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 Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 5:27 pm
RuiZhi had nearly been bored out of his mind. He had school work to do, but he felt he was getting no where fast in his progress for his bigger studies. Everything had a timeframe, but RuiZhi didn't feel like it was a fair one, as it left him with little to do but do various outlines and write in his journal. The outlines didn't bother him, but talking to himself on paper was getting old.
The boy found himself in front of the office to the man (elf) that had more or less shown him the silver path and given him a gentle push to follow it, if he so chose. RuiZhi did choose, and he'd been walking the path ever since, although it was a bit winding and blind-sided at times. He wasn't entirely sure what he was going to ask, although he was quick enough to think on his feet and figure it out as the need would arise.
He knocked firmly on the door to Dante Arquenosse, hoping the Professor was in.
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Posted: Tue Sep 11, 2007 9:47 pm
Dante blinked, looking up from the journal he'd been writing in and shooing away a crow at his shoulder.
The time since his little discussion with Greg had not had a kind effect on the man; his face was a bit paler, his eyes a bit sadder, his manner of associating with others and talking with them detached and lazier. It was as though the man were settled on a lone island of granite.
"Coming," he called out, and made his way to the door after pushing himself up. A quick crack of the heavy oaken doors and the man pushed them all the way open.
"Ah, RuiZhi. I was expecting you...."
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Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 8:52 am
"Were you?" the boy asked, a little excitedly. "Really? Then you know why I'm here?" RuiZhi was all smiles, despite the elven man's somewhat...haggard appearance. Quite frankly, the Professor looked alarmingly sick, but the boy wasn't sure it was his place to ask about it. Maybe in a moment, but starting a conversation with Hi! You look awful! was a little rude for his standards.
Instead, he approached from a different tactic, not entirely comfortable with the idea of bothering the man. "How have you been, Heru Araquenosse?" It still gave RuiZhi no end of pleasure that he could pronounce the elf's name with little difficulty. "I never had the chance to say something before, but thank you for coming to China."
Sure, the comment was probably way out in left field, but he had not forgotten each person's contribution, nor would he ever. There was a sweetness in his heart for each individual who had gone; RuiZhi's family had, in his own mind, expanded greatly since that excursion.
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Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 7:06 pm
Dante blinked, the only sign of surprise he showed, and the corners of his mouth momentarily quirked up into what could barely pass as a smile.
"I have been fine, RuiZhi," he said, and if his voice was a bit gentler than before then one could not blame him. Such was the effect that the boy seemed to have on other people. "No need to thank me, though. I was simply doing my job. ....Thank you for braving that."
Then the expression on his face faded back into its normal lines and he leaned forward. "So what can I help you with, RuiZhi?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 7:59 pm
The boy was about to protest when Dante continued on with the conversation, reminding him why he had come...to an extent. "I...need something to do," he commented lamely, feeling foolish for voicing his desire in such a base manner. RuiZhi crinkled his nose a little, pushing his glasses back up before trying again. "I can only go so far in what you showed me. I think I need more experience in other fields." Again, not exactly what the boy had intended, but his English was so much improved that he was rather proud that he could speak at all.
He waved a hand, as if dismissing his own disjointed thoughts. "Do you...maybe...have anything I can do? I know that sounds silly, I just...I'm at a dead end right now in my research and the school work isn't keeping me busy all the time." No, RuiZhi did not have a social life and he was just fine with that. He had an obsession, and school inbetween.
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Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 8:18 pm
Dante nodded, looking off to the side thoughtfully. "...you must be careful about what drives you, RuiZhi," he warned. "I do not want to see your brother or your friends worrying over you if your health deteriorates because you are working too hard."
He stood, walking over to the massive bookshelf behind him and looking at the spines. "That being said," he called over his shoulder as he found what he was looking for, "there's something else that blurs the line of science and magic that you might be interested in. It's called alchemy--no doubt you've heard of it."
He began to run through the journal thoughtfully. "Perhaps you would like to make a potion for one of the other teachers?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 13, 2007 9:59 pm
"I will, Heru Araquenosse," the boy promised solemnly. He knew it would do no good to study for the care of others if he could not maintain his own health. RuiZhi padded in quietly after Dante moved to the bookshelf, politely shutting the door behind himself and following the elf.
His brown eyes widened a touch at the mention of alchemy. Another means to blur the lines? Some people had referred to his own creation of salves and the ilk as alchemy, but he knew it not to be so. "I've heard of it, but...I only think of tonics in that sense. What is it, exactly?" If it was associated with magic, then it was certainly more than a mere mixture of mundane materials.
RuiZhi stood near Dante's desk, watching the professor thoughtfully. "If you think I can do it, I would like to try." The youth had no greater strength than the support of others; if someone else, especially someone he respected, thought he could do a certain thing, he would do it by any means possible.
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Posted: Fri Sep 14, 2007 8:27 am
"Alchemy is the practice of turning one thing into another. Sort of like...." He pursed his lips, trying to find a suitable analogy. He tried to summon Lorioth's explanations to him from the recesses of his memory...
"Kind of like your...'chemical' change. The process of turning one thing into another entirely...like how a bicycle left out in the rain will rust." He was moving his hands now a little bit; motion always helped him recall things clearer than normal. "Alchemy is...somewhat the same. Except it is magically induced, and the result you get would be much different from what you would get if you simply allowed nature to run it's course. A bit like turning scrap metal into gold...but there are simpler ways of performing alchemy."
He turned another page in his journal. "There are magical ingredients you will need; you can get the herbs from Shinkami Mall, but I will have to provide you with the magical ingredients and the conversion spell."
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Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2007 5:52 pm
RuiZhi watched Dante talk with his hands, extremely amused; it reminded him of another of his fond persons. "So, an unnatural change," he said slowly, not entirely sure he grasped the concept. He understood the bike to rust, but...metal to gold? That was totally altering the composition of a thing, something he had never considered and currently wasn't entirely sure was possible. He supposed it would make more sense if he understood how magic worked, but he was learning that from another teacher, and it wasn't something he was keen to bring up with the elven man.
"What type of potion would require alchemy? Especially if it's requested?" he inquired curiously. In truth, RuiZhi was only half listening, eyes flitting between the journal in Dante's hands and the elf's rough appearance. There was too much going on in his mind for him to really consider everything at once, and as such, he tried to concentrate on the situation at hand; namely, the study of alchemy and how it would help whoever was in need. The boy figured that Dante would handle whatever was ailing him, and there wasn't much the youth could hope to offer such an old soul.
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Posted: Sun Sep 16, 2007 8:41 pm
"Well, let's see...."
Dante flicked through the journal to the pages where he'd written down requests for the teachers. "Well, Professor Lorioth requires an Energy-boosting potion and...it seems that someone has requested a 'happiness potion' for Doctor Kenth and--"
Dante abruptly tore off the last bit of the page, tore it up, walked over to the basin and tossed the shreds into the garbage can tiredly, not even caring if they all went in or showing any indication of such. "Just some notes that I didn't need anymore," Dante said with a tired smile as he sat down, laced his fingers together, cradled his head between them and smiled. "Do either of those two interest you?"
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Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 3:35 pm
((Would the thrown away stuff be the 'lo' part Rui gets to figure out for himself?))
The youth was a little surprised. Doctor Lorioth had requested something for himself? RuiZhi would have thought that a man who had a whole library of medicine in his head wouldn't require magics of others. The idea was intruiging, but he was quickly startled out of it by the fact that 'someone' requested a potion for Doctor Kenth. That didn't sit well with him for some reason, his lips puckering with consideration. He was engrossed enough in his own self-musing that he didn't really pay much attention when Dante ripped up some paper and offered a reasoning.
Brown eyes blinked back to the here and now as the elven man addressed him, inclining his head a little. "I'd like to help Doctor Manneth," he answered quietly. He still found both requests a little bizarre and unsettling for some reason that he couldn't pinpoint at the moment. It didn't help that he was still somewhat distracted by Dante's equally bizarre antics.
He hesitated. RuiZhi knew he shouldn't say anything, but he couldn't help it; it was out of his mouth before he could really think about it. "Is there anything I can help you with afterwards, Heru Araquenosse?" His eyebrows were slightly furrowed over his intelligent eyes, the concern he wore made kind by his gentle smile. Whether he was referring to Dante's personal state or professional was not something he indicated.
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Posted: Tue Sep 18, 2007 3:51 pm
((Yup.))
Dante nodded. "I see. Well, then, let's--"
He paused, hand halfway to the bookshelf behind him. RuiZhi's question struck him in a way...that it should not necessarily have.
No need to bring the boy into this, Dante. This is between you and that--that buffoon. You're just fine.
"Not at the moment, RuiZhi. I'm just a bit...off. I haven't been 'sleeping' all that well--but I'm sure that's going to go away with time. Thank you for your concern."
He pulled one of the journals off and opened it. "Here, let's see...hmmm...."
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Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 10:40 am
"Okay," he quipped like a normal thirteen year old boy, "thought it couldn't hurt to ask." RuiZhi turned his neutral expression around the office while he waited, hands clasped behind his back. "Maybe this will give me some ideas for-" he paused briefly while glancing at the door, "-that thing I'm helping you with. Do you think it could help?" He truly didn't know enough about Alchemy to know its influence on the human body and magical inclination; he was temporarily grasping at straws until he could visit Irame to learn more.
He looked around again, simply out of curiosity. While he'd been in the office once before, he simply hadn't noticed the crows until that moment in time. The boy jumped a little, startled, before staring in surprise. RuiZhi kept his observation to himself, for surely the elven man was quite aware he had birds in his office; even he had enough pride not to state the obvious so blatantly.
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Posted: Wed Sep 19, 2007 9:02 pm
"Ah, here we go," Dante said, taking a sheet of parchment and beginning to scribble words and measurements on it.
"For one thing, you're going to have to use herbs. The ones that I'm listing here are ginseng, rosemary and cacao beans--for general stamina, better memory recall, and energy boosts. I'm also writing out a recommendation for him to take additional caffeine tablets in small doses in between the potion, to supplement it," he explained.
Then he opened a drawer, hand running distractedly over the contents of it before withdrawing some dried plants, what looked to be white dust and a very, very small bottle of silvery liquid.
"Myrsial flowers," Dante said, pointing to the dried plants. "An Elven plant that was often used by our peoples' warriors. Chewing on it raw induced strength and increased endurance that wore off very slowly. Of course, it could only be used in small doses, raw."
He moved onto the next, holding it up. "Dragon bone," he said, "taken from one who donated his skeleton to our coffers when he expired--I believe that same dragon has served our family's needs for several hundred years and we're not even close to running low. Ground up, it is an excellent source of energy--and also part of what is needed for the change."
Dante held up the vial. "This is unicorn's blood," he said, "taken in a very small amount with the unicorn's permission, so it is not cursed, nor does it have the eternal life associated with its consumption. Instead it serves to enhance the ingredients already there."
The last thing he withdrew was a clear quartz stone with runes drawn on the surface. "When you gather all these things together and mix them, take the mixture and the stone to Javelin--she will help you induce the magical reaction necessary to finish off the spell."
He laced his fingers together. "I understand how confusing this is. Do you have any questions?"
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Posted: Thu Sep 20, 2007 10:30 am
RuiZhi jumped a little, turning to listen to Dante as he talked about the ingredients, completely forgetting about the crows. The herbs he understood, and even agreed with, thinking to add a few of his own if it was allowed.
Brown eyes shifted to the dried plants, intruiged. It was like chewing the cacao bean, although he never recommended that. His eyes grew unnaturally large at the next item, looking a little stricken. Dragon? It should make sense that such beasts existed, or still did, as he was in the office of an elf, after all. He tried to push his shock aside and listen to the reason for its use, trying to be impartial. He succeeded until the mention of unicorn's blood, to which the sandy-skinned boy turned a little pale. Part of him wanted to ask if this was all a big joke, but part of him wasn't sure Dante was capable of such humor.
His eyes looked a little glassy as he nodded at the last instructions. The ingredients were...stupifying. Questions? RuiZhi almost asked his question about Alchemy again, but decided against it, opting for the more normal and logical ones. "The herbs...might I add a few of my own? I have a few from my home land that are less dependant on caffeine." He paused, considering the etherial components to the potion, "Is there any precaution I have to take with the bone and blood? Like, don't get it on my skin or mix one in first?" It seemed very important to him, seeing as he was dealing with the life-stuff of fantasy animals. It was a little unnverving.
"All that for energy," he commented more to himself than the Professor, "it seems...unreal." RuiZhi felt he could have easily made an herbal tonic that would give the doctor natural means of energy, but this...this magic stuff was more than he bargained for. He would have to be extremely careful.
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