Alchemy is Better than Magic, Right?

[Vluharqih]

CREDIT

Date: Arc 716, 10th trial of Zi'da
Time:10th Break
Location: Padraig's Shop

Alex marched down the street, a bolt of cloth clasped tightly in her hand. She had heard tale of a alchemist from her seamstress, the odd raven-haired woman who was better than most doctors but preferred to spend her days ruining her eyes stitching some intricate beadwork on some rich woman's dress.

Alex scoffed at the thought. Why would you do that, let alone work for a man like her boss? It seemed needlessly...menial.

Regardless, it wasn't her place to judge- she was still an apprentice.

She pushed through the snow, which had continued to pile up as the trials passed. She came to the door of the shop, a modest building in a modest neighbourhood- who would've known an alchemist would work here? She pushed open the door, stepping inside the warm shop gratefully. Alex opened her cloak, looking down as pair of shoes entered her field of vision.

Alex raised her eyes, reflexively flinching as a large chest appeared inches from her nose. She peered upwards, unable to retreat with a heavy shelf behind her. Looming uncomfortably close to her was a large man, balding.

What is it with heavy, older men with no sense of personal space owning shops?

Regardless, she hoped this wasn't the man Faith spoke of. One of those men in her life was enough- Alex couldn't look at Faith the same way if she was...involved with this man.

"What can I help you with, little Miss? Perhaps a beauty cream? Or a love potion to give that special someone a little extra push?"

The stink of his breath nearly knocked Alex over, and she blinked furiously as her eyes watered. Aelig's balls, what does he eat?

"I-ahem- am looking for...Padraig? Are you him?" She looked around the shop, recognizing several herbal remedies there. Many others she didn't, though something as simple as a dye could change a solution beyond her recognition.

A chuckle escaped him, the foul breath wafting over Alex as he did so. "No, that's not me. Padraig!" He shouted, turning towards the back of the shop, "a customer is looking for you!"

[Padraig]

[img]/gallery/image ... ge_id=5198[/img]

Padraig's time at the apothecary had become less tedious by far, ever since Mr. Spekkle had begun encouraging him to do as he pleased, off in the backroom. Alchemy, experimentation, that was, so long as he kept up with his regular responsibilities in the front. And why wouldn't the shopkeeper encourage it? Chances were, the young man might stumble upon something that could bring in a great deal of profit, were they peddled to just the right people.

Padraig had gotten there early himself, had opened up shop, lit the stoves and scattered salt on the stoop to prevent the usual entertaining, if dangerous mishaps due to the patch of ice that seemed to form there overnight without fail. But as soon as Mr. Spekkle had come in, he'd retreated to the backroom again.

Mr. Spekkle was a close talker, and some had whispered here and there that his breath could be weaponized somehow. The man was also overtly friendly towards the ladies, which all in all, made for an awkward, if also unpleasant combination. He'd probably had eggs and herring with his tea, for breakfast that morning. But as soon as Padraig appeared from the backroom, Mr. Spekkle retreated again to make way. "I'm going out for a while. You'll watch the shop?"

"Of course," Padraig said, before turning a curious gaze on the customer in question. His dark hair was unruly. He'd forgotten to sort out the effects of a light breeze outdoors, once he'd arrived. And he wore a leather apron. Why had the young woman asked for him in particular? Did he know her. He couldn't quite recollect it, if they'd met before. Then again, the shop was a busy one. Still, he smiled. "I'm Padraig. What can I do for you?" he wondered while cleaning his hands with a rag, and stuffing it back in his trouser's pocket.

[Vluharqih]

CREDIT

Alex breathed a sigh of relief as the man backed away, holding her breath as he headed out of the shop. She turned to look at her saviour, Padraig the alchemist.

He was slightly taller than average, though on the thin side. His hair was a windblown, tangled brown mop on the top of his head, but his eyes were serious. She wasn't sure what she was expecting, though 'alchemist' brought to mind a tall, skinny old man with long robes and a beard that touched the floor... definitely not the normal looking man in front of her.

"Hi, nice to meet you. My name is Alex- I'm an...acquaintance of Faith's, and she told me about you and this place," she said, sticking out a hand.

"I'm looking for some enchantments to be done to some cloth," she said, thrusting the bolt towards him.
"I need this to change colours, as well as be as warm as a full coat and ideally if it could make people less likely to notice me, that would be a plus too."

She smiled at him, continuing in her cheery voice. "I'm not entirely sure what you can do, but that is what I need this to do- can you do it?"

She really had no idea what alchemists were capable of. She knew that there was at least one, based on her cloak, in Etzos, though she didn't know who or where they would be. The only thing she had to go off was the rumours from taverns and bars, the tales of magic swords and clothing that stopped arrows.

Alex was smart enough to realize most of these were probably about as true as the men's claims of their size or stamina, but there had to be a kernel of truth somewhere. Maybe there was more truth to it than the rest of the stories?

"Oh, I almost forgot!"

She pulled out the crumpled not from her pocket, carefully flattening it and handing it over. "Faith gave me this"

► Show Spoiler

Padraig,

This is Alex, a doctor who I met in Ne'haer when I volunteered in the medics' tent during our time there. She has requirements which, I believe, you might well be able to help her with and which I think you would find interesting also.

If you accept the job from her, be assured that I can work with you as needed, should you need to work on finished garments or the material in any form. However, the processes that I use in order to create a dress, or any item of clothing, involve cutting and then impaling the material either in the case of pins or with a sewing needle. If either of those things are going to be a problem, you may need to work on the finished pieces.

With good wishes that your trial is a good one. Please give my best wishes to Mr Spekkle.

Yours, always

Faith

[Padraig]

[img]/gallery/image ... ge_id=5198[/img]

So it was Faith who'd sent the young woman here and given her his name. That explained it then. He smiled and offered up his hand in return. "Nice to meet you Alex," he said.

Then she replaced her hand with the cloth, and explained what she wanted. Curiously, he considered her requests and the tunic itself. "It's quality cloth. As fine as the stuff Faith made her clothing from. Is it from the shop where she works?" But could he do what she was asking for? Part of it, yes. He believed he could. And the rest, maybe. Probably. First, some clarification. "The apothecary doesn't offer the service. Except to benefit from some of my research." Hence, why he was allowed to use the backroom for much of his work. "But privately. I may be able to do what you're asking."

"First blush, for all of it, it would seem you were asking for three enchantments. But the shifting colors, and the desire to blend with your surroundings, both might be done with just one. A chameleon effect of sorts." That one, he was confident he could do, and told her so. The method was already taking shape in his mind, and he had the materials he needed on hand. "The warming effect would be a second enchantment, needing layered in with the first." Doable too, though he'd have to identify a suitable regeant that was easily acquired. But there were other concerns that needed addressing.

He smiled a little before pointing out the more immediate problems. "The process is an involved one." Pricey, he meant, without saying so directly. "But I won't be able to do it independently with just this cloth," he explained, and handed the bolt back to her. "It's not the material. It's good quality. But alchemical enchantments are not like spells cast on an object. They must be crafted into the object, say a garment while it's taking shape." Potions, powders and so on created, readied, and melted or woven into the fabric or leather as the garment was created, he meant.

"I'm no tailor or leather worker," he added with a smile, a shrug. "I could do what you're asking. All or most of it, but if it's a tunic, cloak, what have you, I'd need to work alongside Faith in order to collaborate on it from scratch."

And no sooner had he said it, she handed him the letter. A little belatedly, though he grinned when he read it. "Well then, since she appears to be willing to add her own skills to the process, I could do the color shifting and chameleon effect for you I'm sure. The warming enchantment," The ingredients specifically, that was, "will require a little more research on my part," he explained.

[Vluharqih]

CREDIT

Padraig drew closer, and Alex admired him, clinically, of course. His jawline was strong, cheeks covered in a light shadow that accentuated it. His body was attractive- slender and tall with that bed-head look that somehow worked out well for him.

"Yeah, I did. I'm actually buying a bunch of clothes from her shop, but I need some...additions to the garments that only she can provide. Each one needs its own set of enchantments, but I want to make sure you know what you're doing first," she paused, as if realizing how that sounded.

"I'm not meaning that to be offensive, but I've worked with Faith, and I've seen her work first hand. You, I don't know from Adam. So long as you can make this one good enough, I've got a couple of other, simpler ideas that I wanted to have made. Should I tell you those now?" She said, way too scatterbrained today for some reason.

She nodded as he spoke, realizing that the shop itself didn't carry anything that could be alchemical- it was all potions and flasks.

She kept quiet as he continued, waiting for him to finish and doing her best to memorize what he was saying. The idea of each enchantment being applied separately made sense to her, though it would make it far more expensive for her, she was sure.

"Yeah, I've already spoken to Faith about that. It might be best if you came and helped work at the same time that Faith created the clothing. She told me to bring you back soon, if possible."

His talk of having to do research was simultaneously worrying and comforting. She hated any extra delay on her clothing, and the disgusting woollen dress was getting worse and worse. Not to mention she had noticed several people giving her odd looks as she entered a very nice house, her clothing sticking out like a sore thumb.

"What can I do to help out? As you can tell, I'm in a bit of a bind and need clothes sooner rather than later."

[Padraig]

[img]/gallery/image ... ge_id=5198[/img]

If he knew what he was doing first? It was blunt, and yet a legitimate concern. She didn't know him or his work. She only knew that Faith had told her, after all. Padraig smiled a little and shook his his head. "No offense taken. If it helps, I've also a strong background in mathematics, chemistry and physics. Knowledge of chemistry is particularly useful for an alchemist."

Money spent was bound to be a worry as well. She didn't appear to be an urchin off the streets. But on the other hand, few others these trials had nels to burn, especially when it came to the unknown. "I'll tell you what then," he suggested. "I can do the enchantments for you. One of them certainly and probably both. If for some reason it doesn't work, then no charge for my part in it." It would be a gamble then, more for him than her. On the other hand, he was confident that the enchantments would perform, just as intended.

"Additional enchantments?" he asked then. He'd be curious to hear it, should she wish to elaborate. "As for the cost," Padraig considered aloud. "The price of the garment itself is Faith's territory. But for my work..." He paused a moment, pulling out a sheet of paper and a pen from behind the counter, do to a few calculations. "Forty nels for the first enchantment, the shifting colors and chameleon effect. Eighty, should I layer on a second enchantment for warmth." It all accounted for the materials, the regeants and other agents, the steps required to do the job properly.

It was also assuming that any regeant he identified for the warming enchantment was fairly common or mundane, and neither rare, or hazardous to acquire. He had an idea already forming in the back of his mind, for that. "If Faith needs me at the shop, I can get there in a break once mister Spekkle returns. However," Padraig cautioned. "I can't do my work in the seamstress shop and I doubt they'd want me messing about over there. The equipment and other materials I'll need are set up at home." If Faith could also work at home on the same project, rather than the shop? Then all the better.

[Vluharqih]

CREDIT

Alex simply nodded as he explained himself, happy with what she was hearing. It was good to know that he had a background in related fields, though she wanted to know how much experience he had with alchemy.

As he offered the deal, however, Alex's smile threatened to split her face.

"That sounds like a wonderful deal- puts my mind at rest," she continued. It could have been far worse, or Fait could've misunderstood what her 'partner' did. He seemed to be a fair man, and Alex appreciated that.

"Well yes. Those enchantments are for the dresses, but I also need an enchantment that will make cotton as protective as chainmail, another that lets me see further, one that is heat resistant, and lastly, one that muffles the sound of movement. I'm not sure how many of those you can do, but I'm more than willing to pay for the costs. The costs you listed are no problem for me, and seem fair enough. I'm assuming those include the cost of labour?"

She nodded, happy that the work could finally begin. "Should- should I go and get Faith then? Does she know where you live?"

Alex quickly bundled herself back up and left, rushing to the Sewing shop and nearly slipping on the icy patch that had reformed over the salt added that morning. She caught herself and looked around self consciously, taking off again as her excitement bubbled to the surface.

[Pegasus]

Vluharqih

Points!:

Story: 5/5
Collaboration: 5/ 5
Structure: 5/ 5

Knowledge:

Chemistry: A useful addition to an alchemist's toolkit.
Location: Spekkle's Apothecary, Andaris
Mr Spekkle: Shop Owner
Mr Spekkle: Limited notions of personal space
Mr Spekkle: Halitosis
Padraig: An alchemist
Padraig: Strong jawline, good physique, bed-head works for him.

Loot:

NA

Fame:

NA

Devotion:

NA

Magic:

These points may NOT be used for arcana

Padraig

Points!:

Story: 5/5
Collaboration: 5/ 5
Structure: 5/ 5

Knowledge:

Alchemy: One enchantment can meet multiple needs
Business Management: Safe customers are happy customers.
Business Management: The offer of a 'if it doesn't work, don't pay' option is good.
Alex: An acquaintance of Faith's
Alex: Wants a chameleon effect put into cloth, and a warming one.
Alex: Little bit on the blunt side
Mr Spekkle: Eggs and herring don't help the halitosis

Loot:

NA

Fame:

NA

Devotion:

NA

Magic:

These points may NOT be used for arcana

Overview:

General comments. Fun thread to review - I enjoyed reviewing it! I know you were both hoping for alchemy knowledge, but the only ones I would have given you both have already.
Story Lovely - no worries at all. Alex's exuberance is very well played and acted as a really nice counterpoint to Padraig's more calm demeanour. A nice little interaction!
Structure No problems at all. Nicely done.

Please do PM me if you think I've missed anything or you have any questions!