The older alchemist reached out and ruffled her hair, trying to reassure her as she looked so painfully sad and small on the cot. Then he kneeled down in front of her, bringing his face closer to hers so she didn't have to crane her neck back to look at him.
"I would say the first thing is, to listen to me when I tell you that there is no shame in crying. There are times to put on a brave face and not let others see you cry. But when you are here, you are safe, and your guard can be relaxed. I am no idiot villager, condemning you for being human. I will not attack you for any tears, and you need never apologize for them." Especially not when he knew that he had literally told her there was a good chance she was on the verge of a heart attack at any given time, if her magic had not been keeping her going. He stood up and brushed off his knees, then took a hand and pulled her to her feet, leading Felicity to the workstation where the other solution was brewing. He let one arm drop to his side while the other indicated the table.
"The first step in making sure you survive what your power has done to you is, making sure it doesn't make your blood kill you first. The blood thinners will do so. I could theoretically lower the density of your blood with my magic, artificially thinning it, but that has a good chance of causing shock to your system. The medicine will extend that out and give your body and magic time to adjust to the changes." He nodded to the pills on the table, identical to the ones she had set on the edge of the cot. Then he indicated the bubbling potion in a pot over a burner.
"This is the next step. I haven't yet identified what the serum is or how it provides you a boost, but what I was able to determine is that it triggers a cascading effect of hormone production. The power makes hormones that make you stressed, which produces more hormones that make you more stressed, and so on. That brew should, theoretically, prevent your system from fully bonding with the first, artificial, dose of hormones." Nevin turned to her and took one shoulder gently in a hand.
" You will still get angry, but it shouldn't be as bad, and it shouldn't last long past your fifteen count." He took a deep breath, and squeezed the Felicity's shoulder. "The last thing I would suggest ties into the first. Find someone you feel safe talking to. Speak with them. Share with them the things that stress you out in your normal life as well. I know full well the temptation to keep things bottled up, wrapped up inside where no one else can see. But all that does is hurt us. They say a burden shared is a burden halved, and I have found that knowing someone is on your side and knows of the pains you are dealing with, is enormously helpful for a heavy mind."
He took a deep breath and stepped back, placing his hands on his hips as he looked to the workstation. " And I promise you. I do not think of what I've given you as a final solution for your problems, dear Felicity. This is to help you in the here and now - I still intend to find a real solution, something that would help you on your daily life. I will keep looking." He nodded to her, his face full of concern.
