PP-F1: 'Earning a Living: Alchemic Remedy'

[Esther 0]

ID: 67141 LD: 2 = FAIL



"Obsessed with getting stronger. Mmm..mmmm..." Esther nodded her head, "I know someone just like that. Although he's not as nice as you. I mean - he's nice but its way down in a mushy centre, covered by a grumpy, crunchy shell." Lycan mentioned that he wasn't good with other people, and Esther found that a little difficult to believe. Her interactions with him had been nothing short of pleasant. He had been kind, he had offered to help her without question, and expecting nothing in return. He conversed with her - and the subjects they spoke about were insightful and interesting.  "I'm surprised you say that Lycan." Esther used. "You seem very well adjusted to me."

Esther turned to see what Lycan had been distracted with, there were a few people fighting the nearby mobs. Making it easier for the pair to collect materials without the worry of being thrown into battle. Esther wasn't entirely sure she was ready for being thrown into battle just yet. She wanted to get more of this 'SP' thing, and get skills, she wasn't sure what sort of skills she wanted - she'd cross that bridge when she got to it.

Esther smiled at Lycan's constant generosity. "You really don't have to - coffee isn't that much. Especially for someone like me, who is much lower levelled."

Esther turned to the materials that Lycan had gestured to, she knelt down, and tried to pull up one of the leafy herbs, but it came up as a failure. "Ahh...dangit...Hey..Lycan..." Esther said, glancing up at him. "Do you have to pick different plants with different...things...?" She had no idea to word what she meant, but she hoped that he got what she was talking about.

Edited September 7, 2016 by Esther

[Lycan 0]

 ID# 67193: LD: 17 Success!

He watched as the girl tended to the foliage. Less neat and obvious than the tilled fields, Lycan found interest in her methods. He analyzed her natural talent for the trade and basic herbology. When she reached for a well rooted weed, his lips pulled into a light snarl.

"You see," began the teen in response to her comment, "I tend to speak my mind and overthink. Throw is a small issue with anger and I'm not as well adjusted as I seem. I've been called strange, awkward, and foolish."

The swordsman reeled from his own words, then let out a nervous chuckle.

"You're easy to talk to," he added.

When she asked about the methods of gathering, Lycan took a moment to ponder. He folded his arms, placing a finger and thumb on his chin.

"Well, that depends..." he trailed. "If you plan to be working with poisons, there's some extra precautions. I'm no master by any means, but I hear the top tier materials can be quite hazardous to get to." He tapped his finger to his lips. "Other than that, there's some roots you can dig up with a blade..."

His eyes fell on the unarmed girl as she foraged and hung on his statment.

"Or in your case, a spade. You can pry bark from trees with a knife... Scrap moss with something sharp..."

As he spoke, his voice continued to fade off, hitting the wall of being a pacifist without any weapon whatsoever.

"Y'know," he interjected. "You might want to pick up a dagger at the very least. No need to invest in the combat skill, but have one at hand for basic tasks. My dad always said his most useful tool was a good sharp knife."

'Dad...'

Lycan cleared his throat to regain his focus.

"Right." Lycan pointed to a cluster of small mushrooms with belled, white heads. "Try those. They'll go well in just about any stat adjusting potion."

<+1 Material to Esther>

[Esther 0]

ID: 67196   LD:  =11 FAIL

She listened as he told her his faults, she shook her head. "mmm I do the same, I speak before thinking, I get worried about the smallest things, and fret over nothing. When it comes to people, I am always questioning myself, asking if I am good enough or if I am doing or saying the right things. So I guess we're equally weird strange and foolish as each other, right?" She joined his nervous chuckle with her own, tinkling laughter. As the laughter died down, Lycan said that Esther was easy to talk to, her cheeks flushed, and she thanked him for the compliment, unsure on how else to respond to it.

Lycan mentioned how she should try getting materials. "I don't feel right - even if it is just a dagger. Surely in this game I can get something that helps me with material gathering. I'll do that when I get my bearings." Her smile faltered as Lycan mentioned poisons. "oo, no. I don't want that. I don't want anything bad like that in my shop. Only good things, things that help people. It'd feel too wrong to sell anything that had adverse effects."
 

She noted the mushrooms that he pointed to- and scooted over to them. Dragging her bare knees through the mossy ground. It'd have been just as easy to get up, and take the few steps over to the patch, but to Esther - dragging herself along the forest floor was far more convenient. "Ah! They look like they're from a fairy tale." She exclaimed, as she reached out - following Lycan's instructions. The first one she picked had began to age under the cap, she glanced at it - and noticed that it would be no good to use as a material. "Oh well, guess I got to keep trying. Only one more material to go!"

As Lycan cleared his throat she suddenly looked up at him, concern evident on her features. "Lycan....?"

 

Materials 4/5

Edited September 7, 2016 by Esther

[Lycan 0]

 ID# 67198: LD: 2 Fail

"Guess so," Lycan chuckled. "Then again, most of the people in here are gamers and society thought we were strange to begin with." He laughed some more. "Funny how gamers can judge one another so freely, huh? Of course, that doesn't really apply to you. This is your first game, right? Talk about bad luck..."

The next laugh came out more nervous than the previous ones. Considering 10,000 players were locked in the digital prison with them, that was a heaping load of bad luck for everyone.

"Sticking to your guns, huh?" He continued, to avoid an awkward silence. Lycan shrugged. "Suit yourself. I used to carry a knife on me every day on the topside and never once used it for violence."

He paused and smiled with a hue of red staining his cheeks.

"Well... except for the occasional nick on myself." Lycan rubbed his fingers where he knew some knife related scars should be. Cardinal, however, didn't translate those imperfections.

He sneered at her comment about poisons.

"Fine by me," stated the teen playfully. "Can't have you stealing all my customers now, anyway."

His smile turned into a slightly darker grin with the implication of his wares, but he turned it back to jovial and pleasant when he was satisfied with her reaction. However, she turned and offered him an expression of concern.

"Yeah?" He looked to her worried face and raised a a brow. "You okay? You didn't touch any poison oak, did you?" Lycan was completely oblivious to the reason for her concern. More accurately, he played coy, trying not to sink into thoughts about his family. How worried they would be. If his mother was ill from stress. He held up a convincing shroud and staved his drifting mind behind a wall of denial and false reality.

[Esther 0]

ID: 67200 LD: 18 = SUCCESS

Esther laughed, "Yup. Hasn't been the best of Luck, if I wasn't here, I'd have almost finished my University degree." Esther tried to work out how much time had passed, and what she'd be doing at this point. "mmmm I think its September right? I'd probably be visiting my family and friends up in the country. But then again. If it weren't for this game, I never would have been able to meet people like you. So I guess the world has a funny way of working out."

As she leaned forward to inspect the mushrooms a curtain of purple hair spilled over her shoulders, Esther pressed it back behind her ear - listening to Lycan. "Yeah. What can I say? I'm stubborn." She said, a little distracted by her attempts at trying to gather materials. "Knowing me, I'd end up hurting myself anyway. Just like you...ok, I'd be worse than you." Esther looked up at Lycan, offering him a mischievous smile. "I'd lop off a finger, or all of my hair. That'd be a shame." He asked if she was ok. "I'm fine, I was worried about you actually I thought- ah..." She waved him off, feeling embarrassed that she had caused him concern. "It's nothing, really."

Esther turned back to the whitecap mushrooms, attempting to pick another one, this time taking extra care. Her eyes lit up, as she succeeded. "AH!" She exclaimed loudly, and abruptly. "I DID IT!" 

She leapt up off the ground, bounding toward Lycan; she wrapped her arms loosely around his shoulders in giddy excitement, jumping up and down. "I got them! I got everything I need and it's thanks to you Lycan!"
 

 

Edited September 7, 2016 by Esther

[Lycan 0]

"Oh?" The teen's interests piqued. "I'm in college too. Majoring in graphic design with a minor in history. Well... was in college."

She continued on about family, and Lycan turned away as she spoke. While sight had nothing to do with the words that came out of her mouth, the teen felt it helped in avoiding the memories. Not now, not here. Boys aren't allowed to be upset. The have to be strong, supportive, unflinching...

...Right?

"Guess so," Lycan stated flatly. The world didn't really work out the way she implied. Balance was more an illusion than anything in SAO. Chaos was the natural order of things. Only man's actions sought to bring order, but chaos... it always finds a way to rear its ugly head.

Lycan bit his lip, eyes staring blankly into the thicket of the woods. Were he able to feel pain, this maneuver would have pulled his wandering mind back down to earth. Instead, he shook his head as though he was disappointed in himself.

He has all but tuned her out until she exclaimed. Like a slap to the face at 3:00 A.M., Lycan cocked his head to the source, wide eyed and ready for danger. In this instance, danger took the form of a bounding, 5' 2" girl with a flurry of lilac dancing in the wind behind her.

Did he mention she was airborne?

"Oh, sh--" he was cut off as two effeminate arms clasped lightly around him. Lycan threw his arms up as if he were being robbed as gentle hug turned to giddy excitement. The hug, her smile, her shouts of gratitude... Lycan's face flushed a deep red. It'd been a long, forgetful while since the last time he had a girl this close. His mind completely failed to recall his last embrace, even well aware of the two names of his high school exs.

"I-- Uh--" His dark thoughts completely incinerated in the warmth of the moment. His face burning with embarrassment, he could only mimic the typical cliche with a scratch of his head and downward eyes.

"I didn't do anything. It was all you..." he stammered. "Let's... uh.. get back to town. Teach you how to make something."

Lycan cleared his throat, begging his reddened face to vanish. 

[Esther 0]

Esther rubbed her cheek against his, pressing her form tightly against his in a joyous embrace. The scent of lilac followed her hair as it fell around the two. Esther enjoyed the warmth of the embrace before finally pulling away, heart pounding from the sheer excitement of finishing her first quest; she blinked - seeing his face bright red. Esther wasn't too bad a judge of character - at least in her eyes, but she wasn't exactly the brightest with social cues. Upon seeing the red in Lycans face she gushed, "ohmygosh, I'm so sorry. Ah!" She thwacked herself in the forehead. "Arc told me I need to remember about personal space, and just manhandling people is the complete opposite of that, that was way out of line. I'm sorry!" She held her hand out to him, raising a single finger, "You get to bop me on the head once, as revenge."

Lycan stammered, stating that it was all Esther. She wanted to tell him no - that he had found 2/5 of what she needed. That was a substantial amount. Esther reached out, and helped him smooth out his clothes, admiring the generosity he gave her. There was no way this was all her, if he didn't happen upon her in town - if he didn't show her how to harvest materials...none of this would be possible. "You really are something, you know that?" she mused, taking a step back.

Esther wondered why her quest hadn't completed itself yet, that was - Until Lycan awkwardly stammered that she had to craft something. "Oh yeh!" Esther exclaimed, in her excitement she forgot that the quest didn't exactly end the moment she got all 5 materials. "I still need to go back to town, and then craft an item, right? That's what the 5 materials are for...for me to have 5 attempts at crafting one." Esther blinked. "Oh...oh what if I don't do it in five tries...I don't want to ruin all the hard work we put into this."
 

 

[Lycan 0]

Her soft skin touched his and Lycan's hairs stood on end like a cat spooked by a shadow. He felt her clutch him tightly, imprinting her frail form upon his. Swamped by her aroma and silken locks, she finally pulled away. Eyes wide, lips sealed in a rigid line, and limbs rigid, Lycan just stood there. The teen felt as if his cheeks were about to leak magma and uncomfortably radiated with warmth.

"Uh..." he dragged on. What would he say anyway? Thanks? No, not with a guilty, blush ridden face like that. Maybe, I promise I'm not a pervert? No, too shifty...

His lack of words was thankfully filled with Esther's retort and thwack of her own forehead. Lycan just watched her as she rambled nervously, only his eyes moving from his awkward and frigid posture.

"I'm... I'm good," he choked, feeling his body relax and the fiery heat of embarrassment begin to simmer away from his face. Instead of a bop, he just pat her head with a flat palm as if she were a hot kettle and he was testing the warmth.

"Anyway~" he chimed, spinning on his heel and beginning a march back to town.

'Manhandled...' he loomed over mentally, but shook his head vigorously to rid any deviant thoughts before they could manifest.

"Y-yeah," Lycan stuttered, coughed, and then corrected his adolescent tone. "Yeah, I wouldn't worry about the failing. The odds you'll burn up all those resources in one go is pretty slim."

'She's so warm...'

"Ahem!, yeah..."

By the time the neared the Town's gate, the sun dipped near the horizon. Blues and whites slowly grow warmer with oranges, reds, and purples. The civilians tending the gardens had all but packed up and turned in to sell, use, or share their spoils for the day. Even the trainees in the field turned in for the night, wise to the dangers of midnight combat. Danger ruled the night in Aincrad. Everyone still alive, knew this one way or another.

"Where did you say you picked up the quest?" Lycan asked, knowing well that it started in as many various ways as there were players.

[Esther 0]

Esther was an affectionate person, the type of girl to love everyone and everything she came across. Bright and exuberant, and at times, that did very much so annoy others - lately, she tried to be more understanding of others and their personal space, but at times of great excitement and delight, her affections got the better of her. So suffice to say, she was completely oblivious to Lycan's suffering

The silver haired youth confirmed that he was good, reaching out to give Esther a small pat on her head. The woman tilted her head up into his hand. "I love when people do that~" She crooned, "Head pats, head scratches, it's so comforting~"  

With that, Lycan turned on his heel - heading back toward the town and Esther happily followed close behind. Esther noticed him shaking his head vigorously, was he really alright? He cleared his through, his voie stuttering as he consoled Esther - saying that failing would be a near impossibility. Esther guessed worst case scenario both she and he could go back and collect more materials. They were nearing the town gates now, and a brilliant golden ring surrounded them on the horizon. "Ah!" Esther pointed up toward the sky, "Isn't it beautiful?" She asked, turning to look at him. He seemed to be...what was the word, he looked bothered. "Are you sure you're ok? You seem distracted."

Lycan cleared his throat again, asking her where she got the quest. "Oh." Esther looked at her map, "Two streets away, there is a generic quest pick up shop. I just went there. So I go back there then?"

[Lycan 0]

"Yeah, I'm, uh, fine. Just not used to being thanked," he diverted.

'God, when was the last time...?'

She mentioned something about a generic quest pick up shop. Lycan scrunched his brows in thought and tried to recall any such place. Then, his expression fell flat with irritation.

'Axios, you prick...'

The teen was sure the quick witted information broker Lycan met on his first day was smiling somewhere. Likely, Axios sat in some Inn with the other brokers, surrounded by alcohol, and blathering on about how he convinced some kid to walk all the way to the other side of the Town of Beginnings to speak to some crazy old NPC man...

"A generic shop, huh?" Lycan grumbled.

'When I see you again, I swear I'm gunna--'

The two were clear inside the safe zone by now. Street lamps began to flicker to life as the sun dipped further in the sky. The streets started to thin and the faint glow from building windows danced through sheer curtains and wood blinds.

"No," Lycan continued despite his inner musing of ways to kick the stupid out of his broker contact. "I don't think that place is going to have the right things for you to try. Why don't we go to my stand down in Picket Alley? Its a bit of a walk though, so stick close."

Picket Alley, a little dirty secret off the beaten path of the Town's main marketplace. There, vendors who were just starting, had fallen from grace, or peddled less savory wares and services sold to players willing to take the detour. As an alley, no one owned their the buildings that formed it. Instead, the alley was lined with rickety wooden stands or rugs peppered with wares. To many, they saw a place of filth, but to Lycan, he saw it as his own and no matter the condition, that thought carried a sense of pride.

[Esther 0]

"No?"

Esther said, confused - "But that man...did he make a mistake?" She was sure that was the right place to go to, but Lycan was already an Alchemist, so she had no right to question him. The street lights came on in small blazes, it was quickly getting dark. The sounds of grunting mobs began to rise over the walls of the town. Esther new she was safe from them here, but she still visibly shivered at the thought of being outside, alone, in the dark.

She smiled though, as Lycan so kindly offered his stand. "Are you sure? I don't want to put you out, I mean...yes. Yes ok lets go." Esther quickly changed her tune, as she edged closer to Lycan, the streets had thinned out, but now - the stronger players were returning from a day of battling and gathering, some of them rowdy and loud. Normally, it wouldn't bother Esther, but it was night time - and she didn't like how she couldn't see things clearly. She meekly followed Lycan, small hand clutching the material of his jacket sleeve as they walked. "This place looks a little spooky, especially at night." Esther commented, glancing up and down the stalls of the small, decrepit ally. 

 

[Lycan 0]

"I'm sure," Lycan replied, feeling the clasp of the girl but keeping his eyes forward.

'If hunch serves me right...' he churned in his mind, 'A quest centre like that would streamline the process. No need to fetch an old man an herb for his daughter, or run back and forth from point A to point B, C, D, & E... If she can successfully make a craft with the materials, it should prompt her...'

Unlike the streets, the back alleys lacked lamps for light. Some stalls lit candles, barely lighting faces hidden beneath hoods. Dim beams of of streetlight streaked across the ground and revealed the subtle features of players with sunken eyes and unsavory grins. Here, Lycan starkly contrasted his marketplace competitors. Esther, however, stood out like a rose among sewage.

"Almost there," Lycan stated with a gesture to the dead end of the alley and a crudely assembled stand. Held above it by two twisted planks of pine, hung a sign on rusted chain, Beast Bane Brews. Scrawled in white paint and barely visible in the darkness, its craftsmanship begged several questions from the art major.

"Here we are," he halted and held out his hands to the stand. "Home sweet home."

An eerie cackle of one of the alley dwellers sounded as they watched the uncanny scene unfold. Lycan had been so distracted by the hug from earlier, the betrayal of Axios, and his own assumptions of how to complete Esther's quest, he completely forgot how this would look to the girl.

Seeing the stretch of decrepit alley behind her and lecherous eyes pinned on her form, Lycan finally realized how bad it looked.

"Uh... We can... come back in the morning if you like..." Lycan added as the gravity of the scene settled in.

[Esther 0]

(drawing this out just enough to hit 40 posts more SP mmmm)

Lycan lead Esther through the alley, and she was more distraught from the dark than she was from the seemingly unsavoury vendors. To Esther, they weren't exactly bad looking, she just figured they were trying to set up their shop anywhere they could. They were close to their destination, and Esther quickened her pace. "It's kind of exciting..." She muttered to Lycan, "I'll be an alchemist soon! Isn't that amazing!" She paused, looking up at the sign, 'Beast Bane Brews.' she blinked. The ratty exterior didn't bother her, the makeshift sign and hastily put together stall didn't even seem to bother her, Esther just laughed. "Ahaha! I get it, Beast because your name is Lycan...right?" She said, glancing toward Lycan and offering him an amused smile. "I think it's cute!"

"Hey...hey...hey miss..."  Esther glanced around, looking for the sound of the voice, it was just a few stalls away from where Lycan was leading her - her grip on him loosened, before she finally let go. The person who had called out to her was wearing all black, and had a stall with a few candles on it, which lit up dirty blonde hair and blue eyes. The man grinned at her, "Would you like to try a free sample? on the house for a pretty thing like you." His voice reeked of devious intentions, and the chuckled that followed was nothing short of vile - but Esther didn't notice those things, in his outstretched hand was a small chipped cup. Esther carefully accepted it. "Are you sure?" The strange man waved her off, "yes, yes - I'm suuure, drink up." 

And so, she rose the cup to her lips to do just that, all the while - the eerie vendor laughed.

[Lycan 0]

ID# 67297: BD: (9+2) CRITICAL HIT!

"Yup," Lycan replied to her comment about his shop. "I like mythology and there's plenty of beasts out there. Plus..."

The teen rolled up his sleeve to expose an unusual sight in the SAO world, a tattoo.

"Some weird NPC gave me this when I first logged in," he continued while he ran his fingers over its strange lines. "He called it the Mark of the Beast. Strange, huh?"

When Lycan looked up, Esther had his back to him. It took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the shapes in the darkness. The moment his brain processed what was happening, his eyes shot wide. The boy's hand shot to Harbinger's hilt, Cardinal hummed along its length as he drew the steel from scabbard, and in a flash of light which broke the darkness for a brief moment, Lycan stabbed the weapon between Esther's hand and her lips. The crisp clink of metal against clay sent the cup and the remainder of its contents skipping through the alley until it shattered to pixels.

The faint glow of Cardinal's assist system left his blade as it hummed dangerously close to the girl's face.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Lycan snapped Harbinger toward the stranger and slid his body between the girl and the vendor.

"What did you give her, Addel?!" The teen roared. In his sudden outburst, the other locals rose from their rugs, stands, and stools then bolted far from conflict.

"A sample..." The sinister blonde hissed with a toothy grin.

'F***! F***! F***! I leave her alone for one goddamn second...!'

Lycan clenched his teeth and spun around to Esther, clutching her by the shoulders.

"Did you drink it?!" Lycan asked with a shake.

A deviant if Lycan ever saw one, Addel specialized in the bad and the worse. His clients near always did business robed from head to toe. Lycan knew the types, but he didn't know what exactly it was the vendor specialized in. For Esther's sake and the vendor's own life, he hoped it wasn't lethal.

"Did you drink it?!" Lycan repeated.

[Esther 0]

The liquid fell from the small cup through Esther's lips, and down into her stomach. Creating an instantaneous warming sensation. "Ahh...Cherry..." She mused, but before she could drink the rest - it was flung from her hand, "Huh?" Esther blinked, confused as she looked over at Lycan, he looked so angry - so very, very angry. The warm sensation tingled in the pit of her stomach, almost growing warmer. 

Lycan clutched Esther by the shoulders and shook her, asking her if she had drunk it. "Whoa...whoa...Y-yes...just a little, why is that b..ughh.." She faltered in his grasp, sudden waves of Nausea overtook her. The world around her was spinning and she felt so feverishly hot. The warm feeling in her stomach had erupted throughout her body into a burning heat sensation. Esther whined, struggling to stand. "S...so hot..." She whined, beads of sweat already began to form on her forehead, and her breathing became staggered.

"If its so hot, why not take off your clothes?" Addel asked.

Esther, had one hand to grip onto Lycan, the other let go - and she undid the clasp on her overcoat - it dropped effortlessly to the ground, any sound it would have made was drowned out by the snickering of the blonde youth. Esther struggled to pull on her top, "h-hot.." She fell forward onto Lycan, breathing heavily. "I'm...sorry...." She felt horrible she felt hot, and she felt sweaty - Lycan had shook her, frantically - because he was worried about what she had drunk. ESther didn't realize there were bad potions like this in the game. "W-whats happ...en..ing?"

[Lycan 0]

 ID# 67355: CD: (8+1)=9 Success!

Spoiler

<- 1 Material, +3 Alchemy EXP>
Name: Addel's Antidote
Job Level: 4 Professional
Item ID: 67355
Item Type: Potion
Tier: [1]
Quality: [Uncommon]
Enhancements: [Antidote]
Description: [A counter-agent to a non-lethal status effect potion. Thrown hastily together in a simple glass beaker, it tastes of bitter, unrefined roots, herbs, and minerals.]

"Esther?!" The teen shot a sinister scowl at Addel, thrusting the tip of Harbinger toward his throat.

"Watch where you sleep, Addel," Lycan hissed, "If I find you, you'll never wake up. God forbid I see you in the field. I promise you, I will cut you down."

The promise of violence was clear upon the youth's tone and in the faint glow of the alley, his amber eyes seemed to glint with demonic light. Teeth clenched, fangs bared, and sword arm trembling with unfiltered rage, Lycan's message hit Addel with the utmost clarity. The shady alchemist stepped back, hands up, but grin wide with ill intent.

"You should be thanking me," Addel cackled. "Look."

Lycan turned to Esther and his mask of malice faded to concern. The girl hand removed her overcoat, squirming and moaning. Her hands tugged at her top, with every intention of removing it. Her face red, eyes hazed, and legs weak, she clasped onto him. Lycan's mind ran with what possibly Addel could have given her. What did he specialize in? What orders did he take? What ingredients did he use?

As Esther's chest heaved and she continued to claw at her clothes, Lycan bit at his lip enough to send motes of red damage pixels into the air.

"Damn it Addel! What did you give her--"

As Lycan turned, the shady dealer was absent, leaving just the girl and the boy.

"S**t!" he swore, shooting his attention back at Esther. His eyes catching a glimpse of something he shouldn't have, the teen quickly diverted his gaze. Scrambling for ideas, he threw his arms around Esther and lifted her off her feet. Cradled in his grip, he rushed over to his stand and set her into a corner far from any stray pair of eyes that might catch a glance through the buildings.

"Stay here," he commanded, trying to avoid seeing her in and even more vulnerable state.

Lycan snapped up to his stand, pressed his hand on the prompt to his lockbox and feverishly removed the entirety of his equipment. A mass array of windows opened in front of him in a semicircle as his eyes scanned the hundreds of configurations for the unlimited types of potions Cardinal supported.

"Damn it," Lycan hissed. "Not that... no... not that one... Cold.... Cold..."

His words became a slur of thoughts given voice.

"There! There!" he shouted.

The teen plucked some ingredients from his storage and threw them into his <Alchemist's Pestle>. He hurriedly worked them into a fine mash and scraped them into a large beaker. His fingers worked the screens like a pianist playing the final crescendo. In the heat of his efforts, a final window appeared, closing out the vast array surrounding him.

<<Success!>> 

<+1 Addel's Antidote >

 

[Esther 0]

Lycan seemed so angry - and Esther understood why. Whatever it was that she had drank, it wasn't good. "It ....tasted like..Ch-cherries..." She struggled to speak through her ragged breaths. She wasn't sure if that information would help him, but it was better than nothing. Esther rested her forehead against the bare skin of Lycan's neck - it seemed to help cool her down. "B-Better..." She mumbled, still fiddling with her top.

More heated words were exchanged as Lycan threatened Addel. Esther wanted to console him, to tell him she'd be alright - that maybe it was an accident, maybe Addel thought she was cold, but Esther was too weak to try and speak any form of coherent sentence. Her mind struggled to piece things together, as things grew increasingly hotter. It was nigh unbearable. 

"nnng...." She felt arms loop up under her and effortlessly pick her up. She was placed in a small corner and asked to stay put. Esthers vision began to blur. She was swealtering. Sweat dripped from her forehead and her lips were parted from short, heavy breaths. She weakly rose a hand to open her HUD, she needed to- she was too hot. Esther switched from her basic armor to her sleepwear. A simple, white, silken slip. It helped, but barely. Her hand fell limp at her side. Esthers eyes fluttered.

She had to apologize, she had to tell Lycan that she was sorry, that they still needed to go have that coffee together. With her eyes now closed she tried murmuring the words off an apology, of how she wanted to help him. "Lye...."

[Lycan 0]

Lycan snatched the potion off his table and turned to the girl. Panic lapsed only for a moment when he witnessed the girl barely clad in silken sleepwear. The shimmering fabric hung lightly to her form, leaving little for imagination. He snarled while he struggled with an internal moral dilemma and his chest wrenched into a knot.

"Lye..." he heard her whimper as limbs went limp and head tilted to the side with closed eyes.

Lycan glanced to the upper left of his peripheral.

'Still green...'

The girl wasn't in any immediate danger to her health, but he couldn't leave her like this. Lycan swallowed his chivalry for the moment and took a kneel beside Esther. With one arm wrapped around her waist, he brought the concoction to her lips. He tried to lift her slightly and her head only listed limply to the side. Her lilac locks cascaded over rosy cheeks. He tried to get her to drink one more time, to no avail.

'Damn it, damn it all!'

The teen racked his brain for a solution.

"Ether?!" he barked as he gently shook her.

No response.

He shook his head, trying to bar the idea that spurred into his mind. If he did it, he might be able to reverse the effects, but the antidote in his hands was an educated guess at best. If he failed, he'd only be making it worse and if any onlookers saw...

Lycan focused on her lips - soft, slightly parted and breathing ever so shallow.

"F*** it!"

Lycan closed his eyes, dumped the beaker into his mouth, and pressed his lips against hers. Then, he forced the warm, thick goo from his lips to hers. While he tried to force her to drink, a small amount streamed from the corner of his lips. After getting as much as he could inside her, Lycan pulled away and wiped at his lips.

"Esther?" he called out.

'Please work...'

He looked upon her nearly exposed form with nothing but the utmost concern and a just hint of guilt.

'I should have never brought her here...'

<- 1 Addel's Antidote >

[Esther 0]

There was the sensation of being gently shaken, but Esther's mind was to clouded to react, her body felt too heavy, and too hot. Why was it so hot? her brows furrowed and she let out a long, low sigh between her ragged breaths. It was unbearable. Where did Lycan go? Did he leave because she did something stupid? She couldn't blame him, she was nothing more than a giant target for trouble. She wanted to find him, to apologise for being suh a ditz.

Then, she felt something soft press against her lips - then a bitter tingling sensation that drizzled into her mouth and down into her stomach. Is this a kiss? It certainly felt like one, but with her mind as clouded as it was, she couldn't tell left from right or up from down. With it, a cooling sensation followed, and she was no longer struggling to breathe. Esther coughed, finally reacting to the bitterness of the concoction. "Eeargh..." A small groan came from the woman as she struggled to sit up - reaching out with a shaky hand she clasped onto Lycan's shirt, pulling him back toward her till their foreheads were touching.

"Lye...I'm sorry..." Esther mumbled weakly, the potion was slowly taking effect, and after a few brief moments she let him go. Her eyes fluttered open and she offered him a weak smile. "Thank you. Lye...Lye I'm so sorry..." She pushed herself up off the wall. "I'm sorry...I'm wasting your time..we should finish the quest...Let's....erugh..." She faltered, and leaned forward to rest her head on his shoulder. "I can do this..."

 

[Lycan 0]

The lilac crested girl stirred in his arms. Her green eyes fluttered open with a moan. Lycan's heart beat heavily, praying she was coming through.

"Esther?" he repeated.

"Lye... I'm sorry..." he heard her reply.

His chest heaved a sigh of relief and when she pressed her forehead to his, he felt himself clutching her tight like a long lost lover. He let her free to see a weak smile on her lips. His hands fell from her silk clad form as she tried to stand in vein. She toppled forward, but he caught her in his arms.

"Hey. Easy now," Lycan coed, his face warm with a smile that the girl was at least breathing and trying to move about. "I don't know what the side effects of his potion or my antidote are going to have. Just take it slow."

He helped the girl to her feet, hooking his arm around her waist. He helped her over to his stand, and pulled a weathered stool from the underneath the counter top. Lycan helped Esther upon it, trying to keep the girl off her feet as much as he could. There she sat, in a dark, musty alley. All alone at the back corner, behind an alchemy stand with burners firing and flasks bubbling. Esther's bright hair and crystalline eyes starkly contrasted by the muted earth tones and shadows around them. Clad in silk, she looked like a girl ready to peddle love potions or open a kissing booth.

"How are you feeling?" Lycan asked, taking a kneel beside her.

In the back of his mind, he wanted to lay into her for taking a potion from a stranger. He wanted to yell at her for being too trusting. But, he stifled his urge to chastise her with the fact it was he who brought her here to begin with. Were it not for his own naivety, she wouldn't have had to learn that hard life lesson. He should have waited until dawn.