2030/Stage Calcination

Stage Calcination
Date of Scene:	15 April 2015
Location:	Danbur <DB>
Synopsis:	Pius discusses the reagents he will need in order to carry out his Magnum Opus.
Cast of Characters:	113, 262, 579, Lyria Mason, 673, 741, 747
Tinyplot:	The Great Work

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Pius Athanor (741) has posed:
    The lone manor in the valley is luckily not besieged by angry villagers today. Somehow the entire valley seems less dreary today, even if the skies themselves are a faint grey as evening steadily approaches. Today the house has been aired out, and it's a funny sight that greets those who have found their way to Danbur today. The windows are all open, and it appears that Alexa, the peculiar housemaid, is busy beating the dust out of various carpets and clothes as they are hung up on a clothesline outside.

    The front door stands open as well, inviting people to step into the main hall. That smells suspiciously sweet.

    Is that the scent of tea and cookies that greet the visitors? Quite possibly. Even though the scent of various experiments over the many years still linger.

Rose Petal (113) has posed:
    Mandy has been invited to come to Pius's house in the past! So she totally takes this opportunity to finally visit him. She's a strange sight - a normal little girl walking without any adult supervision, wearing regular modern clothes - a skirt, sneakers and a t-shirt and carrying...

    Well. Carrying Hana.

    Behind her is a Gastly, as well, which will certainly raise a few eyebrows with the locals.

Hana (579) has posed:
    Hana doesn't seem terribly odd as far as objects go. As far as living creatures go, she is bizarre. The strange little creature has its eye and mouth closed, which gives the impression like it's some kind of bouquet. A bouquet that is purring like a drunken cat.

    And drooling some strange orange sap. Drip. Drip. It's carefully avoiding getting it on Mandy's arms, though.

Rory White (673) has posed:
    Apparently Rory might have planted a beacon - however tiny - when last she was here. She appears from a beam of light that streams down from the heavens! Blink and you might miss it.

    Dressed in her white robes, she might seem like a priestess - perhaps a medic to some? Or if one notices all the pockets and the way it's designed, it also resembles a labcoat!

    Whoever designed the garment had fun with it, that's for sure.

    She strolls on in after realizing the open door's an invitation and hunts for the meeting area!

Scarlet Everille (747) has posed:
    It's not common that Scarlet answers calls from people she doesn't know, but having just recently joined the Union, it seems like a good time to branch out and start diversifying her connections. Get an early start on her peers. That sort of thing. After all, the multiverse is a place of great reward if you can stomach the risk, and she has solid investments in the kind of thing Pius had indicated he was looking for over the radio.

    As such, she has dressed in business casual, styled a little closer to what might be more common for a pre-21st century world, assumed by the fact he had mentioned alchemy. Her ever present black messenger bag hangs against one hip, and her smartcollar is affixed around her throat where it belongs.

    Her initial feelings of distaste are expertly hidden as she steps into the front hall, resolving that the man must at least be trying to clean up. Her first order of business is obviously to scan for traces of magic or active spells, but whether she finds anything or not, she keeps a steady, purposeful pace into the reception room, smiling at the maid along the way.

Fiera Kitsun (262) has posed:
Since Fiera came to investigate when Pius Athanor sent out his initial distress call, and she's not that far away from Danbur by warpgate, the offer of additional information on his needs (and the system of his alchemy) drew her back readily enough. She's not dressed much more subtly than she was the last time, but she does have Foxfire out and by her side from the start. The odd sweetness in the front hall makes both the girl and her Ninetales twitch their noses a bit, but Fiera doesn't take the time to wonder about it - it's probably a very deliberate thing, maybe above and beyond the cookies.

The sight of Mandy and her Gastly prompts a smile and a bow of Fiera's head; she seems glad to meet another Pokemon trainer. To everyone (else), she bows politely and says, "Good evening, everyone."

Pius Athanor (741) has posed:
    As the visitors file into the entry hall it should not be hard to spot the doors are opened to the sitting room, and the nice smell of tea and cookies originate from there. And there is somebody there too.

    Diane, Pius's younger sister, looks up from the table that she has prepared, and she offers a smile to them, her eyes bright and cheery. "You came!" she comments, as if afraid that nobody would accept her older brother's invitation. "Please sit." She gives Fiera and Rory a nod each, considering she knows them from their previous visit. Mandy, Hana and Scarlet are new, so she does a brief curtsy, minding her manners. "I am Diane Athanor, welcome. My brother will be here shortly. Do you want any sugar in your tea?"

    There is no doubt about it, the entire air about the house is far lighter now than it was. Diane seems a bit more energetic as well, and once the guests have taken a seat she does not hesitate to pour them some tea. Though she does look a bit curiously at Hana. "Uh... do you drink tea as well...?"

    The master of the house does not take long as well, as another set of doors open... and there he stands, Pius Athanor. Six feet tall, scrawny... and carrying several rolls of paper in his hands. His eyes, slightly discolored, do seem happy at the sight of all the women gathered in his sitting room, and he beams. "Ah, good afternoon, my lovely ladies!" he announces, then walks over to them. "Miss White, miss Kitsun, thank you for coming here again. And who might you lovelies be, hmm?" The question is of course posed to Mandy and Hana, as well as Scarlet. "I would kiss your hands, but my hands are sadly taken. A moment!" With that he somewhat clumsily begins depositing all his paperwork into his chair.

    Any scan Scarlet does will not reveal much. There are some minor magical qualities to random objects about the house, as well as a faint one coming from Pius himself.

Rose Petal (113) has posed:
    Mandy's nose wrinkles a bit as she detects the vague hints of Pius's previous experiments under that sweet scent. Mostly, though, she's trying to be polite and friendly, even surrounded by so many adults. She's doing her best not to shrink away into the background.

    She spies the Ninetails, and beams brightly, giving Foxfire and its trainer a friendly half-wave. "Hello!" she greets everyone pleasantly... while reaching into her pocket for a handkerchief to wipe Hana's mouth.

    She settles down in the sitting room. "Um. Yes, please," she responds to the offer of sugar. She's eight! Of course she takes sugar in her tea!

    She seems pretty happy to see someone closer to her age here. And then Pius is enetring. "Oh! Mister Athanor! Um. I'm Mandy. We talked on the radio a bit...?" Pause. "A-and this is Hana! And that's Mana!"

    Mana, the Gastly, is currently perched on Mandy's head. Although when she moves forward to take a sip of tea, it becomes obvious that the Gastly is just hovering in place, not actually resting on her trainer's head.

Rory White (673) has posed:
    "Diane, right?" Rory smiles pleasantly at her, graciously nodding in acknowledgement of the gesture. "Sorry. I'm incapable of eating or drinking, strange though that may seem. It's alright! --Ah..." And here's Pius! She tilts her head, then gives him another of those nods! "This has me excited!"

Hana (579) has posed:
    What's that? A question? The big eye on the strange bush creature called Hana opens up and swivels in almost dramatic fashion to look at Diane. And then the bush opens its mouth in a big and crooked grin, and says, "Hi!!"

    "Can I have tea?" the monster inquires in its alien, gurgly voice, having never had the opportunity to enjoy it before. It gently tries to move out of Mandy's arms so it can find a place to sit where it can enjoy this 'Tea.' Ultimately, it finds a place to sit on the nearby table, and picks up a teacup and saucer with some care, and separates the two of them so it can quizzically examine the saucer.

    It places the saucer on its head, and clumsily splashes the tea from its cup into its big mouth after it gets poured. Then holds the cup out and smiles, with a bit of tea dripping from the corner of its mouth.

Scarlet Everille (747) has posed:
    As is customary for meeting new people who might turn out to be important, Scarlet lays Cient Dia Breagach on nice and thick. The magic alters the concept of an event or object's perception, editing it to appear differently to different people in subtle, abstract ways. In summary, everyone present is seeing and hearing a slightly different Scarlet; one who possesses a certain quality of likeability based on what traits they value in first impressions. Adding onto her natural composure, she seems smart, pretty, confident and capable in ways that are a little difficult to put one's finger on.

    "Two teaspoons and no milk, please." she says to Diane, giving her a smile of appreciation for her thoughtfulness. Such is the proper way to drink tea, according to which part of England you ask. "A pleasure to meet you, mister Athanor!" she says to the alchemist, as if she had known his name prior to visiting rather than having only learned it from Mandy just a second ago. "My name is Scarlet Everille. I'm a magus in training, and one with a great quantity of reagents you might be interested in." She seems very relaxed around him; possibly due to assessing him as harmless. "And nice to meet you too, miss White, miss Kitsun, Mandy, and Hana. Did I get all of those right?" she politely points to each person in sequence.

Fiera Kitsun (262) has posed:
"Good afternoon to you as well, Mister Athanor," Fiera greets Pius with a friendly smile and a nod, trying to internalize the correction without breaking stride. Wherever she was before coming here must have been a bit later in the day, or something.

"Milk and one sugar for my tea, please," Fiera asks when her turn for tea comes around. "How has your work been going since we first met?"

Pius Athanor (741) has posed:
    When Rory reveals that she does not eat and drink it seems to take Diane by surprise, and she looks down at the tea and cookies in an awkward manner. "Uh, I... uh... is there anything else I can get you then?" No, she does not wish to be a bad hostess. Especially not on an important day like this. When Hana asks if she can have tea she nods, not seemingly disturbed that there is a monster with them. "Of course! And have a cookie too, they are nearly fresh out of the oven!"

    With the entire mess of papers deposited safely Pius is free to greet his guests properly, and he shakes the hands of the younger guests, though he does stay true to his word and reaches out to take some of the older ladies by the hand in order to plant a brief kiss on the back of their hand like a true gentleman would. Not that he looks much like one.

    "Oh yes, Mandy, we did talk, didn't we? I'm so glad that you were able to come here today, you and your little friend! Hello there!" He leans down and wriggles his fingers in a friendly wave to Hana. "My, I have never met anybody like you before! Where are you from?"

    Scarlet too earns a curious look. "A magus, you say? What does a magus specialise in? Are you familiar with the concept of alchemy, young lady?" he asks in succession. "I am glad all of you could make... let me get straight to the point!" Yes, enough prattling. He picks up one of the rolls of paper, preferring to stand for now. He unrolls it, and the other end of it hits the floor as he shows off a schematic that is obviously hand drawn, with lots of notes around it. "As I explained the last time you esteemed Elites visited my humble home, I wish to restore life! And in order to do so I have to recreate a human body from scratch. One that is stronger than a golem and homunculus, able to contain the power of a person's essence!" he begins, clearing his throat as he looks around at the people gathered.

    "Since your last visit I have been busy. For one, I did promise to do the... petty work the village asks of me, and I have only had time to work on a list of reagents that I need. I have been unable to start on the ground work yet, sadly," he admits with a heavy sigh.

Rose Petal (113) has posed:
    Mandy nods her head immediately when Hana asks if she can have tea. Even if she wasn't asking Mandy, she feels the need to make it clear she doesn't mind! She tries not to get too flustered over Hana's... messy drinking habits. That handkerchief is sure getting a lot of use though. "Hana, please try to close your mouth after taking a sip," she murmurs softly.

    "Hana is my... um... pet... thing?" Mandy struggles a bit. "...I have no idea what she is. But she's nice! So." She gives an embarassed half-smile.

    "...Ah... this sounds very close to home for some reason..." she murmurs as Pius announces his plans. "...Have you ever heard of a man named Frankenstein?"

Rory White (673) has posed:
    "Were I certain that success would result, I would offer a body." Rory begins, her words coming out in a very apologetic tone. "But given the vast differences at work between our worlds nothing is guaranteed and while I can grow bodies, it would take around two years... the problem is whether it would be sufficient for whatever transfer procedure would restore the spirit to it. So I'm very eager to see what can be done to produce a body with Alchemy!"

    Yes, with that she can smile some! Genuinely. Though she shakes her head at Diane. "Don't worry! I'm quite fine. And yes. Rory White!" That's a response to Scarlet!

    She settles down after getting all that out, turning to a more business-like tone as both hands migrate to her knees. "Appeasing the villagers is very important. What may seem like mundane and simple work to you will nevertheless inspire more to learn as you have and improve the reputation of knowledge-seekers! ... So, Mr. Athanor... how does one make a body using alchemy?"

Lyria Mason has posed:
Lyria Mason is wary of what's going on here, however she does want to learn more about what's going on. If they are supplying him? The union needs to keep an eye on him after all. She listens as Rory speaks up about not needing to drink she pauses looking at Rory. It takes her a moment to recall Rory, is what no one on Galandia has been able to make. An AI that's actually a person of their own. She does however seem to be intnetly listening for the moment.

"It's about the manner in which one attempts such."

Preverting Necromancy from it's intended purposes, eldrich magic, pacts with dark beings, it was harder to do bring someone back right if you could at all. Still if he doesn't stray into the relm of madness and evil?

Lyria must have just slipped here or been there for a while she looks to Mandy for a moment thinking.

"Isn't that some novel from Earth? Please forgive my ignorance. Also I'm Lyria Mason."

Scarlet Everille (747) has posed:
    "It's the neutral term of a user of the arcane sciences." Scarlet explains to Pius. "Someone who is educated in the workings of magic and who has the ability to apply them. I understand that your world doesn't have quite the same type or degree of spellcraft, but golems and homonculi are close enough for the purposes of classification. I'm also quite familiar with what alchemy is, and to some degree, how it works, but I'm not a trained alchemist myself. I make use of a large number of reagents for their intrinsic properties in a similar way to an alchemist however." She isn't actually all that familiar with how mystical alchemy is here, but she's playing it off well.

    As Pius produces the list, the diode on Scarlet's smartcollar flashes blue, projecting a one-way holographic only visible from her angle. She boots up her voice recognition and recording software in addition to positioning her hand over an AR keyboard, prepared to get the info in triplicate.

Hana (579) has posed:
    Mandy's hesitance is met with Hana cheerfully pointing out, "I'm a bush monster!" She even spreads her arms out as if going 'TA-DAH!' at Diane. After that, the strange flower bush creature looks around at everyone as they speak. She carefully reaches to accept a cookie and chews on that, too, but this time she takes extra care not to make a mess. It's very deliberate and she looks a little nervous about it, not used to being careful.

    She keeps eyeballing that plate of cookies uncertainly after the first cookie.

    Pius, though, gets a fascinated stare from the strange bush creature that trumps even the sweet tooth. His claim that he wants to restore life, to create a human being from scratch, is something of such epic implications that she can't help but feel awed by the thought of it. "Why make another human?" she wonders at him, because she never had that explained to her. Without waiting for an answer, she tells Pius, "I can help!" when he talks about needing reagents, smiling a smile so sweet, the sap she carefully stops with her tongue could put someone into a diabetic coma.

Fiera Kitsun (262) has posed:
Fiera smiles, finally taking a seat. "Well, depending on the reagents you need and where we need to go for them, you should have a reasonable amount of time." She is wondering, a bit, whether the villagers might be overloading Pius with their requests and needs to 'get back at' him for when he was spurning them ... but, well, that's getting into local politics and she's not sure whether she could blame them if they *were*.

The Ninetales who's been accompanying Fiera sits back on her haunches next to Fiera's seat, tails curled around her side to keep them out of the way, and just seems to be watching and listening for now.

Pius Athanor (741) has posed:
    Diane does not seem disturbed by Hana's messy drinking habits, though she does indeed hand over a handkerchief for the little monster. Now that all the guests have been served their tea and cookies she too takes a seat and pours some tea for herself, listening eagerly to her brother and the guests.

    "Frankenstein? I am not familiar with that name. Care to elaborate, dear?" he asks of Mandy, looking curiously down at her over the top of his roll of paper.

    But he does not seem intent on waiting long to explain his plan, as he is a busy man and quite eager as well.

    "I'm pleased to hear that you are a learned woman, miss Everille," he nods, then gestures to Mandy too. "With several of you showing an interest or knowledge in this field it will undoubtedly be a far more manageable task! There is no big secret what chemical components a human body is made of. Water, carbon, various minerals, iron... the list is long and I refer to the recipe on this paper," he adds and points out a list further down on the paper roll. "But just putting this in a pot for nine months will not make a human body climb out, will it? Of course not! The very idea is preposterous. Which is where alchemy comes in," Pius explains.

    "A golem might appear human, but they lack the very essence of a person. Luckily I do have the essence ready, I merely need to make a human body for it, a human body that is able to contain the essence. And we need to make it within two months."

    Diane looks a bit serious where she sits, clutching her tea cup in her hands. Pius continues.

    "In order to make the body sturdy enough we will need to combine the various elements with magical reagents. I have pure chemical components in my study, but the body needs to be made accordingly. The brain and the heart will be the most complex, as they house the essence. But the other organs will also need to be equally strong. And by definition I am not talking about physical strength. The body needs to be like the original. A real human body, nothing more and nothing less." Here Pius halts so that the others can comment and ask any questions before he continues.

Rose Petal (113) has posed:
    Mandy nods her head a bit. "Someone wrote a book about him, but, um. He was... he was a doctor of... biology? Or whatever the etrm was back when he lived. I think it was about two centuries ago or something...? Anyway, he wanted to prove that it was possible to create life from a corpse, so he stitched together body parts from various, um. Doners. And then he used the alchemical energy stored in natural electricity to make the body come to life? Or... something?" She frowns a bit, like she's struggling to remember.

    "...Why does it need to be made in two months?"

Fiera Kitsun (262) has posed:
Fiera frowns a little bit, "What happens if it takes more than two months to prepare a body which can meet the demands you intend to place on it?" she asks. Pius is putting a lot of description in but isn't saying a whole lot about the details of what he needs ...never mind how he's going to put it all together. She's singularly unsure what kind of reagents could make the necessary kind of heart, let alone the brain - but then, this is Pius's field, not hers.

Rory White (673) has posed:
    "I see! So not just any body will do... it must be identical to the original. A clone? The elements have never been a problem for me either. But to create a true body... the process I'm familiar with involves utilizing the same process as birth. Combine the same DNA..." There's a pause, then she amends, "Pardon. Combine the bloodlines the same way, allow the result to grow but accelerate the process. But we do not have nearly enough time even if I had the exact genetic sequence... why the two month deadline?" Rory now seems concerned, eyse going wide!

Hana (579) has posed:
    Hana just looks terribly confused, and tries not to drool tea on herself while she's drinking it and watching Pius at the same time. Her eye turns to regard Diane for a short moment after that, her off-claw using the offered handkerchief to wipe down any mess on herself or the table, very careful about this. She seems to have a bit of strength to her that is deceptively hidden in a squishy ball-like form.

    "Will the human be happy?" Hana wonders at Pius, more quietly, though it's clear she's not expecting any kind of answer under the excitement and intelligence of everyone else.

Scarlet Everille (747) has posed:
    "I'm curious as well." Scarlet appends to Mandy's statement. "It seems like a rather arbitrary time limit. Will the "essence" you've procured not last any longer?" eager curiosity is visible on her face, enhanced slightly by magic, even if she is legitimately interested in the idea of re-affixing a soul to a fully human body. "I'm familiar with the theory behind retreiving a human soul and binding it to an object, but getting one to inhabit a living body for a second time isn't something that's been accomplished yet in my world. I defer to your expertise here." She casts a brief glance towards the girl who had asked. If Mandy is paying attention, she might notice Scarlet's eyes are a brighter shade of red than they were before.

Lyria Mason has posed:
Lyria Mason looks over at Scarlet for a moment once more wondeirng about her and her world. However now isn't the time to ask, right? So she keeps quirt on that and seems to be thinking about whate veryone else has to say and thankfully Fiera is here to help with this.

"It does depend on what's needed and how hard it's to get. Some of it could turn into some pretty long fetch missions. At least in my experiance when looking for rare reagents."

She liutens as he explains a bit mroe about his abilities she pauses for a moment.

"so your trying to put the soul of someone who is dead into a fresh body more or less?"

Mandy also explains the bit about the book.

"Humm what happens in two months?"

Pius Athanor (741) has posed:
    A look of utter disgust crosses Pius's face as Mandy explains the tale of doctor Frankenstein. Why, he even visibly shudders. "Corpses? Oh, heavens no! How utterly macabre!" he nearly spits, and he can hardly look more serious as he makes his next statement. "I will certainly do no such things! It's disgusting and amoral!"

    Luckily Hana's question seems to break him out of his seeming need to rant and rave about grave robbery, though he does blink, as if taken by surprise by her innocent question. A few seconds passes, and he nods his head. "Yes... I want her to be happy. If I am successful, then perhaps there will be less sadness in the world. Perhaps in the multiverse in general."

    Next he points at Scarlet, his eyes shining with approval. "That is correct! After two months time it might deteriorate, and that is indeed bad. We do not want the restored human to risk insanity, sickness of the mind and body. I want to restore the human to full health and not bring further harm when the poor person has already suffered enough at the hands of death itself," Pius says in a determined manner. "Affixing the essence will be the hardest part, but if we follow the plan I have made, then it will be possible! I am certain of it!"

    Lyria's statement is correct, as Pius nods his head at her. "Yes. Her previous body got sick... and despite all our efforts, we could not save her then. Perhaps... we can do so now," he says, turning his gaze to Diane, who nods carefully in return as she chews on her cookie.

    "NOW! What we need," he continues, tossing the roll of paper aside before he picks up several others, handing them out. "There might be changes to this list later, but with my current studying and calculations, we need... a pure mineral that does not melt. An essence of lightning. The blood of a dragon. A tooth from a magical creature that does not eat meat. And a venom that can corrode platinum."

    The man looks rather pleased with himself, even when one considers all the ingredients he just listed.

Rose Petal (113) has posed:
    "I... i-it was just..." Mandy stares at Pius for a moment as he begins to actually seem -mad-. She feels a pang of... something in her heart, but she really has no idea why. She looks down at her lap and mumbles an apology for bringing it up.

    She's silent for quite a while, just listening to everyone. "...Blood of a dragon and the tooth are easy. Go to Equestria..."

Fiera Kitsun (262) has posed:
Fiera takes one of the rolls of paper, unrolling it far enough to see if the script is legible to her - the translation effect doesn't cover written text, only the spoken word. "Gotta be a dragon that doesn't mind donating," she comments to Mandy. "'Essence of lightning' ... Denki could probably help with that, unless it specifically has to be lightning from a stormcloud," she looks questioningly at Pius to confirm that. "And I have a Dratini, those are Dragon-type Pokemon - I'd have to ask if Suiryuu minds having blood drawn for something like this."

She studies the list out some more. "Do you have a pen I could borrow to make some notes about who's getting what?" she asks further. She might also need to scribble in what's needed in a language she can read, if the list isn't legible to her.

Hana (579) has posed:
    The answer Pius gives to Hana seems to satisfy the monster's curiosity, and gives a foundation for the diminutive creature's resolve. The teacup and saucer get set down carefully, and the monster stands up on the table. Evidently it's fairly lightweight, not creating much noise when it moves around, aside from a faint sloshy sap-like noise. Gross.

    Hana listens carefully to what Pius needs. She turns to look at Mandy for a moment, and then back to Pius, squinting distrustfully, because he made Mandy feel bad.

Scarlet Everille (747) has posed:
    Scarlet opens the scroll thrown to her with interest, catching with an uncanny degree of hand-eye coordination. Her eyes rove back and forth across the page, absorbing the details even as her free hand taps rapidly away at an insubstantial keyboard, adding a second document to the one currently transcribing Athanor's every word.

    "Those are some very abstract components." she says after a moment's pause. "Unfortunately, I am aware of no mineral that cannot possibly be melted. I would appreciate clarification as to the exact nature of an "essence" of lightning. That word can mean many things. The blood of a dragon could be provided in short order if I can gather enough people for the summoning and harvesting of one. Magical creatures are in plentiful supply in my world, a few of which have teeth and don't eat meat by any conventional sense. As to a venom that corrodes platinum, I can't make an immediate judgement, since I don't know all of the chemical qualities of every venom from my world, though I can have the answer soon enough with a little research."

    She puts the scroll down, looking back to Pius. "If I may ask, what is the metaphysical significance of these items? How do they comprise the integrity of a human body?" she takes a moment to finally pick up her tea, beginning the process of drinking it with the distinct manner of someone who has been very well educated as to how to properly imbibe tea.

Rose Petal (113) has posed:
    Mandy mumbles something about lightning 'conducting the Divine Fire' whatever THAT's meant to mean.

Rory White (673) has posed:
    "The tale of Frankenstein's Monster is, first of all, fiction. Second, it is meant to be a lesson for those who would use their knowledge thoughtlessly... among other things." Rory points out as gently as she can manage in an aside to Mandy!

    "Yet it is still worth heeding. It shows the risks of what might happen if we make a mistake. Life is the most complicated of all sciences... I suspect it's no different with alchemy."

    Her response to the listing is, of course, mostly unseen - she records it all and jots down a dozen ideas of what those might be and where they can be acquired...

    "The unmelting mineral and venom will probably be the hardest. Essence of lightning is more magical than I can deal with. Yes, dragon's blood and the tooth will be relatively simple with some searching. By what standards do you judge 'unmeltable?'"

Pius Athanor (741) has posed:
    When Mandy has that reaction Pius immediately blinks, stepping forward. "Oh, I meant no offence, young lady!" he quickly assures her. "It's just that the very idea to harvest bodies sickens me, especially in this case!" He even gets down on one knee, seeking to take the young girl's hands in his. "Do not apologise, it is not needed. It is I who must apologise to you, dear thing." Here he pats her hand in a manner meant to be assuring, and he looks at Hana, clearly feeling bad for upsetting a young little girl! Such shame!

    Regarding the nature of the reagents, it is rather vague, isn't it? "I do not know what might be readily available in the multiverse," he explains, giving Mandy's hand one final pat before he rises to his feet. The text on the paper is written in English and should be easily read by the Elites. Fiera's request is heard, and Pius fumbles in his pocket and hands her a pencil to write with.

    "Let me go into detail. I require about five gallons of blood, all from the same dragon. So the dragon has to be quite large if they wish to donate."

    Next, the essence of lightning. "An essence is magical by nature, so we can't just go out and conduct it. The very idea of using regular lightning in order to restore life is preposterous and silly," Pius huffs. "So no, we are not going to chase storm clouds."

    "Now, the pure mineral is something I will have to ground up into a fine powder, it will act as a conductive agent for the essence of lightning. But it needs to be able to withstand high heats as well in order to remain stable. It is fine if we find it at the very end." Then he moves onto the two final ingredients. "If there are indeed magical creatures in your worlds that do not eat meat, then perhaps you can educate me? Would it be easy to get a hold of a tooth from one of them? The venom might be hard to find, I am uncertain if my own world has such dangerous creatures."

    The question Scarlet poses is perhaps a rather important one, and Pius turns towards her and nods. "The magical nature of these items will help create a link between the body itself and the essence. The body is natural, the essence by merit is something different. Our minds often surpasses our body, do they not?"

Lyria Mason has posed:
Lyria Mason Says "So you only have so long you can ..."

she looks uneasy about this for the moment. She however listens about the list nothing that seems questionable ot her. She thinks a bit more for a moment.

"You know a few don't you Fiera?"

Given how long Fiera's been with the Union and the multiverse? Lyria assumes she's got all sorts of connections. She could be wrong but it's an assumption she has made here.

"Would that not dpeend upon the world Miss White? I'm starting to learn one world's tale is another's reality."

She turens back to Pious and humms She's clearly thinking about the pkint on lightning.

Rose Petal (113) has posed:
    Mandy smiles a bit as Pius apologises - but then her head snaps to look at Rory. Her eyes narrow, just slightly. "I come from a world where the shadows are deeper. A world where politicians are more corrupt and where hope is a rare quality possessed only by a few. A world where corpses that shun the sun gain sustenance and magic powers by drinking the blood of the living, and a world where spirits in the guise of mortal men transform into wolves! Don't presume every world is like yours!"

    She seems genuinely annoyed for a moment... before she sits down again. "...I... I'm sorry. I don't... I don't know what came over me." She flushes and looks down into her lap.

    She mumbles: "Go to Equestria. Find a dentist. Unicorns don't eat meat..."

    Stella (and for that matter anyone with magic senses) may have noticed Mandy's aura kinda flaring up a bit there! It resembled flames for a moment. How very odd.

Hana (579) has posed:
    As the aura flares up, Hana seems to respond instinctually. She straightens up and turns to face Rory with a silent stare in that big eye, left widened and not blinking. The color in the eye and the monster's flower seems to... wobble, just outside normal perception. Whatever happened with Mandy also affected her pet(?) monster.

    It calms down when Mandy calms down, and the monster just sort of... deflates. It hobbles over and tries to give Mandy a hug to make her feel better, purring once more in a soothing manner. Or an attempt at it, at least.

Scarlet Everille (747) has posed:
    Scarlet expresses some form of nonverbal understanding in a difficult to isolate way. "A sort of conduit for the soul- pardon me, essence, then. You have raised a very important question however." she clears her throat. "Does your world, or does it not, have dragons? If you came up with this list on your own, you must already be familiar with certain properties that dragons familiar to you possess. It wouldn't do us very much good to draw the blood of a dragon that is completely mundane or the manifestation of a metaphysical concept for purely alchemical goals, for example. If this is the case, I suggest that it might be best to instead locate and hunt a dragon here, or at least having you accompany a party to verify the usability of a multiversal one."

    That out of the way, she continues. "There are a great many magical creatures I have access to. It would help if you could narrow down any defining characterstics that would be useful to you. For instance, does the strength of magic the creature has play any role? I'm fairly confident that an exotic venom like that probably exists somewhere in their roster, but it might be difficult to obtain. Of course, I don't expect that to dissuade you~" The last part seems strangely understanding, as if she wholeheartedly approves of what Pius is doing.

    Her gaze is immediately distracted by Mandy, flicking into an expressionless mask for the duration of her tirade, before returning to its previous state almost instantly. God knows what she's thinking now.

Rory White (673) has posed:
    Rory flinches away upon noticing the WEIRD look Mandy's giving her. Which is odd, because she's usually not very reactive to things.

    Creeped out? Just why?

    In the future, looking back at it, she'll not be able to figure it out any better than she can now.

    "U-understood. Though my point about the lesson it has to teach should remain. We cannot afford mistakes or something like it may happen."

    Rory's then quiet for about ten seconds while others are speaking, gathering her thoughts...

    "A pure mineral that can withstand heat from this 'essence of lightning' without melting, yet is soft enough to be ground into powder. This must be a mineral, as in a natural occuring substance? It cannot be manufactured? About how much of it will be needed? Do we have a way to test the suitability of these materials once procured?"

Fiera Kitsun (262) has posed:
Fiera looks for a long moment at Foxfire; the Ninetales returns her gaze. Whatever interchange may happen between them is silent and invisible; you'd have to be a telepath to pick up on the mental traffic flowing through the bond between them.

"From what you've seen so far, Mr. Athanor, would you consider Pokemon like Foxfire 'magical'?" Fiera finally asks, looking again at the alchemist. "Or at least magical enough for the purposes of your alchemy?"

Pius Athanor (741) has posed:
    The little speech Mandy gives Rory is indeed curious, and it does make both Pius and Diane look rather surprised and taken aback. All in all that world does not sound like a happy place... But let's not dwell on that now, not today when things are looking so bright. So many ideas, so many possibilities!

    It is enough to make Pius cheer up a whole lot, and he's grinning from ear to ear. "This is marvellous!" he exclaims, clapping his hands together. "Unicorns from Equestria? I will have to ask regarding that, yes. Do dentists deal with unicorns there? How strange..." Perhaps it will be even more strange when he learns that the unicorns of Equestria are not as equines from other worlds.

    The man reaches down to pat Mandy and Hana on the head, and then he turns to face Scarlet again. "Oh, I have heard tales. But dragons have not been sighted for centuries. It is unknown whether there even are dragons left in this world after the war. Also, the stronger the magic of a creature it is, the more effective it will be in my magnum opus. I know it is difficult, but we must do this! Otherwise I would never be able to forgive myself..." The man deflates somewhat, his shoulders slumping as he seems to consider the possibility of failure. It is not a happy thing to think about, it appears.

    Next he turns to Rory and her excellent question. "I do not know. Can it even be manufactured? And yes, I will test the various reagents. If I don't, then I might waste both time and materials, and that will hinder progress even further!" Fire manages to snag his attention, and he blinks, raising his head. "Oh? Oh... maybe?" he says, then rubs his chin as he studies the Pokemon. "What makes you think your companion is magical? I would rather not be in doubt when it comes to this..."

Rose Petal (113) has posed:
    Mandy smiles a little bit as she's patted on the head. She reaches forward to gather Hana gently into her lap, stroking the little mostly lightly. She doesn't really have much to contribute right now, but she's reading the list of ingredients all the same.

    She glances at Diane once or twice, slightly concerned by how she's been reacting to all this talk.

Fiera Kitsun (262) has posed:
"Not so much Foxfire specifically," Fiera explains as the Ninetales rises from her 'seat' and pads over to the fireplace. "But Pokemon - my family adheres to a belief that they're nature-spirits in a corporeal form ... and -"

"Niiiiiiiiiiine!" Foxfire calls out, exhaling a Flamethrower technique into the fireplace.

"- I'm not sure what *else* you'd call their elemental techniques if you're not from a world that Pokemon are native to," Fiera finishes without missing a beat. She might be a little smug, having managed the timing that well with Foxfire.

Lyria Mason has posed:
Lyria Mason listen to Mandy for a moment and shudders a bit, at it. She looks t her for a moment and not sure about what Mandy had to say but she does take note of it. She however attemps to focus on the matter at hand.

"This is getting a bit beyond me when it comes to magic outside of my world's magitechnology? I'm a Geomancer."

She notes note the mention of various materials. Which gets her thinking.

"Humm there are likely otherworldly materials that would apply to your needs. The question is what sort and humm are you sure this sounds more of magic to me."

Rory White (673) has posed:
    "There are..." Rory pauses a moment, eyes glazing over briefly, then... "At least ten thousand different recipes for high-grade materials with properties far beyond normal engineering. Materials light and flexible as cloth but twice as strong as steel. Foam made of metal. Materials that bend light around them so as to seem invisible. Heat resistance is but one of the properties most engineering materials on my world need! Conductivity another. I'm not sure what could conduct the ESSENCE of lightning or how hot it would be, but I CAN bring all the most suitable materials I know for you to test!" Rory declares happily!

Scarlet Everille (747) has posed:
    Scarlet frowns slightly at the mention of dragons, but it doesn't seem to be a displeased one. Merely thoughtful. "It might be quite an undertaking to find one then. I think it would still be possible to find one with multiversal aide, provided they do still exist, but it might be easier to find one elsewhere. Unfortunately, that means you'll have to leave your house. We can't go drawing blood from dragon after dragon and bringing it back here after all. The Rookery is a likely start, with how many dragons make their nests there, though the option remains of summoning one with a sufficient level of military force to kill it right after. Five gallons is a lot of blood. It would need to be an exceptionally large creature if we were attempting to preserve its life."

    She stops to consider Rory's words. "I'm experienced with augmentation magic. If you can manufacture something partway to the specifications we need, I'm confident I can get us the rest of the way there. The essence of lightning I also believe is within my abilities to procure with enough preparation and the right familiars."

Hana (579) has posed:
    Hana purrs gently upon receiving pettings from the dear human she has bonded to. The monster attentively turns to listen and watch the conversation around her, but she doesn't have any more innocent inquiries to give. Instead, she tries to think of how to contribute to this, burbling to herself. An idea forms in that goo bubble of a brain she has, slowly... and then she speaks up:

    "I saw a melting car once," it tells everyone, "I wanna go ask whatever did that for some venom!" The kind creature displays bravery and confidence on her inhuman features, her flowers rustling with energy.

Pius Athanor (741) has posed:
    Still seated, Diane seems to listen to things with a curious look on her face, nodding at certain comments. It does not appear that the young woman is confused about the terms nor talk at all, even if she keeps quiet so her brother can talk undisturbed.

    The display that Foxfire gives them all does make the two Athanor siblings jump, and the sister looks shocked where she sits while Pius steps forward. "A fire breathing fox? How curious! Is it something it knew how to do from birth, or was it learned?" he asks, clearly eager to learn more in order to determine the nature of the fire itself.

    Geomancy might just be what they need for the pure mineral. "Oh yes, magical properties might make the reagents more effective, and decrease the chances of failure exponentially!" Pius assures Lyria with a happy smile on his face. "Something strong, pure! Metallic in nature!" The same comment is meant for Rory, and the master alchemist seems a bit thrilled at the idea. "Please do, miss White! I will test them all if I have to!"

    And there Hana has an idea, and he smiles brightly down at the monster. "A melting car? How marvellous! Please do that, and let me know what you find out?" he requests. Indeed, this is going swimmingly so far.

Fiera Kitsun (262) has posed:
"< A little of both, >" Foxfire answers Pius. "< The ability was there to start with, but I've had to learn how to breathe fire in more potent manners, among other abilities I've learned to wield. >" She pads back over to Fiera, and the trainer smiles, petting the Ninetales and feeding her a Pokeblock. "I have a Pikachu - an electric-type Pokemon - among my allies, although I don't have her with me right now. I was thinking her power could provide the essence of thunder that you need," she explains to Pius.

Rory White (673) has posed:
    "Pokemon are such strange and interesting creatures!" Rory offers a smile - full of curiousity and eagerness for SCIENCE! - at Fiera and her crew... but only briefly. She soon is nodding at Scarlet! "We may have something there. A metal should be easy enough. Though I'll be sure to bring others. What other options do we have if this fails? I... Mr. Athanor, my world doesn't have anything... mystical or spiritual, at least not that I or the known 'learned people' as you put it are aware of... I only have works of fiction and ancient beliefs that were proven wrong... coincidentally many of them vaguely resemble the endeavor we're on right now so I am excited to see if they are right in this world!"

Hana (579) has posed:
    "Yes!" Hana replies to Pius, happily enough! She seems to be completely willing to perform this task, though some consternation passes the monster's face after a few seconds, as she tries to think of a way to get the venom out of the theoretical monster even after asking it. She'll be busy like that, until she gets distracted by other things.

Pius Athanor (741) has posed:
    "How curious," Pius states, smiling at Foxfire. "Perhaps you will do, I do not know. We will have to see, and test your magical qualities if you do possess them. But not today. First we must prepare, and I have to finish dealing with those dreary villagers and their trifle business," Pius nearly groans. No, he might have resumed his duties, but he still dislikes them when he could be spending that time doing what he considers as real work.

    "Please, come back next week perhaps. I will keep you updated on my progress, and Diane will fetch the tooth of an unicorn for us. Let us be on the lookout for large dragons, pure minerals... Hana will research into the matter of venom. Let us ponder essences of lightning. Thank you all for coming, I look forward to seeing all you lovely ladies again!"