In Which The Tea Night Be Poisoned, {Closed}

Nevin took a deep breath, relishing the clean, crisp sea salt air that the breeze was carrying to him. This place absolutely fascinated the alchemist - while there were other places in the world where trees grew near the ocean, this stretch of the Concordia Forest stood as one of the few places where a large segment of a forest actually ran straight out to the ocean, terminating in cliffs in some places, and in others sand covered beaches stretched beyond the trees.

It was places like this that reminded Nevin of just why he traveled. Yes, running his shop was fulfilling, at least for now, he never could get away from the desire to explore, to see the various vistas that the world had to offer. There was just something so satisfying about finding plants that wouldn't grow in other places to see what they were like in their natural habitats - only here, in what was possibly the closest thing to a saltwater forest, would some of these plants ever be found.

High above him the trees loomed, their broad leaves sheltering him from the light of the sun as he trekked through the woods. He wasn't here on a true collecting run - how could he be, when he didn't even recognize some of the plants that were growing here? No, Nevin was currently exploring, carefully taking samples of the parts of various plants, trying to gather a wide selection of carefully pruned cuttings, gathering up scattered leaves, and only uprooting one or two plants that looked withered and dead.

Once he had filled his bag, then he would need to think about heading back so he could start running experiments, finding out what these plants might be good for. But not yet - he felt like he had barely scratched the surface of what this place had to offer. With a wide, easy smile, the first he had sported in months, he continued deeper into the woods.

Why oh why did he skip breakfast?

The briarbane had been following the young man with the dried-blood hair all morning. At Mother's behest, he began his patrol of the outer perimeter of her territory at the break of dawn. Not ten minutes into his morning, he could sniff the boy out. And in the three hours and change that had followed, he stalked him from the bushes.

Watching.

Waiting.

Hungry.

But Mother doesn't want him eating her "guests". She specifically told him not to harm, only to observe. Her words rattle around in his skull. "Just keep an eye on anyone who enters this part of the forest," she had told them all. All of his briarbane brothers and sisters.

"Watch."

"Wait."

The sentry also remembered the other part of Mother's speech, where she allowed some of the venom and anger that always seemed to be bubbling underneath her stoic fa�ade to seep into her words. "Unless they intend to harm me, Hyperion, any of you, or the forest itself. Then you may do as you see fit."

Well, if you asked the briarbane, this boy sure did look like he was going to cause some trouble. The pine green hood of his cloak was pulled up over his head. At last check, it had not rained in two days; so why would one wear their hood up? Only evil people did that. Only those who intended to do harm. Otherwise, why the need for secrecy? Especially when you're miles and days from the closest Rangers outpost or road back to Underwood!

Rangers. The briarbane hated the Rangers, as did Mother. They were always snooping around, trying to figure out how they could reclaim their outpost. The nights where they sent a small party to investigate were the best nights. He and his brothers ate well those nights.

The briarbane thought that this guy looked like a Ranger. He began to salivate in the bushes as he continued to trail the boy. He wore green and brown. Those were the colors the Rangers wore. But... Where was his weapon? His sigil? He was missing all of the standard regalia that the briarbane was used to finding on the corpses of his Mother's tormentors.

Perhaps he was not a Ranger, after all.

Maybe he was just a lost little adventurer.

Maybe even a hero.

Mother hated them both. She had special orders for him and his brothers and sisters should they find one.

They were to be subdued and brought back to the outpost. Mother would interrogate them, and Sister Hyperion would serve tea and cookies.

He always thought Sister Hyperion was too nice to the heroes. But he had to admit, should Mother decide that her guests could never leave the forest, the snacks always added a bit of flavor to their meat.

The briarbane, silently moving through the underbrush, drew closer to the boy with the dark red hair.

Nevin paused by a tree, stretching out his shoulders and back. This place was absolutely fantastic! Even the plants he did know and recognize were taking on different properties due to the proximity of the sea, and were less the plants he knew and more of closely related cousins to what he normally used. It was absolutely captivating to the young alchemist, no matter where he looked this place was vibrant and lush, full of new plants that were unusual all on their own.

How had this place never been tapped? It was a wonderful gamut of plants and animals that were rarely, if ever, seen anywhere else. He could scarcely believe that no one had ever been here before, but at the same time he knew that most of these plants were only cultivated in special greenhouses to mimic unusual environments.

Cobalt, a few times Nevin had thought he'd seen plants moving - but that was just absurd and he had dismissed it out of hand. Even if something as bizarre as moving plants existed, surely they would be in an extremely remote location, not just in a forest in Corone. Nevin looked around once more - the tree he had stopped by was in a good enough place as any, so he sat down, leaning his back against it as he reached into his travel bag, dug past the plant samples, and pulled out a sandwich he had prepared for his lunch. Aphrael had flitted off somewhere, no doubt to scrounge up food for herself, so Nevin was alone as he started to munch his lunch.

The briarbane crouched, his form perfectly still, his vines coiling and ready to strike at a moment's notice.

The blood-haired boy was finally deciding to take a break! This was the perfect moment to strike!

While following him near the shoreline, the briar-woven monster witnessed horrible acts of desecration--the cloaked figure would stop, look around suspiciously, bend over, and tear a still-living, still-breathing plant from the soil and place it in his bag!

The briarbane wondered what kind of monster would do such a thing to another living being. Then, he began to wonder... Was this what Mother meant by people wishing to harm the forest?

Harm meant a lot of things. When he chased down, slew, and consumed pray, he was doing harm to another living being. But thus was the circle of life--one had to eat to live, and he and his brothers could only consume meat. Thus, the harm was justified.

But... Not once did this boy, this trespasser, this adventurer, after snatching dozens upon dozens of innocent plants, proceed to stuff them in his mouth! He put them in his satchel! This was inconceivable to the briarbane. Not only was he stealing from his Mother, he was doing so for no discernible reason whatsoever! He was not partaking in the circle of life, he was just taking to take! This had to have been what Mother meant by harming the forest!

Mother would want to meet this man to pass judgment on him.

And then, if everything worked out in the briarbane's favor, he would finally get to eat.

Nevin had been finishing up the last few bites of his sandwich when he noticed something... Strange, a short distance away. It almost looked like a bush that was staring back at him? Fascinated by what promised to be yet another rare plant, the Alchemist stood up and picked up his satchel again and began cautiously approaching it. The redhead could not believe his luck - this forest was a veritable treasure trove of plants he had never seen before, or had only heard of! So he approached, wondering what a plant with what looked like eye spots might be useful for.

And then the thing roared. And everything for that moment went terribly, terribly awry, and Nevin's good mood vanished like ice in the summer sun. The alchemist should have trusted his eyes when he thought he saw something moving in the brush repeatedly. Animals would not have stayed so close to an intruding presence, so Nevin really, really should have been more suspicious. But his excitement and obsession with finding new and rare plants had blinded him to the danger that was quite literally stalking his footsteps, and now as the twisted creature of vines and bones shriek/roared in his face, Nevin knew he had only one option.

So he took off, sprinting away from the creature as fast as he could. Discarded were the thoughts of wandering in the sun-dappled forest, examining the various plants that he found along the way. No longer did he plan on trying to set up a small camp and stay over night in these woods. No more collecting samples as he traveled.

Nevin needed to get away. And he needed to get away now, whatever the thing that had - a quick check over his shoulder filled Nevin with dread as he realized the thing was pursuing him, far faster than a plant thing should be able to - begun chasing him was not something he had any hope of handling. This forest was supposed to be relatively peaceful, so he had only bothered bringing his dagger with him today!

His terror and panic reached Aphrael, who trilled out in alarm high over head. Nevin could feel her dead, and pushed away, driving thoughts of escape and flight into her head. Whatever this creature was, maybe it was just territorial, and getting far enough away would me it stop chasing him - but he did not want his familiar to be injured trying to protect him. Nevin doubted her claws could so more than annoy this thing anyway. She tried to fight, but she was still too young to resist the urge to flee that Nevin was pouring into her mind, so she stayed high up in the air, safely out of danger's way.

Through the woods he ran, always feeling like the creature was right behind him. Whenever he looked back the thing looked like it was just as close as it had been minutes ago, and not for the first time Nevin wished he was more of a traditional mage. Being able to cast a spell of some kind would be immensely useful here, even as just a distraction, but that was not possible. All he had were blood whips, and he thought that would have about the same effect as Aphrael's claws. That is to say, absolutely none against the monstrosity of vine, flesh, and bone that was pursuing him. Trying to duck through the trees to throw the thing off his trail didn't work either - it seemed to always know where he was, and the one time he had tried to hide behind a tree, vines and tendrils had begun curling around the wood, nearly grabbing him by the neck before he gave up and took off running again.

Just as he was about to give up and let this thing capture him, and likely eat him, Nevin was given hope. Through the trees he could see the glint of sunlight on water, and he sprinted for it. Plants couldn't swim, right? As he broke through the tree line he saw an even better option. A stonework building, moss-covered and without windows, stood on one side of what the alchemist could now see was a lake. With a surge of fresh energy Nevin ran for it - realizing too late there was a stone wall in the way. He tried to jump it, but one foot caught on the edge of the wall and he tumbled head over heels, smashing his face against the ground.

He didn't give himself time to recover though, he could hear the vine-beast closing in on him. With a grunt he threw himself to his feet and sprinted, running through the door and throwing it closed behind him. Nevin slammed his back against it, hoping the wood would hold.

Eight of Diamonds, King of Spades, and the matching Jack.

...Fucking hell, can anything go right today?

All seven of these piles are low numbers. I can't move any of the stupid things over from one to another to free up a slot for the King that's underneath the Eight I can't put anywhere else anyway. I only have the Ace of Clubs right now, and the Two and Three are buried in my flip pile under other shit I can't shift around to begin with.

I flipped the stack of cards over for the tenth time, and desperately tried to find a way out of losing yet another round of Solitaire. My record for today was 1-13.

Maybe I should start using my trick deck.

The soft, hurried pattering of feet echoed down the hall. I looked up in time to see Hyperion lurking in the doorway, her briar-knit hands fidgeting with her facemask. She never wore it around our run-down little fort, only putting it on when she accompanied me on my weekly trips into Underwood or journeys elsewhere--where people could see her monstrous features.

"Did you hear that," she whispered, her four amber eyes flickering with alarm.

I gathered up the deck of cards and slid them back into their case. "Hear what?"

"The door! We have company!"

Company? I wasn't expecting any guests. Not today, not tomorrow, not ever. We specifically picked this place because it was hours, even days off the beaten paths that spiderwebbed their way through the forest. It was near the western edge of Concordia, where most cartographers wrote "here be monsters".

I rose from my chair and tossed the deck onto the table. I hated uninvited guests. As far as I was aware, there were no price tags on my head. Eiskalt considered me dead and gone, the secretive factions that worked for and against the crown in Alerar had not made a move against me ever since I uncovered their little plots. The Coronian Rangers that also made the forest their home learned long ago to stay the hell off my lawn. So, who could it be?

Maybe it was an independent contractor. An assassin who has come to claim my head after months of following my trail to enact revenge for some long-forgotten-by-me grudge. Gods know I've racked up enough of them.

Or, perhaps it was just a lost soul who was caught by my briarbane in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"What should we do," Hype asked, her tone urgent. She had finally gotten her mask in place, and was now working on the vlince gloves that covered the vines of her hands.

I knelt down, running my forefinger against the dusty grain of the floorboards. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath, and dug in. A thousand tiny lights flashed into my mind, each of flickering orbs the life force of every being in a mile. I immediately picked up the glow of a frightened boy, definitely human, here in this house.

"There's just one," I muttered as I pulled myself back into reality. "Probably just got lost in the woods. Go put on a kettle for tea, and we'll see what he's doing here."

Hype nodded, and silently made her way to the kitchen. Cooking always took her mind off of literally everything else that was happening around her. I dug around in a closet for a hooded tunic--no need to put on the suit--and my own polished mythril mask. Covering my face and pulling the hood over my head, I swiftly navigated the halls of the fort towards the front door.

When I finally stepped into the foyer, I was greeted by a young man, barely an adult, with a tuft of messy red hair and a smattering of green and brown clothing. The look in his eye confirmed that he met one of my guards on the way here. It also told me he was going to be no threat whatsoever, as long as he stood inside these walls. Not while I had all this acid and plague and spores at my disposal.

"Hello," I said after a brief pause.

(Fuck it. First person time for me too.)

My heart was pounding in my chest, hammering wildly against my ribs as I pressed myself against the door. I sent a quick prayer to the Crimson - for whatever reason, the unnatural creature outside was not trying to break down the door, despite the fact that I knew it had seen me dive in here.

But, with safety apparently secure for the moment, I looked around. This place was still in disrepair, but not the state that it appeared to be from outside. Now that I was indoors, I could see that it looked... Lived in. Not homey per se, but I could definitely see signs that someone made their home here. And someone, not something - the doors inside were closed, at least some of them, and if an animal had made its dwelling in the abandoned building, it would not concern itself with closing doors behind it.

I heard footsteps before I saw the figure approaching, soft and light. Whoever lived here must have heard the door slam, and I hoped they weren't upset with my taking refuge here. The person came in through a door, and it took me a moment to process.

Human, or humanoid at least. They wore dark brown pants, beaten and worn, hands shoved into the pockets. Their upper half was covered by a mottled brown tunic with long sleeves and a hood that was pulled up over their head. Their face was obscured by a polished metal mask, gleaming even in the faint light coming in through the windows, with four holes carved into it. From each hole came a soft glow of amber as the person considered him.

At least they weren't throwing me out right away. I couldn't tell anything from the short distance separating us, but they didn't seem outright angry at my unintended intrusion, but I was not about to risk pushing matters like that. I coughed to clear my throat, trying to relax the fear tightened muscles, and bowed slightly to her - shooting a nervous glance at the door as I stopped leaning against it.

"Ah, hello there. Sorry for the intrusion,
met a bit of... Trouble, outside and this was the first place I saw that looked safe. I didn't realize someone lived here. My name is Nevin, pleasure to meet you." I couldn't tell from the one short word if the person was male or female - or, Cobalt, humanoid enough to even care.

The worlds that spilled out of his mouth in a stuttering mess confirmed everything I guessed about the boy, this... Nevin.

It kind of surprised me that the briarbane hadn't actually caught up to him during the chase. Not that it would have known what to do once it got their grubby vine-woven mitts on him in the first place.

"Madison," I replied in kind, keeping my tone neutral and aloof as I relaxed. "Been living here for a while now. Couple months or so. Nobody else was here, and I needed a place to hide for the night when we got lost in the woods ourselves. Then a storm hit, and a few days passed."

I offered a shrug. "We ended up getting used to the place, and decided we had nowhere better to be. So we made it home."

Nevin cocked his head to the side, confused. "I'm sorry. We?"

Amber light flashed in my eyes. "Myself and Hyperion. And those."

The boy followed my gesture, his eyes resting on the front door. Instinctively, he took a step away from it. "Those? Those are yours? And there are more?!"

"They won't hurt you, I promise." The look in his eyes said he wasn't going to believe me.

I turned around and motioned with a briar-knit hand for him to follow. "Think of them as my guards. All they do is watch, and when someone gets to close, they lead them to me. If the trespassers are here with ill intent, then they're neutralized. If they just wandered a bit too close, then we'll see that you have safe passage back to the roads that lead to Underwood."

The two of us arrived in an old common room that I fashioned into a living area. Several plush but worn couches were arranged in a triangle around a small, round coffee table that was littered with books and a few pencils. One of the walls was lined with shelving that I dragged from other parts of the compound, packed to the brim with even more books. What can I say, I have a lot of spare time on my hands nowadays.

I threw myself down onto one of the couches, kicking up a small cloud of dust as my weight slammed into the cushions. "Please, take a seat. There's a kettle on for tea, and Hyperion will bring us something to snack on. I don't get to entertain very often, as you can imagine. Now, tell me why you're in my forest."

There was an odd reverberation to her words as she introduced herself. As I followed after her, my head swiveling around to examine this place, she explained that she'd been here for months. I had to admit, finding out that that.... guardian was one of her... Her what, her people? She didn't actually say what they were beyond her guard dogs, but they at least had the intelligence to determine if an outsider was hostile or not.

So... That one had chased me, making a tremendous amount of noise along the way, but now that I thought about it, the only injury I sustained was from when I tripped over the low wall and hit the ground. Did that mean that thing had been pranking me? It did kind of feel like it almost, all the loud noises, the angry attitude and the chase. But that was assigning human emotions to it, nd I didn't even know if it had any. Better not to go sticking terms to things I didn't understand.

Then we entered what had to be a study, and my jaw dropped. If you ignored the bare walla and just focused on what was in there, the place looked downright cozy. Couches arranged neatly around a small table that was currently covered in writing implements and paper, and along one wall were bookshelves shoved to the brim. From here I could see old, worn out tomes that had obviously seen a lot of use.

Anyone who read this much couldn't be that despicable in my books. So when the... Girl? Woman? I still wasn't sure. When she sat down and offered to take a seat, I gingerly sank down onto one of the couches across from her, a small plume of dust and dirt rising up around me as I did so. If those things were her guards, no wonder people didn't come into this stretch of the woods.

I cleared my throat and inclined my head. "I am by trade an Alchemist, Miss Madison. That is the reason I am here, frankly. I explore around, searching for rare or unusual plants and animals, minerals and the like, trying to find new things that will help expand my repertoire of potions, tonics, salves, etc. This particular region is actually abundant in unusual plants, due to the proximity the forest and the ocean have to each other. Generally woods don't grow up to the water's edge as they do here, so I got a bit... Enthusiastic, about samples. There's just so much here that is rarely seen elsewhere that I couldn't help myself." I coughed and colored a bit in embarrassment. I hadn't meant to go on like that.

An alchemist, eh?

So the boy fancied himself handy with a fistful of plant mush and a vial of bubbling chemicals.

Considering my recent... setbacks in the lab, it might be advantageous to strike up a business relationship with him. I could supply the materials, maybe a few books to help guide him and teach him the recipes I need produced. He could do my work for me, and he wouldn't be any wiser about what I planned to do with the potions.

"I used to study alchemy as well," I began. "My, shall we say, employers had me working on poisons practically all hours of the day. But I haven't done any work in the field in, goodness, years now, I think?" I pointedly left out all the bits about my body naturally producing more potent Bad Things than anything most skilled alchemists could brew up in their laboratories and how my talents were ripped from me the day I lost my tainted soul.

"I've since spent my time studying diseases. Bacterial infections, viruses, magically-created plagues. It's a pretty morbid field, but..." I gave a non-committal shrug of my shoulders.

Hype picked that moment to interrupt us, nudging the door open and announcing her presence with a creaking of rusty hinges. She stood there, splendid in the purple and green casual dress she enjoyed wearing whenever we made a trip to Underwood. Sunlight from a nearby window glinted off the polished mythril of her mask. In her gloved hands, she held a silver tray complete with two porcelain cups, a small canvas bag filled with tea leaves she picked up a couple weeks back, a pair of infusers, and a steaming kettle filled with hot water.

Behind her mask she smiled, but the only visible sign of her joy at being able to break out this stupidly expensive tea set of hers was the bright flickering of her amber eyes. "Hello there! You must be our guest. My name's Hyperion! It's a pleasure to meet you!"

My eyebrows shot up to my hairline as I processed this, and felt my pulse quicken. Of all the things I had expected to find in these woods, another alchemist, especially a more experienced one, was nowhere on that list. This trip had just become what was, I would guess, my most successful ever for my alchemical knowledge. If she was willing to share even a small portion of what she knew...

"Fascinating! You're the first alchemist I've met since I finished basic studied and my former master passed away. I've mostly been self taught from texts and personal experimentation. Now, you said you studied poisons and diseases mostly? Were you researching cures? Causation? Ways to accelerate or aggravate conditions? I myself tend towards remedies,
as for now that's what people expect and purchase, so until I have enough liquid assets to fund more extravagant study I have to keep in mind what will sell." I didn't bother hiding the irritation in my voice at that. I had chosen Stonevale because I knew how to make something that would sell well there, but now that I had taken care of the bulk of the problem of the Miner's Lung I was growing anxious to move on and tackle something else.

I also kept quiet on my blood Alchemy. It fell under more personal abilities, and normal Alchemy couldn't do what it could the same way, so I doubted Madison would have any advice on that matter. Before I could continue asking questions, rusty hinges announced someone else entering.

For a moment, a bolt of agitation ran through me. Was this one of the guards, reacting to some unseen command from Madison? Had she decided I was too much hassle or - then I saw the figure entering, and that fear abated. Another mythril mask covering the face - just how similar were their features to those of the briar thing that had pursued me here? - and a casual dress were worn by the person entering the room, carrying an ornate tea set.

Like Madison, this new person, Hyperion, had four amber eyes glowing from her mask. Her tone was much happier than Madison's though, and her eyes seemed to glow with a warmth, while Madison's had what I would have thought was cool interest. I stood up, brushing off the dust that clung to my legs, and bowed to Hyperion before stepping out of the way to let her put her burden down.

"Indeed Miss Hyperion. My name is Nevin, a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

And with that, Hype made a new friend.

Even behind her face mask, I could tell she was pleased as punch. She would want to spend the next fifteen minutes grilling the alchemist about his life, trying to get as much information out of him as she possibly could. The boy was probably skittish enough as it was, being chased through the forest less than half an hour ago by a skulking plant beast and then finding refuge in an abandoned fort that was most certainly already occupied.

I cut her off before she could rattle off questions at a million words a minute. "Hype, can you go get us some biscuits?"

Light flickered in her eyes. "Sure!" The briarbane turned and handed Nevin a steaming cup. "Give it a couple minutes to steep before you drink it," she cooed to him. "You can just put the infuser back on the tray when its done."

And with that, she turned to leave the room, the door swinging on its hinges but not completely closing.

"She's a sweetheart," I said as I snatched a polished sterling silver spoon off the tray and began stirring the contents of my cup. "But yeah, I've dabbled in a lot of things. Method of transmission, various immunities, cures and vaccinations, their effects on different humanoid biologies, and the like."

I didn't want to confirm that I also studied how to make them more resistant to preventative measures and increase the magnitude of the symptoms the infected would suffer. I wasn't taking that chance. Not with what was known about my history and involvement with certain conflicts.

Time for a change in subject. "You said people purchase remedies from you? Do you have a shop? Or are you a member of a guild that will sell your wares for you?"

Well, that was a decidedly more pleasant encounter than I had been fearing at that point. I slowly sat back down, refocusing my attention on Madison as I held the cup of tea in my hand. It was steeping at the moment and smelled wonderful, but it was still a bit too pale for my preferences so I set it back down to let it brew a bit longer before drinking. I listened with most of my attention on my ...host? as she explained what she had been involved in doing in alchemy. For someone who 'dabbled' the list was quite extensive, even if it didn't seem like she had delved down towards causation or aggravation.

So I sat back as she asked if I was a private seller, or a member of a guild, my mind reeling from that casual implication. Had I missed more alchemists? In my wandering I hadn't exactly met a plethora of others who followed in the profession, and yet Madison seemed to be aware of a guild operating. Was it because I was still limited to mostly herbal concoctions, no advancement towards the realm of the mystic applications? Or was it just bad luck, and poor placement? I coughed and shook my head.

"No, no. I'm a private potioneer. My primary business is in the mining town of Stonevale, out towards Scara Brae. But for now, the issue I settled there to deal with, a lung complaint that had to do with rock dust in miner's lungs,
is handled, so I've taken back up to exploring and experimentation when I can. I had no idea there was an Alchemist's Guild - I've been operating without being a member of one for some time, so I don't know if I'd be able to agree with the restrictions such a thing might try to place on me." I shrugged before checking my tea. Perfect, it had brewed to a wonderful shade. I rescued the infuser from the hot liquid, tried to shake as much of the loose tea free so it wouldn't make a mess, and set it carefully back on the tray. I picked the cup up and inhaled. It was a blend I hadn't encountered before, and there was a delicate floral aroma I couldn't quite place. Hm.

I continued stirring my tea. I liked mine a bit stronger, so I'd let it steep for just a bit longer than the boy had.

"Nothing wrong with that," I said with a shake of my head. "I've done my time as an independent contractor. There's good money in it, if you have the right business connections and clientele. It's a good way to build up your reputation, as well. But eventually you're gonna' hit a ceiling, and you're only going to break through it if you join a guild and play by their rules."

I wish I had kept one of their business cards from when I sought to join one. I'd've given it to the kid.

"Stonevale's a small enough town that you're going to be out of luck there, but if you're business there is done, I'd suggest looking into moving to Radasanth. You'd have no problem setting up a shop there and building a customer base, with how many different people travel through that city. They're also home to a couple alchemist guilds. They like to specialize in various forms of alchemy, so you'd probably find one pretty quick that caters to your particular skill set. They have some pretty strict criteria for joining; but once you're in, you'll be set for the rest of your life. They tend to take very good care of their own. Access to stores of ingredients, financial backing to support your business, client recommendations, and so on."

I finally removed my own steeper, tapped it a couple times on the rim of my cup, and set it down on the tray next to his.

"I can't introduce you to one, they don't really like me. But if you decide to set up shop in the city, they'll find you eventually."

I frowned and blew across my tea. That would.. it would help things out, to be sure. But at the same time I wanted to shake my head - the oversight of a guild would likely quickly reveal my blood magic, and while some people accepted me, I doubted people in a larger city like Radasanth proper would do the same. So I sighed and took a sip of the tea, letting the brew wash across my tongue as I tried to think of how to respond. In the end - I couldn't very well tell her why I wasn't comfortable joining a guild, that would just out me to her directly.

"I'll have to consider that. I do prefer finding my own supplies and experimenting, that's why I was out here in the first place. Being reliant on someone else like that for everything doesn't sit quite right with me - but I do thank you for the advice, Miss Madison." It was good advice, just not something I could take. Instead of speaking further, I set my cup of tea down and rubbed one gloved hand against my leg, working out some of the ache that had settled in after my mad dash through the woods. My eyes lit up as I thought about that and I focused on her. I knew she wasn't human - humans didn't have four glowing eyes - but I didn't know what she was. And I was curious about it, so why not ask?

"Ah, if you don't mind the question, what is the relation between yourself and your guardians? Are you a related species of some kind? Or are they some kind of construct? I don't think I've ever seen anything quite like them before." If they were a construct of some kind - were they an alchemical one? She had mentioned that her studies had focused primarily on diseases and poisons, but there was no reason she hadn't branched out from time to time. If something like that could be made alchemically - were they alive? Did it have preprogrammed responses to situations, hence why she had said if they saw someone acting hostile they would go for a kill?

"And with good luck, you won't see any more," I noted flatly over the rim of my cup.

Slowly, I slid just enough of my mask up my face to allow me to sip the steaming brew. I didn't particularly care for it, it tasted like a fistful of weeds soaked in hot water--it certainly wasn't Three-Headed Hydra, that's for sure--but it was good to keep up appearances.

Any minute now, the effects of the salve that lined Nevin's cup would begin to take hold. He'd remember me, he'd remember Hype, he'd remember our conversation; but that's about it. He would forget the compound, the chase that led him here, and what part of Concordia he was even in.

That I kept a small stock of memory hole-puncher poison handy is probably the only reason I don't have anyone who trespasses in my corner of the woods killed on sight.

I slid my mask back into place and set my cup back down on the small table between us. How to answer the boy's question about my briarbane... The alchemist was a curious sort, firing off questions one after the other. It made me feel slightly uncomfortable. So many horrible things I've done, researched, created (some of which I subsequently destroyed)... I figured it would be best to lie to him about their true nature. As far as I was aware, Nevin only considered me an eccentric alchemist living in the woods with her equally weird and manic friend and a few guard dogs at her beck and call.

No reason for him to know that I've dabbled in bioengineering as well.

"They, like me and Hyperion," I began, "are briarhearts. Creatures that were once human, until we were..." What's the best word to use here? Kidnapped? Coerced? Mutated?"

"...changed," I finally chose.

"I won't bore you with the story of how I became one, it's the stuff of dark tales you'd find in the penny fiction section of a bookstore. But my heart was replaced with a parasitic organ that was crafted from the magicks of several forest spirits. It took over my body, replacing my flesh with plant matter."

Filled my lungs with poisonous miasma. Replaced my bodily fluids with acid. Gave me a taste for humanoid flesh and an ever-growing unholy hunger to match.

I shifted my weight on the couch, the rusty springs below the cushions creaking in soft protest. "I do not know how Hyperion came to be one," I lied, "but we crossed paths one day years back and decided life would be easier spent together. The rest of the briarhearts that mill through the forest sort of..." I trailed off, trying to think of how to continue the story. "I guess they congregated around us. Their mental acuity has deteriorated over the years. They call us their mothers."

"It's made bossing them around a lot easier," I added as I reached for another sip of tea.

I placed the tea cup back on the saucer, then sat back as I processed what I had seen and been told. The leather of my glove creaked as I flexed one hand, staring at the back of it, eyes flat as I thought. Even the condensed version was a dark series of events, and one that while not the same, sounded and felt familiar. Someone taken and changed into something other, by people who probably intended to use her for their own purposes.

I slowly pulled one glove off, revealing the hatch work of red lines that ran across my skin. I picked up the teacup again and swirled the brew around, staring into it.

"One would think that people doing things that belong in dime novel horrors would be a rare occurrence. While I don't have a similar hunger to yours or your... Kin's, I'm still finding out things about what was done to me. These lines are some kind of, symbiotic things that have been forcibly bonded with me. I don't know what else isn't human anymore, I haven't examined myself, and those who did it didn't survive the process. I do know they twisted my magical affinity away from whatever it would have been initially, pushing a predilection for blood magic upon me. I don't know if I'll ever get that back or not, or if that's all I have now." I frowned and sat the cup back down without drinking. I had originally thought no one else like me existed - but that twisted thing that had been in the Church gave lie to that. Was I similar to that? Was there a relation between it and I, like between Madison and her 'children'?

This was also the first time I had voluntarily told someone of my blood magic without being forced into revealing it in some way. While I hadn't regretted telling Rainee or Stare about it in the end, I still hadn't been intending to at first. But... Madison had told me what was done to her, sharing information she did not need to, and I could only respond in kind.

"Blood magic, you say?" Now I was genuinely curious. I knew someone who worked with flesh, one proficient with manipulating bone, and now someone who dealt in blood. Lock them in a lab with some spare parts and a few bottles of strong liquor and who knows what would come out of there.

I held out a gloved hand, expecting Nevin to present his own. He did. I leaned forward in my seat, mindful not to bump into my tea cup with my knees as I drew closer for a good look. Sure enough, there was something that bonded with his skin, spiderwebbing out across the back of his hand in dark tendrils. I knew a few things about symbiotic parasites, but this one was foreign to me.

"Can you tell me a little more about this... thing they bonded you with? Do you remember anything about it before the process was complete? Or who did this to you?" I glanced up, meeting his gaze. "Or maybe why?"

I could see it in his eyes that Nevin was not accustomed to discussing this sort of thing with others. I gave his hand a quick, reassuring pat.

"I'm simply wondering, is all. I'm a poisonous, bipedal houseplant with glow-in-the-dark eyes that have seen some weird shit in their time. Nothing you can say will weird me out."

I brought my hand back to my side and lifted it up, thin red tendrils slipping painlessly out from beneath my skin. They wound together into a little coil, and I waved it around in the air as I spoke, curling and twisting. It always fascinated me, though I didn't often pull them out like this, that the tendrils seemed inherently attached to my will. I knew at one point they hadn't been - but whatever force of will had animated them that day was long gone. I took a deep breath, and began to speak.

"They obey my will, and act as extensions of me. They can stretch out about six feet away from my body comfortably for now. They're strong, and dense, and I can choose to have them act in.... Well, an adhesive manner, where they stick to what they touch, which let's me use them to tear things. Their default state is smooth though." I wiggled the coil in the air, twisting it into a simple letter. The tendrils then split apart and wound into individual spirals,though one continued to squirm back and forth. It was... Invigorating, to speak to someone about these. I would need to show Stare my control over these was more than just using them as vicious weapons.

"As for who and why. They were a Cult, devotees of what they called the Church of Crimson. There was an extensive series of rituals - one of which resulted in the birth of a child. More rituals which even now I don't know and don't care to, and then they grabbed a traveler and sacrificed him in a ritual with the child, and I came, a merging of the two. I knew then that their rituals were intended to create a host for some kind of eldritch being, trying to bring it into our world." I grimaced. The things I had learned since that day.... That Cult had been utterly insane.

"The ritual almost worked, but in the end failed. Something came through, and these tendrils are the remnants. But the being itself is gone, it's will shattered and broken with nothing remaining. The cultists did not survive its brief time on Althanas." At that, my tone was flat.

Church of Crimson. Never heard of them, personally. But I guess you're a pretty terrible cult if you're on the street corner handing out recruitment fliers and invites to their fruit punch socials every weekend.

Either way, it sounded like everything had been sorted out, and the only loose end for him to tie up was to figure out how the ritual altered his development, and what he can do with those tendrils. Seems like he has a decent enough handle on them now; but that was for him to worry about, not me.

The soft click of the doorknob announced Hyperion's return. She quietly slid into the room, a polished plate full of neatly-arranged chocolate chip cookies balanced in the palm of her left hand.

"Sorry it took me so long," she said with her usual cheer. "I warmed them in the oven for a few minutes. They're better that way."

The briarbane set the plate down on a short stack of books that littered the table before taking a seat on the couch next to me. What a site we were together--a pair of mythril face masks adorning a couple of plant monsters, one dressed in her harvest festival best practicing perfect posture and politeness, the other in a ratty hooded long-sleeved tunic and wool pajama pants leaning back in the chair, legs splayed apart without a single fuck given.

"Please, Mister Nevin, help yourself!" Hype motioned with a sifan-gloved hand towards the plate, hoping that he would find her cooking agreeable.

I found this moment the best to change the subject. "So, you were mentioning hunting some unique flora near the western shore before you were steered this way. Did you find anything interesting?"

I raised an eyebrow as Hyperion returned, the scent of warm chocolate preceding her into the room. The tray of cookies that she set down beside the tea things did look appetizing, and my lunch had been interrupted by.... By something. I shook my head with a frown and picked up one of the cookies, holding it in my hand as I looked to the masked women.

"Oh yes. There are quite a few variants in this region that - Miss Hyperion, these are delicious - that have either grown to an unusual size or have differing qualities due to the salt content in the air, soil, and nearby water." I had bit into the cookie and chewed and swallowed as I spoke. Warming them was an excellent touch. "There are plants growing in this region that I've only seen in specialized hothouse, or just read about. I've taken some samples but I'll have to experiment with them - some of the things here I've never even heard of before."

As I poke, I nodded to the bag sitting by my feet. The samples I had obtained before stopping for food were gathered there, and thankfully it looked like the satchel hadn't been damaged in flight from... The thing in the woods. Another frown and I rubbed a temple before shaking it off and smiling at my hosts.

"Apologies. It seems the stress is getting to me a bit."

"Have another cookie," Hype said, her amber eyes flickering with polite concern. "Chocolate always makes me feel better when I'm stressed!"

We both knew that the poison was starting to take effect. The momentary look of being lost in their eyes as it started to erase select parts of their recent memory--In about an hour, all that would be left of the Nevin's day would be our conversation. He wouldn't remember this room, this compound, this area of the forest, and certainly not the briarbane that stalked the underbrush, ever vigilant for trespassers.

He'd probably remember the cookies, though. The poison is only so powerful, and they are very good.

I decided it was time to get down to business. I came to the conclusion a long time ago that the alchemist was mostly harmless, and it was pretty obvious that he was excited to happen across some unfamiliar flora, thanks to my home's proximity to the western shores of Corone. I never really went out to explore that area myself, given that my studies are mostly disease-related. I haven't the need to jam some dirty roots in a mortar and pestle anymore. But, perhaps Nevin had some things in his shop that I'd need down the line. The boy did mention that he sort of specializes in healing items. Perhaps we could come to an agreement where I'd ship him shit from Concordia in exchange for ingredients and potions I could use to develop treatments for the nasty things I'm always cooking up in the cellar lab.

"I have an idea," I said thoughtfully. Nevin's eyes lit up inquisitively.

"As you know, I don't like it when people trespass on my property. I've had bad experiences in the past, and plenty of people would love to see my head on a stake. So I have to make sure nobody shows up on my doorstep. And if you think you might find use for the plants that grow here, then that's great. I'm not one to stifle someone's research."

I leaned forward, resting my elbows on my knees and knotting my gloved hands together. "So I'm going to propose something simple. You can take with you what you've already grabbed, but in the future I'd like for you to stay out of my forest. Once a month, I can have a stock gathered by my briarhearts and shipped to your store in Stonevale. We can keep in touch via courier, so you can update me on the progress of your research and give me an update how many samples you need for potions and powders and shit. I'll make the deliveries myself, to guarantee that they get there in one piece."

Amber light flickered from my eyes. "How does that sound?"

Chocolate did help with stress, that was true. At least with the mental effects. Probably one of the substances in the delicious food was responsible for that. That, or just it being delicious in general. I finished the cookie I had and took another one, bowing my head to Miss Hyperion as I did so. Then Madison sat forward, and outlined a proposal for me, and I raised an eyebrow as I thought it over.

The deal was...strange. It seemed to favor me far more than it did her. Perhaps she valued her privacy that highly? Or also a possibility, she was that much of a proponent of alchemy that she didn't mind helping another alchemist out. Still, I felt a bit bad about taking advantage of her like this when she was offering to help me out in such a way. But...how to make it more equitable? She was offering to bring these things to me, how could I...? Ah. Her focus perhaps? She had studied diseases, whereas I focused more primarily on healing agents and the like. Was she then, offering to help me out in this way, in exchange for future favors, possibly for information on discoveries I make? Hm. My head swam for a moment and I shook it, trying to focus back in on the conversation.

"That... sounds like quite the beneficial arrangement, Miss Madison. I can't deny that not having to come out here to gather supplies would increase the speed with which I do research on the plant life in the area - there is only so much I can carry by myself after all. I'll have to think of something I can offer you to even the bargain but... I don't think that will be now... Apologies, it's becoming...." Ah. If she wasn't offering to help me in the future, I might have thought that Madison and Hyperion had poisoned me. I dropped one hand to my leg and pressed against the artery there, trying to check my pulse - it seemed only mildly elevated, so I wasn't reacting to something unknown. I shook my head roughly, bringing the women back into focus as I stood up. My motions didn't seem unsteady in the least, just difficult to think straight.

Likely a result of the adrenaline rush that I had experienced running through the woods from....whatever had been chasing me. I frowned. That was strange. I remembered being terrified, but of what? I couldn't picture what it was that had chased me....where? I remembered...water? But.... I was near the sea. Maybe I fled from something by the ocean? There were certainly enough predators in the waters that could be a threat, and the ocean was something I hadn't put a lot of time into studying yet.

"Perhaps I should take my leave now, ladies. I seem to be rather exhausted, and I believe i should make it back to my camp and rest. By your leave?"

I smiled behind my mask as I watched the alchemist, his mannerisms becoming more tired, his speech becoming a touch slurred. The poison was working.

"Don't worry too much about repayment. I don't have much need right now, but I might want a few things from your shop down the line. I'm not going to hold it over your head; I'll just make a few requests for potions or ingredients for my own work."

Nevin rose from his seat on shaky feet. Hype was immediately at his side, offering to steady him by draping his arm around her shoulder.

"If you insist on leaving, then I will help you back to your camp," she cooed. "We can't have our new friend collapse in the woods from exhaustion! That would be rude and unbecoming of us!"

I stood as well, knowing that our meeting was coming to a close. I picked up the tea tray and the leftover cookies, stuffing one in my mouth as I turned towards the door. "You'll be safe as long as Hyperion is with you. It was a pleasure meeting you, Nevin. I look forward to working with you in the future."

My arm was taken and I was steadied as Madison told me she looked forward to working with me in the future. I honestly felt terrible about suddenly leaving like this, when they had been such gracious hosts to someone who unexpectedly dropped in on them like this. But my head was aching rather fiercely at this point, and I knew that if Hyperion hadn't come over to support me I probably would have ended up collapsing on the floor. Hardly becoming, especially when I had only known these women for.... For a short time.

"Indeed Miss Madison, and I look forward to working with you in the future as well. I'm not sure how much longer I'll be in Stonevale for the long term,
but I will make certain to alert you when I relocate. You'll have to let me know if your bodies can.. Can handle the same substances that human ones can - I would feel terrible if I gave you something your body couldn't process." Not to mention the fact that I despised working and having my potions be ineffective on someone. Or working in entirely the wrong manner - like what had happened with Fenn the first time I met him.

Hyperion was gentle and kind as she helped me out of the building - soothing noises came from her, as well as a potent, heavy wave of lilac perfume. I was only able to give her a rough estimate of where my camp had been - my flight from the ocean had scrawled the directions in my head. Thankfully she seemed to know the lay of the land quite well, and not too much time passed before we had reached my small little camp. Aphrael met us there, perched on the end of my tent, and she trilled a greeting to the woman helping me - which I translated, then explained my familiar before weakly breaking free from the plant-woman's support.

I bid Hyperion goodbye, and waited for her to leave before crawling into my tent and falling asleep. I felt like I was missing something, but for the life of me I could not place what it was. Still, Aphrael watched over me and let me sleep in peace.

~Fin~

Name of Thread: In Which The Tea Might Be Poisoned
No Judgement

Rewards:

Nevin receives:
1320 EXP
135 Gold

Briarheart receives:
1940 EXP
125 Gold

Blood is that fragile scarlet tree we carry within us. ~Osbert Sitwell

Gardening is cheaper than therapy and you get tomatoes. ~Author Unknown

All rewards have been added.