[Waver's trying not to launch into ask a million questions mode. His hands grip the railing as they descend into the basement, the cage catching his eye for only a moment. It gets nothing more than a raised eyebrow, and Waver's attention then returns to Hermione.]
Too many things going on in one lab can also be a true nightmare to keep track of.
Absolutely. At least I can brew the healing potions while also making the salves by hand.
[ And inside they go! To one side is her trunk of ingredients, set up and open, and on the other are two cauldrons. One of them is a deep purple colour while the other is more of a golden colour, as though she's shoved some gold bars into the cauldron and crossed her fingers. Tucked in the corner is a desk where vials and equipment rests - knives, mortar and pestle, that sort of thing. ]
[Waver's grin nearly hurts as he walks in, taking a good look around. Sure, Morla had gifted him a work room back in Caer Scima, but he had almost no time to use it, as he had gone out on diplomacy work soon after, and then moved out. The room's contents had moved with him to the Barrel, but there was no real time to sit and work.
He's careful to not get his face too close to the cauldrons - nothing like sticking your face over what boils down to a vat of magical chemicals - but the colours within well. Funny, given the courts' colour preferences.
Finally, he approaches the desk, comparing what was given to him against Hermione's. He could use some more knives, and should probably steal the kitchen's mortar and pstel sometime soon.]
It's a lovely set up, it really is. How long did it take you to get all the equipment?
A few months after I got my house, really. I've been a bit lucky and I do feel like I cheated the system a little bit.
[ She motions to the small beaded bag, resting innocently on the desk. ]
I had everything I needed in there. My potions textbook, some vials, a cauldron. I asked for potions supplies as a gift from the monarchs not long after I got here so I was given the ingredients I needed to at least make a start and the rest I've traded for, here and there. My friends give me things in return for the potions I make them, so I keep a fairly decent balance.
[ His grin is enough for Hermione, enough to know she did right by letting him take a look inside. Not many people have been down here, no one really all that interested in the boring brewing bit, so she welcomes it. ]
Honestly, I envy your time to actually sit down and get to work! Every time I've gone, "hm, yes, now I'll actually do something," a crisis has popped up, depriving me of any time to actually work.
[Although Alyosha's given him a research idea that he is looking into.]
Also I'd hardly call that cheating the system. You used the boons smartly, set yourself up, and now you have a steady work pace. That's what I would call good planning.
I have to ask though, what's your ventilation system like in here? I've come to realize that I can use my riding goggles to double as lab goggles, but some things are just tricky with the technology problems here.
It's been what I've dedicated myself to the last few months. A lot of people know me as the potions dealer, now... It's only recently that I've actually thought about selling them for a profit. It didn't seem right when people were in dire need of actual help.
[ Now, though... Well, now there might be a bit more of a market and some peace - or so she hopes. She can only hope, after all, otherwise she'll end up in a pit. ]
I'd like to think I'm forward-thinking but a bit of it has just been luck. Not maby people can fit a library in their handbag.
[ But - ]
Magic. It's a basement, so there isn't much access to windows. Sometimes it gets a bit smoked up in here and that's when I know it's time to take a break, but luckily most of the potions only take a few hours to brew. That's not so bad, a bit like being back at school.
Dealer? Oh, now there's a loaded word, you might gain a more unsavoury reputation if you keep using that phrase. [Words are everything, after all.] But an actual profit off useful items that people will need is definitely a wise idea. Any idea on where you'd be selling out of? The house is hidden, obviously, which means your markets would have to be elsewhere.
[Good thing Rin's been named trade minister, huh?]
A little bit of luck takes you far here though. And-- I'm sorry, you can do what?
[He has priorities, okay?]
Ah. The new place has our living quarters in the basement itself - it's built into a cliffside - so I'm trying to figure out a good way to set things up without killing anyone. I'm fond of my housemates.
Not my word! Trust me, I would like to think there's a more... Kind way to describe what I've been doing. All I offer is something to help you sleep or to help you after a fight, nothing addictive. [ ... Yet.
Best not to look at that golden potion yet.
She leaps right ahead to the obvious curiosity - the beaded back. She's handed a few out and it never occurred to her that people might want to buy these, too. ]
My bag has a charm on it that makes it quite... Adept at carrying things. It's charmed so that, to everyone else, it just seems like a handbag, but to me? [ She steps over, picks it up, and reaches inside, going all the way down to her elbow, then her shoulder, before she pulls out a book and sets it to one side. ] It's got everything I need whenever I need it. Books, notes, scrolls, potions...
[ As for the rest - ]
Maybe looking into pipelines or ventilation shafts? As long as something can connect the basement to the outside somehow, even through a series of long, thin tunnels throughout, there'll be a means of airing the room.
Hm. [Waver stops to think, then counts the options off on his fingers.] Creator, seller, brewer, master brewer, barista, take your pick. Last one's silly, admittedly.
[But silly is always in order. His attention on the bag, Waver has to grin a little as Hermione's arm all but disappaers into it.] Now that I would find a lot of uses for. Especially as a saddle bag for my cleg. She hated me when we moved at the end of February.
[It was a miracle Lucetta tolerated him at all some days, given how often Waver relied on her for travel.]
I think shafts might be the easiest, if I can place the exits right. I don't want to add too many tunnels though, lest I compromise the structural integrity as is.
Hermione Granger, Sorceress of Caer Glaem and barista.
[ It does make her bite back a laugh, so the silliness worked, her head shaking as she tries to ignore how ridiculous the entire situation is. She can imagine herself standing calling out potions to people wearing a rather silly apron, really. ]
I could make you one, if you wanted. If you have a bag you wanted it done to I could do the charm in a few minutes and it shouldn't ever break, even if I leave.
[ Waver has been good to her when he didn't have to be, a comfort with all the guilt coiling inside of her. It's the least she could do. ]
I would help if I could, but I don't think that's entirely feasible.
It's got a nice ring to it! I mean Sorceress of Caer Glaem and Master Potions Brewer's got the right gravitas, but I think a little light heartedness wouldn't go awry.
[To be fair, that would be truly an amazing thing to have happen.]
Actually, I'd be thrilled if you could to that. Lucetta would too, I'm sure. [And, now that he thinks on it, so would a certain ten litres of intelligent mercury.]
You've already helped. It's just a matter of going over the ground and making it work.
I can't keep all of the gravitas to myself, of course. I have to share the load otherwise it's a little bit unfair.
[ She nods her head, stepping over to take a peek at the potions quickly as she speaks. ]
Then I'll do it next time you're free and you have whatever you need on hand. The charms are really quite amazing. I've carried about a dozen books alongside potions, portraits, clothes, shoes...
Honestly I've gotten the impression of a lot of seriousness from the Seelie, so I can only biasedly encourage that sharing. [Waver will never admit that a bit of fun chaos is good.
While Hermione checks on her potions, he lingers by the desk, not wanting to intrude on her work.]
I'd appreciate that. Would you accept payment in the form of more tea?
[There's always actual payment, but this is the better offer he thinks.]
Logic and problem solving! For me, that is...actually a lot of fun.
We have a walking, talking lion. We're not as serious as you might think. [ Hermione has met a mis-matched group of people on the Seelie side and only half of them are more serious than her, which is saying something.
Learning how to tease and poke fun has been a bit of a journey for her. ]
Of course I would. You can never have enough tea and I'd hate to run out.
[ His response lights her up and she grins. ]
Exactly. It's why I always loved doing my homework, especially Arithmancy and numerology.
A walking talking lion plus a lion with wings. Perhaps you need new court mascots? Like how you sometimes see two lions outside of libraries. [That New York City trip for a mage conference had been pretty fun.]
Then I'll have the bags sent to you soon, stuffed full of tea, and send them back whenever you can? I think that's as good a deal I can think of as any.
[Oh, Hermione, this is why he likes you.]
Oh, numerology I've seen used before! How does one assign homework for it?
It would match my house mascots from home. In school we were in Gryffindor and our mascot was a large lion. Maybe that's why I'm a lioness. [ It reminds her of home and she's struck with some nostalgia for a moment before she shakes her head.
It's better to focus. ]
That sounds perfect. It'll only take a little bit to do the charms so you should have them back within the day.
[ And Hermione will have some tea to have down here in the darkness of her lab. ]
I don't have any with me, but we used to have number charts that we plotted and examined. They were absolutely fascinating.
Perhaps. Although the wings are new, and maybe that's a symbol of something too.
[What that symbol might be is for Hermione to figure out. Waver grins though, a thought coming over him.]
Oh, that'd be perfect. I can honestly hang out the whole day, and Lucetta won't want to buck me off for doing two round trips. I swear, I feel like I overwork her constantly.
[Lucetta, mind, would agree.]
Have you had any chance to do them here, or is it again a matter of too much to do, no time for any of it?
[ She pauses to consider that; with everything that's happened, her new place of power, the weight of the world... ]
Maybe. I'm not sure that's something I'd like to think about right now.
[ She shakes her head, glancing at the potions in front of her. She'll have to go and trade for ingredients soon, ask after the people that said they needed some, start talking to people properly about what they needed... ]
I'm sure she won't mind having a few hours break, too, then.
[ She breathes out, looking almost petulant now. ]
I haven't had any time at all. I'd love to sit down and look at all my books, but...
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I have a question for you, Waver.
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[ No, that isn't an innuendo. ]
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[Is it Christmas?!]
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Of course I am! It's just downstairs.
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Drinks allowed?
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[ But she trusts him. She goes to the door, opening it and heading straight towards the basement. ]
I'm only brewing two at a time until I get my hands on a few more cauldrons, but I don't think I'm doing too badly.
[ ... Please ignore the really obvious steel caged room opposite the door to the lab, Waver. ]
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Too many things going on in one lab can also be a true nightmare to keep track of.
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[ And inside they go! To one side is her trunk of ingredients, set up and open, and on the other are two cauldrons. One of them is a deep purple colour while the other is more of a golden colour, as though she's shoved some gold bars into the cauldron and crossed her fingers. Tucked in the corner is a desk where vials and equipment rests - knives, mortar and pestle, that sort of thing. ]
And here is my home away from home.
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He's careful to not get his face too close to the cauldrons - nothing like sticking your face over what boils down to a vat of magical chemicals - but the colours within well. Funny, given the courts' colour preferences.
Finally, he approaches the desk, comparing what was given to him against Hermione's. He could use some more knives, and should probably steal the kitchen's mortar and pstel sometime soon.]
It's a lovely set up, it really is. How long did it take you to get all the equipment?
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[ She motions to the small beaded bag, resting innocently on the desk. ]
I had everything I needed in there. My potions textbook, some vials, a cauldron. I asked for potions supplies as a gift from the monarchs not long after I got here so I was given the ingredients I needed to at least make a start and the rest I've traded for, here and there. My friends give me things in return for the potions I make them, so I keep a fairly decent balance.
[ His grin is enough for Hermione, enough to know she did right by letting him take a look inside. Not many people have been down here, no one really all that interested in the boring brewing bit, so she welcomes it. ]
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[Although Alyosha's given him a research idea that he is looking into.]
Also I'd hardly call that cheating the system. You used the boons smartly, set yourself up, and now you have a steady work pace. That's what I would call good planning.
I have to ask though, what's your ventilation system like in here? I've come to realize that I can use my riding goggles to double as lab goggles, but some things are just tricky with the technology problems here.
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[ Now, though... Well, now there might be a bit more of a market and some peace - or so she hopes. She can only hope, after all, otherwise she'll end up in a pit. ]
I'd like to think I'm forward-thinking but a bit of it has just been luck. Not maby people can fit a library in their handbag.
[ But - ]
Magic. It's a basement, so there isn't much access to windows. Sometimes it gets a bit smoked up in here and that's when I know it's time to take a break, but luckily most of the potions only take a few hours to brew. That's not so bad, a bit like being back at school.
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[Good thing Rin's been named trade minister, huh?]
A little bit of luck takes you far here though. And-- I'm sorry, you can do what?
[He has priorities, okay?]
Ah. The new place has our living quarters in the basement itself - it's built into a cliffside - so I'm trying to figure out a good way to set things up without killing anyone. I'm fond of my housemates.
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Best not to look at that golden potion yet.
She leaps right ahead to the obvious curiosity - the beaded back. She's handed a few out and it never occurred to her that people might want to buy these, too. ]
My bag has a charm on it that makes it quite... Adept at carrying things. It's charmed so that, to everyone else, it just seems like a handbag, but to me? [ She steps over, picks it up, and reaches inside, going all the way down to her elbow, then her shoulder, before she pulls out a book and sets it to one side. ] It's got everything I need whenever I need it. Books, notes, scrolls, potions...
[ As for the rest - ]
Maybe looking into pipelines or ventilation shafts? As long as something can connect the basement to the outside somehow, even through a series of long, thin tunnels throughout, there'll be a means of airing the room.
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[But silly is always in order. His attention on the bag, Waver has to grin a little as Hermione's arm all but disappaers into it.] Now that I would find a lot of uses for. Especially as a saddle bag for my cleg. She hated me when we moved at the end of February.
[It was a miracle Lucetta tolerated him at all some days, given how often Waver relied on her for travel.]
I think shafts might be the easiest, if I can place the exits right. I don't want to add too many tunnels though, lest I compromise the structural integrity as is.
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[ It does make her bite back a laugh, so the silliness worked, her head shaking as she tries to ignore how ridiculous the entire situation is. She can imagine herself standing calling out potions to people wearing a rather silly apron, really. ]
I could make you one, if you wanted. If you have a bag you wanted it done to I could do the charm in a few minutes and it shouldn't ever break, even if I leave.
[ Waver has been good to her when he didn't have to be, a comfort with all the guilt coiling inside of her. It's the least she could do. ]
I would help if I could, but I don't think that's entirely feasible.
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[To be fair, that would be truly an amazing thing to have happen.]
Actually, I'd be thrilled if you could to that. Lucetta would too, I'm sure. [And, now that he thinks on it, so would a certain ten litres of intelligent mercury.]
You've already helped. It's just a matter of going over the ground and making it work.
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[ She nods her head, stepping over to take a peek at the potions quickly as she speaks. ]
Then I'll do it next time you're free and you have whatever you need on hand. The charms are really quite amazing. I've carried about a dozen books alongside potions, portraits, clothes, shoes...
[ It's endless, really. ]
Doing the work is the fun part, at least?
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While Hermione checks on her potions, he lingers by the desk, not wanting to intrude on her work.]
I'd appreciate that. Would you accept payment in the form of more tea?
[There's always actual payment, but this is the better offer he thinks.]
Logic and problem solving! For me, that is...actually a lot of fun.
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Learning how to tease and poke fun has been a bit of a journey for her. ]
Of course I would. You can never have enough tea and I'd hate to run out.
[ His response lights her up and she grins. ]
Exactly. It's why I always loved doing my homework, especially Arithmancy and numerology.
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Then I'll have the bags sent to you soon, stuffed full of tea, and send them back whenever you can? I think that's as good a deal I can think of as any.
[Oh, Hermione, this is why he likes you.]
Oh, numerology I've seen used before! How does one assign homework for it?
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It's better to focus. ]
That sounds perfect. It'll only take a little bit to do the charms so you should have them back within the day.
[ And Hermione will have some tea to have down here in the darkness of her lab. ]
I don't have any with me, but we used to have number charts that we plotted and examined. They were absolutely fascinating.
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[What that symbol might be is for Hermione to figure out. Waver grins though, a thought coming over him.]
Oh, that'd be perfect. I can honestly hang out the whole day, and Lucetta won't want to buck me off for doing two round trips. I swear, I feel like I overwork her constantly.
[Lucetta, mind, would agree.]
Have you had any chance to do them here, or is it again a matter of too much to do, no time for any of it?
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Maybe. I'm not sure that's something I'd like to think about right now.
[ She shakes her head, glancing at the potions in front of her. She'll have to go and trade for ingredients soon, ask after the people that said they needed some, start talking to people properly about what they needed... ]
I'm sure she won't mind having a few hours break, too, then.
[ She breathes out, looking almost petulant now. ]
I haven't had any time at all. I'd love to sit down and look at all my books, but...
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hermione i'm going to cry from that magic of friendship comment.
the most powerful magic after love!!!
honestly i'm tempted to say let's end it here BECAUSE IT'S A REALLY GOOD SPOT.