RP:Ingredients, Potions and a Snake

Part of the Of Contracts and Families Arc

Location: Thalra's Treatments and Tinctures

Synopsis: A tired Lanara heads into the brand new shop looking for specific items which she needs to craft certain serums. Of course, Thalra has what she seeks. Including a scale riddled pet which Lana is terrified of..

Ingredients, Potions and a Snake

Lanara had a rough night, and it shows, in the grim expression on her fair face, the dazed look in her tired eyes, and the mismatched clothing on her slender body. She hadn’t slept since Eli and her had left the animal sanctuary, after losing the majestic lion that had become their mascot. King had been given a mercy kill, after sustaining severe injuries from a mating ritual gone awry with a lioness. The bell hanging over the door chimes as Lana slips into Thalra’s shop, her dark hues adjusting to the dimly lit room, and she approaches her favorite drow. “Hi… How are you? I need to buy some ingredients to brew a truth potion.”

Thalra this morning had awoken bright and early to already see the courtyard of her shop/factory to already have Nutilda, one of Cenril's food wagons known for its cinnamon roasted and sugar coated nuts to beginning to cook in her courtyard. "Good, sweet smells bring customers." The morning had been pretty normal, having made batches of elixirs and potions and poisons the night before, she had pushed into the elevator a cart full of the inventory to restock, it was when she was halfway through when Lanara her favorite elf, showed up. By short gaze Lanara looked exhausted and mildly upset. "Good morning, rough night?" The soft speaking perky drow, said wearing a simple a gown, and pants. "Ah truth potion, alright lemme see here I got almost 60 different combinations for that," She said rising from the floor where she had been doing bottom row restocking, Moving towards the counter behind the register on the far wall, she pressed a small bottle down, and several clunking noises could be heard as the shelves opened revealing a room, stocked with various powders and liquids, and creatures. "What species are you trying to subjugate today?"

Lanara feigns a small smile for her friend, clearing her throat, “You don’t know the half of it… My lion, King, he passed away last night.” She’d leave out the gory details, though it explains the sadness in her tone, the faraway look in her heartbroken gaze, and the face that her long locks fell limp against her frame, and the colors of her attire clashed horribly. Lanara looked like an off-duty clown that had worked a triple shift, to a group of unruly children that wielded rocks and shovels. Was that dried blood beneath her usually well-manicured nails? She even smelled like she had slept in a barn! Still, a promise was a promise, and being that she’d have to contact the Serpents of Dissidence and would need to brew some truth potions, she had come to the place she knew would have a large supply of what she needed. Thalra, also, would honor discretion, and none what know what the witch was up to, aside from Elioyahazer, of course. “I can’t get into details; however, I have to contact a group of powerful assassins. So, I’ll need something to mask the taste of the bitter herbs that are used in the potion. Also, I’ll need some of the fanged hawk’s feathers. About eight, should do…” There’s a pause, and Lana gives the question some thought, “I believe they all are humans. Maybe a naga or two, tossed into the mix.” Just in case the ‘serpent’ signet was more than a hunch.

Thalra listened to Lanara as she pulled the necessary ingredients, adding the fanged hawk feathers and some powder known for eliminating 99.9% of all detection, you'd have to be an acid bog snake to tell if there was something in it. Speaking of which the massive 80' long as thick as a horse is long snake Sherman, sat inside his glass two story tank, wrapped around a tree, behind her with Shiloh curled up on top of his coils. "Well I can promise that if you use these materials in the correct way, it should nail any humanoids or naga you might deal with, dragons though, they are another matter entirely." She paused as she was putting them into a bag. "As a friend Lana, I might be able to offer a little extra potion for you, something to get you out of harm’s way. If of course I can show you?"

Lanara is exhausted, so at first glance, her eyes barely register the fact that there’s an eighty foot snake in the same room. Her gaze briefly rests on the tank, and when she sees Shiloh, her expression visibly lightens… Until her mind focuses for a second time on the massive serpent. Thankfully, it’s behind a glass wall, which offers mild comfort. A snake of that size could easily crash through that enclosure, and wrap his adjustable mouth around her form. She’d be dead in minutes, from a heart attack, strangulation, or from being its next meal. How had she gotten herself into this mess in the first place?! Oh right. Eli. The desert man was being stalked by a large group of assassin’s, and since she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, she had been pulled into the fray. They thought she was his accomplice! Her mind returns to the snake, and though she’s greatly uncomfortable in its presence, she’s far too tired to give her normal reaction of screaming and running in the opposite direction. Lana blinks, realizing that Thalra is talking to her, and holding out her purchase, and after giving an overly generous amount of coin, which tripled the true cost, the elf would tilt her head. “I… I would love to learn a new potion. Someone that practices my craft is always eager to gain knowledge…” A long pause. “However, before we continue with that… I just wanted to apologize for the other night. I had a very bad evening, and I didn’t mean to make any trouble at your event. I can’t tell you how sorry I am for my actions, and I hope to make it up to you one day. I’m so proud of you for following your dreams and for all you’ve accomplished. Truly. You’ve become a good friend to me, and I wanted to personally congratulate you…” And, being the nosy person she was, she mentions Rorin, “Also! Who was that dashing man that was at your side?”

Thalra looks up as Lanara looks at Sherman and takes a guess, "Oh he wouldn't eat it you, not unless I told him to, only omnivorous snake in the world, fruit first, and besides when it comes meat, you and I would nothing more than a piece of candy, he eats froads, which is why I keep him around." She moved other objects in for the potion when Lanara brought up the grand opening. Waving her hand she said, "Don't be, you weren't the source of trouble that night, I had to deal with another drow, who just wouldn't leave and couldn't stop trying to kill people, In the end she won the little contest by, of course cheating, that was obvious, the one ingredient I did not provide, and she put it in everyone's but her own. She looked up back at the elf, a smile on her face, "I am sorry that night was rough on you." She laughs at the dashing young man comment. "Well if you want to know, It was a dashing young paladin of Arkhen by the name of Rorin, and he is staying upstairs in my guest bedroom. I wonder how long it will take me to get him into mine..." she said aloud but with fiendishly mischievous playful smile. "Ah potions new ones, okay, so I have three I can teach you right now, pretty simple. There's my infamous shrinking potion, my snakejaw potion, and my fluid escapee, potion."

Lanara allows her gaze to shift to Sherman once more, wondering how many fruit trees it would take to fill his belly. How many pretty elves could fit in his mouth? Oddly, Thalra’s words don’t offer Lana any comfort, as she was –that- petrified of the legless beasts. However, being as exhausted as she is, she behaves for now, and looks back into Thalra’s eyes. The elf is too tired to stand up much longer, let alone run for the hills and avoid the snake’s jaws. If Sherman were to go ballistic, it would surely be the end for Lana. “I’m sorry. That was Gevurah, was it not? I had several encounters with her over the years. All, oddly, at the Red Trophy Ring. She’s not one to ever play fair. I think it’s a trait that most drows possess; thankfully –you- aren’t most drow.” Lana’s lips curve into a genuine smile as she sees the glow in Thalra’s eyes, the faint pink surfacing in her dark cheeks, and she knows that look fairly well. The woman was smitten! The comment about him moving into her room makes Lana laugh, “I’m sort of in the same boat. Sandman is living with me, across the hall from my sister’s room. We’re taking things slow. But… Between us? I have a good feeling about this guy. And I couldn’t be happier for you! Rorin seems like a perfect gentleman and he was so chivalrous with how he stood up to Gevurah! Maybe we can double date, sometime? Go froad hunting, or whatever.” As they discuss their love lives briefly, Lana would then ponder about each of the lessons being offered. “I think the shrinking potion would be best. I’ve seen you use it before, and for this upcoming quest I have… You never know when I’ll need it. Especially if something backfires with the truth serum.”

Thalra nodded, "Gevurah, wonderful, another drow thinking I am after her throne, how typical. Yeah well, I am not most drow, but I will occasionally cheat, there are two types of cheating, there is malicious and competitive, most drow only do malicious, competitive is when you, do something that at the very most merely cause a shake of the head and laugh between friends, or rivals, malicious well that’s everything more than that. Gevurah is on my watch list now." She went back to the inventory room to gather the needed articles. Muttering under her breath loud enough for Lanara to hear, "Maybe I should detonate the roof of her little Underdark like I did to mine...": She came back with three types of powders a liquid, and two sets of mushrooms. "Shrinking potions 101, Shrinking potions are a trade secret, most potion makers don't know how to make one, and I would argue most drow will never learn unless they spend enough time on the surface working with and learning the secrets of potion makers, at least in my land I hail from you could learn that way. Okay so first," She held up a bowl of white powder, "Ground Vucnir weed, highly sensitive to carbon dioxide, don't breathe on it, used as the body of the potion." She then picked up the second bowl filled with liquid, "Casomeria oil, the substance creates a cool sensation when used, and keeps the cells of the body from exploding under the stress of size alteration. Don't mix with Flourine, highly highly explosive." She paused waiting for Lanara to nod her head, and to ask any questions like where to get it. Sherman meanwhile had bit into a shrinking potion and dramatically shrank and slithered out of his glass tank no more than three feet long now and as thick as stick of butter. He slithered over to the counter, while Shiloh followed close behind pushing up against Lanara's leg looking for affection.

Lanara chuckles as she hears the drow’s voice from the next room, plotting Gevurah’s demise. Hell, knowing the witch, she’d offer to assist! Dark hues remain glued to Sherman’s tank, as with Thalra out of the room, she wasn’t sure what the serpent may be capable of, and she wasn’t taking any chances. Thankfully, her friend returns, and the two stare at the bowls, one with powder, and the other with liquid. The casomeria oil is familiar to Lana, and she nods in recognition, though she had never heard of vucnir weed, so she quirks a brow. “Where would one find such an ingredient? Assuming your shop didn’t have any in stock, of course.” This was a tincture palace, and the witch knew that Thalra had foreign goods imported every week. The fluorine, she’s pretty sure can be purchased on the black market, from the well-known smugglers near the docks in Rynvale. “So how long do you brew this for, once they are mixed?” Lana is ready to take the next step, once her questions are answered, though as Sherman pulls his little potion drinking scheme and escapes his tank, it’s obvious she won’t be sticking around much longer. “That little shi-“ Calm down, Lana. You are a guest in a friend’s shop. “Um. So, can we hurry this up a little? I have to get back to my house.” Away from the serpent. Far, far, far away. Shiloh nudges the back of her leg, and Lana pats the frost drake on the head, albeit nervously.

Thalra looked at Lanara, and realized the girl must be anxious about the snake. "Sure I can hurry up”, she puts the last bowl and the mushrooms out, “Okay so mushrooms are Okurmi, and they release a spore that shrinks things, as defense, it normally kills what it shrinks that’s what the oil is for to prevent that, okay so when you mix these and the essence of mint for nice smell is optional really." She motions at the last powder. "You can find any of these materials on Rynvale and other such places, maybe Enchantment, except for the mushrooms, they are imported, I am still trying to grow them here so I don't have to import them." As she was speaking Shiloh came up behind Sherman and sucked him up like a noodle and swallowed. Sherman for exactly one second was able to say "Too..early...Shi..." And was down the hatch. Thalra looked down and noticed Shiloh licking her tummy and looking up at Lana with a goofy smile. "Don't worry about Sherman he's an acid bog Snake, they practically dwell in acid, he's fine. And yes he can talk." She put the items in the bag. "You don't want to boil them, they react with each other, when they are all mixed in, set them next to ice, and they will become the gaseous liquid you need them to be. They react to cool temperatures not hot. Don't ever let it get hotter than 150 degrees." She said goodbye as she knew the elf had to leave. 'See you again soon."

Lanara is trying to focus on the potion, however, Shiloh is swallowing the snake, and in the back of her mind, she’s thinking about how she’s going to tackle Eli the next time she sets her gaze on the male. He had dragged her into this mess, and that was fine. A band of assassin’s breaking into her home and trying to kill them? No big deal. Devising a plan to track them down that would likely involve a ton of drama and danger? Bring it on. But having to see a python slither over the counter, eyeing her like a peach tree, and –then- to be slurped into the mouth of a frost drake?! Lanara knew Shiloh well, as the dragon had been adopted from her sanctuary a month ago. She also knew the mischievous side of the animal, and if Shiloh dared to spit the snake out and onto her mismatched attire, Lanara would die. She had to get the items and get the hell out of here. Pronto. Backing away from the counter, and the drake, Lana nods, jots down the recipe to memory, and literally hightails it out of the shop. She gives a final wave over her shoulder, before heading back to Sage Forest. She had a truth potion to brew, and time was of the essence!