“Hm. No. Needs more chacrona.” He separated out the plant he needed from the second pouch and added it to the concoction, judging it as he stirred.
“Looks like you're just making a vegetable stew.” Nevin paused and raised an eyebrow at Timin. He hadn't realized that the boy was still hanging around.
“At its base, Alchemy is similar to cooking yes. However many of the ingredients used in Alchemy are not safe to eat - this mixture would kill a little sprog like you so don't go trying to sneak some.” Teaching and warning the boy, Nevin waved the clean end of the spoon in his face for a moment before returning to the solution. It was just about ready, yes.
Nevin set the spoon down across the top of the pan, and pulled his dagger from his belt. “You'd also never do this in cooking.” He cut a thin line in his hand, and dribbled blood into the mixture. Quickly, he clenched his fist to hide the threads that wriggled from his skin to bind the wound. To draw attention from that, to keep them from seeing, he grabbed the spoon with his other hand and began stirring - bring in a portion up to show that it was strangely smoothing and, and turning into a faintly glowing green-purple liquid.
“Alchemy and Magic tend to go hand in hand.”
“Timmin,” Mrs Deerling came around the corner that led to the rest of the kitchen, and saw that her potboy was watching. She spoke disapprovingly and began to walk over.
Meanwhile Stare was doing nothing more than watching Nevin herself. Druss seemed to have vanished, likely heading back upstairs. She looked up at the cook, and shook her head. Slowly the buxom-bosomed woman came to a stop and then stayed to make a third member of the audience, Nevin's constant stirring apparently enchanting. Silence fell for a minute or two until Stare stretched. Steam was suddenly steaming from the primary stoves, around the corner.
“Timmin, you should listen to Mrs Deerling,” she said softly. The youngling took a moment before smiling sheepishly and taking a scuttle back. He and Mrs Deerling disappeared back.
Stare looked at Nevin. “Almost done?”
Nevin frowned into the pan, giving it one last stir, and straightened up before nodding. “Yes. The herbs have completely dissolved. When placed into water, this will become undetectable. Can you reach into my pack there and grab a glass jar?” It took her a moment of rummaging before she found one, pulling it out and handing it to him. The alchemist took it with a grateful nod, then slowly began scooping the faintly glowing mixture into the jar.
It took only a few moments to get it all in, his hands working smoothly and surely. The jar was half full by the time the vial emptied, and Nevin made sure to take the pan to the sink and wipe it clean with a steel scrubber. Satisfied that no remnants of his tonic remained, he returned to where Stare was and picked up the jar, hefting it in his hands.
“All done here, and ready to go. Shall we be off?”
