Potions Championship II Look Ma, No Hands PV

@Aly Salinger | @Pericles Dralt

While Aly had been thinking, Dee had been fiddling with the temperature of their invisibility broth potion, and thus only reacted with a distracted "Uh huh" to the her best friend's statement. She blinked when she heard her name, looking up, only to grin at the mention of her access to the more interesting potion books their school had to offer. "I mean..." She trailed off, thoughtful, then hummed. "Yeah, there's something we can try? But these potions are hard, as in, if you're a tiny bit off, it'll go horrifically wrong and might melt your face off hard. Or, even better, do some mental damage you can't even see."

Her eyes trailed from Aly to Peri and back - between the three of them, she knew that Aly really did not have much love or passion for potioneering. "But Mopsus potion gives you telekinetic powers, without the pesky restrictions of levitation spells. Should be able to move creatures, too... I think." She hadn't tried to use it on anything living, yet. Picking up another piece of parchment, Dee jotted down the Mopsus recipe, hesitating on a few steps to make sure she remembered them right, then scanned it again, nose wrinkling. It wasn't too hard just... precise. Unforgiving.

She raised her eyebrows. "You sure about this?" Obviously, it should make object retrieval rather easy - assuming they didn't accidentally turn the potion to poison. Dee herself had only brewed it once so far.

And thus, when they decided to try it, Dee's micromanaging tendencies went into overdrive. She divided the recipe by task this time, trusting the ingredient preparation to Peri's focus and precision, and taking the tasks of measuring and adding ingredients at the right time for herself, which should hopefully leave Aly free to tend to the cauldron... mostly because she knew she couldn't just do everything herself. Where she had offered unsolicited advice on the invisibility potion, she buzzed around nervously now, checking and double-checking every step of the recipe, performing (likely unneeded) quality assurance on Peri's work, and instructing Aly on how to stir, how to stand, and how to breathe. How her teammates managed to get through the process without hexing her was a mystery - but then, they both knew who they had teamed up with.

She'd hand-picked the dragon claws and jewelweed flowers for Peri to prepare, but was still skeptical when she scooped the measure of bdellium and Peri's paste into the cauldron. While she had successfully brewed it once, she didn't really know yet how each step was supposed to look, to feel, to smell. Failures at least taught you what it wasn't supposed to be, but like this? Her only reference point was her first, lucky try.

Nodding at Aly, she watched her friend begin to stir the potion. "Yep," she confirmed. "A bit slower. Wide circles. Try to keep them even in both directions... like that, yes."

Once Aly was nearing the end of her seventeen stirs, Dee turned around quickly to grab the beetles and fanged geranium heads she had already set aside, carefully counted out, and sprinkled them into the cauldron. "Just take them," she told Aly, peering through the steam into the cauldron. What had the potion looked like at this step last time, exactly? Had it been a shade darker? Or with a more greyish tint? Was the difference perhaps only the lighting - or was it supposed to be different, because they weren't underground this time, and thus the temperature and air pressure were different? "This isn't the time to be polite."

Dee stepped back to let Aly lift the cauldron - this was one step she wasn't tempted to hijack, even if Aly had barely any more muscle than she did - then watched her do the three swirls, the container with frogspawn already in hand. She still gave more or less helpful commentary, of course, and once the cauldron was back on the fire, she was at the ready, pouring in the slimy substance with a smooth, even motion, following the direction the liquid was already swirling.

Some of her nervous focus faded once that was done and they were left to wait, only periodically checking on either potion to make sure that the temperature was still correct, and preparing for the next steps. Letting out a deep breath, Dee rolled her shoulders to loosen the muscles. She also gave her friends a sheepish smile. "Thanks for putting up with me?" Their patience deserved an award.

She did feel more relaxed when Aly signalled for her to add the salamander blood, pouring it in slowly and carefully. While not exactly volatile, it was one of the more tricky ingredients of the potion. Setting down the empty flask, she leaned back against the table to watch Aly adjust the temperature again, then turned back to their other cauldron. There was nothing more for her to do on the Mopsus potion... or so she thought.

Vaguely surprised, she looked up when Aly approached her a few minutes later, wand in hand and eyes slightly wild. It didn't feel like a big deal to her, so there didn't seem to be any point in making it into one, and Dee just nodded, slipping her hand into her robes to draw her wand, then guided it over the potion to provide the finishing touch. "There, all done," she said, nodding, and wrinkled her nose at Aly's question. "Stewing. It looks disgusting. But it's really just chicken broth, right?"

910 words.

| @Dealla Prince | @Aly Salinger |

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	"Dee, I know you must have access to the Restricted Section - after that stunt you pulled at summer camp-" Pericles chimed in with an accusational look, squinting up from a freshly Scourgified mortar "-I wouldn't be surprised if you had other tricks up your sleeve." Yeah, there's something we can try? But these potions are hard, as in, if you're a tiny bit off, it'll go horrifically wrong and might melt your face off hard." Something sparked in his stare. Enticed by the rush of a risk, he spoke at a conspiratorial volume: "Then we'd best be mindful. The risk would be worth the reward: I'd wager something unusual ought to give us an edge here." Or cost them the win, but Pear was unfaltering in his confidence for them, or perhaps willing to take a chance for the opportunity to dabble in something advanced. Their selection was settled. Tasked to ingredients, the wizard jotted down the recipe on a notebook before beelining for the supply shelves. Putting Pericles on components duty meant each ingredient received thorough triple checks. After arranging containers in order of addition, he pulled another piece of equipment from his bag: an archaic set of magnifying glasses from his old eyewear collection. The lens over his black prosthetic enlarged it to comically, horrifyingly large proportions. His left eye was obscured by a telescopic attachment. Like a master jeweler, he scoured each ingredient for imperfections, tackling this advanced brew with utmost effort. He displayed a selection of each component that Dee might pick and choose from. Those deemed inferior were returned to their containers, and with their lineup in place, Pear got to work. Dragon claws were stubborn things. Harder than stone, they took ages to grind into fine power, and he had two to reduce. But Pericles was tenacious, gripping the bowl firmly as the pestle pulverized them both. Once he determined the powder's consistency through his magnifying lens, he counted in the seven jewelweed flowers, proceeding to mash them together to form an orangish paste. Everything was ready. All that was left for Dee to add them just so, and Aly to manage the cauldron. Shoving the goggles to his forehead, Peri presented the fruit of his labor, proudly dusting his gloves in a self-congratulatory gesture of a job well done. He hoped. The wizard took time to rub and roll his wrists while he spectated. At one moment, he considered reminding Aly to breathe, but decided against breaking her concentration. Dee hadn't exaggerated when she warned the potion was extremely specific. A spark of worry went off as Aly looked around, seemingly searching for something. Had she missed a step? Had he overlooked an ingredient? But no- all she needed was a set of gloves, and he was more than happy to hand his over. Pericles slid them off and held them out by the cuffs. He realized as Aly eased into them that her hands were surprisingly smaller than his own, with the nimble, lightly calloused fingers of a flyer. "They might be a bit big," he admitted apologetically, "but they'll do the trick." The trio functioned harmoniously. Peri's enthusiasm was ongoing, Aly's precision unwavering, and Dee's guidance clear. When she thanked them for "putting up with" her, he gave her playful nudge with an elbow, scoffing "Says the compass to the sailors. We couldn't have possibly done this without you." His words exuded affection, but he also meant it literally: they didn't know the recipe.
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WC: 584/400