PM to join A trip to Alchemy [Alchemmia Alchea]

[Rowland]

Alchemmia Alchea OOCTo be moderated by Kuvarkh

2nd of Winter, 513 AV

While seeking his lost key, Rowland ended up dashing down an alley he had never been to before. In fact, he was beginning to realize that there was a great deal of Alvadas that he had never been to before. So many stores, shops, warehouses, offices and homes, and none of them were any that he recognized.

Well, what had he been told? "Rowland, you should become more a part of Alvadas."

Perhaps it was time to stop just running past all these stores. Maybe it was time to look in on one.

He picked one at random, found out that it sold nothing but woman's shoes, and decided to try another.

The next place was a smithy of some sort selling weapons for mounted combat. All sorts of poles and lances and staves. He needed these as much as he needed shoes. Or perhaps less, as he had feet but did not own a horse.

His third attempt was a place he had no idea what it was. The shop had a black door and fogged windows, and his best attempts at trying to observe and peek in were dashed. But it did have a sign: "Wanda's Alchemmia Alchea."

Rowland stared at the sign for a moment, not quite sure what language it was written in. "I have absolutely no idea what that is. Lingerie of some sort?"

He looked around for anyone passing-by to help him but saw no one within range. Rowland found himself reluctant to go into a strange place. What if something went wrong? What if they hated him? What if they made him buy something he didn't want or need?

Rowland took a deep breath. He tried to imagine what stout old Garfunkel would say to him. He imagined it would go like this: "Buck up, Mr. Morcer. Get a hold of yourself. You're not that colorless drab little man who hides in his tiny life of going back and forth to work and then home anymore. You want to be a performer. That means taking chances! It takes spine to stand in front of a crowd. Show some backbone. Open that door!"

Nodding to himself, he reached for the doorknob, turned it and went in. It was emptier than he expected. And rather plain and drab; no decorations. Just a black wooden counter. A few books on a shelf but he had no idea what they were about. And he noticed a single door leading somewhere.

"Hello?" he said. "Anyone here? What is this place?"

[Kuvarakh]

Kuvarakh was halfway to the door when he realized he was still carrying the glowing stone he was going to use as a charger in his next transmutation. 'People are always attracted to things that glow.' he mused in equal parts amusement and annoyance. This was evidenced by how often he needed to restock this property in the storeroom. He'd spent a full day creating an hundred of such glowing items, only to have them used up in the next ten.

No other property moved so fast. He shrugged, 'well, it's certainly become second nature now. I think I could do "glow" while bathing.' Customers had certainly spread word of mouth as a result. The better he got at isolating a particular property from the accelerated blend of djed properties in the alchemy stream, the longer it lasted and more pronounced it was. And "glow" was probably the best of all.

He came out to where he could see over the counter into the front room just in time for Wanda to bestow her "in case you didn't already know" look. Kuvarakh rolled his eyes as she suppressed a grin. "There's a customer at the counter, Kuvie dear." she said unnecessarily. As much as the pet name grated, he was pleased that she had one for him.

"Did I forget to mention that eyes and ears are two of the things that DO work on a Nuit?" he called back to her, thinking he was being clever.

"Judging by the backlog of untreated stock, I would have to assume they are the ONLY things that work." She called back innocently, but with a tone of victory.

Kuvarakh winced in mock pain at her response as he reached the counter to see a man that had all the earmarks of a play-actor. 'Did he forget to change out of his stage clothes before strolling about town?' he thought, making an effort not to betray his assessment that the man was overdressed.

Somehow though, it subconsciously brought out his own flair for the dramatic, and he gave a bit of a flourish as he announced, "This, sir, is Alvadas' premier alchemy shop, 'Alchemmia Alchae'. And my name is Kuvarakh, assistant to Alvadas' premier alchemist... Wanda!"

He was pleased to see that the man did not seem on the verge of submitting to the instinct to recoil from the Nuit's undead look, dressed in decent conservative clothes beneath a shop apron though it was. Kuvarakh set the glowing stone to the side, crossed his arms and leaned on the counter beside the stone with a smile. "Now, what else would you like to know?"

[Rowland]

oocOh! Colored text! I shall try that!

Rowland looked blankly as Kuvarakh introduced himself, apparently unaware what a Nuit was, and retained the same blank look when Wanda was mentioned, but he did not want to hurt anyone's feelings, so he nodded at the man and gave a bow with a flourish. "Oh yes indeed! I have heard many great things about both of you! Kuvarakh Anuit the dashing. Wanda the wondrous! Tales of your Premiere Alchemical feats reach all the way to Southeast Kalea! A pleasure to meet both of you. I am Spea... ah, I am Wo...." He paused for a moment, not sure how to introduce himself now that he had left his job. He lowered his voice to a stage whisper and spoke as dramatically as he could: "I am Rowland, a potential customer. Perhaps more."

He had no idea what that meant, but it sounded good. He wanted to add 'perhaps much more' and throw in some diabolical laughter, but the cadaverous-looking fellow appeared rather busy. Still, he wanted to add something. He looked at the books on the shelves and then it came to him.

Rowland thumped himself on the chest. "What I mean is, I desire to learn a little about Alchemy. I may potentially desire to learn a great deal about Alchemy, eventually, but I'm sure such knowledge doesn't come cheaply or easily plus I suppose there is the matter of getting to know each other, as no one would trust a total stranger with anything arcane or occult. So, if you could start at the very beginning with the basics now, I would appreciate it."

Rowland looked from Kuvarkh to Wanda, one to the other.
"And I will tell you a bit about me. I am a man desirous of learning all about change. It occurred to me at the start of this season that I was taking myself and Alvadas for granted. (I met a Vantha for the first time, and it made me realize that I led a very sheltered life.) We have here a city of Illusion, where one thing is always actually something else. And I was just being myself, a colorless, drab nobody."

He let that image sink in for a moment, in contrast to his current popinjay attire. "Imagine that: Alvadas, city of illusion, home of Ionu, and I was just a wallflower. And so I have set my mind to performing-- no pun intended here-- a bit of mental alchemy on myself, changing who I was into something else, inside and out." His hand curled into fists for a moment and he looked up to the ceiling, and he attempted to speak in a deeper, more stentorian voice. "I want to be more than I was, different than what I was. And I want my wardrobe and possessions to be likewise be bespelled and ensorcelled to match." His voice returned to normal and he looked at Kuvarakh and Wanda. "I'm not sure how Alchemy fits into all that, but I'm willing to listen and find out."

He point at one hand. "But words are easy. Allow me a chime or two of your time to show that I am serious." He held out the fingers of one hand, and slowly-- it did indeed take a few chimes-- by rubbing his fingers with his other hand, he did a most basic and simple morph, so that his pinky and ring finger were fused together with a bit of webbing. It was extremely elementary, clearly involving only the outermost layer of skin with no change in muscle or bone, and as Rowland pulled his other hand away and stopped rubbing, his fingers returned to normal. "Right now it's really not much more than the parlor trick I learned from a Svefra, but the potential is there. He taught me that and a bit of Hypnosis but I am not so rude as demonstrate the latter. My point is simply that I am eager to learn."

He pulled out a knife and a gold Miza. "For example, what can be done with this? Or this?" This was not an idle question, as he was still eager to be a customer, regardless of what Kuvarakh and Wanda told him about how they did what they did.

oocI assume one way you end up with a gold-colored knife but what about the other way? Can you end up with a sharp-edged coin?

[Kuvarakh]

"Tales of your Premiere Alchemical feats reach all the way to Southeast Kalea!" Kuvarakh raised one eyebrow and looked at Wanda, to find a similar expression on her face. He quickly grabbed one of the Alchemy reference books he'd left on the counter and made to nonchalantly stroll off. Wanda hooked his elbow and swung him back around as the flamboyant figure thumped himself on the chest, going on about his desire to learn Alchemy.

"No one would trust a nut case either." Wanda muttered quietly to Kuvarakh, who stifled a grin. He felt a bit guilty though. The fellow, odd as he was, was certainly a friendly and outgoing sort. But the words "colorless, drab nobody" struck a cord, and he winced, in his decent, conservative clothes. and near colorless, grayish skin.

The man, "Rowland" he called himself, went on in metaphorical detail about the self-transformation he wished to undergo. Kuvarakh could see easily that Wanda had no intention of teaching a potential competitor her craft. It was enough that her "assistant", Kuvarakh himself, had surpassed her level of expertise. But Kuvarakh's agenda no longer included any desire to reach some lofty pinnacle of world-wide recognition as the greatest alchemist ever. It never really had.

His aims in coming to Alvadas had changed several times, each time with a sense that his life's purpose had finally been grasped. But what it was now was to either transform Wanda into a Nuit, or die with her when her mortal span reached its end. The first he felt was highly unlikely until she actually faced old age and death. Even then she may stick to her values and go back to face Lhex. If that was the case, he wanted to go at the same time.

He knew that she now understood why. They had actually discussed it, and Wanda no longer dismissed it as preposterous. She even looked wistful about it. Kuvarakh now believed the gods had brought him here to find her, specifically. The years he'd spent here had convinced him that Wanda was the reborn spirit of his long dead wife, Raellen. Every subtle characteristic, opinion and mannerism of Wanda's was identical to his lost wife's.

He knew it was a million-to-one long shot, but he thought if they died together, they may be reborn in such a circumstance as to allow the possibility of a life together again. He could not say that she had really "warmed" to this belief, but at least she no longer scoffed.

Even now, the slightly pained look she gave Rowland was the embodiment of Raellen's practiced diplomacy. "Sir, if you are suggesting the use of alchemy on your very person, I must inform, or remind you, that such practice is not an accepted use of the ring, under penalty of a grand oath or outright silencing." She assumed that everyone knew of the enforcement branch of the Womiyu, the "Silencers". Then she brightened, "But as for your appearance, there are any number of grand embellishments and enhancements we can imbue your clothes and accessories with. You could be a rainbow of sparkling colors, ever-shifting, your cloak eternally wind blown, even indoors!"

Kuvarakh watched the the man's display of simple morphing. Regardless of its simplicity, it was still impressive. Not because of the ramifications of greater levels of the skill, but that it showed Rowland knew how to access his djed, and could therefore learn alchemy. Wanda could see it too. She turned to Kuvarakh, "Perhaps you could use someone that can do this in your order, Ku. He could learn a number of things there." her reaction was clearly geared to encourage Rowland's pursuit of Morphing.

Kuvarakh felt a bit bad for Rowland. But he could understand Wanda's desire to dissuade him from pursuing Alchemy. She would encourage the man to learn whatever he wanted, as long as it wasn't alchemy. Kuvarakh looked at the knife and coin the man presented. "We can do most anything you like to them. Was there something you had in mind?"

[Rowland]

[color=#FFBFFF]"Sir, if you are suggesting the use of alchemy on your very person, I must inform, or remind you, that such practice is not an accepted use of the ring, under penalty of a grand oath or outright silencing." She assumed that everyone knew of the enforcement branch of the Womiyu, the "Silencers".

When she said this last bit, there was a moment when Rowland's entire appearance changed, as if by magic, but not the sort of magic that used Djed. This was subtle, and it would be beyond Wanda or most any living person to catch, but a man who lived as long as Kuvarakh might have caught it. Rowland's entire expression turned blank, and in spite of his gaudy appearance there was a moment when he seemed to wash right into the scenery. He simply went still as a statue and his expression went neutral and blank.

And in spite of his appearance and his gregarious manner, he did nothing for a moment or two except watch and listen. His eyes alone moved around, glancing left and right at everything in the room, looking and analyzing in the manner of gate guards everywhere.

This was the true face of a man who indeed had spent most of his life as a drab little person faded into the background, watching and listening. And then more years wasted in a room somewhere, promoted to reading the reports of others who listened.

In this one brief moment, he ignored any jests or gibes about the state of his mental health, appearance or desires, and instead appeared to focus all his attention on Wanda's attempts to steer him away from Alchemy. He did not seem surprised, but rather he nodded along as if Wanda was confirming something he now suspected.

He spoke softly in a drab, colorless voice, really a whisper. Kuvarakh or Wanda might not catch it unless either had exceptional hearing. "Aye, I know the law, grand oaths and outright silencing both." He remembered a moment, a poor High Listener locked away in a little room somewhere, forced to decide if some little girl's file should be sent to the Silencers. And with that memory, the desire to remake himself from head to toe came back to him, stronger than ever. Some decisions could not be lived with.

He snapped his fingers, and the bright smile returned to his face, even to his eyes which wrinkled a bit on the sides. He spoke now in a loud, jolly voice with the sound of a grin always just below the surface."Anyway, I'm just Rowland. Silly little Rowland, a common performer. Forgive my ignorance of the law and of Alchemy, Wanda and Kuvarakh. I would never want to do anything illegal, or get anyone else in trouble, ever. By Ionu, I can honestly swear to that." He laughed at a private joke only he was aware of, and his face again cycled between that of a clown and a strict librarian. He looked off to the side as if remembering a report he had read, and he whispered to himself. "Kuvarakh.... Kuvarakh... do I know that name? Ah... a complaint filed...something about stones that glowed the wrong color, or for less than expected--"

Rowland now snapped both hands at once and he engaged in a little dance, hopping from one foot to the other. Kuvarakh! Yes! I would be honored! And think me not a braggart, good sir, when I say I've heard of you! I mean your prowess in making stones glow is legendary! Ten years at a time! Oh, I had indeed been meaning to visit here. Oh indeed. Do please tell me of this Order." And he burst into a very bright grin.

To Wanda he pointed at the items he had displayed. "Very well, I will not pry into how you do what you do. It would probably go all over silly Rowland's head anyway. But given this sharp knife and this coin, can you make the coin sharp?" He thought it would be a neat trick if one could use a Miza to slice things, but he explained that he had no idea if it was possible.

As to his appearance, he agreed that he would like his mask to be ever-shifting like the colors of a Vantha's eyes. He asked if it was a full-time effect or if it could be turned on or off, and he asked about the duration and the price.

[Kuvarakh]

It was a curious phenomenon, similar to when a man in dark clothes steps into a dark doorway and seems to become a disembodied head, floating in the dark. Usually something to joke about, it was now mildly unsettling the way this flamboyant gentleman seemed to flush back into the scenery. Had Kuvarakh not been looking at him right then, he might not have realized he was there.

Wanda was apparently still too caught up in her concern about talking Rowland out of taking up Alchemy as an interest to notice the effect. But then the man became animated again and Kuvarakh blinked and shook his head, unsure if he had imagined it. The man's flattery was terribly overblown, but he could not help but cast a grin at Wanda at the reference of "ten year's duration". It appeared that the job they did for that old grouch, Mr. Barnett, had turned to word of mouth exaggerations. He wondered if that old bat would spread rumors of the smell that would be wafting up from those stones once the imbued glyphs were triggered.

Wanda met his look and chuckled a bit, rolling her eyes. "Well, sir, to be honest. I don't really see much benefit to be gained from any sort of transmutation to be done between these two items. We can indeed put a knife's edge on that coin, but you would likely cut yourself on it any time you put your hand in that pocket, assuming it did not slice through the fabric and fall into the street beforehand, probably cutting your leg on the way."

Kuvarakh stepped in. "Or we can put the decorative gold rim around the edges of the blade, but that would negate the usefulness of the knife, as gold is a soft metal and won't long hold an edge. Also to consider is the fact the whichever item a property is taken FROM, to bestow upon another, is destroyed in the process. If its simply a demonstration you want, however, it would certainly do the trick."

Wanda once again spoke up, with a mischievous smirk, "And Kuvarakh will be happy to do it for you. Then, if you are sufficiently impressed, we can discuss transmutations that may actually be of more than merely demonstrative benefit. I promise you, sir, we can do things with your clothes that will make you a vision to be the highlight of any passersby's day!" She finished with a worthy flourish, and Kuvarakh's demeanor changed from the amused annoyance of being stuck with the work, to one of eager support.

The enthusiasm was dimmed somewhat by the realities of business, as Wanda added, "The second job will require payment however." For himself, Kuvarakh was unsure of whether to mention The Order of Transcendence, given the pitiful state it had fallen to. It was almost a sense of shame at how this exuberant man would sag with disappointment at the now meager roster that prompted Kuvarakh to say nothing of it right then.

'But perhaps this "Rowland" is just what it needs...'

[Rowland]

Rowland listened dutifully to everything both Wanda and Kuvarakh told him. He again apologized for his earlier lapse, and simply nodded at everything that the two of him told him, doing his best to maintain the air of a gregarious dandy. "Splendid! Splendid! A demonstration will be wonderful! Truly, poor silly Rowland is the better for having come in here! Oh, the fun at parties such a little parlor trick of a coin this will be!" He clapped his hands together a few times in a rather foppish manner.

"But you are right! We must not cut ourselves! One moment, if you please!" He took the coin, excused himself for a moment, and went over to the front wall by the door. Turning his back, he pulled out a sash and a bit of clay and putty from a small kit he had with him, took the Miza, made an impression, then pulled out a small case-- such as the type used to carry a ring-- and lined it with his jury-rigged mold. He doubted that it would be a useful conveyor in the long run, but this would do for now.

He actually felt that this would be an interesting Alchemy experiment. He felt that someday a sharp edge that he was able to keep on him when stripped of all other blades might come in handy. For example, if he could learn to palm a sharp coin without hurting himself-- and this is where his practice in Morphing his hand would be useful... then it might even come in handy should he ever find himself tied up. (This was a city of illusions, but Rowland had no illusions that he lived in a dangerous world.) If he could learn how to throw it like a tiny dart, it might startle an opponent enough to allow him to flee if necessary. And of course there was the obvious use in the bedroom.

Then he went and put the coin back down on the counter. "Oh what luck! I have this container on me that will do the trick of holding the sharpest coin."

He smiled at both of them. But this next bit was for Wanda specifically, as he had heard the undertone in her voice: this was a business, not a charity. "I ask for nothing for free! Even a demonstration requires time and materials, and while I am supplying the latter, you are indulging me with the former. Yes, do please indulge me. I would like this coin to have a sharp edge all around it. Put it in this case when it is done so that it won't cut anyone. But don't think of this as a demonstration. Even if it is a job with a meager pay-off compared to making something glow for 100 years, it's still a job. I'm willing to pay. And I'm as bit of a practical joker, so I have quite a few silly ideas like gilded knives or chalky combs; minor tasks each, but over a season the profit will add up should the results be to my satisfaction."

While Kuvarakh was pondering the items in question, Rowland pulled out his music book and wooden flute, then took off his cape and he gave Wanda an inquisitive look."You have already told me that you can make a cape sparkle. Which would it take to make it jingle?" He held up a hand, realizing that it might sound to Wanda like he was trying to learn something from her. He was, but right now it wasn't Alchemy. He had already learned a great deal. "Actually, if that's some Alchemy secret, I don't have to know. But what I want is a cape that accompanies me not just visually, but plays along while I sing. I'll leave you to ponder on that while Kuvarakh works his... ah.. magic."

While he waited for their various responses and actions, Rowland went over in his mind the facts he had already gleaned about Alchemy and this place: 1) Alchemy wasn't to be used on people, as that was illegal. 2) Objects could gain the properties of other objects, but the first items were... he wasn't sure what, but ruined in some way. 3) Alchemy could make things glow. 4) A Nuit was some sort of sarcastic, plainly dressed assistant Alchemist. 5) Kuvarakh needed help with some job order. He analyzed and pondered on these facts while he waited, ruminating mostly on the last one.

Rowland wasn't sure how he could help with the latter, but he was always willing to try. For one thing, he now saw the practical applications of Alchemy. A knife that could glow would be handy in an evening melee, for example. A comb that flashed could be used as a distraction. And a coin that cut: well, he had already thought of three ways that this would be beneficial. Perhaps it was just as well that Rowland himself had no skill in Alchemy; he'd be forever running around with shirts that felt like books or boots that smelled like maps.

[Kuvarakh]

Now that the colorful fellow was addressing her business concerns, Wanda warmed up a little. "No, sir, really, it's quite alright. There's nothing odd about a free demonstration to encourage business. And don't feel that you are obliged to place an order as a result. This activation is a trifle for Ku. And we would probably only charge...about..." She did some quick math in her head. 'Twenty-four mizas a day, by six activations standard...would be a base of four...Should only take him one go, so four is the correct base...'

She held up a finger to Rowland while she turned away for a moment. "KU? Are you using only the knife as a charger? Usual filter?"

Kuvarakh's voice sounded from the back. "I was going to use some of our basic stock, rather than a prepared handle. We're doing it for free, so I wasn't worrying about fount count. And then I was going to add a gold miza as a charger to maintain the look. It will still have a knife edge, but have the color band of the gold rim."

Wanda excused herself and was soon replaced by Kuvarakh. He began to outline cost figures, "We start at a base charge of four Mizas for this, since we can do it in one activation. Then every fount used beyond the first would be a multiplier of that base. So since we'd be using the knife, and an additional miza as chargers, and two filters, those being the leather and resin used to make the handle. The filters are used to remove the properties you don't want. So all together, chargers and filters, it totals four founts." He counted off on his fingers as he said this. "Minus the first would leave three. So the base of four, times three additional founts, would make a twelve miza cost for us. And standard practice is to double that to help ensure profit, making twenty four."

Wanda returned, holding up her hand. "Please, seriously, there is no charge. But you DO need to understand something. The nature of alchemy is not usually to produce a single item. The cost system is more oriented for large quantities of base materials. Like an armorer wanting to make a whole shipments of metal plates lighter. And often, it takes activations to create the chargers and filters for more complex jobs. And the costs of those activations are part of the charge as well. And you can only do so many at a time, so there are multiple activations for multiple fount materials, for multiple final activations, and it adds up. But those customers get far more than a single item."

She had looked in the back for a moment and seen that Kuvarakh had thrown a couple dozen more gold Mizas in the ring, having decided to create some new stock. Kuvarakh continued his report. "It's going to be a good half bell or more for me to finish. I really can't let you go back in there, due to the risk of lingering djed tainting. Wanda wears a lead-filled apron, alchemically lightened lead, of course. But I don't bother, being a Nuit. I mention all this about costs because the other item you mentioned, the cloak that jingles, it could be made, but it would be more in tune with the business of alchemy to make the cloth, from which the cloaks are made. As well to alter enough cloth to make a dozen cloaks. If such a prospect interests you I could figure a cost and material estimate for you."

[Rowland]

Rowland pondered on everything Wanda had said. Quite a bit of it was concepts that were completely foreign to him. While he certainly wasn't learning any alchemy per se, he had still picked up more mystical concepts-- and more business concepts-- than he had started off knowing.

It made him chuckle to realize that in many ways he was indeed as much of any empty suit as he was desperately attempting to be. For example, as he had never sold anything before, it never occurred to him that there was any profit to be gained in gaining someone's good will or in giving off a free demonstration. He knew people did it-- bakers often offered free cookies to little children-- but it was interesting to hear Wanda explain why this was so.

He listened carefully to the various terms Kuvarakh and Wanda were using. It would be foolish to say that he did not mean to eavesdrop-- he had been trained in the finer points of eavesdropping after all-- but he only understood one syllable in three, and they were probably assuming he understood even less than that. And perhaps he did. If he had the foggiest notion of what was going on, it was because of his recent fascination with changing himself and the world around him, and so he grasped the gist of what was going on-- they were imbuing one thing somehow with another-- but the specifics were rather lost on him.

For the moment.

He filed away all the unfamiliar terms, such as 'activation,' 'base', 'stock' and 'fount,' and made little mental notes about 'chargers' 'rings' and 'filters' and the other words he had some idea of, just not in this particular context. He felt he had enough of a vocabulary now that he could amble into one of the less premier shops and perhaps pick up a few more pointers, terms and concepts. Fortunately for the Wandas of the world, he had no real interest in pursuing Alchemy as a calling when he had so many other things he needed to take care of first, but one thing he had learned in life was that no tidbit of information was worth discarding; anything might prove useful later on. And as this was a science involved in changing something into something else, it was worth at least knowing the gist and general theory of it.

Though it was clearly too expensive for solo projects, but it might definitely come in handy for group projects. "Ah, I see. That's very good to know, Kuvarakh. So, for example, if I was part of a circus, it would be beneficial to order the cloth for all the costumes here in this shop, so that all the trapeze artists and animal tamers and so forth had a uniform, yet dazzling look and sound to them. Though I suppose I'd rather start with a half-dozen, all things considered. Still there much to ponder on."

He considered various ideas. "Actually, you've given me a great deal to think about, and I don't make hasty decision." Rowland glanced down at his outfit. "Even this was a decade in the making. Though it's meant to look a bit more hap-chance than that."

Rowland thought about it a bit more. Then he nodded to himself once he came to a conclusion. "Yes. One thing at a time. I never even heard of Alchemy before a few chimes ago. I suppose I will need to see what can be done before committing to any further projects. I'll leave you to it for a bell or so, and will come back later. We can discuss estimates and costs at that time."

He gave a full bow-- including a flourish of his hands. "Until later! Blessings of Ionu upon you!"

And he departed for a time to give them a chance to do their work without worrying about him-- either about his health or what he was up to. He didn't go far, lest he turn around and suddenly find himself blocks away with no idea how to return, and so he made sure he kept the sign "Wanda's Alchemmia Alcea" in plain sight. He'd lived in Alvadas long enough to know that the minute you were far away to let a sign blur or get a bit foggy, that was when you were done for and it all changed. He supposed this was why the inside of a place usually stayed the same: you could see all four interior walls of your home at the same time. But as better minds than him had tried and failed to fathom the mysteries of Ionu and Alvadas, Rowland knew better than to ever voice his musings out loud. Instead, he simply stood outside the store and practiced one of his songs.

This wasn't one of his own. This was a Svefra song that his sailor pals had taught him.

"Just as you don't need Rupert to be a Pycon,
and you don't need legs to swim in the sea,
you don't need Denval on a map of Kalea,
& you don't need botany to appreciate an Otani."

He paused for a moment. That last line didn't scan right. He must have heard it wrong.
Or the sailors must have sung it wrong. He decided to change it.

"Just as you don't need Rupert to be a Pycon,
and you don't need legs to swim in the sea,
you don't need Alvadas on a map of Kalea,
But then where would you be? Indeed, where would you be?"

"Ione, Ionu, she's someone who will own you,
Be careful he doesn't disown you,
Illusions she will loan you,
Ionuuuuuuuuuuuuuu!"

"Ione. Ionu. Above or below the sea, Ionu's heaven to me.
No place besides Alvadas that I'd rather be!
We've a democratic view of re-a-li-ty!
And it doesn't even matter if Ionu's a he or a she!"

Rowland went on like that, humming and singing to himself, making up lyrics and changing them as he saw fit. He felt it was his good fortune that the alley was empty and that Wanda and Kuvarakh were behind at least two closed doors away. Alchemy might change materials, but he was determined to change himself: and the only way to do that was through constant practice. He had no illusions that he was doing anything but creating the basest doggerel, but one thing he had seen over the decades of watching other people was that practice made perfect.

[Kuvarakh]

Kuvarakh gave a last look at his array of filters and chargers. Knife and miza to establish the color scheme and sharp edge intended for the receivers, which were, themselves, gold mizas. Then, leather and leather worker's resin, as filters, to eliminate the materials used in the handle of the knife. And also a single silver miza, to eliminate the softness of the metal used for minting coins.

What should remain was a coin-sized disc of metal, similar in all appearances to a standard gold miza, yet of hardened weapon steel, and razor edged. He took the opportunity to create stock, as Wanda had observed, by placing a couple dozen additional gold mizas in the center of the ring. He wasn't sure what purpose they would serve as future chargers or filters, but they would be unique and that was enough for now.

He pricked his finger and began the activation as usual, sliding the finger along the activation ring to generate the mental sense of movement beneath it. When he reached the keystone, he stopped siding his finger, but held to the sense of movement to initiate the djed stream's inertia. It was slow at first, but Kuvarakh's years of practice kept him from losing touch with it. It was not a complicated blend of djed and he soon had it spinning swiftly.

He entered his usual alchemical meditative state. Mentally attuning his sense of djed flow to the image of a whirlpool, the desired properties, as well as the rejected, becoming visual characteristics of the water, both in-depth and on the surface. The color became a band of tinted water, the sharp edge a rim of ice with a glittering, keen edge, stationary amidst the whirling maelstrom of djed. There was a bubbly nature in the water that Kuvarakh bent mental effort into flattening and stabilizing until the water finally achieved a smooth surface, pressing in on its interior until it seemed almost a solid mass instead of a liquid, smooth and hard as a mirror.

He released the activation then, feeling the usual pull that gave the impression of his essence trying to come free through his finger. It was not a painful sensation, but it was momentarily disorienting. His djed balance returned quickly though, another benefit of his experience, and he was pleased to see a layer of shining gold mizas with an uncharacteristic sheen around their edges.

He picked them up very carefully, gratified to see how easily the edge of the coin would cut cloth, and placed them in a wooden box. He left two out and carried the rest to the storeroom below. He walked back to the front, where Wanda was making notes and doodling glyph samples. "All finished." he said, his voice strained with exhaustion.

"Okay, let me finish these copies and I'll do the wood for the arrows. If he's back in a bell or so like he suggested, I'll be in the middle of it. So let him know we'd be happy to do any transmutations he'd like." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "I don't want him to think I'm a bitch, I've just spent so much time getting this shop to prominence, with your help of course, I'm kind of nervous about competition."

Kuvarakh scoffed amiably, "I wouldn't worry about it, Boss. He doesn't seem like the overly sensitive type."