strode back behind his counter and pulled up a notebook, flipping it open to a blank page and he picked up a pencil to start writing notes down as he spoke and she answered.

"You say this 'escalation' occurs every time you bleed. Is that a very literal statement, in that any time something breaks your skin your anger rises, or is it more limited to combat situations, where your adrenaline levels are already elevated?"
Perhaps this was in some way connected to her output of adrenaline? It didn't seem so - he didn't think adrenaline could be responsible for the loss of reasoning. But - it was a possibility, so he noted it. He also wrote down that the serum had been in her system for an extended period of time -

"Ah, a follow up question to your explanation. Has anyone been in a position where they might have been able to continually inject you with the serum over a long period of time?" There were some salts, alkali metals and the like, that could build up in the system if exposure was prolonged, but usually those required multiple injections or continual exposure. He couldn't think of any that could take such hold with just one injection. But - maybe? He chewed the inside of one cheek as he thought.

Felicity hopped onto the counter, sitting on it as the alchemist immediately threw her questions and fumed over his notebook. Somehow, Felicity always got stuck with the introverted, obsessive ones. It was both ironic and amusing. Ashla, Daisuke, Deirdre...

She immediately answered the first one, "It's literal. I've been working with wood or cutting veggies in a kitchen and I'll get cut. The results are automatic. Once again, it's initially great in competitive situations, but... I flipped over a table and broke objects around my home because of it." An embarrassed chuckle escaped her as she placed her hands on her knees.

The follow up question made her wince. She shook her head, "I was actually only injected once. Willingly. I was... younger then. I trusted those people..."

~~~

"Are you sure this will work?"

Felicity opened her eyes, confusion crossing her young face. She was surrounded by bookshelves full of old journals, novels, nature guides… Only half of them had collected dust, as the person who owned them read up frequently. This was not the only thing in this cozy, dark room however. The sound of bubbling liquids and the dripping of fluid droplets caused her to turn her head left, to the many tables and shelves of thermoses, bottles, measuring cups, and vials filled with many different liquids with rainbows of different colors and thicknesses. Steam also boiled in a large glass bowl; solid crystals and cut up and mashed leaves were laid out neatly in their wooden boxes. This was only a small laboratory though, as both the alchemist and his master were in the other room.

"Of course it will work, m'lady. We-we just don't know how…"

The girl nervously shuffled her legs. The cushioning of the laid back lab chair she was on rubbed against her brown pants. The red chair was comfortable, and two squishy holsters were at the side so one could squeeze them if-if… they were in… pain…

How nice of the manufacturer.

The girl was laying down. Looking up to the ancient stone ceiling above, she heard their voices from the other room.

"M'lady, maybe we should-"

"-No, Daisuke. My apprentice cannot grow strong if we do not inject your serum into her. This is your creation, right? Everything should be fine."

Now the girl reached for one of the stress relieving handles, shaking as she gripped it tightly. She was now visibly nervous. Looking up to the elvish lines and curves on the round dome above her, her green eyes unstably formed tears. She trusted these people completely. They would - her teacher would - never harm her! Right? Why was she so rattled? Everything would be just fine… right?

As she heard their footsteps tapping on the marble floor, entering the room, she closed her eyes. Gulping down the lump in her throat and pushing back the tears, she nervously smiled, "Masta'."

"Felicity."

She opened her eyes again. A young woman, just a few years older than she, was hanging over her. Her black hair blocked out any side vision for either of them. The young woman smiled reassuringly, her blue eyes portraying fond warmth as she spoke, "Are you ready?"

Felicity squeezed the handles again, "I guess…"

The young woman put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "Nervous?"

"Y-yeah." Her voice shook a little.

The woman tilted her head, "Needle?"

Felicity's eyes darted away for a moment. With nothing but long, black hair with brown highlights blocking her vision, she was forced to look back to her and respond.

"Magic."

Now it was her teacher's turn to look away. Pushing her hands off the head rest, she looked towards the far left of her vision with an unreadable face, at least from down here.

Now feeling outright anxious, the child looked towards that direction. A middle aged man with long, greyish-brown hair was filling an injection needle with a clear but fizzling substance.

"Daisuke…" Felicity asked, her smile having faded, "Is it safe?"

The man's long hair blocked her vision of him. However, after a moment he disconnected the tube of the liquid, holding the rather long needle up in the air. "Of course it is, child."

Tears welding up once more, Felicity looked up to her teacher again, who extended her hand to her. The pale area where her gloves usually would be signified that she had just now removed the hand garments. The young woman smiled reassuringly, "You will be fine, Fel. It's okay. This will be worth it."

Felicity raised her good right hand to her's, squeezing it as tightly as she could as she heard Daisuke walking towards them. He lifted her sleeve, dabbing it with a cool cloth.

Felicity was vibrating, watching her trusted mentor with visible fear on her face.

"Come now," Ashla smirked, "I would never do anything to hurt you, right?"

Felicity smiled, although a tear slid slowly down her face, her expression screamed of unwavering admiration. "Nev'a."

She winced, clenching her teeth together in a hiss of pain, as the needle pierced her skin.

~~~

She still loved them. Daisuke was an incredible mentor, like a wise grandfather. Ashla was her closest friend, but their long and perilous history left them in a place where they were close, but trust was nonexistent. Ashla had changed drastically.

Felicity had changed too.

She let out a heavy, shaky sigh. Her posture plummeted as she spoke. "I blanked out after I was injected. Don't remember how it felt or if I was injected again. Whenever I talk with Daisuke about it, he talks like it was only used once."

"Hmm. So, definitively a single injection, unless this person has lied to you, which they have no reason to do. Right. So, not a long term soluble salt meant to build up in the system. And the effect occurs any time you lose blood at all, even in situations where you most definitely do not want it to happen." He drummed the pencil against the paper for a moment, staring down at his notes. Nevin frowned and began to spin the pencil around his fingers, humming as he thought about options.

"Well. If it happens even in ordinary situations, the likelihood of it being tied to your adrenaline output it possible, but unlikely. So while it might be triggering an increase in that, that is not its cause nor its primary goal. And with a single occurence of exposure, it means that it is something that has altered your make-up, changed, well, the parts that make you who you are. I don't know how much scientific background you have yet so I won't try to use the more specific terms. But think of it like this. Human, or humanoid people, have things in them that tell their body what they're going to be. It seems like, whatever this was, put in some extra information into your bits, and changed what your body thinks it should be." But the question was, was it something that could be purged from her system?

Unfortunately, that wasn't something that he could just up and test on her. Wait, she'd been working with an alchemist before, hadn't she? "You mentioned working with an alchemist. Did they try any purging solutions, or curatives? Or did they have an idea of this situation?" If some of the ground work had already been done, that would shorten their research time considerably. It would also remove the need for - well, for something that he was hesitant about even suggesting, considering she had just told him she had torn up her own home in a fit of this rage.

Hmm. Perhaps a sedative serum, something to take that would push her into a calmer state of mind? A low level sedative perhaps, or maybe a general anaesthetic? "Has anything been tried? Numbing your skin and then trying to cut it perhaps,
or catching you unawares?" Was it something in her very blood that was reacting to an influx of air and causing the enhanced rage and strength? This was an interesting conundrum. He did note that she seemed to be a bit depressed, so as he asked his questions, the redheaded man picked up one of the honey candies and handed it to her, popping one of the strawberry ones into his own mouth.

The moment science was brought up, Felicity felt herself perk up. Felicity had never been given any lessons outside basic reading, writing, and math growing up. Her studies of herbs and potions, alongside any form of survival or science, was only after she hit the road with her former teacher when she was fourteen.

Felicity thought back to the times she experimented; as well as those funny moments at home. She scoffed, rolling her eyes, "I live with two alchemists, an ice mage, a no chill, emotion dead teenager, an accident prone housewife, and a toddler capable of controlling ice and fire." A more serious state returned to her as she continued, "I've been in Fallien, Eiskalt, the Citadel... Temperature and circumstance does nothing. I've literally been completely numb or on fire and the effects are always the same. I bleed, my abilities switch on."

Once again, the lab research entered her mind. "In the lab we took blood and DNA samples. Unfortunately, I'm part neanderthal so there's no likewise DNA to compare my structure to - and us Eiskaltian branches have an affinity for magic."

She took one of the offered honeysticks and opened it, "What we did find out is that when the ability is on, my TRPV1 is completely muted, which is why I never feel pain when it's activated. We also know there's lot's of foreign chemicals in my body just sitting there, and that comes out as this 'cloak' around my body when I'm hit enough. It outwardly behaves like fire, except it isn't. We're sure the only reason it doesn't affect me negatively is that magic affinity I apparently have. But if what you said about my entire being changing after the serum is true, I could also just have an immunity period."

She took a swig of the honey as she dug into a jacket pocket. As she slurped that delicious sweet substance, she pulled out a paper and tossed it onto the counter. The picture of small orbs orbiting a larger one was seen. They were labelled with the names of a foreign, explosive compound. Yet, the image showed this single compound split into two.

This substance splits apart only when "Beserk Rage" is turned on. It translates into raw energy, building up inside her, first as raw physical strength. After the rapidly split atoms seem to be energized enough, by the increased damage and bleeding, the Cloak becomes active. The Cloak is extra built up energy exploding. The burning effect is unaffective to Miss Rhyolite herself, surprisingly and thankfully. This is going strictly over physical results, as her emotional and mental deteriorations are still unexplained.

Felicity rested her forehead against her hand, "It's all a huge mess, I know..."

...

"... Hey, this honey is incredible."

That was an interesting bit of information, and it did limit some of the experiments that would have to be done. If her power - this cloak that the note theorized - activated literally any time her blood was exposed to air... He rubbed his chin in thought. That was a very interesting trait. Was this unknown substance reacting to the increase in oxygen in the vicinity? It would explain why her power ramped up each time she was struck - some of the chemical was activated, then more and more, enhancing the substance's power each time that more was exposed to the air. Nevin drummed his pencil on top of the counter and stared at her intently, as if just looking at her would let him see into the very make up of what she was.

"Well. I have some ideas on this. Most likely, your magic is bound up with this serum and its effects on you - it might indeed be part of why your body accepted the change that the serum induced, since normally repeated exposures would be necessary for more permanent effects to occur. So, your magic may have helped speed up that process, but there's no way of testing that now. Additionally." He tapped the paper she had tossed down, indicating that he had read it before he spoke.
"The researcher here states that they don't know why this physical change is also affecting your mental and emotional states. But this substance is unknown, so there are two possible culprits that I can think of." The redhead lifted his finger up as he spoke.

"The first is that the chemical that has bonded with your body activates not just this energetic cloak when you bleed, but the reaction that occurs within it releases some kind of hormone or by-product chemical that is responsible for inducing the changed state in your mind. The second possibility is that the effects on your mind are actually the result of your magic working in harmony with the 'Cloak'. Taking advantage of the increase of strength and pain mitigation to increase your aggression, so that you can fully utilize the newfound strength. As people normally have a mental inhibition against using their full strength, this might be your magic working to circumvent that." It was an interesting conundrum. Unfortunately,
neither hypothesis could really be tested now - it would need another person who had been exposed to this serum who had been affected in a different way to see if they displayed the same characteristics as Felicity did.

"Now now, Miss Felicity. There is no need to be so down. While it is a mess, those can be cleaned up. And I can think of a few possibilities in handling this, ways to help circumvent this issue. The absolute easiest, and one that may or may not require alchemical help: Find a way to toughen your skin, so that it is harder to cut, so that you do not have these exposure situations." The alchemist paused to see if that thought had come to her before. It was possible it had, but also possible that it hadn't - sometimes, being too close to the problem would keep you from seeing options. "But, as you came to an alchemist, let's see. A normal alchemist would probably be able to offer perhaps after experimentation a medicine that just deadens this chemical in your system. It might work, but it might also be deleterious to you if your body has adjusted to having this substance. I have... other options available." He coughed into his hand and looked away for a moment.

"It has not been a major concern here in Stonevale so you may not have heard from whoever directed you here, but I have a talent for working blood magic. Specifically, I work with blood based alchemy. It might be possible for me to create a solution that temporarily reduces the chemical and target it specifically to you, lessening any harmful side effects. A more potent solution might actively reduce the effect this compound has on your system, while a weakened version might, and this is all currently hypothetical, might be able to prevent accidental outbursts from everyday mishaps." The trick would be, figuring out what could actually effect this unknown substance. And without...drawing blood.... there was no way of testing.

Felicity's face twisted in frustration. This was starting the get confusing. As Nevin spoke, she slipped her shoes off and sat criss-cross applesauce on the counter. Her elbow was stuffed into her leg, palm propping up her head.

"I have no idea what's causing the anger. I doubt my magic has much to do with it though, I've never used it in my life. I know I have the potential, but even according to a medicine woman I met, I've never unlocked it."

She took another sip of honey. "So the chemical itself and what's causing my temper tantrums are unknown." Her eyes widened a little when he spoke of reducing the effects with a potion, then went onto his apparent blood magic.

"If we knew what chemical was in me, we could develop a specific substance aimed towards it. But we don't. Directly deadening the chemical would definitely be, as you said, deleterious; especially since this chemical is a part of me now. It would be like trying to remove white blood cells or stomach bacteria."

She lifted her head from her hand. She let out a long sigh before sipping the honey; thinking over how Nevin's blood alchemy could potentially help.

"This might seem a bit contradictory of me, but the power itself is helpful. If we try to target anything, I would prefer the emotional side effects itself. Of course, you just handed out two theories on that. It could possibly be some sort of hormone releasing with the chemical. It could also be my cloak and my magic affinity working together to maximize damage."

Felicity took in more of the sweet candy she was eating. Her mind whirled as she looked at the major roadblock in front of them - the mysteries of her chemical and her explosive reactions. "I think we would need to run some sort of test. Taking another blood sample... I could erupt, but..."

She kept the honey hovering over her mouth, her eyes looking away from Nevin as she focused on abstract thought. "We need to figure out what's inside me, somehow. We know that it reacts with a sort of fission, when the energy is needed. Collecting a list of the kind of compounds that react and release energy in this same way is vital."

"Daisuke knew there are certain metals, like uranium - mostly located in more desolate places like Alerar and the Tular Plains, that have the fission - the atoms splitting in two and releasing energy and stuff. But the compound in me does not match the chemical properties of his list of metals. Daisuke and I ran the tests to prove that..."

A smidgen of misunderstanding anger rose in her chest. Daisuke created this very formula and the chemical used escaped him! His serum was worked on with an alchemist team in Alerar a long time ago. He had pulled the old serum out years later, when Ashla called for it. Now, figuring out what the compound was without making her bleed would prove difficult.

If it did come to drawing blood, poor Nevin would have to hold her down or sedate her.

"A fissile material that is being perpetuated inside the body - but doesn't match known reactive metals. Hmm. And - yes, if your magic is inactive then there's a good chance that one of the byproducts of this chemical in your system undergoing its fission is what is causing the change in your mental and emotional states. Possibly an increased flow of testosterone or adrenaline, tying in with the deadening of pain receptors. Or possibly a racially specific hormone agent, something that would be fine in another person but in your unique state is affecting your mind harmfully." More notes jabbed down, options scribbled down in the notebook under his hand. The fact that it was definitely something undergoing a chemical fission was worrying enough - bodies were not meant to withstand that kind of force normally, atoms being split was almost to a fault utterly destructive. That might be why her magic was 'inactive' - instead it was all focused inwards,
on keeping her body from ripping apart at the released energies.

"So, possibly an organic salt, something that has been converted from a metal into something your body can produce on its own. There are - there are a few creatures I know of that produce salts inside of their own bodies, and while I was in the reaches of Tular I did find one that...hm. It might not be the same, but what I saw there might be of help - let me see, what plant did that thing eat?" Nevin stood up abruptly and walked into the back of the shop, pushing open the doorway and leaving it hanging open as he moved over to the bookshelf that was in the small study area.

"No, that's from the Raerian region, that's from the outstretches of Corone, that's the sea forest plants - AH here it is." Soft ramblings, barely audible, came from the back, along with the sounds of books being moved around, thumping against wood. Nevin came out with a thin black book, with a light grey 'T' embossed on the front, that he sat down and began flicking through rapidly, dark red eyes scanning back and forth rapidly. "It wasn't a fern species or a mushroom, what was it -
bark? Ah, from one of the native trees. What properties did that have." A long, red-lined finger traced across the page as Nevin's brow furrowed. Suddenly he looked up, locking eyes with Felicity, the light from his lamp catching them and showing their true color, deep, almost black, red.

"I don't have any of a similar plant on hand, but the tree that this thing was eating was of a family that is known for having mild psychotropic effects. In this case, people who ingest teas or eat meat that has been smoked with wood from these trees are reported to be laxer than normal, almost an overly enforced calm. We might be able to use that as a basis for a medicine for you. However, before I make something actually for you, I ... I have to agree with your thought. We need to take a sample of your blood and see what the reaction causes, see if we can identify a released hormone or something. We might be able to use a combination of efforts to mitigate the adverse effects on you." He stood up and went to a small cabinet behind the counter, and pulled out a small satchel.

The Alchemist carefully set the bag down on the countertop, and began pulling things out from inside. First came a pair of small glass vials, which were uncorked and set to one side, then came a small, sharp scalpel. The final thing he drew out was a needle attached to a syringe - and he looked up when he heard a sharp inhalation, and saw that Felicity's verdant eyes were locked onto the needle, and she was shaking slightly. A fear - but just to needles, she didn't react to the scalpel coming out. Hm. Nevin cleared his throat and set the needle on the counter, moving his hand clearly away from it as he watched his ...patient?

"We have, well, options if necessary. If you think you need it, I do have soporifics I can offer, something to put you to sleep for a short time. Or, I do have a means of restraining you if that doesn't suit your wishes. As for taking the blood, I can either do that with a needle, or with my other talents." He raised one eyebrow slightly, and left the decision to her.

An amused, fond smile spread across Felicity's face as Nevin mused in the back. It was rather fun, the way he mumbled to himself and fumed away brought Felicity's usual senses of energy back.

As he flipped through a black book, Felicity pushed herself off the counter. Her bare feet felt the dust and fragments of dirt on the floorboards. She walked over and attempted to peak at the book. It was here that he looked up. As peridot orbs locked to his, the lamp's light illuminated his eyes. They had previously appeared black like coal, but now they shone a dark, burning crimson burgundy.

She took several steps back. An eyebrow was raised with innocent curiosity as he spoke. The concept of a calming potion or pill was of great relief. However, the confirmation of blood drawing caused a nervousness to form in her gut.

She clasped her hands behind her back as Nevin pulled out the necessary supplies for the deed.

A needle.

Instantly, the memory of the injection of the serum viciously attacked her mind. "I would never do anything to hurt you, right?" She let out a loud gasp. "Nev'a." She started to shake. Sweat formed in her hands as her arms fell to her side.

The dark thought crossed her mind. Except you did.

Nevin's words snapped her out of the moment her eyes were glued to the needle. A sharp breath. She shook her head firmly. Daisuke drew blood with needles before. This should be a peice of cake... right?

Her hands turned into fists. She closed her eyes, taking a large breath in. I'm okay. It's okay. Breathe. Can't lose it so close to bleeding... She let it out. The breathe was calm, yet slightly shook. Her fear of needles had been caused when one shot hurt her. She could be one shot away from becoming well again. She would not back out now!

She opened her eyes. They had a dark fire behind them; determined and bold. Hints of an anger hidden deep down bubbled up in them for brief flashes of time; but she had spent her whole life concealing them. She put them back where they belonged: beneath.

She nodded, "Whatever suits you best."

She then smirked, "Let's do this."

Definite tension there for a moment when she watched the needle, strangely not present when he took out anything else. She handled it admirably, tucking it away almost as soon as it appeared. If Nevin knew her better, he might have asked her about it, or offered to let her talk - but, he barely knew her, and doubted she'd be comfortable talking about a trauma with a relative stranger. Instead, he picked up the needle and syringe, and pulled the needle out and put it away, leaving the syringe with an empty top - just something he could siphon fluid into. That done, he picked up a small wooden bowl and the scalpel, letting the syringe rest on the counter. He gently took one of the girl's hands in his own, and locked his eyes onto hers.

"You know, it really is a fascinating little puzzle. I would almost be impressed with the efforts that went into this serum, and what happened, if it wasn't for the fact that they used what was clearly an experimental drug on you before thoroughly testing it. Unknown concoctions should never be used on sentients unless you're trying to kill them, or you already know the exact out come - and they clearly did not, nor did they have a way of neutralizing it." As he spoke, the alchemist slid the sharp blade very gently along the inside of her palm - just enough to break the skin and draw her blood.

He gave Felicity a tightlipped smile as he turned her hand over and let her blood drop down into the bowl, But there - done, enough blood for two samples to work with. Nevin reached out and picked up one of his medicinal salves, one meant to help clot blood and bind surface injuries, and gently applied it to Felicity's hand before letting go and stepping back.

"There we are. This should give us enough for a control sample and a testing one, so we can see what might have an effect and what doesn't."

The moment the cut was made...

Bitterness.

Her peripheral vision blurred as her focus tunneled. Her primary focus was his voice. Her heartbeat started to race like thunderous horse hooves. Nevin's words endlessly echoed through her mind as he spoke. "... the fact that they used what was clearly an experimental drug on you before thoroughly testing it. Unknown concoctions should never be used on sentients unless you're trying to kill them, or you already know the exact out come - and they clearly did not, nor did they have a way of neutralizing it."

About eight seconds of the literal madness...

She looked away from him with a deep glare. "Yeah, they didn't." She clenched her free fist tightly as she spat the venom.

Twelve...

He turned her shaking hand, a hand shaking in bold rage, and let the blood drip into a bowl. As it fell, her eyes were locked on it. A deep, sick growl started. "Their faul-"

A sharp sting was suddenly felt in her palm.

Fifteen...

As the physical pain reamerged, some of the anger subdued...

Some.

The heavy weight of guilt and blame still rested on her heart. A hidden rage so deep... She had to take another deep breath. Push it back, push it back... She let it out.

As Nevin let go, she turned her hand again. The blood still bubbled up to the surface, some dripping down. Nevin placed the medicine and bandages on her hand. As he carefully took care of her, her veins continued to throb in physically released distress. She took this hand with her other. Tears briefly appeared as the brooding thoughts still roamed her subconscious.

Their fault...

She should of known the rage was not to blame strictly on her powers by now. Yet, she was too stubborn to admit that she herself was, secretly, a really angry person.

With her uncut hand, she swiftly wiped the tears from her eyes. It just so happened that this hand was the one with the dead pinky. A growl slipped from her as she lowered the hand. Her pupils were dilated, yet she she clasped her hands as calmy as possible. She swallowed the lump in her throat, forcing her remaining anger down. She forced a smile on as she eyed the blood alchemist. "Now what?"

Her teeth stopped grinding against themselves around fifteen seconds after he had made the cut, Nevin noted. That was important to note - and something that if it came to it, would need to be tested on. Was that length of time a standard for her, or did it vary based on the severity of the injury? If it was the former, they could use that to test to see what medicines worked the most effectively on her - things that cut down on that time frame for example might lead towards a solution in terms of mitigating the impacts on her. His mind was already racing with options and possibilities.

Another important thing that he had seen was the signs of tension on her features. Veins along her forehead had been beating in time with her her heartbeat, and even after her teeth stopped grinding against each other they had still stood out,
starkly bold against her skin as she tried to calm herself down. Nevin frowned a bit in thought, and started drumming his fingers on the desk.

She wanted to keep the power boost, which he could understand. But the mind-altering effects were what she felt were the most detrimental, and would need to be addressed. The question was, what were the emotions she had felt? He frowned and raised an eyebrow at the young girl.

"Well, next is data verification and gathering. Then some experiments, to see if these things are releasing hormones into your system that are affecting your mood. Can you tell me what was going through your mind as you recovered? And From the time of cut to when you began to calm was approximately a quarter of a minute. Is that the standard duration, or do different levels of injury make you react more, or less?" As he spoke, he was wondering what he had on hand that could be used to give her a temporary reprieve from this situation. He did have some natural hallucinogens left over - some chacrona plant for example - but he didn't want to just prescribe those. It was stupid to do. No, finding out what was released into her system, if anything, that would be the first step. And if she was feeling a specific emotion, instead of random ones, possibly using a serum that reduced that particular emotion's affect on the brain might be possible to discover.

Upon hearing him ask of her thoughts, Felicity froze.

No…

Her hands needed something to grasp. She stepped back, feeling cornered. When she felt herself bump against the counter, her hands reached and gripped the sides. As her fingernails dug into the wood, her heartbeat continued to pound faster. As the drum inside continued its unhappy beat, her eyes were shaded in doubt. Can’t let it show… can’t become like them… No…

Her teeth grinded against each other. She was trapped. If she wanted to get to the bottom of this, she needed to be honest. If she was honest though, Nevin would see. Nevin could not see.

No one could see.

With a shook up sigh, she replied question one. “Always has been fifteen seconds. Always was. Fifteen seconds of that rage…”

What was going on inside her head? What were her thoughts? Nothing important? She wished it was not, yet she had to be honest with him. Was she even honest with herself though? Her nails caused visible chips in the mahogany counter. Her head lowered, eyes dilated. She could not… No one could see.

She was silent. Whenever she went silent, it meant the redhead was attempting to conceal the inner violence. Before it could erupt. This was not good. The veins in her forehead stood out. Her blood pressure started to rise. Everything inside was bubbling. Boiling. Imploding. Close to exploding. Her mouth was tied shut. She could not talk. No one could see.

No one could see.

The wildfire inside raged on. The smoke swirled, blurring her inner vision with toxic black clouds. It stung. As it consumed the forest of her better judgement, all life and greenery begged for relief from the hate. Was that water being cast down from the sky? No. Alcohol. It enhanced the flames. Life seemed to choke.

Usually, in response to her internal plight, the teen would delve into sensory seeking and external distractions. Whether it be a fight in the Citadel or rock climbing, she turned to the world around her to pull herself out. Now, however, she was trapped. The lump in her throat would not leave. It was a simple question, what went on in her head? So much frustration and loss flew up over it though. A little thing caused this.

No one could see.

No one.

She would not become just like them…

“… Nothing.” Felicity tried to dumb it down the best she could. Leave the answer vague, without interpretation. “This entire thing has just been crazy. That was all.”

And who’s fault is it?

Nevin watched, calmly,
as Felicity thought about his questions. She answered some of them with a fluid ease, which showed that she had clearly thought about it before, which was good because it meant that they had tried to handle this situation in a less drastic manner than coming to a stranger for help. But it was his question about her thoughts and emotions that caused her to freeze up, and worried the alchemist.

She was clearly, visibly tense, and in fact, Nevin would have guessed she was angry as she thought about it. Her nails dragged furrows in the wood of his counter, and he raised an eyebrow slightly - that spoke of impressive strength, even outside of her 'boosted' state. Her head dropped down, clearly unable to meet his expression, and her red bangs fell across her forehead. If it wasn't for the bulging veins running across the surface of her forehead, and the trembling, white knuckled tightness to her hands, he night have considered the girl cute.

As it was, she was a powder keg, and it looked like she was only just barely keeping her fuse from going off.
So Nevin remained silent, but he knew exactly how she was feeling - rage coursing through her veins, bubbling beneath the skin. And it seemed like her thoughts had brought that up. He moved as she managed to calm herself down, heading over to one of the cabinets and opening it up.

Long slender red-lined fingers ran across the vials in the cabinet, and he plucked one out before returning to the counter. He set it down in front of her and folded his hands together. When she looked up and spoke, her voice still a bit thick, he tilted his head to one side and gestured to the vial.

"A tonic. This one targets parts of the brain tied to aggression, and keeps them from reacting as strongly as they should. I only have the one vial, but I'd like for you to try taking it. I won't... I won't ask what exactly happened, if you are not willing to share it, but. It seems that a part of the reaction exists outside of the direct effect on your blood. There are indeed hormones that can cause this state, if it is... Well. Those can linger in your system for a while."

The moment he placed the vial on the counter, Felicity forced herself to focus on outer stimuli again. The hexagonal, small vial was bubbling with a lime green liquid. The small glass holder had a diamond shaped top to it, which kept the liquid safely inside.

Before Nevin even finished speaking, she nearly lunged for the bottle. Tunnel vision had taken ahold. She only too quickly grasped the vial with her right hand. It shook at her first attempt to pick it up. She gently took her second hand and gripped the vial with that. The shaking stopped. She raised the serum higher, finally relinquishing her death grip. She popped the top off like a cork. As the solid glass top pattered and bounced on the floor, she lunged her head back. The smooth, cool liquid relieved that knot in her throat. In three large gulps, she downed the tonic in mere moments. The foul tasting liquid tasted like an oddly cooked egg with fish oil. It was almost like the ocean, but without the freshness.

She set the empty bottle down with a large clunk. She eyed the scratch marks on the counter and winced. She needed to pull herself together.

Hopefully, this serum would help.

The fact that she finally proceeded her already leaked insanity probably was the beginning of progress. She was still unusually quiet, however. Still silent as she refused to look at Nevin at all. She was still in attempts to bottle her hidden rage in. Bottle it in like the liquid she just consumed.

"Yeah, 'kay." She mumbled unresponsively to Nevin.

They waited for results.

Who's fault is it?

Can't become them!

The echoes of discrimination snuck around her mind. The shouts of her hybrid blood, like she was some sort of possessed monster. A creature. A sickness birthed from the Tular Plains. Was she wretched? A burden? Useless?

Did she believe them?


"Neanderthal scum!"
"Useless abomination!"
"Why don't Deerhead officials just kill it?"
"Who cares if its mother is human? Its father wasn't!"
"Half breed!"
"Sickening! Tie the vermin to a stake or something! Get rid of it!"
"Lesser being! Only half human..."
"Why do they let this monster live?"
"Oh, what fun. The body of our enemy race at our feet."
"Haven't you had enough? Just crawl in a hole and die!"
"Neanderthal scum like you don't deserve to live. You only are alive right now cause you're a stupid half breed!"


She shook. Violent shaking erupted. The potion may have been working its magic; she was experiencing sadness now. Tears formed in her eyes. She shut them tight, attempting to breathe clearly. Furious grief.

She shoved the rage deep down. She would not become spiteful like them...

... even at the cost of her own sanity.

…
She breathed. She calmed down. The lump in her throat reappeared.
...
They waited for results.

He stood, silent, as she shook in front of him. At some point, tears began to leak down her cheeks. Nevin felt one hand slowly curl up into a tense fist as he watched, watched as the veins stopped throbbing on her forehead, and the tears stopped her eyes from dilating.

Anger is a defense mechanism, against something buried in her past. Grief, sorrow, but why. He drew in a deep breath, watching as she trembled, trying to bring her breathing back into control. To give her privacy, he looked back down to his notes, before she saw that he had been witnessing this.

"So, since it seems we will be working together for a bit,
let me tell you about myself." His voice was soft, steady, giving her something to focus on as he spoke in an easy cadence.

"As you know, I'm an Alchemist. Not just an Herbologist, but a proper Alchemist, one who deals with magical ingredients and potions as well as the mundane. But - well," he let out a sharp, short laugh. "I grew up in Salvar of all places, wanted to become a true alchemist to help people. But I didn't want to join the ranks of the Eternal Sway. No, they didn't actually help people, the Empowered Priests were just there to punish people who wanted to learn. So, well, I clashed, often, with my family." A recent memory, returned.

" I think I was about, maybe sixteen when my father threw me out for my wishes. Most of the town had no time for me, I was always a bit weird, and when he did that, well. I had to leave, before he started to tell people that his son wanted to cavort with demons. I haven't spoken to them in oh, years." There was a pained smile on his face.

"Oh Thayne, no! I never will be titled as the one who birthed that creature!"

Felicity's eyes opened. Her stinging pain remained, but the anger was uncomfortably subdued. That was way too quick... Then again, this was a potentially magical potion. Her cut up emotions sat in her chest like dead weight. However, her mind was working with better clarity.

Nevin's story was touching and somber. The feelings were like a cold rain during an early Corone spring. Not nearly as cold as Nevin's Salvar or Felicity's Eiskalt. Yet, the heat waves of scorn and ridicule was worse than either. That, and being disowned by this wretched definition of "family"...

In a way, Felicity could relate.

"I'm sorry." She mumbled. She still was dreary, facing more unfavorable side effects of the drought. Her voice slurred, her old lisp starting to reamerge. Her R's and L's were starting to be left out of her enunciation. "It hurts when family doesn't treat you like family." I know...

She leaned against the counter, more relaxed. The remaining honey had been spilled. As it slowly crept over the mahogany, Felicity finally placed herself under control. She looked up to the alchemist. His somber smile and her drenching tears reflected their respective branches of pain. What hate was this? Felicity's thoughts of it still baffled her. Why would one heap up rewards for themselves? Why did they cast dirty glances onto the less privileged, like the high and mighty were better than the rest. When they were just people, flawed and broken, just like everyone else. Felicity simply could not understand it...

That was not the way of grace.

Yet here Nevin was, still standing. He took a past so twisted and mangled... and he helped people. It was everything the teen aspired to be; the reason she learned to fight and handle herbs. To take that pain and refuse to do the same to someone else. Love was her weapon of choice; and she saw that Nevin chose it too.

For this, for everything, Felicity wanted to hug him so tight.

With all her usual spunky energy spent on cooling off, Felicity wearily just slipped down. She leaned against the counter's side, sitting with her legs bent. Head rested against the wood, she lifted her unbandaged hand and wiped her tears.

"When someone who thinks they're better than you chooses to crush those beneath their feet..." A saddened scoff escaped her. A humorless smile formed. She leaned forward, watching the wooden bowl in front of her as she wrapped her arms around her legs, "Then again, we're here to make things better, right?"

Oh, there was her naive optimism breaching the surface once again.

Nevin tilted his head to the side as he considered the girl in front of him. It seemed without her anger to fuel her, she was far more mellow than he had expected. Was this just a side effect of dealing with the hormones from her strange reaction, made worse by the fact that she didn't have her anger, her rage, to shield her? Whatever the case might be - well. He gave her the medicine, he would deal with taking care of it. He cleared his throat and shook his head as she leaned over heavily, watching the spilled honey on the counter.

"You've nothing to apologize to me for, Miss Felicity." He tried to give her a warm smile, but she just shrank down more, her mind obviously lost in past pains. As she spoke, he paused to consider her words. She, well, he couldn't say she was wrong.
Quite a lot of the things he did were unintentionally meant - or, was that actually on purpose - to balance things between people. He didn't mean to, or maybe he did? In either case - he just tried to help people out if they came into his store. Even Scarlet, destructive, and self-destructive, as she was, he hoped to find a way to help her. Hmm. Well, until she did something directly to him that is, or did it to someone presently. He was angry enough with her as it was, considering she had already hurt Fenn and Eteri in the past - but he wouldn't let that color his judgment of her now too much.

Felicity looked at him with a strange light gleaming in her eyes, then she just slumped down, resting her head against the wood of the counter. Tears were still trailing in her eyes, and she reached up to dash them away. He reached out and squeezed her shoulder comfortingly.

"Then everyone suffers, because there is always someone above you. It's when you're good, that people respect you. Fear is a different matter entirely." He knew a few people who preferred to use the fear card to get what they wanted. He gave her a grin, not sure if she would see it.

"But you're right. Someone will be there to make things right again. Sometimes it is a psychotic little cat girl bringing light into a somewhat dreary life. Sometimes, it's an Alchemist willing to lend an ear and a hand." He tilted his head to one side.
"How about it? Need an ear to get some of that weight off your chest?"

Felicity wiped more tears from her eyes. She was still naive, stubborn, and stupid enough to trust people. The fact that Nevin told her his pained backstory was enough, however. Maybe she should return the favor...

With a deep sigh, the chillingly calm person started to speak.

"I grew up in a small town in Eiskalt. Eiskalt was different then than it is now. Back then, the more isolationist society was... close minded..." She had to search for the words. "Traditionalist?"

She leaned her head against the wood again. One leg was laid straight in front of her, her left arm fallen with it. She was making a conscious effort to enunciate past her lisp again.

"I was born to a single mother who had an apparently frightening encounter with a neanderthal. The consequence was my existence." Her right hand carelessly was thrown as body language. Her pained, ironic smile was void of warmth or light. "My mom quickly disowned me and, bless his heart, my uncle had the compassion to take me in."

Her smile became more earnest as memories of that man crossed her mind. It faded again as the cold of Eiskalt, those people, returned to her thoughts as well. "While some residents were passive or even accepting of me, the majority of the town was judgemental. The town officials let the half-neanderthal-" she choked as she spoke next; the subdued but still existent anger spat in disbelief, "-abomination live!"

She briefly shook. Thanks to the potion, she lacked the energy to speak in such a manor. Instead, she seemed dead to emotion, numbed by her pain, as she continued. "But many wanted death. Some even attempted to go outside the law and kill me. I spent most of my childhood in tbe house, and my older cousin had to be with me when I went out. Every time I stepped outside, somebody was always ready to throw another stone at me. Some hurt me..."

Her eyes glanced at the twisted finger of her left hand. This was one of those hurts.. She lifted the hand, observing the finger. The pale blue finger was horrendously twisted. It lacked any aspect of life. She shook again. She had to grasp her left hand with her right just to stop. Uneasy, shaken breaths. A moment or two of uneven breathing, then she calmed enough to speak again.

"... After years of effort, my uncle got a paton by the Tabor family to take my cousin and I and move to another country, Corone. I was eight when we moved..."

She sharply turned her head away. A surprising shame took over her. She tightened up into a ball, throwing blame at herself for even feeling these emotions. "Tha-that was years ago. I should be over it by now..."

Nevin slowly shook his head and shifted from his kneeling position to sit next to the girl. He wished there had been someone for him to talk to when his father had throw him out - but, he was going to do for her what no one had been able to do for him. Awkwardly, he draped an arm across the girl's shoulders as she curled into a ball, and pulled her into his side. He was rather surprised when the teen turned around enough to wrap her arms around his torso, hugging for dear life. They'd make for an interesting sight, two redheads sitting on the ground in front of the counter, Nevin thought, as he stared out the windows into the street outside.

"No one has said that, or if they have, they were wrong. Being outcast, ostracized, is never easy. To be shunned, attacked for something beyond your control, instead of the person you are and the actions you have performed, is terrible." Slowly, he started to rub her back. He was more comfortable doing this with Eteri, but their relationship was different. He barely knew Felicity - but she clearly needed someone to be there for her as she spilled this.

"And I see no abomination here, Felicity. I see a young girl, scared and hurt by people who should have been better than that." He grinned a half hearted smile and ruffled her hair. His ribs had creaked for a moment there as she had hugged him tightly - and he was just glad that his threads had proven tough enough for him to take the force of the hug without needing help.

"And let me tell you, I've seen a bit of this world. Mad abominations, true bearers of that title mind you, not like you. Massive beings that consumed and left nothing but death. I've seen cat women, bird people, mad men who worship demons. You might be angry sometimes, scared at others. But that just makes you all the more human, I think. And I mean, it's not like I'm not that usual myself.".
To emphasize his point here, thin threads weaved from his palm, and began slowly spinning into a crimson orb that waved back and forth in the air.

"No one decides who you are, but you." He smiled at her.

As she listened to his words, the potion kept working. She was drowsy. His words seemed to bring a sense of peace into her, yet she still was unsound.

She attempted to push herself away. As tired as she was though, her arms only shook. "C-can't become them... the anger..."

She refused to become those people. She refused to bind herself to hate and treat others the way they treated her. This was why she buried all of her fury so deep. Yet, the blood fury that pumped through her heart, thundered through her veins, was inescapable. This was why she was here, however. To stop the rage. As Nevin spoke, he let her see that his veins were not just veins. A small orb of blood formed in his hands. It did not shock her as much as it would of, and only a tired smile crossed her face. She'd seen worse.

This was her blood fury. This was his blood alchemy. Were they not one in the same?

Her breaths were long and heavy. Emotionally, she was drained of all energy. The potion bubbled inside, causing her to feel the need for rest. As of now, she was comforted. Nevin had just heard of her dark DNA, her bad blood, her beserk rage... yet, he saw not a monster, but a person.

And only she could chose her own path.

Was that not why she came fighting her own abilities? Was that not why she wanted to make things right?

Her eyes closed as her consciousness slipped away. This did not make the past right, but it made her ready to face the future with her optimism one more day.

~~~

Flamebird receives 1355 EXP and 160 GP!

Nevin receives 1625 EXP and 145 GP!

This thread will now be submitted to the workshop for peer review!

All rewards added!