A Potion Made for Two [Closed, Nevin]

[ArcanaFate]

"Go on, lass! Use yer feminine wiles an' git tha' man werkin' fer ye! Kahahaha!"

This was the best option for what they needed, according to Nan. Ezra was very thankful that the town's interest in Nevin had begun to dwindle finally after the Goblin incident. Out of everyone in the town, the alchemist had been by far the best resource when it came to anything magic. The town's library, if one could even call it as such, had mostly useless material on magic and most of the travelling merchants that passed through often didn't carry spellbooks. And if they did, it certainly wasn't cheap.

So, Nevin it was.

After asking their 'landlady' Nan for advice on what to do to get someone's attention, the older woman had seemed almost shocked. Up until this point, Ezra had expressed little interest in anyone in the town, and now out of the blue, they were suddenly wanting somebody's eye? Not only that, specifically the, in Nan's words, 'attractive redheaded scholar who I wish would visit?' The Homunculi didn't wish to know why she wanted Nevin to visit, but could only affirm their decision. The woman had cackled madly, and dragged Ezra through some kind of extensive primping ritual to 'look their best for that man'. And with one last piece of advice about feminine wiles, Ezra was sent on their way in the night armed nothing more with 'beauty', a small lantern, and a haphazard plan.

Each step along the dirt road was carefully placed as Ezra didn't want to ruin the robe Nan let them borrow. It was a dark green in color, complete with a silver trim around the edges. The sleeves were long and loose, sliding past their hands and enveloping them entirely from view. Their hair was styled differently from their usual braid, with Nan specifically saying not to pull the green ribbon until they really needed to surprise the man. They didn't quite understand all of the instructions that the old woman had given, but the ribbon in the hair had been the most confusing. Wouldn't it just let Ezra's hair flow free? What does that do for impressing men, exactly? Such an oddity.

Now standing before the alchemist's shop, Ezra pondered for a moment if this had been a mistake. Talking to Nevin in the evening after a majority of the town had gone to sleep made the most sense, but what if he was in bed as well? It would be rather inconsiderate to bother him over a curiosity. But the answers were needed. If finding out their origin gave them a clue to opening their tome, even the smallest of hints, disturbing Nevin's sleeping pattern for a time would be a worthy sacrifice. The light from the lantern flickered slightly as Ezra paused for a long moment. After a few deep breaths, they used their free hand and quickly knocked against the shop's door three times and asked in a quieted voice,

"Nevin, are you here? I have an inquiry that only you can assist me with."

[Nevin]

Burning the midnight oil had long ago become a habit, as had brewing stimulant concoctions to help him with the reduced amounts of sleep. Things had been getting progressively quieter in town once again, as days upon days had passed without anything of note occurring beyond the 'shopping trip' of Vaeron and Celandine - though most of the town wasn't aware of the trip, just that there had been a ruckus. But now with things once more returning to a peaceful state, the alchemist was able to pick back up in his studies and his work. He had begun making headway, he felt, on understanding some of the runes that he had written down about Ezra's eyes - but he had only seen them for a few moments, so his recollection was rough, at best. They seemed to be..... signs of preservation? That was the closest analogue that he could find based on what he remembered. But why would that be needed on a living person's eyes?

Still. Right now he was actually studying up on alchemical magic - magic based on transmutation, and an understanding of what it was that an individual was working with. It was slow going, even for him - he only had a few texts that dealt with the subject at all, as they were extremely rare and difficult to come by. Not only did he have to work on memorizing the various physical components of different materials - more than just the plants and herbs he normally worked with, but also organic remains of animals, and stones and minerals as well - he also had to memorize various magical meanings and traits that they all had. Even for an intelligent mind, it was a slog and a half to accomplish. Hence why, deep in the night after most people had retired for the night, he was awake and working on memorization.

So when a knock came at his door, rousing him from his studies, the alchemist was still awake. Grumpy, a bit irritated, but awake. So he stood up, quaffed a bit of stimulant, and headed through his shop towards the front door. It wouldn't be the first time that someone had come to his work in the this late, looking for medicine or something. So to the front door he went, unlocking it with a tired hand - and stood there, staring blankly at Ezra who was once again in fancy, somewhat provocative attire - or what would have been, twenty five years or more ago. He rubbed his eyes tiredly, and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Miss Ezra - why are you here this late? Is something wrong?" Hopefully nothing too serious was the matter here. Trying to create a specific medicine this late might be problematic.

[ArcanaFate]

He was awake. Ezra wasn't quite expecting such a quick answer to their knocking, but apparently he had yet to go to bed for the evening. Once again, Ezra gave the alchemist a look over. By human standards, it could be argued that the man was somewhat physically attractive. His red hair was definitely uncommon compared to most of the other humans they had seen. But the concept of physical beauty had been lost on the Homunculi; it served them no purpose as far as they could tell. They knew their looks were different compared to everyone they had met, but why did Ezoreth make them look this way physically? Was it some sort of desire to appear like this? Or perhaps it was a side effect of the ritual, perhaps?

Wait, how long had they been standing there?

Ezra quickly shook their head and made their way into the shop regardless of whether Nevin wanted them there or not. The store was rather quaint in appearance, and was designed simply enough for anyone looking for something in particular would be able to find it with ease. There were a few potions on one of the shelves, but apparently Nevin's popularity in the town had increased sales. Or maybe he kept a low stock. Who knew? They kept their back to Nevin, doing their best to not make eye contact with the man. It was already surprising enough that he had seen the runes in their eyes, but what they were about to ask could give some rather unsatisfactory results.

But the knowledge was worth the risk.

"Sir Nevin, I must ask two small favors from you before we begin. First, please close the door. And second, I must ask once again that you keep the knowledge you learn to yourself." They waited for him to close the door before continuing. "You have proven to be quite a capable man as of late. Your alchemical skill saved lives during the goblin attack and word around town has been quite positive. Elthas seems to hold you in high regard, and you have been a curiosity in my eye for some time now. What I ask of you is quite a task, and one I do not expect to be solved quickly."

They shifted in stance, relaxing their shoulders. The first request was an easy one to be fulfilled, but the second would be a little harder to get answered. "I have two requests, in all honesty. If I may, I would like to study under you the art of alchemy. It was very beneficial during a time of need and a skill I could definitely harness." Taking a deep breath, they placed the lantern on the nearby counter and shifted their head slightly so they were looking over their shoulder. The light flickered slightly, the dim yellow-orange of the flame giving a shadowed silhouette to the Homunculi. Nan's shrill voice rang in their head, reminding them of the ribbon in their hair. With a careful reach to not knock into the counter, they pulled the green thread and let their off-white hair descend, revealing its full length. Although the usual braid Ezra had their hair tied into reached to about mid chest, their hair without any braid descended down to their lower back. They gave their head a quick shake, but kept the over the shoulder gaze locked into Nevin's eyes.

"My second request is much more personal in nature, and will require your talents." They reached up to the clasp of the robe, undoing it quickly and letting the robe sleeves slide down from their shoulders until it reached a stopping point at their elbows. The top half of the robe remained undone but hung loosely, and peeks of the Homunculi's back flashed between the long locks of hair.

"Nevin, can you... examine my body?"

[Nevin]

Nevin was a bit surprised, and confused to see Ezra there, so when she pushed past him into his shop he didn't even really have a response to that. It took him a little bit to process what had happened, and by then she was already firmly in the building. He closed the door and turned to follow after her. When she asked that he close the door he frowned and made sure it was shut and locked - of she was asking for privacy, it would hardly do for someone to come rushing in needing help from him.

And then she asked to become his apprentice and Nevin felt a chill run down his spine. Ezra had already shown a great interest in magical arts, so this shouldn't surprise him. But he hadn't expected it, not so soon. The Goblins attack and his medicines must have made more of an impression on her than he had realized.

The problem was, currently Nevin himself didn't know magical alchemy. He had been getting by solely through his herbal skills, and his blood potions. While he could probably start her training as an herbalist, the second half of his potions was not an art that he could pass on to her, which she would no doubt eventually want.

No, no. For now, he would have to reject her request - he couldn't afford someone else to find out about his blood magic, the two who knew already felt like he was pushing it. Back in Salvar he would already have been chased out of town or killed, no need to tempt fate like that. So he would have to deny her - at least for now, until he had actually learned the magical side of Alchemy and could hide his blood magic better like that.

Then her second request peirced the veil of worry and concern and his head shot bolt upright, so fast that the alchemist knew his neck had cracked with an audible sound. He hadn't been paying attention to her as he threw his tired, sluggish thoughts at answering her request to become his apprentice. Now this was coming back to bite him, as she was already half-stripped by the time he had processed what was going on.

"Mi-Miss Ezra! Isn't this something you should be doing with a female medic!? Even if I am skilled I am still a man and not appropriate for this!" Nevin knew, he just knew, that he was blushing furiously as he stammered. He also flat out refused to believe that this was not tied to a medical issue - women just didn't wander into his shop and start stripping after all. His dark red eyes were fastened on the ceiling as he studiously did not look in her direction.

[ArcanaFate]

"...I am confused. Why would I need to see a female medic? A person's sexual organs do not define their skill in their craft. You are the most qualified in alchemical knowledge currently in the town. You clearly saw the runes in my eyes, you can read alchemy symbols, and you have proven to hold certain secrets and can be trusted... somewhat. I admit I am not entirely sure of your intentions, but I need answers and you are the best one to assist me."

Ezra looked to Nevin with a curious expression, noticing the reddening of his cheeks and his inability to make eye contact with them. Was the alchemist embarrassed by their appearance? They sighed and pulled their long hair over their shoulder, exposing their back and upper arms entirely to him. What were once was hidden by white locks now stood out clearly against Ezra's darker skin. A multitude of magic symbols were tattooed across their body, from the neck down to the lower back and to mid-arm. The pure white symbols seeming to glow in the candlelight, giving off an ethereal aura. Their placements seemed random, but there was an obvious focal point on the right shoulder. Specifically, there was a lack of symbols in a six inch circle. However, the edge of the circle had many complicated runes, a strange mixture of alchemy, healing magic, even necromancy. There were also several other markings, even words in other languages but they seemed to weave in and out. And where there were no symbols, scars of various sizes lay against the skin. All had healed over well, and most looked to be surgical in nature, but a few seemed more recent and from Ezra's travels.

The Homunculi turned slightly, keeping one arm draped over their chest and pinning their hair down. Although they did not understand society's embarrassment and confusion of the nude form, they remembered from their time on the farm that a lady must keep their upper body covered as it was considered inappropriate in most company. And if this town was to know them as a woman, they would have to continue to play the part to the best of their knowledge. A sudden thought rushed into their head as they looked to Nevin. What would the man want as payment for the assistance? Ezra had little gold to speak of; Ezoreth, in his planning, hadn't considered that their home would be destroyed by his magics. Maybe they would go hunt some game and cook Nevin a nice meal. If he was up this late, it was likely the man wasn't getting much sleep or eating well. But would that be enough?

"Sir Nevin, I realize I ask these favors without considering a form of payment for services rendered. Is there something I can do for you in return?"

[Nevin]

Whatever words Nevin was going to say in response to her rather odd statement were frozen solid in his throat when he looked up and caught a view of her back. Arcane sigils stretched out across the smooth dark skin, and his mind ground to a halt as he tried to figure out what it was that he was seeing.

Step. The movement brought him closer, the symbols etched upon her skin now standing out in sharp, clear relief. The exhaustion that had settled over his mind as the night wore on was now cleanly banished as his dark red eyes scanned the scarred expanse of bare flesh. She turned, one hand up to preserve her modesty as she asked him something, but her words, oddly flat though he didn't notice it, slid off of his thoughts like water off of glass. One symbol, brought to focus as she turned, caught his attention, and Nevin's thin hold was snapped.

Nevin gripped her shoulders and spun her around, once more facing her back towards him. Whatever she had said didn't matter - he had recognized that symbol. He needed to figure out what he was looking at. Swift steps carried him back into his kitchen and through it to his writing desk, where he snatched up the notebook and text he had been copying runes down into. Long strides brought him back out where he reoriented her again so the light caught the symbols, bringing them into clarity.

His fingers brushed against the rune he had recognized, then his gaze shot down to his notes where he had just finished inscribing a shirt list. The one that had caught his eye wasn't in that list, but he knew he had seen it, so the alchemist switched his attention to the text. There, skipped over because he hadn't yet run across a plant or mineral that had it as an associated runic property.

Motion. Nevin bumped against his counter. While there were other runes attached to that one, modifying it, this rune was a core rune, meaning whatever array it was in, this was the focal point. He spun her, and mirrored on the other side there, it was again, in an identical array. And at the base of her neck, in an even more elaborate array. Now that he knew what he was looking at, looking for, he could see other alchemical runes on the woman's flesh.

There were other runes, there, runes that meant nothing to him, branches of magic he didn't recognize on sight. But he had seen enough to know that whatever had been done to her, it had warped her. His eyes went wide and he sagged back against his counter.

"Fertile Crimson. What...." words to describe, to question, to analyze - they escaped the normally eloquent alchemist, and he stared, dumbfounded, at Ezra's back.

[ArcanaFate]

Shivers ran down Ezra's spine at the alchemist's touch, body almost tense at how vulnerable they felt. They were never one for physical contact; they would often do the bare minimum and follow social cues that they knew of. But it was fleeting at most; a handshake, a pat on the cheek. Being held, turned around and examined closely... it was difficult not to shrug from the man's grasp. They remained still for a few moments longer as Nevin ran off into another room and returned with what Ezra could tell was some form of tome, perhaps something regarding alchemy? They weren't entirely sure. But as the alchemist ran his fingers over a part of their back, the Homunculi's body shuddered again in surprise. This ticklish feeling that their skin had was odd, but not entirely terrible. Another inquiry for a different day. The priority were the runes and symbols.

"Sir Nevin? I... kind of need an answer to my questions." They turned to face the man, head tilted slightly to the side. Although their arm and hair covered up their chest and one side of their abdomen, their were even more runes and arcane symbols marked along their chest and stomach, and seemed to descend below the waistline of the robe. Their eyes locked with his, and the golden runes embedded within flashed for a moment with magical energy.

"Oh yes, I suppose if you could examine the runes in my eyes as well, that would be greatly appreciated. I suppose I should have asked that prior but I had not thought of it when first inquiring about the other runes. Alas, I am moving away from our discussion. Do you understand any of the runes on my body?" Ezra began moving closer to Nevin, getting within a foot and a half of distance between them. They were curious as to why he had been so quiet after initially seeing the markings, but maybe he had never seen alchemy marks on a living being?

[Nevin]

Unknown to either of the people inside, outside the shop a young boy had come looking to see if the Alchemist was still awake to sell him some candy. He knew he shouldn't have been out this late, but his mouth had been hurting and Nevin's candy made it stop. So he had pressed his face against the window, peering inside to see if the man was up - and watched, confused, as the white haired woman stepped closer to the Alchemist, who was leaning back a bit. Amazed, and not wanting to interrupt, the boy ran off to home to tell his parents. This would, unfortunately for Nevin and Ezra, start a whole new slew of rumors as the mother of the boy was a notorious gossip, and a late night rendezvous was prime material to work from.

Meanwhile, Nevin was locked in a temporary rigor mortis. His mind was working furiously as he tried to figure out what was going on with the markings all across the woman's body. Now that she had turned around he could see more - but his eyes had become fastened upon hers, because not even in his obsessive state was he going to just look at a naked woman's torso even if it did seem to be with permission! The shock of her facing him again had thrown him out of the frenetic mental state, and he took a moment to shake his head roughly before resolutely locking his eyes upon hers. This was.....only a slightly better option as she stepped forward into his space, her eyes growing much larger and filling his field of view. They were almost... entrancing, shimmering gold dancing in the candlelight, glinting off of the runes that were traced, etched, somehow set into the golden orbs. He took a deep breath - a whiff of a floral scent, faint, but pleasant slipping into his nose - and bit the inside of one cheek to focus his mind back on her actual words.

"I... My apologies for laying my hands upon you Miss Ezra. I was...not quite myself there." He cleared his throat and slipped out from in front of her, trying to get some distance. He wasn't sure what was going through the woman's mind. "Ahem. As for your first question, I will.... unfortunately need to deny it for the time being. While I am skilled in the arts, I do not consider myself at a level where I could safely train someone else, not in anything beyond the herbal side of things." With that hopefully dealt with, he could deal with the more pressing issue of just what in Crimson's name was going on with the runes that were apparently spread across her entire body. A momentary flash of white lines diving beneath a waistline dancing in his memory sent a bolt of red across his cheeks which he quickly tried to suppress.

"As...for the runes, upon your body. Yes. I do recognize at least some of them." Now on safer ground, he picked up his notebook, leaving the larger tome on the counter for the moment. "Now. Ahem. In my studies, I have found that each of the major schools of magic tend to have a certain flair to writing runes, if they use the things in the first place. From what I could see, roughly a third of the runes upon your frame belong to the Alchemical Arts. I do not know enough - proof that I am not fit to teach yet - to understand them all, but I do understand a few. Runes of cohesion, mobility, the like. Now, I said a third - because I can see at least two other schools of magic at work here, and they should not easily combine like they seem to be on you. You have not, I hope, been noticing feeling like your body is rejecting itself? Though.. there were runes for a strange....adaptability? Not quite... I didn't see them for long. Ahem." He was flicking through his notes as he spoke, not looking at her once more. He also didn't respond about her eyes yet - he felt that if he looked into them again right now, he might just get lost in them. Which was....weird. She was entirely too close.

[ArcanaFate]

"There is no need to apologize, Sir Nevin. I asked you to examine me; I should not expect to not be touched or moved for your convenience. Do not assume due to my physical stature that I am some sort of delicate child who needs coddling; as long as you are not too rough, I can handle you maneuvering me around." Ezra used their free hand to give the man a few reassuring pats on the shoulder.

As he went on to deny the teaching request, the Homunculi seemed to deflate slightly, shrinking down a little shorter than they were standing currently. They had somewhat hoped that a working apprenticeship of sorts would allow Ezra to learn more about the economics of the area but to study human interaction.

And Nevin.

Learning more about Nevin had become another focal point in Ezra's research, and the man certainly didn't help by maintaining such distance from the villagers. There were rumors he was married and had a child with a catfolk, that he wasn't even human and was some sort of spirit from the forest due to his constant travel in and out, and he had no family because he murdered them all and is hiding out under a new name. Some say he was a pirate captain, retired after getting his fill of gold and adventure. Others claim he is actually a fraud, who swindles people out of their gold and then vanishes into the night. He never acknowledges or denies any of the rumors when confronted, so some say they're all true. Based on that, supposedly he's a fraudulent retired pirate captain spirit of the forest who's on the run for murdering his family and his current alias was married to a catfolk with child. Their brow furrowed; that made no sense and was rather silly, right?

Their obsession over the rumors almost had them ignore Nevin's findings, and their eyes focused right back to attention. So, apparently only a third of the runes were alchemic in nature; the other two were out of his jurisdiction. The runes he had uncovered were for cohesion and mobility, which, pondering upon how Ezoreth would have created the body, made a good amount of sense. He would want the body to be mobile and functioning as much as possible, but then what were the other two styles of runes Ezoreth had used? Wasn't Ezra just a simple Homunculi? Apparently there was more to it than that.

"I see. And... no, Sir Nevin. I am not suffering from any physical ailments of any kind due to the various runes. I imagine that when I was... born, for lack of better terms, that there was the utmost care put into each rune. You have obviously noticed the... unnatural presence behind my existence. However," they paused, moving slightly closer towards the alchemist, "You have not mentioned my eyes. Are you unable to decipher anything within? Are you, perhaps, having difficulty looking at them due to the low light? If I can do anything to aid your research, please do not hesitate to ask. I would like to believe that I am well-versed in magical knowledge, but I do experience... difficulties."

[Nevin]

Nevin caught the deflation - she seemed to crumple inwards on herself, and for a moment he felt like an utter ass for not just agreeing to it. But he knew that he had to hold true to what he said - for now, at least, he was not a viable teacher for her. But... "zi suppose if it means so much to you, I can have you help me around the shop. Might not be a full apprenticeship, but you might pick up a few herbal remedies and the like."

Then her eyes came back into focus and she stepped closer to him, making him swallow uncomfortably. She was pressing him on examining her eyes, and was once again a fair bit too close and he could smell that blasted floral perfume again. He drove his fingers into the side of his leg, only his clothing preventing him from drawing blood, and tried to concentrate on what she had asked.

"I.... See. Please, Miss Ezra, keep your distance it is not proper!" He coughed and slipped further away, trying to regain some breathing room - not realizing that he had backed himself into a corner of she approached him again. "N-now then. As for your eyes. There were more alchemical runes there, along with one of the other schools, but fewer of the third. I was working on deciphering what I remembered of the tunes in your eyes when you came in - the one I figured out has something to do with preservation, or maybe that means storage or holding? Hrm." He had taken his text with him as he retreated, and now Nevin was holding it up, trying to use the old book as a shield as he fastened his eyes into it. " I believe with more time and study I might be able to figure out more..."