After about ten minutes Xander and Maisie reached a small unmarked door between two store fronts, one with a sign showing a gem studded ring, and the other a crossed sword and axe.

Pushing the door open Maisie dragged Xander inside, passing shelves filled to the brim with bottles holding various concoctions and jars full of powders and dried plants, they came to a door with “No Entry” written across it, with a quick knock Maisie barged through before pointing to a chair.

“Sit.”

Xander meekly did as he was told as Maisie disappeared through another door only to return moments later with a rather perturbed looking gnome.

“This better be important Miss Mite, it’ll take a whole day to remake that mixture.”

As Maisie explained what he had explained to her, Xander just sat and waited quietly letting his thoughts drift, the pain in his head making any attempts to focus painfully unappealing.

After being poked and prodded, examined and inspected Xander felt a beaker being pushed into his hands.

“Drink.”

Almost robotically he lifted it and sipped from it the thick concoction was warm with a taste that reminded him of freshly cut grass, with each sip the pain in his head subsided replaced with a prickling sensation akin to pins and needles, by the time he finished drinking the sensation had spread across his whole body. Xander stood up and shook his limbs trying to dispel the uncomfortable feeling.

Looking around Xander found that Maisie was nowhere to be seen while across the room the Apothecary sat reading a book, Xander coughed to get her attention, looking up she smiled.

“Feeling better now then?”

“yes, thank you. Since you were able to treat me might I assume you understand what exactly it was Miss...”

Xander trailed off realizing he hadn’t heard her name.

“Miss. Thyst, I’m not certain but if you’re okay with assumptions I’d say it was spirit poisoning.”

“Spirit poisoning?”

“yes, I’ve only ever seen it in halfbloods before. and only at birth, but the symptoms match and the treatment worked so it’s the best answer I can give you.”

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“Halfbloods?”

“Look I have a lot of work to do.”

Shaking her head Miss. Thyst grabbed a large book from a shelf.

“Take this it may be a bit outdated but it should explain spirit poisoning well enough for a layman like yourself. Now as you’re no longer in need of my help please have a good day.”

Having taken the beaker from him she pushed the book into his hands and disappeared back into the room Maisie had got her from. Sighing Xander tucked the book under his arm and left the Apothecary's.

Arriving at the classroom Xander slipped through the door and surveyed the class who were in their groups busy designing their drones, quietly he walk round the edge of the room to where Maisie was watching over them, without turning to look at him she spoke in a whisper.

“you okay now?”

“Seems like it, apparently I had spirit poisoning.”

Maisie gave him an incredulous look.

“I thought you were an adult human not a new born half gnome.”

Before Xander could respond his attention was drawn to Cog who had walk over from his group and seemed to be waiting to ask something, Xander gave him a smile.

“What can I do for you Cog?”

“You said we could ask for help, so I was wondering if you might have a design sheet or something for the C.R.I.S, if it’s not asking to much.”

“I could provide you with the blueprint if that’s what you want.”

Before Cog could respond Xander smirked and continued.

“Or I could give everyone a copy and you can think of another thing to ask me.”

Cogs eyes lit up as he started nodding profusely.

“Really?”

“Yes really. I was planning to give out the blueprint in a few days anyway, but as you asked I’d be willing to give it only to your group if you want.”

“The extra question please.”

Xander nodded.

“I’ll give out the blueprint tomorrow, you can ask your replacement question anytime after that.”

Cog ran back to his group and they started talking in hushed tones. Maisie stared at Xander making him feel uncomfortable.

“Did you really plan to hand out the blueprint?”

“It hadn’t even occurred to me till he asked, but it’ll be interesting to see what they can do with it, hopefully it doesn’t just confuse them. As an aside you wouldn’t happen to know where I could find a gem cutter would you?”

The rest of the class passed by without anything of note happening. As the students left Xander and Maisie noticed that Selk was standing at the door staring pointedly a Xander, they walked over to him, before they could say anything Selk started talking.

“Sir, Mrs. Walton was disappointed that you never showed up yesterday.”

Xander winced, he know better than to disappoint a kind old lady.

“Well then I’ll head over there right now, are you going to join me?”

Selk gave a nod and the two of them looked at Maisie.

“I’d love to but I’ve got repairs to do, so I’ll catch up with you later Xan.”

Xander and Selk made their way to Mrs. Waltons restaurant in silence as Selk seemed to be in no mood to talk Xander looked through the book that Miss. Thyst had given him, the description of spirit poisoning stated that it was caused when two conflicting types of magic were mixed inside a living being, resulting in a painful backlash usually it could only occur in the children of two different species, the examples mentioned gnomes and merfolk being one such case that was particularly severe. Before he could read any more they arrived at Mrs. Waltons.

Entering the Restaurant they went straight through to the dining room where Mrs. Walton was sitting in an armchair in a little seating area one corner with a cup of tea and a teapot.

“Glad to see you could find the time to visit.”

“My apologies Mrs. Walton yesterday got a bit muddled up.”

She gestured to a sofa besides her chair.

“Never mind that, have a seat both of you, I’ll try to keep it brief but do forgive me if I ramble.”

Xander sat down unsure what this was even about.

“Now Selk you asked me about this picture right?”

She passed a framed picture over to them, Xander looked at it a group of six individuals smiling happily as they stood in various heroic poses look back at him, one seemed to be a younger Mrs. Walton, another looked like a taller version of Selk, but the one that drew Xanders attention was the man in a tweed suit stood in the middle a rapier in his hand pointed forwards, Xander was sure he recognized him from somewhere.

As he was focused on trying to recall why he recognized him Selk was getting impatient.

“Yeah, I asked how you knew my dad.”

“I’ll explain, but let me do it properly, it all started in 1944 in London.”