Nevin blinked several times, processing the fact that a fancily dressed woman had just come up to him at the table where he was sitting. A cream, or maybe egg-white, colored dress that had been in storage for some time was trailing along the ground behind her, while she had - Wait is that an ochre sash? Where on earth did she even find that? He shook his head and focused on her, wondering why she had stopped to come to talk to him. His head tilted to one side as he listened to her - there was something weird about her voice, though what it was he couldn't quite place - and shook his head.

"Ah, n-" His response to her initial question - that he hadn't been trying to wave her down, but rather he was waving at his friend that he had just seen - was interrupted by her sudden notice of his alchemical text. Again there was something strange about her voice. It wasn't quite right, not light enough to match her stature, but he'd seen enough people that he knew some had differing voices. No, he didn't know what was wrong but it was tickling at the back of his mind, an idea that something about her was not as it seemed. He glanced down at the book and nodded, slightly off-balance by her almost aggressive interest in what he was doing.

"This is an alchemic text book, and I, madam, am an Alchemist. My skills have not yet been turned towards an application of straight healing. This are recipes for potions, salves, and tonics to remedy physical maladies." Right. Now he was back on solid footing, talking about his skills and training. Firm once more, he looked up at the woman that had approached him, finally appraising her beyond her odd attire. And now he was processing that more than just her voice was off. Her face looked.... Nevin frowned. Her face looked almost too.. like a doll that had come to life, a mannequin with a mobile expression. But not quite - there was life to the expression, this was no crafted golem - a simple golem would not have been able to react to changes in its environment so rapidly, or been able to recognize that it had been waved at. No, whatever was this girl was - wait. Looking at that too perfect face, was it a girl? This wasn't like Elthas' 'beauty' - Elves all seemed to be too pretty. This was something else. And that hair was unnatural - a person so young wouldn't have that hair without albinism being an issue, and if this person was an albino, they'd have had pale skin - they had dark skin - and red eyes from blood vessels. Instead their eyes were a.., purple? And were those...?

"Why do you have runes on your eyes?" This was said under his breath as Nevin peered up at the standing girl - individual. The corset they were wearing was clearly designed with a mind to emphasize a bust line, and this person's chest was as flat as Nevin's own. A cross-dressing man? No, that wasn't right either, the voice was wrong for that. Before he could keep asking the person just what was going on - or just what they were - Elthas showed up. The social butterfly blew in like a hurricane, greeting them both and apparently not noticing that there was something wrong with the woman before him - and asked a question before running off, to talk to a man who was speaking a short distance away, to a group of kids. Nevin shook his head and started to focus back on the woman again, only to see from the corner of his eye when Elthas tossed a coin at the speaker and then flit back over.

Maybe social hummingbird was a more apt description for the overly active individual. He didn't even give anyone a chance to reply to him really before flitting to the next person that had caught his attention. Nevin shook his head with a slight smile - having some time apart from the Elf had given him a chance to process everything that had happened that day, and he no longer felt quite as suspicious about the other man. He shrugged slightly. "Things have been... well, for a given value of the term, Elthas. Managed to track down some strange acid-spewing lizard in the woods, not quite sure what I can use the parts for in my alchemy. And yes, to answer your question, I did get the shop set up - Herbal Magick, obviously closed as I am out here and having breakfast. Yourself?" He shot an apologetic look at the... strange... individual that had come up to him. He hadn't expected to have Elthas just throw himself about like a leaf on the window from one conversation to the next.