"Do you ever take any down-time, Drenar?"
"Are Val, Davos, and the rest of the rogue's gallery of magical criminals dead or in prison?" Drenar retorted to a certain sassy alchemist sitting next to him.
"Uh, nope. And the Conclave of Depravity--I mean, the Conclave of the arcane is still standing." Joey is busily mixing something at her bench, and it's later in the evening than he realized. Almost a few weeks have gone by since the attack at Asqualia. He expected to have a little bit of downtime…but life has a way of keeping him on his toes lately, in more ways than one.
He thinks back to the last few weeks. He’d been a shoulder to cry on for Joey, when they attended the funeral for those who lost their lives. He'd felt the press of heartache, too, when he looked at the lined-up coffins established at the graveyard, just on the edge of town. The Valkyries–and SAF–had been exceedingly efficient at the recovery operations, and the currently ongoing reconstruction of the facility. He felt awful, knowing he’d seen some of those people alive at the facility before the attack–and had been unable to save all of them.
But he also knew what they had done was nothing short of impossible. In the few days since the attack, Joey had quickly established herself as more than just a fellow survivor, but as someone he viewed as a friend, alongside Kyle, who was stoic and stubborn to a fault, like him. He held Joey’s hand during the proceedings, and she expressed her appreciation for having someone there.
Diane and Dave had also arrived at the funeral, to show support. They knew one of the mages from their normal life, although Diane admitted candidly that they were more than generally aware of the mage community–and sworn to silence. He remembered approaching them after the proceedings, giving him a heartfelt hug that felt much-needed after the disaster of the past few weeks. They had been just a little upset about being left out of the loop, and Diane in particular. But, they also understood and supported his decision on wanting to take on the people responsible for these horrendous acts. They were still under the protection of the Valkyries at another house nearby–their current house was considered vulnerable, given that Valosterla and the Talons likely could pinpoint their house. So, that was going to be a long-term problem.
Right now, their current base of operations was Nick’s house–and now a permanent garrison of SAF agents that Levine personally hand-picked, along with a squad of Valkyries, were a revolving presence at the house, and in the vast basement complex. The barn out back also received respectable furnishings after the lengthy cleanup–apparently, dumping an overload of mana energy into a portal that isn’t rated for that high load capacity does a number on the surroundings, and ‘pushes’ things away.
He’d given more than a stern lecture to Kyle that he was going to be replacing every bit of paneling and trim work he had to fix, as a result. Drenar and the others had lent a hand, and they slowly cleared the debris, got the armory back up and running, and made it somewhat cozier than Nick’s previously spartan furnishings. Now it had a corner dedicated to Joey’s alchemical experiments, and a mini forge that Kyle used to great effect.
Kyle is cooking up something, and has been using a mini-fabricator to print out custom magical metal components. He's been spending a lot of time bolting, welding, and fusing together pieces into something that looked like an armor set–a prototype. Kyle's exceedingly close-lipped about it, other than saying they were going to need every edge they could get, and that he was not going to settle for anything less than perfection. Which for Kyle, meant that it didn’t blow up on the first try, according to Joey.
She has an unprecedented level of sass. Alex's comment brings him back to the present task he's been doing on auto-pilot, basic alchemy. Which unfortunately, also requires more than a passing knowledge of chemistry, and he wishes he had paid more attention to Barton’s lessons. Julia however, seems to be thriving on this unexpected synergy. They’re working on alchemical bases that serve as the groundwork for potions, salves, and other various reagents for more complicated efforts, like chemical processing.
“Drenar, one more time please,” Joey says a short time later, as they’re working late in the evening. He’s sitting at the bench, and trying to get this gel compound to…well, gel in a way that doesn’t run as thin as water, and he is frustrated that his mana control on stirring in the magical primer isn’t working. He must be doing something wrong, or missing a step. “Take a step back. Evaluate. Tell me what’s missing.”
He folds his arms, and recounts the steps. “The temperature has been set correctly, the mana primer was in the correct ratio to the aquafor, and I stirred with the right intensity. The filtration at the next step used the correct mesh, and I tried to activate the mana primer…but it didn’t condense. Too much liquid still? Possible contaminants?” Her eyes flash at the last two–really, now, it’s like her eyes have a light of their own at times. Is that normal, even for a mage?
“Check the pH.” He pulls a tester strip and dabs it into the solution, while she taps a plain nail on her wristwatch. But, she’s still smiling at least. Even when she does get a bit sassy at times if he makes a dumb mistake. Learning alchemy has been filled with those, even though he’s scribbling notes as fast as he can. He compares the sample to the pH, and frowns.
“It’s a bit off. By 0.5 pH? That’s enough to throw it off?” He realizes that might be the case here.
“It's likely. Contaminants could be present in the filter you used, or there were contaminants from a mixing container that wasn’t thoroughly cleaned. It doesn’t take much,” she explains while adjusting her safety goggles, and points to the earlier mixing container. “I see staining on the glass and particulates. That is your root cause. Don’t use the same mixing containers, use a new one, and verify they are clean.”
“Right,” he says and looks at the now worthless solution. “Well, this was a waste.”
“Try again. You’ll get it right, now that you’ve eliminated one root cause.” She twirls her hair around her finger while humming softly, and he gets to work on the next batch. He’s focused on the effort this time and checks his steps at every turn. She attends to her mixture, and the glow of mana wraps around her hands as she primes the completed potion. The aqueous solution is perfectly clear, with a slight turquoise color, and glows lightly without any additional effort. Angela might have grace on the battlefield that even he doesn’t…but Joey has impeccable grace in this lab and the foray into magical sciences. She’s in her element here, and it shows in her pitch-perfect knowledge.
“Shouldn’t you be paying attention to your own work, and not what I’m doing?” she says with a playful twist of her lips, tilting her body in the seat next to him.
“I’m just observing the expert at work. I’ve got a lot to learn.” He wasn’t staring, was he? Then again, it’s hard to not notice her in a room. She does kind of stand out in that way beyond her bright red hair and toned, tanned skin, lavender eyes–
You’re staring again. Stop that, I keep expecting you to catch fire any day now, young dragon-wan, if you persist in rubbing shoulders with the young woman here! Drenar grunts at Alex’s interruption to his train of thought, and Joey stifles a laugh before spinning in her chair, one leg crossed over the other, elbow pressed into the armrest, and resting her cheek on her hand.
“What else is going through this young dragon-wan’s head, Alex, do tell!” That sly grin of hers makes him unnerved–she’s too good at observing things, and that psionic link is tricky. Especially when his thoughts drift to predictably…well, thoughts of meeting other young women her age, and he’s in his prime and–
Whoops, focus on the lab. He winces and she bursts out laughing, which somehow makes it worse. “Sorry, sorry, the brain goes bad places, don’t melt me–”
“Drenar,” she says in a teasing tone, “Do you have any idea what I heard running through Kyle’s head when we were dating for a spell?”
“Wait. Have you guys dated? I knew there was a vibe between you two!” He’d seen it, that closeness between them, but then they also kept their distance a little bit. He gets to the edge of his seat, leaning in out of curiosity. “Tell me more!”
“Sorry, that one costs a successful gel primer,” she responds coyly and points to the still-unfinished concoction. “Tell you what, I’ll let you have one secret if you can get it right in one try.”
He sits up and cracks his knuckles in response, while wearing a confident smile. “Oh, it’s on. I was close last time, I can get it this time.”
“Oh no you don’t, Joey! Embarrassing stuff is off limits!” Kyle shouts from his forge, where he’s wearing heavy heat-resistant armor and a full helmet with a darkened visor. He’s been pouring metal into sample trays, and the heat is pleasant from the other side of the barn. It must be oppressively hot right next to the forge. She cackles madly while finishing up her work on her next potion, and stashing it in one of those metal and plastic alchemical canisters that she stores in her compact hopper system. He still has to ask her about that one, it’s a marvel of engineering he hasn’t quite worked out yet!
“Kyle, please, your thoughts are saddening vanilla! Now Alex, on the other hand, is quite intriguing! And the teenager he’s inhabiting, but you know, sometimes you get unexpected bonuses!” She looks at him deviously, eyes flashing with mischief. “C’mon, you’ve got this.”
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A few minutes later, he lets out a contented puff of excitement. It’s done, and the gel looks the right consistency and color, plus the opaqueness is correct. He’s done it! “Alright Joey, looks like someone’s spilling a secret! Read it and weep!”
“Ah-ah, hang on. This requires full investigation!” She peers at the solution, and stirs it with a sample rod, and tests it with a dropper of a clear fluid. The gel flashes green for a second before reverting to its bluish color, and she beams a smile at him. “Well, looks like I’ll make you an alchemist yet! Now drink this, and see if it induces any bioelectric current!”
“Sure I–what?” he stammers at this unexpected request, and he peers at the solution, and recoils at the concept of downing this stuff. Is that even safe? “Uh, Joey, I don’t believe this is fit for human consumption.”
“But you aren’t human, are you?! See, dragons can eat some strange things, and it won’t bother them! Just tip the whole thing back, and see what happens!” She’s excited about this and almost giddy–is he about to get poisoned by this mad alchemist, or is her knowledge that pitch-perfect?”
“Okay, seriously Joey, this feels like a trolling attempt about to go horribly wrong–”
“Down it, you wimp!” Kyle scolds from the forge and pries off the visor. His red hair and face are all sweaty, and he pants from heaving around the heavy batches of metal he’s been working on. “If that mad scientist tells you it’s safe, then it’s safe!” He can feel the twinge of anxiety as he stares at this solution–this is a terrible idea that he really doesn’t see the upside on. He grimaces at this really bad idea, and twirls the gel in the beaker, and she’s still got that leering grin.
“C’mon, I promise you that it’s safe.”
“Don’t haze me, Joey.” He steadies his hand, and takes a sharp breath, and clears his throat. “Well, bottoms up, then.”
Downing that gel that slides down his throat that tastes like the most sour grape he’s ever eaten is enough to make him gag, and he focuses on getting the whole thing down. It clings to the back of his throat, and he places the empty beaker on the table with a loud clink, and he feels a tingle of energy on the back of his tongue. She’s enjoying this far too much, and he shudders from the tart flavor. How does this taste so sour?
She’s hazing you, bro. Alex is convinced, too, and he feels sparks of energy across his skin, and a thrum of energy that traces across his nerves. It feels like someone jolted him with a nine-volt battery–and Julia’s not even around right now, she’s in the basement training with Angela on her martial prowess, while James, Nick, and Levine are busily talking logistics. He manages to give a weak thumbs-up, and tries not to cringe from that low-level current running across his nerves. Joey pats him on the leg, and smiles. “Well, the test passed. How’d it feel?”
“Like you’re using me for dragon science. And not in a good way.” He groans as that jolting feeling persists, and he flops back in his chair, his breath shaky. Those jolting sensations do pass after a few more seconds, and the presence of energy is still present. “So, what exactly did you do?”
“Oh, that? I was testing something. Julia commented that you can use plasma-based abilities, just like Angela, but you can’t seem to generate them on your own. So, I concocted this formula to…how to put this…clear out the plumbing.” He glances at her warily.
“Should I expect some adverse effects from this that could be somewhat embarrassing?” his stomach is still fluttering from this, and he hopes his dragon-enhanced body is performing as intended. That is a weird concept, being more than human now, and one he still can’t quite wrap his head around. Joey cuts short his internal discourse.
“Nah. I think we should test if you can use plasma-based abilities like Julia tomorrow, it might take time to clear out your mana filament pathways. I think they were just not working correctly. What I’ve done is added a solution that should correct for any biological effect that could result in malformed filaments that could prevent you from generating your energy internally.”
“So, like a regen potion?” he groans, and still feels a slight tremble in his hands that persists a few seconds later. “Okay, you’ve taken my blood, my feathers, my scales, over the past day. Now spill it, what’s that earned me?”
“Well, my trust, and second off, I think I could tell you something really cool. You get to pick!”
Oh, this could be a dangerous proposition, Joey. Are you sure you’re willing to let him ask any questions? Alex eggs him on and he grumbles something unintelligible. Take a spin, let’s see if we can surprise her!
“Don’t mind this guy. He just showed up on the couch inside my head, and now raids the fridge, and doesn’t pay rent,” Drenar grumbles. She’s in stitches trying not to laugh. A small question does come up that he’s curious about. “I do have one good question. What’s up with the purple eyes? Is that a mage thing? I read that the Baltian species of dragon has that shade of eye color, or an intense blue. But with your status as a kitsune…”
“You know something? For once, I don’t have a firm answer.” She settles down, and her expression is a little less animated. “I don’t know why my eyes are purple, Drenar. I mean, I can see it, every time I look in a mirror. So do my close family. No one I’ve talked to has been able to figure it out. Only a handful of people can even see it, and I don’t know if there’s a reason for it. As a scientist, it kinda bugs me. But it’s a small thing. Maybe I’m just a freak.”
Uh-huh. I think you have a theory, my favorite mad scientist, Alex chimes in and is almost gloating. What is up with these two, it’s like they’ve been having a sidebar conversation when he’s not looking! But Alex claims Joey can only reach out to both of them at once. She tilts her head, and rests her cheek on her hand, with her elbow propped up on the armrest.
“Well, I do have a theory. It’s not a good one. I think…I think only people who trust me can see my eye color. Maybe it’s tied to my psionics. King made an off-the-cuff comment when I was talking to him over the arcanlink, before the attack. It kind of rattles me, now that I’ve had a moment to think about it. How I make…connections to people.”
“Make connections? You mean the mind speech?” She's slow to respond, and is deep in thought while gazing at him with curiosity. She’s always studying him…but what is she trying to learn about him?
“The little I know is self-taught, and my parents would use them to ‘check on me’. It was a little intrusive, growing up like that. There’s just a lot of irrational fear about psionics. Only humans and kitsune have them, as far as I know. And the kitsune…we go out of our way to hide it, because of generational fear of what happened before. Our culture tends to lend itself to keeping secrets, instead of giving more ammunition to those who would do horrible things to us for the crime of simply existing.” She glances down and lets out a quiet breath. “We’re not the only ones that have a hard time.”
He’s still wrapping his head around that one. The duality of her physical appearance is always fascinating–and he suspects she’s thinking the same thing when he’s in his dragon form. Though this lab really isn’t set up for his size, so, human form is the default for now. She still prefers her human form–most of the time. It’s only in the evening when she usually transforms back. She explained after a while, it sort of became a routine. He realizes he has been pondering her statement for a moment, and clears his throat.
“So, no one fully understands them? Or is the record-keeping that bad?” he presses. Of all the magic he’s heard of so far, this one is the most mystifying to him. And he has done a little reading.
The dragon empire had tried to exterminate the Kitsune. And that reading had been chilling, knowing somewhere down the line, one of his ancestors might have had a hand in those atrocious acts. It does not sit well with them. And then Joey’s own powers started awakening in her own way.
“If I were to believe half of the stories I’ve heard from my family–grain of salt, mind you–psionics can form bonds like this with people they’re…close to.” His mind draws a blank on where that statement could be going. Like a relationship? Or, maybe just an alignment of personalities?
Okay, I think I’m attracted to her, she’s got a thing for me–I think–I mean. should I just go for it? We’re busy training like crazy for a pitched battle against a terrorist army, and the Conclave’s useless at best, and insidious at worst. What’s the play here? You know what Alex, I think I’m overthinking this one.
She raises an eyebrow and pokes him in the temple, with just a hint of a smirk. “Hey, words, not thoughts! Gotta practice that one!” She doesn’t sound like she’s scolding him, but he leans in. He can still make out hints of what she's thinking. The feeling is more of an emotional barometer. He's still trying to get a read on her. And he realizes she's waiting for the right question.
Time to go all in. “Alright, can I ask one more?”
“Shoot.”
“What is your favorite food?” her response is almost instant.
“Japanese.”
“Perfect, I’ll take us out for lunch tomorrow.” His brain catches up to his words at about the same time as Joey does, and her eyes go wide.
“I’m sorry, huh?”
“So, is that a no?” Damn it, he’s blaming the dragon in his head for this one, he’s been messing with his vibe for too long, and now he’s probably embarrassed himself–
“Oh hell yes, Drenar. I’m down for it," she responds with enthusiasm. This had both surprised her and left her elated, and she’s also trying not to twirl her hair like she does when she’s anxious. “But uh, one request.”
“Oh?” This should be good, he figures.
“You need to comb your hair before you do. You look like a wild beast.” That sassy attitude is back, and he can’t help but smile.
“Damn, you have been listening to Julia and Angela, haven’t you?”
“Guilty as charged.”
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