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!"