[Poisons & Philtering] A Study of Life and Death

[Kavala]

Timestamp: Late Winter Location: Sanctuary's Philtering Lab Purpose: Poison and Philtering Training Status: Open w/Invite The two books she'd borrowed from the academy were laid out on the table. She'd read them both, in fact the poisons one twice, but she was still very cautious. Kavala was used to making medicines, not necessarily things that could kill you if mistakes were made. Basically the process was the same, whether you were philtering or making poisons or even making essential oils for herbalism. All the skills were useful to her, truthfully. But before she could go very far, she had to set up the alembic. It was a still - a distiller, that was used in almost anything to reduce out the water. The instrument was sitting on the lab table, but it took glancing between the two books to decide how it actually worked. The alembic had two retorts connected by a singular copper tube. As she studied the diagram, Kavala realized it was only the upper part or still head of the machine. The lower part was called the cucurbit, and consisted of where the heat was applied. One had to distill - refine or transmutes - to gain the essential components. According to her Philtering text... "Distillation is a method of separating mixtures based on differences in their volatiles in a boiling liquid mixture. Distillation is a unit operation, or a physical separation process, and not a chemical reaction." Of course, Kavala had to look up what volatiles and what an actual chemical reaction was. Once she understood, she grinned, firmly understanding what the books were telling her. She was still scared of the poisons, terrified actually, but she wasn't so worried about the philtering. It was a lot like cooking, but not nearly so intimidating once it was broken down into its parts. Understanding the machinery was a first step, and once the coils and flasks were understood, it was a whole lot less intimidating. It was used for removing impurities, enhancing and concentrating substances (like poisons) or completely eliminating water in order to make sure something was fully concentrated. It was fascinating, truthfully, and Kavala dug into the study of the apparatus with interested gusto, not noticing what was going on around her. Her first task was to put the thing together, figuring out what its parts where and making sure it was absolutely clean - completely and utterly - because failing to do so could be deadly if one made poisons one day and medicine the next. So, carefully she studied the device, then took it apart to thoroughly wash it. She hummed as she worked, happy to be learning something new. Anyone could have walked in and she wouldn't have noticed, not really, because the konti was almost enthralled, absorbing something new.

[Camden]

The door was open only an inch or two, but it was enough for Camden to push it fully open with his muzzle and slip inside, winding his way under a chair - a quadruped, red-furred serpent. From there, he could see what Kavala was doing before venturing forth to distract her.

He lowered his head to peer out between his forelegs. She was fiddling with a lot of equipment on a long table, but it was hard to see what it was. She smelled strongly of soap, so he suspected whatever she was working with was medicinal in nature. She typically only scrubbed herself this clean when working with medicines. On the shelf next to her, however, was not her usual array of dried plants, ground roots, and fresh berries. Or rather, those were there, but alongside them were hooklike black things separated with thin papers, mushrooms of deep violet, and what looked to be a tiny jar of black centipedes.

He thought for a moment about reverting to human form so he could share one of a dozen wisecracks about brewing more potent beer raced across his brain, but Kavala seemed so intent, he knew that would surely startle her, and if she broke any of her equipment or lost precious reagents as a result, he might lose his ad hoc lodging privileges.

Instead, he slinked out from under the chair, walked over, and softly rubbed against her leg, head turned to look quizzically up at her.

[Kavala]

Kavala glanced down, smiled slightly, and then bent down to run her hand down between the fox's ears and out across his back towards his tail. She paused at the base of his tail for a slight scratch before she straightened. "It's a Distiller. It is supposed to purify substances to make them into incredibly pure forms of the components. I'm teaching myself how to use it... via something called philtering. It's the brewing of potions. Along with that, I'm going to learn how to make poisons. I know it sounds odd, but my sister suggested it for darts I can coat with something that will make an enemy become paralyzed. There's lots of poisons that are paralytic, some wear off, some cause death. I thought it would be a good way to defend myself without resorting to blades. It will also help with the animals here, if I can make medicines that will ease their pain or awareness when they need wounds stitched or otherwise healed. Would you like to stay and watch?" She asked, automatically moving around the lab to pull a chair over next to where she was standing so he could jump up on it if he liked and see better.

"My sister, Akela, is fabulous with the blades. I grew up in her shadow, or perhaps she'd say she grew up in mine, though she's older. She's fabulous with weapons whereas I am just awkward. I thought perhaps I'd learn poisons as a way to balance that out... and not be such a victim so much. I'm going to start with Aquatics, Roots, and Vine poisons. There's a great deal of families of poisons out there, but it doesn't appeal to me to work with animals to use them for their venom like snakes or spiders. And I'm not much for wanting to grind up worms to make poisons with either." She spoke quietly, talking softly to the fox. Moving the book over to where the fox could see it as well, she propped it up on a metal stand and indicated the poisons she was going to study.

Kavala pointed at her spots of interest. Camden could clearly see other types, if he indeed was interested in learning something completely different than Kavala.

• Aquatic - Favored by water-based poisoners, these poisons are made from aquatic plants and creatures.
• Roots - As the name suggests, these poisons are made from plant roots. The poisons in this family are not as powerful as the poisons in other families. However, it is the largest of the poison families.
• Vines - This family is comprised of poisons brewed from vines. It is important to note that these vines are often found in close proximity to roots which often makes for more productive harvesting. Poisons in the vine family are generally safer to handle than those of other families.

The Konti smiled at him, at ease, and then gestured to the window showing the gardens she was working on. "I can grow most of this stuff right here... which is why I selected them out of all the categories. And well the Aquatics won't be a problem." She added, then showed him the list of other types. It was extensive, truth be told, and as a beginner the book clearly indicated one could only learn from three different families. Somehow, in the space of the lab with the outside world firmly shut out, the girl was more at ease, relaxed, and seemed somehow younger as if she showed a reflection of what she used to be before whatever had happened to her that put a shadow in her gaze most of the time.


"I thought I'd try 'Close Call' first. It's made from a bump root which I was able to get at the market - though I can grow some here soon. It creates an odorless yellow paste. Effects caused through injury like say a dart piercing the skin. It can causes loss of motor skills, balance and agility for up to an hour. What do you think? Want to try to make it with me?" Kavala said softly, capturing her lower lip with her teeth for a moment as she flipped to the page that had the recipe. While she didn't seem uncertain, more unsure, Kavala's confidence was growing as she read more into the book and studied the distiller intently.

"Now, if I can only get it to work..."

[Camden]

Camden stood up and put his forelegs on the offered chair. He rocked his body upward, once, judging the distance, then jumped up into the chair. He quickly got the measure of its boundaries, turning in a circle before sitting back on his haunches.

He'd certainly seen his share of books before and, in human form, had some amount of traffic with them. Nobody had taught him how to read, but he knew most basic written words from going over the songs and stories he knew in written formats, and he knew enough to be able to associate pictures and diagrams with appropriate texts, even if more technical terms escaped him.

And, thus, he found himself completely reliant on Kavala's ability to follow the instructions. He would learn by observation, as he had always done.

His eyes glittered with interest. A rapier was not the most powerful of weapons, and he had often thought how nice it would be to supplement his blade with something that could give it a little extra punch - a little extra utility. Something that could paralyze a struck limb. Something that would blind a foe or cause him to shake uncontrollably. Substances like that could make even a simple scratch a pivotal point in a duel.

When Kavala described the effects of Close Call, it sounded like exactly the thing, and when she asked if he would like to make it with her, he pulled his lips back, revealing his canines and squinting his eyes in the equivalent of a grin.

[Kavala]

She glanced down at the fox and offered him a smile. "I have no idea if you can even read." Kavala said suddenly, tilting her head in curiosity as she glanced between the canine and the text propped open on its clever little holder. "I know there's a lot of people here that cannot. The Akalak are good at teaching their boys the knowledge of books, but where I grew up there weren't a lot of books at all. The Drykas are always on the move, so they rarely pack things like books with them." She said thoughtfully. "But my mother was interested in poetry and science. I always thought it was an odd combination, but she did well with it. She taught my whole pavilion to read and shared with us a love of books. I think Akela, my older sister, and I were very lucky that way. Our father indulged her love." The konti said, pulling down a basket of bump roots.

She began sorting through them, picky, and pulled out three large roots. Using a knife, Kavala began peeling the root until the pale flesh of the tuber was exposed. The konti glanced up at the directions in the book, and nodded. "It says to dice them up, boil them into mash, then reduce the mash in a distiller." And then she removed a knife from the knife rack, took down a block of wood to serve as a cutting board, and began to slowly cut the roots up.

"It occurs to me, belatedly, because I was always a bit slow..." She said somewhat sheepishly. "...that you are not going to be much help wearing fur." Kavala turned and looked at him as she finished her dicing. She laid the knife aside, and went to stoke up the fire. The best way to turn them into mash would be to boil them roots until they were soggy. And so she began adding logs to the small hearth to get the heat up. Then she went to fill a small pot full of water and added in the diced bump root.

Once the diced root was added to the fire Kavala had some time to work on what she was going to call her Posions Journal. She planned to go through the book she'd borrowed from the Academy and transfer all the recipes for low level poisons in the root, vine, and aquatic family into one place where she could add her own notes and observations. So it was with that in mind, she got out her blank journal, pen, ink, and brought the book to the table.

"So.. what is it that you do that you're willing to help me learn poisons? You aren't some... nefarious sort are you?" She asked, curious, but not wanting to press the kelvic.

[Camden]

Kavala had a point. After all, as a fox, how could she possibly enjoy his witty banter or his recitation of heroic epics where the hero was done in by poison? Camden weighed these benefits against the awkwardness which always seemed to wash over Kavala when he was around her in human form. Although they had not known each other long, she was clearly more at ease around him as a fox than as a man. He found himself, uncharacteristically, in fox form more and more during his time at Sanctuary. She just seemed freer and easier around him, as if she knew how to deal with him as a fox, but was still a puzzle to her as a man.

Still, she had brought the matter up, herself, and she was right.

Situating himself on the chair, he shifted into his human form, quickly adjusting to avoid sliding off the thing. Adjusting to the chair was easy. Adjusting to being openly nude around Kavala was not - a by-product of never before having shifted so often and freely between forms. It was silly, he knew, and he tried not to think about it, but years of social conditioning had burrowed it into his brain. Besides, Kavala was an attractive woman, and although they did not know each other well, it would only take the right touch or the right movements on her part to elicit an involuntary reaction it would be extremely difficult to conceal. Best not to think about it, really.

"Nefarious? I? You wound me, Kavala." His grin belied his words, however.

"Truth be told, I merely came in to see what you were doing, but as it happens, the study of poisons is something that intrigues me. One does not fight long with a blade before one is introduced to the additional options poison can bring, especially if you merely want to subdue. And did you know something else? I have heard stories of poison being used to cure other poisons - almost as though they can be set against each other. But, you know..."

He leaned back in the chair, now, the awkwardness of his nudity melting in the ease of their conversation.

"I hear a lot of stories, and one questions their veracity. Sometime, I shall sing you the tale of how One-Eyed Jack conquered the Rift of Tears with naught but a dance."

He cocked his head thoughtfully to one side.

"Although, now that I say that out loud, it might be an allegory. Ah well. Art, eh?" he concluded with a grand gesture.

"As to how I can help, I can read some common text, but nothing as technical as what you have. I could help with the mixing of ingredients, of course, if you directed me."

A passing thought seemed to drift across his features, briefly, but he snatched at it.

"Or, I could be a test subject. We are just talking about temporary paralysis after all, right? I have two requirements, though."

He raised his index finger.

"One, very small doses. And, two," he raised his middle finger, "I get to choose the part we paralyze. Call it a bit of healthy self-interest."

It seemed as though his eyes gleamed as his lips curled above his canines in a mischievous grin. At times, Camden was never more fox-like than when he was a man.

[Kavala]

Kavala looked thoughtful. "Makes sense. I never consider these things in that regard but your right. A poisoned blade would be helpful." He did have a point, after all, though truthfully it surprised her when he expressed human views and felt fox-like when he was close enough for her to pick up his emotions. She didn't actually see him as human with the same tendencies humans had. Fighting. Interesting. So he was something either of a knife fighter or swordsman. That gave her more to think about than his actual nudity.

Kavala wasn't worried about his nudity. Truthfully the human body fascinated her but not in the way most men would have preferred. She was interested in the way bodies moved, bent, twisted - how the bones interacted with the muscles and where strength was generated. It didn't bother her to see a man's form, even his reproductive organs, and she had seen enough aroused men in her life that she was somewhat immune to the shock some women felt at it.

When men felt pleasure, their organs reflected it. It could have been a female form or a good meal or even the actions of sparring or fighting. She knew it didn't mean she was in danger of being in a situation she didn't want to be in. Kavala didn't care. After her captivity and the men that were with her there - she wouldn't call them beasts because they were so far beneath beasts that to call them such would insult the wild things she knew and respected - she had a detachment from intimacy. To her, sex was nothing more than reproduction, the simple act of placing male seed in a female body for fertilization. It was another tool. And one she'd once tried to use to heal.

Camden worried for nothing.

What bothered Kavala far more was feeling his emotions. She shouldn't have been able to feel humans like she did Camden's. Kelvics had complex emotions that were more involved than animals' emotions were. His curiosity, his slight boredom when he wandered in, even the other kelvics when they got hungry she felt it. She often reflected that was probably what saved her when the men forced her from childhood into adulthood. She hadn't felt a thing but her rage. It bothered her to feel the horses sometimes, and though she was good at tuning them out, kelvics were different. If Camden turned his thoughts in specific directions, she'd feel them and that would be distinctly uncomfortable.

But she wasn't about to mention it. It was best, as a Konti, to leave certain things unsaid.

"I like hearing stories. My brother could tell some incredible ones. I've never heard one, however, about One-Eyed Jack or the rift of tears." She said, looking curiously at him. Kavala offered him a smile, adjusted her book on Philtering and then looked thoughtfully over the lab equipment. "Sounds like there's a lot of this we can do together. It doesn't take expertise, just care and a willingness to learn. There's a lot of lab equipment to figure out as well. I purchased a state of the art lab for philtering, but to use it one needs to learn it. We can do that together." She said helpfully, not minding diving into the subject quite extensively. She could think out loud, and in that manner the books could teach them both. "It stands to reason that if one can philter, one can be aided in cooking and poisoning as well." She added, then chuckled when he volunteered to be her test subject.

"Sounds fair enough on being the test subject. But I had thought to test it out on myself first. Some of these things in low levels can actually aid in say surgery within medicine, I think. So we might have to play with doses as we learn to achieve different effects" She added, nodding, then turned the book to the page on lab equipment and began thinking aloud.

"There's a lot of equipment here. While our roots boil down, I think we should set up some of it and at least go over what most of it is. Maybe start with the glassware? Then I really need to review how to measure some of these things...." She said, opening cupboards and peering into where she'd stored the lab components when it had been delivered in big crates.

Kavala easily found the glassware. Along with the glassware, other things were included in the lab. Not only was there an assortment of stands, tongs, test tube holders and racks, there were supplies to clean the glassware with, stoppers, corks, a thermometer, and various racks that could hold test tubes. There were also little weird triangles that she eventually figured out held crucibles and watch glasses when they were being heated. She also found spatulas, tiny ones, for moving powders and odd glass rods she decided were used for stirring things. There were ring stands for holding flasks and cylinders. There was a burner used to heat things and a mortar and pestle for grinding things. All of this she handled curiously and set up as best she determined. The distiller she paid particular attention too, following the diagram in the book carefully.

Then it came to the glassware. Kavala carefully removed them all from the cupboards and went through the book identifying each one and then placing them back in the cupboard in neat alphabetical order, labeling the doors with tiny grease pencil marks indicating what was in each one.

• Beakers: No great philtering lab would be complete without them. Beakers are used to do routine measuring and mixing within the confines of the lab. You can use them to measure volumes to within a 10% accurancy. Most beakers are made from glass. Flat bottoms allow for safe resting either on a table while the spout makes pouring easy. Because of their openness, beakers are easy to clean.
  
• Boiling Tubes: These are a special variety of test tube that can be made specifically for eating samples to a high enough temperature to boil. These are thick-walled glass tubes that are usually about half again or twice as large as an average test tube. You can rest the walls in a flame and not worry about the glass bubbling or melting.
  
• Buchner Flasks: These vacuum flasks, filter flasks, side-arm flasks, or kitasato flasks are thick walled flasks that are slightly larger at the bottom than the top which has a short glas tube and hose barb on its neck. These allow the philerer or poisoner to attach the flask to a closed sytem.
  
• Buchner Funnel: A funnel that is placed at the top of a buchner flask so that the vacuum may be used to separate or dry a sample.
  
• Burets or Burettes: Are cylinders which are used when it is necessary to dispense a small measured volume of liquid. They are large graduated glass tubes with a stopcock that allows a drop by drop dispensing when gently opened or closed. They can be used to calibrate volumes of other pieces of glassware, such as graduated cylinders.
  
• Cold Finger: a piece of glassware used to form a cold surface. This is a necessary piece of glassware when using a sublimation procedure.
  
• Condenser: a piece of glassware that is used to cool hot liquids or vapors which normally consists of a tube within a tube.
  
• Crucible: a cup-shaped piece of laboratory glassware that is used to hold samples which are to be heated at high temperatures. These may or may not include lids and might vary in shape or size considerably.
  
• Erlenmeyer Flasks: Flasks used to measure, mix, and store liquids. These are the most common and thus most useful pieces of laboratory equipment because of their size and shape. They are thickly lined glass so they can be heated over flame. The tops can be sealed with corks, paraffin, or glass stoppers.
  
• Evaporating Dish: A ceramic or glass dish used to heat and evaporate liquids. The deep dishes had a pour spout on one end.
  
• Florence Flask: This is a true round bottom flask that has thick walls capable of withstanding drastic temperature changes in brief periods of time.
  
• Funnel: A conical piece of glassware that terminates in a narrow tube. This piece of glassware is used to transfer substances into containers that have narrow mouths. Sometimes they are called conical measures and are marked with lines that allow measurements.
  
• Glass Bottles: These are bottles with glass stoppers that are used to stock solutions of chemicals. Most of these bottles are labeled and used for only one chemical and never used for another.
  
• Graduated Cylinders: These are glass cylinders that are used to measure volumes accurately. They can be known to calculate density if something’s weight is known.
  
• Pipets: Sometimes known as Pipettes, these glass droppers are calibrated to deliver a specific volume. They can be marked like graduated cylinders or lined to deliver only the same volume again and again.
  
• Pcynometer: Sometimes called specific gravity bottles are flasks with stoppers that have capillary tubes through it which allows air bubbles to escape. These bottles allow for the accurate measurement of density.
  
• Retort: A common piece of glassware that is used for distillation or dry distillation. A retort is a spherical glass vessel that has a downward bending kneck which acts as a condenser all in one.
  
• Round Bottom Flask: Like the name implies, these flasks have a round bottom with the end of the neck typically made of conical ground glass joints. These flasks are flattened dorsally/vertically and can comfortably rest on a flat surface. This is a great flask for heating or boiling a sample.
  
• Separatory Funnels: Funnels used to dispense liquid into other containers, usually as part of an extraction process. They are made of glass that can be set up on a ring stand that supports them aloft. Separatory funnels are open at the top to allow ease of adding liquid to them, though they can be stoppered or corked if necessary. Sloping sides lead down to a stopcock that allows perfect dispensing. These are normally used when the flow needs to be controlled but not the measurement of the liquid itself.
  
• Stir Stick: A glass rod used to stir philters as they are cooking - glass is easier to clean properly than metal or wood which might react to the poisons or potions being crafted.
  
• Stopcock: This is a plug with a handle that fits into a corresponding female joint on a flask or funnel that allows a drop by drop measurement of liquid to be allowed to move through it or twisted to stop.
  
• Test Tubes: These are round bottom cylinders made of thick glass so they can resist breaking via temperature changes or chemical reactions. Sometimes these are called culture tubes, though test tubes have lips and culture tubes do not.
  
• Thistle Tube: These are pieces of glassware that consist of long tubes with a reservoir and funnel like opening at one end. These are used to add liquid through a stopper to an existing apparatus.
  
• Volumetric Flask: These are flasks used to accurately prepare solutions for philtering or poison making. These glassware pieces are characterized by a long neck with a line for measuring a specific volume. They may have round or flat bottoms, and again are made of thick glass to withstand heat.
  
• Watch Glasses: These are multiple sized concave dishes that have a variety of uses. They serve as lids for flasks and beakers. They can hold samples for observation. They can evaporate liquid off samples as well.

Once she'd identified all the types of glassware she needed for the lab and handed the objects to Camden so he too knew what he was looking at, they got placed securely away and then she looked around.

"Now, measuring things... and a few techniques is what the book says we need to learn next." She said, turning the page and reviewing a list of measurements needed for both dry and liquids, weights and volumes. "Nothing like feeling we're back in basic school again." She said, though the truth was the Drykas really had no such teachings. She'd had to play catchup on Konti in the opal temple to even learn basic math other than counting coins. But Camden didn't need to know that. He probably knew all about distances and volumes, powders and potions... most normal children did.

[Kavala]

That was about the time the kelvic fox wandered off. She didn't mind so much, truthfully, for she could tell that she was delving into topics that he wasn't exactly comfortable with. Flipping the page of the textbook, Kavala looked thoughtfully.

"Techniques in Philtering and Poisons." She glanced at her equipment, made sure it was all there and accounted for, then began to read.

"Frequently poor results in a philtering exercise are the result of poor techniques. Technique is not a magic operation, but rather an orderly reasonable approach to a problem or task. Using good technique will prevent chemical contamination (mixing), the loss of precipitates, spilled liquids, and the like. Most importantly, it can prevent serious injury." Kavala nodded to herself, glanced around, and made sure first and foremost her lab was tidy. Then she began reading further. "Since all techniques and operations cannot be covered in the written word, the best tool a philterer and poison crafter has is his or her mind. Use it. Be cautious, never philter carelessly or experimentally. Have a goal and main purpose in mind." She nodded, understanding this.

She moved on. The next section was entitled "Obtaining liquid from a bottle." Kavala nodded, knowing this was important. "To obtain a liquid from a bottle, grasp the stopper between the third and fourth fingers, with palms up, and while holding the stopper in this fashion pour from the bottle. Replace the stopper when finished. The stopper should never reached the dirty counter top nor touched the side of the bottle. Stoppers contaminated with other philters can be dangerous. Do not touch them to anything else." Kavala took careful notes, filled a bottle with plain water, and practiced the technique.

"Obtain liquids in a clean dry beaker - not a test tube or graduated cylinder - because they do not pour true to form. Do not put pipettes or medicine droppers into reagent bottles. Do not take more material than is required, for it is wasteful and one cannot return reagent to its reagent bottle." Kavala knew what a reagent was. It was a philtering agent added to a philter to bring about a reaction - whether that reaction be a flavor, a foam, or even a component that generated a poison. "When carefully transferring liquids, pour the liquid down a stirring rod held across the top of the beaker from which one is pouring. " Ahh... stirring rods. Glass rods that took the place of wooden spoons when stirring. Kavala nodded to herself and took this down as a note.

The second section was on Measuring Liquids. "Graduated cylinders and pipettes are two commonly used pieces of lab equipment used for measuring volumes. Study carefully the particular piece of apparatus you are to use to determine how it is calibrated and the accuracy with which your measurements should be recorded on your data sheet. ( When reading the level of liquid in any liquid measuring device (graduated cylinder, pipette, burette, volumetric flask), read the bottom of the meniscus." Kavala had no idea what a meniscus was, so she looked it up in the back of the book. She found it soon enough. It seemed liquid in a cylinder of any sort formed a concave surface. The bottom of the meniscus is used to measure the volume of a liquid in apparatus such as a graduated cylinder. It was a standard so that all liquids could be measured accurately. Kavala nodded and noted it down.

[Kavala]

The next section in the book covered Obtaining Solids. Kavala read it carefully since she wasn't sure exactly what was so important about obtaining solids. "To obtain a solid, unscrew the cap or remove the cork or stopper and place it upside down on the counter so as to not contaminate it with other chemicals that might be on the counter. Rotate and tilt the bottle at the same time to dispense the solid slowly to a weighing boat or a clean dry beaker. Never use spatulas or scoops or spoons to dig out solids. These things can contaminate the reagent from even just being washed in clean soapy water and set on the counter or table top. " Kavala practiced this with some dried spice. It wasn't that hard to roll the powder and tap it into whatever vessel she wanted it to go into.

Turning the page, she moved on. The next section was on weights and balances. She read carefully how to zero out a balance or scale, and how to load one side with weights and add them all up to get a proper measurement based on the substances she was measuring on the free side. It was simple stuff, but something she definitely needed guidance from the book for in order to understand on its own. There were basic rules to measures and weights too... safety ones and common sense ones.

"Keep the balance clean. Always zero the balance before each weighing. Use a beaker or weighing boat instead of placing chemicals directly on the balance pan. Recheck to confirm that the balance is still zeroed after weighing." Okay, easy enough. After absorbing that material, she moved on, going to the next section which involved a thermometer.

"Laboratory thermometers are not to be shaken. Immerse the bulb of the thermometer in the substance for which you are to measure the temperature, allow the mercury level to stabilize and read the thermometer. Be sure to study the calibrations on the thermometer to determine how accurately it can be read. Do not use a thermometer as a stirring rod for stirring solutions. Remember, the bulb of the thermometer is delicate and mercury can make you sick. If a thermometer breaks, dispose of the silver liquid immediately far away from anything edible or sources of water." Kavala made notes, nodding to herself, and then tackled the last section before calling it a day.

The final section was on heating liquids. It wasn't really a 'measuring' section, but it just had some common sense advice for getting things really really hot. "When heating liquids in test tubes, always point the open end of the test tube away from yourself and other people. When heating liquids in beakers, stir the liquid while carefully heating to avoid bumping." Kavala had to search through the book a long time to determine what bumping was. When she finally found it, she determined it was uneven boiling which causes the dangerous spattering of large quantities of hot liquid. So when boiling things, she carefully noted, she needed a gentle rolling boil, not a harsh impractical one.

With that, she put her things away, cleaned the lab, and decided she'd return the next day after working horses and chores to finish her philtering and poisoning training.

[Kavala]

There was more to learn though, when first starting with poisons and philtering. The deeper Kavala read, the more she realized that part of her job as a philterer was record keeping and observation recording. One needed to basically write everything down. This was doubly important when one was working on medicinal poisons or philters that were used in Medicine. Kavala needed to make tinctures and tonics daily. She even needed to use paralytics in her work and things that blocked pain or put animals out of their suffering long enough for her to do surgeries. So she paid careful attention to what she was reading and noted what the books she had borrowed said about observations.

Kavala carefully wrote the word 'Observations' in her journal on philtering and poisons, and got down to taking her notes.

"Observations should be recorded for each philter. Observations are what you saw during the procedure, what was seen initially, all the changes that were seen, and the final conditions that were seen. This includes the observable properties of the reactants, all changes that occur during the reactions, and the observable properties of the products of your reactions." There was a list of examples as well. Kavala noted them, carefully thinking about what each meant.

• the color, appearance, and physical state of reactants
  
• the color and appearance of products, temperature changes
  
• gas production (bubbles)
  
• precipitate formation (solid appears)
  
• solids dissolving (solid disappears)
  
• color changes of solutions
  
• solutions becoming cloudy or becoming clear.

There was an important difference between solutions that were clear and solutions that are colorless as well. Clear solutions were see through with often a tint of color. Solutions that were not clear were opaque and one couldn't see through them. Solutions that were colorless as pure water was were also important. When these 'states' or conditions changed, it was important to note them because often it meant a poison was ready or a philter was completed.

"Record your observations during the experiment. Don't wait until the end of the experiment to write them down. You will probably have forgotten a lot of the details or may remember them incorrectly." Kavala noted that, and decided to take notes all the way through her procedures and when she was making medicines and poisons. Herbailism taught that as well, being conscious of even time of day of harvest or weather conditions.

With that, Kavala could finally move on to the poisons she could in fact make.