When he admonished her as he left, Alex felt a burn rise to her cheeks. She wasn't sure how she had managed that- she was normally so careful with her poisons. Obviously she had done something, since she was the only one to touch the bowl, but she didn't know what.
As soon as he was gone, she went over and peered at the stove. It was cooling down, but there was still a giant crack running down it. She coulnd't see anything wrong with the bowl or the chainmail, though that meant nothing. She wasn't good enough with metals or alchemy to know what the chainmail might have reacted with. Working your way through a problem like that only worked if you had enough knowledge on the topic.
When he returned, proudly toting the bowl of snails, Alex stared at him. Really?
Snails?
She looked inside as he left again, poking them about in the bowl. Nope, just regular old garden snails. He needs them, but doesn't grow or breed them? Then again, can someone breed snails? How would they do that?
Those questions occupied her until Tristan came back, at which point she asked him.
"Do you breed snails?" There was no hint of glibness in her voice, nor was there any sign of facetiousness. She was totally serious and slightly curious. Her own efforts at breeding rats had led to failure- disease, malnourishment and inexplicable deaths meant that she had resorted to buying them off rat catchers as she needed them. Perhaps she could take his process and tweak it.
She poked and prodded at the snails, drawing more of the slime, but not enough to soak the stone dust in. When Tristan spoke up again, she narrowed her eyes at him. Actually? What is that supposed to mean? That makes it sound as if he wasn't planning on having it be from two before... She nodded at his question, her hands going back to poking at them without much enthusiasm. They wriggled and slid around the bowl lazily, her spatula barely prodding them along.
She stared at him cautiously as he left, trying to read as much as she could into his movements. Not a whole lot, it turned out.
When he returned, he seemed more relaxed than he had when he left, though who knew why that was. Perhaps he was just nervous about Alex finding out his secrets?
Alex left the mixing up to him- she didn't want to be involved in any more explosions, especially ones without a stove between them to keep them safe.
She grabbed her bolt of cloth and followed Tristan into the kitchen, smiling at the memory of the disaster that had been here last time she was here.
A thought stopped her dead in her tracks- Why was he doing it in the kitchen if he had stuff in his workshop this time? Come to think of it, where was all the stuff he had in his workshop last time I was here?
Following his instructions from before, Alex knelt to start a fire, a task that took her several bits longer than it should've. She wasn't used to fire starting that often- her burners were far easier to start, and the fire was always kept burning in The Gardener's Grace. She grimaced as she realized he wanted her to soak it in the mixture. After the stove, she had been trying to avoid doing much of anything, lest she ruin something else inadvertently.
The mixture was soon hot over the fire she had scrounged up, and she set the bolt of cloth inside. It quickly soaked into the cloth, disappearing as if sucked through a straw. Alex looked at Tristan with the obvious question in her eyes.
"I-Is that it? Was that supposed to happen?" Carefully, Alex pulled the now damp cloth out of the pan and held it up. It wasn't dry, but there was no dripping mess anywhere, and the mixture they had made was all gone. There was no trace of the stone powder visible on the cloth, though Alex fervently hoped that meant it worked.
"Well, I suppose we should test it?"
As soon as he was gone, she went over and peered at the stove. It was cooling down, but there was still a giant crack running down it. She coulnd't see anything wrong with the bowl or the chainmail, though that meant nothing. She wasn't good enough with metals or alchemy to know what the chainmail might have reacted with. Working your way through a problem like that only worked if you had enough knowledge on the topic.
When he returned, proudly toting the bowl of snails, Alex stared at him. Really?
Snails?
She looked inside as he left again, poking them about in the bowl. Nope, just regular old garden snails. He needs them, but doesn't grow or breed them? Then again, can someone breed snails? How would they do that?
Those questions occupied her until Tristan came back, at which point she asked him.
"Do you breed snails?" There was no hint of glibness in her voice, nor was there any sign of facetiousness. She was totally serious and slightly curious. Her own efforts at breeding rats had led to failure- disease, malnourishment and inexplicable deaths meant that she had resorted to buying them off rat catchers as she needed them. Perhaps she could take his process and tweak it.
She poked and prodded at the snails, drawing more of the slime, but not enough to soak the stone dust in. When Tristan spoke up again, she narrowed her eyes at him. Actually? What is that supposed to mean? That makes it sound as if he wasn't planning on having it be from two before... She nodded at his question, her hands going back to poking at them without much enthusiasm. They wriggled and slid around the bowl lazily, her spatula barely prodding them along.
She stared at him cautiously as he left, trying to read as much as she could into his movements. Not a whole lot, it turned out.
When he returned, he seemed more relaxed than he had when he left, though who knew why that was. Perhaps he was just nervous about Alex finding out his secrets?
Alex left the mixing up to him- she didn't want to be involved in any more explosions, especially ones without a stove between them to keep them safe.
She grabbed her bolt of cloth and followed Tristan into the kitchen, smiling at the memory of the disaster that had been here last time she was here.
A thought stopped her dead in her tracks- Why was he doing it in the kitchen if he had stuff in his workshop this time? Come to think of it, where was all the stuff he had in his workshop last time I was here?
Following his instructions from before, Alex knelt to start a fire, a task that took her several bits longer than it should've. She wasn't used to fire starting that often- her burners were far easier to start, and the fire was always kept burning in The Gardener's Grace. She grimaced as she realized he wanted her to soak it in the mixture. After the stove, she had been trying to avoid doing much of anything, lest she ruin something else inadvertently.
The mixture was soon hot over the fire she had scrounged up, and she set the bolt of cloth inside. It quickly soaked into the cloth, disappearing as if sucked through a straw. Alex looked at Tristan with the obvious question in her eyes.
"I-Is that it? Was that supposed to happen?" Carefully, Alex pulled the now damp cloth out of the pan and held it up. It wasn't dry, but there was no dripping mess anywhere, and the mixture they had made was all gone. There was no trace of the stone powder visible on the cloth, though Alex fervently hoped that meant it worked.
"Well, I suppose we should test it?"
