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"Ah, so that was his skill... Ayaka leaned forward now mildly interested in the man. "So you see bonds between people? Pray tell out ours show, if any at all." Her lgiht brown ears twitched. "Describe what good and bad ones are." My amused smile faded "The fact there is a link between that thing inside her and you at all is cause for alarm." She muttered under her breath. Ayaka tapped a clawed finger against the table.
"Between us, right now?" His eyes slide downwards. "You're interested in me...oh! More so now." Ayaka raised an eyebrow, so it shifted that quickly? "You're wary of me, not fear but the caution is there. Bonds are thicker the closer someone is to the other person, emotionally. Happy, strong emotions are brighter. And even the dark emotions from that bit leaning towards possessiveness."
"I see...so that thing inside of her is possessive of you? Why?"
Nevin averted his gaze. "I...can't go into that right now, but it may be because parts of my soul have something in common with it."
Ayaka rolled her eyes. "Fan-fucking-tastic. So not only do the two of you have a fuckin' hard on for each other but that writhing mess in her wants to get down and freaky with you too?" Ayaka shook her head. "That sounds like a poorly written adult fantasy if you ask me."
Ayaka huffed. With any luck whatever dark thing inside her sister would just off the man and everything would be easy. Done. Kaput. Nevin seemed very interested in helping my sister. Admirable, but what the fuck did he know? "Tch." I wasn't happy. When was I ever though?
It was bad enough Tobias was pulling her along on a figurative chain, now this shit thought he could do the same to her sister? Nope. Nuh-uh.
"As I said I never really researched it. Eteri is far more knowledgeable on that, but she may not be able to explain it in your primitive language." He gave me a disgrunted look. "What? It's true. Why do you think its nicknamed the common tongue?" I shrugged. "I ain't sure if you can help her. I'll give you a condition."
"Condition?"
"A month. I got my own shit to do, so I am going to go do that and come back. If I return and don't see any improvement in a month. I'll take her away. Forcefully if I have to. We can't let whatever is in her fuck her up. I'd rather her die than have that happen."
-
"Well then. I'll just have to make sure that there's progress, because I don't want her going anywhere unless she wants to." Nevin folded his hands on the table. He understood though, even if he despised the idea of the ultimatum that was being issued. Who knows how long Eteri had been suffering with that festering red mass inside of her? He refused to let that stay any longer than it had to. So he had a month for there to be improvement? He'd do his damndest to mitigate it or get rid of it.
The damn thing had molested him once already, and his tendrils had been able to interact with its tentacles. If he had to, he would just pin Eteri down and wrestle the damn things out and drag them to a temple, kicking and screaming or whatever it was corrupt soul bits did. Or - he already had some of that magic inside of him, being subsumed by his magic and his nature. If he had to, he would take it himself and drag it in his own soul to somewhere it could be dealt with. He knew people,
who had a somewhat direct line to some deities. They would be able to deal with the shattered remnants of a Forgotten One. If he couldn't find another way, that was.
"So. The topic of your sister - one month, and improvement. A rather loose term, but I will do everything I can to see her safe. You said you wanted to talk alchemy - do you still wish to do so, or has the other focus of conversation fouled the mood?" His head tilted to one side as he stared at her. Talking about her sister seemed to calm Ayaka down. It seemed that despite her brash nature, her affection for her sibling was genuine. Good.
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"Sometimes..." Ayaka said thoughtfully. "We can't have what we want. What we want is bad for us. I want to down several glasses of firewhiskey, but we can't exactly have that now can we?"
"Are.. you comparing me to getting drunk?"
Ayaka smirked. "Yes." She said "I am. You're just as bad."
"How is that? I'm not intoxicating to be around."
The crude catwoman brushed his comment off. "Right, right. Tell that to my sister. You're obviously intoxicating to her. No idea why. Quite frankly... she can do better..."
Nevin finally agreed to Ayaka's deal. She felt satisfied, assuming that he wouldn't be up to the task. It was bad to assume that her younger sister would only deteriorate around the man but if that were the case Ayaka would take her away and try to get rid of whatever was inside her. Failing that. Eteri would...Eteri would need to die. "Done deal. You said you were a blood alchemist right? So you mix potions with peoples blood?"
Ayaka had heard of it, but never seen it in practice and could only hazard a guess to what sort of things he'd be able to do with such things. "I'd assume whatever you make is unique to the blood you use. Does it take on the properties of the donor? Or do you cater poisons or healing salves for that particular persons inhibitions?"
"Something like that. I can make potions that temporarily give you the abilities of the donor. It varies."
"And if they have no inherent abilities, what then?"
-
"Abilities are more than just magical. Perhaps you're renowned for your strength, or for your speed, or your intellect. Or if you're a waste of space, your bitchiness, or just your straight life force. There is always some quality of an individual that can be brought to the fore and exemplified. My magic helps me know what that is. But, I can also create potions targeted to a specific person, if I need to, as you guessed. A tailor made medicine, dosed with a few drops of a person's blood, would be more effective than a general one off the counters or shelves." Nevin shrugged slightly, glossing over the barb he'd dug in there for her sake.
"I also create standard medicines and candies, as well as doing research into more esoteric and rare plants and animals for use in alchemy. I travel when I'm not actively manning this store, and my apprentice oversees the store in Stonevale when she can. There, I dealt with the issue miner's get from breathing too much rock dust in the tunnels, where their lungs have trouble getting enough oxygen into the systems. I cam here to Radasanth to force myself to develop different skills in terms of alchemy. Or rather, to hone what I had." I shrugged and looked around the store. It wasn't much, but this place was mine. Then he turned his gaze to her and raised an eyebrow.
"But then, I'm not the only alchemist here. Eteri told me you were skilled yourself - what's your focus in?" Talk with her, make nice, and keep thing from getting too tense. He would make an effort to be polite, for Eteri's sake here if for nothing else. The blue-haired cat girl really did care for her sister, and while Ayaka clearly just thought of him as another tumbleweed in her sister's life, Nevin intended to be a bit more of a permanent fixture than that. So being on at least half decent speaking terms with Ayaka was somewhat necessary. Even if she did seem to go out of her way to be crude.
There was some small talk - Ayaka had mellowed, but only a little, as they discussed Alchemy. She tried to get Nevin to share some of his private recipes but he just smiled and shook his head. In retaliation she had huffed and refused to look at him, touting how everyone else had realized how great it was that she was interested in her knowing their trade. He had simply said he already had an apprentice he was training, and that they were learning his secrets, not someone else.
-
Ayaka had about enough at this point. She stood in a huff. "Fine." She muttered. "We're done here." She tossed him a few gold coins for the potions she had been given, a poison and an antidote. "Don't get your lil panties in a twist. I'll test this in the confines of my own home." She mused at his questioning look. Ayaka had...after all told the man she had planned to drink it herself as that was the best way to figure out potency and how to mimic it.
Nevin...wasn't too happy about the idea of her mimicking his potions but be damned. Ayaka didn't give two shits. "It'd help if next time I come back you got somethin' that helps with the fuckin' cold. Gotta go to Salvar soon...Ugh...fuck that place. Who the fuck even thinks its a good idea to set up there? Oh look!" She threw her hands up in exasperation, still complaining as she headed to the shops exit.
"A frozen fuckin' wasteland, lets set up camp here. its Perrrfect"
The door slammed closed behind her, and she was still complaining loudly even as she walked out of earshot.
One month....
In one month she would return to check in on her sister and if Eteri hadn't made any sort of recovery Ayaka would whisk her away and take her to Tobias. Eteri wouldn't have a choice. That thing needed to be purged, or purified or both. Hell, Ayaka may just have to take a long ass journey and throw her little sister into a burning volcano.
-
What the hill is with all these cat people ....
Workshop rewards
Rewards:
Ayaka receives:
565 EXP
80 Gold
Nevin receives:
1375 EXP
125 Gold
Eteri receives:
670 EXP
80 Gold
Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea.
Robert A. Heinlein
So, I love you because the entire universe conspired to help me find you.
Paulo Coelho
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all rewards have been added.
