Nevin stopped staring at the hound outside of his shop - who he was happy to note was not actually trying to break the glass, but seemed content to slobber all over it - and turned down to stare at the latest message the boy had given him. That was when his brain died for a moment as his eyes widened. The boy in front of his counter was gray.

He was gray, he had been writing messages in frost he had created just by holding his hand above the wood and as he scratched at a bug bite on his cheek, black blood oozed to the surface, which the child quickly wiped away while sucking on one of the honey candies. Nevin’s mouth opened, closed, opened again, closed again, and he swallowed.

“By Crimson. You're a Snow Fae.” Nevin’s hand leapt to his graphite as he rapidly started scribbling, his mind blazing as his obsession crept over him. The child was right, the normal paste for bug bites wouldn't work - not if he could create frost just by being. Nevin quickly scratched out the formula for the paste and began running through it, jotting down which ingredients were crucial and which could be discarded or replaced. There was one vital plant that would need to be replaced - and without looking up from his notes he snatched away the powder bottle, moving it to the far end of the counter from the boy.

“No, no that won't do that becomes toxic when dropped below that temperature… But what if I substituted…” Nevin bit the end of his thumb as he frowned and drummed his fingers against the counter. “Cobalt. I wish that blasted Clemonts woman had managed to finish her research.” Distractedly, Nevin flicked his eyes back to the cold child. “My name is Nevin, youngling. The thick goop won't be affected by the cold, it's too dense and none of the ingredients react negatively. I'll need to concoct a new medicine for the bites though. Without even a proper reference to check!”